Wednesday, December 18, 2024
David Leopold, Claire Fraenkel, Joseph Cullen, Lawrence Boothman, and Sasha Wilson in The Brief Life and Mysterious Death of Boris III - King of Bulgaria. Photo by Carol Rosegg.Stagebiz is happy to post an interview with Joe Cullen, Co-Author of The Brief Life and Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria, which recently finished a run at 59 E. 59 Theaters Boris III of Bulgaria is a rather obscure historical figure to most of us, including historians, so what is it about his situation that interested you? Firstly, co-writer Sasha Wilson is American Bulgarian and her O’papa (grandad) introduced us to this incredible
Tag: Off-Broadway
Alicia Keys’ HELL’S KITCHEN Musical at The Public Theater
HELL'S KITCHEN, a new musical at The Public Theater set in New York's iconic, eclectic Midtown West neighborhood, is a coming-of-age story about a typical teenager dealing with quintessential teen dramas -- family, friends, a boyfriend, love, loss, disappointment, and the spark that defines her path and purpose -- at a critical time in her life that shapes the future of what she will become -- a beloved international superstar. That superstar is Alicia Keys, the fifteen-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, musician, producer, best-selling author, actress, film/TV/Broadway producer, entrepreneur and global activist. She's a force of nature and a source of
DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS at New World Stages
Combine elements of Rocky Horror Picture Show and Beetlejuice with The 39 Steps and Mel Brooks’s Young Frankenstein, add a quick-witted, fast-paced, farcical script, mix in five phenomenally talented actor comedians, dozens of fanciful quick-change costumes, all wrapped up in a big batty vampire bow and you’d have Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors. The show, written by Gordon Greenberg (who also directs it) and Steve Rosen, now playing Off-Broadway at New World Stages, is a riotous romp that’s sexy, spooky and utterly hysterical. Though Dracula (played by the devastatingly dashing and terrifically talented James Daly, who’s more of an Alexander Skarsgard
CHASING HAPPY by Michel Wallerstein Debuts at Theatre Row
Ideals like those proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, including “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” may be considered “self-evident” to the Founding Fathers of the USA, but they weren’t living in today’s world, inundated by obstacles to these “certain inalienable rights,” despite the progress made over a few hundred years. Admittedly, we have it comparatively better in many ways, but pursuing happiness can feel more challenging than ever. Whole movements, companies, and apps have been created to support our quest for contentment. Yet even for those fortunate enough not to be caught up in the worst of woes,
Cat Kid Comic Club — Lucille Lortel Theatre
Children's theatre is usually treated as an afterthought (if it is thought of at all), not as important as anything done for adults. Disney has given us some exceptions to this, but few production companies have the resources and the marketing power the House of the Mouse has. TheatreWorks USA has taken a different track with Cat Kid Comic Club, by Dav Pilkey. Pilkey is the author of the Captain Underpants books, and TheatreWorks turned his DogMan spin-off book into a musical a few years ago. Having sold 50 million copies of his works, Pilkey is a known-quantity to youngsters
“The Harder They Come” — The Public Theater
The Public Theater presents this stage version of the 1972 film by the same name. It was the first Jamaican feature film, just a decade after independence, and the first film that exposed a world-wide audience to reggae music. Jimmy Cliff played the lead role, Ivanhoe (Ivan) Martin, and for a time, he was the face of reggae before that passed to Bob Marley. While writer-in-residence Suzan-Lori Parker has altered some of the plot for instance, (larger parts for Ivan's mother Daisy and his wife Elsa), she has retained the integrity of the story and theme. “The Harder They Come”
“Becomes a Woman” — New York City Center Stage II
The world knows Betty Smith as the woman who wrote the coming-of-age novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, a minor (or arguable a major) American classic. The irony is that she considered herself a playwright rather than a novelist. “Becomes a Woman” has never before been produced, despite winning the Avery Hopwood Award in 1931 at the University of Michigan – along with the princely sum (for the Depression) of $1,000. The Mint Theater Company has seen fit to stage it. I am very glad they did. Emma Pfitzer Price plays the lead role of Francie Nolan (the same name as
Henry Nalyor Talks About “Afghanistan is Not Funny”
Henry Naylor brought is award winning one-man show "Afghanistan is Not Funny" at the Soho Playhouse as part of its International Fringe Encore festival. In between performing to packed houses, he was kind enough to answer a few questions from Stagebiz. Stagebiz: What did you think you were going to find when you left for Afghanistan? What were your pre-conceived ideas and how right or wrong were you? HN: I’d followed the post 9/11 Afghan War obsessively on the news. So my perceptions were shaped – and distorted - by our well-meaning media. Inevitably because I watched the British news, I believed that
“Afghanistan is Not Funny” — Soho Playhouse
The Soho Playhouse is an artistic institution in New York that punches well-above its weight in the theatre world. Much of this rests on the Fringe Encore Series, which brings some of the best fringe work from around the world to its stage. With “Afghanistan is Not Funny,” it has scored again. Henry Nayler's one-actor show has won more awards than many shows have had performances, and Nayler himself has won at Edinburgh 3 times. And they were well-deserved, every one of them. Like most one-actor shows, Afghanistan is Not Funny relies on the personal adventures of the playwright. Back in
“Gratitude” — Urban Stages
Montreal's Mainline Theatre has brought “Gratitude” by Oren Safdie to New York's Urban Stages, and it is quite a strong premier for the show. Set in a private school in Canada in a disused locker room, the play explores teen sexuality (quite vividly), gender and consent. Throw in the clash between Canadian and the more traditional societies from whence some of its immigrants have come, and you have a play that is tense and uncomfortable to watch in places. The discomfort is deliberate. Indeed, it could be the whole point for some. “Gratitude” opens up a lot of topics that make