5. Detroit '67
I was lucky enough to be invited to an invited dress rehearsal of this compelling Dominique Morisseau play. I missed the original run at The Public Theater, but it was moved up to a theater in Harlem. Set during the riots in Detroit, spoiler alert, 1967. Chelle and Lank are adult siblings who have recently inherited their childhood home and have converted their basement into club for the locals in their all black neighborhood. They're also waiting for inheritance money to come in. Chelle wants to save it and use a portion to continue putting her son through college. Lank wants to take the whole amount to buy a bar with his best friend Sly, played by the brilliant Brandon J. Dirden. (pretty similar to The Piano Lesson huh?) Chelle and Lank are at odds most of the show, even about the new 8-track player Lank brings in for their club. Chelle doesn't think anything could sound as smooth as their (broken) record player. Sly is busy trying to smooth-talk his way into Chelle's heart. Meanwhile, Lank and Sly have brought home this beaten up, unconscious white woman who begged for their help before passing out. Lank convinces Chelle to reluctantly let her stay for a while, but truths, socially unacceptable feelings and racial tension build to an unfortunate climax. Needless to say, I was crying by curtain call. Filled with the greats of the Motown era and issues that I really connected with, I loved this play! It was beyond brilliant. Click Here for a behind the scenes look at the cast!
4. The Other Josh Cohen
This show surprised me! It was one of the first official off Broadway shows I ever saw, at Soho Playhouse. I didn't know what to expect or think. I didn't know it was a musical either, so that was a bonus. Written by and starring David Rossmer (Peter and the Starcatcher) and Steve Rosen, The Other Josh Cohen is about the very unlucky Josh Cohen, narrated by present day Josh Cohen (Rossmer) and reenacted by younger, bummier Josh Cohen (Rosen). A small band of actors play many different roles and instruments throughout the show, with the two Josh's leading with the guitar and vocals. Poor Josh has just been robbed of everything in his apartment except the Neil Diamond 3 CD just before Valentine's day. Josh is broke, single, and SOL until a letter arrives with a check for some serious cash, only he doesn't recognize the sender. Due to Jewish guilt, instead of using the money to solve all his problems he endeavors to find out who the check is really meant for. Nice guys definitely finish last! He goes on a hilarious search to find the truth before he can feel in the clear. The music was hilarious, the characters were hilarious, it was pretty much the funniest thing I'd seen in quite some time. I searched for bootlegs of the songs all over the internet because I loved them so much! Click Here to see this funny video promoting the show!
3. The Last 5 Years
See last week's blog for the summary/criticism on the show. Just know that I've been listening to "The Schmuel Song" almost every day since I saw it. I love the music, and I am so glad that I managed to catch it before it closed. Here are highlights from the show!
2. Cock
This four person play by Mike Bartlett set in the round at The Duke on 42nd Street is about John (played by the extremely talented Corey Michael Smith), an English, very confused, young, gay man who decides to leave his slightly older boyfriend to be with a woman. He goes back and forth between the two and ends up at an awkward, confrontational dinner gathering with his two lovers and his boyfriend's father where he is forced to choose who to be with. The space is entirely bare, and the actors even use the audience seating space at times. The play is divided into scenes set apart by the ding of a tone indicating a jump in time. John is the only character who's name is ever given. There is this incredible scene where John and his girlfriend make love for the first time with out ever really touching. The actors circle around each other getting closer and closer as they make the sounds, faces, and speak the dialogue of what is really going on. It was brilliant. It was more intimate and awkward (for the characters' first time) than if we had watched the actors physically fumble through a simulated love scene. The dialogue kept me hanging on to every word each character uttered. I laughed, I got frustrated, and I really empathized with the characters. John's indecisiveness about what he wants and his sexuality take the rest of the characters for a turn. The ending is rather ambiguous, although unhappy for one if not both of the lovers depending on your interpretation, and I think it's better that way. I was so glad I got to see it, so much so that I went to see it again! You know it's good when you're willing to see it multiple times! I went with a few friends the second time around. After the show, when Jason Butler Harner (who played the boyfriend) came out to the lobby, he said to us, "I love it when the black girls come because they're not afraid to laugh." Well, I can certainly say I laughed and gasped at certain moments, but I never said anything like, "Oh no he didn't!" Ha! Glad to know our presence is appreciated and welcomed! Click Here to see a video interview with the actors and the playwright.I saved the best for last! The number 1 is a tie because both shows are too close to my heart for me to choose a favorite.
1 (a). The Wild Bride
This is my latest obsession. I am in love with it. From the Cornwall based theater company, Kneehigh, comes this beautiful re-imagining of the dark fairy tale The Girl Without Hands. Narrated by the devil himself (played by Andrew Durrand), a young girl and her poor father live happily together (apart from the whole being poor bit). The devil visits the father and makes a deal with him promising him riches, new clothes, and more if the devil can have whatever is in his backyard. Foolishly, the father thinks there is nothing but an old apple tree there and accepts the deal. To his great misfortune, his daughter is playing in the backyard. So when the devil comes to claim what's rightfully his, the father resists, but you can't deny the devil. Unfortunately, The Wild Bride (portrayed by 3 different women during the 3 different stages of her life) is too pure for the devil. He dirties her up, but she weeps on her hands. So, the father is forced to chop off her hands (ouch!). Still, The Wild Bride is too clean, so the devil decides to wait till she's lived a little and been ruined by the world. The Wild Bride won't stay with her father and wanders into the wild, handless, and struggles to survive. When she is older, she encounters a prince who falls madly in love with her on sight and takes her for his future queen. He even gives her dust bowl inspired metal tools as hands (very Edward Scissorhands). The devil decides to intervene, and the Prince-now King must go off to war. Meanwhile, the Wild Bride gives birth to a child, and the devil interferes with the messages sent back and forth between the King's mother and the king in battle. The Wild Bride ends up back in the wild with a newborn, right where the devil wants her. The Wild Bride's soul remains pure, and she resists the devil's temptation for relief. Ultimately, the ending is a happy one, with good prevailing over evil. The music is folksy/bluesy and very addicting. The production itself was a visual feast for the eyes. The women playing The Wild Bride sang, played instruments, and danced in lieu of speaking (until the very end). The devil spoke in rhymes and Durrand made an enticing ruler of the underworld with a voice and physicality that I could listen to and watch forever. Click Here to watch the promo video!1 (b). The Old Man and the Old Moon
PigPen Theater Co. is a group of 7 actors from Carnegie Mellon who have been creating shows together since they met in college. They all sing and play instruments and play many parts. This folksy, original fairy tale is told through the use of puppetry, music, and the boys playing innumerable characters. They created this incredible world bursting with endearing characters. The Old Man and his wife have been living together in the same house for so long that they don't even remember their names. There's a leak in the moon and the old man is responsible for collecting the leaky fluid in his bucket and refilling it when it's drained (hence the lunar cycle). His wife is tired of their banal lives (serving fish for dinner everyday). She wants to see the world, but the Old Man doesn't want to abandon the moon. She hears a tune on the wind that sounds familiar and calls her to the sea. One day she goes off without him in their small boat. The Old Man doesn't want to be without her, so he decides to abandon the moon and goes on a grand adventure trying to get her back. He encounters a team of sailors and steals a war hero's identity to get on their ship (a war has broken out and the men are on their way to battle). Along the way he makes some dear friends and even gets swallowed by a rogue prison fish. Inside the fish, the old man encounters the ghosts of run away soldiers that were never brought back to shore. All the while the moon is draining and the world is thrown into an influx as a result. The Old Man must escape the fish and find his wife before he can return home and set the world right. On his journey he rediscovers who he and his wife are and where they come from. It is an incredible journey to go on. Throughout the tale, the boys sing and play music that reaches the soul. They are brilliant and extremely creative. Life changed. I saw them in concert recently at the Mercury Theater. They are headed to Chicago this fall to bring The Old Man and the Old Moon to a wider audience. Definitely don't miss it! Click Here to see the promo video! Also Watch This music video to see a music video from the show!
No comments:
Post a Comment