Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Notable Off-Broadway Openings: Lincoln Center Theater’s EPIPHANY, Mint’s CHAINS, and Summerworks’ BODIES THEY RITUAL

• By drediman
• June 28, 2022
• No Comments

Don’t let the post-Tony Awards summer doldrums fool you. Theater is alive and well in the city, as evidenced by a number of notable recent Off-Broadway openings. Here are my thoughts on them.

EPIPHANY
Lincoln Center Theater at the Mitzi E. Newhouse
Through July 24

Last week, Brian Watkins’ Epiphany (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) opened Off-Broadway at the Mitzi E. Newhouse courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater. Taking place in heightened real time, Mr. Watkins’ new play depicts an enigmatic dinner party thrown by an aging woman. Over the course of the evening, introductions are made, impassioned thoughts are exchanged, and memories shared – just like any other party you may have attended yourself. But if you look closer and read between the lines, an existential chill pervades the affair despite the numerous moments of levity sprinkled throughout. There’s also a mysterious larger – almost supernatural – presence (call it God, if you will) that looms over and permeates the proceedings, which adds a spiritual component to the piece. Among other things, the play explores the increasingly larger role of technology in our lives, our inherent need for connection as human beings, and the tangibility of the intangible. The gorgeous play has been directed with subtle vitality by Tyne Rafaeli, whose ensemble-driven production (all-around, the acting is vivid and exquisitely detailed) is fearlessly led with tireless vigor by the great Marylouise Burke as if her life – and ours – depended on it.

CHAINS
Mint Theater Company at Theatre Row
Through July 23

Then down at Off-Broadway’s prolific Theatre Row, theatergoers can find Mint Theater Company’s latest offering, Elizabeth Baker’s Chains (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). Over the years (at various venues throughout the city), the folks at Mint have made an art out of dusting off obscure lost plays of the past, investigating them, and presenting them anew for contemporary audiences. I can safely say that this latest offering stands as one of the company’s most satisfying efforts to date – and that’s saying a lot given the company’s uncannily successful track record. Taking place in England during turn of the century, Chains is a Shaw-like play that illustrates how society’s invisible “chains” – for better or worse – keep its citizens tied to their respective lots in life. As an ambiguous parable about self-determination, the play remains universal and relevant. Jenn Thompson’s refreshingly color-blind and remarkably clear-eyed production is impeccable – in research, acting, and design (indeed, there’s a scenic coup that occurs at the top of act two that received audible gasps and applause from the audience at the performance I attended). Given the limited budget at Mint’s disposal, the revival is an astonishing achievement and deserves to be seen.

BODIES THEY RITUAL
Clubbed Thumb‘s Summerworks series at The Wild Project
Through July 2

Theatergoers looking for a more adventurous outing should look no further than The Wild Project in the East Village. That’s where Angela Hanks’s Bodies They Ritual (RECOMMENDED) is receiving its world premiere production via Summerworks, Clubbed Thumb’s mini-festival of new plays (which this year is celebrating its landmark 25th anniversary). Ms. Hanks’ new play is the third and final entry in this year’s edition of Summerworks, and it bears all the aspects that makes the series essential to the fabric of the New York theater scene. Bodies They Ritual tells the story of a group of women who travel to Santa Fe to spend some restorative time at a bourgeois spiritual retreat. Meandering through a parade of random, quirky, and mostly humorous encounters – the work does seem to be more akin to a series of sketches than it does a cohesive drama – the play ultimately finds these women back where they began, but perhaps more desperately in need of uplift and comfort. It’s chilly existential stuff wrapped up in a seemingly amusing package. Directed by Summerworks usual suspect Knud Adams, the deadpan and keenly observant production is stylishly designed and terrifically acted by an accomplished ensemble of game actresses and non-binary performers.