Friday, June 3, 2011

Theater Review: At the Corner of Faith & Reason

Explorations on Why We
Think the Way We Do
By Lauren Yarger
Give two playwrights an empty stage, two actors and a challenge to write a one-act on the theme of faith and what you get is a GraceNotes production of At the Corner of Reason playing at the Cherry Lane’s Studio Theater.

The refreshingly quick 50-minute program offers two plays, Parent Teacher by Sharyn Rothstein, directed by Kel Haney, and Dissonance by Craig Pospisil, directed by Jim Eliot.

Parent Teacher is a clash of cultures explored through intriguing dialogue between a Muslim teacher and the mother of one of her students.

Teacher Rena Ayoubi (Suzanne Barbetta) is concerned about her student Cory’s lack of focus and preoccupation with flirting while wearing less-then-modest clothing. Her single working mother Keisha Daniels (Cherelle Cargill) feels the outfits are an expression of her daughter’s freedom and creativity and resents interference by the hijab-wearing teacher.

The conversation gets personal – and very interesting – as the women ask questions and try to explain why they believe what they do. Wearing the hijab to cover her hair is an act she does every day for God and for herself, Rena says. She challenges Rena to try it on. She refuses, but finally acquiesces. She tells Rena that to Cory, wearing the hijab and long sleeves and a long skirt teaches her daughter something subtly every day – that her teacher thinks she needs to be covered up because she’s a woman. She counters by challenging Rena to teach without it. At first she refuses, then acquiesces (probably unrealistically).

The dialogue is sharp and tight and is a lesson in how to relate to folks whose faith is different.

The second play, Dissonance,  sees Tricia (Deborah Jean Morgan) interrupts preparations being made by funeral home employee Fitz (William Peden) for her mother’s memorial service. Tricia hadn’t spent a lot of time toward the end with the mother who had forgotten her through Alzheimer’s, but Fitz found comfort in regular visits with his former piano teacher after a nerve disorder destroyed the feeling in his hands and his career as a concert pianist.

This play really has nothing to do with faith, but lands more on the “reason” side as the characters explore motive through their dialogue.

The two plays are running in repertory with 3Graces’ production of As it is in Heaven through June 11 Tickets are $18 and are now available online at www.telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the theater box office one half hour prior to performance.

Christians might also like to know:
Language
God’s name taken in vain

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Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger 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 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. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

Copyright

All material is copyright 2008- 2022 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.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

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.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

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