Phalaris’s Bull

Off Off Broadway, Play, Uncategorized December 27, 2015 Leave a comment

I am a fan of solo performances, having experienced the wonder that was Spaulding Gray and later regularly attended the fabulous Marsh Theater in San Francisco.  The Marsh introduced me to the memorable works of Don Reed, Dan Hoyle and Josh Kornbluth among others.  All of them took me on adventures far from my own personal history.  I also have close friends who studied with The Marsh’s gifted workshop leaders, Charlie Varon and David Ford.  So I admit my taste in this arena has very much been formed by their focus on storytelling techniques to define character, time and place.

Yesterday I saw my first one-man show in New York after 30 years away. Phalaris’s Bull: Solving the Riddle of the Great Big World is written and performed by Steven Friedman.  Phalaris’s Bull was an execution device described in stories of Ancient Greece and it is also one of dozens of obscure references used by Mr. Friedman as he knits together his life story with philosophy, medicine, and poetry.   With that as background, I was expecting the piece to be dense and perhaps a little above my intellectual capacity.  But I was sorry to also find it as overly accessorized as Mr. T the day after a David Webb half-priced sale.  Swells of music, flashing lights, and dense projections cloud the story until Mr. Friedman’s words are literally turned into objects.  This is quite counter to the approach I’ve seen so successfully employed and I do not think it served the material or the performer well.

Director David Schweizer and his design team (Caleb Wertenbaker, Jimmy Lawlor, Ryan Rumery and Driscoll Otto) are certainly a cohesive artistic collective.  But what they’ve created is a flashy piece of multimedia decoration around Mr. Friedman’s tale rather than a production that enhances the work itself. We are told it’s “staged to reflect Friedman’s prismatic and eclectic vision of the world”.  Instead, it comes across as if Mr. Friedman either didn’t believe in the power of his story or didn’t have faith in the willingness of his audience to follow him on the journey.  His doubt became my doubt, and with each showy step I became less involved and more irritated.  It’s a shame because once you strip off the goo, the narrative has some profoundly sweet moments and the unique viewpoint only a gifted student and unconventional artist could tell.  While Mr. Friedman may not be the most natural and relaxed of actors, what he needed was cultivation of his on-stage persona not razzmatazz.

Phalaris’s Bull: Solving the Riddle of the Great Big World is playing at the wonderful Beckett Theater — part of Theatre Row — through January 16.  Visit http://solvingtheriddleplay.com/ for tickets and information.

The Color Purple

Broadway, Musical, Uncategorized December 16, 2015 Leave a comment

The audience attending The Color Purple represented the New York I want to live in.  It encompassed a dazzling variety of ages, races and temperaments all sharing the experience of Broadway musical theater.  They held back tears, clapped with joy and on a few occasions rose to their feet.  In my view, that factor alone makes this production a triumph, even though I was personally left a little chilly.

I’ve never been a fan of this Pulitzer Prize winning work.  Intellectually I know it should be moving, but it’s never touched my heart.  I found Spielberg’s film version overcooked and never got through the book.  This leap to the stage doesn’t fare much better in part because the dialogue is delivered almost as an aside.  Plot points are swallowed and it’s easy to get lost if you aren’t already familiar with the material.

There’s no denying the vocal talent that fills the theater between these wasted lines.  British import Cynthia Erivo is positively darling as Celie, the central character of the story.  It’s hard to believe her tiny body can contain such a rich sound.  Despite her voice, Jennifer Hudson is a disappointment as Shug Avery.  While she can certainly belt out a tune, her movements are awkward and uncomfortable, as if her neck and arms belong to another body entirely.   It’s a particularly poor casting choice given that Shug is supposed to be sultry, sexy and earthy.  Danielle Brooks’s Sophia on the other hand is a revelation.  The Orange is the New Black actress has pipes and attitude to spare.  Here’s hoping Taystee is given a jazzy jailhouse number in season 4.

The rest of the company — most particularly the three “swings” who act as a type of Greek chorus — display a terrific range of style.  If only the score by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray were stronger.  By the time I got to the subway, I couldn’t remember a single phrase.  (Meanwhile, I’m still humming “Musical” from Something Rotten.)

Many reviewers have praised John Doyle for stripping down this production.  I did not see the previous incarnation, but certainly found the general motion of the piece to be clean and well paced.  However, I was baffled by his set design, which included dozens of chairs scattered about the stage and hung along the walls.  They were like four-legged cigarettes, often providing “business” for the actors, but if there was metaphorical meaning to their presence it was lost on me.

The Color Purple is currently playing at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater.  For tickets and information visit http://colorpurple.com.  Clearly the more-than-twenty producers of this project hope it has a good long run.  For the sake of those who were swept away, I do too.

H2O

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized December 1, 2015 Leave a comment

A common topic of interest between the two creative organizations to which I belong — the Directors Guild of America and the Drama Desk — is today’s curious intersection of Hollywood and Broadway.  Like many others, I question whether this exchange has helped or hindered the craft of theater.   So I was greatly intrigued by the premise of Jane Martin’s H2O, in which a franchise celebrity is given the opportunity to perform Hamlet on Broadway with the selection of his Ophelia made part of his package.

Our leading man is a troubled soul named Jake, who stumbled into the role of cash cow “Dawnwalker” and has been feeling like a fraud ever since.  So empty does he find his success, that when we first meet him in the opening moments of this drama, he is in the process of slitting his wrists.  His suicide attempt is thwarted by the timely entrance of Ophelia hopeful Deborah, an Evangelical Christian who believes Jesus commands her to do His work by performing Shakespeare.

For the next 80 minutes these two collide and blend.  As brought to life by Alex Podulke and Diane Mair, they are by turns heartbreaking and funny.  Mr. Poldulke turns in the more powerful performance, in large part because he has a stronger backstory to draw from.  Ms. Mair has some trouble bringing about the delicate balance of vulnerability and strength her character requires, especially since she has to literally strip in front of the audience multiple times.

West Hyler’s direction is fast-moving and effective.  A doorway, table and trap door serve as most of the minimal ever-changing set.  None of the staging would be possible without the hard work of the fleet-footed “Essentials”: Anna Schovaers, Colin Wulff, Annie Winneg, Charlie Munn and Jacob Waldron.  Ninja-like in black, they dress actors, move set pieces, and whisk items from sight in support of the story.

With such a fascinating premise and so much talent, I wish that H2O had more to say.  There is something oddly unsatisfying about the conclusion.  Nevertheless, for those interested in conversations about faith, fate, luck, merit, and the possibility of salvation, there is enough here to be worthy of your time.

H2O, Presented by Ground Up Productions, is playing at 59E59 Street Theaters through December 13.  For tickets and information visit http://www.59e59.org/moreinfo.php?showid=226.

The Eternal Space

Off Off Broadway, Play, Uncategorized November 22, 2015 1 Comment

New York’s original Pennsylvania Station is a poster child for lost opportunity.  The majestic Beaux Arts building was allowed to fall to ruin before being razed in the early 1960s and replaced with a modern monstrosity filled with florescent lighting and fast food joints.  Playwright Justin Rivers uses the demolition of this lost landmark to serve as a backdrop for exploring an unlikely relationship that develops between a teacher/activist and a construction worker.  The resulting production, The Eternal Space, is nothing short of glorious.

I have talked with Mr. Rivers and he is exactly the sort of person I hoped I’d meet when I became a Drama Desk member.  He has a clear vision of what he wants to express while remaining open to the creative ideas of others.  This wise and secure approach to the artistic process enabled him to assemble an astonishing team of professionals on stage and behind the scenes.  Skillful director Mindy Cooper makes the most of every one of the piece’s 85 minutes.  Jason Sherwood cleverly designed a series of architectural surfaces on which Brad Peterson projects stunning photos of the slowly dissolving station.   This allows the genuine and moving performances by Clyde Baldo and Matthew Pilieci to be set off by scenery so vibrant it becomes the third character.

While I imagine this production will particularly appeal to city dwellers who dread the thought of a big box store or luxury condo on every corner, The Eternal Space covers more universal subjects of love and loss that anyone can relate to. The story evolves more like a piece of music than a typical play.  Themes return in the dialogue but as if performed on a different instrument.  On several occasions I was taken by surprise, only to think a moment later, “well, yes, of course.”   The experience is (appropriately enough) much like a delightful slowly unfolding journey by train.

The Eternal Space is at The Lion Theater at Theater Row through December 6, 2015.  For tickets and information visit http://theeternalspaceplay.com.

Old Times

Broadway, Play, Uncategorized November 4, 2015 Leave a comment

I’ve been a fan of Clive Owen since he played Derek Love in 1990’s Chancer.  As Love (and Smith in my unconventional favorite Shoot ‘em Up), Owen demonstrates a superior ability to embody a flirtatious character with intension and intensity while simultaneously winking at his own sexiness.  He draws on this skill as Deeley in his Broadway debut, Harold Pinter’s Old Times.  Moving with feline grace around the platform center stage, Owen’s Deeley spins his vivid tales as both seducer and seduced.  His silky rich tones almost make up for the fact that most of what he shares probably never happened.

Deeley’s epic storytelling is rivaled by Eve Best’s Anna, who may be his wife’s best friend or her alter-ego depending on your interpretation of this hazy work.  Dressed in a flowing white pants suit, she literally reflects most of the light and energy on stage.  If only those two were equally matched by Kelly Reilly’s Kate, the woman at the heart of the plot.  Ms. Reilly is so distant she could be having a beer at the Dave and Buster’s across the street.  Her overly relaxed manner even affects her ability to articulate clearly, as if she’d taken elocution lessons and forgotten to remove the marbles from her mouth.  This is particularly frustrating at the end of play, when she delivers a closing speech that’s hard to follow under the best of circumstances.  Whether this is fault of the actress or misguided cues from director Douglas Hodge is hard to judge.

The exploration of the relationship between reality and imagination is emphasized in the marvelous set by Christine Jones.  At times it looks like natural ripples in a pond, a metaphor for the way in which Kate enters relationships.  At other moments it appears as a giant abstract painting under Japhy Weideman’s dazzling lighting design.  Totally out of synch with the atmosphere is Thom Yorke’s music, an unwelcome intruder into the powerful space usually occupied by the famous Pinter pauses.

Old Times is short on story and long on mood.  If you give yourself over to the dreaminess — not too hard to do with Mr. Owen in the house — it’s a pleasant enough way to spend 65 minutes.

Old Times is playing at the American Airlines Theater through November 29.  Visit http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/Shows-Events/Old-Times.aspx for tickets and information.

John

Off-Broadway, Play, Uncategorized August 24, 2015 Leave a comment

“What do you call an intense drama that makes you laugh your butt off?” asked my friend at intermission during John.  I didn’t know, preferring to reserve “dramedy” for anything on the television fall schedule that will have trouble securing sponsorship.  Whatever the proper term, it is a form at which Annie Baker excels.  With her pieces, it’s always hard to say whether it’s the genuine laughs or the piercing insights which will linger.

Director Sam Gold, a frequent Baker collaborator, knows how to bring out the best in the material.  Contrast is explored from the moment Georgia Engel, in character as Mertis Katherine “Kitty” Graven, pulls back the curtain.  The set by Mimi Lien is a beautifully detailed bed and breakfast filled to the brim with tchotchkes and then pushed over the top by holiday decorations.  In a flash, we know so much about our quirky hostess and her driving desire to create a home away from home.  There is something familiar about the scene that is both comforting and disturbing.

Kitty’s latest guests are a young couple whose relationship is bumping against the rocks.  Christopher Abbott plays Elias Schreiber-Hoffman like a beaten-down Seth Rogan.  Hong Chau manifests his girlfriend, Jenny Chung, a bundle of odd body language who can’t stop seeing herself through the eyes of others.  Again, we experience duality, as their arguments plant one foot in “I’ve been there” and the other in “whoa!”.  The cast is rounded out by the reliable Lois Smith.  Her performance made me want to read earlier drafts to see whether there was a time in which her character was more than a metaphor.

Possibly building on the Pinter Pause, there is the Baker Beat.  Many simple actions in John are played out in real time.  When a bowl of cereal is poured, rather than the theater convention of a bite or two, it takes ten minutes to consume.  This storytelling technique is divisive.  While some of us stepped into those moments the way you do when a presenter begins using hushed tones, others squirmed and a few vacated their seats.  With tickets at $25 a pop, John presents a wonderful opportunity to explore this Pulitzer Prize winner’s work for yourself.

John is playing at the Signature Theater through September 6, 2015.  For tickets and information, visit http://www.signaturetheatre.org/tickets/production.aspx?pid=4241.

Fun Home

Broadway, Musical, Uncategorized July 28, 2015 Leave a comment

Fun Home is the Little Engine That Surprised the Heck Out of Everyone.  Despite its lack of star power or big dance numbers, it beat out more likely contenders including Something Rotten and American in Paris to take home this year’s Tony for Best Musical.  More startling, the book is based on an autobiographical graphic novel about a woman coming to terms with her sexuality as well as that of her father.  Not exactly the most obvious source material for show tunes.   Consequently, I arrived at the performance ready to be blown out of the water.  Instead I was mildly splashed.  To be sure, the piece is thought provoking, but there’s also something remarkably flat about the experience.

The structure of Fun Home is extremely inventive.  The main character, Alison Bechdel, is portrayed by three profoundly talented actresses.  Beth Malone plays modern Alison and is our guide, drawing and telling her story throughout.  Emily Skeggs brings to life college-age Alison, who goes from struggling with her homosexuality to embracing it as a critical part of her identity.  Most thrilling is Sydney Lucas as young Alison.  She’s one of those almost-scary kids with a huge set of pipes and a presence to match.

The staging by uber talented Sam Gold is ingenious, moving the story through time while nodding in the direction of the source material.   Gold also makes the most of the in-the-round venue, sometimes swirling the characters through the space.

The piece is written as an operetta; think Gilbert and Sullivan.  While I am delighted that Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron are the first all-female team to win a Tony for writing a musical, this is not my favorite form (unless it is actually Gilbert and Sullivan).  I’m simply distracted by heart to heart dialogue delivered in singsong.  But the real buzz kill for me happened early on when the adult Alison summed up the entire plot to come in one sentence.  From that point on there was little at stake.  I became increasingly passive and wondered why I wasn’t trusted to follow a more engaging evolution of the story.  That would have been a spectacular journey to take.

Fun Home is currently playing at the Circle in the Square Theater.  For tickets and information, visit http://funhomebroadway.com/tickets.php.

Something Rotten

Broadway, Musical, Uncategorized June 18, 2015 Comments: 2

While I tap my toes to many classic musicals and once sang “Godspell” in French, that world lost me somewhere around dancing cats and warbling beggars.  My ambivalence towards the modern day musical makes me the perfect audience member for Something Rotten.

The plot revolves around the invention of the musical as a new entertainment form that just might knock Will Shakespeare from his perch as the most popular dramatist of the Renaissance.  The clever lyrics by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick manage to simultaneous praise and make fun of the genre.  And their music borrows no more than seven seconds of no less than 15 other famous scores.  It’s a veritable aural Where’s Waldo for the initiated.

There is no doubt I was further seduced by the delightful performances of the two leads.  Brain d’Arcy James, painfully wasted as the spurned husband in NBC’s Smash, is put to great use as the sweet, ambitious and misguided Nick Bottom, desperate to secure a comfortable life for his family by making a decent living as a playwright.  And two time Tony Award winner Christian Borle — channeling Tim Curry — takes on The Bard as 16th Century Rock Star.  The two bring out the best in each other and their performances are further elevated by a staggeringly talented group of supporting and ensemble actors.

Casey Nicholaw’s direction and choreography keep the action moving at a swift pace and allow the cast members to move breezily from one beat to the next.  He even makes a potentially tedious kick-line work to advantage.

I could certainly make my usual complaints that most of the tunes were forgettable and the characters broke out into song at annoying intervals.  But since these criticisms are supplied by the show’s own book, instead I can report that I laughed at just about everything.  Yes, it’s all over-the-top and ridiculous, but I appreciated the self-awareness of the piece.  In fact my only disappointment is that my own chuckles and snorts got in the way of my hearing every line.

Something Rotten is currently playing at the St. James Theatre.  For tickets and information visit http://rottenbroadway.com.

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.