The Exquisite Assistant

David Costabile and John Ellison Conlee in Madeleine George's "The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence" at Playwrights Horizons under the direction of Leigh Silverman, and playing through December 29th.
Photo by Joan Marcus.

Say "Watson" and I think Sherlock Holmes.

Apparently so does Madeleine George, the author behind "The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence," at Playwrights Horizons through December 29th.

George does not limit herself however merely to the one Watson, but also imagines Alexander Graham Bell's assistant, Thomas Watson, and the IBM computer that beat Jeopardy's best. All the "Watsons," (John Ellison Conlee,)  including the fictional one created for the play who is a techie on the "Dweeb Team" aim to please. They are, in many ways perfect companions, whose desire to serve their "master's" and divine their needs.

As helpful as Watson is, so obstructive is Merrick (David Costabile). In his various incarnations as a techno-phobic paranoiac, as an  inventor out to destroy his wife, he is the least likable man on the stage, not to say the planet.

Eliza (Amanda Quaid) is the object of Merrick's affections and distrust. Granted, she is not the only one he distrusts. Merrick's rants against the government are poisonously amusing.

Eliza is building a computer, based on IBM's "Watson," that will understand what she wants. A great asssitant anticipates your desires. Eliza's encounter with the techie Watson whom her husband, Frank Merrick, hires to follow her confuses her emotional landscape. In him she finds the living embodiment of the robot she is designing.

Eliza with the Watson robot she is programming: Amanda Quaid and John Ellison Conlee. Photo by Joan Marcus.

The concept, nicely executed by the actors under Leigh Silverman's able direction, is neat and fascinating, but like human interactions unpredictability. In many ways, the idea behind the play is frittered away by the many paths the plot takes. It's an entertaining and thought-provoking foray, but it ultimately disappoints.

For more information on "The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence," please visit
http://www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/plays/curious-case-watson-intelligence/

Classes, a reading and other listings for September

Adult Acting Classes at Bare Bones Theater in Northport, NY:  Register by September 9th.

 Bare Bones Theater Company has trained adults in acting since 2000.  

There are openings in the four classes offered this fall: two classes in Fundamentals of Acting; one class in Intermediate; and one class in Improv.  Each class meets one evening per week for ten sessions, starting the week of September 23, 2013.  

  

Registration for all four classes will be held the week of September 9.  Registration is by appointment only.  Registration and all classes will be held at Bare Bones Theater, 57 Main Street, Northport, NY.

For details about the schedule and the online registration form, click on the links below. Call 631-606-0026 or e-mail info@barebonestheater.com with any questions.

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 Matthew Freeman's WHY WE LEFT BROOKLYN receives world premiere at Fourth Street Theater

 Theater Accident, in association with Blue Coyote Theater Group, are thrilled to present the world premiere of WHY WE LEFT BROOKLYN, written by Matthew Freeman and directed by Kyle Ancowitz. WHY WE LEFT BROOKLYN begins performances on August 29th for a limited engagement through September 21st. Performances are at the Fourth Street Theater (83 East 4th Street, between Bowery & Second Avenue). Tickets are $25. To purchase tickets, call SmartTix on 212-868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com. For more information, visit www.theateraccident.com.

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"notes to MariAnne'', a free staged reading of a new musical written by David Rossmer and Dan Lipton, directed by Leigh Silverman, presented by Amas Musical Theatre as part of the Amas Musical Theatre Lab Series, on Thursday, September 12th at 1pm and 4:30pm at The Steve and Marie Sgouros Theatre, 115 MacDougal StreetTh.

TICKETS: FREE

FOR RESERVATIONS EMAIL boxoffice@amasmusical.org, or CALL 212-563-2565

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NYU Steinhardt Presents “Sweet Smell of Success,” Sept. 12-14

“Sweet Smell of Success”, presented by NYU Steinhardt’s Program in Vocal Performance, will run from September 12th to 14th, and features music by Tony, Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Pulitzer Prize winner Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by three-time Tony Award nominee Craig Carnelia, and book by Tony Award winner John Guare. Steinhardt’s own John Simpkins directs.

Performances are at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, located at 566 LaGuardia Place.  Tickets are $30 general admission, with student and senior discounts available.  The September 12th performance will begin with the posthumous induction of Marvin Hamlisch into NYU’s Musical Theater Hall of Fame.  For tickets, contact NYU Ticket Central at nyuskirball.org/calendar/sweetsmell, 212.352.3101, or in person at 566 LaGuardia Place (at Washington Square South).

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French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) presents Crossing the Line 2013 13

Seventh Edition of New York’s Highly Acclaimed Interdisciplinary Festival Presents 13 Premieres & 3 Commissions in Locations Throughout New York City 

FIAF's highly acclaimed interdisciplinary fall festival, Crossing the Line, will return September 19th through October 13th with 13 premieres and three comissions in locations throughout New York City. Over 25 days, the festival will include 17 international artists, several presenting their work and ideas in New York for the first time. For more information, go to  www.fiaf.org

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Chiori Miyagawa's I CAME TO LOOK FOR YOU ON TUESDAY
directed by Alice Reagan will premiere at LaMama

The Tuesday Project, which explores reunion during times of natural disaster and the aftermath of war, includes street art installations and community participation events across NYC, in addition to Miyagawa’s play

At the time of the Japan earthquake in March 2011, the New York City-based playwright Chiori Miyagawa, whose family was affected by the disaster, saw a photo of an evacuation center wall, covered with handmade messages seeking contact with missing family members and friends. This image moved her, and she began thinking about the concept of reunion, especially following a natural disaster or war. That summer, setting out to create play on the topic, Miyagawa and the director Alice Reagan began holding salons in which artists and others shared their own reunion stories. The results were extraordinary: participants dug deep into their personal histories to tell stories that were intimate, heartbreaking and inspiring.

Based on these meetings and on additional research, Miyagawa wrote I Came to Look for You on Tuesday, which makes its world premiere, directed by Reagan, September 26th to October 13th at La MaMa’s First Floor Theater (74A East 4th Street). Days and times of performances will be announced soon. As of mid-August, tickets, which are $18, will be available at www.lamama.org and212.475.7710, and in person at La MaMa’s main box office (74A East 4th Street).