A Cool Dip in the Barren Saharan Crick

 I'm always a fan of the productions at Playwrights Horizons.  This one is a new work by Kia Corthron.  The play has a somewhat radical version of the enviro-political message - Save our drinking water.   William Jackson Harper takes command of the stage as Abebe, the young student / preacher from Ethiopia who rails against waste of water in America and everywhere else.  So much, in fact that the audience finds itself drowning in his sermons.  His host family has some issues too and somehow Kia manages to weave Abebe into their life to help heal them too.  Myra Lucretia Taylor (Pickle) and Kianne Muschett (H.J.) give admirable performances as Mother and Daughter.

A play with a strong message is hard to pull off.  Aside from its length, this one almost does it.

Cyrano de Bergerac

David Leveaux hit a perfect note with this latest production of Edmond Rostand's 1897 romantic classic. Most of us will recall the modern movie rendition, Roxanne, which stared Steve Martin. The story is basically the same - just a more distant time and setting.

Based on a true story, Cyrano de Bergerac is a tale of romance and tragedy. The soulful philosopher and brilliant swordsman Cyrano (Kevin Kline) falls for the beautiful and headstrong strong Roxane (Jennifer Garner), but is too ashamed of his looks (he has a huge honker nose!) to tell her. Instead, when he learns that she loves the very handsome Christian de Neuvillette (Daniel Sunjata), he writes poems and love letters to Roxane on Christian's behalf. Where might this one lead?

Tony award winning performance by both Jennifer Garner and Kevin Klein. The direction, lighting, mood, and flow of the show was magnificent. The entire cast contributed to a wonderful evening of theater.

Look for this one to receive several Tony nods! Run... don't walk....