Speak The Speech, I Pray You

Don Pedro de la Cebolla

2012-01-14T17:41:00.071-05:00

We've just passed a time of year where gifts of all sorts are given, received, desired and exchanged. Sometimes we have a list of things we truly want or need but instead we get something else, something that falls short of our hopes for what might be hidden in the glittery wrappings and bows. The same can be said of theater. It is not the size of the venue, the ticket price, the opulence of the set or costumes nor star-names that determines the quality of a theatrical endeavor. It is the simple, yet all too elusive merging of talent. When you see it you know you are in the midst of a high quality production whether or not it contains the bells and whistles of a full blown Broadway show and often the best shows do indeed come in small, undistinguished packages.

Written with wit by Matthew Harrington and cleverly directed by Rachael Harrington Don Pedro de la Cebolla is peppered with deft homages to the likes of Monty Python and Abbot & Costello while with extreme subtlety asking us to think (yes THINK!) about the state of our society, politics, court systems, patriotism, and even literacy. Sounds a little heavy, doesn't it? Well it's not. In fact, the laughs simply do not stop, it is one of those wonderful pieces that are not just amusing but laugh out loud funny.

The six men of the cast are charming alternating silliness, confusion, sorrow and back again without missing a beat. And though all the action is set in one room, in the town of Piedra de las Rocas, this one act takes you on a quick trip around the world. There are only five residents of the town and with Ben Sterling as a cartographer with no sense of direction; Emilio Cuaik as an endearingly innocent mortician who is squeamish about death; Justin Maruri as a gentleman who was "involved in the state prison system for some time" but at heart is an horticulturist; Mel Nieves as a lawyer with a sketchy history of client acquittals who sometimes regrets his ability to read; and Vincent Ticali as a woodworker who specializes only in toothpicks it's hard not to imagine Piedra de las Rocas as a version of the Island of Misfit Toys. Pedro H. Rezende as the title character, Don Pedro, appears to be a pompous young man sent to Piedra de las Rocas to recruit this band of misfits on a quest for riches and glory (and ultimately the love of a princess) but is in fact the illegitimate son of the deceased King of Feotidus who has been banished from Court to keep him from claiming his birthright and has been put into the custody of the residents of Piedra de las Rocas for "the full term of his life as determined by local law and custom". Oops.

Don Pedro de la Cebolla is a rare and lovely gift nestled in a modest package, a stunning jewel wrapped in brown paper and string. The Interart Theatre Development Series and Royal Family Productions Emerging Directors Program is the Santa Claus delivering this gift. And you will wish you had left him milk and cookies after seeing this wonderful play. (Non-metaphorically, you really can do so, just make a donation here.) The quality is clear, and though this may not be the gift you were hoping for, you will find it is the one you really wanted all along.

Don Pedro de la Cebolla
The Interart Annex Theatre
500 West 52nd Street (at 10th Avenue)
New York, NY
January 16, 17, 18, 24 & 25 at 8:00pm
January 21 at 2:30 pm
Tickets

Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words - March 23, 2009

2009-03-25T19:59:00.008-04:00

A note in the Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words program states:

And audiences members please remember, We're not trying to be mean...they wrote 'em!"

Created by Eugene Pack and Developed by Eugene Pack and Dayle Reyfel Celebrity Autobiography is one of the most fun shows around today and it's simply celebrities reading from real autobiographies of other celebrities. In other hands it might become mean-spirited, but here it never does. It feel like you're with a group of friends ragging good-naturedly on the ones who didn't show up at the party.

It goes a little like this:

Kristin Johnston beautiful long, lean blonde perfectly channeling the animus of Mr. T. ; Eugene Pack reading the voluminous (and hilarious) lists of foods Neil Sadaka eats at EVERY meal; Rachel Dratch becomes Burt Reynold's wild-eyed assistant reading in tandem with Johnston's Loni Anderson and Craig Bierko's spot on Burt.

Michael Urie delivers an utterly serious and straight faced read of the autobiography of 16-year old Destiny Hope Smiley Miley Cyrus's encounter with a tampon dispenser that will leave you gasping if you are lucky enough to see it.

Mike Birbiglia reading Kenny Loggins laundry list love letter makes you see just how different writing songs and writing prose can be.

In one of the great Hollywood triangles, Dayle Reyfel reads with perky charm from Debbie Reynolds, while Pack reads from Eddie Fisher, and the lovely Sherri Shepherd utterly becomes Liz Taylor with nothing more than a remarkable smile and glint in her eye as Scott Adsit does a wonderfully hilarious turn as Richard Burton. Just brilliant all around.

Add to this the great Alan Zweibel in an almost too funny turn on Eminem's unfortunate Grammy night "Mobey, Proof and Christina" followed by a team read of N'Sync Autobiographies as Joey.

While each and every performer did an amazing job reading the unintentionally funny words of various celebrities, much credit clearly belongs to Eugene Pack and Dayle Reyfel for scouring through hundreds of celebrity autobiographies and finding the perfect passages for the stage and even more for the difficult job of dove-tailing the "he said, she said" autobiographies together in a way that is side-splitting and seemingly effortless. But very clearly effort is made and deserves acknowledgment and a bravo. A simple premise, a simple set-up, and serious attention to the written word equal a tremendously entertaining evening of theater. The performers and selections change weekly so you might want to go several times but whether you see it once or twenty times: See it!

Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words

Monday Nights at 7:30pm
The Triad Theater
158 W. 72nd Street
(Between Amsterdam & Columbus)
Tickets here or call Or Call 212-868-4444

Silent Heroes - January 8, 2009

2009-01-08T23:29:00.001-05:00

I am not a fan of military drama, just not my thing. But the Roundtable Ensemble does great work and I always like to catch their yearly offering, this year was no different despite the fact that the subject matter isn't my favorite. Because they are a non-profit organization they are only able to mount one full production a year - but what a production Silent Heroes is.

This is the New York priemere of Silent Heroes and it is a true ensemble piece with six wonderful actresses portraying fully realized individuals who are as real and honestly written as I've seen. Playwright Linda Escalera Baggs has done a masterful job of letting us get to know, intimately but without overt sentimentality, the inner workings of military wives.

The year is 1975 and six Marine aviator's wives are gathered after a one of their husbands jet fighters have crashed. Because of radio silence no one knows which of the six has been lost and the women wait as one by one five of their husbands return to the base.

As they wait we learn how they deal with the constant knowledge that every day might be the day they lose their husbands. We learn how they maintain their patriotism and composure, how they raise their children, deal with racism, sexism, domestic abuse, infidelity and a country who is not always as steadfastly pro-military as they, because of their choices, must be.

The writing here is precise and each character well-drawn giving the actors a jumping off point that can only cause them to rise to the ocassion. And they do. Dionne Audain, Julie Jesneck, Kelly Ann Moore, Sarah Saunders, Rosalie Tenseth and Lisa Velten Smith each embody their characters so fully and infuse them with such humanity, realism and humor that you sit back afterwards and say "yes, that is what actors are meant to do".

Adding to the ease with which we can suspend our disbelief are the era-perfect costumes - down to nail polish shades straight out of the '70s - by Kevin Hucke and Nick Francone's appropriately understated and vaguely depressing waiting room set that looks like it might have been lifted right out of a civic building circa '70s - right down to the coffee cups (the same ones my own mother had in the '70s).

Rosemary Andress has kept her characters clearly defined and done a beautiful job creating the feeling that we are being allowed to peek into the private lives of people we would otherwise never know except by their public personas. She makes clever use of an intimate setting and keeps the action moving at a perfect pace.

The beauty of this piece is how we are invited into their lives which despite the trappings of the military and on-base life are not so very unlike our own. Were all military dramas as entrenched in humanity as this one is, I would have become a fan of the genre long ago.

Silent Heroes
Theatre 54 at Shetler Studios
244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor
January 8th - January 24th
wed, Thurs, Fri & Sat @ 8PM
Sat & Sun @ 3PM
Running time: 90 (fast moving) minutes with no intermission
Tickets or call Brown Paper Tickets @ 800.838.3006

Night Train - October 27, 2008

2008-10-27T22:58:00.001-04:00

I have become so inured to the mediocrity that is the majority of theater on Broadway, Off-Broadway and even that last bastion of 'innovation' Off-Off-Broadway that I often go barely hoping for better, simply expecting more and more of the same. Thankfully, every now and again, something happens that renews my faith that live theater is not simply a rehash of movies, a retelling of the same stories in the same ways or a soulless empty vehicle intended to sell tickets. Sometimes real gems are to be found and that is a very, very heartening thing to discover.

Mel Nieves's Night Train is one such gem. Normally I do not review staged readings, primarily because they are not meant to be reviewed. Its not really fair. They are opportunities for writers, directors and actors to put a new piece on its feet and see how it works with an audience. Often there are rough spots that are, of course, to be expected. But sometimes a piece is so strong that you forget the actors are holding scripts, you forget that the setting is nothing more than a few chairs arranged to invoke a taxi and you forget that you are watching a play because you are so completely captivated by what you are seeing and hearing. And that is precisely how I felt about the reading of Night Train that I saw tonight, presented as part of the LAByrinth Theater Company's Barn Series (which runs through November 19 at the Public Theater).

A scant 40 minutes, two amazingly natural actors (Elizabeth Canavan and Ed Vassallo), subtle, unselfconscious direction by Felix Solis, a bit of music and a refreshingly human script. There is not an extraneous word, nor a single dead spot, in this utterly engaging story of two absolute strangers sharing their hearts in a cab on a rainy night in New York City.

Free of any awkwardness, the wit was fresh, spontaneous and unforced. It flowed the way the very best of conversations do, those lightening in a bottle conversations you wish you could recapture but never can. Yet Nieves seems to have done it with a particular ease. Perhaps because his characters are so real, their words can't help but ring true. We laugh because we know these two people, because, in fact, we are these two people. And their moments of self-exposure are enough to make us cry.

A second performance of this reading will be given on Monday, November 3 - it's free! - and I encourage you to see for yourself that the theater is alive with fresh voices, fresh perspectives and a writer who does what our best playwrights have always done since the very beginning: show us ourselves.

Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street
New York, NY
212-260-2400

The Niagaras Farewell Show - August 15, 2008

2008-08-17T20:25:00.004-04:00

According to their press materials The Niagaras have been called "The greatest unsigned band in New York" and I have to agree. Now the Niagaras, who have been performing wildly energetic live shows to delighted and fiercely loyal fans and newcomers alike in New York City as well as the occasional tours out of town (read Europe) for longer than some 'signed' bands have been alive (which says much about the dumbing down of the music industry), have finally decided to call it a wrap and venture into new territory.

Rather than perform their 'last waltz' in one of the many familiar and long-established venues they've played in over the years they chose to say good-bye in a relatively new space, Gavin DeGraw and Duggins King's The National Underground on East Houston Street. It's a small-ish space perfect for fostering the type of audience-to-band intimacy that the Niagaras are well-known for. However this farewell show could have been held in Central Park and and still maintained that intimacy, it's just how The Niagaras work. There is something good karma inspiring about ending such a long run in such a new venue because although the Niagaras as an entity may be no more, the members of the band are certainly continuing on with new projects.

Having arrived early enough I was happily ensconced inside once the band started to play but friends who were not so lucky arrived too late and were actually turned away at the door. No it was not some velvet rope nonsense, one assumes that would not hold well with the Niagaras - especially since at one point lead singer Robert Whaley actually left the stage and hit the street during at least one song. Not an entirely unknown turn of events as Mr. Whaley has been known to run through streets in the Village playing his trumpet to passersby (while his band holds down the fort inside until his return). So no velvet ropes here. But apparently occupancy limits had been reached (let's face it this is New York City, the occupancy limits were very likely doubled by the time they opted to bar the door.) Given the close quarters and the insane energy level inspired by the band and Whaley's innate kineticism and humor it is astounding how well-behaved the crowd remained - even while dancing, as much as one could dance in a space that was quite clearly not at all designed for dancing.

Despite the inherent sadness one might expect at a final performance, the mood over all was one of happiness. I had a feeling that this is what it might have been like to be in a room full of Shakers, or Sufi Dervishes or any number of other ecstatic religious groups. But with none of the guilt or shame one associates with any organized religious group, only the happy, blissful delight of being in the moment and feeling a part of something bigger than yourself.

There was also an air of old home week as Whaley called various Niagaras alumni to come onstage one by one and sit in. Niagaras' regular drummer, the talented Dylan Wissing, graciously gave up his seat for two previous drummers, Frank Whaley and Paul Capuzzo and then joined them - one drum kit, three drummers. Bass player Gary Ptak deserves kudos for keeping perfect pace with so many varied drumming styles. Aaron Wyanski added layers of sound with his keyboards bringing in unexpected and yet completely appropriate styles from piano bar Gershwin to early '70s psychedelia. Thomas Hutchings' saxophone upped the ante on Whaley's trumpet bringing to mind a channeling of Sam Butera and Louis Prima at their finest, and wildest. And all of this underscored by the masterful, driving lead guitar and inspired (and sometimes improvised) vocals of Tony Grimaldi whose onstage rapport, banter and song writing with Whaley are the crux of the Niagaras.

It did appear they were videotaping and recording this event which was a wise move - I imagine that roomful of fans, as well as those who waited patiently on the street to get in and those who simply could not get in, will be quite happy to get their hands on a copy of those recordings.

While the sensational Niagaras will no longer be performing, some members of the band will be continuing on with Robert Whaley in his new venture Comic Tales of Tragic Heartbreak which they describe as a "piano-driven, soul-influenced band" which promises to continue the Niagaras tradition while breaking new ground. After the show I saw Friday night it is a certainty that I will check out this new endeavor and I highly recommend any music lovers in the New York City vicinity who want to see seriously talented musicians make hard work look like child's play do likewise.

The Niagaras
Comic Tales of Tragic Heartbreak
Dylan Wissing
Aaron Wyanski
Thomas Hutchings

What To Do When You Hate All Your Friends: An Anti-Social Comedy - July 20, 2008

2008-08-04T11:43:00.005-04:00

I went into Larry Kunofsky's "Hate All Your Friends" expecting an antagonistic bleakness. Yeah, good attitude.

I was pleasantly wrong. "Hate All Your Friends" is funny, funny stuff! I am quick to leave at intermissions if I feel like I've put in enough time during the first act and see nothing interesting coming down the pike, I'm happy to say that I was glued to my seat here. I consistently laughed out loud and that is not a common occurrence at the theater for me.

The base of the story is meeting between Matt, played hilariously by Todd D'Amour, who has decided that he despises and loathes everyone in his life and that he has no friends and a cult-like group of "friends" who are more of a society with firm rules and regulations than a true group of like-minded individuals who care for and support each other. Their points and ranking systems for who is their best friend (for any given time period) is complex and often disturbing - but funny throughout.

The cast is quite a talented group all of whom are blessed with great comic timing. Since several double up on roles, the costuming (Melissa Trn) - different bright and happy colors for different characters - is a nice visual assist to the audience.

The end of the play seems a bit out of place, not so much that it's really bothersome, but that is the only thing I can come close to saying is amiss in this very funny, thought-provoking piece.

What To Do When You Hate All Your Friends
The Lion @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street
(between 9th & 10th Avenues)
New York, NY 10036
Tickets

Performance Dates:
July 19, 2008 - August 23, 2008

[Title of Show] - July 21, 2008

2008-07-22T16:00:00.000-04:00

When [Title of Show] was playing Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theater I saw it and loved it. I found it fun, funny, inspiring, uplifting and just a plain old good time. It was a witty, cheery, sometimes touching story of two guys whipping up an original musical for one of the many theater festivals held in New York. The show was drenched with in-jokes, which personally I loved because I got them, and in terms of capturing the realities of writing and angsting over a new musical: this thing was as honest as you could want without having to suffer for your art. It was a delight.

My trouble with the show then was that I could not see how it could possibly move forward. It was a wonderful piece, but seemed to me to be extremely limited in the audience it might garner.

Then it moved to Broadway. I thought, well that's rich. This show is adorable with a capital A but how the hell do they expect to make a go of Broadway?

Goes to show you, if you dream it you can make it happen.

I could not have been happier for the creators and cast of this show - what a wonderful transition they have made to Broadway. I can say unequivocally that this is the very best show I have seen on Broadway in far, far too long a time. And I am so happy that I was wrong about its ability to move to a bigger house and still draw an audience because this is the kind of smart and funny show that deserves to be on Broadway and that audiences who are paying exorbitant ticket prices deserve to see. Not the same old big production schlock that Broadway has unfortunately become known for. The splashy shows with little or no substance that are geared to 'wow' you that you are actually getting some bang for your buck, but that leave you feeling like your intelligence has been insulted while your eyes were dazzled by pretty sets and costumes.

[Title of Show] has no splashy sets, no fancy costumes - in fact if memory serves the cast is wearing the exact costumes they wore Off-Broadway and guess what: it's exactly the way it should be. And if you are lucky enough to get a chance to see this special little Off-Broadway gem that has grown up to be a Broadway Star you will see how little splash is required when you have substance.

[Title of Show]
Lyceum Theatre
149 West 45th Street (Between Broadway and 6th Avenue)
New York NY 10036
Tickets

Cry Baby - April 2, 2008

2008-04-03T11:50:00.004-04:00

I left at the intermission.

The sad part is that it's not bad, in fact there are some lyrics that are very funny, some lines that are very funny. The music is okay, sometimes very good. But man oh man it just does not gel in any way. It might've worked better off-bdwy, but even then it's got a real 'still in workshop' feel to it despite the slickness of the sets and beautiful costumes. The choreography is serious Broadway been-there, done-that. The chorus line of cops is a gay boy-bdway-queen wet dream come to life.

The use of the overture for the 'turn off your cell phones' was easily the best of that standard pre-show reminder of theater etiquette I've ever encountered and it really gave me hope that the show would be innovative and fun. As it is still in previews there might be some hope things will pull together but honestly, I just couldn't wait through an intermission for what only promised to be another hour of the same ol' same ol'.

Cry Baby
Marquis Theatre
1535 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
Opens April 24

Save the World - January 24, 2008

2008-01-28T20:05:00.000-05:00

Premiering Chris Kipiniak's first play aptly entitled Save The World is a thematically perfect choice for the wonderful Roundtable Ensemble, a not-for-profit theater company whose mission is to bring theater to undeserved audiences. Roundtable attempts to "save the world", one audience member at a time, by offering the experience of live theater to people who would otherwise not have the option.

Save the World is an ambitious attempt to bring the comic book genre to life. There is a fine line to walk while attempting this the many attempts to successfully transfer comics to blockbuster movies proves every summer. Transferring the comic book medium to the live theater is an even more difficult and delicate endeavor. In the hands of Michael Barakiva and his talented cast, for the most part Save the World succeeds. There are moments where monologues go a bit too long, or actors require more volume or diction - especially important in a play like this where we are absorbing huge amounts of exposition. But despite these minor points, the actors are all game to play the parts of super heroes and/or super villains and there are moments that are incredibly impressive. The slow motion fight sequences evidence what might amount to REAL super powers as actors hold poses worthy of Cirque du Soleil periods, Charissa Chamorro as Umbra is especially adroit in this capacity - you may find yourself looking to see if she is being supported by a wire. She's not.

Unlike a comic book movie, a live stage production is somewhat limited in the special effects that are available. Save the World takes this hindrance and runs with it.

The previously mentioned slo-mo fights, the lighting effects, sets and most impressively the sound effects are live theater's answer to digital computer effects. My favorite sound effect is used whenever Stagger (the charming Stephen Bel Davies in a fantastic red suit) stops time.

Even if you are not a fan of superhero comics there is a story here you will enjoy and performances that are humorous and poignant. Plus, you'll be supporting a stellar theater company that wants to Save the World.

January 17th - February 9th, 2008
Thur, Fri, Sat @ 8pm; Sat 3pm

or call 1-800-838-3006

American Theatre of Actors
Chernuchin Theatre
314 West 54th Street

running time: 2 hours (including 1 intermission)

Blog Discount offer: Doris to Darlene

2007-11-18T11:07:00.000-05:00

I will be seeing Doris to Darlene: A Cautionary Valentine, a new work written by Jordan Harrison and directed by Les Waters (Eurydice), tonight at Playwrights Horizons and reviewing it shortly thereafter. In the meantime, the good folks over at PH would like to extend a discount offer to the readers of this blog. Here's everything you need to know if you are interested in ordering tickets:

Special Discount offer for Bloggers Posts
$35 (REG. $65) for performances November 16 – 26
$45 (REG. $65) for performances November 27 – December 23.
Limit 4 tickets per order. Subject to availability.

How to order (purchase by December 11 and mention code ‘DDBL’ to receive discount):

Online: Ticket Central and use code DDBL
Phone: Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily) and mention code DDBL.
In person: Ticket Central, 416 West 42nd Street between 9th & 10th Avenues

As always, students holding a valid school ID can purchase rush tickets at the low, low price of $15 beginning one hour prior to curtain, subject to availability. There is a limit of one ticket per ID, so if you want to attempt rushing the show with a friend or two, make sure that you all go to the box office together.

The plot sounds pretty interesting, especially if, like me, you're as passionate about opera as you are about theatre. From the website:

"In the candy-colored 1960s, a biracial schoolgirl named Doris is molded into pop star Darlene by a whiz-kid record producer who culls a top-ten hit out of Richard Wagner’s Liebestod. Rewind to the candy-colored 1860s, where Wagner is writing the melody that will become Darlene’s hit song. Fast-forward to the not-so-candy-colored present, where a teenager obsesses over Darlene’s music — and his music teacher. Three dissonant decades merge into an unlikely harmony in this time-jumping pop fairy tale about the dreams and disasters behind one transcendent song."

I'll be back soon with my review.

Die Mommie Die! - November 1, 2007

2007-11-02T16:31:00.000-04:00

Normally I am no fan of movies being turned into stage productions. The spark of originality in a live show is part of the excitement of live theater. The incestuous back and forth that has gone on from screen to stage and vice versa is a bit tiresome. However, when I saw that Charles Busch was bringing Die Mommie Die to the stage there was no way I could stay away.

Busch is nothing if not innovative and God knows, witty - not to mention a knockout in a red wig. So my hopes were high and I'm happy to say I was not disappointed.

From beginning to end this show has a clear vision of what it is and where it's going and that in itself is a more than many shows Off-Broadway, or on, can provide lately.

The original music by Lewis Flinn is a perfect homage to films and singers of the 1950s-60s era. The collective sigh that went through the audience was clear indication that I was not the only one blown away by the absolutely stunning set design by Michael Anania. Jessica Jahn's costumes are sheer knock-0uts one and all, and Mr. Busch's costumes by Michael Bottari & Ronald Case are so stunning and vintage film perfect (the black and white mourning dress is just insanely cool) they look like they just came out of a time machine from Elizabeth Taylor's and Lucille Ball's closets. If I could get Katherine Carr to design a wig for me I'd wear it every day.

photo credits: Carol Rosegg

This sort of tongue in cheek comedy is not easy to pull off - there is a risk with over the top comedy to go a little too far over the top and be lost. But the cast of Die Mommie Die hits just the right level of camp and fun and never pushes too far beyond - and let's face it, when a suppository becomes an instrument of murder it would be easy to push too far. No pun intended.

Given what a wonderfully fun and polished evening of theater this is, it would be difficult to point to any one person as the standout - except of course that Charles Busch is on stage. This is a performer who is so present at every moment and so in touch with his audience at all times that it is difficult to watch anyone else, yet he is also very clearly a part of an ensemble and never steals focus from any fellow actor. Watching a performer who is so warm and giving, and let's face it honey, looks FAN-tastic in a short skirt is a rare treat.

The rest of the cast deserves mention as well and I would be remiss not to point out that once again Kristine Nielsen (the Nixon-loving maid, Bootsie) kicks ass in every way - as she always does. Chris Hoch (Tony Parker) makes a delightful gigolo. Newcomer to New York, Ashley Morris (Edith Sussman) has great comic timing. Van Hansis (Lance) is "NOT CRAZY" but plays it well, and Bob Ari (Sol Sussman) turns from doting daddy to psycho husband on a dime.

Director Carl Andress has done a wonderful job with Mr. Busch's script and the action moves smoothly and surely towards its 'tragic' conclusion. This production runs only through February so make sure you get tickets, otherwise you will have to be content with the movie version. I suggest you see both.

Die Mommie Die
New World Stages
340 West 50th Street
Running time: 90 minutes (no intermission)

The Turn of the Screw - October 31, 2007

2007-11-01T14:20:00.000-04:00

Henry James's The Turn of the Screw has always been an intriguing source material for films and plays. The Twenty Feet Productions presentation of Jeffrey Hatcher's adaptation is a little different than the others in that it is performed by only two people, Erin Cunningham, as the governess, and Tim Scott as all the other characters.

Using only two actors for this play absolutely works, especially when Cunningham's 'is she nutty or is she not' governess bounces off Scott's multiple characters from housekeeper to seductive employer. The question however is are these other characters figments of the governess's own mind or are they real. Using only two actors makes it very easy to believe the voices are all in her head. This is further enhanced by the fact that the entire performance is lit only with two hand-held candles. Each performer carries their candle and for the most part their faces are the only things illuminated in the slightly cavernous and fully black Bleecker Street Theater. While extremely effective I must admit that the lighting eventually became a bit uncomfortable, but because the storytellers on stage were so engaging I think this can easily be excused. Sound effects are also provided solely by the actors and Scott is to be commended for not overdoing his ghostly moaning but hitting the appropriate mark that makes us wonder, is it in fact just the house settling or is it the tortured spirits of Bly House that we hear?

The production values of the piece are low budget yet never cheap. The set consists of one table and one chair. Simplicity is the key to a good ghost story. Though the sound effects during the show are provided by the actors, pre-show there is a chill inducing prerecorded harpsichord playing and from time to time the electricity 'goes out' resulting in a slow winding down of the record which then swings back on as though nothing had happened. This seems a good-natured wink and nod to the audience that yes, we're going to try to scare you here so come along for the ride.

The Turn of the Screw is a difficult piece in that it is always ambiguous - there is no clear and precise wrap-up. As with all good ghost stories we are left wondering and must make our own decisions as to what really happened in the seven day span of the story. Twenty Feet Productions embraces that ambiguity and does not try to answer our questions but rather lets us decide for ourselves. This was a perfect Halloween season show, and perfect for anyone who enjoys a good ghost story.

The Turn of the Screw
Bleecker Street Theatre
45 Bleecker Street (just East of Lafayette Street)
Through November 3
Running Time: 75 minutes (no intermission - NO late seating)
Note: Appropriate 14+
Children under the age of 4 are not permitted in the theatre.
Tickets

When the Messenger is Hot - October 4, 2007

2007-10-05T08:52:00.000-04:00

When the Messenger is Hot was developed in Chicago and is presented at 59E59 by Steppenwolf Theatre Company. It is a perfect choice to transfer to New York as the protagonist or rather protagonists, there are three 'versions' of Josie's character, (played simultaneously by Kate Arrington, Lauren Katz and Amy Warren) was born in New York and moves to Chicago where she eventually 'develops'. All three actresses have a turn at being the 'present' Josie, and all are wonderful, but my special favorite was Amy Warren who seems to truly capture Josie's awareness of her self-esteem issues while fighting against them.

photo credit: Jay Geneske

The three in one presentation of Josie is clever and often funny, ringing true to the inner voices we hear in our heads. That's something we can all identify with, as are the other points addressed in this funny, moving and sometimes tear-jerking play adapted by playwright Laura Eason from the book by Elizabeth Crane. The use of the 'three in one' is also a subtle nod to Josie's loss of faith in a god who would take her mother from her, "when she needed her mother most."

Josie's Mom (Molly Regan) is 'not like other mothers'. She is an opera singer, Regan pulls off all aspects of her character flawlessly and her voice is beautiful and a fabulous counterpoint to her hilarious cursing. Josie's explains that her only childhood rebellion was not to use profanity as it was the only thing she could do to distinguish herself from her parents.

It gives nothing away to say that Josie's mother dies so I will address here a beautiful piece of directing by Jessica Thebus. The funeral for Mom is handled in such a simple way that I found tears running down my cheeks. Sometimes the most moving moments are the simplest ones.

To discuss the plot here would detract from the beauty of watching it unfold so I will say nothing more about the story. I will say go see it. Oh, and if you like Piña Coladas, and getting caught in the rain... you'll love it. Really.

Despite the surface charm and wit there are serious human issues addressed here, and Ms. Eason is to be commended for her subtle touch with delicate matters and a wonderfully natural ear for dialogue.

When the Messenger is Hot
59E59 Theaters (B)
59 East 59th St.
New York, NY
Tickets: 212-279-4200
running time: 1 hour 15 (no intermission)

October 3 - October 28, 2007

Jump - September 30, 2007

2007-10-01T08:49:00.000-04:00

I went to Jump knowing only that there would be a display of martial arts. There was. But there was also much, much more.

The show begins before the lights go down. An 'old man' played with absolute tongue in cheek charm by Woon-Yong Lee infiltrates the audience, asks for piggy back rides (and gets them!) and generally disrupts entire rows of people who are already seated. It's the old Bugs Bunny 'scuse me, pardon me' routine and it works. The combination of techno-video game pre-set music and the old man's shenanigans prepare the audience for the show to come.

Jump is set in a traditional Korean home consisting of an extended family - grandfather, father, mother, the drunken uncle, the daughter and her apparently shy suitor. But this family is not typical in any way. Each member is a skilled martial arts expert and every member of this cast exudes so much charm and humor that when they pull members of the audience onstage to assist in their family 'training' people were hoping to be called upon.

There is little dialogue in Jump, but little is required. The comedy is universal, familial relationships that everyone will recognize, shy young lovers getting to know each other and then of course there are the burglars. Yes, this family of kick-ass fighters has their home broken into by an Abbott and Costello like duo who bring the silliness to a new level and their arrival allows the family to stop 'training' and really let the fireworks begin.

I would love to point out specific members of the cast, but as Jump is performed in rotation by two distinct casts (except for the Old Man) I cannot be sure who was playing the parts the night I saw it. Given the level of excellence in the performances I saw I can't imagine that the other cast is any less brilliant. The jumps and leaps are performed with breath-taking grace, in fact there were times it seemed the people onstage would actually take flight. The humor is so inclusive, so warm and heartfelt that you will not be able to resist an ear-to-ear smile.

Jump is a wonderful blend of martial arts movie, silent movie and cartoon. There's even a little Superman thrown in. Keep an eye on the Clark Kent-like suitor. I guarantee you will love his alter-ego.

Go see Jump. You WILL believe a man can fly.

And you'll laugh - a lot.

Jump
Now in Previews
Opens October 7
Union Square Theatre
100 East 17th Street

Mauritius - September 27, 2007

2007-09-28T09:57:00.000-04:00

If you are not a stamp collector then the title of the Manhattan Theatre Company's current Broadway gem might be a mystery to you, it was to me. Do not let that scare you off. This is a show to see.

A play about two sisters fighting over an inherited stamp collection (Mauritius [pronounced More-ish-ous] is the name of the prize stamps of the collection) might not seem fodder for hilarity, but in the skillful hands of Broadway first-timer, Theresa Rebeck this story sings. Her writing is lean and witty and Broadway would do well to encourage more writers of her talent. The last Broadway show that made me laugh this much was The Lieutenant of Innishmore and while the subject matter and style of the two shows is vastly different, the level of quality and sheer sense of style are comparable.

Paul Gallo's lighting design is unobtrusive and aids in the near noirish feel of John Lee Beatty sets. The perfect backdrop for this story of familial discord and back-room, high stakes commerce. Smoothly shifting from vaguely rundown philatelists' shop to seedy bar, to lower middle class home each set piece is subtle and fittingly dreary. Just one step below what might have once been 'nice', just as the characters are. Each of them is teetering on the edge of their own precipe, and each of them sees the Mauritius stamps as salvation.

But while the set, lights, sound and costumes are all wonderful, the beauty of this show lies in the exceptional comic timing of a cast that clicks on every level and hits every note. Every laugh hits and the moments of drama are deep enough to make you wonder if there could possibly be another laugh in the offing. There is. And another, and another. Though many shows can make an audience smile silently, there are few things in the theater better than a show that actually makes you laugh aloud like Mauritius.

Alison Pill (Jackie) and Katie Finneran (Mary) are the sisters. Their sibling chemistry is spot on and their exchanges are a blend of heartache and hilarious that rings true to anyone who has every had a family fight. Alison Pill's work gets stronger and stronger in every show I've seen her in and here she gets to show us that she can move from nervous breakdown to cool sarcasm in a single beat. Katie Finneran, who was perfect as the put-upon older sister in the short-lived, but excellent, television series Wonderfalls gets an opportunity to take that character, switch her up and turn her on her ear. If I had to choose one actor from this piece with the sharpest comic timing, (and that would be a VERY difficult choice) it would have to be her. Bobby Canavale is (Dennis) as the would be facilitator of the sale of the Mauritius stamps has an 'aw shucks' charm combined with a sense of shady street smarts and a hint of hidden depth. When he tells the distraught Jackie that it is "the errors that make stamps valuable" and later explains that he feels the same holds true for people, you know that there is more to him than meets the eye. Dylan Baker (Philip) the philatel expert who has seen too many worthless stamp collections to care any more is the epitome of nerdish know it all; but below that shell there is clearly a man who has endured heartbreak. And F. Murray Abraham (Sterling) as the wealthy stamp collector and "murky" businessman who lusts for the Mauritius stamps is simply priceless. His passion for his collectible of choice is at once hilarious and compelling and this performance proves that his comedic skills are more than equal to his dramatic chops. The guy's funny. 'Nuff said. You don't want to miss this performance.

Doug Hughes does a fine job directing an amazing cast through a fabulous play. There are layers upon layers here and while we are left with some mysteries, this show satisfies on all levels.

Mauritius is smart, tight, funny and engaging. The 'post office' Mauritius stamp may be a stamp collector's unachievable Holy Grail, but Mauritius, the play, delivers.

Mauritius
Manhattan Theatre Club at
The Biltmore Theatre
261 West 47th Street
running time: 2 hours (includes one 15 minute intermission)

In Previews
Opens September 13, 2007 - November 25, 2007
photo credit: Joan Marcus

Double Vision

2007-08-11T13:11:00.001-04:00

Double Vision is Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich's latest contribution to the New York Fringe Festival. Her style is lyric but modern and her voice is stronger here than in last year's Absolute Flight. It's exciting to watch a playwright grow and go deeper into the human condition.

Boiled down to the basics, Double Vision explores the most intimate aspect of the human condition: love - and our fear of our emotions. We meet six very different characters all of whom are experiencing the many fears we all face when confronted with love: fear of vulnerability, fear of commitment, fear of failure, fear of making the same mistakes that led to past heartbreaks, and the fear of losing ones own identity to another. The charm here is that it is done with humor. While Double Vision never quite crosses the line to farce, there is a definite tip of the hat to bedroom farce - with its unlikely pairings and caught-in-the-act upsets. While the cast does not land every line, the humor is evident in the writing and Ms. Blumenthal-Ehrlich should be commended for a light touch on a touchy subject.

The couple whose issues are the main focus of the piece are Dave (Shane Jacobsen) and Mary (Rebecca Henderson). Mary has to decide whether to take a job across the country. She wants Dave's input but dreads it - her fear of his opinion, and his fear of giving it and the responsibility of choosing for her, lead them both to emotional deteriorations far in excess of the simple decision to take the job and move or not. Their mutual fear of admitting their feelings for each other is shown with a sweetly clever device involving an armchair, each referring to the other indirectly as they comment on how much they love a particular chair in Dave's apartment. This masking of their vulnerabilities is later stripped away, quite literally, (Jacobsen spends a large portion of the last act nude) as Dave's mental state of confusion and stress over his relationship with Mary causes him hallucinations and a revelation that we are all just ''bone, skin and hair''.

Rebecca Henderson hits just the right notes as Mary, the high-powered, corporate money-maker who is so frightened of her love for Dave that she can't even decide what shoes are appropriate. Her delivery is in turns sad and funny. Jacobsen's Dave takes a little while to gear up but is very convincing as a man who has lost too many "relationship years" (the years in a relationship combined with the proportionate number of years it takes to recover) and is so afraid of letting Mary in that he is perpetually getting into traffic accidents involving a mysterious blonde and begins to lose touch with reality.

Another stand-out is Sarah Silk as Michelle, the 21 year old French lover of 50 year old Ben (Christopher McCann). Though she is not long on stage, her final diatribe at Ben is a gem. When she discovers Ben's indiscretion with a neighbor, Celia (Linda Jones) a woman more in love with her car than her live-in boyfriend, and Ben's take that their 'great love' is only great if they are not together, Michelle's "woman-scorned" kicks in and their formerly "unimportant" age difference becomes a barbed weapon hurled with a French accent.

Any Festival series will, by its very nature, have some hits and some misses. While the love-lives of the characters here are fraught with 'misses', Double Vision is definitely a hit.

Double Vision
The Bleecker St. Theatre
45 Bleecker Street
(between Lafayette & Mott St)

Saturday 9/8 @ 2:30pm
Sunday 9/9 @ 9:15pm
Wednesday 9/12 @ 9:30pm
Thursday 9/13 @ 7:00pm
Saturday 9/15 @ 5:00pm
Sunday 9/16 @ 7:30pm

Tickets are $18 and are available at:
http://sabo.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/TicketRequest?eventId=60827
by calling 212-691-1555, or at the theater box office.

Photos: Jim Baldassare

Tom Crean - August 4, 2007

2007-08-05T10:14:00.000-04:00

Stories of exploration and outdoorsy adventure have never had much draw for me. Yet I went to see Tom Crean, Antarctic Explorer because it had two things going for it that drew me in: 1) I am very partial to solo shows, 2) The Irish Repertory Theatre's track record of good, solid material. I was not disappointed.

Aidan Dooley wrote and performs this charming, exciting, informative, and very funny piece with all the warmth and intimacy that is the legacy of Irish story-tellers.

Tom Crean (1877-1938) made three ill-fated trips to the Antarctic and yet is unknown. Scott, "only two trips" is world-famous. The reason is simple according to Crean - Scott kept a diary. "Diary - you're remembered; no diary - pffft". But happily Tom Crean is mentioned enough in the diaries of Scott and Shackleton (Crean served on Discovery and Terra Nova with Scott and on Endurance with Shackleton) and other source material that Dooley was able to weave together the character of the man and bring him to life on stage.

And Dooley does, truly, bring him to life. He is at once modern and natural without losing the flavor of the boy who, at 15, joined the Royal Navy to run away from his small town to see the world at the turn of the 20th century. (Apparently there was an issue with his father, a cow and a field of 'spuds' - I'll divulge no more). He is human, one of us - yet something apart because he did what so few of us do: endured unbearable hardship to follow his dream. He survived the savage cold and desolation of the Antarctic, in large part by following his mother's advice to "just get on with it" and by maintaining an indomitable sense of humor. I feel privileged to have met Crean through Dooley and have to admit that I'm intrigued enough now to go read Scott and Shackleton - and I have a feeling Crean will be there with me, reading over my shoulder and chuckling.

Not one to automatically jump to my feet, I have to truly be moved, I happily popped up along with the rest of the audience to give this wonderful performer a well-deserved standing ovation.

NOTE: I would like to take a moment to praise the house staff, from box office to ushers, at the Irish Rep for their wonderfully sunny attitudes, helpfulness and utter lack of pretension. I have run into surliness and boredom at some other theaters and feel compelled to comment on what a difference in the entire evening's experience a pleasant house staff can make. Thank you!

Tom Crean
Irish Repertory Theatre
132 West 22nd Street
(between 6th & 7th Avenues)
Tickets: 212-727-2737
Closes: September 9th
Running time: a touch under 2 hours (includes 15 min intermission)

Guilty - July 2, 2007

2007-07-02T23:45:00.000-04:00

Guilty was in previews the night I saw it and I went in absolutely cold. No idea what it was about, or whether it was a comedy or a drama.

I can safely say that I left the theater after a very long, intermission-less show in exactly the same state.

It is often said that live theater is about the words, the voice of the actor being the focal point and that film is about a story told without words, but that is a huge generalization and it does not mean that a play should be without action. Yet Nancy Manocherian's play is so lacking in action and so top heavy with words that one might believe that the theater is supposed to be a talk-fest. Even when nothing is being said. There is an axiom regarding drama, whether it be film or theater, that you should show rather than tell. Guilty tells rather than shows for nearly two full hours.

The first 55 minutes of this play take place in a living room, then a bedroom, and finally outdoors (there's some grass, so that's the hint that we're outside somewhere) before there is a single moment of actual action. In fact the entire time up until that very brief moment of 'action' (which takes place offstage) we hear six characters who have clearly known each other a long time, talk about another character (Richard) who we never meet. But sadly this is no Waiting For Godot. We are never told how these people know each other, and given the disparate types presented it might indeed be interesting to find out how they came to be friends.

Of course 'talky' plays are not uncommon, and some are quite wonderful, but usually there is something going on. In Guilty we are treated to characters sitting around talking. And I mean sitting around. At one point, while discussing psycho-therapy, Jake (Ned Massey) calls therapy "the opiate of the masses". Sadly watching this pseudo-group therapy is not the opiate of an audience - unless the goal is to lull the audience to sleep.

Director Kira Simring's staging is stagnant, as characters sit and sit and sit. There are nice moments during scene changes that hint at the potential for more dynamic direction but as scenes begin characters go right back to sitting around talking.

There is one very out of place, semi-surrealistic scene wherein Dori (Glory Gallo) debates with herself whether or not she can indulge her desire for an affair with her first love. He offers her an opportunity to show her photography in his gallery and this chance to be creative and explore a new sexuality as she verges on a mid-life crises tempts her. This scene actually has some of the most entertaining and lively moments in the entire play and Gallo is to be commended for pulling it off with aplomb and a delightful lack of self-consciousness. Unfortunately it is completely out of place in this show, particularly because the language verges on poetic while the rest of the play is straight-forward realism. And here I have to say that while it strives for realism, the dialogue throughout feels forced, as each character attempts to sound wittier than the next and fails miserably.

The set (Tim McMath) is simple and clean and serves multiple scenes very well. The sound design (Ken Hypes) is commendable, particularly during one of the rare 'action' scenes where the characters play pool.

There is a warning that there is brief nudity in this piece. I can only imagine this 'warning' is an attempt to pull in some audience, as the actual 'nudity' involves nothing more than a woman's back. If that's considered 'nudity' we should be careful at the beach.

Watching this play I felt I was watching dailies of some as yet unedited 'reality' tv show. As is typical with these omnipresent reality shows there is always a character that you like, that is fun to watch and just seems normal. In this show it is Adam (Darnell Williams). Williams is at ease and fully inhabits his character, but even though he corrects another character's misspelling of "enui" he cannot salvage this show from the "E.N.N.U.I." it projects.

Acorn Theater
410 West 42nd St.
New York, NY 10036
Tickets: 212-279-4200
Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes (no intermission)
Opens on July 5, 2007
Now in Previews
Closes on July 29, 2007

Sessions - June 17, 2007

2007-06-18T20:44:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has ever been in therapy, group or otherwise, will recognize the characters of Sessions. While the characters' issues are standard dramatic fare - nothing new here - the actors provide enough depth to make stereotypical neurosis truthful. Even their therapist, Dr. Peterson (Matthew Shepard) is written as something of a cliché, but Shepard's warmth, charm and humanity make him anyone's dream shrink. Picture a modern-day Paul Henreid from Now Voyager. Of course he is a married man fighting the temptation to cross the line with one of his patients.

Book, Lyrics and Music are by Albert Tapper, and this is problematic. The book is fairly strong, the tunes, while not entirely memorable, are certainly pretty enough, but the lyrics are mediocre at best. Some collaboration might have pushed this piece from being simply "enjoyable enough" to something special.

The set design (Peter Barbieri, Jr. who also did the costumes) is exquisite and is the perfect New York City psychologist's office. Naturally the show is set in New York, where else would one find so many neurotic characters? This too is a bit of cliché, at least, and to Barbieri's credit, they do not all wear black. The show is very New York specific, right down to New Jersey and Staten Island jokes and street addresses of Starbucks and the Strand book stands. To a point that is fine for a New York audience, but seems too insular. When George (the delightful Scott Richard Foster) mentions he has moved to Washington Heights to get as far from Bleecker Street as he can, one wonders if anyone outside of New York City will have a clue as to what he's talking about.

The characters include Mr. & Mrs. Murphy (Jim Madden and Bertilla Baker), the squabbling retirees. Leila (Amy Bodnar), the sex-kitten with a broken heart and some serious hair extension issues at this performance. Dylan (David Patrick Ford), who can't accept his life of privilege and so takes on the personality of Bob Dylan - and does a very amusing and understated imitation. George Preston (Scott Richard Foster), as the indecisive introvert who cannot get over a girlfriend who broke up with him more than a decade earlier. Sunshine (Natalie Buster, who understudies all the female roles), the well-off child of an alcoholic suburban home who is finally ready to quit therapy after ten years. Mary (Trisha Rapier), the breast cancer survivor who refuses to leave her physically abusive husband. Baxter (Al Bundonis, whose time onstage is thoroughly captivating and far too brief), the Donald Trump-inspired real estate mogul who wants his father's approval. And The Voice (Ed Reynolds Young), who is the therapist Dr. Peterson visits with his own issues.

Abused wife Mary is possibly the most tragic, as well as the most clichéd character (no fault of Trishia Rapier's - it's just how she's written). She has two songs, one for each act that both say essentially the same thing: I'm not leaving my husband because when he beats me I feel loved. The fact that Dr. Peterson does not report this long-term abuse to the police is a plot problem. This is something that is required by law, yet he does not report the abuse even though it has gone on the entire time Mary has been in therapy - years! At one point Mary states emphatically that "THIS is my support group", one wonders how supportive they really are when not one of them has reported the situation either. When Dr. Peterson receives a phone call telling him that Mary has been killed by her husband towards the end of Act Two, it is no surprise. Mary's death is 'required' to propel Dr. Peterson into a full-out crises of confidence, but honestly, we all saw it coming: why didn't he?

While it is not particularly moving, Sessions is an enjoyable couple of hours at the theater. It's just unfortunate that it is more pop-psychology than the real thing.

Sessions
Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Playwrights Horizons
416 West 42nd Street
Tickets: 212-279-4200
Running Time: 2 hours with one intermission
Thru August 1

Intimate Exchanges - Affairs in a Tent - June 16, 2007

2007-06-17T20:16:00.000-04:00

Sir Alan Ayckbourn has been writing plays for a very long time. It stands to reason that an artist wants to try a little something new, a little innovation, every now and then. He certainly pulled it off brilliantly with The Norman Conquests and now Intimate Exchanges attempts a very similar gimmick, with a far broader scope.

While The Norman Conquests is actually three separate plays that all take place at the same time, Intimate Exchanges raises the bar. This is actually part of a sequence of plays (8 in all, with 16 different endings all going in different directions). This sounds overwhelming, and it could be: if you think about it too long. But in fact I saw only one in the sequence and I can see where it could go and how this 'sequence' could all play out. This does not mean you need to see all the configurations to enjoy it. Affairs in a Tent was a complete piece in its own right and I imagine the same holds true for all the others.

The people with the hardest jobs here are the actors: there are only two. They play all the parts in all the plays. In Affairs in a Tent they do an amazingly good job, this is not a simple matter of switching out a wig and a costume - all the characters are well-defined individuals. Bill Champion and Claudia Elmhirst are to be commended. Keeping all the characters, and all the scripts straight and crisp is a herculean task and they both rise to the challenge and excel. Claudia Elmhirst is particularly effective here - I had to strain to see that this was the same actress playing headmaster's wife, Celia, and hired help, Sylvie. Bill Champion's first appearance wearing a blond wig, as Lionel, a ne'er-do-well with good intentions, bears an uncannily resembles Michael McKean's David St. Hubbins in This Is Spinal Tap. This is just one layer of humor in addition to his wonderful, spot on delivery. He lands every line. These are two actors who do justice to comedy and it was a pleasure to watch them.

photo credit: Tony Bartholomew

While I found the play very funny, I thought as farce it might work better with more actors playing the parts to keep things moving. I noticed people in the audience straining to see the appearance of the 'next' character whenever one of the actors exited (which might mean a costume/character change) and that is a distraction that takes away from the piece. There is also a problem with extended set changes. Very near the end of this play there is a scene change that takes well over 3 minutes and that is a very long time to hold up the action, particularly so close to the end as things have risen to a fever pitch. It destroys the momentum and left me feeling disengaged from the final scene. Certainly this is a minor criticism in such a major work, but it seems an extra pair of hands helping with the change would solve this issue.

Intimate Exchanges
59E59 Theaters
59 East 59th St.
New York, NY 10022
Tickets: 212-279-4200
Running time: 2 hours with 1 intermission
Thru July 1

Escape From Bellevue - June 16, 2007

2007-06-16T23:54:00.000-04:00

It would be a mistake to attend a performance of Escape from Bellevue expecting to see a "musical". What you will see is a sort of one-man show with music. This is not to say it is a bad thing, just be forewarned. I am always hopeful that a show billed as a "rock musical" will actually deliver 'rock' - this does not always happen and sometimes, as in Escape from Bellevue, the music becomes secondary to a fun storyteller. So no, it's not the next Spring Awakenings, but it is a fun, entertaining 90 minutes. And during the musical 'breaks' there is definitely a feel of a mini-stadium concert. Sadly the amplification makes it nearly impossible to hear all the lyrics, which may be fine at a concert, but it falls short in a theatrical experience where the words are so vital to propelling the story. The set design and lighting effects are quite slick and the inclusion of several (very) short films round out the show.
Front man of The Knockout Drops, Chris Campion tells a great story. He acts out characters and takes on personalities without sounding at all stiff or rehearsed. You will never again hear the phrases "rodeo clown" or "Yo quiero culear tortugas" without laughing. Really.

The premise of Escape From Bellevue is Campion's troubles with alcohol, drugs and suicidal tendencies that landed him in Bellevue not once but three times. The first time when he drunk-dialed his friends in the middle of the day and said today would be his last "quicker than I could say Sylvia Plath the boys from Bellevue were at the door". Suicide humor: gotta love it. The second trip was spurred by "I'm going to kill myself" thrown at a girlfriend in the heat of an argument.

His encounters in the infamous mental hospital are quite funny, (the Thorazine story in particular is a riot), but despite the fact that he clearly had serious problems there is an emotional 'step back' in that he is telling stories without delving into and sharing the deeper emotions. However, at the end of the show there is a moment - after the third trip to Bellevue when he has checked himself into the hospital rather than being sent by well-intentioned and worried friends - that does touch a real emotional chord. He finds himself laughing "my light was back on" and feeling finally that he is "exactly where [I was] meant to be". When he says he is "grateful to be here", meaning that he did not commit suicide, we see at last the true depth that, had it been explored throughout, could have made a diverting piece into a very powerful show (without losing the fun).

Escape From Bellevue
Village Theater
158 Bleecker Street
Thursday 8:00pm
Friday 8:00pm
Saturday 8:00pm & 11:00pm
Tickets: 212-307-7171
Running time: 90 mins (no intermission)

In a Dark Dark House

2007-06-15T19:11:00.001-04:00

The ultra-prolific Neil Labute has carved out a reputation as the foremost misanthrope of American theatre. His work features seemingly heartless characters who revel in their own sadomasochism, happiest in situations where they can cause immeasurable pain and suffering. For the longest time, I have defended and found much to enjoy in Labute's work, praising his sharp and focused voice even as the darkness of his plays became more and more conventional.

That praise ends with In a Dark Dark House, which is currently receiving its world premiere production at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, under the auspices of Manhattan Class Company and the direction of Carolyn Cantor. This latest piece is slim and dramatically reckless, and often feels unfinished.

The drama takes place over three brief scenes, and it should be noted that if you happen to blink at any point, you might miss one of the many revelations that Labute haphazardly throws at the audience. Terry (Frederick Weller), a salt-of-the-earth midwesterner, has gone to visit his younger brother Drew (Ron Livingston) at a tony rehab where he's drying out. It turns out that Drew--a lawyer recently disbarred for shady business practices--has recovered memories of molestation in therapy, and has called his big brother in to authenticate them.

It is clear from the first moments that the two men don't get along. Even though he is dressed in a dirty bathrobe and barely speaking above a whisper, Drew's gentility shines through. Terry has taken a different path in his life; a truer path, at least to him. Their conversation when not discussing their shared past of abuse and hardship is polite but awkward, never reaching a level of intimacy you would expect from normal siblings. Labute understands this, and his early writing for the men can be thrilling. If only it were sustained throughout the entire piece.

If there is one thread that holds the work together, it is Weller's intensely vivid performance as Terry. His line readings are surly and glib with just the right dose of indignation, which are all good things in this case. Livingston tries hard but can't get over the fact that he's miscast; he's far too likable to play a calculating and manipulating leach. A third character, played appealingly by Louisa Krause, is introduced in the second scene, but it's hardly worth mentioning. She's drawn so thin that you begin to forget about her while she's still in plain view (a major problem, since Labute goes on to fashion her into a major plot device).

Carolyn Cantor's unsteady direction is also problematic; her style of cartoonish realism that served Essential Self-Defense so well only accentuates the textual flaws here. It may be time for Labute to take a break, or at least a breather: as his twists become more and more predictable, his work is becoming less and less watchable, and even longtime fans like myself are considering turning away. In the meantime, find someone to revive bash.

Tickets: Ticket Central
Lucille Lortel Theatre
121 Christopher Street
New York, NY 10014
Running time: 90 minutes without intermission
Through July 7

Cameron Kelsall is a guest reviewer for this blog. He also runs the blog Theatre Snobbery at its Finest, which can be read at tsnob.blogspot.com.

Living Dead in Denmark - June 14, 2007

2007-06-15T11:00:00.000-04:00

Qui Nguyen's tremendously funny Living Dead in Denmark, part of the Vampire Cowboys Trilogy is being revived (as zombies tend to be) and presented as part of the First National Asian American Theater Festival. I was thrilled to have an opportunity to see this witty, hilarious play again.

Sometimes when people hear "Shakespeare" they turn away - "I'll never understand it" or "I hated it in high school". But Nguyen shows exactly how much fun Shakespeare really is: no, this is no iambic pentameter-heavy attempt to re-create the wheel. What it IS is a retake on some of Shakespeare's best-known characters and settings, a retake that involves toxic waste and zombies. May not sound like it could work, but it does - perfectly. Nguyen starts with time-tested characters and puts them into a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested world and shakes it all together with some geek humor, perfect placement of classic lines of Shakespeare (that almost everyone will recognize), some ninja fighting, pop culture references and comes out with total genius.
Of course the writing is amazingly clever, but much credit must also be doled out to great direction by Robert Ross Parker, terrifically stylized fight sequences by Marius Hanford and understated production design by Nick Francone and hilarious zombie & gore effects by Chuck Varga. None of this would work nearly so well without this great cast. Some taking on more than one role, all of them pitch perfect. For the most part it is tongue in cheek funny, but there are moments of real pathos as well - just enough to let you know you are watching something that was created with much thought and love, not just a goof-fest. The scene with Laertes who is portrayed by a puppet (design by David Valentine - and gorgeous) voiced by Carlo Alban is utterly heart-breaking.

I could write volumes about each actor and how fully they inhabit their characters in this wonderfully dark and funny world, but that could take weeks. Each of them is a standout - which is quite a cool thing to pull off in a show that works as total ensemble.
This is the essence of exciting new theater. The Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company is a group of hard-working, TALENTED, people who make lively, fun theater on a very tight budget. But they prove at every show that you don't need piles of cash (just tons of talent) to make good theater. Though I'm sure they wouldn't say no to piles of cash. If anyone is interested in helping that cause you can see their website for details - it's tax deductible. I'm anxiously awaiting their next show - I have no doubt it too will be a killer.

Living Dead in Denmark
Beckett Theatre
410 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Tickets: 212-352-3101
866-811-4111 (Toll Free)
June 12th - June 15th
Running time: 90 minutes (no intermission)

Featuring the amazing cast: Carlo Alban (Horatio, Laertes), Alexis Black (Juliet), Jason Liebman (The Ghost/Hamlet), Maggie Macdonald (Puck, Witch), Tom Myers (Caliban, Guildenstern, Witch), Melissa Paladino (Lady Macbeth), Jason Schumacher (Fortinbras), Andrea Marie Smith (Titania), Temar Underwood (Gravedigger, Rosencrantz, Witch, Oberon), Amy Kim Waschke (Ophelia).

Noche Flamenca - Aldaba - June 10, 2007

2007-06-11T14:03:00.000-04:00

Before seeing the amazing Noche Flamenca my view of Flamenco had always been that it was an intense, beautiful art form - but extremely serious. It's nice to have my horizons expanded. Noche Flamenca is everything you might expect from a traditional Flamenco presentation - with just a little more.

My Spanish is very limited, so I only got some of the lyrics sung by Manuel Gago and José Anillo. But while you might miss the finer points, as I did, you don't need to understand Spanish to understand the emotions. The combination of dance, music and song are what immerse you, catch you up and take you places that hit your core. The choreography is perfection - not a single moment feels rehearsed or expected. It is as if everything is happening for the first time, sprung from pure emotion.

The first piece of the program, El Camino, introduces us to the entire company seated together as if they are just jamming at home and you feel at home. It's a party! It's a wonderful way to start the show. Each of the members take a few moments to show their stuff and of these my favorite was the delightful Elena Martín dressed in a fabulous red dress with white polka dots. Her movements were serious, then sensual and in the end simply sassy. She fairly brought the house down and proved there is humor in Flamenco for sure.

Solea por Bulerias let's Alfonso Losa show off his amazing frenetic footwork. His style is like watching a man possessed. His body seems to be moving on it's own and his expression is often one of surprise that he is being brought along for this amazing ride. It's as if the story of The Red Shoes is coming true before our eyes.

The charming piece Se Me Va begins with a quiet guitar solo by Miguel Perez before the closed curtains. Clearly this is a solemn song of love lost and regret, but then he is joined by singer José Anillo and things begin to lighten up a bit as pairs of clapping hands poke through the curtains and join the singer and the charming Vanesa Coloma as she dances, her expressions varying from disdain to shocked amusement.

The first act ends on an impossibly high note with Siguiriya showing off the astounding technical skill combined with raw emotion and ebullient stage presence of guest artist Alejandro Granados. The piece begins slowly, building to a crescendo of amazing physical control and complicated foot work that had the audience cheering wildly. His performance alone is worth the price of admission, but Noche Flamenco offers so much more!

Act Two again begins with the entire company. Quebrada a far more solemn start than Act One, and here we get to see not only the company but the wildly talented Soledad Barrio as she gives us a hint of what she can do. There is a moment in this piece where the three women twirl around each other, holding the precise poses and showing the tremendous control necessary for Flamenco that is so beautiful you wish it would simply go on and on.

The dancers get a break during the Solo de Guitarra which was performed by Chuscales. I can honestly say I was transported. You could hear a pin drop as the audience, formerly raucous in their vocal appreciation of the craft onstage sat in rapt attention to this gorgeous music. I can only assume we were all mesmerized. A man, a guitar and nothing more: and it was heaven.

And finally we have Solea. Soledad Barrio's solo piece. As with all the dance it begins low and builds. I wish I had words that could describe what she did. Again I must comment on the sheer level of physical control necessary to dance Flamenco and Ms. Barrio clearly has not only that control but an artistic fire of emotion that swept the audience to their feet even before the piece was done! I am rarely one to jump to a standing ovation - but I was one of the first ones up for this one. I was struck with how modest and delighted the performers were by this response. They seemed truly surprised and it was a sweet ending to a most fiery show.

Noche Flamenca is an experience not to be missed.

Noche Flamenca
Theater 80
80 St. Mark's Place
New York, NY 10003
Through July 29

LoveMusik - June 2, 2007

2007-06-08T15:03:00.000-04:00

LoveMusik opens with Michael Cerveris as Kurt Weill in a pin spot hauntingly singing, in a thick German accent, about the fleeting nature of love. He is soon joined by Donna Murphy’s Lotte Lenya as the circle of light slowly expands revealing raw emotion, heartbreak and possibilities. They had me at “Speak Low”.

From here we are witness to the unfolding romance between two iconic figures of the theater. Alfred Uhry, who wrote the book, cleverly unravels the myths surrounding these two characters to present us with fully formed, fleshed out and powerfully human representations. Michael Ceveris and Donna Murphy create characters that are so interesting and engaging I found it impossible not to connect with them. I don’t want to reveal any secrets but there is a scene towards the end of the second act which involves Weill and Lenya and one small simple prop and the scene is devastating.

The production, directed by Hal Prince, and set design were minimal but with talent of this caliber there is no need for the distractions of overwhelming sets and scenery. From their first meeting in a row boat to their reunion in a Paris bedroom, Beowulf Boritt’s scenic design quietly suggests the setting allowing the focus to remain on the story. The performers in this show need little more than themselves to hold the attention of the audience. Donna Murphy is quite simply a revelation. Her Lotte Lenya is a self-assured, brash, spitfire balanced with a subtle vulnerability that is heartbreaking when it is revealed.

For every bit that Lenya’s character is big and colorful Michael Cerveris’s Weill is subtle and understated. His gentle delivery tinged with a shy determination to “take care of Lenya” is matched only by his love of creation. It is clear he is driven by two passions; love for Lenya and composing music. LoveMusik is appropriately titled.

Bertolt Brecht, as portrayed by David Pittu, is another theater figure who is brought down to human proportions. Way down in fact. After his introduction with Tango Ballad (from Threepenny Opera) we are taken on a rollercoaster ride of the ups and downs of his life. His relationship with both Weill and Lenya is documented in a less than flattering, but ever honest and unselfconscious, way.

LoveMusik includes a healthy sampling of the Weill music catalog. Some rather well known songs such as Surabaya Johnny (sung by Murphy in a second act show stopper as she is draped in an exquisite evening gown (costumes by Judith Dolan) to lesser known fare like I Don’t Love You. The songs are seamlessly woven into the fabric of the show in such a way that gives depth and power to Weill classics like It Never Was You that heretofore changed how I relate to them.

If I were asked, what would you expect the outcome to be if one of the most prolific and honored directors in theater history collaborated on a new musical with a Tony, Oscar and Pulitzer Prize winning writer, my answer would be nothing less than LoveMusik.

This review was a collobration between Gary and Marxsny.

LoveMusik
Manhattan Theatre Club at The Biltmore Theatre
261 West 47th Street
New York, New York
Tickets: 212-239-6200/800-432-7250
Running Time: 2 hr 35 min with one intermission
Open Run

Rabbit - June 7, 2007

2007-06-08T12:01:00.000-04:00

Nina Raine's Rabbit is a deceptive little play. Right from the opening lines of "no" *pause* "no" *pause* "no" spoken in a Beckett-like style by a father and daughter you are deceived. Because it is not a Beckett-y play. It switches to a naturalist comedy as we meet the daughter, Bella (Charlotte Randle) and her friend Emily ( Ruth Everett) at a bar celebrating Bella's 29th birthday. And we are deceived. Because it's not completely a comedy. It switches to flashbacks of Bella and her father and we find that the truth of this piece is Bella's desire to let go of the past - and her inability to truly do so.

photo credit: Robert Workman

Bella's father is dying. He is in hospital attended by his wife and sons while Bella tries to live her life and celebrate her birthday at a party she has arranged with all her friends; the majority of whom have never met. This is because Bella needs to be in control, needs to not risk that an old flame may be more interested in Emily than her, not risk that she might find love if she lets herself feel. But the night of her birthday, as her father is dying, the combination of emotions and the co-mingling of her various groups of friends makes it impossible for her to keep her memories at bay. Makes it impossible for her to continue to deceive herself.

On the surface this is a thoroughly enjoyable light play with witty dialogue, amusing characters and the 'oops' factor of running into an old love. But below the surface is a smart dissection of human relationships, how enduring old pains can be, and how difficult it can be to let go of subjective memories.

The cast is superb. Hilton McRae as Father is wonderful as he shows us a man losing his ability to communicate because of illness, and a younger man who has the same problem - for different reasons. Charlotte Randle runs the gamut of emotions and takes us with her every step of the way. Ruth Everett makes the young doctor Emily enchanting - it's not easy to tell a story about dissection and neurology and make it casual and fun. Adam James (Richard) and Alan Westaway (Tom) show us two very different men with much in common below the surface and Susannah Wise (Sandy) has a comic timing and delivery that is enviable. Nina Raine has written a very smart, very deceptive little play here and her direction is clear and crisp.

Rabbit is a pleasure. You will not regret the deceptions and you might gain a little insight.

Rabbit
59E59 Theaters (B)
59 East 59th St.
New York, NY
Tickets: 212-279-4200
running time: 1 hour 50 mins with intermission

Now in Previews
Opens on June 10, 2007
Closes on July 1, 2007

Passing Strange - June 6, 2007

2007-06-07T01:51:00.001-04:00

The coming of age story is not by any means a new plot line, but it can be enjoyable and moving when it's well done - or when there is an actual story to be told. This usually means we care about the protagonist. Passing Strange is the coming of age story of a whiny kid who finds his way to Europe while attempting to learn the ropes of the craft of songwriting. And to smoke hash. Gotta say: I could not care less.

There's no dramatic push to drive him away from his fairly comfortable, middle class home in Los Angeles where he lives with his mother. From what we are shown the main reason for his rebellion is that his mother wants him to attend church. He feels his spiritual path lies elsewhere but nonetheless joins the church choir (because he falls for a girl in the choir). So much for spirituality as his driving force. He ends up leaving home to roam Amsterdam and Berlin to find 'the real' - I'm hazy on what this actually means. Perhaps it was defined in one of the many endless songs which, while admittedly had a great beat, my toe was tapping, were unintelligible. If the lyrics were moving or meaningful in any way, neither I nor the people attending with me could hear them.

The set was well designed by David Korins whose work is always clever and fresh. While at first the set appears to be a whole lotta "not much", it is deceptive. We find musicians are set on descending platforms that rise and fall depending on the action and the back wall is revealed to be a full 'light wall' that becomes a city of neon and is quite impressive. I wish I could say the production deserved such stylish treatment.

This is a show that needs a hefty edit job. There are smart bits of dialogue, there might even be a story here, but as one of the oft repeated lyrics of one of the many (unlisted) songs says: "Too bad it takes so long". It does indeed take far too long to go absolutely nowhere.

There are fine performers working hard here, but truthfully there was only one standout, Colman Domingo who plays multiple roles (Mr. Franklin, Joop, and Mr. Venus) is the only - and I mean only - character who actually makes any sort of connection to the audience. If I had to choose one fatal flaw in this show that would be it -- the absolute lack of connection to the audience. In fact the bulk of the show seems played purely for the cast and musicians themselves, taking the concept of the fourth wall to a place more like a biosphere. On more than one occasion cast members were cracking each other up like Harvey Korman and Tim Conway on a bad episode of the old Carol Burnett show. It was barely funny in the 1970s - it's really not funny here. Really. I expect a little more professionalism at the Public.

The welcome resurgence of rock in Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals is not well served here. Wait for something better to come along. Something with an actual story.

The Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10003
Tickets: 212-967-7555
running time: 2 hours 30 minutes with one intermission
Closes July 1

Facing East - May 27, 2007

2007-05-27T19:09:00.000-04:00

The extremely negative treatment of homosexuals within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) is not new ground for the stage, i.e. Angels in America, Confessions of a Mormon Boy. So I was pretty sure I knew the territory we'd be exploring in Facing East. What I was unprepared for was the incredibly high quality of the acting and the writing. Here's where I must admit to a bit of New York bias here as this show has transferred in from Utah I truly didn't expect this level of polish. In this case the unexpected was a very good thing indeed.

The title refers to the day of resurrection when the chosen will be called to heaven - exactly as they were when they were buried which prompts an amusing anecdote about a great aunt wanting assurances that the funeral director would securely attach her stockings to a garter so she would not have her nylons around her ankles when she rose up and stood before the lord. The Lord coming in from the east, which is why all the graves in the cemetery the play is set in face east. No unsightly spinning in the graves here, you simply rise up and you're facing east.

And yes, I did say that the play is set in a cemetery. This is where we meet Ruth and Alex whose son Andrew's funeral has just ended. Alex cannot bring himself to leave the grave site so the groundskeepers can "fill in". He is torn up by the hypocrisy of the funeral "No one should attend the funeral of someone they didn't know. We didn't know him." The story focuses primarily on Alex, who is the host of a soon-to-be syndicated radio show called One-Minute Dad where he dispenses daily doses of homespun fatherly advice; yet feels "I failed my own son." Alex's (Charles Lynn Frost) remorse is palpable and his sorrow at the loss of his son could have turned to teeth gnashing and anger but instead is handled with dignity and depth of emotion that had a majority of the audience in tears. Yeah, okay I admit it, I was one of 'em. But I heard LOTS of sniffling so I wasn't the only one!

Ruth (Jayne Luke) is a remarkably well-controlled mother in mourning. Her religion is her rock and her role as mother is her greatest accomplishment - yet she seems unusually calm about Andrew's death - even for someone with such intense faith in the hereafter. We find out why later in the show but I will not divulge that here. Ruth's hint of chill could have made her a monster, but Luke makes sure she is not. She, like Alex, are fully developed HUMANS with just as many flaws as any of us - and just as many good points. As they talk about the Andrew they knew in a 'do-over' of the funeral that Alex insists they perform regardless of the fact that people are waiting for them, we find out about Andrew (who never appears). Flashback conversations are cleverly staged by having one parent in black-out speaking 'as Andrew' while the other parent recounts a memory giving us insight into their talented, spiritual, sweet-natured, 24 year old son who took his own life and who happens to have been gay.

In the last third of the show we meet Marcus (Jay Perry) who was Andrew's lover (his one and only) for the last year. Marcus arrives graveside hoping to be late enough to have missed the family whom he did not want to upset by being present. As Marcus reveals his stories of Andrew we find that despite the 'ultimate, unforgivable sin of homosexuality' many members of their family had been regular visitors to Andrew and Marcus's home. Alex seems truly crushed to learn this because he was not a part of it, at the same time he seems somewhat comforted that some people had the good sense to love his son the way he deserved to be loved. Alex having lost the true love of his life, before his marriage, firmly believes "everyone deserves a chance to be in love". It is unfortunate that he did not practice that belief more strongly with Andrew, but despite what may read as 'downer' material here, Facing East ends with a sense of redemption and hope.

Though this show is still in previews, I am posting this now because this show is a limited engagement and I hope this gives people a chance to get in there and see it. You will cry, you will laugh, you will be moved and you will not be sorry you went. (But do remember to bring some tissues.)

Facing East
Atlantic Stage Two
330 West 16th St.
New York, NY 10011
Tickets: 212-279-4200
Opening Night - May 29
Limited engagement through June 17
Running time: 75 minutes (no intermission)

Sum of Us - May 25, 2007

2007-05-26T01:41:00.000-04:00

It is not often that you get to see a show that includes strap on dildos, a lesson in a relatively unknown history, rock, blues and Joan of Arc but in SUM OF US Michelle Matlock and INNER PRINCESS (whose members are Becca Blackwell, Lee Frisari, and Tanisha Thompson) present an admirable work in its early stages - and yes it includes all of the above and then some.

The premise of the show is a rock band's late-night rehearsal in a former speakeasy. The band's members are, described in broadest terms, gender-benders - the location, their material, and their life concerns and issues summon the spirit of Gladys Bentley a famous performer during the Harlem Renaissance.

The mixture of rock with early 20th century blues works, though there is not nearly enough of it. In fact the piece works best when there is strong interaction between Gladys and the women of the band. Unfortunately this too is at a minimum, but as this is a work in progress I imagine there will be addendums to the show in future. The current running time is slightly over an hour and there is no dearth of material to be explored here so expanding and adding would certainly be welcomed.

Michelle Matlock is an impressive performer who not only entertains but sincerely wishes to educate her audiences, this is something she does extremely well. While you are busy laughing or tapping your toes, you are learning. The history of homosexual performers is not something that is often addressed in entertainment, possibly because of the closet, possibly because of a simple lack of historical awareness. But Matlock has clearly done her homework - and she's going to share it with us. It seems this is a special love of hers, as she does something similar addressing a different historical stereotype in recounting the history of Mammy in her solo show The Mammy Project. Sort of a Cliff Notes history lesson with music. And I do mean that as a compliment: we learn best when we are moved and entertained.

The performers of Inner Princess each have a different style and appeal and they work well together. There is a genuine camaraderie and sense of humor here and their music is infectious. Bass player Becca has the most one-on-one interaction with Gladys and her performance as Billy Tipton, while brief, is particularly strong. It doesn't hurt that she bears a remarkable resemblance to the late Tipton.

Each band member has her own series of short anecdotes illustrating issues of gender confusion and discrimination and these too are shining moments. Drummer Lee Frisari's delivery as she tells how a recently incarcerated man tried to pick her up (regardless of her gender) at the health food store where she works is particularly funny "He asked me about calcium. I told him about calcium. 'Are you a man or a woman,' he asked me. I kept telling him about calcium."

Guitarist Tanisha's anecdote about trying to get a hot date home in a cab before the fire burned out is frustrating and sad. And the injustice of someone not getting laid because of a cab is infuriating. And Bentley's sorrow at having to drop the drag, and thus lose her true identity, due to McCarthyism is fairly heartbreaking.

There are some rough spots, but as the performers freely admit after the performance as they ask for objective audience feedback, this is still a work in progress. The beginning is a little weak and amorphous, and the end, while fun and uplifting comes a touch too soon. I wanted to know more about the current characters and their historical counterparts, hopefully in the next incarnation the Sum of Us will add it all together.

p.s. ladies, I have to vote to ditch the blue strap on... that bad boy's a little on the small side (just my opinion.)

Sum of Us
Dixon Place
258 Bowery, 2nd Floor
New York, NY
through May 26

Gaslight - May 19 , 2007

2007-05-21T11:15:00.000-04:00

Gaslight, or Angel Street, its alternate title, was written by Patrick Hamilton in 1938 yet its illustration of manipulation is as relevant today as it ever was, and seems all the more insightful for its age. It's a fine play, made into an even more compelling movie because suspense can be so much more impactful onscreen with the use of cut-aways and music. As a stage production, Gaslight still has impact and the production currently up at the Irish Rep has much to recommend it.

Odds are good that everyone is familiar with the story, but here's a quickie overview: bad man tries (successfully) to make rich young wife think she's losing her marbles while he attempts to find rare jewels in their home that were undiscovered during a murder/break-in that took place more than a decade before in the same house.

As the 'bad man' David Staller plays Jack Manningham with the absolute confidence of a seasoned sociopath. There are times when actors become self conscious playing 'evil' characters and want to round out with something that touches their humanity. But not Staller and I say BRAVO! We want to hate the villain and he opens the door and invites us in to hate him HARD! He taps into something best described as a Vincent Price vibe, all gentlemanly sophistication wrapped around Charles Manson.

His confused young bride of "five years and a little" Bella (Laura Odeh) is a study in contradictions. One moment she is happy as a lark, the next distraught that she may be losing her mind - the fact that she holds onto a thread of disbelief in her impending madness shows through every now and again and we want to shake her and say "yes! wake up, this guy is bullshitting you into the nuthouse!" She's trapped in a web of subtle brainwashing yet deep down there is a core of strength that has not been bullied by her husband and Odeh shows us that and we root for her. It would be easy to play this part as a sniveling bimbo, but Laura Odeh gives us layers, showing sparks of independence and self-confidence that blossom in the end and are ultimately very satisfying.

A happy accident of the Manningham's maid, Nancy (Laoisa Sexton) dating the servant of a retired police detective who had been in charge of the unsolved murder/break-in is Bella's salvation. The detective, Rough (Brian Murray) is the life preserver she needs to save herself from losing her mind. Murray's Rough is witty, calm and self-possessed; at first his relaxed delivery had me concerned that he was going up on lines. How stupid of me! Rough is a man who instinctively knows that he's on the right track, and he sees no reason to be brusque or panicked when he explains the situation to Bella. He is a port in the storm, and Brian Murray plays him in a delightful Sherlock Holmes meets Columbo fashion that is utterly charming and reassuring, and yes, funny. When he comforts Bella with "My dear, you've had a bad time." His understatement gets an enormous audience-wide laugh of agreement.

The smaller yet significant roles of housekeeper Elizabeth (Patricia O'Connell) and maid, Nancy (Laoisa Sexton) are no less well played. You want to hug Elizabeth - especially when she is confronted by Manningham's early return home while she is hiding Rough - and slap Nancy. That hussy! Well done ladies!

The set design by James Morgan is sumptuous, extremely detailed and uses the unique layout of the Irish Rep's stage to great advantage. My only complaint is slight, and it regards Charlotte Moore's direction of the blocking. For those of us in the side section a majority of the action is played with the actor's backs towards us and while luckily theater is more about voice than visuals, it would have been nice to see a little more than was presented here. Granted, it is a challenging space, but folks on the sides are entitled to as much of the production as those in the center.

Still that is my one complaint, and as such has little bearing on this reviewer's opinion that this production of Gaslight is well worth your time.

GASLIGHT
Irish Repertory Theatre
132 West 22nd Street
(between 6th & 7th Avenues)
Runs through July 8th
running time: 2 hours with one 15 min intermission

all photo credits: Carol Rosegg

Silverland - May 16, 2007

2007-05-16T23:28:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if I wanted to laugh or cry after seeing Silverland. Both responses seemed appropriate which seems altogether fitting. In his tremendous debut play Benjamin Davis displays a deft turn of phrase, rhythms reminiscent of of everything from The Greeks to Shakespeare to Sam Shepard's early work - and yes, it all works! As a first piece this is ambitious in its scope and in the hands of director Di Trevis and 6 talented actors it is a harrowing warning on global warming, and an exploration of the human desire for companionship.

The year is 2011, the starting place a rave outside London. Six characters meet and their stories unfold over the course of a year - the final year 2012. The year the world ends, the Mayans stopped their calendar there, global warming is hitting its peak, the world is in the throes of a fresh water drought and looking towards space for new resources and in the midst of all this: we dance!

There is a wonderful blend of poetic and vernacular language here. When Mikey (Bradley Taylor) the more street-savvy of the two young ravers, quotes "He who binds to himself a joy, Does the winged life destroy; But he who kisses the joy as it flies, Lives in eternity’s sun rise" his pal Dario (Cary Crankson) shouts out "Blake!" They high-five like two literature geeks. It is delightful and unexpected and we are forced to reevaluate our initial impressions of these characters who at first glance seem to be mere goofball kids out to get high and dance - a valuable lesson. Of course, later in the play when they finally realize that they are not quite in the same reality they were at the start they quote Arthur Brown's Fire - in true head-banger fashion.

There is repetition of key pieces of dialogue and moments from their lives that resonate as the characters move through time from one New Year's Eve to the next and exemplifies the cycles of the earth, cycles of our lives. The beginning is the end: the end, a beginning.

The character of Cleo, played with humor, power and charm by the graceful Ony Uhiara is the most enigmatic. I will not disclose 'who' she is, but suffice to say without her there would be no story. Jane Gibson's movement choreography for Cleo is at once sensual and religious.

The artist, Ellie (Sophie Hunter) is both prophet and the soul of social conscious. Her recurring dreams of drowning and her fascination with the melting glaciers and storm surges propel us towards the inevitable. Sophie Hunter repeats a haunting mantra which is reprinted in the show's program:

"You know, we sit here on the edge of it, on the precipice, just waiting to fall.
And when we do it will be a plunge into the deep dark,
and our green island will be engulfed by the silver sea."

Each time she repeats this I thought well, it's just going to be the same - but it was not. As the play moves forward her retelling of this mantra becomes more and more emotional, more urgent and kudos to Ms. Hunter for giving me goosebumps with these lines.

Tom McClane (Gabriel) and Tim Steed (Stockers) as the epitome of the money making ruiners of the world are, as Mikey and Dario, also not quite what they seem on first glance. Gabriel and Ellie fall for each other and we discover that Gabriel feels more social responsibility than the stereotypical banker/stockbroker. Stockers, who is at first glance "slimy geezer" is revealed to have a secret need that he cannot seem to fulfill; and I believe his journey was the one that moved me the most.

Silverland is at once a warning and a reassurance. Di Trevis's deft direction is a perfect match for this poetic, funny and multi-layered work. It's a strange combination that leaves you feeling both hope and resignation: is the end of the world the cycle of life is as it is meant to be, it is our misfortune to live in 'interesting times' or can we repair the damages we have done? We are left satisfied and questioning in the same breath - what more could you ask from the theater?

Silverland
59E59 Theaters (B)
59 East 59th St.
New York, NY
Tickets: 212-279-4200
running time: 1 hour 45 mins no intermission
Runs through June 3

Happy End - May 14, 2007

2007-05-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

Happy End set in 1919 Chicago is the story of a gangster (Bill Cracker, played by Joey Piscopo) and Salvation Army Lieutenant (Lillian Holiday, played by Lorinda Lisitza) who meet and fall in love at Christmas in the midst of Bill's gang's biggest heist.

I think Brecht and Weill are fun fun fun. I wish I could quote Michael Feingold's adaptation and say that Theater Ten Ten's production of Happy End was "fantastic beyond belief" but that would be wrong. It's a decent production, but smacks heavily of community theater despite it being the longest continuously operating Equity Theater Company in New York. The theater is located in a basement auditorium with acoustics that vibrate and echo in a most unpleasant manner particularly when the brass instruments are blowing and operatic soprano of Lorinda Lisitza is trilling like Jeanette MacDonald. Lyrics are often lost to the din. This is unfortunate as the lyrics are more than half the fun of a Brecht Weill collaboration.

This is not to say the production is without merit. I applaud director David Fuller's attempt to incorporate the cavernous space, but due to the fact that the audience is not raked it might have served the show better to go old-school traditional and keep the actors on the proscenium stage where we could all see them rather than have them staged on the floor for large portions of the show effectively dismissing those of us not in the front 2-3 rows. I am also stymied as to why there was a need for two intermissions for a show with no major set changes and a running time of just over two hours.

Some of the musical productions work, some do not. "The Bilbao-Song" was amusing and well done, "The Sailor's Tango" and "Surabaya-Jonny" were half trilling vibrato and for the most part unintelligible. I would have thought this was just my old ears giving way until I heard the people behind me sighing and shuffling: this happened every time Miss Lisitza hit the high notes. Honestly, we want to hear the words - do your vocalizing at before the show.

"The Song of the Big Shot" was fun and charming. Greg Horton (Dr. Nakamura "The General") hit just the right mark of being 'stage sinister'. Timothy McDonough ("Baby Face") and Dave Tillistrand (Sam "Mammy" Wurlitzer) were charming stand-outs in the "gang". I was lucky to hit a performance where Sandy York was playing Major Stone - she was in charge without being strident and her voice was perfect (yes, I could hear every lyric thank you). This brings me to the reason I stayed through the two intermissions: Joey Piscopo.

I saw Joey Piscopo's solo show Joe Piscopo's Son in this same space. (Which I must stress works so much better for straight plays than for musicals.) Seeing him play gangster Bill Cracker with cool disdain and boredom via Sinatra was a treat. One of the high points of the show is a short film depicting "The Heist" - it is black & white (sepia) and a perfect recreation of a 1919 silent film which is integrated into the live action to superb results. Mr. Piscopo directed the film. As Bill Cracker runs through the Salvation Army service he calls out "don't mind me I'm just passin' tru" and one hopes this is the case. He deserves a better venue.

HAPPY END, A Melodrama With Songs
Theater Ten Ten
1010 Park Ave
between 84th and 85th Streets
running time: 2 hrs 10 mins (including 2 intermissions)
Through May 27, 2007

Crazy Mary

2007-05-14T23:30:00.000-04:00

The title character in A.R. Gurney's new play is the (somewhat disputed) scion of a formerly prominent Buffalo family who has been interned in a tony sanatorium for the rich since the early 1970s. In that time, no member of the clan has been for a visit, and she rarely speaks; she prefers to pass the time alone in her room, listening to classical music and opera on the radio. Her solitude is ended one day when her last surviving relative--a distant cousin who is now her legal guardian--pays a visit with her college age son to investigate the mysterious circumstances that her new "ward" has been living with over the past thirty-odd years.

Sounds a bit hokey, right? I had worried that in the hands of Gurney, Crazy Mary would come off as far too schematic and situational, but my fears were dispelled after the first scene of Act One. Alternately hilarious and harrowing, this is Gurney's best new work in quite some time, and the smart production it is being given by Playwrights Horizons accents both the quirkiness and the heart of the piece exquisitely.

In recent years, Gurney has moved away from his former calling card, the drawing room farce, favoring pieces that are more pointed and political in nature. And--to this theatregoer at least--very few of his current works have been overly successful on a whole. Gurney is a good writer but he's not as well-versed in the language of political theatre as some of his contemporaries, often leaving his pieces dry and far too ambitious. Aside from a few stale jokes about the Republican Party, Gurney finally manages with this play to bridge the gap between his genres of choice, creating a wonderfully overwrought comedy that retains an edge from start to finish.

It is never a question of whether or not Mary (Kristine Nielsen) is truly crazy; it seemed fairly obvious to me, although others may disagree. When we first meet her, she is a shell of a woman, rocking back and forth and mostly oblivious to the world around her. However, a case of mistaken identity firmly returns Mary to the land of the living. A question still remains, though: Is the newly "reborn" Mary living in the same world as those around her?

Nielsen--who, for my money, is one of the best theatre actresses we have in New York--is deeply affecting as a woman who fell victim to the silence of an icy patrician world, never knowing how to fit in or what to do to please the people she loved. She is reminiscent of Miss Haversham, desperately clinging to the only time that she was happy because it is the only thing that can define her.

In a welcome return to the stage after a few dormant years, Signourney Weaver does an astute job playing Mary's cousin with ulterior motives. She works very hard to make sure that her character--a woman who longs to resurrect the glory of her past--never feels like a one-dimensional ice princess, and the progression she makes throughout the show never feels anything less than utterly genuine. Michael Esper is terrific as her son, a young man who isn't comfortable being the "last hope" of the once-great family. His scenes with Nielsen, who projects the buoyancy of a bobby soxer around him, are delightful and truly heartfelt. Mitchell Greenberg and Myra Lucretia Taylor both shine in supporting roles, and the production is directed with careful precision by frequent Gurney collaborator Jim Simpson.

When Mary finally achieves the validation of her family--something she has longed for since childhood--she finds her voice. With this exciting new work, it appears that A.R. Gurney is finding his voice once again.

Tickets: Ticket Central
Subject to availability, students with a valid ID can purchase tickets for $15 one hour prior to curtain at the box office. Limit 1 per person.
Playwrights Horizons
416 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Running time: 2 hours and 15 minutes with intermission
Through June 17

Cameron Kelsall is a guest reviewer for this blog. He also runs the blog Theatre Snobbery at its Finest, which can be read at tsnob.blogspot.com.

10 Million Miles

2007-05-12T23:00:00.000-04:00

For those of you who suffered through Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky earlier this season, you can now subject yourself to its sequel of sorts. 10 Million Miles, currently being presented by the Atlantic Theatre Company, is another intermissionless, ninety minute road trip to hell. The musical, which constructs a story of two drifters en route to New York (with many detours) around a handful of songs by country star Patty Griffin, often veers into deeper territories than its material can support, leaving the audience bewildered and confused.

The story is simple and rather thin: Duane (Matthew Morrison) and Molly (Irene Molloy), who once had a one night stand, agree to drive together from south Florida to New York. The former has an opportunity to run a gas station with a friend, while the latter--a recovering alcoholic--seeks a fresh start in a friendlier place. Along the way, secrets about their relationship are revealed, which makes it hard for the two to part company.

It would help the show greatly if these central characters were at all compelling, but in the hands of Morrison and Molloy, they never come alive. Both performers have pleasant (if small) voices, but they sing the material without even a soupcon of theatricality or emotion. They're rarely ever on the same page, which could explain why the distance between them feels as wide as the one in the show's title. Neither actor ever gives the audience a reason to care about them.

Another major problem is that Griffin's songs are not theatrical in any way. In the tradition of country music, each number is a stand-alone piece that tells its own intricate story. It's not uncommon for musical numbers in shows to comment on the plot rather than work to move it along--Bertolt Brecht's Epic Theatre movement revolutionized this concept--but Griffin's music does neither. Coupled with a weak book by playwright Keith Bunin (which surprised me, since his The Busy World is Hushed was one of the best plays I saw last season) and there is barely a leg for this show to stand on.

The heavy lifting falls to the show's supporting players, Skipp Sudduth and Mare Winningham. They play a myriad of roles, from Molly's "Jesus freak" aunt to Duane's mechanic buddy who was left mentally crippled by war. Both are excellent, but neither has enough stage time to make this long and often tedious journey worth the trip.

Tickets: Ticket Central
Atlantic Theatre Company at the Linda Gross Theater
336 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
Running time: 1 hour and 45 minutes without intermission
Through July 15

Cameron Kelsall is a guest reviewer for this blog. He also runs the blog Theatre Snobbery at its Finest , which can be read at tsnob.blogspot.com.

A Chorus Line - Everyone felt something and I felt nothing, well sorta.

2007-05-11T10:28:00.000-04:00

I had never seen the original production of A Chorus Line. During the time of its' 15 year run musical theater didn't really play a big role in my life, for whatever that means. So in order to expose myself to a piece of Broadway history I attended a performance of the current revival at the Schoenfeld Theatre and I have to say that my expectations were much grander than what was delivered.

The evening started out with my friend and I being talked down to by this horrible usher who told us he would give us programs only after we sat down. I had no idea what this idiot's deal was, but I was not going to let it negatively impact my evening, I had 2 hours of A Chorus Line to do that.

Overall, the show itself was entertaining and interesting enough but the cast and the performance struck me as amateur. I don't believe it is a $110.00/ticket, Broadway worthy show.

I'm thinking that the whole purpose behind reviving A Chorus Line is rooted in its nostalgia factor. I think this production is probably more for theatre patrons who have seen and enjoyed the original. I got the impression that most of the audience was rather familiar with the show and they seemed to really enjoy it.

There are some aspects of this show that to me, just seem dated. For one, I think the whole sleazy 42nd street theatre plot line would be lost on anyone who hasn't been on 42nd street before 1995. Let's face it, Disney is the only person turning tricks on 42nd street these days. Some of the music sounded dated as well. There were several points where closing your eyes and just listening may confuse you into thinking the show stopped and a car chase scene from a Charlie's Angel episode started. The world of musical theater where A Chorus Line is set, in 1975, is a world where AIDS does not exist. Although I dislike stereotypes there is a possiblilty that because a huge part of this show is about Broadway performers discussing how they have been affected by life, it may be slightly unrealistic to think that in 2007 none of them have been impacted by HIV.

I did not find any of the cast to have remarkable vocal ability and some of them were just not good. I thought Natalie Cortez, who played Diana, was probably the best and she sings the 2 best songs,"Nothing" and "What I Did for Love". Perhaps the producers were just trying to be authentic and went for a true chorus line; talented dancers and no singing ability. Again, not what you want to hear for a $110.00/ticket Broadway MUSICAL.

Normally the combination of dancers and mirrors is a win win situation, such as in the recent revival of 42ND Street and Renee Zellweger's "Roxie" in the "Chicago" film. But alas "The Music and the Mirror" was less than impressive. When the semi-circle of mirrors lowered onto the stage I had high hopes, but the song and dance ended without the proverbial bang. Perhaps the viewpoint from where I was sitting did not allow me to experience the full effect, either way it was a letdown.

There were things about the show I liked. Several of the characters and stories were genuinely entertaining, funny and poignant. As far as laughs and emotion go, I think the actors were effective in their ability to get the most out of the audience they could based on the material they had to work with. I liked the evolution of the dancers from uncoordinated individuals at the beginning into a cohesively synchronized unit at the end. It was very apparent that dancing was the strong point of the cast. I think there is probably a certain amount of skill needed for a really good dancer to appear out of step and time.

In todays age of the "massive" Broadway Musical it is possible to succeed without huge sets and costume changes. The revival of "Chicago" and the recent "Sweeney Todd" revival, 2 shows that are/were more of a concert performance, are proof that a show can be a success and be highly entertaining without being a huge production. Substance and artistry themselves can carry a show but I didn't find great amount of either of them in A Chorus Line. Without the big production, I guess I was left with less than I expected. A 15 year run on Broadway certainly implies that a show was something remarkable and fantastic. (In order to prove the fallacy in that statement I'll just say "Cats"). I think this production of A Chorus Line fell short of the mark. With some reworking however, A Chorus Line has the potential to appeal to a whole new legion of fans and be something fantastic once again.

Schoenfeld Theatre
236 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
Tickets: 212-239-6200
or 800-432-7250

Brand Upon the Brain Live! - May 10, 2007

2007-05-10T23:19:00.000-04:00

If you have ever attended a screening of a silent movie with live accompaniment, usually an single organist, and walked out feeling as though you'd seen something very special then you need to see Brand Upon the Brain LIVE before it closes on Monday in New York. (This event is also travelling check for cities near you.) This is not only a total EVENT the likes of which are very rare as far as film is concerned nowadays, but also a wonderful movie on its own.

Not only are we treated to a truly funny and beautifully filmed in black and white, but at these performances the accompaniment includes a 11 piece orchestra, a foley team and a different guest narrator at every performance but also a Castrato! When will you ever see this sort of set up again? It is a rare delight, not to be missed.

The premise of Guy Maddin's new film is the unusual events of his childhood on remote Black Notch Island where his parents run a 'mom and pop' orphanage. Sinister doings in the basement laboratory of Guy's scientist father provide the horror and suspense of the films of F.W. Murnau with an homage to The Leech Woman involving harvesting 'nectar' from the brains of the orphans in attempt to keep Guy's mother young.

Subplots abound as the oldest orphan Savage Tom runs black masses late at night; Guy's sister (aptly named "Sis" and played with a comic flair and restraint by the delightful Maya Lawson) engages in the first throes of young love; a celebrity harpist and "Kid Detective" Wendy Hale (Katherine E. Scharhon) appears on the island to investigate the odd markings on the orphans necks and subsequently falls head over heels for Sis prompting her to a Twelfth Night-like cross dressing hidden identity as her own twin brother Chance Hale; and this is just skimming the surface of this highly entertaining, thoroughly modern and yet vintage-feeling film (beautifully shot by Director of Photography Benjamin Kasulke). It's as if David Lynch made a comedy - and I mean that with the utmost respect and praise.

I believe this film would be equally entertaining without the 'event' aspects, and depending on the narrator possibly better, seen as film alone. The performance I attended featured a completely under-rehearsed Anne Jackson in a somewhat annoying and embarrassing performance as the narrator. That said, I do highly recommend you try to see it in it's "Live!" incarnation if you possibly can. It's not often you get to peek in on Foley artists at work, and they are fascinating.

Brand Upon the Brain
Village East Cinema
181 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
running time: 97 mins no intermission
Closes in New York May 14

The Receipt - May 9, 2007

2007-05-09T23:45:00.000-04:00

After my first evening of the Brits Off-Broadway Festival, Memory, I think I showed tremendous optimism attending another of the festival's offerings. Lesson learned: Optimism pays off!

The Receipt could well be described as a humorous look at modern man's existential angst. It could also be described as a damned good time. Let's leave the former description to the NY Times to explore and stick with the damned good time.

What appears to be a rather unimpressive set turns into an amazing reproduction of a city, filing cabinets become everything from household appliances (yes, the washing machine is trying to escape), to office buildings, to trains and anything else you might need to tell a story of a man who has had enough of being locked in a cage. "Too many humans riding low trains to go work in high buildings" and for what? For "work" no one can even describe. Welcome to the Habitrail.

photo credit: Greg Piggot

This brilliant two hander is performed with grace, humor and charm by Will Adamsdale and Chris Branch who offer us pathos and a look into what our lives have become and how we might appear to future generations all wrapped up in a show that made me laugh (perhaps too loudly at times) on many occasions and kept me smiling throughout.

At one point Will Adamsdale mimes a woman ("T") taking a shower with such perfection I felt like a Peeping Tom and his character Wiley's descent into an apparent nervous breakdown as he attempts to locate the owner of a mysteriously encoded receipt he found on the street (for 1 250ml gls chndy) is both disturbing and immensely funny.

Chris Branch's sound effects and dry characterizations ranging from Wiley's boss to the "Here Not Here" man who answers intercoms for empty buildings "so you can speak to a live person" were hilarious as each of them causes Wiley never ending frustration in his simple attempt to do his "work".

Of course there is a deeper message here, the disconnect between people, the lack of understanding of why we do the things we do, our absence of self-awareness, the habit of our daily lives; but it is slipped to us with such style and humor that you almost don't realize you're being given a very important lesson.

Go, get tickets. Now!

p.s. when they ask questions: answer - it will make them happy.

The Receipt
59E59 Theaters
59 East 59th St.
New York, NY 10022
Tickets: 212-279-4200
running time: 80 mins no intermission
Runs through May 27

Beauty on the Vine - May 6, 2007

2007-05-08T13:19:00.000-04:00

Zak Berkman's Beauty on the Vine is one of those rare plays with an intermission that does not make me want to skip out before the second act. Given the opportunity to escape at the half, I often debate whether to stay or go even if I didn't thoroughly hate the first act! Not so here. I still would have been happier without an intermission, but I never thought of leaving. In point of fact I actually wished there was a bit more to this play as I felt there were so many issues brought to the fore, all of them worthy of deeper exploration, that there certainly could have been more said. This piece would be worth turning into a cycle of plays to give each topic its fair measure.

This is not to say that Beauty on the Vine fails. Any play that makes you think, that touches you, and gives you cause to investigate the topics further is indeed a success.

The story centers on Lauren (Olivia Wilde) a beautiful, confident, and successful radio talk show host promoting the cause of the Republican Right... or is she? Unfortunately, Lauren is murdered by a stalker more because of her beauty than any of the other possible reasons proposed by the devastated family. Proposed reasons being her marriage to a racially ambiguous, liberal man with "genocide face", her Republican sentiments, or the 'love' obsession of a psychotic stalker.

After Lauren's death her newlywed husband Sweet (the delicious Howard W. Overshown) is approached by a woman who attended high school with her. She and another girl had plastic surgery to make themselves look like Lauren. Beautifully explained by the second of the two Lauren clones (all played equally well by Ms. Wilde in her Off-Broadway debut) "at 13 girls are given a cloak of invisibility. Some wear the cloak all their lives, some throw it off eventually, but Lauren never wore hers - [she knew who she was] and we turned to her like flowers turning to the sun"

Sweet's best friend Ellie (Helen Coxe) is at once humorous, endearing and level-headed, Daniel (Victor Slezak) is WASP father extraordinaire, and while slightly misguided, his love for his daughter Lauren is clear. The Mother (Barbara Garrick) of one of the Lauren clones leaves one wondering if they will ever eat a baby carrot again, and The Girl (Jessica Richardson) is the epitome of the insecure high school girl, and possibly a bit on the one tomato shy of a salad side.

I loved the set (Narelle Sissons) which afforded multi-uses of mirrors and see-thru prisons. The infinity views of Sweet and Daniel sitting side by side was powerful. Sound by Ryan Rumery, as ever, was on the mark. There is an issue of bad wig use for Lauren (Olivia Wilde) - it could use a serious combing out as it not only looks like a wig but a bad Halloween wig after a hard night.

For all the less explored topics, and bad wig, Beauty on the Vine is a beauty. I want more from Zak Berkman, and I think he does have more to say - I'm listening.

Beauty on the Vine
Clurman Theatre
410 W. 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Tickets: 212-279-4200
running time: 2 hours 15 mins
Closes June 3

Memory - May 5, 2007

2007-05-05T23:18:00.000-04:00

The first impression of Memory is one of bleakness. The set, the costumes and almost all the props and set decorations are shades of black, white and gray. Ah-ha. Memory diluted: never only black and white. Not terribly subtle, but not a hammer to the head either.

Small elements: the cap of a water bottle, a red pen, red white and green in a bouquet of flowers, a red apple, oranges in a bowl add the only hints of color in this grey world. There must be some symbolism at work here, but I was unable to follow it.

Playwright Jonathan Lichtenstein follows a time-worn tradition of setting his story within a play, in this case it is the story of Holocaust survivor, Eva, being rehearsed by 6 actors with their director. Eva's story, while compelling, dramatic, and ultimately tragic, is underserved by the conceit. There is no connection between the characters of the actors and the play they are performing, it is an unnecessary device that detracts from the meat of the Eva play. There is enough time hopping between the past and present, Bethlehem and Berlin to have made a significant play without the addition of the play within a play vehicle; which itself is perfunctory and underserved leaving both ends of the story diluted.

The actors do a suberb job - the fact that they are 'rehearsing' Eva's story is therefore once more diluted. Only in the final moments do the 'actors' have any line problems, this is due to last minute rewrites which inexplicably none of the actors feel are necessary. Why? We are never informed - again there is no connection.

There is a feeling that we are watching something that is "important" here... yet it always remains just a feeling. The pay-off being a subtext that never wraps satisfactorily and a tragic story that might have been explored more thoroughly without the play within a play.

There is a smoke effect during the performance that might need a bit of tweaking - audience members were choking and fanning themselves with their programs. Hopefully this was merely an opening night technical issue. As this production is a transfer and part of the Brits Off Broadway series there is a distinct feeling that the original staging was kept with no adjustment for the space at 59E59. Approximately 25% of the action is extreme downstage leaving anyone not in the first 3 rows with no visibility at all.

Had Memory been performed only as the Eva play I think this would be a wonderful piece. But in the words of the 'character' of Felix, "it's nothing personal" as such it is a memory that will soon fade.

Memory
59E59 Theaters
59 East 59th St.
New York, NY 10022
Tickets: 212-279-4200
running time: 90 mins no intermission

Talk Radio - May 2, 2007

2007-05-02T18:40:00.000-04:00

When Eric Bogosian's Talk Rad!o was produced back in 1987 I had no interest. Just didn't grab me. When it came to Broadway this year, it still didn't grab me. But I couldn't resist seeing Liev Schreiber live on a stage. And that much alone was worth it.

Talk Rad!o is not a horrible play, it's simply flawed. I think this production gave it a great shot, but ultimately it's not a terrific play. For the most part the show focuses on Barry Champlain (Liev Schreiber) doing his Night Talk radio show, speaking with people who call in to the show giving him fodder for extemporaneous rants. This is when the play swings along at its best. The voice actors who play the various callers are to be commended and Liev Schrieber is as sharp and spontaneous as if he were actually doing a live radio call in show. In fact, had this show been an audio book or a podcast I would have been just as happy. Schrieber has a voice that any actor would sell their mother to have; luckily that voice belongs to a wonderful actor who knows what to do with it and gives as subtle and natural a performance as I've seen on a Broadway stage. As Barry knocks back the Jack Daniels, his progression into intoxication is so slight as to go almost unrecognized - but it's there and quietly truthful.

However even this talented actor cannot make this a better play. While it is a wonderful vehicle for him, and indeed any actor playing the Barry Champlain part, the segments when he is offstage and his co-workers are telling the audience how they first met him are like watching commercials. They give a bit of backstory, but truthfully it could have been integrated more fluidly. As it stands it simply gives Schrieber a moment to get offstage and give that gorgeous voice a moment's rest. This is not to downplay the actors who must give these expository speeches; this is a writing issue. Theirs is a thankless job, which is too bad as they clearly do the very best they can with the material at hand. The voice actors fare far better as the call-in segments are gems.

The set by Mark Wendland is smart and true in its utilitarian representation of a radio station (hardly the glamour end of the entertainment industry). The sound design by Richard Woodbury was dead-on and the use of John Lennon's version of Stand By Me for the close was well chosen. Lights by Christopher Akerlind helped with the sense of isolation and chill, especially when characters were in the upstage glassed in offices. Costumes by Laura Bauer evoked the period.

As a character piece, Talk Radio works. As a complete production it needs to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

Talk Radio
Longacre Theatre
220 West 48th Street
New York, NY 10036
Tickets: 212-239-6200 or 800-432-7250

The Quantum Eye - April 27, 2007

2007-04-28T09:01:00.002-04:00

Leave your secrets at the door - the Quantum eye is watching.

Sam Eaton is a warm, friendly, boyishly sweet guy with an easy laugh... and he's also your typical, every day mindreader. Of course, we pooh-pooh at the idea of genuine ESP - we're all too jaded and sophisticated for that nonsense... aren't we? But deep down, admit it: you WANT to believe in magic. For approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, 2 shows every Friday night until December 28th at the Jewel Box Theater, Sam Eaton allows us to believe. And you know what? It's fun!

The atmosphere in the lobby before the show is a mingling of skepticism and a desire to be amazed - and a sense of community. We're all in this together. You are seated after everyone has arrived, and the seating is done with a purpose. So no switching seats! If you're afraid of 'the front row' and you are seated in the front row: get over your fears. Nothing bad will happen to you. Audience participation is a necessity in this performance and volunteers are welcomed... although sometimes not always chosen.

While waiting for our seat assignments I was butting into a conversation with a very nice older couple who were trying to remember the names of recent 'magician movies' (c'mon it was the theme of the evening). I had to open my big mouth and help them out with The Prestige and The Illusionist. During our chat a very friendly fellow with round, dark rimmed glasses came by and asked if we had filled out the brief questionnaire that is included in the program. There are four questions you are asked to answer which play out later during the performance. We assured him we had and then he looked at me and said: "come with me for a minute."

Since I'd scoped out the Quantum Eye website beforehand I knew this was Sam Eaton, our mentalist, so of course, I went along. I had visions of being let in on the big secret. Alas, this was not the case.

He told me he could not see my answers. He wasn't "getting anything from me''. Actually I've been to this sort of show before and I was in fact purposefully NOT thinking of the answers I'd written down... in an attempt to foil the mentalist. Maybe I was blocking him with my astounding ESP. Or something like that.

He asked me to give him the paper I'd written my answers on and start again. For the 'two digit number' question he asked me to visualize a person's age. He asked me to pick someone I had a good relationship with, use their age, and focus on that number. I randomly chose a friend I'd just gotten an email from before going to the show. And focused.

I was seated in the front row - and very happy to be there. The first 'trick' of the evening concerned the very number I had been asked to focus on. Another person in the audience had pulled my seat number from a bag containing all the ticket stubs and so it was my number that would be the focus for the illusion. It's a trick I've seen done before, where a series of numbers are laid out in a grid and no matter which way you you add them up, all columns add up to the same number. In this case MY number. Yes. I admit it: I was very pleasantly surprised.

I very much wanted to volunteer for every illusion after that, but for some reason I was not 'right'. I think it's a matter of some people being less guarded than others, easier to read. I'm friendly, but I'm very guarded and I think someone who is attuned to the subtleties of body language and involuntary reactions can spot that. So I'm not a great volunteer candidate for a mentalist show. This does not in any way ruin my sense of amazement or enjoyment. I want to suspend my disbelief. I want to be astounded. And I was.

Everyone espouses a desire to know "How it's done" - and I would suggest that you can find out how to do any of the illusions you see at any mentalist show by simply doing a bit of research on the Internet, in the library, at a magic shop. But the truth about magic is that no matter how much we say we want to know the secret: we really don't. Those who really want to know become magicians. The rest of us want to believe.

Go see this charming, intimate and astounding show. You will want to know how he does it: but I can tell you right now. If you promise to keep it a secret. Ready? It's magic.

The Quantum Eye
The Jewel Box Theatre
130 W. 29th St., 10th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Updated Location information as of February, 2009
Theatres at 45 Bleecker Street
45 Bleecker St.(Between Lafayette and Mott Sts.)
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 541-8457

Ticket Price: $47
Ticket Information: Telecharge: 1-800-432-7250 or 212-239-6200,
» Buy Tickets

Keely Smith - April 17, 2007

2007-04-18T14:09:00.000-04:00

Keely Smith has come a long way from her role of world-weary, yet ever-tolerant girl singer partner to her husband, Louis Prima. Although their names will inevitably always be linked, Keely Smith certainly deserves to be seen as a legendary performer in her own right. And she proves it every night (until April 28th) at the Café Carlyle.

She is a 79 year old spitfire, proclaiming of herself "the top half is Cherokee, but the bottom half is Italian" and yes, we all know what she means. She is a sharp and flirty performer who talks to her audience as if they've always been old friends. When she throws in jokes about Louis, or imitates him as she reproduces one of their hits we chuckle: we're in on the jokes.

She started her set with a feisty Let the Good Times Roll finishing with an admonition to the audience "did you expect a QUIET show?" This was my fourth Keely Smith show and I knew that what we should expect was a Keely Show: a perfect mix of rollicking fun and break your heart crooning. And that is exactly what she delivered. Her follow-up was How Deep is the Ocean after which she praised an audience member for ordering a healthy meal "you're a good boy... fish. I'd kill for a meatball sandwich right now." Then she brought the tempo back up with a version of Jump, Jive and Wail that let her brass section (Jerry Vavino on tenor sax and Michael Morielli on trumpet) let loose and made me regret that the Carlyle does not have a dance floor.

Keely brought the mood to romantic and sweet once more with You Go to My Head done in a slow, bluesy arrangement (Dennis Michaels on piano is her arranger, and her son-in-law). She showed how true it is that "age means nothing" by holding a long, unwavering final note.

Can't Take My Eyes Off You was happy and fun with Keely improvising some lyric changes. Then she veered into another Louis-Keely hit Angelina-Zooma Zooma that made the room hop. Laughing at the end she remarked: "It means I've got a fish in my hands... I don't know why people like that song." When the band took too long to move to the next song, she teased "you're not going too fast tonight are you?" She sang a cheery How Sweet it is to Be Loved By You.

The Way You Look Tonight prompted her to say "I love this song, I hope you like it because I really like singing it" the look she gave us defied us to disagree. Then she sang it, and believe me, that look was unnecessary.

She sang Just a Gigolo and again the room was rocking, then she asked for requests which brought us I'll Never Smile Again - where she could just break your heart - and slid into an A capella version of Whippoorwill... you could hear a pin drop as the audience sat in rapt attention. The Man I Love and Embraceable You were followed by a cha-cha arrangement of her poignant signature song: I Wish You Love and possibly her biggest hit with Louis That Ol' Black Magic and a reworked What Kind of Fool Am I (is He).

At one point she remarked, "it took me 40 years to get control of the stage, and I'm keeping it!" I hope she keeps it for 40 more. Keely still sings with her trademark stone-face, but in between songs she is a helluva character full of anecdotes and teasing banter with the audience and her band alike. Be warned, Keely likes the boys: "the younger the better [...] 52 is too old for me"; and if you think sex ends at ... well, ever, listen to Keely Smith - and let the good times roll.

Keely Smith
Café Carlyle
35 East 76th Street
New York, NY 10021
Tickets: 212-744-1600

Through April 28
Tuesday - Thursday 8:45pm
Friday & Saturday - 8:45pm & 10:45pm

Elvis Unbound - April 16, 2007

2007-04-16T19:11:00.000-04:00

As Elvis Unbound was a staged reading, it would be unfair and wrong to review it. Even here in such a non-visible space as this little blog. So although I saw it, I'm reserving any sort of critique of the piece.

EXCEPT....

I don't think it is wrong in any way to point out a couple of really strong performers and give them some credit for a job well done under less than polished circumstances. (No disrespect meant there, it was a staged reading and not meant to be a full-out production.)

That said, I can't resist giving some praise where I feel it is warranted.

Robert Cuccioli (Elvis). Holy Moly and a bag of chips. This guy is amazing. Really. And no, it's not just because he's gorgeous to look at (not that that HURTS in any way). He has a tremendous stage presence, and humor, he moves beautifully and if nothing else: jeez the guy can really SING! I mean SING! Not that bullshit American Idol, Broadway "let's do vocal exercises on stage to wow people with my range" stuff: No. HE can really sing! I saw him once before in Jacques Brel... at the Zipper and he was great, now I see how truly versatile he is and if you can see him perform: do so. You will agree with me.

Raymond Jordan (Preacher/Dr. Nick). I've never seen him before, but I hope I get to see him again. What a beautiful voice on this man. Just great.

Juliette Garrison (Leah/Gladys). She was simply charming. Just adorable. There is one thing that is absolutely essential in a performer and that is humor. I don't mean everyone has to be a comedian - but you must have some sense of humor, a sense of joy, an inner life, it touches the audience and we feel connected. And she has it. And she has a very lovely voice on top of it and is cute as can be.

Jess LeProtto (Young Elvis/Child Singer). Jess is a youngster, and with luck we'll get to see him grow up onstage. For someone so young, he has a wonderful confidence onstage and how a kid can have a voice like this is simply amazing to me. Normally I cringe at 'actor-kids' because they have that fake thing going on. But I didn't sense that from him at all. He was 'doing his job' and he was a pleasure - plus he does an awesome "Elvis". At the finale he and Robert Cuccioli sang together, they seemed to be having so much fun together it was great to watch.

Remember: this is not a real review. I just wanted to give a little praise.

Staged Reading (musical): Elvis Unbound
book and lyrics by Sandra Hochman
music and lyrics by Rob Stoner
Directed by G.Beaudin

Elvis Unbound
37 ARTS THEATRE, Theatre "C"
450 West 37th Street
New York NY

American Fiesta - April 14, 2007

2007-04-14T23:45:00.000-04:00

First impulse when attempting to write this review of American Fiesta is to simply post a complete transcript of the play. That wouldn't be a review, but in my opinion it would be a helluva lot more entertaining than anything I could say here. It is so rich and its complexities explored so subtly I could never do it justice in a brief blog review. There are so many good lines I filled my notebook... Alas, that's not how this stuff works (and I don't have a copy of the script!) so here's my review.

American Fiesta is a prime example of why I have a particular fondness for one-person shows; it's especially fun when the playwright is the performer, as is the case here. Steven Tomlinson is making his New York stage debut with American Fiesta and as an avid theater-goer in New York all I can say is WELCOME STEVEN!

On the surface this is a play about a man obsessed with vintage Fiesta Ware "the Manhattan Project of dishes". It's a thin veneer for the complex issues this wonderful story deals with. The deeper meaning, under the pretty "pearly glow" of the colorful Fiesta Ware is: how do we learn to love each other. Not just on a one-on-one basis, but as a country, as a world.

Steven's taking on some mighty deep topics here, but according to the bio in the program he is a teacher of Economics AND Theology, among other pursuits, so tackling a broad, seemingly unrelated, range of issues is apparently par for the course for him. And his blending of these topics here is seamless.

In broad strokes the story is about Steven and his partner Leon planning to get married in Vancouver, Canada and Steven's parents resistance to accepting it. (I have to stop here and say that I want to meet Leon right now - he sounds like a dream... and he can cook!)

As to the production, crisp and sumptuous are the words that come to mind. The set by Neil Patel fed my own lust for the gorgeous Fiesta Ware that I cannot afford. It was a delight to see it displayed on such a beautiful clean-lined, yet luxurious set. It has a Frank Lloyd Wright appeal without the inherent chill of a Wright design. The lighting by David Lander is a perfect complement and projection design by Jan Hartley is simply wonderful, funny and clever.

Direction by Mark Brokaw is as crisp and clean as the set - every movement, every placement of a dish is well-thought out (the cradling of the blue 'sacred soup' bowl was particularly nice). Steven describes the collecting of Fiesta Ware: "whatever you've got, thoughtfully arranged, makes a set"; Mark Brokaw should be very proud of the set he has thoughtfully arranged here on the stage at the Vineyard.

I must note that I saw this show on the first night of previews, which means it will only get better - if such a thing is possible - and 'official' reviews will not be out until it opens on April 26th... Still.

American Fiesta
Vineyard Theatre
108 East 15th Street
New York, NY 10003
Tickets: 212-353-0303
running time: approximately 1 hour 20 mins no intermission

Gutenberg! The Musical! - April 8, 2007

2007-04-09T00:04:00.000-04:00

My preference when seeing anything is to not read reviews beforehand. I do like to read them after I've seen a show to compare opinions. But sometimes I fall into a reading a review before... it happens. And I admit that I read a review of Guttenberg! The Musical! some months ago when it was at 59E59. It was not a glowing review. I put off seeing this show until it was recently recommended by a friend.

I decided to let go of the bad impression I had from the review and went in hoping for the best.

That has worked in the past.

Not so much this time.

I know it really should not be considered in terms of the show itself, but I really have a difficult time with late starts or other House Management issues. It really taints the experience for me, and while I know that is not the show: first impressions do indeed count.

I arrived at the theater one-half hour prior to performance time, which was 3:00PM. I picked up my ticket and wandered around the neighborhood for about 15 minutes, seeing no point in going into the theater earlier than that. Silly me. At 2:45 there was a line half-way down the block in front of the theater and they were not yet seating people. At 2:58 they finally opened the house. I got to my seat at 3:05. At 3:15 an announcement was made that they would start in 5 minutes.

So a 3:00 show was starting at 3:20. THIS is really inexcusable. It was going to take an awful lot to win me over to this show. But still, I tried to keep an open mind.

I shouldn't have bothered.

This was a waste of my afternoon from beginning to end. I hate to be cruel, but it's the truth. And I cannot blame it all on the poor house management.

This 1 hour 40 minute show would have been a wonderful 15 minute sketch - at most an amusing One Act short. It is a one note joke with none of the ingenious writing that it would need to make it work for almost two hours.

The performers did what they could with this piece, but the vehicle itself is the problem. The premise of a staged reading for backers and producers is a good one, again: for a 15 minute sketch not for a full length Off-Broadway show.

I understand that this is supposed to be a parody, a dig at Broadway musicals - and trust me, I'm all for THAT as I hate those big overblown productions that pander to the lowest common denominator. Agreed "musicals about vampires do not work". But please, if you intend to write a parody, a satire, a dig... make the music better than the crap you're making fun of. This was done beautifully, and hilariously, in The Musical of Musicals.

I admit there were several very funny lines in Gutenberg! and Ryan Karels (Doug Simon) who stepped out of his role of understudy (he understudies both roles - that's a lot of work Ryan! Good work!) has a charming voice and did a great job. But again, this show was at best a funny sketch that went on far, far too long.

The biggest irony for me, is that the best part of this show was a wonderful performer who I had first seen in possibly the worst Broadway musical I've ever seen.

David Turner (Bud Davenport) was the only shining light in In My Life and he is, once again, the saving grace here. Odd that he should be the glint of hope in both bad shows. I would love to see him in a play (or musical) that is worthy of his talent. This guy is wonderful, funny, silly, sly, extremely versatile and has a terrific voice - his Monk is particularly amusing. It is my misfortune not to have seen him in a worthwhile show. I hope one day soon that will change.

As Bud and Doug ask continuously during Gutenberg!, "are there any Broadway producers out there?" If so, grab Mr. Turner and put him in a GOOD show. Please!

Gutenberg! The Musical!
Actors' Playhouse Theatre
100 7th Avenue South
New York, NY 10014
Tickets: 212-239-6200 or 800-432-7250

Be - April 5, 2007

2007-04-06T02:11:00.000-04:00

According to their press materials Eylon Nuphar and Boaz Berman, of Mayumana have created a show which combines elements from various art disciplines based on music, movement, acting, dance and rhythm.

Perhaps they have. But I'm pretty sure that isn't the show I saw tonight.

What I saw, bluntly, was one hot mess.

I will admit that I am not a fan of 'international clowning' right here and now. But this took it a step further. This was international clowning ... with no interest in the audience.

It was masturbatory clowning. For a show that is, at least in theory, predicated on syncopation (I make this bold assumption from the fact that they spent the entire show pounding or banging on things or stamping in rhythm... usually in rhythm, any way) there was a severe lack of synergy. Or even cohesion.

I could gather a group of friends and bang on pots all night long and I wouldn't call it a show. I would call it messing the fuck around. Just because you do it in front of people does not give you the right to call something 'a show'.

I saw this type of thing done a thousand times better - it was called Drumstruck. There was a clear communication with the audience, a feeling that these people were performing for us, and for themselves, and loving every minute. In BE ... well, let me get some friends and some pots to bang.

The first thing about seeing any theatrical endeavor that puts me off is lateness. I understand that in live theater things can, and do, go awry. But when you begin your show 11 minutes late: baby you'd better make my wait worthwhile.

BE did not.

Their website shows video clips that are charming, lively and fun - it's the reason I went. But that little clip on their site takes place one hour 15 minutes in and it is the only time there is a feeling of a finished product. Then we're back to bad hand clapping and discordant 'dancing' and tumbling and god-help me Mime. Bad mime and clowning.

The costumes looked as though someone had seen the movie Godspell a few million times too many. The performers had no rapport with the audience, and not all that much with each other.

This show was so non-riveting that I didn't even think about Chinese food - all I could think about was how could I manage to escape.

BE with that.

Be, Mayumana
Union Square Theatre
100 East 17th Street
New York, NY 10003
Tickets: 212-505-0700 or 212-307-4100

Rearviewmirror - April 3, 2007

2007-04-04T02:15:00.000-04:00

I went to Rearviewmirror hoping for the best. I always attend the theater hoping for the best. Unfortunately I am all too often disappointed. I am very happy to say that Rearviewmirror was one of those times when a show exceeded my hopes.

At the pre-set I was slightly concerned as the stage was set with nothing more than 3 stools and... hey... wait... a cute, shoeless guy. Okay, I'm 25% there if there's a cute guy. Good sign.

The pre-show music was encouraging, there was a great mix with a healthy dose of Elvis Costello. Rarely is that a bad thing. And in checking the program I saw that the sound design was by Ryan Rumery who had done other shows I loved, Based on a Totally True Story, at MTC and The Roundtable Ensemble's The Seagull, at the Blue Heron.

The show began and ended and was performed entirely by three people sitting on those stools. And I was riveted the entire time. Not once did I think: I could pick up some Chinese on the way home... Usually I know a show is tanking when I'm running through Empire Wok's take-out menu in my head instead of paying attention to the action onstage. With Rearviewmirror there was nary a thought of steamed broccoli or egg fu young.

Playwright Eric Winick has done a masterful job of pulling together themes so seemingly unrelated you'd think he got them from a round of Trivial Pursuit. Pop music, film school geeks, Orthodox Judaism, and The Bacchae??? Yet he made them seem as though they were always meant to be together. That this is a story as old as time.

The three characters are (in order of speaking): Penn (Mark Alhadeff) the aforementioned cute and barefooted one, Agatha (Audrey Lynn Weston) and Inez (Sarah Nina Hayon). Although all three are key, this is a nice lean production with no excess, Penn is the primary narrator and he is as charming as you could want and sets the tone right from the start. "What is it about Orthodox girls?" he asks plaintively. Seems Penn has himself a little fetish.

We meet Agatha as an innocent - yes she is buying condoms for her Junior year abroad in Israel, but she is, in fact, an innocent. She is a tabula rasa waiting for something to believe in, a passionate woman who needs a focus. She finds it in Israel as she discovers her Judaism. "This is a big deal for a [Jewish] girl from Massachusetts who grew up singing O Tannenbaum every Christmas Eve."

After Agatha is brought back to the U.S. by her family, with the help of a deprogrammer, she and Penn meet at a party. He falls for her in her Orthodox garb, she falls for him and his passion for movies.

Last we meet Inez, a young Orthodox woman whose mother was, "... from Spain and she didn't think how odd Inez would sound here." Her story is the most poignant and disturbing. She is devoted to her life, her religious upbringing, her family, and she loves her klezmer music. Inez knows who she is and what she wants. Until she has the rug pulled out from under her. I will not give away more except to say that she has a journey to make, and where it ultimately brings her surprised me.

The three characters interact with each other from time to time, but primarily they speak directly to the audience. Each telling their own stories, which then become connected into one story: with a disturbing climax that is at once shocking and inevitable.

These three actors were wonderful. Each character fully drawn and alive. The direction by Carl Forman was subtle, those missing shoes... nice touch. The writing was lively, clever and as Mr. Winick is working on the screenplay for Rearviewmirror it seems we'll get to see more of his work. I for one, am delighted.

Rearviewmirror
59E59 Theaters
59 East 59th St.
New York, NY 10022
Tickets: 212-279-4200