Wednesday, April 04, 2018

A Belated Commentary On A Triple Miracle Day

 Jacob Athyal and Harsh J. Gagoomal 
"Guards at the Taj" by Rajiv Joseph
Presented by Underground Railway Theater
Photo by Allan Sinclair

Wednesday two weeks ago was a day of Triple Miracles for me. I had planned to post this article and two reviews of the shows I saw, but those plans were overtaken by events. As many of you know, I received news of the sudden death of my brother while he and his wife were on a cruise in the Bahamas. Much of the past week and a half has been spent with the family in Virginia, so the reviews remain unwritten. But I wanted to acknowledge, at this late date, the two extraordinary plays that I saw on that day.

Miracle #1 - The much vaunted 4th Nor'easter of March delayed its entrance onto the Boston stage for about 12 hours, so that I was able to attend both a matinee and an evening performance of two plays I have been eagerly awaiting an opportunity to see.

Miracle #2 - The afternoon performance of the riveting the Huntington Theatre Company's "Skeleton Crew." The cast of Patricia R. Floyd, Jonathan Louis Dent, Toccara Cash, and Maurice Emmanuel Parent were outstanding in bringing us inside the minds and hearts of four Detroit residents whose jobs at an auto assembly plant are in jeopardy, and their lives are in chaos.

Jonathan Louis Dent, Toccarra Cash, Patricia R. Floyd, and Maurice E. Parent
in the Huntington Theatre Company's production of Skeleton Crew
Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian
© Photo: T. Charles Erickson.

Miracle #3 - The gripping drama "Guards at the Taj" Presented by Underground Railway Theater. Jacob Athyal and Harsh J. Gagoomal were memorable as childhood friends who grew to be guards at the public opening of the Taj Mahal. The play, written by Rajiv Joseph, is a deep philosophical reflection on the nature of beauty, especially when juxtaposed with mayhem and gore.

Harsh J. Gagoomal and  Jacob Athyal
"Guards at the Taj" by Rajiv Joseph
Presented by Underground Railway Theater
Photo by Allan Sinclair

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