Standing Room Only

December 23, 2019 Stagebuddy I am intrigued by mentalists and mediums and always excited about a play that uses spiritualism as its theme. Even more so when the playwright is Lucas Hnath (A Doll’s House, Part 2, and Hillary and Clinton.) The Thin Place is a total departure from his other plays and, quite frankly […]

The Island Now – December 19, 2019 Long before downloading music became the norm, listeners bought CDs. In 1995 Alanis Morisette released “Jagged Little Pill” which sold over 33 million copies worldwide and became one of the bestselling albums of all time, winning the Grammy for Album of the Year. Now 24 years later, a […]

December 9, 2019 Stagebuddy It’s easy to understand why some people suffer from Coulrophobia (fear of clowns) especially when their clown faces are hidden under greasepaint, false noses and perpetually dour expressions.These clowns rarely speak, using mime and exaggerated gestures to convey emotion. Yet Slava’s Snowshow, a 100 minute show at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, […]

The Island Now– December 5, 2019 Just a few weeks after watching and cheering at the NYC marathon, I sat and witnessed a theatrical marathon of sorts, the 61/2 hour The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez and it was well worth it. By the end, I wasn’t tired; in fact, I felt satisfied and slightly exhilarated. […]

The Island Now – November 22, 2019 First a disclaimer, I am unabashedly a fan of Tina Turner. Ageless and bewigged, she’s an energetic, stunning and dynamic entertainer with legions of fans. Yet, like many, I didn’t know much about her personal life until the 1993 movie “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” The […]

November 24, 2019 Stagebuddy Ironically, Tennessee Williams, a gay playwright, wrote some of the most iconic roles for women in theater. He created parts such as Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire, Maggie in A Cat on A Hot Tin Roof and Amanda in Glass Menagerie. These are serious and somber plays featuring unhappy or […]

The Island Now- November 21, 2019   Writing an effective sequel to a well-received novel or play is a challenge. Expectations are set high and sadly, audiences are often disappointed. In his masterful work, “All The Way,” playwright Robert Schenkkan creates an incredibly sympathetic portrait of JBJ, a consummate politician who became president through tragedy. […]

November 16, 2019 Stagebuddy Is there life after Game of Thrones?  At the end of the popular long-running HBO mega-series, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) was named the Hand of the King to Bran.  Then the show ended, so where has Tyrion gone? Dinklage, easily one of the most talented performers on the show, has taken on […]

The Island Now – November 7, 2019 A woman stands on the side of the dimly-lit stage, reading her story aloud. It’s about a professor of writing at a prestigious college who has learned that she has a deadly cancer. “The Sound Inside,” written by Pulitzer finalist Adam Rapp and directed by Tony winner David […]

  The Island Now – November 1, 2019 Wheeler is finally moving out of his wife’s garage into a new two-bedroom apartment in singles’ complex, Linda Vista. “Linda Vista,” the new play by award-winning actor-playwright Tracy Letts, is a wonderfully entertaining character sketch of a man whose libidinous ways keep him from finding happiness. As […]