The latest episode of Three on the Aisle, the bimonthly podcast in which Peter Marks, Elisabeth Vincentelli, and I talk about theater in America, is now available on line for listening or downloading.
In this episode, Peter, Elisabeth, and I lead off by talking at length about what we call “small-show syndrome: the intimate, petite-scale productions that are so popular on American stages these days.” Says the Three on the Aisle web page:
New plays with sprawling casts and multi-hour running times such as Bruce Norris’s The Low Road and David Rabe’s Good for Otto stand out amidst a preponderance of two- or three-handers unfurling over 90 minutes. Yes, there are budgetary constraints, but does this scaling-down affect how playwrights work and which topics they choose to cover? Family is American drama’s favorite topic, but are we doomed to a generation of intimate “couch plays”?…
Yet Teachout argues that a small scale can be seen as a creative challenge rather than a limitation….
We wrap up the episode by talking about shows that we’ve seen lately, as well as others that we’ll be seeing soon.
To listen, download the eighth episode, or subscribe to Three on the Aisle, go here.
In case you missed any of the first eight episodes, you’ll find them all here.
Here’s my list of recommended Broadway, off-Broadway, and out-of-town shows, updated weekly. In all cases, I gave these shows favorable reviews (if sometimes qualifiedly so) in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. For more information, click on the title.