While some may claim that the theatre is dead I want to tell you all that it's alive and well in New York.

Last Friday I had the pleasure of kick-starting my weekend with the best theatre I've seen in a long time. In Thunder Above, Deeps Below, playwright A. Rey Pamatmat tells the story of three homeless kids living on the streets of Chicago. He combines themes of gender and sexuality with classic themes of human survival and belief in the supernatural that take you through a full range of human emotion. I was thrilled, disturbed and exhausted when I left the performance. Now that's good theatre.

Since the A. Rey (aka Big Mouth) is a contributing editor to Big Queer (and a close friend) don't take my word for it alone. Daniel John Kelly's spot on review of the play over at NY Theatre.com states:

"Inspired by the late romances of Shakespeare, playwright A. Rey Pamatmat has created a wondrous magical adventure with Thunder Above, Deeps Below. It's large, loud, and complex—at times deeply funny, at times deeply disturbing. The play does credit to its classical roots while telling a story with real human characters that are entirely contemporary. Throughout the play, I found myself leaning forward in my seat, a huge smile on my face, totally immersed in the fantastical and yet heart-wrenching reality of the world of Thunder Above, Deeps Below."

I saw a staged reading of the play at the 2008 Eugene Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and was bowled over by it. Now in this world premier production, I am reminded how thrilling the theatre can be when you combine the talent of a brilliant writer with a super director and great cast.

Do not wait to get tickets as it runs only to September 26, 2009. Click your mouses over to Second Generation reserve your tickets and get ready for some intense theatre.