COUPLE OF QUICK PLUGS

It's hilarious to plug stuff from a moribund blog that (justifiably) no one reads, but here are some shows I'm excited about:

THE MAGIC OF MRS. CROWLING, by Brian Silliman, directed by the strikingly handsome Abe Goldfarb, opens tomorrow night. I was fortunate enough to attend a reading of this play earlier this year, and all of us there knew right away that Brian's play was something special. It stars several of my favorite actors, but unfortunately Mr. Goldfarb won't be sharing his dashing visage with us on stage. I think this is a mistake, as many people will be forced to watch him in the audience rather than the action on stage. And that would be a shame, since it's a really good play. Details on the show are here.

POE TIMES TWO is a one man show starring Greg Bodine, a friendly and unassuming fellow offstage who becomes spellbinding on stage. I'm not exaggerating. I have a terrible attention span. As anyone who saw my last show knows, I have to have robots attack my characters to keep from getting bored. The sheer amount of listening required for a one-person play often defeats me. But I actually listen to Greg Bodine. I've seen his one-man CHRISTMAS CAROL several years in a row now, and I'm telling you from the heart that this guy can make a story you can tell in your sleep by now just captivating and emotionally gripping. I can't wait to see what he does with two Poe stories that aren't as firmly ingrained in the public consciousness. Details here.

Isaac Butler is directing part of that 365 DAYS/365 PLAYS Suzan-Lori Parks project that I don't completely comprehend, but am attending anyway, as I've never lost when betting on Isaac and his perennial star, the lovely and talented Daryl Lathon. Here are the deets, plus a longer meditation on the larger project by Isaac.

--SlowLearner