Justin Sanders

For Reasons That Remain Unclear Triangle Productions Through March 30 In Mart Crowley’s For Reasons That Remain Unclear, Patrick, the gay playwright (Andy Buzan), and Conrad, the clergyman (Joe Ivy), meet randomly on the streets of Paris and come back to Patrick’s hotel room for some coffee and liqueur. The conversation that unfolds between them […]

Taps Lightbox Studio Through March 17 Gladdeen Schrock’s Taps hints at cohesive meaning, without ever directly revealing what that meaning is. This ambiguity is frustrating, but necessary. Almost instinctual, the tapeworm that is the human brain senses that there is a nice intestine to burrow into, but can’t quite get a grip on the slippery […]

Yerma The Miracle Theatre Through March 9 The tragedy of Yerma stems from the internal conflict that rages inside its title character. Yerma wants a baby more than anything, but her husband, for some inexplicable reason, won’t sleep with her anymore, and so the only way for her to get pregnant is by way of […]

St. Nicholas Cygnet Theatre Through Feb 23 Technology is a tidal wave that seems to ravage everything once considered sacred. Emails are killing off letters, digital cameras are slaughtering film. Computer graphics are ruining our attention spans. You don’t hear good stories that are just told anymore. Playwright Conor McPherson knows the power and strength […]

Hal Foreen: Vinyl Vaccine The Brody Theater Through Feb 23 I tend to avoid reviewing improv-based shows because the quality of improvisation is unstable and can fluctuate drastically from night to night. But the Brody Theater’s newest show, Hal Foreen: Vinyl Vaccine, compelled me to give it a shot anyway, because it is built on […]

Big Belly All Jane, No Dick Through Jan 26 All successful improvisation groups follow one of two methods: They either 1.) Engage in a series of completely unrelated skits, each one beginning with and gathering strength from audience suggestions, or 2.) Link their skits together so recurring stories, images, characters, and–on great nights–themes, emerge. Method […]

Phaedra’s Love defunkt theatre Back Door Theater Phaedra’s Love is a modern retelling of Seneca’s ancient tragedy about a stepmother, Phaedra (Madeleine Sanford), who decides to seduce her stepson, Hippolytus (James Moore). She announces her intentions after the audience is treated to one of defunkt’s marvelous discomforting bouts of silence, in which Hippolytus watches television […]

The Vagina Monologues Newmark Theater The very concept of dramatizing real-life testimonies from women about their vaginas seems to transcend quality. Since its off-Broadway unveiling in 1997, The Vagina Monologues has become a national sensation, despite the fact that it really isn’t very good. With a stripped-down ambience that features talented actresses sitting in front […]

The House of Cunt 21st Century Funhouse Stark Raving What could I possibly say during the course of this review that could call more attention to or provide more advertising for this show than the name of the group itself? The answer is nothing. The only thing I can do is prepare you a little […]