Off kilter Off-Broadway, Part 1

Generalization warning: Theatre is ethereal, and its very impermanence draws audiences to little theatres in dark corners of the city, where they hope to witness a brief moment of artistic synergy. This season, non-profit theatres around town are churning out some great and not-so-great examples of small pieces with big themes. Here are some from last week:

Iphighenia 2.0 HIPSTER FRIENDLY SCHOLAR FRIENDLY
Welcome Charles L. Mee to your honored place in the New York theatre scene. Whether or not you find Chuck's disjointed constructions and pastiched dialogue to be exciting or excremental, I am thrilled to see Signature Theatre devoting part of their season to this historian-turned-playwright. The contemporary lens through which he views this crusty classic reveals the epic relevance of this tale of war's far-reaching effects. Director Tina Landau's ominous vision for the piece includes highly-charged movement and horrific sequences that don't always flow logically. For a shocking and disturbingly sexy look at the tragedy of war, visit Signature, and grab your $20 ticket today before it closes on October 7, 2007.

100 Saints You Should Know
Playwright Kate Fodor undercuts a few expectations about organized religion and its failure to soothe today's troubled souls in her first production at Playwrights Horizons. Thankfully a solid production rescues this predictable and emotionally manipulative story (yes, I felt a warmth during the mother-daughter resolution) from movie of thhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gife week status. And don't miss the stalwart Lois Smith in yet another engrossing performance. This one just closed, but visit Playwrights Horizons for more info on the rest of their season.

The Misanthrope HIPSTER FRIENDLY SCHOLAR FRIENDLY
Ivan van Hove is one of those directors who finds a dominant visual motif in the classical work he's adapting, and by the end of the production, his actors are literally dripping with or rolling in it (Search for pig's blood and Hedda). With one hell of a cohesive vision of a world morally adrift, plenty of sexy technological tricks and the best ensemble off Broadway, this production overcomes the weak adaptation of Moliere's masterpiece and gaping wholes in both our own souls and the storytelling. Be prepared for a strong smell if you take a front row seat, and do it soon; this show leaves New York Theatre Workshop's stage on November 11, 2007.

Next up... Dividing the Estate at Primary Stages and Night Over Taos from INTAR.

Passionate Work

Why do actors, writers, directors and others, like dramaturgs, pursue a career in the low-paid, high-pressure world of theatre? The hottie from your freshman orientation can only get you to the intro acting class, but what keeps you slaving in the field is passion for the work, for storytelling that uniquely captures one's imagination. It's that need to create something new every night and to tell stories that are important. Vague? Well, here are two shows in the early stages of development that demonstrate this illogical pursuit:

Thorny Bushes: the Telenovela series at INTAR (HIPSTER FRIENDLY)
What's your guilty escapist pleasure? For many, it is the soap opera, and especially the big-haired, puckered-lipped, muscle-bound telenovelas. INTAR's Playwrights' and Actors' Collectives bring that highly successful melodramatic form to American audiences with Thorny Bushes. In the capable hands of young director Alex Correia, the family saga was read informally as a radio play to a packed D-Lounge audience in August. No word yet on the next episodes, but check INTAR's website for more.

Funeralogues (HIPSTER FRIENDLY)
Another startling, and completely different example, of passion was recently exhibited by improvisor/producer Stacy Mayer in her expanded sketched, Funeralogues. A self-professed funeral lover, Mayer's enthusiasm for the topic and men in uniform make this one-hour tryout fly by. This piece is still in development, but see her My Space page for updates, and also visit Katherine and Friends, who produce the first-look series that featured Funeralogues; they have some cool projects in the works.

Just missed these summer shows…

Here are a couple of plays that have recently closed, but they made the dull, hot summer just a little brighter:

Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice
I love this writer – the way she arranges words on a page always seems to blow my mind. Her plays are smart, well-formed, magical and downright funny. Eurydice, based on the Greek myth, is no exception – even though it’s a tragic tale about a pair of lovers torn apart…twice. This production is a little on-the-nose as far as interpretation and stagecraft goes, but Maria Dizzia in the title role makes it a little more palatable. Visit http://www.2st.com for more details about this production and Sarah Ruhl.

Betty Shamieh’s The Black Eyed
In the past couple of years, I’ve been lucky enough to work with the Arab American Comedy Festival folks and NIBRAS, and I have to admit, that I’m really glad to hear a strong Arab voice on one of New York’s hottest stages. Shamieh’s latest play, The Black Eyed, traps four contemporary and historical Palestinian women in heaven, but the pink waiting room where they contemplate martyrdom and accountability sounds like hell to me. And if it weren’t for solid performances by these emerging actresses, I would have tried to find the exit. See http://nytw.org for more information and for tickets.

Grab your seats!

The new season is well under way, and I'm back to tell you what's worth your $100 bucks a pop and what's not. Got a special request? What are you curious about? Off-Broadway? Broadway? Burlesque? I'm happy to follow check them out for you and offer an opinion before you spend the dough.

I'm looking forward to another exciting theatre season for 2007 and 2008. I'm most excited about In the Heights and Young Frankenstein on Broadway, and off Broadway there's so many great writers popping up, it's almost too much for one person to handle. Let me help you navigate through the hype. Stay tuned for regular updates.

Summer Play Festival at Theatre Row

When producer Ariel Tepper started the Summer Play Festival (SPF) a few years ago, she committed herself to presenting the work of great emerging writers. The plays may not always be as good as Arthur Miller’s masterpieces, but like him, these are writers to whom attention must be paid. This year is no exception. I’ll be seeing a few of the offerings by writers that I particularly admire and sharing why I think they’re important. Don’t look for reviews in the papers because these plays are not up for review. So pony up $10 for a ticket, and head over to Theatre Row on 42nd Street and 9th Ave for a little free air conditioning at SPF; see www.spfnyc.com for a full line-up. And let me know what you’re seeing there or at other summer theatre festivals.

My Wandering Boy by Julie Marie Myatt
Week One offered many plays of note, especially Beau Willimon’s Lower Ninth, but I chose to check out Myatt’s latest. This is a delicate play about those left behind, and though we never meet the lost soul of the title, Myatt’s deliciously detailed dialogue makes us feel like we have. Her characters – from the parents to the girlfriends to the private eye to the bum on the street – fill in one or two parts of the puzzle for us, but never give away the mystery that lies at the heart of the play.
Julie is represented by Brett Adams, Ltd.; also see her short play The Joy of Having a Body and full-length, Alice in the Badlands.

Half of Plenty by Lisa Dillman
Week Two, I saw Half of Plenty, which covers a lot of familiar and disturbing themes in America. In this ultra-relevant play, anti-Arab sentiment, borderline unlawful surveillance and a troubling economy feed the growing discontentment of two 30-somethings who discover that their lives and parents didn’t quite turn out the way they expected. Dillman presents a strong argument against alarmist behavior and prejudice through her pensive protagonist, but the production doesn’t quite help us understand how our protagonist wound up in her tough spot in the first place.
Also see Lisa’s play, Rock Shore; she is represented by Robert Freeman, Ltd.

Week Three: Missed it...

Not Waving by Ellen Melaver
During Week Four of SPF I wanted to go to the beach, not the theatre, but at least I could experience the loud skate kids, controlling mothers in muumuus and even loud snorers (thanks to the guy behind me) without the sunburn and sand flies. In Not Waving, three pairs of beachcombers come to their own personal crises at the sandy site of a recent tragedy; they’re all a bit miserable, and some of them were even having what one character calls “the worst day” of his life, but a pretty solid production keeps this play from drowning in a sea of sentimentality.
Watch for it Off-Broadway next season. Ellen is represented by the Gersh Agency.

Congratulations to the Summer Play Festival for once again giving some great writers and their plays a chance to be seen and heard. After a whirlwind of new work, this industrious crew of creatives is already accepting submissions for next year!