I CAME TO LOOK FOR YOU ON TUESDAY

THEATER

I CAME TO LOOK FOR YOU ON TUESDAY
BY
CHIORI MIYAGAWA

DIRECTED
BY
ALICE REAGAN

REVIEWED
BY
BINA SHARIF

I came to look for you on Tuesday is a play which is hauntingly beautiful and poignant.
I came to look for you on Tuesday is a passionate poem play, an unending stunning poem of
memory, loss and reunion after natural disasters such as Japan Earthquake in 2011 and wars.
The main character in the play is a young girl named Maia who is six years old at the time of the tragedy of tsunami when she is saved by her mother at the loss of her mother's life who was only twenty years old. At the end of the play Maia is fifty years old and all her life she has tried to deal
with her loss and the reunion with her father who just can't come to terms with the tragedy of losing
his young wife and some times blames Maia for the loss.  In a heart breaking scene the father says to his daughter,"You are a thief, you stole my life."  One can never forget strong and bold writing like this.
I came to look for you on Tuesday throughout has poetry like that.
Poetry which destroys you at one point and enthralls  you at the next moment.
There are almost twenty characters in the play who are trying to deal with the loss of loved ones and trying to reunite to have some kind of closure in some ways and all scenes have great strength of
brilliant writing.
The play is also stunningly directed by Alice Reagan.  Direction is precise, clean, sharp and moving.
When one enters the theater , one encounters just a very clean room with grey walls and floor and
a projection screen.  Almost no props except some little blocks of wood and some doors, actually many
doors but not intrusive at all.  The set is just perfect for this kind of a play which is taking place all
over the world and characters inhabiting the space are also people, real people of blood and flesh
trying to deal with the loss which can never be dealt with actually, the loss which is beyond one's control but still some kind of reunion is wished for.
All the actors are brilliant.  Completely connected with their characters.  Right in-front of you they become the real people and you forget that you are watching a play.
Actors play many different roles and they are good in each one.
The playwright and the director conducted salons where they developed stories of reunion
by many artists and the result is so effective that the play stays inside of you for days.
I have been thinking about this beautiful play for a whole week.
I came to look for you on Tuesday, a lovely title, which is based on one of the characters who is looking
for his missing son and leaves a hand written message on the wall of one of the evacuation center
telling him, I CAME TO LOOK FOR YOU ON TUESDAY.
If that doesn't break your heart, just tell me what will.......
And theater should have that kind of lasting effect and this play does.
And there is another amazing thing happens here often, Laughter.
Play also has sharp and real heartfelt humor.
I just loved this play.

AT LAMAMA E.T.C TILL OCT 13

THEATER REVIEW OF WILLIAM

FRINGE THEATER REVIEWS
BY
BINA SHARIF

WILLIAM : A ONE MAN MUSICAL ABOUT WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

(Book, Music and Lyrics in Swedish by Jan-Erik Saaf
Translation into English by Owen Robertson )
Directed by Andreas Boonstra
Time of this ply is 1592
The place is London.

Many a times when we go to see a one person Shakespeare play, it turns out to be about the most famous monologues ever written by Shespeare.  That doesn't mean that those are bad efforts but when the actor do a bad job at doing,"To be,
or not to be" badly you instantly lose it and wait  eternally for more recitations of poorly done.
Not here.  Astoundingly fresh, original, witty, imaginative and intelligent from beginning to the end.

Jonas Nerbe the actor and the singer who plays William is a prince himself with an incredible stage presence and a beautiful voice accompanied by a group of handsome dames, (String Quarter) Sarah
Koenig-Ploskier, Caterina Longhi and Bridget Pasker clad in beautiful red and black skirts.
The whole motif of stage design is red and black including William's Jacket which is very effective.
With such simple touches the production achieves the most powerful vision.
In one scene the ladies of the string quartet join  Jonas Nerbe (William) and play the weird sisters from Macbeth evoking such laughter and fun.

The actor concentrate on the life of William Shakespeare during the time of 1592 beginning with
Richard the third and before the opening of Romeo and Juliet and concentrate on Shakespeare's sonnets
which he sings beautifully.  Also the play William reveals the struggle of the author, his competitive spirit with Marlow and his mysterious passions between the young Earl of Southhampton and that sexy lady always mentioned as the Dark Lady of his sonnets.

Jonas Nerbe is excellent throughout this fascinating work and its amazing that the fringe festival got him and gave us all the chance to see the dedication and sophistication with which the whole production is held together.
I would love to follow Jonas Nerbe's career in the future but since he is based in Sweden might be hard
so I would love to see this William and more of his work maybe at Public theater perhaps.
This play desreve to have a come back in NY.

THEATER REVIEW

THE DROWNING GIRLS
BY
Beth Graham, Daniela Vlaskalic &Charlie Tomlinson
DIRECTED
BY
Jessica Bashline

REVIEWED
BY
Bina Sharif

The Drowning Girls is based on a true story.  An Edwardian hustler named George Joseph Smith
ends up marrying three different wives (Bessie, Alice and Margaret ) and they all die by drowning mysteriously in their bath tubs. (Actually at the hands of their husband )

My very first Impression as I walked in was Breathtaking.  Three old style bath tubs with water sprinkling from the showers and three beautiful white bridal gowns hanging near each bath tub.
The set was absolutely pure and soothing and comforting while we already knew that we are going
to watch very sad events about three young wives. It was absolutely haunting in a beautifully
sensuous way especially for me.  I love the melodious sound the water creates when it falls on any surface.  The sound of the rain in any play will get me dreaming of the monsoon season and I was still aware that I am here not to watch a party in a rain forest but a heart wrenching story of three young lives destroyed by their own awful husband. And one more thing before I proceed was a stunning effect of the boiling hot water being poured in the bath tubs by a stage hand creating clouds of steam...
another Image of comfort and bliss which comes from going to a bath house in Tunis...
And  simple and impressive visual effect (Like a painting) created without any boring digital effects was by Daryl Embry..

At the very beginning of the play we see three young, beautiful women enter in their underwear's and
get into the bathtubs splashing water everywhere and gasping and some time even giggling.
They get out soaking wet and one by one wear their wedding gowns and starts to recount the story of
their very short encounters with  their murderous husband. All three actresses play many different roles including the role of George Joseph Smith. They recount how they met him, in one case at a park bench, how he charmed them, how he was after their inheritance and how fast the women fell in love with him and married him without ever paying any attention to the concerns of their loved ones.

The whole play has a beautifully haunting atmosphere created by dim, dark, golden light designed by
Michelle Tobias and is accompanied with original music composed by Jeff McSpadden.

Three wives are played by Kate Danson (Bessie) Marissa Porto (Alice ) and Nancy Rodriguez
(Margaret )

All Three actresses are brilliant.  They were good and sustained their characters throughout
the play (Rather short ) They touched me so much that I was constantly worried about them
 being well and warm besides the fact that it was impossible because they were all soaking wet all along
but they never gave a hint of being discomforted by the hazards of their craft.
I particularly liked Marissa Porto (Alice) in one of the scenes where she brings George to meet her mother and father and is having a heart wrenching scene with Nancy Rodrigues now playing
Alice's mother and begging with her daughter Alice to change her mind but Alice storms out
on the way to her tragedy and the mother tells us that she never saw Alice again.
Both Marissa and Nancy just broke my heart with that scene.

Jessica Bashline who is also the Artistic Director of Strange Sun Theater did a great job combining all
the best elements and talent for her show.
Its just the most beautiful show I have seen in a while...What else  can I say?

"KANE AND HABIL AT THE PIZZA PARLOR"

WRITTEN and DIRECTED

by

SERGE ERNANDEZ

at

La MaMa E.T,C.

"KANE AND HABIL AT THE PIZZA PARLOR" Is based on the ancient story Kane and Abel from the Jewish Bible

but set in a Pizza Parlor of modern times.In 'KANE AND HABIL IN PIZZA PARLOR the first family, Adam,(Missing) in this play was supposed to be of African descent and Eve,(Sheila Dabney)

had a crush on the white fallen angel and had Kane from him and Habil by Adam.  They also had a sister named,Lebuda, (Emily Alpren) who becomes the objet of desire of both brothers but she

is only in love with Habil and wants a child from him thus evoking incredible envy, rage and jealousy in Kane  who ends up murdering Habil and I am not spoiling the plot or the ending in this case

because everyone knows the story of Kane and Abel and pretty much know the ending.

This ancient story of utmost importance because its with this story the first murder in the civilization takes place and the the sin of Incest which has continued through thousands of years and the murder of brother by a brother has become a sad common story.

In"KANE AND HABILIN PIZZA PARLOR" However the story takes a contemporary shape (A license taken by the artist, writer/director) and causes some confusion because if the play takes

place in a modern Pizza parlor(Pizza parlors) are supposed to be invention of contemporary society) and in the contemporary society murders have been happening for eternity, so when its

announced in the play that its the first murder, it rings hollow as well as when Lebuda asks in horror questions the red stuff coming out of Habil's body it sounds funny because so much red blood had been shed in modern times.

Maybe I am being too literal in my take of it but thats the measure of my interpretation.

Acting in the play is pretty good especially Eve, Sheila Dabney who is majestic, powerful in a funny halting manner turning it into brooding comedy which is the intention of the writer/director.

Kofi Boakye,(Habil) also is very effective.  Dough Chapman(Kane) is smooth but seem gymnastic in his sorrow and regret after the tragedy caused by him.

The chorus played by Kirk Brown and Yossera Bouchtia covered in black shrouds have the ability of provoking tragic lament.  I wish their part was larger though.

Emily Alpren (Lebuda) was most effective in her sorrow at Habil's death bed.

It was absolutely a delight to see Sheila Dabney on stage after such a long time.  Her voice and presence is meant for the stage and she must not deprive the stage of her presence.

HAPPY FACE

REVIEWED

BY

BINA SHARIF