Off-Broadway

Critical Mass – Revenge Can Be . . .

by Karen Tortora-Lee November 1, 2010 Manhattan

“A good review is never good enough . . . a bad review is devastating . . .” Critical Mass (written by Joanne Sydney Lessner and directed by Donald Brenner) exposes a dirty little secret of reviewers: for some critics, reviewing is a bloodsport. For those critics who are out for blood, the review itself [...]

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Catching Up With The Divine Carl Andress

by Karen Tortora-Lee August 20, 2010 Interviews

One of the first interviews I ever did as an “official” theatre reviewer was with Carl Andress who was not only charming and lovely but also heaps of fun to chat with. Back then he was directing Charles Busch and Kathleen Turner in The Third Story which was a show that highlighted the talent of everyone [...]

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“I Am Not What I Am” – Othello

by Sarah V. Schweig June 6, 2010 Manhattan

Who would you bring to Othello? Someone you love? Someone you once loved? Summer. Not exactly the time of year a New Yorker wants to venture into Hell’s Kitchen on a Friday night. Tourists. Bad smells. Bad-smelling tourists. Every out-of-towner at this time of year wants to get drunk, screw one another, and go to [...]

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Not Your Father’s Circus: Le Cirque Feerique (The Fairy Circus)

by Karen Tortora-Lee May 13, 2010 Brooklyn

Can you die from too much beauty? Probably not. But if you could, I came close to doing so as I watched Company XIV “A mixed media Neo-Baroque dance-theatre company” spin Le Cirque Féerique (The Fairy Circus) into being in front of my dazzled eyes last weekend. The show consists of a series of fairy tales [...]

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“Langston In Harlem” Lights Up The Night

by Karen Tortora-Lee April 22, 2010 Manhattan

Harlem by Langston Hughes What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? [...]

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‘Twixt And ‘Tween The ‘Twain – “The Mark Twain You Don’t Know”

by Karen Tortora-Lee April 2, 2010 Manhattan

There’s a lot of promise in a show entitled “The Mark Twain You Don’t Know” – the expectation of an evening of eye opening hidden gems, new facets to an old chestnut like Twain, and deeper burrowing into the stories that have been given such broad brushstrokes over the years that we think we know [...]

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The Ohio Theatre To Close August 31st (This Is Not A Drill)

by Antonio Miniño February 24, 2010 Manhattan

The Ohio Theatre, a pillar of New York’s downtown theatre scene for 29 years, will close on August 31, 2010. The new landlord has issued official notice and no further negotiations are scheduled. Located at 66 Wooster Street, The Ohio Theatre was one of Soho’s pioneering performance spaces and is now one of the last [...]

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Review- Fetes De La Nuit

by Antonio Miniño February 21, 2010 Manhattan

Master collagist Charles Mee celebrates love, sex and the joie de vivre in Fetes de la Nuit, this time presented by WeildWorks at The Ohio Theater. Mee is no stranger to plays about relationships and how culture molds the different ways we approach love, loving, and being loved. For example, in his play Big Love, [...]

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Twenty@Twenty Vision

by Karen Tortora-Lee January 29, 2010 Deals

I cannot believe it’s been a year since the last time I brought news of Off-Broadway’s great 20@20 discount. But hey, that’s how it is with seasonal things. Anywhoo … here we are again, at TWENTY @ TWENTY season which is possibly the best time of year to go see a great Off-Broadway show. As [...]

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“She Like Girls” – And That Wasn’t Allowed

by Karen Tortora-Lee December 21, 2009 Manhattan

I’m not as concerned with the persistent presence of fear and ridicule as I am with the conspicuous absence of understanding and respect, particularly in communities of color. – Chisa Hutchinson Most of us wake up in the morning wondering if we’re going to do anything that day … or any day … that will [...]

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Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner? “Meg’s New Friend”

by Karen Tortora-Lee December 7, 2009 Manhattan

Let’s just get the mystery out of the way – Meg’s New Friend is black. But really, in The Production Company’s latest play, written by Blair Singer and directed by Mark Armstrong, everyone gets a label, so no one feels left out. For instance, Meg (Megan McQuillan) begins the play by labeling her boyfriend Sam [...]

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Theatre Review- Embraceable Me

by Antonio Miniño October 30, 2009 Manhattan

Victor L. Cahn’s new play Embraceable Me at Theatre Row’s Kirk Theatre is attempting to be a tennis match of the sexes where Allison (Keira Naughton) is your egocentric, focused, determined woman, whilst Edward (Scott Barrow) is shy, mousy, and amazing at what he does, which Allison uses to further herself during college and ever [...]

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The Temperamentals – Where It All Began

by Karen Tortora-Lee July 8, 2009 Manhattan

Going to see The Temperamentals at the end of Pride Month was as deeply stirring as watching a reenactment of the signing of the declaration of independence on July 4th, if not more so. Because, while the history of how America fought and won its independence is a story that is well worn, the story [...]

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Night Sky — In Space No One Can Hear You Groan

by Karen Tortora-Lee June 9, 2009 Manhattan

I tend to like it best when language is used precisely … I get annoyed when I’m trying to say that something is futile and all I can think to say is hopeless. I care about nuance; futile and hopeless may live in the same neighborhood of language, but they’re blocks away from each other, [...]

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Carl Andress Tells The Whole Story, Starting With “The Third Story”

by Karen Tortora-Lee February 23, 2009 Interviews

When it comes to the theatre, Carl Andress was practically weaned First Row, Center; he’s been writing, acting, and directing for as long as he can remember, and it’s always been his passion. He got his start years ago when … well, I’ll let him tell you all about that. His latest directorial offering The Third Story stars Kathleen [...]

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Becky Shaw – Worst. Date. Ever.

by Karen Tortora-Lee January 5, 2009 Manhattan

Pop Quiz. Becky Shaw is: a) your old college roommate who reconnected with you on Facebook b) your boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend – who still has her ski boots in his closet c) your mother’s bingo partner who keeps asking if you want to be fixed up with her recently divorced son The answer is actually: d) [...]

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“The Cripple of Inishmaan” Stands Tall

by Karen Tortora-Lee December 19, 2008 Manhattan

I was lucky enough to snag some deeply discounted tickets to the limited engagement of The Cripple of Inishmaan (by Martin McDonaugh and directed by Garry Hynes) last week. Let’s face it, when someone offers you discount tickets that cost less than a movie ticket, as long as the plot is a shade better than [...]

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