Happy new year, everybody! Yeah, I know the title of this post isn’t the most optimistic, but I figure if I start with the bar low, we can only be pleasantly surprised going forward.
The local theaters are only beginning to get their seasons back on track after the holidays, so rather than report on stuff I’ve seen (which has been nothing for the past couple of weeks), I thought I’d talk about what’s coming up.
First off, the Drake is more-or-less ready for business, and to celebrate, they’re hosting their own reading series. Their first reading is on Monday, January 25 and features Jeffrey Stingerstein, whom I don’t know but assume is local. I’ll almost certainly be there because I’m anxious to see the Drake’s new space and, well, because I love new theater. So if anyone knows a cool spot to grab a drink beforehand, let me know.
Second off, the lovely Amanda Schoonover is performing in her one-woman show, The It Girl, which opens on January 23, courtesy of Simpatico Theatre Project. That’s also at the Drake. I’ve talked up Mandy plenty of times, partly because she performed in two of my shows (Snowglobe and The Do’s and Don’ts of Time Travel), partly because she was in the very first episode of Martinis with Nick, and partly because she’s a spidery girl with infinite quirks, and watching her construct a complete sentence is often an exercise in awe, amusement, and concern for one’s self-preservation. Anyway, I saw a workshop of this piece a couple of years ago in Theatre Exile’s space, and I really dug it. The play is a tribute to silent film star Clara Bow and is performed in the style of a silent film with music and no spoken lines. So, if you think theater has gotten into a rut and you’re sick of seeing the same storylines recycled over and over again, you should rush out to see The It Girl.
Third off, Plays and Players is doing the next installment of their reading series on Tuesday, January 19. I would have put that first, except I can’t seem to find out whose play they’re reading on their website. As always, the reading starts at 8, with people arriving at 7-ish to carouse.
Lastly, I wanted to do a quick shout-out to Emma Goidel for her lovely play last month, A Knee that Can Bend. I would have promoted it at the time, but I saw it at the very end of the run, and there didn’t seem much point. Anyway, the critics lavishly and deservedly heaped praise upon it, and they’re better at getting butts in seats than my blog. The photo above isn’t even from the show; it’s from when I ran into her at Tiny Dynamite’s show a week later. That’s how awful I am.
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