“Infidel” Reviewed by Dan Berkowitz
While the subject matter is timely, and the situation would seem to be ripe with tension, “Infidel” is instead static, unengaging, and annoying.
It’s hard-edged and dry-eyed from beginning to end, and thankfully Mr. Matthews and his cohorts have resisted the urge to soften it at all. We’re living in a hard-edged time right now, and this “Cabaret” – alas – fits extraordinarily well.
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What prompted me to write it was the actress Olympia Dukakis, who wanted me to write a different version of the play for her. Where we saw all the very complicated issues in Greek society both sexually and politically, how the society went from worshiping the goddess and mother earth to worshiping the God of dominance and war. Also, John Farmanesh-Bocca wanted to show how a mother loses her son in a war and then turns her grief into a meaningful anti war movement.
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The Bad Jews of “Bad Jews” may be bad Jews, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re bad company.
Let me revise that. If you found yourself trapped in a room with any of these people in real life – including the one person who can’t be a bad Jew because she isn’t a Jew at all – you would most likely find yourself, depending on your temperament, either racing out the door, screaming and tearing your hair, or desperately looking for a weapon.
However, since these are not real people, but rather characters who prove the maxim that sinners are generally more entertaining than saints, it’s okay: these bad Jews (and one bad Christian) are fun to be with for ninety or so minutes.
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If you ever wondered why Celebration Theatre is called Celebration Theatre, go see “Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical,” the current occupant of the stage at the corner of Lexington Avenue and McCadden Place, and you’ll understand: there’s a party going on at every performance, and it’s a glorious, exuberant, over-the-top celebration of all things that are, well, over-the-top.
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A play titled “King Charles III” – a fantasy about what happens when Mummy finally does ascend to a heavenly throne and Prince Charles claims his birthright – might conceivably have been written as a farce. But playwright Mike Bartlett chose instead to craft a serious meditation on principles, and how much one might choose to sacrifice to preserve them. In an intelligent, handsome production at the Pasadena Playhouse, director Michael Michetti and a large and splendid cast and crew provide the sort of sumptuous entertainment we see too little of in today’s theatre. Hip Hip Hurrah!
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“Rotterdam” is funny, it’s sad, it’s wise, it’s absurd, it’s emotional, it’s profound, and yes, it’s topical. But don’t let that scare you off.
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Without a doubt reality television has infiltrated households all across the world. Whether it’s your guilty pleasure or hidden addiction, it’s become a universal indulgence.
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An interview with writer/ director Ron West, whose “deLEARious” runs at Open Fist through December 16.
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When I got the chance to talk to Gregg T. Daniel, I jumped at it, because I saw his production of August Wilson’s “Fences” at International City Theatre in Long Beach a few years ago, and it was terrific. I wasn’t the only one who thought that: he won a 2016 NAACP Best Director Award for the show, and nominations for the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, and StageScene LA awards as well. His production of Samm-Art Williams’s “Home” will play at ICT through November 5.
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