Michael Cullen
DORM RULES: What happens when all the wrong people meet at exactly the right time? Set in a college dormitory, Lyle Kessler’s new black comedy Collision throws together three students, a professor and a stranger—all complete with hidden scars, natch—and sets them on a—yes—collision course to create order out of chaos. (Playwright Kessler is best known for his nineties play Orphans, which is about to get a splashy uptown revival with Alec Baldwin and Shia Laboeuf.) The cast for Collision includes Michael Cullen, Craig Grant, James Kautz, Nick Lawson and Anna Stromberg, under David Fofi’s direction. Performances begin January 10 at Rattlesticks Playwrights Theater. http://CollisionThePlay.com.
A NIGHT AT THE OPERETTA: Did anyone ever beat Gilbert and Sullivan at the operetta game? Arguably, theirs are the most enduring works in the operetta canon, and thanks to that estimable and long-running company, New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, these marvelous pieces stay alive with welcome frequency on our local stages. Now the Players are set to launch their G & S Fest 2013, with three iconic productions in repertory: The Mikado, H.M.S. Pinafore and The Yeomen of the Guard. That’s the triple bill on tap when G & S makes its gala return to NY City Center beginning January 4, under the artistic and musical direction of Albert Bergeret, who is the very model of a modern major…well, you know the rest. www.nygasp.org.
SOLDIER BOYS: The mother of a fallen U.S. soldier refuses to leave the red oak tree her son planted. A father forbids his sons from joining the military. A young woman enlists on the afternoon her country is attacked without discussing it with her family. Matt Smart’s timely new play The Steadfast takes a look at eight soldiers across the sweep of American history—from the Revolution to the War in Afghanistan—and the common thread that connects them across continents and centuries. Slant Theater Project is the company behind the production, which is directed by Wes Grantom, and performances begin January 20 at TBG Theatre on West 36th Street. www.slanttheatreproject.org.
SILENCE IS STILL GOLDEN: You might say it’s a show that can’t be…silenced. After announcing that SILENCE! The Musical would end its run on December 30th at the Elektra Theatre, ticket sales unexpectedly soared, shattering all previous box office records for the show so far. And therefore: the show will go on! SILENCE! will now resume performances on January 18, which is good news for both the actors and future audience members. SILENCE!, as you may recall, is the unauthorized parody of The Silence of the Lambs, with a book by Hunter Bell, music and lyrics by Jon and Al Kaplan and direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli. For information on the show and the current cast, visit www.SilenceTheMusical.com.
STORM STORY: In the
wake of the horrific storm that hit the Northeast back in November, it might
seem like a difficult task to watch a play that deals with a violent storm
hitting, in this case, Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Yet, Obie Award-winning
playwright Erin Courtney’s World
Premiere drama The Service Road will perhaps register with more
resonance because of what our region has been through. When a violent storm of
mythic proportions hits Prospect Park, the once peaceful service road turns
strange and even savage as a nature guide attempts to find a lost child. On her
quest, she meets the denizens of one of the few natural places left in a large
city. Adhesive Theater Project is
behind the production, with Meghan Finn directing, and performances begin January 11 at the New York
City College of Technology’s Voorhees Theatre, on Jay Street in Brooklyn. For more info, visit www.AdhesiveTheater.com.
