Review: “Tiny Beautiful Things” at Long Wharf Theatre
Review: “Tiny Beautiful Things” at Long Wharf Theatre

Here’s the thing, the night before I was supposed to see “Tiny Beautiful Things” at Long Wharf Theatre, I started to feel ill. A little nauseous, fatigued and achy. Even a few hours before curtain, I was unsure if I’d feel up to going. But, as it turns out, “Tiny Beautiful Things” is a theatrical Balm of Gilead. I’m not exactly saying it has curative properties. No play holds those powers…not even “Hamilton.” But the moving “Tiny Beautiful Things” is like a hug, a therapy session and a good cleansing cry all at once. It’s a rare thing for a play of substance to make you feel better upon leaving than when you walked in. “Tiny” does just that.

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ConnecticutChristopher PetersonNoah Golden, Long Wharf Theatre
Off-Broadway Review: “Hurricane Diane” at New York Theatre Workshop
Off-Broadway Review: “Hurricane Diane” at New York Theatre Workshop

Playwright Madeleine George sets her “Hurricane Diane” in an Early Anthropocene Time, the era defined as “the current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.” Most, except members of the current Administration, see that influence to have been deleterious at best and are aware of the dire predictions for Planet Earth’s future viability unless this human activity is modified speedily and thoroughly. The effects of climate change are as evident now as they were when Ms. George’s play had its debut at Two River Theatre in New Jersey in 2017. Perhaps even more so. So why does New York Theatre Workshop team up with Women’s Project Theater to resurrect this problematic play?

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Off Broadway, New YorkChristopher PetersonDavid Roberts, New York Theatre Workshop
Review: “Immigrants: We Are Them, They Are Us” at The Tank
Review: “Immigrants: We Are Them, They Are Us” at The Tank

Ever since the election of Donald Trump nearly three years, the topics of immigration and racism have come to the forefront on the national conversation, and have fueled many – in some cases uncomfortable, but consistently honest and necessary – discussions on these topics in the arts and the general public sphere. The latest example of such work was seen recently at The Tank, when the Asian-American Film Lab presented Cheryl L. Davis’s new play Immigrants: We Are Them, They Are Us for a brief limited engagement.

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New YorkChristopher PetersonThe Tank, Anthony J Piccione
Review: "Mules" by Scotiabank Community Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest
Review: "Mules" by Scotiabank Community Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest

‘Mules’ is a dark comedy about choices, trust, friendship, circumstances, poverty and drug smuggling. In ninety minutes with one set and three actors, this play achieves what plays aspire to be. It is dramatic, suspenseful, comedic and emotional. The dialogue is engaging, the characters are complex and the performances are superlative.

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Canada, TorontoChristopher PetersonPeter Mazzucco, Scotiabank Community Theatre
Off-Broadway Review: Fiasco Theater’s Production of “Merrily We Roll Along”
Off-Broadway Review: Fiasco Theater’s Production of “Merrily We Roll Along”

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” could prove to become the mantra of the famed Sondheim musical “Merrily We Roll Along” which was a dismal failure when it first opened on Broadway in 1981. There is a new production helmed by the Roundabout’s resident Fiasco Theater Company which falls short of delivering a new efficacious incarnation, becoming yet another casualty in the history of this troublesome and puzzling show. This current endeavor lacks the emotional depth of the characters needed to successfully bring forth the message; additionally, the cast is not vocally capable of delivering most of the brilliant musical numbers. However, the orchestrations and new arrangements for the eight-piece orchestra by Alexander Gemignani allow the audience to wallow in the brilliance of Mr. Sondheim’s captivating score and are the highlight of this production.

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Off Broadway, New YorkChristopher PetersonJoseph Verlezza, Roundabout Theatre Company, Fiasco Theater
Review: “The Glass Menagerie” by Pigeonhold Theatre Company
Review: “The Glass Menagerie” by Pigeonhold Theatre Company

“The Glass Menagerie” is a Tennessee Williams’ classic that needs no introduction.  Often thought of as autobiographical the piece explores the weight of familial obligations and the dangers living in the past all told through the lens of a memory by the play’s focal point, a  guilt-ridden Tom who is often thought to be a stand-in for Williams himself.

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New YorkChristopher PetersonKatherine Hebert
Review: “Lights Out: Nat ‘King’ Cole” at the Geffen Playhouse
Review: “Lights Out: Nat ‘King’ Cole” at the Geffen Playhouse

Velvety voice Dulé Hill portrays Nat “King Cole during the last night of his televised variety show in Lights Out: Nat “King Cole at the Geffen Playhouse.

Taking my seat before the show, I admired Clint Ramos and Ryan Howell’s 50s style television sound stage set with “applause” and “on-air” boxes high up. We feel as if we are part of a studio audience. Musicians David Witham (Conductor/Keyboards), Greg Poree (Guitar), Edwin Livingston (Bass) and Brian Miller (Drums/ Percussion/ Orchestra Conductor) warm up before the show begins.

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Los AngelesChristopher PetersonGeffen Playhouse, Jill Weinlein
Review: “The Glen” at Shetler Studios
Review: “The Glen” at Shetler Studios

“The Glen” , set mostly in the 1940s and 50s, follows the life of Dale Olsen as he transitions through being a young man living on a farm in Northern California to joining the U.S Army. Telling a story of belonging, identity, and family, Dale must make sense of the world around him and ultimately himself. This makes for a very heartwarming and sometimes, tragic story that many can relate.

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New YorkChristopher PetersonMax Berry, Shelter Studios
Review: "Boom X" with Theatre Calgary
Review: "Boom X" with Theatre Calgary

Serendipity or the theatre gods must have been at work when I was in Montreal in mid February and saw that Rick Miller was in previews for his production of ‘Boom X’ at the Segal Centre. Back in 2008 when I was still teaching before retirement, I had attended a performance of Rick’s MacHomer: The Simpsons Do Macbeth at Toronto’s Massey Hall, was captivated by his vocal prowess and thought, “Here’s my hook for kids” to get into Shakespeare’s play of witchcraft and murder since the television series was at its’ height of popularity. I met Rick after the show and learned he also performed a condensed version of the play to high school students.

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Montreal, CanadaChristopher PetersonJoseph Szekeres
Review: "The Last Wife" at Centaur Theatre Company
Review: "The Last Wife" at Centaur Theatre Company

Both gripping and riveting, the Montreal Centaur Theatre’s opening night production of Kate Hennig’s ‘The Last Wife’ soared to great heights thanks to a carefully crafted and nuanced vision by director Eda Holmes, and a cast of solid performers who captured a sense of dignity of these British historical characters even in their moments of passion, abuse, confrontation and betrayal. I had the opportunity to see ‘The Last Wife’ at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre and was certainly looking forward to re-visiting this story once again especially in a company world renowned as the Centaur.

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Canada, MontrealChristopher PetersonJoseph Szekeres
Review: “MAGNUM OPUS: Resurgere Ex Cineribus” at Kickstarter HQ
Review: “MAGNUM OPUS: Resurgere Ex Cineribus” at Kickstarter HQ

On a snowy Tuesday night in Greenpoint, I found myself at the headquarters of Kickstarter. Objectively speaking, it’s hard not to describe this location as anything other than an unconventional location to present the world premiere a brand new short film production. However, MAGNUM OPUS: Resurgere Ex Cineribus – the new art film presented recently presented by a group called “The Void” – is anything but a conventional film, or even a conventional work of art.

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New YorkChristopher PetersonAnthony J Piccione
REVIEW: "Come From Away" (Canadian Cast)
REVIEW: "Come From Away" (Canadian Cast)

‘Come From Away’ is billed as the remarkable true story, and that it most certainly is. What made this story remarkable for me when I first saw it was its’ belief in the triumphant and restoring human spirit of kindness and compassion of the people in Gander, Newfoundland, to the stranded passengers on thirty-eight planes on September 11, 2001.  The spirit of goodwill, kindness and compassion still transcends throughout the entire Canadian production.

Is it still remarkable? Yes. Did it bring a tear to my eye? Yes. Is it a story that needs to be seen again? Yes, especially given the tempestuous times in which we now find ourselves worldwide. ‘Come From Away’ continues to touch deep to the very core of who we are as human beings and what we can do under the most horrifying and terrifying of circumstances.

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Canada, TorontoChristopher PetersonJoseph Szekeres, Come From Away
Off-Off-Broadway Review: “The Waiting Game”
Off-Off-Broadway Review: “The Waiting Game”

In the appropriately titled play “The Waiting Game” by Charles Gershman, what quickly becomes apparent to the audience is that everyone in the play is waiting for something. Sam is in a coma from a drug overdose, waiting to wake up, die while in the coma or have someone terminate his life by pulling the plug. His husband Paolo is waiting for Sam to wake up because he thinks he is communicating with him via Gmail chat. Geoff is Sam’s new boyfriend since Sam left Paolo, and he is waiting for Paolo to grant him conservatorship so he can pull the plug and end Sam’s life. Tyler is Paolo’s new tryst and he is waiting for Paolo to give up drugs and commit to a relationship. Everyone knows everyone else and knows each other is waiting for something to happen so life can begin or for that matter end. Add to the plot drugs, sex, AIDS, and four confused, self- loathing homosexuals and the result is evident or at least self- prophesizing.

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New YorkChristopher PetersonJoseph Verlezza
Review: “Between the Threads” at HERE
Review: “Between the Threads” at HERE

“Between the Threads” is a new work of theatre by the Jewish Women Project featuring six female identifying artists as they explore their own identities as jewish women in America today as well as their connections to the traditions of the past. Told through the multiple perspectives of the six women accompanied by music and dance, “Between the Threads” asks the question “What does it mean to live between the world of tradition and the modern world, as a jewish woman?”

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New YorkChristopher PetersonMax Berry, HERE Arts Center
Review: "WITNESS UGANDA" - A Rocking Documentary Musical at The Wallis
Review: "WITNESS UGANDA" - A Rocking Documentary Musical at The Wallis

Winston Churchill in his 1908 book “My African Journey” said Uganda is the Pearl of Africa. After watching Witness Uganda at The Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts, I declare this musical is a sparking diamond onstage.

The energy and music reminds me of the award-winning 90s rock musical RENT. Instead of watching impoverished young and creative artists struggle under the shadows of HIV in New York City, I watched a group of teens and children in Uganda orphaned by AIDS, and how one man’s life changes forever by helping them.

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Los AngelesChristopher PetersonJill Weinlein, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Off-Broadway Review: “Mies Julie”
Off-Broadway Review: “Mies Julie”

August Strindberg’s naturalism and themes transfer brilliantly from his “Miss Julie” to Yaël Farber’s adaptation of Strindberg’s classic. Farber’s “Mies Julie” is currently running at Classic Stage Company in repertory with the Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Strindberg’s “The Dance of Death.” Like the 1985 stage version of “Miss Julie” at Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre, Mr. Farber’s 2012 adaptation takes place in South Africa.  Shariffa Ali’s electrifying staging replaces Strindberg’s celebration of Midsummer’s Eve with the “restitutions of body and soul” churned up by the Xhosa Freedom Day celebration.

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New York, Off BroadwayChristopher PetersonDavid Roberts
Review: "The Music Man" Brings a Joyful Noise to Washington, DC
Review: "The Music Man" Brings a Joyful Noise to Washington, DC

DC audiences have been treated to a respite from the every day drama of Washington politics. This welcome break comes in the form of the Broadway Center Stage production of Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man. Now playing at The Kennedy Center through February 11th, The Music Man offers up a big dose of lightness and joy.

The story is a familiar one. A con man shows up in River City in the guise of a band leader named Professor Harold Hill. His goal is to profit off the townspeople. He does this by uniting them against a common enemy – in this case a pool table. Although this story has been told for decades, the idea of manipulating people against a common enemy feels sadly relevant for today.

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Washington DCChristopher PetersonThe Music Man, Tracy Danoff, Kennedy Center
Off-Broadway Review: “Eddie and Dave”
Off-Broadway Review: “Eddie and Dave”

The present-day social climate in the theater world has fervently addressed non-traditional casting, gender identity, and diversity as part of an effort to be inclusive and accepting. When a production exhibits a little gender bending, there should be a valid explanation or reasoning behind the decision, whether it be historical, social, or dramatic persuasion. In the case of “Eddie and Dave” penned by Amy Staats and running at Atlantic Stage 2, it seems to be purely for fun, adding a bit of desperately needed humor to the banal script.

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New York, Off BroadwayChristopher PetersonJoseph Verlezza
Review: “Good Faith: Four Chats About Race and the New Haven Fire Department” at the Yale Repertory Theatre
Review: “Good Faith: Four Chats About Race and the New Haven Fire Department” at the Yale Repertory Theatre

“So, I get a call a few years ago from a renowned institution, which I attended and to which I still owe money. ‘Would you care to dramatize a multi-year racially charged Supreme Court Case involving a bunch of firefighters in 2003?’ First I think: I will fail; this subject lies in that evil zone where boring meets offensive.”

When Karen Hartman, or at least the nom de plume of Hartman played winningly by Laura Heisler, says those words at the beginning of Yale Repertory Theatre’s “Good Faith: Four Chats About Race and the New Haven Fire Department” she is wrong. “Good Faith,” which was commissioned by the Rep and had its world premiere February 7th, is neither boring or offensive. It’s a smart, surprisingly engaging piece of docudrama that seeks to make sense out of a thorny and controversial event in New Haven’s history. It’s an imperfect work – “Faith” occasionally drags and is overly verbose – but a fascinating one nonetheless, directed with a steady hand by Kenny Leon

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ConnecticutChristopher PetersonNoah Golden, Yale Repertory Theatre
Review: "Exposed" at the MCS Theatre
Review: "Exposed" at the MCS Theatre

Ms. Heckler’s direction and the ensemble’s script are equal parts shockingly brave and vulnerable, a raw dissection of one girl’s decisions magnifying a nation’s sickness. The dialogue in the show is lifted from interviews with, tweets at, and scenes of female pornstars and the effortless juxtaposition of different formats from monologues to sound clips to choreographed interpretive porn scenes elucidate the team’s overall creative mastery.

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New YorkChristopher PetersonNatalie Rine, MCS Theatre