Life Sucks
Written by Aaron Posner
Directed by Jeff Wise
Theatre Row – Acorn Theatre
June 23, 2019
Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5.

Life Sucks – totally sucked in the first 10 minutes but then moment by moment totally become one of my most memorable plays of the summer.    Life Sucks is “sort of adapted from ‘Uncle Vanya,’” as playwright, Mr. Posner puts it. (He had already gone to the Chekhov well three years ago with his well-received “Stupid _____ Bird,” based loosely on The Seagull.   Here in Uncle Vanya land, the forlorn Vanya still shares a home with the plain Sonia but now we appear to be in the United States since there is talk of student loans and American money.  Both Vanya and the brooding Dr. Aster still pine for Sonia’s stepmother, Ella. Continue reading Life Sucks →

Long Lost
Written by Donald Margulies
Directed by Daniel Sullivan
Manhattan Theatre Club
June 19, 2019
Production website
💉💉 out of 5.

I so felt like I was in a theatre, watching acting, experiencing a play and sitting next to a most aging audience – and that ain’t good folks.  I was never transported away.  It looked like a play, moved like a play, and made me question my love of plays. Continue reading Long Lost →

The Play That Goes Wrong
Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields
Directed by Matt Dicarlo
New World Stages
June 10, 2019
Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5.

I have seen this play now for the third and, hopefully, the very last time.  The only fun left for me in this production was the joy of taking 16 young students who had never experienced the story.  I almost wished that my seat had faced them and not the stage.  I am sure that would been a worthy show.

I have little to say about the play that I haven’t said before:

http://nyctheatreaddict.com/play-goes-wrong-2/

Once you see a farce this many times it comes down to the mechanics and not to the joy.  Please do see it.  It is a brilliant play – but I am going to have to say “no” – been there and seen that.

The Secret Life of Bees
Book by Lynn Nottage
Music by Duncan Sheik
Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead
Based on the novel by Sue Monk Kidd
Directed by Sam Gold
Atlantic Theater Company
June 9, 2019
Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5.

The Secret Life of Bees was another experiment in taking a wildly popular novel and adapting it for the stage – but more than a play, they worked to transform this into a musical!  Here in Bees, the music was just breathtaking.  You had great music, great lyrics sung by some of the best vocalists theatre has working right now.  It was so moving to listen to. Continue reading The Secret Life of Bees →

Safeword
Written by S. Asher Gelman
Directed by S. Asher Gelman
American Theatre of Actors
April 20, 2019
Production website
💉💉 out of 5.

If only this play needed a “safe word”  But it clearly doesn’t  The play here is strictly vanilla and actually not very interesting vanilla.  I do believe that our playwrights intention here was to introduce the average audience member to the world of bandage, domination, and sadomasochism – but what we get is more housewife with a cute whip.

The play starts out with a most provocative scene at the top of a set where a leather clad “dom” is abusing his willing victim.  That got everyone’s attention – but it never back to that powerful first image.  Sad when your best moment is the very first one of the show.   Continue reading Safeword →