DARK WATER
Theatre Is Easy BEST BET: "These creatures feel deep love, quaking fear, and fiery rage as they struggle to survive. Stallings’ verse -- fluid, poetic, and so musical characters often do break into song -- gives Gulf sea life a magical quality, while the specter of death and disaster grounds the show in encroaching terror... Director Heather Cohn is up to the challenges presented by Dark Water. She stages incredibly emotional scenes with sensitivity and respect. She approaches the material with Shakespearean seriousness." -Amanda LaPergola, Theatre Is Easy "Dark Water is a breathtaking work, a rich and powerful allegory that is both exceptionally literate and a searing cautionary tale and call to arms of the sort that seldom finds its way onto a stage. It deserves to be widely seen and talked about and acted upon." -Howard Miller, Talkin' Broadway "Stallings’ choices are stylistically daring and unusually effecting. By the end we realize we are watching in these characters’ struggles for survival something akin to a Greek tragedy and all the more so because they are innocent creatures and have had no hand in what we have done." -Carole Di Tosti, Blog Critics "In this premiere production, director Heather Cohn and designers Will Lowry (set), David Withrow (costumes), Daniel Gallagher (lighting), and Janie Bullard (sound) have collaborated to create a stark, impressionistic undersea world that engages our imaginations." -Martin Denton, New York Theater Now |
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
"Basil Hallward, a character I have never been sympathetic to, was wonderfully cast. Eric Percival really made the audience pity the character and feel that he was just a lonely artist who loved Dorian, not just the idea of him. For the first time since I’ve encountered this book, I actually felt for Basil and lamented his death."-StageBuddy "Glory Kadigan's adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, now at the Workshop Theater shows both the delights of the Art for Art's Sake philosophy and the danger of living it." -Hi! Drama "Craig Napoliello’s simple set gets great use out of three large picture frames that serve to divide the space, add a sense of style and serve the practical needs of a play about an artist and his painting... Christopher Weston has provide the production with a nice sense of mood and added some of the greatest moments of theatrical interest to the proceedings." -Examiner "This production benefits greatly from a marvelous set design (by Craig Napoliello), enthralling lighting design (by Christopher Weston) and an eager and talented ensemble led by Francesco Andolfi, who fully embodies Dorian making this enigmatic figure quite sympathetic. Andolfi seduces everyone onstage as well as the audience with his sweet doe eyes and mock humility--it’s no wonder everyone he comes in contact with, male and female, fall in love with him. Scene-stealer, David Stallings spits out Lord Henry’s clever one-liners like a theatre pro but he also shows us the vulnerable side of this creature. Stallings is an absolute delight." -New York Cool "In adapting Oscar Wilde's famous novel The Picture of Dorian Gray for the stage, playwright-director Glory Kadigan has made a couple of interesting choices that distinguish the work. First, she has chosen to use Wilde's words throughout: dialogue seems lifted from the page (and feels wittily epigramattic as a result) and narration bridging the scenes is frequent and literate. And second, she has emphasized the love that dared not speak its name in Wilde's own time, making Dorian's homosexual proclivities (and those of other male characters) explicit and clear." - nytheatre.com "Lord Henry (David Stallings), is a joy to watch and listen to; his comments are skillfully filled with the sarcasm and unrelenting wit you would expect from the character. He influences Dorian in a masterful way, presenting a lifestyle which mostly values beauty and the gratification of the senses." -Theatre Is Easy PARTS OF PARTS & STITCHES "The devastating violence that erupted in the wake of the 1947 British-mandated partition of India and creation of Pakistan is portrayed with grand imaginative theatricality in Riti Sachdeva's Parts of Parts & Stitches. The playwright also puts an affecting human face on this epic chapter of history. Directed by Cat Parker with pictorial verve and emotional veracity, it makes for an involving piece of work..." -Back Stage Critic's Pick "Director Cat Parker has created a suitable mise-en-scène to capture both the realist and magical realist elements of Sachdeva’s epic. Video projected onto a screen that serves as the the back wall of the theater comments like a visual chorus on the action of the play, and the Vultures, dressed in black leather with red mesh across their eyes, terrorize the stage like a gang of Harley riding harpies. Mariam Habib as Yamuna carries the show from beginning to end, gracefully pivoting from demure virgin to devoted wife. Spectacle, myth, and history are woven together seamlessly in this thoroughly enjoyable show". -Cultural Capitol "The talented actors make this off Broadway production a spectacular tragedy." -Review Fix "Vulture Dathan B. Williams shone, exhibiting full intent and deep impetus, while working as part of his "team" of vultures. He embodied a militaristic yet animalistic presence that it seemed the writer meant to have on stage... Sachdeva's play was brought to life in a beautifully-designed way, and her writing was allowed to be clearly told." -Review of Things About Town THE FAMILY SHAKESPEARE "The Family Shakespeare raises key questions around the timely issue of censorship. These larger questions, along with a gifted cast, make for a compelling production... Cotton Wright is wonderful in her portayal of Henrietta, convincingly embodying a woman who is both intelligent and articulate yet also naive and childlike... The intricate, visually dazzling costumes by Rachel Dozier-Ezell add great beauty and authenticity, and often times resemble creations that would wow even on modern catwalks." -Theatre Is Easy "Part Shakespeare In Love, part Sam Shepard play in corsets, The Family Shakespeare is an interesting story. The actors gave solid performances. Eric C. Bailey has some of the show’s best laugh lines, Alexandra Cohen-Spiegler is a delightful Dorcas, and Cotton Wright is an engaging Henrietta. The costumes by Rachel Dozier-Ezell are beautiful, and the set by Blair Mielnik is quite creative in the small theatre space. The show’s director Antonio Miniño has created some delightful staging sequences... It’s nice to see a new play in period costumes about censorship, family and poetry. It’s infinitely better than staying home and watching reruns of the network-approved version of Sex and the City." -nytheatre.com "The time is right for David Stallings’s new play The Family Shakespeare... Cotton [Wright] is charming, with a naturally evident love of poetry and a contagious sense of play. Corey [Tazmania] is quite the opposite in an equally exciting way. Her harsh and pessimistic look on life is believable without falling into the stereotypes of villain or shrew. Instead, her complex, tortured past is on stage with her at all times. Frankie Seratch as the ten-year-old Fen is also loveable and honest, which is impressive especially at such a young age... The Family Shakespeareis interesting and provocative with an active thesis, which sets it apart from the crowd" -Show Business Weekly "The performance has excellent production values (especially in Rachel Dozier-Ezell's costumes and Dan Gallagher's lights) and a versatile cast, especially Cotton Wright, whose performance as Henrietta Bowdler is worth the price of admission... The Family Shakespeare offers a pleasant theatrical experience." -OffOffOnline "It is always risky to create a work of art with an unambiguous message, and an anti-censorship message is no exception. Ambiguity, irony, and multiple meanings are the stuff of good art; an unambiguous message, no matter how right or passionate, risks sliding into agit-prop. Playwright David Stallings’s The Family Shakespeare, which recently opened at the June Havoc Theater in Manhattan, avoids this trap. It comes down decisively on the side of freedom, but also gives Thomas Bowdler, famous for his early 19th century expurgated versions of Shakespeare’s plays, a chance to make his case." -The Free Expression Policy Project. A HOME ACROSS THE OCEAN "Maieutic Theatre Works continues its string of excellent productions." -Stage Buzz "A smart, thoughtful exploration of change, renewal, survival, and the true meaning of family". -The Advocate Magazine "While the play may seem comfortably contemporary, A Home Across the Ocean is actually quite revolutionary." -Theatre Is Easy "Playwrights who are on the verge of burgeoning fame and possess a certain genius for tight writing are in abundance this season and thank goodness." -QonStage “A consummately professional and emotionally affecting production of a challenging play that re-examines notions of family and grief." -Theater Online GOOD LONELY PEOPLE “Faith, politics, and sexuality make for an explosive mix in Carol Carpenter's nuanced and thought-provoking new play, Good Lonely People.” -Theatermania BARRIER ISLAND "Broadway-level. It's one of the best directed shows (by Cristina Alicea), in terms of staging and emotional guidance and taste, that I've seen." -Performing Arts Insider & Lively-Arts "Incredibly moving... The deep, penetrating questions of roots vs. bravery vs. leaving vs. cowardice are ones not easily answered, and to Stallings credit, he doesn't try to. He lets you decide for yourself." -Theatre Is Easy "A thoughtful examination of the daily emotional and psychological 'storms' weathered by a handful of resilient Galveston natives." -Show Business Weekly “David Stallings has created such an honest, sometimes awful, sometimes heartwarming portrayal of what it means to come from a small town that it will either make you homesick… or happy you were born in New York.” -The Happiest Medium “We may not know why barrier islands exist, but we know that they're capable of forming and maintaining in a variety of environmental settings. The characters in this drama are made of the same mettle. And because they have the courage and stubbornness to stand, we stand with them.” -Stage and Cinema LOOK AFTER YOU "sensitively rendered, offering a respite from the campy fare that makes up much of this [fringe] fest.” -New York Post "Both Louise Flory and Jason Altman push through their scenes with earnest hopefulness and distress" -nytheatre.com "The direction by David Stallings is perfect" "A few people have noted to me that it's surprising this piece was accepted into the Fringe, since it's not a campy musical, has no nudity, and isn't a celebrity exposé- it's a real play. I'm glad that it was accepted. Recommended." -Broadway World THE OATH “Magnificent” & “Soulful” -Theatre Buzz “Outstanding drama… Wonderful, thought-provoking… With great performances, writing, and execution, The Oath is an outstanding drama worth pledging your allegiance to...Goldfinger marvelously unfolds the story with great dialogue and sympathetic characters.” -Theater Talk, New Theater Corps “An intriguing journey through the swampy American South…The Oath sends its audience upon a mind-enriching exploration in which we leave with more questions than answers—questions that will haunt even the most resistant audience member’s mind.” -Show Business Weekly "The Oath achieves a near perfect equilibrium between the quality of its writing and its performances...It’s perhaps due to [Goldfinger’s] deliberate subtlety that The Oath’s symbolism is so affecting. The story is laden with religious parallels, questions of female identity and themes of secrecy and familial duty, but the presence of a nationwide crisis that hovers over its cast of characters is what allows us to relate to them right off the bat—even before Goldfinger dismantles, in a startlingly effective manner, the initial archetypes that these characters represent.” -OffOffOnline ANAÏS NIN GOES TO HELL “Thank the gods for Stallings’ Anaïs Nin Goes to Hell.” -Village Voice “For a play about woman but written by a man, it tapped into the greater female psyche…” -New York Press “One of Fringe’s 2008 must-sees.” -Off Off Off “It’s nice to see a play that relies on strong women.” -nytheatre.com “Cristina Alicea’s direction is wonderful.” -Broadway World “Maieutic Theatre Works has produced another winning play.” -Stage Buzz PROVIDENCE “Now I know what it feels to be a fortune hunter who has discovered a hidden gem, Maieutic Theatre Works has a sack of gold on its hands, they are to be commended for producing such a fine contribution to the artistic world.” -nytheatre.com “The only thing that isn’t crisp, that is messy and oh so real, is the raw emotion and power provided by Sorenson, Crep, Ekblad and Wirth. The acting is excellent.” “Maieutic Theatre Works has created a beautiful and touching work of art.” -Stage Buzz ARPEGGIO “Director Cristina Alicea clearly knows what she is doing.” “Playwright David Stallings has given us a devastating portrait of today’s permanent un-grown-ups and framed it in the context of the current music scene, without commentary.” -Theatre Scene “The scenes with Allison Ikin shine… here’s hoping she gets more opportunities to show why real star power can astonish an audience into idolization.”-Backstage “At its heart, Arpeggio is a tight, well-plotted psychological thriller in the same vein as nail-biting films, Fatal Attraction and Single White Female.” -Off Off Online FOLIE A DEUX “They manage to humanize the killers… There is not a moment in the piece when I did not believe that they were passionate lovers, or crazy, or capable of murder.” -nytheatre.com “Stallings, who proves himself both a playwright and an actor to watch.” -HX Magazine |
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