News and Updates

So we saw the hip hot Edgewise by Eliza Clark at WalkerSpace last night in a co-production by The Play Company and Page 73 . Set in a dystopic New Jersey, we follow three teenagers who work the early shift at a fast food restaurant. What follows is a clear picture of the psychological costs of war. After the dust settles, and the burger-and-pot jokes have melted into the air, we watch as the last rags of innocence stripped are from our shivering bones. Page 73, as always, is up to the challenge. Working with their 2010 Playwriting Fellow, they've put together a whip-smart cast, and in this timely collaboration with the unflinchingly accurate director Trip Cullman, the production sings... and screams and howls. What gets under your skin about this play is how swiftly and artfully the audience is brought in to the world. Did I miss something? Of course the enemy is the one we've suspected all along, and of course Dougal's is still open. What else does one do, but carry on...

So my mother is visiting us this weekend, and this will be her very first time in New York City, ever. Hooray. We were talking about what she’d like to do, and she said, “Oh you know, see the sites, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, etc.” and of course we said would you like to see a show? And she goes, “Hmm, not really.” “Hmm. Not really.” The universal question of artists is "What will my mother think?" A little demographics: my mother is in her late 60’s, born in Canada, trained as a nurse and became a missionary in Southeast Asia, fervently religious, never owned a new car, raised 3 boys while writing books (about missionaries) and sweating it out in the American South for the past 35 years. Why doesn’t she want to see a show? Of course she’s seen my shows, but that’s not the same thing. For her there is too much to overcome.

For a literary treat, check out The Coward by Nick Jones at The Duke on 42nd Street, produced by LCT3, the swinging new-play wing of Lincoln Center. This tasty cream puff pastry presents a frothy-whipped filling of English fop culture, wrapped in a flaky, sitcom-funny, golden-brown crust. And smothered in irony sauce. I mean, I like making fun of the British as much as the next guy, but I couldn't help hearing certain closer-to-home political overtones, as well, through the mashed-up language. The direction by Sam Gold was extremely pleasing-to-watch, and the performances, particularly the perfectly named Lucidous by Jeremy Strong, was screechingly spot-on. I wonder how it will play when it moves across the Pond...

Sheila Callaghan’s Roadkill Confidential is a charged collision of two, three, or maybe infinitely more, worlds. From the first twitchity moments on stage, we know these characters are not what they seem, and we suspect they are not even what they think they are. The cast brings a Romper Room excitement to the chase, and Kip Fagan’s meticulously clear direction is delicious to watch. But the real treat is jungle gym of language on which they play. It is at once pipe-strong and improvisational, propulsive and obtuse, irreverent and heroic. Like the wine tasting scene, Callaghan perfectly supports the layers of this spicy delight with balanced notes that provide a full bodied, mysterious, and intoxicating potion. ( Clubbed Thumb presents Roadkill Confidential at 3 Legged Dog Theatre downtown in the Liberty Zone.)

“ A dramatist is one who believes that the pure event - an action involving human beings - is more arresting than any comment that can be made upon it. ” - Thornton Wilder

NJ Transit is providing a civic service to the surrounding community by shuttling patrons to Montclair State University for performances of The Builders Association’s re-mounting of JETLAG. This meditative work immerses you in the journey of journeying - in why and how we travel - and asks what each step costs us as we move further from (or closer to) ourselves. Artistic Director Marianne Weems and the creative team of Diller Scofidio + Renfro craft a thoughtful and richly funny event; Weems' expansive storytelling is a master class for theatre artists. And NJ Transit gives frame to this play by allowing it to be an event in and of itself. Watch the moonlit towns and cross-tracks roll underneath your window and you’ll be saying the lines you just heard from the characters a short while before. Maybe the performance isn’t ended. ( Builders Association and Peak Performances presents JETLAG at MSU . Take the NJ Transit Montclair / Boontown line and hop off at Montclair Heights.)

This evening I stopped by the annual Dramatists Guild Fellows Showcase held at Playwrights Horizons on 42nd Street. I was supporting my fellow CMU writers Edgar Mendoza and Chris Dimond and Michael Kooman , and in the process I saw about twelve other CMU alums. It was great to see the school representing so strongly, and supporting each others work. And the readings were vibrant and engaging. Notably the very funny DG Fellows Katie Baldwin-Eng and Larry Pontius. Cheers to Ms. Lepcio and the team at the Guild for putting on such a top notch event. (And thanks for the snacks afterwards.)