Sunday, November 17, 2024
Brecht on Brecht is a monumental work that serves as an urgent invitation to - “change the world, she needs it.” In this production eight performers take us on an adrenaline fueled musical ride through some of Bertolt Brecht’s most powerful observations on social and political fall out. This “theatrical collage” has been woven together by George Tabori and serves to provoke us into deep introspection about the state of our current political climate. It’s a gift for those on the front lines, who are dedicating their energy to securing our democracy, to hear such poignant wisdom coming from someone
Author: Jacquelyn Claire
The After-Dinner Joke at The Atlantic Stage 2
The After-Dinner Joke is a biting black comedy about the “business” of doing “good”. It’s a fantastic production that seems to have a cast of thousands wrapping us up in a tornado of lively performances. Caryl Churchill wrote this teleplay for the BBC in 1977 and it remains an astute satire that pokes and prods at charity organizations and their effectiveness. The Potomac Theatre Project (PTP) mounts a phenomenal production that is slick and incredibly entertaining. PTP/NYC’s artistic vision is to “redefine politically aware theatre for the 21st century by presenting theatrically complex and thought-provoking work of contemporary social and
The Possibilities at The Atlantic Stage 2
The Possibilities is soul food for those intellects starved by the current political climate of idiocy. Four sophisticated, thought provoking short plays make up this refreshing production that asks us to evaluate our individual moral response to the unfolding complexity before us. You leave the theater feeling like your brain has had an intense workout and your body is pumped full of life inspiring endorphins. You immediately want to reach for a good book or engage in an intellectual hoop jumping discourse thanks to the stimulating perspectives that have shaken all complacency out of you. The production elevates your thinking
GET THE BOAT: at the SoHo Playhouse
Get The Boat is a vital conversation. It’s a timely play that taps into the current need to highlight crucial women’s issues in a patriarchal society that still attempts to tell women what they are “allowed” to do with their bodies. The #metoo and #ibelieveher movements have given many female playwrights the “voice” to tackle relevant societal issues with a courageous urgency. Irish playwright, Eavan Brennan draws attention to the traumatic journey many Irish women have to take to England to exercise their right to choose. The play is making its North American debut after a successful run at the
INNIT: at the SoHo Playhouse
INNIT is Catherine Tate funny. Colette Forde introduces us to Kelly Roberts, a ballsy Manchester teenager that is visiting a psychologist for the first time. I laughed like an unblocking drain and then totally choked up as we got to know this broken bird with foul tongue and fragile heart. INNIT is having its American debut after a sold out run at the the Limerick Fringe Festival. It’s an intense ride through working class, teenage trauma set in the 90’s. Kelly Roberts is a character you are not likely to forget. She is an undiluted truthsayer that does not shy away
The Opera is Always on the Table at ICE Factory, New Ohio Theatre
The Opera is Always on the Table places us into a dystopian environment where the effects of war have infiltrated the kitchen table. Missives of “fallen cities” come to us via texts on “Mom’s” cellphone while she tries to set boundaries for her teenage “Daughter” as if its a normal day. It’s a bleak look at the fallout of soldiers returning home riddled with PTSD and the consequences of neglecting this veteran’s precarious mental health. The piece has been written by Hanna Lea Novak who is adept at writing complex dialogue to reveal plot. The text evolved out of a response
One Small Step at ICE Factory, New Ohio Theatre
One Small Step…is a giant star jump through the sixth dimension and into an alternative reality where history is reworded. It’s an ode to otherness, to our desire to expand beyond the confines of our three dimensional universe and sniff at the possibility of realms beyond the known. Einstein’s theory of special relativity tickles our imaginations with the probability of higher dimensions and so the Saint Fortune company takes us on a space-time trial run. While there is doubt that our brains would be able to recognize 4D if it sat on our laps, One Small Step is all that
Prototypes at The Downstairs, La MaMa
Prototypes - a dozen divine dances. Susan Marshall & Company present a collection of short form works that are mini explosions of intense creativity. Each piece is a stand alone expression of human straining for connection, yet the 12 pieces seem to be talking to one another creating an entangled vine of cross pollinated conversation fragments. It is incredibly satisfying to watch as your brain makes its own connections between storylines, intentions and investigations of behavioral systems. Susan Marshall’s creative vision for the show ensures a seamless melding of the pieces so that you aren’t sure where one ends and
Brooklyn United Live! at La MaMa
I am still walking on sunshine after Brooklyn Unite Live! rejuvenated all of the cells in my body. I feel like I am ten years younger and that I’m the love child of Tony Robbins and Beyoncé – I am beyond motivated and feel like I can conquer the world. If you want to permanently turn your life dial to 100% pure positivity you have to experience these 33 Brooklyn youngsters whose drum and dance corps originality will blow out all of the cobwebs growing on your bucket list. I wish they had this after-school program for adults so we
Cannibal Galaxy: a love story at New Ohio Theatre
It’s a surprising exploration of the impossible space between us. It’s a harrowing look at how the everyman deals with self-implosion after an unexpected catastrophic supernova-style life event. While our “cannibal” galaxy devours the smaller ones in it’s orbit above, America seems to be eating itself below. The play questions if our violent collisions and interactions permanently leave vast distances between us that can never be traversed. It’s a riveting work where both the micro- and macrocosm share the stage, where the milky way feels present in the room as well as the smallest human quarks, leaving us clinging to