Theater Review: ‘Phoenix Rising Girls and the Secrets We Keep’ is Gold

by Alexa Christina Politis June 28, 2016

by Alexa Christina Politis June 28, 2016 0 comments

Phoenix Rising Girls and the Secrets We Keep (Written and directed by Laura Gosheff), is a whimsical and provocative production that demonstrates the deepest of fears, often overlooked, within the souls of different struggling females (the complex and ever-prevalent issues explored in this fine work include: sexuality, self-worth out of a broken home, sex and love, fear) and their ride to perseverance.

The play is led by Gosheff’s fierce cast; Kristen Vaughan (Three-time New York Innovative Theatre Awards nominee for Lead Actress), Julia Peterson (NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts Drama Graduate), Rachel Haas (New School for Drama in BFA program for Dramatic Arts), Miranda Roldan (Graduate of Hackworth School of Performing Arts), Nicholette Shorts (2-Year Cabaret Dissect), and Whitney Biancur (NYC based actress & vocalist, MidSummer Night’s Dream with Gallery Players, trained with the British American Drama Academy).

All of the girls, (one living with a schizophrenic mother, one with a sexually abusive father, one with a heroine addiction, and the other, a goody-two shoed closeted lesbian living in a physically abusive African tribe) spend one whole year in the Counselor’s Room in 1985 (The Counselor, Grace, is played by Kristen Vaughan). Each of the girls battle each other up to their final reveal of their journeys to the counselor. The sequence of story-telling for each of the girls was unique and thrilling; the language spoken equaled explicit metaphors hidden within stunning poetry (which rang pleasantly in the audience members’ ears) while the other cast members (upstage of the girl story-teller) created floating visuals, physically morphed into dragons and ax swung toward the center story-teller. Audience members will leave Phoenix Rising with heightened awareness of oneself as well as a deeper compassion for the phoenixes that struggle to rise in us all. This play is pure gold.

The Phoenix Rising Girls and the Secrets We Keep playing at The Lion Theatre 410 West 42nd Street, NYC. This play is proudly presented in association with Test400K.org and Julie Smolyanksy.