Drama
Why David Greenspan Is Easy To Admire But Hard To Like
Flamboyant. Reptilian. Cerebral. These are some of the words that describe actor/playwright David Greenspan. But likable? Not always. Contributing editor Joshua Furst explains.
What Would You Do If Someone Thought Your Son Was God?
Sarah Ruhl specializes in plays that delve in big issues. In ‘The Oldest Boy,’ a mother learns that her toddler may be the reincarnation of a Tibetan lama. Problems ensue.
Leaving the Worst of The Holocaust to the Imagination
Playing Holocaust survivors is always a challenge for an actor — but especially so for Isobel Pravda, who plays the role of her grandmother in the off-Broadway production of ‘The Good and the True.’
Kafkaesque 'Wild Tales' Is Jewish Film from Argentina Inspired by Steven Spielberg
‘Wild Tales,’ the latest film by Argentinean Damian Szifron includes of surreal, violent vignettes about losing control. Our critic loves the one in which a Jewish wedding gets ruined.
Michael Shannon Makes Eugene Ionesco's Disorienting 'The Killer' Memorable
Eugene Ionesco’s absurdist play ‘The Killer’ provokes and engages its audience. Michael Shannon’s star turn as a befuddled Everyman has a lot to do with it, as Josh Furst explains.
How David Mamet Abandoned His Art
David Mamet has lost his mojo. His play, ‘The Anarchist’ falls victim to twisted logic, fear-mongering and smear tactic usually found only on Fox News.
Objects Come Alive in Tragicomic Holocaust Drama
Ronny Wasserstrom, left, as Mr. M, accomanied by his pigeon, center, played by Theresa Linnihan, and his shadow, right, played with finger puppets by Michelle Beshaw. Photo by Lee Wexler.
Q & A: New Yorker Writer Lawrence Wright on Bringing Gaza to the Stage
With his film “My Trip To Al-Qaeda” on HBO in September and his one-man show, “The Human Scale,” about to open in New York City, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and The New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright has a lot going on. During a short window between memorizing his lines and beginning rehearsals, he found time to answer a few questions about “The Human Scale,” which is based on his experiences in Israel and the Gaza Strip last year. Directed by Oskar Eustis of the Public Theater, the play opens on October 2 at The New Yorker Festival and will continue its run at 3LD Arts and Technology Center until October 31.
At Home To War and Peace
This is a play delivered from the heart of left-wing academia where sloganized anti-Zionism is usually delivered in coded academic jargon but is no better than that which comes from the bullhorns of campus demonstrations. And the stronger the rhetoric, the higher the credibility.