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.”
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,
This Space Between Us Written by Peter Gil-Sheridan Directed by Jonathan Silverstein Keen Company – Theatre Row March 26, 2022 Production website 💉💉 out of 5.
This play was exactly what I expected – – in fact it was a bit too much of what I expected. This Space Between Us tells the story of a corporate lawyer who is connected to his parents, aunt, neighbor and boyfriend, who one day wakes up to realize that his corporate law job – although lucrative – is not making the change in the world that he feels necessary. He wants to ditch it all and head to Africa to help others.
Lehman Trilogy Written by Stefano Massine Adapted by Ben Power Directed by Sam Mendes Nederlander Theatre January 1, 2022 Production website 💉💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
This was simply perfect! It was a true story; an important story and told with the utmost economy of language, movement, and scenic support. The story of the Lehman’s is a story of American industry and wealth. The story starts with the great immigration from Europe, takes us through cotton and the anti-bellum South. It leads us through Civil War and its aftermath. Soon after, they create the middleman -the man who has nothing – but makes the connection between the creator and the buyer. It moves us from the fields to the city – New York City – – as the stock market is invented and creates new wealth and the sees the birth of the railroad, television, and even computers – finally addressing the ultimate wealth maker: the ability to convince people to spend money they don’t have on things that they do not need. Perfect wealth! The Lehman brothers also dealt poignantly with the stock market crash of the 29 and the market reset in the 1980’s. All this while telling the story of three very Orthodox Jews who work to maintain their beliefs in a world that constantly challenges faith.
