Theater
2727 results
Page 249
O'Neill Festival in Chicago
O'Neill rediscovered— but only in Chicago
Chicago's Goodman Theatre is nearing the end of a two-month, eight-play festival that concentrates on O'Neill's early works”“ the oeuvre that made his reputation as America's leading playwright. Philadelphia and New York should be so lucky.
Articles
4 minute read
Kaufman's '33 Variations' on Broadway
Beethoven meets Jane Fonda
Moisés Kaufman's 33 Variations is about obsessions: Beethoven's with the little waltz Diabelli wrote and Kaufman's with Beethoven's “Diabelli” Variations, which are generally considered Beethoven's supreme contribution to the piano repertoire. Unfortunately, Kaufman's characters feel underdeveloped, existing more as vehicles for the play's themes than as interesting, complex people.
Articles
5 minute read
"Scorched' at the Wilma
War and its unintended consequences
In its best moments, Wajdi Mouawad's often-brilliant meditation on the seemingly endless cycle of ethnic and civil warfare is a prime example of the Wilma Theater doing what the Wilma Theater does best. But Scorched is a work that appeals to the intellect rather than the emotions.
Articles
7 minute read
"Guys and Dolls' revived on Broadway
Where's the action? No, where's the oomph?
Guys and Dolls, that beloved musical fable of Broadway, is back on Broadway again— enjoyable but oddly disappointing: kind of flat, kind of oomph-deficient. Under director Des McAnuff, this is a very busy, gaudy production, without a human center.
Articles
4 minute read
"Honor and the River' at Walnut Studio 3
Is there a school psychologist in the house?
There is still something to be said for a play about a teenager who's strong enough to acknowledge his weaknesses and doesn't give a fig about peer pressure. But Honor and the River takes much too long to develop, and its dramatic turning points struck me as contrived or silly.
Articles
3 minute read
"Blackbird' by Theatre Exile (3rd review)
Rules of the heart, rewritten
Scottish playwright David Harrower's narrowly constructed Blackbird puts two former lovers in a tight place from which neither can escape. The truth, as he suggests, doesn't always set one free, but sometimes only leaves people more hopelessly apart.
Articles
3 minute read
"Sizwe Bansi' vs. "The Rant' (2nd Reviews)
Two moral dilemmas, but only one resonates
Athol Fugard's Sizwe Bansi is Dead struck me as an outdated work of literary history. The moral dilemmas in Andrew Case's The Rant, by contrast, are awesome in their current relevance.
Articles
5 minute read
"Blackbird' by Theatre Exile (2nd Review)
The power of human emotion (for better or worse)
Playwright David Harrower and director Joe Canuso have used a morally unconscionable subject to show the transcendent, universal power of human emotions, no matter how misguided they may be. It's a great theatrical moment about life's great dramatic moments when bitter enemies acknowledge the uniqueness of the experience they have shared.
Articles
4 minute read
"Blackbird' by Theatre Exile (1st review)
Actions and consequences
We've barely scratched the surface of sexual exploitation of the young by their elders. All the more reason, then, to be grateful for the remarkable intelligence and sensitivity of David Harrower's intense and unsettling Blackbird, which examines the aftermath of such an affair with superb performances by Pearce Bunting and Julianna Zinkel.
Articles
4 minute read
"Rent' at Academy of Music
A newer and better 'Rent'
In today's tough economic times, a play about people who can't afford the rent is more relevant than ever. That's why a new DVD and a live tour of Rent are especially welcome.
Articles
3 minute read