Writing — Juan A. Ramirez

Review: The ANIMAL WISDOM of Ghosts and Catfishes

Animal Wisdom is a delightful two hours spent in the company of a woman who knows how to old-school entertain and serves as the year’s best highlight reel for Christian’s talent.

Review, TheatreJuan A. RamirezMay 20, 2021theatrely, theatre, review, heather christian, bushwick starr, woolly mammoth, american conservatory theater, sasha brown, eric farber, b.e. farrow, maya sharpe, animal wisdom, christopher browser, amber mcginnis

Review: LILIES Is No Fresh Bouquet

You don’t walk into a play titled Lilies, or the Revival of a Romantic Drama expecting realism, and yet, in this staging, one longs for the flowery melodrama the name promises.

Review: SHADOW/LAND a Stunning First Entry in Public’s ‘Katrina Cycle’

Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s' first installment of an epic 10-play ‘Katrina cycle’ for the Public signals the beginning of what promises to be a staggering achievement in theatre which concerns itself with race, ecology, queer feminism, and human displacement.

Review, TheatreJuan A. RamirezApril 16, 2021theatrely, theatre, review, public theater, erika dickerson-despenza, shadow/land, shadowland, katrina cycle, michelle wilson, lizan mitchell, sunni patterson, candis c. jones, palmer hefferan, delfeayo marsalis, audio

Review: ROW floats along on Audible

And so, Williamstown Theatre Festival’s inaugural foray into the world of Audible theatre comes to a close. Row, a new musical based on Tori Murden McClure’s 1998 efforts to become the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic, is a fine ending to an excellent season.

Review, TheatreJuan A. RamirezApril 8, 2021review, audible, audio, williamstown, williamstown theatre festival, theatrely, row, a pearl in the storm, dawn landes, tori murden mcclure, john mcginty, grace mclean, tyne rafaeli, clark art institute

Review: BLINDNESS In the Lonely Dark

Down at the Daryl Roth Theatre, Blindness is a dark-room delight that, unlike other Downtown goings-on, remains socially distant.

Review, TheatreJuan A. RamirezApril 6, 2021theatrely, theatre, review, blindness, donmar warehouse, daryl roth theater, jessica hung han yun, ben and max ringham, walter meierjohann, simon stephens, juliet stevenson, jose saramago, london, socially distant, covid-19, covid

Review: RICH KIDS–A Crash of Revolution and Wealth at Woolly Mammoth

A fatal car crash in Tehran and its ensuing drama is taken up by Javaad Alipoor in Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran, live-streamed by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

Theatre, ReviewJuan A. RamirezApril 4, 2021theatre, rich kids, rich kids: a history of shopping malls in tehran, javaad alipoor, woolly mammoth, peyvand sadeghian, kirsty housley, digital, bill wurtz, theatrely

Review: “Call Her Zari” - Williamtown’s WISH YOU WERE HERE on Audible

Femininity and the fallouts of war are given an appealingly informal treatment in Wish You Were Here, Sanaz Toossi’s play.

Review, TheatreJuan A. RamirezApril 2, 2021theatrely, theatre, audio, audible, wish you were here, sanaz toossi, gaye taylor upchurch, williamstown theatre festival, sinan refik zafar, marjan neshat, roxanna hope radja, nazanin nour, nikki massoud, artemis pebdani

Review: PARADISE BLUE Finds Its Grace Note on Audible

Williamstown Theatre Festival’s audio production of Paradise Blue makes a strong case for further evaluation.

Review, TheatreJuan A. RamirezMarch 24, 2021paradise blue, williamstown theatre festival, theatrely, review, audible, audio, blair underwood, dominique morriseau, skeleton crew, joan crawford, kristolyn lloyd, ruben santiago-hudson, simone missick, andre holland, keith randolph smith

Review: ROMEO Y JULIETA Gets Lost in Translation at Public Theater

n Romeo y Julieta, the Public Theater’s latest foray into audio plays, Lupita Nyong’o proves that a rose in any other medium (and language) smells and sounds as sweet.