Roxanna Hope, Michael Laurence and Matthew Schechter and Dael Orlandersmith in "Horsedreams." Photo Credit: Sarah Krulwich.
Horsedreams by Dael Orlandersmith at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, wasn’t what I expected, but it was a great performance none-the-less. Dragged into the live scene of a packed club, we are introduced to young Desiree (Roxanna Hope). She lives for the night life and self-expression. Desiree is a woman that can’t be chained, but is meant to be loose. On the dance floor she meets Loman (Michael Laurence), a corporate man that she doesn’t feels attracted to. Loman is grooving on the dance floor and spots Desiree, amazed by her beauty and body. Their relationship soon leads to marriage and a life in Westchester.
[click to continue…]
Tagged as:
Dael Orlandersmith,
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater,
Theater
Gary Wilmes and Jennifer Lim in "Chinglish." Photo Credit: Sarah Krulwich.
David Henry Hwang’s new Broadway play Chinglish at the Longacre Theater, directed by Leigh Silverman, follows the bumbling escapades of American Businessman (and former Enron executive) David Cavanaugh (Gary Wilmes) as he tries to win a deal for his sign-making company in China. The story begins as Mr. Cavanaugh listens to advice from his “consultant” Peter Timms (Stephen Pucci) about how to succeed in corporate China. Mr. Timms explains that the Chinese admire big gamblers, regardless of whether or not they win or lose. This is a fitting opening to the play; which, as a bi-lingual Broadway show, is a big gamble itself. The super-titles projected onto the set in translation of the Chinese offered many laugh-out-loud moments as only the audience could understand the comic miscommunication occurring onstage. The biggest laughs of the night were achieved through the super-title translation; and yet the necessity of constantly reading the super-titles distracted from the facial expression and nuance of the actors. [click to continue…]
Tagged as:
David Henry Hwang,
Longacre Theater,
Theater
Playwright Jordan Harrison on set for "Maple and Vine." Photo Credit: Sara Krulwich.
Maple and Vine, a play by Jordan Harrison, tells a complex story as it compares and contrasts life in 1955 and the present. We are offered an intriguing premise of a society and organization that endlessly perpetuates a lifestyle from 1955. The play manages to show us the suburban culture from this era but fails to deliver a unifying message or to demonstrate an overall theme. The overall narrative ends in two directions at the end. [click to continue…]
Tagged as:
Jordan Harrison,
Playwrights Horizons,
Theater
Stephen Pucci and Jennifer Lim in "Chinglish." Photo Credit: Sara Krulwich.
David Henry Hwang’s new play Chinglish deals with communication and loyalty in today’s world, two large aspects of doing business. Thus, the hapless Midwestern businessman Daniel Cavanaugh (Gary Wilmes) opens the play with an explanation of chinglish, which describes the loss in translation of words between Chinese and English. He is trying to revitalize his failing signage company by finding a new market in a smaller Chinese city; he is convincing Minister Cai Guoliang and Vice Minister Xi Yan, Larry Lei Zhang and Jennifer Lim respectively, to contract him. To this end, he hires Peter Timms, an english teacher/business associate played by Stephen Pucci, to both translate and coach him. Here we learn the important concept of guanxi which describes the interpersonal relationships, social debts and capitol, and human networks in China. Guanxi forms the basis for business in China and remains an important theme throughout the play. [click to continue…]
Tagged as:
David Henry Hwang,
Longacre Theater,
Theater
$5 Tickets
Facebook
Flickr
Twitter
