Category: Commentary

This entry into my Seclusion Smörgåsbord series features streaming artists considering the themes of home and isolation.  Some employ comedy.  Others are dramatic.  The best pieces brilliantly illuminate the present or slyly get under your skin.  There is a commissioned collection from 22 southern U.S. playwrights.  Another features an international take on our times.  And the third is a homemade sketch show.  All in all, these 29 works grapple with the world in which we now live.  These artists share their thoughts in very different ways with very different perspectives.  A true smörgåsbord of ideas.

Help!  I’m Stuck!  With Cole Escola

Mr. Escola has been touring a show with this title since 2017.  This quarantine edition finds him at home alone with an assortment of characters, wigs and costumes.  This is a self-created special “as no one asked me to do it.”  The most humiliating part is the reason he wanted to do it.  “I really, really, really want to.”  This hour long video contains mini-films, character studies, blue humor, laugh and tears.  Certain sections of Help!  I’m Stuck!  With Cole Escola are great.

After some potty mouth talk (literally) and personal revelations, the fun begins.  He opens with a film noir from 1943 about Jennifer Convertibles.  Naturally he plays all of the characters.  Shade is thrown everywhere and the payoff is big.  My other favorite skit was the porch scene between Sam and Laura Jean.  He is bringing her home after a date.  Her father is not a big fan of Sam.  The storytelling and the two performances are so good in setting mood and heartache.

There are other fine parts in this mixed bag of oddities, including a mom commercial like no other.  Be warned.  There is a character called Poopy Sue and moments which might offend delicate sensibilities.  For everyone else, this collection is outrageous, often idiotic and memorably offbeat.

Cole Escola has recently been a recurring character on At Home With Amy Sedaris.  This video remains available on You Tube.

YouTube/Help!I’mStuck!

22 Homes (Alabama Shakespeare Festival)

ASF commissioned southern playwrights to create original pieces on the theme of home.  22 Homes is a collaboration between those playwrights and the actors which bring the works to life.  The artists had about a week to work and film their segments.  The pieces are roughly between three and ten minutes long.  The variety is remarkable and worth a visit.

I decided to sample all of them in two sittings.  Gloria Bond Clunie’s The Porch is performed by Jen Harper.  This is both a memory play and a word of warning to her daughter.  Would you rather sit inside with a big screen and watch people live or go outside on the front porch and interact with the world?  In Pearl Cleage’s Coming Home, Darlene Hope is preparing to welcome her sister back home.  This thoughtful piece nicely framed the role of mom, memories of family and what a home actually means.

Martin K. Lewis is a young man newly in love in Donnetta Lavinia Grays Sweet.  His father owes him something.  The dialogue here entrances: “I look into her eyes and see memories we ain’t even made yet.”  Alan Knoll is sitting in a monastery kitchen in Will Arbery’s Frances and Anthony.  A memory is shared which provides insight into how this man came to be in this particular home.  Both of these playwrights had works performed in New York this season.

The Way He Should Go (by Quinton Cockrell) imagines life long after a funeral has passed.  Christopher Gerson, a religious man, is having a conversation with his priest.  “If you have a problem you wrap it up in prayer and send it to God.”  This emotional play was the longest at 10:40 and is filled with sadness and regret.  Shannon Eubanks was memorable in Topher Payne’s surprising and touching eulogy to the AIDS epidemic in What You Can Fix.

Joy Vandervort-Cobb burned the biscuits for the funeral party of her 103 year old mother in Rum and Biscuits written by David Lee Nelson.  She’s enjoying a Piña Colada.  She doesn’t drink scotch because it “tastes like white people.”  She’s day drinking when her daughter arrives.  “Nobody happy drinks during the day.”  Ms. Vandervort-Cobb’s character is complexly drawn and filled with the fortifications of self-protection, for better or worse.

If you view the entire collection of 22 Homes, you’ll also see life today from a cat’s point of view, a surgeon learning to shoot a gun to find a connection with her husband and a panicking wife whose spouse has a fever which is being ignored.  And finally, there is a richly seasoned cast iron skillet containing the histories, secrets and memories of multiple generations of families.

Each short play is viewable individually on the Alabama Shakespeare Festival website.

www.asf.net/22Homes

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/WhereWeStand/DonnettaLaviniaGrays

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/HeroesOfTheFourthTurning/WillArbery

Felt Sad, posted a frog (and other streams of global quarantine)

The Cherry Artspace is a non-profit arts facilitator and presenting organization from Ithaca, New York.  In these times of non-theater, they brought together an international array of six authors to write specific material for live streaming.  All of the characters and situations created reflect the boredom of being trapped at home.

The title piece, Felt Sad, posted a frog was from Berlin and written by Rebekka Kricheldorf.  Snippets of thoughts performed by Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr.  are scattered seemingly randomly.  He is funny, annoyed, obsessed with the return of dolphins to Venice and listening to the advice of Mom, aka Angela Merkel. His Facebook friends are berating him for excessively sharing pictures of frogs.

My favorite segment was from Belgrade and was written by Iva Brdar.  Erica Steinhagen portrays a woman looking to the internet for connection and self-improvement.  Dean Robinson plays Wikihow in brightness of the screen warming our skin.  The silliness and broad comedy is captioned in parts including “How to prevent loneliness?” and “How to answer the question – what do you like about me?”  Before this pandemic, we never thought we needed to ask “How to take a walk?”  Just go “past the gas station with bad coffee and inedible sandwiches.”  Then the kicker which hits hard.  “What are we going to do now?  I don’t know how to walk on water.”

A couple has recently broken up and they are quarantined separately in Buenos Aires by Argentina’s Santiago Loza.  A lesbian couple from Brooklyn and their son are isolating and home schooling in Upstate New York.  From San Salvador, Jorgelina Cerritos considers life and emotions before, during and After these days of isolation, but not in chronogical order.  She worries about being hired when this is all done.  “That’s how capitalism works now.”

The final work is New York/ Oesti / Milan.  Saviana Stanescu imagines a Zoom birthday party between three family members scattered around the world during this crisis.  Some of these works are spliced and spread throughout the presentation which I found enjoyable, especially when a favorite story line reappeared.  Iconic trending videos such as the penguins in the aquarium and the Venetian dolphins show up in multiple pieces.  This coincidental global imprint lends an online sense of worldwide community and a welcome absurdist flair to our situation.

The Cherry Artspace presentation of Felt Sad, posted a frog (and other streams of global quarantine) completed its five show run this weekend.  For information about future events, you can visit their website.

www.thecherry.org

 

Dance, a monstrous creature and a play written specifically for Zoom in this entry into my Seclusion Smörgåsbord series.

Ode (Alvin Ailey American Dance)

Company member and resident choreographer Jamar Roberts offers a meditation on the beauty and fragility of life in a time of growing gun violence.  Ode is set to a piano jazz piece by Don Pullen, “Suite (Sweet) Malcolm (Part 1:  Memories and Gunshots).”  The music ranges from melodic to intense, mimicking life.

The six male dancers perform in front of a screen which, to me, seemed to represent the Tree of Life.  The choreography highlights their individualism and also their collectivism.  The piece is not a literal representation of gun violence but more a celebration of life and the heartbreaking events which can shatter joy.  When a victim is laid to rest, the tinkling of the piano keys and the dancer’s melancholic movement beautifully articulates the moment.

Ode is available on the Alvin Ailey American Dance website until Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 6:30 pm est.

www.alvinailey.org/ode

I Don’t See Mom (Looking Glass Theatre)

Many of us have become Zoom meeting participants through this coronavirus crisis.  Kenneth Nowell has written I Don’t See Mom specifically as a play for this medium.  Two adult children decide to introduce their mom to the miracle of video conferencing.  Naturally mom is late to the scheduled meeting.  A stranger, in mom’s living room, joins the call instead.  The play is an eavesdropping on this family’s state of affairs.

Directed by Justine Lambert, we watch three characters as they interact sharing details and conflicts.  The actors (Erica Becker, Molly Parker Myers and Jay William Thomas) nicely convey this story as it deepens.  The ending is unresolved and well done.  I especially enjoyed Mr. Thomas’ naturalistic presentation.  The themes which emerge from the words expressed by the stranger were thought provoking.

Like Zoom meetings you may have attended, this one requires the performers and the audience to join together.  As you might expect, all participants were not of the same technical prowess.  The muting and hiding video images took a few minutes.  The format is promising, however, and it was interesting to see a family obviously out of touch trying to reconnect.

Looking Glass Theatre is performing this event again on Saturday, May 9, 2020 at 6:00 pm est.  Go to their Facebook page for the Eventbrite link.

www.facebook.com/LookingGlassNYC

Frankenstein (National Theatre of London)

A 2011 production of Frankenstein won Jonny Lee Miller an Olivier Award for Best Actor.  Mr. Miller was exceptional in Ink on Broadway last year.  He and Benedict Cumberbatch alternated the lead roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature.  Nick Dear’s stage adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel differs in one substantial way with many smaller plot adjustments.  The tale is told from the Creature’s point of view rather than the creator.  Like the novel, the moral dilemmas are seriously handled.  “Did I ask to be created?”  This production often veers into melodramatic histrionics.  As a result, the pedantic babbling and far-fetched highbrow language noticeably comes across as ridiculous and utterly unbelievable.

The scope of the set design and the creatures’ make up are awesome.  Mr. Miller is absolutely riveting in the long opening sequence when he is born.  There is a steampunk vibe to the streets of Ingolstadt which was visually arresting.  Karl Johnson was wonderfully effective as the blind man who befriends the monster.  The show feels too stagy and uncomfortably seesaws in tone and acting styles.  The second act dream scene between the doctor and his dead younger brother was the hardest for me to endure.  This play can be recommended for the central performance but be warned.  There are more than a few moments of boredom to be had.

Frankenstein is streaming for free on the National Theater’s website until Friday, May 8, 2020.

www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home

Excited to hear last night from a cast member that a South Korean production of Phantom of the Opera was open for business this week.  In the meantime, our far less disciplined society argues and fumbles through the pandemic.  Here are three more entries into my series of Seclusion Smörgåsbord streaming theater viewing.

Old Love Letters (Metropolitan Playhouse)

On Saturday evenings, Off-Off Broadway’s Metropolitan Playhouse streams online readings live.  Old Love Letters is short one act comedy by Bronson Howard from 1878.  In this cute relic, the charm of youthful courtship amidst the strain of Victorian societal mores is considered with the passage of time.

Mrs. Florence Brownlee is rereading old love letters “like faded rose leaves in a book” before casually tossing them into a fire.  She has been recently widowed at age 32.  A former suitor, Edward Warburton’s wife died four years ago and he is now forty years old.  “Even the warm skies of southern Italy failed to restore her.”  He is reading old love letters from Florence which were never destroyed despite his marriage to another.  “It isn’t wicked for me to keep them now.”

Edward apparently tied the letters together and planned to return them after they had quarreled.  He tells her “a hot headed young girl who imagines herself in  love is a formidable creature.”  She was nineteen at the time they parted ways.  The play is structured to allow both to consider life’s choices from the perspective of wisdom and time.  The actor’s performances and backgrounds selected were fun and nicely invoked this era.  The timing for the vocal and video streaming was off slightly.  When I stopped looking and just listened, I felt back on solid ground.

The Metropolitan Playhouse will host a double feature next Saturday, May 2 at 8:00 pm est with Fourteen by Alice Gerstenberg and Criss Cross by Rachel Crothers.

Take Me to the World – A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration

This “live” concert event was scheduled as a birthday tribute and a fundraiser for ASTEP (Artists Trying to End Poverty).  Those who endured the hilarious what-could-go-wrong-and-did horrors as the live stream failed magnificently were treated to a broadly diverse selection of Mr. Sondheim’s tunes.  These performances were all taped and the quality of the sound and video was very high.

My favorites in order of appearance.  Neil Patrick Harris (with kids) singing “The Witch’s Rap” from Into the Woods.  Judy Kuhn’s knock me off my chair rendition of “What Can You Lose?” from the Dick Tracy movie.  Katrina Lenk’s mesmerizing and plaintive vocalization of “Johanna” from Sweeney Todd, accompanying herself on guitar.  Melissa Errico’s breathtaking “Children and Art” from Sunday in the Park With George.  Elizabeth Stanley’s superlative version of “The Miller’s Son” from A Little Night Music.  Michael Cerveris lamenting at his window with a pensive “Finishing the Hat.”

The memorable four person interplay of the great “Someone in a Tree” from Pacific Overtures.  Duos and group numbers were amazingly effective notably from Meryl Streep, Audra McDonald and  Christine Baranski.  All three in white robes drinking heavily to an inspired “The Ladies Who Lunch” from Company.  And, finally, Annaleigh Ashford and Jake Gyllenhaal’s “Move On” duet.  I saw them perform George and Dot at City Center and on Broadway.  This version was as moving and Mrs. Ashford supplied the most gorgeous sounding vocal of the evening.

Of course, the musically political star of the internet and this pandemic, Randy Rainbow, made us laugh as Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd singing, “By the Sea.”  This concert ended with many performers busting in to sing segments of the show stopper “I’m Still Here” from Company.  I find this hard to believe but it’s true.  Iain Armitage from television’s Young Sheldon won that battle (and his clip earlier in the show was utterly charming).  That’s a lot of high points.  The rest of the show was also very good.  A heartwarming celebration of this great composer and the theater community which adores him and his work.

Donations can be made to ASTEP through their Facebook page.  The concert is still streaming on You Tube.

Facebook/asteponline

youtube/takemetotheworld

Chimpanzee (HERE Arts Center)

A taped performance of Nick Lehane’s intensely emotional and wordless puppet play Chimpanzee was streamed by HERE Arts Center as part of its Wednesday evening HERE at HOME series.  Mr. Lehane also designed the incredible puppet and directed the piece.  This play seemed to have been written after a very sad trip to the zoo.  The empathy generated is staggering.

A chimpanzee is trapped in a cage and pacing.  Could it be a science lab?  Through a series of time altering vignettes, glimpses of her life are shared.  Memories of living with a family quickly fade to the horrors and boredom of captivity.  The three puppeteers manage to develop so much personality through movement.  The lighting is exceptional.  A heartbreaking and creatively staged piece of theater, Chimpanzee is astonishing to behold.

I was reminded of a great book I read on this subject, The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary, about a home for them after science no longer needs their bodies.  This highly recommended play is available for viewing as a video on their Facebook page.

Facebook/hereartscenter

For this entry into the Seclusion Smörgåsbord series, I will visit the National Theatre of London, Café La Mama and Michael Urie’s living room.

Treasure Island (National Theatre of London)

Bryony Lavery adapted Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island for this handsome production.  In this version, Jim Hawkins is a young girl.  This coming-of-age story is enhanced with an additional feminist angle and includes other female characters.  The storytelling sticks closely to the novel but does veer off notably towards the end.  Dramatic flourishes usurped clarity to a small degree.

Designer Lizzie Clachan has created a masterful set which transforms from inn to sailing ship to island in a series of jaw dropping transitions.  Below deck on the ship is superbly rendered.  Polly Findlay’s direction is appropriate for a children’s tale but, importantly, does not shy away from the darker elements of the story at all.  The lighting is extraordinary.

Ms. Ferran is an appealing and clever Jim.  You root for her as she figuratively grows up in front of our eyes.  Excellent characterizations from Aidan Kelly as Bill Bones and Arthur Darvill as Long John Silver give the tale its required treachery.  In the scene stealing role of Ben Gunn, Joshua James was funny, manic and heroic, providing a needed jolt of energy in the second act.

This memorable version of Treasure Island will be available for free streaming until tomorrow, April 23, 2020.  The next weekly show will be a version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the comedy of mistaken identities.

www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

Buyer & Cellar (Michael Urie’s Living Room)

Mr. Urie performed an encore version of Jonathan Tolin’s Buyer & Cellar in this live streamed event.  His award winning turn as Alex was recreated as a benefit performance for the Broadway Cares COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund.  I saw this play in 2013 and using his living room seemed a logical choice given the original set design.

Alex loses his low paying job at Disneyland after an ill-advised confrontation with a child.  He gets a call and lands a job as the manager of Barbra Streisand’s basement.  The comedy, the abuse and the shade are all in abundance.  There is also a deeper undertone which delves into fame, friendship and loneliness.  The acting is stellar and not to be missed.  (Highest of the high points:  the coupon.)  The direction, use of space and multi-camera angles kept the excitement and energy at a very high level.  File this one under coronavirus classic.

Buyer & Cellar was broadcast live Sunday evening but is still available for viewing – and donations!

youtube/buyer&cellar

Café La Mama Live:  Take 3

On Tuesday evenings, La Mama broadcasts weekly live performances that experiment with form.  Guest curators invite artists to share their work.  This episode had five entries.  Not all, I would say, were successful or even understandable.  The host noted after one bizarre and way too insider segment, “girl, what the hell was that?”

Three entertainers shined, however.  Jazmin Yvonne sang her new single which is about to be released.  “Ain’t That Cheap” is about a relationship gone sour.  After each performance the host does a brief interview.  Ms. Yvonne made me smile when she said, “I put on a sweater today.  I feel immensely accomplished.”

Leah Ogawa, a puppetry and movement artist, created a world made out of decorated cardboard.  A camera traversed multiple constructed locations on this adventure including a trip to Tokyo Town.  In Gray City, she proclaimed that there are “so many people in so many windows working so hard!”  This was an inspired example of budget-minded stay-at-home creativity.

Zui Gomez created video art using stop motion animation.  Nikolai Mishler composed a score to accompany her dance.  The phrase “I Love These Shoes” concluded the fun piece with a great ending.  Café La Mama is an opportunity for artists to stretch themselves and experiment with ideas.  The “let’s put on a show” vibe will appeal to those who are willing to encourage and support risk taking.  Grab a glass of wine and take a peek.  You might find something amusing to break up the monotony.

La Mama is offering many different streaming experiences which can be seen on their website including Café La Mama live on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm eastern.

www.lamama.org

Earlier this month I saw two excellent productions from the National Theatre of London.  The first was the 1998 revival of Oklahoma! starring a superb Hugh Jackman.  A lot of noise was made about the recent Broadway revival as being so modern and dark.  This one was darker and told a story which made sense and had choreography that was rousing.  Even the ladies put up their dukes in this one.

The other big hit I managed to see was James Corden’s turn in One Man, Two Guvnors.  I saw his Tony winning performance in NYC which made him a star.  There are many opportunities streaming online for big companies such as these.  Small troupes are also summoning their creative spirits for our enjoyment and financial support.  Here are the next three entries into my Seclusion Smörgåsbord.

Hamlet (Shakespeare’s Globe)

Shakespeare’s Globe is located on the River Thames in London.  The theater is a recreation of one which would have housed Shakespeare’s plays back in the day.  The theater itself is stunning and it is quite amusing to consider those patrons on the floor standing through the performance.  Or better still, those lucky enough to be upfront and leaning their arms on the stage.

I have never seen a professional production of Hamlet.  This version was entertaining and fast paced.  The sheer number of famous quotes from this play is staggering to hear all in one sitting.  There was some gender bending in the casting.  It seemed as if the younger generation switched roles and the older generation was traditional.

Michelle Terry, known for her extensive work at the Globe, was a lively Hamlet.  She displayed riches of intellect underneath the lunacy and never succumbed to an excess of brooding.  I thoroughly enjoyed Catrin Aaron as Hamlet’s loyal friend Horatio.  The bond was evident.  Finally, in a smaller set of roles, Jack Laskey stood out for his Francisco, Fortinbras and, especially, his monologue as one of the Players.  This version was entertaining and staged lightly with little set.  The words were the star.  “The play’s the thing,” after all.

Hamlet from Shakespeare’s Globe is streaming free through today.  A production of Romeo & Juliet from 2009 is next.

www.shakespeareglobe.com

APPALACHIAN SPRING (Martha Graham Dance Company)

In this episode of Martha Matinee, the company uncovered a 1947 filmed version of the original cast.  Ms. Graham choreographed the piece which also starred Merce Cunningham.  The score was beautifully overlaid on top of this silent taping (notice the clapping).  Aaron Copland’s famous composition for this dance won him the Pulitzer Prize.

There were all sorts of technically difficulties getting this up and live.  The fans who patiently waited were actively engaged in dialogue, many who seemed to be dancers themselves from previous companies gathered in celebration.  This video is a worthwhile thirty minute historical journey.  American pioneers from the early 19th century gather for a spring celebration of their new Pennsylvania farmhouse.  This dance can be seen as a juxtaposition between this happy forward-looking vision – and a wedding union – with the promise of a better American future at the end of World War II.

This dance is available on the Martha Graham You Tube channel.

youtube/appalachianspring

Overtones (Metropolitan Playhouse)

Metropolitan Playhouse mines American theatrical heritage to showcase plays drawn from our culture and history.  Overtones is a fascinating one act play written by Alice Gerstenberg from 1913.  In this play, jealous rivals Harriet and Margaret are meeting for tea.  Their alter egos, Hetty and Maggie, chastise and criticize them.  Harriet married wealthy and Margaret got the painter who Harriet was smitten with all those years ago.

This play is an early example of expressionism.  The portrayal of women’s behaviors toward each other is blunt and quite harsh.  Directed by Alex Roe, the company performed this short play on Zoom and held a Q&A session afterward.  This interesting artifact was the third of Ms. Gerstenberg’s plays performed this past month.

The Metropolitan Playhouse streaming performances are only available live on Saturday nights.  For the next production, visit their website.

www.metropolitanplayhouse.org

These three entries in my home viewing series could not be more different despite the fact that each contain puppetry.  Seclusion Smörgåsbord IV bundles a drag act, children’s theater and an extraordinary production I originally saw in 2015.

Arias With a Twist (HERE Arts Center)

Drag artist Joey Arias and puppeteer Basil Twist created Arias With a Twist in 2006.  Arias was already a Vegas headliner having starred in Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity.  I caught a “deluxe” version of this show which was remounted at Abrons Arts Center in 2011.  The bigger show had a bigger stage and, from memory, was a tighter, more focused entertainment.

The original version of Arias With a Twist takes a very, very long time to get moving and, pun intended, drags on.  You can see more than 20% of the  audience dropping off with the declining eyeball count.  Still, this spacey acid trip does have its pleasures including the improbable singing of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” during an alien abduction scene.  The NYC skyline invasion near the end of the show is a high point, literally.  For extremely patient fans of stylized drag only.  The puppets are terrific, notably the band.

HERE Arts Center will be streaming works from its archives including Wednesday evening watch parties of full length productions.

www.here.org

The Missing Matzo (La Mama Kids Online)

WonderSpark Puppets performed this week’s entry of La Mama Kids online programming.  In The Missing Matzo, children were called upon to assist Detective Mystery Max find out what happened.  Crying Nancy is upset because her Passover Seder matzo is gone.  A series of characters appear including the brilliantly named ginger Red Herring and Dr. Laserus, a Matz Scientist.

The puppets were cute and the show began strongly.  In the age of coronavirus, the sneezing slapstick was especially funny.  The “eat cake” section went on too long  and my interest waned.  Admittedly, I did not watch with any children present.  This company is performing a new puppet show every Friday on their Facebook page.  The performance quality of the hand puppets and vocals make this a troupe worth checking out.  For this production, La Mama Kids had an activity guide to use before and after the show.

Frequent online programming is available from La Mama.  Next week’s puppet show for kids looks promising.  It’s called Fritz’s Flea Circus and will be shown on April 23, 2020.

www.lamama.org/livestreams

Facebook/WonderSparkPuppets

 

Ada/Ava (The Tank)

The Tank co-produced Ada/Ava in 2015 with 3LD Art & Technology Center.  After seeing that production, I began following Manual Cinema, the performance collective which combines handmade shadow puppetry and cinematic techniques with innovative sound and music.  They create films live in front of an audience using vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, actors, musicians and much more.  Watching the behind the scenes activity is as interesting as the cinema unfolding on the screen.

This story is about two elderly sisters who live in their childhood home and tend the nearby lighthouse.  The atmosphere is moody.  Shadow and lighting effects bring the story to life.  The video does an excellent job of focusing on the completed work while also showing a glimpse of the artists at work.  This art is completely unique which is why this company travels the world with its repertoire.  I’ll not say more than to treat yourself to this creatively stimulating, breathtakingly original  and wholly satisfying entertainment.  Oh, and the cinematic storytelling is simply astounding.

Ada/Ava can be seen on The Tank’s home page through April 19, 2020.

www.thetanknyc.org

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/frankenstein/manualcinema

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/mementosmori/manualcinema

Greetings from my Manhattan apartment.  I am writing this blog entry on April 15, 2020.  The last time I went outside was March 15th.  As someone who averages 15-20 theater shows per month, the change has been enormous.  With the free streaming opportunities and relatively low cost (or donation) models, now is the time to try something outside the box.

The Clam (Playing on Air)

Recorded live, this short play runs 25 minutes including Q&A at the end.  The Clam was written by Amanda Quaid and stars Tony Shalhoub as the mollusk and Kristine Nielsen as his therapist.  This comedy was directed by Moritz von Steulpnagel.  The play contains silly and funny jokes.  The clam says, “I’m nervous.  I feel moist, a little…”  The therapist deadpans, “clammy.”  The clam quickly tries to shut the therapist down.  “I don’t like cracks about coming out of my shell.”

The therapy session addresses feeling stuck, being lonely and alone.  The tone is light but provides some depth when discussing the five paths to happiness.  My favorite line was when the clam stated that he was “spinning in an eddy of my own anxiety.”  I also loved, however, this insight:  “Barnacles are not the most erudite conversationalists.”  The Clam is a happy diversion.

www.playngonair.org

Night Vision (Playing on Air)

The second short play I listened to was Night Vision by Dominique Morisseau.  April Matthis and Eden Marryshow portray a couple who have just returned to their apartment in Bed Stuy (Brooklyn).  She is pregnant and feeling hurt, angry and disgusted.  They witnessed someone in a hoodie punching a woman.  Now safely home, she wants to call the police.

What exactly did the couple see?  Did they see the event similarly?  In ten minutes, this play challenges the listener to self-reflect.  Do we internalize our biases?  How do they inform our actions?   I highly recommend listening to the Q&A afterward which provides thoughtful judgment-free analysis.

www.playngonair.org

Cybertank (Episode 2)

Every Tuesday, the Tank presents an online arts variety show which remains viewable on their website.  The second episode was promisingly titled, “How can we be silly?”  While this fifty minute presentation started and ended strong, much of the time ranged between honorable attempts and strike outs.

If you’ve been to the Tank, you will definitely remember the operations manager, Collin Knopp-Schwyn.  He introduces many of the 1,000 shows this company produces each year.  His segment was a “welcome to cybertank!” via the currently popular video game cartoon Animal Crossing.  The opening was cute and inviting.  The message even more so:  “If you’ve never made art before,” there is “no better time than now!”

Mark Nunez is a “resident dance curator” who host a Sunday “sip and sweat” on Instagram.  People post their quarantine dances.  He shared excerpts of this high energy and super fun communal bonding.  Host Michaela Escarcega created a video starring herself called “Cabin Fever.”  How does an artist entertain herself and others from her seclusion?  Her creations are quirky and absolutely delightful.

Julian Shapiro-Brown introduced a new talk show, “The Social Distance.”  This inaugural outing was hit and miss but the good parts were promising.  The CDC calls COVID-19 a pandemic.  The host cleverly notes that this description is theoretically more inclusive than calling it a “bi-demic.”  His oddball sidekicks are amusing as well.  If you’d like try CyberTank, I’d recommend starting with the first episode.  That one, although more melancholy in tone, was a richer and more consistently elevated program.

www.thetanknyc.org/cybertank

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/seclusionsmorgasbordII

The PR and theater company emails, Facebook ads and Twitter posts have led to an wide array of streaming theatrical events.  Some are live and some are taped.  Some are new and some are older.  On Saturday, April 4th, I decided to take in three wildly different performances.  I’m recording them here for prosperity and, more importantly, to keep my sanity in check.  The first entry in this series has been named Seclusion Smörgåsbord I.

Brittain Ashford @ 54 Below at Home

Ms. Ashford has a haunting voice which I first heard when she appeared in the excellent musical Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.  This nightclub aired her 2017 solo debut which featured some original music and favorite covers.  She played an array of instruments along with the onstage band.  Her voice is unusual and really captivating.  The show was relaxed and tuneful, perfect for adding calmness in these nervous days.  Future 54 Below at Home events can be found here:

www.54below.com/54belowathome

50in50: Letters to Our Sons

Based in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, The Billie Holiday Theatre hosted a live Facebook presentation.  Ten actresses from around the country read stories by 50 Black women writers from across the world.  The curatorial connectivity was to “consider both the world they inherited and the one they’d like to create.”  Directed by Indira Etwaroo, the show was rich with stirring, vivid and emotional prose.

Here are a few gems I managed to jot down.  “God is nestled in the rhythm of your heartbeats.”  He “loved me like he was drowning.”  Someone was “dressed in the color bittersweet.”  Anger surfaced in various moments to effectively communicate a conviction or an injustice.  “When asking a great leader why they hurt people, they answer because I can.”

The show segued from performer to performer quickly.  As a result, there was a satisfying variety of voices and writing styles to absorb.  The speed of the transitions encouraged emotions to build and register strongly.  Occasional musical interludes from Maritri Garrett on the piano added beauty and a chance for reflective pauses.

All of the performers were compelling.  Kendra Holloway and Phyllis Yvonne Stickney were especially memorable for me.  As a Facebook live presentation, the audience was able to add comments throughout.  “Phyllis has more voices than a cat has lives.”  The group participation and reviews from all of our seats infused the entire piece with a tremendous sense of communal bonding.  “This is food for weary and worn souls.”  One of my favorite expressions of joy: “So soulful and so soulfilled – our ancestry thanks you.”

50in50 is available to view on the Facebook page of The Billie Holiday Theatre.

www.facebook.com/billiehollidaytheatre

Werq the World Live Stream

For my final show Saturday, I jarringly transitioned from 50in50 to a benefit event for out-of-work performers in the entertainment industry.  Nine drag show queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race performed mostly newly recorded videos while practicing social distancing in the process.  The evening was hosted by Bianca Del Rio (from Los Angeles) and Lady Bunny (from New York) who noted that “social distancing is easy when everyone hates you.”

Most of the queens had messages to deliver along with their performances, notably about staying home.  The first two segments featuring Gigi Goode and Asia O’Hara were my favorites.  I was also impressed by Aquaria’s entirely self-made music video from seclusion.  The hosts devolved into bawdy and raunchy humor which often works with a live drunken audience.  Here, with time delays between the two coasts, the jokes felt forced and mostly landed with a thud.

Werq the World Live Stream is available for a fee.  Portions of the proceeds (and all of the tips) are going to those performers who signed up on their website to receive financial support during this difficult period.

www.vossevents.com/werqtheworldlivestream