Theater in Focus
by Douglas SingletonJapanese Plays from the Early 20th Century
Common Basis Theater
Theatre Arts Japan produces three shorts written or inspired by Japanese masters. Paper Balloon (1925) by Kunio Kishida is a work in progress directed by Eriko Ogawa. Rashomon by Fay and Michael Kanin, directed by Nobuo Inubushi, is inspired by Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s psychological novella, one of the first prewar Japanese works to achieve wide foreign readership. The Wild Pear (1923) by Kenji Miyazawa is written as commentary for two slides, similar to silent film.
The Maids by Jean Genet
Bouwerie Lane Theater
The Jean Cocteau Repertory re-imagines Genet’s taut and tantalizing thriller, setting it in 1940s Los Angeles when scandals were a dime-a-dozen and so many bright-eyed young things stepped off a bus and got a tough dose of the real American dream. Caught between love and hate for their wealthy mistress, the maids move through a humorous though deadly game of dress-up: they don’t want to be like her, they want to become her—even if it means taking her out of the picture for good.
Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet
Royale Theater
David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama is a no-holds-barred, cutthroat look into the fast and furious world of American entrepreneurship. Its return to Broadway is directed by Tony-winner Joe Mantello and features an all-star cast of Alan Alda, Liev Scheiber, Gordon Clapp (NYPD Blue), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development) and Tom Wopat. It is a riveting account of the competing personalities in a seedy Chicago real estate office where it’s business as usual until a high-stakes sales contest induces lying, cheating, theft, and blood lust.
Couplets by Mike Bencivenga
Collective Unconscious
Bencivenga uses the sonnets of William Shakespeare to create a modern story of tangled romance. Six friends speak the Bard’s words as they cruise, stumble and skid through weddings and funerals, passionate outpourings and nasty hangovers. With music composed by Noel Katz, the cast includes Lightning Strikes Theatre Company members Stephen Aloi, Talia Rubel, Suzanne Levinson, Misha Pogul, and Jay Aubrey Jones.
Chantecler by Edmond Rostand
Teatro LA TEA
Written by Edmond Rostand, author of Cyrano de Bergerac, and translated by Kay Nolte Smith, Chantecler is an animal allegory about a rooster who believes that his song makes the sun rise. With ten actors playing over a hundred characters using puppets, masks, and physical theater, a three-piece band performing an original score, and two visual artists drawing the world of the play as it transpires, Adhesive Theater Project’s production investigates themes of inspiration and overcoming our greatest doubts and fears, offering a unique live experience for the whole family.
Popular Events
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How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying @ Al Hirschfeld Theater
- Tue-Sat at 8pm, Wed, Sat at 2pm, Sun at 3pm
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Avenue Q @ New World Stages
- Mon, Wed-Sat at 8pm, Sat at 2pm, Sun at 3pm, 7:30pm
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The Fantasticks @ Snapple Theater Center
- Mon, Thu, Fri 8pm; Wed 2pm; Sat 2pm, 8pm; Sun 3pm, 7:15pm
