Truth’s a Dog Must to Kennel Written and performed by Tim Crouch Fringe Encore Series by the Soho Playhouse January 5, 2023 Production website 💉💉 out of 5.
This was a weird one – even for the land of Fringe Theatre. The heart of the play was one man, Tim Crouch wearing a virtual reality set of goggles. With the goggles on he places himself in the role of the Fool in Shakespeare’s King Lear. He describes being in the actual role during a live performance of Lear where actors and scenes are playing around him as he describes what he is experiencing. Perhaps even more interesting was his X-ray like vision of the audience.
The Stakeout Written by Martin Dockery Directed by Vanessa Quesnelle Fringe Encore Series Soho Playhouse December 23, 2022 Production website 💉💉 out of 5.
I adore Fringe Festivals. No matter the city or the country they pop-up in, they are always the best and worst of theatre – often in the same evening. The Stakeout was really sharp. I was worried at the beginning with the cliche “actors sitting on the stage already in character before we arrive but that can be overlooked. The play was a most clever blending of Waiting for Godot and a family drama about an estranged father and son.
I Wanna F*ck Like Romeo and Juliet Written by Andrew Rincon Directed by Jesse Joe Jamie Lloyd Company at A New Light Theatre Project 59E59 Theatre October 22, 2022 Production website 💉💉 out of 5.
Okay the “F” word, especially spelled out in asterisks, caught my attention and even encouraged me to buy tickets just to see something “bad” – because sometimes a show can be so bad that it is irresistible – granted sometimes you are doing more laughing “at it” rather than “with it”. And the show did start off quite badly. It was way too campy and played way too “bigly” for the very small theatre. Cliches of Cupid and St. Valentine were neither believable or funny.
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.
How I Learned to Drive Written by Paula Vogel Directed by Mark Vogel Manhattan Theatre Club March 31, 2022 Production website 💉💉 out of 5.
I just didn’t get this play. I just didn’t get it. I know that this is Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play and I know that the dream team of Mary-Louise Parker (Proof) and Tony nominee David Morse (The Iceman Cometh) were the perfect performers for the story but I just didn’t get it. I appreciated the skill of the playwright in building this sexual assault from its small simple beginning to its conclusion. The creepiness of the relationship between this adult man and girl was palpable. I appreciated the effects of a family that has no boundaries – how it abandons every member and opens the door to all kinds of demons. BUT what was the girl after?
