“Or,”

Dragon Productions Theatre Company
 

Kathryn Han

The plague has ravaged, a fire has leveled, and seemingly endless wars have demoralized a late 1660s London that is also still trying to recover from eleven years of so-called moral cleansing by anti-monarchist Oliver Cromwell.  Like a Phoenix rising from the flames and ashes, the once-banned theatres begin to rebuild, bolstered in the efforts by three women (producer, playwright, and actress) and a king who clearly likes his wine, women, and live stage performances.  Dragon Theatre presents an historically accurate (with sufficient artistic liberties, of course) accounting of the intertwined lives and loves of theatre owner Lady Davenant, spy-turned-playwright Aphra Behn, much-sought consort and comic actress Nell Gwyn, and “Merry Monarch” King Charles II in Liz Duffy Adams’ captivating and insightful Or,.

Please continue reading my entire review posted on Talkin’ Broadway at http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/sanjose/sj8.html

Rating: 4 E’s