REVIEW: “The Girl on the Train” at Schenectady Civic Players

by Dan Mayer Author Paula Hawkins’ novel The Girl on the Train became an international best-seller, as well as a 2016film starring Emily Blunt, before being adapted for the stage. Schenectady Civic Players‘ production takes off like a speeding locomotive, but audiences may be in for a bumpy ride. The…

REVIEW: “Well” at Schenectady Civic Players

by Sierra Pasquale Toward the end of Lisa Kron’s “Well” she notes, “This avant garde, metatheatrical shit will really bite you in the ass”, and with that, I couldn’t agree more.  “Well”, currently on the boards at the Schenectady Civic Players, is a semi-autobiographical play that explores themes of illness,…

REVIEW: “Play It Again, Sam” at Schenectady Civic Players

by Dan Mayer While he’s been mired in controversy for a long time, Woody Allen’s impact on generations of actors, writers, and filmmakers is undeniable. Schenectady Civic Players‘ production of Play it Again, Sam excellently captures what people love about Allen’s early work, and makes for a fun night of…

REVIEW: “The Father” at Schenectady Civic Players

by Jess Hoffman The synopsis of The Father found on Schenectady Civic Players’ event page is short but telling: “Now 80 years old, AndrĂ© was once a tap dancer. He lives with his daughter, Anne, and her husband, Antoine. Or was AndrĂ© an engineer, whose daughter Anne lives in London…

REVIEW: “Chapter Two” at Schenectady Civic Players

by Jessica Hoffman I must admit I’m a sucker for a comedy–a Neil Simon comedy all the moreso. Schenectady Civic Players’ current production, Chapter Two, is neither Neil Simon’s funniest comedy nor his most profound drama, but it is nevertheless chock full of Simon’s witty repartee and true-to-life, laugh-out-loud humor.…

REVIEW: “The Goat (or Who is Sylvia?)” at Schenectady Civic Players

by Jess Hoffman So far this year I have reviewed plays about such heavy topics as drug addiction, incest, revolution, and pedophilia. And yet none of those shows left me quite as disturbed as Schenectady Civic Player’s production of The Goat (or Who is Sylvia). This show put me in…

REVIEW: “The Revolutionists” at Schenectady Civic Players

by Jess Hoffman It’s hard to think of a more fitting production for Women’s History Month than Schenectady Civic Players’ current offering. The Revolutionists is a re-imagining of the lives of four historical women in the French Revolution that is so apropos of our current moment that one can forget…