On Stage…

Good, interesting, live theatre always captures my attention and right now there’s enough going on to even get me to blog again!

First, if you haven’t already, run to the Manhattan Theatre Club and see the brilliant production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Ruined, by Lynn Nottage. I admit to being late to the dance on this one, having attended a performance only a few weeks ago, but it is about as gripping and moving a story as you are ever likely to see. Set in a small mining town in the Democratic Republic of Congo, this haunting work about the resilience of the human spirit during times of war follows Mama Nadi, a shrewd businesswoman. Is she protecting or profiting by the women she shelters? Drawn from real-life accounts that Nottage researched on a visit there, acts of brutality which lay a foundation for this tale continue to this day, leaving no one unscarred.

Writer/performer Daniel Beaty (Emergence-See) gave select audiences here in New York a sneak peak last week at a new one-man play he is developing, Through The Night. Beaty masterfully performed six characters ranging in age from a small boy to a 65 year old man, weaving together an interesting story about the many challenges facing African-American males today and the ways in which we seek solutions. He presented it this week in North Carolina at the National Black Theatre Festival and hopefully soon, a more formal staging will take place. It is one not to miss.

Three theater companies which serve as an able training ground for new and emerging playwrights, will unveil new productions soon.

Freedom Train Productions stages new political theatre that challenges audiences to see character and human struggle from new perspectives — black queer protagonists. This week they open Fire! New Play Festival 2009 which runs throughout the month.

Lark Play Development Center has announced the list of plays and playwrights for Playwright’s Week 2009 and it looks to be an interesting mix. Keep a check on their website for the festival schedule and ticket information.

Diverse City Theater Company announced its 2009 Mainstage production of “Race Music” by Warren Bodow. Performances will run September 3rd thru September 19th at The Beckett Theatre. Set in a metropolitan Midwestern city in 1999, the play takes a hard and nuanced look at prejudice, race relations, and social politics. It examines how racial stereotyping informs our opinions, stirs our emotions, and conflicts with our instinct to appear unbiased.

Finally, the 2008 all-Black Broadway production of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof will be staged in London. Tony Award Winners Phylicia Rashad and James Earl Jones reprise their roles and are joined by Olivier Award Winner Adrian Lester (Girlfriends, As You Like It, Primary Colors) and Sanaa Lathan (Nip/Tuck, Out of Time, Love & Basketball). Debbie Allen once again directs. Performances begin November 17, 2009. Cat will run in limited engagement December 2009 until April 2010 at the Novello Theatre in the West End.