Profile for Michael Kras

OhHiii said: "Jordan Catalano said: "That’s fair that actors still want audiences to stay masked. Part of me does, as well. But it has to end at some time, it just does. It’s a big experiment (whether it happens now or a year from now) as to what will happen next, but this was always going to be the next step eventually."It was never going to be the right time for the folks still living their lives like it's March 2020. For some reason it's not computing that everyone's daily lives have been ...

Jordan Catalano said: "That’s fair that actors still want audiences to stay masked. Part of me does, as well. But it has to end at some time, it just does. It’s a big experiment (whether it happens now or a year from now) as to what will happen next, but this was always going to be the next step eventually.""It has to end at some time, it just does?" But why? What do we lose from wearing a simple mask while faced with a virus that has fundamentally changed the world and how we view public hea...

Jordan Catalano said: "Broadway has been more cautious than I’d say anywhere else (besides hospitals/nursing homes) so I’m curious what brought this decision about right now. I mean, this was always the end goal and what we wanted to eventually happen so in that way the fact that we’re here is a good thing.I think the fact that we now know Covid is here to stay and we are able to manage it and most importantly SURVIVE it, means that like everything else, your health is your personal responsib...

I was lucky to catch this at TIFF yesterday and actually think the film adaptation works even better than the play. The film really gets to lean into the claustrophobia and decay of the setting - big shout-out to Stephen Karam for adapting AND directing this film - and the horror elements land more effectively in a film medium; the ending genuinely terrified me in a way that it didn't onstage. Oh, and the ensemble is terrific; especially Richard Jenkins, Jayne Houdyshell, and Amy Schumer.

Has anyone heard much about the A24-helmed film adaptation of THE HUMANS by Stephen Karam? Karam adapted the play and also directs the film (and with an incredibly assured hand for a first-timer). I was lucky enough to catch its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and actually found it even more effective than the play, which I saw the Canadian premiere of a few years ago. The screen adaptation really plays up the claustrophobia and decay of the apartment, the performances are...

And the amount of innocent people accused is provably VASTLY disproportionate to those who are guilty and accused. This is not at all the time or discussion in which to pipe up that there are innocent people wrongfully accused or convicted of sexual assault. There are innocent people wrongfully accused of ALL types of crime. Pointing that out right now is a creepy way of distracting from the problem.

And Broadway, like many institutions, takes every effort to silence those who speak up about it. When Broadway.com posted a video featuring James Barbour not too long ago, I commented with something alluding to his history of sexual abuse and the comment thread was quickly closed and censored, while the video remained.

Guys, Canadian company Soulpepper is in NYC with some of their most popular works throughout July. I've had the privilege of experiencing plenty of what Soulpepper has to offer and I urge you to go check them out.Especially Spoon River, a piece of folk music theatre adapted from the poems of Edgar Lee Masters. To this day, this piece is the most moving and stirring experience I've ever had in a theatre. There's video footage here: http://www.playbill.com/article/what-to-expect-from-soulpepper...

I can never agree with bootlegs. To me, it's less about the idea of 'theft' and more about the idea of consent. The actors onstage did not consent to be filmed by you and have their work on that particular night immortalized. The designers, director, choreographer, writer didn't consent to their work being captured either. This is a violation of them as artists and as people and I disagree with it wholeheartedly, while simultaneously agree there is a severe accessibility need that must be add...

Just bought it this morning on iTunes. I haven't heard a score quite like this one... Todd Almond's music is gorgeous, particularly Coastal Erosion and the fantastic I Am a Hawk. I feel like I need to read the script to fully follow the album (though I know the show is particularly absurd)... For instance, there are some arresting moments in Oratorio but the track, at nearly 17 minutes, made me feel a bit impatient not having the story itself as a reference point. Regardless, I love this quir...

Looks like the digital album comes out this Friday! The samples are gorgeous. https://www.amazon.com/Iowa-Original-Recording-Various-artists/dp/B06ZXZ83YF/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493240371&sr=8-1&keywords=Iowa+cast+recording

I saw Straight White Men when the original off-Broadway cast brought the show to Toronto's Harbourfront Centre and loved it. It made me, a straight white man, uncomfortable as hell, and that's the point. It's hard to imagine a straight kitchen sink drama feeling totally fresh and subversive, but Straight White Men achieves it. Every aspect of its structure, down to having exclusively POC stagehands do set changes, is clearly deliberate and so effective. It's a far more sympathetic look at whi...

Looks like, two years after the Playwrights Horizons production, Jenny Schwartz and Todd Almond's Iowa is getting a cast album through Yellow Sound Label! I've always wanted a recording of Todd's gorgeous theatre music. There's an image on the website that says it's available for preorder, but I can't find any way to order or any other information for that matter. Anyone else know anything about this? http://yellowsoundlabel.com/album/iowa-original-cast-recording/

If you're looking for a character study, sure, I get the criticism. But Come From Away is not really a character study and it's not trying to be one. The authors took on the audacious task of portraying a story with, realistically, over 7000 characters. They give us a handful of focal characters to grasp on to, but this is about thousands of people's journeys, not just one or two. This is about an incident, a monumental moment in time. What did you expect?

That's about right. And given how much of the show isn't present on the album I was surprised by how complete the recording feels. A couple of narrative threads are dropped that I loved in the show, but the amount of the show captured on the album feels satisfying.

WOW. It was like hearing the score for the first time. What an incredible recording, and amazing that they've captured the driving economy of pace and story.

Alex Kulak2 said: "Manchester By the Sea feels like a play. Kenneth Lonergan started as a playwright, so I'd like to see it happen in the future. I disagree. Manchester DEEPLY feels like a movie to me. Just because a film is dialogue-forward doesn't mean it'd make a good play.

GavestonPS said: "Robbie2 said: "GavestonPS said: "Robbie2 said: "IMO it is wrong...Rude and disrespectful in that close environment to the non smokers. "Outside? I know Manhattan is over-built, but I had no idea outdoor spaces were "close environments".Smoking is illegal in NYC-parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas like Times Square " "Smokers are a minority of the population and hold very little political clout, particularly since the majority can always console itself with the knowledge tha...

This one is complicated for me. Smokers should absolutely be able to do what they want to their own bodies, but my issue is that the harmful effects of second-hand smoke have been widely researched and proven, so really, it's not the most considerate or respectful thing to smoke in close proximity to a non-smoker. Sure, the stage door fans don't have to be there and the actors aren't obligated to engage, but this isn't about that necessarily. It's about being considerate of those around you.

JudyDenmark said: "Michael Kras said: "is anyone getting these weird glitchy sounds during the dialogue break?"Do you mean that the quotes are sounding... electronic or tinny, for lack of better words? That's how they are in the show itself - it's all done through voiceover, meant to be random people on social media making the video go viral. "I'm specifically referring to what sounds like metallic crickets during the dialogue break when Evan's friends tell him his video has gone viral. I hop...