Invisible Theatre News

Families in Conflict | Review | Tucson Weekly : Families in Conflict IT's 'Kisses' exudes humanity, while LTW's 'Wife' delivers hilarity by Nathan Christensen Iron Kisses is an odd title for the play currently running at Invisible Theatre. It penetrates the complexities of family dynamics, but does so with warmth and humanity rather than a cutting edge. The show begins with actor Dwayne Palmer alone on stage, sitting in a plain wooden chair and speaking to the audience in gentle tones. He pulls a drawing by a child out of a box and explains that the yellow lines emanating from the figure's head are not strands of hair, but rays of happiness. Then c...

'Iron Kisses' warmly embraces parents, kids who love each other 'Iron Kisses' warmly embraces parents, kids who love each other Kathleen Allen Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Friday, February 19, 2010 Dysfunctional families have made for some juicy theatrics - from "Medea" to "Next to Normal," we have families falling apart and deep in crisis. So it's kind of a relief to see "Iron Kisses," Invisible Theatre's latest offering. The James Still comic drama is a family-centric play that looks on the four members - parents, son, daughter - with humor and compassion. And they are our parents, our children, our next-door neighbors. The parents struggle with a son who is gay - a fact of life that is foreign to them. But they love him, and while his lifestyle confuses them, it doesn't change their love. The daughter is in an unhappy marriage, and the parents struggle with that, too - they just want their children t...

THRICE AS NICE: TWO ACTORS PLAY THREE CHARACTERS EACH IN “IRON KISSES” by Chuck Graham tucsonstage.com What is gender exactly? What does it matter? What does it really mean, aside from the biological differences in plumbing? Underneath the socially approved manners and dress for men and women, are we all the same? Playwright James Still kind of says we are in “Iron Kisses,” a one-act of domestic drama designed to contrast and compare the emotional differences of one loving family in a small Midwestern town. His play is set on two actors. The new Invisible Theatre production casts Carrie Hill and Dwayne Palmer. In lengthy monologues, each plays both parents. Then as the tension escalates, Hill becomes Barbara and Palmer becomes Billy, the grown children of those two parents, reflecting on their home lives and sibling loyalties. It is a daring theatrical manipulation, which these actors make work beautifully. With direction by Gail Fitzhugh, we see traditional parent roles transform fro...

'Iron Kisses' delves into family dynamics Just 2 actors and 4 characters will cover a lot of domestic ground 'Iron Kisses' delves into family dynamics Kathleen Allen Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Friday, February 12, 2010 12:00 am Family. Just the word conjures up images of conflict and comfort. Love that is intense and unconditional. It's a subject that has long occupied playwright James Still, author of plays for adults and children, television programs for children, and of "Iron Kisses," which Invisible Theatre will open next week. "Mysteries of family, issues of forgiveness," he said, talking by phone from his Seattle home. "I've been writing long enough to realize that in many ways, I've always been writing about the dynamics of family." "Iron Kisses" has all the elements of a normal family: the parents confounded by their adult children, and the children by their parents. Turmo...

All in the Family | Review | Tucson Weekly : The great Lynn Redgrave explores her mother's 'Romeo and Juliet' obsession by Sherilyn Forrester Lynn Redgrave What's in a name?' inquires Romeo in the Bard's famed tale of doomed love. The answer, if the name happens to be Redgrave: Quite a bit, actually. The family Redgrave is chock full of actors, awards and genuine fame borne from an impressive body of work spanning five generations. And if your name is Lynn Redgrave, you're also a skilled and passionate storyteller. Lynn Redgrave, sponsored by the Invisible Theatre, is bringing her most recent venture to town for two performances. Rachel and Juliet, a one-woman show, is a tribute to her mother, Rachel Kempson, a highly respected actress, though she was not as storied as her husband, Sir Michael Redgrave. According to Lynn Redgrave, Kempson had a lifelong fascination with the role of Juliet, and would launch into passages from Romeo and Juliet throughout her l...

Redgrave to Perform Rachel and Juliet in Arizona - Playbill.com By Andrew Gans 05 Jan 2010 Lynn Redgrave Lynn Redgrave photo by Joan Marcus Lynn Redgrave photo by Joan Marcus Lynn Redgrave, most recently seen in the Manhattan Theatre Club production of her solo show Nightingale, will bring her new one-woman evening, Rachel and Juliet, to Arizona's Invisible Theatre later this month. Performances at the Tucson venue are scheduled for Jan. 16 at 8 PM and Jan. 17 at 3 PM. In Rachel and Juliet, Redgrave, according to press notes, 'pays tribute to her mother, actress Rachel Kempson, whose love affair with the role of Juliet and search for her own Romeo lasted her entire life. Interweaving remembrances, Ms. Kempson’s own words and passages from Shakespeare, Ms. Redgrave has created an unforgettable companion piece to her Tony Award-nominated Shakespeare For My Father (which traces her relationship with her father, the late Michael Redgrave).' Redgrave is also the author of The Ma...

Theatre1 : LYNN REDGRAVE ONSTAGE IN 'RACHEL AND JULIET' by Chuck Graham TucsonStage.com The attraction of family holds Lynn Redgrave in its iron grip. She has always been fascinated by parent-child relationships, wanting to explore just how strong those bonds can be and how the experience of living these roles for a lifetime will shape the people who play the parts that strengthen the bonds that shape the people... Being the third sibling in one of the theater world’s most distinguished families gives Lynn Redgrave plenty to work with. She comes to Tucson Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 16-17, to present another of her one-woman shows, “Rachel and Juliet,” about her mother, the actress Rachel Kempson. Both performances are presented by the Invisible Theatre in the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway Blvd. Although everyone agreed Kempson was quite talented, the best known of Lynn’s family members are her distinguished father Michael Redgrave and her sister Vanessa. Lynn ...