#playwrights horizons

[slowburningechoes]

Robert Sean Leonard discusses the challenges and revelations he experienced while playing “Alexandros” in the Playwrights Horizons production of When She Danced (1990).

[sondheims-hat]

July 31, 1983: The workshop production of Sunday ends at Playwrights Horizons after 25 performances.

[fearsmagazine]

TEETH - Review

SYNOPSIS: “Dawn O’Keefe is an evangelical Christian teen with a powerful secret not even she understands – when men violate her, her body bites back. Literally. From Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winner Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop) and Anna K. Jacobs (POP!),TEETH, based on the cult classic film of the same name, is a fierce, rapturous, and savagely entertaining new musical crackling with irrepressible desire and ancient rage – a dark comedy conjuring the legend of one girl whose sexual curse is also her salvation.” - Press Release

REVIEW: In 2007 filmmaker Mitchell Lichtenstein, the son of artist Roy Lichtenstein, unleashed his tale of a contemporary American female teenager who discovers her body possesses a physical secret when she encounters male violence, vagina dentata; a myth that is found across cultures and eras, about a vagina that has a lethal set of teeth.

In the stage adaptation of Lichtenstein’s vision, Anna K. Jacobs and Michael R. Jackson successfully retain the story's essence while making it fresh for a theater audience. In this adaptation, the lead character, Dawn's home life is restructured, with her father now portrayed as a charismatic preacher and her brother, Bard, still grappling with issues from their youth but influenced by technology rather than as a heavy metal/skinhead. These changes create a more dynamic structure for their dysfunctional family unit. Notably, the myth plays a more central role in the stage adaptation, and the supporting cast of teenage promise keeper girls serve as a Greek chorus. My guest and I both felt that the staging had a feel of Stepehen King’s “Carrie,” his novel, DePalma’s film and maybe the rival of the play. TEETH reaches its climax in a visually captivating and chaotic clash of religious conservatism and feminism, expertly staged in a way that surpasses Frank Oz's never fully realized ending in the film adaptation of "Little Shop of Horrors." Incorporating many of the contemporary social sexual issues in our zeitgeist with satire makes for an extremely entertaining and thought provoking theatrical experience.

The musical numbers were a delight. The combination of traditional Broadway musical songs and 70's and 80's pop songs in Jacobs' music was excellent. Jackson's lyrics added to the story and provided a splendid blend of humor and drama. While some of the lyrics were risqué, they never felt as shocking as something from "South Park" by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Jacobs and Jackson provided some magical musical moments that showcased the entire cast's vocal abilities. Choreographer Raja Feather Kelly did a remarkable job in creating dance routines, despite having to work in horrific moments at times.

The production design, set, lighting, SFX, and sound designs are all of Broadway caliber. The stage design employs impressive elements with subtle movements that contribute to the narrative. At certain moments, all of these elements come together to create a truly magical theater experience. The set design takes advantage of every inch of space in bringing the story to life. Most of the play's costumes are effective, they become more creative and interesting in the final act.

The cast of TEETH is nothing short of brilliant. Lead actress Alyse Alan Louis shines in her portrayal of Dawn. Her performance effortlessly blends innocence, comedic timing, powerful vocals, and a nuanced handling of sensual scenes. Meanwhile, her male counterparts—Steven Pasquale, Jason Gotay, Will Connolly, and Jared Loftin—face a daunting task. Not only do they create memorable characters, but they also navigate multiple roles and costume changes with ease, all the while delivering captivating musical numbers that showcase their talents. This ensemble cast is truly exceptional, and one can only hope that they will grace us with a cast recording of the show.

Michael R. Jackson, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winner of "A Strange Loop," has created a show that is consistently selling out. My guest, who was initially unaware of the show's premise and the creative team, was astounded upon learning about it at the end. They were also unfamiliar with the source material, which left them with a strong desire to seek it out. From my perspective, any adaptation that inspires viewers to seek out the original work is a significant accomplishment. "TEETH" ranks among my legendary theater experiences, akin to my cherished memories of attending the original Broadway productions of "Little Shop of Horrors," "Phantom of the Opera," "Les Misérables," and "Hadestown," that come to mind. "TEETH" offers an unforgettable and haunting theatrical experience that should not be missed.

TEETH contains intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and strong language. Age Recommendation: Teeth is appropriate for audiences ages 17+. The play runs approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes with no intermission.. Performances are Tuesday through Sunday at 7:30 PM, with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 PM. Tickets are $120.00 plus $2.00 fee. Tickets are now on sale at https://my.playwrightshorizons.org/events. For more information, visit www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/plays/teeth/#play-body.

Review By: Joseph B Mauceri

[droughtofapathy]

"Welcome to the Theatre": Diary of a Broadway Baby

Teeth

February 28, 2024 | Off-Broadway | Playwrights Horizons | Evening | Musical | Original | 1H 40M

I saw Steven Pasqual get his dick bitten off by a vengeful vagina with teeth and then get it shoved down his throat. Other things happened. A lot happened, actually. And the show's technical elements are really delightful to witness. That all being said, I just don't think I like Michael R. Jackson's writing style. The thing about this show is that I enjoyed myself, but I didn't like it. It's in previews right now, so things are still in flux, and according to the talkback, there's going to be a new ending starting today. Which is good because the ending really fell apart for me. It was funny and fun in parts, but I couldn't really recommend it to anyone. It's basically a sex comedy/satire/Carrie-esque horror, but the music was just so repetitive and felt like the same old stuff from this creator, whom I'm not terribly fond of anyway. (Also he's like...being really divisive on twitter right now so maybe he's got some stuff he needs to work out.)

This was my last show of the month, and it's been a ride, let me tell you.

Verdict: Enjoyable, But Left No Lasting Impression

A Note on Ratings

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Can I Help You?

Schools ask their students the strangest essay questions sometimes. The experience of tutoring anxious teenagers through how to answer them requires a balladier, singing his lived experience to a crowd as though it were the Middle Ages. (10 minutes)

Milo Cramer’s show School Pictures was recorded at Playwrights Horizons.

By Milo Cramer

Song:

“Don't Ask Me” by Joe Jackson

* * * *

[Take 10 minutes and listen. Just wonderful.]

[nonesuchrecords]

In celebration of the Playwrights Horizons production of Gabriel Kahane's Magnificent Bird / Book of Travelers, which opened yesterday, Nonesuch releases a recording of his song “Give Us the Ballot” today. You can hear it here.

“‘Give Us the Ballot’ was written in October 2020, among the same batch of tunes that led to the album Magnificent Bird,” Kahane says. “With another election on the horizon, I thought this was the best moment to release a song that describes my relationship to voting, at a time when it is easy to become cynical about our sclerotic political landscape.”

[caroleditosti]

'Wet Brain' by John J. Caswell, Jr., a Review

'Wet Brain' at Playwrights Horizons has fantastic elements making the work a unique must-see.

Julio Monge in Wet Brain (courtesy of Joan Marcus) A family in crisis with no way out except love and forgiveness, is the focal point of the play Wet Brain by John J. Caswell, Jr. Directed by Dustin Wills (award-winning director of Wolf Play) the drama is presented by Playwrights Horizons and MCC Theater until June 25. The production reveals the knotty human condition in all its raw, ugly,…

[retrofalsettos]

Mary Testa posting this collage of Miss Goldberg means there are way more pictures from In Trousers 1979 that the few that I’ve seen scattered around the internet for the past four years and i will never sleep soundly again

[erikahenningsen]

May or may not have already bought tickets to five separate performances of Teeth

Update: six

[patina-millers-biceps]

I just really want to know who the people over at the The Shed had to fuck to get the rights to you know what

[frontmezzjunkies]

Off-Broadway's Smart and Sharp "The Antiquities" Unsettles Playwrights Horizons' Stage

#frontmezzjunkies reviews: #TheAntiquities by #JordanHarrison dir: #DavidCromer & #CaitlinSullivan w/ #CindyCheung #MarchántDavis #LayanElwazani #AndrewGarman #JuliusRinzel #AriaShahghasemi #KristenSieh #RyanSpahn #AmeliaWorkman co-produced by @phnyc @vineyardtheatre @goodmantheatre

(clockwise from top left): Andrew Garman, Amelia Workman, and Julius Rinzel in The Antiquities at Playwrights Horizons. Photos by Emilio Madrid. The Off-Broadway Theatre Review: The Antiquities By Ross In the darkness and the hum, we prepare ourselves for what will follow. “Thank you for coming,” the two that appear out of nowhere. They are here to take us on a journey backward and forwards in…

[phierecycled]

Some programme pages from the 1981 Playwright's Horizons and 1987 London production of March of the Falsettos!

[slowburningechoes]

Robert Sean Leonard as “Dan Wilson” in And the Air Didn’t Answer at Playwrights Horizon’s Young Playwrights Festival (1988)

This production was just a few weeks before RSL headed out to film Dead Poet’s Society!

(This find made me feel like a damn historian…)

[godlessondheimite]

I thought of an idea for a play so bad and desperately topical that I'm surprised it hasn't already been mounted at Playwrights Horizon.

[droughtofapathy]

"Welcome to the Theatre": Diary of a Broadway Baby

The Antiquities

February 8, 2025 | Off-Broadway | Playwrights Horizons | Matinee | Play | Original | 1H 50H

Mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, it had some of the tightest technical design and execution I've seen off-Broadway in a while. The scene changes happen in pitch darkness and even sitting in the front row, those set changes happen unseen. On the other, the subject matter is how humans have created technological advancements that eventually take over, and nothing said about AI here is any different or better than what's already out there. The structure involves a series of rapid-fire scenes throughout past, present, and future that are only ever loosely connected now and then. The play depicts AI having fully taken over in (roughly) 2240, and technology being advanced enough in 2030ish to have all of us implanted with brain chips. And like...look. Technology as a whole advances fast, but every single play I've seen on AI vastly overestimates its capabilities. Five years to brain chips that are both advanced and financially accessible enough for the average consumer to get surgically implanted on a random Tuesday? With our healthcare system? Sure, Jan. Whatever you say.

Ultimately, there are some scenes that work for what the playwright is (presumably) going for here, but most are half-baked or overwrought. One character, a writer, asks if the AI can do "everything that makes me me, then what's the point of me?" The play doesn't let enough of the scenes linger long enough (though somehow still had the time for two graphic and lengthy oral sex scenes) to do much of anything. The real central theme here isn't AI, but what humanity will do when faced with unimaginable grief and loss. Mortality sits at the heart of the production, but it's almost an afterthought in the writing, as if the writer knew he wanted to make the piece a study on grief but then got distracted by the shiny technology and lost the plot along the way.

Also, more on the oral sex bit. With about two-dozen scenes over less than two hours, it's about 2-5 minutes per scene. I'm all for gratuitous sex scenes, sure, but on stage lands differently than on screen. It just rings tired here. Sure, you're going for the whole "sex makes us human" or whatever, but do I really need to sit here and listen to someone audibly slurping on a dick for two minutes? We get the point. Did we need it to last so goddamn long? How come that got to be super graphic, but the scene where they're about to cut out an implant with a flick knife goes to blackout?

Verdict: Well...I'm Glad I Saw It

A Note on Ratings

[danishprince]

also i love the way david adjmi talks about his fictional guys as if they're real. because they are

truly the joke is on me because i walked out of stereophonic thinking "that play was fucking great but i don't know why people are already referring to it as a 'must-see american classic'". well, three days later i haven't been able to stop thinking about it...literally IS a must-see american classic i guess. also the cast album goes so hard