Josh Sharp is an accomplished actor, writer, and producer who is noted for his contributions to Dicks: the Musical! Sam Pinkleton is the winner of the 2025 Tony Award for directing Oh, Mary! These two have gotten together to produce ta-da!
Spike Manton and Harry Teinowitz’s new play, Another Shot, captures the serious subjects of sobriety and alcoholism with wit and humor, creating a shockingly honest portrayal of addiction.
“The Refuge Plays” is a powerful play that delves into the lives of three generations of a Black family who find solace in the depths of the woods. The play takes the approach of telling the story backwards as the latest generation takes center in the first act.
The family is led by matriarch Early (Nicole Ari Parker) who’s story is the basis of the play. Early is living with her daughter-in-law Gail (Jessica Frances Dukes), Gail’s daughter Joy (Ngozi Anyanwu), and Joy’s son Ha-Ha (JJ Wynder-Wilkins). The family all live in a cabin built by Early’s late husband Eddie (Daniel J. Watts). The cabin is small in size, but holds a great history to it.
The cast includes Nicole Ari Parker, Jessica Frances Dukes, Ngozi Anyanwu, Jon Michael Hill, Jerome Preston Bates, Mallori Taylor Johnson, Lizan Mitchell, Daniel J. Watts, Lance Coadie Williams, and JJ Wynderas.
The synopsis of “The Refuge Plays” isn’t striking on the surface, but as the story paces through things take a turn. The cabin and woods are haunted by deceased family members who often aid the characters, reveal certain secrets, and foreshadow events. The major event we see in Act I is the death of Gail which is foreshadowed by her late-husband Walking Man (Jon Michael Hill) who appears in ghost form one night.
Produced by Roundabout Theatre Company in association with New York Theatre Workshop, the play was written by Nathan Alan Davis and directed by Patricia McGregor. Davis does a fantastic job of thoroughly examining the roles that each member of the family plays. Some characters are only on stage for one act or a few minutes, and yet we learn a great deal about them. Davis additionally pens a story with a noteworthy comedic tone. The performers deserve praise for their skills, but Davis is equally as responsible for carrying the dialogue. The family often bickers and certain lines are super witty to the extent that it feels reflective of one’s own family.
For a production of this caliber, the cast is rather enormous. However, the production was not hindered by the large cast, in fact, it helped the audience comprehend the dynamics of the entire family. The actors are excellent at playing off one another. They made room for other performances by making space where it was needed metaphorically. It was simpler to follow each actor as a result. When it comes to the most engaging performance among the entire show however, look now further than Nicole Ari Parker. She is on stage for every act and excels in each. She’s able to translate Early’s feelings from each generation and carry them. It’s an amazing feat to see as the play is told backwards. McGregor deserves praise as well for her ability to balance the cast’s chemistry where needed. A well rounded performance by an entire cast is the result of having a great director leading.
Walking Man (Jon Michael Hill) and Gail (Jessica Frances Dukes) Photo by Joan Marcus
The matriarch of the family, Early, is a symbol of strength and perseverance. She imparts a heavy amount of wisdom to her children and grandchildren from the beginning and we come to understand why she does by act three. Her resilience is what keeps her family alive. The setting of the woods serves as a metaphorical space of freedom for the family. In the midst of a world that often devalues their lives, the woods become a place where they can be themselves, away from the eyes of a society that seeks to marginalize them. It was refreshing to see the use of fantasy in the production. Black folktales are renowned for their perspective on spirits. In fact, it’s often seen in many cultures that those who lived before you are the ones that guide you today and that can highly be said for “The Refuge Plays” as the spirits provide not only guidance, but provide a layer of security too. We learn through “The Refuge Plays” that solace is not just found in a place, but with people.
“The Refuge Plays” is a thought-provoking production that explores resilience, identity, and the enduring power of family bonds. Through its powerful storytelling and themes, it celebrates a family who have survived hardships to create a better life for themselves. This life starts with the actions of their matriarch who never gave up in the face of adversity.
The runtime for The Refuge Plays is 3 hours and 20 minutes. The production is running now at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre until November 12.
Presented by Atlantic Theater Company, Elyria tells the story of two immigrant women, their families, and their interweaving lives. Staged in the round at the Linda Gross Theatre, the play begins at a festival where Vasanta (Nilanjana Bose) and Dhatta (Gulshan Mia) unexpectedly run into each other after. They exchange tense words in Gujarati, Swahili, and English with a slight British accent. Their conservation is stiff, there’s a two-decade-old secret these women share, and all will be revealed in an unlikely place: Elyria, Ohio in 1982.
Wednesday, November 2, 2022. Minetta Lane, Manhattan, New York – I attended Audible Theater’s newest play, “Good Enemy”, written by Audible Theater’s emerging Playwright, Yilong Liu and directed by Obie Award winner, Chay Yew. A father is conflicted once he discovers that closing the doors of his past has caused him to alienate himself from his daughter in the play Good Enemy.
Alec Silver as Dave and Francis Jue as Howard (Photo Credits: Joan Marcus, 2022)
Yilong Liu’s atmospheric new play, sets the opening scene with two bickering men en route a cross-country road trip. With the aid of his daughter’s aimless ex-boyfriend, Dave, performed by Alec Silver (Temping), Howard, played by lead actor, Francis Jue, acts impulsively and makes a cross country road trip from California to New York to surprise his daughter, Momo, played by Geena Quintos, (SoftPower, Emojiland). After coming across scantily clad posts on Momo’s Tik-Tok account, Howard immediately expresses his concern by showing up on her doorstep, unannounced. To her frustration, and his disdain, Howard also discovers his college-aged daughter is a young woman of his own (and her late mother’s) heart; inserting herself into political social causes that could jeopardize her life.
Howard’s internal war forces him to confront the dynamics of their relationships as a result of his reluctance to share the memories of his life as a young man in Communist controlled China. As a father, he is faced with the shame of his past and the possible accusation of treason and disloyalty to his own country. Howard wants to keep Momo safe and warns her of the dangers in taking part in political protests, even peaceful demonstrations, for the sake of her “being a voice” for a world that will not hesitate to silence hers.
Francis Jue as Howard and Geena Quintos as “Momo” (Photo Credits by: Joan Marcus, 2022)
This play was beautifully written and wonderfully depicted by each of the actors, each character haunted with their own battle of “Good” vs evil “Enemy” struggle. The minimalistic backdrop on stage allowed the attention to remain centered on the actors who were tasked to use the inflection of voice, synergy of their interactions, and vivid imagination to paint the scene for the viewing and listening audience. The storyline explored human connections in various ways; from the western influences regarding cohabitation when Howard discovers Momo has a “white- live in boyfriend”, performed by actor Ryan Spahn (Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow); whose comedic verve reminded us of the many great ways to use Google; to the discomfort Howard faced recapping how he met, courted and fell for Momo’s mother, Jiahua portrayed by Jeena Yi (Network, Somebody’s Daughter) who gave an engaging performance; and
Jeena Yi as Jiahua and Tim Liu as young Hao (Photo credits: Joan Marcus, 2022)
commanding officer Xiong, played by Ron Domingo (The American Pilot, “As The World Turns”) internal war centered on a man who was socially and politically forced to repress his sexual nature to survive and protect his family from being shamed, arrested or murdered.
Good Enemy intermingles the age old tale and trial of two generations, two continents, worlds apart in their values, yearning to find common ground for the greater good of all. Good Enemy illustrates a lesson in creating boundaries for our self evident truths and the distances we travel, figuratively and geographically to ensure our right of the freedom to shape our lives any way we want. The overarching message I gathered from this play is that neither government nor governing bodies (parents, legal guardians and those in authoritative roles) can deny us our innate need to find peace in our selves, even to the point of risking our lives.
Tim Liu as young Hao & Ron Domingo as commanding officer Xiong (photo credits: Joan Marcus, 2022)
Tim Liu (“Nepotism”) as Hao, the character whose storyline reveals the earlier days of Howard’s life leading up to his escape as a political refugee and rogue militant, does a splendid job in warming our hearts up to favoring the and understanding the stern nature he adopts in his latter years.
Good Enemy features scenic design by Junghyun Georgia Lee, costume design by Mel Ng, lighting design by Reza Behjat, sound design by Mikhail Fiksel and fight/intimacy direction by Dave Anzuelo/Unkle Dave’s Fight-House. Casting by X Casting Victor Vazquez, CSA. Merrick AB Williams is the production stage manager. Technical supervision is by Hudson Theatrical Associates with general management by Baseline Theatrical‘s Andy Jones and Jonathan Whitton.
Good Enemy (runtime 1 hour & 45 minute) is showing at 18 Minetta Lane (between Bleecker and West 3rd Street), New York, NY and will be playing from the dates of October 25th – November 27th at Minetta Lane Theater, the home of Audible Theatre!