Glass. Kill. What If If Only. IMP. Written by Caryl Churchill Directed by James Macdonald Martinson Stage – Public Theatre May 20, 2025 Production website 💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
The above are the names of four very short plays written by Caryl Churchill that are woven together with a bit of acrobatic interludes to create a wonderful evening in the theatre. Actually, the first three: Glass. Kill. and What If If Only are very short and play out as the first act and Imp. stands alone as the second act. They all are tied together very loosely by themes of faith and our need for myth – – juxtaposed against the violence we live with. And, of course what we get with any Caryl Churchill play is a seductive, playful, dangerous use of language that you just don’t find that often in the theatre.
John Proctor is the Villain Written by Kimberly Belflower Directed by Danya Taymor Booth Theatre May 18, 2025 Productionwebsite 💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
John Proctor is the Villain tells the story of a high school English classroom in the spring semester of the junior year in 2018 in a one-stoplight town in northeast Georgia. Mr. Smith, a very attractive, popular English teacher, is quickly and awkwardly working his way through the state required sex-ed curriculum so that he can get to the highly anticipated study of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. It is when this study of the characters and themes of the Crucible collides with the realities of the classroom and the world of the 2018 (the height of the #MeToo movement) that this play erupts into one of the most explosive and oddly cathartic dramas currently on Broadway.
Eureka Day Written by Jonathan Spector Directed by Anna D. Shapiro Manhattan Theatre Club/Samuel J. Friedman Theatre February 12, 2025 Production website 💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
Eureka Day was a terrific, hilarious, and timely way to spend the afternoon in the theatre. The play is a rather biting satire of a progressive elementary school thrown into turmoil by a sudden mumps outbreak. The Board of Directors, known for their commitment to consensus and mutual respect, find themselves in the eye of a storm, grappling with divergent viewpoints and tensions. Their debate over whether to maintain their liberal vaccination stance or impose mandates that could fracture the community forms the crux of the drama.
Cellino v. Barnes Written by Mike B. Breen & David Rafailades Directed by Wesley Taylor & Alex Wyse AsylumNYC Theater October 10, 2024 Production website 💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
Anyone who has spent any time walking the streets of New York, looking at billboards or the sides of busses – but especially listening to TV and the radio has heard the ubiquitous, simple jingle of “Cellino and Barnes, Injury Attorneys, 1-800-888-8888.” It was EVERYWHERE!” When the firm fell apart in 2019, followed shortly after by the death of Barnes in a small-plane crash, it became a tale of machismo, hubris, and lawyers where were doing a few to many shady things on the side.
Breaking the Story by Alexis Scheer Directed by Jo Bonney 2nd Stage at Tony Kiser Theater May 31, 2024 Production website 💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
Breaking the Story follows the character Marina, a war correspondent, about to receive a lifetime achievement award for her work shedding light on the darkest parts of humanity. She is playing with the idea of leaving her job for good to settle down with her former colleague-turned-lover — but she must reckon with the hold that war and her profession still have on her.
