‘OUR TOWN’: Ephraim Sykes & Zoey Deutch. Photo: Daniel Rader.

OUR TOWN
By Thornton Wilder
Through January 19, 2025
Directed by Kenny Leon
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
242 West 47th Street
www.ourtownbroadway.com

By Scott Harrah

The latest revival of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town bears little resemblance to the classic drama often produced in high schools. Director Kenny Leon has reinvented the renowned story set in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire into a modern-day look at small-town life that reflects 21^st century America instead of the early 1900s (the original period for the play).

The show opens with characters onstage singing a hymn that combines Jewish prayers in Hebrew, Muslim prayers in Arabic as well as Christian references. The Stage Manager (Jim Parsons) who narrates the story is still an integral part of the show, but Mr. Leon has added many of the touches that European directors insert into American stage classics to give a “new” twist, such as audience members seated on the stage. Characters in the show enter via running down the aisles through the audience and hop on stage. Although these directorial choices are often effective, they may not please purists of the show.

Our Town has always been produced with minimal sets and props, and in this version the biggest part of the set is a group of lanterns hanging above the stage. Minimalism has always been front and center in the play, and director Kenny Leon has trimmed down everything from the sets to the show’s running length. Our Town is a three-act play, but here it has been condensed into a brief one act that runs about 100 minutes. Since there is no intermission, one of the Stage Manager’s classic lines at the end of Act I—“That’s the end of Act I, folks. You can go and smoke, now. Those that smoke”—has, of course, been cut.

Act I focuses on the daily life of people in Grover’s Corners. The Stage Manager talks about the mundane happenings in the town, from births, marriages, deaths, the paper boy’s route, what people eat for breakfast, folks gossiping, and so on. Our Town centers on two families: First, Mr. Webb (Richard Thomas), the local newspaper editor, and Mrs. Webb (Katie Holmes). They have a young son, Wally (Hagan Oliveras) and daughter, Emily (Zoey Deutch). The second family in focus are the Gibbs, including Dr. Gibbs (Billy Eugene Jones) and Mrs. Gibbs (Michelle Williams). The Gibbs also have a son, George (Ephraim Sykes) and daughter, Rebecca (Safiya Kaijya Harris). Emily and George soon develop a budding romance.

Other townsfolk include the gossipy Mrs. Soames (Julie Halston) and choir director Simon Stimson (Donald Webber, Jr.), a man who is also the notorious local alcoholic. In addition, the dairyman Howie Newsome (John McGinty) is deaf, and characters use sign language to communicate with him.

In Act II, it is three years later, and Emily and George are planning to get married. George decides against leaving town to attend college and decides to stay in Grovers Corners to marry Emily. Despite some hesitation, the two eventually wed.

Act III is set nine years later and takes place in a cemetery outside town. Without giving too much away, many townsfolk have died. One died of pneumonia, one of a burst appendix, and another died by suicide. We meet the local undertaker Joe Stoddard (Anthony Michael Lopez) and Sam Craig (Doron Jepaul), a man who has returned to Grover’s Corners for a cousin’s funeral. We soon realize the deceased cousin is one of the play’s main characters. The Stage Manager talks in detail about death and the probability of an afterlife, but without any religious interpretation.

Overall, director Kenny Leon has added many nice touches, such as the smell of bacon wafting out into the audience when Mrs. Webb is cooking breakfast.  Mr. Leon gets primarily effective performances from the cast.  Mr. Parsons is outstanding as the Stage Manager. Mr. Thomas and Ms. Holmes portray a great married couple as Mr. and Mrs. Webb, and the same holds true for Mr. Jones and Ms. Williams as the Gibbs. Ms. Halston is often hilarious as the town busybody Mrs. Soames. Mr. Sykes is believable and often touching in his role as George Gibbs. Ms. Deutch as Emily is consistently good, but her final “good-bye” speech—one of the play’s most iconic moments—comes off somewhat strained. This is hardly the best Our Town revival, but fortunately the modern touches and tweaks do not diminish the timeless story of community and life’s ups and downs in small-town America.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 18, 2024
Reviewed at October 15, 2024 press performance

‘OUR TOWN’: (left to right) Anthony Michael Lopez, Safiya Kaijya Harris, Shyla Lefner, Billy Eugene Jones, Michelle Wilson, Jim Parsons & Katie Holmes. Photo: Daniel Rader.

‘OUR TOWN’: Billy Eugene Jones & Michelle Wilson. Photo: Daniel Rader.

‘OUR TOWN’: Ephraim Sykes, Katie Holmes & Richard Thomas. Photo: Daniel Rader.

‘OUR TOWN’: The cast. Photo: Daniel Rader.

‘OUR TOWN’: (left to right) Ephie Aardema Sarnak, Julie Halston, Richard Thomas & Hagan Oliveras. Photo: Daniel Rader.

‘OUR TOWN’: Zoey Deutch. Photo: Daniel Rader.

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‘PATRIOTS’: Michael Stuhlbarg. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

PATRIOTS
Written by Peter Morgan
Directed by Rupert Goold
Through June 23, 2024
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
243 West 47^th Street
https://patriotsbroadway.com/

By Scott Harrah

The battle for control of Russia between shady billionaire businessman Boris Berezovsky (Michael Stuhlbarg) and the infamous dictator Vladimir Putin (Will Keen) is the focus of Peter Morgan’s disturbing, ambitious and dark political epic Patriots. The show has transferred to Broadway after a successful West End run in London. At the helm of this production is acclaimed U.K. director Rupert Goold, known on this side of the Atlantic for such dramas as Ink, American Psycho and King Charles III. Mr. Morgan, best known for the Netflix phenomenon “The Crown,” the 2006 Hollywood hit The Queen with Helen Mirren and such Broadway dramas as The Audience, spins a gripping if somewhat lugubrious saga of how billionaire Berezovsky—a math prodigy as a child—grew up to become an ultra-wealthy oligarch during Boris Yeltsin’s regime.  Berezovsky influenced Russian politics after the fall of the Soviet Union and even claimed to “create” Putin as a nefarious world leader.

Patriots unfolds at a manic pace in 1991, right after the USSR collapsed as an elite group of Russia’s corrupt businessmen created an oligarchy, hoping to use their wealth to buy power in a vast nation that spans 11 time zones. Pay close attention in the beginning of the first act because everyone delivers the dialogue at a rapid-fire tempo.  We first see Berezovsky at the apex of his power, surrounded by three men he nurtures on his rise: handsome boy wonder Roman Abramovich (Luke Thallon); security officer Alexander Litvinenko (Alex Hurt); and the initially innocuous young Deputy Mayor of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin. At the time, Putin is simply a former KGB officer stuck in a powerless position and he wants help getting into the Kremlin. The chronology of the story jumps around, depicting Berezovsky’s childhood as a math genius and his time at university with Professor Perelman (Ronald Guttman), an influential academic in whom Berezovsky confides. Although the professor urges the student to stay in academia, Berezovsky chooses instead to get rich by any means necessary.

Patriots is a sweeping, colossal historical tale but the narrative is often scattershot and uneven. It will thrill history buffs and anyone interested in how post-Soviet Russia under Putin became the corrupt, war-mongering  dictatorship it is today. However, the sheer scale and length of the story—taking us from Moscow to Siberia to Surrey, England—might be too awkward and overwhelming for some.

The unique set by Miriam Buether has multiple purposes, from a Kremlin desk to a bar to a casino and a national TV network that Berezovsky owns. Ms. Buether’s set provides a good anchor for a story that jumps around to different locations.

There is a lot going on here, but one thing is consistently engaging and that is Mr. Stuhlbarg’s portrayal of Boris Berezovsky. He is hyper, bombastic and emotionally charged at all times, and there is no question Mr. Stuhlbarg’s name will be among those nominated for a 2024 Tony Award. However, one truly has to be a fan of physical comedy because, at times, Mr. Stuhlbarg seems to overemote, especially in the final scenes of the show. This type of acting is something that British audiences appreciate more, while American theatergoers prefer more natural dramatic performances. Will Keen, as Vladimir Putin, is stoic evil incarnate—a cold, Shakespearean figure who displays all the creepiness and horror of the real man he plays.

Patriots is not nearly as focused as other dramas directed by Rupert Goold. Some of extemporaneous scenes could have been cut to fine-tune all the Machiavellian antics unfolding before us onstage. Regardless, Patriots is an insightful and eerie look at the rise of Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 22, 2024
Reviewed at April 19, 2024 press performance

‘PATRIOTS’: Will Keen & Michael Stuhlbarg. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘PATRIOTS’: Boris Berezovsky & Ronald Guttman. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘PATRIOTS’: Will Keen, Luke Thallon & Michael Stuhlbarg. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘PATRIOTS’: Luke Thallon & Michael-Stuhlbarg. Photo: Matthew-Murphy.

‘PATRIOTS’: Stella Baker & Michael Stuhlbarg. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘PATRIOTS’: The cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

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‘HARMONY’: Allison Semmes (center) & cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

HARMONY
Music by Barry Manilow
Book lyrics by Bruce Sussman
Directed & choreographed by Warren Carlyle
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
243 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), www.HarmonyANewMusical.com

By David NouNou

Throughout my entire theatre-going days, I have never seen a musical or play that was as well-intentioned as the new musical Harmony. However, there is a price to pay with such well-intentioned offerings. I am sure that none of the creative team or anyone could have ever foreseen what would play out overseas on October 7, 2023. As if politics didn’t divide the country enough, the Israel/Hamas war has created divisions in this country and around the world the likes of which Jewish people haven’t encountered since the early days of the Nazi era in 1933.

Harmony begins at a concert in 1933 at Carnegie Hall in New York City where six performers, three Jewish and three non-Jewish, who were known as The Comedian Harmonists were performing. This group did exist. They were world renowned. They performed in most capitals of the world. They had recordings, were in movies, but all of their fame, music, recordings and movies were obliterated and destroyed once the Nazis took over.

We go back in time to 1927 – 1929 Berlin, when the group was being formed, their early struggles, and how they wanted their act to develop. Basically, they wanted to perform in harmony. The group was formed by Harry (Zal Owen) and consisted of Young Rabbi (Danny Kornfeld), Bobby (Sean Bell), Chopin (Blake Roman), Erich (Eric Peters) and Lesh (Steven Telsey). Their lives become more complicated when Young Rabbi who is Jewish marries a non-Jewish girl, Mary (Sierra Boggess) and Chopin who is not Jewish marries the Jewish anarchist, Ruth (Julie Benko).

There is another character, Rabbi (Chip Zien) who is both narrator and commentator of the proceedings from the rise of The Comedian Harmonists to their demise. Just as in A Beautiful Noise where there is the old Neil Diamond and the young Neil Diamond, the older character becomes more of an intrusion than propelling the story forward. The difference here is Rabbi also plays multiple small parts, with lots of schtick, assuming that is to add comic relief to the proceedings. Rabbi is also the conscience of the show; and how he stood by idly and did nothing as the events were unfolding. Could all of their lives have been spared if he insisted on staying in America instead of returning to Berlin?

Act I comes to an end with a swastika emblazoned on the back wall, and the results are grim. Act II begins in one of the most misguided and absurd openers ever conceived. It is 1934 at a performance of The New Ziegfeld Follies where Josephine Baker (Allison Semmes) is performing atop a white piano with The Comedian Harmonists as her backup singers in white tuxedos in a song entitled “We’re Goin’ Loco!” Loco indeed. This must have been Barry Manilow’s way of cheering up the audience for the devastation to come, a tribute to Lola from his hit song “Copacabana.” Only to be told by Rabbi that this was a fantasy that never really took place.

From that point on you can connect the dots of what’s to come. Again, let me reiterate, the intentions are formidable. As I am writing this review, in the background is the news on TV with what is happening at elite universities and college campuses among students and professors alike, condemning Israel for defending itself and the rise of antisemitism across the country. It’s absolutely chilling to see what happened in 1933 is happening now in 2023. I cheer and applaud Mr. Manilow and Mr. Sussman for taking such a risk in musicalizing and bringing to life The Comedian Harmonists. The score is haunting and meaningful, but the book is very heavy-handed and lugubrious and there is no way of improving it. Not even the dependable director/choreographer Warren Carlyle can alleviate the proceedings. If anything, Mr. Carlyle should have been a better editor and deleted a lot of unneeded moments.

The six voices and harmonizing of Mr. Bell, Mr. Kornfeld, Mr. Owen, Mr. Peters, Mr. Roman and Mr. Telsey as the sextet is phenomenal as are the voices of Ms. Boggess and Ms. Benko. They have all been given solid songs and they all deliver with conviction.

Chip Zien is a Broadway veteran and has extensive credits from Into the Woods and Falsettos to the recent revival of Caroline, or Change. He plays older Rabbi and also narrates the proceedings which is so unnecessary, because they are self-explanatory. He is given the 11th hour song “Threnody”. Its definition: “a wailing ode, song hymn or poem of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person.” Think of it as Cervantes singing “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha or Jean Valjean singing “Bring Him Home” from Les Misérables. You are on your feet for the delivery of the song by the artist. Here one finds oneself applauding this incredible powerful song and not the performer. He lacks the power, charm and charisma to carry such an undertaking.

Harmony is a very tough sit-through, but it is an evening that is provocative and thought- provoking only to see how history might be repeating itself.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 16, 2023
Reviewed at November 14, 2023 press performance.

‘HARMONY’: Chip Zien. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘HARMONY’: Julie Benko & Sierra Boggess. Photo: Adam Riemer.

‘HARMONY’: (left to right) Blake Roman, Steven Telsey, Zal Owen, Danny Kornfeld, Eric Peters & Sean Bell. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

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‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: (Left to right) Ellie Morris, Jonathan Sayer, Charlie Russell, Henry Shields, Henry Lewis & Matthew Cavendish. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

PETER PAN GOES WRONG
Based on J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan
Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Shields
Directed by Adam Meggido
Through July 23, 2023

Ethel Barrymore Theatre
243 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), https://pangoeswrongbway.com/

By David NouNou

If you are into hyper-energetic physical comedy and relentlessness, then Peter Pan Goes Wrong is your ticket. Whether it is The Play That Goes Wrong or Peter Pan Goes Wrong, it is basically the same show, the same authors and the same leading men consisting of Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields of the London-based Mischief Theatre. However, only the titles are different.

What’s different about this show is it is loosely based on J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan and has the distinction of having Neil Patrick Harris as the narrator and playing other bit parts to the delight of the audience. His every entrance and exit elicited applause and that is the better part of the show.

You have to be prepared to in some way be a part of the show. The actors, doubling as stagehands as the audience enters the theatre, mill through the masses, setting up wires and doing bits to prepare the audience for the theatrical pandemonium that ensues. The audience at my performance was more than eager to participate in the interactive shenanigans and then the play began.

The play, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, takes place in some regional/community British theatre, and as the title aptly suggests everything, everywhere all at once goes wrong. From Nana, the dog getting stuck in a trap door to Peter Pan flying upside down to cast members being electrocuted, doors slamming into faces, getting planked in the crotch, and there is a glorious revolving stage. Mayhem, pratfalls and chaos ensue in each scene at a nonstop pace. The audience is encouraged to hiss and boo at some of the characters, and there is no end to that, but suffice it to say the audience is enthralled with all this madness. This comedy genre is enormously popular in the United Kingdom, and obviously has many fans on this side of the Atlantic, too.

Believe it or not, the clever and interesting set design by Simon Scullion is the highlight of the show. After a while and by the second act, all the characters blend into each other and they become indistinguishable from one another, with the exception of Neil Patrick Harris, because he is Neil Patrick Harris—and we are grateful for that.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 21, 2023
Reviewed at April 20, 2023 press performance.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: Henry Lewis, Neil Patrick Harris & Henry Shields. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: (Left to right) Harry Kershaw, Chris Leask, Henry Shields, Nancy Zamit, and Greg Tannahill & back (left to right) Charlie Russell & Henry Lewis.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: Neil Patrick Harris. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: Matthew Cavendish (front) with (left to right) Harry Kershaw, Charlie Russell, Greg Tannahill, Henry Shields, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Lewis. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: (Left to right) Ellie Morris, Chris Leask & Bianca Horn. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: Nancy Zamit. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: Henry Lewis & Jonathan Sayer. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘PETER PAN GOES WRONG’: Nancy Zamit & Greg Tannahill. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

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‘PARADISE SQUARE’: The cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

PARADISE SQUARE
Book by Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas & Larry Kirwan
Music by Jason Howland
Lyrics by Nathan Tysen & Masi Asare
Choreography by Bill T. Jones
Directed by Moises Kaufman
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
243 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), www.ParadiseSquareMusical.com

By David NouNou

It’s certainly not the lack of a good storyline that plagues Paradise Square. It has a riveting and compelling story, but the book hammers and repeats itself again and again. In case you missed it in the book, the score will hammer it some more, and if you still missed it, the repetitive choreography will tap, stomp and body slap the message home.

Paradise Square is a fictionalized historical version set in the Five Points area in Lower Manhattan and the events leading up to the violent Draft Riots of 1863 that started as immigrant protests against the Civil War draft, but then turned to violent attacks against the Blacks. As I mentioned earlier, it is a complex and riveting tale, but it is presented quite heavy-handedly.

Nelly Freeman O’Brien (Joaquina Kalukango) is a Black owner of a saloon—left to her by her father who was a slave—in the Five Points. Nelly is married to a white military Irishman, Willy O’Brien (Matt Bogart) who helps her run the saloon until he is drafted. Matt’s sister Annie Lewis (Chilina Kennedy) is married to Reverend Samuel Jacob Lewis (Nathaniel Stampley), Nelly’s brother. The four share the duties to run the saloon. The saloon is open to all immigrants, people of all races down on their luck and even prostitutes. Nelly is the leader of Five Points and a mother figure that makes sure everyone is welcome.

Reverend Samuel takes in a runaway slave and changes his name to Washington Henry (Sidney DuPont), a man who allegedly killed his master in Tennessee. The reverend keeps Washington hidden to protect him. Add to the mix Annie Lewis’ nephew from Ireland, Owen Duignan (A. J. Shively), a recent immigrant who also needs lodging. Washington and Owen end up dancing in the saloon to pay for their stay. Of course, in every Garden of Eden, there is a snake; here, he is a boss man and elected official, Frederic Tiggens (John Dossett). He is the man that will blow Paradise Square by destroying the bond between the Blacks and the Irish.

There is a lot to digest here, but the story isn’t as convoluted as it sounds once you get to meet the characters. It’s that their tale is repeated again and again through the book, score and dance numbers. The book meanders, the score is unmemorable, and Bill T. Jones delivers some excellent dance steps, but they keep recurring with every song and it gets monotonous after the fifth round. Moises Kaufman’s direction doesn’t add much but moves characters from one end of the stage to the other, and from upstage to downstage and reverse.

However, all is not lost. The incandescent, dynamic powerhouse Joaquina Kalukango blows the roof off the theatre with her soaring voice and heartbreaking, gutsy performance. She has a lovely opening number entitled “Paradise Square,” and her final song “Let It Burn” is theatrical history in the making. Her emotion-packed delivery of the song thrills the audience and they erupt with thunderous applause. Last year, she was nominated for a Tony for Slave Play. This year, she has to be the shoe-in to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 4, 2022
Reviewed at May 3, 2022 performance.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: (left to right) Joaquina Kalukango, Nathaniel Stampley, Chilina Kennedy & the cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Joaquina Kalukango & Matt Bogart. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Ellis Quinn, Chloe Davis & cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Sidney DuPont & cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Chilina Kennedy & Joaquina Kalukango. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: A.J. Shively. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Colin Barkell & Garrett Coleman. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Nathaniel Stampley & Chilina Kennedy. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Joaquina Kalukango. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Kevin Dennis, John Dossett (5th & 6th from left), A.J. Shively (6th from right) & cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

Video clips from Paradise Square

The post ‘Paradise Square’: Blacks & Irish in 1863 NYC appeared first on StageZine.

‘THE BAND’S VISIT’: Katrina Lenk & Tony Shalhoub. Photo: Matthew Murphy

THE BAND’S VISIT
Music & lyrics by David Yazbek
Book by Itamar Moses
Based on the screenplay by Eran Kolirin
Directed by David Cromer
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
243 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), www.TheBandsVisitMusical.com

By David NouNou

Music is a constant source of inspiration that brings people together and is a true healer. If properly done, it can create magic and bring sworn biblical enemies together, if only for a night. So it is with David Yazbek’s The Band’s Visit. Middle Eastern music (Egyptian, Syrian, Lebanese) is among the most uplifting and joyous music in the world, and Mr. Yazbek has implemented the use of Middle Eastern instruments to create a score that is original and mesmerizing, a sound that Broadway has seldom heard. My only regret is he didn’t infuse it with a klezmer/Israeli sound that would have blown the roof off the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.

Based on the 2007 Israeli indie film of the same name, it is set in 1996 when eight Egyptian musicians who comprise the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra have been booked by an Arab cultural center in Petah Tikva Israel, but through a language miscommunication end up in Bet Hatikva. It is a barren wasteland of a town in the Negev Desert. There are no hotels, restaurants or anything; the people there just survive. On this particular day and night, these two factions are brought together through their loneliness and desolation. They share their lives, love of music, food and tales.

This is basically the story of The Band’s Visit; however, it is the haunting score that adds humanity to this gentle story of misplaced people. Songs like “The Beat of Your Heart,” “Omar Sharif” both amusing and intoxicating, “Something Different” and “Answer Me” leave you wanting more, and of course “The Concert” at the end by the musicians and those wonderful sounds and instruments have you floating out of the theatre in delight.

The two people at the center of the story are Dina (Katrina Lenk), owner of a desolate restaurant and Tewfiq (Tony Shalhoub), the band’s orchestra leader. Ms. Lenk, who was in Indecent earlier this year is sensational and touching. Mr. Shalhoub, who was in Arthur Miller’s The Price also earlier this year, adds another brilliant character to his repertoire. Every time you think you have seen all the faces of Mr. Shalhoub, he manages to come up with yet another one, and this one is sheer joy. The scenes between him and Ms. Lenk discussing their lives and shortcomings are sheer perfection.  Everything and everyone in the show circles their orbit.

David Cromer keeps the proceedings moving at a beautifully nuanced pace. One thing I found interesting before the curtain went up was overhearing different people wondering if this show was going to be as uplifting as Come From Away or anything like it. Let me emphatically state they are nothing alike; they are two different shows but both touch on people’s humanity and need to connect to each other. A message that is so desperately needed in these turbulent times.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 17, 2017
Reviewed at November 16, 2017 press performance.

‘THE BAND’S VISIT’: The company. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE BAND’S VISIT’: Tony Shalhoub & Katrina Lenk. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE BAND’S VISIT’: The company. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE BAND’S VISIT’: (left to right) Rachel Prather, Etai Benson & Ari’el Stachel. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE BAND’S VISIT’: (left to right) Kristen Sieh, John Cariani, Alok Tewani, Andrew Polk & George Abud. Photo: Matthew Murphy

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