Category: Theater

posts about theater

Theater in NYC: Betrayal by Harold Pinter on Broadway

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Theater in NYC: Betrayal by Harold Pinter on Broadway

Betrayal, the most famous play by English playwright Harold Pinter is running on Broadway with incredible Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Cox, and Zawe Ashton; until December 8, 2019

Zawe Ashton, Charlie Cox, and Tom Hiddleston in BETRAYAL at London's Harold Pinter Theatre
Zawe Ashton, Charlie Cox, and Tom Hiddleston in BETRAYAL at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre; photo by Marc Brenner

The play Betrayal, directed by Jamie Lloyd, a recognized interpreter of Pinter’s oeuvre, and staged by a scenic designer Soutra Gilmour, comes to New York after a triumphant run in London at the standing-room-only sold-out house at Harold Pinter Theater. The reverse chronology of the script coupled with the bare stage design put a premium on acting in this tense psychological drama. This is where the superb cast shines. Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Cox, and Zawe Ashton successfully navigate the intricacies of the script progressing from the first scene when the affair is over back in time to its start.

Hiddleston’s refined performance as Robert, the deceived husband, sets the finely measured tone and carries the plot to its highest points of controlled tensions. Cox as Jerry, Robert’s close friend, excels in depicting a character that goes with a flow. Emma, Robert’s wife, and Jerry’s lover, in Ashton’s interpretation, comes across as reserved and underwhelming.

Lloyd employs the novel technique of keeping all three characters on stage even in the scenes written for two. This is a cunning way to stress the unconscious awareness of guilt. Locked in a bitter love-triangle, each of the three is guilty in deceiving the other two. Coupled with the reverse chronology of the script, the production is deceptively simple yet deeply sophisticated. A few fine accents like costume change would help in articulating the passage of time for this otherwise fluid and well-balanced spectacle.

Betrayal runs for only 17 weeks on Broadway until December 8, 2019. Click below for tickets at 56% off.

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Theater in NYC: The Rise and Fall of Macondo at Pushkin Hall

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Theater in NYC: The Rise and Fall of Macondo at Pushkin Hall

The Russian Arts & Theater Studio presents the Rise and Fall of Macondo, a play inspired by One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; at Pushkin Hall from October 30 – November 24, 2019 

The cast of The Rise and Fall of Macondo; The Russian Arts & Theater Studio
The cast of The Rise and Fall of Macondo; The Russian Arts & Theater Studio / Image courtesy of the theater

Selecting One Hundred Years of Solitude for a stage adaptation takes tenacity and ambition. After all, to recount the tales of the long list of Buendia family members, their close and distant relatives and neighbors in the town of Macondo from Marquez’s masterpiece would seem to take an eternity in theater terms. Or, it could feel like eternity for the theatergoers. Yet, the company’s artistic director Aleksey Burago accomplished the task with fluidity and charm.

Adapted with the broad strokes of a pen, the script has all the major turns of Macondo’s history, from its founding as a place of seclusion to the ups and downs of the time of peace to the honors of the years of war and ultimate decimation. Skillfully weaving in the inventive soundtrack and elaborate ensemble scenes, Burago sets a perfect pace for the narrative and condenses the epic story into a little over a two-hour running time. The acting by the cast of The Russian Arts and Theater Studio is spot on and flows with ease.

The spirit of a big family all living under the same roof is recreated by the 15 cast members who are present on stage throughout the play. In keeping with the orthodox traditions and orders, male and female characters are positioned on the opposite sides of the stage for clear delineation of gender roles. But soon, Ursula, Di Zhu, the family matriarch takes control of the household in her hands and raises its 6 generations. She eventually passes the baton on to her great-grand-daughter Amaranda also played by Zhu. Fate defies the high expectations for Ursula’s sons and grandsons, so Amaranda is the last member of the Buendia family who ends the line. However, the ghosts of procreation and hope remain in the air even when the only creatures left on stage are ants.

Enjoy this sleepless journey of vivid allegories, earthy emotions, and the dreams of a simple life. The play is performed in English; running time is 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission.

Inspired by the novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Adapted and directed by Aleksey Burago

Cast: Jaime Carrillo, Micheal Donaldson, Roman Freud, Kristina Korop, Alex Malyi, Luisa Menzen, Ariel Polanco, Paulo Quiros, Riccardo Ripani, Tom Schubert, Lana Stimmler, Desen Uygur, Oleksiy Varfolomiyev, Naira Zakaryan, Di Zhu

 

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Dates: October 30 – November 24, 2019

Venue: Pushkin Hall, 165 W 86th St, New York, NY 10024

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Theater in NYC: Socrates at The Public Theater

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Theater in NYC: Socrates at The Public Theater

The world premiere of Socrates by Tim Blake Nelson opens 2019 Onassis Festival: Democracy is Coming at The Public Theater in New York City from April 2 – June 2, 2019

A scene from Socrates at The Public Theater
The company in Socrates, written by Tim Blake Nelson and directed by Doug Hughes; at The Public Theater. Photo credit: Joan Marcus

The fast-paced historical play about the life of the Athenian philosopher Socrates and the events that led to his infamous trial and death sentence anchors 2019 Onassis Festival: Democracy is Coming. Written by Tim Blake Nelson, an acclaimed actor, director, and writer (O Brother, Where Art Thou?; Holes; The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), the play transports the audience to ancient Athens around 430 – 369 BCE. The play faithfully recounts the start of the devastating Peloponnesian War, Socrates life and mission in Athens, his trial in 399 BCE, and Plato’s meeting of his young student.

Tony Award-winning director Doug Hughes (Doubt; Junk) recreates the energy, tensions, and customs of the distant past with a superb cast, austere stage design, and a powerful juxtaposition of blind certainty vs the infinite quest for truth. Socrates, played by Michael Stuhlbarg (The Public: Hamlet; Films: A Serious Man; Call Me by Your Name; The Shape of Water),  vividly engages the actors and the audience with his insatiable questions and eagerness to learn. Under Hughes’ direction, every actor from the young boy, Niall Cunningham, to Plato, Teagle F. Bougere (The Public: Julius Caesar) to very real but helpless Xanthippe, Miriam A. Hyman (The Public: Richard III) skillfully make the story of Socrates come alive.

Come see the great theatrical performance at The Public Theater. The $20 Rush Tickets  are exclusively available from TodayTix.

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Theater in NYC: Chekhov’s The Seagull in Aleksey Burago’s Production

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Theater in NYC: Chekhov’s The Seagull in Aleksey Burago’s Production

The Russian Arts Theater & Studio’s lively production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull retells a timeless story of despair, vanity, and the fleeting power of success; EXTENDED till June 1, 2019 at Pushkin Hall

A scene from The Seagull by Anton Chekhov by The Russian Arts Theater & Studio
A scene from The Seagull by Anton Chekhov by The Russian Arts Theater & Studio; Photo by Jared Biunno

The world of Chekov’s contemporaries masterfully recreated in the script by the genius playwright is vividly staged by the esteemed theater director Aleksey Burago of The Russian Arts Theater & Studio. It’s an all too familiar story of the misunderstandings and missed opportunities accentuated by the ultimate insensitivity and selfishness of the characters tied together by circumstances and family connections.

Ranging from the veteran theater actors to those who are just launching their artistic careers, the cast in this enthusiastic and engaging production makes Chekhov’s drama accessible and relatable. And while each of character is thinking of doing good to others, egotism subverts their actions and leads to a disastrous finale.

 

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Theater in NYC: Hans Christian Andersen – Tales Real & Imagined

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Theater in NYC: Hans Christian Andersen – Tales Real & Imagined

A play about the life of the beloved author of fairy-tales Hans Christian Andersen opens at The Duke on 42nd Street from May 5 – May 25, 2019

Jimmy Ray Bennett in the title role of HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN: TALES REAL & IMAGINED by Ensemble for the Romantic Century
Jimmy Ray Bennett as HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN: TALES REAL & IMAGINED by Ensemble for the Romantic Century; Photo credit: Shirin Tinati

The Ensemble for the Romantic Century tells a story about Andersen’s life by weaving in Andersen’s autobiographical writings, his fairy tales, and the emotionally deep musical scores by Britten, Purcell, Part, Stravinsky, and Barber. The production about the beloved children’s book writer is much more serious and deep than the name suggests. It runs at The Duke on 42nd Street from May 5 – May 25, 2019.

The artistic directors of the Hans Christian Andersen: Tales Real & Imagined use the genre of theatrical concert, combining theater, classical music repertoire, voice, and puppets. Accompanied by highly sensual music, Eve Wolf’s script tells the touching story of Andersen’s life by intertwining biographical details with references to the characters from his famous fairy tales. The scores by Purcell, Britten, Arvo Part, Stravinsky, and Barber organically color the episodes of Andersen’s life in tense, poetic, and desperate hues. Performed by the outstanding pianists Max Barros and Carlos Avila, and a formidable percussionist Shiqi Zhong, the music often takes an upper hand over the rest of the production’s components.

Jimmy Ray Bennet stars as Andersen with countertenors Daniel Moody and Randall Scotting alternating as Andersen’s dearest friend Edvard Collin. They are joined on stage by the familiar puppets from The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, The Little Mermaid, and other fairy tales. While giving a nod to Andersen’s childhood interests in the puppet theater, the puppets and the puppeteers are a tenuous addition to the show. The musicians and singers, on the other hand, save the day by making the music tell it all.

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