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.
Flying Over Sunset Book by James Lapine Music by Tom Kitt Lyrics by Michael Korie Direction by James Lapine Lincoln Center Theatre at the Vivian Beaumont December 31, 2021 Production website 💉💉 out of 5.
It was a perfect New Year’s Eve. I was lucky and scored tickets in the first row right to the side of the stage next to the step down into the audience. The seat was comfortable, plenty of leg room and NO chatty neighbors! Heaven! The musical, Flying Over Sunset was quite an adventure. The brief program note bears repeating,
In the 1950’s the drug LSD was legal, but generally it was only experimented with by a small number of people either under the radar or in a clinical setting. Flying Over Sunset is a work of fiction inspired by the extraordinary lives of Aldous Huxley, Claire Boothe Luce, Cary Grant, and Gerald Heard, all of whom experimented with the drug. We know that the famed author and philosopher Aldous Huxley’s first experience with LSD began when he stopped at a new Rexall drug store in Los Angeles on what was to be a quick errand. He was with his wife Maria and an old friend Gerald Heard. WE know that playwright Congresswoman and Ambassador Clare Boothe Luce first experienced the drug in the garden of her Ridgefield, Connecticut, estate with Gerald Heard serving as her guide. We know that at his wife’s urging, the movie star Cary Grant went to her psychiatrist’s office to find out more about this miraculous drug she dept urging him to try. Flying Over Sunset connects the dots.
Kimberly Akimbo Book & Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire Music by Jeanine Tesori Based on the play by David Lindsay-Abaiore Choreographed by Danny Mefford Directed by Jessica Stone Atlantic Theatre Company December 30, 2021 Production website 💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
Kimberly Akimbo is a truly magnificent musical. It is true, honest, sincere and in no way pretentious. The story involves a teenage girl suffering from Progeria, a rare genetic disease that causes the patient to age very quickly and often results in death around the age of 16. The girl in this play, Kimberly, played by master performer Victoria Clark, is played by a 60+ year old woman. Essentially we have the soul of a teenage girl being played by a much older actress. Kimberly Akimbo is one of the most beautiful examples of theatrical irony then have seen in many years.
Trouble in Mind Written by Alice Childress and Michael Aegean Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright Roundabout Theatre Company at American Airlines Theatre December 29, 2021 Production website 💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
The last three post-Covid trips that I have taken to New York have all been about bringing visibility to black artists, stories, and history. There has truly been a renaissance in black literature on stage and new actors/new faces are popping up all over Broadway. It is so great to be part of this excitement. But of all the stories about the Black experience none is more effective than Trouble in Mind – – and that is quite a feat for a play that was first optioned and later rejected for Broadway in 1955. Back in 1955, the play was well received Off Broadway but was stopped on its path to Broadway because white producers wanted the script to be “toned down”. The playwright, Alice Childress, refused to make the change. But today we see the full unedited production straight from the playwright’s pen.
