Reviews

Another Medea All For One Theatre Festival

Thu, 31 Oct 2013 15:00:06 -0400

Drama is practically synonymous with surprise: a character's true nature revealed suddenly, an incident from the past in the third act that changes the nature of all that came before.

But sometimes the surprise, the unexpected comes in unexpected ways. Settling in before seeing the solo show, "Another Medea" part of the "All For One Festival" and reading the blurb, there's mention of the disturbing and shocking turn of events that are about to be dramatized. My first reaction, sitting in the Cherry Lane Studio theater, in front of a black box stage with a folding card table and a chair front and center was a muted, "Well, what could happen? I mean, solo. Chair. Table. Actor...C'mon."

The piece begins curiously enough when Tom Hewitt comes out in black jeans and button-down shirt. stands beside the table and says nothing. Nothing. For at least 2 minutes. Looking left and right, head stock still. His mouth opens. Still nothing. A finger moves. His expression carries the weight of fear, uncertainty, disturbance. It may have been less than 2 minutes, but 2 minutes of silence in a theater is a long time. We know this is not going to go well.

When he haltingly begins speaking, the unnamed Narrator tells us about his relationship with the actor Marcus Sharp. The Narrator tells us he was an understudy to Sharp. Then we find out something happened to Marcus and the Narrator goes to prison to interview Marcus. The narrator has already confessed an interest in the actor previously and particularly since this 'something' has happened.

Most of the rest of the play takes place as Marcus, sitting in that chair facing the audience, tells his story as if to the Narrator. Since we are in prison, we know a crime has been committed and Marcus is guilty. But initially he comes off as fairly well-balanced, humorous, at ease.

Shortly, we learn that Marcus is not a very successful actor. Hewitt slips into Marcus's conversations with his agent and other characters in his life, seamlessly working in accents and mannerisms to distinguish them all. Eventually we are introduced to Jason, a very successful British oncologist Marcus falls in love with.

There's an undercurrent, of course, of Medea and that's all you should know about that. While my memory of the myth was vague, I recalled enough to know, like the first minutes, things do not go well.

The performance, sitting at a chair the entire time as Marcus, rattles and chills to a messy climax. Between the pace of the action being described, the awful detail and the miserable state Marcus evolves into there is nowhere to go but look and listen at this sad man. And the denouement leaves us with a creepy feeling that after all that has transpired and all we've witnessed, this story is not over.

Excellent as the performance and the writing are, there are a few plot points that don't quite mesh. The actor of Marcus, someone admired by the Narrator, doesn't seem to be an actor anyone would admire or look up to. Not very successful it's unclear how he could even get noticed with such a modest career. The relationship between Jason and Marcus follows an all-too-predictable chain of early infatuation and steady demise. And though, Tom Hewitt's performance is outstanding and masterful, there are times when the switching between character's accents gets muddled. No matter, the strength of his performance plus the undeniable conviction and energy as the story unfolds from Marcus, overshadow minor drawbacks to leave an audience stunned, silent and unsettled. No surprise there.

Starring Tom Hewitt Written and written and directed by Aaron Mark. "Another Medea" had its final presentation 10/30 as part of the 2013 All For One Theater Festival at the Cherry Lane Studio Theater 38 Commerce Street.

The All For One Theater Festival offers extraordinary solo theater, workshops and panels to increase awareness and appreciation of the form. If you would like more information about bringing Another Medea to your school or venue, please contact Michael Wolk at mailto:booking@afofest.org or call (212) 398-7180.

Good Person Of Szechwan

Wed, 30 Oct 2013 14:54:40 -0400

Is there anything more beautiful in this world than a good person?

And is there anything more boring when it comes to story telling?

This Good Person, in residence at the Public Theatre, is not all good, however, and in that is the saving grace of this production. Taylor Mac’s Shen Te, when she is revved up, has an attitude that would fuel a mack truck several times over.

When Wang the Water Seller (an excellent David Turner) begs shelter for the Gods (Vinie Burrows, Mia Katigbak and Mary Shultz) who are visiting Szechwan village (looking for a Good Person) because no one else will let them in (no room at the inn, get it?) Shen Te welcomes them. No matter that she is a prostitute – Gods don’t care about details like that. As a reward for her kindness the Gods give her enough money to leave her profession and set up a tobacco shop. Remember this is in the long ago time when tobacco was a good thing.

Once the shop is open, every drowned rat in the woodpile comes out to greet Shen Te. People, who have no right to ask for a favor, never mind shelter or food, march in and take up space in Shen Te’s life as well as her shop. Shen Te is generous when most of us, myself included, would not be so forthcoming. Eventually she gets into trouble financially and must change her identity to that of her cousin Shui Ta. As her cousin she can exhibit logic and common sense. As a man she can take action without concern for others. As a man she can hear the opinions other hold of Shen Te, one of which is to solve her financial problems by marrying her off to a widower with children. As She Te again she goes to carry out her fate of an unwanted marriage, but instead comes upon Sun (Clifton Duncan) who has lost his wings as an aviator and wants to die. The two commiserate and connect. Suddenly Shen Te is offered the opportunity to seize the day and the love she wants. This calls for a spectacular musical number.

Shen Te’s beloved Sun needs money in order to get his aviator status back. In the journey to get him the money we travel a winding road with Shen Te. There are more character transitions into Shui Ta who not only discovers Sun’s cavalier attitude but takes part in restoring Sun to his true honorable self all the while masking that Shen Te is with child.

It is the final wonderful/terrible scenes that bring on an emotional whack in the head. As the Gods appear once again and confront Shui Ta and the town folk who are seeking Shen Te, the whole passionate horrible dilemma comes tumbling out of Shen Te. How can we be both good and unkind? What do we do when we are tempted off our path? Why is it we are our own best friend and our own enemy – and what the heck is up with this world??!!!!

Shen Te closes with
O gods, for your vast projects
I, poor human, was too small.

To which the Gods respond
You can manage. Only be good, and all will be well!

These are Gods who stick to their guns – and do it with style.

While the first act plods along, it is the second act that takes off, both plot wise and musically. Mr. Mac is at his best when he is slamming a song out of the park. He reaches down inside himself with a brave heart and touches us in places we didn’t know we had. He is more than supported by a stunning cast, who play multiple roles with precision and bravado. In particular Lisa Kron is so off the charts she is unrecognizable.

The story builds to a crescendo that is one of those moments in the theatre where we are hit on a visceral level –you know, the kind that makes you remember why you love the theatre. And the epilogue delivered by Ms. Kron ties the entire evening up in a golden ribbon.

Good Person of Szechwan

By Bertolt Brecht, translated by John Willett; directed by Lear DeBessonet; music by César Alvarez, with the Lisps; sets by Matt Saunders; costumes by Clint Ramos; lighting by Tyler Micoleau; sound by Brandon Wolcott; choreography by Danny Mefford; dramaturge, Anne Erbe; stage manager, Megan Schwarz Dickert; wigs and makeup by Dave Bova; production manager, Gregg Bellon; found-percussion design by Eric Farber; houses built by Petra Floyd. A Foundry Theater production, presented by the Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, artistic director; Patrick Willingham, executive director. At the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village, 212-967-7555, publictheater.org. Through Nov. 24. Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes.

WITH: Vinie Burrows (God #1), Kate Benson (Mrs. Shin), Ephraim Birney (the Nephew), Clifton Duncan (Grandfather/Yang Sun), Jack Allen Greenfield (Boy/Priest/Carpenter’s Son), Brooke Ishibashi (the Woman), Paul Juhn (the Man/Mr. Shu Fu), Mia Katigbak (God #2), Lisa Kron (Mrs. Mi Tzu/Mrs. Yang), Taylor Mac (Shen Te/Shui Ta), Mary Shultz (God #3), David Turner (Wang the Water Seller/Waiter) and Darryl Winslow (Carpenter/Policeman/Unemployed Man).

Year of the Rooster

Wed, 30 Oct 2013 11:23:58 -0400

A man appears on stage dressed as a rooster. He yells something I didn’t quite understand. How am I going to sit through this anthropomorphic piece? Then theatrical magic begins. I am in a McDonalds in Oklahoma, so real that I forget I just left the New York subway. The brilliantly simple set makes me a fly on the wall.

Gil Pepper works the counter at McDonalds. He steals condiments for his widowed mother with whom he lives. Like Chance Wayne and Terry Malloy, Gil Pepper wants to be somebody. He is grooming his rooster, Odysseus Rex (nickname “Ody”) for a championship cock fight against his nemesis, driven promoter Dickie Thimble. Dickie owns the second largest beef jerky plant in the state. They talk about their roosters, as if they were million dollar race horses.

Ody’s brutal training consists of periodic meal deprivation, juicing, and turns in the spin cycle of the dryer. Ody has been pushed so hard that he clawed Gil’s eye, forcing him to wear an eye patch. He has so much anger inside that it feels like an anvil weighs on his heart.

Gil’s sassy manager at McDonalds has her goals, too. She aims to manage every McDonalds in the whole world. Her brass ring is a stay at Walt Disney World Resort. She questions Gil’s manhood, telling him that she heard he has a dick the size of a mini golf pencil.

The play is rich in hilarious one-liners. But it is no sitcom, and the characters aren’t caricatures. Playwright Eric Dufault manages a delicate balance with his wacky humor, yet making us care about and feel for these people. Imagine that Tennessee Williams, Arthur Kopit, Dr. Seuss, and Larry David got together to write this piece.

The only character who isn’t a go-getter is Gil Pepper’s mom. Mom sits with her motionless dog on her lap, repeatedly wondering if he is dead. Mom was satisfied with her hairdressing career, without beauty school, and disapproves of her son’s cockfighting road to success. And of course, she rains on his parade.

The second act is less focused than the first. It meanders a bit with Gil’s celebrity interview and a blind date for Ody with a chicken. (Spoiler alert) Mr. Dufault pulls us in again with Gil’s determination to get back in the fray after a setback.

Year of the Rooster is an American story. We are a nation of dreamers, however misguided, and these characters embody that striving for the big time. This is a production where top notch actors, perfectly cast, and flawless directing enhance truthful, well crafted writing. Mr. Dufault is a young playwright, an original voice from whom we will hear for many years to come. If the subject of cockfighting turns you off, don’t let it dissuade you from seeing Year of the Rooster. The rooster is a person, too.

YEAR OF THE ROOSTER - By Eric Dufault; directed by John Giampietro

WITH: Denny Dale Bess (Dickie Thimble), Delphi Harrington (Lou Pepper), Thomas Lyons (Gil Pepper), Bobby Moreno (Odysseus Rex), Megan Tusing (Philipa).

Scenic Designer, Alexis Distler; Associate Scenic Designer, Neslihan Arsian; Costume Designer, Sydney Maresca; Lighting Designer, Greg MacPherson; Sound Designer, Shane Rettig; Fight Director, Qui Nguyen; Production Stage Manager, Eileen Lalley; Technical Director, Steven Brenman; Assistant Stage Manager, Samantha Honeycutt; Master Electrician, Joe Skowronski; Properties Master, Kate Lundell; Wardrobe Supervisor, Jerilyn Datolli; Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor, Aubrey Clinedinst; Press Representative, Bruce Cohen; Graphic Design, Noah Scalin; Production Photographer, Russ Kuhner; Sound Tech, Aiden Meyer; Run Crew, Tyche Xu, Bobby Peatman; House Manager, Sean Huddlestan. Presented by Ensemble Studio Theatre, William Carden, Artistic Director; Paul Alexander Slee, Executive Director; Graeme Gillis, R.J. Tolan, EST/Youngblood Artistic Directors. At the Ensemble Studio Theatre, 549 West 52nd Street, Manhattan, (212) 247.4982, ensemblestudio theatre.org. Through November 24. Running time: 2 hours.

The Landing

Mon, 28 Oct 2013 12:06:04 -0400

Half way through the 100 or so minutes of this production, I leaned over to my chum and whispered, “For what it’s worth, I have no idea what is going on.”

And while that remained true for the remainder of the evening, it didn’t stop me from having a good time.

PS if anyone out there knows David Hyde Pierce, would you please get in touch and let him know that I would very much like it were he to take me dancing. He would enjoy dancing with me, if I do say so myself.

Ahem.

Back to the story. Well, you see that is kind of where I got lost. There are three stories here that don’t seem to be connected in the least. “Andra”, narrated by Hyde Pierce, is the story of a friendship between a young boy (Frankie Seratch) and the carpenter (Paul Anthony Stewart) who works (and works and works and works on that one set of cabinet doors) for the boy’s family. There being no other adult around who takes more than a passing, if any at all, interest, these two guys fall into mutual like. The Man is an astronomy enthusiast and introduces the boy to the stars and their stories. The boy is a mathematician who understands that our existence is based on numbers to the point where the mystical has gotten a toe-hold in the door. And just as the door opens to the possible, another door closes.

In “Brick” a woman (Julia Murney) obsessed with old time black and white movies achieves lift-off when an inanimate object turns into a delicious song and dance man. Ms. Murney and David Hyde Pierce are an exquisite team and together they allow us all to float into the stratosphere.

In the final piece “The Landing” a middle-aged gay couple marvels at their fortune in adopting a boy who is beyond perfect. They have had a beautiful life up until this moment, and now they have moved exponentially into another sphere. And once again Mr. Pierce’s writing takes us out of the box into a place for which we were not prepared.

The execution of the production is impeccable. Walter Bobbie’s direction is sensitive and specific, allowing each piece to embrace its unique flavor. And the cast is simply wonderful. The age difference is never a problem, and this is an ensemble that is having one heck of a great time.

Even so, why these three pieces are together remains a mystery. The dots do not connect, and were it not carrying the name Kander I doubt that this production would achieve the light of day – or perhaps I should say the light of night. And that would be unfortunate, because each of these stories is a jewel.

So take them as they are – separate but equal – and enjoy the show.

THE LANDING - Book and lyrics by Greg Pierce; music by John Kander; story by Mr. Kander and Mr. Pierce; directed by Walter Bobbie

WITH: Julia Murney, David Hyde Pierce, Frankie Seratch and Paul Anthony Stewart.

Choreography by Josh Rhodes; sets by John Lee Beatty; costumes by Michael Krass; lighting by Ken Billington; sound by Nevin Steinberg; production stage manager, Roy Harris; production manager, David Nelson; general manager, DR Theatrical Management; music coordinator, John Monaco; conductor, Paul Masse; orchestrations by Larry Hochman; music director, David Loud. Presented by Vineyard Theater, Douglas Aibel, artistic director; Sarah Stern, co-artistic director; Jennifer Garvey-Blackwel, executive producer. At the Vineyard Theater, 108 East 15th Street, Manhattan, (212) 353-0303, vineyardtheatre.org. Through Nov. 24. Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes.

The Snow Geese

Fri, 25 Oct 2013 13:30:51 -0400

This one has me mystified. For the entire two hours of this show I was grasping for a foothold. I kept waiting to find a place where I could enter and be allowed inside more than a step or two. And, with the exception of a beautiful scene between Mary Louise Parker (Elizabeth Gaesling) and Chrstopher Innvar (Theodore Gaesling) I never found solid ground.

This is the story – set in 1917 - of a young man, Arnold Gaesling (Brian Cross) who is the only one in the Gaesling family ready to admit that the Emperor has no clothes. When his beloved father Teddy died eight weeks prior (the above mentioned scene is a flash back), it was Arnie who was given the job of handling matters. As “the man of the house” because his older brother Duncan (Evan Jonegkeit) was away at boot camp and his Uncle Max (Danny Burnstein) had been recently ostracized by the citizens of his home for 20 years because he was German, it was Arnie who took on all matters practical and financial. What he uncovered was a mare’s nest of problems, the upshot of which was that the family was broke.

This news, while never welcome anywhere any time, is particularly unwelcome on the occasion of the family gathering at their lodge outside Syracuse. Duncan is about to be shipped off to war, and it is the last time everyone (except Teddy) will be together. It is the time for the annual hunt, an occasion that Teddy loved, so this get together is also a memorial service of sorts.

With the addition of the mercurial Victoria Clark who plays Clarissa – Elizabeth’s sister and Max’s wife, as well as the compelling Jessica Love as a Polish aristocrat refugee from the War who is the new maid Viktorya Gryaznoy – we have all the makings of a Chekhovian drama. A rich family falling from grace refuses to listen to the truth of their dilemma, the beat of the coming war, or the flocks of geese migrating overhead. They are being cared for by one young woman (the rest of the staff dismissed for financial reasons) who has already fallen from grace and truly knows what it means to have nothing. Within that circle of story there is Max – the ostracized German – and the wife he loves, Clarissa the tea-totaling Methodist (“We are only unhappy when we are rich”) who are mourning the loss of their only daughter. Arnie is the child who never feels heard. Duncan is the golden boy about to be toppled. Elizabeth is the sun about which they would all like to orbit, but who is without a heat source of her own since the death of Teddy. Everyone is off kilter seeking a center.

But somehow Mr. White manages to remain on the surface of things. We move from one event to another as if we were watching an old newsreel. Because of the beautiful scene with Innvar and Parker we see the light and life this couple shared. But it becomes a fading memory when we are faced with the stilted goings on in the mourning Gaesling household. What was lost is conveyed in words only. There is little heart in the matter.

It is as though someone started out with the makings of a great soup: a fantastic stock and all the right ingredients. Then, for some reason the chef placed the pot under the faucet and opened the tap a bit and was called away for a phone call. The result is a watered down dish that will be served but not appreciated.

THE SNOW GEESE - By Sharr White; directed by Daniel Sullivan

WITH: Mary-Louise Parker (Elizabeth Gaesling), Danny Burstein (Max Hohmann), Victoria Clark (Clarissa Hohmann), Evan Jonigkeit (Duncan Gaesling), Brian Cross (Arnold Gaesling), Christopher Innvar (Theodore Gaesling) and Jessica Love (Viktorya Gryaznoy).

Sets by John Lee Beatty; costumes by Jane Greenwood; lighting by Japhy Weideman; music and sound by Dan Moses Schreier; projections by Rocco DiSanti; hair and wig design by Tom Watson; fight director, Rick Sordelet; dances by Mimi Lieber; production stage manager, James Fitzsimmons; artistic producer, Mandy Greenfield; general manager, Florie Seery; production manager, John Helman; artistic line producer, Lisa McNulty. Presented by Manhattan Theater Club, Lynne Meadow, artistic director; Barry Grove, executive producer; and MCC Theater, Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey and William Cantler, artistic directors; Blake West, executive producer. At the Samuel J. Friedman Theater, 261 West 47th Street, Manhattan, (212) 399-3050, manhattantheatreclub.com. Through Dec. 15. Running time: 2 hours 5 minutes.

The Downtown Loop

Fri, 25 Oct 2013 13:30:43 -0400

Once one walks into the theater one’s mind will automatically draw the conclusion that the Down Town Loop will be an exceptional show. This is due to the fresh set up of the space—stairs leading up to a platform which provides seating for the audience. The see through platform doubles up as one of the performing areas used for scene changes. The audience is surrounded by screens which help transform the space into a virtual tour bus among other settings.

Greg Carere, the tour guide, takes everyone through the different days of his bus’ routine. Along the way the audience is introduced to a cast of interesting characters—foreign women who take a liking to the tour guide and New York inhabitants.

Once the show begins it is easy for one to get in entranced within all that is going on. It is such a different experience and easily captures the idea of sightseeing in the city. Sarah Johnston (lighting Designer), David Ogle (Set Designer), Jared Mezzocchi (video designer), Danielle Baskin (Props Master) and Marcelo Anez (sound system design) have really out done themselves. They deserve great praise for their work.

It can be argued that the script written by Ben Gassman doesn’t do justice to the stunning visual/atmospheric elements. The script isn’t terrible, it can be described as having an acquired taste. It is clever in its subtle way of exploring the people of NY while showing how one (The tour guide) can be constantly moving (on the bus) but not really moving (forward in his life) in comparison to his ex. It is possible to walk out the theater having learned something new about the big apple—that’s for sure. However, if one is looking for strong character development, this is not the show.

The actors commit and disappear into their roles, which is always pleasing to watch. In all they are fantastic. Especially, Sam Soghor Who plays the trainee. He is lovable in the way that he speaks. His admiration for New York City and being a top notch guide is pure. Though his time is limited, Soghor somehow forges pathos. Such an event for the tour guide doesn’t really occur till the very end.

The other characters, Her (Keelie A. Sheridan), Foaud (Hakan Tolga Polat), Basque Woman (Sarah Mollo-Christensen), Shimon (Robert Metz) and Finnish Woman (Mia Jessup) add to the tour bus concept. They don’t have much to work with but are fine actors. Director Meghan Finn compliments all the work being done by her team—she uses the space incredibly well, tying everything together as a director should.

Again, this show is primarily visuals which are indeed brilliantly done. It is interactive which is almost always a good time at the theater. The Downtown Loop is one of those productions one will either love or hate. It all depends on whether one finds humor in the script or not. It also matters if one is concerned about strong plots, characters who must make tough decisions and prominent lines of action. That said the Downtown Loop should be experienced at least once to see what new innovative ways the theater is evolving.

You can watch The Downtown Loop at 3LD Art and Technology Center (80 Greenwich St, New York, NY)
https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/1401

The Downtown Loop: Written By Ben Gassman, directed by Meghan Finn

Featuring: Greg Carere (Tour Guide), Sam Soghor (Trainee), Keelie A. Sheridan (Her), (Hakan Tolga Polat) Foaud, Robert Metz (Shimon) Sarah Mollo-Christensen (Basque Woman), Mia Jessup (Finnish Woman), Jared Mezzocchi (Video Designer), Javier Herrera (Light Board Operator), Drew Kaufman (Associate Video Designer), Maria Sideris (Assistant Stage Manager), Nica Ross (3LD Resident Film and Video Designer), Marcelo Añez (Audio Systems Designer), David Ogle (Set Designer and 3LD Resident Designer), Sofya Yuditskaya (Video Operator and Technical Director), Jack Flachsbart (Audio Engineer), Jon Bernstein (Sound Designer), Ron Hatcher (Camera Operator), Danielle Baskin (Props Master), Sarah Johnston (Lighting Designer and Production Stage Management), Laura Diffenderfer (Choreography), Emily Blumenauer (Costume Designer), Piama Habibullah (Graphic Designer), Allison Lyman (Producer/Dramaturg), Moema Umann (Assistant Director) and Auroni Majumdar (Producer).

Fun Home

Wed, 23 Oct 2013 14:59:52 -0400

In this astonishing musical at the Public Theatre there are three Alisons (also the name of the author). There is Small Alison (Sydney Lucas), Medium Alison (Alexandra Socha) and grown up Alison (Beth Malone). Each actor gives us much needed information on the predicament: How does Alison of the present day figure out who her father Bruce (Michael Cerveris) was? She has the facts, but piecing them together is proving problematic.

Alison is a graphic artist (as is Alison Bechdel who wrote the graphic novel on which this show is based) who recalls her life visually. For each memory there is a corresponding visual on which she can lay caption after caption after caption. This is a sweeping iconic story that on the surface is about being a gay woman growing into herself, but is in every other way about the myth of childhood and how we all spend a good amount of time wandering around inside our own.

If you are expecting a “musical” with the snappy tunes that you walk out humming – think again. This is music similar in style to Ms. Tesori’s previous production Caroline or Change. It is haunting and wild and out of control – kind of like life.

Small Alison welcomes us with a recurring plea – that her father stop what he is doing a pay attention to her. It is a request she will carry through her life. But her father is not only peripatetic, he is living a lie – he is a gay man in a straight man’s life. That life is filled chock-a-block with activities. The house in which he and his family live is a museum piece, and everyone is a curator whether they like it or not. There is also a teaching position at the local high school. And finally there is the family business, the Bechdel Funeral Home – or, you guessed it, “The Fun Home”.

As Alison goes through her life and Ms. Malone is an excellent observer of her own past, the hopes and mistakes and embarrassments all assume equal weight. Her memory is an equal opportunity tool. Her fantasies about life as the Brady Bunch, the days when the kids played in the coffins at the funeral home, her first rebellion about wearing a dumb stupid dress, her first love affair in college, and the night her mother talked to her about how days and days and days can add up to a ruined life.

The common thread throughout all this is Bruce, and here the writing and Mr. Cerveris’ extraordinary skills become nearly symphonic as we see him being overwhelmed by the rabbit hole that is pulling him down and down. The final car ride with Alison and Bruce’s final moments on this planet are seductive and shattering. In these last moments both Cerveris and Malone achieve a partnership that is exquisite.

Lest I play the sad note too heavily, let me assure you there is an abundance of humor in this show. Ms. Bechdel does not hesitate to put herself or anyone else in the spotlight of the ridiculous. Her writing, beautifully translated by Kron and Tesori, is full of self-examination and whimsy. Bechdel never loses her innocence even as she becomes an adult. As a result I saw my own relationship with my parents and siblings up there and felt on a visceral level the tsunami of emotions that such contemplation brings.

By being willing to step down deep into her own life without fanfare or obfuscation, Ms. Bechdel opens the door for us to follow along. That is what good writing is all about. We want to be allowed into the basement, and we want the door at the top of the stairs to remain unlocked. We want adventure and a degree of safety all tied up in a bow.

This production does that and more. This production soars and will be one of those iconic theatre events that will fall under the enviable rubric of “Did you see THAT production???”

Hurry, hurry, hurry on over.

Fun Home

Music by Jeanine Tesori; book and lyrics by Lisa Kron, based on the book by Alison Bechdel; directed by Sam Gold; sets and costumes by David Zinn; lighting by Ben Stanton; sound by Kai Harada; projections by Jim Findlay and Jeff Sugg; wig design by Paul Huntley; music director, Chris Fenwick; orchestrations by John Clancy; music contractor, Antoine Silverman; choreography by Danny Mefford; production stage manager, Lisa Dawn Cave; associate artistic director, Mandy Hackett; associate producer, Maria Goyanes; general manager, Steven Showalter; production executive, Ruth E. Sternberg. Presented by the Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, artistic director; Patrick Willingham, executive director. At the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village, (212) 967-7555, publictheater.org. Through Nov. 17. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes.

WITH: Griffin Birney (Christian), Michael Cerveris (Bruce), Roberta Colindrez (Joan), Noah Hinsdale (John), Judy Kuhn (Helen), Sydney Lucas (Small Alison), Beth Malone (Alison), Joel Perez (Roy/Others) and Alexandra Socha (Medium Alison).

Romeo and Juliet

Sat, 19 Oct 2013 13:49:27 -0400

No weapons at all, no balcony at all, no prologue, no scene of Lady Capulet begging for vengeance; no Finn Wittrock (the rising star who played Troilus so heroically in CSC's AGE OF IRON seasons ago, but withdrew from his announced casting as Romeo), no William Hurt (the splendid actor who was initially announced for Friar Laurence) and, perhaps not so strangely, no fight choreographer listed in the program (though Casey Robinson is pictured in a CSC brochure). And hardly any life.

If Ms. Alagic's intention was to divest this magnificent romance of its inherent splendor and vitality, she has done her job. Only the creditable performances of Friar Laurence (the excellent Daniel Davis), Lord and Lady Capulet (David Garrison makes his pivotal scene work, and sexily costumed Kathryn Meisle makes sense of her character's much-cut arc), a surprisingly full-bodied and beautifully spoken Benvolio by McKinley Belcher III, and the gorgeous promise in Elizabeth Olsen's deeply felt Juliet do Alagic's death-delivering direction a disservice.

Why scale everything back so that the production might as well be a grey, sterile fashion shoot, except, perhaps, that the director is straining for an originality reminiscent of drama school exercises? Why cast a Romeo who looks striking in repose but cannot transcend his irrevocably hard "r"s and who lacks the requisite initial melancholy, jubilant romanticism or really anything but some authentic, tear-y, ragged rage in his later scenes? Why saddle your clearly talented Juliet with an off-white, slip-like costume which denies her any chance at modesty and clod-hopper boots on her feet? Why eliminate the balcony itself, forcing the two lovers to pretend at an impediment to physical consummation? And one wonders what the charismatic T.R. Knight, with his remarkable voice, was told to do with Mercutio other than make him a generically passionate misfit. Mercutio can be gay-ish, he can be schizophrenic, he can be malcontent, he can be resolutely misanthropic, he can even be the voice of the playwright, but there must be some careful logic to his psychology or else the actor is left to squander his gifts at the service of nothing, as he does here. Daphne Rubin-Vega, balancing carefully on some silly-heeled shoes, is out of her sassy element as the robust, huge-hearted Nurse, and that she was encouraged to play Latina for all she's worth seems a very condescending choice.

The opening lighting effect is nice, and the music serves to underscore some of the otherwise non-existent suspense. But anyone expecting to perceive more than a glimmer of Shakespeare's sumptuous canvas should stay away. Oh, yes, there is a silver curtain that is brought in for the "masque," and the pointless wit of the masque's costumes draws some attention to itself (Romeo wears a big, yellow Winnie-the-Pooh head; I kid you not). The Gregory and the Tybalt are adequate, and Stan Demidoff scores points as the ruffian Sampson (despite the senseless interpolations of Spanish into his dialogue), thanks in part to an exquisitely muscled, bared torso. The otherwise undeniably talented Marsha Ginsberg's reputation is not at all well-served in her set design, a flat grey wall and a wood floor with some architectural digest chairs and one long table, here.

I am left thanking my stars that I was witness to Michael Greif's vastly emotional, watery production at the Delacorte some seasons ago, and that I can still remember Lauren Ambrose's divine Juliet therein, a goddess for anyone's idolatry.

ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare directed by Tea Alagic at CSC Repertory

Set Design by Marsha Ginsberg; Costume Design by Clint Ramos; Lighting Design by Jason Lyons; Original Music and Sound Design by Ryan Rumery; Dramaturg: Megan E. Carter; Managing Director: Jeff Griffin; Production Stage Manager: Raynelle Wright;

Cast: Chorus/Friar Laurence: Daniel Davis; Sampson/Paris: Stan Demidoff; Gregory/Friar John/Watchman: Harry Ford; Mercutio: T.R. Knight; Benvolio: McKinley Belcher III: Tybalt: Dion Mucciacito; Montague: John Rothman; Capulet: David Garrison; Prince: Anthony Michael Martinez; Romeo: Julian Cihi; Lady Capulet: Kathryn Meisle; Nurse: Daphne Rubin-Vega; Juliet: Elizabeth Olsen

CSC Repertory, 136 East 13th Street, just west of 3rd Avenue, runs through November 10, 2013 (classicstage.org), written by William Shakespeare, directed by Tea Alagic

A Night WIth Janis Joplin

Fri, 18 Oct 2013 16:18:13 -0400

In “A Night with Janis Joplin” you see dead people quite a lot. The conceit of the script is Joplin, on stage singing her heart out, with pauses to tell you about the amazing women who shaped her music: Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, Odetta, Etta James and Aretha.

These apparitions appear before us all over the remarkably fluid set from Justin Townsend. Taprena Michelle Augustine gives us Bessie Smith, De’Adre Aziza offers an imposing Odetta and a dead-on Nina Simone, and Nikki Kimbrough styles Etta James. These lively women also conjure the Chantels, the seminal girl group from the Bronx. There are soaring voices and homages. There is significant strutting and singing. But there is no development.

This night with Janis Joplin at the Lyceum on 45th Street is a rock concert replete with unrelenting pounding bass and psychedelic light. It is music in a Broadway theater but certainly not a Broadway musical. That point was brought home throughout act one as the enormously talented Mary Bridget Davies, channelling Joplin, urged a rather demure audience to get into it ‘man.’ Davies is very compelling as the gifted and, in this version, not so damaged, Joplin. But watching the actor struggle to maintain the illusion of a rock concert’s rowdy exchanges with a Playbill-grasping, way too sober crowd was uncomfortable.

The first act closer offers relief. Allison Blackwell, one of four additional singers, conjures Aretha Franklin. The “queen of soul” insists the white-bread audience stand up and get into it; and they do there best.

In the end, there were too many songs that were the same - noisy and urgent and true to our memory - but oddly the same. The musicians blared away with distinction; again, music in a Broadway house, but a concert not a musical. Ross Seligman and Stephen Flakus on guitar, Patrick Harry on bass, Tyler Evans on keyboard, Mitch Wilson on drums and the brass men, John Scarpulla on sax, Craig Taylor on trumpet and Michael Boscarino on trombone light up the stage with authentic music and credible impersonations of cool band guys.

Davies does “Me and Bobby McGee.” She does “Piece of My Heart.” She does “I’m Gonna Rock My Way to Heaven” a couple of times. And just when we think she is not going to do the only Joplin song I actually know the words to, she hauls out “Mercedes Benz.” I had good seats, and I could believe it was Janis.

This impersonation demands more than Holland Taylor‘s doppelganger rendition of Ann Richards, as Richards’ crackle was not in song. The two performances share a jaw dropping accuracy; a spot-on capture of the original. Each production, however, is a one-trick-pony.

“A Night with Janis Joplin” at the Lyceum Theatre,149 W. 45th Street, has a rather complicated performance schedule until it steadies up November 4th. It is notable that all of these remarkable musicians can manage two performances on matinee days and that they manage that beautifully three times a week.

October 18 - October 27
Tuesday through Thursday at 7 PM.
Friday and Saturday at 8 PM.
Matinees Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday.

October 28 – November 3
Monday through Wednesday at 7 PM.
Friday and Saturday at 8 PM.
Matinees Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday.

Regular performance schedule starts Monday, November 4th:
Tuesday through Thursday at 7 PM.
Friday and Saturday at 8 PM.
Matinees Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday.
 Tickets ($49 - $140) are available by calling Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200, online at www.telecharge.com, or at the Lyceum Theatre box office.

Marie Antoinette

Fri, 18 Oct 2013 13:41:27 -0400

It is a dangerous endeavor to present a dramatization of history to a New York City audience that will surely be comprised of intellects and cynics - especially when the history presented is somewhat familiar and a frequently favorite story among dramatic storytellers. What a thrill it was to be in the presence of a genius collaboration of writer, director and cast and witness this production which deftly surmounts all risk and draws one in from its very first moment.

Marie Antoinette is often sold as a vapid creature incapable of preventing her eventual slaughter. Breaking from traditional interpretation, David Adjmi writes a character that is hilarious, multi-layered, relatable and ultimately heartbreaking. The show begins with a juxtaposition of dialogue delivered at breakneck speed and dazzling energy which serves to magnify the prison of boredom and futility that is court life in Louis XVI’s Versailles. Marie Antoinette is surrounded by “friends” and luxury. The friends are colorful lenses focused by the clever direction of Rebecca Taichman on our heroine. The life of luxury is represented by tantalizing stagecraft that seduces but does not cure loneliness. Equally creative choreography, light direction and sound design are also sources of utter delight.

It would have been so easy for the style choices to dominate this production and cause it to become very presentational. The characters speak in a modern vernacular. There is a talking animal. Marie Antoinette (Marin Ireland) speaks an impossible volume of words loaded with humor. Scene transitions literally bring characters dancing upon the stage. The costume choices are drole modern suggestions of the 18th century lovingly selected by Anka Lupes. The urge to giggle can barely be suppressed in the first scene which is artfully humorous and thoroughly entertains. But Ireland tugs at your heart soon enough and the realization comes that laughter is present only because it is too late to cry. The urge to laugh is coupled by an urge to protect these characters from their known horrible fate. Disbelief suspends and investment instantly becomes significant.

Louis XVI (Steven Ratazzi) is a totally believable heart-wrenching bumbling husband. The character is brilliantly executed (pardon the pun) and instantly lovable. It is no easy feat to establish a relationship from a scene’s get-go, but these two actors, Ratazzi and Ireland, do it flawlessly. Their skills take full advantage of Adjmi’s writing of this exposition scene, which is utterly fluid and playful. The frustrating insanity of the famous marriage is spilled out over the stage evoking irrepressible laughter and profound empathy.

Although our attention is very much on the title character, the supporting cast demonstrates talent in abundance. Aimée Laurence, the ill-fated innocent Dauphin, is a Meisner dream. A child actor can so often deliver an affected performance that startles a viewer out of a scene, but this novice, though small in stature, is polished and firmly planted in his assigned identity. David Greenspan, Sheep – who speaks, no less! – pulls off the stylish choreography of Sam Pinkelton beautifully and is a perfect insipid demon in sheep’s clothing and French pastry-wrapped feet.

The punch of this story is packed by the painting of Marie Antoinette’s confidants. Axel Fersen (Chris Stack) takes lines that are all love and lust and subtly twists them around a block of ice leaving us breathless. Joseph (Karl Miller) could have been a simple, loving character, but instead creates a palpable tension on the stage with Marie Antoinette. He, like Ireland’s character, is a sad manifestation of the wishes of others. Therese de Lamballe (Jennifer Ikeda) is written as someone so selfish, but her struggle for ultimate survival is made understandable in its masked ugliness. Yolande de Polignac (Marsha Stephanie Blake) is stunningly beautiful and commands attention without saying a word through impeccable comic timing. Blake’s performance is nicely layered, leading to the belief that Polignac’s friendship is steadfast, but we soon see that her affection has limits. Taichman’s direction shatters with the realization that those Marie Antoinette loved and trusted were ultimately unworthy of it. The illustration of the sad disappointment of the relationships in her life could have been saved by a less talented director only for the moment between Ireland and Ratazzi when the queen tells her king she does not love him, but instead that moment cuts so much more deeply because we are led to it by such subtle yet complex character developments that teach us that love, for a monarch, comes at a price that cannot always be paid to every stakeholder.

Even the Revolutionary (Will Pullen) who tortures and captures Marie Antoinette is multi-faceted. He struggles to de-humanize her so that he can send her to her death, but her intelligence, despite its simple packaging, makes a visible impression upon him. He is moved almost away from his resolve and then imprisons her once again by retaliating with biting words that lock up her mind and eventually drive her mad. This performance was a tall order well-served by an actor with few lines, short scenes and minimal allowances for physical violence.

The sound design of this production deserves great applause. The simple, yet gratifying, sets by Riccardo Hernandez were complimented by precise sound effects that placed fear and uncertainty squarely in the room which, of course, gave a devastating magnified reflection of the lonely, painful and inescapable existence of Marie Antoinette. Lighting design by Stephen Strawbridge was meticulous and transformative with the mastery of a magician.

This production is a triumph and its characters will linger much as the title character’s existence continues to fascinate centuries after she lived. Bring a friend and see this unique and wonderful production.

MARIE ANTOINETTE - By David Adjmi; directed by Rebecca Taichman; choreography by Sam Pinkleton; sets by Riccardo Hernandez; costumes by Anka Lupes; lighting by Stephen Strawbridge; production stage manager, Amanda Spooner; technical director, Newell Kring; production manager, BD White. A Soho Repertory Theater production, presented by John Adrian Selzer in association with American Repertory Theater and Yale Repertory Theatre. At the Soho Rep Theater, 46 Walker Street, Through November 24. (212) 941-8632 | sohorep@sohorep.org Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes.

The Winslow Boy

Fri, 18 Oct 2013 13:14:14 -0400

There is something bewildering about this production of The Winslow Boy. For much of it I was certain I could see everyone’s lips moving, but I didn’t get what they were saying. I mean I did understand the words, but as to the sense of it all - that wasn’t making its way across the footlights to where I was sitting.

The Winslow home on a rainy Sunday afternoon just before World War I - and Ronnie Winslow (Spencer Davis Milford) has bundled himself home unannounced because he has been expelled from the Naval Academy for stealing a postal money order. The fact he has been accused is monstrous, but the fact that he is carrying a letter from the Academy requesting that his father Arthur (Roger Rees) formally withdraw Ronnie from the Academy is a public humiliation – and that sort of thing is not cricket.

So the it is Woe is me. Shame and Scandal in the family. Edwardian Style. But the focus here soon becomes Arthur’s insistence on defending his son. Not only does he believe Ronnie, there is a little matter of “Let right be done.” This is not as simple as it sounds, however, because turning this case around is, in effect, suing the government. The barrister who eventually takes the case, Sir Robert Morton (Alessandro Nivol) is being asked to pat his head and rub his belly at the same time, and to do it while walking and chewing gum.

To add a fly to the ointment, there is the matter of Catherine Winslow (Charlotte Parry) a New Woman (a suffragist) who is engaged to John Watherstone (Chandler Wiliams). Something like this could interfere with the marriage. Not only that, but defense is expensive, and Arthur’s determination (this is a patriarchy dontcha know) is a threat to everyone in the family. Financially they are undermined. And if the case is not successful they will, in short, be ruined.

So you can see that there are high stakes afoot. But knowing that and feeling same are two different things. It is as though, because we share the same language, it was assumed that we Americans would get the predicament down to our toes, so none of the actors had to try very hard. With the exception of a few moments delivered by Arthur’s wife Grace (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) there is little of the electricity of fear and risk running through the wires. There is also the addition of the very fine work of Michael Cumpsty, who again gives an extraordinary performance, as Desmond Curry, the family solicitor who, in spite of suffering from unrequited love for Catherine, is the single person in all of London who is supporting the entire Winslow household. Each time Cumpsty steps on stage you can feel a life force that equals the story Rattigan had in mind.

This play is, in reading it, an iconic tale that was based on a true story. Rattigan is not a writer who messed with trivial ideas – sure this is “drawing room” but these characters, no matter the surface appearance, are immensely passionate about their fates. This production is mentioned as coming directly from the Old Vic in London, which is true if you are counting the set/costume designer and the director only. But it appears that the beating heart of this piece was left on the other side of the pond.

The Winslow Boy

By Terence Rattigan; directed by Lindsay Posner; sets and costumes by Peter McKintosh; lighting by David Lander; sound by Drew Levy; music by Michael Bruce; hair and wig design by Paul Huntley; dialect coach, Stephen Gabis; production stage manager, Nevin Hedley; production management, Aurora Productions; general manager, Denise Cooper; associate managing director, Greg Backstrom; associate artistic director, Scott Ellis. An Old Vic production, presented by Roundabout Theater Company, Todd Haimes, artistic director; Harold Wolpert, managing director; Julia C. Levy, executive director; Sydney Beers, general manager. At American Airlines Theater, 227 West 42nd Street, Manhattan, (212) 719-1300, roundabouttheatre.org. Through Dec. 1. Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes.

WITH: Michael Cumpsty (Desmond Curry), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Grace Winslow), Alessandro Nivola (Sir Robert Morton), Roger Rees (Arthur Winslow), Zachary Booth (Dickie Winslow), Spencer Davis Milford (Ronnie Winslow), Charlotte Parry (Catherine Winslow), Chandler Williams (John Watherstone), Meredith Forlenza (Miss Barnes), Stephen Pilkington (Fred) and Henny Russell (Violet).

Desperately Seeking The Exit

Mon, 14 Oct 2013 13:04:25 -0400

Desperately Seeking The Exit, Peter Michael Marino’s no-frills, one-man show currently playing in the modest performance space in the basement of the Triple Crown on Seventh Avenue (just south of Madison Square Garden), actually started out in life as a $7-million dollar West End musical named Desperately Seeking Susan, based on the 1985 movie with Madonna. No lie. With music by Blondie. A brilliant idea, it crashed and burned. You can’t make this stuff up.

The cast of characters in this amazing theatrical disaster epic includes Mr. Marino himself, who had the idea to write a theatrical version of the cult hit film Desperately Seeking Susan, featuring the music of Blondie. It was to become one of the biggest West End disasters in recent memory, closing after four weeks of performances, and it is something of a miracle that Mr. Marino has emerged from the rubble to tell its story. It must have been very painful for him as it was happening, but he has managed to make it excruciatingly funny in the telling. Deborah Harry is also one of the characters in Desperately Seeking The Exit, since she wrote some additional music for the show and it was from her that Mr. Marino acquired the rights to Blondie’s music over lunch at Sardi’s. Famous directors and actors are brought onboard for the development process, the Gersh Agency gets involved and suddenly Mr. Marino is on a British Airways flight headed for London and rehearsals. He is immediately banished from rehearsals by the director, and that’s where things start to head south not just for Mr. Marino but also for the show. Of course there is a procession of various creative types: Madonna, the producers, the director Angus Jackson, the designers and choreographer, and then there is the Bataan-like march toward opening night once Mr. Marino has gotten back inside the theatre to see what they’ve done to his show. It isn’t pretty, but it is laugh out loud funny.

Peter Michael Marino is an infectiously enthusiastic storyteller, and lest you think he is just having his revenge upon the people who ruined his show, let me assure you he is gleefully doing just that. The narrative is written extremely well, and Mr. Marino is an accomplished performer and improv artist in his own right, apart from his other many talents. He passes out candy from London’s on Bleecker Street and hand-wrapped jam cakes to the audience, and even hurls tomatoes at them as well (alright, well, fluffy fake ones, and it’s more like lobbing them underhand). A self-confessed “Anglo-holic,” he singles out the Brits in the audience to banter with. They are not shy about bantering back, and the give-and-take Mr. Marino has with his audience is part of what makes Exit such fun to attend. He is not afraid to get silly. I first caught this show this past April, right before Mr. Marino took it to London to perform it for a month at the Leicester Square Theatre; directed by John Clancy, it is a much tighter, leaner and meaner show now, and I mean that in a good way. For Mr. Marino, it must have been especially rewarding to take this show back to London.

It has also played in Australia and Scotland, and now that Mr. Marino has returned to New York it plays, somewhat like a pop-up venue, at the Triple Crown on some Sunday nights. Check the website for performance times. To find out all the juicy details of how Desperately Seeking Susan went from a much-anticipated, big budget London show to a solo standup act in the cellar of a bar in lower midtown, you will have to go to see Desperately Seeking The Exit. I am not giving away the whole plot here, since the story does contain some surprising twists, but I would say that if you don’t like to laugh out loud often, and you wouldn’t be remotely interested in finding out what happened backstage during a big-time rehearsal process careening toward an opening night catastrophe, then you probably shouldn’t go. The rest of us will grab a drink at the bar upstairs and settle back in a chair down in the basement for an hour of wickedly funny showbiz merriment, and some occasional candy.

DESPERATELY SEEKING THE EXIT - Triple Crown Underground, 330 7th Ave at 29th Street, NYC. Admission: Tickets are "Pay What You Can," available on a first-come, first served basis; no advance reservations will be taken. Full bar.

More info: www.SeekingTheExit.com.

The Glass Menagerie

Thu, 10 Oct 2013 17:53:05 -0400

There are productions by which you can mark a moment in your life – the way you would treasure and recall an encounter with a loved one. This production will be that for anyone lucky enough to see it.

Although some will single out Cherry Jones as Amanda, I will not. So beautifully crafted is this production that there are no seams between any of the elements. The writing becomes three-dimensional. The actors disappear into the story. The visual elements entwine – the actors’ choreographed movements, the extraordinary set, lights, costumes and even music. This is one enormous chunk of life that will not be separated into parts.

As well, I believe, Mr. Tiffany understands that the center of this piece is Laura (Celia Keenan-Bolger). Not Tom (Zachary Quinto) or Amanda. Laura is the one around whom every character orbits. Her choice to stay locked in her life seems as though it is out of her control, but she holds her own against all comers, including her mother and her brother. On the other hand, when life hands her an offer of love, she makes a place for it on her dance card. Hers is an extraordinary spirit, and I have never seen it more apparent than in this production.

That this is so is a result of THE scene. You know the one. Where Laura spends time alone with Jim O’Connor, The Gentleman Caller (Brian J. Smith) who opens a doorway to a new life and then leaves her at the threshold hoping she will step through without him. It is a scene so intimate, tender and deep that the audience is lifted out of the theatre directly into Tennessee Williams Land. It is breathtaking.

Flanking both sides of this scene are extraordinary exchanges. Cherry Jones, although off to a confusing start with her opening reminiscences thrives in the long stretch. She is a big woman in voice and gesture who makes it clear that this Amanda is living a small life. Amanda bumps up against the ceilings and walls like Alice in Wonderland and appears surprised each time the facts loom up to greet her. The past as she knew it does not die – and her son is an acorn that falls not far from this tree – it is her own custom designed Gentleman Caller. Jones drifts in and out of this courtship with heartbreaking simplicity. A breaking heart needs no embroidery, and Jones lays hers on her sleeve for us to see and feel.

Zachary Quinto as Tom takes himself very seriously in his monologues but lightens up considerably in his scenes with Jones to the point where the two mine humor in their scenes that I have never seen before. They vacillate between rage and camaraderie because they are so close it pains them both. These scenes are gorgeous. As the Gentleman Caller, Smith arrives toting a Missouri accent strong enough to dance on, but he lets go of it soon enough so that THE scene becomes a pas de deux of extraordinary depth. The fact that high school has been the highlight of O’Connor’s life nips at his heels. His path is set and the future will be worth the effort, even if it means that he may settle for a love that is on the conventional side. Crossing paths with Laura throws him and his tender soul off kilter, and in righting his trajectory he breaks more than one heart in that theatre.

Which brings us to Keenan-Bolger. Hers is a Laura that is like a still pond covered with tiny sparking lights. This Laura is not a victim, even if she thinks she is. Her spirit keeps chugging like the heartbeat of a hawk. She may look as if she is idly riding an airstream, but this woman is never not watching for movement of any sort. This Laura puts the world on notice. She is watching. She is quiet, she is still, and she is here.

Which is why Laura is the one thing that Tom cannot leave behind. He may be his mother’s twin, but it is the heartbeat of his sister that is the music to which he dances.

Get to this brilliant, brilliant production. Just do it.

THE GLASS MENAGERIE - By Tennessee Williams; directed by John Tiffany; movement by Steven Hoggett; sets and costumes by Bob Crowley; lighting by Natasha Katz; production stage manager, Steven Zweigbaum; technical supervision by Hudson Theatrical Associates; general manager, Richards/Climan Inc.; associate producers, Golden + Gold, Yohei Darius Suyama, Greenleaf Productions, Maximilian Traber, Charles Reetz, Michael Crea and P J Miller. An American Repertory Theater production, presented by Jeffrey Richards, John N. Hart Jr., Jerry Frankel, Lou Spisto/Lucky VIII, Infinity Stages, Scott M. Delman, Jam Theatricals, Mauro Taylor, Rebecca Gold, Michael Palitz, Charles E. Stone, Will Trice and GFour Productions. At the Booth Theater, 222 West 45th Street, (800) 432-7250, telecharge.com. Through Jan. 5. Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes.

Bad Jews

Wed, 9 Oct 2013 18:04:19 -0400

A Bad Jew, according to this weary script, is someone who breaks a rule – usually having to do with diet. Like breaking a fast prematurely and then shrugging it off. For Daphna Feygenbaum (Tracee Chimo) this is tantamount to spitting in the eye of history. Forget your Jewish roots and what will happen to that unbroken golden vein that reaches directly from you back to before you-know-who walked the earth. The zeal to which Daphna clings to this philosophy is the centerboard of Joshua Harmon’s script. But it is not strong enough to keep the play from capsizing.

We meet Daphna and her cousin Jonah Haver (Philip Ettinger) late on the night that their grandfather, Poppy, was buried. Poppy was a beloved man who lived through the Holocaust and survived a concentration camp as well. He was treasured in the family, and as we learn about him, it seems that part of the reason Poppy was treasured was that he loved everyone. Including Daphna, who begins the evening as grating and ends it being a candidate for a mob hit. Poppy has left one piece of jewelry behind – his golden “Chai” – a Jewish symbol of the Hebrew word meaning “Life”. Poppy carried it under his tongue all the time he was at the concentration camp and gave it to his future wife in lieu of a ring. When they could afford a ring, she returned it to Poppy and he wore it all his life. Now that he is gone Daphna wants the Chai and is campaigning for it. Jonah does not want it, so the next person on Daphna’s list is her cousin Liam (Michael Zegen). .

Liam, as it turns out, did not make it to the funeral on account of he dropped his iPhone in the snow where he was vacationing with his girlfriend Melody (Molly Ranson). That he was vacationing while his grandfather was dying is lost on no one except Liam himself. When he arrives, therefore, we already don’t like him much. So watching him and Daphna go at it is a kick for about 30 seconds, but soon makes us want to check to see if we are each packing a chair and a whip in case things escalate the way we expect.

And they do escalate. As a matter of fact, the argument never stops. But it also never goes anywhere. It reaches and maintain a sort of absurd height with people leaving the studio apartment proper (bought by Liam and Jonah’s parents as a gift to them) and going into the bathroom for extended periods of time. That they can hear everything being said about them is clear to us because the lines are delivered at top volume, but nothing is said about this until well into the play.

And may I just say that we cannot blame the actors here. They make the most with what they have. Tracee Chimo reveals as many colors as she can in the delusional Daphna, but this is a character who is a blender set at high speed and missing a lid. Philip Ettinger’s Jonah appears to suffer from Asperger Syndrome, so ill equipped is he to communicate – and since nothing like this is mentioned in the script, one wonders at the choice, although it is done well. Michael Zegen’s Laim is a petulant young man with a pre-set fuse as short as a small wick, and verbal skills that he seems to have honed at the feet of James Spader. Molly Ranson is given the most difficult task of watching from the sidelines – when she is not staring at her phone – and during the play’s climax is actually sitting on a pull out couch with her back to us so that we can only see the top of her head. In addition they are given the unenviable task of marching (literally) around a set that is really an obstacle course complete with one fold out couch (facing upstage) and two limp blow up beds. What??? No wonder they spend so much time in the bathroom – it’s the only free floor space for miles around.

There is a story lurking here, and it could have been a good one. Grandchildren who have moved up a peg in the family pecking order are faced with life without their elder. Their grief does not unite them. It splits them like a log being cut for kindling. One clings to heritage she embellishes. Another has no future other than making it through the visitation from relations. One comes home dragging more guilt than he knows, and his chosen companion is treading water.

How the story got away is a mystery. But it did, and more’s the pity for that.

Bad Jews - By Joshua Harmon; directed by Daniel Aukin; sets by Lauren Helpern; costumes by Dane Laffrey; lighting by Mark Barton; sound by Shane Rettig; hair and makeup design by J. Jared Janas and Rob Greene; production stage manager, Beverly Jenkins; production manager, Aurora Productions; general manager, Nicholas J. Caccavo; associate managing director, Greg Backstrom; associate artistic director, Scott Ellis. Presented by the Roundabout Theater Company, Todd Haimes, artistic director; Harold Wolpert, managing director; Julia C. Levy, executive director; Sydney Beers, general manager. At the Laura Pels Theater at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theater, 111 West 46th Street, Manhattan, (212) 719-1300, roundabouttheater.org. Through December 15. Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes.

WITH: Tracee Chimo (Daphna Feygenbaum), Philip Ettinger (Jonah Haber), Molly Ranson (Melody) and Michael Zegen (Liam Haber).

Broadway Close Up: Bound For Broadway XII

Tue, 8 Oct 2013 16:53:16 -0400

Of the fourteen seasons the Kaufman Center has been presenting Bound For Broadway at Merkin Concert Hall as part of the Broadway Close Up series on Monday nights, Liz Callaway has hosted the event ten times. As she confided to the audience last night, she was hoping that maybe there would be a cake waiting for her at the theatre, or even some entrance music - one of her signature songs, perhaps - as she came onstage, but no. She made her entrance across the stage to her chair accompanied only by the warm ovation she received. Which is doubtless as it should be; this is a bare-bones operation. Onstage: three directors chairs, a couple of microphones, a few stacking chairs, some music stands, and a Steinway. That’s it. Into this spartan concert format are invited a few composers and lyricists with shows currently in development, prior to full production. Ms. Callaway asks them some questions about their writing process, and then performers enter to sing some of the musical theatre material from these shows.

This was a very entertaining evening. Ms. Callaway is a warm and gracious host, and the talented hopefuls whose work was on display here are hardly newcomers to the New York theatre scene. Next To Normal, The Drowsy Chaperone and Avenue Q were participants in past seasons, and most of the creative team members are old hands at this. Many of the performers, some of them quite well known, are currently appearing in Broadway shows and were apparently taking the opportunity to perform on a Monday night when their shows are dark. The result was a treat from start to finish, the level of the music and lyrics throughout set quite a high bar, and the largely subscription audience was attentive and appreciative. The first-rate piano accompaniment for the evening was provided by Fred Lassen, Andy Monroe, Matt Castle, Joshua Salzman, and Sam Davis.

Adam Kantor and Sarah Stiles started off the evening with “She’s My Wife” and “It’s Only A First Date” from Nine Wives, Book and Lyrics by Dan Elish, Music and Lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen. Both performers are strong vocalists and neatly captured the simultaneous angst and hope of early dating rituals, without overstating them. Next up was Drive, with Book, Music and Lyrics by Andy Monroe, who also accompanied Tom Stuart’s rendition of “Drive” and James Cochran and Courtney Shaw in “A Really Nice Guy.” Although Drive is perhaps hampered by the fact that its central premise is, well, let’s just say Adult, its additional signal difficulty is that all its scenes take place in the front seat of a car. Which means that the devil is in the details; getting up and dancing are just not in the cards. Not your ordinary musical, but Ms. Shaw and Mr. Cochran were especially good at the detailed give-and-take this material is going to need in order to succeed, and succeed they did. Finishing out the first act was My Life Is A Musical, Book, Music and Lyrics by Adam Overett, whose central character is afflicted (he hates musicals) with the titular conceit that his waking hours are haunted by his own personal chorus and a musical score, which only he can see or hear. It’s a funny idea, and in the capable hands of a very droll Howie Michael Smith rich laughs are earned by playing it straight, given the silliness of the imaginary circumstances surrounding him, which he does in the title song and with much more heart in “Sing To Me.” He is joined by the versatile Sarah Stiles for “Someone Else’s Song,” and backed up for all three numbers by his own chorus, of course, comprised of the talented Jennifer Blood, Lindsay Nicole Chambers, KJ Hippensteel and Jason Michael Snow.

You will be glad to know that Liz finally got her entrance music for the second act, thanks to the game Joshua Salzman on the Steinway and to the immediate delight of the audience. Ms. Callaway looked properly gratified as she took her chair. The Legend Of New York opened the program after the interval, Book and Lyrics by Ryan Cunningham, Music by Joshua Salzman, based loosely upon an apocalyptic Biblical story and set in New York City during the famous Blackout of 1977. F. Michael Haynie strutted out vocal riffs in the bluesy “Cloud 54” like a hip stray cat in a back alley speakeasy, and Kevin Massey delivered the challenging finale number, “Heavenly House On A Hill,” in which his character has to choose between celestial salvation or being destroyed along with the rest of New York City. Without giving anything away, let me just say that E.B. White would have been proud of him, and Mr. Massey nailed his difficult vocals with his customary aplomb. The evening’s final entry, Leaving Home, Book and Lyrics by Sean Hartley, Music by Sam Davis, in its present incarnation seems to be based upon three divergent stories unified by the theme of the title. In the capable hands of Stanley Bahorek, the plaintive ballad, “The Land Of The Dead,” is at once slightly creepy and terribly touching, a cry for love from an introverted computer nerd desperate for affection; a modern-day Judd Frye addicted to video games. The veteran actor Edward Hibbert might have shredded some curtains, had there been any, with his funny, naughty rendition of “Love And Real Estate,” about a hot apartment deal he failed to close. Imagine a song like Maltby & Shire’s “Miss Byrd” written for Paul Lynde, and there you pretty much have it.

Notwithstanding the generally excellent level of talent throughout the show, Bound For Broadway really did manage to save its best for last, as it fell to Ms. Callaway to sing the final number, “The Perfect Guy.” If she does this every time she hosts one of these shows, you can see what has kept this audience coming back for the last ten years. Those of you who know Liz Callaway’s work will understand my elation when she finally rose to sing, and those of you who don’t know her work ought to go out and buy one of her CDs right now. Of course, she just nailed it, as she always does, and the evening ended on this very satisfying high note.

Bound For Broadway is a bit of a misnomer, as most of these developing shows are pitched in scale and by subject matter toward less lavish venues, like regional theatre or Off-Broadway. Don’t let that dissuade you from attending this worthy series; this is where real creativity is happening in today’s musical theatre. Broadway is no longer the barometer for anything but commercial success. It takes a series like this one to cradle truly imaginative work, and to let us know what is really possible when you take three boards, two actors and one passion, and give them a song.

Still ahead in the Broadway Close Up series:
A Party with Amanda Green, Mon, Oct 28 at 7:30pm
Cy Coleman, Ladies Man, Mon, Nov 18 at 7:30pm
Sing for Your Supper, Mon, Dec 09 at 7:30pm

Merkin Concert Hall
129 W. 67th Street
New York, NY 10023
212 501 3330
boxoffice@kaufmanmusiccenter.org
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