Thinking Theater NYC

A Tomato Can’t Grow in the Bronx Written by Gary Morgenstein Directed by Bernice Garfield-Szita Presented by Tomato Players, LLC at the Chain Theatre 312 W 36th St., 4th fl., Manhattan, NYC December 2-17, 2022 Holly O'Brien and Jackie Kusher. Photo by Mateo Del Campo The Bronx of the 1970s is popularly associated with images of poverty and burning buildings, and Gary Morgenstein's play A Tomato Can't Grow in the Bronx , winner of three 2022 Perry Awards from the New Jersey Association of Community Theaters (NJACT), focuses on one extended family of Bronxites on the cusp of this tumultuous decade, following them over several days in June of 1968 that represent a potential turning point for all involved. The characters in Tomato must reckon with their pasts as they attempt to chart their futures, and personal and familial change finds echoes in the social changes taking place around them. This ultimately warm, humorous family drama asks how far love involves letting go–of pl...

Angelo Iodice a.k.a. AJ Silver. Photo by Aaron Winters In Angelo Iodice’s autobiographical A Cowboy From the Bronx, he and his alter-ego AJ Silver share the wild story of a how a Bronx native became an internationally renowned trick riding and roping star. Through multimedia and action-packed western variety acts, Iodice takes us on a personal journey from a 10-year-old discovering horseback riding in Pelham Bay Park to becoming a professional rodeo performer playing prestigious venues around the world.  Iodice’s act has been featured around the globe in European cabarets, circuses, and stage/musical productions, as well as on international TV. He was notably one of the only riders in North America to perform the dangerous stunt of passing under the belly of a galloping horse. While on the rodeo trail, Iodice learned and perfected the art of trick roping, which he now features in his high-energy western variety act that also includes bullwhip artistry, comedy and the boleadoras f...

Birthday in the Bronx Written by Paul Hufker Directed by Michaela Escarcega Presented by and at The Tank 312 W. 36th. St., 1st Floor, Manhattan, NYC February 20-March 18, 2020 Suzelle Palacios. Photo by Mari Uchida Although the title of Birthday in the Bronx is singular, it actually covers two birthdays in the life of Nuyorican protagonist Raquel (Suzelle Palacios), opening at her fourteenth birthday and following her through turning fifteen. Inspired by playwright Paul Hufker's partner, with whom she shares a name, Raquel attempts to navigate the conflicting intersections of who she is, who she wants to be, and whom others perceive her to be. In telling her story, Birthday in the Bronx offers a self-aware, multi-modal consideration of race and identity. Raquel's nickname, Rocky, is tied up in her athletic performance as her school's star field hockey player, a role that she looks to as her only way out of her neighborhood: Rocky wants to be a politician, b...