Tag: #StageReview
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Joyful Noise: Anna Kohler’s “Immense Joy” Brings the Works of Clarice Lispector to Vivacious Life

The specter of Brazilian author Clarice Lispector pervades the stage at Immense Joy, a new production devised and directed by Anna Kohler, and presented by The Tank NYC. At the height of her fame, Lispector’s name (originally Chaya Pinkhasivna Lispector at birth) almost always conjured an air of mystery―not just because of her curious Ukrainian…
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Show Girl Showstopper: Andrea Bell Wolff Dazzles as She Recalls her ‘Adventures in Vegas’

There’s nothing like a pandemic to make you a little nostalgic. At least, that was definitely the case for performer Andrea Bell Wolff, who opens her show Adventures in Vegas with a scene at a pandemic-era birthday gathering. From there, Wolff dusts off from the pages of her diary memories of Las Vegas and suddenly…
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How History Happens: TITAN Theatre Company Fearlessly Ushers ‘Julius Caesar’ Into a Brave New World

TITAN Theatre Company has seen the future — and the future is bleak. The political climate gains momentum, with public opinion ruled by sweeping promises of Rhetoric, rather than the practicality of Reason. This could refer to the mud-slinging rat race currently going on in our country, referring instead to one which occurred hundreds of…
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And to All a Good Night: TITAN Theatre Company & The Queens Theatre presents ‘A Christmas Carol’
As a proud 90s kid, yours truly can recall more than a few versions which had particular influence (or, is in the case of the VHI TV film, simply pure entertainment) in the retelling of the timeless tale: an 26-minute animated short by Disney (Mickey’s Christmas Carol), which featured Scrooge McDuck as the infamous main character;…
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The Whipped-Up Delights of Daliya Karnofsky’s ‘And She Bakes, Live’ (FringeNYC)

You know you’re literally in for a treat when, as soon as you enter the appropriately-named Celebration of Whimsy Theatre (The C.O.W.), you are greeted by an extremely perky, polka-dot-apron’d Bakeress who immediately bombards you with a detailed description of the kind of baked good you remind her of (for instance, this critic was described…
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Snippets: Nicole Maxali’s ‘Forgetting the Details’ is One Show You’ll Never Forget

At the beginning of Forgetting the Details, a one-woman show performed by actress-comedienne Nicole Maxali, she — narrating as a present-day version of herself — turns to the audience and asks: “Are memories enough when people and places are no longer there?” The show, which is featured as part of this year’s New York International…
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A History of Violence: Cryptic Fascinations Theater Company Takes on Sarah Kane’s Explosive Play

The scene is simple: a hotel room in Leeds — the kind, as it is written, that is so expensive it could be anywhere in the world. So begins the most powerful two hours you’ll ever spend in the theater. Set against the tumult of an apocalyptic England, Blasted is a daring work by infamous…
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Modern Romance: Second Stage Theatre’s ‘The Last Five Years’ Jerks Tears and Tugs Hearts of a New Generation
Adam Kantor and Betsy Wolfe in “The Last Five Years” at Second Stage Theatre. Photo © Sara Krulwich I’ve always felt that, out of the four seasons, Spring was the perfect time to fall in…and out of love. As many new couples go walk hand-in-hand out on the streets of New York City, blissfully unaware of the day-to-day realities…
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Like a Prayer: The Adaptations Project Takes Allen Ginsberg’s Autobiographical Poetry from the Page to the Stage
The Adaptations Project’s Founding Artist Donnie Mather, as Allen in “Kaddish.” Photo by Ben Strothmann. Allen Ginsberg is considered one of the most important figures of the Beat generation. Originally from Paterson, New Jersey, the poet later moved to New York, a city with which he later became closely associated. He is best known for writing…
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Going Back to the Start: Knife Edge Productions Shows What Happens When You Replay the Past and Erase it

What do you do when your past comes back to haunt you? Such is the running theme in this revival of Stephen Belber’s Tape, directed by Sam Helfrich. The play tells the story of two former high school best friends, Jon (Neil Holland) and Vince (Don DiPaolo) discover just that when a ten-year reunion starts to…
