Amy and the Orphans, currently running off-Broadway, rocked my world.
But I’m not the only one talking about it, not even close! Check out all this press!
New York Times Article:
Near the end of 2015, the playwright Lindsey Ferrentino and the actress Jamie Brewer were watching clips of Donald J. Trump, then a candidate, appearing to mock a reporter with a physical disability. They were horrified — which made their work on a new play, centered on a character with Down syndrome, all the more significant.
“From that point forward, the play took on a new meaning for me,” Ms. Ferrentino said.
“Big time,” Ms. Brewer added.
Broadway Buzz:
Buckle up! After winning fans on Ryan Murphy’s ultra-addicting American Horror Story, Jamie Brewer is making her off-Broadway debut in Lindsey Ferrentino’s Amy and the Orphans. The play, which stars Brewer alongside Tony winner Debra Monk and stage and screen star Mark Blum, takes place on a family road trip as a sister and brother reunite with Amy, their movie enthusiast sister who has Down syndrome. Actor and activist Brewer is no stranger to making strides for people with intellectual developmental disabilities. In 2015, she became the first woman with Down syndrome to walk the runway at New York Fashion Week. Now, she is taking both her artistry and advocacy off-Broadway. We caught up with Brewer to talk about how it feels to be a role model, her celebrity crushes, and why Mulan is the Disney princess she relates to the most.
Broadway World:
Roundabout Theatre Companypresents the world premiere of Amy and the Orphans by Lindsey Ferrentino, directed by Scott Ellis. The cast includes Vanessa Aspillaga as “Kathy,” Mark Blum as “Jacob,” Jamie Brewer as “Amy,” Diane Davisas “Sarah,” Josh McDermitt as “Bobby” and Debra Monkas “Maggie.” Amy and the Orphans opened officially last night at the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 West 46th Street). This will be a limited engagement through April 22, 2018. Let’s see what the critics had to say.
New York Times Review:
Jamie Brewer works wonders with recycled dialogue. As one of three anxiously reunited adult siblings in “Amy and the Orphans,” the insightful but uneven new play by Lindsey Ferrentino, Ms. Brewer frequently speaks in vintage movie quotations. Her character — the Amy of the title — is given to stopping conversations with lines like, “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”
Theater Mania:
Mostly pics from the opening night. What fun! Check it out Here.
The Voice:
Baby boomers are likely to feel the poignant truth of Amy and the Orphans more sharply than younger viewers of Lindsey Ferrentino’s admirable new play. Some boomers probably once shared — or will at least recognize, as the story unfolds — the societal blindness that the sixtyish orphans of the title eventually will discover about themselves. Let’s not suggest, however, that others will be left unmoved by this funny and thoughtful comedy-drama currently premiered by Roundabout Theater Company in its Off-Broadway space at the Laura Pels Theatre.
Times Square Chronicles:
The best part of Lindsey Ferrentino’s Amy and the Orphans is Jamie Brewer, the first actor with Down syndrome to play a lead in either an off-Broadway or Broadway production. She is absolutely wonderful. She has a male understudy, Edward Barbanell, so at certain performances, the title changes to Andy and the Orphans. Brewer is completely moving, impressively talented, and takes your heart in her hands.
New York Theatre Guide:
End your struggle as you comb through reviews trying to decide where to take your friends from Your home town to the theatre in New York. Get your tickets now for the limited run of Amy and the Orphans by Lindsey Ferrentino, directed by Scott Ellis, at the Laura Pels Theatre presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company. This show is a perfect collaboration of casting, script and directing. Choose this one and your friends will call you a star, too.
Broadway World Podcast:
And my review #1:
I also talked about other Broadway and why this really matters, here.
There’s more to come from me, and from others, I’m sure.
So, that’s the wrap-up so far. My advice: read and share. 🙂
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