Paul Notice's Portfolio

An Online Portfolio of Nearly All of Paul Notice's written work. From articles, opinion pieces, essays, reviews, etc.

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Searching for Conspiracies, Missing the Pattern

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In Greelyville, South Carolina, the Mount Zion AME Church makes the eighth Predominantly-Black Church to be burned following the apprehension of serial killer Dylann Roof, and the subsequent push to remove the Confederate Flag from state grounds across the South.

The New York Times quotes, Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center saying:

“It seems entirely possible that one or more of these arsons might have been motivated by real rage at what’s happening and I think, in particular, the attack on the Confederate battle flag.” Activists and locals are now asking: “Who is Burning Black Churches?

It’s not just the obvious question, but also a growing trend on social media – many participants voicing frustration at the lack of coverage and apologist reasoning from news outlets.

Local and federal investigators believe three of the eight may be lightning or storm related, though they won’t rule out the possibility of arson for two of those three – including Gibson Country, Tennessee, where Fire Chief Bryan Cathey remarks:

“We want to be sure, 100 percent sure that this was an accidental fire, not on purpose.”

Investigators have yet to determine or suspect the cause of the church burnings in Elyria, Ohio, and Warrenville, South Carolina.

However, there are at least three confirmed arsons out of the eight current investigations, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

In Knoxville, Tennessee, investigators that hay and soil may have been used as kindling to set fire to College Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church.

That following day, in Macon, Georgia, another fire burned in the sanctuary of Power Church of Christ. Fire Chief Marvin Riggins confirmed with station WMAZ that he strongly suspects arson.

That following day, Briar Creek Road Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, lost its Educational Wing to arson, resulting in $250,000 of damage. Charlotte Fire Department spokeswoman Cynthia Robbins Shah-Khan said: “Our investigators did not find any direct evidence that would lead them to believe at this time that this is a hate crime -Of course, that is a possibility.”

According to the New York Times, investigators found no evidence of a hate crime, nor any organized connection or conspiracy between the fires.

However, The Washington Post’s “In Church Fires, A Pattern But No Conspiracy,” which addressed the 30 black churches burned for over 18 months from 1995 to 1996, seems to contest the NYT’s pathology:

“That many of those arrested or convicted are not organized in Klan Klaverns [sic] may not matter; it may even make the rash of crimes worse […] In several cases already prosecuted, drugs and alcohol were clearly the key. In Tennessee, for example, three men got high on a combination of Valium, whiskey and beer, then made Molotov cocktails of their empty bottles.”

The NYT never directly addresses this phenomenon in their piece; instead their sources focus on whether arsonists left any clear racist message:

“In such crimes, the arsonist often leaves some kind of message saying, in effect, “this was intended for you,” he said, but there was nothing of that sort at the College Hill church.”

According to a 1963 Washington Post Article, the method of leaving ‘some kind of message’ may not apply to every racially motivated attack. Nowhere in the article is there mention of a clear message left at the site of 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing, though its perpetrators were members of the KKK.

In fact, following that attack, which left four girls attending Sunday school dead, five Black owned business burned the next day. Officials suspected arson in at least some of these attacks, but there was no mention any “kind of message” present at the scenes.

At present, this is the second fire Greelyville’s Mount Zion AME Church experienced; the KKK was found guilty of the first in 1995.

Then-President Bill Clinton’s 1996 speech responding to the racial underlying of those fires, parallels Obama Eulogy for Clemente Pinckney:

“In the end, we must all face up to the responsibility to end this violence. We must say to those who would feed their neighbors what Martin Luther King called “the stale bread of hatred and spoiled meat of racism.” That is not America; that is not our way. We must come together, black and white alike, to smother the fires of hatred that fuel this violence.”

During the speech, Clinton announced that a National Church Arson Task Force, enlisting more than 200 FBI and ATF agents, would be assigned to the case.

That same year, Congress passed the Church Arson Prevention Act, which not only provided compensation for victims, but also increased the penalties against:

“Whoever intentionally defaces, damages, or destroys any religious real property (sic) because of the race, color, or ethnic characteristics of any individual associated with that religious property, or attempts to do so…”

Federal agencies even offered a hotline for tips on church arsons, 1-888-ATF- FIRE. However, whether the current methods are effective in determining if such laws like the Church Arson Prevention Act apply, remains to be seen.

[thenoticeblog]

Director’s Chair: Ari Laura Kreith on “I Like to Be Here: Jackson Heights Revisited, or, This is a Mango”

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Everyone knows the story of the three blind men and the elephant. As ablest as it may be (which it is), the metaphor points to one invaluable truth: E Pluribus Unim. Out of many, comes one.

In I Like to Be Here: Jackson Heights Revisited, or, This is a Mango, this ideal purveys every detail and aspect of the story. The requisite effect is that there is no central character. Rather, the protagonist is the community, the antagonist is the community, and the solution is the community.  In this harrowing glimpse into the interconnections, dependencies and conflicts amongst the people living in a Jackson Heights neighborhood ring is authentic and gripping. From sex workers to new fathers, everyone is connected in the most intricate and vital ways. We sat down with director and creator Ari Laura Kreith to get a deeper look into I Like To Be Here, and its remarkable origin.

One of the first things I noticed about I Like To Be Here is that in a play focusing on the many voices of a community, there are multiple playwrights attached to the work. Could you tell us more about what inspired you to approach the project this way?

I became very interested in that and also devising a process that was reflective of the story we were trying to tell, which was really a story of how diverse people and perspectives can come together, and how the process itself reflects the meaning of the work, which is important to me.

Yes, there are certain moments that ring authentic, because there’s specificity in it. There’s not just a glossed over idea of a person, but actual concrete details. How did the writing process operate? Let’s go bit-by-bit – so you had one playwright come in, and then someone else would add to it? Or did they all come into a room and decide upon this story?

Well the first piece, I brought everybody out to Jackson Heights, and there were some people who had never been to the community before. And some people – actually, Les Hunter lived in Jackson Heights, and he was the ‘home base’ playwright. He and Jenny Lyn Bader had been involved in all three of the plays. And Jenny Lyn: I had worked on a number of her plays before, but we had never worked on anything like this.

Gotcha. New Territory?

Very! So the first evening of the first piece, I actually brought the playwrights out into the neighborhood. Before we went out, we had specific leaders come and speak to them, and give them different perspectives. Some of the leaders were involved in Historic Beautification. There was an immigration rights lawyer. So we got an introduction to the neighborhood from varying knowledgeable perspectives, but all of them had their own sort of view on the neighborhood and existing culture.

Then we went out for that day. They sort of walked around for about three hours, individually or in pairs, and then we came back and drew this map. It was on a giant, taped together butcher of paper that covered the entire floor.

And we drew a map of what our experiences had been, and worked to populate it with characters. Each person created a character and put it on the map. There was another assignment to create a character that might interact with that original character and put it on the map, and so on. By the end of the day, each writer had created three characters that might connect with other characters.

Then everyone went home, and populated all of those characters onto a Google Document, so that we could all have access to them when we worked together. And then people started claiming characters who they wanted to write for.

Wow. That’s beautiful.

Yeah! Each playwright created three characters, but then they ended up writing for characters they might not have created but still responded to. And so the goal became to populate this world and tell stories from the people who we created on that first day.

So, the second piece Theatre 167 created [as part of the Jackson Heights trilogy], You Are Now the Owner of This Suitcase, featured a lot of the same characters from 167 Tongues [the first], but was framed through a Magical Realism perspective. What led you guys to make the change in storytelling?

The first piece really contained more discreet stories, in 167 Tongues. Out of that, and out of that process, a kind of way of working was born. So the second time, when people were coming in, I was sort of clear that we were gonna be working together, and that things were gonna be fluid and changing. I grew up in countries outside of the US as a child, where theatre feels very different, and theatre is for all ages - as opposed to here, where sometimes children’s theatre gets very segregated. So when looking at ways of bringing different cultures and communities together, I was always interested in building a piece that might bring adults and children to the theatre together. So the second piece we asked people to tell us about the fairytales they remembered from their childhood, and of course with Jackson Heights we have fairytales from all over the world. That became the emphasis for the second piece, You Are Now the Owner of this Suitcase, which delved into magical realism.

In response to what you asked about how the process evolved, and how the ownership evolved - by the end of You Are Now The Owner of this Suitcase, we had an acting company in the sense of returning artists that we continue to work with.

And so by the third play [Jackson Heights 3AM], we were also very interested that there was this whole other world in Jackson Heights after hours. 10 pm. 4 am. You see a very different side of the neighborhood.

In this one the actors were more involved, and some of the core actors were involved since the very beginning. As they got to go out and have experiences, to find characters who spoke to them and bring them into the room. We were also able to look at particular members of the acting company and say: “We would like to create a role for you that explores ‘X.’”

Since our acting company is so diverse and reflected many of the demographics of that neighborhood, we got to explore their truths and stories they hadn’t yet been allowed to tell, but also stories from the neighborhood that they hadn’t yet been able to tell.

That brings us to where we are now, with I Like to Be Here.

Yeah! Well we did an entire trilogy over the course of three years, and then we did this crazy thing where we did all three plays in rep – which was a six-hour, 93 character, 35 per each actor, 14 language extravaganza. It was a little insane, but also a glorious experience to have where we found heightened resonances between the three plays. We jokingly referred to it as the ‘Coast of LaGuardia.’

I Like to Be Here: Jackson Heights Revisited, or, This is a Mango continues its run at the New Ohio Theatre through September 27. For more information and tickets, visithttp://www.Theatre167.org

Original Article Here

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The Sisters Grim

It's always difficult to surprise in a story about dysfunctional siblings. However, Ruth and Naomi, a play following Naomi’s attempts to escape the suffocating dependency of her disabled younger sister Ruth, defies all expectations with beautifully wretched effect.

This story operates through a variety of parallels, double speak and dualities. In the midst of Naomi's struggle to find independence, she balances two families, and requisitely two identities. To Ruth, she's Naomi, the dependable and free-spirited. To her part-time lover Jen, she's Mona, the dependent and uncontrollable.

Playwright Sander Gusinow approaches items in her tale with subtle, but palpable hints and sacred significance. Ruth's pills, Naomi's pick, Ruth's pink box, Naomi's pills - all change meaning and effect on the two sisters, from crippling to restorative, and back again.

There are beautiful moments of authentic sisterhood throughout this show. During their first week away from home, Naomi catches Ruth suggesting that they return home. Thus, Naomi punishes Ruth by licking her arm, and gleefully chuckling as Ruth squirms.

All of these interconnections grow into an even more complex story with the introduction of the intern Alex, and his beautifully pure vulnerability. Without forcing it, Gusinow makes us yearn for Alex and Ruth to meet. Thankfully, she doesn't waste the opportunity, letting it happen in the most natural and sweetest way.

Alex and Ruth's mutual insecurities, and honest weaknesses, are mesmerizing. Lily Zahn (Ruth) and Jarrod Bates (Alex) never drop their persona, keeping the energy driving and addictive to watch. Paralleling Ruth's awkwardly wonderful climb into maturity is Naomi's equal descent into the abyss. Evangeline Fontaine masterfully injects both drive and vulnerability into Naomi's character. This performance is also benefited by Alinca Hamilton's outstandingly tortured performance as Jen. In all, the original and grounded course of this play results in a magnificent ending that doesn’t fail to make you hurt and feel.

Ruth and Naomi was performed as part of the Thespis Theater Festival. For more information, visit http://thespisnytheaterfestival.com/

Original Article Here

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An Opera of Biblical Proportions

Song of Solomon can boast without doubt to be one of the finest performances in independent theatre. Based on the biblical mythology of King Solomon, and his tortuous pursuit of Almah, performed by the incomparable Ann McCormack, this show leaves no second unmiraculous.

The opera begins with an amazing thunderous introduction into the famous biblical scene where Solomon must decide which of the two women before him is the true mother of the child. Though the story is old, it’s instantly captivating.

There is a clear choice to concentrate on the quality and delivery of performance, rather than dissipate focus to set details and wardrobe. As a result, electrifying arias and chilling portrayals flow seamlessly into each other. There are no dead or wasteful moments. Instead, each movement and iteration consistently pulls this story forward into a breathtakingly epic crescendo.

Song of Solomon was performed as part of the Thespis Theater Festival. For more information, visit http://thespisnytheaterfestival.com/

Original Article Here

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Devil’s in the Details

With a flurry of voices and stories colliding on stage, The Devil of Delancey Street succeeds in pulling the ends together only when needed.  We follow a recent widow, Mrs. Chaste, struggling to restart her life in a time where financial independence for women is not only rare, but dangerous.

Jessica Lauren Copland gives a forthright performance as Mrs. Chaste, with bold delivery and consistent quality. However, the strength of this show relies on both the brilliant and haunting melodies, and an incredibly talented ensemble. With uniquely crafted delivery influenced by vaudeville melodies and show,The Devil of Delancey Street's unpredictably twisted and cheeky story delivers.

The Devil of Delancey Street was performed as part of the Thespis Theater Festival. For more information, visit http://thespisnytheaterfestival.com/

Original Article Here

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What’s Worth “Keeping?”

It's sometime hard to locate the missing ingredient in a story: that one element needed to pull everything together.

In Ed Meyer's Finder’s Keepers, an heiress discovers that the priceless painting she’s set to inherit may have been stolen from a Jewish family during World War II. Now she must decide whether or not to give a priceless painting back to its rightful owners. Complications of course arise on the basis of who is actually telling the truth. Is it the private eye-turned-lover, or the faithful and ailing aunt? Everyone has their secrets, though it doesn't help that many are indeed predictable.

Though the premise of Finder’s Keepers lays the groundwork for a worthwhile adventure, the final product feels lacking in an almost amorphous sort of way.

Finder's Keepers was performed as part of the Thespis Theater Festival. For more information, visit http://thespisnytheaterfestival.com/

Original Article Here

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Everything But the “Kitchen” Sink

The Kitchen Play stays true to its title, and doesn't spare the seasoning. As the Stantons, a middle-class Philadelphia family, navigate their way through a tortuous divorce, every last bit of raw emotion is projected through the food and appliances marketed to their demographic.

Playwright Brian Kirchner perfectly conveys underlying tensions and fears through critiques and compliments on family recipes and Tupperware. Marianne Vidal (Isabelle Stanton) and Ron Barba (Arnold Stanton) contribute greatly to this effort as in their natural chemistry and solid grounded physicality.

Joshua Michael Payne (John Stanton) executes Kirchner's parallel between the father and son effortlessly. He casually stress eats, rails against the stupidity of Tupperware, and mimics Arnold’s inability to assert himself without anger being the motivation.

The monumental factor in The Kitchen Play is that the storytelling isn't conventionally linear, nor is it cyclical. Instead, the characters in this play progress in a cyclical nature toward an ending that both echoes the beginning, yet is chillingly altered from the journey. Everyone is reticent but fully aware of the past repeating itself; they're actively searching to stop the cycle, yet their subsequent failure is this play's triumph.

The Kitchen Play was performed as part of the Thespis Theater Festival. For more information, visit http://thespisnytheaterfestival.com/

Original Article Here

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Not The Perfect “Storm”

In the midst of heavy plotting and severely under-explored characters, Sing After Storms seeks to create a story that channels both Doubt and Blue/Orange. However, what sets this play back is its reluctance to shift from predictability.

Joe Laureiro's performance of Jack Young, a pioneering psychiatrist trying to salvage his reputation as a pariah, is clinically calm with moments violent rage and frustration. Nevertheless, his portrayal lacks in the complexities inherent in Dr. Young's character. There's quite more Laureiro can explore during the arch of the show. What truly harms this play, though, are the moments of pure exposition, and stagnant progression.

The play eventually branches into two directions.  The first, seeks to answer the question of whether or not Dr. Young is truly the monster people say he is. The second, is to solve the mysterious death of the 40-year-old boyfriend of Pearl Young (Mia Fraboni), Dr. Young's 17 year-old daughter. The subsequent feeling you have now, after reading those last two sentences, will most likely be exactly what you'll feel throughout the entirety of this show. Melodramas such as these are the sort to hit or miss.

Sing After Storms was performed as part of the Thespis Theatre Festival. For more information, visit http://thespisnytheaterfestival.com/

Original Article Here

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I Like to Be Here: A Play That Gets Queens Right

It’s rare to find true ensemble stories on stage. Often times, the focus will inevitably shift to a central character, or follow the storyline of a smaller group as the rest give a sort of ambience in storytelling. However, in I Like to Be Here: Jackson Heights Revisited, or, This is a Mango, no one takes the lion’s share of the stage. The audience isn’t manipulated into caring for one character over the rest. Instead, I Like to Be Here's story becomes the collective journey created by the intersections of over 20 unique characters living in this Jackson Heights neighborhood.

I Like to Be Here, co-presented by the New Ohio Theatre and Theatre 167, is conceived and directed by Ari Laura Kreith, and written by Jenny Lyn Bader, J.Stephen Brantley, Ed Cardona, Jr., Les Hunter, Tom Miller, Melisa Tien, and Joy Tomasko. In it we see every form of love: familial, abusive, unrequited, destined, doomed and beyond. We see the barriers and intimacy created through the bounty of languages spoken in Jackson Heights. Even jobs acts as a means to connect – like Gita, the taxi operator, meeting her future love while she connects drivers to their clients. Though we also see it act as a means to exclude, like Eddie, a local police officer, profiling Larry, a new interracial father.

What makes this play even more stunning are the subtleties of each parallel and schism. The opportunity to show the connection between a drag queen’s friendship with a young tom boy, and a South American prostitute’s love affair with a poor Russian immigrant isn’t lost amongst this cast. It’s palpable and chilling: made more apparent through the same two actors portraying both roles, respectively.

I Like to Be Here is the fourth installation of what Theatre 167 lovingly call the ‘Coast of LaGuardia.’ Characters from the very first show appear in this play, giving loyal viewers a very special and satisfying treat to see. Nevertheless, though it’s hard to put into words, the story is clear, and present. Complexity simply doesn’t permit it to be so easily described. Instead, it’s simply something you must see and experience to truly understand.

I Like to Be Here: Jackson Heights Revisited, or, This is a Mango continues its run at the New Ohio Theatre through September 27. For more information and tickets, visithttp://www.Theatre167.org

Original Article Here

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Seven Years in Rikers Without Trial

After seven years at Rikers Island, Carlos Montero is still waiting for his day in court. Unable to pay his bail, the courts forced then-16 yr old Montero to await his trial in jail. Montero isn’t alone. Many attribute 22 yr old Kalief Browder’s recent suicide to the three years he spent at Rikers waiting for trial, much of it spent in solitary confinement. The New Yorker recently uncovered footage confirming Browder’s claims of abuse from inmates and prison guards.

According to Nick Turner, executive director of the Vera Institute, about 31 percent of nonfelony defendants in NYC are unable to pay bails set at $500, or less. Turner explains: "We are punishing people for their poverty. When we looked at the data, we found 75 percent of the population of people in jail are awaiting trial and they are for nonviolent offenses.”

According to the New York Times, over 1,500 people are spending more than a year in jail at Rikers, waiting to go to trial. About 400 of those inmates have spent more than two years in jail without a conviction.

Mayor Bill DeBlasio and NY State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman proposed a plan to give these people their day in court. However, it only includes a set court date for those whose offenses are not subject to plea deals with prosecutors.

To be successful, however, the plan must involve the cooperation of judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and police officers. Trial delays from all ends of the spectrum result in many these defendants spending time in jail before even awaiting trial.

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‘Gertrude’ Offers Other Side to ‘Hamlet,’ No Apologies

It's true. We rarely turn away from crime scenes when we pass their way. In fact, most of us find ourselves involuntarily staring, petrified in our steps, and simply wondering: How on earth could things go so wrong?  Now think of a play that goes even further. Imagine a show that takes you back to the very beginning, just when the cracks begin to form at the foundation. Gertrude - The Cry, traces out every detailed step of pleasure, politics, and agony leading up to the tragic end.  In this dark drama, playwright Howard Barker brilliantly re-imagines the story of "Hamlet" through the eyes of his mother, Gertrude. Barker, along with an electrifying cast, crafts a story with building and palpable intensity.

Actor Pamela J. Gray stars as the play's titular character, Gertrude, in PTP/NYC's production of the play. In fact, Gray, a Yale alum and Connecticut native, played the role of Gertrude before in the original Hamlet. However, when she first read Barker’s version, she thought “This is crazy balls out! Either this is the smartest thing ever, or the weirdest thing ever.” Still, the play took hold of Gray, so she took it to a close friend with a very important question: “Is this as good as I think it is?” The answer was a resounding ‘Yes.’

After the first ten minutes of the show, it doesn’t take much to realize how ambitious the role is. Gertrude engages in an unabashed and hypersexualized moment with her lover - and husband’s brother - Claudius, right in front of the King’s dying eyes. Now, follow that chilling moment with a raw and natural transition to regret, and then finish with solemn emptiness.

“I knew it was jumping off a cliff,” Gray remembers.  “I’ve done a lot of polite theatre before, and I thought: ‘This will be an opportunity.…There were so many options to play with, but I think in everything she stays true to herself – she never lets go of that power she wields.” In perfect theatre fashion, Gray immediately recalls a perfect line from the play to illustrate her point: “It’s evident in the way she approaches everything: ‘A killed child on the floor, and in the corridor another famishes. And yet I am maternal.’”

The importance of Gertrude’s ‘Cry’ is another powerful thread woven throughout the play. Each time it’s uttered, it evolves. Gray explains that Gertrude “can’t eliminate the evidence of the betrayal,” thus the cry becomes the “purge of the guild. All of life, and its ugliness gets purged through it.” On stage, the effect is beyond chilling.

Gray is not alone in amazing captivating performances. Robert Emmet Lunney plays her lover, Claudius, with wonderfully authentic and palpable agony. His devolution into unrequited love’s misery parallels to the mesmerizing path that David Barlow’s portrayal of Hamlet takes. Barlow’s able to naturally convey the reason and psychological torture of the poor prince in such a vulnerable way that even when bathed in blood, we still pity him. Though great deal of the pity might be reserved for Alex Draper’s chilling performance as Gertrude’s servant, Cascan. Underneath each measured and clever line, lies a wretched and quivering devotion to the queen. “It exists outside of what we understand conventional relationships to be,” Gray explains. This can be said for many of the interactions between the characters in this show. From the Duke of Mecklenberg’s (Bill Army) shamelessly brave pursuit of Gertrude, to Isola’s (Katherin Kates) Iago-esque dealings with the love of affairs of the palace. Nothing is quite as simple as it initially seems.

What’s clear is that in this show, there is no respite. There is no word left without potent, palpable meaning. As a result, there is never a moment where the audience isn't listening nor watching the stage. Like all forbidden fruit, it leaves hungry for more – a desire the play urges us to quench.

Original Article Here

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Late Start for QP’s ‘Midsummer’

A Midsummer Night’s Dream explores misunderstandings, trickery, and magic; nothing is as it seems. In this vein, Quirky Productions' reimagining of Shakespeare’s famous romantic farce does not disappoint. In fact, it often surprises. The first moments of the play are noticeably subdued, quaint – not only in the actors’ manner and behavior, but also in their costumes. It reads more ‘Yuppie,’ than ‘Hipster.’ The stage, set in an emptied lot in the Lower East Side lends itself to the upscale urban life that the scene imbues. Thus the trap is set.

The moment Titania and Oberon enter, accompanied by a barrage of glow-stick waving Fairy Ravers, everything changes. From then on, a pulsing, energetic string ties together one scene to the next.

As Bottom, Patrick Shane adds to the momentum of the play with his energy and comedic chops, while never forgetting to convey the specificity in each word he utters. However, it is James Kamensky and Yadin Goldman’s electrifying performances as Puck and Oberon, respectively, that transform the show into a mesmerizing spectacle. They watch and manipulate the mortal world through volatile, hyper-sexualized and intensely funny actions that keep us captivated. Steve Godoy also lends to the humor as Lysander with natural comedic timing, while Melissa Mickens delivers a consistently bold and funny performance as both the First Fairy and Philostrate.

If you’re into surprises, and laughs, don't miss this Midsummer. It's a production that will give you more than your fair share of both.

Find Original Article Here

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"O Walter, My Walter" Nails the Veteran Affairs Scandal

When it comes to Elena Zucker’s dark absurdist play “O Walter, My Walter”, timing is everything. In light of the recent Veteran Affairs scandal, a play inspired by the uncovering of Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s criminal neglect of its veteran patients in 2007 fits the bill in a way that’s sobering and necessary. The fact that Zucker’s show opened on Memorial Day Weekend is less coincidental than driving home a point: despite the comedy, there are heavier issues being addressed here.

With a cast of nine actors, six of whom go by the name of Walter during the play, Zucker accomplishes something brilliantly complex in its simplicity. With each utterance of that name, we’re reminded what and who the play is about. In addition to linking the play to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the name Walter binds all six characters under a collective narrative. From Richard Crawford’s bumbling, embezzling Dr. Walter, to Andrew Baldwin’s masterful portrayal of a post-traumatic veteran Walter from the West Virginia, we can’t deny that they’re all ‘Walter.’ They all represent the complexity of veteran life in America.

This isn’t to say that “O Walter, My Walter” is without more than its fair share of campiness and spitfire wordplay. Jenny Lee Mitchell, Mischa Ipp and Vicki Oceguera brilliantly capture this comedic tone, all with their own unique physicality and mannerisms. Timur Tocak’s Government Investigator Walter also lends a hand in comedy, pulling from 1970s news anchor rigidity to make a wonderful straight man to Mitchell and Ipp’s foils.

However, Zucker doesn’t give in to the temptation of being too light. The play chooses its moments to slowly crumble into darker territory, harkened by a surprising and chilling moment from Michael Villastrigo’s Catatonic Veteran Walter. Like the lighting around him, the mood gets unworldly dark. Adding to the fray is William Webber’s Veteran Walter, whose trauma, like that of Baldwin’s Southern Walter and many other veterans, is psychological.

The most effective and memorable moments in Zucker’s play are the natural transitions into vulnerable and heart-shattering songs. They only happen when necessary, and never move anywhere close to spectacle. If you’re looking for play that’ll constantly pull you deeper into the world of a wounded veteran, this would be the first one to see.

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Till Divorce Do Us Part is Worth a Second Ring

Photo by Carol Rosegg.

If there are any newbies in the entire production of "Til Divorce Do Us Part", they sure know how to hide it; this cast of seasoned theater professionals transcends the ordinary levels of performance in musical theatre.

Ruthe Ponturo's musical follows Kate, a recent divorcee, as she journeys through each exasperating step of ending something that was meant to last forever. Despite the agony that pervades the subject of divorce, Ponturo, with the help of John T. Fischer's melodic genius, creates an atmosphere that's rich with fun, nostalgia and saudade. Grounded in its understanding of just how monumental the details are, this musical effortlessly combines camp with sincerity.

Mitchell Greenberg's bold and delightful stage design blends perfectly with this aesthetic. Bursting with Valentine's Day colors (pink, purple and red), candy hearts scatter themselves around the stage with biting reinventions of cliche phrases like "Bite Me" and "Really?"  Ponturo's work as a lyricist shines not only through her sardonic humor, but also through her willingness to sing about the ugly, the vulnerable and the awkward. It includes such sweet, clever, perfect lines as: "No one knows what to say to a divorcee. Do you say, 'I'm sorry,' or do you say, 'Hurray!'" Another song muses about the age difference between a divorcee's ex-husband and his new lover: "I've thought about it for a while, She was 5 years old when we wed.  If you had met her back then, would you have been a pedophile?"

Campy, free and silly with awareness, "Til Divorce Do Us Part" contains countless moments of performance genius, from a hilarious send up to "Cabaret" to a sly wink at "The Scarlet Letter". It is able to take you into a world that exists only in the imagination of Broadway theatre divorcees enjoying their third glass of wine in a living room. And god, do you want to be there. Original Article Here.

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The Gin Baby's a Tough Shot

For young artists, the difficulty of creating work isn't about getting a chance.  It's about coping with rejection -- frequent, cold and unrelenting. In Sarah Shaefer's play about a young NYU grad, Amelia, played by Leslie Shires, who is spiraling into alcoholism and borderline psychosis, rejection is the villain.

The stage itself sets the tone: a gray, bleak and unforgiving environment. We first taste Amelia's raw and palpable desperation in a failed addition, where she crumbles against the unapologetic coldness of New York City's art establishment. The perfect casual obnoxiousness of an apathetic director, played by Chris Stack, crunching down on salt and vinegar chips as Amelia literally attempts to bare all, sounds comical in thought. On stage, it just hurts. It hurts, because she tries. Hard. Unrepentantly, and never stopping. She has a thirst for acceptance that the world consistently denies.

That moment in her life echoes down into the recesses of her path to the bottom. From the rejection of her predatory relationship with a bartender (also played by Stack), to her ex fiancé (played by Maxwell Hamilton) and his cold reluctance, Amelia's search for warmth in a cold world is futile.

What makes "The Gin Baby" work is the production's unabashed eagerness to show everything -- to 'go there'. We see sexual assault, self-mutilation, and full-faced manic denial explicitly, without any fade-to-black cues. Though some lines may feel more reflective and poetic than spoken to the characters to whom they are ostensibly directed, the cast's consistent movement and groundedness redeems their hiccups.

A word to the wise, there are a few moments that don't fit with the overall grounded nature of the story. Think of a more serious version of "Orange is the New Black" or "Girl Interrupted". Shires plays a masterfully unstable and manipulative alcoholic, but her monologues can often fall into a insular 'tell' rather than 'show.' Certain points in the play seemed ripped from formulaic movie dramas, rather than real life.  It's the audacity -- in performance, script and production -- that keeps us watching.

Find the Original Article Here.

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Eat Cheap at Restaurant Week -- See Our Top Picks

It's coming... Restaurant Week, the week when all your culinary delights will be available at prices that won't make your bank account nervous. New York boasts a bevvy of impressive gastro pubs, vegan specialties and internationally-acclaimed fine dining. Here are the top three restaurants you have to visit:

Alfie's Bar and Kitchen

800 9th Ave.

Located in Hell's Kitchen, Alfie's Bar and Kitchen has microbrew and list of comfort food that proves grease, love and flavor make the best meals. The signature Alfie Pilsner and Alfie Lager have a crisp, hoppy edge that complements their food remarkably well. That quality is far more valuable than you can imagine, considering what Alfie has to offer in vittles.

Braised short rib sliders with gruyere cheese and caramelized onions. Just marinate on that, and on the fact that they marinated those short ribs in red wine for 48 hours. This treat isn't a one hit wonder on the menu, either; everything from their signature burger to their organic beet salad is undeniably perfected for the mouth.

L&W Oyster

254 5th Ave.

Head to L&W Oyster, perhaps the best seafood gastro pub in Manhattan. Start with a vast and ever-changing array of oysters, from Malbec to Kumamoto to even the infamous Belone oysters. Don't worry about which wine to pair them with: every waiter there is an oyster and wine connoisseur.

For the entree, be prepared for delectables like the Heirloom Tomato Salad with extra virgin olive oil jam, pesto sorbet and parmigiano crisp. Or even the Mushroom-Stuffed Chicken Breast with sweet potato fries, soy trumpets, and truffles jus. Every item on the menu is insanely delicious, and begging to be eaten.

The Smith

East Village: 55 3rd Ave. Lincoln Center: 1900 Broadway Midtown: 956 2nd Ave.

Brunch. If it's not yet considered an All-American meal, it it should be, and you need a Saturday spot that'll satisfy your eclectic taste in food and socially-acceptable morning drinking. The Smith solves your dilemma.

With three locations, this upscale gastro pub oasis offers the full package: addictively tasty and strong drinks, stunningly creative and savory breakfast dishes, and a chic low-key yet attentive wait staff. In fact, just the dining room itself speaks volume about the place -- the East Village location features an oak wood finish and clean candle votives on every table. If you're a regular: look out for free goodies every so often -- compliments of the chef.

Imagine stuffing your face with beer-battered string beans with house-made ranch sauce, or vanilla bean French toast topped with caramelized bananas, or maybe even apple-smoked bacon, with a slice of a heirloom tomato, fried egg, over a buttered and toasted croissant topped with lemon aioli.  Their decadence knows no bounds. And you'll wish your stomach didn't either.

Alright. You have a bar and grill, a seafood gastro pub, and a fantastic brunch spot on your list. Happy hunting, everyone!

Original Article Here.

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Have I No Mouth Speaks Volumes

Photographed by Ilan Bachrach.

"Have I No Mouth" stands as one of the rarities in theatre that master both the delicacies and weight of speech and sight. Irish playwright Feidlim Cannon takes on the ‘holy trifecta’ in this production: writing and directing the piece (with Gary Keegan), and performing (alongside his mother, Ann Cannon, and the incomparable Erich Keller). Both Mr. and Ms. Cannon play themselves in this story, while Keller takes the role of the ‘psycho-analyst’ guiding them through their memories. Seamlessly performed and bewilderingly cathartic, this visually-striking play steals audience members away on a journey of forgiveness and healing between mother and son.

The true demonstration of talent lies in how Mr. Cannon and Keegan are able to craft a family drama into a genuinely fresh and consistently engaging production. They exploit each word to its full utility. In fact, the pacing and delivery of each performer's speech -- calculating, deliberate, and wickedly potent -- informs the audience immediately about the importance of words, and lack thereof.

Photographed by Ilan Bachrach.

Every proceeding moment offers another understanding of language, with a tragically visceral and gripping effect. Mr. Cannon captures the heart-gripping honesty of loss, especially in moments like the day Ann suffers a miscarriage. There is an arresting juxtaposition in Feidlim's adult voice speaking for the cardboard cut-out representing his younger self. When young Feidlim misunderstands the phrase "She lost the baby," the child's subsequent rage at Ann -- masterfully conveyed through agonizing repetition: "How could you lose the baby?" -- unearths the honest and raw bitterness born in such tragedies. As Ann places her hand over her son's mouth to muffle his anger, the pain that resonates in the play's title becomes all too clear.

Photographed by Ilan Bachrach.

The play's visuals offer even more compelling work, as Feidlim finally steals the moment to speak with his deceased father once more. The silence in response to the son's pitifully honest and desperate questions stand as perhaps one of the most brilliantly authentic moments in theatre. Nevertheless, when Feidlim's frustration and pain overflows into him lashing out against the man representing his father, Mr. Cannon and Keegan reveal an even more electrifying point. We are watching Feidlim wrestle with the memory of his father, in every sense.

In a play where each scene surprises and grips the audience in empathetic melancholy or joy, it's difficult to describe anything without spoilers. Nevertheless, this work earns every second on stage, and will leave you in tears and satisfaction. Original Article Here.