ICS’ ‘The Niceties’ neatly captures the zeitgeist
Photo by Matthew Tippins Zoe (Rachel Michelle Bryant) is clearly unhappy with her professor (Lisa Kay King) in Island City Stage’s production of The Niceties. By AARON KRAUSE “What are you doing to promote equality?” a black college student demands of her white professor in Eleanor Burgess’s taut, intense,...
PBD series continues with Pulitzer Prize winner
Palm Beach Dramaworks (PBD) will continue with its online “Contemporary Voices” series with three plays by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Nilo Cruz. The series features readings on consecutive Mondays, followed by discussions on consecutive Wednesdays. The series will open at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, April 12 with Two...
Lowe shines as poet in ‘The Belle of Amherst’
Photo courtesy Palm Beach Dramaworks and Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre Award-winning actor Margery Lowe shines as Emily Dickinson in ‘The Belle of Amherst.’ By AARON KRAUSE If you search Emily Dickinson on Google, one of the photos you’ll find is that of an austere-looking woman dressed...
Playwright peels away ‘The Niceties’ from her piece
“We spend so much of our time berating the far right for being racist,” Island City Stage (ICS) Associate Artistic Director Michael Leeds says. However, “we don’t often look to ourselves to see how we might be perpetuating the system. We’re always the ‘nice’ guys. But what happens when...
New Normal Rep. scores a hit with ‘Jericho.’
Photo courtesy of New Normal Rep. Beth (Eleanor Handley) talks to the ghost of her husband, Alec (C.K. Allen) in New Normal Rep.’s inaugural online production of Jericho. By AARON KRAUSE A problem with online theater, especially a taped production, is that performers cannot take bows. In addition,...
Promising musical theater artists honored
Here are Benjamin Scheuer, Melissa Li, and Kit Yan. Melissa Li, Benjamin Scheuer, and Kit Yan are names to remember in musical theater. Indeed, these individuals have each earned the 2021 Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre. The honor’s namesake is Edward L. Kleban. He is the late Tony and...
Brush up your sleuthing skills for ‘Safe House’
Photo by Jack Cooper Krystal Millie Valdes and Chris Hayhurst will not appear in person, but digitally in Urbanite Theatre’s production of Safe House. By AARON KRAUSE After Fletcher leaves his cybersecurity job with a powerful corporation, he and his wife, Ava, hide with damning company secrets. Then...
‘Compensation’ is a compelling, timely new play
Photo by Matthew Tippins Tara (Gaby Tortoledo), Gabriel (Stephen Kaiser), and Elliot (Israel Vinas) are engaged in conversation in Island City Stage’s world premiere production of Compensation. By AARON KRAUSE If you couldn’t have children the conventional way, how far would you go to form and raise a family...
