Theater Thursday - Children of a Lesser God and Sylvia

What: Children of a Lesser God

Where: Studio 54
             254 W. 54th St.
             New York, NY

Who: Recommended for ages 13 and up

When: Through May 27 only

Me -  Children of a Lesser God was a very unique show. It's about the relationship between a hearing man and the deaf woman who he falls in love with. This show was very interesting to watch because the main male character, James Leeds, not only spoke his own lines but translated those of Sarah, the main female character, as well.  In addition to that, he also had to learn how to sign all of his own dialogue. I cannot begin to imagine how to difficult it must have been for him to learn all of those lines. Knowing all the work and dedication he must have put into his performance definitely adds a lot to the experience.  At times, the show did seem a little bit slow because of the lack of vocal conversations. However, the story and the plot were interesting enough to keep the audience invested throughout the entire performance.*

*The above is a guest post by older sister, Melia.

Mom - Children of A Lesser God is the story of a teacher at a school for the deaf and the fiesty and determined deaf woman he meets and falls in love with at the school. The show has the distinction of being the most acessible show ever produced on Broadway. It is not only completely signed in American sign language as well as being spoken out loud in English but it is also subtitled. The subtitles can be a bit distracting at times, however, because there is no way to turn them off if you don't need them. The cast is brilliantly led by the luminious, Lauren Ridloff making her Broadway debut. Ms. Ridloff was rightfully nominated for a Tony for her role in the show. The story is that allegedly she was brought in to help with the sign language in the show, and she was so good, they gave her the part. That was a wise choice on the part of the producers. Joshua Jackson is also making his Broadway debut in the role of the teacher, James Leeds. Although, he was not Tony nominated, he also does a terrific job in a demanding role where he not only has to learn all of his lines in both English and American sign language, but all of his co-star's  lines as well. This is not a good show for young children, who would probably be bored, but older children and adults should definitely enjoy it.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://childrenofalessergodbroadway.com.

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We were given free tickets to Sylvia for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Sylvia

Where: Kelsey Theatre
            1200 Old Trenton Rd.
            West Windsor, NJ

Who: 13 and Up

When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday through May 20.

Me - Sylvia was a very unusual show. It was about these people and their dog. The dog was played by a person. The acting was good, but  the show was kind of strange.

Mom - If you like shows that are kind of quirky and different, you may enjoy Sylvia. Sylvia is the story of a relationship between a married couple that is complicated by the arrival of a stray dog. The man is crazy about the dog; the woman not so much. The dog in the show is played by a woman. That is what makes the show so unusual. It would seems like it would be hard to stay in character and take it all seriously for the actors in the show, but they do a good job of of it. Maria Aromando does a particularly good job of playing the dog. She has some tough shoes to fill since the role was previously played on on and Off Broadway respectively by award winning actresses, Annaleigh Ashford and Sarah Jessica Parker. All in all, if you think you would like or can get past the idea of a dog being played by a woman, go see the show, you may enjoy it. If not, don't bother.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.kelseyatmccc.org/Sylvia.shtml

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Funtivity Friday.

Photo credits: All Children of a Lesser God production photos by Matthew Murphy