Click on show title to read reviews:

The Private Life of the Master Race

Cloud Tectonics

516 (five sixteen)

I Kreon

Two Rooms

Macbeth

The Private Life of the Master Race

The New York Times:

"Broadway Brecht is being served by the "Threepenny Opera" production at Studio 54 and, this summer, by the New York Shakespeare Festival's "Mother Courage" with Meryl Streep in Central Park. A different Bertolt Brecht is now on display further downtown, via the Roust Theatre Company's production of the 1938 play "The Private Life of the Master Race," in a new translation by Binyamin Shalom. This Brecht is angry, passionate, bare-bones and uncompromisingly personal and political.

Mr. Shalom's translation is vivid, clever and spare, preserving the spirit of Brecht's complex moral and social vision. It offers a fluid rendering of the language that doesn't get in the way of the dialogue's directness: a translation that doesn't sound like a translation.

Roust's co-founder James Phillip Gates directs with an eye to simplicity, the unit set designed by Richard Hoover suggesting the outlines of houses, rooms and roadsides. In the two most famous of these short plays, Tracy Hostmyer is especially affecting and controlled as a Jewish woman leaving her Aryan husband in "The Jewish Wife," and Betty Hudson and Brad Russell find considerable comedy as they suspect their son of betrayal in "The Informer."

As the very young Roust Theatre Company demonstrates, Brecht is as provocative and contemporary as ever."

Variety:

"Roust Theatre Company's production deserves attention."

Theaterscene:

"The Roust Theatre Company's production is in many ways a commendable dramatic endeavor...an accomplished cast, an outstanding ensemble, headed by the Roust's co-founder, and the play's producer, Tracy Hostmyer. Mr. Gates' obvious passion for the material [make this] a noble effort."

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Cloud Tectonics

The New York Times:

"A solid, nicely acted version of José Rivera's "Cloud Tectonics" [is] on the stage at the Culture Project. Though it's a thin play, it has its share of interesting ideas about time and perception and love, and it's a good workout for three young actors. The three (beautifully directed by James Phillip Gates) do fine work...the piece builds to a lovely concluding thought about love over a lifetime."

Backstage:

"Cloud Tectonics is a strange, haunting piece, the effects of which linger on long after one leaves the theater...The three players, under James Phillip Gates' sensitive direction, give very strong performances, making each character believable in unbelievable circumstances."

nytheatre.com:

"A dreamlike atmosphere permeates everything in Jose Rivera's Cloud Tectonics. Director James Phillip Gates tunes right into Rivera's wavelength, creating a world where time does indeed feel like it's standing still. If an entire production could be said to figuratively float by, it would be this one; the overall effect is hypnotic."

Variety:

"Helmer Gates does a remarkable job of sustaining the enchantment of the mood."

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516 (five sixteen)

Time Out/NY:

"**** [FOUR STARS] Truth and lies take on new dimensions in Katharine Clark Gray's thought-provoking new drama. Its cleverness and intelligence...could live on at any number of theaters. The cast of three share a simultaneously intense and witty chemistry."

nytheatre.com:

"If you want to see what a top-notch company can create together, I have four words for you: Go see this production. The script is solid and polished, if not air-tight. The acting is snappy and genuine; a real lesson in back-to-basics talking and responding that is utterly engrossing. The directing is smart and the design is streamlined and unobtrusive, allowing the actors to get down to business and stay there for the duration of the short two-hour run time.

Katharine Clark Gray's crackerjack script is captivating, even when she diffuses some of its focus. The first act is a whirlwind text and plot that pit the characters against each other with undeniably entertaining and provocative results. But in the second act, the changing characters pull away from each other, redefining each other and themselves. They feel more isolated than they were, an effect caused by how the plot takes a real turn.

The actors in 516 (five sixteen) are plenty skilled. There's no weak cog in the machine: Kristina Valada-Viars is savvy, sassy, and sharp as Annalee, the keen ghostwriter (who prefers to be called an "assistant"). Ryan Tresser effortlessly turns from irritating to heartfelt and is always compelling as Sigurd, the equally smart if not so savvy film major (don't dare call them "movies"). And Angela Vitale is at once graceful and cutthroat as Martie, the eager-to-break-the-rules-to-teach-a-lesson (even if the lesson is simply "don't fuck with me") professor.

516 (five sixteen) takes on many subjects: education, communication, exploitation, manipulation, isolation, to name a few. All of them are worth your attention. Go see this production."

Backstage:

"516 (five sixteen)...a dark academic comedy about a hyper-intellectual dropout hired to write term papers for an arrogant media-studies student...much theatrical gold [is] spun from the spectacle of nasty-minded characters ripping each other to shreds."

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I Kreon

offoffline.com:

"Take a wild guess which world leader this line describes: "His brilliant emptiness shines throughout the land." Well, alright, it could be a great number of them, but New Moon Rep and Roust Theatre Company's I Kreon leaves no room for doubt which 'W' we're talking about. The play focuses on one of the most important questions that the War on Terror has brought to the forefront - how must we treat our enemies? Between Guantanamo and Saddam Hussein's ugly end, most Americans have this question floating around the landscape of their political consciousness, and adapter-director Aole T. Miller does well to bring his feelings on the topic into the shared space of the theater. However, this adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone, one of our most basic reference points in creating political theater, ultimately chooses a tactic of mocking over serious debate.

By the time Kreon, the thinly veiled equivalent to our own authoritarian leader, comes around to realize the error of his dogmatic ways, it is too late for him to rectify his actions. At that same point in I Kreon it is already too late for the talented company to produce a lasting impression on its audience.

As the title suggests, the production focuses not on Antigone (Claire Siebers), but on her uncle, King Kreon (played with an intelligent flare by James Luse). To a modern audience Kreon's actions seem debatable at best. He refuses burial rights to his own son because he feels that he betrayed the homeland, in this adaptation by attacking and destroying two Theban towers. Kreon would rather leave Polynices' body to the dogs. In one of the many strong lines spoken by the masked Chorus, Miller hints at the comparison he is drawing between the death of Polynices and that of Saddam Hussein: "What honor is there in killing a man after death?" the Chorus asks the obstinate king.

The Chorus, with their touching repetition of poetry, accompanied by the haunting recorded soundscape of the piece, do manage to provide some emotional depth to the production. Their fine Balinese masks and fluid movement conjure some of the Greek spirit of the play. But the adaptatio's "Greekness" - and while aiming to please a twenty first century audience, I Kreon definitely attempts to find a fifth century BC Athenian vibe - falls short with its main exploration, that of the character of Kreon. Where Sophocles gave the hard lined king un-ignorable strength of argument, Miller gives him laugh lines taken from various twentieth century villains. It is undeniably funny to watch James Luse's odd triple amalgamation of King Kreon, Dr. Evil and George W. spew lines such as "There is no compromise between the rights of slaves and those who rule the modern world." However, Antigone survived this long, and indeed is one of the classics that most interests modern audiences (this is at least the third production of the play this year in New York alone) because of the dual nature of the play. It is both subversive and traditional. It presents the establishmen's point of view while questioning it in the deepest possible way. It thrives on the tension between right and wrong, and on the complexity of every political act. This production's great need to take a stand chokes the complexity out of the classic, and presents Kreon alone with the mess he created and deserves. It is for this reason that the emotions never quite grip, even when he finally does see that he brought disaster on himself, his family and his country.

The attempt to use a classic in order to let out a loud cry in opposition to our present political situation is to be applauded, as is the playful theatricality, the tasteful design (set and costumes by Shana Mckay Burns, lighting by Andrew D. Smith) and the well-rounded ensemble. But when your villain does not seduce you with his arguments, watching his downfall will not be the tragic experience Antigone was written to be."

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Two Rooms

nytheatre.com:

"Roust Theatre company's current production of Lee Blessing's Two Rooms is a wonder of simplicity. It radiates an earnest humanity that puts an empathic face on complex political issues. It is not just good theatre; it's commendable work.

Two Rooms, written in 1988, is the story of a couple, Michael and Lainie Wells. Michael is an educator in Beirut, who is kidnapped and held prisoner by terrorists. Meanwhile, back in America, Lainie clears out Michael's old office and repaints the walls so that she can live as she imagines he's living in captivity. Michael's cell and Lainie's self-created prison are the two rooms of the title. By using their imaginations to communicate through these rooms, they try to figure out what their lives are now, how to live them, and how they got there in the first place.

Throughout the play, Lainie pursues Ellen, a State Department employee, to bring her information about her husband, and most importantly, to bring him home. Lainie is pursued in turn by Walker, a newspaper reporter hungry for the story of this bereaved widow and the ineptitude of the government in trying to bring her husband back. Conflict arises when Lainie agrees to talk to the press-an act that greatly angers Ellen and the State Department.

Director James Phillip Gates works well with his design team and cast to create both the intimate and tender dream world of the two rooms, and the stark reality of the world these characters are faced with. The cast is uniformly strong. Garrett Lee Hendrick is effective as Walker and Tori Davis is appropriately tough as nails as Ellen. As Michael, Joe Osheroff has an honesty from start to finish that makes his character's journey riveting. As Lainie, Tracy Hostmyer is particularly compelling, both as the tender and loving wife living in her imagination and as the fragile and guarded woman living in the real world on the edge of collapse. The last moment of the play between Osheroff and Hostmyer is completely heartbreaking.

In an interview with the New York Times in 2004, Blessing talked about his play:

"Two Rooms was written in the late '80s about an American being kidnapped in Beirut, but right after 9/11 it was done in five productions in four cities. And every one of them asked me if I would rewrite, and I said sure. And a week into rehearsals they said, "Actually you don't need to rewrite it because the problem is chronic.""

The speeches in Two Rooms about Islamic fundamentalists, the frustrating bureaucracy of the American government, and the self-importance of the media all still ring as true today as they did four years ago when he said this, and as they did 20 years ago when he wrote them. The recent escalation in violence in Lebanon should be evidence enough of the relevance of doing and (perhaps more importantly) going to see Two Rooms."

TheaterOnline.com:

"...an excellent production by the Roust Theatre Company, boasting fine performances."

TheCinemaSource.com:

"It's simple, it's effective, and it's heartbreaking."

Variety:

"Its characters and conflict cut close to the bone."

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Macbeth

ny theatre.com:

"After seeing many productions of Shakespeare's plays—and after the texts have been part of our everyday speech for almost half a millennium—we've reached a point where each production of any of his plays says more about its director than it does about the play itself; it becomes a Rorschach blot reflecting the director's preoccupations.

James Phillip Gates, in directing Macbeth, sees in the text a story about a soldier driven mad by what he's done. Quite astutely, in this day of privatized warfare, Gates's Macbeth is a hybrid soldier/gangster, and Trey Ziegler's entrance as the title character with his shaved head, goatee, and leather jacket, aiming his gun suspiciously, establishes him as such immediately.

Gates's Macbeth is one of the most visually and aurally gorgeous pieces of theatre I've ever seen. Casey Smith's set is both aesthetic and functional, looking equally suitable as the Macbeths' bedroom as it is a basement where men are tortured as it is a warehouse gangsters' meeting place. Travis Sawyer's noir-y, shadowy lighting design brings out every last bit of darkness and menace in this world (and, no less importantly, makes the actors look terrific). John Kemp's sound design, although less noticeable, manages to seamlessly incorporate the sound of the smoke machine that adds to the visual mystery.

The cast, alas, is slightly uneven. Ziegler's Macbeth is strong, but he seems to go mad due more to the script saying he does than to anything in particular. Tracy Hostmyer's Lady M is even better, a far more sexual take on the role than one usually sees; she's so good in the part that it serves as a reminder that however memorable she may be, Lady M does not appear a whole lot. Hostmyer's absence is felt quite potently in the second half. The tension flags severely during the scenes near the end with Malcolm and Macduff; neither Isaac Woofter nor Duane Boutte, respectively, seems comfortable with Shakespeare's language, and both race through text, although this may be due to a fear that the tension is flagging, thus creating a chicken-and-egg problem. The weird sisters (Kristin Barnett, Melissa Center, Emily Hubelbank) are used unconventionally, and quite interestingly; they deliver one prophecy to Macbeth in the middle of a ménage-a-quatre, and appear at the end to the new king as well in a smart touch that ties into Gates's meditations on war and gangsterism; neither has a real end.

Any problems with the acting, however, pale in comparison to the near-peerless visual spectacle that is Roust's Macbeth. Acting problems could be attributable to an off night (or even my own incredibly knotty and convoluted prejudices about Shakespearean acting; my companion thought Woofter and Boutte were fine), but great design is forever. Oh, and the script is pretty good, too.

Gates is a director to watch—if his work continues to have the same intensity, intelligence and visual flair as his Macbeth, I eagerly await his future output."

Drama Desk:

"You'll probably never find a sexier, more violent, or shorter production of Macbeth than the one that's now being mounted by the Roust Theatre Company. The text of what is already Shakespeare's briefest play has been judiciously edited, and its more shocking elements are played-up to provide a breathtaking, intermissionless, 110-minute experience."

CurtainUp:

"Roust Theatre Company's Macbeth...is provocative with a capital "P." Ambition, power, and sex all blur into a frightening whole of moral ambiguities...This bold interpretation bring his classic alive in striking new ways. They may not get everything right, but they certainly have put a good dent into the steel armor of one of the favorites from the bard's cannon."

Backstage:

"Riveting...a highly watchable Macbeth."

New Theatre Corps:

"Macbeth meets Cinemax in Roust Theatre Company's contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare's classic. Significantly truncated but brimming with sex and blood, Macbeth resurfaces...ready to shock and eager to please."

playshakespeare.com:

"In the small black box theater, the upstage wall slides apart as the softly dreary lights rise...Gentle fog frames three women emerging in shapeless brown dresses, echoing each others' whispers. These witches are eerie, primal, but innocently sexy. With this opening, director James Phillip Gates and the Roust Theatre Company set the scene for their violent, lusty, sexy, powerful and bloody production of Macbeth.

The artistry involved in creating this Scotland is impressive, supporting the actors without overpowering their work. Casey Smith has designed an invisibly effortless stage, functionally breaking down into different scenes as bench becomes bed, bed becomes platform, and platform becomes the bench again. John Kemp's sound choices evoke a dark and powerful atmosphere slowly passing into the audience's consciousness: serpentine rattling and haunting jangly strings in the scenes preceding Duncan's murder; the shrieking yet indistinct siren for the dagger soliloquy, and the clicking of dusty film reels between scenes of battle. Heather Klar's costume design transforms the actor into Lady Macbeth as well as the character into the publicly regal Lady Macbeth, from sexy red hostess dress to a more dignified black gown as queen. She dresses the men in mostly strong dashing suits, complementing the modern but timeless world of gentlemen, where they play battle on a chessboard but still play for keeps, for honor, fealty and power.

The actors build from the text a world where sexual violence and violent sex are applauded, rewarded, and even interchanged—where it is completely justified for the future prince to rip out a traitor's teeth before cutting his throat, and where Lady Macbeth dominates her husband as she grinds on his pelvis and his will-power. This commendable troupe even manages to pull out some genuine comedic moments in the middle of one of Shakespeare's great tragedies. Speaking with strong physical commitment and articulate modern voices (for good or ill, whichever pleases), these actors do not let Macbeth and his Lady rule this ensemble piece.

Tracy Hostmyer's Lady Macbeth grows as the performance progresses, starting steady and gradually tipping the scales toward insane. Adapting a deeper, smoothing voice, Hostmyer dominates and protects her Macbeth, instructing while she condescends and humors him. She is implicated as a witch, or a witch-like practitioner, when she surrounds herself in a circle of special powder in preparation for her "unsex me here" soliloquy. More context from the production elements are needed, however, so her epileptic fits of supernatural power seem less schizophrenic and more a conduit of the paranormal.

But more powerful is when Lady Macbeth stands before us in Act V, naked in the shreds of her tissue-thin nightdress, perfectly exposed in washing off her obsessive guilt as she sleeps. In the banquet scene, we see her attempts to comfort the lords and cover her husband's embarrassing psychotic episodes, while Trey Ziegler's Macbeth reaches his emotional climax and breaking point. As a bloody, banged-up Banquo, Andrew Pifko interrupts Lady Macbeth's stately dinner party (which, to be fair, he is supposed to attend anyway), her husband's mind visibly turns away from any consolation, and crosses the Rubicon into the beginning of madness. He meets the Weird Sisters again, and they have morphed into suppliant sex goddesses bent on pleasing Macbeth and themselves in a foursome, but he hardly notices. Even among the sadomasochistic witches in black tutus, Macbeth is more attentive, almost obsessed with the demonic prophesy voice-over dictating his future, only thrusting and gyrating as an afterthought.

Macduff is Macbeth's character foil, meant to be seen as the upstanding Scot who puts the proper king on the throne, and who even flees the country to protect himself as the future victor over Macbeth. But witnessing the plundering of Macduff's castle in his absence blurs this assumed black-and-white contrast, increasing his grieving sorrow and regret for his transgression, while providing even more motivation for revenge. Pregnant Lady Macduff (Kristin Barnett) watches her son, who is played as special needs by Tom Macy, murdered while she is raped and penetrated with a knife from behind before her own throat is cut. Her entire body, taut with anger and fear and victimization, shows her outrage and vulnerability for having no capable soldier to save her son, her future child, or herself. I could do nothing but stare.

Duane Boutte plays the good-hearted and repentant sinner, Macduff, well, seething quietly with outbursts calling for vengeance while his sins weigh heavily on his soul. Malcolm (Isaac Woofter) also presents a more nuanced character than taken at first glance, highlighted by the production's spin. From torturing prisoners with unmedicated teeth extraction, flirting with Lady Macbeth, consciously manipulating Macduff in his hour of least resolve, and literally bedding the Weird Sisters in a repeat foursome, Malcolm doesn't appear as an improvement to Macbeth; he is just without the ambitious woman leeching from his power.

In this horrendous Shakespearean world, abridged by modern attention span, the Roust Theatre Company keeps its passion for theater clear and projects more than just wonderful verse."

Columbia Daily Spectator:

"Roust Theatre Company's Macbeth is a dark, nightmarish vision, with ample doses of cruelty and violent acts of torture. A portrait of the underbelly of human nature, this somewhat nontraditional rendition of "the Scottish play" potently serves a grimy plate of pain."

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