Category Archives: Uncategorized

Women Are Crazy Because Men Are A**holes

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized June 14, 2015 Leave a comment

Women Are Crazy Because Men Are A**holes has opened for ten days at The Cherry Lane, hoping for a longer New York stay after successful runs in Los Angeles and Chicago.  Recognizing that this well-trod material is better appreciated through shared experience, the producers wisely filled seats by offering discount tickets to active off-Broadway viewers.  Being nestled in a packed house turns what might otherwise be a forgettable show into a time of wicked laughter and knowing head-bobs.

The action begins with five young couples gathering for a brunch.  It is a celebration of the first face-to-face meeting between Nicole and Dylan, who have been courting on the internet.  While theirs may be the newest romance, there is plenty of awkwardness, codependency, and manipulation to go around.  Phoenix and Tim have just broken up, Mandy and Benny have just gotten back together, and Bella and Blake are in very different stages of life.

The banter is mostly realistic, likely because the events were inspired by writer/director Brad T. Gottfred’s own experiences with a girlfriend who — in his own words — brought out the asshole in him.   Much of the dialogue is witty and delivered at a brisk pace.  However, as in many relationships, the conversations are often circular.  This is particularly true of Hillary and Tim, who have the same unproductive argument for the entire play, never making it to the brunch as a result.  I avoid such people in real life and didn’t enjoy being exposed to them in my off-hours.  Judging from the fact that none of the characters express any concern for bickerer’s absence after the first five minutes, their friends don’t enjoy being around them much either.

Most of the ensemble — Mandy Henderson, JJ Nolan, Devlin Borra, Blake Boyd, Baxter Defy, and Tunisia Hardison — have been with the show since inception.  (Ms. Henderson, Mr. Boyd, and Ms. Nolan also serve as co-producers.) The remaining actors — Christine Donlon, Nikki McKenzie, Justin Sintic and John Weselcouch — joined two years ago.  This gives the entire cast a sense of ease with one another that provides depth and spontaneity to the somewhat predictable script.  To my no-longer-30-years-old ears, some of the dialogue was delivered in hard-to-interpret screeches, but generally the interaction had the right level of exuberance.  Gottfred’s staging is clever and makes use of every nook and cranny of the small theater.  This enables the focus to move swiftly among couples and lets them easily play off of one another’s exchanges.

Despite many uncomfortable moments for the characters, it all adds up to silly fun for spectators.  Best of all, as someone who supports keeping theater relevant and accessible to everyone, I was pleased to see so many younger people in the audience.  I have no doubt the irreverent title got them there.  I believe word of mouth will continue to bring them through the door.  If you’d like to be among their number, visit http://bleepingcrazy.com for tickets and information.

The Spoils

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized June 9, 2015 Leave a comment

What if your best friend from third grade never stopped acting like an eight year old?  That is the dilemma faced by those closest to Ben, the central character of The Spoils.  As written and performed by playwright/actor Jesse Eisenberg, Ben can certainly be witty, but he is also cruel, directionless, and socially retarded.  It’s hard to imagine that these sweet people don’t have anything better to do with their time than hang out in this jerk’s apartment.

Therein lies the problem with this entire effort.  For a drawn-out 140 minutes we witness two relatively healthy couples — who clearly have enough on their plates — trying to help Ben get his life together and treat them with a modicum of respect. Puns are punned, recollections are recalled and banter is banted, all with a side of Nepalese beer.  Much of it is clever, but none of it leads to anything resembling a satisfying conclusion.

Eisenberg portrays the lead with much of the same disconnection and twitchiness that worked so well in The Social Network.  His oddness is magnified by Scott Elliott’s uneasy direction.  (Perhaps Mr. Elliott had some bizarre classmates when he was young and drew on these memories when he devised Ben’s peculiar physical conduct.)  The supporting cast (Erin Darke, Kunal Nayyar, Allapurna Sriram and Michael Zegen) all deliver their lines with appropriate zing.  Nayyar is particularly touching in the nearly-impossible role of Ben’s best friend, Kalyan.

Mr. Eisenberg is bright and talented.  It’s hard to believe he doesn’t have six other better scripts on his nightstand and superior writing examples on his hard drive.  Why he would chose to send eight weeks embodying a guy whose most cherished memory revolves around getting defecated on is my second unanswered question associated with this production.

The Spoils, presented by The New Group, is playing at the Pershing Square Signature Center through June 28, 2015.  For tickets and information, visit http://www.thenewgroup.org/the-spoils.html.

What I Did Last Summer

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized May 16, 2015 Comments: 2

One of my goals for this blog is to introduce readers to theaters with reasonable ticket prices.  I have already mentioned the $20 seats at the Claire Tow and also recommend Theater C at 59E59 to those who don’t mind open seating.  A third incredible bargain is The Signature, which has secured enough funding to sell $25 tickets for every seat for every performance.  They also have a valuable residency program, which gives selected playwrights five years to create and produce new works as well as develop old ones.  It’s a terrific opportunity for participants to fully explore and expand their work.

This season, the Signature is featuring A.R. Gurney, best known for Love Letters, The Cocktail Hour, and Sylvia.  The current encore production, What I Did Last Summer, contains Gurney’s typical blend of lighthearted humor with a dash of poignancy.  It primarily follows the activities of teenager Charlie who is spending a few months at Lake Erie near the end of World War II.  His time and attention are divided between his Mother – who wishes him to study Latin – and free spirit Anna Trumbull – who believes he should explore his own creativity through art and play.

Having attended a very progressive school, I found the general discussion of book-learning versus life-learning an intriguing one and Gurney’s observations reasonable and well-argued.  The framework is very self-aware, with much of the action emphasized by having an unseen hand type key words of the dialogue and stage directions on the blank page that makes up the bulk of Michael Yeargan’s set.  All the characters directly address the audience and take every opportunity to make the story about themselves.  This highlights the playful side of the piece even when the action takes a more serious turn.

The cast is uniformly good, with a standout performance by Kristine Nielsen as Anna.  Noah Galvin’s Charlie makes a charming yet slightly bratty host and guide.  The ensemble’s high-energy is skillfully staged by Jim Simpson and backed by percussion provided live on stage by Dan Weiner.  The end results are enjoyable if slightly hazy, rather like summer vacation itself.

What I Did Last Summer is playing at The Pershing Square Signature Theater through June 7.  For tickets and information, visit http://www.signaturetheatre.org/tickets/production.aspx?pid=3776

Wolf Hall

Broadway, Play, Uncategorized April 22, 2015 Leave a comment

Wolf Hall is a little like that supposedly hot date with whom you didn’t have a terrible time, but you know you’re going to make an excuse not to go out with again.  The story of how King Henry VIII divested himself of wife #1 in order to marry wife #2 is sexy, fascinating and historically significant.  (Greetings, Church of England!)  The tale has been interpreted many times with great success.  (Love you, Keith Michell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers!)  The twist this time is that we see events through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell.  (Farewell the oft portrayed saintly image of Thomas Moore.)  Yet even with this legacy, reputation, and potential, there’s something a little off-putting about the results of this rendition.

Based on two popular award winning novels by Hilary Mantel and brought to life by The Royal Shakespeare Company, Wolf Hall is certainly splendid looking.  Beginning with a lively dance, the rich costumes and period music draw the audience in.  As adapted by Mike Poulton and directed by Jeremy Herrin, Part I moves at a brisk pace injected with a little humor.  However, the storytelling is patchy and potentially confusing for the uninitiated.  For example, Jane Seymour delivers a single line in a spotlight, a moment which only holds significance to those who know she eventually became Henry’s bride #3.

In Part II, events are told even more episodically.  Additionally, while Ben Miles makes a pensive Cromwell, we’ve learned so little about his personal life and credo, we have no sense of him as our guide.  The script becomes a series of call and response scenes in which we have no emotional investment.  Anne Boleyn may hold the future of the realm in her six-fingered hands, but whether she loses her head or embroiders another pillow is of equal interest and concern.

Sadly, Wolf Hall is neither an insightful piece of historical fiction nor a thoroughly entertaining piece of pageantry.  It is, however, 5 1/2 hours long and upwards of $150 a ticket.

Wolf Hall Parts One & Two are playing in repertory at the Winter Garden Theater through July 5, 2015.  For tickets and information, visit http://wolfhallbroadway.com/tickets/.

Underland

Off Off Broadway, Play, Uncategorized April 13, 2015 Leave a comment

You aren’t likely to confuse Underland by Alexandra Collier with any play you’ve seen before.  Its “Lost-y” WTFness is more typically associated with television and movies.  It is a credit to director Mia Rovegno that it works mechanically and, for the most part, narratively.  It was not at all to my taste, but I applaud 59E59 for making such a daring selection for their season.

Collier makes great use of the mood and isolation of the Australian Outback where the play is set.  From the opening moments it is clear something otherworldly is happening to the entire population, though some townspeople are more aware than their neighbors.  Collier moves her players skillfully to make the most of the small stage.  Burke Brown’s lighting and Elisheba Ittoop’s sound help create an appropriate menacing tone for the action.

The fantastical dialogue doesn’t always flow.  Daniel K. Isaac fares best as Taka, a Japanese businessman who gets sucked into town through a tunnel in Tokyo.  His character is enhanced by some subtle and imaginative “business” which sets him apart from the residents.  Many of the other actors are weighed down by the thick tenor of their lines.  The performances of Kiley Lotz as Ruth, an awkward school girl, and Jens Rasmussen as Mr. B, a domineering PE teacher, are so overblown they could be starring in a silent picture.  And the talented Annie Golden is burdened with mercurial speeches that are so drawn out they shoot beyond mood-setting and right into numbing.

Just as there is something lurking in the town’s quarry, there is something just below the surface of this piece.  For me, it stayed buried.  But to lovers of all things mystical and unexplained, attendance is likely to be an appropriately haunting experience.

Underland is being presented by the terraNOVA Collective in Theater B at 59E59 through April 25.  For tickets and information, visit http://www.59e59.org/moreinfo.php?showid=199.

Placebo

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized April 3, 2015 Leave a comment

It took me over twelve hours to work out precisely how the various plot threads in Placebo were related.  Judging from the conversations in the ladies room — where much constructive criticism takes place — I was not alone in my engrossment/head-scratching.  It is a credit to Melissa James Gibson that I was sufficiently invested in her characters to invest further energy in understanding them.  But it is also an indication that this talented playwright should have spent a bit more time polishing her creation before presenting it to a paying audience.

The plot revolves around PhD candidate Louise, brought very much to life by the fabulous Carrie Coon.  Louise is desperate to feel connection to her family, her lover and her work on a double-blind medication study.  But she fears that, like the placebos of old, she has no legitimate claim to those bonds. Ms. Coon and her colleagues (Florencia Lozano, William Jackson Harper and Alex Hurt) possess superior talent for delivering the hyper-realistic dialogue that makes up much of the play’s 90 minutes.  It is to their credit that the piece has the essential warmth that makes the audience want to see her successful and happy.

Obie-winning director Daniel Aukin does his best to bring depth to the thin script.  His clever staging moves each beat along and emphasizes the much-needed comic relief.  A somewhat awkward and overly lengthy funeral “scene” brings the storytelling to a halt and, like a car on a hill, it takes great energy to get things rolling again.  The performance also stops rather than ends, which is always unsatisfying.

That said, if there is anything in your life that used to come easily and now requires effort because of time, physical limitation, or increased cynicism (in other words, if you are human and of a certain age), Placebo is likely to speak to you.  And when it comes to theater, that’s the real deal.

Placebo is playing on the Main Stage at Playwrights Horizons through April 5, 2015.  For tickets and information, visit http://www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/plays/placebo/.

The Audience

Broadway, Play, Uncategorized March 30, 2015 Leave a comment

The Audience, a play about Queen Elizabeth II talking with eight of her Prime Ministers, may not sound like compelling drama to many.  But when the script is written by Peter Morgan — who so brilliantly explored the relationship between her Majesty and Tony Blair in the Oscar nominated film The Queen — and the role of Elizabeth is once again in the immensely capable hands of Dame Helen Mirren, you are in for an enjoyable and enlightening evening.

If you don’t know your Anthony Eden from your Gordon Brown or your parliamentary procedure from a ham sandwich, there’s no need to panic.  The action is introduced and clarified by a droll Geoffrey Beevers as the Equerry.  Following his background information won’t secure an A in English history, but it’s enough to help you grasp the significance of the proceedings you are about to witness.  Mr. Morgan increases the level of engagement by laying out the events as they relate to one another rather than chronologically.  We come to understand how each relationship and experience enriches the others.

Ms. Mirren has obviously continued to study her subject (if one can use that phrase to describe royalty).  Her tone, body language and expressions are perfect reflections of Queen Elizabeth without actually being imitation. It is a delight to watch the masterful actress move silkily among ages ranging between 26 and 88, aided by director Stephen Daldry’s clever staging and Bob Crowley’s spot-on design.

The performances delivered by the assorted PMs are of less uniform quality.  Richard McCabe as Harold Wilson is a particular revelation, helped along by having the most layered dialogue.  Rufus Wright elegantly takes on David Cameron and, in a more recently added flash-back, Tony Blair.  Surprisingly, the usually wonderful Dylan Baker as John Major appears ill at ease and occasionally loses track of his accent, while the equally gifted Judith Ivey’s interpretation of Margaret Thatcher is crushed under a tsunami of wig and teeth.  It should be noted that I attended the last preview, so these rough edges may be smoothed out during the run.  Regardless, there are enough bright spots to increase the heartbeat of any anglophile and the appreciation level of the more casual viewer.

The Audience is scheduled to run through June 28 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater.  For tickets and information, visit http://theaudiencebroadway.com.

Between Riverside and Crazy

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized March 20, 2015 Leave a comment

Stephen Adly Guirgis has an almost unmatched talent for writing dialogue.  From the inept burglars in Den of Thieves to the titular Motherf**ker with the Hat, his casts sound completely authentic even when what they are doing isn’t completely familiar.  Guirgis’s skill creating deep believable characters allows the audience to take a little trip inside a world that is simultaneously commonplace and new.

This gift is in evidence in his latest theatrical work, Between Riverside and Crazy, now playing at 2second Stage Theater after a run at the Atlantic Theater Company.  In this dark comedy, we visit with Walter “Pops” Washington — a former cop living in a large rent controlled apartment on Manhattan’s west side — and his extended family.  Like many tenants of these highly desirable and marketable dwellings, the landlord wants them out.  But Pop’s is protective of his territory and that of his unusual brood.  They include Pop’s biological son, Junior, recent ex-con and recovering alcoholic, Oswaldo, and Junior’s girlfriend and perpetual student, Lulu.

It quickly becomes clear that of the three, it is strikingly Junior who feels the most distant from the well meaning yet gruff retiree.  Just how these relationships formed is made clear without banging the viewer over the head. Wonderful details and insight are shared in almost every line from the opening moments at the kitchen table.  (You will never think of breakfast food in the same way again.)

As with Guirgis’s other creations, the play isn’t all talk.  Events pick up speed when Pops is paid a visit by his former partner and her fiancee.  What unfolds is a highly enjoyable combination of clever laughs and tragic food for thought.  Each emotional turn is perfectly enhanced by Walt Spangler’s literally turning set, which moves the players through space and time.  The action is reinforced by Austin Pendelton’s astute direction.  He knows just when to leisurely play out a moment and when to jump ahead.  His artistry is supported by a practiced cast lead by Stephen McKinley Henderson, who wears the role of Pops like a tailored suit that’s been slept in.

Between Riverside and Crazy is playing through March 22, 2015, in the Tony Kiser theater, 2econd Stage Midtown.  For tickets and information, visit http://2st.com/shows/current-production/between-riverside-and-crazy.

Verité

Off Off Broadway, Play, Uncategorized March 13, 2015 Leave a comment

Apparently Jo Darum — the lead character in Nick Jones’s satiric play Verité — is unfamiliar with the so-called “Chinese Curse”: May you live in interesting times.  After a rather unorthodox publishing house offers Jo $50,000 to pen her memoir, the housewife and mother decides she must start living a life worth writing about.  The results are by turns funny, unexpected and chilling.

In less assured hands, Jo’s surreal journey would be too preposterous to be engaging.  Thankfully the appealing Anna Camp’s experience includes turns in Pitch Perfect, True Blood and Equus, giving her all the tools necessary to make us connect emotionally with the play’s enthusiastic if naive heroine. Unfortunately, while some of the scenes crackle, the dialogue is too thin in places to fully support the bizarre premise.  At one point Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Winston, who may or may not have gone to high school with Jo,  is given a speech that resembles those dreadful scenes at the end of Perry Mason in which all is revealed in a Jamesian level of detail.  The woman next to me literally started snoring.

Director Moritz von Stuelpnagel’s skill is tested by the unusual dimensions of the Claire Tow stage.  The newest space at Lincoln Center is shallow and long, so those at the end of each row crane their necks while seeing too much of the actors’ backs.  Despite this challenge, Mr. Stuelpnagel and his cast deftly handle the rapid changes in tone.  Sharp pacing, terrific timing and clever sound cues are clearly in evidence.  Furthermore, the LCT3 is to be praised for offering this offbeat experience for $20 and bringing a diverse audience into their theater.

Verité runs through March 15 at the Claire Tow theater in Lincoln Center.  For tickets and information, visit http://www.lct.org/shows/verite/

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Broadway, Play, Uncategorized March 2, 2015 Leave a comment

If you don’t thoroughly enjoy yourself at The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, chances are good that you just don’t like plays.  The theatrical interpretation of the award-winning novel takes complete advantage of everything the medium has to offer.  Artful script.  Check.  Talented cast.  Check.  Clever staging.  Check.  Audience engagement.  Check.

Critics have raved about the lead performance of Alex Sharp who plays Christopher, the autistic teen through whom the story is told.  I can only imagine how brilliant he is since I  found Taylor Trensch — who takes the role at some performances — utterly enthralling.   On stage for the entirety of the show’s 145 minutes, Mr. Trensch is pitch perfect, skillfully knitting ritualistic movement and compulsive behavior in with his rapid fire dialogue.  I am generally not a fan of breaking the fourth wall, but I found his Christopher so enchanting I was happy to have him reach out to me directly on occasion.  The compassion and pride he inspires is critical to appreciating the production.

But Curious Incident is an ensemble piece and neither Trensch nor Sharp could succeed if they didn’t have such a strong supporting cast.  They not only play multiple roles but sometimes function as part of the scenery as well.  While everyone is top-notch, Mercedes Herrero in her Broadway debut deserves special mention for having the unenviable task of switching between two of the more outrageous characters, sometimes mere moments apart.

I also applaud the design team who have taken the black box concept to a whole new level.  Their combined use of lighting, video, movement and props convey Christopher’s viewpoint in a way that is as elegantly simple as it is brilliant.  I don’t want to give a single moment away, but I encourage you to let them finish what they start.

Tickets for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time at the Ethel Barrymore Theater are available at http://curiousonbroadway.com.  For those on a tighter budget, consider National Theater Live’s broadcast of the London production when it returns to these shores.  Bookmark http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/36297-the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time.