Charlayne WoodardAnother Opening, Another (one-person) Show
By Lauren Yarger
For those of us heading to the theater these days, there probably is a good chance what we’re going to see is a one-person show. Granted, the production costs are less (only one salary and a presumed break on fees for the rights if the performer also is the author…), but there are so many of them lately that after a while, they all start to seem like the same show: the performer thinks something about his or her life is so unique it deserves a full 90 minutes or more of our attention, while portraying various characters they have encountered along the way with various accents to help us differentiate.
The Night Watcher, written and performed by Charlayne Woodard Off-Broadway at Primary Stages, is one of the latest. The twist here is direction by respected Daniel Sullivan and a number of reflections about how Woodard has touched the lives of children in her circle.
There’s a baby of mixed race whom actress Alfre Woodard (apparently no relation) wants her and her white husband to adopt. They think about it, but pass. Woodard later becomes godmother to her friend’s daughter, taking seriously her promise to be there for the child. She supports the girl when she becomes pregnant at 14, but when she fails to pass the news along to the girl’s mother, the friendship suffers.
And there a lot of others, some in very difficult situations, with whom the effervescent and engaging Woodard has near-mom experiences. She stops short of suggesting that the parents of these kids are not doing a good job, but it does seem implied at times, as she becomes aunt and “night watcher." It also seems to be a vehicle to justify the actress’s decision not to have her own children or to adopt, but it doesn’t become wholly that either.
In short, it ends up being another one-person performance that seems to be more about the performer coming to terms with parts of his or her life than a performance that justifies a theatrical performance. That’s not to say it isn’t entertaining. It is. I wasn’t bored, but I wasn’t sure what she wanted from me: support, sympathy or just a therapists’ couch in the form of a stage.
It is a tad too long in the two-hour format broken by an intermission and enhanced by short bursts of song by Woodard and photos and graphics projected on a screen (Tal Yarden, design).
The Night Watcher runs at Primary Stages, 59 east 59th Street, NYC through Oct. 31. For tickets, call 212.279.4200.
Christians might also like to know:
• Language
• Lord’s name taken in vain
By Lauren Yarger
For those of us heading to the theater these days, there probably is a good chance what we’re going to see is a one-person show. Granted, the production costs are less (only one salary and a presumed break on fees for the rights if the performer also is the author…), but there are so many of them lately that after a while, they all start to seem like the same show: the performer thinks something about his or her life is so unique it deserves a full 90 minutes or more of our attention, while portraying various characters they have encountered along the way with various accents to help us differentiate.
The Night Watcher, written and performed by Charlayne Woodard Off-Broadway at Primary Stages, is one of the latest. The twist here is direction by respected Daniel Sullivan and a number of reflections about how Woodard has touched the lives of children in her circle.
There’s a baby of mixed race whom actress Alfre Woodard (apparently no relation) wants her and her white husband to adopt. They think about it, but pass. Woodard later becomes godmother to her friend’s daughter, taking seriously her promise to be there for the child. She supports the girl when she becomes pregnant at 14, but when she fails to pass the news along to the girl’s mother, the friendship suffers.
And there a lot of others, some in very difficult situations, with whom the effervescent and engaging Woodard has near-mom experiences. She stops short of suggesting that the parents of these kids are not doing a good job, but it does seem implied at times, as she becomes aunt and “night watcher." It also seems to be a vehicle to justify the actress’s decision not to have her own children or to adopt, but it doesn’t become wholly that either.
In short, it ends up being another one-person performance that seems to be more about the performer coming to terms with parts of his or her life than a performance that justifies a theatrical performance. That’s not to say it isn’t entertaining. It is. I wasn’t bored, but I wasn’t sure what she wanted from me: support, sympathy or just a therapists’ couch in the form of a stage.
It is a tad too long in the two-hour format broken by an intermission and enhanced by short bursts of song by Woodard and photos and graphics projected on a screen (Tal Yarden, design).
The Night Watcher runs at Primary Stages, 59 east 59th Street, NYC through Oct. 31. For tickets, call 212.279.4200.
Christians might also like to know:
• Language
• Lord’s name taken in vain
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