Billed as a ghost story The Brothers Paranormal begins lightly, with humor and a comic set-up. But scene by scene the play becomes more serious as playwright Prince Golmolvilas draws parallel worlds of reality. Max, a Thai-American, and his brother own…
Tag: Penumbra Theatre
Review | benevolence: scary-powerful
Difficult. Difficult, and presented with unrelieved intensity. This is an apt description of benevolence (playing at Penumbra Theatre Company through March 10). If you’re looking for feel-good entertainment, a sweet and undemanding play to watch while you digest a rich…
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / when the rainbow is enuf: poetry and movement beautifully fused
The Penumbra Theater’s production of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf is nothing short of an immersive feat and it’s an experience not to be missed. The play is actually a series of choreographed poems…
Review | Black Nativity: pure delight
Great balls of Gospel fire! Toe tapping tuneage! Satan-busting religiosity! Take me now, Lord! If Black Nativity (Penumbra Theatre, through, appropriately, Dec 24) doesn’t utterly transport you into an exquisite world of Gospel-fueled Christmas passion, well then, you have deep…
Wedding Band: a frightening love story
Interracial marriage used to be illegal? Yikes. That was in the Bad Old Days. We now live, thank heaven, in an era in which love = love. Thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court (Loving v. Virginia in 1967; the recent…
365 Days/365 Plays: a breezy and enjoyable collection of skits
Full Circle Theater Company, presenter of Suzan-Lori Parks‘s refreshingly unpretentious 365 Days/365 Plays, lists, in the program, “Co-Artistic Directors” – Rick Shiomi and Martha B. Johnson. As well as a “Core Artistic Group” – James A. Williams, Stephanie Lein Walseth…
GIRL Shakes Loose: tight show, loose story
There are so many things right with the musical GIRL Shakes Loose at Penumbra Theatre. First off the show is nearly flawlessly performed. The depth of talent in our cities never ceases to amaze, as the cast of this show…
Black Light: Be A Witness. Shine A Light.
You could go to Jomama Jones‘s BLACK LIGHT, and just enjoy Jomama’s considerable talent as she presents herself in sparkling evening gowns, a foot long afro and four-inch spiked heels. You could listen to the songs, bask in the talent of…
Jitney at Penumbra Theatre
August Wilson’s plays are not slice of life dramas with straight-as-a-knife plotlines. They embody broad swaths of Black history played out decade by decade. Jitney, now at Penumbra Theatre, is no exception. Set in the 1970’s, Wilson employs gossip, personal…
Black Nativity by Penumbra Theatre
If you find your seasonal liturgy lacking in energy, or you need a kick in the pants to get in the Christmas spirit, Penumbra Theatre’s Black Nativity will likely do the trick. The production, the company’s 28th rendition to date,…