Macy’s returned to downtown New York City for the 49th edition of the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks.
We are in Montana, 60 million years ago. A group of Actecraptors enters. These graceful, feathered dinosaurs are feeding and courting. Occasionally, mammals dart about.
Wesley is based on the book Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of a Bird and His Girl by Stacey O’Brien.
Every time we enter a subway car, we enter a forced community. Each person has a different destination and dreams. Yet, we are united by time and space. Passengers examines human nature through a train journey.
Don Giovanni is considered one of the world’s finest operas.
The Fire Weeds is a feminist company. Two early one-act plays by Tennessee Williams are being showcased by his followers. These are The Pretty Trap and Interior: Panic. These works are embryos of Williams later, famous works – The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. A single cast presents both works with an intimate staging. Thus, the females in the center of the action. Although marginalized by society, they are complex characters who are survivors.
The Pretty Trap clearly foreshadows The Glass Menagerie. The production employs comedic elements to effectively demonstrate the various ways women navigate life, encompassing aspects such as joy, denial, and hope. One can clearly see the skeleton of William’s later play. The iconic plantation appears in a speech given by Amanda Wingfield, the mother played by Megan Metrikin. As she looks back on a world that never existed Metrikin walks the line between sanity and madness. She consistently maintains her composure and rationality. She has experienced the impact of societal expectations. Chris Ghaffari plays Tom Wingfield. He captures the dreamy, impractical character of Tom. Jacclyn Bethany portrays Laura Wingfield. Bethany clearly shows a woman flitting between hope and fear of the outside world. Although she feels constrained by her mother, she is not entirely harmed. She assertively resists the expectations imposed by her mother and society. Jim Delaney is the gentleman caller. Delaney symbolizes the future, in contrast to the Wingfields who are stuck in the past. Jacob Storms gracefully illuminates this character.
Interior: Panic is clearly the child that became A Streetcar Named Desire. The two sisters, Blanche Shannon and Grace Kiefaber, are close. However, Blanche’s inner thoughts and fears throw strains on this relationship. Jacclyn Bethany show us a woman tormented by the patriarchal demands of society. Bethany clearly delineates this character. Lauren Guglielmello is Grace Kiefaber, the pregnant sister. Guglielmello shows us a loving woman who is beset by her sister’s thoughts and actions. The ionic plantation scene illustrates the difference between the sisters. Grace is making jam. The sweet smell reminds Blanche of the deceased body found on the grounds of the family plantation. Thus, emphasizing the decline of the antebellum South that shaped their upbringing. Blanche has not found anything to replace these values. Sarah Schuler is the bill collector. Her dialogue with Grace feeds into Blanche’s paranoia. Schuler cleverly plays this role as she ignores Blanche’s reactions to her innocuous statements. Chris Ghaffari is Jack Keifaber, the loving husband. Ghaffari makes the husband’s affection and concern clear.
As director, Jaclyn Bethany has made these works come alive. She has illustrated how Williiam’s growth and development of characters. She puts the female characters in front as complex characters with emotional depth. Watching these two plays offers insight into Tennessee Williams’ growth. Anyone interested in seeing a brilliant production of a beginning playwright’s works should visit OUTRAGED HEARTS – The Pretty Trap and Interior: Panic.
Royal Family Productions is offering a quick fix for theater addicts. They are presenting Lunchtime Theatre – short performances during the day. Thus, one can stop by 145 West 45th Street, view an original work or works with talented actors, and return invigorated to the mundane world.
All The World’s A Stage is a musical written by Adam Gwon. The narrative details the experiences of a high school teacher in a small Pennsylvania town. The production consists of a barebones set. A quartet of Wiley Deweese, Beth Callen, Buffi Jacobs, and Mike Hunter provides the music, complementing the songs without overwhelming the lyrics. This is not a typical musical. The songs develop the characters and move the action forward.
Matt Rodin is Ricky Alleman. He portrays a man who is torn. He must hide his homosexuality to teach in a small-town high school. Rodin clearly shows the inner conflicts as he moves through a hostile world.
Photo: All The World’s A Stage
A Musical by Adam Gwon
Directed by Jonathan Silverstein
Produced in Association with Michelle Noh
Orchestrations by Michael Starobin
Music Direction by Andrea Grody
Movement by Patrick McCollum
Dress rehearsal photographed: Monday, March 24, 2025; 7:00 PM -Theater Five in Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Between 9th & 10th Ave
Photograph: © 2025 Richard Termine.
PHOTO CREDIT – Richard Termine
Photo: All The World’s A Stage
A Musical by Adam Gwon
Directed by Jonathan Silverstein
Produced in Association with Michelle Noh
Orchestrations by Michael Starobin
Music Direction by Andrea Grody
Movement by Patrick McCollum
Dress rehearsal photographed: Monday, March 24, 2025; 7:00 PM -Theater Five in Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Between 9th & 10th Ave
Photograph: © 2025 Richard Termine.
PHOTO CREDIT – Richard Termine
New York City should extend a welcome to Eliza Pagelle to our theaters as she portrays Sam Bucknam. Sam is a determined adolescent committed to transforming her circumstances. She views a statewide monologue contest with a full scholarship as an opportunity to escape. She asks Ricky Alleman, who is a “theater nerd,” to be her advisor and coach. Pagelle gracefully fills this role.
Elizabeth Stanley is Dede Rozenel – the school secretary who is the power behind the throne. She mentors Ricky and protects him. Stanley realistically portrays a woman who uses her unwritten power to help others.
Jon-Michael Reese is Michael Hallan. He is a flamboyantly gay man who is who is not under the same pressure as Ricky because owns a bookstore. Thus, he is financially independent. He becomes Ricky’s lover. Reese portrays this role without making it a parody.
Although the principal never appears on stage Reese, Pagelle, and Stanley’s words create a clear image of a bureaucrat willing to sacrifice a student (by suspending Sam) and academic freedom to keep a community happy and protect his job. The actors’ voice blend together to carry the story forward.
Ricky selects a safe Shakespearean sonnet for the monologue. While rehearsing, their conversations revolve around Angels in America. Ricky sees Tony Kusher a second Shakespeare. Sam acts out a scene from Angels in the hallway of the school. Ricky’ job is threatened if there is any more connection with Angels. Dede tries to protect Ricky. She even invites Ricky and his girlfriend to dinner. Ricky and Sam plan to toss Shakespeare and use a monologue from Angels.
All The World’s A Stage is not your typical musical. When their plan about the monologue is printed in an out-of-town newspaper things collapse. Michael has a brick thrown through a window of his bookstore since he was identified as Ricky’s lover. Dede draws back in horror when she realizes that Ricky is gay. Sam doesn’t win. She is offered a job with the church that dominates the town. This would trap her in the town she so desperately wants to escape through the theater. The play ends when each person finds his or her role in life. It is true that “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” During this musical we can see the players finding roles that make them happier, even if it is not what they planned.
All The World’s A Stage is far more pertinent than it seems at first glance. Adam Gwon depicts characters seeking their place in a hostile world. Pennsylvania in 1996 resembles the US in 2025. This is not a musical where the audience will walk out singing the tunes. This musical inspires reflection and changes perspective. All The World’s A Stage entertains and provokes at the same time.
LU KALA is a Congolese-Canadian songstress currently based in LA. Her highly anticipated EP has finally been released, and fans are calling it their new summer album.
Boop! The Musical brings Max Fleischer’s iconic flapper, Betty Boop, to life through one spectacular number after another.
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