Friday, October 29, 2010

Penelope

I thought about seeing The New Electric Ballroom at St. Ann's Warehouse last year, but when I realized the author's name was Enda (male) rather than Edna (female) Walsh, decided I could miss it. Big mistake.

Having just seen Walsh's brilliant and magical Penelope, I won't make such a mistake again.

I'd like to see, or at least read, everything this extraordinary playwright has written, and am regretting I didn't spring for a copy of Penelope, which was on sale at the theater.

One of these days, I hope to see Walsh's work on his home turf--the Druid theater in Galway.

In the meantime, I'm grateful to St. Ann's for bringing Walsh's work to New York.

Penelope runs at St. Ann's Warehouse till November 14.

www.stannswarehouse.org

Friday, October 15, 2010

Panic! Euphoria! Blackout . . .

. . . is the latest gem from the inimitable Talking Band, and a challenging show to describe. Its subject: trading and financial dealings and crises through the years, the work of traders, and much more. Style: mind-bending, poetical . . .

You'll earn a practical dividend from your attendance, as well as an aethetic one.

Go! You have through 10/23.

At HERE, 145 Sixth Ave

www.talkingband.org/panic

www.here.org

Sunday, October 3, 2010

In Transit

This Friday, I saw an amazing new a cappella musical, still in previews, that felt like a New York classic--one that will be delighting tourists as well as New Yorkers for years to come.

With witty lyrics, tuneful score, and beatbox rhythms, In Transit speaks of the lives New Yorkers lead, especially those who ride the subways or struggle in the arts.

Amid the laughter, applause, and sighs, I heard many a whoop of self-recognition joining mine, as the dynamite cast spun the stories of the actress-temp, the ex-financier down to his last transit fare, the truculent subway clerk, the beat boxer who engages fellow travelers, and others into a glowing, moving, hilarious, and wise vision of urban community.

Singing inside, I floated out into the night after it was over, glad all over to be privileged to live here, and to be reminded of how this city can bring out the best in us--if we'll only let it.

In Transit opens on October 5 and closes on October 30 at Primary Stages, 59 East 59 St.

Catch it now if you can, or wait for its next move or incarnation. This is a show I expect to have the pleasure of seeing again, and of introducing to family and friends.


http://primarystages.org/intransit