By Desmond Sam
11th Grade, LaGuardia High School
Imagine a beautiful Victorian house in the middle of Martha’s Vineyard. A chandelier dangles from the ceiling in the foyer and expensive paintings hang on the walls. Who do you assume would live here? Would you assume them to have the “perfect” life?
In Stick Fly, two adult sons are bringing their girlfriends home to meet the family. Throughout the play, the characters are constantly trying to gain power over the situations. By the end, all of the characters are changed by secrets, betrayals and lies. At the same time, they are confronted with different challenges that leave them to face their true identities.
Stick Fly leaves you with many issues to think about such as racism and family obligation. The script is simply exquisite and the actors make the words authentic. The set is amazing and creates an imitation of perfection while the family is being torn apart. The music in between the scenes (by producer Alicia Keys!) adds to the mood.
Stick Fly shows that in order to see who a person is, you first need to look past the front they put on.
TICKETS: THRU 2/26 • $35 general rush • Cort Theatre, 138 W. 48th St. website
Category: review
Stick Fly
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Bonnie & Clyde
By Gemma Lolos
12th Grade, LaGuardia High School
The new musical, Bonnie & Clyde, opens with a bang — or I should say, several bangs.
Set in Texas during the Great Depression, young diner waitress Bonnie Parker and escaped convict Clyde Barrow desire nothing more than to leave behind their dull, depressing lives in search of more promising circumstances. While Bonnie yearns for a successful career in Hollywood, and Clyde is unsatisfied with his life as a criminal. The two hopeless dreamers meet when Bonnie has some car troubles and Clyde comes to her rescue. The moment they meet, an irreversible connection is made. ( Read more )
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The Mountaintop
By Kassandra Ramirez
11th Grade, High School of Leadership and Public Service
I’ve got to be honest — I thought that The Mountaintop was going to be a boring reenactment of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Wow, was I wrong.
Growing up, I was taught to view Dr. King as a person responsible for many wonderful changes in our country, but this play showed a side of him that textbooks don’t teach. Yes, he did help us to be more tolerant with each other, but he had his flaws as well. This play showed that just because someone does something extraordinary with their life doesn’t mean that they have to be perfect. ( Read more )
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Seminar
By Max Friedlich
11th Grade, Friends Seminary
In the new Broadway play Seminar, we are invited into the world of writers. Sounds nice, right? Actually, it’s an hour and a half of gruesome warfare between five different egos.
Four aspiring writers vie for the attention of their private writing teacher Leonard, who “teaches” by ripping each writer to shreds. Leonard is played by the extraordinary Alan Rickman, (Snape from Harry Potter), who presents a cruel demeanor with a more fragile side that has been hardened by rejection and failure.
Seminar reveals the emotional corruption that the pursuit of an artistic dream can cause. The characters are very well defined and have clear intentions. Some of the dialogue has a farcical quality, dueling with words, which is consistent with the play’s excellent sense of realism. ( Read more )
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Lysistrata Jones
By Oumar Berte
12th Grade, International Community High School
When I was assigned to review Lysistrata Jones, I was not really excited about it. To be honest, the name made it sound weird and boring. However, one of the songs from this new Broadway musical is about not judging a book by its cover and after seeing the show, I would add not to judge a play by its name.
Lysistrata Jones follows Lysistrata, a college basketball cheerleader, in her struggle to fit in at her new school, Athens University. She comes up with a very interesting way to help the basket- ball team win at least one game — you’ll understand when you see the play.
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Chinglish
By Dalia Wolfson
12th Grade, Hunter College High School
Chinglish follows American businessman Daniel Cavanaugh as he sets out to make a sales pitch to the local cultural ministry in a small Chinese province. Cavanaugh meets resistance from the cultural minister, but his shrewd vice-secretary Xi Yan offers her assistance. Cavanaugh and Yan become both business and romantic partners, plotting their way through the Chinese bureaucracy, where relationships matter far more than legal dealings. ( Read more )
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Traces
By Larissa Heron
10th Grade, High School of the Future
Traces is the ultimate circus thrill. This dynamic performance will have you gripping your seat in anticipation.
Although there is no specific plot, the performers and projections guide you through the story. In Traces, it is not the story we’re after, but the epic sequence of events. Occasional songs, hilarious interactions between characters and deranged facial expressions will leave you laughing hard. ( Read more )
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Godspell
By Olivia Munk
12th Grade, Bronx High School of Science
Godspell is a musical about Jesus and his disciples. Using biblical references and parables, we are given insight into Jesus’ final days on earth — with a twist of rock ‘n’ roll.
Jesus, played by Hunter Parrish, comes onstage to be baptized in a pool of water hidden beneath the stage. His disciples enter in costumes very different from what da Vinci painted in The Last Supper — they reminded me of children given free rein to 
play dress-up in a party supply store (I was jealous of the fairy costume). There is no singular set, as newspapers, wooden boards, and the actors’ bodies themselves are used to musically portray biblical events. Cleverly worded raps and modern references, such as Lindsay Lohan and Donald Trump, add a wonderfully amusing element to the otherwise somber topic of the show. ( Read more )
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Rent
By Liz Oakley
12th Grade, Brearley High School
When the first guitar riff of RENT exploded through the theatre, I got chills. I instantly remembered how much I loved this show.
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