Last Week's Entertainment
Last week was pretty complicated for me. I was scheduled to see three shows and have my own progress reading. Additionally, I’ve been a bunch of health issues so that was really where my eye was for a lot of the week. However, that said, I have some amazing experiences to report on!
You will start to notice a trend that I did not intend with my scheduling.
What Happened Was… By Tom Noonan
I might not have noticed this particular play except that my college friend, Corey Stoll, was one of the two actors in it. In true New York fashion, my friend and I knew other people in the audience.
“What Happened Was…” is a bizarre first date of work colleagues who have clearly done better with their work flirting than by themselves out of the office. They discover a lot more about each other during this experience than they originally bargained for. Very enjoyable and satisfying play. This is a strong two hander. Playing at Minetta Lane Audible Theatre through June 14th.
Rhiannon Giddens: The Hidden Soundtrack of America
On Friday night, I went to see Rhiannon Giddens, a wonderful singer, who has defined her own genre (bluesgrass/folk/soul/North Carolinian)…if you haven’t heard her, you should absolutely look her up. She’s also on Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” album. In her own right, she has won the Pulitzer Prize for her opera “Omar” which she wrote with Michael Abels.
Continuing with the week’s theme, Rhiannon was also a friend of mine from college. I went with another college friend to see her concert for his birthday. She played for two and a half hours and covered 250 years of hidden music in America. She had about ten or eleven additional talented musicians with her on stage, including her sister and her nephew. It was truly healing and amazing to watch her.
The Balusters by David Lindsay Abaire
This is a playwright who has frequently knocked me on my butt by how good he is. I knew nothing about this play before I walked in except that my parents had recognized one of the actors as someone whom I had gone to high school with, Michael Esper.
A community board tries to rule a quiet neighborhood and clashes about safety, old vs. new, race, class, privilege…no one is safe in this play. Brilliant play. It received Tony nominations early last week, deservedly so. It is absolutely hilarious and irreverent. Currently playing at Manhattan Theatre Club through June 7.
My Writing and Other Work
I’m deep in revisions right now and hoping to do a bunch of script submissions soon. I’m also working as a reader again for two opportunities.
If you haven’t yet bought my script “Because of Beth”, now is a great time to do so! It’s my understanding that it is available at the Drama Book Shop (I’m going to stop by and sign them!) and through the publisher. Great monologues for young women for the end of school projects, theater competitions or auditions.
Congratulations to…
Congratulations to Bess Wohl for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Drama for her play “Liberation”! I saw this script up a year and a half ago before it hit Broadway and I thought it was amazing then! She also received Tony nominations for the same play the next day.
See all the Tony nominees here and decide who you are going to go see before they are announced on June 7!
Congratulations to Maya Rudolph for her Broadway debut in “Oh, Mary!”! I hear she’s killing it and she’s already extended for two more weeks until July 5th!