Category — Critic’s Corner

As one can imagine, I expected the hip-hop musical Clay to be like nothing I had ever seen before.  Not only was it anything but ordinary, it also went above and beyond my expectations.  With a song about sleeping with his stepmother, the main man Clifford certainly has a few surprises up his hoodie sleeves.  This one-man musical was intensely entertaining.  [Read more →]

I had always looked down upon Hip Hop culture, partially because the gibberish language was too much of a distraction. I carried that thought with me when I arrived at the Duke on 42nd street, with a free ticket in my hand. It wasn’t until Clay, Hip Hop musical, started that I began to understand why Professor Bernstein chose this piece. It was different. Watching theatrical plays for the whole semester, I have always wanted to explore other form of art. Clay not only altered my view of Hip Hop culture but also exposed the audiences to Clifford’s World of broken promises and internal struggles. [Read more →]

In very, very short, Dr. Atomic was a letdown.  It was so built up in my mind, with all the talk of its radical libretto and dramatic background story.  I was ready for a mind-blowing first opera, both in the message that it would convey and the majesty of the actual performance.  I was shockingly underwhelmed.  As the brilliant stage lit up in stark light and growling music I stiffened my self in anticipation that there would be chills slipping up and down my spine from first note to last.  Fifteen minutes in and I was slumped, devoid of emotion and almost developing a headache. [Read more →]

The lights dim and the orchestra strikes a chord, pulling the audience into their seats.  As the overture concludes the stage silently creeps over the musicians’ heads, pushing the world of South Pacific into the world of the audience.  As the play progresses a giant airplane is brought on stage, setting it for the SeaBees to belt out their raucous rendition of “There Ain’t Nothing like a Dame”.  Their antics and underdog bromance keep the play glued together throughout the night, with the many plot lines separated by the different styles each actor will take with their role.  [Read more →]

International Center of Photography

His photographs spanned a continent, yet his message was heard worldwide. Inspired by the work of his brother Robert Capa, a prominent photojournalist, Cornell Capa set out on a journey at the young age of 18 to become a “concerned photographer.” Brian Wallis, the curator of the current exhibit of Capa’s work at the International Center of Photography, described a “concerned photographer” as a photographer who “demonstrated in their work a humanitarian impulse to use pictures to educate and change the world, not just to record it.” This exhibit entitled “Cornell Capa: Concerned Photographer” is a presentation of Capa journey to reveal the conditions of the human spirit around the world. [Read more →]

www.aboutfacetheater.com

     The set up is rather simple – one man, a small stage, a small audience. Even the theater, located between the huge luminescent attractions of 42nd street, is so small that it is difficult to find. Yet what happens in The Duke Theater night after night can only be described as grand. Adopting the unusual genre of a hip-hop musical, Clay is able to exhilarate its audiences with its dramatic lighting effects and thunderous music. [Read more →]

The International Center of Photography’s recent exhibit on Susan Meiselas was both riveting and inspirational. The haunting photos were visually engaging but disturbing at the same time. As a viewer, the gruesome, raw, grittiness of her images really evoked the horrors that she was trying to portray. The series set in Nicaragua was especially striking. [Read more →]

On that cold, rainy morning I arrived well before anyone else at the ICP.  This gave me an opportunity to walk around the facility a little by myself before the rest of the class arrived.  The numerous photographs on the first floor were produced by Cornell Capa.  As I walked around to get a feel for the artwork, I took a peek down the long staircase.  The exhibit downstairs consisted of Susan Meiselas’ works.  I knew from the praise given by Professor Roslyn Bernstein, Susan Meiselas was the artist I wished to research and examine.

When the rest of the class and Professor Bernstein arrived, we were advised to choose either Cornell Capa or Susan Meiselas and focus on his or her work.  I already had my answer before Professor Bernstein finished giving us instructions.  As I walked down the steps leading to Meiselas’ exhibit, I noticed the unique way the pictures were displayed.  Some were hung normally on a wall as if in a home or studio, while others were hanging from string in the center of the room.  I thought this was an interesting way to display these works of art.  I also wondered if Meiselas had any input on how the pictures were set up.  Meiselas was best known for her coverage of political conflicts in Central America during the 1970s and 80s.  Because of this short biography on the wall, I was expecting to see many pictures of America during these times.  I was shocked to see that many of her most interesting pictures were of war in Nicaragua.  Some of them were so graphic I was forced to look away.  Meiselas truly knows how to shock her audience. [Read more →]

Already excited I was seeing a performance with a description I actually loved, I couldn’t wait to get to The Duke.  Recently we’ve seen plays, musicals, lectures and even operas, all things that don’t exactly keep my eyes open, but a one man hip-hop performance? Now that sounded like something I would want to see!  Waiting outside of the studio, I saw signs that said “Please be aware: a fog machine will be used in this performance.”  I thought to myself, “Wow! This must be a heck of a performance!”  It turns out I was right.  When my fellow classmates and I were seated, music was playing and I was shocked to realize that I recognized it.  As I sat there moving my head to the beat, I couldn’t wait for the show to start.  This only added to my already high expectations of “Clay,” and when I walked out of that theater after the performance I wasn’t disappointed in the least. [Read more →]

Matt Sax’s one-man hip-hop musical made its way to Time Square’s own Duke theatre, bringing with it all the torments of a suburban childhood. “Clay” recounts a teenager’s struggle to cope with his parent’s tumultuous divorce and his mother’s eventual suicide. The Westchester youth eventually finds solace in – where else? – the mean backstreets of Brooklyn. He delineates his life story in quaintly rhymed verse, and the production is set up in a way that the audience witnesses Clay’s great debut just as the curtains are about to close. Although Matt Sax is undeniably talented, “Clay” falls short of living up to its new Broadway home. [Read more →]