Chasing Manet

I just saw Chasing Manet by Tina Howe. I took playwrighting from Tina while working on my masters in theatre at Hunter College in the late '90's. Tina was a delight. She'd already been nominated for the Tony, Obie, Pulitzer, etc., etc., but she never intimidated us. She was such fun--as is Chasing Manet.

I laughed; I wept; my spirit soared! My friend, Lauren Yarger, and I left so uplifted and energized. Lauren had heard Tina speak, saying that she wanted this play to fill a void: There are so few plays that address the needs of people in their later years. The play certainly addresses those needs, but as a fellow still in his 30s (for another five weeks), I was inspired! I came away so joy and hope-filled.

Lauren got me into the show because she's an Outer-Circle critic. Here's a link to her piece: Review: Chasing Manet.

Lauren and I have a common friend who also reviewed the play:

Retta Blaney at UpontheSacredStage.Blogspot.com

You should know there's quite a bit of language and sexual innuendo, though the later is there to highlight the fact that we keep our libido to the end.

Though she wrote Skin Deep in 2007, the most recent of Tina's published plays is Pride's Crossing, for which she was a finalist for a Pulitzer for the second time. Among her many other awards are an Obie for Distinguished playwriting, a Tony nomination for best Play, an Outer Circle Critics Award, a Rockefeller Grant, two N.E.A. Fellowships, a Guggenheim Fellowship, an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature, the Sidney Kingsley Award, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, two honorary degrees and the William Inge Award for Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre.