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Long Live the Revolution
(Revolution)
Reviewed by Kelly Aliano
March 5, 2010
Theater can be many things -- it can be an escapist evening of entertainment, it can speak about...(full review)
The Wonder is Wonderful
(The Wonder)
Reviewed by Michael Bettencourt
March 2, 2010
Written in 1714, Susanna Centlivre's The Wonder had a long life during the 18th century,...(full review)
It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To
(Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band)
Reviewed by Charles Bales
February 28, 2010
The photo on the front of the program for the Transport Group’s revival of Mart Crowley’s...(full review)
History of Violence
(The Duchess of Malfi)
Reviewed by Edward Karam
February 27, 2010
Jesse Berger’s bloody adaptation of The Duchess of Malfi for his Red Bull Theater, which...(full review)
Evil Sometimes Outmatches Art
(Signs of Life)
Reviewed by Michael Bettencourt
February 24, 2010
Some subjects defeat the best intentions of theater artists to make compelling dramatic works, and...(full review)
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(Titus Andronicus)
Reviewed By William Coyle
February 27, 2010
You have to give the American Globe Theatre a “G” for guts—for taking on Titus Andronicus, which, despite its popularity in its time, is now frequently dismissed as William Shakespeare’s weakest (and it’s certainly his most despised) play. Guts also happen to be a big part of the play—at least in the manner and speed with which they’re spilled.
Titus Andronicus is Shakespeare’s bloodiest work and probably his earliest revenge tragedy. Students at the University of Liverpool have dubbed it the bard’s “Quentin Tarantino Play” because so many characters die, or are raped or tortured in barbaric, grotesque and improbable ways. The critic S. Clark Hulse estimates that an atrocity occurs every 97 lines. Much of the story, and its main focus, is far older than Shakespeare, so we can’t blame him for all the brutality. Much of the tragedy is derived from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and its portrayal of the rape of Philomela.
The venerable literary critic Harold Bloom once famously opined that Titus Andronicus could only be played as a farce and vowed that he would only see it again if Mel Brooks directed. Too bad he’s missing this one because, for the most part, John Basil’s American Globe Theatre plays it straight and it goes quite well as a direct, albeit psychotic, drama. Mr. Basil follows the script where it leads and wisely leaves it to the audience to decide whether or not it’s parody.
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4Track
Ages of the Moon
Cabaret Cataplexy
Clybourne Park
Conviction
Girls in Trouble
Glimpses of the Moon
Hard Times
How Theater Failed America
In Conflict
Little House on the Prairie -- The Musical
Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band
Pennybacker
Revolution
School Night
Signs of Life
TJ & Dave
The Atheist
The Duchess of Malfi
The Wonder
Titus Andronicus
Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind
Whatever, Heaven Allows
bash
pauljohngeorgeringo
REVIEWS OF RECENTLY CLOSED SHOWS
Forgotten
Moments and Lemons
ReEntry
The Jackie Look
Carl and Shelly, Best Friends Forever
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