Theater is about engagement, tears and laughter, and make believe

Fairytales make for good theater, because through them we envision a world different from the daily grind.
There is magic and mystery.

by Sheila Burnett: "Beauty and the Beast" at Abrons Arts Center

"Beauty and the Beast" is a compelling story in which the beast is misunderstood and opposites attract.
In the new production at the Abrons Arts Center, starting March 13th,  the Beast is played by Mat Fraser, a well-known disabled actor and performance artist in his native England; Julie Atlas Muz, choreographer, former Miss Coney Island and burlesque artist, is his Beauty. This moving "Beauty and the Beast" is definitely for mature audiences only.

Jim Himelsbach (live) Paul Zimet (projected)
In Mallory Catlett's "This Was The End."
Photo by Keith Skretch

Phelm McDermott, founding member of Improbable theater company, directs the live-action, improvisational and puppet pageant. Hear what the director and actors say about the development of "Beauty and the Beast"in this video.

To learn more about "Beauty and the Beast," please visit www.abronsartscenter.org

Memory not fairytales drives Mallory Catlett's "This Was The End," at the Chocolate Factory from February 21s to March 8th. In Chekhov's play the eponymous Uncle Vanya asks, "What if I live to be 60?" In Catlett's play, a veteran cast of four, Black-Eyed Susan, Paul Zimet, Jim Himelsbach and Rae C. Wright explore the answer by looking at the manifestations of aging, from memory loss and sleep deprivation to the tolls it takes on the physical being.

Black Eyed Susan in Mallory Catlett's "This Was The End" at the Chocolate Factory through March 8th. Photo by Keith Skretch

To find out more about "This Was The End," and get a small sampling of the show see this and visit http://www.chocolatefactorytheater.org/. 

Emily Schwend's "Take Me Back," at Walkerspace in a Kindling Theatre Company production from February 28th through March 22nd, looks at the American dream through the eyes of a parolee back from a four-year Federal stint. To Bill, living with his diabetic mother, the dream is more like a nightmare. Or perhaps a different kind of fairy tale.

To find out more about "Take Me Back," please visit  them at their FB page and go here for tix.

Former Czech President, Vaclav Havel's last work "The Pig, or Vaclav Havel's Hunt for the Pig," witten by Havel and Vladimír Morávek, adapted into English by Edward Einhorn, presented at 3-Legged Dog in a Untitled Theater Company #61 production from March 6th through March 29th, combines food, drink, revelry, song and politics. 

Before the show, Cabaret Metropol, a New York-based ensemble specializing in classic European cabaret music, performs. The production's “after-party” features a tribute concert of music that inspired the Velvet Revolution, from the Velvet Underground and others, performed by the members of the dynamic cast. Dinner is provided by the Slovakian restaurant Korzo.

For more information about this production and 3-Legged Dog, visit http://www.3ldnyc.org/