Thinking Theater NYC

Mercutio Loves Romeo Loves Juliet Loves Written by Gina Femia Directed by Scott Ebersold Presented by Boomerang Theatre Company  at A.R.T./New York Theatres 502 West 53rd Street, 3rd Floor, Manhattan, NYC November 8-24, 2024 Leah Nicole Raymond and Stacey Raymond. Photo by Isaiah Tanenbaum Gina Femia’s Mercutio Loves Romeo Loves Juliet Loves takes Shakespeare’s most famous star-crossed adolescent lovers both as subject matter and inspiration for its own plot. Rehearsing Romeo and Juliet in their all-girls Catholic high school unexpectedly provides Ellie/Mercutio (Leah Nicole Raymond) and Britt/Romeo (Stacey Raymond), best friends and theater geeks, as well as Amber/Juliet (Rocky Vega), injured cheerleader and first-time thespian, with the venue in which to work out their feelings for each other and the implications of those feelings for their sexuality. Set against the backdrop of a phenomenal late-90s/early-2000s soundtrack, the production hearkens to a time that was simultaneou...

The Karpovsky Variations Written by Adam Kraar Directed by Tasha Gordon-Solmon Presented by Boomerang Theatre Company at A.R.T./New York Theatres 502 W 53 St., Manhattan, NYC May 13-29, 2022 L to R: J. Anthony Crane, Chris Thorn, Barbara Broughton, Rivka Borek, and Ezra Barnes. Photo by Isaiah Tanenbaum Theatrical Photography In basic musical terms, variations, of which there are a number of types and approaches, repeat material in a changed form. With playwright Adam Kraar's The Karpovsky Variations , currently making its world premiere courtesy of Boomerang Theatre Company , the titular variations metaphorically encapsulate the individual and cross-generational experiences of the imperfect but loving family at its center. Music also plays a significant literal role in the story of the Karpovsky clan, a wonderfully acted exploration of the search for one's own song, both solo and within the sometimes tumultuous chorus of family. Julia Karpovsky (Rivka Borek) serves as the nar...