Fiction with themes of artificial intelligence and the manufacture and sale of androids is not a new genre. On that surface level, Richard Manley’s “The Truth Quotient” is not unique. What becomes unique is the play’s focus on the more subtle theme of motivation: the motivation of the manufacturer of the androids and the motivation of those who purchase the…
In Laura Marks’ “Bethany,” currently playing at the New York City Center Stage II, protagonist Crystal faces a series of important and life-changing decisions as she attempts to regain custody of her five-year-old daughter Bethany who has been taken from her after Crystal lost her job, her home, and was living with Bethany in her car. Bethany is Crystal’s child’s…
Peter Marshall became a household name as host of the ever popular game show Hollywood Squares. The successful turn was due in part to his multi talent as a singer and actor. He utilized his experience on Broadway and television to guide his on the spot responses and quick wit as he conversed with his celebrity guest stars. This talent…
If you were around during the folk-rock evolution or have any interest in this amazing period in musical history, an evening with Lauren Fox at The Metropolitan Room is mandatory. Not only is her pure and unique tonal quality reminiscent of some of the great talents of that time but also her knowledge of the artists living in Laural Canyon,…
After tackling the problem of evil in his successful 1978 “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” Rabbi Harold Kushner addressed existentialism, particularly the meaning of life, in his 1986 “When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough: The Search for a Life That Matters.” This latter title could easily be the subtitle of Daniel Grieg’s “Midsummer” currently playing at The…
There is no doubt that it is fitting to pay tribute to and celebrate Harold Arlen one of the most influential and important composers of the Great American Songbook. His unique and interesting expressive style has graced stage and screen for decades. Arlen’s collaboration with some of the best lyricists created a phenomenal range of songs that continue to pay…
Marci Kraft’s auspicious appearance at Don’t Tell Mama Cabaret is a great beginning for a vocalist making her performance debut. Ms. Kraft is a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at The New York Times and realizes her dream to sing on a cabaret stage with “Singing Again for the First Time” an extensive review of 1920’s and 1930’s songs…
Storyteller Jack Finnegan begins his travelogue with a rhetorical snapshot of a few minutes outside his building in New York City. This image, he claims, glorifies the interconnectedness of cultures and values extant in his neighborhood and reflects the common character of the people who love this urban home as much as he does. He uses this story as a…
The group of actors known as The Rat Pack has a long history from the early days (1960’s) of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall until the 1980’s when three of the members (Martin, Davis, and Sinatra) appeared together for the last time in film in “Cannonball Run II” and the same trio staged their ill-fated revival tour which ended after…
Sari Caine’s “The Chess Lesson” is a delightful trope for humankind’s inveterate attempt to understand “how things came to be.” Was there a creation? If so, was it a “big bang” or a divinely orchestrated event? Were there rules governing that creation? Did humankind “disobey those rules? Whose rules were/are they: those of some divine being or rules created by…