“The temerity to see yourself at the center of it all”: Does Will Eno’s newest critique the myth of the hero’s journey, or just give us another example of it? Ran Xia isn’t so sure.
Ran Xia
Articles by Ran Xia
3 February 2020
Reviews • NYC • Off-Broadway
Review: Timon of Athens at Polonsky Shakespeare Center
Polonsky Shakespeare Center ⋄ January 11-February 9
By Ran Xia
This rarely produced Shakespeare play “illuminates the utter divide between the rich and the poor.” Ran Xia reviews.
11 October 2019
Reviews • NYC • Off-Broadway
Review: Terra Firma at the Baruch Performing Arts Center
Baruch Performing Arts Center ⋄ September 27-November 10
By Ran Xia
The COOP’s inaugural production uses the true story of a sovereign state in the North Sea as a microcosm of environmental woes. Ran Xia reviews.
27 September 2019
Reviews • NYC • Off-Broadway
Review: runboyrun & In Old Age at New York Theatre Workshop
New York Theatre Workshop ⋄ September 4-October 13
By Ran Xia
Ghosts are hard to escape in these two parts of Mfoniso Udofia’s Ufot Cycle, but the family matriarch, Abasiama, forces herself to try. Ran Xia reviews.
21 July 2019
Reviews • NYC • Off-Broadway
Review: Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth at Atlantic Stage 2
Atlantic Stage 2 ⋄ July 9-August 4 (in rep)
By Ran Xia
Tom Stoppard mashes up Shakespeare, Wittgenstein, underground Czechoslovakian theater, and an investigation into the limits of language, with surprisingly hilarious results. Ran Xia reviews.
19 July 2019
Reviews • NYC • Off-Broadway
Review: The Way She Spoke at the Minetta Lane
Minetta Lane Theatre ⋄ July 8-August 18
By Ran Xia
Isaac Gomez’s new piece for Audible punches you in the heart and leaves you with a lump in your throat. Ran Xia reviews.
28 June 2019
Reviews • NYC • Off-Broadway
Review: We’re Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time at Public Theater
Public Theater ⋄ 13th June - 14th July 2019
By Ran Xia
David Cale creates a vulnerable, complex journey through his childhood memories in this new musical memoir. Ran Xia reviews.
23 June 2019
Reviews • NYC • Off-Broadway
Review: Leap and the Net Will Appear at The Flea Theater
Flea Theater ⋄ Through 30th June 2019
By Ran Xia
Committed performances cannot rescue a show that loses its way in its own surrealism. Ran Xia reviews.
15 June 2019
Reviews • NYC • Off-Broadway
Review: Square Go at 59E59 Theaters
59E59 Theaters ⋄ 6th -30th June 2019
By Ran Xia
Buzzing, humming, and full of imagination, this play about a school fight looks at the conflicts of growing up. Ran Xia reviews.
6 May 2019
Reviews • NYC • Off-Broadway
Review: Passage at Soho Rep
Soho Rep ⋄ April 23-May 25
By Ran Xia
The characters in Christopher Chen’s new play negotiate identity, difference, and what it means to be human. Ran Xia finds that the richly diverse and “wildly talented” cast makes a lasting impression.