Broadway Underground

See a writeup about the recent Broadway Underground presentation at http://christianperformers.blogspot.com/2009/08/review-broadway-underground.html

NY Fringe Festival Starts Today

I have 25 shows on my schedule for the NY Fringe Festival, a fun romp through "what's new out there" in the theater world.

My selections are based on which shows fit in my schedule, which have a worthwhile religious theme and those offerings for which I think it might be worth sitting in a confined unairconditioned sweat box (which some of the Fringe venues can be) to see while avoiding those that might cause me to wretch or sit gaping with my mouth open in horror or disgust (some of the Fringe shows are out there, to put it mildly.)

We'll post abbreviated reviews of the shows here beginning Aug. 23.
New York friends, if you would like to venture with me to some Fringe shows Aug. 24-Aug 30, let me know by email. Thanks to all of you who passed along suggestions. I couldn't schedle all of them, but some worked!
-- Lauren Yarger

Here are the shows I'll be seeing and some information about them:

Afterlight
Threads Theater Company
Writer: Monica Flory
Director: Misti Wills
Twilight. A flutter, quick and light. A wolf howls. An accident. Ordinary lives collide with the supernatural. Inspired by surrealist photography, Afterlight is the story of a small community clinging to hope amidst unsettling events.
1h 30m Local Manhattan, NY Drama
http://www.threadstheatercompany.org/
VENUE #14: The Cherry Lane Theatre
Fri 14 @ 7:15 Wed 19 @ 3 Thu 20 @ 7:15 Sat 22 @ 12 Tue 25 @ 5:45

Super Friend
Taproot Theatre Company
Writer: Bethany Wallace
Director: Josiah Wallace
Marvel is a super-hero, but doesn’t know how to be a super-friend…yet. At SuperCamp Professor Nemesis plans to strip super-kids of their powers. Marvel learns how to be a good friend and with his friends, saves the day
1h 0m National Seattle, WA FringeJR Comedy
http://www.taproottheatre.org/ /grades-k-through-six/ Share Show
VENUE #14: The Cherry Lane Theatre
Tue 18 @ 8:30 Wed 19 @ 5:15 Thu 20 @ 5:30 Fri 21 @ 7:15 Sat 22 @ 2:15

Jesus Ride
Deux Ex Productions
Writer: Mike Schlitt
Director: Nancy Keystone
Journey through the first 100 years of the Savior on the silver screen: 33 films about Jesus Christ and confessions of the secular humanist non-practicing Jew who watched every one. The 2006 Outstanding Solo Show winner returns with a FringeNYC World Premiere.
1h 20m National Los Angeles, CA Solo Show Comedy
http://www.mikeschlitt.com/
VENUE #18: HERE Arts Center - Dorothy B. Williams Theater
Sun 16 @ 7:45 Thu 20 @ 7:45 Sat 22 @ 5 Sat 22 @ 9:45 Tue 25 @ 7:45 Sat 29 @ 3:15

MoM - A Rock Concert Musical
5 Mothers
Writer: Richard Caliban
Director: Richard Caliban
Five suburban moms start a rock band just for laughs and inadvertently become a phenomenon. Man oh man do their lives change.
2h 0m Local Manhattan, NY Musical Comedy
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=65426781220
VENUE #2: CSV Cultural and Edu. Cntr. Flamboyan
Fri 14 @ 9:30 Mon 17 @ 5:15 Sat 22 @ 6:15 Mon 24 @ 2:15 Sun 30 @ 12

all over.
The Fugitives
Writer: Elizabeth Audley
Director: Michael Page
She's gone to look for America. She still hasn't found what she's looking for. (You can't always get what you want.) Don't stop believin' - it's a beautiful day. A story about optimism, patriotism, and driving around.
1h 20m Local Brooklyn, NY Comedy Solo Show
http://www.allovershow.com/
VENUE #11: The Actors' Playhouse
Mon 17 @ 3:30 Mon 17 @ 7:30 Mon 24 @ 5:15 Mon 24 @ 9:30 Wed 26 @ 2

The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour
W. Kamau Bell
Writer: W. Kamau Bell
Black president or not, racism continues to make a comeback. And Kamau is here to make (non)sense of it all, using multi-media and personal stories. According to Comedy Central, Kamau told the very first Obama joke way back in 2005.
1h 15m National San Francisco, CA FringeHIGH Solo Show
www.wkamaubell.com/the-w-kamau-bell-curve/
VENUE #9: The Players Loft
Mon 17 @ 2:15 Fri 21 @ 8:30 Sat 22 @ 6:45 Sun 23 @ 10:30 Mon 24 @ 7:15 Sat 29 @ 5

Home is the Sailor, Home From Sea
WeThree Productions
Writer: Alex Coppola
Director: Alex Coppola
Shouldn’t you bury it? After hitting and killing a deer on the way home from the funeral of a friend, three young men are confronted with crushing pangs of guilt, questions of closure and the impossibility of saying goodbye.
1h 30m Local Manhattan, NY Drama Comedy
http://www.homeisthesailor.com/
VENUE #1: CSV Cultural and Edu. Cntr. Milagro
Sat 15 @ 12 Mon 24 @ 9:15 Wed 26 @ 3 Fri 28 @ 7 Sat 29 @ 2:45

Looming the Memory
Thomas Papathanassiou
Writer: Thomas Papathanassiou
Director: John Saunders
18 characters and a chicken! An award-winning theatrical memoir exploring one man's challenge growing up with his heart in two parts of the world, and how our family stories play an integral part in shaping who we are.
1h 10m International Perth, Australia Solo Show Drama
http://www.loomingthememory.com/
VENUE #7: manhattan theatre source
Sat 22 @ 12 Tue 25 @ 5 Wed 26 @ 9:15 Fri 28 @ 7:15 Sat 29 @ 5

Testify
ETCH Dance Co.
Choreographer: Elisha Clark Halpin
Displacement in Darfur, unrequited love, warfare, devastation, compassion, & desire; Testify takes you there and everywhere in between. Dancing the blues, women unleash the deep places of their hearts. Jagged and angular movements illustrate the physical embodiment of emotional truth.
0h 30m National State College, PA Dance FringeHIGH
http://www.etchdance.org/
VENUE #6: The Robert Moss Theater
Tue 25 @ 8:15 Wed 26 @ 4:15 Thu 27 @ 5:45 Sat 29 @ 8:45 Sun 30 @ 3:30

Sunday Best
Azddak Performances
Writer: Laura Canty-Samuel, Music by Laura Canty-Samuel and Ethan Forrest Wagner
Hallelujah! One woman, ten characters and a wicked romp through the devilishly funny minds of members of a Black Pentecostal Church in Brooklyn. Questions of faith, loss, and hat size abound amid irreverent “ridiculosity”, punctuated with live gospel music.
1h 30m Local Brooklyn, NY Solo Show Comedy
http://www.sundaybestplay.com/
VENUE #3: Dixon Place
Sat 15 @ 9 Sun 16 @ 1:30 Sat 22 @ 11:45 Tue 25 @ 10 Fri 28 @ 6

Shelf Life
The Arcade
Writer: Molly Goforth
Director: JV Mercanti
Beat the Heat: Come see the coolest show at FringeNYC! Shelf Life puts you in the middle of the drama unfolding behind the closed door of an ordinary refrigerator. You'll never look at your fridge in the same way again.
1h 25m Local Manhattan, NY Drama Comedy
http://www.arcadetheatre.info/
VENUE #2: CSV Cultural and Edu. Cntr. Flamboyan
Fri 14 @ 7:15 Sun 16 @ 1:30 Thu 20 @ 3:30 Sat 22 @ 4 Wed 26 @ 2

Series 6.2: Paint on Canvas
HumanWell Productions
Writer: Becca Hackett and Katherine Randle
Director: Ilana Becker
Armed with words and paint, two artists engage in a playful battle on a life-sized canvas. Tackling their greatest demons and joys, they bring new artwork to life with each unrestrained, paint slinging performance. Do YOU human well?
0h 35m Local Brooklyn, NY Performance Art
http://www.humanwellproductions.com/
VENUE #17: HERE Arts Center - Mainstage Theater
Sun 23 @ 9:15 Wed 26 @ 6:15 Fri 28 @ 4:30 Fri 28 @ 7 Sat 29 @ 2:30

And She Said, He Said, I Said Yes
DRD Productions
Writer: Harrison David Rivers
Director: Eric Louie & Anika Chapin
Post breakup, three women attempt to make sense of their lives. In recounting stories of weight gain, drunk dials, flying milk cartons, Facebook stalking, and hair growth, they explore the very nature of love, loss, and ultimately their own humanity.
1h 35m Local New York, NY Drama Comedy
http://www.shesaidhesaidyes.com/
VENUE #18: HERE Arts Center - Dorothy B. Williams Theater
Fri 14 @ 9:15 Sat 15 @ 1:15 Sun 16 @ 4:45 Fri 21 @ 5:15 Wed 26 @ 7 Thu 27 @ 9:30

VIRAL
Gideon Productions, LLC
Writer: Mac Rogers
Director: Jordana Williams
A woman googles "painless suicide" and finds the people who will help her end her life - if she'll let them film it. And sell it. A pitch black comedy from two-time FringeNYC award winner Mac Rogers.
1h 45m Local Brooklyn, NY Drama Comedy
http://www.viraltheplay.com/
VENUE #16: The SoHo Playhouse
Sat 15 @ 7:30 Sun 16 @ 6 Wed 19 @ 3 Sun 23 @ 10 Wed 26 @ 9:45

Flight
NO HOPE Productions
Writer: Tim Aumiller
Director: Tim Aumiller
On the eve of an early winter storm, two strangers are forced together by sheer proximity at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. While waiting for their lives to resume, they find refuge and danger in revealing themselves.
0h 50m Local Brooklyn, NY Comedy Drama
http://www.nohopeproductions.com/
VENUE #15: The Studio at Cherry Lane
Fri 14 @ 7 Tue 18 @ 9:30 Wed 19 @ 10:30 Thu 20 @ 2 Sat 22 @ 6:15 Thu 27 @ 5:15

just don't touch me, amigo
Fernando Gambaroni
Writer: Fernando Gambaroni
Director: Jose Zayas
A comedy about loneliness in the city and the alienating process of becoming a resident alien.
1h 10m Local New York, NY Solo Show Comedy
http://justdonttouchmeamigo.blogspot.com/
VENUE #7: manhattan theatre source
Sat 15 @ 2 Wed 19 @ 9 Sat 22 @ 9:15 Wed 26 @ 3 Thu 27 @ 9:30

The Confessional
The Cohort Theatre Company
Writer: Jayson Akridge
Director: Jayson Akridge
Mild-mannered teacher, Stanley Prentiss, confesses to a horrific murder which may or may not have happened. The detectives on the case must journey into the innermost darkness a human soul is capable of in order to discover the truth.
2h 15m Virginia Beach, VA Drama
http://www.theconfessionalplay.com/
VENUE #1: CSV Cultural and Edu. Cntr. Milagro
Sun 23 @ 9 Thu 27 @ 9 Fri 28 @ 2:15 Sat 29 @ 7 Sun 30 @ 2

I WILL FOLLOW
Pennyfield Productions
Writer: Barri Tsavaris
Director: Steve Wargo
A girl from Long Island embarks on a fanatical search for truth, love and religion through the music of U2. Her 20-year journey explores the challenge of finding yourself when following something else. A rock-and-roll adventure for fans of anything!
1h 30m Local New York, NY Comedy Drama
http://www.iwillfollowtheplay.com/
VENUE #11: The Actors' Playhouse
Sat 15 @ 8:30 Sun 16 @ 3:15 Thu 20 @ 2 Sat 22 @ 12 Fri 28 @ 5:15

CAMP WANATACHI: A New Musical
Mercurial Productions
Writer: Book and Lyrics by Natalie Weiss, Music by Natalie Weiss, Conrad Winslow and Travis Stewart
Director: Natalie Weiss
Spirit-soaked and hormone-charged, two 13-year-old girls fall in love at Christian summer camp. Live orchestra. Sick beats. Songs like "We All Need Jesus in Our Lives," and "Let's Ride Bareback." This nostalgic musical is super futuristic.
1h 30m Local Brooklyn, NY Musical Comedy
http://www.campwanatachi.com/
VENUE #3: Dixon Place
Sat 15 @ 1:30 Sun 16 @ 11 Tue 18 @ 7 Fri 28 @ 8:15 Sat 29 @ 3:1

George and Laura Bush Perform . . . Our Favorite Sitcom Episodes
NOTE: This show, originally on the list, will not be reviewed because of a schedule conflict.

Look After You
Maieutic Theatre Works-MTWorks
Writer: Louise Flory
Director: Michele Pace
MTWorks (Anais Nin Goes To Hell) returns with "Look After You". When a photographer's life is threatened by illness, everything she thought was secure turns upside-down, testing friendships, family and love.
1h 30m Local Manhattan, NY Drama
http://www.lookafteryoutheplay.com/
VENUE #16: The SoHo Playhouse
Fri 14 @ 5 Sun 16 @ 3 Wed 19 @ 8:15 Fri 28 @ 9:30 Sat 29 @ 1:30

ARTIFEX. The Artistic Life of Emperor Nero.
The Artifex Company
Writer: Davide Ambrogi, Original Music by Davide Ambrogi
Director: Velia Viti
An opportunity to call into question the main themes and problems most frequently present in the life of an artist. The Italian Artifex Company leads you on a psychological trip into the artist's mind through comedy, drama, dance and music.
1h 20m International Rome, Italy Comedy Drama
http://www.blogger.com/www.wix.com/davideambrogi/artifex
VENUE #14: The Cherry Lane Theatre
Thu 20 @ 9:30 Sat 22 @ 9:45 Tue 25 @ 9:45 Wed 26 @ 4:45 Sat 29 @ 5

Damon and Debra
B Train Productions
Writer: Judy Chicurel
Director: Passion Hansome
On a stalled subway train shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Damon, a distrustful young African American male, meets Debra, a feisty, middle-aged white woman. Race, relationships, and startling personal revelations pave the way for a provocative interaction.
1h 30m Local Brooklyn, NY Drama FringeHIGH
VENUE #15: The Studio at Cherry Lane
Mon 17 @ 8:30 Tue 18 @ 7:15 Fri 21 @ 4:45 Tue 25 @ 5:45 Fri 28 @ 7 Sat 29 @ 8

White Horses: An Irish Childhood
Breaking Tide
Writer: Owen Dara
Director: Elizabeth Duck & Dan Toscano
Based on his acclaimed memoir, comedian Owen Dara brings to life his Irish childhood. Through portrayals of his militant mother, bewildering father, and juvenile self, he leads a hilarious journey filled with passion, insight, and a whole lot of laughs.
1h 20m National Los Angeles, CA Comedy Solo Show
www.owendara.com/show.html
VENUE #7: manhattan theatre source
Sat 15 @ 7 Tue 18 @ 5 Tue 25 @ 9 Thu 27 @ 7:15 Sun 30 @ 12

IMAGINE
Imagine Project Inc
Writer: Children of Imagine Project workshops
Director: Bill Bartlett
Choreographer: Annie Faulkner
All original music and story lines are a result of improvisations created by the young actors. More than half the performers have been cast from the children participating in our creativity programs in NYC homeless shelters.
1h 5m Local Brooklyn, NY FringeJR Musical
http://www.imagineproject.org/
VENUE #2: CSV Cultural and Edu. Cntr. Flamboyan
Sat 15 @ 12 Sun 16 @ 3:45 Thu 20 @ 7:30 Thu 27 @ 6 Sun 30 @ 2:45

Theater Review: Vanities

Lauren Kennedy, Anneliese van der Pol and Sarah Stiles.

If It’s Not Broken, Don’t Fix It
By Lauren Yarger
Vanities, running Off-Broadway ay Second Stage Theatre is a sweet story that follows the friendship of three friends from high school through adulthood. Perhaps taking some identity from its title and thinking its a little bigger than it is, however, it doesn’t leave well enough alone, as the story gets pushed aside by the adaptation of the play as a musical and we’re left feeling like something has intruded upon what would have been a fun time catching up with friends.

The pop style music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum are predictable, monotone and rather distracting from an interesting book by Jack Heifner (based on his original play) and able direction from Judith Ivey of the three actresses who bring the friends to life.

In 1963, Texas cheerleaders Mary (Lauren Kennedy), Joanne (Sarah Stiles) and Kathy (Anneliese van der Pol) share their hopes and dreams as their high school graduation nears. With the appearance of three nifty wardrobes (Anna Louizos, set design) where the girls make a change into outfits that let us know what decade we’re in (Joseph G. Aulisi, costume design) the scene shifts to a 1968 college dorm room. OCD-driven Mary, who had her heart broken when her boyfriend dumped her, tries to put order in her life by planning everyone else’s. She organizes sorority events and plans the wedding for Joanne and her high school sweetheart, who has waited six years patiently for the wedding night.

The wedding is a relief in more ways than one. Southern belle Joanne only went to college to kill time before getting married – the only occupation she ever considered. Free spirit Mary, however, drops her boyfriends as fast as the next adventure presents itself, and she sets her eyes on Europe after college.

The wardrobes and costumes whisk us to the 1974 Manhattan penthouse terrace where Kathy has invited the out-of-touch friends for a reunion. Things haven’t gone smoothly for the women and the reunion follows suit as truths about the past come out. It’s meaty and genuine stuff, with the give and take of close friendships between women made more real by the spot-on performances by the three actresses, especially Stiles as the gullible, but strong Joanne. The mood just gets interrupted every few minutes by a song or a dance number (Dan Knechtges provides the predictable choreography to work the tunes).

It’s a case of “leave well enough alone.” A reworking would have proven more useful by revise the end of the script and giving details about how Kathy came to be at the penthouse (it isn’t hers and there are hints that she has been through something major, but these questions are left unanswered).

Vanities runs through Aug. 9 at Second Stage, 307 W. 43rd St., NYC. Visit http://www.2st.com/ for tickets.

Christians might also like to know:
• Language
• God’s name taken in vain
• Abortion
• Minor sexual dialogue

Lynn Redgrave, J. Mark McVey Ask Broadway Blessing

Lynn Redgrave, J. Mark McVey (pictured at right), Carol Hall, Project Dance, The Broadway Blessing Choir and other distinguished guests will be among the performing artists at this year's celebration dedicated to asking God's blessing on the new Broadway Season. Masterwork Productions, Inc. is a proud sponsor of this year's event on Monday, Sept. 14.

Author and theater critic Retta Blaney directs the 13th annual blessing 7 pm at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York City, one of the nation's leading religious and secular landmarks. The interfaith service has been bringing the theatre community together every September since 1997. It was conceived as a service of song and story designed to seek God's grace on the new season.

This year’s event will include theater reflections by actress Lynn Redgrave, Broadway veteran J. Mark McVey singing “A Chance for Me” from the musical Amazing Grace: The True Story, singer/songwriter Carol Hall and Project Dance. The Broadway Blessing Choir under the direction of Bruce Neswick, director cathedral music, will perform a number of Broadway hits followed by a “sing-a-long”.

The Very Rev. Dr. James A. Kowalski, dean, and the Rev. Thomas Miller, canon for liturgy & arts from the cathedral will be joined by Rabbi Jill Hausman of Congregation Ezrath Israel / The Actors' Temple and The Rev. Mitties DeChamplain of St. Clement's Episcopal Church as participants in the 75-minute program.


Past participants have included Marian Seldes, Marcia Gay Harden, Frances Sternhagen, Boyd Gaines, Edward Herrmann, Anna Manahan, KT Sullivan, Mary-Mitchell Campbell, J. Mark McVey, Tituss Burgess, Kathleen Chalfant, Billy Porter, Elizabeth Swados, Ken Prymus, Three Mo’ Tenors and Broadway Inspirational Voices.

Mr. Herrmann had this to say about it before making his second Broadway Blessing appearance: “It’s reassuring to know there are so many people out there you know that believe in God and want to take that part of their life and dedicate it to the theatre because theatre is a very spiritual endeavor. They come from every conceivable denomination, which I kind of like. It’s like a study in architecture of all these different buildings. They come from all kinds of disciplines and it’s just great to be among them. It’s an annual event, like with spring comes the first buds, now it’s fall and we’re here to bless our endeavors for the rest of the year and maybe some luck will come out of it, whether that’s internal or external.”

Broadway Blessing is free and open to people of all ages; reservations are not needed. For more information please visit www.stjohndivine.org.

Broadway Blessing is made possible by the generous support of Masterwork Productions Inc., The Church of the Transfiguration (The Little Church Around the Corner), Creative Gifts Foundation, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) and other wonderful friends of the theater.

Theater Review: Twelfth Night in the Park with Hathaway, Esparza, McDonald

Anne Hathaway, Raúl Esparza

and the company of Twelfth Night.

Photo by Joan Marcus

A Great Show is Born, Achieved and Thrust Upon Us
By Lauren Yarger
Some shows are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em. The Public Theater’s rendition of Twelfth Night for this year’s Shakespeare in the Park is just great. Period.

Anne Hathaway makes a stunning New York stage debut as Viola, who, believing her twin brother, Sebastian (Stark Sands), has drowned in the shipwreck that washes her up on the shores of Illyria, disguises herself as a man known as Cesario to serve Duke Orsino (Raul Esparza). The Duke sends Cesario to court Countess Olivia (Audra McDonald), but she is taken instead, with Cesario, whose pretense becomes more difficult as Viola falls in love with Orsino.
Orsino becomes attracted to Viola, but that's problematic since she's, well, a man, or so he thinks.

Mistaken identity and some other subplots (I’ll let you read Spark Notes if you aren’t already familiar with the story) bring great comedic bits. Adding to the humor are strong performances from Hamish Linklater, who plays Andrew Aguecheck, also a suitor of Olivia, Jay Sanders in the as Sir Toby Belch, Olivia’s uncle, and Julie White as Maria, Olivia’s plotting gentlewoman.

Audra McDonald and Anne Hathaway

Director Daniel Sullivan makes the most of all the talent and of the enchanting set, by rolling actors as well as props up and down John Lee Beatty’s rolling green hills with built in stairs and trees, all set in front of Central Park’s towering Belvidere Castle. Lighting is by Peter Kaczorowski and the sound, which should be a model for all outdoor productions, is by Acme Sound Partners.

Hathaway and Esparza as well as others (though, disappointingly, not McDonald) lend their really pleasant voices to wonderful Celtic-sounding music by HEM, supervised and arranged by Greg Pliska and played by five musicians on stage and in costume (Jane Greenwood, designer, dresses everyone in 18th century-looking garb). Choreographer Mimi Lieber matches the “what you will” feel of the evening with delightful, joy-filled dance.

The show is one of the freshest and most entertaining renditions of the classic I have ever seen and it’s truly a night of great fun, from the free tickets to the top-notch performances to the really unbelievably, indescribably delicious sandwiches at theater cafe. Even some of the last words from the play, put to music, seem to be written for this summer alone: “for the rain, it raineth every day.” And indeed most of the performances have been presented despite the weather.

The show runs through July 12 at the park’s Delacorte Theater. For the free tickets, you can wait in line at the park, or take a chance in the virtual line online. Visit http://www.publictheater.org/content/view/126/219/.

Christians might also like to know:
• Don’t be put off by the advertising campaign that touts the show and the production of The Bacchae that will follow as “cross dressing in the park.” Viola’s donning of men’s wear is situational, not sexual in choice.

Theater Review: Sweet Storm

Jamie Dunn and Eric T. Miller.

Photo courtesy of KPM Associates.

The Storm Inside Rages More Violently Than the Hurricane Outside
By Lauren Yarger
A storm breaking, both literally and emotionally drives Scott Hudson’s new play Sweet Storm, co-presented Off-Broadway by Alchemy Theatre and LAByrinth Theater Company at the Kirk Theater.

Ruthie (Jamie Dunn) and Bo (Eric T. Miller) are up a tree, again quite iterally, as Bo carries his new bride to a surprise honeymoon suite: a tree house built in the limbs where they once climbed and where love blossomed when she slipped and grabbed hold of him to keep from falling. To put the finishing touches on the special wedding night surprise, amongst the bed, a few pieces of furniture and a few necessities, Bo places heaps of gardenias, Ruthie’s favorite flower, which she thinks have “the aroma of angels.”

The idyllic setting (depicted simply by scenic and costume designer Lea Umberger as two large limbs accented by green strips of foliage nicely lighted by Sarah Sidman) doesn’t trigger quite the reaction Bo hopes for from his new wife. Instead, a storm of emotion is unleashed, much like the Sept. 10, 1960 hurricane which is fast approaching their location at Lithia Springs, Fl. The sounds of nature, with varying degrees of rain and wind are amazingly created by sound designer Elizabeth Rhodes You could almost swear you were sitting outdoors up a tree.

The tree sits on land recently donated for a new church Bo is excited about pastoring, but Ruthie isn’t so sure. In fact, she’s wonders whether getting married was such a great idea, especially in light of a recent accident which has left her paralyzed from the waist down. She is still angry, searching for answers and not in the mood for surprises. As Bo must carry her every where and help her use a bed pan, Ruthie’s emotions whirl out of control and its hard to tell if a storm bigger than the approaching hurricane isn’t raging within .

“You married a woman with no faith and no legs,” she tells him.

Bo doesn’t have any easy answers, but they start talking and recall moments from their courtship. He reassures her of his love and eventually, Ruthie’s fears subside, just as the hurricane rages around them

Directed by Padraic Lillis, the play is a sweet story of how love and prayer can triumph over fear and circumstances.

Sweet Storm runs at the Kirk Theater, 410 W. 42nd St., NYC through July 26. For tickets and information, visit http://www.labtheater.org/onstage/onstage.html.

Theater Review: Next Fall

Questions About Faith and Relationships
By Lauren Yarger
Questions about life, death and reality collide in Geoffrey Nauffts' play Next Fall, presented by Naked Angels Off-Broadway at the Jay Sharp Theater.

As Luke (Patrick Heusinger) lies in a coma after being struck by a car, his family and friends gather in the waiting room for news of Luke’s condition. Tensions mount, not just from their concern about Luke’s condition, but because Luke’s uptight Southern Christian father and stepmother, Butch (Cotter Smith) and Arlene (Connie Ray), don’t know that Adam (Patrick Breen) is more than just a friend. He’s Luke’s lover.

Holly (Maddie Corman), who owns the shop where Luke, an unemployed actor, sells candles, tries to keep Butch and Arlene at bay while comforting Adam, who waits for medical updates given only to “family” members. Luke’s other friend, Brandon (Sean Dugan), a somewhat superfluous character, also is on hand.

Through flashbacks (nicely directed by Sheryl Kaller on a hospital room set designed by Wilson Chin, complete with walls that slide out to create the couple’s apartment) we see the developments of the relationship between Luke, a Christian who struggles with his homosexuality and who prays for forgiveness after sex, and the unchurched, hypochondriac-prone Adam (religion is too exclusive, judgmental and has too many rules, he tells us).

Nauffts throws in a full bucket of Atheism 101 questions like “what about the Mongolian sheep herder who’s never heard of Jesus? (often answered in a hit-and-run or punch line fashion) to explain the conflicts of faith (Luke grew up in the church; Adam didn’t really have a religion) between the men.

There are some more thought-provoking moments, however, like conversations about evolution, Adam’s inability to be with Luke or find out information at the hospital and Luke’s response to how he can be a Christian and live a gay lifestyle.

“We’re all sinners,” he says, “That just happens to be mine.”

Adam also gives fodder for some good theological pondering when he questions how it is possible for a gay person like Matthew Shepard, a gay college student who was murdered and who might not have known the Lord, to go to hell while those who killed him might be able to repent and go to heaven.

Religion is a wall the two can’t seem to break down, but soon we discover that it’s not religion itself, but Luke’s inability to put Adam first in his life that form its foundation.

“I want you to love me more than Him,” Adam says.

Luke’s desire to honor God and his father causes constant struggles. In one flashback, Luke, after “degaying” their apartment in anticipation of a visit from Butch finally agrees with Adam’s urging that it’s time to tell his father (and subsequently his younger brother, whom he’d intended to tell “next fall”) that he is gay. Just as Luke starts to make the disclosure, the previously unexpressive Butch, whom we suspect knows about his son’s inclination, expresses pride in his son’s acting career and Luke remains silent.

If some of the stuff is glib and stereotypic (Butch and Arlene are racists among other things and Brandon, the supportive apparently conservative Christian friend turns out to be gay himself—a device showing up more in more in plays as if to say, “see Christians aren’t perfect either"), Adam’s gradual understanding of Luke’s belief is a somewhat refreshing twist. Holly provides some comic relief.

Next Fall at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 416 W. 42nd St., NYC has been extended through Aug. 8. For tickets and information, visit http://www.nakedangels.com/nextfall/

Christians might also like to know:
• Language
• Homosexual Activity