All good things come to and end. For the extended holiday break I was able to bank in a dozen shows – – from the awesomeness of Mark Rylance, the beauty of The Band’s Visit to the dinner theatre of Party Face and the what-the-hell of Cardinal and all wonderful things in-between – not to mention some good ol’ nudity in a shower. God is good. Theatre is good. NYC is good and cold. And now its back to Florida to pay the bills and plan March!
Monthly Archives: January 2018
Cardinal
Cardinal
Written by Greg Pierce
Directed by Kate Whoriskey
2nd Stage
January 14, 2018
Production website
💉 out of 5.
In all the plays in all the world – why would anyone chose to do this play? I just don’t get it I am not sure what someone in authority was about when they read this play and said, “This is what I need to commit valuable time and resources to.” Why? Why? Why? This was one of those plays that I sat in the middle of a full house and peeked out to my fellow audience members to see if anyone was getting more out of this play then I was – cause I wasn’t getting anything. I was not interested in any of the characters or their struggles. I didn’t believe them and certainly didn’t believe the “development” of the story. There wasn’t an ending moment (much less a climax) where everything came together except a gun shot that no one on stage seemed to care about and the concern on the freshness of hospital muffins. Continue reading Cardinal
Party Face
Party Face
Written by Isobel Mahon
Directed by Amanda Bearse
New York City Center Stage 2
January 13, 2018
Production website
💉 out of 5.
Before you judge – let me explain – I had an open slot – and this was a new play – and the tickets were $132 but only $28 on TDF so that was a seemingly good deal – and it was in previews, which is fun – and it did star Hayley Mills who was in Parent Trap so that’s good. Right?
I walked in the small theatre of Stage 2 at City Center – and the set looked great – close, intimate, elegant – but almost too good looking like they were hiding something. Then clue #2, I overheard the house manager talking to a friend saying “I hope you are okay with this – but she is so lovely to work with.” Continue reading Party Face
Disco Pigs
Disco Pigs
Written by Edna Walsh
Directed by John Haidar
Booth Theatre
January 13, 2018
Production website
💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
What the hell were they saying? From the moment Disco Pigs began and two captivating young actors pulled apart flaps in the back wall essentially narrating their birth at the same time in the same hospital – you just couldn’t understand what they were saying. I thought, at first it was because it was an Irish play – set in Cork – and they were just taking this dialect thing a BIT too far. Then I realized Continue reading Disco Pigs
The Band’s Visit
The Band’s Visit
Music and Lyrics by David Yazbec
Book by Itamar Moses
Directed by David Cromer
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
January 12, 2018
Production website
💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
From the first moment of music I was won. The Egyptian music was so wonderfully foreign to me – and so passionate and emotional – It was an entire show before the first character entered. It is hard to describe the wonderfulness of this show. I suppose if you were schooled in international music you would have heard some of this Jewish/Egyptian/Arabic music and all of its unique orchestration it would be old hat you – but, for me, it was new, new, new. Passion played out is such new and unusual ways. Continue reading The Band’s Visit