Wendell Wright as Joe LeVay, Nikkole Salter as Taylor, and Jason Dirden as Kent in the Huntington Theatre Company's production of Lydia R. Diamond's Stick Fly playing February 19 — March 21 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.
Have you seen Stick Fly? We would love to hear your thoughts;
- What were you thinking about on the way home from the performance? Family dynamics? Racial issues? Secrets revealed? Your Dad? Something else?
- Did you attend a post show conversation? What comments surprised you or made you think differently about the play? Would you attend a post show conversation again?
- What elements of the play struck you as most interesting? The story? The performances? The design?
- Which character did you indentify with Most? Least?
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The Huntington Theatre Company's production of Stick Fly by Lydia Diamond is playing February 19 through March 28, 2010 at our second space, the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St Boston MA 02116. Online tickets and information available 24/7 or call our Box Office (click for hours this week) at 617 266-0800.
18 comments:
I would love to comment on the production, but my promotional tickets were cancelled because the theater would rather get full price for my prepaid seats!
Hi Marilyn -
If you would like to email me with a few more details I'll see what we can do for you. twilliams at huntingtontheatre.bu.edu
Best,
Todd
An amazing production. Treat yourself to this spectacular new work. Some many things go through your mind just while you look at the set even before the lights go down. See it tonight!
Brilliant! Poignant! Whip smart dialogue! Actors who are on the brink of something big!
GO GO GO to Stickfly! 4 stars!
What a wonderful production of an amazing play. We are so blessed to have this great show in Boston. The cast is spectacular but the play is really the charm---so smart and well written and Kenny Leon's direction is perfection. This show - with this cast and director - should be Broadway bound!!
Marilyn's ticket issue was with one of our consignment vendors. They initially offered to move her into another performance, but since she was traveling from CT to Boston she could not make any other dates. The vendor, our trusted partner ArtsBoston has, properly and graciously, dealt with the issue and we're hoping to hear from Marilyn after she attends the show this weekend as originally planned.
It was fabulous! We attended with three under thirty-somethings who not only thought the play to be great...but wanted to return with friends....they'd see it again! The play contained so many layers to talk about...is there anything better than a smart script that provides enjoyment and provokes thought. The word has spread and may well bring in a balance with the gray hairs who attend!
LOVED THE PLAY, IT WAS FABULOUS! Wondered though, why the brothers did not welcome their new sister. Nikkole Salter as Taylor was my favorite but the entire cast was terrific.
Enjoyed and laughed through the entire performance! Acting was top notch as was the production! Many parts of Stick Fly struck close to home and it was wonderful to see those life experiences duly represented with such authenticity. I hoping to see it again I enjoyed it so much. It should definitely be made into a television play to broaden the audience.
A stunningly fun play! Great acting and production! One of the few times I've seen this subject matter written with grace and power. Touched home many times...it's a must see for sure!
I saw Stick Fly twice last week. I'm a playwright (just starting out), a Bostonian and black as well, so there were a lot of reasons I looked forward to seeing Stick Fly. I was floored by it. In terms of craft, Stick Fly has as much going on as any contemporary well made play I've seen. Great as August: Osage is, Stick Fly, to my taste, is a bit more dynamic, more layered in its conflicts between all the characters on stage. It's funny as hell, SUPERBLY acted, the set design felt right. I only wish I had the budget to see it again.
When I got home, I sent out a mass email - which I never do - " Go To The Theatre" was its title. A full week later, I'm still thinking about that play. I feel proud of this play. I feel inspired by this play.
I did attend the pre-show with Lydia on Tuesday, but didn't attend the after show on Friday. Having not seen the play, the pre-show was a little odd. Still I am always thrilled to meet the playwright. As far as the after-shows, and I don't know if I'm speaking as an audience member or a writer here, but I think the talk backs are great just to hear what the audience is getting and what they're not... and, possibly, why.
STICK FLY is a WINNER!! A wonderfully entertaining, angst filled portrait of a range of family dynamics. The cast is superb and the subject matter engaging. Thank you for making this play possible. Continued best wishes.
From the moment Taylor came dancing down the stairs in the first seconds of the show, I was hooked. By FAR the best show I've seen all year (and by far my favorite straight-play production in memory). Incredibly smart, engaging, and dramatic. Dialogue was intelligent without feeling forced or pretentious.
I became 100% enthralled in this production. I honestly both laughed and cried, smiled and gasped aloud. This thing totally deserves a Broadway run...no joke. I'd take the bus out to see it there. Should have been on the mainstage at the BU theatre and 'Becky Shaw' over at the Calderwood. This was far superior.
Wednesday evening I saw Stick Fly by Lydia R. Diamond and came away from it a satisfied theatre goer (and I ain't easy to please!). Here are some of my musings and realizations brought about by watching, and some thoughts on the production.
1. The Wimberly Theatre is my favorite "large" space in the city. At 360 seats it's much larger than almost every theatre except the Loeb, the BU Theatre, and the major rental houses, however it maintains a modern intimacy within it's procenium layout. A truly beautiful traditional space. And really a stunning choice for this play.
2. I really HATE "incidental" scene change music. I want to see the actors breathe in the scene changes. I know I'm watching live theatre, I don't need music to distract me from an actor going off of one entrance and coming on in a different costume. I want to watch them change with the scene. It keeps it alive, it keeps it moving. Music is distracting, and if badly chosen, a detriment to the production. Let the play breathe, that's what a scene change is for.
3. I LOVE giant detailed interior sets. The last time I saw a set like this was when I saw August: Osage County on Broadway. I don't know why but big old Victorian homes get to me I guess. I'm always impressed by the quality and scale of The Huntington's sets, but this stood out among them. David Gallo's set design perfectly captured the tone and atmosphere of a giant, moneyed, antique, Martha's Vineyard vacation home with ease and grace. The details were classy and beautiful. A true piece of art. I'm sure it also cost as much as my college education. Not so sure I love that part of it.
Lydia Diamond writes really liveable dialogue. And by liveable I mean dialogue that sounds like people are talking to each other, not just reciting lines. The relationships between characters are written with ease and each has it's own tone but all blend together to make the dynamics of the play work. It suffers I think from a lack of editing in the second act, but nothing in the script ultimately takes away from the play as a whole. The production values (as previously noted), as always, live up to The Hunt's standards. Stunning, professional, and incomparable to any other theatre in town. The acting was solid all around but the stand out was definitely Amber Inman's portrayal of Cheryl. It was sensitive, energetic, honest. I related to her, I felt for her, she was a 100% real person. She's not local, but I will be following her from now on. The girl is going places. The other cast members were also very good and the ensemble dynamic (necessary to make this play work) was electric. The best acting of the play always happened in the large group scenes. All in all a really solid modern drama put on in the Wimberly. 100% worth seeing.
From my original post on http://colabtheatre.blogspot.com
Mary-Liz
Fabulous writing!!! fabulous acting!! can't say enough about the entire production---FABULOUS!!!!!
OUTRAGEOUSLY EXCELLENT!
From the fast paced sharp & often witty dialogue, to the terrific acting this play is a winner and food for thought. A friend told us Stick Fly nail race, gender & class. She was right. Add family dynamics to the list as well. Definitely renewing our subscription next year and recommended Stick Fly on twitter aka@bizshrink
This is perhaps the best production The Huntington has put on, and we have been subscriber for many years. Amber Iman as Cheryl was particularly outstanding. She was so real in the part. Lydia Diamond shines in her dialogue which is spot on. Congratulations to all involved.
Stick Fly was terrific.Lydia Diamond makes public, issues that are often only talked about in private. She lets us laugh but also get some very deep issues about race, class, responsibility and estrangement from parents.
The cast was also great.
Terrific job! Entertaining and deep.
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