“Tokio Confidential’s” unlikely combination of styles

You see all kinds of theatre in New York, but you don’t see that much Noh, the classical Japanese form that uses ritualized music, movement, and costumes to depict warriors, ghosts, and other epic folk. Playwrights like Brecht and O’Neill have been intoxicated by Noh and incorporated elements of it into their own work, and beginning on Sunday, audiences will have a chance to see how Noh blends with a traditional musical.

Presented at Atlantic Stage 2, Tokio Confidential might seem familiar and strange all at once. On one hand, it tells the relatable story of Isabella Archer (Jill Paice), a Civil War widow who tries to overcome her grief by traveling to Japan. Thanks to a surprising relationship with a tattoo artist and a personal decision to turn her body into art, she undergoes a physical and spiritual transformation that releases her from the past. Give or take a tattooing scene, this story should resonate with fans of everything from Gypsy to Hairspray to Grease.

But then again, there are no warrior ghosts haunting the kids at Rydell High, and the songs in Hairspray don’t suggest the lush, contemplative style of Japanese music.  That’s what makes Tokio Confidential so striking.

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Reimagining Adam Guettel’s beloved song cycle

Myths and Hymns is practically begging to be interpreted and reinterpreted on stage.

Written by composer-lyricist Adam Guettel (The Light in the Piazza, Floyd Collins), it’s a song cycle that uses mythology, religious allusions, and the lyrics to classic hymns to explore massive themes like ambition, love, and death. Yet for all their all grandeur, the songs are easily accessible, influenced not only by European art songs and show tunes, but also by gospel, R&B, and Latin music.

As of today, however, there have only been sixteen official performances of Myths and Hymns in New York City, and those were in 1998, when the show was called Saturn Returns and got a brief concert staging at the Public Theater. Since then, a celebrated recording featuring Kristen Chenoweth, Audra McDonald, and Billy Porter has carried on the music’s legacy, but that’s just not the same as a living, breathing production.

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Once again, Phillip Boykin stars in “Porgy and Bess”

At the curtain call of a recent preview of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, actor Phillip Boykin gave a dainty curtsy. The crowd was delighted, since they’d just seen him play the burly, brutal Crown. “I want to let the audience know that I’m not really that bad,” says the actor, who describes himself as someone who loves to laugh, give, and cook.

So how does this nice guy play a villain eight times a week? For one, he doesn’t consider Crown a villain: “[He's] a regular person just like everybody else.”

Crown, Bess’ lover, sets this classic story in motion when he murders a man and goes into hiding. Bess must find a new home in Catfish Row, a rundown tenement in South Carolina, so she turns to Porgy, a disabled beggar. They fall in love, and there are violent consequences when Crown returns.

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The prominent theatre festival returns for another year

For a city that boasts hundreds of theatrical productions each year, it stands to reason that New York should also host multiple theatre festivals. From Fringe NYC to Midtown International Theatre Festival to Brits Off Broadway at 59E59, there are always opportunities to check out edgy, underground, or international shows that might never play here otherwise.

But even in this crowded field, the carefully curated Under the Radar festival—co-produced by The Public Theater, Mark Russell, and the Association of Performing Arts Presenters—stands out.

“We focus on independent theatre from around the world and the U.S.,” says Russell, who has been with the festival for all of its eight years. “This is theatre that is made to tour and to move around. It’s contemporary artists who are trying to make a statement about what theatre is now and connect with an audience.”

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Two services push the theatre into online publishing

And then suddenly, the theatre entered the world of online publishing.

Until this year, scripts were largely absent from the booming field of ebooks, stranding readers who wanted to add their favorite dramas to their Kindle or Nook. In recent months, however, two services have emerged to fill the void.

In November, prominent play publisher Samuel French launched its eBook program. Customers can visit Apple’s iBookstore to download plays and musical by writers like Charles Busch and Israel Horovitz, with new titles being added regularly. Most scripts retail for $8.99, and soon, Samuel French will make them available at all digital retailers

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