Millennial Notes Qui Nguyen Honors Both Tradition & Pop Culture by Hamilton Nguyen Using neon-lit sets, rap music, and country lingo, “Poor Yella Rednecks: Vietgone 2” tells the story of Vietnamese immigrants in Arkansas in the 70s. Playwright Qui Nguyen, a character in his own play, envisions his family’s immigrant story without the sugar-coating….
Taub & Woolery’s Musical Updates Shakespeare’s Rom-Com by Patricia L. Morin & Barry David Horwitz In Director Bill English’s Tiffany-bejeweled Forest of Arden, trees glow with stained glass beauty, while lovers experiment with gender-swap. Arden is a sacred “in-between” place where old ways of loving get revalued, and unexpected affections blossom. “As You Like…
Dominique Morisseau Rips the Polite Mask from Racism by Barry David Horwitz I loved “Blood at the Root.” The six young actors emerge as fully developed, believable teens. There’s enough talent in this show to make a smash Broadway musical. The actors explode from the stage and into our hearts. Based on an actual…
Michael Wayne Turner III Designs Dynamic Black Mad Hatter by Barry David Horwitz The handsome young man, with elegant curled mustache, welcomes us to his dressing room with an irresistible smile. Michael Wayne Turner III, award-winning poet, has transformed himself—onstage and off—into a powerful character from Alice in Wonderland. The mesmerizing young man has…