The Elevator Repair Service’s take on Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure theatrically literalizes textual fidelity.
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Author: Steven Strauss
OH MY SWEET LAND (The Play Company)
In The Play Company’s site-specific production of Amir Nizar Zuabi’s’ Oh My Sweet Land, the thematically-resonant specifics of the site(s) contribute more to the play’s intended effect than the actual text.
TOO HEAVY FOR YOUR POCKET (Roundabout Theatre Company)
Roundabout Underground’s production of Jiréh Breon Holder’s Too Heavy for Your Pocket is perfectly fine, but its across-the-board traditionalism runs contrary to the type of work ideally presented at the Roundabout Theatre Company’s black box space, especially in relation to what normally occupies this venerable institution’s other venues.
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SPIELBERG (Susan Lacy)
Susan Lacy’s Spielberg, a documentary about the title director currently available on HBO, is a glorified DVD special feature.
BATTLE OF THE SEXES (Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris)
What was the last sports movie that completely failed to capture the cinematic dynamism of the sport?
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BEAUTIFUL TRAUMA (P!nk)
P!nk’s new album Beautiful Trauma mostly features generic pop that largely lacks the exclamation-point iconoclasm of her personality.
THE RED LETTER PLAYS: FUCKING A (Signature Theatre)
If In the Blood – the other half of Suzan-Lori Parks’ Scarlet Letter-reduxes The Red Letter Plays, currently receiving sterling revivals courtesy of the Signature Theatre – targets modern-day judgements rooted in lingering puritanical influences on American society, Fucking A delves into contemporary taboos that conform to the United States’ long puritanical lineage.
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THE RED LETTER PLAYS: IN THE BLOOD (Signature Theatre)
For students forced in high school to read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, this seminal novel about the restrictive confines of puritanical American society ultimately constitutes their least favorite assignment on the curriculum. Despite the salacious nature of a story that revolves around infidelity, Hawthorne’s archaically flowery language and snail-like pace usually bores even the most sex-obsessed, hormone-addled adolescents.
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The Merchant of…Montclair?
Site-specific productions are the true double-edged swords of the theatre world.
MR. DAVIS (Gucci Mane)
Another new Gucci Mane album, another instance of Steven being baffled as to why he’s become such a phenomenon.
Write All Nite 