this week in theater

RED FOLDER: AN ILLUSTRATED SHORT PLAY

RED FOLDER
Steppenwolf Now
January 27 – September 1, $75 for six online productions
www.steppenwolf.org

“Why aren’t you my friend?” a first grader asks his red folder in Rajiv Joseph’s devilishly clever and insightful short Red Folder, part of Steppenwolf’s online streaming portal, Steppenwolf Now. Written, directed, and illustrated by ensemble member Joseph, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and two-time Obie winner whose previous plays include Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Guards at the Taj, and Describe the Night, Red Folder is like an audiovisual children’s book gone mad, a deranged and demented — and repeatedly laugh-out-loud funny — story about fear of not fitting in, of loneliness and being different. “It’s something that I never would have conceived of doing outside of the restrictions that the pandemic has imposed on us,“ Joseph tells Steppenwolf artistic director Anna D. Shapiro in a video teaser.

Red Folder is a calmly told demented tale of a child’s fears in first grade

The tale takes place within a squiggly circle against a solid off-white background, with rather simplistic line-drawn characters and imagery, like a chapter of a miniature DIY graphic novel come to life. Joseph concentrates on red and black, with an occasional flash of green and yellow as anthropomorphic figures haunt the boy’s daily existence, which involves pudding, skulls, blood, a stained coffee mug, a mean teacher, and a beloved Hulk lunch box. The story is narrated in an appropriately cool, dispassionate tone by Steppenwolf’s Carrie Coon (Mary Jane, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), accompanied by Chris P. Thompson’s original piano score, a riff on Vince Guaraldi’s music for A Charlie Brown Christmas. The eleven-minute piece was filmed and edited by Joel Moorman, with animation by Christopher Huizar; it’s essentially a memory play that will send you back to first grade and childhood’s existential dread, remembering your teacher and classmates and favorite lunch box. Hopefully what happens to the boy didn’t happen to you, although you probably experienced the same fears, the same worries, and the same overall horror that accompanies one’s first encounter with institutional authority.

Red Folder is available for streaming as part of the Steppenwolf Now package, which also features James Ijames’s two-person short Zoom play What Is Left, Burns and Isaac Gómez’s audio play Wally World; coming up next are Vivian J. O. Barnes’s Duchess! Duchess! Duchess! in March, Donnetta Lavinia Grays’s Where We Stand in April, and Sam Shepard’s Ages of the Moon in June.

HI, ARE YOU SINGLE?

HI, ARE YOU SINGLE?
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
February 1-28, $20.99 for forty-eight-hour stream (captioning and audio description available)
www.woollymammoth.net

Ryan J. Haddad wants to get laid. A lot. And also find true love and inner happiness. Is that so much to ask? He shares his bittersweet, hugely entertaining story in his one-man show Hi, Are You Single?, streaming from Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company February 1-28. Haddad delves into his deepest desires in the hourlong autobiographical play, which was filmed live on Woolly Mammoth’s DC stage, in front of a small, masked, socially distanced audience made up of members of the staff and design team.

“Have you ever felt an overwhelming sense of longing for companionship and intimacy and love?” he asks. “And how many of you just get horny sometimes, huh?” Haddad, who is gay and has cerebral palsy, requiring the use of a walker, details various encounters with men, from a high school football player to guys he meets on a gay dating site, at an East Village bar, and other pickup hotspots. He is engagingly open and honest, which can be both shocking and hysterically funny, and not just because of his disability, which he does not let stop him from fulfilling his sexual urges, like loving to be cuddled after being spanked. He also poignantly relates the issues of being both gay and disabled. After coming out to his mother, she tells him, “I’m scared, because now you’re different in two ways.”

Ryan J. Haddad gets intimate in autobiographical one-man show (photo by Lawrence E. Moten III)

Hi, Are You Single? has been touring the country since 2016; the filmed version, presented in association with LA’s IAMA Theatre Company and directed by Laura Savia and Jess McLeod, arrives at a time when theater-hungry audiences are desperate for intimate artistic connection, not unlike the companionship Haddad seeks, save, perhaps, for the erotic sexual aspect. Haddad, whose previous work includes My Straighties, Noor and Hadi Go to Hogwarts, and Falling for Make Believe at such venues as the Public Theater, Ars Nova, Joe’s Pub, Dixon Place, and La MaMa E.T.C. here in New York, also deftly handles a part of the show in which he brings someone onstage to dance with him, a startling yet affecting moment during the coronavirus crisis. In Hi, Are You Single?, Haddad takes a long look at himself, which makes us look at ourselves in solidarity, in a wholly satisfying show that will yet leave you aching for more.

THE NOURISH PROJECT

THE NOURISH PROJECT
WP Theater
January 28 – February 7, free, 7:30
wptheater.org

New York City’s WP (formerly Women’s Project) Theater seeks to soothe and feed your soul with The Nourish Project, an interactive virtual presentation continuing through February 7. Conceived and directed by associate artistic director Rebecca Martínez, who was part of the team that took us on an audio tour through the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine community in Sanctuary and helmed one of the microplays in the sensational Here We Are series, The Nourish Project is a multidisciplinary production featuring dance, music, storytelling, poetry, food, and more from a collective of BIPOC creators. Admission is free, but there are three levels of suggested donations if you can afford it, from $10 to $100; when you register, you have to select an element — water, earth, fire, or air — that will determine which breakout room you go to about halfway through the show.

Natalie Benally is one of several BIPOC creators participating in The Nourish Project (photo courtesy WP Theater)

The seventy-minute experience includes songs by Edna Vazquez, opening and closing words written by Jaisey Bates, a cooking demonstration and song from Joaquin Lopez, poems by Latrelle Bright and Camryn Bruno, element hostings by Natalie Benally, Nikiko Masumoto, Jono Eiland, and Bright, dance by Brittany Grier, Megan J. Minturn, and Joya Powell, and other contributions from Siobhan Juanita Brown, Sage Chanell, Madeline Sayet, Dr. Michelle Tom, and Meghan “Sigvanna” Topkok. Along the way, you will be asked intimate questions in the chat, and you are encouraged to turn your camera on at several points to share a few objects visually. You will also hear such lines as “I, the spirit in constant motion, wafting across the planet ever present, holding everything that ever was” and “We are storied bodies, made of stars.” The Nourish Project is earnest, New Agey, reverential, and crunchy, with flourishes of organic spirituality and ASMR, but if that’s your thing, give it a shot. These days, you gotta find comfort and community wherever you can.

RemarkaBULL PODVERSATIONS: EXPLORING KING LEAR

Who: André De Shields, Nathan Winkelstein
What: Live discussion of the “Blow, winds” speech from King Lear
Where: Red Bull Theater’s website, Vimeo, Facebook Live
When: Monday, February 1, free with RSVP, 7:30
Why: Baltimore-born actor, singer, dancer, director, and choreographer André De Shields has been a superstar during the pandemic lockdown, popping up all over the place. The Emmy, Tony, and Grammy winner portrayed Elder Qualls in Shaka Senghor’s A Father’s Sorrow for the 24-Hour Plays series, revisited Haarlem Nocturne for Crossroads Theatre Company, took part in a terrific Classic Conversation with Classic Stage artistic director John Doyle, played Anton Ego in Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, sang “Shine” for the #SaveWestBankCafe Telethon, crooned “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” in the Home for the Holidays BCEFA benefit concert, delivered the keynote speech for Victory Gardens Theater’s Voices of Tomorrow, read Congressman John Lewis’s “Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of the Nation,” participated in an all-star outdoor rendition of “Broadway Baby” for Our America: A Concert for the Soul of the Nation, and will next serve as host, as Hermes, of the Onassis Foundation’s Live from Mount Olympus, a free weekly podcast debuting February 2 on PRX’s TRAX podcast network for tweens, directed by Rachel Chavkin and Zhailon Levingston.

Andre De Shields stars as King Lear at the Folger Theatre in 2007 (photo by Scott Suchman)

He now turns to Shakespeare for Red Bull Theater’s RemarkaBULL Podversation presentation “Exploring King Lear,” streaming live February 1 at 7:30. De Shields will deliver the “Blow, winds” speech from Act 3: Scene 2 of the Bard’s tragedy, followed by a discussion with Red Bull associate producer Nathan Winkelstein. “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow! / You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout / Till you have drench’d our steeples, drown’d the cocks! / You sulphurous and thought-executing fires, / Vaunt-couriers to oak-cleaving thunderbolts, / Singe my white head! And thou, all-shaking thunder, / Smite flat the thick rotundity o’ the world!” Lear declares. De Shields (Hadestown, Ain’t Misbehavin’) portrayed the king at Classical Theater of Harlem and the Folger in DC in 2007, so he has his own unique history with the character. Previous Podversations have featured Patrick Page on Othello, Kate Burton on The Tempest, Stephen Spinella on As You Like It, Elizabeth Marvel on Julius Caesar, and Chukwudi Iwuji on Henry VI.

FRAN & KATE’S DRAMA CLUB

Who: Frances McDormand, Kate Valk, special guests
What: Live series about the Wooster Group
Where: The Performing Garage Zoom
When: Thursday, January 28, $50, 8:00
Why: Two-time Oscar winner Frances McDormand and Wooster Group founding member Kate Valk are teaming up for the new virtual series Fran & Kate’s Drama Club, in which they will interview special guests and show clips exploring the history of the Wooster Group, one of New York City’s underground gems. The company, based at the Performing Garage on Wooster St., was founded in 1975 by Valk, Elizabeth LeCompte, Spalding Gray, Jim Clayburgh, Ron Vawter, Willem Dafoe, and Peyton Smith and has been presenting innovative and experimental works ever since. The club kicks off January 28 at 8:00 with a look at Juliet Lashinsky’s “The Archivist,” part of the online DAILIES series featuring archivist Clay Hapaz. Among the short pieces are McDormand quoting Bertolt Brecht from The Mother, McDormand reading from the article “Fair Treatment for Theatre Labor: A Right to Perform Plays” by Catherine Fisk and Alisa Hartz, Valk and Vito Acconci in Raul Ruiz’s The Golden Boat, Valk in five episodes of Sugar High, and video and photos from the current rehearsals for The Mother, in which Valk plays the title character. Fran & Kate’s Drama Club is a fundraiser to ensure the company completes The Mother and two other Covid-sensitive productions, a collaboration with Eric Berryman and an audio recording of Daniel Paul Schreber’s 1903 book Memoirs of My Nervous Illness with McDormand, Maura Tierney, and Ari Fliakos; tickets are $50.

THE HOMEBOUND PROJECT SPECIAL EDITION: 2021

Who: Dylan Baker, Becky Ann Baker, Christopher Abbott, Deirdre O’Connell, Emily Kuroda, Michael Chernus, Jojo Brown, Dalia Davi, Nicholas Gorham, Carolyn Ratteray, Stacey Karen Robinson, Babak Tafti, Daigi-Ann Thompson, Paul Sparks, Eden Malyn, Amanda Seyfried, Sting
What: New online theatrical works to benefit No Kid Hungry
Where: Link supplied by the Homebound Project after donation
When: January 27-31, $10 or more, 7:00
Why: One of the best theatrical series during the pandemic has been the Homebound Project, short one-act plays, generally between five and ten minutes each, featuring award-winning actors, writers, and directors, filmed wherever the performer is sheltering in place. Among the many highlights from the first five iterations were Alison Pill in C. A. Johnson’s diversions, Marin Ireland in Eliza Clark’s The Jessicas, Kimberly Hébert Gregory in Loy A. Webb’s These Hands, Utkarsh Ambudkar in Marco Ramirez’s Is This a Play Yet, Ashley Park in Bess Wohl’s The Morning Message to the Second Graders in Room 206, Daveed Diggs in Johnson’s Here and Now, Diane Lane in Michael R. Jackson’s Let’s Save the World, Sue Jean Kim in Leslye Headland’s The Rat, ​Marquise Vilsón in Migdalia Cruz’s Meat & Other Broken Promises, and Brian Cox and his wife and children in Melis Aker’s Fractio Panis. If you didn’t catch them the first time around, when they ran online for four days each, then you’re out of luck. But you can soon catch the surprise sixth presentation, which premieres January 27 at 7:00 and can be viewed, with a minimum donation of ten dollars, through January 31 at 7:00. All proceeds benefit No Kid Hungry; more than one hundred and fifty thousand dollars has been collected so far. Much of the reason why they decided to add this extra edition is because of the continued lockdown of many schools and the resulting food insecurity many children are experiencing.

The theme of the first five installments were “Home,” “Sustenance,” “Champions,” “Promise,” and “Homemade”; taking on the prompt of “2021” are the following exciting actor/writer/director collaborations: Christopher Abbott and Deirdre O’Connell / Lucy Thurber / Caitriona McLaughlin (Port Isabel); Dylan Baker and Becky Ann Baker / David Lindsay-Abaire / Paul Mullins (The Narrows); Jojo Brown / Cece Suazo / Jenna Worsham (Things That Were Said to Me​); Michael Chernus / Adam Rapp / Adam Rapp (Sand and Snow); Dalia Davi / Ren Dara Santiago / Jenna Worsham (Someone’s Family); Nicholas Gorham / Brian Otaño / Tatiana Pandiani (close your eyes and count to ten); Emily Kuroda / Kate Cortesi / Jenna Worsham (I love parties); Eden Malyn and Catya McMullen / Catya McMullen (She’s a leaper); Carolyn Ratteray / Bekah Brunstetter (My Mouth); Stacey Karen Robinson / Sharon Bridgforth (bull-jean & dem/dey back); Paul Sparks / Brian Watkins / Danya Taymor (Thing on the Dash); Babak Tafti / Colette Robert / Taylor Reynolds (notes from a survivalist); and Daigi-Ann Thompson / Julissa Contreras (Essential), with special appearances by Amanda Seyfried and Sting.

ARTISTS & COMMUNITY: VIRTUAL EXPLORATION OF THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

Arin Arbus and John Douglas Thompson offer a sneak peek at production of The Merchant of Venice this week

Who: Arin Arbus, John Douglas Thompson, Isabel Arraiza, Danaya Esperanza, Ian Lassiter, Ajay Naidu, Alfredo Narciso, Graham Winton
What: Pair of readings and talkbacks about The Merchant of Venice
Where: Theatre for a New Audience
When: Wednesday, July 27, 7:00, and Saturday, July 30, 3:00, free with RSVP
Why: Theatre for a New Audience is planning on staging an in-person adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice once theaters are allowed to reopen in New York City. On January 27 and 30, TFANA will give a sneak peek at its take on the problematic play for the new series “Artists & Community.” Director Arin Arbus and award-winning actor John Douglas Thompson, who have previously worked together on Othello, Macbeth, Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, and Strindberg’s The Father, are teaming up again for the Bard’s seriocomic work about romance and moneylending. Thompson, who will be playing Shylock, will be joined on Zoom by Isabel Arraiza, Danaya Esperanza, Ian Lassiter, Ajay Naidu, Alfredo Narciso, and Graham Winton, performing Act I, Scene III; Act II, Scenes III and V; and Act III, Scene I on January 27 at 7:00 and Act IV, Scene I: The Trial on July 30 at 3:00. Both free readings will be followed by a talkback with Arbus and members of the cast, moderated by TFANA founding artistic director Jeffrey Horowitz, who said in a statement, “On January 9, the Royal Shakespeare Company, with TFANA and the Young Vic, copresented a livestreamed concert that began an investigation into the 1939 Broadway musical Swingin’ the Dream. I’m thrilled that TFANA will now offer another first look: a behind-the-scenes exploration of Shakespeare’s provocative, polarizing play.” Among the lines they are likely to examine is Portia’s courtroom question “Which is the merchant here, and which the Jew?”