Oh, hello there! Happy 2022! Welcome to a new year of me barely finding three things to put these together because, as has been sufficiently established, I hate everything. That easily extends to the 2021-22 season of theater: the industry is barely staying alive in the midst of a pandemic and theaters STILL put out some boring-ass seasons full of old commissions, unnecessary revivals, and plays that screamed “relevance!” but clearly couldn’t deliver. It’s been a shitshow of never ending comp offers (you probably got a bunch from me—if you didn’t, email me and I’ll add you to the list) and canceled performances, but there are some gems in the horizon! As per my only rule, I don’t recommend things I haven’t experienced, so this is a list of plays I’ve already read (or seen in some capacity) and whose upcoming productions I am bound to check out—assuming, of course, that they happen. Fingers crossed!
Regional theater: DREAM HOU$E
The pitch: An HGTV-like show that is also a metaphor for gentrification.
Me gusta porque: “Shut up about DREAM HOU$E,” you scream, to which I answer “Not until you’ve seen it!” I first saw this show on a lark: a friend of mine convinced me to see it at Ars Nova’s Ant Fest because #SupportAllThingsLatino and I went somewhat begrudgingly, thinking it was gonna be a preaching-to-the-choir snapfest. I did not expect playwright Eliana Pipes to call me the fuck out: this tale of two Latina sisters who are cashing in on their neighborhood’s gentrification by selling their house in a home-makeover reality TV show doesn’t spare anyone. By digging deep into each sister’s psyche, Pipes explores not just the evils of colonization, but the culpability of those who eagerly open the door to the colonizers. It made me reflect on my own upbringing, in which anything American was better than anything home-made, and on why moving to the United States became such a big part of my life goals. I laughed, I gasped, I felt a knot in my throat—and I have not stopped advocating for this play ever since. I’m thrilled it’s getting a fancy world premiere with three different regional theaters; any New York artistic directors worth their salt should be scrambling to scoop up the rights for next season!
When and where? It’ll be at the Alliance Theatre January 22-February 13, Long Wharf Theatre March 15-April 3, and Baltimore Center Stage April 21-May 15.
I can’t see it in person! It’s highly likely that some or all of the runs will be livestreamed (particularly Center Stage’s, which has been streaming other plays in their season), so stay tuned.
Off-Broadway: Man Cave
The pitch: the social commentary and creepiness of Jayro Bustamante’s La Llorona (which I’ve recommended before) with less murder and more laughs.
Me gusta porque: I first read this play after a friend who was in a workshop of it told me it might be up my alley—and boy was she right. John J. Caswell Jr.’s script is the rare kind that understands the assignment at all levels, starting with its aptly chosen setting (a Republican congressman’s “man cave” basement) and timeframe (a single night), which make it particularly well suited for theater. The story follows the congressman’s maid, Imaculada, who hosts her friends for a hangout while her employer is away, and Caswell plays expertly with how the childish energy of a sleepover can hide, and then reveal, the very adult problems these women are running away from. The script exudes verisimilitude, from the way Spanish is used (which, speaking from experience, can be hard to nail) to how clearly the friends’ relationships are established, which is why it’s so delightful when the play takes a turn to the magical—and the horrific. It’s a nail biter all the way through, and I’m very curious (dare I say excited?) to see if the upcoming world premiere will live up to Caswell’s pitch-perfect tone. Considering that Page 73’s last two productions (Zora Howard’s Stew and Michael R. Jackson’s A Strange Loop) ended up in the Pulitzer Prize for Drama mix, I’d say its chances are looking very good!
When and where? Page 73, March 1-April 2.
I can’t see it in person! I don’t think there will be a livestream, but I’m sure it’ll get published at some point?
Broadway: How I Learned To Drive
The pitch: It’s How I Learned To Drive—I’m not gonna pitch it. What I will say is that it’s BANANAS that it’s never been on Broadway, so maybe that’s the pitch: it’s finally on Broadway!
Me gusta porque: How I Learned To Drive was one of the first plays I ever read, at the tender age of 25—theater was not a big thing in Mendoza or Belo Horizonte (the two cities I grew up in), so my experience with the medium was close to none. Moving to New York for an MFA program, I did not expect that to change (I came in as a TV student), but the school was adamant that we take classes in all concentrations, and Paula Vogel’s play was high up on the syllabus. Reading it was a transformative experience: I did not know you could tell such a compelling story with minimal settings, actors performing multiple roles, and a story engine (driving lessons) that becomes more meaningful with each passing scene. That it centers a woman who’s been groomed and abused by her uncle initially turned me off—I’m highly sensitive to stories about statutory rape—but Vogel’s script embraced me with an incredible amount of humanity, bringing me to tears with its reflection of how pain is inherited and passed on, more often than not unwillingly. I’m not gonna embarrass myself by expressing high-minded opinions about a play that people much smarter than I have analyzed in depth, but I will say, on a personal level, that Vogel’s use of chronology was immensely influential on my first play, Machine Learning, which (warning: brag ahead) she then chose as a runner up for last year’s Yale Drama Series, in a lovely cyclical motion of fate that would be at home in one of her scripts. It’s always bummed me out hard that I didn’t get to see this play in person, so I’m quite excited that it’s being remounted—and with the original team!
When and where? Manhattan Theatre Club, starting March 29.
I can’t see it in person! I wouldn’t be surprised if they livestream it like 2nd Stage did with Clyde’s, but in case they don’t, you can always read it!
Bonus: my Fantasy 2022-23 Season
If I ran my own theater company (give me the funding, you cowards), these are the plays I’d be programming for next season:
Asiimwe Deborah Kawe’s Appointment With gOD: this is another play I won’t shut up about until everyone I know has seen it, because it portrays the process of securing an American visa with uncanny accuracy and beautiful poetry. In my dream production, only a random number of patrons are selected to see the second act and the rest are kicked out at intermission without getting their money back, because that’s how unfair the visa process is.
Charlie O’Leary’s The Allies: this script, which follows a lawyer from Indiana spending a weekend in New York with his high school friends, feels like a really good episode of Girls, if Girls was about internalized homophobia. It’s both very funny and terribly scary, and I thought about it for weeks after reading.
David Zheng’s Kidnapping Jane Doe: I saw this play as part of The Public’s Emerging Writers Group festival and it completely won me over with its wildly funny protagonists, two friends from The Bronx who (incompetently) kidnap their local congresswoman in order to convince her to invest in the borough.
Francisca Da Silveira’s not-for-profit (or the equity, diversity and inclusion play): I saw this hilarious comedy about a small, liberal, savior-y education non-profit on Zoom and I did not sign off before it ended, which should tell you something about how good it is. Best line: “LaCroix doesn’t see color.”
Lilly Camp’s All Eight: This play about a female college rowing team gives The Wolves—but with a gripping, thorny post-MeToo plot that’ll keep you guessing till the end. Lilly might be one of my best friends, but you’re dead wrong if you think I’d put her in this list if her play wasn’t great… I care about my reputation too much!