When I walked in, I thought it was going to be a play about Saturn. But Tif tells you, like in the first five minutes, that if you were expecting science, well then she's sorry. The play was funny, sad, and weird in a good way. One funny part was when Lily was talking to Tif, and Tif asked her if she saw any bugs during her twenty-ninth year of life. And Lily said that she had; she saw a moth at the end of her Saturn year and it meant a lot to her. And at first you thought that she was just goofing around, but later you see how much it actually meant to her. I think the funniest thing was the penny-throwing, music-box-winding, yelling extravaganza that Kurt did. He was asked questions by an audience member and during his thought process he wound up a music box, threw pennies from a fishbowl against the wall, and yelled into a megaphone. I have no clue why he did that, but it is kind of like my own thought process. If someone asks me something that is kind of awkward, my brain goes into panic mode. It has a moment of being kind of calm, then getting kind of angry because you are wondering why anyone would ask a question like that, and then the panic.
It wasn't all hilarious, though. There were some sad and moving parts. There was this one part where Tif was having a flashback to the day after her father's funeral and she was at a store that had animals, candy, and toys--kind of a weird selection, but that was the store. It was where her father bought all her birthday presents. She saw this red tractor, and her father had bought her a red tractor, that exact tractor when she was a kid, several times. She reflected on when she was a little kid and she got the red tractor and she got really mad at him because she thought he didn't know what she liked. And she realizes that he was just trying to be a good dad without knowing how. You could see how she wanted to get to know her dad better than she did. And that is sad because she isn't going to get to because he's dead. Kirsten had a really tragic story as well. She talked about her brother who had killed himself. She kept his backpack and she said that it was the most valuable thing that she had. I thought that was very sweet because a backpack wouldn't usually be very valuable to anyone, but this was very special to her because it was her brother's. It was completely filled with new notebooks and pencils, which showed how sudden it had seemed to her because he was ready for school and then he decided he couldn't do anything anymore. I think maybe he felt useless, like an unsharpened pencil. Like he couldn't do anything with the way he was. That makes me feel very sad and depressed that somebody feels that way.
Neo-Futurist plays are often very weird, but in the best way possible. A bunch of people dressed up as different bugs, like moths with tape over their mouths and bedbugs with sunglasses. There was a lot of movement in the show and I found the hand movement piece that Andrew led weird but beautiful. It was a lot of repeating movements and they all had different names. Like there were goggles. And there was another motion that was like twisting your hands halfway and bringing it out to push a button kind of. It kind of reminded me of sign language because every move seemed like a form of communication. There was also a game where they asked Tif questions and wanted her to answer as her mom or as herself. And if she took too long to answer, she got splashed in the face with water. I found that to be a very weird punishment, but also hilarious.
People who would like this show are people who like red tractors, getting splashed in the face with water, and panic pennies. I thought this was a beautiful show. I was captivated the entire time, and I loved it. People should definitely definitely go see this show.
Photos: Joe Mazza at Brave Lux
I really liked the depression comedy routine that Diane puts on. She is going on tour and running it past Amy. It is not just funny, it also shares a part of her life from when she was little and she first realized she didn't feel right. But she didn't realize she was depressed until she was 35. Why would someone do a comedy routine about feeling sad? Because it helps them to feel better and it helps them to feel like they've been seen and heard. And also the audience feels okay to laugh because the person felt like they could talk about it. I think there is a very strong connection between her performance and her depression, because it seems like the comedy is healing her and helping her to get through it. Feeling like you are trapped inside of a box and can't get out when you are only 8 isn't funny; it is actually very sad. That part of her story really moved me. The fact that she is turning it into comedy makes me think that she is learning to manage her sadness.
I thought the mother-daughter relationship was adorable. They had their own little secret handshake which was very cute. They seemed to also be best friends, but then the mom was really bossy sometimes because I think she really loved her daughter and wanted the best for her. The mom had a speech where she was listing all the things she had done wrong as a parent and saying that Diane thought that. That speech was funny but also kind of sad at the same time because you could see that she felt like she did not help her daughter enough so she would be ready for life.
I thought the set (by Ashley Ann Woods) was really cool. I liked that it had all these different levels. I think the reason I liked the set so much is that it seemed futuristic because everything was monotone and the walls were see-through, but it still seemed like the play could be happening today.
They would repeat this one scene multiple times and each one would be focused on a different person. The first one was with Amy and she was putting a lot of papers together and putting stuff in her daughter's backpack. And then she gets on her phone and starts talking with Diane. She talks about how it is okay that Diane completely rewrote her script because she is the one who has to perform it. And then she starts talking about how Allison has to do her presentation well. And she is also talking about how Allison and Eric are taking such a long time to get ready. And then Allison shows up. The next time we hear these lines again, Allison is sitting and reading a book and overhears all that her mom is saying. And the next portrayal of the scene is when the dad is getting ready to go and he seems sad. That is the very last scene of the show and I think he was depressed. I think they repeated this scene so many times because they wanted to show different sides of the story. They could have put all the characters on stage for the first scene, and that might have been more interesting to me. I wanted all the sides to the story, but I would have liked it to be less repetitive.
People who would like this show are people who like comedy routines, realistic depictions of depression, and cute secret handshakes. I feel like this show really got its message across, and I hope it will help a lot of people.
Photos: Joel Maisonet
I really liked the Frog (Antoniao LaVance Boule Jr.); he is the first animal that Thumbelina meets. He brings her over to his lily pad and wants to get married to her. I thought it was hilarious how Thumbelina called it his "pad." He's going to go and tell his mom all about it because she has been getting on his case about getting married and settling down. But he isn't creepy or anything. He has a cute little raspy voice and he seems nervous. You still want Thumbelina to get away from him because you want the adventure to continue. She makes his pad into a raft with the help of a very friendly fish and then she gets an insect to pull her along, but of course an insect can not pull a small person for very long and then she goes down the waterfall and that is when she gets lost. This shows us she doesn't want to settle down yet! It also shows you that she is very capable of surviving on her own and she doesn't want anyone else's help.
The Mouse (Bryan Bosque) and the Mole (Nate Buursma) take in Thumbelina when she is half frozen out in the cold. I think they either are or would be a cute couple because they kind of reminded me of Frog and Toad from the Arnold Lobel books. Each of them has something the other person doesn't. The Mouse is artistic and the Mole is very interested in keeping everything real and things that fly. Thumbelina does like living with them, but they don't like going outside, which is one of the things she really wants to do and that is the reason she leaves. Also, part of their group is a Swallow (Dominique Watkins) that they find with one broken wing. The Swallow seems to have made the largest impact on Thumbelina; she even wants to go with him to wherever his flock is going. But he says she can't because she can't fly and she needs to stay where she belongs. He also helps her when she needs him the most by saving her when she is about to fall off a cliff.
This is not your average kids' show. It has some very intelligent aspects, and I think that it is very important to get young minds working. When you go and see a kids' show it shouldn't be boring for the parents. This show talks about surviving in the wild, and it also has the subject of friends going away and also feeling different from your family, which are some difficult things to talk about. The movement is very calm and relaxing and nice to watch. People might expect cute little songs or explaining things very slowly and simply, but they will get something that will actually intrigue kids of most ages and adults. It was clear when I saw it that very little kids might not have the attention span to stay intrigued, but probably 3 year olds and up would absolutely love this show.
People who would like this show are people who like capable heroines, cute mole and mouse couples, and frogs settling down. I think kids and their parents should definitely go see this show. There are so many kids who will love it, and I really enjoyed it as well even though I'm almost a teenager.
Photos: Suzanne Plunkett
In the first scene it starts out as three men--Harold (Tyler Esselman when I saw it, usually Martel Manning), Ordulf (Micahel Turrentine), and Landolf (Jake Szczepaniak)--who are working for Henry talking to their new guy Bertold (Chris Vizurraga) about what they are doing and how their job works. It reminded me of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead because no one was talking like in Henry IV's time, just like how everyone talks not Shakespearean except when they are playing their character in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Bertold has read up on the French Henry IV, which is not the right one. They are talking about the Holy Roman Empire Henry. Everyone else there was very offended by the mix-up and I found that funny because nobody could tell if they didn't specify. I thought it was the English one from the Shakespeare plays. The employees are making this reality for this guy and are being paid for it, which makes them kind of like actors. The difference is that they are only performing for one person and they think that one person believes that everything they are saying is completely true. It was very interesting to see that these people's everyday lives were all centered around performing for one human being. This show is about people pretending to be characters. It is not like Six Characters in Search of an Author, which is also by Pirandello, which is all about the concept of being a character separate from the actor. Everyone thinks that Henry thinks he is actually the king. But he is acting; he is pretending to be crazy and pretending that he still thinks that he is Henry IV. In 6 characters the characters know they are not actually people and that they need an author. And Henry's life is now to be the character of Henry IV and not a person until he tells everyone that he has been faking and then he is back to being a person again. He doesn't think he is Henry IV anymore and he isn't pretending to be Henry IV, but that doesn't mean that he is sane.
I think the play is trying to show the different ways that somebody can be insane. Henry is insane because he falls off a horse and thinks he is Henry IV. Henry is insane because of the bursts of outrage that happen even when he doesn't think he's Henry IV. And he is also insane by taking joy by tricking everyone for years and making everyone tend to him for years; he is insane for pretending to be insane. Each of those ways of being insane is very complicated. Once everyone thought he was ok because he was talking to everyone normally and didn't think that he was Henry IV anymore, he goes on a rampage and tries to kidnap Matilda's daughter Frida (Clare Cooney) and kill Matilda's boyfriend Belcredi (James Houton). But he still feels justified for what he has done, which just shows how crazy he is. That ending was surprising and very effective because you thought his confession would be the solution of the play and everything would be back to normal. But...nope! I feel like that was an even better ending to the play and it got me very invested. Just because somebody is one kind of insane doesn't mean they can't be another. People can pretend to not be insane and to be insane too.
The Bechdel test was not around when Pirandello was alive, but I think this would have been an even better play if it had been. There are two named female characters, but they don't have a scene together where they talk about something other than a man. The story is about this guy who thinks he is Henry IV when he isn't, but it would be nice if it presented women as something more than just accessories or a plot points. Henry thinks women are objects, but that doesn't mean that women have to be objects in the play. It seemed that way to me, not because the actors weren't good, but because everything the women said would segue into talking about a man. Matilda would start talking about how she wished she looked younger but that would just turn into something about how Henry still recognized her. And Frida talks about Matilda of Tuscany but only because a man thinks that who she is. Henry was talking about things all the time without talking about women. And the other male characters get to talk about aging, the complexities of the mind, and history.
People who would like this show are people who like exploring concepts of reality, surprising twists, and untrustworthy horses. I thought this was an interesting and complicated show. It really got my brain working.
Photos: Johnny Knight
Atari started out in the 70s founded by Nolan Bushnell (Wes Needham) and Ted Dabney (Jeffery Owen Freelon, Jr.)and became a huge deal. Atari made Pong, which was one of the very first popular video games. But before that they made Computer Space, but not as Atari. They made it as Syzygy, which was Atari before it became popular, but no one could pronounce it and they found out the name was already taken. Then Ted said, "Thank God!" because he hated the name. I thought that was hilarious. I hated the name too. Even though Syzygy is actually about space, Atari sounds more space-like. When they made Pong they were still just working in their house. They got Al Alcorn (Esteban Reyna) to make the game and put in sound effects. But the hilarious thing is that the only sound effects they could put in apparently were little short pings and long buzzes. Then they start playing it for the first time and they are mesmerized by it, which to us now is pretty funny because it's basically just a few pixels being slapped around on screen. And there is a girl named Dawn (Stephanie Shum) there who is a babysitter and acts like their secretary on the phone so that they sound like a bigger company and more professional. She is important because she basically starts out with company and does a lot for them, but is never really fully appreciated. She is also always there with Atari; even when the creators leave, she continues. And I think it is her story, because she is always around. The only game she misses is Computer Space. You also know about her before the show really gets started with the story of Atari, because the show skips to level 6 to start and that shows you that she will stick around for 6 levels at least. I did really like how that worked out because, when level 6 came back around, things started to make more sense. I think it is a great way to start a play with a bit of a sneak peak of what's to come, also known as starting in media res. I'm using that fancy term just to show how literate I am! ;-)
When Warner Brothers took over, everything changed. It used to be a bunch of high people making video games, but then everyone was forced by their new boss Stuart Nygard (Will Cavedo) to wear socks! They didn't think the takeover was going to be too serious because Manny (Omer Abbas Salem) was the person who got them into it. Manny basically seduced everyone in his sight. I really liked that scene. I found it hilarious because everyone had become so infatuated with him. Patti (Lindsey Pearlman) was the person who fell for him most. She would try to seduce him back with her bubblegum, which she seemed to always be chewing. It is very funny to see her so dumbstruck by this guy when she seems to be such a tough cookie all the time. I feel like Manny tricked them into going this route that they didn't want to go. I think it is better to have people who are making art using their creativity freely instead of being held back. I feel like that is one of the points of the show, that you shouldn't hold people back from their creativity with rules. Nolan didn't really have any rules. You could just think up ideas for video games, have fun making them, and then party and get drunk. But the problem with Nolan was that he could be a little too free and not get enough work done because everybody was too crazy. And also Nolan would steal ideas, and that is not okay because then they could get sued. And they do, but he just pays them. Nolan's life still turns out ok when he leaves because he founds a pizza place with a rat mascot, which is also better known as Chuck E. Cheese. They give you a little clue that he founded it by Nolan asking Dawn for her favorite food and an animal. And she says pizza and a rat, and then he says: "Yes, that would make a lot of money." And it seems as if Nolan's main goal is to get a lot of money. He didn't put a lot of creative thought into it. He was just like: pizza, rat, video games, go!
There is a court battle in the style of Street Fighter between Activision (which is another video game company that most of Atari has switched over to) and Warner Brothers/Atari. Thankfully Activision wins the court case. They did it in the style of Street Fighter because they didn't have access to the court documents, but also it was more exciting! They had repeating moves, like in Street Fighter, where they are always shifting back and forth. I found that hilarious. Ted, who has a huge afro now, has come to defend Activision and he leaps in very heroically, which I found very funny. Also, Dawn did this awesome move where she ran over everyone's backs and then attacked Stuart; that was hilarious and also very badass.
People who would like this show are people who like short pings and long buzzes, Street Fighter court cases, and high people making video games. I thought this was an amazing show. I really liked it. I felt like this was a great way to learn a lot about the history of video games and to laugh a lot at the same time.
Photos: Evan Hanover
Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called The Happiest Place on Earth. It was written and performed by Philip Dawkins, and it was directed by Jonathan L. Green. It was about Philip Dawkins' family going to Disneyland. It is about the importance of family, how your entire life can be altered in one fell swoop, and how there is no such thing as being "happy." I thought this was a great show. I really really loved it. It was very moving and also funny at points. It gave the perfect amount of sadness: it didn't just throw it all in your face; it gave it to you in small doses.
This play is certainly not happy all the time. You would expect the trip to Disneyland to be a happy thing, but they take it because they don’t know what to do with Christmas because their dad has died suddenly. The story is about Philip’s mom Beth and her sisters Mary Lynn, Karen, and Nan (who is left behind for the trip) and Philip’s grandmother, Beth’s mom. And when they get to Disneyland, Beth sees Cinderella when she is lost and she starts saying all her problems to Cinderella. And it is very sad because she is just pouring her heart out to this costumed character. And Cinderella is just trying to calm her down so that everyone else in line can meet Cinderella. Cinderella did have a lot of sympathy for her, but she couldn’t really help her because none of these problems are things that can really be solved easily. And while that is going on, Karen is on an Alice in Wonderland ride and while she is on it all she can think about is the relationship with her mom. I thought it was really cool how they melded two different worlds together. They took lines from Alice in Wonderland and then turned them into lines that the mom had said. There aren’t a lot of lighting (designed by Ellie Rabinowitz) or sound (designed by Michael Huey) effects in the rest of the play, but here there is an entire lighting and sound sequence. It is really cool, but the effects also add a lot of depth to the scene because it immerses you in the ride even more. And it helps you to feel Karen’s pain even more.
There were also funny parts. I really enjoyed all of the various throwing up ordeals. My favorite was there was a lady standing in front of Beth and Karen in the bathroom line when Karen was feeling sick and she wouldn't let them go in front of her. And then Karen puked on the woman. I feel like she kind of deserved it since she wouldn't let the kids go past so Karen wouldn't get sick in front of everybody. Then Beth as a grown up, Philip's mom, says "And I don't know whatever happened to that lady." And Philip says that all we know about her is that Karen threw up on her and she's probably dead. I thought that was hilarious. It was so dark but in such a funny way. I do love some dark comedy. There was another funny story about reincarnation that was basically about how the sisters found a black cat and then Lynn and Karen wanted to keep the black cat, but they were worried that their sister would tell their mom. So they decided to say that the cat was a reincarnation of their dead father. Dark humor! Then they talked about if reincarnation was in the Bible and Karen is like "Yeah, of course it is in the Bible." Also, Philip tells us about how when Disneyland first opened up it had a gun store in it, which you kind of laugh nervously about that. It is not hilarious or anything, but it is so unbelievable and crazy that they would sell guns at an amusement park. Altogether even though the show was about sad families, it is not altogether an insanely sad play because of the dark humor.
There are also some very sweet moments that relieve the sadness. I thought it was really cool that Philip Dawkins’ grandma is still alive even though she is 90 now because the grandma seemed like a really good grandma and a hardworking person. One time Philip and his grandma were doing the dishes and they saw a black cat in the yard. And with the entire story leading up to that, like the black cat they had had before and they said was a reincarnation of their dad, it made for an adorable end to the story. Another sweet thing is when the grandma met the grandpa, they had gone dancing and she drops her underpants on the floor by accident and then he just picks them up and puts them in his pocket. I thought that was super sweet because he didn’t exclaim, which showed how much of a gentleman he was. It was also very funny.
People who would like this show are people who like black cats, dark humor, and asking Cinderella deep questions. I think people should definitely go see this show. It is beautiful and moving, and I would definitely see it again if I could. It only runs until October 30th, so go and get your tickets!
Photos: Jonathan L. Green
I think Aaron Burr narrates the show because he has killed Hamilton but he has also known him the longest. Hamilton calls him "My first friend, my enemy." I think that is really poetic. It is not like they were amazing friends or anything, but I think Burr understands Hamilton even though he doesn't realize it until Hamilton is actually dead. They both want a free country, they both want to be around for their children, and they both want to be better than the other. But they go about it in different ways. Hamilton is not afraid to express himself and Burr is really worried about making the wrong move. I think the best example of these two personalities is in "My Shot" and "Wait for It." "Wait for It" is all about waiting for the right moment and "My Shot" is about trying to make a imprint on history by snatching what you want right when you want it. I've never cried during "Wait for It" before, and I listen to that song usually twice a day, but when I saw it live, I started to cry because Joshua Henry did such a great job that he made you feel that he was very sincere about wanting to be with Theodosia and how sad he was not having the love of his parents around. And I was like, "Oh no! 'Burn' is going to be a sobfest." And it was.
"Burn" was especially sad because of the way this Eliza sang the song. She sang it so quietly and she seemed like she was in so much pain. It was really hard to take, and I didn't really take it. I just sobbed and tried to make it quiet (and failed) because there are so many pauses in the song. You could feel the whole audience holding their breath. But she didn't just seem broken and sad, she also seemed angry. That showed that even though she was sad she was going to be able to get through it. I think the saddest line in "Burn" is her saying she hopes that he burns, because you know that she doesn't really mean it, but she does then. "Burn" is probably the saddest song in existence. It is so good, but it is torture. No one should wear mascara to this show--ever. I also noticed that there is such a good transition into this song from "The Reynolds Pamphlet." The background music at the end is like the beginning of "Burn" because it has this piano or something playing the same series of notes in different orders. And it just continues. The transitions are so perfect in this musical. And Jefferson and Madison say, "His poor wife." It shows you how bad Jefferson (Chris De'Sean Lee) and Madison (Wallace Smith) feel about it; they have a moment of realization of what they have done.
"The Room Where it Happens" is such a fun song and has so many amazing visual elements. There is one part where Burr jumps up on the table and an ensemble member pulls the tablecloth out from under him and it is just so amazing because you see how much they would have to practice to perfect that. And I noticed that there was a mirror on the table to reflect more light on to him. They also do this dancing which is like jazz hands to the side, kind of like they are playing guitars or something. And Burr at the end of the song strikes a pose that looks like Hamilton at the end of "My Shot." It reminds you that they are not too far off from each other. And after this song, Burr becomes more like Hamilton in that he doesn't stand to the side anymore.
Hamilton and Burr learn from each other; Hamilton learns to watch things and see how they will pan out, like with his wife Eliza during "It's Quiet Uptown" and Burr learns to chase his dreams by trying to become president in "The Election of 1800." They become more like each other right before they duel, which I think is a really cool plot point. I noticed that in "Dear Theodosia" they both had similar things to say about their kids. That song is two men literally sitting in chairs on stage singing about how much they love their kids. It is like they are writing the letters to their next of kin that they talk about in the "Ten Duel Commandments" even though they aren't actually having the duel together until years and years from then.
King George (Alex Gemignani) is basically the villain of the story and also the comic relief. He has three songs ("You'll Be Back," "What Comes Next?" and "I Know Him") and each of them go along the same melody. His performance was not just a copy of Jonathan Groff's performance, who was the original King George on Broadway. It probably wouldn't have been very exciting if there weren't any differences from the recording, so I'm glad he changed it up. He was more deadpan and less cutesy. I didn't prefer one over the other; I liked that they were different. One of the various moments I found hilarious was when King George stayed on stage for the beginning of "The Adams Administration." He yells out the song title very giddily and then scoots off stage. That was very funny.
"What Did I Miss?" was a really great song. It was all about Thomas Jefferson coming home from France. This is one of the funniest and most fun songs because of the way that Jefferson was portrayed basically as a guy who doesn't really understand a lot about your duties to your country, and yet he is Secretary of State. The way that he dances I think is pretty fabulous. He dances with a lot of looseness and footwork which shows you that he doesn't really take anything very seriously. I think Thomas Jefferson thinks he is the best person alive, and I loved Lee's portrayal of that. It was hilarious and amazing. Lee also plays Lafayette, which I love. My favorite song in Hamilton is "Guns and Ships" and it made me so happy to see it live. Lafayette convinces Washington to get Hamilton back by rapping very very very fast. I have memorized the whole rap, and I am very proud of that, but I cannot do it even close to as well as he can. I think the best line in the history of all rap is "I'm taking this horse by the reins, making redcoats redder with bloodstains."
"Yorktown" I think is the song everyone thinks is the end of the first act, but when you know that it isn't you feel very smart about that. It is one of my favorite songs. I think it was the first one that I memorized. I memorized Hercules Mulligan's (Smith) rap. It gets you really pumped and ready for anything, basically. I felt like I could conquer the world when I memorized it. I really like watching Yorktown because there is so much going on at the same time. It is like a real battle almost--except more fun looking. The movement I think throughout the entire show is really awesome and fun to look at. It is mostly modern dance and hip hop with a few other things scattered around. It really helps to tell the story.
People who would like this show are people who like flawless transitions, bawling your face off, and making red coats redder with bloodstains. I think people should definitely go see this show. It's hilarious, hearbreaking, and you learn a lot. You will have a great time. I know I did. Click boom!
Photos: Joan Marcus
