Tuesday, April 23, 2024
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
Tag: SoHo Playhouse
Metamorphosis” at Soho Playhouse, Fringe Encore Series
One of the highlights of this year's edition of the Annual Fringe Encore Series is Sam Chittenden's take on Kafka's novella, "Metamorphosis." While the script is intriguing, the performance of Heather-Rose Andrews in this one-woman show is what makes the production stand out. Kafka's tale is simple enough, Grego Samsa wakes up one morning to discover he has changed into an insect. Chittenden spins this in an interesting way by using Greta Samsa, Gregor's much younger sister, to tell the tale. Her metamorphosis from child to woman takes place against the backdrop of her brother's unlikely and disturbing change. Gregor's change
The Day I Became Black at The SoHo Playhouse
The Day I Became Black is a heart opener, a mind shifter, a bridge builder. Bill Posley's life-storytelling is the antidote to desensitizing discourse overload. Today we are inundated with concepts, theories, verbiage writ large and Bill cuts through the noise with an honest memoir that makes you want to hold hands with complete strangers. My plus one, Elizabeth, said it was healing theater and I agree - Posley has a potent curative gift. It's like he is laying theatrical hands on you and raising you from the complacency couch. He achieves this feat through the power of laughter, joy and
THE DAY I BECAME BLACK: Interview with Bill Posley
THE DAY I BECAME BLACK is currently running at The SoHo Playhouse to great acclaim and is created, written and performed by Bill Posley (CBS’s “The Neighborhood,” Netflix’s “Glow”) and directed by Bente Engelstoft (“The Ellen DeGeneres Show”). The production blurb: "Bill Posley grew up biracial, happily identifying as both black and white. But at 10 years old he learns the world does in fact judge a book by its color, and even though he’s half white he’s labeled 100% black. Does a young comedian have to get rid of his whiteness to be the color people expect him to be?" I
TJ Dawe: A Canadian Bartender at Butlin’s at the Soho Playhouse
The Soho Playhouse has gifted us with encore performances of some of the finer productions from this year's New York International Fringe Festival. TJ Dawe is performing a one-man, autobiographical show discussing his life in general and in particular his time in England as a bartender at a Butlin's holiday camp in Bognor Regis. Dawe is a charming raconteur and his adventures in the UK offer a great opportunity for fish-out-of-water stories. Butlin's, for those unfamiliar with the chain, was an English institution, up there with mushy peas, the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and losing in the
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: at the Fringe Encore Series, Soho Playhouse
This is my favorite kind of theater –physical, inventive, ingenious and funny. Burt Grinstead and Anna Stromberg’s comedic adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is theatrical catnip – you just can’t get enough of it. This multi-talented duo has written a sophisticated comic-tragedy, produced it and performed it – excelling in every area. It’s the kind of work I would also prescribe for all drama students to see as it is a prime example of performance skill, innovative design and clarity of directorial intention all rolled into one exceptional “fringe” performance. In a
DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE: a la Burt Grinstead and Anna Stromberg
DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE -sound familiar? But this time round it is a two-hander comedic reimagining of the old classic. Burt Grinstead and Anna Stromberg are the couple that have written and perform in this NY Premiere. This entertaining production by Blanket Fort Entertainment has already garnered positive responses from the press: “DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE was praised by Stage Raw as “a highly innovative work, impressive for its delightfully morbid sense of humor and the versatility of the acting.” Broadway World said, “Both actors display a great deal of charm, courage and panache. Stromberg is nothing short of
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