Coming Soon!

Tomorrow night, November 2nd, Bara Swain's The Boob Tube Plays opens at The Tank, featuring a short play that I'm directing, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.

The Boob Tube Plays consists of five short works, all by Swain, all inspired in one way or another by television. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt features Megan Greener as a woman who's watched way too much Law & Order: SVU, and Nick Walther as her terrified husband-to-be.

If you miss the show on Saturday, you'll have two more chances to see it: on Thursday, November 7th and on Friday, November 8th. All shows are at 7:00pm and tickets are $22. The evening is produced by American Renaissance Theater Company (ARTC) and includes work by directors Kim T. Sharp and Vincent Scott, in addition to one play directed by Swain herself.

Next month, we will be entering the season of A Christmas Carol, and I'll be appearing on a virtual program hosted by the Rosenbach Library, speaking about the legacy of Charles Dickens's beloved novella. There have been countless stage adaptations of the classic, including my own, which was produced by the Epiphany Theater Company in New York and Passage Theatre Company in New Jersey.

And if you happen to be in Brazil in December, the short film The Rainbow, for which I wrote the screenplay, has been chosen as an official selection for FINTCH - Festival Internacional de Cinema de Humor in Rio de Janeiro. More information on that coming soon!

Passage Theatre Company needs you!

For more than thirty years, Passage Theatre Company has served the greater Trenton area with high-quality productions of new and established plays. Now, the company needs your help.

An unexpected cash flow crisis has forced the theatre to reach out for donations so they can continue to operate. They are a vital part of performing arts in the region, so I hope you'll consider lending a hand.

For the past two years, Passage has produced my adaptation of Charles Dickens's classic novella A Christmas Carol. Peter Bisgaier played Scrooge both times, and was wonderful in the role. It would be great to have the production back again this December, but that can't happen if the theatre is forced to close its doors.

Located at the historic Mill Hill Playhouse, originally built as a Gothic-revival church in 1873, Passage has been serving the city of Trenton and its surrounding area since 1985. Artistic Director C. Ryanne Domingues and Managing Director Brishen Miller bring a piece of theatrical magic to Trenton, and since the theatre is located within walking distance from the New Jersey Transit train station in the capital, it's actually quite accessible from other places as well.

If you're able to, I hope you'll consider lending them your support.

Best Plays of 2022

As the end of the year approaches, I am once again making my list of the best productions I saw in New York City that opened this year.

If I were being just, I would include My Fellow Americans due to the amazing performance of Rebecca Ana Peña, but as the play's author, I'm probably a bit too close to it, so I'm disqualifying it.

Also disqualified is the virtual production of Kew Gardens as well as the live and virtual versions of A Christmas Carol at Passage Theatre Company. They weren't in New York City, anyway, nor were the productions of King Lear and Only Fools and Horses I saw in London.

Last year was rather lackluster in New York, though a couple good shows rose to the top of my list, including The Alchemist and The Streets of New York. It seems 2022 wasn't quite the year that theatre in this city got back into full swing, but at least there were a lot more good shows opening than there were in 2021.

So without further ado, here is my top-ten list in reverse order:

10. Cymbeline - New York Classical Theatre's outdoor production of Cymbeline was a blast, in large part due to Aziza Gharib, who played the show's heroine, Imogine.

9. Richard II - Another enjoyable outdoor production of Shakespeare was Hudson Classical Theater Company's Richard II at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in Riverside Park. Nathan Mattingly played the title role.

8. Made By God - Ciara Ni Chuirc's new play that opened at Irish Rep at the beginning of this year has stayed with me. This meditation on the changing law regarding abortion in Ireland doesn't run away from tough issues of faith and society's shared responsibility for all of its members.

7. As You Like It - Generally, this is one of my least favorite Shakespeare plays, but Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery's musical adaptation was a delight this summer in Central Park. The songs perfectly captured the goofy, conflicted nature of the play's characters. I'd like to see regional theatres pick this one up for the future.

6. Ohio State Murders - Adrienne Kennedy finally made her Broadway debut this year, with help from the star power of Audra McDonald. Playing Suzanne Alexander, a fictionalized version of the playwright herself, McDonald takes us on a harrowing journey where small things take on terrifying aspects by pointing toward much darker ends. (Still playing!)

5. Candida - Gingold Theatrical Group's magnificent production of one of Bernard Shaw's most delightful comedies did not disappoint. Avanthika Srinivasan starred in the title role, while R.J. Foster and Avery Whitted played the two very different men who are in love with her. The production also featured the best set I saw in New York all year, wonderfully crafted by Lindsay Genevieve Fuori.

4. A Touch of the Poet - Irish Rep scored another hit with their revival of Eugene O'Neill's powerful exploration of one moment in American history. Robert Cuccioli was brilliant as Con Melody, but the real discovery was Belle Aykroyd, who played Con's daughter Sara. I'll have a full analysis of the production coming out next year in The Eugene O'Neill Review. The author never saw the play performed in his lifetime, but I think he would have appreciated this staging of it.

3. Downstate - In the past, I've not been a fan of the work of Bruce Norris, but Downstate, still playing through January 7th at Playwrights Horizons, deserves to be seen. The cast, including Glenn Davis, K. Todd Freeman, and Francis Guinan as convicted sex offenders living together in a group home in downstate Illinois while overseen by a parole officer (portrayed brilliantly by Susanna Guzman), is absolutely excellent. Even more important, though, is the way Norris interrogates a culture of victimhood and portrays what it might look like for people to truly take responsibility for their actions.

2. Leopoldstadt - Tom Stoppard's latest play is more conventional than most of his work, but it packs an emotional wallop, especially in these times of rising ethnic nationalism. I spoke about the production on CUNY TV, sharing my long-time love of Stoppard's plays. Though the storytelling is mostly straightforward, its enormous cast of characters would be impossible to follow were it not for the deft direction of Patrick Marber, who makes sure we understand the steady march of time through the most terrifying decades of the 20th century. Tickets are currently on sale until the beginning of July, so if you haven't seen it yet, go.

1. Paradise Square - My top choice will no doubt be controversial, but in spite of its many problems, Larry Kirwan's reimagining of Five Points during the infamous Civil War draft riots captured what contemporary theatre can be if it has the courage to try. Choreographer Bill T. Jones did an exceptional job, and Joaquina Kalukango brought down the house singing the brilliant number "Let It Burn." The music, which is inspired by the work of Stephen Foster, deserves the cast recording we've been promised, but alas, the financial mismanagement of producers could mean this show never again sees the light of day. That would be a shame, as it deserves a much larger audience than it received during its abbreviated run on Broadway.

Here's to an even better year in 2023!

A Streaming Carol

If you missed my adaptation of A Christmas Carol at Passage Theatre Company in Trenton, you can still watch the show streaming until December 25th.

Aaron Oster directed this innovative production that stars Peter Bisgaier as Ebenezer Scrooge and Richard Bradford as Charles Dickens, who then magically transforms into all of the other characters in the story.

Click here to find out more about the show and to purchase tickets to stream a recording of the performance over the Internet. For $15, you can stream the production into the comfort of your own home anytime you like between now and Christmas.

Originally, the streaming service was only going to be available until December 20th, but the theatre has expanded it until the 25th, which certainly makes sense. I hope you check it out!

Photo Credit: Kara Jönsson

Carol Photos

My adaptation of A Christmas Carol is now closed at Passage Theatre Company, but I was sent a number of production photos of the show. All photos are credited to Kara Jönsson.

Here's Richard Bradford as Charles Dickens. He began the show as the author reading to us from his book, and then transformed into a multitude of new characters through the use of theatrical magic.

Peter Bisgaier played Ebenezer Scrooge. Here he is acting opposite Richard, who has become the Ghost of Jacob Marley. The wonderful costumes were designed by Anna Sorrentino.

In my adaptation, the Ghost of Christmas Past is supposed to be a puppet operated by Dickens. Here you can see the ghost puppet. Greg Pernicone Jr. designed the props for this production.

This production also used projections and had some spooky lighting designed by Andrew Cowles. You can get a sense of the lighting in this photo of Scrooge about to meet the Ghost of Christmas Present.

I think my favorite character Richard played was the old woman who strips Scrooge's bedchamber of everything of value. Director Aaron Oster had the character walk down into the audience, which was quite effective.

If you couldn't make it out for the show, I hope you at least enjoy the pictures. Farewell for now!

Year-End Sale!

Yesterday, my sister and I drove down to Trenton to see the closing performance of my adaptation of A Christmas Carol at Passage Theatre Company. It was great to see some fellow Dickens enthusiasts there, and the audience seemed to enjoy themselves.

Now there's a special holiday gift from Palgrave Macmillan, the publisher of my book Romantic Actors, Romantic Dramas. Until December 31st, you can get 70 percent off Palgrave hardcover books. That means my definitive study of British tragedy on the Regency stage is only $42.

Go to the Springer website to order the book online and use the code PALHC at check-out to receive your discount. At this price, it's considerably cheaper to order the hardcover book than to buy the volume as an ebook.

So if you want to read about Romanticism in both acting and English verse drama, here's your chance!

A Carol for Trenton

My two-person adaptation of Charles Dickens's classic A Christmas Carol is now up and running at Passage Theatre Company in Trenton.

Passage puts on plays at the Mill Hill Playhouse, originally the Messiah Church, built in 1873. The building was taken over in 1902 by the Lutheran Church of the Saviour, which merged with other congregations in 1967. In 1977, while the building was standing empty, it was gutted by a fire and was later converted to a theatre by the city. Today it provides a picturesque home for live drama, just a short walk from the historic Mercer Cemetery and the Trenton train station.

If you want to come out and see a show, there are three performances left: Saturday, December 10th at 3:00 pm, Saturday evening at 7:30 pm, and then a Sunday matinee on December 11th at 3:00 pm. I saw the opening last night, and I'll be back for the closing on Sunday. The show features two hard-working actors, Peter Bisgaier as Scrooge and Richard Bradford as everybody else! Costumes designed by Anna Sorrentino provide a mixture of the Victorian and the contemporary, and Greg Pernicone's set fills the stage with magic.

Aaron Oster directed the production. He's local to the Trenton area, but previously lived and worked in Minneapolis. He was the Associate Artistic Director for both EgoPo Classic Theater (2006) and Luna (2011-13). He received the 2004 CEC New Edge Residency Award for Theater and was previously a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors' Lab.

I hope this production can fill people with holiday cheer!

KPOP

Last night I had the privilege of seeing KPOP, the new Broadway musical by Jason Kim, Helen Park, and Max Vernon.

KPOP began as an immersive musical co-produced by Ars Nova, Ma-Yi Theater, and Woodshed Collective, all of which have produced work I've loved in the past. With backing from a slew of producers, it was reimagined for Broadway, and is playing now at Circle in the Square, where the U-shaped seating and digital projections make it feel as immersive as can be expected on a traditional Broadway stage.

The Broadway production also gained star power in casting the Korean pop singer Luna in the leading role of MwE. I didn't get a chance to see Luna in the show, as the understudy Amy Keum went on last night. Keum normally plays the role of Ivy, so the swing actor Marina Kondo went on in that role, but both were brilliant, as can usually be expected of Broadway understudies. The entire cast, in fact, was amazing, and the play's first act was some of the most fun I've had in a theatre in a long time.

Not only is the music infectiously upbeat and joyful, but the set designed by Gabriel Hainer Evansohn continually shifted to reveal new surprises. (A technical glitch last night was one more surprise than the cast anticipated, but after a brief pause, the show was able to resume.) Best of all, the first act set up a very interesting conflict between the young superstar MwE and her mentor Ruby, played by Jully Lee making her Broadway debut. The conflict between MwE and Ruby brought out the dark side of celebrity and fame, asking us to question what it's all for anyway.

Unfortunately, the play loses the focus on the central conflict in the second act, opting instead to pit blame on a smarmy American documentary filmmaker named Harry, played by Aubie Merrylees. Harry makes a nice villain for us to love to hate, but ultimately he's not nearly as interesting a character as Ruby or MwE, and I wish the authors had spent more of the second act developing their conflict instead. When the tense scenes give way to a fun-filled celebration at the end, the audience was brought to their feet with enthusiasm, but I personally missed some of the explorations of character that had been hinted at earlier in the play.

None of this should detract from the magnificent achievements of KPOP, though, and people should definitely see it. Unfortunately, they'll have to act fast. The show is scheduled to close on December 11th!

Incidentally, that's also the closing performance of my production of A Christmas Carol at Passage Theatre Company in Trenton, so see them both before they disappear....

A CHRISTMAS CAROL Opens in a Week!

My two-person adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol was performed last year in Trenton, and now it's returning next weekend, opening one week from today.

Passage Theatre Company is producing the play December 9th through 11th. Aaron Oster is directing the production, which features Peter Bisgaier as Scrooge. Bisgaier played Scrooge last year as well, and was remarkable. He is producing artistic director of Pegasus Theatre Company in Bordentown, NJ, and has also appeared on stage at the Arden, InterAct, and Act II Playhouse, among many other companies. 

The other performer is Rich Bradford who plays Charles Dickens... as well as everyone else! Bradford is a founding company member with Theater In The X in Philadelphia. His award-winning one-man show To My Unborn Child: A Love Letter From Fred Hampton has been produced in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Trenton (at Passage Theatre, of course). He is assisted in his multiple roles by numerous props, costumes and puppets.

I hope you can come out to Trenton to see the show, which will be playing Friday night at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm, and Sunday at 3:00 pm. Get your tickets now!

If you aren't in the area, though, you'll be able to watch the play streaming from December 14th through 20th.

DGF Fellows Finalist

This month, I found out that my application to be a Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow made it to the final round of consideration, though ultimately, I did not get the fellowship.

The DGF Fellows program offers a year-long intensive for professional dramatists looking to develop their work and advance to the next levels of their careers. Past Fellows have included Deborah Zoe Laufer, Lloyd Suh, Rich Orloff, and Rajiv Joseph.

It's disappointing not to be chosen, though not surprising, as rejection is a part of being a dramatist. I do have a production coming up later this year, though, at Passage Theatre Company in Trenton, New Jersey. Last year, they performed my two-person adaptation of A Christmas Carol as a special one-night only event, and now they'll be bringing it back for a longer run December 9th through 11th.

Aaron Oster is slated to direct it this year, and tickets are already available. I hope you'll be able to make it!

Trenton Makes

There's a bridge across the Delaware River emblazoned with the words "TRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES" touting the industrial power the city once had. What is made in Trenton today? Apparently, some great theatre!

Last night, I visited the Passage Theatre Company in Trenton for the first time (but hopefully not the last). They were performing my two-person adaptation of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. C. Ryanne Domingues directed the production, which starred Peter Bisgaier as Scrooge and Francis Kelly as... everybody else!

Bisgaier, who is also co-artistic director of Pegasus Theatre Company, is well known in the greater Trenton-Philadelphia area, appearing on stage at the Arden, InterAct, and Act II Playhouse, among other companies. Kelly, it turns out, has done a lot of work at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and we had fun talking about some mutual friends from there.

The production sold out, but was also available streaming, and I greatly appreciate the theatre's efforts to make the show as accessible as possible. Passage has been serving the Trenton community since 1985, and I hope they continue going strong!

CAROL This Weekend!

On Saturday, Passage Theatre Company will be presenting a one-night-only special holiday showing of my two-person adaptation of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

I'll be taking the train down to Trenton to see the play in person. Tickets for the live performance are sold out, but if you're interested in the show, you can also view it streaming for a fee. The performance begins at 7:00pm and is directed by Passage's artistic director, C. Ryanne Domingues.

Epiphany Theater Company originally commissioned the adaptation and produced it in Saratoga Springs in 2007. Amy Kaissar, who first approached me about writing the piece for Epiphany and who now is producing director at Bristol Riverside Theatre, will be coming to see the production in Trenton, so I'm looking forward to seeing her there!

While there's no replacement for live performance, I'm glad that the production will be available for folks to watch streaming. A number of companies have been making productions accessible online lately, including the Mint Theater Company, which is offering its archived production of Stanley Houghton's play Hindle Wakes for free until December 26th.

If you're not into streaming performances, though, and you weren't able to get a ticket to see A Christmas Carol before they sold out, consider going on Monday to see Bernard Shaw's Village Wooing performed as a live staged reading by Maryann Plunkett and Jay O. Sanders at Symphony Space. This special presentation by Gingold Theatrical Group promises to be a treat.

Christmas is Coming!

It's A Christmas Carol season again, and as I previously announced, Passage Theatre Company in Trenton, New Jersey will be presenting my two-person adaptation of A Christmas Carol on December 11th.

Not everyone will be able to get to the event, or feel comfortable doing so in the current Covid environment, especially if they happen to be vulnerable to the virus. That's why the theatre is also offering an opportunity for people to stream the performance from home.

If you're interested in attending this one-night holiday event, either virtually or in person, click here for more information. Tickets are $50 for the in-person performance and $25 to watch streaming. Your contribution will also help to support an important non-profit theatre serving the greater Trenton community.

Doors will open at 6pm with carolers, warm beverages, and sweet treats in the courtyard. The performance begins at 7pm. If you do come in person, masks and proof of vaccination are required.

Whether you watch the show live or streaming, I hope you can join us!

Giving Thanks Again

This time of year, it's always good to give thanks for all that we've received. With the devastation we've all witnessed in the past couple of years, it can sometimes feel like there isn't much left to be grateful for, but the fact is there are many out there trying to make the world a better place, and using theatre to do that.

So first and foremost, I'm grateful to Passage Theatre Company, which will be performing my adaptation of A Christmas Carol next month in Trenton, New Jersey. C. Ryanne Domingues is directing the two-hander about Scrooge's visitation by his deceased partner and a trio of other spirits. It will be a one-night holiday event on December 11th.

I'm also grateful for Actors' Theatre in Santa Cruz, California. Their 8 Tens @ 8 Festival, billed as the longest running short play festival in America, will be including my short play Kew Gardens next year. The festival runs from January 14th to February 6th. Bill Peters is directing this one-woman show that stars Sienna Thorgusen.

Closer to home, Gingold Theatrical Group is another group I'm grateful to have around, not just for their wonderful production of Mrs. Warren's Profession, but also for kindly inviting me to take part in a panel discussion about the play earlier this month. They also will be having a special staged reading of Bernard Shaw's Village Wooing next month.

During the height of the pandemic, it was scrappy companies like Irish Repertory Theatre that did the most to keep theatre alive, putting many of the larger organizations in New York City to shame. I'm grateful to Irish Rep both for all of the virtual performances they put on and for their coming return to live performance with a production of Dion Boucicault's The Streets of New York.

The nights are getting longer, but there is a light in the darkness, and the dark has not overcome it. Let's be grateful for that as we try to build back something better than what we had before.

Coming Soon!

My two-person adaptation of A Christmas Carol was first performed in Saratoga Springs, but now the Passage Theatre Company will be doing the piece as a one-night-only fundraiser in Trenton on December 11th.

Tickets are available now. I plan to take the train down to see the production myself. C. Ryanne Domingues is directing, and the theatre has put out a casting call. The remarkable actors George Deihl and Hugh Sinclair originated the two roles in the show in 2007.

I also have another show coming up in January on the West Coast. Actors' Theatre in Santa Cruz will be putting on the world premiere of my short play Kew Gardens as part of its 8 Tens @ 8 Festival. The festival runs from January 14th through February 6th (the night before the birthday of Charles Dickens, as it so happens.)

Kew Gardens doesn't have any Dickensian connections, though, nor is it typical holiday fare. This dark, one-woman play is being directed by Bill Peters and stars Sienna Thorgusen. The festival has "A" and "B" nights, so if you want to see Kew Gardens, make sure you go on one of the "A" nights, 1/14, 1/16 (actually a matinee), 1/22, 1/28, 1/23 (another matinee), or 2/5.

After a long theatre shutdown, I'm happy I can now actually announce some new productions!