Kristen Morale - Page 2

For those of you looking for another year of quality and professional New England theater, The Cape Playhouse is set to continue its 2022 summer season with its upcoming production of ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE, which begins its run on July 6th.

The Downtown Urban Arts Festival (DUAF) was founded in 2001 on this basis: to bring a collection of new American works that, in their words, 'speaks to a whole generation whose lives defy categorizing along conventional lines.' In its attempts to bring the spirit of real playwrights and characters to the stage, DUAF has been recognized as one of the world's best festivals for new works - a platform well known for the freedom it provides for artistic expression. Twenty years have passed since its founding, and what better way to celebrate such a pillar of New York theater than with the newly introduced 2022 lineup of new works - a month-long showcase of raw talent that has already undoubtedly left its mark on a New York audience.

A story of two people sets the stage for some wondrous things to happen. Each understands what the other is going through, and ultimately becomes what the other needs. The story of Larry and Lucy is such a story. An Uber driver jaded by life meets a teenage girl who has turned to drugs in her attempt to alleviate the unrelenting boredom of her life. Through their shared search for purpose do these two characters portray how unfortunate many are to suffer, but also how lucky are those who see their hopes finally realized in the form of fated companionship - by those who, they realize, can make things better.

Recently concluding performances at Theater for the New City, The UnAmerican questions the power that is supposedly given to those who believe they are above the consensus of the many. Directed by Joe John Battista, Solnik’s play follows the troubled triad of relationships between Marilyn Monroe, Elia Kazan and Arthur Miller - three legendary figures who are criticized and tried for their Communist affiliation

Directed by Stephanie Scuderi, Marry Me a Little is Limelight Theatre Company’s next venture in bringing more inclusive and affordable performing arts to the greater NYC area.

SHEEP #1 is the third program of the Japan Society’s current season, which focuses on New York City - based, female theater-makers. The piece first premiered at The Tank three years ago, then caught Japan Society’s Artistic Director Yoko Shioya’s attention. Prior to its most recent engagement, Takahashi (who uses Okamoto Miya as her stage name) has brought her “microscopic live cinema-theatre” to various venues both here and across the world - these include St. Ann’s Warehouse, La MaMa and the Prague Quadrennial.

THIS WOULD LOOK GOOD ON YOU is the experience - even a life goal - we have all been searching to fulfill. Directed by Liza Cassidy and written/performed by Crispino, this 50-minute production is a romp through Crispino’s life through the various pieces of clothing she has accumulated throughout the years. Neatly hung on hangers and kept safe within boxes, these garments have either been passed on to her by family and friends, or personally purchased during more adventurous times of her life. From dresses to stockings, pajamas to lingerie and some perfectly matching handbags, Crispino’s soul is soon on display with each preserved garment she reveals.

Within the attic of an insane asylum, in a time and place of little importance and for reasons unknown, eight women of history convene to discuss the business of their lives - shells of people who once embodied greatness, now pieced together by moments of nostalgia and hysteria. When all that was has been stripped away, these women are brought together to test their fate in the final act - that of survival. The absurdity of the world in which they live forces them to be as they always were, but spiral further and further down the rabbit hole of insanity - to simultaneously be and not to be.

Directed by JD Glickman, Sex, Shoplifting and Rock & Roll concluded its two-week run this past Sunday. Performed at this East Village icon and with COVID guidelines in check, audiences returned to the theater at long last to witness a show worth the wait.

Take a break from watching the news and look at the creativity still running rampant through the theater community. Featured this week are actor/musician Maks Kubis, who shares his coronavirus-inspired rendition of 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables,' and playwright Claude Solnik, who brings us some poetic inspiration.

As we hunker down and wait for the world to return to what it was, many have refused to remain stagnant or let discouragement overtake them. This is especially true for Valerie David, a playwright, performer and three-time cancer survivor who now shares her beautiful story and gives us a new perspective on life in the midst of temporary darkness.

Are you a fan of politics and the constant tension of these dueling sides - tension that is comparable to that of the Coronavirus? Are you tired of keeping a straight face while watching said politicians duke it out? Do you happen to revel in seeing these people brought to shame by an instigative radio host who [in the meantime] must endure ongoing visits from his deceased mother? Then you're in luck! If the current (and future) state of affairs is enough to drive you slightly bonkers, where else to go for some comic relief than the theater - specifically the 13th Street Repertory Theater, where The Jerry Duncan Show is doling out much needed laughs at the iconic West Village venue for two weeks only.

Theater 2020, Brooklyn Heights' only professional and award-winning theater company, presents the first NYC revival of the Sondheim/ Lapine musical Sondheim on Sondheim, a revue that brings many of this musical genius' works together to create quite a show in itself. With a magnificent cast and crew, director David Fuller brings a very noteworthy production to audiences who, whether or not they were familiar with Sondheim to begin with, will wind up loving him.

Created and directed by Jonathan Rockefeller, written by Doug Smiotek and presented by Rockefeller Productions, Paddington Gets into a Jam began its twelve-week run at the DR2 Theatre on December 13th. For over sixty years, Michael's Bond's loveable bear has been delighting audience both in print and on screen; this NY Times Critic's Pick now marks Paddington's stage debut. And what an impression this show has already made!

With a book and lyrics by Mark Saltzman and presented by Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff, and in association with Eric Krebs), Romeo & Bernadette makes its Off-Broadway debut under the direction of Justin Ross Cohen. Turning traditional Italian melodies into songs that are the perfect mix of heartfelt ballad and slick Brooklyn confidence, Romeo & Bernadette is one of those rare shows that posits this brave, new idea to the world and then simply doesn't just follow through a?' it storms ahead with the foul-mouthed grace of a Brooklyn girl who knows no boundaries when it comes to getting what she wants.

So you've found your family a nice plot in the middle of a cemetery, right where dear Grandpa Isaac was recently laid to rest. With nerve-wracking moments brought to you by the family TV set, a son who has little discretion when it comes to public acts of sexual affection and townsfolk who stop by as a reminder of how crazy life has become (or possibly always been), the Goats family has its hands full with matters of life and death. Faced with the mundaneness of life but with a foot in the underworld, Joe, Mary, Jesus and Mavis wait patiently for the resurrection of Isaac, who is expected to rise from his beautiful marble grave any day now. Botched prophesies, religious confusion, wacky characters a?? there is surely nothing not to love about this wonderful new play called HELP A HANDICAPPED GOD...TROT ACROSS THE UNIVERSE.

Directed by John DeSotelle, Nuance Theatre Co. brings John Patrick Shanley's DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA to the Nubox - an intimate blackbox theater in the heart of Hell's Kitchen where (in my experience) theatrical magic always happens. Presented as an Equity stage production, DeSotelle brings two incredibly talented actors to the stage for a limited two-week run.

Love Actually?: The Unauthorized Musical Parody is the hilarious new show by Bob and Tobly McSmith, now in performances at the Jerry Orbach Theater. Bob and Tobly, who are also responsible for such productions as Friends! The Musical Parody and Full House! The Musical (starring Perez Hilton), can now be credited with yet another success in the form of Love Actually?, which takes the characters from Richard Curtis' original film and, under the direction of Tim Drucker, gives them a bit more flare than would have otherwise been deemed appropriate.

An Italian family in the midst of a celebration, thrown into disarray by a missing prized truffle, looming money issues and an unsolved murdera??it really can't get better than this, am I right? What sounds like the next great television drama is given a musical flare and thus becomes a production that is equally as entertaining as it is creative. What we have here is Truffles: Music! Mushrooms! Murder!!!, an interactive theatrical experience that brings an unsuspecting audience into the world of the Donati family as they prepare for the annual auction of their two-pound truffle. A night destined to be filled with delicious food, big bucks and the deadly comedy of untold family grievances, Truffles returns for its second installment with a renewed zest that will leave audiences craving the songs and drama that only a prized truffle can inspire.

Under the brilliant direction of Judith Feingold, with an exclusive three-performance run at the NuBox Theater (at the John DeSotelle Studio) in Hell's Kitchen, Cocaine is such an unexpectedly powerful piece that brings out the reality of addiction amidst the love of two young people, overcome by the life they are forced to live. As part of the John D. Sotelle Studio Series and exposing the beauty of Pendleton's neglected work, Cocaine is as succinct as it is a beautiful representation of what love looks like in the face of struggle.