Selected Press
Testament
“Every year, 59E59 Theaters in New York presents a showcase of productions headed to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. While the United States have made great steps toward a return to a theatrical normal (whatever that might be), the new edition of East to Edinburgh is still virtual, with nine shows you can watch from home. Among the titles that caught my eye is Priyanka Shetty’s docu-theater solo “#Charlottesville,” about the events that roiled the Virginia city in August 2017. Borrowing from Anna Deavere Smith, Shetty built her text from interviews. Other intriguing entries in the showcase include “Testament,” in which Tristan Bernays (“Frankenstein”) imagines what would happen if four biblical characters lived now”
Testament
“Winners have been announced for 2021 first ever, by popular demand, BroadwayWorld Off/Off-Off Broadway Awards - celebrating theatre all across NYC!
The 2021 Off/Off-Off Broadway Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2021. Nominations are reader-submitted and will be open through October 31.
The BroadwayWorld Awards are the largest theatre audience awards, with over 100 cities worldwide participating.”
Testament
“All of the stories are sharply observed and neatly written, but the latter one has a particular poignance in the way it highlights a justice system that expects felons to ask forgiveness when it often only delivers retribution and vengeance. It seems Old Testament ideas are alive and kicking in modern America.”
Testament
“In Testament, though, Bernays wanted to hand the microphone to those who say little in the original stories. “It was about going, who doesn’t get to talk in the Bible?” he says. “It tends to be women, children, outsiders, thieves . . . I thought, what if we took the lesser-heard characters and told their side of the story? And looked at them in a modern-day context.”
Testament
“A preponderance of medium and medium long shots keep the focus on the impressive performances. Rodriguez comes across as the supportive center of the group, despite not speaking a word; while Mitchell fully inhabits the nuanced emotional topography of Isaac's betrayal; and, as Mary and Jane, Giannone and Hundt's rapid alternating delivery and cheerful talk of family holidays contrasts potently with the residual trauma clear beneath a chipper Southern surface. The excellent Eisen-Martin, meanwhile, builds towards a furiously impassioned climax for both his character and the show. Testament's tales of struggle would be absorbing even without their Judeo-Christian intertextuality, but in that connection, they are also a testament to how a culture's stories remain living things, endlessly molded by new tellers to say new thing to new audiences in new times.”
New York Theater
“This 21st century American retelling of three Biblical stories is more than just clever. The hour-long play is something of a revelation, in more ways than one: It’s thought-provoking, but also, as directed by Lucy Jane Atkinson and persuasively acted by a low-key cast, it offers a series of surprises – especially if you don’t read the program ahead of time.”
Testament
“It is doubtful that the words “thank the Lord for COVID” have been uttered many times across the last year, but without the pandemic it is unlikely that UK audiences would have been lucky enough to witness this current New York production of British Writer Tristen Bernays’ breathtaking play, TESTAMENT.”
Testament
“Lucy Jane Atkinson's intelligent production allows the words to speak for themselves. A line spoken by one of Lot's daughters seems to encapsulate at least a part of the play's message: “if you want a rainbow, you've got to put up with the rain”.”
Testament
“Whatever your religious views or beliefs, Testament is an astonishingly raw and emotional piece of theatre with an exceptionally talented cast who will have you on the edge of your sofa.”
Testament
“Divine performances are assured in Testament, a compelling re-imaging of four oft-forgotten Bible characters, against a haunting score of gospel and blues”
Testament
“The performances are exceptional, beautiful, and intense. Each character trying hard to understand what happened to them or is going to happen with true believability. Redemption, understanding, healing, are all moved forward by songs meant to serve as hymns that help build trust and love and community. Lucy Jane Atkinson’s direction is a simple allowance for these excellent actors to do their work and stay out of their way with anything extra but some lovely lighting choices and camera moves. It is filmed as if it were a short film but it still maintains its theatricality and nuance.”
Testament
“The feeling of singing in unison is a powerful one and as they end on the group singing a final hymn, it leaves us with a spirit of optimism. There will be healing.
That’s a message we could all use right now, of all faiths and none. Testament is a timely reprise of a 2017 play. It’s message, subject matter and holy spirit could not be more needed in this godforsaken world.”
Testament
“It’s a really interesting play with some great performances.”
Monica
“The patchwork of scenes feels like part of something larger. A TV series offering a sympathetic version of Monica’s story told with humour and sensitivity could be a winner. The producers of this excellent play should create a three-minute sizzle-reel and start pitching it to the networks.”
Monica
“This smart, lo-tech, crowdfunded play from not for profit theatre company Via Brooklyn looks at modern relationships through a series of vignettes about a woman named Monica. It may or may not be a look at Miss Lewinsky (subject of the upcoming third season of American Crime Story: Impeachment) and what happened to her after the scandal with the then President Clinton. Or it may just be about people you know, how their love lives work and what's happening to gender politics in the post-Monica, post #MeToo world.”
Monica
“This clever time-shifting one-act play from Via Brooklyn succinctly captures the tension between holding on and letting go of one's identity in an era where private lives are frequently made public either strategically or by scandal.”
Monica
“It raises difficult questions that must be answered by those whose entire lives have been minimized by a single event. By characterizing Monica as an “everywoman,” Nora has made her a universally relatable figure.”
Monica
“This is a great play and we at Hi! Drama hope the team comes back home to New York City soon.”
Monica
“Monica is not just about one charismatic woman’s sexual journey. Her relationships served to propel her from a naïve college student to a woman in control of her life and romances while the country was on a parallel voyage.”
The Collection
“This immersive theatre experience, filled with history and music, will breathe new life into the Wallace Collection and allow the audience to explore the galleries as they have never been seen before.”
VB Reads
“Via Brooklyn and The Southampton Inn are proud to present the first ever VB Reads: Feast and Fiction, a play reading series. VB Reads will present Monica: This Play Is Not About Monica Lewinsky by Dianne Nora.”
Goyescas
“The Grange Festival and Via Brooklyn present Goyescas, the 1915 opera by Enrique Granados, in collaboration with the Wallace Collection. Goyescas will be conducted by Mark Austin, with artistic direction by Michael Chance CBE. This unique, one-night event will take place in the Wallace Collection's Great Gallery".”
The 39 Steps
“I think so much credit has to be given to the initial West End and Broadway runs. I remember thinking when I first saw the London run of the show what a fun time I had. Then, there’s how malleable the show is. It can be played on a huge Broadway scale, or it can be played very simply. And at every point, it is guaranteed to entertain.”