NY Press raves and author Courtney E. Martin joins us tonight, as Meg’s New Friend continues!
December 7th, 2009 Posted in UncategorizedMORE GREAT REVIEWS FOR MEG’S NEW FRIEND, plus a lively postshow discussion tonight with Courtney E. Martin, Felice Belle and Tammy Oler!
“[F]ew plays manage to be both as viciously insightful into the ways in which people rationalize their casual racism and laugh-out-loud funny as Meg’s New Friend…Director Mark Armstrong has conquered MTS’s awkward playing space and elicited strong performances from his quartet of actors…[Actress Megan] McQuillan has clearly found a friend in [playwright Blair] Singer, because most actresses would kill for the role of Meg. Transformed from a shallow lifestyles reporter into a strong-willed woman who unflinchingly makes life-changing decisions, McQuillan invests Meg with so much heart and likeability…All great shows entertain and enlighten, but Meg’s New Friend does something else: It makes you eagerly anticipate what everyone involved will do next. — New York Press”
“Friend unfolds in ways both unexpected and not, but it is far from skin deep. Though gender and race factor into the play, these issues remain on the periphery. And while Friend would work splendidly as sheer entertainment, [playwright Blair] Singer digs deeper; this is a play about people, not themes, and the playwright makes sharp observations…The crux of Friend is chiefly how people connect and the role language plays as both tool and weapon in their interactions with each other. These characters are hyper-articulate [and] masters at the politics of talking, manipulating words to their advantage…It’s hard to tell whether Singer’s writing, a uniformly marvelous ensemble, or [director Mark] Armstrong’s vision is responsible for this polished staging, so perfectly do all of these elements gel in a production at Manhattan Theatre Source that flirts with perfection.” — offoffonline
UPCOMING EVENTS:
- Monday, December 7 (TONIGHT!): Post-Show Talkback: The Feminist Perspective, featuring a lively discussion with Courtney E. Martin, Felice Belle and Tammy Oler immediately following tonight’s performance.
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Every Monday night, Meg’s New Friend is pay-what-you-can for theater industry workers, but you must reserve in advance! (Email markarmstrong@productioncompany.org.)
- Thursday, December 10: The League of Professional Theatre Women hosts a postshow discussion with Meg’s New Friend designers April Bartlett, Carolyn Wong and Deanna Frieman, along with producer Gabriella Willenz.
NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 20! TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.
