Soon-Tek Oh, 85

Soon-Tek Oh, Actor Who Chafed at Asian Stereotypes, Dies at 85
by Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times, April 25, 2018

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Fay Chiang, 65

Fay Chiang, 65, Poet Who Championed Asian-American Culture, Dies
by Richard Sandomir, The New York Times, October 27, 2017

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D'Lo bears witness--and gets laughs--at Dixon Place

Dixon Place presents comic performer D'Lo
in To T, or Not to T,
a highlight of the 2017 Hot! Festival,
DP's annual celebration of queer arts and culture.
(photos: Ryan Harper Gray)

Bearing witness is the only way I know to be alive. -- D'Lo

From the outset, D'Lo literally trampolines and pogo-sticks into our hearts and, if you haven't seen him perform before--and I hadn't--you figure that's cute. But where will he go after this wacky first impression?

To T, or Not to T--a Dixon Place commission for this summer's Hot! Festival--hooks in and never lets you go. Just over an hour in length, this one-trans show is, by turns, hilarious, tender and sharp. D'Lo's so talented and smooth, he makes it all look effortless, but you know a hellawork went into getting all this material to line up and flow this well.

To T, or Not to T traces D'Lo's experience being raised as a girl in a Tamil-Sri Lankan family in Lancaster, California ("aka Sri Lancaster, California") and gradually coming to terms with his true gender identity. He has now been on testosterone for two years. Right there, that's a whole lot of content. Heavy-going, you say? Oh, no. Not one bit.

What gives D'Lo and his narrative so much lift and embraceable charm is how strongly it is rooted in his observation of and complete delight in his family--a family that wrestled with challenges but ended up cheering him on in the most heartwarming way. Which makes me think: Despite the idiot in the White House and his delusional supporters, we're actually living a moment in America where D'Lo's relatives and friends could easily find themselves the subject of a quality tv sitcom. And I would watch it. Every last episode.

To T, or Not to T continues tonight and July 21-22, all performances at 7:30pm. For information and tickets, click here.

For a full Hot! Festival schedule (through August 4), click here.

Dixon Place
161A Chrystie Street, Manhattan
(map/directions)

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Willa Kim, 99

Willa Kim, Designer of Fanciful Costumes, Dies at 99
by Anita Gates, The New York Times, December 28, 2016

Tyrus Wong, 106

Tyrus Wong, ‘Bambi’ Artist Thwarted by Racial Bias, Dies at 106
by Margalit Fox, The New York Times, December 30, 2016

Dream project for George Takei will come to Broadway

George Takei to Star in Broadway Musical About Interned Japanese-Americans
by Patrick Healy, The New York Times, February 5, 2015

Getting uncomfortable with Young Jean Lee

I’ve found that the only way to make theatre that gets the audience thinking is when I feel uncomfortable making it.

--playwright Young Jean Lee

Read more:

Real Gone Girl
Young Jean Lee’s identity plays.
by Hilton Als, The New Yorker, November 4, 2014

FringeNYC benefits: "Forgetting The Details"

Nicole Maxali (photo: Paciano Triunfo)

Forgetting The Details

Written and performed by Nicole Maxali

Directed by Paul Stein

No, I'm not really picking only solo shows at the Fringe on purpose. But, if you want to see an expert and thoroughly enjoyable one, pick this: Nicole Maxali's Forgetting The Details at Studio 440's White Box. California born-and-raised, this Filipina-American performer gets it all right, quickly dunking us into the flow of things as she draws canny portraits of her family members--divorced mom gleefully knocking back tequilas as she joins Maxali in a San Francisco bar to watch the Giants win World Series 2010; musician dad, with his history of drug addiction, surreptitiously offering her pot so she doesn't experiment out on the street; and, most of all, her adored "Lola" (Tagalog for grandma) endlessly serving up ice cream and meddlesome, loving advice.

So, I'm sure you can tell Forgetting The Details is not innovative, experimental theater. It's a personal performance trading in nostalgia about family and culture and takes you places that you fully expect to go--although not always when you expect to get there. It's like a short visit with a complete stranger who ends up being totally forthcoming, warm and delightfully funny. You will quickly feel that you know Maxali very well.

The show is seamless, polished, well-paced over its 75-minutes and coherent. Maxali renders it with skill and handsome discipline in storytelling and impersonations--voices, body language, gestures, facial expressions and overall energy and physicality every bit as convincing as the subtle, underlying compassion she reveals. In its intricate complexity, her monologue is a feat of prodigious memory, too--an ironic fact, considering that Forgetting The Details largely deals with how she and her family cope with her Lola's mental decline.

Maxali is an unforgettable performer, one I'd be eager to see meet any number of challenges in theater. I'm a believer.

Remaining shows:

Friday, August 15, 9:30pm

Sunday, August 17, 7:45pm

Thursday, August 21, 2pm

Friday, August 22, 5:30pm

Saturday, August 23, 3pm

The White Box

440 Lafayette St, 3rd Floor (Astor Place and East 4th Street), Manhattan

(map/directions)

Buy tickets for this and other FringeNYC shows.

For all things FringeNYC, click below.

New York International Fringe Festival