Tag Archives: Drama

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.

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.

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.

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/.