Summer 2021
CHARMED LIFE
From Soul Singing to Opera Star
Written and performed by Lori Brown Mirabal. Directed by Vincent Scott
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Fall 2019
Bars and Measures
By Idris Goodwin. Directed by Kristan Seemel. Original Music by Justin Ellington
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Spring 2019
Death of a Driver
By Will Snider. Directed by Kim T. Sharp
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Fall 2018
The Retrospective
12 plays and a musical evening celebrating 35 years of groundbreaking theater
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Spring 2018
Dogs of Rwanda
By Sean Christopher Lewis. Directed by Frances Hill & Napolitano.
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Fall 2017
A Deal
By Zhu Yi. Directed by John Giampietro.
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Fall 2016/Spring 2017
Angry Young Man
By Ben Woolf. Directed by Stephen Hamilton.
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Communion
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Daniel MacIvor
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Winter Rhythms
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Fall 2015/Spring 2016
Mabel Madness
By Trezana Beverley| DIRECTED BY Frances hill and Peter Napolitano
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Unseamly
By OREN SAFDIE | DIRECTED BY SARAH C CARLSEN
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Fall 2014/Spring 2015
The Book of Moron
The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?
WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY ROBERT DUBAC
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Shatter
BY TRINA DAVIES
“Trina Davies book is intense, moving, thought-provoking and utterly devastating...” (Times Square Chronicle)
“A monument to those who lost their lives, and perhaps to those who lost their minds as well.”(DC Theatre Scene)
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Spring 2014
Jim Brochu Character Man
“A blend of cabaret, theater and scrapbook that produces a solidly satisfying evening. A genial polar bear, Mr. Brochu uses this “musical memoir” to tell his story, too — and smoothly applies his baritone to about a dozen songs from the musicals he mentions…walks down memory lane are rarely so entertaining.”(New York Times)
“Brochu is a terrific storyteller, and a fine singer, too. He mixes his funny, appealing reminiscences with some classic numbers for his own considerable gifts.
” (The New Yorker)
“Heartfelt! He approaches his idols with polish and their luster shines through him.”(Time Out New York)
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Spring 2013 & Fall 2013
HONKY
BY GREG KALLERES
A NEW YORK TIMES CRITIC'S PICK!
“Hilarious, irreverent, it keeps you laughing from start to finish.”(New York Times)
““Honky is a fizzy new comedy of rare perception: witty, sharp and troubling. Kalleres’ sense of nonsense is sublime. Kalleres doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable observations about race” (OffOffOnline)
“A thought-provoking satire that asks many questions and delivers as many answers.”(Harlem World Magazine)
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2011-12 Season:
MY OCCASION OF SIN
BY MONICA BAUER
“Vivian (Danielle Thompson), a 14-year-old African American girl holds the stage with sass, verve and just the right measure of innocence.”
“Johnson (Royce) has a strong presence as Luigi, an African American jazz musician unwillingly caught up in the race riot.”
““Rosebud Baker, as a young, white music student, plays her role with...humor and youthful energy” (THEATREMANIA)
“Is this production worth seeing? Absolutely. If you are interested in American history, race relations, jazz, rock and roll or Omaha, Nebraska, you will be well rewarded. The ensemble is earnest and energetic, the music, of Dave Brubeck, James Brown and Luigi Wells, is always a pleasure.”(nytheatre.com)
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WINTER RHYTHMS
“[Peter] Napolitano’s lyrics are sophisticated, subtle, and accessible, and range from poignant to playful. Levitt’s composing sensibility is a hybrid of Broadway, jazz and pop. Together, this new Rodgers and Hart of cabaret reveal a great ear…” (Stephen Hanks, Cabaret Scenes, December 9, 2011)
“[Tanya] Holt owned every song she sang…very poignant, conveying so much.”(Roy Sander, Bistro Awards, December 10, 2011)
“[Tanya Holt] sings with a little sass, some hip action and a whole lot of smile.”(Woman Around Town, Alix Cohen)
“[Karen] Oberlin performs ballads with intelligence and poignant credibility.” (Alix Cohen)
“WINTER RHYTMS, marks the third year that Urban Stages has brought noted musical artists to its stage…”(Broadway World.com)
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Bill Bowers Beyond Words
“Fascinating. Affecting. “Beyond Words” is engaging to the eye and ear.” NEW YORK TIMES
“He presents a portrait of small-town America filtered through his own experiences that’s both moving and funny. Bowers effortlessly brings us to laughter and tears, often at the same time.”NEW YORK POST
“Beyond Words,” is touching, filled with humor and poetic truths. Heart-warming”THE EXAMINER
“Bowers stories have an elegant and graceful physicality”BACKSTAGE
“For a skilled mime, Bowers is wonderful to listen to. Honesty and wry humor that is truly poignant and perfectly convey the humor and pathos”NYTHEATRE.COM
"Natural and vivid storytelling. Beyond Words talks to the silenced outsider in all of us and for a show by a mime, its words are stronger than its actions.”WOMANAROUNDTOWN
“He can call himself a mime, but, in truth, Bill Bowers is in a category all by himself.”L&S ONLINE AMERICA
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2010-11 Season:
Musical Legends Tribute
Cleve Douglass in NAT 'KING' COLE: UNFORGETTABLE SMOOTH GROOVES
"Cleve ... seems to be Nat 'King' Cole reincarnate with a voice as silky as the lapels of his tuxedo."
- New York Times
"He is one of the best male jazz singers on the scene today!" - New York Daily News
Gretchen Reinhagen in SPECIAL KAYE: A TRIBUTE TO THE INCOMPARABLE KAYE BALLARD
"I don't use this word often or casually, but Gretchen Reinhagen's show about Kaye Ballard is a triumph. It's everything a tribute show should be: loving, illuminating, informed and informative, with the icon's style captured to result in appreciation of the tributer and tributee." - Rob Lester, Cabaret Scenes
Janice Hall in GRAND ILLUSIONS: THE MUSIC OF MARLENE DIETRICH
WINNER OF THE BISTRO AWARD for GRAND ILLUSIONS: THE MUSIC OF MARLENE DIETRICH
"A glorious hour ... When the show was over, I stayed in my seat a few moments, moved. I realized that I was responding to three forces, all working together: the enduring power of Dietrich, the strength of Hall's performance, and the brilliance of this show and all of its elements. Can one ask more of a tribute?" - Roy Sander, Bistro Awards.com
Roz White in PEARL BAILEY...BY REQUEST
"A fine salute to the beautiful/glamorous/sophisticated side of Bailey’s life. As White launches into some of Bailey’s most famous songs — “Personality,” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” and “St. Louis Blues,” for instance — she delivers a near-perfect Bailey sound." - Barbara Mackay, Washington Examiner
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2009 - 2010 Season:
Langston In Harlem
lyrics by Langston Hughes, music by Walter Marks, directed by Kent Gash
Winner of 4 Audelco Awards in 2010, including Kenita Miller for "Outstanding Female Performance in a Musical" and Urban Stages for "Musical Production of the Year".
(photo by Melinda Hall)
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ReEntry
by Emily Ackerman and KJ Sanchez, Directed by KJ Sanchez
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2008-2009 Season:
Rewrite
by Joe Iconis, directed by John Simpkins
The New York Times - “Loopy, Nutty Loony. Iconis expertly lays the groundwork which land to showstopping effect.”
“Most unique and innovative show” Talk Entertainment;
“ReWrite is funny and very good. Iconis’lyrics are smart, funny, and referential. I have to admit I have never seen a musical like this.”nytheatre;
“Rewrite, is a great show.”Stage and Cinema; “ReWrite is a bitchin’ triptych of one-act pop/rock musicals” NY Press.
(photos by Alex Koch)
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2007- 2008 Season:
Oxford Roof Climbers Rebellion
by Stephen Massicotte
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27 Rue de Fleurus
by Ted Sod and Lisa Koch
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The Blue Bird
by Stanton Wood and Lori Ann Laster. "By marrying high-tech with high art, the familiar tale emanates as something strikingly new" NYTheatre.com says, The New York Times says the show does a "lovely job at evoking magical worlds and characters," while Backstage praised Andrey Bartenev's "spectacularly original" costumes and Alex Koch's "fanciful projections that include movement, such as a blue bird that flies around the room."
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 2006-2007:
Apostasy by Gino DiIorio, directed by Frances Hill
Mar-May 2007 "Fearless play... exceptional examples of naturalistic acting by the women in the cast [Susan Greenhill and Susan Louise O'Connor]... Acting is something to see... a wonderful mix of heartbreak and fury" - The New York Time
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The Magical Forest of Baba Yaga, new adaptation of Stanton Wood of the Russian play by Eugene Schwartz, "Two Maples", directed by Aleksey Burago "Wandering alone in mysterious woods can be dangerous, whether you’re in a fairy-tale landscape or a city park. The characters in Urban Stages’ new 75-minute musical are trapped in both: they’ve ventured into the enchanted wilderness of Russian folklore, right in the urban jungle of Brooklyn, where the witch Baba Yaga is practicing her evil ways." - The New York Times "This is a great show to bring the family to see..." offoffonlin
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Live Girls by Victoria Stewart,
directed by Lou Jacob
Oct - Nov 2006 "a forceful case that reality-based theater can be as artificial as reality television." - Jason Zinoman, The New York Times
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Bulrusher by Eisa Davis, directed by Leah C. Gardiner
(Mar-Apr 2006) PULITZER PRIZE, Best Drama finalist 2007, "[Eisa Davis] tickles the ears of her listeners [and] the effect is haunting... moving scenes on the banks of the pebble-strewn river, well designed by Dustin O'Neill, feel utterly true" The New York Times
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 The Snow Queen by Stanton Wood, directed by Daniella Topol
(Dec 05-Jan 2006) "This magical "Snow Queen" manages to be both undeniably New York and authentically Andersen" The New York Times
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 Marion Bridge by Daniel MacIvor, directed by Susan Fenichell
(Oct-Nov 2005) "... a solid core of emotional honesty" The New York Times
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 Comfort Women by Chungmi Kim, directed by Frances Hill
(Oct - Nov 2004)
"...effective drama comes alive with strong performances" The New York Times
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 Seven Rabbits on a Pole by John Picardi, directed by Frances Hill
(Mar-May 2004)
"Epic in the making!" The New York Times
"Storytelling at its finest" Curtain Up
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 Ah, My Dear Andersen adopted and directed by Aleksey Burago
(Dec '03-Jan '04; Dec '04-Jan '05)
"Visually stunning" The New York Times
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 Origins of Happiness by Felix Pire, Sept. 2003
"Felix A. Pire doesn't have a false moment" The New York Times
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 In Spite of Myself by Antoinette LaVecchia, Sept. 2003
“hilarious…LaVecchia is engaging, exciting and unpredictable.” Enthusiastic audience members called LaVecchia “an Italian Whoopi Goldberg!” America Oggi
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 Roses in December by Victor Cahn, directed by T.L. Reilly
(with James Naughton, Keira Naughton; continuing with Victor Slezak, and Paul Ben Victor)
"It's easy to see Roses In December blossom into many productions! Thanks to the many amusing turns of phrase, T.L. Reilly's smooth direction and Naughton and Naughton's fit-like-a glove interaction the characters evolve into richly nuanced portraits" ... CurtainUp.com
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 The Sweepers by John Picardi, directed by Frances Hill
Picardi has set ''The Sweepers,'' his often humorous, eventually gripping drama that for all the specificity of its time and place nevertheless resonates across the ensuing decades of sociological change, conflicts and casualties. The New York Times
moving to Capital Rep, Albany, Fall 2003
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 Circumferance of a Squirrel by John Walch, starring Paul Sparks, directed by T.L. Reilly
"Indearing and delightfully quirky" American Theatre Web
"Neatly shaped, admirable" The New York Times
"...Fortunately, director T.L.Reilly and his crackerjack design team keep Squirrel lively and theatrical with some terrific scene transitions and visuals... Sparks is an actor to keep your eye on." nytheatre.com
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 Men on a Verge of His-Panic Breakdown by Guillermo Reyes, starring Felix Pire, directed by Joseph Megel
COMMERCIAL MOVE, OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD
"Felix A. Pier does not have a false moment in this glorious six-character, eight-sketch, one-man play by Ruilllermo Reyes," The New York Times
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 Mother Lolita by Guillermo Reyes, directed by T.L. Reilly
"A remarkably efficient laugh machine" The New York Times
"The entire cast oozes energy ... enthrolling" The Village Voice
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 Coyote on a Fence, by Bruce Graham, Directed by Lou Jacob
DRAMA DESK NOMINATIONS:
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA; BEST SOUND DESIGN; OBIE AWARD NOMINATION
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 The Queen Bee's Last Stand by Rob Santana, directed by T. L. Reilly
"An explosive combination of personality and problems with just the right proportion of intensity and humor" Roma Torri, New York 1 Television
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 Pieces of the Sky by David Paterson, directed by T.L.Reilly
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 Minor Demons by Bruce Graham
COMMERCIAL MOVE
-OPENING THE NEW CENTURY THEATER OFF-BROADWAY
"A truly gripping evening in the theater!" New York Post
"Play pack a real punch" Daily News
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 A Dream of Wealth by Arthur Giron, directed by Richard Harden
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