Gary Graves Ponders Collapse of Empires, from Greece to US by Emily S. Mendel Three thousand years ago, a grandmother and her granddaughter live alone on the Greek island of Kasos. They eke out a farming existence with hard work and resolute anger. Down to their last goat, symbolizing the end of their livelihood, a…
Reflections David Henry Hwang Reflects Blackface for White America by Kheven Lee LaGrone Shotgun Players presented David Henry Hwang’s “Yellow Face,” which won an Obie Award for Playwriting and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2008). Inspired by real life events, Hwang’s play is well-written, intelligent, and fast moving. In this semi-autobiographical work,…
Lynn Nottage Paints Gripping Portrait of Workers Who Lose Everything by Lynne Stevens I arrived in Palo Alto early and took a stroll in Stanford Shopping Center. With its high-end shops that seem to be thriving, it presents a huge contrast to “Sweat” at Palo Alto Players. Lynne Nottage’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize play shines…
Millennial Notes Henry David Hwang Skewers Himself in Real-Life Revelation by Kristian Stovall “Yellow Face” begins like a puzzle missing its pieces. A swirl of characters and shifting roles blur the stage—actors flip personas in real time. It’s disorienting at first, but soon, a rhythm emerges. Confusion becomes the point because messy life keeps…