TSI/PLAYTIME ON WCBS

TSI/PlayTime is an Off-Off-Broadway theater group that has been presenting a wealth of short plays for 11 years. It provides a terrific opportunity and venue for playwrights, directors and actors to create and present new work and adaptations from classics. It has been the subject of several posts here: (May 13, 2005 - May 22, 2005 -- Sep 9, 2005 )

The building in which they have been operating is closing down to make way for luxury apartments, and they have to move. Their story was the subject of a segment of the CBS evening news last night.

They are looking for contributions and other support to help them relocate (and prosper in the new location!)

Check out their BLOG and their website for their latest news, to develop your own material there, and to pledge your support.

CRAVE

Bosley Theatrical Productions is putting on Crave, a play by Sarah Kane.

She wrote several intense plays dealing with violence, including 4:48 PSYCHOSIS, which was recently performed at BAM in Brooklyn, in a French language version with Isabelle Huppert.

Sarah Kane committed suicide at a young age after writing just a few plays.

It is troubling that, in the last hundred years or so, it seems like too many prominent female writers have committed suicide. I do not know what is cause and what effect.

24

24 is the most exciting show on television. Anything can happen. Catastrophes and personal disasters that pull no punches trash TV's normal rules for acceptable plot twists. Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer is ruthless, interesting, sympathetic, intelligent, and relentless in the face of personal tragedy, bureaucratic impediments and terrifying danger. I'm invested in Jack, and also in all the minor characters (and every other character is a minor character). I want to know what will happen next. I root for the good guys, hate the bad ones, and my frustration over the stupid ones, who always come to the wrong conclusion, nearly wrecking the planet with their by-the-book misjudgments, is very disturbing. My heart pounds faster during the show, and stays pounding for some hours after.

However, so far this year, unfortunately, for all the excitement, the great characters, and my involvement, there is nothing new.

During the first two hours we had nothing that has not been on previous seasons. Jack comes back from the "dead". There is an army of bad guys. There is mass hostage taking; a teenager who tries too hard and becomes involved in the action; a love interest who is compromised; important people assassinated; lies; torture, threats, promises and lies leading to information; lots of government officials being dispatched by Bauer; a key insider linked to the plot... etc. Exciting, yes! But it's not new.

Unless things change, we can expect more torture, betrayal, twists, more bodies, Jack going in and out of custody (held alternately by both the good guys and the bad guys); and a lot of terrible threats. We have in previous years (in addition to the items already mentioned) had nuclear explosions and threats of global epidemics. How much worse can it get?

(One non-sequitorial comment: I miss Elisha Cuthbert as Jack's daughter. Since Jack has resurfaced, she ought to contact him. She had thought her father was dead. Now that he is known to be alive, she should spring back into action. In her years on the show, she had the worst, most ridiculous plot lines. But she herself was sympathetic, and I hope she comes back with a classy and intelligent story line.)