In Paradise / She Plundered Him

In Eduardo Machado’s new play In Paradise an estranged husband shows up on his wife’s doorstep. Carlos left Marilyn seven years ago for another man, but both the conflicts and chemistry between them feels as fresh as if they were never apart. Deserted by his lover, Carlos has returned to Marilyn for answers and salvation. As they delve into the remains of their shared history, the power struggle between them plays out through recrimination, eroticism, anger, and love. Can you help someone who betrayed you move forward, or will you always blame one single person for ruining your entire life?

In Nick Norman’s lyrical new play She Plundered Him the boundaries of familial relationships are tested in new and dangerous ways. Calder, already on a mental precipice, is convinced that he saw something unseemly pass between his wife, Keep, and son, Anthony…but did he? As Calder’s obsessive jealousy spirals out of control and Keep and Anthony lie to him and one another, the family unit threatens to break irreparably. Throughout, the playwright employs heightened classical language infused with harsh vernacular, and the results are harrowing and brutal. Nick Norman’s devastating story presents a searing, challenging emerging voice to New York theatre.