James Ijames Gives “Hamlet” Brand-New Black American Look by Emily S. Mendel “Fat Ham” is a rollicking comedy that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2022. Acclaimed playwright James Ijames takes a new look at Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” by transposing the characters to a modern Black family in North Carolina. He makes tragedy into comedy—a great idea….
Itamar Moses & Gaby Alter Spoof Modern Love with Glamor & Glitz by Jennifer Charron Love them or hate them; or love to hate them—reality dating shows fascinate audiences across the globe. “Nobody Loves You,” a wacky musical comedy at ACT, looks behind the scenes look at competitive dating shows, while strangely revealing an…
Marcus Gardley Celebrates Her-Story from Africa to Oakland by Robert M. Gardner Marcus Gardley has written a great play celebrating Black community and sisterhood from Africa to Louisiana to Oakland. “A Thousand Ships” evoked a thunderous welcome on Sunday at Oakland Theater Project as heroic Black women looked on from framed photos. Randy…
John Fisher’s Spectacular Staging Puts Fascism in Our Faces by Barry David Horwitz Dramatic genius John Fisher has assembled a heavenly cast to explore the Hell of 1930s Germany—to live out the nightmare of newly-minted Nazism. Substitute MAGA for NAZI and we are re-living “Cabaret” right now in the U.S. Fisher seduces us into…