The Humans

Broadway, Play, Uncategorized May 3, 2016 Leave a comment

Of all the plays this season, Stephen Karam’s The Humans elicited the broadest range of responses from my friends and colleagues.  For each one who put it at the top of their list there was someone who unequivocally hated it.  Now that I’m on the other side of my own viewing experience, I can see why this piece generates both broad smiles and crossed arms.  It’s a cake made with corrosive acid and vanilla buttercream frosting.  Which of these ingredients hits you harder will depend very much on your personal makeup.  The one thing you won’t feel is nothing at all.

Fittingly, the events take place on Thanksgiving, which — lets face it — even in the happiest of households is a holiday that never quite lives up to our vision.  This is certainly true for the sincerely loving Blakes, joined for the first time by the younger sister Brigid’s beau, Richard Saad.  The family is as close to typical middle class city dwellers as you are likely to find on a big stage.  Rich has inherited money in his near future and is therefore on a different plane.  Long held rituals, new practices, and lost traditions come together over the course of evening, making for an odd mixture of comfort, hope and longing.

It must have been challenging to preserve the necessary level of intimacy when the play moved from the Laura Pels Theatre to Broadway.  Multiple Tony winning director Joe Mantello accomplishes this by keeping the action chaotic and tight.  David Zinn’s set successfully recreates what passes for spacious in New York’s Chinatown: a windowless basement with a nearly windowless second story.  Justin Townsend’s lighting and Fitz Patton’s sound add layers of eeriness and occasional humor to the atmosphere.

But as the title suggests, it is the humans who stand out.  The chemistry among the actors (Cassie Beck, Reed Birney, Jayne Houdyshell, Lauren Klein, Arian Moayed and Sarah Steele) is top flight.  Their warm, genuine bond is essential to making this production a success.  No wonder of all the terrific recent collaborative works, the Drama Desk chose to honor this cast with a special award for Outstanding Ensemble.  Birney and Houdyshell are particular standouts whose every emotion can be read in their body language from the back row.

The Humans is playing at the barely comfortable Helen Hayes Theater.  If you like your theater on the raw side, this one is for you.  Tickets are currently available through July 24, 2016.  Visit http://www.thehumansonbroadway.com for more information.

The Crucible

Broadway, Play, Uncategorized April 13, 2016 Leave a comment

The last time I attended a performance of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, I had not yet seen the McCarthy-Era set Trumbo or heard a candidate for president propose the “complete shutdown of all Muslims” entering our country.  The plot struck me as plodding and the dialogue dense.  Those recent reminders that unfounded fear can easily transform into outright hostility gave me a deeper appreciation of the unfortunate relevancy of this classic work.  This is also a superior production, boasting a first-rate cast in the skilled hands of Ivo Van Hove, a director who has become synonymous with dark and moody productions.

The entire ensemble is polished and well-matched.  Leading the way is Ben Whishaw, who at 5’9” is a decidedly unusual choice for the role of John Proctor.  Whishaw’s Proctor — described as “big” throughout the script and typically played by actors large in stature — is undoubtably substantial on an emotional level.  Sweet-faced Saoirse Ronan becomes ugly to her core as his nemesis Abigail Williams.  She is balanced by the loving and warm interpretation of Proctor’s wife Elizabeth delivered by the dazzling Sophie Okonedo.  Act Two is further brightened (darkened?) by a frighteningly powerful Ciarån Hinds as Deputy Governor Danforth.  The headliners are supported by an able troop including Bill Camp as a growingly conflicted Reverend John Hale, Tavi Gevinson as Abigail’s tool Mary Warren, and Jim Norton as what passes for comic relief in the form of Giles Corey.

Throughout the nearly three hour running time, Van Hove proves adroit at slowly building the dread to an almost unbearable level.  To emphasize the timeless cycle produced by anxiety and hate, the director moves the locale from Salem, Massachusetts circa 1692 to a utilitarian “sometime” with a set designed and lit by Jan Versweyveld.  The starkness helps the audience focus on the lightning flashes of impressive effects that pepper the action.  His actors dress in earth-toned unisex clothing by Wojciech Dziedzic, the better to disguise who is friend and who is foe.  The relentless score that buries itself in the pit of your stomach is provided by Philip Glass, master of repetitive background music.

The Crucible is playing at The Walter Kerr Theatre through July 17, 2016.  For tickets and information visit http://www.thecrucibleonbroadway.com. While I admire all the new names that have been brought to Broadway this season, I am equally thrilled to see an evergreen given such fresh life.  It sets a high bar for those to whom this serves as an introduction to the great Miller’s work.

Stupid F**king Bird

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized April 5, 2016 1 Comment

Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull may have been misunderstood and poorly received in the late 1800s, but it has since become a touchstone of early modernism.  This classic, therefore, makes a perfect framework for Aaron Posner to explore the state of theater and artistic expression in the age of $350 Hamilton tickets and 31 Flavors of Cirque du Soleil.  His “soft of” adaptation, Stupid F**king Bird is sly, witty, and insightful.  It may not quite be the “new form” longed for by both Chekhov and his leading man, but it is long on originality.  It brings such fresh prospective to the Russian masterwork, one can imagine Anton himself chuckling with glee in his seat.

Don’t let the profanity in the title scare you off (or be the reason you purchase tickets).  It merely signals the open and casual nature of the script and the play within a play (sometimes within a play).  We get our first indication of this when Christopher Sears in the role of Con tells the audience to request that he and the others “Start the f***ing play!”  We are also treated to visual queues from Sandra Goldmark’s stripped down set of painted doors on wheels in front of brick walls and exposed lighting that are the background of Acts One and Three.  This works beautifully with the seemingly spontaneous songs, loose narration and talk-backs.  The compact second Act is tonally different with long introspective speeches set against a full working kitchen.  I sense it was supposed to represent a shift towards the characters’ interior life, but between the slower pace, dimmed lighting and endless tinkering with barware, it just dragged the piece down.

Similar to its role model, Bird is populated by a colorful range of diverse characters.  This makes the piece a perfect fit for The Pearl Theater, which is home to a rich stew of creative talent including a resident acting company.  In the two and a half hour running time, the cast performs comedy, tragedy, musical numbers, improv, performance art and even a pinch of dance.  The range of ability is every bit as impressive as that sounds, starting with Mr. Sears as our tortured love-sick protagonist.  As his best friend Dev, Joe Paulik is a standout as our narrator in speech and song, accompanied by Joey Parsons’ mopey Mash on ukulele.  You will appreciate the interpretation of these roles more if you (re)familiarize yourself with the original script.  All the essential elements are left intact and made even more relevant to today’s audience.  Helping us to make all the necessary connections, The Pearl provides the audience with a well written synopsis and “Insider” prospective.

Stupid F**king Bird is playing at the Pearl Theater through May 8.  For tickets and information visit http://www.pearltheatre.org.

Hamilton

Broadway, Musical, Uncategorized March 31, 2016 Leave a comment

I have two pieces of advice regarding the musical Hamilton. Number one: GO!. Do whatever it takes to get yourself a seat, short of meeting a creepy guy in a Starbucks with cash in hand. Play the lottery.  Sit in a lawn-chair in front of the theater all night. Or stick a pin in an available night in 2017. Because if ever there was a piece on Broadway that deserved to be called “must see”, this is it. And that’s not Kool-Aid talking.  The music is catchy (and, praise be, memorable).  The lyrics are clever.  And the cast is off-the-charts talented.

Number two: Whatever the components of that particular performance — whatever city you are in, wherever in the house you sit, whomever you’re with, and whichever cast members are on stage — enjoy *your* experience of it. It will only be one degree away from all the other fabulous ways you can see this show.  I heard deep sighs of disappointment when some audience members noticed that the part of George Washington was being played by Austin Smith instead of Christopher Jackson. But by the time he boomed out his farewell speech, he had won over even the most ardent fan of the soundtrack album. I have heard similar stories about several of the other standbys.  There are no weak links here.  Even if, as happened to me, Lin-Manuel Miranda is resting his vocal chords, you will not be the least bit disappointed to catch the magic of Javier Munoz in the title role. In fact, my theater friends tell me it’s become the “in” thing to grab tickets for the Sunday matinee in order to guarantee seeing his interpretation.  His vocal technique brings out more of rich seductiveness of Hamilton in contrast to Miranda’s sharp edged frustration. Both are equally important aspects of this increasingly famous Founding Father.

So strong is every player that it’s hard to single out just one or two.  But in the interest of keeping this review at appropriate blog length I’ll start with Daveed Diggs.  His flashy Franglais Marquis de Lafayette in the first Act is only topped by his effected and slightly bitchy Thomas Jefferson in the second.  Leslie Odom, Jr. makes a commanding yet penitent narrator in the form of Aaron Burr.  And how could I not give special mention to the utterly delightful and hilarious Jonathan Groff as the spitting mad King George III.  My mother is tone deaf and even she can’t stop humming his theme song.

Fortunately, all this talent is in service to a truly remarkable book, music and lyrics by national treasure Lin-Manuel Miranda.  You’ve no doubt read about how, inspired by Ron Chernow’s biography, he saw an immigrant story in Hamilton’s humble beginnings as an orphan on a Caribbean Island who is sent to New York at 14 to make his mark.  I can’t begin to fathom how he turned the revolutionary war and resulting establishment of our government into such dizzying entertainment.  Surely the word genius applies.  Deep appreciation goes out to choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler and director Thomas Kail for adding perfect movement and motion to Miranda’s work.  There isn’t a dull moment to be seen.

Best of all is the probability that Hamilton will do for theater what Harry Potter did for reading: bring in a new generation of enthusiastic participants.  There were dozens of students in the theater and their energy was thrilling.  (Special shoutout to the young man who stepped off his school bus wearing a white tuxedo jacket, black bow tie and wide smile.)

Hamilton is currently playing at the Richard Rodgers Theater.  For tickets and information visit http://www.hamiltonbroadway.com.  Sign up for email notices and/or the lottery.   And PLEASE heed the warnings about counterfeit tickets.

Blackbird

Broadway, Play, Uncategorized March 27, 2016 Leave a comment

David Harrower’s Blackbird won the coveted Olivier Award over Frost/Nixon and Rock ‘n’ Roll, scripts by exceptional playwrights Peter Morgan and Tom Stoppard.  But while the runners-up feature a playfulness with and fluidity of language, Blackbird comes straight from the gut.  Many will find the central conversation frustrating, upsetting and too full of ambiguity.  This piece grew from questions Harrower asked himself after reading a newspaper story about an older man running away with a girl.  Not daring to presume what may be in the minds of others, he leaves it to you to answer some of those questions for yourself.  Your conclusions will almost certainly change during the 80 minute running time and may continue to morph for days after the lights come down.

The central discussion is about a life changing event the two characters shared 15 years before.  In those intervening years, the event has been defined and interpreted many times by people who weren’t involved.  We are witnesses to their first real-time exploration with the only other person who could really shine a light on that period.  Harrower’s writing style contains the poetry of Pinter, the brusqueness of Mamet and the discomfort of Shepard all rolled into a stomach-clenching ball. There is a constant flow of heightening and receding of vulnerabilities and therefore a shifting of which character is in command of the situation.  It’s easy to imagine that the power-shifts also happened in the past.  This possibility acts as a filter through which we struggle to find the truth.  We are forced to withhold final judgement, waiting to hear what the next piece of information will tell us about our two players.

The pair have moved forward in extremely different ways.  Peter (formerly known as Ray) has used the years to reconstruct himself and build a workable life.  It is a blessing that he is played by Jeff Daniels, who is not only immensely talented but supremely likable.  Even in his most ugly moments, you can envision really enjoying having dinner with him.  Conversely, Una has repeatedly lived only those few months from slightly different angles, so that they ARE her.  Having seen Michelle Williams grow up on television and in movies it’s actually quite easy to picture her at the necessary stages. What is missing is a feeling of genuine relationship between them.  While their individual speeches were pitch-perfect, their emotional connection was weak.  At times the actors just seemed tired.

This is the second time Joe Mantello has directed Blackbird on Broadway.  It is appropriate that he stages a messy, intimate conversation in a garbage strewn, claustrophobic break room. The candy wrappers and empty bottles also provide the actors with “business” to fill in their unfinished sentences.  Scott Pask’s set is so perfectly ordinary, the young man behind me kept comparing it to his own office.  Essential shading is provided by Brian Macdevitt’s lighting and Fitz Patton’s sound design. However, I found the creative decision to move the location from England to America less successful.  There are some plot details that would make more sense across the pond.

Blackbird is playing at the gloriously restored Belasco Theater through June 11, 2016. For tickets and information visit http://blackbirdbroadway.com.

L’amant Anonyme

Musical, Off-Broadway, Uncategorized March 18, 2016 Leave a comment

It is truly impressive that the compact theater in which I recently saw Dead Dog Park could be used to house an opera.  Granted, this one was produced by the appropriately name “little Opera theater of ny” and there are some obvious shortcomings.  Nonetheless, the effort is to be admired and, judging by the smiles around me, the outcome is enjoyable at its own level.

What adaptor/director Philip Shneidman has done is wrap a short comedic opera, L’amant Anonyme, within the true story of its groundbreaking composer, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.  (It should be noted that in the opera world “comedic” means that no one is lying dead centerstage when the curtain comes down.)  Chevalier de Saint-George, the mullato son of a French plantation owner and his slave, is best known as the first classical composer of African ancestry.  Scholars have long thought that L’amant Anonyme was inspired by his personal dilemma of being able to love but not marry any of the many white European women in his circle.  This production strengthens the parallel between fact and fiction by having the same actor play St George and his leading man, Valcour.  The script incorporates documented biographical material including the composer’s imprisonment during the Reign of Terror, his exceptional fencing skills and reaction of the Caucasian opera community when it was proposed that he be named director of the Académie royale de musique.  These sections are separated from those taken from the libretto by having the actors announce the act and scene numbers to the audience.

The music, played by the accomplished New Vintage Baroque Chamber Ensemble under the director of Elliot Figg, is pleasant.  If you like Haydn, you’ll be nodding your head here.  That they managed to squeeze eight instrumentalists onto this stage at all is miraculous, so they can be forgiven for having to retune partway through the piece.  The singing is handled by two alternating casts.  I saw the “Red Team”: Everett Suttle, Jennifer Moore, Jesse Malgieri, Marie Masters, Anthony Webb, and Aude Cardona.  At times they were what “Idol” judges would call “pitchy”, but I can only begin to image the challenges of hearing oneself in those deadening acoustics.

The creative team’s effort to support the intertwined stories has mixed results.  The lack of sets — typically an opera staple — allows for clean and clear projection of supertitles produced by Chadwick Creative Arts.  Thomas Schall should be applauded for managing to stage a fencing class in a space the size of a Manhattan galley kitchen.  Completely baffling, though, are Matsy Stinson’s costumes, which bear a strong resemblance to bedspreads.  Presumably for convenience, they are sometimes left in place when shifting from one storyline to the other, which I found confusing.

Whatever its imperfections, at $35 L’amant Anonyme makes for a lively evening and a gentle introduction to what may seem an intimating art form.  It is running at 59E59th Street Theater through March 20, 2016.  For tickets and information visit http://www.59e59.org/moreinfo.php?showid=235.

Dead Dog Park

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized February 23, 2016 Leave a comment

Dead Dog Park opens moments after a black 13-year-old has tumbled from a fourth floor window.  Did he fall as the white police officer who was with him suggests?  Or was he pushed as the youth’s mother and others suspect?  This critical question is examined over the course of the next 70 minutes with dramatic and traumatic results.

During this time, we as audience members have multiple opportunities to weigh our own prejudices.  Is one life ever more worthy than another?  And if so, what tips the scales for each of us?  As with the many true life cases we have seen in recent headlines, no matter what happens there are no real winners.  A boy will still be critically injured, a hard-working policeman’s life will remain in ruins and two families will never be the same.

Barry Malawaer’s script keeps the storyline tight.  Tom O’Keefe imbues policeman Rob McDonald with a powerful range of emotion that fittingly never settles for too long.  As the boy’s mother, Eboni Flowers strongly plays both offense and defense in equal measure.  Lawyer John Jones is given a quick tongue and worldly wisdom by Ryan Quinn.  The weak link is Susannah Millionzi as McDonald’s wife Angela, though it’s hard to say whether the role or the actress is at fault.

BEDLAM productions, which brings this work to 59E59, specializes in the utilization of raw, flexible space.  Director Eric Tucker nods to the black box by having his cast occupy the stage simultaneously with different players defining the scene as the precinct, the policemen’s home, a lawyer’s office and a court room. While artistically interesting, this technique often forced the actors to be positioned at odd angles to one another. Without the proper eye contact, they didn’t appear to be listening to one another and therefore couldn’t react as deeply as I felt was necessary.

This is the second play about racism that I have seen in a short span.  Here this theme is spoken of less directly than in Smart People.  In many ways that makes this piece more honest and powerful since the subject tends to be more of a subtle undercurrent in our daily encounters.  If you appreciate having your own standards on the subject tested, spend some time in Dead Dog Park.

Dead Dog Park is presented in association with BEDLAM at 59E59 Street Theaters through March 6.  Visit http://www.59e59.org/moreinfo.php?showid=232 for tickets and information.

Noises Off

Broadway, Play, Uncategorized February 13, 2016 Leave a comment

This my third time seeing Michael Frayn’s Noises Off, considered by many to be the perfect comedy.  My first encounter with this piece of zaniness was in the early 1980s on London’s West End.  I laughed so much I couldn’t catch my breath.  Years later I could still quote lines.  Since then, the play has had an award winning run on Broadway with a cast headed up by the terrific Dorothy Louden.  It was also made into a considerably-less memorable movie with Carol Burnett.  Now it has returned to the Great White Way with an ensemble that includes Andrea Martin, Campbell Scott, Tracee Chimo, Daniel Davis, David Furr, Kate Jennings Grant, Megan Hilty, Rob McClure and (my cousin) Jeremy Shamos.  The script has been altered somewhat and it feels a little longer, but it remains a funny lighthearted event, perfect for these stressful times.

The story is structured as a farce within a farce.  The actors mentioned above star as the cast and crew of the touring company of Nothing On.  Audience members would do well to read the yellow program within a program for important backstory and a few additional giggles.  For example, it becomes clear that the reason Ms. Hilty’s Brooke Ashton as Vicki keeps mouthing all the words of her co-stars is that she’s never played a part with lines before.  We also learn that several of these people worked together in a long running television series, which explains their remarkable familiarity with one another.

But the joy of a first-rate physical comedy like this is that you don’t have to know anything in particular, except maybe the properties of gravity.  That’s why Act II — which of the three relies most on slight of hand, gestures and easily misinterpreted silhouettes — is by far the strongest.  The actors are astonishingly in tune throughout and provide hilarious points that a child could understand.  (In fact, three groups of school children had thoroughly enjoyed themselves at the matinee the day of my attendance.)  Credit should be given to director Jeremy Herrin and stunt coordinator Lorenzo Pisoni for the orchestration of these fabulous moments.

As Dotty Otley, the always-excellent Andrea Martin seems to be having a blast.  Her timing is impeccable and her shifts from hapless housekeeper to the frazzled leading actress who portrays her are brilliant.  David Furr manages to deliver his character’s many drifting lines with subtle difference that keeps him from being one-note.  (Ms. Hilty could take a lesson here.)  Kate Jennings Grant provides a centering influence as the closest thing to a straight man in this circus.  Jeremy Shamos is spot-on as usual.  (See you at Thanksgiving, Jer.)  The surprising weak link is Tracee Chimo as overwhelmed stage manager Poppy Norton-Taylor.  She tries to be farcical, which is one layer too many.  Like an improv that starts with an unbelievable premise, her performance quickly becomes forced and simply not funny.

The Roundabout Theatre Company’s Noises Off is playing at the American Airlines Theater through March 13, 2016.  Given the amount of energy required by the cast, it will remain a limited run.  If you are in the mood for some high-spirited fun, it’s the perfect choice.  Visit http://www.roundabouttheatre.org for tickets and information.

Smart People

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized February 8, 2016 Leave a comment

All I really want to say about Lydia R. Diamond’s Smart People is that it lives up to its title in every possible respect.  That one sentence would tell you everything you need to know in order to decide whether it’s for you without risking the possibility of my spoiling a single moment of your experience.  But for those of you who require a lengthier review, here is a little more detail.

A fascinating and compelling piece about race, the action is set around Harvard University in 2008.  Perspective on this always hot topic is provided by a white professor, an Asian psychologist, and two African Americans: a doctor and an actress.  It would be easy to draw on stereotypes, but Ms. Diamond doesn’t fall into that trap.  The foursome is keenly aware of the role race is playing in their lives even while they strive to lead color-blind lives.  Using the period leading up to Obama’s first election adds an interesting twist.  From the vantage point of 2016, we know that America was ready to elect a black president.  But we also must acknowledge that amazing step did not erase racism from our culture; Ferguson, Flint and fluffy white Oscars happened anyway.

I was initially drawn to this production because of the cast: Mahershala Ali (House of Cards), Joshua Jackson (The Affair, Fringe and, yes, Pacey from Dawson’s Creek), Anne Son (My Generation) and Tessa Thompson (Dear White People, Creed).  They are all in top form, giving variation, humor and dramatic timing to the dialogue-heavy script.  All are tasked at key moments to deliver emotional scenes with an unseen partner and all are more than up to the challenge.  But they are even better when working together.  Their chemistry grew throughout the performance and I greatly enjoyed being in their company.  Extra praise should be given to Mr. Jackson who had to accomplish all of this while being hit with the occasional distracting “woo-hoo” from the audience.

Credit for the flow must be shared with the production team.  Kenny Leon – who previously collaborated with Ms. Diamond on Stick Fly – taps into the glimpses of each backstory and gives his characters wonderful nuance and texture.  Scenic Designer Riccardo Hernandez uses Zachary G. Borovay’s projections and simple modular pieces to move us rapidly from one location to the next.  And Zane Mark adds some atmospheric spice with his original music.

Smart People is playing at the Second Stage’s midtown venue (which is suitably staffed with smart people.)  The limited engagement must end March 6, 2016.  For tickets and information visit http://2st.com/shows/current-production/smart-people.

King Charles III

Broadway, Play, Uncategorized January 14, 2016 Leave a comment

I am an unabashed Anglophile who can recite the British line of succession with greater ease than I can list the early US presidents.  So I was enormously intrigued by the premise of Mike Bartlett’s King Charles III.  Described as “a future history play”, the drama portrays the early days of the rule of the current Prince of Wales.  What would it be like for the second-oldest heir in history to ascend to the throne after the world’s longest reigning monarch passes away?  What impact would the founder of the enlightened Prince’s Trust have on England’s social issues?

Sadly, Mr. Bartlett squanders this opportunity for a fascinating exploration of what-ifs and instead gets bogged down in a completely unbelievable and already outdated conversation about freedom of the press.  Worse, his portrayals of members of the royal family are so cartoonish that I was by turns embarrassed and creeped out (not in a good way).

I was able to take time out from my shuddering to admire some of the performances.   As Prince Harry, Olivier Award nominee Richard Goulding is a standout.  He gives “the spare” heart, warmth and realistic soul-searching. Tim Pigott-Smith makes a simultaneously dignified and self-doubting King Charles.  Lydia Wilson’s conniving and manipulative Kate certainly has all the right gestures and tone.  Disappointing is Oliver Chris who, in the pivotal role of William, seems to be trying to deliver all of his lines with his mouth closed.

Much has been made of Bartlett’s writing this piece in blank verse.  This device does add an air of the Shakespearean to the proceedings.  Jocelyn Pook’s music provided by cellist Maria Jeffers and oboist Christa Robinson also lends a dash of the regal.  However, Rupert Goold’s direction is as choreographed as a Rockettes’ kick line.  The overall movement was so mechanical that it practically lulled me to sleep.

By the end of the 2 hours and 45 minutes, I found myself wondering why anyone thought this production was a good fit for Broadway.  While the British may have a love/hate relationship with their monarchy, the Americans certainly have a love/hate/disinterested one.  I cringe at the thought that, absent true knowledge, any audience member would take at all seriously the script’s boring and outlandish speculation.

King Charles III is playing at the gorgeous Music Box Theater through January 31, 2016.  For tickets and information, visit http://www.kingcharlesiiibroadway.com.