New Stage Collective is having quite an excellent season! Their current play, Dying City by Christopher Shinn, has 2 actors playing 3 characters. The issues are male/female, gay/straight, the war, grieving, pain.
Julianna Bloodgood = Kelly is the widow of a soldier who died in Iraq. Rob Jensen, known mainly for his work at Cincinnati Shakespeare, plays Craig the soldier, and his twin brother, Peter, the gay actor. Rob’s work is exceptional – with a change of shirt and attitude he makes the total transition from one brother to the next.
The plot moves from present to past, a spiraling return. All of the issues are not revealed until the last moments. I still have not resolved my feelings about the play – but know that it is incredible theater, deserving of your full attention. Unfortunately, the run is now over.
Next up is Dead City, a modern riff on James Joyce’s Ulysses by Sheila Callahan. It runs from February 5 through February 22. New Stage is on Main Street where 12th Street runs into it. newstagecollective.com is the place to go to catch up with edgy new theater this season.