"Amy and the Orphans" Led Me To Watch Geraldo Rivera's 1972 "Willowbrook" Expose...

Plays about "special needs" resonate with me. 

In recent years, I experienced Deanna Jent's Falling about the reality of a family dealing with an autistic son, subject to violent outbursts. 

Then Amy Herzog's Mary Jane about a mother coping with caring for her chronically sick child. 

And now, Lindsey Ferrentino's Amy and the Orphans, which runs through April 22nd at The Laura Pels Theatre, about two siblings reuniting with their sister, who has Down Syndrome. 

Days after seeing the play, Amy has remained with me...so much so that it led me one night to Geraldo Rivera's 1972 expose about Willowbrook State School and how New York State failed those with "special needs."  

Beware, the expose is difficult to watch and may leave you restless (as it did me)...

That Long Ago Day...Unlikely Friendships...And a Nine-Piece Band...

On a hot summer day, they assembled in our nation's capital, under the shadow of the great emancipator, to offer testimony of injustice, to petition their government for redress and to awaken America's long-slumbering conscience...President Barack Obama

This week, the nation commemorated the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. King's famous August 28 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. Naturally, as an African-American and a person who believes that everyone should be treated fairly and equally, I reflected on the past and thought hard about the future. I also continued to partake in one my favorite pastimes - the Arts. I didn't intentionally seek out pieces about our nation's history, but I was reminded about it over and over in the ones I experienced. 

50 Years Ago in 1963

1963 Long Running Broadway Shows

I recently stumbled on an article about celebrities turning 50 this year. The list included the likes of Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Michael Jordon, John Stamos, Edie Falco, Vanessa Williams et al. The article was of interest because I personally know quite a few people who are also turning 50 this year. Between the number of celebrities and people I know, I had to ask a recent quinquagenarian - what the heck was going on in1963?

The birth rate in 1963 wasn't unusually high relative to the year before and after it. So, I am not quite sure why so many new quinquagenarians. However, several noteworthy events occurred in 1963. Some are nicely summarized in the MarketWatch article 10 ways 1963 changed your life. To name a few: 

• The first James Bond film opened in the US;
• Push button phones came on the scene; 
• Beatlemania;
• "I Have a Dream" speech; and
• JFK's assassination. 

Naturally, as a fan of the theater, I became curious about the Broadway shows that opened in 1963. An IBDB search revealed 71 productions opened. The productions that ran the longest were:
 

2012: Another Year at the Theater

Through twisters, hurricanes, Olympics and campaigning that took place this year, I went to the theater taking in well over a 100 plays musicals, cabarets and other live shows in 2012. For someone who doesn't work in the Arts, that is a lot of theatergoing (the Broadway League calls me a devoted fan). Some would say a bit obsessive and (who am I kidding) yes they would be correct. But that along with the recent flops and disappointments on Broadway won't stop me from trudging through the theater district or to some way Off Broadway theater every 2.5 days to experience some piece of artistry, completely grateful that I live in the most amazing city in the world. 

Now, my 2012 theatergoing was a mish-mosh of experiences (see Roll for full listing). But if I had to isolate a few themes/thoughts other than theater renovations and increase in the number of wonderful plays with music I saw, they would be the following: 

Someone Came to Claim Her

Despite the recent spate of books extolling the rise of singlehood, the tragic story of Joyce Carol Vincent, which Carol Morley explores in her documentary Dreams of a Life, remains not far from my thoughts. I am still incredulous that a beautiful once vibrant woman can lay dead decomposing in her North London apartment - no one noticing...looking... finding...her for THREE whole years. Years back, I may have laughed uneasily when Miranda voiced her fear of dying alone in her apartment and her cat gnawing on her undiscovered dead body in the comedy Sex and the City. But today as a single woman, the true story of Joyce Vincent stings and hits a nerve or more accurately a fear in me. Toss in the studies and articles about how living alone is associated with health problems and an earlier death, and admittedly, part of me is reeling. But today, while I want to share my fears for context, I do not want to focus on them necessarily. I want to focus on the concept of claiming the unknown.   

Living in the Dark Experiences

 

Two Off Broadway productions currently explore the absence of a sense - Nina Raine's Tribes playing at Barrow Street Theatre and Paul Weitz's Lonely, I'm Not playing at Second Stage Theatre. In Tribes, we meet hearing impaired Billy forced to live in the shadows of his annoying, dysfunctional family. Billy's world opens up when he meets Sylvia, the daughter of deaf parents, who is now going deaf herself. In Lonely, I'm Not, we meet Heather a blind woman determined to make it in the business world on her own even if she has to work seven days a week to do so. 

Tribes recently won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Foreign Play of the 2011-2012 season. And Lonely, I'm Not has been fetching positive reviews by critics. Two very worthwhile plays about "living in the dark".

For those looking for other unique sensory experiences, Dialog in the Dark in Lower Manhattan and Dark Dining at Camaje in the West Village seem very interesting. In the Dialog in the Dark exhibition, a visually impaired guides takes you on a tour of NY - subway, Times Square and all. According to the website, it will forever change your perception of what it means to be blind or have low vision. And foodies may want to check out Dark Dining. Blindfolded, you let your remaining senses take over as you enjoy dinner and other entertainment at Camaje.

Broadway Wants to Save Your Soul This Year

On their second studio album The Odd Couple, duo Gnarls Barkley sings Who's Gonna Save My Soul. This year, it looks like Broadway is going to do so. Whether it is the Pope, Jesus Christ himself or a self proclaimed prophet, there is something for everyone looking for a little soul searching or musical uplifting this year on Broadway. 

Looking back, I guess those two young Mormon missionaries kicked things off when they are sent to spread The Book of Mormon [Trey Parker/Robert Lopez/Matt Stone] in - no not Orlando - impoverished AIDS stricken Uganda. Sister Act [Alan Menken/Glen Slater] discoed in as Deloris Van Cartier hides out in a convent after observing a murder. Then Godspell [Stephen Schwartz] rocks on the stage in a lively and youthful rendition of The Book of Matthew. The energy continues with Jesus Christ Superstar [Andrew Lloyd Weber/Tim Rice] - this time from Judas' point of view. And now hand clapping knee dropping conman Jonas Nightingale is asking small town America to take a Leap of Faith [Alan Menken/Glenn Slater; Book: Janus Cercone/Warren Leight]. 

While I'm not sure who's going to save Gnarls Barkley's soul (even though the ubiquitous solo Cee Lo Green of recent Forget You and The Voice fame doesn't look like he wants any saving these days), Broadway wants to try and save you. So, Broadway lovers - are you living by the Golden Rule - are you virtuous - are you a believer - and... are you ready to have your soul saved?

"Ghost The Musical" - Another Whoopi Goldberg Film Hits Broadway

Whoopi Goldberg Films on Broadway. Toss in The Lion King as well Ms. Goldberg was the voice of one of the hyenas.

After double checking that you've walked into a Broadway house, not one of the movie houses on 42nd street, you will notice that there is a lot of fast paced walking in Ghost The Musical. However, all this walking only leads to the familiar scenes of the popular 1990 film that the show is based.

Meet lovebirds Sam and Molly. They've just moved into a spacious loft in Brooklyn. Sam is murdered one night in a dark alley. Before moving into the next life, he unravels (with the help of colorful physic con woman Oda Mae Brown) the scheme behind his untimely death. And oh yeah, he finally tells Molly he loves her - words he was unable to utter when he was alive.

Now, if you are a fan of the film, you will probably enjoy Ghost The Musical. You will get a kick out of the Oda Mae 's character (played by Da'vine Joy Randolph in her Broadway debut), especially when she sings I'm Outta Here. And you will definitely be intrigued by the special effects. Aren't you curious how they pull off walking through doors? How about the scary darkness that devours wicked souls? Better yet, how about that lovely scene where Sam envelopes Oda Mae in order to have a final dance with Molly? Will be it be some sort of weird three-way like in On A Clear Day You Can See Forever or will it be magical?

Aaah yes, the familiarity and effects will suck you in, but unfortunately, the music will not. As you leave the theater, the forgettable original tunes from Ghost The Musical will not be at the forefront of your mind. Okay, you will probably hum Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brother like I did after a recent preview. And since Hollywood films seem to be the new commercial musical theater reality, then perhaps you will wonder which Whoopi Goldberg film should come to Broadway next. My pick - Boys on the Side. It has the makings of a good musical don't you think? Friendship. Murder. Illness. And Unrequited Love. 

There is No Freedom in Female Genital Mutilation

In Lynn Nottage's powerful 2009 Pulitzer Prize winning play, we meet a group of women in war torn Conga who are trying to survive after being Ruined - that is, raped and genitally mutilated. Ms. Nottage's play is based on first hand accounts heard during her 2004 trip to Congo; therefore what we see and read probably occurred. In the film Desert Flower (a somewhat more uplifting survival story), we meet real life Waris Dirie, who was circumcised at age 3 and sold into marriage at 13; Waris Dirie would later make her way to the UK and become a model, writer and activist. 

I was reminded once again of the destructive practice of female genital mutilation or FGM during one of the opening pieces in last weekend's Nimbaya! performance at Symphony Space. Nimbaya! is an all female percussion, singing and African dancing group from Guinea. The group is comprised of some 40 woman; however, only 13 were able to secure visas to visit the US for the current tour. 150 women are on a waiting list to join the group.  

Through their art, Nimbaya! has chosen to bring attention to FGM with the hopes of eradicating the tradition which supposedly (according to the talkback after the show) helps prevents girls from being "loose." In the evening's performance leaflet, a spokesperson for Nimbaya! writes that "FMG has no known health benefits," "it's about controlling women" and "3 million girls are estimated to be at risk of undergoing the procedures every year." 

There seems to be a decline (though small) in the practice of FGM. Some countries have even banned the practice. However, the tradition remains firm. But then again, so are the resolve of FGM activists.

Artistic Inspiration or Just Plain Theft?

According to recent articles in the press, a battle seems to be brewing between fashion designer Tory Burch and ex-husband Chris Burch, who recently opened the moderately priced apparel and lifestyle store C. Wonder in Soho. Gold metallic logos. Preppy bold colored apparel. Absent price, one can easily see similarities between C. Wonder and Tory Burch’s high end line launched in 2004. Did Chris Burch steal the concept? Or was he simply inspired by it? Or perhaps the fashion idea was his to begin with (they were married for nine years after all)?   

Who knows? But these kinds of situations occur every day and while not exactly the same, a similar type of topic is being explored on the New York City stage in Jack Canfora’s Poetic License at 59E59 Theaters.

Meet John Greer (Geraint Wyn Davies), an articulate and esteemed university professor about to be named Poet Laureate. His ambitious wife Diane (Lisa Vann) is what a friend of mine would call a battleax; however, she is the one who has parlayed John’s talent into a successful career and decent living. The Greer’s aspiring poet daughter Katherine (Natalie Kuhn) returns home for the weekend with her boyfriend Edmund (Ari Butler), who has his own secret agenda. And as the title of the play informs us, the concept of artistic (or poetic) license is challenged - for 80 engaging minutes. Poetic License skillfully lines up both sides to the argument of artistic inspiration or just plain theft. In the case of Poetic License which runs through March 4th, the audience decides; however, in the case of Chris and Tory Burch, a court of law or some other arbiter may just have to do so.

Sam Gold’s Two Angry Brits

Photo by Joan Marcus

 

If you are interested in seeing some pissed off Brits on the New York City Stage, then look no further than Look Back in Anger Off Broadway or Seminar on Broadway. Both plays are directed by Sam Gold.

Now, I must admit that I do not get what the character Jimmy Porter (Matthew Rhys) is so angry about in the current Roundabout Theatre production of John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger. I do not get the squalor he lives in with his wife.  And I most certainly do not get his treatment of women, as observed for over 2 hours recently at the Laura Pels Theatre. The historical importance of the play and how it ushered in a new kind of “keeping it real” playwright in England in the 1950s - that I get. Sustained anger without inaction - that I do not. 

Head a few blocks west and audiences can encounter more anger on stage. Meet Leonard (Alan Rickman) in Theresa Rebeck's Seminar  about a literary figure who privately teaches and mentors (among other things) four young aspiring writers. Thanks to Ms. Rebeck's humor and the discoveries that the writers make about themselves, Leonard's acid is easier to digest than Jimmy Porter's.

If you are looking for anger, then grab an antacid and enjoy Seminar. In the meantime, still committed to trying to understand Look Back in Anger, I will be reserving the film version at my local library - starting with the Richard Burton version.

Hey, Can I Be on Stage Too?

Upon entering one of the rooms at the McKittrick hotel, a performer looked in my direction. I immediately looked around me to see the other performer she was looking at but realized that it was me – an audience member - she was looking at. She then took my hand and led me to a dark room. But wait a second, I thought. I'm an observer. I'm not a part of the show (hey, see my mask). That’s the way it should be. Right? 

Well, not for all shows. As I reminisce about my Sleep No More experience, I recall a few other instances where audience members become a part of a show. 

Gob Squad's Kitchen (You've Never Had it So Good) - Take a few random audience members, throw them into remakes of Andy Warhol films under the direction of the Gob Squad and you have one entertaining evening (even if you are not a Warhol fan).

Room 17B – In this case, I actually knew the audience member who was pulled into a hilarious version of musical chairs on the small stage at 59E59 Theaters. What fun it was to watch!

Play Dead – The audience promised Todd Robbins not to give away what happens in this cross between a magic show, seance and haunted house visit.  Let’s just say that the audience better be prepared to partake in all the goriness.

Blind Date – In this production Rebecca Northan as Mimi (clown nose and all) selects a guy from the audience, and together they have an impromptu blind date, with the audience watching every move (as if a blind date isn't stressful enough on its own). An absolutely clever piece of improv theater.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – How about getting to relive middle school for a few moments? Throw in some quirky characters and an audience member and you have one heck of a competition.

The Donkey Show – My colleague reminded me of this blast from my past. Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream set to disco in a club on the far west side. Aaah, I want to get up and dance right now.

All of these productions were so much fun. Hey producers, if you are looking for an audience member to add a little impromptu color to your interactive production, sign me up!

Cancer Be Not Proud,,,,,,,,,,

On Thursday, I saw the film 50/50 and on Friday, I saw Margaret Edson's Pulitzer prize winning Wit on Broadway. So, yes, you can say that cancer has been on my mind after seeing these two excellent pieces.

I imagine there are very few people in the country who have not been impacted by cancer. We all probably know someone who has had the dis-ease or perhaps we ourselves have it...it being this abnormal growth in you name the body part...the spine and back like 27 year old Adam in the film 50/50 or perhaps the ovaries like the 50 year old English professor Vivian Bearing in Wit.

Adam and Vivian are fictional characters. But interestingly, Will Reiser, 50/50 screenwriter and co-producer, survived cancer when he was in his 20s; his experience is the inspiration for the film. Cynthia Nixon, who plays Vivian Bearing in MTC's Wit at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, is a breast cancer survivor; Lynne Meadow, the director, is also a cancer survivor. Many compare Ms. Nixon's performance to that of Kathleen Chalfant, who first played the role to praise on the New York City stage in 1998. According to this NY Times article, after Ms. Chalfant's brother died from terminal cancer in 1998, she approached the role of Vivian Bearing with "a new level of empathy and insight".

According to the American Cancer Society, "half of all men and one-third of all women in the US will develop cancer during their lifetimes." The other day as I read a book on nutrition while taking the NYC subway to Brooklyn, I became troubled when I read that I unknowingly increased my chances of breast cancer by simply starting my menstrual cycle at an early age (wish I could have controlled that one) and never having children. Throw in my Kevin Zraly wine classes, and let's just say I better heed the advice in that nutrition book and also start popping some folate.

In Wit, Vivian Bearing has Stage IV cancer. She reminds us that there is no Stage V. The erudite college professor specializing in the metaphysical poetry of John Donne neglects to get regular medical checkups, even though her mother died from cancer (body part - breast). The play takes us through the last year of her life as she gives up the intellectual control that has been her strength throughout her life and becomes weakened physically and emotionally by experimental cancer treatments at a university research hospital and knowing that her end is near.

I highly recommend seeing 50/50 and Wit. Both use humor to portray a subject matter that will impact most of us. 50/50 is now on DVD and Wit runs through March 11th on Broadway.

A Year at the Theater

What did I do in 2011? I spent a great deal of the year at the theater. I saw well over 100 plays, musicals, and cabarets. I enjoyed many; I also disliked many. However, I will always be a fan of live theater and look forward to 2012.

If I had to sum up 2011 in a few themes (meaningful to me of course) I would have to say the following:

Broadway is Really Gay

At the Tony Awards this summer, Neil Patrick Harris opened with a number that Broadway is not just for gays anymore. However, there was a lot of gay content on the New York City stage in 2011. I'm sure that I’ve missed a few but here they are (Broadway and Off): La Cage aux Follies, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Book of Mormon, The Normal Heart, Burning, Motherhood Out Loud, One Arm, Play It Cool, Sons of the Prophet, Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures, The Submission, Unnatural Acts, Wild Animals You Should Know, Lysistrata Jones, and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.

Black Female Playwrights Represented

I wrote a series on black female playwrights and have been very impress with the representation of this demographic on the New York City stage. Congratulations to The Mountaintop, No Child, By the Way Meet Vera Stark, Milk Like Sugar, Stick Fly, Horsedreams, The River Crosses Rivers II, Desdemona and Suzan-Lori Parks’ contribution to the Broadway reimagined The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. You go ladies! Now maybe we can see more black folks in theater audiences.

Actor-Playwrights Were a Bore

I am learning that I need to beware of playwrights who direct their own plays. Let’s see - A Charity Case and Tricks the Devil Taught Me – Need I say anything else. I am also learning to beware of plays written by actor-playwrights. After seeing All New People and We Live Here, I didn’t even bother with Asuncion. Thanks goodness because the reviews were lukewarm once again.

Sondheim is King

There is no stopping Stephen Sondheim, even at 81 years old. Revivals of his A Little Night Music and Follies were mounted on Broadway. His music was included in Broadway’s An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin. There were many cabarets featuring his music. I personally enjoyed Karen Akers at the Algonquin and Sondheim Unplugged at the Laurie Beechman Theater. Then he released the second volume of his book, Look, I Made a Hat. I won’t even get into how he made the creative team behind The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess sweat when he sent a note to The New York Times.

Going Native in "Dancing at Lughnasa" and "Blood and Gifts"

To get my final theater fix of the year before leaving town for a much needed year end holiday, I bypassed the recent disappointments on Broadway and headed Off Broadway to experience two wonderful plays - the 20th anniversary revival of Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa at The Irish Repertory Theatre and J.T. Rogers' Blood and Gifts at Lincoln Center Theater.

Dancing at Lughnasa is a touching memory play about five impoverished sisters - the rigid Kate, humorous Maggie, nurturing Agnes, simple Rose, and youthful Chris - during a period when their lives are about to change forever. To escape for a few minutes, the women lose themselves in the music flowing from their barely functional radio. Blood and Gifts is a fast paced piece about a US CIA agent (Jim Warnock) who works with the ISI - Pakistan intelligence - to funnel weapons and funds to Afghanistan to aid in their war against Soviet invasion and occupation.

Now, both plays could not be more different. Dancing at Lughnasa takes place in 1936 Ireland and touches on themes such as poverty, women's rights, industrialization, and religion (including excommunication). Blood and Gifts, which takes place in 1981 - 1991, is political, topical and very personal for those who will never forget the attacks on the World Trade Centers. However, as I listened to a WNYC interview about Blood and Gifts, I realize that both plays touch on the idea of "going native".

In Dancing at Lughnasa, the Mundy sisters also deal with the return of their older brother - a Catholic priest who has been performing missionary work at a leper colony in Uganda Africa. Because Father Jack has begun to subscribe to some of the pagan ways of the lepers, he has been sent back to Ireland by the Catholic Church - essentially excommunicated. His sister, a teacher at the Catholic School, guilty by association, is also rejected. In Blood and Gifts, Afghan (not Afghani) Saeed, son of mujahideen warlord Abdullah Khan, has an obsession with American culture, especially the music and if he had his way - the women. There is a general fear that he may "go native". While the theme is subtle in Blood and Gifts, it is very clear in Dancing at Lughnasa and the Mundys' lives are never the same again.

Mary J. Blige and "Stick Fly" Taylor Search for a "Father in You"

Two recent performances on the New York City stage left me wondering about the bond between fathers and daughters and the havoc it can create in the lives of some daughters when this bond is not nurtured. The first is The New York Times’ Times Talks with Mary J. Blige and the other is a preview performance of Lydia R. Diamond’s black family drama Stick Fly on Broadway.  

At the TimesTalks, Mary J. Blige spoke candidly about the personal pain that has been the inspiration for her music in recent years. During the Q&A, an audience member expressed how the song Father in You really touched her. Mary explained that the song came about at the beginning of her marriage. She spoke about how she never had a father figure in her life to make her feel special, to make her feel loved, to tell her that she is beautiful. Her husband finally filled that role. She then lamented how her life could have been different if she had a nurturing father throughout her life. After the Times Talk, I have deeper respect for Mary J. Blige’s music.  

Separately in Stick Fly, the character Taylor (played by Tracie Thoms) never fully recovers after her famous, intellectual father rejects her and her mother and remarries. In one of his award winning books, he does not include her in the dedication to his family and at his funeral, Taylor is never acknowledged. This rejection plays out during a weekend visit to Martha’s Vineyard to meet her fiancée’s family for the first time.  

A while back, I heard Dr. Margaret J. Meeker speak on the radio about her book - Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know.  Looking at the contents of her book, the secrets are summarized as follows:

You Are the Most Important Man in Her Life
She Needs a Hero
You Are Her First Love
Teach Her Humility
Protect Her, Defend Her (and use a shotgun if necessary)
Pragmatism and Grit: Two of Your Greatest Assets
Be the Man You Want Her to Marry
Teach Her Who God Is
Teach Her to Fight
Keep Her Connected

If some fathers heed Dr. Meeker’s advice, just imagine how the pain while fictional in the case of Diamond's Taylor but oh so very real in the case of Mary J. Blige can be avoided.

No Script. No Playwright. Just Improv!!!

There is something about improv I just love. No script. No playwright. Just a group of performers - experimenting, creating, expressing.There is a variety of improv on the New York City stage. Let's check out some that I've seen recently:

Harold Night

At least once or twice each year, I head to Chelsea to take in Harold Night at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre. For $5, you can watch improv way into the night. It is one of the best deals in town. The audience throws out a term and the troupe just runs with it and improvises a skit around the term. Sometimes, when the right troupe gets into the right rhythm, it is pure genius.

Naked in a Fishbowl

Naked in a Fishbowl is interesting. A group of six women improvise episodes around a particular theme which is then acted out live in the theater, filmed and edited and later posted online. Recently, I caught an episode -  The Quest for Zestra - at the Cherry Lane Theatre. Dr. Joy Browne was a guest performer in this zany episode featuring the eh-hem Zestra female arousal oil. Check out this clip on youtube.com

NTOW Impromptu Splendor

Impromptu Splendor is extremely clever. The Canadian troupe selects a playwright and asks the audience to shout out what comes to mind when you think of the playwright. They then develop a whole play in the style of the playwright drawing inspiration from the points raised by the audience. Recently NTOW Impomptu Spendor graced the New York City stage with its clever improvised plays at the Barrow Street Theater. The playwright on the evening I attended was Anton Chekhov and the improvised play was The Winter of Opportunity. Hilarious, clever, fresh. Check out a sample of their work on youtube.com

Life is Musical, Operatic, Even Cinematic

According to a Southern Comfort talkback, one of the musical's creators was watching the documentary about a female to male transgender suffering from ovarian cancer and decided that the true story would make a great musical - a musical which recently played Off Off Broadway to decent reviews. Also at the talkback, Todd Cerveris (the actor playing Cas) mentioned that one of the couples featured in the documentary visited New York and saw the musical. The cast was excited to meet the couple, but the couple did not understand the cast's excitement because as far as the couple was concerned - they were just living life.

On Saturday evening, on the far west side of the city, the chamber opera - Dark Sisters (Music: Nico Murphy; Libretto: Stephen Karam) played, where five sister wives from a polygamist sect in the American Southwest lament that state officials have taken away their children under suspicion of abuse. The creators were obviously inspired by real events because the opera seemed to be plucked straight from the headlines and CNN. Who can forget those women with their lost eyes, long braids, and frumpy dresses?

As I watched Dark Sisters and reminisced about Southern Comfort. I could see how operatic the stories were; I could even see how life in general - including my own - can be musical, operatic, even cinematic (for my movie loving readers):

love, art, desire, lust, friendship, family, relationships, indifference, loneliness, infidelity, heartbreak, hate, rape, conception, procreation, childbirth, SIDS, adoption, childhood, molestation, impotence, life, disease, depression, obesity, incapacitation, religion, supernatural, fear, anxiety, racism, sexism, drug abuse, alcohol, education, career, joblessness, sports, adventure, travels, sexuality, connection, submission, prostitution, money, greed, ambition, poverty, classism, history, capitalism, communism, politics, war, revolution, conflict, violence, the military, murder, crime, imprisonment, oppression, rejection, mutilation, death, suicide, mourning, recovery, acceptance...

Too bad though, we don't get to plot, rewrite, rehearse and edit life and then simply fade to black.

Men, Beware of Mysterious Women Who Arrive at Your Door in the Rain

Angela Bassett as Camae and Nina Arianda as Wanda

In David Ives’ Venus in Fur, Thomas stands alone in a casting room after an uneventful day of auditioning actresses for his play. As he is about to wrap up his day, Vanda, an actress not on his audition list, arrives insisting on an audition. Similarly, in Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop, MLK is alone in his motel room, when Camae, a maid arrives at his door. 

In these two-actor plays portrayed on boxy sets currently mounted on Broadway stages, both women are attractive, magnetic, and mysterious; they know things about the men that they probably should not. How does Camae know that MLK’s childhood name is Michael, not Martin? How does Vanda know so many intimate facts about Thomas’ relationship with his finance? 

Both plays provide 90 solid minutes of engaging theater. But you can't help but want to warn the men - beware of a beautiful woman who appears at your door in the thundering rain. You may just fall under her spell.

They Did It Their Way - "Traces" and "Noctu"

In the show notes for Traces, where seven performers engage in fun, heart-thumping circus acrobatics at the Union Square Theatre, the Montreal based 7 Fingers Production writes:  

...what would circus performers do if they had it their way? What kind of circus troupe would they create if they were allowed to do more than just their speciality act and push themselves to the furthest limits of their abilities.

A similar theme can be seen easily in the show notes for the dance play Noctu at the Irish Repertory Theatre where the creator - Eriu Dance Company writes:

...I would often find myself sitting in small, beautiful theatres wondering what I could do with such spaces - given the chance...post Riverdance shows...lent themselves to larger stages...a separation of performers and audience...Here the nuances of the dance are often lost and I felt that it would be exciting to reintroduce them and highlight the stuff of the dance that excites the dancer.

The artists behind these two productions - Traces and Noctu - did it their way and what they have done is give New York city audiences an intimate and entertaining view into the lives of circus performers and Irish dancers.