Aeschylus’ The Persians is one of the oldest and most interesting plays in Western history, being unique among surviving ancient Athenian plays in being set entirely outside the Greek speaking world, and in unique among tragedies in being about current events rather than a mythological subject. The play premiered in 472 BCE, just eight years …
Angels in America, Part One: Millenium Approaches, by Tony Kushner, 3 Mar. 2020
Tony Kushner’s Angels in America is one of the most culturally significant pieces of gay theatre in history. Set during the AIDS crisis of the mid- to late-1980s, the play explores issues of gay identity, disease, economic/political privilege, race and ethnicity, and religion, all set within an apocalyptic and messianic framework. The Penn State theatre …
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Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare–2 Nov. 2019
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is, perhaps surprisingly for people who don’t know the play, not really about Caesar, it’s about Brutus and his struggle with the decision to be drawn into the conspiracy to murder the increasingly imperial Caesar in the hopes of restoring a free Roman Republic. And then once the murder is committed, he …
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Dial “M” for Murder, by Frederick Knott–6 Sept. 2019
*For full disclosure, I worked as the dramaturg for this production.* Frederick Knott’s Dial “M” for Murder is a noir mystery in the style of Agatha Christie, a murder plot which hinges on a tiny clue that leads to the unraveling of an almost perfect crime. It has had many lives—as a BBC television production, …
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Dead Man’s Cell Phone, by Sarah Ruhl–17 Aug. 2019
The set of Dead Man's Cell Phone. Sarah Ruhl is one of contemporary American theatre’s best and brightest, so I was very much looking forward to seeing Dead Man’s Cell Phone. Unfortunately, the MT Pockets production of the play was extremely disappointing. The play itself is good, but the performance was a letdown. Ruhl’s play …
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A Man for All Seasons, by Robert Bolt–8 Aug. 2019
*For full disclosure, I worked as dramaturg for this production* Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons is a complex, philosophical play grounded in history, theology, philosophy, ethics, and existentialism. But it’s one of the best plays of the 20th century. Bolt’s play is dynamic and challenging, raising issues that are not only relevant for …
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Office Hours, by Norm Foster–21 June 2019
The set of Office Hours at Nittany Theatre at the Barn. The Nittany Theatre at the Barn loves putting on Norm Foster shows, and there’s a very good reason for that. Foster’s plays are funny and intricately clever. Office Hours perfectly fits that bill, and the Nittany Theatre production, directed by Andrew Saxe, did a …
The Duchess (of Malfi), by Zinnie Harris–28 May 2019
The Duchess of Malfi was originally a Jacobean play by John Webster—one of the best early modern plays, in my opinion. But what Zinnie Harris has done with her new version is amazing. She has kept the dark, violent, misogynistic themes of the original, but updated it to feel fresh, contemporary, and even (perhaps surprisingly) …
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Class, by Iseult Golden and David Horan–21 May 2019
Set in a contemporary Irish school, Iseult Golden and David Horan’s Class is a gripping play about the many differences that divide us and shape our social interactions—especially class, gender, and education. The Bush Theatre’s original production, directed by the authors, was an excellent show, driven by high tension and complex characters. The set of …
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Mother Courage and Her Children, by Bertolt Brecht–28 Apr. 2019
Bertolt Brecht’s masterpiece Mother Courage and Her Children is one of the great examples of Brecht’s epic theatre style, and the Juniata College production (directed by Chris Staley) put Brechtian alienation techniques at center stage. In its rather rough self-consciousness, the performance would almost certainly make Brecht proud. The play tells the story of a …
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Phillip Zapkin 