Purlie Victorious

 Purlie Victorious
 A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
The Music Box
September 23, 2023 

Photo coourtesy of Purlie Victorious

The Broadway revival of Ossie Davis’s 1961 play, Purlie Victorious, is truly joyous.  Kenny Leon directs a stellar cast, with the right touch of style, melodrama, and grit that allows Ossie Davis’s writing to ring with truth, humor, and relevance.  

Purlie Victorious Judson (played by Leslie Odom, Jr.) searched for a young girl to pretend to be his deceased cousin so he could get a five hundred dollar inheritance that is being held by Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee (played by Jay O. Sanders).  He finds Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins (played by Kara Young) on his travels through Alabama, and brings her back to Georgia.  Missy Judson (played by Heather Alicia Simms) thinks Lutiebelle will pass as their deceased cousin, but her husband, Gitlow (played by Bille Eugene Jones), needs some convincing.  They almost pull it off until Lutiebelle signs the wrong name on the papers.  Purlie is on the run for trying to swindle Ol’ Cap’n Cotchpie, but comes back in force to preserve Lutiebelle’s reputation.

Leslie Odom, Jr., & Kara Young
Photo courtesy of Purlie Victorious

Leslie Odom, Jr. and Kara Young are great together.  Mr. Odom is full of life as Purlie.  His vitality fills the stage and energizes all the characters to take action.  Ms. Young portrays Lutiebelle as an innocent, nervous girl who transforms into a determined young woman.  She is willing to open up and take a risk, all due to Purlie’s inspiration.  These two actors have a great chemistry, and keep the audience fully engaged in the action of the story. 

Heather Alicia Simms & Billy Eugene Jones
Photo courtesy of Purlie Victorious

Heather Alicia Simms and Billy Eugene Jones are a strong pair as Missy and Gitlow Judson.  Their relationship is full of fire, and their timing is fast and sharp.  Jay O. Sanders creates a wicked villain in the character of Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee.  This role is played with a precise balance of humor and malice to keep it from being too dark.  There are also strong performances by Vanessa Bell Calloway as Idella Landy and Noah Robbins as Charlie Cotchipee.

This cast delivers a completely enjoyable experience of a gem of a play.  Purlie Victorious is playing at The Music Box.  Don’t miss it. 

  

Domenick Danza

One With the Current

 One With the Current

Fandango 4 Art House
36^th Street Studio Theatre
September 21, 2023

Photo courtesy of Fandango 4 Art House
 One With the Current

Daniel Damiano creates a unique and intriguing piece of theatre with his one character play, One With the Current.  We see the character’s open heart in the way he relates to his son and his best friend.  We empathize with his struggle to keep his business afloat through the pandemic.  We sense the uncomfortable change in his family structure as his daughter goes off to college and is affected by outside influences.  We viscerally experience the challenges, pressures, and disappointments that makes this man vulnerable… and willing to participate in the January 6 protest. 

Daniel Damiano as Cliff
Photo by Gerry Goodstein

The stage is delineated into four distinct settings.  When light comes up in each location, Cliff (played by Daniel Damiano) is speaking with someone different. In one area, he is fishing on the lake with his best friend, Roy, drinking beer, venting about work, and releasing stress.  In another area, he is fishing off a pier, bonding with his son while teaching him how to reel in his first catch.  We then find him at home, arguing with his wife about their daughter’s choice not to return from college during Christmas break.  This hurts him.  He feels powerless.  When we return to the scene where Cliff is fishing with Roy, he decides to attend a protest on January 6.  We know the outcome of that day, but, naturally, Cliff has no sense of the extreme possibilities.  All he feels in that moment is the desperation that motivates him to go to Washington DC with Roy to have his voice heard.           

Unlike most solo shows, the main character never addresses the audience directly.  We never hear Mr. Damiano tell a story.  We watch the character of Cliff in solo scenes with his best friend, his son, his wife, and his deceased father.  By making the creative choice of doing these scenes as monologues, as opposed to having other actors portray these characters, the audience is given a focused glimpse into the depth of the character.  They see a different side of him in each of these scenes.  He is an Everyman.  A husband, a father, a diligent worker.  He is also sensitive, forceful, tender, aggressive… and vulnerable.  Mr. Damiano’s masterful writing is exceeded only by his skillful portrayal of this character. 

Daniel Damiano as Cliff
Photo by Gerry Goodstein

In the course of this story, the audience comprehends the shattering of the American Dream, as middle class values becomes obsolete.  Cliff says, after the January 6 riot, that he was one of many “Americans who were disenfranchised.  At first it was all… but then it started to seem justified.”  He explains how he felt pulled into the events of that day, becoming “one with the current.”  Cliff tells a story about how fish gather strength when they swim together.  He was told by his father, and advised his son, to swim against the current to gain personal strength.  Cliff breaks that chain of advice through his actions on January 6.  He shatters both the promise he made to his father and the authority he has over his son.  This is his greatest loss.  At one point, Cliff states that “out of the weeds becomes a garden.”  He defines this as the American Dream.  We see in the final scene how he tries to rebuild his dream by establishing a truthful relationship with his son.  He starts by admitting how his actions reflect who he is.  He faces the consequences.  It is a powerful ending. 

No matter your political point of view, this is an important play to see.  Mr. Damiano explores the gray/human areas of what is a black and white issue for most people.  This play offers a perspective on the vulnerability of our time.  

One With the Current is playing at 36^th Street Studio Theatre (312 W. 36 St., 4^th Floor, NYC) through October 8.  It has a 70 minute running time.  Be sure to see it! 

Domenick Danza

Stupid F*cking Bird

 Stupid F*cking Bird
MCS Theatre
September 16, 2023 

Photo courtesy of Theatre 4the People

The Theatre 4the People production of Stupid F*cking Bird is well conceived, directed, and performed.  Written by Aaron Posner, the play is an adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull.  The characters are profoundly weighed down by darkness and despair, yet director Isaac Byrne keeps the action moving at a brisk pace.  He knows when to spike up the humor to keep the audience engaged.  The cast works as a tight ensemble, fully committed to Mr. Byrne’s vision for the play, and skillfully in sync with one another.

The play opens with Mash (played by Haley Rice) singing a sad song about how disappointing her life is.  Dev (played by Trevor Markanovic) tries to cheer her up, but fails.  He is in love with her, but she loves Connie (played by Conor M. Hamill), who loves Nina (played by Melissa Mattos), who is enamored by Trigorin (played by Jey Kennedy), who is sleeping with Connie’s mother, Emma (played by Nya Bowman).  Despair is met with betrayal, which creates deep misery.  Connie shoots a seagull, then tries to shoot himself.  On his sixtieth birthday, Connie’s uncle, Sorn (played by Timothy Wagner), who has been a doctor his whole life, questions the value of his existence.  It’s all, as Mash sings, very disappointing.  They all carry on, pushing through mommy issues and daddy issues, making things worse, then somehow a little better... or maybe not. 

Conor M. Hamill, Melissa Mattos, & Jey Kennedy
Photo courtesy of Theatre 4the People

This cast does an amazing job involving the audience in Mr. Posner’s absurd adaptation.  They play the despair with a sly tone that keeps everyone amused.  They take full advantage of Mr. Posner’s direct address to pull the audience into the story as an equal participant. 

Haley Rice and Trevor Markanovic have a genuine connection as Mash and Dev.  Their relationship shifts as the plot develops, propelling their characters to open up and grow.  This transition is seamless and natural for these two skilled actors.  Melissa Mattos’ Nina is a vibrant, outgoing soul.  The audience gladly follows her on her journey, even when it turns dark.  Nya Bowman and Jey Kennedy are evenly matched as Emma and Trigorin.  Their characters are equally self-centered, and deserve one another.  Emma demands to be the center of attention, and Ms. Bowman boldly achieves this with grace and elegance.  Conor M. Hamill plays the thoroughly self-absorbed Connie with just the right level of humor that creates a strong feeling of empathy.  You yearn for him to change his behavior and find happiness, and you feel for him when he fails.  Sorn is the one character who stays somewhat consistent and grounded throughout the story.  Timothy Wagner plays this character with calm presence.  

Melissa Mattos & Colin M. Hamill
Photo courtesy of Theatre 4the People

The production is very simply and effectively staged, which is a perfect choice for the space and the material.  The focus is placed fully on the characters, and this cast pulls it off beautifully.

Stupid F*cking Bird is playing through October 1 at the Matthew Corozin Studio (MCS) Theatre (357 W. 36 St. #202, NYC).  This company is worth keeping an eye on.  Be sure to check them out!       

Domenick Danza

Sweeney Todd

 Sweeney Todd
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
September 14, 2023 

Photo courtesy of Sweeney Todd

The Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd is phenomenal.  Director Thomas Kail creates a truly eerie atmosphere for the telling of this tale.  Steven Hoggett’s choreography tilts everything off center and pushes the tension right up to the edge.  This production leaves you in awe of Stephen Sondheim’s score.  His ability to create tender moments, while building the action at a terrifying pace is brilliantly done.  The cast is intense.  They lock you in from the moment the show starts , and do not let you go for one second.

Sweeney Todd (played by understudy Nicholas Christopher) has returned to London after spending time in prison.  On the journey back, he befriends a young sailor, Anthony (played by Daniel Yearwood).  Sweeney starts to tell Anthony about his past, but stops as the memories overwhelms him.  When Sweeney enters Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop on Fleet Steet, Mrs. Lovett (played by Annaleigh Ashford) recognizes him as Benjamin Barker, the barber who had his shop above her store.  He confesses to her that he has returned to London to seek revenge on Judge Turpin (played by Jamie Jackson) for the harm he caused his wife.  Mrs. Lovett partners with Sweeney on his journey of revenge, not knowing what lies ahead, but very willing and able to lead the way. 

Annaleigh Ashford as Mr. Lovett
Photo courtesy of Sweeney Todd

Annaleigh Ashford makes the role of Mrs. Lovett her own.  She makes full use of her comic ability to mask the character’s manipulative and sinister core.  She exudes a demonic charm, developing a unique dichotomy for the character.  Nicholas Christopher is commanding as Sweeney Todd.  He is vocally powerful and dramatically captivating.  You root for him no matter how malicious his actions, and feel genuine satisfaction when he succeeds in avenging his wife.

Photo courtesy of Sweeney Todd

Gaten Matarazzo is excellent as Tobias, the assistant to Pirelli who becomes Mrs. Lovett’s helper when her business start to boom.  He and Ms. Ashford develop a very strong relationship.  “Not While I’m Around” is a truthful bonding moment between the characters.  Understudy Jeanna de Waal is spooky and ghostlike as the Beggar Woman.  She emerges from the darkness with her hair covering her face, yet your eyes go right to her when she starts to sing.  Daniel Yearwood and Maria Bilbao have a genuine connection as Anthony and Johanna, Sweeney’s daughter and ward of Judge Turpin.  Ms. Bilbao plays Johanna’s entrapment with palpable nervousness.  As the relationship between her and Anthony builds, this nervousness transforms into an eager yearning.         

This production is a MUST SEE, no matter who is in the lead roles.  The cast is a passionate and skillful ensemble, all committed to creating and delivering a spine-chilling and impactful experience.  Sweeney Todd is playing at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.  Go see it!    

Domenick Danza

Infinite Life

 Infinite Life
Atlantic Theater Company
Linda Gross Theater
September  2, 2023 

Photo courtesy fo Atlantic Theater Company

Annie Baker’s’ Infinite Life draws the audience in on the private and penetrating journey of six characters.  The Atlantic Theater Company production, directed by James Macdonald, is fully absorbing.  As the characters avoid connection, they unwillingly peel away their layers.  You hang on to every moment, waiting for the next detail to be revealed, which pulls you in even further.  The partnership between Ms. Baker and Mr. Macdonald on this production is exceptionally effective.  This play is riveting.  

Christina Kirk as Sofi
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company

Sofi (played by Christina Kirk) is sitting on a terrace lounge chair, reading.  Eileen (played by Marylouise Burke) enters, and silently sits on another lounge chair.  Eileen interrupts Sofi’s reading to introduce herself.  Eileen is on day three.  Sofi is on day one.  They are residents of a healing retreat.  They fast under doctor’s supervision to release toxins and manage pain associated with their illness.  Elaine (played by Brenda Pressley) and Ginnie (played by Kristine Nielsen) enter and take their seats on the empty lounge chairs.  The conversation centers around their ailments, pain, and treatment.  When Yvette (played by Mia Katigbak) enters, she tells the long story of her list of ailments, which finally gets Sofi talking.  Sofi can relate to Yvette’s illnesses and pain.  Sofi spends sleepless nights awake on the terrace, pacing, texting, and leaving messages for either her husband or her intimate work friend.  She tells Nelson (played by Pete Simpson) about her relationship with these two men one night when they are both unable to sleep.  Nelson is the only male patient at the retreat.  He is suffering through his second round with colon cancer.

Pete Simpson as Nelson
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company

When Nelson appears, the rhythm and pace of the setting is disturbed.  He is a little more aggressive than the women.  A little more in need of attention, while remaining solitary.  Pete Simpson plays this all with tender encroachment, due to the excruciating pain from his illness.  The scene between him and Ms. Kirk (Sofi) is filled with sexual tension that the characters are both eager and reluctant to engage in.  These two actors delicately play that scene with remarkable poise and control.         

The more each character avoids contact with one another, the more we understand their story.  The distance between the characters is more revealing than anything they share.  The final scene is between Sofi and Eileen, as is the initial scene of the play.  They talk about what they feel they need for the pain to go away.  They connect.  They talk about their spiritual beliefs.  They share their hopes, fears, and secrets.  Christina Kirk and Marylouise Burke play this scene calmly and genuinely.  The rhythm shifts.  There is no joy or revelation, only truth and connection.  For a moment it is as if there is no pain. Then the light go to black. 

Kristine Nielsen & Brenda Pressley
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company

Playwright Annie Baker skillfully leaves a trail of information about all the characters.  We piece the
stories together by nibbling on the small crumbs they each drop.  Most of the action centers around the character of Sofi.  Christian Kirk delivers an intriguing performance in this role.  The importance of the events of her life is made clear by the subtle and nonchalant way she reveals them.  Marylouise Burke, Brenda Pressley, Kristine Nielsen, and Mia Katigbak lure the audience into listening carefully to every component of their lives and experiences.  The audience feels each moment of their reaction time, and watch the pace of their movements.  Director James Macdonald masterfully orchestrates these fine actors through the elusive moments of Ms. Baker’s spellbinding writing.  

The pace is slow and steady throughout the piece, much like the enduring pain these characters carry every day.  The passage of time is announced by Sofi, first hour by hour, then day by day.  It is deliberate and anguishing.  Once the audience catches on to the steady flow of time, it is simply signified by lighting changes. 

Infinite Life is playing at Atlantic Theater Company’s Linda Gross Theater through October 8.  It is an intimately intense journey, and will leave you with much to think about.    

Domenick Danza

The Motherf**cker with the Hat

 The Motherf**cker with the Hat
Hats Off Productions
Chain Theatre Mainstage
August 31, 2023 

Photo courtesy of Hats Off Productions

Hats Off Productions is currently presenting Stephen Adly Guirgis’ The Motherf**cker with the Hat.  Director Luis-Daniel Morales has gathered a strong cast, who skillfully delve into Mr. Guirgis’ powerful writing to deliver intense performances of these complex characters.  Their defensive and aggressive exteriors mask their fragile and broken spirits. 

Jackie (played by Garrett Miller) is on parole, working on his sobriety, and just landed a new job.  When he gets home to tell the good news to his girlfriend, Veronica (played by Sabrina Gómez), he sees a man’s hat on the chair.  He immediately suspects Veronica of sleeping with the man who lives in the apartment below them, who dresses well and always wears a hat.  After confronting Veronica, Jackie goes to his sponsor, Ralph (played by Michael James Duran), to calm his need for revenge and keep from drinking.  Ralph convinces Jackie to stay at his place for a few days because he thinks that Veronica, who is an addict, is not good for him.  Jackie gets his hands on a gun, and threatens his downstairs neighbor, so he and Ralph pay a visit to Jackie’s Cousin Julio (played by Peter Grullon) to ask him to hide the gun.  Ralph’s wife, Victoria (played by Phanie Cherres), comes on to Jackie.  When he rejects her, she tells him that when he was in prison, Veronica got pregnant by Ralph and had an abortion.  She goes on to tell him that Vernoica is still sleeping with Ralph.  Jackie has to face the truth of his relationships in order to maintain his sobriety, but can he control his temper and stay out of jail. 

Garrett Miller & Peter Grullon
Photo courtesy of Hats Off Productions

Garrett Miller genuinely portrays Jackie’s vulnerable and sizzling short fuse.  His idealistic nature is 
easily manipulated, which causes him to violently explode.  Michael James Duran plays Ralph with supreme confidence.  He is glib and in control, creating a strong façade that he uses to convince himself of his own righteousness. Peter Grullon’s portrayal of Cousin Julio is subtle and smooth.  He delivers the laughs, while maintaining a certain ease.  These three characters are dark and complex, and these actors explore every detail and expose every layer.  

Sabrina Gómez & Garrett Miller
Photo courtesy of Hats Off Productions

Sabrina Gómez is vicious as Veronica.  She is stubborn, fierce, and crushingly defensive.  Phanie Cherres’ Victoria is trapped, frustrated, and deeply needy.  Mr. Guirgis shines a startling light on his female characters in this play.  They are limited by the reflections of their male counterparts, searching for their identities and usure of how to find their own strength.  These two characters make opposite decisions as the action peaks, and these two actors play those moments boldly and honestly.

The Motherf**cker with the Hat is playing at the Chain Theatre Mainstage through September 2.  There are only a few performances left, so get a ticket while you can. 

Domenick Danza

A Will to Live

 A Will to Live
Chain Theatre
August 26, 2023 

Photo courtesy of Chain Theatre

Chain Theatre took on a monumental project by adapting Helena Weinrauch’s Holocaust memoir, A Will to Live, into a one woman theatre piece.  The outcome is a production of pure gold.  The memoir was originally written in 1945.  Kirk Gostkowski, who adapted the piece, said that when he read it, the words “were fresh and unique.  It felt like a primary document, and it needed to be preserved.”  In striving for this, Mr. Gostkowski has kept the perspective pure and authentic.  This piece honors Ms. Weinrauch’s words and experiences, and reminds us of the value and fragility of life. 

We first meet Helena (played by Masha King) when she wakes up in a hospital bed in Sweden.  She starts to tell of how she got there.  The allied soldiers were piling the skeletal bodies of the deceased prisoners from a Nazi concentration camp, when one soldier noticed her body was still warm.  She was rushed to the medic, then transported to a hospital in Sweden.  She now spends the days staring at the lake from her hospital window, catatonic, hiding food out of fear of starvation, and trusting no one.  She takes us back to her sixteenth birthday.  She is living in Germany with her parents and older sister.  The Russians invade, causing her family to separate in order to remain safe.  Then the Nazis take power.  While she is at work, the Nazis sweep her town for Jewish residents, taking her parents and sister.  She is alone.  Her boss helps her obtain false papers and puts her on a train to a different city.  She hides in plain sight under an assumed identity, until she is recognized by someone from her home town.  What follows is years of torture, dehumanization, hard labor, and starvation in three different Nazi concentration camps.   She survives. 

Masha King as Helena Weinrauch
Photo coourtesy of Chain Theatre

Masha King delivers a masterful performance as Helena Weinrauch.  She is alone on stage for two and a half hours (with a ten minute intermission).  Her performance is flawless.  She ages in front of you.  You see the emotional toll on her face, and feel it in her eyes.  Her center shifts as the physical pain overwhelms her, yet she does not succumb.  Ms. King’s ability to embody these expereinces, but not delve so deeply as to cause the audience to look away, is phenomenal.  She takes the audience from one horrific event to the next, carrying the weigh and devastation, while keeping the audience connected to every step of her journey.  

Rick Hamilton has directed this piece with such skill and sensitivity that you are fully present and absorbed, yet not overwhelmed by the violence and demoralization.  You wait for the next action, hoping it will bring resolution, only to delve deeper and darker into more horrific events.  When  the second act starts, the main characters tells of the years she spent in three different concentration camps, including Auschwitz.  Mr. Hamilton brilliantly keeps the action moving at a brisk pace, keeping the audience fully engaged, while limiting the time to process the horrors taking place.  The audience has no choice but to move forward, as does the main character.  The audience hangs on her every word, taking it all in, and gathering every detail of evidence from her experiences. 

Masha King as Helena Weinrauch
Photo courtesy of Chain Theatre

Every choice in this production was clearly made to honor the words and experiences of Helena Weinrauch.  The main character speaks directly to the audience as if sharing her story with a friend.  The other characters are heard as voice overs, keeping the focus fully on the main character.  At the age of 101, Ms. Weinrauch is still alive and living in New York City.  We hear her voice and see footage of her in the epilogue of the piece.  To hear her say how she has forgiven those who caused her harm and carries no hate is truly cathartic.  She says that hate is evil, and to respond with hate perpetuates the evil that caused the devastation.  This piece reminds us of the atrocities in our history, and speaks loudly to why we need to remember so as not to repeat. 

Over the years Chain Theatre has built a strong reputation for quality work, and this production raises the bar even higher.  A Will to Live is playing through September 16.  It is an important piece of theatre.  Get a ticket right away! 

Domenick Danza