The Hot List
this week's recommended new shows, selected by nytheatre.com editor Martin Denton
REQUIEM FOR BLACK MARIE: Playwright Sara Farrington and director Shannon Sindelar explore the women behind Bertolt Brecht in this new theater piece. Check out her Q&A preview interview for more details about this show. Incubator Arts Project inside St. Mark’s Church, 131 East 10th Street
THE PENALTY: This is a new musical by Clay McLeod Chapman ("The Pumpkin Pie Show") about a legless criminal who has sworn revenge on the doctor who wrongfully amputated his legs as a child. It stars Clay's high school roommate Gregg Mozgala, who writes about it at length in our Q&A preview. Dixon Place (161-A Chrystie Street, Manhattan)
FRANKENSTEIN UPSTAIRS: Mac Rogers meets Frankenstein. Do we need to say more? Mac's Indie Theater Now bio is here, and there's a great appreciation of his work by fellow playwright James Comtois here. The Secret Theatre, 4402 23rd St, Long City (Queens)
Newest Reviews on nytheatre.com
DIRTY GREAT LOVE STORY
Reviewed by Wesley Frugé (June 12, 2013)
If you look at cinema box office ticket reports, you will see that romantic comedies are trending down in recent years, and that the once bankable enterprise of a likeable leading lady getting her handsome man is now viewed as outdated and un-relatable by today’s cynical audience. I am happy to say that
Dirty Great Love Story, playing at 59E59 Theaters, breaks that mold and reminds us why we fell in love with all those Meg Ryan movies in the first place.
GEPPETTO
Reviewed by Charles C Bales (June 14, 2013)
Most of us are familiar with Pinocchio and its story of the puppet who becomes a real boy. Taking its name from the woodcarver who created the living marionette, Geppetto tells the tale of a widower who struggles to go on after the unexpected death of his beloved wife and fellow puppeteer.
FRIED CHICKEN AND LATKES
Reviewed by Ed Malin (June 15, 2013)
Over at The Actors Temple on 47th Street, an active synagogue where there was praying on Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon continued with a musical, life-affirming performance from Rain Pryor. Ms. Pryor, daughter of famed comedian Richard Pryor and a Jewish exotic dancer, tells the story of her childhood in California from 1969 onwards. When you're not laughing or clapping along to the music, you will be sad to notice that the show is over.
Summer Festival Preview: Planet Connections
This week, NYC's busy summer festival season kicks off with the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, which runs from May 29 - Jun 23 at two East Village venues.
Arthur Aulisi and Victoria Anne Miller in Fix Number Six at Planet Connections | Samir Abady Photography
We're a Planet Connections media sponsor, and we've got full coverage of the Festivity here on nytheatre.com and Indie Theater Now. Check out the Planet Connections Portal for the latest news about the festival plus links to features, podcasts, and rich and deep info about more than two dozen Planet Connections plays that we've published on ITN. You'll also find extensive archives of reviews and much more. Bookmark the page for previews and reviews of this year's Festivity as they are published!
And get a preview of this year's Festivity in this new article by Martin Denton. You'll discover what makes Planet Connections different from other festivals and get a peek at some of the exciting shows featured this year.
Watch this space for updates about all of NYC's summer festivals in coming weeks.
