Plays and Playwrights 2002 »

Ten new plays from New York theatre: A romantic verse epic about King Arthur and an intimate verse drama based on a novel by Balzac; a suspenseful tale of grave robbers and anatomists set in 17th century England and a tale from Japan about good and evil recast in contemporary Brooklyn. There are experimental and innovative works that stretch and re-imagine our expectations about theatre. There's a hilarious and profane comedy that looks danger squarely in the eye and spits at it; a wise and touching piece composed of five interlocking monologues that gradually reveal profound truths; and a moving and insightful drama that points hopefully and heroically toward a renewed faith in the principles on which our country was founded.

Community News Publications of Delaware - Paula Shulak

There are two verse plays included which is unusual in and of itself, but the excellence of their poetry also is astounding. The Death of King Arthur by Matthew Freeman is a masterful rewriting of the familiar Camelot story which depicts in a totally new way the psyches of the characters we know so well. ...Equally well done is J. Scott Reynolds' poetic version of another classic, this time a novel by Balzac. The Wild Ass s Skin is easy to read, thought provoking and contains some of the cleverest comic verse that I have read. A morality play of the highest order, we learn a lesson as we laugh. ...I thoroughly enjoyed The Resurrectionist by Kate Chell and Summerland by Brian Thorstenson. The former takes place in 17th Century England when it was commonplace for grave robbers to sell bodies to doctors for the study of the new science of anatomy. This fascinating topic is the background for the coming of age tale of a strong young woman whose plight unfolds before us. (Incidentally this script reads very well which is not always the case since plays are written to be performed.) Summerland is also about coming of age, but in the entirely different modern setting of rugged South Dakota. It presents a young man learning about his manhood with the firm guidance of his pioneer great grandmother in the background. ...

Match by Marc Chun should really be seen to be fully appreciated but the ability of its author shines through even on paper. It is a brilliant juxtaposition of four subplots with an ingenious interweaving of lines from the four stories going on simultaneously. It is almost too difficult to describe but onstage it must be nothing short of miraculous I am sure. What an impact this show must have! Add to that the fact that the play deals beautifully with the questioning of life and death, especially after September 11, and you have a recipe for sure success. Finally, the play entitled Reality by Curtiss I Cook is my favorite. An all black cast adds to the impact of this fascinating look at the question of what is real? The internal twists and turns of the plot keep the audience (or the reader) on their toes as we delve back and forth between two or three kinds of reality and replay the same scenes two or three times until they are right . There is a strong message here which is worth waiting for and you are engrossed in the action from beginning to end.