Sunday, June 26, 2011

Quick Hit Theater Review: Some of Our Parts

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Mary Theresa Archbold (Ginger), Anita Hollander (Rose) and Tiffan Borelli (Gorgeous) in Bekah Brunstetter's GORGEOUS, part of Theater Breaking Through Barriers' SOME OF OUR PARTS at the Clurman Theatre (410 West 42nd Street). Photo by Carol Rosegg.
Some of Our Parts
Seven 10-Minute Plays About Disability
By Bekah Brunstetter, Samuel D. Hunter, Neil LaBute, Kate Moira Ryan, Diana Son, Jeff Tabnick and Emily Chadick Weiss
Directed by Nicholas Viselli, Christina Roussos, Ike Schambelan, Kimothy Cruse
Presented by Theater Breaking Through Barriers

Summary:
Seven plays looking at life with disability, linked by Kate Moira Ryan's "Casting Call" sketch where TBTB members try and fail to get members of their company cast in productions of plays featuring characters with disabilities. Seems most shows would rather cast actors without disabilities to play disabled characters, even if an actor with the same kind of disability is available. The presentation includes the world premiere of LaBute's short "Cripples,"  directed by Ike Schambelan, TBTB artistic director and founder.

Highlights:
The renowned Off-Broadway company known for its productions that integrate
able-bodied actors with artists with disabilities isn't afraid to delve into subject matter that might be considered tabu. Most of the short sketches provide thoughtful insight into what it is like to live with, or be affected by someone who has a disability. Funny, truthful and moving, in particular, are the linking phone calls where other production companies give a long list of reasons why they won't even let a disabled actor read for a part. We know, unfortunately, these have to be based on real conversations.

Most of the sketches are realistic as well (with the exception of "The Big Payback" by Tabnick, which meanders into the macabre and deals with a different kind of disability). Particularly good are "Blind Date" by Diane Son, directed by Kimothy Cruse) in which Walter (a very good Aiden Fulcomer) hides his disability from online-dating match Sarah (Pamela Sabaugh) and "Gorgeous" by Bekah Brunstetter, directed by Christina Roussos, where disabled Ginger (Mary Theresa Archbold) and Rose (Anita Hollander) discover that they might be a lot better adjusted than the weight-and-beauty-obsessed gorgeous woman (Tiffan Birelli) they feel intimidated by in their gym locker room.

Lowlights:
Lots of language. Far more than seems proportional for the 75-minute show. "Welcome to Walmart" by Samuel D. Hunter includes lot of good insight, but seems a dig at the department store chain as much as a statement about difficulties encountered by disabled folks in the workplace. LaBute's "Cripples" explores the idea of three older men becoming emotional cripples, but seems to exploit the details of one's sexual encounter with a woman with no legs for uncomfortable laughs.

Information:
Some of Our Parts plays through June 30 at the Clurman Theatre, 410 West 42nd St., NYC. Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7 pm; Friday at 8 pm; Saturday at 3 pm and 8 pm; Sunday at 3 pm. For information and tickets, visit http://www.tbtb.org/.

Theater Breaking Through Barriers, formerly Theater by the Blind, was founded in 1979. The company's mission is to change the image of people with disabilities from one of dependence to independence, to fight stereotypes and misperceptions associated with disability, and to show how vibrant, fluid and exuberant the work of artists with disabilities can be.

Christians might also like to know:
Language
Homosexuality mentioned
Sexual dialogue
God's name taken in vain
Posted by Lauren Yarger at 3:40 PM

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My Bio

Lauren Yarger is Executive Director/Producer with Masterwork Productions, Inc. She has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the 2000 Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists.

Yarger trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Three-Day Training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run.

In 2008 she was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She writes reviews of Broadway and off-Broadway theater with a Christian perspective for Masterwork Productions (http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/) and is Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp http://www.curtainup.com/, a national theater web site based in New York and editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection, an online source for news and reviews (http://ctarts.blogspot.com/).

She also worked in arts management for The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford and for the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

Yarger writes news and inspiration for Christian artists at http://christianpeformers.blogspot.com/ and teaches theater workshops at conferences around the country.

She is a freelance writer and member of The Drama Desk, The Outer Critics Circle, The American Theater Critics Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, the CT Press Club, the National Book Critics Circle, the Connecticut SPJ, the Connecticut Critics Circle and Christians in Theatre Arts.

A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

Copyright

All material is copyright 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

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Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.
Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.
Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.
Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.
Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.
Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.
Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.
Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.
Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.
Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.
Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.
Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.
Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.
Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Our Reviewing Policy

Our reviewer Lauren Yarger receives free tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle and The Drama Desk, the two professional critics organizations with journalists covering NY theater. Journalistically, she provides an unbiased review and is under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows our readers want to know about (we review all Broadway shows and pertinent Off-Broadway shows), Masterworks purchases a ticket.

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