BANANA MONOLOGUES at the Acorn Theatre
How many writers does it take to write a foul-mouthed, ridiculous, adolescent, put-down, one person show? In this case it took three --- John Brennan, Jason Cooper, and Mary Cimino. They obviously feel they have created a valid theatre piece, and have enlisted director Debra Whitfield to stage their egotistical diatribe.
A young, frustrated male is talking to and about his penis --- the banana of the title --- (and his alter ego named Sgt. Johnson). This makes for juvenile laughs for some of the audience, but vulgarity and silliness is not enough to build a show on.
Brennan, the solo performer, tells his saga of his found/lost/found/lost love affair with a puerile relish and a veneer of "listen to how clever I am". This tasteless performance belongs in a bad wet dream, not on a stage.
7/31/13
THE SILVER CORD at the Theatre at St. Clement's
(Seen June 13, 2013)
Sidney Howard's 1926 drama, THE SILVER CORD, shows its age, with its creaky situations. It comes across as a Freudian textbook example of a over-possessive mother. Mrs. Phelps, constantly manipulating her two sons, is determined that she should be the only woman in her sons' lives. She goes to extreme measures to destroy the marriage of her older son, and convinces her younger son to break his engagement so that he can remain at home with her.
It's all very melodramatic, And maybe 90 years ago it was a new message about a mother's love. And everyone plays it to the melodramatic hilt, as though this was real life.
But director Dan Wackerman has added another element. He has inexplicably cast a man to play Mrs. Phelps. While this might work in an Oscar Wilde drawing-room comedy, in this case it turns everything into a drag show, which only makes for even more explicit melodrama.
(Seen June 13, 2013)
Sidney Howard's 1926 drama, THE SILVER CORD, shows its age, with its creaky situations. It comes across as a Freudian textbook example of a over-possessive mother. Mrs. Phelps, constantly manipulating her two sons, is determined that she should be the only woman in her sons' lives. She goes to extreme measures to destroy the marriage of her older son, and convinces her younger son to break his engagement so that he can remain at home with her.
It's all very melodramatic, And maybe 90 years ago it was a new message about a mother's love. And everyone plays it to the melodramatic hilt, as though this was real life.
But director Dan Wackerman has added another element. He has inexplicably cast a man to play Mrs. Phelps. While this might work in an Oscar Wilde drawing-room comedy, in this case it turns everything into a drag show, which only makes for even more explicit melodrama.
HERE LIES LOVE at the Public Theater
(Seen May 5, 2013)
MURDER BALLAD at the Union Square Theatre
(Seen May 14, 2013)
These two shows have tangential alliances, other than the fact that they both detail love stories gone awry. They each have forced what should be a conventional theatre piece into an environmental format.
HERE LIES LOVE has the audience moved about, as on a dance floor, theoretically to follow as the action moves to various stage areas. MURDER BALLAD has the scenes pop up in various sections of a bar/club, with the audience straining to watch from various areas in order to see the story unfold.
Both pop-rock musicals are intense and driven, and feature highly talented performances. But I feel that the creators have imposed an environmental approach in order to be different or experimental, not because it works better for the material. It seems they have avoided a proscenium or theatre-in-the-round as a device. At the Public Theatre, in fact, there are a limited number of seats in a balcony surrounding the space, where the audience can watch the show without being being constantly herded about by ushers.
HERE LIES LOVE, with "concept and lyrics" by David Byrne, and music by Byrne and Fatboy Slim, is a compelling story of the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos, strongly sung and acted by Ruthie Ann Miles, forcefully supported by Melody Butiu, Jose Llana, and Conrad Ricamora, along with an able ensemble cast, with driven direction by Alex Timbers.
MURDER BALLAD, with concept, book, and lyrics by Julia Jordan, and music and lyrics by Juliana Nash, is less epic, but still relentless in telling this story of love, passion, betrayal. The ill-fated trio of lovers are passionately played and sung by Caisee Levy, Will Swenson, and John Ellison Conlee, with Rebecca Naomi Jones as a narrator/ringmaster to propel the story forward. It is a strong work directed by Trip Cullman.
I would like to see these musical works again, in a proscenium or thrust stage format, where I could be more focussed on the material rather than the surroundings.
(Seen May 5, 2013)
MURDER BALLAD at the Union Square Theatre
(Seen May 14, 2013)
These two shows have tangential alliances, other than the fact that they both detail love stories gone awry. They each have forced what should be a conventional theatre piece into an environmental format.
HERE LIES LOVE has the audience moved about, as on a dance floor, theoretically to follow as the action moves to various stage areas. MURDER BALLAD has the scenes pop up in various sections of a bar/club, with the audience straining to watch from various areas in order to see the story unfold.
Both pop-rock musicals are intense and driven, and feature highly talented performances. But I feel that the creators have imposed an environmental approach in order to be different or experimental, not because it works better for the material. It seems they have avoided a proscenium or theatre-in-the-round as a device. At the Public Theatre, in fact, there are a limited number of seats in a balcony surrounding the space, where the audience can watch the show without being being constantly herded about by ushers.
HERE LIES LOVE, with "concept and lyrics" by David Byrne, and music by Byrne and Fatboy Slim, is a compelling story of the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos, strongly sung and acted by Ruthie Ann Miles, forcefully supported by Melody Butiu, Jose Llana, and Conrad Ricamora, along with an able ensemble cast, with driven direction by Alex Timbers.
MURDER BALLAD, with concept, book, and lyrics by Julia Jordan, and music and lyrics by Juliana Nash, is less epic, but still relentless in telling this story of love, passion, betrayal. The ill-fated trio of lovers are passionately played and sung by Caisee Levy, Will Swenson, and John Ellison Conlee, with Rebecca Naomi Jones as a narrator/ringmaster to propel the story forward. It is a strong work directed by Trip Cullman.
I would like to see these musical works again, in a proscenium or thrust stage format, where I could be more focussed on the material rather than the surroundings.
7/30/13
NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812
at the Kazino
(Seen May 11, 2013)
This is the most entertaining and likable musical of the season. Its concept, demeanor, and realization are superb. Dave Malloy has taken a section of Tolstoy's WAR AND PEACE, and created a musical that sings, soars, and has fun with its serious back story.
The producers have erected a huge "tent" under the Highline. Its shabby exterior hides a veritable Russian palace ballroom/club, replete with chandeliers and rich drapery. The large cast performs throughout the immense space, with playing areas all around. They also visit at some of the many tables where the audience is seated, and perform the most unobtrusive interactions with the patrons --- who are enjoying their gourmet Russian feast, which is included as part of the ticket price.
Scenes move seamlessly throughout the areas, under the sure direction of Rachel Chavkin. Phillipa Soo as Natasha, and Dave Malloy as Pierre, lead the huge and multi-talented cast through this epic presentation. It is a great tribute to Dave Malloy's creative vision.
And even the wait-staff, many Russian-speaking and costumed, fit into the atmospherical surroundings in the Kazino. This show was commissioned by Ars Nova, and originated there, before moving to its present luxurious setting.
at the Kazino
(Seen May 11, 2013)
This is the most entertaining and likable musical of the season. Its concept, demeanor, and realization are superb. Dave Malloy has taken a section of Tolstoy's WAR AND PEACE, and created a musical that sings, soars, and has fun with its serious back story.
The producers have erected a huge "tent" under the Highline. Its shabby exterior hides a veritable Russian palace ballroom/club, replete with chandeliers and rich drapery. The large cast performs throughout the immense space, with playing areas all around. They also visit at some of the many tables where the audience is seated, and perform the most unobtrusive interactions with the patrons --- who are enjoying their gourmet Russian feast, which is included as part of the ticket price.
Scenes move seamlessly throughout the areas, under the sure direction of Rachel Chavkin. Phillipa Soo as Natasha, and Dave Malloy as Pierre, lead the huge and multi-talented cast through this epic presentation. It is a great tribute to Dave Malloy's creative vision.
And even the wait-staff, many Russian-speaking and costumed, fit into the atmospherical surroundings in the Kazino. This show was commissioned by Ars Nova, and originated there, before moving to its present luxurious setting.
I'LL EAT YOU LAST at the Booth Theatre
(Seen May 6, 2013)
It's been almost fifty years since Bette Middler was a replacement in Broadway's FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. She returns now in a one-person show, subtitled "A Chat With Sue Mengers". It's less of a chat and more of a revelatory look into a day in the life of a Hollywood super agent.
It's a special day in her life --- Barbra Streisand has just fired her, and she sits on her couch in her opulent Beverly Hills home. She is continuously smoking joints and cigarettes in tandem, waiting for a call from Barbra, which never comes.
John Logan has written this intense study of Mengers, which is meticulously directed by Joe Mantello. The team of Middler/Logan/Mantello capture the essence of the character and of the times.
Although the material wouldn't suffer from excising some superfluous chatting, Middler never loses a moment of Menger's personality. It's another example of a show with a Hollywood legend coming to Broadway --- and in this case, it works well.
(Seen May 6, 2013)
It's been almost fifty years since Bette Middler was a replacement in Broadway's FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. She returns now in a one-person show, subtitled "A Chat With Sue Mengers". It's less of a chat and more of a revelatory look into a day in the life of a Hollywood super agent.
It's a special day in her life --- Barbra Streisand has just fired her, and she sits on her couch in her opulent Beverly Hills home. She is continuously smoking joints and cigarettes in tandem, waiting for a call from Barbra, which never comes.
John Logan has written this intense study of Mengers, which is meticulously directed by Joe Mantello. The team of Middler/Logan/Mantello capture the essence of the character and of the times.
Although the material wouldn't suffer from excising some superfluous chatting, Middler never loses a moment of Menger's personality. It's another example of a show with a Hollywood legend coming to Broadway --- and in this case, it works well.
SONG OF NORWAY at Carnegie Hall
(Seen April 30, 2013)
I thought I remembered SONG OF NORWAY, and looked forward to seeing this concert version at Carnegie Hall. I guess I was experiencing false-memory syndrome, as I sat and listened --- and read the projected lyrics overhead. I could not fathom how this show could have had such successful run in 1944 --- the year I was in College and "discovered" theatre.
This current production has a first-rate cast. Jim Dale is the narrator (written by Roger Rees). The cast includes Marni Nixon, Judy Kaye, and Santino Fontana. Ted Sperling is the Conductor and Director. The American Symphony Orchestra and the Collegiate Chorale contribute their vast talents.
The main problem is the inane lyrics and the musical arrangements. The only song that seemed to survive was STRANGE MUSIC (a pop-record hit in its time). The fine performances and singing voices were mostly dragged down by the material.
Incidentally, a program note points out that the 1970 film version was "one of the most overblown flops of all time", quoting Pauline Kael's New Yorker review: "the movie is of an unbelievable badness." That pretty much sums up my feelings about this production.
(Seen April 30, 2013)
I thought I remembered SONG OF NORWAY, and looked forward to seeing this concert version at Carnegie Hall. I guess I was experiencing false-memory syndrome, as I sat and listened --- and read the projected lyrics overhead. I could not fathom how this show could have had such successful run in 1944 --- the year I was in College and "discovered" theatre.
This current production has a first-rate cast. Jim Dale is the narrator (written by Roger Rees). The cast includes Marni Nixon, Judy Kaye, and Santino Fontana. Ted Sperling is the Conductor and Director. The American Symphony Orchestra and the Collegiate Chorale contribute their vast talents.
The main problem is the inane lyrics and the musical arrangements. The only song that seemed to survive was STRANGE MUSIC (a pop-record hit in its time). The fine performances and singing voices were mostly dragged down by the material.
Incidentally, a program note points out that the 1970 film version was "one of the most overblown flops of all time", quoting Pauline Kael's New Yorker review: "the movie is of an unbelievable badness." That pretty much sums up my feelings about this production.
ORPHANS at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
(Seen April 24, 2013)
Lyle Kessler's three-character play explores the relationship of two adult brothers, and a stranger who intrudes in their totally dysfunctional family life. Treat, the older brother (Ben Foster) keeps his younger sibling, Phillip (Tom Sturridge) in a feral, juvenile state, afraid to leave their run-down Philadelphia house.
One day, Treat, a petty criminal, brings home an inebriated Harold (Alec Baldwin), thinking him to be a rich businessman who he could hold prisoner until a ransom is paid. The bumbling brothers soon discover that Harold is a gangster, who easily frees himself, but decides to stay on as the boys' surrogate father.
The play's reversal of fortunes add a new dynamic to the relationships. Director Daniel Sullivan, despite the histrionics of the situation, brings out the many light-hearted moments. The strong cast, particularly Baldwin, seems to enjoy the proceedings. Role reversals between the brothers, and a tragic ending, makes for a strong drama.
(Seen April 24, 2013)
Lyle Kessler's three-character play explores the relationship of two adult brothers, and a stranger who intrudes in their totally dysfunctional family life. Treat, the older brother (Ben Foster) keeps his younger sibling, Phillip (Tom Sturridge) in a feral, juvenile state, afraid to leave their run-down Philadelphia house.
One day, Treat, a petty criminal, brings home an inebriated Harold (Alec Baldwin), thinking him to be a rich businessman who he could hold prisoner until a ransom is paid. The bumbling brothers soon discover that Harold is a gangster, who easily frees himself, but decides to stay on as the boys' surrogate father.
The play's reversal of fortunes add a new dynamic to the relationships. Director Daniel Sullivan, despite the histrionics of the situation, brings out the many light-hearted moments. The strong cast, particularly Baldwin, seems to enjoy the proceedings. Role reversals between the brothers, and a tragic ending, makes for a strong drama.
CINDERELLA at the Broadway Theatre
(Seen April 10, 2013)
An unexpected pleasure, especially for adults, is this new version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein fairy tale --- all credit due to a new book by Douglas Carter Beane, and the attitude of director Mark Brokaw.
This is a clever, tongue-in-cheek look an old, old story, made delicious fun by its most engaging cast. Laura Osnes offers a charming performance, and is in top form in this singing/acting/dancing role. And Santino Fontana, playing the reluctant prince with a shy/sly wink, sings his heart out in a stellar performance.
Victoria Clark adds her charms and fine talents, heading a large and excellent supporting cast. There is fun and intelligence in this happy production. It's fine family fare that's no longer aimed strictly for children.
(Seen April 10, 2013)
An unexpected pleasure, especially for adults, is this new version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein fairy tale --- all credit due to a new book by Douglas Carter Beane, and the attitude of director Mark Brokaw.
This is a clever, tongue-in-cheek look an old, old story, made delicious fun by its most engaging cast. Laura Osnes offers a charming performance, and is in top form in this singing/acting/dancing role. And Santino Fontana, playing the reluctant prince with a shy/sly wink, sings his heart out in a stellar performance.
Victoria Clark adds her charms and fine talents, heading a large and excellent supporting cast. There is fun and intelligence in this happy production. It's fine family fare that's no longer aimed strictly for children.
LUCKY GUY at the Broadhurst Theatre
(Seen April 4, 2013)
The back-story of LUCKY GUY has more interest than the play itself. A well-loved Nora Ephron wrote this play about an ordinary, plodding New York reporter who happened to get a scoop, which eventually won him a Pulitzer Prize in journalism. Ephron died before the play was ready for production. It's a mediocre work, but the many people who loved her, pursued the production of this play as a tribute to her memory.
Tom Hanks becomes the key to this project going forward. It's unlikely that this lack-luster, B-movie type material, would be here without his presence. He plays the real-life reporter/columnist, Mike McAlary, in this unfolding docu-drama of the ups-and-downs in the life of a New York itinerant reporter. He brings charm and charisma to a not particularly nice guy. McAlary is chummy and congenial in his way, but always self-serving. Because McAlary died of cancer at the age of 41, Ephron tugs at the heartstrings of the audience.
But despite all the comradery and rivalries shown in various New York newsrooms, the audience doesn't really care about anyone but Hanks, not his role. They are here to see Hanks live, on stage --- and that's the bottom line.
Director George C> Wolfe keeps things moving swiftly and briskly, but there isn't too much he can do with this weak script. The large supporting cast do well in their stereotypical roles. It's a shame the material isn't up to their capabilities.
(Seen April 4, 2013)
The back-story of LUCKY GUY has more interest than the play itself. A well-loved Nora Ephron wrote this play about an ordinary, plodding New York reporter who happened to get a scoop, which eventually won him a Pulitzer Prize in journalism. Ephron died before the play was ready for production. It's a mediocre work, but the many people who loved her, pursued the production of this play as a tribute to her memory.
Tom Hanks becomes the key to this project going forward. It's unlikely that this lack-luster, B-movie type material, would be here without his presence. He plays the real-life reporter/columnist, Mike McAlary, in this unfolding docu-drama of the ups-and-downs in the life of a New York itinerant reporter. He brings charm and charisma to a not particularly nice guy. McAlary is chummy and congenial in his way, but always self-serving. Because McAlary died of cancer at the age of 41, Ephron tugs at the heartstrings of the audience.
But despite all the comradery and rivalries shown in various New York newsrooms, the audience doesn't really care about anyone but Hanks, not his role. They are here to see Hanks live, on stage --- and that's the bottom line.
Director George C> Wolfe keeps things moving swiftly and briskly, but there isn't too much he can do with this weak script. The large supporting cast do well in their stereotypical roles. It's a shame the material isn't up to their capabilities.
KINKY BOOTS at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre
(Seen April 6, 2013)
Hidden beneath the glitter and flash, lies an old-fashioned love story, which includes the discovery that when you love and accept yourself for who you are, nothing can stop you.
The story is clothed in the boots of a traditional English shoe factory whose shoes have become stylistically out-of-its-time. A young man who doesn't want to follow in his father's shoes, inherits the factory and feels obliged to carry on for the sake of tradition and the town's workers. Enter a drag queen, who comes up with a plan to save the factory. but who still hasn't come to terms with who he is.
With a mellow and appealing book by Harvey Fierstein, wrapped around a pop score by Cyndi Lauper which snares our heart and our emotions, the cast captures our attention and our involvement in this soppy musical.
Topping off the cast is a virtuoso performance by Billy Porter, as the drag queen, Lola --- dancing, singing, and acting his heart out. Stark Sands, as Charlie, adds his fine talents as the unwilling heir. And Annaleigh Ashford is a wonderful counterpoint as a factory girl who finally wins Charlie's love.
It's a Broadway love story, told with feeling and gusto, brightly and inventively directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell.
(Seen April 6, 2013)
Hidden beneath the glitter and flash, lies an old-fashioned love story, which includes the discovery that when you love and accept yourself for who you are, nothing can stop you.
The story is clothed in the boots of a traditional English shoe factory whose shoes have become stylistically out-of-its-time. A young man who doesn't want to follow in his father's shoes, inherits the factory and feels obliged to carry on for the sake of tradition and the town's workers. Enter a drag queen, who comes up with a plan to save the factory. but who still hasn't come to terms with who he is.
With a mellow and appealing book by Harvey Fierstein, wrapped around a pop score by Cyndi Lauper which snares our heart and our emotions, the cast captures our attention and our involvement in this soppy musical.
Topping off the cast is a virtuoso performance by Billy Porter, as the drag queen, Lola --- dancing, singing, and acting his heart out. Stark Sands, as Charlie, adds his fine talents as the unwilling heir. And Annaleigh Ashford is a wonderful counterpoint as a factory girl who finally wins Charlie's love.
It's a Broadway love story, told with feeling and gusto, brightly and inventively directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell.
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF at the Richard Rodgers Theatre
(Seen January 23, 2013)
Tennessee Williams modern classic has attracted yet another star to attempt the role of Maggie the cat --- this time, it's Scarlett Johansson, still somewhat fresh from her recent Tony award for A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE. She has the looks and the demeanor for Maggie, but these are superficial for a role of this dimension. And Benjamin Walker, late of BLOODY, BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, plays Brick almost like a cypher.
But the main problem is director Rob Ashford's decision to dilute Williams' poetry and emotions --- giving us empty passion, instead! He has filled the play with excessive and intrusive sound effects and music that only diminish and get in the way, reducing the effectiveness of the individual scenes instead of under-scoring them.
The play comes across as a loud, relentless, sterile piece of theatre.
(Seen January 23, 2013)
Tennessee Williams modern classic has attracted yet another star to attempt the role of Maggie the cat --- this time, it's Scarlett Johansson, still somewhat fresh from her recent Tony award for A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE. She has the looks and the demeanor for Maggie, but these are superficial for a role of this dimension. And Benjamin Walker, late of BLOODY, BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, plays Brick almost like a cypher.
But the main problem is director Rob Ashford's decision to dilute Williams' poetry and emotions --- giving us empty passion, instead! He has filled the play with excessive and intrusive sound effects and music that only diminish and get in the way, reducing the effectiveness of the individual scenes instead of under-scoring them.
The play comes across as a loud, relentless, sterile piece of theatre.
SCANDALOUS at the Neil Simon Theatre
(Seen November16, 2012)
Aimee Semple McPherson, a self-proclaimed preacher who conquered the Hollywood elite in the 1920s, is a character who may deserve some tribute in a musical about her life. But Kathie Lee Gifford, who wrote the book, lyrics, and "additional music", fails to provoke our interest in her by-the-numbers, year-by-year, re-telling of McPherson's story.
And even adding Charlie Chaplin, William Randolph Hearst, and Louella Parsons to her cast of characters, hasn't turned the trick. Pseudo glitz and glamor do not rescue a failed musical. The writing is bland and uninteresting, while the music by David Pomeranz and David Friedman is forgettable.
You can't blame the performers when the material isn't substantial enough to catch our interest. Carolee Carmello does as much as possible to pull it off, but cannot overcome the problems of the show. The cast is eager and capable of better work. George Hearn, in his secondary role of Brother Bob, is the only character that seems real and believable.
(Seen November16, 2012)
Aimee Semple McPherson, a self-proclaimed preacher who conquered the Hollywood elite in the 1920s, is a character who may deserve some tribute in a musical about her life. But Kathie Lee Gifford, who wrote the book, lyrics, and "additional music", fails to provoke our interest in her by-the-numbers, year-by-year, re-telling of McPherson's story.
And even adding Charlie Chaplin, William Randolph Hearst, and Louella Parsons to her cast of characters, hasn't turned the trick. Pseudo glitz and glamor do not rescue a failed musical. The writing is bland and uninteresting, while the music by David Pomeranz and David Friedman is forgettable.
You can't blame the performers when the material isn't substantial enough to catch our interest. Carolee Carmello does as much as possible to pull it off, but cannot overcome the problems of the show. The cast is eager and capable of better work. George Hearn, in his secondary role of Brother Bob, is the only character that seems real and believable.
BUYER & CELLAR at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre
(Seen April; 22, 2013)
Jonathan Tolins has written a very informative play about the real and imagined quirks and personality of Barbra Streisand, and her strange and private shopping mall in the basement of a barn on her Malibu estate.
The basis of the play is rooted in Streisand's coffee-table book and dvd, MY PASSION FOR DESIGN, which is replete with photographs of the various stores and their merchandise, all from Streisand's personal accumulation of "stuff". Although she is the only shopper in this little village, she does have a salesman/storekeeper to tend to her shops.
Tolins has taken off from this premise, and brought us into the dark life of a young actor who takes on the actual job of that storekeeper. He has written a funny, satirical vehicle for Michael Urie, who plays all the roles with great joy and wonderment. It is briskly directed by Stephen Brackett.
My only small problem with this totally entertaining show is that whenever we might achieve a meaningful "moment" on stage, Urie (or Tolins or Brackett) goes for the joke. They get the laughs every time --- but it would have been nice to occasionally savor the emotional moment.
(Seen April; 22, 2013)
Jonathan Tolins has written a very informative play about the real and imagined quirks and personality of Barbra Streisand, and her strange and private shopping mall in the basement of a barn on her Malibu estate.
The basis of the play is rooted in Streisand's coffee-table book and dvd, MY PASSION FOR DESIGN, which is replete with photographs of the various stores and their merchandise, all from Streisand's personal accumulation of "stuff". Although she is the only shopper in this little village, she does have a salesman/storekeeper to tend to her shops.
Tolins has taken off from this premise, and brought us into the dark life of a young actor who takes on the actual job of that storekeeper. He has written a funny, satirical vehicle for Michael Urie, who plays all the roles with great joy and wonderment. It is briskly directed by Stephen Brackett.
My only small problem with this totally entertaining show is that whenever we might achieve a meaningful "moment" on stage, Urie (or Tolins or Brackett) goes for the joke. They get the laughs every time --- but it would have been nice to occasionally savor the emotional moment.
ANN at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre
(Seen March 18, 2013)
Holland Taylor is an entrepreneurial actress, best known for her film and television work. At one point, Taylor obvious fell in love with the story of Ann Richards, the late Texas governor, and decided to re-incarnate her.
After years of research and countless meetings with Richards' family and friends, Taylor has written a tour-de-force one-person show for herself, which seems like a believable impersonation of the real Ann Richards.
Unfortunately, Taylor's acting talents are superior to her playwriting abilities, and the result is a paean to a woman that we don't know enough about --- nor do we care to know. This one-sided version of a life in politics covers all the important events in Richards' career, but we never get to really see how she became the person we somewhat know.
Director Benjamin Endsley Klein has not been able to give any real life or meaning to this "and then..." story. While Taylor has created a vehicle for herself as an actress, she has not been able to breathe life into the character.
(Seen March 18, 2013)
Holland Taylor is an entrepreneurial actress, best known for her film and television work. At one point, Taylor obvious fell in love with the story of Ann Richards, the late Texas governor, and decided to re-incarnate her.
After years of research and countless meetings with Richards' family and friends, Taylor has written a tour-de-force one-person show for herself, which seems like a believable impersonation of the real Ann Richards.
Unfortunately, Taylor's acting talents are superior to her playwriting abilities, and the result is a paean to a woman that we don't know enough about --- nor do we care to know. This one-sided version of a life in politics covers all the important events in Richards' career, but we never get to really see how she became the person we somewhat know.
Director Benjamin Endsley Klein has not been able to give any real life or meaning to this "and then..." story. While Taylor has created a vehicle for herself as an actress, she has not been able to breathe life into the character.
TALLY'S FOLLY at Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre
(Seen March 7, 2013)
A fondly remembered little play, Lanford Wilson's Pulitzer Prize winning TALLY'S FOLLY, has been sensitively revived by the Roundabout Theatre. And they have wisely recruited a pair of low-key, intense, appealing actors to recreate the story of how two 'losers' come together.
Danny Burstein and Sarah Paulson totally embody their roles, charmingly parrying each other with affection and skill. Director Michael Wilson's unseen hands brings out the poetry and reality of this battle for a love partnership between two disparate personalities and social classes.
Wilson's play provides a charming vehicle for these theatre artists to win our affection.
(Seen March 7, 2013)
A fondly remembered little play, Lanford Wilson's Pulitzer Prize winning TALLY'S FOLLY, has been sensitively revived by the Roundabout Theatre. And they have wisely recruited a pair of low-key, intense, appealing actors to recreate the story of how two 'losers' come together.
Danny Burstein and Sarah Paulson totally embody their roles, charmingly parrying each other with affection and skill. Director Michael Wilson's unseen hands brings out the poetry and reality of this battle for a love partnership between two disparate personalities and social classes.
Wilson's play provides a charming vehicle for these theatre artists to win our affection.
VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE
at Lincoln Center's Newhouse Theater
(Seen November 18, 2012)
With a wink and a nod to Chekov, Chris Durang has written a delightful new play, full of fun and satire, and peopled with characters you might enjoy spending an evening with.
Shades of THE SEAGULL and UNCLE VANYA may lurk in the shadows, but only in a good-hearted way. Durang has set his comic play in a home in Bucks County, PA, present day. Sister and brother Sonia and Vanya inhabit the decaying family homestead, where they have put their lives and ambitions 'on hold' to tend to their late mother. Meanwhile, sister Masha has become a rich movie star -- and the breadwinner for the family. Add a Caribe housekeeper, Cassandra; a boy-toy for Masha named Spike; and a dewy-eyed young neighbor named Nina, to complete a burgeoning household.
David Hyde Pierce snugly and comfortably fits his role of Vanya, while Kristine Nielsen's Sonia is touching and funny. Siguorney Weaver seems to relish being Masha, while Billy Magnussen thrives as Spike. Shalita Grant strides through the role of Cassandra, and Genevieve Angelson personifies her ingenue role.
Durang has developed bright and clever dialogue for his characters, and despite some over-long monologues, this entertaining work is one of the best plays of the new season.
at Lincoln Center's Newhouse Theater
(Seen November 18, 2012)
With a wink and a nod to Chekov, Chris Durang has written a delightful new play, full of fun and satire, and peopled with characters you might enjoy spending an evening with.
Shades of THE SEAGULL and UNCLE VANYA may lurk in the shadows, but only in a good-hearted way. Durang has set his comic play in a home in Bucks County, PA, present day. Sister and brother Sonia and Vanya inhabit the decaying family homestead, where they have put their lives and ambitions 'on hold' to tend to their late mother. Meanwhile, sister Masha has become a rich movie star -- and the breadwinner for the family. Add a Caribe housekeeper, Cassandra; a boy-toy for Masha named Spike; and a dewy-eyed young neighbor named Nina, to complete a burgeoning household.
David Hyde Pierce snugly and comfortably fits his role of Vanya, while Kristine Nielsen's Sonia is touching and funny. Siguorney Weaver seems to relish being Masha, while Billy Magnussen thrives as Spike. Shalita Grant strides through the role of Cassandra, and Genevieve Angelson personifies her ingenue role.
Durang has developed bright and clever dialogue for his characters, and despite some over-long monologues, this entertaining work is one of the best plays of the new season.
WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF at the Booth Theatre
(Seen October 23, 2012)
For many of us, the definitive production of VIRGINIA WOOLF was the original, with Uta Hagen in a memorable performance. In a number of revivals through the years, not one has quite surpassed that in my memory. But now director Pam MacKinnon has created a noteworthy presentation with an overpowering performance by Tracy Letts.
Tracy Letts, who won all kinds of awards as the author of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY several years ago, returns to his acting roots. Originating at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Letts unexpectedly creates what is probably the finest performance this season. Every movement and action throbs in his persona. He is strongly matched by Amy Morton, with equal passion. Carrie Coon and Madison Dirks complete this tight ensemble cast.
This is certainly a revival that should be seen by every theatre lover. Edward Albee could not ask for a better interpretation than what these five theatre artists have achieved.
(Seen October 23, 2012)
For many of us, the definitive production of VIRGINIA WOOLF was the original, with Uta Hagen in a memorable performance. In a number of revivals through the years, not one has quite surpassed that in my memory. But now director Pam MacKinnon has created a noteworthy presentation with an overpowering performance by Tracy Letts.
Tracy Letts, who won all kinds of awards as the author of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY several years ago, returns to his acting roots. Originating at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Letts unexpectedly creates what is probably the finest performance this season. Every movement and action throbs in his persona. He is strongly matched by Amy Morton, with equal passion. Carrie Coon and Madison Dirks complete this tight ensemble cast.
This is certainly a revival that should be seen by every theatre lover. Edward Albee could not ask for a better interpretation than what these five theatre artists have achieved.
IF THERE IS I HAVEN'T FOUND IT YET
at the Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre
(Seen September 27, 2012)
Who would have thought that global warming could destroy a marriage and make a family dysfunctional? British playwright Nick Payne has written an obtuse play where water is a major player.
Rain and a moat separate the audience from the players --- who wind up in water up to their ankles, with their furniture specifically thrown in a heap upstage. But the four characters --- a couple, their daughter, and the husband's younger brother --- drown in metaphors before the water can do more damage.
Jake Gyllenhaal has chosen this play to make his New York stage debut, and is properly off-beat as the brother/uncle in this troubled family. Brian O'Byrne is passionate as the husband who totally neglects his family in the pursuit of his search regarding global warming. Michelle Gomez and Annie Funke are the long-suffering wife and daughter, and acquit themselves admirably.
Director Michael Longhurst has not brought any clarity nor depth to the muddled antics of his cast. The superficiality of the dialogue isn't overcome by strong performances.
at the Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre
(Seen September 27, 2012)
Who would have thought that global warming could destroy a marriage and make a family dysfunctional? British playwright Nick Payne has written an obtuse play where water is a major player.
Rain and a moat separate the audience from the players --- who wind up in water up to their ankles, with their furniture specifically thrown in a heap upstage. But the four characters --- a couple, their daughter, and the husband's younger brother --- drown in metaphors before the water can do more damage.
Jake Gyllenhaal has chosen this play to make his New York stage debut, and is properly off-beat as the brother/uncle in this troubled family. Brian O'Byrne is passionate as the husband who totally neglects his family in the pursuit of his search regarding global warming. Michelle Gomez and Annie Funke are the long-suffering wife and daughter, and acquit themselves admirably.
Director Michael Longhurst has not brought any clarity nor depth to the muddled antics of his cast. The superficiality of the dialogue isn't overcome by strong performances.
TEN CHIMNEYS at the Theatre at St. Clement's
(Seen September 29th, 2012)
One of the many problems in creating a play based on real people --- especially theatre icons --- is representing them as the recognizable personalities that we associate with these stars of a past generation.
Jeffrey Hatcher has fearlessly brought together Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Sydney Greenstreet, and Uta Hagen, among others, to spend some time at the Lunt-Fontanne homestead --- TEN CHIMNEYS --- in rural Wisconsin.
Life-changing encounters ensue as Hatcher drags out all the revelations of everyone's private lives, in their pursuits of their artistic ambitions and goals. The would-be sophistication of these people and their lives, however, never seem believable.
Hatcher's attempts to draw parallels from THE SEAGULL --- which they rehearse during the play --- doesn't really develop well. It is a would-be drawing-room comedy bathed in soap opera, with a touch of farce. And the earnest cast cannot overcome the heavy-handed writing and the leisurely direction of Dan Wackerman
(Seen September 29th, 2012)
One of the many problems in creating a play based on real people --- especially theatre icons --- is representing them as the recognizable personalities that we associate with these stars of a past generation.
Jeffrey Hatcher has fearlessly brought together Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Sydney Greenstreet, and Uta Hagen, among others, to spend some time at the Lunt-Fontanne homestead --- TEN CHIMNEYS --- in rural Wisconsin.
Life-changing encounters ensue as Hatcher drags out all the revelations of everyone's private lives, in their pursuits of their artistic ambitions and goals. The would-be sophistication of these people and their lives, however, never seem believable.
Hatcher's attempts to draw parallels from THE SEAGULL --- which they rehearse during the play --- doesn't really develop well. It is a would-be drawing-room comedy bathed in soap opera, with a touch of farce. And the earnest cast cannot overcome the heavy-handed writing and the leisurely direction of Dan Wackerman
CHAPLIN THE MUSICAL at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
(Seen September 12, 2012)
While CHAPLIN... is not the show that Charlie Chaplin deserves, it is an olio of the events and elements that made him the movie star and multi-talented artist that created a score of great motion pictures. His films always reached out and touched the hearts of his audience.
CHAPLIN... may be superficial in its depiction of those events in his life, but despite its shortcomings, it is an entertaining show. Underneath all the glitz, it's a story of a lonely tramp always looking for love in the wrong places and with the wrong people. But finally, with his last wife, Oona, he finds a soul-mate who loves him for himself, rather than for his persona and public image.
Rob McClure inhabits Chaplin comfortably, in all aspects --- performer, dancer, singer. He may be low-key, but he is always believable. The entire cast works well as an ensemble, with fine work from Christiane Noll as his unbalanced mother, Michael McCormick in multiple roles, and particularly Zachary Unger as both the young Charlie and as Jackie Coogan.
The book is by Christopher Curtis and veteran Thomas Meehan, with music and lyrics by Curtis. Warren Carlyle directed and choreographed with a light hand, with set designs by Beowulf Boritt. Though far from perfect, it is a show that deserves a long run.
(Seen September 12, 2012)
While CHAPLIN... is not the show that Charlie Chaplin deserves, it is an olio of the events and elements that made him the movie star and multi-talented artist that created a score of great motion pictures. His films always reached out and touched the hearts of his audience.
CHAPLIN... may be superficial in its depiction of those events in his life, but despite its shortcomings, it is an entertaining show. Underneath all the glitz, it's a story of a lonely tramp always looking for love in the wrong places and with the wrong people. But finally, with his last wife, Oona, he finds a soul-mate who loves him for himself, rather than for his persona and public image.
Rob McClure inhabits Chaplin comfortably, in all aspects --- performer, dancer, singer. He may be low-key, but he is always believable. The entire cast works well as an ensemble, with fine work from Christiane Noll as his unbalanced mother, Michael McCormick in multiple roles, and particularly Zachary Unger as both the young Charlie and as Jackie Coogan.
The book is by Christopher Curtis and veteran Thomas Meehan, with music and lyrics by Curtis. Warren Carlyle directed and choreographed with a light hand, with set designs by Beowulf Boritt. Though far from perfect, it is a show that deserves a long run.
COUGAR THE MUSICAL at St. Lukes' Theatre
(Seen August 22, 2012)
Recent years have seen an increased coupling of younger men with older women, so naturally, Donna Moore and director-choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett have collaborated on concocting a light-hearted musical romp on this current craze.
They have us follow the mis-adventures in the lives of three disparate women, as they encounter love and loss in the city. We experience their good times and their bad times as they meander their way, searching for a satisfying -- and hopefully, meaningful -- love life.
Danny Bernardy plays all the various men in the affairs of Brenda Braxton, Catherine Porter, and Babs Winn. It is a harmless and usually entertaining look at relationships.
(Seen August 22, 2012)
Recent years have seen an increased coupling of younger men with older women, so naturally, Donna Moore and director-choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett have collaborated on concocting a light-hearted musical romp on this current craze.
They have us follow the mis-adventures in the lives of three disparate women, as they encounter love and loss in the city. We experience their good times and their bad times as they meander their way, searching for a satisfying -- and hopefully, meaningful -- love life.
Danny Bernardy plays all the various men in the affairs of Brenda Braxton, Catherine Porter, and Babs Winn. It is a harmless and usually entertaining look at relationships.
OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES at the Westside Theatre
(Seen August 15, 2012)
Peter Gethers and Daniel Okrent have compiled a collection of the worst of the 'Borscht Belt' type jokes, and five performers of varying talents try to entertain us. Mostly silly, occasionally offensive, always hokey, director Marc Bruni has them all shamelessly mugging and winking to make sure we get the jokes.
This is another of those manufactured shows targeting a specific audience. Admittedly, while I grimaced and suffered silently, the audience laughed loudly at all the double-entendres and embarrassing humor.
I'll avoid listing the names of the joke-tellers, because I know they are capable of better things.
(Seen August 15, 2012)
Peter Gethers and Daniel Okrent have compiled a collection of the worst of the 'Borscht Belt' type jokes, and five performers of varying talents try to entertain us. Mostly silly, occasionally offensive, always hokey, director Marc Bruni has them all shamelessly mugging and winking to make sure we get the jokes.
This is another of those manufactured shows targeting a specific audience. Admittedly, while I grimaced and suffered silently, the audience laughed loudly at all the double-entendres and embarrassing humor.
I'll avoid listing the names of the joke-tellers, because I know they are capable of better things.
8/18/12
HARVEY at the Roundabout's Studio 54
(Seen June 20, 2012)
In an innocuous revival of Mary Chase's period comedy, the cast seems to dream-walk through their silly roles, led by tv personality Jim Parsons as Elwood P. Dowd, the character who has an invisible six-foot rabbit -- Harvey -- as his companion.
Parsons is the most low-key, no-energy personality to adorn a Broadway stage this season, and brings little more than innocence to an otherwise thankless role. Carol Kane, Charles Kimbrough, and Larry Bryggman submerge their personalities to fit the caricature roles given them.
This very dated play, under Scott Ellis' direction, should be returned to the archives where it can rest on its past laurels from a previous century.
(Seen June 20, 2012)
In an innocuous revival of Mary Chase's period comedy, the cast seems to dream-walk through their silly roles, led by tv personality Jim Parsons as Elwood P. Dowd, the character who has an invisible six-foot rabbit -- Harvey -- as his companion.
Parsons is the most low-key, no-energy personality to adorn a Broadway stage this season, and brings little more than innocence to an otherwise thankless role. Carol Kane, Charles Kimbrough, and Larry Bryggman submerge their personalities to fit the caricature roles given them.
This very dated play, under Scott Ellis' direction, should be returned to the archives where it can rest on its past laurels from a previous century.
THE COLUMNIST at the Samuel Friedman Theatre
(Seen April 28, 2012)
David Auburn has written a revelatory drama about the life and secrets of a high profile and highly influential political journalist of the 1960s. Joseph Alsop was a columnist who was both respected and feared, by presidents and politicians.
Auburn takes us behind the scenes, as we see Alsop's interactions with family, other journalists, and his not-so-secret sexual orientation. While the dramatic impact is low-key, it is an informative look at a man, a time, and how historical events played out in his orderly life.
John Lithgow embodies the role completely, with all the complexities and foibles of the character, while Boyd Gaines, Margaret Colin and Grace Gummer lead the supporting cast with an easy reality. Director Daniel Sullivan has ably moved his strong cast on its meaningful journey.
(Seen April 28, 2012)
David Auburn has written a revelatory drama about the life and secrets of a high profile and highly influential political journalist of the 1960s. Joseph Alsop was a columnist who was both respected and feared, by presidents and politicians.
Auburn takes us behind the scenes, as we see Alsop's interactions with family, other journalists, and his not-so-secret sexual orientation. While the dramatic impact is low-key, it is an informative look at a man, a time, and how historical events played out in his orderly life.
John Lithgow embodies the role completely, with all the complexities and foibles of the character, while Boyd Gaines, Margaret Colin and Grace Gummer lead the supporting cast with an easy reality. Director Daniel Sullivan has ably moved his strong cast on its meaningful journey.
END OF THE RAINBOW at the Belasco Theatre
(Seen April 25, 2012)
Peter Quilter brings us into Judy Garland's life in her final year, as everything is a down hill journey -- her career, her loves, her drugs. We see her highs and lows as she can no longer help but to destroy herself.
As embodied by Tracie Bennett, this play with music, makes us feel the pain as we participate in the slow death of a Hollywood legend. This is not great drama. It's kind of a by-the-numbers creation -- but it serves as a wonderful vehicle for Ms. Bennett. She thoroughly inhabits the role, and makes the character physically and emotionally inseparable from herself. Both her acting and singing are inspired in the context of the part.
Michael Cumpsty is particularly endearing as her loving and doting gay pianist, and Tom Pelphrey brings a strange believability to what could be a sleazy character. Despite the shortcomings of the play, director Terry Johnson smoothly moves the action along.
(Seen April 25, 2012)
Peter Quilter brings us into Judy Garland's life in her final year, as everything is a down hill journey -- her career, her loves, her drugs. We see her highs and lows as she can no longer help but to destroy herself.
As embodied by Tracie Bennett, this play with music, makes us feel the pain as we participate in the slow death of a Hollywood legend. This is not great drama. It's kind of a by-the-numbers creation -- but it serves as a wonderful vehicle for Ms. Bennett. She thoroughly inhabits the role, and makes the character physically and emotionally inseparable from herself. Both her acting and singing are inspired in the context of the part.
Michael Cumpsty is particularly endearing as her loving and doting gay pianist, and Tom Pelphrey brings a strange believability to what could be a sleazy character. Despite the shortcomings of the play, director Terry Johnson smoothly moves the action along.
DON'T DRESS FOR DINNER at the Roundabout's American Airlines Theatre
(Seen May 3, 2912)
All my actor and director friends seems to agree with me, that when you're playing farce, you play for the reality of it, not the farce.
In Marc Camoletti's new play, the luckless performers seem to be trying to outdo one another in their outward foolishness, in line readings, facial expressions, and other physical gestures and posturing.
It is an embarrassing display of mis-used talent, who I shall leave nameless, but who are strangely unrestrained by the very talented director, John Tillinger.
(Seen May 3, 2912)
All my actor and director friends seems to agree with me, that when you're playing farce, you play for the reality of it, not the farce.
In Marc Camoletti's new play, the luckless performers seem to be trying to outdo one another in their outward foolishness, in line readings, facial expressions, and other physical gestures and posturing.
It is an embarrassing display of mis-used talent, who I shall leave nameless, but who are strangely unrestrained by the very talented director, John Tillinger.
ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS at the Music Box Theatre
(Seen April 20, 2012)
If slapstick and low humor are your wont, go see this show! In fact, even if farce and physical comedy are not your thing --- I am among those --- you'll probably enjoy yourself despite that.
This is mostly due to James Corden's performance as a hapless fellow who manages to get two jobs at the same time, working for different bosses. Richard Bean has written a farce loosely based on Goldoni's 1746 classic, THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS.
With a fine cast to assist Corden, director Nicholas Hytner and "physical comedy director" Cal McCrystal, draw the large ensemble through a series of physical and comedic foibles. Corden often breaks the 'fourth wall' to involve audience members in a number of scenes. And it actually works out well.
It is funny, sometimes crude, often witty, and almost always entertaining.
(Seen April 20, 2012)
If slapstick and low humor are your wont, go see this show! In fact, even if farce and physical comedy are not your thing --- I am among those --- you'll probably enjoy yourself despite that.
This is mostly due to James Corden's performance as a hapless fellow who manages to get two jobs at the same time, working for different bosses. Richard Bean has written a farce loosely based on Goldoni's 1746 classic, THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS.
With a fine cast to assist Corden, director Nicholas Hytner and "physical comedy director" Cal McCrystal, draw the large ensemble through a series of physical and comedic foibles. Corden often breaks the 'fourth wall' to involve audience members in a number of scenes. And it actually works out well.
It is funny, sometimes crude, often witty, and almost always entertaining.
THE BEST MAN at the Schoenfeld Theatre
(Seen April 12, 2012)
This glittery revival of Gore Vidal's 1960 look at the political shenanigans that go on behind the choosing of a presidential candidate is both timely and highly entertaining.
Producer Jeffrey Richards and director Michael Wilson have stacked the deck with a combination of theatre luminaries and theatre stalwarts. And although sometimes there seems an over-exuberance on the part of some players, it works very well on the whole. With its parallels of how our political system works, there are solid moments of contemporary recognition.
James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, and Candice Bergen join John Larroquette, Michael McKean, and Eric McCormack in setting the pace for this slick drama, hitting on all the humor and political maneuvering that Vidal has built into what might have once seemed like a period drama.
(Seen April 12, 2012)
This glittery revival of Gore Vidal's 1960 look at the political shenanigans that go on behind the choosing of a presidential candidate is both timely and highly entertaining.
Producer Jeffrey Richards and director Michael Wilson have stacked the deck with a combination of theatre luminaries and theatre stalwarts. And although sometimes there seems an over-exuberance on the part of some players, it works very well on the whole. With its parallels of how our political system works, there are solid moments of contemporary recognition.
James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, and Candice Bergen join John Larroquette, Michael McKean, and Eric McCormack in setting the pace for this slick drama, hitting on all the humor and political maneuvering that Vidal has built into what might have once seemed like a period drama.
8/17/12
EVITA at the Marquis Theatre
(Seen April 11, 2012)
"Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" is still an infectious song, as simple and as repetitive as it may be. But that's hardly a reason for the current revival of EVITA. Its prior recent success in London propelled it to Broadway, with a little-known Elena Roger in the title role.
Vocally, dramatically, and and theatrically, she falls short of being able to carry this show, as we've come to expect from our previous Evita portrayers.
The physical production appears stinted, if utilitarian. And Michael Grandage's direction and Rob Ashford's choreography seem perfunctory.
And while Ricky Martin's "Che" seems totally uninvolved, strangely he has a likeable stage presence, even if it's somewhat ill-suited for that character.
(Seen April 11, 2012)
"Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" is still an infectious song, as simple and as repetitive as it may be. But that's hardly a reason for the current revival of EVITA. Its prior recent success in London propelled it to Broadway, with a little-known Elena Roger in the title role.
Vocally, dramatically, and and theatrically, she falls short of being able to carry this show, as we've come to expect from our previous Evita portrayers.
The physical production appears stinted, if utilitarian. And Michael Grandage's direction and Rob Ashford's choreography seem perfunctory.
And while Ricky Martin's "Che" seems totally uninvolved, strangely he has a likeable stage presence, even if it's somewhat ill-suited for that character.
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at the Neil Simon Theatre
(Seen March 28, 2012)
This show is definitely in a rock star environment, full of electronic visuals and super-amplified sounds, as Jesus' followers and antagonists fight for his soul and his body.
But Paul Nolan's placid Jesus is far out-super-starred by Josh Young's impassioned and irrepressible portrayal of Judas.
And Chilina Kennedy's Mary Magdalene engages Young's Judas viscerally , in a battle for the love of Jesus, with strong performances by both. While Bruce Dow's King Herod and Tom Hewitt's Pontius Pilate also shine brightly in the firmament.
The show is full of gloss and glitz, but this is mostly exterior. It is missing some inner life to hold things together, despite director Des McAnuff's slick packaging.
(Seen March 28, 2012)
This show is definitely in a rock star environment, full of electronic visuals and super-amplified sounds, as Jesus' followers and antagonists fight for his soul and his body.
But Paul Nolan's placid Jesus is far out-super-starred by Josh Young's impassioned and irrepressible portrayal of Judas.
And Chilina Kennedy's Mary Magdalene engages Young's Judas viscerally , in a battle for the love of Jesus, with strong performances by both. While Bruce Dow's King Herod and Tom Hewitt's Pontius Pilate also shine brightly in the firmament.
The show is full of gloss and glitz, but this is mostly exterior. It is missing some inner life to hold things together, despite director Des McAnuff's slick packaging.
DEATH OF A SALESMAN at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
(Seen March 22, 2012)
Few people will argue against calling this Arthur Miller play an American masterpiece. In the 60-plus years since audiences first encountered Miller's story of a family's failed dreams, crushed by human frailty and circumstance, there have been many re-interpretations of this poignant drama. (For me, none have reached the depth of Lee J. Cobb and Mildred Dunnock.)
The play out-matches so many superlative Greek and Russian tragedies in both its simplicity and intensity. So that by imbuing the characters of Willy and Biff Loman with such devastating and anguished inner life, both Philip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield take away much of the reality and the pathos that already exists in the writing. They display their pain and their disappointment as though it was a badge of honor. Their intensity never flags, and we lose sight of their humanity.
And director Mike Nichols has allowed them to revel in this depressive state, so that they become symbols rather than real people caught up in a tragic situation.
(Seen March 22, 2012)
Few people will argue against calling this Arthur Miller play an American masterpiece. In the 60-plus years since audiences first encountered Miller's story of a family's failed dreams, crushed by human frailty and circumstance, there have been many re-interpretations of this poignant drama. (For me, none have reached the depth of Lee J. Cobb and Mildred Dunnock.)
The play out-matches so many superlative Greek and Russian tragedies in both its simplicity and intensity. So that by imbuing the characters of Willy and Biff Loman with such devastating and anguished inner life, both Philip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield take away much of the reality and the pathos that already exists in the writing. They display their pain and their disappointment as though it was a badge of honor. Their intensity never flags, and we lose sight of their humanity.
And director Mike Nichols has allowed them to revel in this depressive state, so that they become symbols rather than real people caught up in a tragic situation.
ONCE at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre
(Seen March 21, 2012)
ONCE is a quiet, low-key musical which should capture the hearts and fancy of theatre-goers of all generations. With its variety of musical styles, it's a simple non-love story of two disparate musicians who meet on a Dublin street, and bond through their music. It is based on the film of the same title, which is based on the true story of the actual characters who played themselves in the movie.
Starring Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti, there are a dozen other versatile performers who act/sing/dance their respective roles. Director John Tiffany has assembled a true ensemble of players, and has extracted realistic performances from all of them.
The action mainly takes place in an Irish pub, and pre-show, intermission, and post-show, audiences are invited on stage to partake of jam sessions, and to buy drinks at the bar. And all this really works. This is a show that should reap a variety of Tony awards. Don't miss it!
(Seen March 21, 2012)
ONCE is a quiet, low-key musical which should capture the hearts and fancy of theatre-goers of all generations. With its variety of musical styles, it's a simple non-love story of two disparate musicians who meet on a Dublin street, and bond through their music. It is based on the film of the same title, which is based on the true story of the actual characters who played themselves in the movie.
Starring Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti, there are a dozen other versatile performers who act/sing/dance their respective roles. Director John Tiffany has assembled a true ensemble of players, and has extracted realistic performances from all of them.
The action mainly takes place in an Irish pub, and pre-show, intermission, and post-show, audiences are invited on stage to partake of jam sessions, and to buy drinks at the bar. And all this really works. This is a show that should reap a variety of Tony awards. Don't miss it!
CARRIE at the Lucille Lortel Theatre
(Seen March 10, 2012)
Alienation and bullying in high school is certainly a hot topic in today's headlines, so why not take another look at the classic Broadway musical flop of 1988, based on Stephen King's best-selling novel?
Well, a revised book and a smaller scale presentation only make its shortcomings more apparent --- this campy, preposterous show still does not hold up in its intimate new environment.
Certainly it's not the fault of the singers: Marin Mazzie's and Molly Rawson's impressive voices ring clear and loud, but it's hard to really care about their plight or plot. And under Stafford Arima's feeble direction, the zombie-like cast of teenagers and teachers fail to bring the tedious proceedings to any satisfactory excitement or pleasure.
(Seen March 10, 2012)
Alienation and bullying in high school is certainly a hot topic in today's headlines, so why not take another look at the classic Broadway musical flop of 1988, based on Stephen King's best-selling novel?
Well, a revised book and a smaller scale presentation only make its shortcomings more apparent --- this campy, preposterous show still does not hold up in its intimate new environment.
Certainly it's not the fault of the singers: Marin Mazzie's and Molly Rawson's impressive voices ring clear and loud, but it's hard to really care about their plight or plot. And under Stafford Arima's feeble direction, the zombie-like cast of teenagers and teachers fail to bring the tedious proceedings to any satisfactory excitement or pleasure.
GODSPELL at Circle In The Square
(Seen February 5, 2012)
Forty years after it first opened off-Broadway, GODSPELL is revived on Broadway with some awkward touches of contemporary times insinuated into the story line. Unfortunately, that is not the only thing that doesn't work.
The carnival-type setting with acrobatics, and solo singing and dancing 'turns', somehow works against this story of Jesus and his followers. And the attempts at clever dialogue with contemporary references, falls completely flat.
Another added aspect has each performer trying to outdo one another, and you get the feeling that a bunch of 'wanna-bes' are showing off, demonstrating how talented they think they are! There is a total lack of flow and cohesion, and we have spurts of familiar songs buried in a mish-mash of hyper-activity.
(Seen February 5, 2012)
Forty years after it first opened off-Broadway, GODSPELL is revived on Broadway with some awkward touches of contemporary times insinuated into the story line. Unfortunately, that is not the only thing that doesn't work.
The carnival-type setting with acrobatics, and solo singing and dancing 'turns', somehow works against this story of Jesus and his followers. And the attempts at clever dialogue with contemporary references, falls completely flat.
Another added aspect has each performer trying to outdo one another, and you get the feeling that a bunch of 'wanna-bes' are showing off, demonstrating how talented they think they are! There is a total lack of flow and cohesion, and we have spurts of familiar songs buried in a mish-mash of hyper-activity.
PORGY AND BESS at the Richard Rodgers Theatre
(Seen January 25, 2012)
With a revised book by Suzan-Lori Parks and a new insight by director Diane Paulus, there is a feminist slant that focuses on Bess, as befits its star, Audra McDonald. And this seems to be a darker, more brutal view of life in the Catfish Row we might have previously known.
Even the physical set-up of Catfish Row seems industrial looking, and most of the 'livin' here is not easy. The good guys and the bad guys are more clearly delineated, and even the music sounds harsher.
But there is no getting away from the fact that the Gershwin score is the most important aspect of this show, and that music shines through all the tampering and the slanting.
Audra McDonald is an impressively strong-but-vulnerable Bess. Norm Lewis is the dreamy-eyed cripple who falls in love with a woman not meant for him; and David Alan Grier is a personable, evil, manipulative Sportin' Life. Philip Boykin is a physically frightening Crown, with an equally imposing voice. The large ensemble is full of strong, impressive soloists, who also come together as a melodious chorus.
If you've never seen a production of PORGY & BESS, try to see this one. But this is hardly a definitive version.
(Seen January 25, 2012)
With a revised book by Suzan-Lori Parks and a new insight by director Diane Paulus, there is a feminist slant that focuses on Bess, as befits its star, Audra McDonald. And this seems to be a darker, more brutal view of life in the Catfish Row we might have previously known.
Even the physical set-up of Catfish Row seems industrial looking, and most of the 'livin' here is not easy. The good guys and the bad guys are more clearly delineated, and even the music sounds harsher.
But there is no getting away from the fact that the Gershwin score is the most important aspect of this show, and that music shines through all the tampering and the slanting.
Audra McDonald is an impressively strong-but-vulnerable Bess. Norm Lewis is the dreamy-eyed cripple who falls in love with a woman not meant for him; and David Alan Grier is a personable, evil, manipulative Sportin' Life. Philip Boykin is a physically frightening Crown, with an equally imposing voice. The large ensemble is full of strong, impressive soloists, who also come together as a melodious chorus.
If you've never seen a production of PORGY & BESS, try to see this one. But this is hardly a definitive version.
BONNIE & CLYDE at the Schoenfeld Theatre
(Seen December, 2011)
Frank Wildhorn's latest musical is a look at the real life desperados who captured America's lurid interests during our great depression years. This show is NOT based on the classic movie, and all of the blood and guts and lovemaking add up to an uninteresting look into the lives and loves of two troubled and unhappy young Americans.
Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan, in the title roles, do their best, but cannot bring the desired passion to the mostly lackluster dialog, simplistic lyrics, and wavering story line.
Jeff Calhoun's direction and choreography keep things moving apace, but it seems as if there is no place to go that will make the audience care about their misadventures. It is an unfulfilled tale about unfulfilled dreams.
(Seen December, 2011)
Frank Wildhorn's latest musical is a look at the real life desperados who captured America's lurid interests during our great depression years. This show is NOT based on the classic movie, and all of the blood and guts and lovemaking add up to an uninteresting look into the lives and loves of two troubled and unhappy young Americans.
Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan, in the title roles, do their best, but cannot bring the desired passion to the mostly lackluster dialog, simplistic lyrics, and wavering story line.
Jeff Calhoun's direction and choreography keep things moving apace, but it seems as if there is no place to go that will make the audience care about their misadventures. It is an unfulfilled tale about unfulfilled dreams.
BLOOD AND GIFTS at the Mitzi Newhouse Theratre
(Seen December 2011)
J. T. Roger's new play about the CIA and America's covert operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the 1980s is an intense spy drama involving warlords, corrupt military regimes, Russia, Britain -- all the makings of an exciting feature film thriller.
Director Bartlett Sher has seamlessly fit all the various theatrical settings into a multi-functional, confined playing area. Small set-pieces and props, and lighting changes, represent myriad locations for the intriguing action.
It is the excellent writing and low-key acting that help the realization of this tour-de-force drama. Jeremy Davidson, as the CIA operative, leads the versatile and most accomplished cast through a variety of personal and political turns that add up to an impressive theatrical experience.
(Seen December 2011)
J. T. Roger's new play about the CIA and America's covert operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the 1980s is an intense spy drama involving warlords, corrupt military regimes, Russia, Britain -- all the makings of an exciting feature film thriller.
Director Bartlett Sher has seamlessly fit all the various theatrical settings into a multi-functional, confined playing area. Small set-pieces and props, and lighting changes, represent myriad locations for the intriguing action.
It is the excellent writing and low-key acting that help the realization of this tour-de-force drama. Jeremy Davidson, as the CIA operative, leads the versatile and most accomplished cast through a variety of personal and political turns that add up to an impressive theatrical experience.
CLOSE UP SPACE at MTC's City Center Stage 1
(Seen December 2011)
Director Leigh Silverman who this season did such excellent work with CH'ING-LISH, is unable to do anything to save this muddled, confusing, and silly new play by Molly Smith Metzler. And the presence of David Hyde Pierce as an unhappy, obsessive book editor, with Rosie Perez as an unlikely demanding, prima donna author, doesn't add any substance or reality to the proceedings.
"Close-up space" is a proofreader's and editor's symbol, and the title turns out to be prophetic in a way, presaging what might have happened if a dramaturg had edited and pruned and compressed this intermission-less and meandering play down into a short skit.
The entire cast plays everything so broadly, that they merely add to the ridiculousness and the unbelievability of the situations and the characters. It seems like unintentional 'theatre of the absurd'.
(Seen December 2011)
Director Leigh Silverman who this season did such excellent work with CH'ING-LISH, is unable to do anything to save this muddled, confusing, and silly new play by Molly Smith Metzler. And the presence of David Hyde Pierce as an unhappy, obsessive book editor, with Rosie Perez as an unlikely demanding, prima donna author, doesn't add any substance or reality to the proceedings.
"Close-up space" is a proofreader's and editor's symbol, and the title turns out to be prophetic in a way, presaging what might have happened if a dramaturg had edited and pruned and compressed this intermission-less and meandering play down into a short skit.
The entire cast plays everything so broadly, that they merely add to the ridiculousness and the unbelievability of the situations and the characters. It seems like unintentional 'theatre of the absurd'.
CH'ING-LISH at the Longacre Theatre
(Seen November 2011)
David Henry Hwang's new comedy is rooted in such realistic and truly funny wordplay that it is certainly the most enjoyable play of this season. Although it has a more-or-less one-joke premise --- the inability of a meaningful translation, specifically, Chinese/English/Chinese, it sets up both a cultural and business back-story, and then carries the fun and personal mishaps to a logical and entertaining conclusion.
It has a small ensemble cast, led by Jennifer Lim, Gary Wilmes, and Stephen Pucci, who are top-notch comedic performers, seamlessly bringing out both the humor and the reality of the many personal entanglements.
Director Leigh Silverman doesn't miss a beat, and designer David Korins' simple multi-functional unit set serves the play well. Hwang seems to be having fun with his audience, and the audience expresses its reciprocal feelings.
(Years ago, a rabbi-friend of mine said that all translation is interpretation. Hwang's CH'ING-LISH appears to bear that out.)
(Seen November 2011)
David Henry Hwang's new comedy is rooted in such realistic and truly funny wordplay that it is certainly the most enjoyable play of this season. Although it has a more-or-less one-joke premise --- the inability of a meaningful translation, specifically, Chinese/English/Chinese, it sets up both a cultural and business back-story, and then carries the fun and personal mishaps to a logical and entertaining conclusion.
It has a small ensemble cast, led by Jennifer Lim, Gary Wilmes, and Stephen Pucci, who are top-notch comedic performers, seamlessly bringing out both the humor and the reality of the many personal entanglements.
Director Leigh Silverman doesn't miss a beat, and designer David Korins' simple multi-functional unit set serves the play well. Hwang seems to be having fun with his audience, and the audience expresses its reciprocal feelings.
(Years ago, a rabbi-friend of mine said that all translation is interpretation. Hwang's CH'ING-LISH appears to bear that out.)
THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY OF STEVE JOBS at the Public Theatre
(Seen October 2011)
Amidst all the paeans for the late Steve Jobs, Michael Daisey delves into the sordid business and labor practices of Apple Computers, in its triumphal rise as the leader of the technology apparatus industry.
As a piece of political/social theatre it is an informative and revelatory presentation, based on Daisey's probing investigations into labor conditions at the Chinese factory which creates most of Apple's ground-breaking devices. It is story-telling in the old-fashioned way, full of personal anecdotes.
Daisey paints vivid and lurid pictures of the oppressed workers, contrasting his casual, sweaty, and gritty, but intense, style. He works from sheets of notes in his two-hour diatribe. It is a call for action, but theatre qaudiences, no matter how sympathetic to the cause, are unlikely to give up their iphones and ipads.
(Seen October 2011)
Amidst all the paeans for the late Steve Jobs, Michael Daisey delves into the sordid business and labor practices of Apple Computers, in its triumphal rise as the leader of the technology apparatus industry.
As a piece of political/social theatre it is an informative and revelatory presentation, based on Daisey's probing investigations into labor conditions at the Chinese factory which creates most of Apple's ground-breaking devices. It is story-telling in the old-fashioned way, full of personal anecdotes.
Daisey paints vivid and lurid pictures of the oppressed workers, contrasting his casual, sweaty, and gritty, but intense, style. He works from sheets of notes in his two-hour diatribe. It is a call for action, but theatre qaudiences, no matter how sympathetic to the cause, are unlikely to give up their iphones and ipads.
FOLLIES at the Marquis Theatre
(Seen Sept. 2011)
This masterful musical revival comes to Broadway virtually intact from its Kennedy Center incarnation. With a background story of former Follies showgirls coming to a reunion before their fabled theatre is to be razed, we look into the failed marriages of two of its stars.
This production has a plethora of famous performers, including Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell,, Elaine Paige, and Ron Raines, among others -- but this is a break-out performance for the otherwise stalwart supporting player, Danny Burstein, who bursts into the spotlight.
Director Eric Schaeffer has brought a somewhat darker approach to Sondheim and Goldman's already moody look at their various lives, but this doesn't detract from nor lessen any of its vitality. It's a musical masterpiece that still excels in every aspect.
(Seen Sept. 2011)
This masterful musical revival comes to Broadway virtually intact from its Kennedy Center incarnation. With a background story of former Follies showgirls coming to a reunion before their fabled theatre is to be razed, we look into the failed marriages of two of its stars.
This production has a plethora of famous performers, including Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell,, Elaine Paige, and Ron Raines, among others -- but this is a break-out performance for the otherwise stalwart supporting player, Danny Burstein, who bursts into the spotlight.
Director Eric Schaeffer has brought a somewhat darker approach to Sondheim and Goldman's already moody look at their various lives, but this doesn't detract from nor lessen any of its vitality. It's a musical masterpiece that still excels in every aspect.
PLAY IT COOL at the Acorn Theatre
(Seen Sept./2011)
This little musical with a hidden agenda seems to strike out in all its attempts, except as a vehicle for the talents of singer/actress Sally Mayes.
Set in the seamy side of 1950s Hollywood, it's about a surreptitious gay jazz club, a closeted Hollywood producer, a young Southern boy just off the bus who's come to make his mark as a singer, a good-hearted but dirty cop with a secret life -- all the expected elements that frequent 50s film noir detective film stories.
But somehow, nothing ever comes together, and it all adds up to a campy version of a campy show.
(Seen Sept./2011)
This little musical with a hidden agenda seems to strike out in all its attempts, except as a vehicle for the talents of singer/actress Sally Mayes.
Set in the seamy side of 1950s Hollywood, it's about a surreptitious gay jazz club, a closeted Hollywood producer, a young Southern boy just off the bus who's come to make his mark as a singer, a good-hearted but dirty cop with a secret life -- all the expected elements that frequent 50s film noir detective film stories.
But somehow, nothing ever comes together, and it all adds up to a campy version of a campy show.
8/22/11
I MARRIED WYATT EARP at 59E59 Theatres
(Seen 5/25/11)
Tediously woven around an interesting story based on the real life of Wyatt Earp's widow, this intimate musical takes us back and forth in time, in flashbacks, from 1944 to 1879, and forward from there. It involves the various women in Wyatt Earp's extended family. Mostly it chronicles the journey of Josephine Marcus, a Boston Jewish debutant, and her adventures and travails as she goes traveling with a women's musical troupe to the Wild West.
She meets Wyatt Earp in Tombstone, Arizona, and they fall in love. But he has a complicated household, and this musical tries to tell the saga through the eyes and hearts of the varied women connected to him, including Josephine's sad story.
With a book by Thomas Edward West and Sheilah Rae, lyrics by Ms. Rae, and music by Michele Brourman, this all-female cast is uniformly good, the music pleasant, and the lyrics informative. But the show never takes flight, and Clara Reichel's direction is little more than traffic control in a tiny playing area.
Tediously woven around an interesting story based on the real life of Wyatt Earp's widow, this intimate musical takes us back and forth in time, in flashbacks, from 1944 to 1879, and forward from there. It involves the various women in Wyatt Earp's extended family. Mostly it chronicles the journey of Josephine Marcus, a Boston Jewish debutant, and her adventures and travails as she goes traveling with a women's musical troupe to the Wild West.
She meets Wyatt Earp in Tombstone, Arizona, and they fall in love. But he has a complicated household, and this musical tries to tell the saga through the eyes and hearts of the varied women connected to him, including Josephine's sad story.
With a book by Thomas Edward West and Sheilah Rae, lyrics by Ms. Rae, and music by Michele Brourman, this all-female cast is uniformly good, the music pleasant, and the lyrics informative. But the show never takes flight, and Clara Reichel's direction is little more than traffic control in a tiny playing area.
8/21/11
SLEEP NO MORE at the McKittrick Hotel
(Seen 5/18/11)
Environmental installations are hardly new to the New York theatre scene, but this venture's scope and seeming vastness adds new dimensions. And therefore, for those of us familiar with this type of theatre event, the disappointment is greater when it fails to live up to expectations.
The PUNCHDRUNK Theatre Company has transformed three adjoining warehouses in Chelsea into the "McKittrick Hotel", a ramshackle conversion into seemingly dozens of rooms and endless hallways and stairs. Each room has been variously decorated with antiques and detritus from bygone eras, which along with many large open spaces, serves as the background for PUNCHDRUNK's unrecognizable version of MACBETH.
This is more an art installation than a theatre event, so the play is not the thing -- it's merely a sham for a lot of shameless performance 'artists' acting silly and seemingly unrepressed, although it is a choreographed work, not an impromptu one.
Beholders -- or ticket holders, the audience members -- are shuffled from space to space and room to room to follow the lack of action. Or you can choose to ramble along at your own pace and paths. We are made to wear white plastic Venetian face masks, which seeks to make us into androgynous players in this communal enterprise -- but also makes it difficult to breathe in the mostly airless spaces.
Many of the rooms are interesting, if tacky, and some quiet downtime is available there -- and you can momentarily remove your mask if no monitors are around to prod you into wearing it.
For newcomers to this media, there can be some discoveries made -- and my companion enjoyed some of it as art installations. But for old theatre veterans like myself, it made me yearn for TAMARA, ensconced in an East side armory years ago, which had a story line you could follow if you chose, and included a champagne banquet for all guests.
Environmental installations are hardly new to the New York theatre scene, but this venture's scope and seeming vastness adds new dimensions. And therefore, for those of us familiar with this type of theatre event, the disappointment is greater when it fails to live up to expectations.
The PUNCHDRUNK Theatre Company has transformed three adjoining warehouses in Chelsea into the "McKittrick Hotel", a ramshackle conversion into seemingly dozens of rooms and endless hallways and stairs. Each room has been variously decorated with antiques and detritus from bygone eras, which along with many large open spaces, serves as the background for PUNCHDRUNK's unrecognizable version of MACBETH.
This is more an art installation than a theatre event, so the play is not the thing -- it's merely a sham for a lot of shameless performance 'artists' acting silly and seemingly unrepressed, although it is a choreographed work, not an impromptu one.
Beholders -- or ticket holders, the audience members -- are shuffled from space to space and room to room to follow the lack of action. Or you can choose to ramble along at your own pace and paths. We are made to wear white plastic Venetian face masks, which seeks to make us into androgynous players in this communal enterprise -- but also makes it difficult to breathe in the mostly airless spaces.
Many of the rooms are interesting, if tacky, and some quiet downtime is available there -- and you can momentarily remove your mask if no monitors are around to prod you into wearing it.
For newcomers to this media, there can be some discoveries made -- and my companion enjoyed some of it as art installations. But for old theatre veterans like myself, it made me yearn for TAMARA, ensconced in an East side armory years ago, which had a story line you could follow if you chose, and included a champagne banquet for all guests.
BABY IT'S YOU! at the Broadhurst Theatre
(Seen 5/13/11)
Yet another juke-box musical comes to Broadway, albeit not based on a hit film. BABY IT'S YOU! tells the behind-the-scenes story of how a group of young, black, female pop singers became the world-famous Shirelles. And it all happened because a strong-willed Jewish housewife from New Jersey -- Florence Greenberg -- had a vision and a belief in their talent.
It has all the makings of a powerful musical -- including her scandalous affair with a black recording artist, which broke up her marriage. But in the inept book by Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott, it becomes a boring and pedestrian tale of highs and lows, amateurishly constructed, and uninventively directed by Mutrux and Sheldon Epps.
If you are an avid fan of the Shirelles, or the pop music of the period, you might find it easier sitting through this sad tale.
Beth Leavel is burdened but brave and gung-ho as Mrs. Greenberg, and Kelli Barrett is excellent as her neglected daughter, who finally reveals a fine voice and attractive stage presence. The cast seems quite able, but the material unfortunately doesn't allow them to demonstrate more than superficial abilities.
Yet another juke-box musical comes to Broadway, albeit not based on a hit film. BABY IT'S YOU! tells the behind-the-scenes story of how a group of young, black, female pop singers became the world-famous Shirelles. And it all happened because a strong-willed Jewish housewife from New Jersey -- Florence Greenberg -- had a vision and a belief in their talent.
It has all the makings of a powerful musical -- including her scandalous affair with a black recording artist, which broke up her marriage. But in the inept book by Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott, it becomes a boring and pedestrian tale of highs and lows, amateurishly constructed, and uninventively directed by Mutrux and Sheldon Epps.
If you are an avid fan of the Shirelles, or the pop music of the period, you might find it easier sitting through this sad tale.
Beth Leavel is burdened but brave and gung-ho as Mrs. Greenberg, and Kelli Barrett is excellent as her neglected daughter, who finally reveals a fine voice and attractive stage presence. The cast seems quite able, but the material unfortunately doesn't allow them to demonstrate more than superficial abilities.
BORN YESTERDAY at the Cort Theatre
(Seen 5/10/11)
Although peopled with a good cast, this revival of Garson Kanin's once-sharp and opinionated picture of dishonesty in our nation's capital, seems picaresque rather than pointed.
Jim Belushi, Nina Arianda, and Robert Sean Leonard go through the motions and machinations of the political and big business intrigue that seems to be the normal activity in government. And director Doug Hughes has failed to flesh out more than surface portrayals from his talented cast, making the play seem like a tv situation comedy.
Set in John Lee Beatty's opulent hotel suite, the cast moves like cardboard figures going through the motions -- rather than the emotions -- of important things happening that will change their lives, and maybe the lives of Washington's political establishment. It comes across as superficial comedy, sometimes entertaining, but never meaningful. Another missed opportunity.
Although peopled with a good cast, this revival of Garson Kanin's once-sharp and opinionated picture of dishonesty in our nation's capital, seems picaresque rather than pointed.
Jim Belushi, Nina Arianda, and Robert Sean Leonard go through the motions and machinations of the political and big business intrigue that seems to be the normal activity in government. And director Doug Hughes has failed to flesh out more than surface portrayals from his talented cast, making the play seem like a tv situation comedy.
Set in John Lee Beatty's opulent hotel suite, the cast moves like cardboard figures going through the motions -- rather than the emotions -- of important things happening that will change their lives, and maybe the lives of Washington's political establishment. It comes across as superficial comedy, sometimes entertaining, but never meaningful. Another missed opportunity.
THE NORMAL HEART at the Golden Theatre
(Seen 5/7/11)
The 'best revival' title this season unquestionably belongs to THE NORMAL HEART, Larry Kramer's heart-wrenching tale about life in the gay community when AIDS first started to decimate its population.
When the play first opened at the Public Theater in 1985, it was a lone voice calling out to its own community, to the government, to the newspapers, and to the medical establishment, demanding help in recognizing that this was a plague. It pleaded for action in fighting for the lives of those battling this unknown disease.
Although times have changed and progress has been made in the past 25 years, this very personal story of a lone activist crying out in the wilderness of politics and society, still remains a poignant and heart-felt story of a small group of individuals striving to survive the epidemic, and still keep love and meaning in their personal relationships..
I have known and followed and admired the work of Joe Mantello as a director since his early off-Broadway days when he was less-known. So it is a happy revelation to see that he is still an accomplished actor who breathes such life and passion into his role. He is flawless in his re-creation of Ned Weeks, the activist who is the catalyst for this play.
The entire cast -- Ellen Barkin, Patrick Breen, Mark Harelik, John Benjamin Hickey, Luke MacFarlane, Lee Pace, Jim Parsons, Richard Topol, and Wayne Alan Wilcox all seamlessly cohere with Mantello to create an ensemble cast that fully serves the needs of the play. Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe guide this remarkable group of actors through its rocky path of progess.
The 'best revival' title this season unquestionably belongs to THE NORMAL HEART, Larry Kramer's heart-wrenching tale about life in the gay community when AIDS first started to decimate its population.
When the play first opened at the Public Theater in 1985, it was a lone voice calling out to its own community, to the government, to the newspapers, and to the medical establishment, demanding help in recognizing that this was a plague. It pleaded for action in fighting for the lives of those battling this unknown disease.
Although times have changed and progress has been made in the past 25 years, this very personal story of a lone activist crying out in the wilderness of politics and society, still remains a poignant and heart-felt story of a small group of individuals striving to survive the epidemic, and still keep love and meaning in their personal relationships..
I have known and followed and admired the work of Joe Mantello as a director since his early off-Broadway days when he was less-known. So it is a happy revelation to see that he is still an accomplished actor who breathes such life and passion into his role. He is flawless in his re-creation of Ned Weeks, the activist who is the catalyst for this play.
The entire cast -- Ellen Barkin, Patrick Breen, Mark Harelik, John Benjamin Hickey, Luke MacFarlane, Lee Pace, Jim Parsons, Richard Topol, and Wayne Alan Wilcox all seamlessly cohere with Mantello to create an ensemble cast that fully serves the needs of the play. Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe guide this remarkable group of actors through its rocky path of progess.
JERUSALEM at the Music Box
(Seen 4/26/11)
Jez Butterworth's JERUSALEM is a manic play that manages to submerge its many merits through over-kill, both in words and actions. Spurning any idea that less is more, this is a 'no-holds-barred' romp into a sub-culture in contemporary England. It is full of sub-plots and back-stories, but they seldom play out.
With 'Jerusalem' as a metaphor for Eden or Utopia, we follow the exploits of an anti-establishment rebel living in a motor home on the edge of a small English town. He attracts a small coterie of young misfits and thrill-seekers who commune with him through his supply of drugs and liquor.
I must admit to a bias against over-the-top performances which I think would be more effective through judicious underplaying. I am evidently in the minority who thinks Mark Rylance over-acts and over-plays this already larger-than-life character.
There is a meaningful story lurking behind all the histrionics which fails to surface and materialize because of too much bluster and false paths.
Jez Butterworth's JERUSALEM is a manic play that manages to submerge its many merits through over-kill, both in words and actions. Spurning any idea that less is more, this is a 'no-holds-barred' romp into a sub-culture in contemporary England. It is full of sub-plots and back-stories, but they seldom play out.
With 'Jerusalem' as a metaphor for Eden or Utopia, we follow the exploits of an anti-establishment rebel living in a motor home on the edge of a small English town. He attracts a small coterie of young misfits and thrill-seekers who commune with him through his supply of drugs and liquor.
I must admit to a bias against over-the-top performances which I think would be more effective through judicious underplaying. I am evidently in the minority who thinks Mark Rylance over-acts and over-plays this already larger-than-life character.
There is a meaningful story lurking behind all the histrionics which fails to surface and materialize because of too much bluster and false paths.
HIGH at the Booth Theatre
(Seen 4/22/11)
When a supposedly realistic play O-Ds on pseudo-realism, you know that your only 'high' will have to come after you leave the theatre. Matthew Lombardo has written a play about a nun who counsels addicts in a church re-hab facility, and her interaction with a very troubled, very confrontational young addict, who is surely destined for a short life.
She is herself a reformed addict, still fighting her own daily battles. In the persona of Kathleen Turner, she is a formidable and sometimes terrifying 'mother figure'.
Everything in this play is so one-dimensional and unbelievable, despite the sketchy back-story of the three principals -- the nun, the priest, and the druggie. Although Lombardo tries to weave a tale of redemption for and by this trio, he never reaches a level of truth in their words or actions.
And Evan Jonigkeit so overplays the addict's physical and mental state, it becomes a monotonous melodrama of surface tension. Director Rob Ruggiero seems to only aid and abet this hyperactivity, further lessening any impact that might lurk below the surface in this play.
When a supposedly realistic play O-Ds on pseudo-realism, you know that your only 'high' will have to come after you leave the theatre. Matthew Lombardo has written a play about a nun who counsels addicts in a church re-hab facility, and her interaction with a very troubled, very confrontational young addict, who is surely destined for a short life.
She is herself a reformed addict, still fighting her own daily battles. In the persona of Kathleen Turner, she is a formidable and sometimes terrifying 'mother figure'.
Everything in this play is so one-dimensional and unbelievable, despite the sketchy back-story of the three principals -- the nun, the priest, and the druggie. Although Lombardo tries to weave a tale of redemption for and by this trio, he never reaches a level of truth in their words or actions.
And Evan Jonigkeit so overplays the addict's physical and mental state, it becomes a monotonous melodrama of surface tension. Director Rob Ruggiero seems to only aid and abet this hyperactivity, further lessening any impact that might lurk below the surface in this play.
WAR HORSE at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre
(Seen 4/20/11)
Without doubt, the best new play of the season is WAR HORSE. It first captures its audience visually, with its stark and imposing panorama. Then it encaptures their emotions, resulting in a total theatrical experience for theatre-goers of all ages.
It's basically a children's fairy tale. A young boy in a dysfunctional British farm family is given a young colt to train for farm work in the days before World War I, and establishes a unique mutual bond with the animal. When the Army comes looking for horses to buy for the battles in Europe, his drunken father sells the horse. It is heart-rending, without being maudlin, as we follow the boy's army enlistment so he can go search the battlefields for his lost horse.
The amazing accomplishment of this very cohesive ensemble piece is that the horse -- all the horses -- are life-size puppets, each maneuvered by an on-stage team of puppeteers. And yet we accept this device as though we are seeing a living, snorting horse, reacting to all the wonders and horrors of life and of war. The sense of realism is magically not lost, despite the very apparent use of puppets.
First, we must credit Nick Stafford for his simple and sympathetic adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's novel; then, Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, for their directorial imagination and acumen in creating a vast vista, while still keeping the action on a very personal level.
And importantly, the Handspring Puppet Company, whose Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones have designed, created, and directed those shabby puppets into living, full-size horses, with movements and emotiuons that connect with the actors and the audience.
Truly a most worthy theatrical endeavor, carried out by an ensemble cast and a large team of theatre artists.
Without doubt, the best new play of the season is WAR HORSE. It first captures its audience visually, with its stark and imposing panorama. Then it encaptures their emotions, resulting in a total theatrical experience for theatre-goers of all ages.
It's basically a children's fairy tale. A young boy in a dysfunctional British farm family is given a young colt to train for farm work in the days before World War I, and establishes a unique mutual bond with the animal. When the Army comes looking for horses to buy for the battles in Europe, his drunken father sells the horse. It is heart-rending, without being maudlin, as we follow the boy's army enlistment so he can go search the battlefields for his lost horse.
The amazing accomplishment of this very cohesive ensemble piece is that the horse -- all the horses -- are life-size puppets, each maneuvered by an on-stage team of puppeteers. And yet we accept this device as though we are seeing a living, snorting horse, reacting to all the wonders and horrors of life and of war. The sense of realism is magically not lost, despite the very apparent use of puppets.
First, we must credit Nick Stafford for his simple and sympathetic adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's novel; then, Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, for their directorial imagination and acumen in creating a vast vista, while still keeping the action on a very personal level.
And importantly, the Handspring Puppet Company, whose Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones have designed, created, and directed those shabby puppets into living, full-size horses, with movements and emotiuons that connect with the actors and the audience.
Truly a most worthy theatrical endeavor, carried out by an ensemble cast and a large team of theatre artists.
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