59E59 Theaters

Off-Broadway Review: “The Dressmaker’s Secret” at 59E59 Theaters

“The Dressmaker’s Secret” by Sarah Levine Simon and Mihal Grunfeld is enjoying its world premiere at 59E59 Theaters. The new play is based on Mr. Grunfeld’s novel “The Dressmaker’s Son” and the change from ‘son’ to ‘secret’ is more significant than might be obvious at first glance. Why did the playwrights shift the focus from the son to the mother’s…

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Off-Broadway Review: “Made in China” at 59E59 Theaters

When sparring, couples often find themselves deadlocked and unable to move forward in therapy. When children have difficulty sharing the uncomfortable scenarios being played out in their lives, they often turn to silence as a coping mechanism. Sometimes, therapists use puppets to allow their patients to express significant uncomfortable feelings. The theatre has also used puppets to say things it…

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Off-Broadway Review: “LaBute New Theater Festival” at 59E59 Theaters

January 31, 2017 | gloria, LGBTQ+, mr. toole, Off-Broadway, to kill > | Tags:

If a single observation applies to the four plays in the 2017 “LaBute New Theater Festival” it is, there is nothing new here, nothing thought-provoking, nothing that raises rich enduring questions. And that is unfortunate given the status of the playwrights and the actors involved in this important Festival. Kel Haney directs Neil LaBute’s “What Happens in Vegas” with efficiency….

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Off-Broadway Review: “His Royal Hipness Lord Buckley” Bristles with Truth at 59E59 Theaters

December 13, 2016 | Cabaret, hamilton, Off-Broadway > | Tags:

“The Theater must always be a safe and special place. The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!” – The Real Donald Trump at 5:56 a.m. on November 19 2016 Just when you think the theatre is a safe place again after the president-elect’s recent challenge to the producers and creative…

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Off-Broadway Review: “Terms of Endearment” at 59E59 Theaters

November 23, 2016 | Off-Broadway > | Tags:

It is always a difficult task to adapt for the stage a novel that has turned into a successful screenplay. The current American premier of Dan Gordon’s adaptation of “Terms of Endearment” has even greater obstacles to overcome following after the familiar dramatic tearjerker associated with brilliant performances by iconic film actors. These difficulties have nothing to do with comparing…

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Off-Broadway Review: “Orwell in America” at 59E59 Theaters

October 13, 2016 | how to save a world, Off-Broadway > | Tags:

Joe Sutton’s “Orwell in America” imagines what might happen if George Orwell were to embark on a book tour in post-World-War II America with his publicist. How would an American audience receive his “Animal Farm” and his deep commitment to Democratic Socialism? There is really nothing new in Mr. Sutton’s exposition: other than the fictional visit to America, all of…

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Off-Broadway Review: “Maestro” at 59E59 Theaters

“A composer who avoids melody is like a person avoiding breathing just to make life a little more interesting. But the things is, the melody must always be memorable.” Hershey Felder’s stunning tribute to the life and work of Leonard Bernstein is a work brimming with affection and respect for the “Maestro” currently running at 59E59 Theaters. Mr. Felder bristles…

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Off-Broadway Review: “The Birds” Overreaches at 59E59 Theaters

September 15, 2016 | be more chill, Off-Broadway, sea wall > | Tags:

When the director and creative team of a play conspire in every way to make it difficult to see their product, it should meet with immediate suspicion. Instead, trusting audience members allowed themselves to be ushered into 59E59 Theater C and to be plopped into a bizarre configuration of seats – all on the same level – seemingly designed to…

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Off-Broadway Review: “Summer Shorts 2016 – Series B” at 59E59 Theaters

August 9, 2016 | american psycho, Off-Broadway > | Tags:

“BLACK FLAG” – Written by Idris Goodwin and Directed by Logan Vaughn The success of Detroit native Deja’s (Suzette Azariah Gunn) freshman year depends – as it always does for every first-year college student – on having a congenial roommate. Her Facebook conversations with that roommate Georgia native Sydney (Francesca Carpanini) have gone well as does the initial “in the…

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Off-Broadway Review: “Butler” Abolishes Stereotypes at 59E59 Theaters

“General Butler, you are fighting a war because some men saw things differently from some other men.” – Shepard Mallory Based on true events, Richard Strand’s scintillating “Butler,” currently playing at 59E59 Theaters as part of the successful 5A Series, addresses issues of systemic racism extant in the Civil War Era and in the present – racism that threatens the…

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