Who: Knowledge Workings Theater Company
What: Livestreamed play about family and politics
Where: Zoom link sent after ticket purchase
When: July 16-24, $10-$20
Why: Last year, satirist Joe Queenan and actor, director, and producer T. J. Elliott kicked off their Knowledge Workings Theater Company with Alms, a play about sports, religion, and homelessness. They’ve followed that up with Grudges, a comic tale of two brothers torn apart by the 2016 presidential election. The cast features John Blaylock as Matthew McCarthy, Lynne Otis as Faith Vergaretti McCarthy, James Lawson as Paul McCarthy, Jasmine Dorothy Haefner as Candy Cruz, and Andre Montgomery as Jerry Marcus, with Ed Altman serving as narrator; Matthew and Paul are considering reconciling over dinner after two years of battling over Donald Trump and Barack Obama, two names they are not allowed to say to each other. Directed by Dora Endre, the piece will be performed live seven times on Zoom July 16-24; tickets are $10-$20. I’ve been enjoying Queenan’s Wall Street Journal column “Moving Targets” for several years; he has also offered his view on the state of the country in such books as Balsamic Dreams: A Short But Self-Important History of the Baby Boomer Generation; Red Lobster, White Trash, and the Blue Lagoon: Joe Queenan’s America; and The Unkindest Cut: How a Hatchet-Man Critic Made His Own $7,000 Movie and Put It All on His Credit Card. So Grudges promises to be sharp, biting, and funny; just don’t hold a grudge against me if it isn’t.