Joyful Raven’s High-Spirited One-Woman Show Fits the Moment by Kim Waldron Abortion rights are tangled up again. We’ve got access in California, and we’re lucky to have Medicaid to cover the cost. But in Tennessee and Texas abortion is banned even for rape and incest victims. It feels like I need a legal degree…
Jaclyn Backhaus Ridicules Male Heroes—Bring on the Gals! by Lynne Stevens Sarah Bernhardt did it playing Hamlet. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon did it to infiltrate an all-woman band in Some Like It Hot. Shakespeare’s pals played the roles of women in his plays. It’s called Cross-dressing. It’s also called acting. Playwright Jaclyn Backhaus…
Beth Wilmurt Revives Prophetic Musical Genius by Robert M. Gardner Song stylist and virtuoso keyboard artist Beth Wilmurt inhabits the skin of 60s folk icon Malvina Reynolds. She treats Reynolds with a sense of awe, but also exposes Reynolds’ conflicts. As Reynolds, Wilmurt appears alone in a recording booth struggling with rhythm and tempo. …
Kwei-Armah & Taub Amplify Shakespeare’s Comedy by Patricia L. Morin & Barry David Horwitz In a peaches and cream adaptation of “Twelfth Night,” Shaina Taub’s impressive New Orleans’ Jazz and R&B score spotlights feelings of love and self-realization. Taub’s music makes the heartbeat of the play, speeding story and emotions forward. The music modernizes…