Non-Registered Critics: Willard Manus
The Water Tribe
The Water Tribe is one of the strangest plays I’ve ever seen, a study in insanity, but it’ll be a long time before I forget it.
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WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME
The political and ideological battles that have been, and still are, fought over these constitutional issues give the show its relevance; personal touches (such as Schreck revealing that she herself had an abortion) humanize it as well, making the abstract real. Flashes of wit and humor also help to enliven things.
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Sunday Dinner
Tabeek makes us feel Michael’s pain and guilt over his sinful behavior (in the eyes of the church).
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"The Unseen Hand" and "Killer's Head"
The Unseen Hand is about the impossibility of the past reconciling with the present, and the spiritual death of the American Dream. These typical Sam Shepard themes are boldly dramatized in the Odyssey’s production, which is noteworthy for its expert direction and flawless acting. This is little theater at its best.
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ROCK OF AGES
The action at all times is snappy and quick: one short scene after another punctuated with songs (“I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Shadows of the Night,” “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” etc.), and with lashings of bawdy jokes, campy behavior, satirical irreverence.
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Earthquakes in London
Hats off to Rogue Machine for taking on such an ambitious and costly project—and for succeeding so impressively with it...
Bartlett uses every weapon in his theatrical arsenal to dramatize his story: agit-prop, bawdy humor, satire, realism, fanciful touches, snatches of song, etc. The result is a work of boldness and originality, a one-of-a-kind drama that challenges us to rethink the way we live.
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Bad Habits
Bad Habits may strain credulity at times, but without question it is one funny, laugh-filled play. My hat goes off to the playwright, director and cast—especially to Alley Mills and Orson Bean.
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A Christmas Carol
Using his flexible voice, masterful body control and a variety of facial expressions, Mynne is able to bring Dickens’s world to life and make us believe in Scrooge’s conversion from grasping old miser to generous, warm-hearted human being.
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Little Black Dress The Musical
Irreverent, rambunctious, and filthy-minded , it is definitely not a family show. But it is also funny as hell and immensely enjoyable, a real hoot.
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Salvage
Salvage is the best original musical I’ve seen in some time. I was caught up in its spell and moved by its scintillating songs and performances. Don’t miss this one.
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THE DOUBLE V
The didactic part of The Double V weakens the drama for me, but I still can recommend the play, not just for its historical worth but for its strong performances and skillful direction. I am also much impressed with John Iacovelli’s sprightly set.
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Before
Kinevane, whose home theatre is the Fishamble in Dublin, tells a weird, complex story in Before.
...Kinevane once again flips the story on its head, sends it spiraling into darkness and death. That’s when we realize that the songs in Before are really laments, protests against the cruelty and injustice of the human condition.
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AUGUST WILSON'S JITNEY
With Ruben Santiago-Hudson repeating as director and several key actors reprising their roles, the play lights up the Taper’s stage and enthralls from beginning to end.
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Key Largo
Key Largo’s story, which was fresh and powerful in 1946—and two years later in the John Huston movie—seems creaky and contrived today. But it does look good up there on the Geffen stage, thanks to John Lee Beatty’s wizardry.
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Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room
Fifteen Men is skillfully acted (the cast also includes Kevin Dulude doubling as a newspaper publisher and a hotel waiter). It is also crisply directed by Jules Aaron…and looks historically accurate, thanks to Jeff G. Rack’s sumptuous, detailed set.
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The Thanksgiving Play
The four characters in The Thanksgiving Play are caricatures to be sure, and the play’s humor is one-note, but thanks to Fasthorse’s way with jokes and comic invention, I found myself enjoying every minute. The playwright is also blessed with a cast of skilled farceurs and a director (Michael John Garces) who proves masterful at slapstick.
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Between Riverside and Crazy
Remarkably, Guirgis’s weak, deeply-disappointing play was beautifully acted and directed. Don’t know how they did it, but the actors and the director somehow managed to keep me in my seat for two-and-a-half hours.
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Sisters In Law
Sisters in Law allows us to eavesdrop on the inside talk between Ginsburg and O’Connor—and to hear them gossip about some of their fellow justices like Thomas and Alioto. Some of their catty remarks are juicy and allow the playwright to inject a little humor into the text, which is shot through with legal arguments. Also, the time-span here is wide, making for a large number of short, staccato-like scenes (greatly enabled, though, by Rachel Myers’s clever, swift-changing set).
Feldshuh and Faracy excel in their roles as warring justices whose friendship—make that love for each other—is a rare and touching thing.
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Miss Lilly Gets Boned
Like I told you, this is a wild and wacky play, a horror story, really (with lashings of comedy and satire). I’m not sorry I saw it, but I doubt whether I’d ever want to see it again.
The actors deserve full marks for the way they brought Brunstetter’s play to life. Ditto the large production team led by scenic designer Stephanie Kerley Schwartz, puppet designer Sean Cawelti, and shadow puppet designer Mark Royston.
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THE SURVEILLANCE TRILOGY
The Surveillance Trilogy takes place on Jeff G. Rack’s large, subdued set and features seven skilled actors who breathe impressive life into Siskind’s socially conscious plays, making for a challenging and provocative night of theater.
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