Palmer Hefferan News

Woolly Mammoth's beautiful theater in which every seat has an intimate view of the expansive stage and the company's diehard dedication to new plays has found another win in Lisa D'Amour's follow up to 2013's DETROIT. Upon entering audiences are immediately greeted with recordings of tribal music and a stage dense with flat planks giving the illusion of trees stretching far above. This play is all about transformations, sometimes subtle and sometimes ridiculous to the extreme, and it couldn't have found a better home than Woolly, who's aesthetic seems motivated by the constant need to innovate, explore, and reinvent, not only from season to season and production to production, but often from act to act and even scene to scene. All around, the creative, production, and design teams have risen to the challenge of A'Mour's play and together have created an epic highlight in the DC theater scene.

In a visually stunning production, Constellation Theatre Company's Absolutely! {perhaps} explores questions of privacy, reality and truth. Gossip and insinuation run rampant in a small town when the new government official, his wife and his mother-in-law move to town and upset the cultural norms. Set gloriously in the mid-century, the production elements are a delight.

It is the stuff of great drama when people with incredible charm and talent behave like monsters: idealists with a clear vision of the future, leaving human wreckage in their wake. For fans of English literature who are fascinated by Shelley, Byron and the women who devoted themselves to their careers, 'Bloody Poetry' should be a pure delight.

Entertaining and well-acted, this one is worth your time. Tickets are only $15. There's no reason not to go.

Actors Christopher Tierney (in his first NYC stage role since departing Broadway's Spider-Man) and Louis Butelli (Cyclops: A Rock Opera; Sleep No More) step into Jon Fosse's I AM THE WIND, replacing the previously announced James Patrick Nelson and Jonathan Tindle. Performances still begin tonight, January 9 for a limited engagement through Sunday, January 26.

Actors Christopher Tierney (in his first NYC stage role since departing Broadway's Spider-Man) and Louis Butelli (Cyclops: A Rock Opera; Sleep No More) step into Jon Fosse's I AM THE WIND, replacing the previously announced James Patrick Nelson and Jonathan Tindle. Performances still begin on Thursday, January 9 for a limited engagement through Sunday, January 26. Press opening remains Thursday, January 16 at 7:30 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday - Saturday at 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $18 ($12.60 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.

EDGAR AND ANNABEL by Sam Holcroft, now making its US Premiere at Studio Theatre's 2nd Stage as the kick-off of its New British Invasion series, evokes as many meanings and sub-meanings as this wildly funny political satire can bear.

59E59 Theaters will welcome the return of The Shop with the US premiere of I AM THE WIND, written by Jon Fosse, translated by Simon Stephens, and directed by Paul Takacs. I AM THE WIND begins performances on Thursday, January 9 for a limited engagement through Sunday, January 26. Press opening is Thursday, January 16 at 7:30 PM.

World premiere play by Paul Downs Colaizzo deserves a shot at Broadway

Constellation Theatre has mounted a breathtakingly beautiful production of Naomi Iizuka's labyrinthine play, 36 VIEWS. The play draws inspiration from legendary Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai's renowned series of woodblock prints, "36 Views of Mt. Fuji," created between 1826 and 1833. The narrative, like the 36 views, revolves around ever-shifting points of focus, leading the audience on a dizzying journey across centuries of Japanese history, art and culture. Simple this production is not, but oh what spectacular views along the way.

This timeless presentation is definitely one that needs to be seen. At just $15 a ticket, Taffety makes Shakespeare accessible to everyone and, to my mind, is among the most successful in the city at doing justice to the material - regardless of ticket price.

This is a difficult piece, but one which has undeniable promise. With some tweaks here and there, I think it could be ready for primetime at an area theatre. Washington DC Artistic Directors? Hope you all took a look at this one.

YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA (James Bundy, Dean; Victoria Nolan, Deputy Dean) presents CLOUD NINE by Caryl Churchill, directed by Margot Bordelon, January 22-26, 2013, at the Iseman Theater (1156 Chapel Street).

Montoya's writing is impassioned, witty and insightful and we can't help but come away knowing that we and our family history are part of the Night too. The play disappoints, however, when it allows leftist politics a soapbox.

Yale Rep (James Bundy, Artistic Director; Victoria Nolan, Managing Director) opens its 2012-13 season with AMERICAN NIGHT: THE BALLAD OF JUAN JOSÉ, written by Richard Montoya, developed by Culture Clash and Jo Bonney, and directed by Shana Cooper. AMERICAN NIGHT will play now through October 13 at the University Theatre (222 York Street). Opening Night is tonight, September 27.

Yale Rep (James Bundy, Artistic Director; Victoria Nolan, Managing Director) opens its 2012-13 season with AMERICAN NIGHT: THE BALLAD OF JUAN JOSÉ, written by Richard Montoya, developed by Culture Clash and Jo Bonney, and directed by Shana Cooper. AMERICAN NIGHT will play September 21-October 13 at the University Theatre (222 York Street). Opening Night is Thursday, September 27.

Broadway's Matt McGrath makes his NY directing debut with writer/performer Phillip Taratula's bravura solo piece CALL ME ANNE, the biting and riotous story of actress Anne Heche and her singular journey, a cautionary tale of finding stardom while losing your mind.

Broadway's Matt McGrath makes his NY directing debut with writer/performer Phillip Taratula's bravura solo piece CALL ME ANNE, the biting and riotous story of actress Anne Heche and her singular journey, a cautionary tale of finding stardom while losing your mind.