Mothers, daughters, and universal issues
“My mother is a fantastically energetic person trapped in an utterly exhausted body,” says Lisa (Allison Mickelson) near the beginning of Lisa Kron‘s play Well (which in [...]
May 2019 Newsletter
The State of the State Friday night I watched the Blazers play the Nuggets in the NBA playoffs. It was a home game, and I was hooked up to a friend’s ESPN, all by myself save for a dog and [...]
The Blind Side
It’s Thanksgiving Day 2000, and everyone in a certain East Village apartment are up to the task except the hostess, Ellen (Beth Thompson). She is obsessing about the results from the recent [...]
The bloody, bloody Secretaries!
We are the secretaries and we do things secretarial And once a month we kill a guy and cut him up for burial It’s a slasher play. It’s a comedy. No, it’s a black and [...]
Amusement parks and Auschwitz
In 2.5 Minute Ride, now onstage at Profile Theatre, playwright Lisa Kron takes a slice of her own life and builds it into something universal. Each summer, the Kron family faithfully visited [...]
My favorite plays of 2017–Portland area
Thinking back today about what a wonderful time I had reviewing plays in 2017, it occurred to me that a round-up of my favorites might be a good thing to do. So, without further fussing around, [...]
September Newsletter
The State of the State Unapologetically late…as usual…I am fondly remembering a fabulous trip to Washington D.C. four years ago with three of my nearest and dearest. We spent the most [...]
The House on Maple Avenue–Fun Home at Portland Center Stage
The house on Maple Avenue is a brilliantly restored Victorian, beautiful, perfect inside and out. It’s on the local historic tours. Alison Bechdel’s (Allison Mickelson) father Bruce [...]