Jacklyn Backhaus Spins Herstory from Medieval to Modern by Patricia L. Morin Jaclyn Backhaus’ “Wives,” a comic satire spanning five centuries in four acts, mixes exaggerated caricatures of women as they struggle with the roles of wife, lover, and mother. “Wives” begins in the kitchen of medieval French king Henry II, then whisks us…
Millennial Notes Matthew Sklar’s Tunes Thrust Homophobia into Full View by Ian Waters “The Prom” opened the week Roe v. Wade was overturned, and I passed multiple protests on the way. As I watched “The Prom,” a colorful fantasy land where kids wear backwards hats and a lifetime of homophobia can be overcome in…
Cristina Garcia Condenses Her Celebrated Novel to Its Essence by Lynne Stevens This is a play of rebellion and revolution, a tale of the struggle between mothers and daughters. In Brooklyn, a Cuban immigrant’s daughter Pilar (vivacious Thea Rodgers) yearns to see her grandmother in Cuba, whom she hasn’t seen since she was two….
Girish Karnad Poses Love Choice Between Poetry & Power by Susan Dunn “Hayavadan,” Girish Karnad’s popular 1971 play, fulfills our romantic fantasies. A woman aspires to the perfect man, pursuing her dream of being complete. And a man with a horse’s head yearns to be fully human. Side by side, these two characters want…