SOUL DOCTOR at Circle In The Square Theatre
(Seen August 14, 2013)
This new bio-docu-musical, SOULD DOCTOR, urgently needs a script doctor to pare some of its bulging two and a half hour length, as it meanders through the pseudo-life of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. We follow him on his journey from a privileged childhood in pre-Nazi Vienna, to the heights of a pop figure as the singing Rabbi who sets up shop in his hippie-laden temple of Love and Prayer in Haight-Ashbury during the thriving era of the New Age society.
SOUL DOCTOR could also use a surgeon to cut out much of the extraneous and trite dance numbers, seemingly inspired from FIDDLER and HAIR. They intrude into the already diffuse journey from devoted Rabbinic scholar to a cultural icon, always searching to heal the souls of the world, one at a time, while unable to heal his own.
The start of his conversion, in this saga, is his meeting with a then-unknown Jazz singer, Nina Simone, a night club singer and church soloist.. She teaches him how to reach a person's soul through music.
The show is a series of hokey and stereotypical encounters --- from a senseless shooting of a singing yeshiva student by a Nazi soldier, to his meeting with an insightful phony "blind" singer in Washington Square Park. She gives him her guitar and teaches him the few chords he needs to know to become the singing sensation of the 60s.
Unfortunately, we never get to see the inner Shlomo Carlebach, or learn who he really is and why he embarks on this secular journey to find his place in God's world.
Eric Anderson physically and emotionally embodies Shlomo, and performs the pop versions of Carlebach's many religious melodies with appropriate intensity. He is a relentless performer in a role that deifies the religious soul doctor who couldn't understand his own personal unfulfilled dreams. The large and versatile cast fully supports the somewhat empty search.
I guess I shouldn't fault a show billed as "Based on the Real Life Story..." for the many missing and untold facts --- some, negative --- of what made Carlebach the man he was. It all depends on who is telling the tale.
This is a show that was created for a specific target audience --- basically aimed at Jewish patrons. And may appeal to Nina Simone fans as her character flits in and out of Shlomo's life. But I'm not sure how it will resonate with the usual Broadway theatre-goers. At the performance I attended, a huge number of males were wearing yamulkas.
As an entertainment, it is pandering, and draws applause, and hand-clapping to the music, but it is short on revelation and long on stereotype.
8/13/13
LOVE'S LABOURS LOST at the Public's Delacorte Theater
(Seen August 11, 2013)
Entertaining? Fast-paced? Tongue-in-cheek? Yes to all the above. But is it Shakespeare Hardly. The story is there --- four young nobles forsaking women and worldly pursuits to study, uninterrupted by the raucous world. And the occasional speeches and poems remain intact, but the essence is missing.
Unlike the Public's earlier venture this summer, musicalizing COMEDY OF ERRORS --- which kept it's original story and spirit, while updating the events -- this production goes far afield and loses focus.
Book writer-director Alex Timbers has filled the pleasant bucolic setting with extraneous and intrusive characterizations and overly intensive dance numbers.
It is loud and glitzy and schtick-filled, and its sometimes clever and bright dialogue is of a style that shouts: "See how clever I am!!!" (Triple exclamation points when none are necessary.)
The versatile cast is excellent in achieving the director's vision, but cannot overcome the material. It is like a musical revue, where the dances and the songs are the stars, with the story somehow stringing them together. I often felt like I was at a drag show, with all the men striving to show their feminine sides.
While I believe that love --- and the absence of it --- can drive men to do strange things, it doesn't quite work out creatively in this case. Although you couldn't tell that from the audience response --- it was definitely a crowd-pleaser.
But unlike COMEDY OF ERRORS, I wouldn't want to use it to introduce Shakespeare to new audiences.
(Seen August 11, 2013)
Entertaining? Fast-paced? Tongue-in-cheek? Yes to all the above. But is it Shakespeare Hardly. The story is there --- four young nobles forsaking women and worldly pursuits to study, uninterrupted by the raucous world. And the occasional speeches and poems remain intact, but the essence is missing.
Unlike the Public's earlier venture this summer, musicalizing COMEDY OF ERRORS --- which kept it's original story and spirit, while updating the events -- this production goes far afield and loses focus.
Book writer-director Alex Timbers has filled the pleasant bucolic setting with extraneous and intrusive characterizations and overly intensive dance numbers.
It is loud and glitzy and schtick-filled, and its sometimes clever and bright dialogue is of a style that shouts: "See how clever I am!!!" (Triple exclamation points when none are necessary.)
The versatile cast is excellent in achieving the director's vision, but cannot overcome the material. It is like a musical revue, where the dances and the songs are the stars, with the story somehow stringing them together. I often felt like I was at a drag show, with all the men striving to show their feminine sides.
While I believe that love --- and the absence of it --- can drive men to do strange things, it doesn't quite work out creatively in this case. Although you couldn't tell that from the audience response --- it was definitely a crowd-pleaser.
But unlike COMEDY OF ERRORS, I wouldn't want to use it to introduce Shakespeare to new audiences.
8/12/13
HARBOR at Primary Stages (59E59)
(Seen August 9th, 2013)
For many, 'harbor' is a metaphor for a safe haven, where you are protected from nature's storms. In this case, unexpected and unwanted visitors turn this harbor into a disaster area.
In Chad Beguelin's new play. Kevin and Ted, a co-dependent gay couple who have been together for ten years, are living a happily satisfying life in Sag Harbor. Ted is an older, successful architect who indulges his boy-toy partner, Kevin --- who has been talking about writing a novel for ten years, with nothing to show for it!
Kevin's sluttish older sister, pregnant and with her 15 year old daughter in tow, pounces into this somewhat idyllic household. Havoc ensues in this unbelievable passing of events. Issues of family duties and parenting run rampant, as the two women insinuate themselves into Ted and Kevin's prosaic life and lifestyle.
The play starts as a comedic sit-com, and ends as a soap opera tragedy. Kevin's sister destroys his marriage and his relationship with Ted, further alienates her own daughter, and leaves with Kevin to act as a "mommy" for the unborn child. The 15 year old precocious daughter remains with Ted, as if some sort of compensatory prize/burden to ease the loss of the man he loves.
It is an unlikely tale, with an unsatisfying and unreasonable conclusion.
The cast of actors is excellent, and they do what they can to bring these characters to life. Paul Anthony Stewart, Randy Harrison, Erin Cummings, and Alexis Molnar, under director Mark Lamos' deft hand, create a lively, stereotypical, dysfunctional family, getting appreciative laughs and sobs.
(Seen August 9th, 2013)
For many, 'harbor' is a metaphor for a safe haven, where you are protected from nature's storms. In this case, unexpected and unwanted visitors turn this harbor into a disaster area.
In Chad Beguelin's new play. Kevin and Ted, a co-dependent gay couple who have been together for ten years, are living a happily satisfying life in Sag Harbor. Ted is an older, successful architect who indulges his boy-toy partner, Kevin --- who has been talking about writing a novel for ten years, with nothing to show for it!
Kevin's sluttish older sister, pregnant and with her 15 year old daughter in tow, pounces into this somewhat idyllic household. Havoc ensues in this unbelievable passing of events. Issues of family duties and parenting run rampant, as the two women insinuate themselves into Ted and Kevin's prosaic life and lifestyle.
The play starts as a comedic sit-com, and ends as a soap opera tragedy. Kevin's sister destroys his marriage and his relationship with Ted, further alienates her own daughter, and leaves with Kevin to act as a "mommy" for the unborn child. The 15 year old precocious daughter remains with Ted, as if some sort of compensatory prize/burden to ease the loss of the man he loves.
It is an unlikely tale, with an unsatisfying and unreasonable conclusion.
The cast of actors is excellent, and they do what they can to bring these characters to life. Paul Anthony Stewart, Randy Harrison, Erin Cummings, and Alexis Molnar, under director Mark Lamos' deft hand, create a lively, stereotypical, dysfunctional family, getting appreciative laughs and sobs.
8/9/13
FIRST DATE at the Longacre Theatre
(Seen August 4th, 2013)
I know that 'silly' is not a critical word, but it aptly describes the goings-on of this first Broadway musical of the new season. Its three male creators are Austin Winsberg who wrote the book, with music and lyrics by Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner.
Two opposite News York personalities meet for the title description, and it's also a blind date --- in many ways. He, a Jewish yuppy: nerdish, nebbish, and reticent (at first). She: flashy, sexy, agnostic, free spirit, normally dating the bad guys. Naturally, after verbal clashes and revelations --- this being a feel-good musical --- the show ends with a warm, romantic hug and kiss.
Along the way, things sometimes get tedious. But the two stars, Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez, are appealing in their down-beat roles, and they usually lift up our spirits with their up-beat performances.
They are backed by a quirky and talented ensemble of five players, who never miss a beat despite the hokiness of the material they are working with. And they are all masters of the quick-change personalities and costumes. These fun-seekers are Bryce Ryness, Kristoffer Cusick, Blake Hammond, Sara Chase, and Kate Loprest. The proceedings are briskly directed by Bill Berry.
The show is sporadically clever, and even has its moments of sweetness and charm. We don't have to root for the mis-matched lovers, because we're pretty sure from the start that they'll end up with a second date.
(Seen August 4th, 2013)
I know that 'silly' is not a critical word, but it aptly describes the goings-on of this first Broadway musical of the new season. Its three male creators are Austin Winsberg who wrote the book, with music and lyrics by Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner.
Two opposite News York personalities meet for the title description, and it's also a blind date --- in many ways. He, a Jewish yuppy: nerdish, nebbish, and reticent (at first). She: flashy, sexy, agnostic, free spirit, normally dating the bad guys. Naturally, after verbal clashes and revelations --- this being a feel-good musical --- the show ends with a warm, romantic hug and kiss.
Along the way, things sometimes get tedious. But the two stars, Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez, are appealing in their down-beat roles, and they usually lift up our spirits with their up-beat performances.
They are backed by a quirky and talented ensemble of five players, who never miss a beat despite the hokiness of the material they are working with. And they are all masters of the quick-change personalities and costumes. These fun-seekers are Bryce Ryness, Kristoffer Cusick, Blake Hammond, Sara Chase, and Kate Loprest. The proceedings are briskly directed by Bill Berry.
The show is sporadically clever, and even has its moments of sweetness and charm. We don't have to root for the mis-matched lovers, because we're pretty sure from the start that they'll end up with a second date.
8/4/13
H20 at CATF/Shepherdstown, West Virginia
(CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN PLAY FESTIVAL)
(Seen July 20, 2013)
When a story sounds like it's been ripped from the headlines of a gossip magazine, revealing the death of yet another young superstar, drowned in adulation, vast riches, and abundant drugs --- you might think you've heard it all before. But Jane Martin has written a vivid, believable play that far outdoes what you might read in blogs and gossip sources.
What might seem a preposterous situation, and a pair of disparate lovers, achieves a sense of total reality, due to the creative team behind this intense drama. First and foremost, there is Jane Martin, the secret playwright who was "born" in 1982 at the Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival, and whose true identity is still unknown in the theatre community.
Then there is director Jon Jory (who originally "discovered" Martin), whose sure hand guides this sterling piece of contemporary theatre to heights we haven't seen for some years. And, of course, the two actors who so thoroughly inhabit their roles, so that you suffer with them in their emotional struggles.
Alex Podulke plays an actor who has amassed a following and a fortune by playing a super-hero in wordless mega-action films. Deep into drugs, he searches his persona to try to find out who he really is as an actor. A Broadwaqy producer brings him to New York to star in HAMLET, as his first stage appearance. He is also given 'carte blanche' to cast his own Ophelia.
Diane Mair, plays an unknown, aspiring actress, who is a crusading, evangelical Christian who feels her talents are God-given, and that only through Christ can an actor achieve greatness. She comes to his place for an audition, and is repelled, yet driven into his delusions and pains. And these two brilliant performers carry through this tragic story of fame, love, and death, with virtuoso performances.
Everything happens before our eyes, as Jory has scene and costumes changes made in full view of the audience. The cinematic flow of the of the piece keeps us emotionally involved and truly feeling the tragedy that ensues.
Hopefully, this production, intact, will make it to Broadway next season, so that once again New York audiences can see what's happening in our regional theatres.
-----------------------------------------------------------
[ This was a world premiere production, part of this season's five new plays at the CATF in Shepherdstown, West Virginia]
(CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN PLAY FESTIVAL)
(Seen July 20, 2013)
When a story sounds like it's been ripped from the headlines of a gossip magazine, revealing the death of yet another young superstar, drowned in adulation, vast riches, and abundant drugs --- you might think you've heard it all before. But Jane Martin has written a vivid, believable play that far outdoes what you might read in blogs and gossip sources.
What might seem a preposterous situation, and a pair of disparate lovers, achieves a sense of total reality, due to the creative team behind this intense drama. First and foremost, there is Jane Martin, the secret playwright who was "born" in 1982 at the Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival, and whose true identity is still unknown in the theatre community.
Then there is director Jon Jory (who originally "discovered" Martin), whose sure hand guides this sterling piece of contemporary theatre to heights we haven't seen for some years. And, of course, the two actors who so thoroughly inhabit their roles, so that you suffer with them in their emotional struggles.
Alex Podulke plays an actor who has amassed a following and a fortune by playing a super-hero in wordless mega-action films. Deep into drugs, he searches his persona to try to find out who he really is as an actor. A Broadwaqy producer brings him to New York to star in HAMLET, as his first stage appearance. He is also given 'carte blanche' to cast his own Ophelia.
Diane Mair, plays an unknown, aspiring actress, who is a crusading, evangelical Christian who feels her talents are God-given, and that only through Christ can an actor achieve greatness. She comes to his place for an audition, and is repelled, yet driven into his delusions and pains. And these two brilliant performers carry through this tragic story of fame, love, and death, with virtuoso performances.
Everything happens before our eyes, as Jory has scene and costumes changes made in full view of the audience. The cinematic flow of the of the piece keeps us emotionally involved and truly feeling the tragedy that ensues.
Hopefully, this production, intact, will make it to Broadway next season, so that once again New York audiences can see what's happening in our regional theatres.
-----------------------------------------------------------
[ This was a world premiere production, part of this season's five new plays at the CATF in Shepherdstown, West Virginia]
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