House Rules

Image Sourced by
A. Rey Pamatmat

Reviewed by A.J. Muhammad

Two close knit and neighboring New York City based Filipino American families whose American born children are faced with the mortality of their elder parents in A. Rey Pamatmat’s new play “House Rules,” a production of Ma-Yi Theater Company. Patriarch Ernie (an impish Jojo Gonzalez) has two sons Rod (James Yaegashi) and JJ (Jeffrey Omura); and matriarch Vera (the always vibrant Mia Katigbak) has adversarial daughters, the neurologist Momo (Tiffany Villarin) and photographer Twee (Tina Chilip).

At the top of the play, Ernie falls ill, leaving his cardiologist son Rod to care for him in the hospital (where Momo is also employed). The thanks that Rod gets is to constantly be berated by his father. Ernie would rather prefer a visit from the “good son” JJ.  Not only is Rod dealing with his father’s declining health, he is also crushed when his wishy washy Caucasian boyfriend and colleague Henry -- who really is twee -- has broken up with him; and JJ loses his lucrative job at a comic book company (think Marvel Comics) in LA then returns to NYC to crash with Rod. Both brothers resent their father for his cruel treatment of them during their childhood.  JJ, who suffers from an early career crisis, can’t bring himself to visit his father and later falls for Twee. Meanwhile the stylish and extroverted Twee, who has blown grant money on a trip to India, returns broke and stays at her mother’s home where she relentlessly taunts the introverted goody two-shoes younger sis Momo who Twee feels is mom’s favorite. Momo’s attempt to preserve their Filipino culture by learning how to cook and teaching herself Tagalog is often the cause of Twee’s harangues. This leaves Vera to play the peacemaker between her squabbling daughters and defend her friend Ernie's legacy to his sons when JJ goes off about his dad.  This places Vera in a health predicament of her own.

The board, card and traditional games that characters play in “House Rules” can be viewed as a metaphor for the games and traditions that we learn from our parents and that siblings and friends teach other. Each generation of parents change the rules of the game of parenting and how do we change the game from morphing into our parents? Or, is this a losing game?

Pamatmat has a lot of ideas in his game book, but the challenge faced by him and his director Ralph B. Peña is integrating these ideas into a wholly compelling stage play, whereas “House Rules” seems like a theatricalized screenplay. It’s hard for us to invest in a play that simmers and doesn’t start boiling in until late in the game.

Pamatmat is served well by his cast who do uniformly good jobs with his naturalistic writing. Reid Thompson’s loft like set design allows us to see simultaneous action; Oliver Wason’s lighting zeroes in during moments of intimacy and adds color and warmth to HERE Art Center’s expansive ground floor black box theater. Veteran sound designer Fabian Obispo’s jazzy percussive score matched the rhythm of the quick scene shifts that initially established all of the characters in different locations, but grew repetitive.

House Rules and Danai Gurira’s “Familiar,” which both ran Off-Broadway at the same time, portray tensions between first generation Americans and their immigrant parents, the cost of assimilation has on the psyches of parents and their children, and sibling rivalries. Both incorporate the beauty and sound of other languages (Shona in “Familiar” and Tagalog in “House Rules”) into the plays. Like “Familiar,” which premiered regionally and was reportedly revised before arriving in New York City, Pamatmat could stand to rework “House Rules” so that it is more impactful and leaves ticket holders feeling like they have the winning hand.

"House Rules" by A. Rey Pamatmat. Directed by Ralph B. Peña.  Costume Design: Martin Schnellinger. Lighting Design: Oliver Wason. Sound Design: Fabian Obispo. Production Stage Manager: Jennifer Delac. Ran from March 25 - April 16, 2016 at HERE, 145 6th Avenue. 

Dot

Reviewed by Daphnie Sicre

Image Sourced by Vineyard Theatre

My grandmother has Alzheimers. Seeing a play about how a family deals with Alzheimers is probably one of the last things I want to do. It is simply too painful, but I found the courage to see Dot, and what a delight!

Colman Domingo nails it. His storytelling depicts the struggles of a family dealing with their mother’s early to middle stages of dementia. Blended with brilliant realistic dialogue, Domingo’s words come to life and give light to a subject many of us have a hard time dealing with.

The play opens up with Shelly (Sharon Washington) tending to her mother Dotty (Marjorie Johnson) and childhood next-door neighbor, Jackie (Finnery Steeves) on Christmas Eve. Within minutes, Shelly pours herself a glass of watermelon vodka to deal with everything. From rearranging things Dotty has moved, to trying to get her to sign papers, to reminding her to eat breakfast, Shelly is doing everything she can to take care of her mom, while Dotty is trying to hold on to whatever memories she can.

As act one unfolds, each family member returns to visit Dotty, and discovers what is really going on with her. But this is not just the story of a mother with Alzheimers. Domingo does a wonderful job interweaving all the relationships within this family: from son Donnie’s (Stephen Conrad Moore) marriage issues with his husband (Colin Hanlon), to youngest daughter Averie (Libya Pugh) living with Shelley and not speaking to her, to Jackie revealing she is pregnant and still in love with Donnie, her childhood boyfriend. But perhaps one of sweetest relationships explored in the play is that of Fidel (Michael Rosen), Dotty’s undocumented caretaker from Kazakhstan. He is caring, patient and understanding with Dotty, allowing her to rejoice in the memories she does remember.

Truly an ensemble piece, the actors are able to deliver their lines with wit and charisma, all while telling a heartbreaking story of the matriarch slowly fading away. They are well directed by Susan Stroman, and the story is realistically realized through the set, costumes and lights. Set designer Allen Moyer even surprises the audience transitioning from the kitchen in Act 1 to the living room in Act 2, all in the matter of a short 10 minute intermission.

Whether you have a family member with Alzheimers or not, this play will give you a clear understanding of what goes on when we start losing our precious memories.

DOT by Colman Domingo. Directed by Susan Stroman. Set Design: Allen Moyer. Costume Design: Kara Harmon. Lighting Design: Ben Stanton. Sound Design: Tom Morse Hair & Make up: Dave Bova. Production Stage Manager: Roy Harris. At The Vineyard Theatre, 108 East 15th Street. Feburary 4 – March 24, 2016.

Daphnie Sicre is a full-time instructor at BMCC-CUNY, where she teaches courses in theatre, social justice, and advanced public speaking.  Some of her NYC directing credits include: "Shower Me" at FringeNYC, "Stranger" for Stage Black where she won a Best Director Award; additionally, the Audelco nominated "Not About Eve." 

Washer/Dryer

Reviewed By A.J. Muhammad

Nandita Shenoy did double duty as both playwright and lead in her 90-minute comedy “Washer/Dryer.”  Shenoy played an Indian-American working actor and owner of a studio with a prized washer/dryer combo in a co-op on Manhattan’s Upper East who has to choose between her true love and her dream apartment.

Sonya and her Chinese-American hubby Michael (played with expert timing by Johnny Wu) eloped and to Michael’s frustration, he can’t openly live with Sonya because of Sonya's strict co-op board rules.  Michael must keep mum about their marriage while his insult spewing and overbearing mother-in-law Dr. Lee (Jade Wu), and a neurotic co-op board president Wendee (Annie McNamara) complicate matters. Michael pretends he is Sonya’s gay friend when confronted by Wendee and accuses Wendee of discrimination to scare her away.  Later, Sonya’s African American neighbor and BFF Sam (Jamyl Dobson), a gay designer, talks some much needed sense into Sonya who risks losing Michael because of her misplaced priorities and lies.

Shenoy succeeds with a play that has roles for a multi-cultural cast that only smaller companies like Ma-Yi can seem to produce in New York City(!) in a way that is authentic, while inclusivity eludes theaters with multi-million dollar budgets and geriatric subscribers. “Washer/Dryer” has universal themes (frayed parent-child relationships) and a touching scene in which two women from different ethnicities bond over their sons while cooking.  However, Shenoy’s representation of Sam, who although is played with intelligence and warmth by Dobson, and others veered into caricatures. Director Benjamine Kamine needed a firmer hand with Shenoy who ranged from auto-pilot to exasperated, and his pacing could’ve been tighter. Fortunately, the game cast helped as did her designers who created a malfunctioning washer/dryer which reminded space deprived New Yorkers not to store electronics in the dryer. Also, thanks to Jade Wu whose recipe for Tongzi Ji Chicken, which she cooked onstage, was included the show's program. Audience members can test its ability to ease parent-child tensions as Wu's character claimed it did in the play. 

Washer/Dryer by Nandita Shenoy.  Directed by Benjamine Kamine. Set Design: Anushman Bhatia. Costume Design: Dede Ayite. Lighting Design: Jonathan Cottle. Sound Design: Miles Polaski. Production Stage Manager: Shelley Miles.  At Theatre Row Theaters, 410 W. 42nd St.  Ran from Jan 26- Feb 21, 2016. 

Sojourners

Reviewed By Sheyenne Brown

I am hesitant. I have sat down to write my review of Mfoniso Udofia's beautiful play "Sojourners" at least eight times and each time I stopped myself because I did not want to do it a disservice. Indeed it has been a month since I had the privilege of seeing the play during one of its first previews. I kept returning to this idea of the audience being sojourners as much as the protagonist, and I stand by that.

Image sourced by The Playwrights Realm

I sat down not knowing what to expect, other than that Abasiama (Chinasa Ogbuagu) was losing her too-smooth Nigerian husband Ukpong (Hubert Point-Du Jour) to American culture and that she was faced with a choice. But it was so much more than that. I traveled, with the story, with the characters, with the set, with trepidation, as this pregnant woman was repeatedly being disappointed by her partner who was not keeping his promises made to her in times of security. Selfishly, I inserted myself into that experience and silently “amen-ed” her concerns and her quietness with flickers of wavering bravery. I laughed at moments when the characters were just soooo "themselves," I hummed to the jams reflecting the times and tried to not sing aloud. I sat on the edge of my seat anticipating the rotation of the set because I knew with each turn, I was not only going to be transported to a new physical space, but that I was also about to experience something that I either wasn’t expecting, or that would cause me to confront myself as a black American millennial with a certain amount of privilege bestowed upon me. Beyond that, with each shift of scene, I felt like a dropper of eaves because I was privy to the varying degrees of loneliness each character felt: Moxie (Lakisha Michelle May) who was making it the best way she knew how until Abasiama befriended her in the most unlikely of circumstances; Disciple (Chinaza Uche) who was left with his brilliance, his vision, and the memory of a long gone sister who he thinks he has found some semblance of in Abasiama; Even Ukpong whose loneliness revealed itself in his detachment from his culture. I can't say with certainty that anyone ever truly gets what they need to feel whole, and I am not often comfortable when there isn't a happy ending, but Udofia gave me just enough to keep my hope alive and keep me hanging on.

Ultimately, "Sojourners" is a play about duty. About living up to it, about falling short and trying to find your way back to fulfill it. Even with its strong Nigerian influence and detail, it is still very much an American story. Perhaps that is a part of the point, because when I think about it, the play takes place in 1976, which means that the baby Abasiama has will grow up during a transitional period for the identities of people of color in America. Who's to say that she will not face similar struggles as an American African? See, this is what I think is the mark of great storytelling: when you can't help wondering about the future of the characters.

Sojourners by Mfoniso Udofia. Directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar. Set Design: Jason Sherwood.
Lighting Design: Jiyoun Chang. Costume Design: Loren Shaw. Sound Design: Jeremy S. Bloom. Puppet Design/Direction: Stefano Brancato.

Sheyenne Javonne Brown is an actress and playwright in NYC. She received her MFA in acting from Columbia University School of the Arts in 2014. You can read Sheyenne's blog here and she's also a she is a member of the Black Revolutionary Theatre Workshop.

Doin' It For Themselves...ECLIPSED and the Black Female Revolution

Reviewed by Rod Gailes OBC

Danai Gurira's touching new classic, ECLIPSED, has made history as perhaps the only Broadway play ever featuring both a Black female playwright and director and starring an entirely Black female cast.

People of all backgrounds sat shoulder to shoulder watching Black African female sex slaves, peace workers, and soldiers and saw a bit of themselves reflected in the process.  That creation of community is a sacred mission rarely tackled on the commercial stage.

Director Liesl Tommy allows the classic simplicity of the drama to unfold, adding just the right number of spectacle elements to justify a Broadway ticket price.

Ms. Gurira channels the mission of reclaiming our higher self into "Rita," a successful businesswoman eschewing the comforts of money in favor of evangelizing the importance of remembering one's "name." As played by Akosia Busia ("The Color Purple"), she becomes mother of all, compelling us to remember the vision of ourselves before the traumatic events of life's journey.

Saycon Sengbloh ("Wicked," "Fela") showcases a masterful dry wit, dramatic gravitas, and a rythmic vocal patois in her portrayal of Helena/Wife #1, the fulcrum upon which everything pivots.

Zainab Jah as "Maima" violently opts out of the "bush wife" sisterhood to take up a"kill" position in the "dog eat dog" civil war as a soldier. Preferring to hunt rather than be prey, she is a perfect mirror of the choice men, women and children in this world must make.

Pascale Armand's "Bessie/Wife #3" brings childlike petulance, comic relief, and a light spirit belying her status as the rebel commander's pregnant sex slave. This brilliant balancing of TONE throughout makes Gurira's weighty story of 5 women in war torn Liberia an entertaining, thought provoking, heartstring pulling CLASSIC worth repeat viewing. The standing ovation at curtain call was well deserved. #BRAVA!

Eclipsed by Danai Gurira.  Directed by Liesl Tommy.  Scenic & Costume Design: Clint Ramos.  Lighting Design: Jennifer Schriever. Original Music & Sound Design: Broken Chord.  At the John Golden Theater. 252 W. 45th St.  Closes June 19, 2016. 

Culture commentator Rod Gailes OBC is a writer/director for the stage & screen building artistic fraternity with artists across disciplines.  Follow him on Snapchat and Twitter @TheeOBC, Facebook, and Instragam. Read more from Rod Gailes OBC here.

Hughie

Reviewed By Daphnie Sicre

Before seeing Hughie, I wondered why Forest Whitaker would make his Broadway debut with a rarely seen theatrical production? Yet after experiencing it, I clearly understood his choice.

Pulitzer Prize playwright Eugene O’Neill’s masterpiece is a remarkable theatrical journey into the life of Erie Smith (Whitaker), a small time gambler and big time drunk on a losing steak. In the summer of 1928, after a four-day bender, Erie blames his losing streak on the recent death of Hughie, his only friend and the nighttime desk clerk at the New York City hotel where he resides. Upon his return, Erie meets Hughie’s replacement, the new desk night clerk, (Frank Wood).

Tony Award-winner director Michael Grandage places Whitaker’s talent front and center. Hughie is practically an hour-long monologue for Whitaker, centering on Erie’s conformation with loneliness and demons. Erie does everything possible to catch the new clerk’s attention yet the clerk remains reactionless for most of the piece. With no real job, family or future, Whitaker beautifully tackles his character’s ups and downs. Clearly, Whitaker wanted a challenge, and through his portrayal of Erie, he has found one.  

To visualize Erie’s journey through the night, Neil Austin’s light design changes according to Erie’s mood and Adam Cork’s sound design sets the tone from the beginning of the play with New York City street sounds to mystical music as the night progresses. 

Although Hughie does not open until February 25, previews are playing to sold-out audiences. And one thing is clear, audiences love Forest Whitaker. He can do no wrong.

Hughie, written by Eugene O'Neill.   Directed by Michael Grandage.  Set & Costumes: Christopher Oram. Lighting: Neil Austin. Sound: Adam Cork. At the Booth Theater 222 W. 45th St.  Feb 8-June June 12, 2016

Daphnie Sicre is a full-time instructor at BMCC-CUNY, where she teaches courses in theatre, social justice, and advanced public speaking.  Some of her NYC directing credits include: "Shower Me" at FringeNYC, "Stranger" for Stage Black where she won a Best Director Award; additionally, the Audelco nominated "Not About Eve." 

The Fire This Time Festival

Reviewed By Daphnie Sicre

Ten min festivals can be a hit or miss. Gathering several different plays for an evening, and trying to unite them under a theme, can sometimes be tricky. Yet, at the core of this year’s The Fire This Time Festival, there was one clear message, “Black Lives Matter”.

In it's seventh season, the festival staged seven 10-minute plays.  Produced by Horse Trade Theater Group, The Fire This Time Festival is worthy of its 2015 Obie Award as yet again, they’ve created a platform for early-career playwrights of African and African American descent to express their voices and work.

Nicole A. Watson returns to the festival, as the sole director uniting the 10-minute plays under one vision. From beginning to end, the theme was clear and the rotating cast of actors did an exceptional job with the multiple roles they portrayed through out.

The festival started with clarity, a beautiful monologue piece by Korde Arrington Tuttle about a young Black man seeking the approval of his grandmother before marrying the love of his life, a white man. In less than 10 mins, Cameron (Reggie D. White, who plays was also performing I & You simultaneously at 59E59) was able to take us on a beautiful journey of self-love and acceptance. The piece was followed by Time at the Penn by Keelay Gipson, which compared and critiqued the media’s portrayal Penn State’s riots after Coach Joe Paterno firing due to his involvement in covering up the sex abuse of eight boys over a period of 15 years to the riots in Baltimore following Freddie Grey’s death in police custody. In it, KG (Tanisha Thompson) catches our attention by playing  with a remote and switching the channels for us to compare the two. God Will Know the Difference by Jiréh Breon Holder paralleled, abstractly, the lives of a mother, her son and reveal of his father’s after years in prison. The first half of the evening then ended with Pr$de by Tanya Everett tackling domestic violence between Nefertiti (Mandi Masden) and just moved-in boyfriend, Joseph (Alex Ubokudom).

In Stacey Rose’s Slavesperience,  a white woman (Erika Grob) is forced into experiencing American Black slavery in 2016.  Hard Palate by Roger Mason gave the audience a much needed love story between HIV positive Clayton (Kareem M. Lucas) and Quentin (Pierre Jean Gonzalez) as the latter fights that little negative voice in our mind called fear, or in Quentin's case Brook Shields. Lastly, the evening ended with a modern day take and flashback to slavery in You Mine by Nia Ostraw Witherspoon. In it, Mrs. Anderson (Lori Elizabeth Parquet) played in white face, terrorizes her nurse Sayida (Kayla Jackmon) as she swirls into a battle with Altzimers and reminisces about the “good old slavery days”. Clearly these plays explore Black lives in the 21^st century and remind us why they matter.

The Fire This Time Festival at The Kraine Theater. 85 E. 4th St. Ran Jan 18-Feb 6, 2016.  Directed by Nicole Watson. Assistant Director: Christopher D. Betts. Lighting Designer: Charlotte Seelig. Production Design: James Masciovecchio. Stage Manager: Luisa Sanchez-Colon

Daphnie Sicre is a full-time instructor at BMCC-CUNY, where she teaches courses in theatre, social justice, and advanced public speaking.  Some of her NYC directing credits include: "Shower Me" at FringeNYC, "Stranger" for Stage Black where she won a Best Director Award. Additionally, the Audelco nominated "Not About Eve."