Gregory Fletcher

WHEN CIVILIZATION CRASHES IN QUIET MODE Cellunova Productions‘ latest outing, Destination Undefined ventures into the future with a provocative premise that might make you reconsider your stance on artificial intelligence and the human-like robots that may be heading our way if playwright Changshuo Liu’s predictions prove prescient. Victor Gao, Lyra Lys, Jueun Kang, Tom Shane…

POLLUTION ISN’T THE ONLY PROBLEM IN SULFUR BOTTOM Playwright Rishi Varma sets out with noble intentions in Sulfur Bottom—to shine a light on environmental racism and the communities whose lives have been devastated by pollution and industrial encroachment. Yet despite its ambitious scope, the play’s non-linear family saga, spanning thirty years and three generations, offers…

TA-DA! AND OTHER QUEER MAGIC TRICKS For Josh Sharp, “ta-da!” is code for gay. As a twelve-year-old magician, it was his entrance line: “ta-da!” Yeah, totally gay. But growing up in the South, Sharp knew an even bigger magic trick—keeping that part of himself hidden until much later. Now, in his solo show ta-da!, he…

DARWIN DEL FABRO STUNS IN A PERFORMANCE OF BECOMING One reason the queer community has found broader acceptance in America — generally speaking — is that most people today know someone who identifies as lesbian, gay, or bisexual: a family member, friend, or colleague. They’ve heard stories and recognize the humanity of the community. Sadly,…

FRANK MORGAN Not too long ago in Sag Harbor, Morgan Bassichis spent time at an artist residency. For those unfamiliar with such places, Morgan wryly explained that “an art residency is when you go somewhere else to have sex with people.” During open visiting hours, a man stopped by the studio and asked about Morgan’s…

PATCHWORK PATRIOTISM, POWERED BY A KILLER SETLIST With a book credited to Bryce Hallett, one may expect Rolling Thunder to be a new Off-Broadway musical. Despite the presence of a librettist, however, the show—now playing at New World Stages—functions far more as a rock concert than a traditional book musical. Of its 2-hour runtime, only…

TWO GINGER SNAPS UP FOR THIS PARENT TRAP PARODY The subtitle for Ginger Twinsies, the new Off-Broadway comedy which opened last night at the Orpheum Theatre, reads: “The Parent Trap parody (legally speaking).” Having never seen Nancy Myer’s 1998 Disney film starring Lindsay Lohan, it gave me pause; I wondered if I’d spend the evening…

JOY TO THE WHIRL For every inventive soul who’s ever heard “no,” “pass,” or “next,” Joy is for you. Based on the life of Miracle Mop inventor Joy Mangano, this briskly staged musical delivers an energetic blend of domestic chaos, entrepreneurial grit, and interior musical theater gold to keep it well fueled for its two-hour…

A WESTERN WORTH REVISITING The Onomatopoeia Theatre Company, in collaboration with the Gene Frankel Theatre, brings back The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance in a compelling and timely revival. Presented in two acts and running 110 minutes, the production benefits from the intimacy of a theater that seats fewer than 50. The result is a…

JOYFUL, JERKY, AND JUST WHAT OFF-BROADWAY NEEDS There are two powerful reasons to see Bear Grease. First: The deeply felt curtain speech by Henry Cloud Andrade, co-writer/co-creator—with Crystle Lightning—of Bear Grease. With warmth and candor, he begins by gently thanking the audience for not expecting a full Grease revival. More importantly, he shares the staggering context…

ELLA STILLER’S DILARIA: A DEBUT IN EXTREMIS Three striking Off-Broadway debuts anchor Dilaria, a sharp, volatile new play by Julia Randall at the DR2—the Daryl Roth Theater’s 99-seat space just off Union Square. All three actors arrive with formal training in acting but have mostly appeared in TV and film since graduating. That cinematic background…