THE NOTEBOOK (6/26/14): A River to River Afternoon; “Fly by Night” at Playwrights Horizons

A River to River Afternoon

I spent yesterday afternoon fully immersing myself in the LMCC’s River to River Festival, where I saw three performances over the course of four hours. The festival performances are staged in various locations throughout lower Manhattan and Governors Island and are largely dance-focused. First, I saw Reggie Wilson’s spirited “…Moses(es)” at the atmospheric St. Cornelius Chapel on Governors Island. Next, I took in the Trisha Brown Dance Company’s stunning “I’m going to toss my arms – if you catch them they’re yours” on Pier 15 against the breathtaking backdrop of the East River and Brooklyn beyond. Lastly, I caught Wally Cardona and Jennifer Lacey’s confounding yet unforgettable India-inspired “The Set Up: I Nyoman Catra” in makeshift space in the lobby of a building on Wall Street. It was a truly sensational afternoon of “festivalling” (not usually the case with these things). What struck me most is how powerful the synergies can be when public spaces are activated by performance (when done right).

 

“Fly by Night” at Playwrights Horizons

That evening, I popped into Playwrights Horizons (which boasts the most comfortable theater seats in the city, in my opinion) to see the new musical “Fly by Night” created by Kim Rosenstock. The show’s a curious beast. I can best describe it as a sort of NYC version of “Our Town” that uses the storytelling techniques of “Peter and the Starcatcher” and has the intellectual curiosity of “If/Then”. Although the score is lovely and the cast winning, I couldn’t help feel that the show was trying a tad too hard to please and be witty.

Categories: Dance, Off-Broadway, Theater

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