The playwright conceived it as a reverse minstrel show, with black actors playing in whiteface. But Douglas Turner Ward’s Day of Absence is a lot more. As staged by Congo Square Theater, […]
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is a pretty perfect play, full of youthful exuberance and teen angst, righteous anger and pure joy, and seasoned with tacos and horchata, bean burritos […]
The Ghost in Gadsden’s Garden is a charming tale (part coming-of-age story, part Scooby Doo mystery) of the new kid looking to fit in after having just moved to town with problems […]
Lifeline Theatre presents Dr. Charles Johnson’s 1990 National Book Award winner Middle Passage, directed by Ilesa Duncan, who co-adapted with David Barr III. The result struggles from the page to the stage. […]
Hedda and Nora. The strong female characters in Henrik Ibsen’s two well-known plays—A Doll’s House (currently on stage at Raven Theatre) and Hedda Gabler—established him as a modern playwright of psychological realism. […]
Yes, this is a play about dogs—dogs portrayed by human actors. And they’re not wearing cutesy animal outfits. They are in fact talented actors who have learned the ways of dogs. For […]
Four men, by turn, tumble onto the scene, thrust, thrown, exploded onto the slick black-and-white skateboard ramp of a set. All is black and white—costumes and set—until the fourth arrives. It’s a […]
At first I was puzzled by the audience reaction to Haven Theatre’s opening night performance of Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare’s goriest play (and possibly his worst). Over and over, there was uproarious laughter […]
It’s the most famous slammed door in theater history. And it’s the most satisfying slammed door for a feminist. It’s 1879 and that exit signifies Nora Helmer’s departure from husband, children and […]
Trap Door Theatre’s latest production is the enchantingly titled Lipstick Lobotomy by playwright Krista Knight, directed by Kate Hendrickson. It’s a half-true, half-imagined story of friendship between John F. Kennedy’s younger sister […]
Nostalgia is a hot commodity lately, likely due to the rather dismal present and threat of an even more dire future. Taking a look back at simpler times can be a balm. […]
The Boys in the Band was revolutionary when it was first performed off Broadway in April 1968, in its portrayal of the lives and loves of gay men. The producers had difficulty […]
