Most of us live without fame; the world simply ignores us. Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld of Fiasco Theater assert that obscurity offers real rewards; a meaningful artistic life depends on it. When artists say that sort of thing, they’re generally rationalizing, but this time I believe them. How to have friends, family, and … Continue reading »

  I expected this playwright (admired for Learning to Drive) and this writer-performer (admired for his character Jomama) to be astute about theater, and they are. They also have provocative ideas about gender. “I feel – I don’t know if you agree with this – that my gender changes every day,” says Paula, “and maybe … Continue reading »

The children of immigrants can be embarrassed by their parents’ ties to their homeland: “Speak English, Mama. We’re Americans now.” Freedom means shedding the oppressive past. But playwright NSangou Njikam sought freedom by embracing his history, tracing his roots to Cameroon, and taking an African name. Two historical contexts, two routes to the same goal. … Continue reading »

  Some people who’ve profoundly affected our cultural life are esteemed by their colleagues but little known to us civilians. Actor Michael Urie, admired by both groups, reflects on one such person, James Houghton, founder of the Signature Theater. Plus transit tips and gift advice. With music from Patrick Farrell. A conversation in conjunction with the … Continue reading »

  Our friends provide kindness, but we are also drawn to harsher souls with “big personalities” and small social skills whose rigor makes us better people. And by “we,” I mean playwright David Ives. A conversation at Classic Stage Company about tenderness and severity with the author of Venus in Fur and CSC’s current production, … Continue reading »

  This sly anthropologist of WASP ways is much admired for his plays The Dining Room, Love Letters, Sylvia, and more. We talked at the Flea Theater about fathers and sons, students and teachers, and most emotion-charged of all: dogs versus cats. Drama is conflict. Plus music from Duncan Wickel and Lily Henley, who got … Continue reading »

He created the role of Motel the Tailor in Fiddler on the Roof. He directed Elizabeth Taylor in The Little Foxes. He – well, it would be easier to list what he has not done during a lifetime in the theater. But what most surprised me about our conversation was his description of his lifelong friendship … Continue reading »

  “Failure is a very creative place,” asserts James Nicola, artistic director of New York Theater Workshop where singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and director Rachel Chavkin developed their flamboyantly successful Hadestown, a folk opera based on the Orpheus myth. But is failure really so useful, or is it just, well, failure? Rachel and Anaïs consider that … Continue reading »

  It rankles when non-Asian actors are cast as Asians, yet you needn’t be Scottish to play Macbeth. How to reconcile these two ideas? David Henry Hwang takes up the question with wit, warmth and insight. Perhaps best known for his play M Butterfly, he co-wrote the musical Aida and is a staff writer on … Continue reading »