‘Diana: The Musical’ Is a Bonkers Mess, and a Crazy Circus of Truths
It is one thing to have contradictions within characters, but Diana: The Musical fails because it fails to map these contradictions. And what the hell is it supposed to be? Serious or camp? It laughs at itself, laughs at us, and then wants us to take seriously the circus it skewers. Diana cries at us, then winks at us. She knows nothing, then she knows everything.
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Caroline, or Change: Inertia Buries a Musical Masterpiece
When Caroline, or Change premiered on Broadway in 2004, critics lacked the imagination to appreciate what they had been given: a story that prioritized how many Black women bury their trauma in order to survive. Fifteen years later, one prominent theatre critic acknowledged that he was finally able to receive the glory of the story […]
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‘Dana H’: In Her Own Voice
There’s something sinister about a motel room. I think of buzzing fluorescent lights, the lingering scent of tobacco on every surface, nondescript paintings over nondescript wallpapers, and faint conversations from the next room. I’ve got vivid memories of those details, all of which could’ve been from an actual stay in a motel somewhere along a […]
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