Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow

Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow

The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space

August 15, 2019

Photo courtesy of MCC Theater

Playwright Halley Feiffer takes a highly effective look at Chekhov’s Three Sister in her unconventional adaptation.  Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow is dark, zany, and poignant.  The characters are truthful and clear mirrors of Chekhov’s characters.  Their yearning and despair is viewed through a lens of absurdity, which makes their loneliness and desperation that much clearer and more identifiable.  Through succinct timing and a heightened style, director Tripp Cullman skillfully unifies this magnificent cast of twelve to engage and enlighten the audience through laughter and self-contemplation.

Chris Perfetti, Tavi Gevinson, & Rebecca Henderson
Photo courtesy of MCC Theater

We are in a house on the Russian countryside in 1900.  Olga (played by Rebecca Henderson) goes on and on about how unattractive she is.  Irina (played by Tavi Gevinson) is selfishly focused on the fact that it is her birthday.  Masha (played by Chris Perfetti) is absorbed in her book.  They all long to return to Moscow, but can’t… but don’t know why… so they are unhappy.  Very unhappy.  Their brother Andrey (played by Greg Hildreth) plays the violin and aspires to study science and achieve greatness, but instead falls in love with a local girl, Natasha (played by Sas Goldberg), who the sisters consider to be a low-class whore.  Tuzenback (played by Steven Boyer) is madly in love with Irina, but she doesn’t give him the time of day.  He introduces the family to Veshinin (played by Alfredo Narciso), who becomes attracted to dark and brooding Masha.  She madly reciprocates, even though she is stuck in a loveless marriage with closeted Kulygin (played by Ryan Spahn).  They all want more out of life, but can’t get it… but don’t know why… so they are unhappy… but we see and understand, and laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Steven Boyer & Matthew Jeffers
Photo courtesy of MCC Theater

This entire cast is truly phenomenal.  Out of tightly timed high comedy scenes come genuine moments of hurt and sorrow, that are then topped off with a laugh.  Each character is truthfully drawn, carrying sincere hurt in their hearts.  These actors portray them in such a way that we distance ourselves from them in order to get a more precise view of who they are, which causes us to connect even stronger.  The humor is raucous.  The timing takes us out of the moment, then plunges us back into the darkness of their pain.  The play is skillfully written.  The production is masterfully conceived and directed.

Greg Hildreth & Sas Goldberg
Photo courtesy of MCC Theater

If you have not seen MCC’s new space on 53^rd St. and 10^th Ave, check it out as soon as you can.  The space is sharp, and offers a great opportunity for this company to step up and stand out.  This production is a sure sign that they will be doing just that.  Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow is playing at The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space through August 17.  Time is running out, so get your ticket before it’s too late.

Domenick Danza

Mojada

Mojada

The Public Theater

August 11, 2019

Photo courtesy of The Pubilc Theater

Playwright Luis Alfaro adapts the mythological story of Medea in his play Mojada.  His writing is layered in truths that peel back to reveal the deep bonds that unite the characters.  The Public Theater production is viscerally engaging and emotionally jarring.  Director Chay Yew gradually opens the action to draw the audience in so they can fully understand the tragic events.

Benjamin Luis McCracken, Alex Hernandez,
Sabina Zuñiga Varela, & Socorro Santiago
Photo courtesy of The Public Theater

The show opens with Tita (played by Socorro Santiago) looking for the latest gossip and telling of how different it is here than her native country.  She lives with Medea (played by Sabina Zuñiga Varela), who she raised as a young girl in Mexico.  Together they teach Medea’s son Acan (played by Benjamin Luis McCracken) the rituals and customs of their native land.  Medea works from their home as a seamstress while Acan’s father, Jason (played by Alex Hernandez) works construction.  Other than to go in the back yard, Medea does not leave the house.  She shares the brutal story of their border crossing and the experiences that cause her to live in so much fear.  As Jason works tirelessly to create a prosperous life for his son, Medea feels betrayed and grows desperate.

Alex Hernandez, Socorro Santiago,
& Sabina Zuñiga Varela
Photoc courtesy of The Public Theater 

Sabina Zuñiga Varela portrays Medea’s dakness with conviction.  She is heavy hearted and full of sorrow.  As the facts of her experiences are revealed, we see these emotions are so deeply rooted in the soul of her character.  Socorro Santiago and Vanessa Aspillaga inject fast paced and well needed humor as Tita and Luisa.  Their portrayals are honest and realistic, keeping the truth of the story on track.  Benjamin Luis McCracken, Alex Hernandez, and Ada Maris also deliver strong and genuine performances as Acan, Jason, and Pilar.

Mojada has been extended at the Public Theater through August 18.  Luis Alfaro’s writing is prolific.  He brings the Medea story into a different perspective by viewing it through the lense of the present day immigrant experience. 

Domenick Danza

Sea Wall / A Life

Sea Wall / A Life

Hudson Theater

August 9, 2019

Photo courtesy of Sea Wall / A Life

SeaWall / A Life are two back to back one-act, one-character plays starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge.  Sea Wall is written by Simon Stephens.  A Life is written by Nick Payne.  They are very different in style and structure, and when placed together, invoke the joy, wonder, pain, and solitude of the mystery of life.  These two playwrights craft characters that are exposed and vulnerable.  They openly admit their flaws and fears, while sharing the intimacies of their brightest and darkest moments.  Director Carrie Cracknell finds the uniqueness of each piece and juxtaposes them in a way that magnetically unifies them.

Sea Wall:  Alex (played by Tom Sturridge) shares the first impression he has of a close friend of his in Ireland.  He flows into telling of the meeting of his girlfriend, who later becomes his wife.  Together they travel to visit his friend’s home in the South of France  They swim and scuba dive, and engage in discussion of God and existence.  Alex and his wife have a daughter, Lucy, who brings love and completion to Alex’s heart.  They continue to visit the South of France, until events take a sudden and unexpected turn.   

Tom Sturridge
Photo courtesy of Sea Wall / A Life

Tom Sturridge is pensive and distracted as Alex.  He clumsily knocks things over, then waits to get his bearing.  He starts to get to the best part of his story, then retreats incapable of making words.  As the story unfolds, we understand the depth of this physical and emotional behavior.  He embodies this character in his core.  His performance is raw and moving.

A Life:  Abe (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) starts off telling of the awkward moment when his wife told him she was pregnant.  It takes him by surprise.  He then jumps to telling of the time his father woke him in the middle of the night because his arm was numb and tingling.  Being a teenager, Abe could not fully understand his father’s need for his company.  He jumps again to the time he brought his girlfriend, later to be his wife, to first meet his parents.  He jumps forward to telling of his father being taken to the hospital with heart failure.  Abe continually skips back and forth as his stories of losing his father gel with the birth of his daughter, meshing his feeling of joy and grief to such an extreme that they become one. 

Jake Gyllenhaal
Photo courtesy of Sea Wall / A Life

Jake Gyllenhaal is quirky and openhearted as Abe.  As the story jumps from moment to moment in a seemingly disjointed manner, we understand the thought process of his character.  He brilliantly juggles and blends the humor and intensity of the writing, creating honest moments of realization and discovery.

Sea All / A Life is playing at the Hudson Theatre for a limited time.  Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge are magnificent.  You only have until September 29 to see these two outstanding performances of two skillfully written and moving plays.  Don’t miss it!  Get your tickets right away!

Domenick Danza

Broadway Bounty Hunter

Broadway Bounty Hunter

Greenwich House Theater

August 7, 2019

Photo courtesy of Broadway Bounty Hunter

Broadway Bounty Hunter is the most fun you’ll have in an Off-Broadway Theater.  How can you go wrong with music and lyrics by Joe Iconis?  He partners on the book for this project with Lance Rubin, and Jason Sweettooth Williams to create an unexpected laugh riot.  Every set-up in Act I pays off in multitudes in Act II.  Director/Choreographer Jennifer Werner uses every corner of the Greenwich House Theater to give her powerful, high-energy cast the space to let loose and captivate every member of the audience.

Annie (played by Annie Golden) was a Broadway star back in her day.  Being a “woman of a certain age,” she is now having trouble getting work.  Her husband, a Broadway director and producer, died ten years earlier, leaving her broken-hearted and vulnerable.  She is visited one night by Shiro Jin (played by Emily Borromeo), and recruited to be a bounty hunter.  Having nothing to lose, she accepts the challenge.  After vigorous training, she is partnered with Lazarus (played by Alan H. Green), who reluctantly agrees to take her under his wing.  Their first mission is to find and bring back alive Mac Roundtree (played by Brad Oscar), a deadly drug dealer in South America.  What lies ahead for Annie is a journey of self-discovery and empowerment beyond anyone’s imagination.

The Full Cast of Broadway Bounty Hunter
Photo courtesy of Broadway Bounty Hunter

Annie Golden, Alan H. Green, and Brad Oscar are magnificent together.  They play the humor with just the right amount of edge.  They hit every laugh and make this raucous story truthful and believable.  Emily Borromeo, Badia Farha, Jasmine Forsberg, Omar Garibay, Jared Joseph, and Christina Sajous do numerous instantaneous costume and character changes, keeping the pace moving fast and the action continually rising.  Just when the story progresses and builds, the plot twists and the stakes spike even higher, making every moment funnier and more dangerous.

Broadway Bounty Hunter is playing at the Greenwich Village Theater.  Treat yourself to a fun time.  You deserve it!

Domenick Danza

Make Believe

Make Believe

Second Stage Theater

Tony Kiser Theater

July 30, 2019

Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theater

Bess Wohl’s Make Believe is a gem of brilliance.  She masterfully crafts damaged characters struggling to release the ghosts of their past.  Her writing is truthful and risky.  Each risk she takes is emotionally engaging and delivers a powerful impact.  The Second Stage Theater production is directed by Michael Greif.  His work is both bold and tender as he allows a phenomenal cast of actors to deliver deep and exposed performances.

Young Addie (played by Casey Hilton) is playing with her Cabbage Patch Doll in her attic playroom.  It is the 1980s.  She is joined by her big sister, Kate (played by Maren Heary).  The trouble starts when their older brother, Chris (played by Ryan Foust) returns from soccer practice.  He is irate because his snack is not waiting for him as expected.  Their mother is nowhere to be found.  As the evening progresses, their mother still not present, they play at having dinner as a family.  Young Kate is the stressed-out mother, Young Chris is the condescending father, Young Addie is the needy baby, and their youngest brother, Carl (played by Harrison Fox), is the pet dog.  Days go by in the attic playroom and the children remain unattended.  Their make believe “play” reveals the brutal truths of their family dynamic.

Fast forward about twenty-five years.  The children, now adults, return to the family home for a funeral.  They seek refuge in the attic playroom.  The pain they carried their whole lives is evident in their personalities.  Their strong bond is illustrated in their acceptance of one another.  That’s why it hits them hard when an unexpected and long buried secret is unearthed.

The Cast of Make Believe
Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theater

The actors playing the young characters are truly remarkable.  They create relationships that are realistic, communicating honest and rich levels of subtext.  The actors playing their adult counterparts beautifully embody the physical and emotional traits set up by the young actors in the early scenes.  Samantha Mathis portrays an apathetic and inflexible Kate.  Susannah Flood plays Addie as insecure and neurotic as expected from her earlier treatment by her older brother and sister.  Brad Heberlee’s portrayal of Carl is moving and heartwarming.  This cast delivers the unexpected in such a natural and comfortable manner that you can’t help being enveloped in the action. 

Director Michael Greif & Playwright Bess Wohl
Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theater

Make Believe is playing at Second Stage’s Tony Kiser Theater through September 15.  Playwright Bess Wohl delivers numerous thematic tidbits in a play built on a strong and effective armature.  It is a touching, honest, and brutal journey, masterfully written, directed, and performed.  Be sure to see it! 

Domenick Danza

In the Green

In the Green

Lincoln Center Theater

at the Claire Tow

July 27, 2019

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

In the Green, a new musical by Grace McLean, is now playing at Lincoln Center.  It has a unique score that reflects the style and mood of its medieval setting.  It is based on historic characters and tells the story of their spiritual catharsis.  The cast of five women play various roles and sing for a full ninety-minutes.  Their voices blend and separate as tensions in the action build to reveal the depth of the story.

The year is 1106.  Eight-year-old Hildegard von Bingen is tithed to the Catholic Church.  She is to be a handmaid to Jutta von Sponheim, who lives in complete seclusion.  She voluntarily locked herself in a cell connected to an abbey church.  During their time together the women share their stories.  They seek freedom from the outside world and journey toward wholeness.  After thirty years of solitude and Jutta’s death, Hildegard emerges from her cloistered cell to share her wisdom with the community.

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

This is a very dark and obscure story, structured and told in a way that is befitting its topic and time period.  There are outstanding and moving performances by Rachael Duddy, Ashley Perez Flanagan, Grace McLean, Mia Pak, and Hannah Whitney.

In the Green is playing at Lincoln Center’s Claire Tow Theater through August 4.

Domenick Danza

Death Cruise

Death Cruise

Thicket & Thistle

Access Theater

July 26, 2019

Photo courtesy of Thicket & Thistle

Thicket & Thistle is a vibrant ensemble driven theatre company that has a unique musical voice and a heart for storytelling.  Their skills are clearly displayed in their new show Death Cruise, now playing at Access Theater.  The company has worked for the past three years to develop this haunting, new musical, taking it from a short piece to a full-length entertainment.  The score is strong, written collaboratively by the company members.  Their trademark of tight harmonies, foot-stomping rhythms, hummable melodies, and character driven lyrics make this show something to see.

The Full Cast in Rehearsal
Photo courtesy of Thicket & Thistle

Nate (played by Jonathan Eric Foster) boards a ship for a cruise of a lifetime.  Little does he know that a Seeker of Souls, Seth (played by Sam DeRoest), is looking to deflate his hopes and dreams in order to contract his soul to the devil.  Seth manipulates Nate’s first disappointment, which occurs when he finds out that the cruise is sparely attended and headed to the arctic, instead of someplace topical.  The next step in Seth’s plan is to have the crew members, Bailey (played by Lindsay Zaroogian), Judson (played by Kyle Acheson), Blaise (played by Joshua Stenseth), Juliette (played by Juliana Wheeler), and Quiet Craig (played by Titus Tompkins), reject and alienate Nate.  This is a relatively easy task since they are all absorbed in their own self-serving ideals.  Seth gets very close to achieving Nate’s soul, but something keeps rebounding the situation back in Nate’s favor.  Finally Seth turns up the heat and applies his roughest strategy.

Thicket & Thistle Company Memebers in Rehearsal
Photo courtesy of Thicket & Thistle

This company delivers high caliber performances.  They work as a solid unit, while each having an opportunity to showcase their individual strengths.  The show builds in excitement as the characters face their greatest fears.  One stand-out number that represents their skill as an ensemble is staged where they exchange instruments while playing and singing.  It is performed with ease and dexterity, without missing a beat.

Death Cruise has been extended due to a sold-out opening weekend.  Go to  thicketnthistle.com or email them at info@thicketnthistle.com for dates and times of the extension.  Get your tickets before they sell out again!     

Domenick Danza