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Art by Jason Simon

Token Theatre Friends: ‘Mean Girls,’ Puppets, and Lena Hall

This week, it’s ‘Mean Girls’ ($119+) vs. ‘Symphonie Fantastique’ ($35+). Plus, the Friends chat with Hall in her apartment.

Twice a month on the Token Theatre Friends video series, theatre critics Jose Solís and Diep Tran bring a POC perspective to the performing arts. They discuss three shows at three different price points, then offer their picks for the best one for the money.

This episode is a little later than normal because Jose came down with a bout of bronchitis. But he recovered quickly.

This week, the three shows are:

Mean Girls, by Tina Fey, Jeff Richmond, and Nell Benjamin, currently running on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre. Was it fetch? Find out!

Symphonie Fantastique, by Basil Twist, currently running until July 15 at HERE. It’s a puppet show in a giant water tank. And it defies description.

Zurich by Amelia Roper, running at New York Theatre Workshop, in a production from Colt Coeur (through May 5). It’s about strangers in a hotel room who are all connected by a large event.

This week’s guest is Tony winner Lena Hall (Hedwig and the Angry Inch). The Friends visited Hall’s apartment where she talked about her Obsessed project: Each month she is releasing an EP of covers of songs from her favorite artists, such as Elton John, Stephen Trask, and P!NK. Plus her dog Ziggy makes a cameo.

Below, American Theatre presents an exclusive look at a new Obsessed music video: a cover of P!NK’s 2008 hit “Sober.”

And for today’s 11 O’Clock Number, the Friends talk about the Tony nominations, and why is there no award for best play script? Tony voters, get with the Oscars and the Emmys!

Subscribe to Token Theatre Friends on YouTube or like American Theatre on Facebook to get notifications about new friendly videos. Have comments, suggestions for segments, shows to plug, or thoughts on how the Friends can be even better? Contact the Token Theatre Friends via email or Twitter.

This episode was filmed at the Artist Co-op, a co-working space in Manhattan. If you visit their website, you’ll get a day for free (they have office and rehearsal spaces, and comfortable couches).

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