The Play's the Thing

During the writing workshops I took as a student, writers were often told, "you have all of this information in your head but none of it is on the page. We don't know what you know." Someone should've said that to Alexi Kaye Campbell while writing his play Apologia . Apologia takes place in the English countryside house of expat Kristin Miller, who was some sort of political activist (just in title, we never really know what she does per say, but Vietnam is mentioned) and some sort of super famous art historian (I know what you're thinking: those exist?) who has written a memoir that excludes all mention of the sons she basically abandoned when they were children. Oh, yes, and it's her birthday, which is just an excuse for her family to gather at that very moment. Yes, this is a classic version of what I like to call a "family gathers, secrets revealed" play. So Kristin's son, the one who has his shit together, Peter, arrives with his Ameri...

It kind of amazes me that Joshua Harmon has had so many plays produced in such a short period of time. This is not a knock at the quality of his writing or his talent. It's more about content and context. In an ever-changing theater landscape, where theater companies seem to be moving away from plays about affluent white people with affluent white problems, Harmon's plays seem like relics. (Although it's telling that they're produced by companies like Roundabout and Lincoln Center and not more adventurous companies like MCC or even Playwrights Horizons.) His latest offering, Skintight , which opened at, you guessed it, Roundabout, is yet another entry that focuses on very rich white people and their first world problems. Is there still a place in 2018 for a play like Skintight , that revolves around an incredibly wealthy Jewish clothing designer (think Calvin Klein), Elliot, his wealthy lawyer daughter, her over-privileged gay 20 year old son (he's studying Quee...

After multiple attempts, a few great performances by actors I love, one turtle, and lots and lots and lots of talk of Dada, Tom Stoppard's work is officially not for me.

I am not going to mince words here so I'll just say it: Bobbie Clearly shouldn't be on stage at a major non-profit theater. Yet. I am sure Alex Lubischer is a very talented playwright but he's too young to have any kind of experience, theatrical, life, or otherwise. And that's evident with the script of Bobbie Clearly. I mean, I wrote plays when I was nineteen and twenty years old and I thought they were good but that doesn't mean they deserved big productions. And you know why? Because I was young. I didn't have the life experience to truly write a great play. Now, I don't begin to assume anything about Alex Lubischer but after seeing Bobbie Clearly , I can tell you that this play was not ready for a major off-Broadway production. Bobbie Clearly revolves around the titular character and the heinous crime he committed in a small Midwestern town ten years before the action of the play. The play unfolds with townspeople (Bobbie's co-workers, the victim...

There's so much to celebrate about Lindsey Ferrentino's Amy and the Orphans. The play is not only one of the better things of the season but it manages to be funny, entertaining, well-acted, and a major victory for inclusion. Ferrentino's title character has Down Syndrome, and is played by Jamie Brewer, who also has the disease (as does her understudy, Eddie Barbanell. The play becomes Andy and the Orphans when he plays the role.) Amy is never the butt of a joke, never a punch line, and is never exploited, as writers and directors often tend to do when dealing with disabled actors or characters. But of course, that's Ferrentino's intention. Amy has been locked away in group homes (some terrible, some good) her entire life, with limited time spent with her own family. She has had to fend for herself but has developed into a strong individual with likes and dislikes, and even has a boyfriend and a job. Amy has clearly had to overcome a great deal in her life, and...