What: Maiden Productions and Team Theatre present Conor McPherson's play about Tommy, a Dubliner no longer young, living in a makeshift bedsit in his uncle's house, who rescues a woman from a brutal beating and shelters her in his home, not realizing the baggage she brings with her.
And? A strong play with some good performances, a bit unfocused. Full review here.
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| John Duddy as Tommy. Photo by Valerie Terranova. |
10/20/22: A Raisin in the Sun
What: The Public presents Lorraine Hansberry's tremendous play about the Younger family trying to carve out happiness in a world hostile to their presence.
And? It's not surprising, knowing director Robert O'Hara's resume, that this production contains moments intended to provoke. Intended, even, for some of us to clutch our pearls. My biggest gripe is probably that these choices and the ensuing discussion are probably overshadowing our engagement with the rest of the production. And honestly I'm mixed on the additional elements he's added here. [spoilers incoming! skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to know] The ghost of Walter Sr. doesn't quite work for me, nor does the moment Walter Lee breaks the fourth wall (I think because that doesn't underline his monologue any more clearly than if he were to keep it in the scene. We're either going to hear it or we aren't). The evidence of Mama's stroke after Walter Lee finds out the money is gone, that works. But we have to talk about the final moment, the one that sucks the air out of the room: I can't say that I hate it (even if, obviously, I hate the hate it contains). My issue with it remains that, whatever else, I think Hansberry wrote a play with a heroic, defiant ending. Like Proctor in The Crucible, Walter Lee finds his strength, his dignity, and asserts that against whatever else might follow. The play as written celebrates that moment. O'Hara's production acknowledges what most assuredly comes next: we see Walter Lee's young son Travis slowly walk forward as the facade of their new yellow house appears. And then, as he stands there, embodying the hope of his family's future, the ugliest word America has thrown at Black people appears scrawled across that facade. Because for O'Hara, that heroic and hopeful ending is a facade. It's the next step forward, but he knows that every step forward is faced with an implacable march of hatred ever trying to push back, push away, push down. He knows how many years ago this play was set, and how much violence, prejudice, and institutional discrimination is still inflicted on Black people in America. Mama and Ruth want the dignity and air of a real house to live in, raise their family, and they move to a white neighborhood with their eyes open. O'Hara wants our eyes open too. So, I get it. I get why this is the ending O'Hara chooses. But a part of me (the same part that took issue with some of the choices in the Daniel Fish revival of Oklahoma!, or with the liberties Ivo van Hove takes with every revival he gets his mitts on) wonders why do a play if your intention is to tell a different story than what was written. If you want to tell a different story, write a different play. So, mixy.
[spoilers over!] This production feels a little long, but otherwise I don't have a lot of complaints (other than what I voiced above). We had understudy Bjorn DuPaty on for Walter Lee, and he's absolutely riveting, full of charisma and disappointed hopes. The whole cast is great (how many times can Mandi Masden's performance of Ruth break my heart in one night? at least three), and led by the exemplary Tonya Pinkins as Lena (Mama). It's such a powerful script and it's always a gift to see Hansberry's work on the stage.
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| Mandi Masden, Tonya Pinkins, and Toussaint Battiste as Ruth, Lena, and Travis. Photo by Joan Marcus. |
10/22/22: KPOP
What: The Broadway transfer of the Ars Nova production of Helen Park and Max Vernon's new musical, a fictional behind-the-scenes documentary about two K-pop groups and one solo artist performing in concert in New York, starring some actual K-pop stars.
And? I need to start by saying I'm not an aficionado of K-pop and can't speak to the authenticity of the music (I've heard, third-hand via social media, that it's not terribly authentic). The story, for me, is a bit thin (and I'm kind of bothered at the inbalance: Mwe, the diva, is the A plot; F8, the boy group, is the B plot; and then RTMIS, the girl group, gets an afterthought scene in the second half--I wouldn't even call it a C plot), but the show moves along briskly, the songs are catchy, and the performers excellent. It's a light show, and one that sends its audience out smiling. At our performance Amy Keum went on for Mwe, and her track of Ivy in RTMIS was covered by Marina Kondo; both were excellent, and it was gratifying to see them rejoice in their enthusiastic audience.
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| The members of F8. Photo by Angela Weiss. |
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