Thinking Theater NYC

L to R: Old Hamlet's Ghost (Pelayo Álvarez), Gertrudis (Silvana Gonzalez), Hamlet (Federico Mallett), and Apolonia (Cástor G. Sánchez-Pepper). Photo by Miguel Garzon Martinez Hamlet couldn't possibly get more dramatic… or could it? Hamlet couldn't possibly be funny...or could it? Are Shakespeare and Telenovelas a match made in heaven? For those who want to see a different side of Shakespeare's gloomy Danish prince,  FRIGID New York in collaboration with Something from Abroad and Quemoción will present extended performances of Hamlet: La Telenovela , a parody in Spanish (with English subtitles) of the critically acclaimed Shakespeare masterpiece. With  Hamlet: La Telenovela  audiences experience  Hamlet  like never before, with an adaptation that heightens the melodrama innate in the story and explores it under a farcical and comedic lens, embracing the extremely cathartic guilty pleasure that only telenovelas (soap operas) can give. (You can read our review o...

Hamlet: La Telenovela Translation/literary adaptation by José María Ruano de la Haza Directed by Federico Mallet Presented by FRIGID New York , Something from Abroad , and Quemoción at the Kraine Theater 85 E 4th St., Manhattan, NYC and via livestreaming July 21-30, 2023 Martha Preve, Silvana Gonzalez, Andy Price, Federico Mallet, Shlomit Oren, Castor Pepper, Gabriel Rosario, and Pelayo Alvarez. Courtesy of Emily Owens PR This July is shaping up well for fans of Hamlet (or the merely Dane-curious), with Hamlet Speak , a shortened cut of the play that includes contemporary monologues for Hamlet and Ophelia, playing this week at the Chain Theatre ; director Kenny Leon's music-infused version, which positions itself in conversation with his 2019 production of Much Ado About Nothing, continuing its run in Central Park; and, our subject here, Hamlet: La Telenovela , which brings to the Kraine Theater a fast-moving, tremendously funny adaptation that ranks among our favorite experiences...

A Probably Disastrous Experiment Created and performed by Rachel Weekley Directed by Nazlah Black Welcome to My UNAverse Created and performed by Una Aya Osato Presented by FRIGID New York at The Kraine Theater 85 E 4th St., Manhattan, NYC June 26 and 30, 2023 (*masks required) This year's annual Queerly Festival, a "celebration of all things artistic and LGBTQIA2S+" presented by FRIGID New York at the Kraine Theater and UNDER St. Marks from June 15th through July 3rd, includes in its mix of plays, storytelling, comedy, drag, and more (visit FRIGID New York for the full schedule) a double feature of short works that both, in different ways, explore the juxtaposition of humor and tragedy. And although A Probably Disastrous Experiment stars a giant dinosaur while Welcome to My UNAverse focuses on a human New Yorker who comes in at well under 100 feet tall, both shows also offer perspectives on bodies that violate hegemonic boundaries. ( The second performance of the dou...

Sierra Nelson, Anthony White, and Emily Upton Photo credit Carlos Bido Maestro’s Magical Music Box Live! , an educational children's show for kids 3-10 years performed in English and ASL and based on the popular YouTube series, has launched a Give a Kid a Seat Program for kids battling cancer to receive free tickets to the show. Currently running at The Kraine Theater (85 E 4th St, New York, NY 10003) with FRIGID New York, the production has so far raised over $900, which is enough to send 60 kids and their families battling cancer to Maestro's Magical Music Box Live! : 40 kids from A Free Bird, a 100% volunteer-based, arts education 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to inspiring, encouraging and nourishing the artistic passions and abilities of children who are battling cancer, and 20 from the Ronald McDonald House. For every $15 donated, you can sponsor a kid who is battling cancer and send them to Maestro’s Magical Music Box Live! For more information on the program and to donate...

Image source: https://www.frigid.nyc/festivals/queerly/ FRIGID New York will present the 8th Annual Queerly Festival at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery) from June 15-July 3. Most performances will also be available to livestream from home. Tickets ($25 in-person; $20 streaming) are available for advance purchase at www.frigid.nyc . Now in its eighth year, and curated this year by Jimmy Lovett, Queerly is FRIGID New York’s annual celebration of all things LGBTQIA+. Queerly strives for diversity on and off stage, seeking out queer artists of all kinds as well as a wide range of shows and performances. Its goal is to provide a space for queer artists who’ve rarely or never seen their identities portrayed on stage to be able to represent themselves and tell their stories, their way.  The shows:  Funny Never Gets Old Wednesday, June 15 at 7pm Join Carole Montgomery, the creator of the Showtime series Funny Women Of A Certain Age , as she br...

Go Puck Yourself: A Shakesqueer Comedy Adapted by Chris Weigandt and Genny Yosco Directed by Genny Yosco Presented by FRIGID New York and Sour Grapes Productions at The Kraine Theater 85 E 4th St., Manhattan, NYC July 18-August 4, 2019 Genny Yosco, Dorie Casper, Andy McCain. Photo credit: Matthew Sears. When people think of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream , most likely to come first to mind are faeries or a man with the head of a donkey. What looms less large in the popular imagination is the threat in the play's opening scene by Theseus, Duke of Athens, to execute Hermia or banish her to a convent if she does not obey patriarchal dictates regarding whom she should marry: "To you your father," Theseus tells her, "should be as a god" ( The Norton Shakespeare , 1.1.47). In a new adaptation by Sour Grapes Productions, this attempted regulation of sexuality serves as a resonant analogy for queer oppression, despite Hermia...

Sour Grapes Productions has announced a new queer comic Shakespeare adaptation, to be presented by FRIGID New York beginning Friday, May 17, 2019. 2 Shrews, 1 Chalice: A Shakesqueer Comedy reimagines and recontextualizes Shakespeare's oft-considered-problematic Taming of the Shrew , describing itself as depicting "the courtship of Patricia and Katherina--both headstrong, loud-mouthed, and unfazed by the "charms" of men. Initially, Katherina is an unwilling participant in any relationship; however, Patricia "tames" her with various BDSM torments, until she becomes a desirable, compliant, and obedient wife." The show stars Genny Yosco as Katherine and Carroll Herring as Patricia, with Claire Unabia, Katherine Yacko, Katrin Mattson, Anthony OConnell, Daniel George, Alexander Gheesling, Hadas Pacholder, Dorie Casper, Ellen Ko, and Elizabeth Claflin rounding out the rest of the cast. While we (the editors of this site) unfortunately can't mak...