A Theatre-Goer's Thoughts

Below: Edward Gero and John Kani in  Kunene and the King  at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo credit: Teresa Castracane Photography. Conflict is essential to drama. Opposites clashing, particularly if both are strong, is a more interesting basis for drama than two clashing with an extreme imbalance of power: a tennis match between the number 1 seed and number 4 is likely to be more dynamic, more intriguing, more exciting than one between the #1 ranked player and #212. Most sports matches result in a win for one and loss for the other; a few allow ties. A well-fought match with a close score is always more fascinating than  a blow-out.   In  Kunene and the King , playwright/actor John Kani gives us two fascinating characters, a couple even odder than the title pair in  The Odd Couple . They are total opposites brought together by circumstances in South Africa in 2019 (when the play was initially produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company), just 25 ...

  Emerson Holt Lacayo (Abby), Elin Joy Seiler (Amy), Aria Kane (Sarah), and Alina Santos (Ally) in Sarah Silverman's The Bedwetter at Arena Stage through March 16. Photo by T Charles Erickson Photography. The title gives away the secret bubbling underneath the surface in The Bedwetter , a new musical by Emmy-winning writer, actress, and stand-up comic Sarah Silverman. It manages to be delightfully funny, insightful, and sometimes poignant, driving home a universal theme that we never seem to get enough of: be who you are. Paradoxically, perhaps, it is a musical about a particular child that may well be too adult for children under 16 or so. If you are familiar with Silverman’s comedy, you understand; if not, after 100 minutes with preteen Sarah, you will have a partial explanation of how she created the persona we know. Little Sarah, age 10, is negotiating some very grown-up issues. It is the 1980s in a small town in New Hampshire. After her parents’ recent divorce, Sarah is adj...