Immigrants’ dilemmas play out in Philly with ‘The Last Parade’

We hear about immigrants as they are on the move — on a bus from Texas’ southern border, on a boat that capsizes in the Mediterranean, arriving by air from Afghanistan or Ukraine.

But what do we know about the wrenching choices they face in trying to decide whether to leave or where to go?

That question is at the heart of The Last Parade, by Stephanie Satie, a world premiere presented by InterAct Theatre Co. and directed by Seth Rozin, InterAct’s founder and artistic director.

It’s 1991 in Kyiv, Ukraine, as the former Soviet Union loosens its grip on satellite states and opens the door for people, especially Jewish people, to leave.

Three generations of a Jewish family grapple with the choice. There’s a grandfather, a married couple, and their two children — a son, Borya, 25, and a daughter, Anya, 17.

“Leaving a place because of its awful conditions, we have never had to think of that,” said actor Adam Howard, who plays Borya and serves as a narrator. Although the play is set in Ukraine, it’s not about the current conflict.

In The Last Parade, each character’s situation is unique. Borya’s father, played by Anthony Lawton, “has been beaten down so much by the living conditions and the government and the tyranny, it’s hard for him to imagine freedom in any sense of the word,” Howard said.

Howard describes his character “as a smooth talker. He’s the black sheep of the family.” Borya becomes a wheeler-dealer in the Russian Mafia, able to bring home coveted black-market items, such as toilet paper and flowers.

“He’s found some status and a sense of purpose in this environment,” so he’s not as eager to move to the United States as his sister is. “In rehearsal we’ve been talking a lot about whether America is the shiny beacon that it’s been portrayed to be,” Howard said.

Wednesday performances and matinees on Saturday and Sunday are followed by discussions with speakers. Among them are Satie, the playwright, on Feb. 4; Ilya Knizhnik, director of partnership at Ukraine TrustChain on Feb. 5; and Roman Petyk, chairman of the Ukrainian Community Foundation on Feb. 12.

(Jan. 27-Feb. 19, “The Last Parade,” Interact Theatre Co., The Drake, 302 S. Hicks St., Phila. 215-568-8079 or interacttheatre.org)

Jennifer Childs is a funny broad in her own right, so it’s no surprise that the co-founder and artistic director of 1812 Productions would kick off the all-comedy theater company’s first 2023 production with Broads.

“Broads is both a funny and timely experience; together, our ensemble will explore the rise of performers such as Mae West, Moms Mabley, Sophie Tucker, and more, through song and sketch,” Childs said in a statement.

Two Philly favorites — Mary Elizabeth “MB” Scallen and Melanye Finister join Rebecca Robbins, from Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera, to present both classic and original material in song and sketch. Childs curates and directs.

(Jan. 26-Feb. 26, “Broads,” 1812 Productions, Plays and Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place, Phila., 215-592-9560 or 1812productions.org)

Each year, American Theatre magazine publishes a list of the most-produced plays of the season. Clyde’s, on stage at the Arden Theatre Co., tops the list.

Working at Clyde’s, a truck stop sandwich shop just outside Reading, formerly incarcerated people try to create new lives — and the perfect sandwich.

There is a regional angle here. A few years back, playwright Lynn Nottage (tied for most-produced playwright) spent a lot of time in Reading, researching material for Sweat, her 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about the human cost of a factory closure. Philadelphia Theatre Co. staged Sweat in 2018.

While in Reading, Nottage found inspiration for Clyde’s.

(Jan. 26-March 12, “Clyde’s,” Arden Theatre Co., 40 N. 2nd St., Phila. 215-922-1122 or ardentheatre.org)

Two wildly different events on campus from Penn Live Arts this week: First, we have Benjamin Bagby, who uses his voice and the Germanic harp to present the Old English epic poem Beowulf, replete with dragons, demons, and heroic quests. Benjamin Bagby’s Beowulf stages Jan. 27, preceded by a roundtable discussion with him Jan. 26. Then, for something completely different, the comedic acrobatic duo Acrobuffos presents Air Play, where science and circus collide.

(Jan. 26, 5:15 p.m. Bagby Beowulf discussion, Kislak Center Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion, 6th floor, 3420 Walnut St. (entrance on campus side); Jan. 27., 8 p.m., “Benjamin Bagby’s Beowulf,” 8 p.m.; Harold Prince Theatre, 3680 Walnut St., and Jan. 29, 3 p.m., “Air Play,” Zellerbach Theatre, 3680 Walnut St. — all in Philadelphia, 215-898-3900 or pennlivearts.org)

Theater artist Annie Dorsen’s residency at Bryn Mawr College culminates this week with a world premiere performance/lecture/discussion, Algorithmic Theater: Prometheus (working title). Dorsen, who creates art with artificial intelligence, will generate dialogue and songs based on algorithmic prompts from the Promethia texts. A.I.-generated Greek masks will perform nightly as Dorsen reflects on technology and mythology. Because of the way A.I. creates, each of the three shows will be different.

(Jan. 26-28, “Algorithmic Theater: Prometheus (working title),” Goodhart Hall, Bryn Mawr College, 150 N. Merion Ave., Bryn Mawr, 610-526-5300 or brynmawr.edu)

Who doesn’t love Steel Magnolias and the friendships forged in Truvy’s beauty shop? Set in a small town in Louisiana, Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling is all gossip, all tears, and all laughter at Ambler’s Act II Playhouse.

(Jan. 31-Feb. 26, “Steel Magnolias,” Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, 215-654-0200 or act2.org)

Check with individual venues for COVID-19 protocols