Culture, connection, and a touch of fun—our Playing section highlights theater, film, art, music, streaming shows, exhibitions, and events that make life vibrant. Find out what to see, where to go, and how to experience it all like an insider.
The Oscar-nominated Danish film, After the Wedding, directed by Susanne Bier, starred two men – Mads Mikkelsen and Rolf Lassgård. It’s perhaps a reflection of the current climate, with women pushing for equal pay and greater voice in the workplace, that the American version, directed by Bart Freundlich, instead cast
The New Job – Night 1 With my Madison Square Garden badge in place, polo shirt neatly tucked into slacks, comfortable black sneakers on my feet, I handed out bottles of bubbles at the Michael Bublé concert. Yes, you read that right. It was “Bubbles for Bublé” night at the
Richard Wright’s compelling 1939 novel found its way to legitimate theater in three different adaptations: 1941, 2006, and this 2014 version, and three films, in 1951, 1986, and 2019 (from a screenplay by Suzan-Lori Parks). The controversial novel was simultaneously celebrated as illuminating this country’s racial divide created by social
The corridor is dark. Shepherded into a theater filled with red light and fog, we’re led to our VIP couch by a genial male host. Like other doubling cast members, he wears fabric rabbit ears, a neck ruffle accented by faux jewels, a brocade morning coat (open to reveal chest),
Interior by Nick PayneDirected by Rory McGregor An Old Man (Bill Buell) and A Stranger (Jordan Bellow) have been thrown together by the discovery of a dead girl hauled out of a local lake. The Old Man has asked for moral support as he informs her family, his neighbors. The
Lucky by Sharr WhiteDirected by J.J. Kandel It’s the 1940s. War is over but it’s taken Phil (Blake DeLong) years and the impetus of his father’s death to come home. Young wife Meredith (Christine Spang) has heard that though hospitalized, he wasn’t wounded, but nothing else. Letters have gone unanswered.
I have nothing against excess. It can be terrific fun if well applied. Like camp, however, even excess has its breaking point. When it becomes annoying, diminishing instead of adding to drama, music, visuals, an editor is needed. This production is sorely in need of one. Baz Luhrmann’s original film
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (1899 –1973) was a British playwright/poet/songwriter/director/actor singer, known for wit, theatricality, and personal style; what Time Magazine called a combination of “pose and poise.” Man/Pianist/Noël plays a few bars of “Someday I’ll Find You.”Woman: Extraordinary how potent cheap music can be. Didn’t Noël say something to
The Oscar-nominated Danish film, After the Wedding, directed by Susanne Bier, starred two men – Mads Mikkelsen and Rolf Lassgård. It’s perhaps a reflection of the current climate, with women pushing for equal pay and greater voice in the workplace, that the American version, directed by Bart Freundlich, instead cast Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams in the leads. The story, now focusing on two women rather than two men, packs an even greater emotional punch,
The New Job – Night 1 With my Madison Square Garden badge in place, polo shirt neatly tucked into slacks, comfortable black sneakers on my feet, I handed out bottles of bubbles at the Michael Bublé concert. Yes, you read that right. It was “Bubbles for Bublé” night at the Garden and I was doing the dispensing. Why? Well from mid-July to mid-August, I was a Guest Experience Representative (GER) at Madison Square Garden. This was, I
Richard Wright’s compelling 1939 novel found its way to legitimate theater in three different adaptations: 1941, 2006, and this 2014 version, and three films, in 1951, 1986, and 2019 (from a screenplay by Suzan-Lori Parks). The controversial novel was simultaneously celebrated as illuminating this country’s racial divide created by social conditions and as stereotyping the negro for a white audience seen here as oppressors. (The latter opinion was expressed by James Baldwin.) This first-rate interpretation
The corridor is dark. Shepherded into a theater filled with red light and fog, we’re led to our VIP couch by a genial male host. Like other doubling cast members, he wears fabric rabbit ears, a neck ruffle accented by faux jewels, a brocade morning coat (open to reveal chest), fishnet pantyhose over a jockstrap, large, glittery cod piece, strappy Capezio heels, and theatrical makeup. (Others sport feather boas or top hats.) Every ensemble is
Interior by Nick PayneDirected by Rory McGregor An Old Man (Bill Buell) and A Stranger (Jordan Bellow) have been thrown together by the discovery of a dead girl hauled out of a local lake. The Old Man has asked for moral support as he informs her family, his neighbors. The men stand outside her house watching a warm, domestic scene (way too long) while the Old Man agonizes about how to deliver the news. Really,
Lucky by Sharr WhiteDirected by J.J. Kandel It’s the 1940s. War is over but it’s taken Phil (Blake DeLong) years and the impetus of his father’s death to come home. Young wife Meredith (Christine Spang) has heard that though hospitalized, he wasn’t wounded, but nothing else. Letters have gone unanswered. Even Phil’s family has no idea where he’s been. Eventually his spouse moved out of Phil’s parents’ house and got herself a job. Having received
I have nothing against excess. It can be terrific fun if well applied. Like camp, however, even excess has its breaking point. When it becomes annoying, diminishing instead of adding to drama, music, visuals, an editor is needed. This production is sorely in need of one. Baz Luhrmann’s original film conceit of using familiar, contemporary rock as the score of a nineteenth century story admittedly didn’t work for me. There, however, material was carefully selected;
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (1899 –1973) was a British playwright/poet/songwriter/director/actor singer, known for wit, theatricality, and personal style; what Time Magazine called a combination of “pose and poise.” Man/Pianist/Noël plays a few bars of “Someday I’ll Find You.”Woman: Extraordinary how potent cheap music can be. Didn’t Noël say something to that effect?Man: He said exactly that-and to exactly that piece of music… Author Barry Day’s entertaining sketch of Noël Coward gives us a look at
