Something strange is happening at New World Stages, the five-year-old theater complex on West 50th Street: You can actually see worthwhile shows there. Not so long ago, we’d associate the former Hell’s Kitchen cineplex with gimmicky tourist trash (Naked Boys Singing, My First Time, etc). But with today’s announcement that Jon Marans’s The Temperamentals will reopen there in March, we find ourselves looking at the space with new eyes. There’s actually a handful of decent shows playing there. Adam Feldman reviewed Love Child this week, I revisited Avenue Q, and Altar Boyz and The Toxic Avenger continue their runs. Sure, neither of those tuners is the next Gypsy or Spring Awakening, but they’re fun, well crafted and clearly fill a populist niche. The death of commercial Off Broadway is a constant refrain in theater news, but New World Stages continues to buck the trend. What does it mean when the venue becomes home to shows of actual quality? We’re still waiting for them to offer a residency to a major Off Broadway company: the New Group, Keen Company or MCC Theater.
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New World Stages: Beyond tourist trash
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Interesting post, David. Indeed worth pointing out this turn for them.
As for you rec’s for residencies, though, New Group already I believe is officially a resident of Theatre Row. AND unlike Theatre Row–which is geared for and has special rates for nonprofit co’s–New World has always been exclusively commercial, no?
Not saying they can exclude nonprof’s, but I don’t believe any have performed there, and that’s for a reason. Or have they?
I’m confused as to why you call My First Time and Naked Boys trash? Producer Ken Davenport’s blog claims that you haven’t seen either of these shows. As a reader, I count on you, a reviewer, to give me your opinion of shows. Calling something “trash” when you have not seen it undermines the trust of this relationship. Please see the shows before you make comments in the future.
And if Davenport is wrong and you have seen these shows then please formulate legitimate reviews and publish them. Your readers would love to hear your opinion. But only when they are based on your own personal experience of a show. Thanks!