Before heading off for a long winter’s nap, I thought it would only be fitting to send you into the holidays with visions of sugarplums and such. So, here is my Christmas wish for you all, and if you don’t celebrate Christmas, here’s hoping the Internet waves simultaneously translate my wishes and retrofit them to the holiday of your choice, whatever your faith or creed. Whatever holiday language you speak: May these days be merry and bright. And if it’s a little bit of fun you’re wanting, keep reading for some ideas on holiday Theatre, Film, TV, Books, Art and Music. You may find a few surprises …
I’m not as concerned with the persistent presence of fear and ridicule as I am with the conspicuous absence of understanding and respect, particularly in communities of color.
– Chisa Hutchinson
Most of us wake up in the morning wondering if we’re going to do anything that day … or any day … that will leave an impression on others. For most of us it’s enough to just touch a few lives in a positive way, to give something or share something or even to just illuminate something for those we’re close to in order to raise consciousness a little bit, or a little bit more. However, at the age of 16 in the rough streets of Newark SakiaGunn was probably thinking very little about making an impression and just was focusing on how to get through her day. Being young, black and gay in a rough urban community doesn’t leave much room for being different. And in Sakia’s case, there was no room at all. Continue Reading…
So excited to report that if you didn’t get a chance to see Last Life you now have 2 more chances since the show has been extended! Make sure to get to one of the last 2 performances of this outrageous, strange, wonderful show!
Last Life
Presented by Big Time Action Theatre
Fight Directed by Rod Kinter
Directed by Timothy Haskell
In a borderless, burnt out world the few remaining inhabitants are at the end of a long, indefinable war. The survivors, not knowing what they are even fighting for, vow to destroy each other and wrest control for what remains. The new fightsical from the creator of Road House: The Stage Play starring Taimak (of the legendary fight film, The Last Dragon).
NEW SHOWS ADDED:
Fri Jan 8 @ 11pm & Sat Jan 9 @ 10pm
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The Brick
575 Metropolitan Avenue (between Union and Lorimer Street)
Brooklyn
Tickets are $18 and may be purchased online or by calling Theatermania at (212) 868-4444.
On November 14, 2009 I went with friends to the Brooklyn Academy of Music (music & much more) to see the Swedish circus troop Cirkus Cirkor perform their show, “Inside: Out.” Their shows at BAM were the first in the United States; then – in a flash – they went back to Sweden. When the show ended, I felt privileged to have been one of the first Americans to have seen their performance (!). It shows me what the staff at BAM is made of. They have a great eye for talent, for quality, for the cutting edge, and that variety prevails.
I’ve been a fan of Eric Sanders’ ever since I interviewed him last year and then reviewed his staging of the classic horror story The Wendigo. And while that first show certainly gave me a taste for how great his talents are, I was very excited about getting the chance to see Last Life - one of his original works. Chatting with Timothy Haskell recently about Fight Fest only made me more eager to see not just a play, but an amalgam of story and combat, something they christened “the fightsical”.
Everything leading up to Last Life did not prepare me for what I actually experienced that night in the theatre; and while there are a lot of things one could say about the show, very little would do it justice.
Who wouldn’t want to read a book with a subtitle as searing and juicy (yes, I’m going for a steak vibe here) as “A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession“?
One part of Julie Powell‘s life has just been immortalized on film in “Julie & Julia“, but Ms. Powell has a lot more memoir in her, and Cleaving tells the tale of her marriage, her infidelity, and her journey to learn to cut meat (um … I don’t think I need to point out the subtext there) the way the experts do from the butchers at Fleisher’s Meats (“We follow a nose-to-tail cutting program so we use every part of the animal” their website boasts.) Continue Reading…
Let’s face it, the holiday season is all about getting family together. And as much as we’d all like to think that that’s a good thing, the truth is that when family members are forced to spend hours on end in the same house it can often spell chaos – which is the main thrust of The Brick’s production of Deck The Hallmans! (improvised by the ensemble and directed by Audrey Crabtree).
Too many generations mingling with too many lifestyles which are sometimes in direct conflict with each other; old traditions that aren’t cherished anymore, versus old heirlooms that are given too much value; hidden agendas nestled in among the good wishes and feigned merriment, all wrapped up with a nice bow. Throw in a little improv, some choreographed punches, and the Hallmans find themselves thoroughly Decked.
We have a special The Wo(Man) In The Window this week. Some of you might have already seen this video, read the New York Post article or have strolled down to XOXO to experience their “Window Theater”, not your average live model display.
This story was prepared by Justin Rocket Silverman for The New York Post, you can read the full article here.
I’ve been a fan of the mash-up ever since I heard that playing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon during a muted Wizard of Ozcreates a completely new experience. On the other hand, I’m absolutely NOT a fan of the jukebox “musicals” such as Mama Mia and Movin’ Out, because I’ve always thought it was rather cheap to take pre-existing songs and retrofit them till they trip over some sort of plot. Frankly, I’d rather just listen to Abba and Billy Joel singing the original versions.
So, when I heard about Mr. Shakespeare and Mr. Porter (Created and Directed by Barbara Vann) – an almost overly-ambitious idea of taking music from Cole Porter (one of the 20th centuries wittiest, wryest, cleverest song smiths) and pairing his classic tunes with the plays of William Shakespeare - I thought “This could either go one way, or the other”. What I hadn’t bargained on was that there was a third way all together.
This review will have to be short for two reasons. One – it may go to places I don’t want to take it … and Two – after seeing pretty clearly what Act 1 (King Lear and Macbeth) had to offer, I chose not to stay for the offerings of Act 2 (Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Since all the songs were listed, I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to miss, and chose to miss it anyway.
Let’s just get the mystery out of the way – Meg’s New Friend is black.
But really, in The Production Company’s latest play, written by Blair Singer and directed by Mark Armstrong, everyone gets a label, so no one feels left out. For instance, Meg (Megan McQuillan) begins the play by labeling her boyfriend Sam (Michael Solomon) a sexist because he calls his secretary “Darling”. He fires back that calling his assistant a “secretary” is also sexist. And so it begins.
