{"id":177,"date":"2016-10-02T18:27:14","date_gmt":"2016-10-02T18:27:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/?p=177"},"modified":"2023-12-27T02:28:46","modified_gmt":"2023-12-27T02:28:46","slug":"reviews-red-velvet-at-stnj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/?p=177","title":{"rendered":"REVIEWS: Red Velvet at STNJ"},"content":{"rendered":"

David recently closed his successful and critically applauded run of “Red Velvet” at Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey in September 2016. Here’s what local critics had to say about the regional premiere of this immediately relevant and important piece:<\/p>\n

Patrick Maley, NJ.com (Sept 15, 2016)
\n‘Red Velvet’ at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is a gripping history lesson<\/a><\/p>\n

But the proceedings get considerably more interesting in the play’s latter half, particularly because we come to understand Aldridge as a complex, nuanced person. One long debate between Laporte and Aldridge results in a blockbuster scene. The director is pulled between his duty to the theater’s trustees and his loyalty to his friend, while the actor angrily defends his dignity and artistic achievements. Director Monte wisely clears the stage and lets her two actors have at it. Smiling and Foubert boil over as they jab at each other while defending themselves, but their stirring performances make vivid that this is less a personal argument than it is deeply entrenched in layers of social, aesthetic, and historical struggle.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Richard Carter, BlastingNews.com (Sept 22, 2016)
\n“Seething must-see racial drama\u2014Lolita Chakrabarti\u2019s \u2018Red Velvet\u2019 at Shakespeare Theatre”<\/a><\/p>\n

Managing the unmanageable: David Foubert, as company manager Pierre Laporte, and Lindsay Smiling are electrifying in the play\u2019s most gut-wrenching scene, when Pierre and Ira\u2019s long-standing friendship totally ruptures. In explosive, high-decibel, hurricane-force exchanges, their raw dialogue is frightening, disturbing. When thrown to the floor and about to be struck by Ira, his line \u201cThis is who you truly are!\u201d, is psychologically shattering. Mr. Smiling perfectly conveys its nearly catatonic effects throughout the lengthy final scene change.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Philip Dorian, SceneOnStage.com (September 11, 2016<\/a>)<\/p>\n

David Foubert\u2019s portrayal of the well-intentioned Covent Garden manager is a sympathetic one, even as he succumbs to racial, social and financial pressure. … It is hardly a cheery ending, but as directed by Bonnie J. Monte into a seamless blend of actorly behavior, 19th Century racial attitudes (disturbingly familiar, need one say), and a smattering of Shakespeare, Red Velvet is a satisfying, immersive experience.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Simon Saltzman, CurtainUp.com<\/a><\/p>\n

The French theater manager Pierre Laorte (David Foubert) robustly defends and stands by his provocative decision to have Aldridge replace Kean but only supporting actor Henry (Garrett Lawson) can attest to having seen Aldridge actually perform. … This largely character-driven play gives time for the actors in the company to express their dismay, as does the hugely disappointed Pierre who was forced to replace Aldridge after the reviews were published. … Enthusiastic word of mouth should help keep the theater filled for the duration of its run.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David recently closed his successful and critically applauded run of “Red Velvet” at Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey in September 2016. Here’s what local critics had to say about the regional premiere of this immediately relevant and important piece: Patrick Maley, NJ.com (Sept 15, 2016) ‘Red Velvet’ at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":272,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10,2],"tags":[16,11],"class_list":["post-177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","category-theatre","tag-shakespearetheatrenj","tag-shakespearetheatreofnewjersey"],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":172,"url":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/?p=172","url_meta":{"origin":177,"position":0},"title":"THEATER: Red Velvet at STNJ","author":"admin","date":"August 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"David is delighted to be returning to the acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey to portray Pierre LaPorte in their production of Red Velvet. This marks the New Jersey premiere of award-winning British playwright, Lolita Chakrabarti\u2019s true-life story of Ira Aldridge, an African-American actor and the first black man to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":357,"url":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/?p=357","url_meta":{"origin":177,"position":1},"title":"David Foubert returning to STNJ as Nick Bottom in “A Midwinter Night’s Dream” December 2023","author":"admin","date":"November 19, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"David is honored to be returning to his home theater, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, to play the iconic comedic role of Nick Bottom the weaver in STNJ's \"re-seasoned\" production of \"A Midwinter Night's Dream\" this winter. David was most recently seen at STNJ in Red Velvet in 2018 and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Press"","block_context":{"text":"Press","link":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidfoubert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Shakes-Nov18.jpg?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidfoubert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Shakes-Nov18.jpg?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidfoubert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Shakes-Nov18.jpg?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":431,"url":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/?p=431","url_meta":{"origin":177,"position":2},"title":"David Foubert returns permanently to Northeast – available for stage and film in NY\/NJ\/PA","author":"admin","date":"August 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In October 2024, stage and screen actor David Foubert and his wife (game developer and author Cheryl Platz) relocated permanently to Pennsylvania from their home of three years in Los Angeles. David is actively auditioning in the tri-state area as a proud AEA and SAG-AFTRA member, and can be reached\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Film"","block_context":{"text":"Film","link":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidfoubert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/STNJ_HenryVIII_1094.jpg?fit=600%2C429&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidfoubert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/STNJ_HenryVIII_1094.jpg?fit=600%2C429&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidfoubert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/STNJ_HenryVIII_1094.jpg?fit=600%2C429&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":111,"url":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/?p=111","url_meta":{"origin":177,"position":3},"title":"THEATER: David as King Henry VIII in New Jersey","author":"admin","date":"September 24, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"David is honored to announce his return after many years to the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey in October 2014. He will be portraying the infamous King Henry VIII in Shakespeare's Henry VIII. Rehearsals have begun, and tickets are onsale at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey website. Previews begin\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":119,"url":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/?p=119","url_meta":{"origin":177,"position":4},"title":"Early Reviews for David in “Henry VIII”","author":"admin","date":"October 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week marked the opening weekend for the rarely-produced \"Henry VIII\" at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (directed by Paul Mullins), where David Foubert plays the title role of the infamous King Henry VIII. Some of the early buzz: Simon Saltzmann, CurtainUp New Jersey (October 20, 2014) \"I am obliged\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidfoubert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/STNJ_HenryVIII_08774.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidfoubert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/STNJ_HenryVIII_08774.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidfoubert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/STNJ_HenryVIII_08774.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidfoubert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/STNJ_HenryVIII_08774.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":117,"url":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/?p=117","url_meta":{"origin":177,"position":5},"title":"Interview with David on BroadwayWorld.com","author":"admin","date":"October 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"BroadwayWorld.com took a moment to interview David in the days leading up to his turn as King Henry VIII at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey! Foubert spoke about returning this season to STNJ. \"It is a great joy to be back. STNJ is my first home for theater and my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Interviews"","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidfoubert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/STNJ_Red-Velvet_4_WEB.jpg?fit=400%2C267&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=177"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":183,"href":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177\/revisions\/183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidfoubert.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}