6 Things To See in February 2013

1.  THE GOOD PERSON OF SZECHUAN

Can we practice goodness and create a world to sustain it?  In Brecht’s comic and complex play, this question is raised by one of his most entertaining characters — Shen Tei the good-hearted, penniless, cross-dressing prostitute, who is forced to disguise herself as a savvy businessman named Sui Ta so she can master the ruthlessness needed to be a “good person” in a brutal world. A Foundry Theater production at LaMama.

The Foundry Theater and LaMama, ETC present
THE GOOD PERSON OF SZECHUAN
Directed by Lear deBessonet
With Taylor Mac as Shen Tei, Annie Golden and Lisa Kron
Music by César Alvarez with The Lisps
 
LaMama - Ellen Stewart Theatre 
66 E 4th Street
New York, NY 10003

Tickets: $35 Adults/$30 Students + Seniors

February 1 – February 24, 2013

Info + Tickets: Click Here

*****

 

2. Moose Murders (Shamelessly Revised)

The most infamous flop of Broadway history, the farcical murder mystery MOOSE MURDERS closed on opening night to some of the most scathing reviews in history. Beautiful Soup Theater Collective revives it for the very first time in NYC.


Beautiful Soup Theater Collective presents
MOOSE MURDERS
by Arthur Bicknell
Directed by Steven Carl McCasland

Connelly Theatre
220 East 4th Street
New York NY 10009

Tickets: $25.00 - $30.00

January 29, 2013 - February 10, 2013


Tickets + Info: Click Here

*****

3. The Lying Lesson 

In a remote seaside village in Maine, a woman who may or may not bea legendary movie star shows up to buy the home of an elderly couple.Escorted by a young local woman who appears never to have heard of her,“Ruth” stakes a claim on her distant past, and plays a relentless game ofcat and mouse with her new “assistant.” This hilarious and unsettling homage to the films of Hollywood’s GoldenAge is directed by Pam MacKinnon. 

Atlantic Theater Company presents 
The Lying Lesson 
by Craig Lucas 
directed by Pam MacKinnon 

Atlantic Theater Company/Linda Gross Theater 
336 West 20th Street 
New York, NY 10011

Tickets: $70

February 6 - March 17, 2013 

For Info + Tickets: Click Here

*****

  

4. The Revisionist

David arrives in Poland with a crippling case of writer’s block and a desire to be left alone. His 75-year-old second cousin Maria welcomes him with a fervent need to connect with her distant American family. As their tenuous relationship develops, she reveals details about her complicated post-war past that test their ideas of what it means to be a family.  This is a rare chance to see Vanessa Redgrave in on off-Broadway space.

Rattlestick Theater presents
The Revisionist
With Jesse Eisenberg and Vanessa Redgrave
Directed by Kip Fagan

Rattlestick Theater
Cherry Lane Theatre
38 Commerce Street, New York, NY 10014
 
Tickets: $85.00
 
February 15, 2013 - March 31, 2013

For Tickets + Info: Click Here

*****

5. Belleville 

BELLEVILLE the newest drama from acclaimed playwright Amy Herzog (4000 Miles, After the Revolution) and director Anne Kauffman (Detroit, This Wide Night), is a chilling, Hitchcockian, look at the limits of trust, truth, deception and dependency in a world where both love and loss can be pathological and cathartic.This is the NYC premiere after debuting last year at Yale Rep.

New York Theater Workshop presents

Belleville

by  Amy Herzog

directed by Anne Kauffman

New York Theater Workshop
79 East 4th Street 

(between Bowery and 2nd Ave)


Tickets: $70

February 12th - Mar 31st, 2013

For Tickets + Info: Click Here

***** 

 6. Set in the Living Room of a Small Town American Play

After being denied the rights to several works by American playwrights of the 1930s and 40s based solely on Theater Reconstruction Ensemble's standing as an experimental company, their resident playwright Jaclyn Backhaus, the creative mind behind TRE's The Three Seagulls, or MASHAMASHAMASHA!, has taken on the challenge of writing her own take on an American realism play of the 40s and 50s, utilizing the basic archetypal characters we've been running into in various workshops of iconic American plays, and creating a storyline that reflects what we've learned about the genre as a whole.    

February 21 - March 10, 2013

Theater Reconstruction Ensemble presents
Set in the Living Room of a Small Town American Play
by Jaclyn Backhaus
directed by John Kurzynowski

Walkerspace
46 Walker Street
(Between Broadway + Church Street)
New York, NY 10013For tickets + Info: Click Here
 

  

20 Favorite Shows of 2012

20 Favorite Shows of 2012:

1. Mission Drift 
(The TEAM/COIL Festival @ Connolly Theater)
The TEAM isn't afraid to tackle big issues, and their epic musical about the history of capitalism and home ownership in the US was no exception.  The fabulous music by Heather Christian was the icing on the already delicious cake! 

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2. The Big Meal 
(@ Playwrights Horizons)
Dan LeFranc's unofficial update of Thornton Wilder's The Long Christmas Dinner was absolutely perfect and the cast and the production equaled it in every way.

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3. We’re Gonna Die 
(Young Jean Lee @ LCT3)
Young Jean Lee did it again, and this time she did it front and center as the lead of a rock band called Future Wife.  The songs complimented the text perfectly. Lee is certainly wise way beyond her years!

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4. What Rhymes With America 
(@ Atlantic Theater)
 Melissa James Gibson's latest play may just be her best to date. Director, Daniel Aukin once again guides another excellent cast through Gibson's unique diologue.

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5. Ich Kurbisgeist 
(Big Dance Theater@ The Chocolate Factory)
It seemed like the cast of  Ich Kurbisgeist was having just as much fun as the audience at The Chocolate Factory.  This production was magical.

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6. 3C 
(Rattlestick Theater)
You either loved  David Adjmi's 3C, or you hated it.  We loved his brutally honest and hilarious interpretation of the famous 70s sitcom, Three's Company.

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7. Broke House 
(Big Art Group @ Abrons Arts Center)
Originally presented as part of the American Realness festival, Big Art Group's Broke House actually got better upon second viewing when it was re-staged in the Spring.  We can't think of a more accurate portrayal of life in 2012 America.

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8. Three Seagulls or MASHAMASHAMASHA! 
(Theater Reconstruction Ensemble @ HERE Arts Center)
This Chekhovian mashup was smart and funny, our two favorite attributes.  John Kurzynowski is a director to watch. 

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9. Rapture, Blister, Burn 
(@ Playwrights Horizons)
Gina Gionfriddo's latest play was a sober look at several generations of women, feminists if you will, and the unintended ways in which life choices have a way of sneaking up one.  It was a pleasure to see Amy Brenneman back on stage.

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10. Uncle Vanya 
(Target Margin @ HERE Arts Center)
David Herskovits' wide open take on Uncle Vanya make you feel as though you were watching a brand new play.  The terrific cast  played gamely along, most notably Edward O’Blenis as Astrov.

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11. David Gordon: The Matter 
(@ Danspace Project)
Whether it was watching Valda Setterfield dance along with a video of her younger self, or watching dozens of NYU students simultaneously perform The Chair with Ms. Setterfield, David Gordon: The Matter may have been the most moving evening we spent in the theater this year.

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12. The Past is a Grotesque Animal 
(@ The Public)
This Argentinian import that was part of both Under The Radar and COIL festivals was a pure theatrical delight.  Performed on a continuously rotating turntable, the nimble cast of four portrayed multiple characters as smoothly as the set spun.

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13. Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 
(@ Ars Nova)
Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 was more fun that any musical adaptation of War and Peace has any right to be.  It was thrillingly theatrical turn performed by the best ensemble this year.

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14. Through The Yellow Hour 
(@ Rattlestick Theater)
Adam Rapp's dystopian portrayal of a near-future Manhattan never wavered in its commitment or intensity.  From the moment you entered the theater, the set cast, sound and lighting and text grabbed you and never let go.

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15. You Better Sit Down 
(The Civilians @ The Flea)
Sub titled Tales From My Parents Divorce, The Civilians made and uncomfortable topic both touching and funny.  The cast of four, recounting their own stories, were perfect.

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16. Uncle Vanya 
(@ Soho Rep)
The second Vanya on this list couldn't have been more different that the Target Margin version.  But Annie Baker's casual adaptation worked perfectly in this quiet and intimate production.  Reed Birney, Maria Dizzia and Georgia Engel stood out in this tight ensemble.

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17. Mies Julie
(@ St. Ann’s Warehouse)
Hot, is the first word that comes to mind when thinking about Mies Julie.  Hilda Cronje and Bongile Mantsai were the steamiest couple on the NYC stage this year, and Yael Farber's production, set in South Africa, made Strindberg's play supremely contemporary.

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18. Five Lesbians Eating A Quiche 
(@ FringeNYC)
This Chicago import was probably the outright funniest play of 2012.  The ensemble was hilarious and Five Lesbians had, hands-down, the best stage effect or the year!

19. Gob Squad’s Kitchen (You’ve Never Had It So Good) 
(Under The Radar @ The Public)
Winner of the Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience,  Gob Squad’s Kitchen hilariously recreated the famous Andy Warhol films Kitchen, Sleep and Screen Test until the actors invite audience members to take their place on stage and on screen.  We usually hate audience participation, but Gob Squad almost makes us want to reconsider.

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20. Port Out, Starboard Home
(@ LaMama)
A creepy cruise may either sound oxymoronic or redundant depending upon your point of view.  In a way Port Out, Starboard Home by Sheila Callaghan makes a case for the latter but definitely letting you laugh (often) throughout.

PREVIEW: Three Seagulls

Written by Jaclyn Backhaus and directed by John Kurzynowski, Three Seagulls or Mashamashamasha is a mash-up of the two Chekhov plays bringing together twenty-four of his characters together in one piece. 

I have high hops for this show as I saw Kurzynowski's production of Pullman Car Hiawatha for Target Margin and loved it. 

THE THREE SEAGULLS, OR MASHAMASHAMASHA! 

March 1 - 10, 2012 

HERE Arts Center  

www.reconstructionensemble.org