Tag Archives: Opinion

THEATER REVIEW: “WTC View” at 59E59th

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Rachel / @girl_onthego

Brian Sloan’s WTC View is a post 9/11 drama that reveals the individual traumas and experiences of New Yorkers, after the towers fell. Already produced as a film in 2005, now the show is given an airing as dramatic theater at 59E59th. (For those interested in such things, the original film starred Ugly Betty’s Michael Urie in the central role, played here by Nick Lewis. Continue reading →

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The Donners are Deaded: Discussion of a Work in Progress

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Rachel / @girl_onthego

In Guide and (The Myth Of) Infinite Progress, an intriguing little double-bill-in-development at Williamsburg’s The Brick theater, Cara Marsh Sheffler and Luke Cissell have begun a journey to accomplish that feat. Their subject? The man whose book, The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon, was behind the fateful “shortcut” taken by the Donner party in 1846: Lansford Warren Hastings, Esquire. Continue reading →

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Theater & Activism: The Working Theater Company’s 2011 Annual Awards Gala

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Rachel / @girl_onthego

The Working Theater Company’s gala evening was a breath of fresh air on a musty May evening in New York City. The speakers were eloquent and their words obviously heartfelt. The company’s dedication to providing a voice for working Americans in the theater was clearly articulated, and through a short entertainment program they displayed their working process and its results to attendees. Continue reading →

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THEATER REVIEW: “Teeth of the Sons” at the Cherry Lane Theater

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Rachel / @girl_onthego

Teeth of the Sons by Joseph Sousa, at the Cherry Lane Theater, examines family and faith from the perspective of two brothers, each vying to be the one regarded as successful by the rest of their family – and in one’s case, his God. Continue reading →

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THEATER REVIEW: “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo,” Aunt Dan, and Searching for Humanity through Theater

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Rachel / @girl_onthego

During recent visits to the theater, two plays have raised questions about how our society confronts and copes with our basic animal instincts, and the complicity of individuals in destructive acts performed by their societies. They’ve also presented complex existential arguments about the limits of communication and the need to be satisfied by what is, rather than by what one wishes could be. The two plays? Rajiv Joseph’s current Broadway production of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, starring Robin Williams, and Buffalo, NY theater company Torn Space’s production of Wallace Shawn’s Aunt Dan & Lemon. Continue reading →

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Celebrity Meltdowns – On Opposite Day

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Rachel / @girl_onthego

Recently, Pakistani actress Veena Malik was taken to task by a conservative cleric in her country for her perceived “shameful” representation of herself and of Pakistan on the Indian version of “Big Brother,” “Big Boss.” Continue reading →

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Film Review: “Potiche”

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Rachel / @girl_onthego

Somewhere between seeing the preview for “Potiche” advertised prior to “Blue Valentine” at the Angelika and the article I read about Catherine Deneuve on NYMag.com this week, I decided that “Potiche” was on my must-see list. Not sure why. Just had a hunch.

Following the hunch, I made the trip up to Chelsea to check out the film last night.
It’s a charming story about a woman who has allowed herself to become a “trophy housewife,” and how she reclaims her birthright – and then some – when her priggish, overbearing, condescending, philandering husband suffers a heart attack due to the stresses of a general strike. Continue reading →

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THEATER/FILM DISCUSSION: “127 Hours” and “Hello Hi There” (Contains Spoilers)

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Rachel / @girl_onthego

I contrast Danny Boyle’s 127 HOURS with Annie Dorsen’s HELLO HI THERE, and discuss the nature of entertainment in a post-human world. Continue reading →

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THEATER REVIEW: The Body Politic at 59E59 #nyc #theater

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Rachel / @girl_onthego

What a fantastic little fable about American politics. In THE BODY POLITIC, writers Richard Abrons and Margarett Perry (the latter of whom also directs this production) have crafted a whip-cracker of a tale about a Republican who falls for a Democrat on the campaign trail. As their relationship – and the campaign – progresses, the young party-liners find themselves negotiating and renegotiating their plans to win the presidency for their candidates. Continue reading →

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“Portlandia” – “Little Britain” for Americans

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Rachel / @girl_onthego

Since Time Warner switched our cable channels, I got to DVR PORTLANDIA, Fred Armison’s show on IFC. It’s kind of a riot. As a sketch comedy, it’s most closely related to Matt Lucas and David Walliams’ LITTLE BRITAIN, but without … Continue reading →

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