Comeuppance Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Directed by Eric Ting Signature Theatre July 8, 2023 Production website 💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
Comeuppance really had me worried in the first few moments. Any play that begins with a character speaking directly to the audience and pretending to be “death” seems to be going down the wrong tedious path. I had very low expectations. Once the play moved through this monologue, however, I was very surprised as to how wonderful it was. A group of 30-somethings were gathered on the porch of the central characters house, all doing a bit of a pre-game libations before they go to the 20th high school reunion. The characters were so rich and interesting. They had the most complicated and interesting of relationships. I quickly forgot about the death character! The play then speaks of how they all survived the Columbine shootings, the war in Baghdad, 9/11 and even the January 6 march against the capital. But most importantly, how they all survived the Covid nightmare.
Becky Nurse of Salem Written by Sarah Ruhl Directed by Rebecca Taichman Lincoln Center Theater at the Mitzi E. Newhouse December 31, 2022 Production website 💉💉💉 out of 5.
Sarah Ruhl’s latest play is about a descendant of a tried and convicted American witch. The play was inspired by the rage that the playwright Ms. Ruhl felt after seeing a production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and how it distorted the motivation of the Salem Withc Trials to make them about young women’s desire for an older man. – ie – – Abigail was 17 in the play but in real life she was 11. That changes everything.
Cyrano de Bergerac Written by Edmond Rostand in a new version by Martin Crimp Directed by Jamie Lloyd Jamie Lloyd Company at Brooklyn Academy of Music April 5, 2022 Production website 💉💉 out of 5.
This was a rough night in the theatre. I knew coming from London and play at BAM meant it was going to be experimental and an unorthodox treatment of Cyrano, but I had no idea how bad it would go. The set was a simple beige box – top, bottom and sides – nothing else. There were five orange classroom chairs and a few corded mics. That was it. The costumes were coveralls, jeans and other clothing you might see on the street. Minimalist – I get it – No problem. The beauty was going to be in the language – nice choice . . .I thought.
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.”
A Touch of the Poet Written by Eugene O’Neill Directed by Ciarán O’Reilly Irish Repertory Theatre March 26, 2022 Production website 💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
Irish Repertory Theatre is one of my favorite theatres in NYC. The space is so small and in-your-face. No other theatre in the City puts you right on stage with the performers like the Irish Rep. Irish literature also is a favorite of mine. No other plays seem to have as much humanity – so much fighting, suffering and passion as the Irish plays.
Touch of the Poet started out very predictably for me. Two Irish bar goes were sitting around a bottle of whiskey providing us with the exposition needed for the night, and yes, one had an obviously makeup/manufactured scar and the other a bit too forced of a brogue. I was willing to accept these small bumps and settled down into one of Eugene O’Neill’s classics – only performed professionally after O’Neill died. I thought I had this play figured out. BUT THEN,
