KPOP Book by Jason Kim Music and Lyrics by Helen Park and Max Vernon Choreography by Jennifer Weber Directed by Teddy Bergman Circle in the Square Theatre October 21, 2022 Production website 💉💉💉 out of 5.
I really did like this musical. You really had to appreciate all of the earnest commitment from everyone on stage. It did feel a bit that they were a bit nervous about their audience- – doubting a long run for this show – and were going to give it their all until the doors are closed. KPOP is truly a wonderful, fun, sexy dance style that energizes the audience like few other dance styles. The show had some incredible dance sets. I wished, in fact, that they had just stuck to the dances and not tried so hard to make it a piece of musical theatre with a “book” behind it.
Birthday Candles Written by Noah Haidle Directed by Vivienne Beseech American Airlines Theatre/Roundabout Theatre Company March 29, 2022 Production website 💉💉💉 out of 5.
This play really had an affect on me and took me on quite an emotional rollercoaster. The premise of the play is clear: we are going to show the passage of a woman’s life from being 18 to 91 in the very same kitchen. Characters are going to play children and then they are magically going to age step by step to their grave.
At first I just hated this play. To see Debra Messing wiggling her way playing an 18 year old girl talking about how bored she is with live – – I thought that this was going to be the LONGEST two hours in the theatre. I was ready to tune out and focus on my watch. BUT then I began to get invested in the transition from teenage years to adult years.
To My Girls Written by JC Lee Directed by Stephen Brackett Second Stage – Tony Kiser Theater March 27, 2022 Production website 💉💉💉 out of 5.
Much of this play’s story I have seen before. There is that vacation spot – nine times out of ten it is Palm Springs where a group of estranged friends gather for a bit of a reunion. There is always the hunk who runs a bit short on smarts, the smart one who is unlucky at love, the innocuous best friend, someone who love dressing up in drag and lots and lots of liquor. You know that there is going to be a “hook-up” that nearly destroys a friendship, talk of AIDS, and lots of discussion of the “good ol’ days.”
Clyde’s Written by Lynn Nottage Directed by Kate Whoriskey 2nd Stage at Helen Hayes Theatre December 28, 2021 Production website 💉💉💉 out of 5.
As the play began, I knew I was not going to like this play at all, but, as I left the theatre, I began to like it more and more. I believe the reason I got such a negative start had to deal with my seats. I was lucky/unlucky to score seats in the center section right in the second row. I had a clear view of the stage and all was good – – until the lights went down. From the very first moment all things on stage were SO loud and SO overplayed and SO working more to get an audience to laugh rather than settling down and trying to bring us into the world of the play. A perfect example is the character of Letitia twerking away for sake of the audience before we even know what/who she is in the play.
Sanctuary City Written by Martina Major Directed by Rebecca Frecknall New York Theatre Workshop October 9, 2021 Production website 💉💉💉 out of 5
It was so great to back into the theatre and see a play. It had been waaaaaay tooo long! Sanctuary Play was the first of the group. The story was simple – two adolescents, both children of undocumented workers banded together to plot ways to stay in the country. The girl simply named “G” found a loophole in the system that allowed her to stay if she was willing to stay with her physically abuse succession of her Mother’s boyfriends and take on an excessive amount of college student debt. The boy, “B” had it tougher. His mother was planning to give up and just return to her home country. His options were to continue hiding in the shadows in fear or to find an American girl that he could marry. I am sure you can guess where we go from there.
