It is definitely summer in New York City now.  I don't know how things are going in your neck of the woods, but the temperature is rising here in the Big Apple, the smell of sun screen is in the air and  tank tops and flip flops are filling the streets.  And if I were the kvetching kind, which I am not, I might add that it is beastly hot here.  Really really hot.  Ugh.  But, there is no  better way to beat the heat than to pop inside a theater and enjoy some live entertainment.  Right?  Oh, wait - there is one other way to beat the heat; stay inside your apartment in the air conditioning and surf the World Wide Web and read theater blogs!  Yeah!  Then let's give you some news/info/gossip...

SPF Debuts

Tomorrow night begins the exciting theater festival SPF (The Summer Play Festival).  We here at Yahoo! Broadway are covering the festival for you with news, info and interesting videos.  I will be seeing both shows that premier this week and will give you some mini-reviews on each.  I just love SPF.  It is such a create way to see new and daring theater by all the up and coming artists in New York.  This year the festival will be held at The Public Theater (home to such hits as A Chorus Line and Caroline or Change).  Check back here for more on SPF! 

Are They Really Superior Donuts?

Charles Isherwood in the NY Times reviews the new play Superior Donuts at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater.  Why?  Because it was written by Tracy Letts - you know - the guy who just took over Broadway with his hit play August: Osage County.  Everyone and their brother traveled to Chicago to take a look at Letts' follow up play. The verdict?  Isherwood calls it a lesser work, not equal to A:OC.  He finds the work has many charms, but in the end does not find much to embrace.  He respects the fact that Letts is unpredictable and never writes the same play twice:

"Artists rarely develop in a strictly linear fashion, with promising juvenilia followed by increasing skill, climaxing in sustained achievement and the final masterwork or two. Life and art are too complicated for that. "Superior Donuts" is not a significant play, but Mr. Letts's willingness to explore new forms, to confound expectations, has its heartening aspects. One thing's certain: I would never venture to predict where he's heading next."

Click HERE to read the entire review in the NY Times.

SBF and Slavey

I saw two new plays this past week and they have both closed, but I wanted to be able to give a quick shout out to both of them.  First up, I saw a show called Single Black Female.  This two woman show, written by Lisa B. Thompson, explores the trials and tribulations of middle class  black women and their love lives.  The play is laugh out loud funny (the night I saw it - the audience was screaming in delight) and also very poignant at moments.  The real find of this production are the actresses.  The show is driven by leading ladies Soara-Joye Ross and Riddick Marie.  They are powerhouses; these two actresses are sassy, sultry, lovely, comedic genius divas!  Ross is brazen and Marie is buttoned up; together they make a dynamic duo capable of bringing audiences to their knees and making them beg for MORE.  The show closed on Sunday, but my guess is that this witty new play (directed by Passing Strange's Colman Domingo) will have a life beyond this production.

The other show I saw this weekend was Slavey at the Clubbed Thumb Summerworks 2008 at The Ohio Theater.  This show also closed on Sunday, but I wanted to make sure that everyone reading this knows to look out for this brilliant Summer Program next year.  I saw two of the three shows that Clubbed Thumb presented as part of their annual Summerworks Theater Program and I loved them both.  This week's show, Slavey, was written by Sigrid Gilmer directed by Robert O'Hara was about a couple who take on a new slave ( a lanky white guy played by Tim Frank).  This provocative play was packed with excellent performances, including Frank in the lead role of the rebel slave.  The production was expertly directed by Robert O'Hara - I look forward to seeing more work from him.  Click HERE to learn more about Clubbed Thumb.

Endings/Demises

I know that shows have to close, but yesterday was a sad day on the rialto as many wonderful shows rang down their final curtains.  Top Girls at MTC played its final performance yesterday as well as Curtains with David Hyde Pierce.  Sunday in the Park with George also ended its run this weekend.  Eye witness reports from SITPWG stated that the cast could barely finish the final song in the musical as they sang through their tears and the audience leapt from their seats for a  mid-song standing ovation.  Wow!  I have been to a few closing night performances on Broadway and they are always electric.  I am sure the conclusion of these B'way hits were equally memorable.

I will be back on Wednesday with more news and gossip and my first report from the Summer Play Festival (SPF) at the Public Theater.  Until then I will...

~ See You On The Aisle