Memphis - Backstage

Next to Normal

By Mariana Quinn-Makwaia

Are you…understanding?

Next to Normal is a musical about a not-quite-normal family trying to hold itself together. Diana, a stay-at-home mom struggling with bipolar disorder, attempts to juggle the chemicals in her brain with her reality at home. Her husband, Dan, works hard to pretend that everything is fine. Their seventeen-year-old son, Gabe, is very close to Diana, while their sixteen-year-old straight-A-student daughter, Natalie, feels ignored. At times, it is difficult to determine the differ­ence between reality and what is happening inside of Diana’s head.

While Next to Normal has hilari­ous moments, it does not shy away from bringing up truths. Diana’s struggle with mental illness and Dan’s attempts to save their marriage were so emotional that I choked up a few times.

Natalie’s rollercoaster into drugs and depression was simplified a bit too much, almost to the point of being cliché. Perhaps if she had been the main character, she would have seemed less like a health teacher’s imper­sonation of a teen.

Next to Normal is deep, genuine and comedic. If you are a fan of rock musicals (hint, hint, Spring Awakening), don’t miss this show!

HOW TO SEE THE SHOW: $25.00 general rush • Booth Theatre, 222 W. 45th St. • Visit www.nexttonormal.com for more information.

Freshwater

by Mariana Quinn-Makwaia

As I stepped into the Julia Miles Theater, I was greeted by the sound of cicadas. A colorful quilt was hung across the stage as a makeshift curtain and the lighting was designed in such a way that I could almost feel a warm summer breeze - a nice change from the harshness of the weather outside.

Freshwater by Virginia Woolf is about a model, Ellen, and the eccentric artists that she lives with—a photographer, a philosopher, a poet and a painter (her husband). Ellen feels suffocated and yearns for a simpler life, and when she receive a love note from a young sailor, she decides to take her chances.

The comedy was endless. Characters broke from their Victorian accents to drop a side note to the audience in an American drawl, causing a wave of laughter as the actor jumped back into a dramatic rant.

Most of Freshwater was movement and monologues; the dialogue was mostly between the two romantic leads when they met halfway into the play. The physical comedy was fantastic. It was as if the director, Anne Bogart, told each actor to try to upstage anyone speaking. For example, while one actor spoke, another was at the top of a ladder with a wizard's hat on.

Freshwater is a short and delightful play. Every problem is solved with silliness and a constant pulse of wit and intelligence.

$20 Rush Tickets – visit www.womensproject.org for more information.

Aliens With Extaordinary Skills

By Mariana Quinn-Makwaia

Have you ever...taken a chance to follow a dream?

Where are you from? And where are you going?

Aliens With Extraordinary Skills is the heart-warming tale of a clown from Moldova,“the unhappiest country in the world,” who illegally immigrates to New York City in order to find work. Nadia searches Manhattan for clowning gigs and green cards.

The actors used a combination of clowning and perfect comedic timing to tell a captivating story. Who knew what could be done with just a suitcase of balloon animals?

Nadia’s roommate, Lupita (an aspiring actress who works as a stripper), delivers a monologue about working in the enter-tainment business that I can see myself ranting in ten years. Each bad job or situation is “just another role youplay,” Lupita convinces herself and the audience.

Aliens With Extraordinary Skills is a delightfulmix of physical comedy and the rough reality of green cards and immigration. I spoke with play-wright Saviana Stanescu about what Nadia sacri-ficed in order to be a clown. Saviana told me that passion is what’s important: “Believe in yourself as an artist,” she said. “Say what you have to say.”

Aliens With Extraordinary Skills by Saviana Stanescu at the Women’s Project.

$20 rush tickets 1 hour before the performance - Julia Miles Theater, 424 W. 55th St. Visit www.womensproject.org for schedule and more information.

Saviana Stanescu, the playwright of Aliens with Extraordinary Skills talked with ploggers after a recent performance of her show.

PXP: What inspired you to write Aliens with Extraordinary Skills?

SS: I read an article anout a Romanian and a Ukrainian who got arrested in 2006 because they created a bogus circus. They smuggled hundreds of people from Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Russia into the US under fake circus visas. I found that funny and sad at the same time. Most of these people worked illegally in carpentry and housecleaning, but a few worked as clowns for birthdays and parties on the side. They all got deportation letters.

All of these "clowns" had dreams of a better life when came to the US. They love America and come here with lots of enthusiasm and trust in this country's democracy and socio-political economic system. The fact that America is a country of immigrants is constantly forgotten or ignored.

PXP: How would you describe the style of your play?

SS: Parts of the play are in a surreal, dream-like style. The rapid-fire dialogue represents Nadia's inner conflicts and fears. I always like to dramatize the inner life of a character. I think we miss a lot by not seeing that on stage but only as a subtext or in what the character says to other characters.

The play can be seen as a big circus show, a tragecomedy with "aliens" in leading roles. It's a realistic play at the same time, dealing with the important issues of immigration and love. I hope I don't sound pretentious saying that.

PXP: What do you imagine audiences will take away after seeing Aliens with Extraordinary Skills?

SS: I hope they will have fun, I hope they will find the joy of theatre, and I hope they will learn something about what life is for an immigrant. With its hardships, its despair, its fears, but also its hope and joy.

PXP: What advice do you have for young artists?

SS: Find your truth. Believe in yourself as an artist. Say what you have to say.

For more on Saviana Stanescu visit www.saviana.com