The current political climate has stirred many a playwright to tackle political themes and motifs in indie theater productions, and Vincent Delaney’s The War Party seems sprung from the brutal politics playing out on the American landscape and the politicians wielding words as weapons to the detriment the country as a whole. Presenting a play about a […]
Despite growing connectivity and the ever-expanding access to information, activism has arguably become a largely symbolic, lazy activity devoid of lasting impact. Occupy Wall Street caused a ruckus for a few months and slowly died away, leaving the large financial institutions at the center of the debate untouched. Women marched in pink hats but Donald […]
Over the course of the past year, numerous playwrights have attempted to explore the difficult issue of white privilege to varying degrees of success on New York City stages. For some, the issue has proved too complex to distill with any clarity into a short narrative. Playwright Young Jean Lee does not have such an […]
Attention on the British royals escalated to mania for the second time this year when, following the birth of the third royal baby, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot earlier this month to much fanfare. Yet, while the millennial British royals have seized the spotlight from their elders, the drama that enveloped the […]
Despite featuring several intriguing characters and relationships, Corbin Went’s new play Old Names for Wildflowers suffers from a lack of focus and originality – resulting in a two and a half hour meandering plot dotted with compelling moments. Exploring themes of ostracism, religious morality, taboo relationships and the many social constraints facing women, Wildflowers uses a post Civil War […]
The intimate Circle in the Square theatre has never felt so atmospheric. A lush revival of the Lynn Ahrens’ and Stephen Flaherty’s Once on this Island fills the theatre in the round with such vibrancy and authenticity that it is difficult as an audience member not to feel pulled into the action of the tale unfolding on stage. […]
Transferring after an exceptionally well-received run at the National Theatre in London, Tony Kushner’s epic drama exploring the intersection of AIDS, politics, religion, faith and social commentary in New York City in the 1980s, Angels in America, has not been seen on a Broadway stage since it closed in 1994.* Yet the current revival feels as […]
I realize that The Lion King musical is a terribly high creative bar to reach twice, but Disney fails again and again to reinterpret its cartoon source material into worthwhile theatrical productions. Perhaps it is the allure of guaranteed ticket sales from a fiercely loyal fan base. Perhaps it is the incorrect assumption that a beloved animated […]