Our Town

 Our Town
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
September 28, 2024 

Photo courtesy of Our Town

Director Kenny Leon brings Thornton Wilder’s Our Town into the 21st Century.  His casting choices are purposeful and comprehensive.  His timing is compact and concise.  He trimmed down this three act classic to a one hour, forty-five-minute running time, with no intermission.  The action flows continuously, and the pace impacts the theme.  Even though a few of the quaint, defining moments are missed, Thornton Wilder’s words and philosophy ring with effortless sincerity, giving the audience timeless truths to contemplate.

Photo courtesy of Entertainment Weekly First Look

The play opens as the cast slowly assembles on stage singing a spiritual hymn that unites an extensive population.  The Stage Manager (played by Jim Parsons) silently enters.  As the cast disperses, he welcomes the audience, introduces the play, and describes the town.  He presents the characters, focusing on the Gibbs and Webb families.  Dr. Gibbs (played by Billy Eugene Jones) is returning from delivering twins on the other side of town, as Mrs. Gibb (played by Michelle Wilson) and their neighbor, Mrs. Webb (played by Katie Holmes), prepare breakfast for their families.  It is a day in the life of the residents of Grover’s Corners.  Time passes with ease and grace. 

Ephraim Sykes, Richard Thomas, & Zoey Deuth
Photo courtesy of Entertainment Weekly First Look

The action swiftly moves into the second act with the wedding of George Gibbs (played by Ephraim Sykes) and Emily Webb (played by Zoey Deutch).  The pace picks up.  The anticipation of this event is high and full of anxiety.  The Stage Manager takes us back a few years to the day that George and Emily discover that they are meant to be together for the rest of their lives.  This is a life changing moment for them.  We move forward to the nuptials, when Mrs. Soames (played by Julie Halston) proclaims that it is a beautiful wedding. 

Act III is where Thornton Wilder makes his statement about life and eternity.  It is in this act that every subtle detail from Acts I and II are profoundly seamed together.  The writing is poignant and touching.  The action is unexpected and reflective.  The journey might end here, but the experience continues to exist in perpetuity. 

Jim Parsons as the Stage Manager
Photo courtesy of Entertainment Weekly First Look

The hymn sung in the opening is “Braided Prayer” by Abraham Jam, which features prayers from Muslim, Jewish, and Christian faiths.  Anyone knowing this play is aware that this is a new addition, and a brilliant one.  The audience is immediately pulled into an experience that extends beyond the scope of any previous production.  With interracial casting and the casting of a deaf actor playing Howie Newsome (John McGinty), the diversity of Our Town now reflects who we are as a nation.  The ease in which the characters communicate in sign language and live together as a united multiracial community speaks volumes.  This story has always been universal, and now, due to Mr. Leon’s vision, is fully inclusive.

Our Town is playing at The Ether Barrymore Theatre.  It is a new interpretation of a great American classic. 

Domenick Danza

Redeemed

 Redeemed
Contemporary American Theater Festival
59E59 Theaters
September 21, 2024 

Photo courtesy of
Contemporary American Theater Festival

Chisa Hutchinson’s play, Redeemed, starts off with a relatively simple and direct premise, then turns into a complex journey of manipulation and power.  Her characters are hyperaware of the other’s ploys, constantly anticipating the next move.  The dialogue is rich, requiring the audience to lean in and listen intently.  Director marcus d. harvey allows the power shifts to be clear, concise, and visceral.  The audience invests in the characters, tracking their efforts and eagerly awaiting the outcome.

Trevor (played by Doug Harris) is serving a prison term for a hate crime.  While in solitary, he is visited by the spirit of his victim.  This leads him on a journey of redemption.  He writes to Claire, the sister of his victim (played by Elizabeth Sun).  To Trevor’s surprise, she visits him.  He tells her of the discussion that took place between him and her deceased brother.  He shares the stories he was told of their family history, revealing facts that only she would know.  This angers Claire, who does not let her guard down.  Trevor then asks Claire, who is a publisher, to read a manuscript he has been working on, chronicling his redemption.  He feels it is his mission to transform the hateful thinking of white supremacy.  Claire sees this as a ploy to get her to influence his upcoming parole board hearing.  She returns for a second visit, after a copy of Trevor’s manuscript is anonymously delivered to her home mailbox.  She is moved by the sincerity of the writing, and drawn to the power of its content.  She offers Trevor a deal, putting herself in total control. 

Doug Harris & Elizabeth Sun
Photo courtesy of Contemporary American Theater Festival

Doug Harris portrays Trevor as vulnerable and empathetic.  Elizabeth Sun plays Clarie as angry and guarded.  Each of these characters have clear and strong objectives that drive the action.  As they shift their tactics, they reveal different aspects of their personalities.  Mr. Harris and Ms. Sun play each shift genuinely, exposing the deeper, more crucial needs of their characters.  They do not stop until they uncover all the information they need to achieve their objectives.  Their performances are captivating.

Playwright Chisa Hutchinson shines a light on white privilege, racial injustice, and the hatred we have become accustomed to in our present climate.  As both characters speak their minds and express their points of view, the audience gets a chance to objectify the emotions and process the conflict.  She does not conclude the play with a definitive outcome, allowing the audience to face their own sense of justice and redemption.  This is a prolific piece, expertly structured, and beautifully delivered. 

Redeemed is playing at 59E59 theaters through October 5. 

Domenick Danza

Job

 Job
The Hayes Theater
September 18, 2024 

Photo courtesy of Job

Job is a riveting and mind blowing experience.  Playwright Max Wolf Friedlich continually turns the tables on his two characters.  They shift power from moment to moment.  The use of Chekhov’s gun and the ticking clock keep the audience on the edge of their seats for the full eighty minutes.  Director Michael Herwitz builds the action by focusing on the specific needs of the characters, while allowing the bigger story to organically unfold.

Jane (played by Sydney Lemmon) has her first session with Loyd (played by Peter Friedman).  She had an emotional breakdown while on the job, and is required to see a therapist if she wants to return to work.  When Jane pulls a gun on Loyd, her mental condition becomes questionable.  As rattled as this makes Loyd, he takes control of the situation.  Jane willingly opens up, knowing Loyd has the power to grant her what she wants.  As the session progresses, Loyd unravels Jane’s traumas and fears.  Jane purposely does a bit of probing of her own, causing Loyd to reveal a few details about himself that spark her paranoia.  Or is it his dark truth? 

Peter Friedman & Sydney Lemmon
Photo courtesy of Job

Peter Friedman and Sydney Lemmon are perfectly matched in these roles.  They are both strong, fully present, identifiable, and empathetic.  It is important that the audience become invested in both of these characters, or the impact of their revelations will have no meaning.  These two actors deliver genuine performances.  They skillfully build their relationship based on the urgent need embedded in the writing.  Mr. Friedlich crafted touching and realistic backstories for both characters.  He saves these details for the moment where they have heightened impact, then uses it to recharge the action.  Everything connects and surges forward with powerful intensity.

Job is playing at The Helen Hayes Theater through October 27.  Get a ticket! 

Domenick Danza

Hurricane Season

 Hurricane Season
Vernal & Sere Theatre
Theatre Row
August 30, 2024 

Photo courtesy of Vernal & Sere Theatre

“Something must break when the hurricane blows,” is the closing line of Sawyer Estes’ play Hurricane Season.  This realization takes place after the characters return from a psychological and visceral journey, driven by unfulfilled desire. The action is continually intriguing, generating a strong shift in all their perspectives.  Under the direction of Mr. Estes, this cast of four is fully committed.  Their performances are physically demanding and emotionally engaging.  Erin O’Connor’s movement direction magnifies numerous moments in the play, keeping the action alive throughout the intermission and after the lights come up at the conclusion of the piece.

It is morning.  Anne (played by Melissa Rainey) is reading a newspaper, while her husband, Tom (played by Sam R. Ross) is on his laptop, waiting for the stock market to open.  Anne is overwrought by the violence going on around the world.  Closer to home is the impending hurricane season.  Tom is fully focused on his investments.  Anne longs for Tom’s attention, yet he is glued to his laptop.  There is a flash of a sexualized female figure.  Is Tom watching porn?  Anne looks over at the laptop.  A young man enters the picture.  Tom’s attention shifts to him, while Anne is mesmerized by the woman.  They are both swept away. 

Erin Boswell & Melissa Rainey
Photo courtesy of Vernal & Sere Theatre

Anne travels to Amsterdam to meet the woman from the porn video.  Alex (played by Erin Boswell) and Anne are very much alike.  Mirror images, except for a scar that Alex has across her belly.  This is where she carries her trauma.  Anne yearns for that experience.

Tom travels to Los Angeles to meet Trevor (played by Pascal Portney), the young man from the porn video.  Trevor seeks a father figure, since he never knew his own.  Tom fits the profile perfectly, yet to be lovers is overwhelmingly alluring. 

Sam R. Ross & Pascal Portney
Photo courtesy of Vernal & Sere Theatre

Anne and Tom dive deeply into discovering the people they could have been, while Alex and Trevor search for who they long to be.  These four actors viscerally connect.  Their characters courageously peel back layers of promise and disappointment.  They each uncover their true need hidden beneath their superficial desires.  The writing is rich with conflict, giving these incredible actors strong intentions and powerful means to overcome every obstacle they find in their path.  They never stop moving forward, yet the outcome is nothing they ever anticipated.

This is a complex work, brilliantly conceived and masterfully staged.  It is a unique piece of theatre that needs to be experienced to gain its fullest impact.  The design team of this Vernal & Sere Theatre production are phenomenal collaborators, unifying sound, projection, lighting, and scenic elements to create a unique and encompassing atmosphere. 

Hurricane Season is playing at Theatre Row through September 7. 

Domenick Danza