Director Matt Shakman Delivers Artistic Wake-Up Calls Worthy Of The Great Reopening

deadline.com:

By Peter Bart Editor-At-Large Dismiss it as a gimmick. Or a genius stunt. Or praise it as a metaphor for recovery. In any case, if you ask Matt Shakman he’ll tell you that he wanted to help deliver a wake-up call to audiences — a positive signal at a time when ticket buyers have fallen into a state of slumber.

Hence the arrival of The Present, a riveting interactive zoom magic show produced by the Geffen Theater Group (reviewed by Deadline on May 27).

Shakman, artistic director of the Geffen, has lately delivered wake up calls in other arenas as well, exhibiting a propensity for innovative and obstreperous humor.