‘THE BALUSTERS’: (clockwise from left) Ricardo Chavira, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Richard Thomas, Anika Noni Rose, Jeena Yi, Marylouise Burke & Kayli Carter. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

THE BALUSTERS
By David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by Kenny Leon
Through June 21, 2026
Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 West 47th St.
https://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/shows/2025-26-season/the-balusters

By Scott Harrah

Everyone in Vernon Point thinks they are progressive and open-minded. That is the first misconception and the most revealing one in this blisteringly funny look at bigotry, bias, and 21st-century culture wars. The play draws big laughs even as it cuts close to the bone. In The Balusters, playwright David Lindsay-Abaire sets the scene for a neighborhood association meeting where civility feels carefully staged. At first, the group debates mundane topics like safety, zoning, and aesthetics. Soon, the tone shifts.

What begins as a polite discussion about community values quickly turns into a competition over who can sound the most enlightened, while revealing just the opposite. Brooks (Carl Clemons-Hopkins) recounts a visit to a local store and describes a man’s glare as “an I-hate-gay-people look.” The comment sets off a wave of narrow-minded conclusions about religion, identity, and intent. Vernon Point may be fictional, but The Balusters mirrors modern American tensions around prejudice and identity. As a result, the satire lands with uncomfortable precision. Laughter ripples through the audience. Often, a brief hush follows as the implications sink in.

Civic pride and prejudice

The play opens in the stately Victorian home of Kyra (Anika Noni Rose), a newcomer eager to make a good impression. She and her housekeeper Luz (Maria-Christina Oliveras) prepare for the meeting. Luz knows the neighborhood well because she has worked for several families, including association president Elliot (Richard Thomas).

Kyra’s hopes for a pleasant evening dissolve quickly. First to arrive is Melissa (Jeena Yi), the sharp-tongued vice president, whose awkward misstep with Luz sets the tone. Penny (Marylouise Burke), a well-meaning but often oblivious longtime secretary, follows. Then comes Ruth (Margaret Colin), the blunt and dry-witted treasurer who says what others avoid.

Soon, the room fills with clashing personalities. Isaac (Ricardo Chavira) bristles at political correctness. Alan (Michael Esper) tries to be the “nice guy” but retreats when challenged. Willow (Kayli Carter) polices language with earnest intensity. Brooks observes it all with dry, knowing detachment. Elliot, the self-appointed guardian of the neighborhood’s traditions, arrives ready to preside. As Brooks puts it, “It’s not too late, Kyra. You can still escape.”

Biases simmer beneath the surface

At first, the meeting sticks to routine business. Then an innocuous conversation about safety and whether or not to put up a stoplight exposes deeper biases. What begins as practical concern quickly turns personal. A passing remark about suspicious activity spirals into a debate over racial profiling. Meanwhile, attempts at inclusive language spark their own tensions. The terminology some use starts petty squabbles. For example, one character pushes back against being labeled “Latinx,” calling it “retro woke bulls**t.” Another character objects to the term “lame” as being “ableist.”

The script spares no group. It shows how quickly good intentions give way to defensiveness.

Gavel down, gloves off

Under Kenny Leon’s direction, tensions build steadily before everything unravels into something far messier. Mr. Lindsay-Abaire’s rapid-fire, overlapping dialogue creates strong momentum. Punchlines land in quick succession and often overlap, as if the characters are racing to outdo one another. The staging turns Kyra’s stately home into a pressure cooker. As a result, polite conversation gives way to barely concealed hostility. Each character struggles to maintain composure.

The ensemble is uniformly strong. Anika Noni Rose anchors the production with quiet authority and holds her ground as the room spirals around her. Richard Thomas balances Elliot’s easy charm with an undercurrent of control. Carl Clemons-Hopkins delivers the evening’s driest humor. Marylouise Burke finds both comedy and pathos in Penny’s well-meaning obliviousness. Margaret Colin is especially sharp as Ruth and lands her barbed observations with precision. Together, the cast maintains cohesion even as their characters pull in opposite directions.

Nothing off-limits

By the end, The Balusters shows that nothing is off-limits. Early jabs at anti-fur activism, introduced with Ruth’s arrival, establish the tone for a play that steadily widens its target. Mr. Lindsay-Abaire takes aim at everything from debates over Muslims and gays to casual bigoted perceptions of Jews, Black, and Latino communities. As a result, the play becomes an equal-opportunity lampoon where no one is spared. The humor is relentless and at times uncomfortable. It underscores how true to life the story feels.

Few recent Broadway comedies land laughs this consistently or this uncomfortably.

The Balusters plays like a sharply observed slice of American life. The effort to be thoughtful, inclusive, and aware often veers into something far messier. Mr. Lindsay-Abaire captures both good intentions and high-wire tension in a culture that talks over itself. Every word is scrutinized and every misstep is amplified. In Vernon Point, everyone wants to get it right. That may be the problem. David Lindsay-Abaire’s The Balusters may be the funniest and most incisive look yet at political correctness in American life.

Published April 21, 2026
Reviewed at press preview on April 19, 2026.

‘THE BALUSTERS’: (seated) Jeena Yi, Marylouise Burke & (standing) Michael Esper & Richard Thomas. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘THE BALUSTERS’: Anika Noni Rose & Carl Clemons-Hopkins. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘THE BALUSTERS’: Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Margaret Colin, Michael Esper & Jeena Yi. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘THE BALUSTERS’: Kayli Carter, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Anika Noni Rose & Jeena Yi. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘THE BALUSTERS’: Anika Noni Rose & Marylouise Burke. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘THE BALUSTERS’ (collage, left to right): Margaret Colin & Maria-Christina Oliveras. Photos: Jeremy Daniel.

‘THE BALUSTERS’: Ricardo Chivira & Margaret Colin. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘THE BALUSTERS’: Richard Thomas & Anika Noni Rose. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

The post ‘The Balusters’: ‘Woke’ wars on the block appeared first on StageZine.

‘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.

The post ‘Our Town’: Modern reboot of Wilder’s classic appeared first on StageZine.

‘HOME’: Brittany Inge, Tory Kittles & Stori Ayers. Photo: Joan Marcus.

HOME
By Samm-Art Williams
Directed by Kenny Leon
Through July 21, 2024
Roundabout Theatre Company
Todd Haimes Theatre
229 West 42^nd Street
(212-719-1300), www.roundabouttheater.org

By Scott Harrah

Home by the late Samm-Art Williams was first produced on Broadway back in 1980. Director Kenny Leon has brought the African-American classic drama back to Broadway for a brief summer run at the Roundabout Theatre Company at the Todd Haimes Theatre. On a sad note, Mr. Williams died just a few days before the first preview of this Home revival.

This simplistic one act focuses on the life of young Cephus Miles (Tory Kittles), a Black man working on the small Cross Roads, North Carolina farm he inherited from his family, struggling to survive in the segregated South. When his childhood crush Patti Mae Wells (Brittany Inge) rejects him and leaves for college, Cephus’s world is shattered. He refuses to serve in the Vietnam War and gets thrown in prison as a draft dodger.

Fast-forward to a few years later. Cephus is out of prison but he has unpaid taxes on his land and the farm has been seized. He flees up North to a big city and finds a brand-new life. Although he finds a good-paying job and a new girlfriend, his luck soon runs out. He loses his job and gets mired in a downward spiral of drugs and hookers. Fortunately, he manages to clean himself up and moves back down to North Carolina where Patti Mae is waiting for him.

Home captures a place and time, chronicling the life of an African-American man who is forced to face adversity and struggle. Not everything has aged well in the 44 years since the show was on Broadway, particularly the references to him jokingly saying he can “speak Indian,” referring to Native Americans. However, overall Mr. Williams’ story has profound things to say about the Black experience and how home is where both the heart and hurt is for many people.

The production is utilitarian and sparse, and Arnulfo Maldonado’s sets are minimalistic but still manage to depict different decades, from the 1950s to the 1970s. Director Kenny Leon gets fine performances from Tory Kittles, who is consistently riveting as Cephus, a man who never loses his sense of goodwill. Brittany Inge as Woman One/Patti Mae Wells and Stori Ayers as Woman Two both do an outstanding job playing multiple characters—everything from a bus driver to an alcoholic in the street. Home is, more than anything, a story of hope that is anchored by a talented ensemble cast that really make this 90-minute story shine and come to vivid life.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published June 19, 2024
Reviewed at June 13, 2024 press performance

‘HOME’: Stori Ayers, Tory Kittles & Brittany Inge. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘HOME’: Stori Ayers, Tory Kittles & Brittany Inge. Photo: Joan Marcus.

The post ‘Home’: Where the heart & hurt is appeared first on StageZine.

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: Leslie Odom, Jr. & Kara Young. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

PURLIE VICTORIOUS: A NON-CONFEDERATE ROMP THROUGH THE COTTON PATCH
Written by Ossie Davis
Directed by Kenny Leon
Through January 28, 2024

Music Box Theatre

239 West 45th Street
(212-719-6200), www.PurlieVictorious.com

By David NouNou

Originally written and produced in 1961, this is the first revival of Ossie Davis’s play Purlie Victorious, written for himself and his wife, Ruby Dee. Mr. Davis played the title role and Ms. Dee played Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins. I am sure that version was played in earnest seriousness about the remnants of slavery, working on a plantation in the South for the racist white master who has inflicted pain, misery, and cheated them at every turn. Yet they still had to appear grateful that they had a job and had to praise the bigot endlessly for his tyranny.

Spirited preacher Purlie Victorious Judson (Leslie Odom, Jr.) returns to his small Georgia town hoping to save Big Bethel, the community’s church, and emancipate the cotton pickers who work on oppressive Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee’s (Jay O. Sanders) plantation. Purlie hopes to swindle Cotchipee of the $500 inheritance due to his long-lost dead cousin’s daughter. With the help of Lutiebelle (Kara Young), Purlie makes her play the daughter and use the money to achieve his goals. Ol’ Cotchipee has a son, Charlie (Noah Robbins), who sees things differently than his father. Charlie actually sees and understands the Black plight, and comes to their defense.

Director Kenny Leon has taken a different view of the proceedings. He has updated the plight to comic effect, and in one instance, it resembles a scene from Mack Sennett’s silent film series Keystone Kops. This does not diminish the message, but releases some humor for contemporary audiences.

Leslie Odom, Jr.—absent from Broadway since his Tony Award-winning role as Aaron Burr in the blockbuster musical Hamilton—is dynamic as Purlie. His performance is spirited and forceful and he believes in the cause for which he is fighting.

Two-time Tony Award nominee Kara Young as Lutiebelle will get her third consecutive nomination, and I can’t imagine her losing this time around. She is a force of nature and delivers another indelible performance.

The two most heartfelt and genuine performances belong to Vanessa Bell Calloway (Idella Landy) who has been a servant to the Ol’ Capn’ for more than 40 years and genuinely cares for his son Charlie. The second outstanding performance is given by Noah Robbins as Charlie, a young man who sees the injustices done by his father. Both their performances are so sincere, and neither pander for a cheap laugh. The laughs come from their sincerity. A footnote here: The role of Charlie Cotchipee was originally played by Alan Alda in 1961.

Purlie Victorious is not to be confused with the 1970 Broadway musical Purlie, with the late Sherman Helmsley (George in TV’s “The Jeffersons”) as Gitlow Judson, the late Cleavon Little as Purlie (he won a Tony for the role), and R&B star Melba Moore as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins (she also won a Tony for her role). The musical was adapted from the play.

Purlie Victorious holds the test of time, and the issues are just as relevant as they were back in 1961. They are just as potent, but director Kenny Leon deftly helps the cast extract  humor from Ossie Davis’ play in this current revival to underscore the absurdity and injustice of racism in both the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published September 29, 2023
Reviewed at September 28, 2023 press performance.

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: Leslie Odom, Jr. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: Kara Young & Heather Alicia Simms. Photo Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: Noah Robbins & Vanessa Bell Calloway. Photo: Marc J. Franklin

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: (l to r): Kara Young, Heather Alicia Simms, Leslie Odom, Jr., Vanessa Bell Calloway, Billy Eugene Jones & Noah Robbins. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: Leslie Odom, Jr. & Kara Young. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: Heather Alicia Simms & Billy Eugene Jones. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: The cast. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

The post ‘Purlie Victorious’ revival skewers racism appeared first on StageZine.

‘OHIO STATE MURDERS’: Audra McDonald & Bryce Pinkham. Photo: Richard Termine.

OHIO STATE MURDERS
By Adrienne Kennedy
Directed by Kenny Leon
James Earl Jones Theatre
138 West 48^th Street
212-239-6200, https://ohiostatemurdersbroadway.com/

By Scott Harrah

Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald brings Ohio State Murders—playwright Adrienne Kennedy’s 1992 one-act confessional play recalling a harrowing time in her college days at Ohio State University—to vivid life on Broadway. The show is a 75-minute monologue, with a few other characters added with minimal lines of dialogue popping in and out of Ms. Kennedy’s narrative, as if she’s reliving a nightmare—and indeed she is. Ms. McDonald keeps us spellbound with her consistently engaging performance in this haunting tale of a Black woman’s misfortune and heartbreak in the racially segregated, white world of a mid-20^th century Midwestern college town.

Ms. McDonald portrays Suzanne Alexander (based on playwright Adrienne Kennedy) in a book-filled library back at her alma mater, giving a lecture about her work and its “violent imagery,” with projections of African Americans being lynched and other disturbing scenes. She is telling the semi-autobiographical story of how the author, now 91, entered Ohio State University in 1949 as an undeclared freshman, hoping to major in English. Back then, Black students were not allowed to major in English without taking two prerequisite English courses as a trial to see if they could handle the curriculum. Later, they could apply to be accepted as an English major.

Suzanne took an English class and enjoyed reading Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles. She was intrigued by the mysterious professor of the course, Robert Hampshire (Bryce Pinkham), a young British man who did not engage with his students and immediately came to each class, opened the book and started discussing the work. One day, after turning in a term paper about Hardy’s book, Suzanne receives a note from the professor, asking her to meet him in his office. He has little to say when they meet, other than asking her if she actually wrote the assigned essay about Hardy and if she used any reference materials. He is a true academic enigma, an intellectual who wears tweed suits and, as portrayed by Mr. Pinkham, is a taciturn guy and displays almost no emotion when he speaks.

Ohio State Murders is a story that one needs to follow closely while watching because the narrative isn’t always fully explained. We soon learn that Suzanne is pregnant. Suzanne is shunned by her family and forced to go live in New York with her understanding Aunt Louise (Lizan Mitchell).  She gives birth to twin girls and longs to return to Ohio to go back to her university. She becomes an elementary education major but yearns to be studying in the English department.

Instead of being a standard “whodunit”-style mystery, Ohio State Murders is mostly a collection of the character’s grim remembrances of a painful past filled with racism, broken dreams, gut-wrenching loss and misfortune.  Her memories are literally fleshed out by appearances of secondary characters, such as friend Iris Ann (Abigail Stephenson), boyfriend David Alexander (Mister Fitzgerald), and Lizan Mitchell portraying multiple roles such as landlady Mrs. Tyler and college administrative official/spinster Miss Dawson.

Ohio State Murders is a powerful yet flawed story. As directed by Kenny Leon, the narrative sometimes lacks dramatic tension and moves slow, but two aspects help the show transcend its shortcomings. First is Ms. Kennedy’s searing firsthand account of racism back in the days before conspiracy theorists and populist politicians muddied the waters of human rights. Her story will remind audiences of an era, just a few decades ago, when our nation was literally divided by race, before civil rights laws and legislation. The story also shows how, despite some progress, we have sadly made few real advances in modern-day America, with rampant racism, antisemitism and homophobia as everyday fodder for social media and 21^st century politics. Last but certainly not least is the incredible Audra McDonald. She brings this tale (last produced Off Broadway in 2007) to Broadway with verve, reverence for the material and the on-stage dynamics and electric stage presence for which she is known. For her many fans, it’s impossible to take one’s eyes off her as she reflects on Suzanne’s many years of pain and suffering. Ms. McDonald shines with conviction even when the material rambles and lacks focus. Audra McDonald, in her own way, brings a bit of justice and nuance to Adrienne Kennedy’s tragic past.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 8, 2022
Reviewed at December 7, 2022  press preview performance.

‘OHIO STATE MURDERS’: Audra McDonald & Abigail Stephenson. Photo: Richard Termine.

‘OHIO STATE MURDERS’: Audra McDonald, Lizan Mitchell & Mister Fitzgerald. Photo: Richard Termine.

‘OHIO STATE MURDERS’: Audra McDonald. Photo: Richard Termine.

‘OHIO STATE MURDERS’: Audra McDonald. Photo: Richard Termine.

The post ‘Ohio State Murders’: A haunting confessional appeared first on StageZine.

‘TOPDOG/UNDERDOG’: Corey Hawkins & Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

TOPDOG/UNDERDOG
Written by Suzan-Lori Parks
Directed by Kenny Leon
Through January 15, 2023
John Golden Theatre
252 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.topdogunderdog.com

By David NouNou

Revisiting Suzan-Lori Parks’ 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning play is what could be called a brilliant revival, thanks in large part to Ms. Parks’ rhythmic writing, superb acting by Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, laser focused direction to every detail by Kenny Leon, and a claustrophobic set by Arnulfo Maldonado, bring a sharper focus than I remember from the 2002 version at the sprawling stage of the Ambassador Theatre and looser direction by George C. Wolfe.

As with all brother tales, they all seem to hark back to the biblical story of Cain and Abel. However, in this version it isn’t the proverbial good against the bad brother but the constant shifting in roles brothers play in each other’s lives. The love/hate of who is topdog and who is underdog is always evolving and never gets a resolution.

Witness at the onset Booth (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), practicing his pitch with the three-card Monte hustle atop a cardboard box propped up by two milk cartons, which he hasn’t yet mastered: The language or the movements. Enter older brother Lincoln (Corey Hawkins), his face smeared with white greasepaint, wearing a long black coat, fake beard and a long stove pipe hat dressed as Abe Lincoln, for his new job at the arcade where people can shoot him with cap guns. He has taken this job to leave behind the dangerous life of a three-card Monte conman.

The brothers live in squalor in a small apartment. They were abandoned by their parents when they were teenagers, Booth being 13, and Lincoln being 16. Their parents gave them these ironic names. When each parent left, each parent gave each child $500 to use only for desperate measures. Booth saved his; Lincoln blew it all away immediately. They have depended on each other since they were teenagers; now they are in their 30s. They struggle to make a life; Booth tries to get Linc back into the Monte game and teach him the tricks. Lincoln doesn’t want to go through that again. Thus starts the friction. In this mix, Booth has a fixation on a girl he knew, Grace. He is always waiting for her to come back to him. Connie left Lincoln years ago; she couldn’t take the pressure. The conversation about the girls gets dicey at times.

Here is where Ms. Parks brings the magic into the play. She has set up the scene, and gives the brothers a free reign with her words. Whether the brothers are loving and have fond memories of their earlier years, or are they bitter rivals for a con game. Do they look after each other or do they just play each other? Ms. Parks keeps dishing out the power struggles. This is where, director, Kenny Leon seems to ramp up the flip/flop tension with each progressive scene.

Besides watching the play, the viewer depends heavily on what the actors can deliver, and this I can easily say, you won’t see two better performances this season than from Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Both of them are cunning and sly, good or bad, topdog or underdog, their performances are absolutely spellbinding and unforgettable.

It won’t take a crystal ball to predict the Tony Award winner for Best Drama Revival of 2023, but it will take one to predict who will win Best Actor in a Drama: Corey Hawkins or Yahya Abdul-Mateen II?

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 26, 2022
Reviewed at October 25, 2022 press performance.

‘TOPDOG/UNDERDOG’: Corey Hawkins & Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘TOPDOG/UNDERDOG’: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘TOPDOG/UNDERDOG’: Corey Hawkins. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘TOPDOG/UNDERDOG’: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘TOPDOG/UNDERDOG’: Corey Hawkins & Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

Topdog/Underdog video montage

The post ‘Topdog/Underdog’: A must-see revival appeared first on StageZine.

‘A SOLDIER’S PLAY’: (left to right) Warren Miller, Nnamdi Asomugha & Blair Underwood. Photo: Joan Marcus

A SOLDIER’S PLAY
Written by Charles Fuller
Directed by Kenny Leon
Through March 15, 2020
American Airlines Theatre
227 West 42nd Street
(212-719-1300), www.RoundaboutTheatre.org

By David NouNou

Originally opening Off Broadway in 1981 and winning the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1982, it is hard to imagine that it has taken almost 40 years for A Soldier’s Play to finally have a Broadway production. However, I must caution that at times the play might seem a bit dated —through no fault of playwright Charles Fuller, but due to Kenny Leon’s heavy-handed direction.

Set in Fort Neal, Louisiana in a segregated U.S. Army barrack in 1944, Captain Richard Davenport (Blair Underwood) has come to the base to investigate the unusual circumstances of the murder of company Sergeant Vernon C. Waters (David Alan Grier). Davenport is there to find out the truth but is met with hostility by not only the white base commander, Captain Charles Taylor (Jerry O’Connell), who would want to make it seem like the Ku Klux Klansmen did it, but also by the black serviceman who served under Waters.

By examining each person in the barracks, Davenport tries to unravel the tangled lives of the men vis-à-vis Waters. First, he has to find out why Waters, who was drunk on the evening of his death, was shot twice and his body found by the river to give credence that the Klansmen would have done this heinous crime. As each soldier presents his story in connection to the murder, Davenport unveils bigotry, self-loathing, death, guilt, and a life of a man who was always trying to obey the law even at the cost of incriminating his own people.

A Soldier’s Play is beautifully written and its framework stands like an Agatha Christie murder whodunit. This is one hell of a powerful play and its themes resonate to this day. It is further aided by the perfect and riveting performances of the entire company, especially by David Alan Grier, who gives a sterling performance as the tormented Waters. Blair Underwood is dauntless and perfectly chiseled (you’ll see in Act II) as the defiant and determined Davenport.

Although most of the men are making their Broadway debuts—Nnamdi Asomugha as Private First Class Melvin Peterson, Billy Eugene Jones as Private James Wilkie, J. Alphonse Nicholson as C.J. Memphis, Jared Grimes as Private Tony Smalls, and McKinley Belcher III as Private Louis Henson— they form a strong, tight-knit ensemble that raises the bar for acting.

Kudos to the Roundabout for having the vision to bring this gem of a play back for its long overdue Broadway debut.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published January 24, 2020
Reviewed at January 23, 2020 press performance.

‘A SOLDIER’S PLAY’: David Alan Grier. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘A SOLDIER’S PLAY’: (left to right) Rob Demery, J. Alphonse Nicholson & McKinley Belcher III. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘A SOLDIER’S PLAY’: The company. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘A SOLDIER’S PLAY’: David Alan Grier, Blair Underwood & Billy Eugene Jones. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘A SOLDIER’S PLAY’: Jerry O’Connell & Blair Underwood. Photo: Joan Marcus.

The post Intense ‘A Soldier’s Play’ makes Broadway debut appeared first on StageZine.

‘AMERICAN SON’: (left to right) Kerry Washington, Steven Pasquale & Jeremy Jordan. Photo: Peter Cunningham

AMERICAN SON
Written by Christopher Demos-Brown
Directed by Kenny Leon
Through January 27, 2019
Booth Theatre
222 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.americansonplay.com

By David NouNou

Topical and timely, American Son shows the disparity, anguish and complexity of an unexplained incident involving a teenager and the intense impact on his parents as they await answers.

Set in present-day Miami, Florida at 4:00 AM on a stormy night in a police station waiting room, Kendra Connor (Kerry Washington) is anxiously waiting to get any form of news on her missing son Jamal. Kendra is being placated by Officer Paul Larkin (Jeremy Jordan) by being evasive, tolerant but ingratiating. She is desperate and often belligerent due to the lack of any real forthcoming information.

In walks Scott Connor (Steven Pasquale), an FBI agent and Kendra’s estranged husband. In no time at all Officer Larkin—thinking agent Connor is heading the case of the missing teen—divulges all the information that Kendra has been desperately asking for. Larkin berates Kendra to Connor, only to find out that Kendra is his wife and Jamal is Connor’s son as well. The triangle here is Kendra is an African-American woman with a white husband and in the middle is white Officer Larkin.

From the onset we learn that Jamal is a well-educated, polite young man who, upon his father’s insistence, will be attending West Point Academy in the fall. From this point the play tackles myriads of issues: a biracial marriage, a black boy in an all-white high school, the boy’s confusion of which world he belongs in, and the revolt of the status quo of his family life. There is also the issue of how a desperate black woman can’t get any information on her missing son, while her white husband is handed the information without even asking for it. In turn, this makes everything in Kendra and Scott’s marriage topsy-turvy, with each seeing things from their own standpoint.

Finally, Lieutenant John Stokes (Eugene Lee) comes to sort things out, only to have Scott arrested for assault and refusing to cooperate with the law for wanting information on his son. Scott is taken away and Stokes sits Kendra down and gives her the facts of the situation. Stokes is an African American himself and knows how the system works.

The exceptional performances of the four people involved raise the bar here. Kerry Washington displays a wide range of emotions, from rage and aggression to anger and submission. Her tears are genuine because what she feels is raw and real. Steven Pasquale has never been better. He plays a conflicted father—who only knows right from wrong and good and bad—but is now caught in the crossfire of a rebelling son. His outrage at the system and how it treats people is a highlight in his career. The chemistry between Ms. Washington and Mr. Pasquale is palpable because it is so real.

Jeremy Jordan is very good as the affable Officer Larkin, with nothing more to do than be ingratiating. The real scene-stealer here is Eugene Lee, as the lieutenant who indicts Connor and then tries to explain things to Kendra. Mr. Lee is top notch; there is so much strength and dignity to his performance that it solidifies the proceedings.

The proceedings may not feel all that new, but the story certainly reflects today’s grim news, and the evening of sterling performances grounds the show to sustain one’s interest. It might make some people uncomfortable, but if you are a theater lover, you should put this down as a must-see show.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 8, 2018
Reviewed at November 7, 2018 press performance.

‘AMERICAN SON’: Kerry Washington & Steven Pasquale. Photo: Peter Cunningham

‘AMERICAN SON’: (left to right) Kerry Washington, Steven Pasquale & Eugene Lee. Photo: Peter Cunningham.

The post ‘American Son’: Tense tale of parents’ agony appeared first on StageZine.

‘CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD’: Lauren Ridloff & Joshua Jackson. Photo: Matthew Murphy

CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD
Written by Mark Medoff
Directed by Kenny Leon
Studio 54
54 West 54th Street, 
(212-239-6200)
www.childrenoflessergodbroadway.com

By Scott Harrah

Mark Medoff’s 1980 drama Children of a Lesser God is still a riveting show despite being slightly dated. In a 21st century world of many technological advances and progress in the arts for the challenged (think of the American Sign Language version of Spring Awakening on Broadway by Deaf West in 2015), Mr. Medoff’s depiction of the hearing impaired now seems anachronistic. Regardless, there is still much to admire in this ambitious yet unevenly paced production.

A teacher, James Leeds (Joshua Jackson), starts working at a state school for the deaf and meets custodian Sarah Norman (Lauren Ridloff), a 26-year-old who communicates solely in American Sign Language (ASL). She’s not interested in learning to read lips and to speak to fit in with the “hearing” community, and she feels it isn’t right for teachers to force the deaf to change. Sparks fly between James and Sarah. Orin Dennis (John McGinty), a deaf man who speaks and reads lips, warns Sarah that a romance between her and James ultimately won’t work. When they become engaged, school headmaster Mr. Franklin (Anthony Edwards) tells James that marriage is not a good idea.

What makes the story so engrossing is the manner in which James and Sarah interact, and Sarah repeatedly explaining her conviction that the deaf have a say in what their role should be in society. For this revival, supertitles displaying the dialogue are projected above the stage even though James explains and interprets everything Sarah says in ASL. The purpose and effect of the supertitles is debatable as they become quite distracting at times.

Fortunately, Mr. Jackson and Ms. Ridloff give outstanding performances. Mr. Jackson has the difficult task of playing both a charming romantic character and also being an actor interpreting everything Sarah says, but he does both beautifully.

Ms. Ridloff’s portrayal of Sarah is even more demanding since she can only emote on stage through ASL, facial expressions and body language, but we always feel her power and understand how problematic her life is, and her cathartic moment in the play when she finally speaks is deeply moving.

The supporting cast members are all first rate, especially John McGinty as Orin. Mr. McGinty’s depiction of Orin’s frustration and his nonstop pleas to Sarah to be true to the deaf community ring with truth.

Kenny Leon’s scattershot direction is often cumbersome. At times, especially in Act II, the narrative seems to be all over the place. Particularly frustrating is making sense of a subplot–in which Orin wants to bring a lawsuit against the school–because the details and resolution seem unclear. The final scenes seem hurried and thrust upon the audience in an ambiguous fashion. Mr. Leon could have improved the pacing of the material and brought more focus to the ending.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 16, 2018
Reviewed at press performance on April 15, 2018

‘CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD”: Joshua Jackson & Lauren Ridloff. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD’: John McGinty, Julee Cerda, Lauren Ridloff. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD’: Lauren Ridloff & Kecia Lewis. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD’: Lauren Ridloff & Joshua Jackson. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD’: Joshua Jackson (left) & Lauren Ridloff (far right) in ‘Children of a Lesser God.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD’: Lauren Ridloff & Joshua Jackson. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD’: Lauren Ridloff, Joshua Jackson & Treshelle Edmond. Photo: Matthew Murphy

The post ‘Children of a Lesser God’ back on Broadway appeared first on StageZine.