Eye On the Arts

Photo by Michaelah Reynolds New York, New York February 20, 2023 -- There was a time when the host of a dinner party would pull out the slide wheel carousel or 8 millimeter film projector and entertain guests with home movies of vacations. For some, that screamed "time to go," for others--generally family members--it conjured warm memories of beaches edging Florida or camping trips in the Adirondacks. The scrapbook lives of a family pinned to the pages of Larry Sultan's photo memoir are brought to life in Pictures From Home written by Sharr White and playing at Studio 54. The son, Larry Sultan (Danny Burstein) steps into the starring role as family archivist. Determined to retrieve all the family photos, slides and films, Larry, a professional photographer, finds comfort in the celluloid traces of his family. Captured on film is the very, very complicated psychological infrastructure tinting his family. Converted to a three-person play, Larry is conflicted about...

New York, New York February 11, 2023 -- Audience , written by Vaclav Havel, a true revolutionary artist whose writings shaped the politics of his time, is a compelling political play with a delightful twist. Presented at LaMama the one hour absurdist work is invigorated by the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre’s exceptional puppetry. Opening with a newsreel-style montage projected onto one of the huge projector screens that float above a sparsely dressed stage, the audience is loosely guided through the politics of 1968’s Prague Spring, a period of political upheaval in Czechoslovakia under their Communist Party. As the film’s light fades, Vít Horejš—who performs as the play's protagonist, Havel’s alter ego Vanek, as well as serving as its translator and director—enters pushing a heavy wooden barrel. Heaving its top up a short ramp it rolls into a standing position as Horejš sighs. Something within the barrel makes a small sound and knocks its lid askew, and when Horej...