What: The House of the Redeemer hosts an environmental production of Tartuffe starring André De Shields, in a new translation by Ranjit Bolt.
And? Sitting inside the transcontinally-transported wood-paneled library at the House of the Redeemer is already a cool experience on its own. Getting to see an intimate Molière farce starring André De Shields makes it all the tastier. It's a fun translation, for the most part: they've tightened/edited it considerably to bring the show down to 90 minutes (leaving the title character's scenes in their fuller existence to let De Shields to do his thing). My one complaint about the translation is that the rhythm keeps falling off, so the rhymes don't always flow into each other the way I'd like. The cast has a lot of strong players: Alexandra Socha is an adorably dizzy nitwit, with Charlie Lubeck as her equally dizzy paramour, Todd Buonopane as the fast-talking castigating grande dame, and Amber Iman's final performance as the delicious Elmire. But of course the star of the show is the iconic André De Shields as Tartuffe. It would be easy for him to play everything to the vaulted ceiling, but what makes him special as the distinct performer he is, is how understated his work is. We knew this from past performances in Hadestown, Fortress of Solitude, and countless others, but it's especially apparent in such a small space. While obviously Tartuffe himself is prone to histrionics (leading to, among other things, some spry push-ups and De Shields's glorious voice filling the space with song), De Shields manages to cap all of his hammier moments with a slip in Tartuffe's mask: a subtle twitch of his smile, a side-eyed glance. He is a master of the power of a small gesture to tell a larger moment, and he owns the space the moment he enters in all his regalia.
That being said, a lot of the production around him feels a bit slapdash and half-baked. Intimate theater is great, but it's bad practice to charge Broadway prices and give us an underproduced show. The costume design feels community-theater level "what's in your closet?" -- which was confirmed in an interview with De Shields, where he revealed his red robe is from his own collection, and designed by Dede Ayite for Mankind. It's the best costume in the show, and Avite deserves the credit for it, not the billed costume designer. If this were a workshop, that would be one thing. But if this is calling itself a finished production, charging what they're charging, it feels dishonest.
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| Hannah Beck and André De Shields as Cleante and Tartuffe. Photo by Joan Marcus. |
11/13/25: The Honey Trap
What: Irish Rep presents Leo McGann's play exploring the aftermath of the Troubles in Ireland, through the an oral history project giving us the lens of memories of a woman who was part of a honey trap, and a British soldier whose friend was murdered by the IRA.
And? It has a bit of a slow start--deceptively, it turns out, as the tension begins to ratchet up with each new revelation, each new rewriting of history and memory. Leo McGann's excellent script is an exploration not only an exploration of how trauma and pain can dictate our actions like some toxic backseat driver, but also of how we warp the stories of our lives to fit the person we want to believe ourselves to be. No one here is honest, either with themselves or with others, but the play asks: is it better to have the full truth of a scabbed-over wound, or to try to move forward and let the scar form? What is forgivable and what is not? When is it right to seek revenge? Michael Hayden, in the lead role of Dave, charts this impeccably: equal parts repellant and heart-twistingly sympathetic. In the hands of director Matt Torney, the rest of the cast is equally excellent: everyone is messy, everyone is understandably hurt, everyone has done something horrible. The production as a whole runs very smoothly as well, scenes sliding past each other with easy transitions and overlapping memories. I'm glad this run extended so I was able to see it. The play is so well-crafted it feels like it's written from an earlier era of playwriting, but this is the premier run.
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| Foreground: Doireann Mac Mahon, Annabelle Zasowski, and Daniel Marconi as Kirsty, Lisa, and Young Dave. Rear: Michael Hayden as Dave, watching his memory. Photo by Carol Rosegg. |
11/14/25: She Loves Me
What: Blue Hill Troupe presents Masteroff, Bock, and Harnick's jewel box of a musical about two combative coworkers at a parfumerie who don't realize they've been writing each other love letters for months.
And? As BHT productions go, this is pretty solid. She Loves Me is a bit like a potato: it's hard to actually ruin it. Some excellent voices, and the cast is clearly having a lot of fun. Paul Mitchell Wilder brings great panache to Kodaly, Chazmond Peacock is a beautifully voiced Sipos, Lauren Cupples has the trilling soprano needed to carry Amalia's songs, and Kevin Murray's wry delivery and full voice manage to make Mr. Maraczek more of a standout role than it often is. The real standout for me is Kim Lindsay Grutman as Ilona: with comedic delivery and a mobile face reminiscent of a young Carol Burnett, and a chesty belt evoking Bebe Neuwirth, she delivers an Ilona who is both salty and sweet and an excellent balance of flavor against the valentine of the main couple's story.
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