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"Botallack O'Clock at 59E59 Theater C
“Botallack O’Clock” at 59E59 Theater C
Written and Directed by Eddie Elks
With Dan Frost and Rhys King
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Surrealism collides with abstract expressionism in Eddie Elks “Botallack O’Clock” currently running at 59E59 Theater C as part of the “Brits Off-Broadway” Festival. Mr. Elks’ dramatic canvas reinvents and reimagines the brush strokes of Roger Hilton’s richly complex life and the result is performance art at its best.
Eddie Elks’ palette includes paint pots full of real interviews with Hilton (Dan Frost), imaginary radio interviews on Desert Island Discs “at the worst time of night,” stream of consciousness, a man in a bear’s costume portraying a female bear (replete with red nails), a wife upstairs who does not respond to Hilton’s call bell, memories, fantasies, nightmares, dreams, crystal clear thoughts, delusional thoughts, and pertinent pedagogy.
All of this splashes on the canvas of the stage with remarkable sensitivity and empathy for Hilton’s craft and for his herculean struggles with the madness of sanity. Actors Mr. Frost and his radio-bear-friend Rhys King create a sensitive tribute to an important figure in the world of art. In so doing, they permit the audience to explore its own struggles with the same madness of sanity. Like Hilton, the audience member “has failing electrical appliances, paper thin walls, and cats drinking his water.” And, like Hilton, the audience member knows “he will carry on anyway, because he must.”
The play ends as it begins with lines from W. S. Graham’s “The Lines on Roger Hilton’s Watch” written following Hilton’s death. These lines have an eerie allusive quality re-membering Salvador Dali’s “Persistence of Memory.” I have not seen any reference to this allusion in other reviews; however, it seems to be fitting: two watches connecting abstract expressionism, surrealism, and the belief of both artists that there is no “fixed cosmic order.” These words from Roger Hilton: “It is your internal life which counts. The outside things, the ephemera, are something to be fended off – like dogs, chickens, or fowls.”
“Botallack O’Clock” is a remarkable and exhilarating foray into the “internal life” of artist Roger Hilton. Its success rests in its honesty, its bravery, and its relevance. Everyone in the audience can see a bit of themselves in Hilton’s attempts to sort out meaning in existence. The points at which laughter rings out are perhaps the most telling and the most serious.
BOTALLACK O’CLOCK
“Botallack O’Clock” runs for a limited engagement through Sunday, June 9. The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday at 8:30 PM; Saturday at 2:30 PM & 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
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 | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Thursday, May 30, 2013 |
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"Bunty Berman Presents" Presented by The New Group at the Acorn Theatre
Nick Choksi (L) and Lipica Shah (R) Portray Saleem and Shambervi
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“Bunty Berman Presents” Presented by The New Group at the Acorn Theatre on Theatre Row
Book and Lyrics by Ayub Khan Din
Music by Ayub Khan Din and Paul Bogaev
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
There are only five more opportunities to see “Bunty Berman Presents” presented by The New Group at the Acorn Theatre on Theatre Row through Saturday June 1, 2013. Ayub Khan Din’s new musical counterpoints traditional Bollywood music and dance with its more traditional Euro-American cinematic counterparts as it carefully unfolds the story of film producer Bunty Berman (Ayub Khan Din)who is facing a crisis of truly epic proportions. Berman’s audience share is dwindling and he does not have enough capital to finish the movies planned for release. Part of Berman’s problem is his longtime friend and leading man Raj Dhawan (Sorab Wadia) who is far past his prime and refuses to step down.
Interesting conflicts drive interesting plots in this charming musical and all these plots collide in a pleasing climax. Bunty Berman slowly realizes he does not need a mobster investor to make things work: Berman just needs to look around and see he has all the resources he needs in his adoring assistant Dolly (Gayton Scott), the talented tea boy Saleem (Nick Choksi), and Saleem’s love interest Shambervi (Lipica Shah). Once Berman accepts this good fortune, everything is in place to finally “Make a Movie.”
“Bunty Berman Presents” is much more than a Bollywood spoof: this musical is an extended metaphor for discovering the power of unconditional and nonjudgmental love. The audience can best appreciate what Ayub Khan Din was attempting to accomplish by just sitting back and enjoying the sights, sounds, movie history allusions, and the wonder of the theatre.
BUNTY BERMAN PRESENTS
Presented by The New Group, the cast of “Bunty Berman Presents” includes Raja Burrows, Nick Choksi, Katie Chung, Ayub Khan Din, Sevan Greene, Andrew Ramcharan Guilarte, Shoba Narayanan, Lyn Philistine, Gayton Scott, Lipica Shah, Debargo Sanyal, Pallavi Sastry, Alok Tewari, and Sorab Wadia. The creative team includes Derek McLane (set design), William Ivey Long (costume design), and David Lander (lighting design).
“Bunty Berman Presents” runs on the following schedule through Saturday June 1, 2013: Monday through Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.; Thursday and Friday at 8:00 p.m.; and Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. All performances are at the Acorn Theatre on Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street in Manhattan. Individual tickets at $61.25 are available by visiting http://www.telecharge.com/Off-Broadway/Bunty-Berman-Presents/Overview or by calling Telecharge at 212-239-6200 or by visiting the theatre box office at the above address. For further information please visit www.thenewgroup.org
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Wednesday, May 29, 2013 |
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"Broadway on 22nd" at the Metropolitan Room
“Broadway on 22nd” at the Metropolitan Room
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Monday May 13th marked the first anniversary of “Broadway on 22nd,” the now annual star-studded Cabaret Series produced by Joseph Macchia at the iconic Metropolitan Room. This Series gives Broadway performers the opportunity to share their craft in a cabaret setting and gives the audience the opportunity to see some of their favorite stars in a more intimate and interactive setting. The audience heard performers from “Brooklyn,” “The Lion King,” “In the Heights,” “The Producers,” Dreamgirls,” Finian’s Rainbow,” “Imaginary Friends,” “Sweet Smell of Success,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Ragtime,” “Chicago,” and others. The assembled talent almost begged belief.
This year’s event included stellar performances by Romelda Teron Benjamin (“Time Heals Everything”) including a duet with Jared Joseph (“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”); Gabriel Croom (“Sway”); Quinn M. Bass (“Feelin’ Good” and a track accompanied “You’ll Never Walk Alone”); Blanca Camacho (“Broadway Baby” and “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off”); Liz McKendry (“Take Your Time Like Betty Crocker” and “Here Alone”); Bernard Dotson (“Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying); Tony Chiroldes (“Piragua” and “Only Heaven Knows”); Will Perez (“Audition Medley”); Kwame Remy (“Mr. Bojangles” and “I Was Born the Day before Yesterday”); and Eric Michael Gillett (“I Was Here” ).
Although it is difficult (and perhaps unnecessary) to single out any performer among these captivating and engaging performances, this critic was especially appreciative of Romelda Teron Benjamin’s and Jared Joseph’s phrasing and rich tones; Gabriel Croom’s swaggy “Sway;” Blanca Camacho’s self-effacing and hilarious renditions of “Broadway Baby” and “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off;” Liz McKendry’s soulful and haunting rendition of “Here Alone;” Kwame Remy’s interpretation of Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles;” and Bernard Dotson’s spot on and inventive styling in his brilliant interpretation of “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying.”
All of these performances speak of life’s vicissitudes and energize the audience to “jump high” and “click the heels” of its collective soul.
BROADWAY ON 22ND
The Metropolitan Room is located at 34 West 22nd Street in Manhattan. There is a per person Music Charge and a Two Drink Minimum for each performance. For further information visit http://metropolitanroom.com/
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Tuesday, May 28, 2013 |
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"The Drawer Boy" at The SoHo Playhouse
“The Drawer Boy” at The SoHo Playhouse
Written by Michael Healey
Directed by Alexander Dinelaris
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
On Tuesday May 14, the SoHo Playhouse hosted a talkback following the performance of the critically acclaimed “The Drawer Boy” by Michael Healey. The topic of the talkback was “The Making and Fate of Off-Broadway.” Ironically, just two days following the talkback on May 16, The SoHo Playhouse and Artistic Director Darren Lee Cole announced the premature closing of “Drawer Boy” for Sunday May 19. I saw this extraordinary play on Saturday May 18, the day before it closed. Surprisingly, the super-charged performances belied no lack of energy or spirit on the part of the three outstanding actors, all who gave bravura performances. Haunted by the power of the play, I continue to be equally haunted by the power economic factors can have on the success of Off-Broadway theatre.
Playwright Michael Healey creates dynamic images in “The Drawer Boy” and it is tempting to connect those images to other texts about significant relationship between unlikely friends (and family): protagonists/antagonists Joe and “Ratso,” George and Lenny, Raymond and Charlie Babbitt easily come to mind when watching Morgan (Brad Fryman) and Angus (William Laney) toddle about their kitchen and farm. Like all of these fictional pairs, they are both completely alone without each other, and a genuine bond has developed between these two men.
However, “The Drawer Boy” is about so much more than relationships: this play is about the power of the spoken work and the power of the theatre. Morgan and Angus have been working their farm in rural Ontario together for years. Lifetime friends, they served in the war together where Angus was wounded by shrapnel, leaving him with memory and functional challenges which keep him somewhat childlike and vulnerable. Over the years, Morgan has constructed a story to protect his friend from the truth of what really happened after Angus was struck by the shrapnel. Angus struggles to remember the story and longs to hear his friend re-tell it over and over.
This entire obfuscation works until Miles (Alex Fast) comes from Toronto to visit the men hoping to find the realism he needs to construct a script about life on a farm. Miles is the catalyst for change in this well-balanced relationship which thrives on a seemingly benign dose of deception. After overhearing Morgan tell Angus “the story,” Miles later recreates the scene for Angus playing the “role” of Morgan. Morgan overhears this reenactment and threatens to evict Miles from their home unless he agrees not to interfere. Morgan has worked too long and too hard to have his family system disrupted by the truth.
Undaunted, Miles continues to engage Angus by his reenactment of scenes from “Hamlet” and, with every “performance,” Angus begins to reconnect with his past and discover what really happened after his injury. It is the power of theatre that revives Angus and gives him the chance for a life without fear and dependence/co-dependence. Life imitates art and art imitates life here and the words that tumble from Miles’ mouth gently fall on Angus’ memory with the rich rain of the renewal of spirit. Angus was the boy who drew and becomes the man who draws strength from the truth about his past.
Under Alexander Dinelaris’ well-paced direction, Alex Fast, Brad Fryman, and William Laney deliver spellbinding performances that generously allow Mr. Healey’s script to unfold naturally and powerfully to its conclusion. Storytelling can be healing and storytelling can imprison the soul – it all depends on the motivation of the storyteller. Healing theatre, like “The Drawer Boy,” ought to have had a long life at the SoHo Playhouse. Its truth has the power to set audiences members free.
DRAWER BOY
The SoHo Playhouse and Darren Lee Cole, Artistic Director of the SoHo Playhouse, have announced that “The Drawer Boy” closed on Sunday, May 19. “The Drawer Boy,” written by Michael Healey, directed by Alexander Dinelaris and starring Alex Fast, Brad Fryman, and William Laney, began performances at the SoHo Playhouse on April 19.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Tuesday, May 28, 2013 |
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"Basilica" Presented by Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre at the Cherry Lane Theatre
“Basilica” Presented by Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre at the Cherry Lane Theatre
By Mando Alvarado
Directed by Jerry Ruiz
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
On the surface, “Basilica” is about choices gone awry: Father Gil (Alfredo Narcisco) chooses to return to his hometown to pastor the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady Of San Juan del Vale in San Juan, Texas; despite the admonition from Lela Garza, his high school sweetheart, the good Father chooses to make a connection with Ray Garza (Jake Cannavale) the son he fathered with Lela as a teenage boy and abandoned shortly thereafter; Ray’s assumed father Joe Garza (Felix Solis) has chosen to marry Lela, accept Ray as his own son, and forego football for family; Ray chooses to leave San Juan to distance himself from the mother lode of dysfunction that threatens to dehumanize him; and his mother Lela chooses to give her life in a redemptive act of suicide.
Beneath that surface, on the rough and rich underbelly of Mando Alvarado’s play is the richer theme of motivation. In ancient Rome, the basilica was a large oblong building used as a hall of justice and as a public meeting space. And it is in San Juan’s Basilica that years of sadness, dysfunction, and keeping secrets are brought out into the open and adjudicated.
Weary of the dishonesty in his own life, Father Gil returns to San Juan, Texas as the pastor of the town’s basilica. Telling his parish he is returning because he feels he can be of help, Gil’s true motivation is to bare his soul to Lela, ask for her forgiveness, and reunite with the son who does not know Gil is his birth father. This event wreaks havoc on Lela and Joe and their family system which has become overlaid with years of deception, sadness, and regret. Dysfunction can hold a family system hostage for as long as no one in the system opts out and refuses to cease the cycle of collusion. Father Gil’s return to San Juan sets in motion a matrix of massive mine detonations triggered by a mélange of motivations.
These motivations are at the core of “Basilica’s” complex structure and the resulting conflicts drive one of the most interesting plots on stage currently. The audience strains to understand, for example, why Joe’s sister Lou (Rosal Colon) continues to operate the family bar despite its deleterious effect on her brother and his family. And why does Joe’s boyhood friend Cesar Cantu (Bernardo Cubria) continue to carouse with Joe at the expense of his own family life? And what motivates Jessica (Yadira Guevara-Prip), Lela and Joe’s daughter, to search for her imaginary friend and kill the neighbor’s cat (among other forays into metaphysical fantasy)?
Nothing will end the cycle of defeat except a sacrifice, some redemptive act, something of salvific proportion. That act is Lela’s decision (motivated by unconditional and nonjudgmental love) to remove herself from the dysfunctional family system. Her death, whether suicide or an accidental confrontation with a moving car in front of the basilica, sets in motion a series of parallel redemptive acts which begins to restore health and life to the Garza and Cantu families and to Father Gil and to the town of San Juan itself.
Under Jerry Ruiz’s inventive and careful direction, the ensemble cast of “Basilica” offers the audience the opportunity to explore the psychological depths of an American family which at its core is not unlike any other American family attempting to make sense of what they have been given and what they ultimately chose to do with that dynamic. “Basilica” will amaze you, enrage you, capture you, and leave you unchanged. It is a must see.
BASILICA
“Basilica” by Mando Alvarado is presented by Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre and is directed by Jerry Ruiz. The cast includes Jake Cannavale, Rosal Colon, Bernardo Cubria, Selenis Leyva, Yadira Guevara-Prip, Alfredo Narciso, and Felix Solis.
The scenic design for “Basilica” is by Raul Abrego; costume design is by Carisa Kelly; lighting design is by Burke Brown; sound design is by Jane Shaw; property design is by Andrew Diaz;fight direction is by David Anzuelo. The production manager is Eugenia Furneaux; the production stage manager is Michael Denis; the assistant stage manager is Andrew Slater.
“Basilica” plays through Sunday June 16 on the following schedule: Tuesday through Friday at 8pm; Saturday 2pm and 8pm; Sunday at 3pm at Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce Street. Tickets are $75.00 for general admission, $25.00 for patrons under 30 and $20.00 for students (with valid ID), and are available through www.rattlestick.org or by calling Ovationtix at 866.811.4111.
Note on the Basilica: The Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle can be found at 400 N Virgen de San Juan Blvd. (Leopard St.), San Juan, Texas. It was designated a Marian Shrine in 1998 and Pope John Paul II dedicated it as a minor Basilica. Currently, it is one of the most visited shrines in the United States.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Friday, May 24, 2013 |
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"Bull" at 59E59 Theater B
“Bull” at 59E59 Theater B
Written by Mike Bartlett
Directed by Clare Lizzimore
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Lifeboat Ethics collides with and colludes with evolutionary theory’s “survival of the fittest” and places the audience adrift in a moral sea in Mike Bartlett’s “Bull” currently playing at 59E59 Theater B.
On the surface, “Bull” seems to be about office downsizing drama. Tony’s (Adam James) team of two – Isabel (Eleanor Matsuura) and Thomas (Sam Troughton) – are a triad soon to become a dyad. Two of them will be spared their positions in their company, one cast out into the utter darkness of a job search replete with the weeping and gnashing of teeth which accompanies the realization there are no jobs to be found in an economic culture in which downsizing far outpaces hiring.
Isabel and Tony have determined that Thomas is the one to go and have concocted a diabolical scheme to push Carter so far to the edge of ego strength that when Carter (Neil Stuke) the company boss enters to announce his downsize decision, Thomas presents himself as a helpless, whining victim of bullying. When Thomas attempts to defend himself by making “an official complaint of harassment and bullying,” Carter suggests that Thomas should simply “stand up for himself.” Thomas continues to protest that Isabel and Tony are attacking him; however, ultimately he is let go.
Beneath the surface, Mike Bartlett’s intriguing play is all about rhetoric and the power of persuasion. Rhetorical techniques (tropes) can be used for good or for ill and the audience here has the rare opportunity to see persuasiveness at it best or worst depending on the audience member’s point of view.
The pre-performance adrenaline-pumping music and Soutra Gilmour’s innovative design establish the parameters of the struggle: this is a boxing match – or rather a gladiator match – of epic proportions and nothing less than the death of a scapegoat will satisfy the onlookers. Tony leaves Isabel behind to “mop up” after Thomas is fired and the exchange between the two is as exhilarating as it is vile. Isabel lashes out at Thomas proclaiming, “If we see someone who’s going to bring down the whole tribe or culture because they’re stupid or slow or weak or thin or short or ugly or has dandruff or something you have the desire somewhere deep within you to take them down first to get rid of them and strengthen the tribe.” Eleanor Matsuura (Isabel) and Sam Troughton (Thomas) make this match so intense the audience reacts with visible discomfort.
As the game rules become crystal clear, when, at Tony’s bidding, Isobel stays behind in the ring to “mop up,” those standing at the rail are visibly shaken. Some, who were totally engaged during the first forty minutes, backed away from the set as far as they could: others stared in disbelief as Isabel excoriated Thomas leaving him face down, perhaps dead, in a set flooded with water.
Perhaps it is true that human beings really cannot stand one another and will do whatever needs to be done to climb ladders of success over the backs of others caring little for them or their demise. “Bull” raises the possibility that this might be true and that is no bull.
BULL
The cast of “Bull” features Adam James; Eleanor Matsuura; Neil Stuke), and Sam Troughton.
“Bull” runs for a limited engagement through Sunday, June 2. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). The single ticket price is $45.00 seated, $35.00 standing ($30.00 - $24.50 for 59E59 Members). Tickets are available by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.59e59.org. For more information, visit www.britsoffbroadway.com.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Thursday, May 23, 2013 |
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"I'm A Stranger Here Myself" at The York Theatre
“I’m A Stranger Here Myself” at The York Theatre
Written and Created by Mark Nadler
Directed by David Schweizer
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
I do not care if that day arrives/That dream need never be,
If the ship I sing doesn't also bring/My own true love to me,
If the ship I sing doesn't also bring my own true love to me.
“My Ship” (from “Lady in the Dark”) by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin
Music has given humankind strength, hope, and courage to do remarkable deeds. Strangers in strange lands, people in exile, people oppressed, people torn by war, people hated simply because of their identity all sang songs which helped bind them together and often led them to freedom.
Among the most important music of this genre was and remains the music of the Weimar Republic, democratic Germany before the reign of Adolf Hitler. Mark Nadler, in his impressive “I’m A Stranger Here Myself,” has researched the music of this era and created a remarkable work of theatre which focuses on the music created by composers who found themselves strangers in their own land and targeted for extinction by a ruthless and maniacal leader. This music – this veritable ship – transported a relatively small number of Jews and homosexuals to safety in America and other locations.
“I’m A Stranger Here Myself” chronicles this important music. Mark Nadler’s vocals and piano capture the spirit of the plaintive music and lyrics of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht (“Bilbao Song”); Kurt Weill, Jazques Deval and Roger Fernay (“J’attends un navire”); Arno Billing, Kurt Schwabach and Jeremy Lawrence (“The Lavender Song”); and Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash (“I’m A Stranger Here Myself”); and others. Accompanied by violin and accordion (Jessica Tyler Wright and Franca Vercelloni), Mr. Nadler manages to counterpoint the exile of past victims of being strangers in a strange land with his own journey and the journeys of each audience member from exile to freedom. The true love of self acceptance, self-empowerment, and freedom will arrive on the many songs we sing.
One wonders how effective music can continue to be in transforming society in the way the music of the Weimar has been able to do. Far too much of humankind remains without the basic needs for survival, without freedom, without true equality, without being able to be themselves (“Be Myself,” written by Arthur Schwartz and Harold Dietz). Many in these United States are strangers here themselves: gay men and lesbians still are without equal justice under Federal Law. “Oh just suppose” the Marriage Equality Act became a reality (“Oh Just Suppose” by Frederick Hollander).
I’M A STRANGER HERE MYSELF
With Mark Nadler, Franca Vercelloni, and Jessica Tyler Wright. The creative team includes James Morgan (Set Design), Mary Jo Dondlinger (Lighting Design), Kimothy Cruse (Production Stage Manager) and Meg Friedman (Assistant Stage Manager).
“I’m A Stranger Here Myself” runs for a limited engagement on the following schedule through May 19: Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday through Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are priced at $67.50 and are available online at www.yorktheatre.org, by calling (212) 935-5820, or in person at the box office at the York Theatre at Saint Peter’s (Citicorp Building, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue), Monday through Friday (12:00 -6:00 p.m.).
For additional information, please visit the website at www.yorktheatre.org
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Friday, May 17, 2013 |
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"The Girl I Left Behind Me" at 59E59 Theater C
“The Girl I Left Behind Me” at 59E59 Theater C
By Neil Bartlett and Jessica Walker
Directed by Neil Bartlett
Performed by Jessica Walker with Musical Direction by Joe Atkins
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
“After the ball is over/After the break of morn
After the dancers’ leaving/After the stars are gone
Many a heart is aching/If you could read them all
Many the hopes that have vanished/After the ball.”
“After the Ball,” Charles K. Harris (1892)
A group of brave and talented women left hearts aching after their performances: aching men’s hearts; aching women’s hearts; aching celebrity hearts including those of Bea Lillie, Tallulah Bankhead, and Joan Crawford. What sort of women had this kind of broad audience appeal? What sort of songstress had the ability to leave so many aching hearts behind when on and off the stage?
And why did Annie Hindle, Ella Wesner, Ella Shields, Hetty King, Gladys Bentley, and Vesta Tilley leave the girl behind them, “dress as Gents,” and perform as male impersonators in England and America in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries? Jessica Walker attempts to answer these questions in “The Girl I Left Behind Me” currently playing at 59E59 Theater C as part of “Brits Off Broadway.”
Ms. Walker, also donning trousers and a variety of typically male accessories, does more than successfully answer the above questions in her brilliant sixty-five minute performance; she challenges the audience to reconsider all prior misconceptions, preconceptions, and prejudgments about gender and human relationships.
Performing seventeen songs and providing significant historical information about the women who performed as men, Ms. Walker questions whether Annie and her counterparts “playing” was suggestion, provocation, substitution, or even identification. This sophisticated performance includes songs the public does not identify with the male impersonators who made them famous: “Down by the Old Mill Stream;” “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home;” and “After the Ball.”
“After the Ball” is the popular song written in 1891 by Charles K. Harris. In the song, a classic waltz in three-quarter time, an older man tells his niece why he has never married. At a ball, he saw his sweetheart kissing another man and he refused to listen to her explanation. Many years later, after the woman had died, he discovered that the man was in fact her brother and not another suitor. How powerful this song becomes when sung originally by Vesta Tilley and now by Ms. Walker. The layers of gender-bending beauty seem endless.
"After the Ball" became the most successful song of its era, which at that time was gauged by the sales of sheet music. In 1892 it sold over two million copies of sheet music. Its total sheet music sales exceed five million copies, making it the best seller in Tin Pan Alley's history. Mr. Harris was the first composer to earn one million dollars in royalties.
Perhaps the most touching story is that of Annie Hindle who married her female dresser Miss Annie Ryan. Giving her name as Charles Hindle, the “groom” gave the clergyperson no other choice but to marry the pair. This story empowers audiences to examine gender and culture issues in a new and significant way. What does it mean to be ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine?’ More profoundly, what does it mean to be ‘male’ and ‘female?’ At the end of her performance, Ms. Walker thanks the women who left their girls behind and explored a vast territory of important gender-related issues. We need to thank Ms/ Walker and Brits Off Broadway for bringing compelling and engaging theatre to New York City.
Indeed, Brits Off Broadway’s annual visit to New York City demonstrates the importance of collaboration in theatre across geographic boundaries. It is a pleasure to see gifted actors and challenge audiences with their craft, their commitment to live theatre, and their insistence on perfection.
THE GIRL I LEFT BEHIND ME
“The Girl I Left Behind Me” is at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues) and is presented by the Jess Walker Music Theatre.
“The Girl I Left Behind Me” runs for a limited engagement through Sunday, May 19. The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday at 8:30 PM; Saturday at 2:30 PM & 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Thursday, May 16, 2013 |
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Sundance Institute Selects Seven Projects for 2013 Theatre Lab at Sundance Resort, July 8-28
New York, NY — Sundance Institute today announced the seven projects selected to participate in the 2013 Theatre Lab, July 8-28 at the Sundance Resort in Utah. Under the supervision of Philip Himberg, Artistic Director, and Producing Director Christopher Hibma, the Theatre Lab is the centerpiece of the Sundance Institute's Theatre Program's year-round work and is designed to support emerging and established artists and to create a place where their original work can be effectively mentored and challenged.
The seven playwrights selected for the 2013 Theatre Lab in Sundance, Utah are: Adam Bock (The Colby Sisters of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Jackie Sibblies Drury (Really Really Really Really Really), Taylor Mac (The Fre), Mona Monsour (The Vagrant), Qui Nguyen (War is F**king Awesome). Mfoniso Udufia (Sojourners), and Paula Vogel (The Vengeance Project). Seven East African theater makers will join the Lab community as well.
"The work that comes to the lab for development needs to be strong to withstand an intense and challenging process," said Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute. "There is nothing more exciting than seeing passionate, committed storytellers take risks and push their work to be the best it can be."
The Lab environment is an atmosphere solely focused on development in which mentors (Creative Advisors), dramaturgs, actors in the Lab ensemble, and Sundance Institute artistic staff work with Fellows to address the compelling needs of her/his text. The Theatre Lab provides rehearsal space, dramaturgical support, an acting company, and stage management for playwrights, directors, choreographers, composers, solo performers and ensembles. The Lab's unique day-on, day-off rehearsal structure provides Fellows the time to explore revising their work, without the pressure of daily rehearsals, as well as freedom from commercial attention. The three-week residency culminates in a closed presentation of each project for Lab participants, followed by a collaborative and specifically tailored feedback session.
The seven East African Fellows who participated in the 2012 Theatre Stage Directors Workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and are traveling to Sundance, Utah, will divide their time between mentorship sessions with director Liesl Tommy and rehearsals of Lab projects to experience first-hand how play development processes function. These artists are: Habiba Issa (Tanzania), Aida Mbowa (Uganda), Rogers Otieno (Kenya), Wesley Ruzibiza (Rwanda), Freddy Sabimbona (Burundi), Azeb Worku Sibane (Ethiopia) and Surafel Wondimu (Ethiopia).
Fellows at the Lab will be supported by a team of advisors and colleagues who provide feedback on the material and process. Dramaturgs for the Lab are Janice Paran (Senior Program Associate), Elissa Adams (Minneapolis) and Jocelyn Clarke (Dublin, Ireland). Creative Advisors for the Lab are: Playwright Lynn Nottage and Artistic Director of Tricycle Theatre in London Indhu Rubasingham. The seven projects were selected with input from an Advisory Committee including: Program Associates Liesl Tommy and Mame Hunt Octavio Solis, Stephen Wadsworth and Senior Program Associate Janice Paran.
Projects selected for the 2013 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab are:
The Colby Sisters of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
By Adam Bock
Directed by Trip Cullman
Meet the Colby sisters of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Five sisters, "It girls" slightly past their time, living in New York City, trying to figure out how to put up with each other. Family. What are you going to do?
The Fre
By Taylor Mac
Directed by Lisa Peterson
This project is part of Mac's "Kothornos Festival" (four plays that will premiere separately but ultimately be performed in an all-day festival mirrored after the Greek Dionysia). It is an all-ages play written in the form of Old Comedy. It is the story of an intellectual aesthete, who is trapped inside a mud pit in the middle of a swamp, and his desperate attempt at escaping the swamp's fatuous inhabitants who call themselves, the Fre. Commissioned by the Children's Theater Company.
Really Really Really Really Really
By Jackie Sibblies Drury
Directed by Dan Rothenberg
Sibblies Drury's play centers on two women (the Mother and the Girlfriend of a conceptual artist who has vanished) leaving them to sort through his overwhelming body of work. It is a piece about artists, legacy and photography that asks about what we try to leave behind, what we actually leave behind, and how we deal with being left.
Sojourners
By Mfoniso Udufia
Director TBD
Abasiama Ekpeyoung came to America with high hopes for her arranged marriage and her future, intent on earning a degree and returning to Nigeria. But when her husband is seduced by America, she is forced to choose between the Nigerian or the American dream.
The Vagrant
By Mona Monsour
Directed by Mark Wing-Davey
England/London 1982. Part three of a trilogy. As Arab émigré, Adham faces his last hurdle to secure a coveted permanent position at university, a wave of "domestic terrorism" hits his chosen city, while at the same time, the family he's left behind in the Middle East faces their own escalating horrors. The life Adham has created threatens to unravel, destroying the political and personal equilibrium he's spent 15 years perfecting.
The Vengeance Project
By Paula Vogel
Directed by Rachel Taichman
Vogel's latest play follows the circuitous path of Scholem Asch's play God of Vengeance from 1905 Warsaw to 1951 Stamford Connecticut. It chronicles a contentious work written by a young man during the Yiddish Renaissance: from the fights in the salon after its first reading in Warsaw to its triumph on Second Avenue New York—and onward to 1923 Broadway. What should be the pinnacle of the Yiddish theatre crossing over to the Great White Way becomes a spectacle of scandal: prosecution for obscenity, struggles over anti-Semitism, and oh yes, the first kiss between two women on the American stage. When does one fight to produce a manuscript? When does prudence dictate a manuscript stays in the drawer? And when should an author burn his/her own script?
War is F**king Awesome
By Qui Nguyen
Directed by Liesl Tommy
A politically incorrect action-comedy following the life of Unity Spencer, a young colonial girl imbued with immortality but cursed to fight in every American conflict from the American Revolution to present day and beyond.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Monday, May 13, 2013 |
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"Chemistry of Love" at La MaMa First Floor Theatre
Photo: Emily Boland
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“Chemistry of Love” at La MaMa First Floor Theatre
Written by Jill Campbell
Directed by George Ferencz
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Oscar Wilde’s belief that “Life imitates art, more than art imitates life” was confirmed during the performance of Jill Campbell’s “Chemistry of Love” currently playing at the La MaMa First Floor Theatre. As the cast struggled on stage to make sense of Ms. Campbell’s script about the meaning of making art and how the making of art counterpoints with the rise and fall of relationships, several audience members – completely confused or just completely insensitive to any attempt at creativity – concocted a few interesting love potions themselves.
Two young women decided to act inappropriately throughout the performance: they ate soup (passing the container back and forth) during the first act. They were, of course, right in the front row on the aisle. The same pair decided to block that aisle with their oversize hand bags which they regularly visited for a variety of items during both acts. At the end of the intermission, one pulled out a sizeable laptop, turned it on, and attached her cell phone for a much-needed charging. The laptop remained on for most of the second act until she determined the phone was fully charged whereupon she bent over and did all the disconnecting of USB paraphernalia and shut the unit down. Indeed, one cannot make this artsy stuff up. But there is more.
An inebriated man stumbled past me at the start of the intermission proclaiming with alcohol-laden breath, “Boy, that’s hard to watch.” He left his leather jacket on the seat and returned at some point during the second act from a different door, never reclaiming his seat or his jacket. I assume the second act was as difficult for him to process as was the first. It was for the rest of us. But there is more.
There was a group of attendees who knew each other: maybe producer types or families or one of those bunches of people whose assumed importance manages to disrupt any attempt at the creative process since what they are saying and doing is obviously more important than what might be happening on stage. One of these “dignitaries” decided, after nine minutes of the ten minute intermission, she needed to exit the theatre. As had the drunken man before her, she needed to push past me to exit. After the lights went down (and the computer screen), she needed to re-enter but instead of pushing past me again, one of her important friends rearranged the seats in the front row so she could sit down in the second. All this scuffling about occurred in the dark as the cast scuffled back on stage to challenge the audience one more time to “get” Ms. Campbell’s play.
Why such detail about audience antics? Unfortunately, there was little difference between what was going on in the audience and what was transpiring on stage. One wonders if what the actors were viewing deeply affected their performance. Life was imitating art imitating life imitating art, etc. One also wonders where the La MaMa staff was. A light board operator was above audience right and had to see the whole front row food fest. Why were these two not expelled from the theatre?
Undoubtedly, there was something important the creative team of “Chemistry of Love” wanted to explore. Absurdist theatre is not easy to produce. It needs rich round characters navigating interesting (not necessarily believable) conflicts. It also needs some thematic structure to interface with. These elements seemed missing in “Chemistry of Love” and what emerged seemed pretentious rather than pertinent.
For information on the cast, creative team, and production information, please visit http://chemistryoflove.net/
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| 1 Comment - Comment | Add Comment | Permalink | Friday, May 10, 2013 |
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"Collapse" at New York City Center Stage II (New Home of the Women's Project Theater)
“Collapse” at New York City Center Stage II (New Home of the Women’s Project Theater)
Written by Allison Moore
Directed by Jackson Gay
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Things fall apart (Chinua Achebe) and the center sometimes just does not hold (W. B. Yeats). For Hannah (Hannah Cabell) and David (Elliot Villar) the center fails when the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in 2007 sends David’s car into the river (almost drowning) and the so-called Global Financial Crisis of 2008 threatens Hannah’s position at her law firm. David is suffering from PTSD and feels he is inadequate as a husband and helpmate and Hannah has gone into caregiver overdrive, exacerbating David’s feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. They each feel the other is ready to bolt and neither is communicating their fears with any degree of adequacy. Things are in a heightened state of collapse. David admits, “Things collapse. Bridges. Companies. Marriages.”
Adding to the implosion is the unannounced arrival of Hannah’s sister Susan (Nadia Bowers) at the couple’s home and the seductive presence of sex addict Ted (Maurice McRae). Both of these characters serve as effective foils to Hannah’s and David’s attempts to transcend their crippling fear of abandonment and re-find their love for each other. They are both stuck and do not know how to escape their terror. David tells Hannah, “I can’t let go, okay? I can’t go up, I can’t go down, I’m just stuck here. I’m just so sick of it, the disappointment, and the pity, and the panic all the time, in parking ramps, and airplanes, and elevators.” And Hannah confesses to David, “I am so lonely, David. I’m sorry, and I’m not trying to justify. I just, I miss you.”
Hannah and David misunderstand each other in their journeys to health and it is David’s decision to go back to the bridge and climb it that results in the beginning of healing. When Hannah discovers David has chosen to climb the bridge (trope for overcoming his fear), Hannah rushes to the bridge and tells David, “But obviously you don’t need a meeting! You don’t need any help! You can just call in sick, or drink some more beer, or climb the fucking bridge! What a great idea! Why didn’t I think of that? Maybe if we both climb the bridge that will fix everything!” And that is what they do: climb the bridge together.
In a way, their climbing the bridge together works for them. It does not solve their problems completely but the shared act marks a beginning. After coming down from the bridge, David is able to share with Hannah, “It’s like I’m waiting for us to fall, I know it’s coming but I don’t know how to stop it.” Hannah replies, “Maybe we can’t. Maybe we just figure out how to fall together.” “Collapse” is about two persons in crisis trying to find a way to cope, to process angst, to move forward in life and relationship.
The playwright, the director, and the cast deliver a deliciously dramatic bait and switch. Dining room farce slap-stick humor reminiscent of some of the best sitcoms in the recent past keeps the audience busy while the climax of Allison Moore’s “Collision” creeps up with a cathartic clout so powerful not even the actors are prepared for the impact. Under Jackson Gay’s direction, the ensemble cast effectively transforms the collapse of a bridge and the near collapse of a relationship to an examination of all things that have the potential to collapse, unwind, fragment, or topple. Perhaps David and Hannah’s decision to “fall together” is the best humanity can do as well. Listening carefully to one another, respecting one another, opening the self to the other is the beginning of redemption.
COLLAPSE
The New York Premiere of “Collapse” is presented by the Women’s Project Theatre under the direction of Jackson Gay. The creative team of “Collapse” includes Lee Savage (Scenic Design), Oana Botez (Costume Design), Paul Whitaker( Lighting Design), and Jill BC Du Boff (Sound Design).
The cast of “Collapse” features Nadia Bowers (Susan), Hannah Cabell (Hannah), Maurice McRae (Ted), and Elliot Villar (David).
“Collapse” performs Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30pm with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2:30pm through Sunday May 19. All performances are at New York City Center Stage II, 131 West 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues). Single tickets ($60.00+) can be purchased online at www.NYCityVenter.org, by calling CityTix at 212-581-1212, or at the New York City Center Box Office.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Monday, April 15, 2013 |
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"Southern Discomfort" in the Huron Club at the SoHo Playhouse
Photo by Rick Gilbert
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“Southern Discomfort” in the Huron Club at the SoHo Playhouse
Written and Performed by Elisabeth Gray
Directed by Daniel Zimbler
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
“Which of us has known his brother? Which of us has looked into his father's heart? Which of us has not remained forever prison-pent? Which of us is not forever a stranger and alone?” – Thomas Wolfe, “Look Homeward Angel”
Being strangers in a strange land and being forever alone haunt the six intriguing characters in Elisabeth Gray’s “Southern Discomfort” currently playing the Huron Club at the SoHo Playhouse. Their stories illuminate the ennui and discomfit of a people who somehow lost a significant piece of their history and culture in the Era of Reconstruction following the America Civil War.
Prison-pent, Ms. Gray’s characters are not only lonely and construct a variety of tactics to address their loneliness; these memorable characters who are based on actual Southerners Gray has met and known in her years growing up in the South are also abused and abashed and adept at sublimating the depths of their considerable emotional pain. With the change of a costume and the modulation of her voice’s timbre, Ms. Gray portrays the characters she creates with a remarkable degree of ethos and pathos.
Ninety-one year old Penelope Weaver is nursing home bound (prison-pent) and suffering from dementia. Her stories (“The Mind Odyssey” and “The Homecoming”) reflect not only her personal difficulties processing reality; her stories serve as extended metaphors for the dementia and racism of a region of the United States and, indeed, the dementia and racism of an entire nation which seems to be losing its way and forgetting its equal rights mission.
In her second story, Penelope thinks Josh is her “daddy.” In fact, Josh Robinson Riddle is the nineteen year old who volunteers at Penelope’s nursing home when not working the Dixie Gun Show with the father who earlier in life shot off Josh’s right hand during a Civil War battle reenactment. As readily as Josh is able to forgive his father for an act which seems to have been mean-spirited and intentional, Josh is incapable of forgiving the intentionality and inherent mean-spiritedness of war.
Uncomfortably stacked between Penelope’s bookend stories of sadness, are Julia Hanover’s disturbing story of why her eyes are not aligned (“Crooked”), Jonny Stutts story of love’s labor lost (“Big Jim’s Tow and Go”), Cheri Kane’s story of affirmative action gone awry in a local historical society (“Olive Branch Mississippi Women’s Historical Society”), and sixty-three year old William Ernest Fells’s (“Gymnasium Eulogy”) farewell to his wife. After years of a contentious and unfulfilling marriage and a seemingly loveless life with Louanne, mechanical engineer William remembers his wife after she commits suicide with one of the tools of her trade – a curling iron in her bathtub. Luanne had told William he was “the kind of person that makes you want to be dead.” William wonders mechanically, “How two people end up so lonely together?”
This is the question for William, for all the characters in “Southern Discomfort” and, by extension, for all humankind. How precisely does racism, sexism, homophobia (and other issues of race and gender) “end us up” so lonely together on this planet? Why would a father shoot off his son’s hand? Why would a mother press down so heavily on her pre-natal daughter that her child’s eyes were not level? Why would it take eight years for an African-American (Cheri Kane strives to be politically correct) to be inducted into membership in an otherwise all-white women’s historical society?
Ms. Gray’s touching and often disturbing stories of life in South and North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia transcend regionalism and cultural bias. Indeed, her stories are replete with rhetorical strategies that make a sustainable argument that racism, sexism, homophobia, fear, and doubt transcend borders and boundaries of all description. And the playwright’s brilliant portrayals of these characters challenge her audience to make rich and deep connections to their stories, their attempts to cope, and their endeavors to build new futures.
SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT
The creative team includes Matt Brogan (NYC Production Design), Rome Brown (Lighting Design), and George Martinat (Costume Design).
Presented by New Umbrella, “Southern Discomfort" plays at the SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street, on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. through May 27, 2013. Written and performed by Elisabeth Gray. Directed by Daniel Zimbler. The running time is approximately 70 minutes without an intermission. Tickets are available for $20.00. To purchase tickets, visit: www.sohoplayhouse.com or call (866) 811-4111.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Friday, April 12, 2013 |
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"Devin Bing and the Secret Service" at the Metropolitan Room
“Devin Bing and the Secret Service” at the Metropolitan Room
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Devin Bing is on a journey to success. It is important for this delightful and talented crooner to decide soon which “road” will be the best choice for him. His engaging appearance at the Metropolitan Room on Sunday April 7, 2013 suggests at least three important choices that might need to be made.
Mr. Bing has a pleasant jazz-blues-rock voice which he effectively presses into service to deliver the meaning behind the lyric in any of these three musical genres. However, he seems most contented when he enters the jazz and blues zone, accompanying himself at the piano. Devin truly shines here and makes his deepest connection to the audience and to his material. This ability to consociate and captivate is most evident in his renditions of “My Funny Valentine” inspired by the Chet Baker Recording of the 1937 Rogers and Hart show tune from “Babes in Arms” and “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To” (Cole Porter, Arr. by Devin Bing).
This is not to imply that Mr. Bing’s vocal forays into the more rock genre are not successful: for this critic, they are just not as pleasing. Further, Devin seems clearly more connected to the lyrics and better interprets them when he is singing in the jazz and blues sphere.
When Devin Bing and the Secret Service (Gavi Grodsky, guitar; Michael Feinberg, bass; and Blaise Lanzetta, drums) enter the rock genre, the balance between vocalist and band becomes problematic – at least this was true during the April 7 performance – and the drums (especially) completely overpower the rest of the ensemble.
Mr. Bing’s arrangements were evident in all eleven songs in the evening’s set including the encore (“Rock with You” by Michael Jackson). And when he writes and arranges songs, his stamp - his emerging identity as an artist - becomes even more tangible. These songs (“I’m Feelin,’” “Just Surrender,” I’m So Happy,” and “Be All Right” among others) sport a tenderness in voice and lyric which is satisfying to the ear and to the heart. One wishes for perhaps more sophisticated lyrics given Devin’s obvious talent as a songwriter.
This songwriter’s skills are equally evident in his performance of the standards in the program which include “Angel Eyes” (Matt Dennis) and “Feel Like Making Love” (Eugene McDaniels).
Devin Bing is clearly on his way to an impressive career as a crooner. He needs to choose his personal songbook carefully and continue to ensure his considerable craft matches his choice of material. Along with his Secret Service, Mr. Bing is definitely worth the look and listen. Do all you can to catch one of his remaining four performances at the iconic Metropolitan Room in New York City and be on the lookout for the release of his upcoming studio album.
DEVIN BING AND THE SECRET SERVICE
Devin Bing will appear at the Metropolitan Room on Friday May 10, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. He will return on June 13, July 18, and August 15 at 9:30 p.m. The Metropolitan Room is located at 34 West 22nd Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues) and is easily accessible by public transportation. There is a $20.00 per person Music Charge and a Two Drink Minimum with a $5.00 discount for MAC/Industry Members. For further information visit http://metropolitanroom.com/
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Thursday, April 11, 2013 |
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"Bullet Catch" at 59E59 Theater C
“Bullet Catch” at 59E59 Theater C
Written and Directed by Rob Drummond
Co-Directed by David Overend
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
“I've looked at clouds from both sides now from up and down and still somehow/ It's cloud's illusion I recall, I really don't know clouds at all. I've looked at love from both sides now from give and take and still somehow/ It's love's illusion I recall I really don't know love at all. I've looked at life from both sides now from win and lose and still somehow/ It's life's illusion I recall. I really don't know life at all.” – “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell
Leave it to an illusionist to work diligently for seventy-five minutes to achieve the essence of reality. Rob Drummond (a.k.a. William Wonder) reads minds, levitates a small table, proffers games of chance to audience members, and tells the remarkable story of the illusionist William Henderson who was inadvertently killed by a volunteer from the audience while performing the Bullet Catch illusion in London in 1912.
This intriguing story – replete with readings from books, a memo from the 59E59 staff, and even more baffling illusions – eventually seduces a member of the audience to participate in the Bullet Catch illusion right on stage in 59E59 Theater C. Mr. Drummond is as skilled in the nuances of rhetoric as he is in the nooks and crannies of illusion and he successfully lures the audience into his spell of wonder. His wit, his grace, and his charm embrace the audience as closely and tightly as the hug he requests from the volunteer.
Rob Drummond’s “Bullet Catch” is a remarkable magical lullaby which transports the audience from the throes of nihilism (was that Henderson’s ticket to suicide?) to the nurturing arms of unconditional and non-judgmental love. Perhaps that is what magic ought to be about: close up, personal, transformative, and forgiving.
One wonders what Mr. Drummond’s next illusion will be and how he will continue to enrapture audiences with hope for the future. Rob Drummond wants his audience to look around and make a connection with those around them locally and globally. He wants to move from recalling just the illusions of cloud, love, and life to authentically knowing the up and down of clouds, the give and take of love, and the win and lose of life. That only happens when one truly looks around and agrees to be hugged and to hug.
As William Wonder reminds his audience early on, humankind – when encountering the other human –non-consciously decides to either fight (KILL), flee (SAVE), or “mate” (LOVE). After spending seventy-five minutes with the wonder-full Rob Drummond, it seems clear that the best decision is the greatest of those three: LOVE.
BULLET CATCH
59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) welcomes Glasgow-based The Arches to Brits Off Broadway with the US premiere of BULLET CATCH, written and performed by Rob Drummond and directed by David Overend.
The creative team for “Bullet Catch” includes Francis Gallop (stage design), Ross Ramsay (sound design), Simon Hayes (lighting design), Amy Kaskeski (AEA stage manager), and Deanne Jones (stage manager).
Part of the Scotland Week celebrations in New York, BULLET CATCH runs for a limited engagement through Sunday, April 21. The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday at 8:30 PM; Saturday at 2:30 PM & 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Wednesday, April 10, 2013 |
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"Cougar the Musical" at St. Luke's Theatre
“Cougar the Musical” at St. Luke’s Theatre
Written by Donna Moore
Directed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Sometime success comes in simple packages. A successful new musical needs interesting characters; these characters need engaging conflicts; the action of the musical needs to take place in a variety of inviting settings; and, finally, the plot driven by the conflicts must feature important themes. Donna Moore’s “Cougar the Musical,” currently running at St. Luke’s Theatre in Manhattan, addresses all four literary elements and brings to the boards a successful and entertaining theatrical experience.
Recently divorced from Gary, Lily (Mary Mossberg) wonders if a younger love interest would relieve her self-esteem woes. Clarity (Cheryl Freeman) is working on her Master’s thesis at NYU which explores the dynamic of older women dating much younger men. Mary-Marie (Babs Winn) owns a bar catering to such women. All three are “On the Prowl” in one way or the other and are exploring what it means to be a ‘cougar.’
Lily quickly finds true love with the young and handsome Buck (Danny Bernardy). Clarity (aptly named), shifts her focus from the critical view to the cougar view when she meets a hot younger man with the same name (Julio) as her battery-powered “plastic friend.” And uber-cougar Mary-Marie prefers a variety of young men which, unfortunately, lands her a date with Naked Peter who turns out to be her son. The versatile Danny Bernardy plays all the male roles and the wonderful role of Eve, manicurist to the cougars.
The conflicts of Lily, Clarity, and Mary-Marie are engaging and deeply connected to the audience of predominately (but not exclusively) middle-aged women. The three women meet their boy-toys in Mary-Marie’s cougar lounge as well as other settings. Fourteen delicious songs (with music by a variety of composers) counterpoint with Ms. Moore’s book and result in a clever and thoughtful musical. Lynne Taylor-Corbett directs and choreographs “Cougar the Musical” with precision and grace. And the orchestra (Jana Zielonka, piano and Sean Dolan, drums) ably maneuvers its way through the songs.
All three women are on their own paths toward clarity and each ends up in an emotional terrain far different from where their journeys began. “At the End of the Day” each discovers that what is important is self-discovery, self-love, and self-empowerment – all important themes. These characters are dynamic, not static, and their growth challenges the audience to grow as well. Everyone – women and men of all ages – need to understand that real love is ageless and that they need to “Say Yes” to their authentic needs and futures.
“Cougar the Musical” transcends the images its title conjures up. This is a sweet and engaging musical for everyone to see and enjoy.
COUGAR THE MUSICAL
The cast of “Cougar the Musical” includes Danny Bernardy, Cheryl Freeman, Mary Mossberg, and Babs Winn. The Creative team includes Jana Zielonka (Musical Director), Josh Iacovelli (Set Designer, Sound Designer), and Dustin Cross (Costume Designer).
“Cougar the Musical” runs through June 2, 2013 at St. Luke’s Theatre (308 West 46th Street). The performance schedule is Friday at 8:00 PM; Saturday at 2:00 PM; and Sunday at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $39.50 - $89.50 and are available through Telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200. The running time is 90 minutes with no intermission. For videos of the musical and more information, visit www.cougarthemusical.com.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Sunday, April 07, 2013 |
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"Parade" at The Carnegie (Covington. Kentucky)
“Parade” at The Carnegie (Covington, Kentucky)
Reviewed by Rafael de Acha, April 5, 2013
Theatre Reviews Limited
"Parade" - Jason Robert Brown (music); Alfred Uhry (book ) A co-production of The Carnegie and the Musical Theatre Department of the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. Dee Anne Bryll and Ed Cohen (Directors); Steve Goers (Music Director); Dana Hall (Scenic Designer); Wesley Richter (Lighting Design); Janet Powell (Costumes); Kevin Semancik (Sound Designer); Jillian Floyd (Wig and Makeup Designer) In the cast: Collin Kessler (Leo Frank), Jenny Hickman (Lucille Frank), and ensemble. At The Carnegie, Covington, Kentucky 5.4.13 (RDA)
The 1913 trial of Leo Frank, a factory superintendent convicted of raping and murdering a thirteen-year-old employee, is the subject of Jason Robert Brown’s "Parade." Brown’s music, set to his own words, and librettist Alfred Uhry’s deeply personal connections to this tragic story about anti-Semitism in early 20th century America’s South give a modicum of dramatic thrust and moral gravity to this stage work, but the authors should have considered turning this work into something other than a Broadway show, in which case "Parade" might have met with a more fortuitous reception from the 1983 Broadway critics and audiences. With its through-composed structure, rhapsodic ballads and sweeping choral numbers "Parade" longs to be something much grander and keep company with Bernstein and Weill, but at pivotal moments it appears to apologize for all its doom and gloom, and so throws in a little cakewalk or Boston Waltz or Lindy Hop to lighten the proceedings.
"Parade" is nearly three hours long. Uhry and Brown could have said what they now say and then say again and again in these two lengthy acts in the space of one single act filled with solid musical and dramatic ideas. Again and again "Parade" gets oh so near and yet so far from packing the kind of visceral punch which we all long for in a theatrical experience. When now and then the work achieves one of those few and rare moments that truly grab one in the gut, Brown and Uhry soften the blow and interpolate some quaint number or other about good ol’ Southern folks makin’ music. The results are dispiriting and deflating.
The 1902 Beaux Arts building that is now the Carnegie was initially a library and a meeting place for political rallies and for theatrical offerings of the time. Once designated by the National Register in 1971 as having historical value, its architectural integrity had to be preserved - both a blessing and a curse. The theatre space seats – one’s guess – around three hundred theatergoers, with the orchestra seats situated five or more feet below stage-level. The closer one is seated to the action (third row for me and my companion) the harder it becomes to watch the show without experiencing some eye and neck strain. The theatre’s management may want to explore some solutions to this problem, for theirs is a charming venue ideally suited to intimate theatrical offerings.
No stage work is ever truly finite, so here is "Parade," paraded back to life after its untimely demise at the hands of the implacable New York reviewers, in a new production, helmed by the fine work of directors De Ann Bryll and Ed Cohen, the excellent conducting of musical director Steve Goers and vividly realized by a cast of C-CM’s young talents.
The inspired pairing of Collin Kessler and Jenny Hickman as Leo and Lucille Frank anchors the drama. Kessler gives a hypnotic portrayal of the unjustly accused Brooklyn Jew transplanted to life in early 1920’s Atlanta – his demeanor appropriately uptight and rigid as that of a fish out of water, his ringing baritone ever supple and memorable: an insightful characterization from a young man years younger than the role he plays to the hilt. Jenny Hickman is the long-suffering, Georgia-girl wife with a spine of steel and a voice that ranges from a lovely mezzo to a pin-you-to-your seat belt and a “don’t you forget-it” wail on top. Among the other fine performers in the cast, Noah Ricketts is memorable in the role of the guilty Jim Conley, a coiled, convulsive chain-gang prisoner with fathomless anger, giving voice to the antagonist part in a clarion tenor.
At his rare best Brown’s music digs deep into our collective consciousness, especially in the two-person scenes for Frank and Lucille, in which the music hews closest to early 20th century opera in a mostly-tonal compositional style not far from the folksy idioms of Virgil Thompson and Aaron Copland. The lyrics are a good fit most of the time and, once-in-a-while, stunningly good as in All the wasted time, retaining throughout a colloquial, direct, essentially American working-class tone. At such moments Kessler and Hickman are completely convincing as singing actors, imbuing their work with utter sincerity and heartbreaking pathos.
Alfred Uhry’s book brings into relief the callousness and opportunism of the press that made the trial a media circus and the weakness and corruption of a legal system that repeatedly failed to uphold the law. Playwright Uhry’s uncle was the owner of the factory where Frank worked and, as a Jew growing up in Atlanta in the 1940s and 1950s, brings to this work the same unique insights about living as a minority in the American South that he brought to his plays The Last Night of Ballyhoo and Driving Miss Daisy.
When Frank's death sentence was commuted by Georgia Governor Slaton, Leo Frank was kidnapped, spirited to Marietta, Georgia, and lynched. The Jewish Anti-Defamation League came into being as a response to these events. Works like Parade keep the memory of these past horrors fresh in our minds, saying, “Never Again!” in the way only theatre can cry out such words.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Sunday, April 07, 2013 |
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"Buyer & Cellar" at Rattlestick Playhouse Theater
“Buyer & Cellar” at Rattlestick Playhouse Theater
Starring Michael Urie
Written by Jonathan Tolins
Directed by Stephen Brackett
Reviewed by Joseph Verlezza
Theatre Reviews Limited
Reality collides with fantasy in Jonathan Tolins’ new play “Buyer & Cellar” resulting in a near-nuclear reaction of comedy, sentimentality, and sheer brilliance.
Some rich and impressive collaboration has ignited the stage of the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater with the opening of Jonathon Tolins’ new play aptly titled “Buyer & Cellar.” First is the combination of the fascinating, well structured script and the compelling solo performance of Michael Urie. Next is the extremely competent and confident story telling melding with the several characters the actor manages to inhabit during the ninety minute escapade. Finally, the story is simple and enlightening, mainly because the characters are clear, intelligent and thoughtful as well as clever and vulnerable. They never appear as a parody or impersonation but are brought to life with subtle physical nuance and enormous emotional content. Michael Urie gives a tour de force performance that is engaging and endearing.
The premise revolves around Alex More, an unemployed LA actor who is hired as the only store clerk for the shopping mall resembling Winterthur, which Barbra Streisand constructed in the basement of the barn on her infamous estate which she paid homage to with a coffee table book entitled “My Passion for Design,” written, photographed and for a price sometimes signed by you know who. This shopping arcade embracing the feel of that historic decorative arts museum in Delaware contains a doll shop, antiques store, gift shoppe, costume and antique clothing store and so on. There are no customers but, if by chance, Barbra is inclined to shop the experience must be real and nothing less than perfect; therefore the need for a store clerk to provide assistance. What transpires throughout the various scenes is remarkable, almost provoking a battle between fact and fiction capturing the audience in a suspension of disbelief.
This is theater in the purest form. The set is a clean low ceiling room clad in neutral tones of grey sparsely furnished with a small end table, simple desk and a single chair all in stark glossy white. At times the walls are covered with projections to suggest a different space but with nothing definitive. There are no set or costume changes but through the consummate artistry and technique of Mr. Urie, personalities, objects and places miraculously appear. He floods the stage with colorful images, quirky dialogue infused with vulnerable tension which seeps from the crevices of well defined characters and a joy of life that shouts loud enough to create an emotional tremor. He is nothing less than brilliant. Go spend some time with Alex and Barbra, have some fun and delight in the opportunity to experience an exuberant, skillfully executed performance, attentively directed by Stephen Brackett and supported by a well qualified and competent creative team.
BUYER & CELLAR
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater’s Artistic Director David Van Asselt and Managing Director Brian Long have announced that the world premiere of Buyer & Cellar, written by Jonathan Tolins, directed by Stephen Brackett, and performed by Michael Urie, will begin performances Wednesday, March 20 at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 224 Waverly Place, west of Seventh Avenue South.
The set design for “Buyer & Cellar” is by Andrew Boyce; costume design is by Jessica Pabst; lighting design is by Eric Southern; sound design is by Stowe Nelson. The production stage manager is Hannah Woodward; the assistant stage manager is Sam Horwith.
“Buyer & Cellar” plays Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 7pm; Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 3pm and 8pm; Sunday at 3pm at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 224 Waverly Place, west of Seventh Avenue South. Tickets are $55 for regular seating, $15 for patrons under 30, and $10 for students, and are available by phoning OvationTix at 866-811-4111 or by visiting www.rattlestick.org.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Saturday, April 06, 2013 |
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"Good with People" at 59E59 Theater B
“Good with People” at 59E59 Theater B
Written by David Harrower
Directed by George Perrin
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
An overturned chair on an otherwise bare carpeted stage “speaks” volumes about the current status of the Seaview Hotel in Helensburgh Scotland. Upright that same chair and the audience is transported back in time to a flashback of epic proportions. Move the chair about the stage during the flashback and the scenes change disclosing a tryst between two persons, two generations, two histories, and two agendas.
This kind of precision and clarity marks the entire 55 minute performance of “Good with People” running at 59E59 Theater B through Sunday April 21. In David Harrower’s enchanting and mesmerizing play, Helen Hughes recalls one of the last visits made to the Seaview Hotel, the visit which markedly changed her life and the way she deals with people – herself and others. Memories, particularly this memory owned by Helen, is a different kind of memory, one through which space and time give way to substance and terrain: the substance of revenge gone missing and the terrain of unrequited albeit unconditional love.
Tales told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator are perhaps the most tantalizing. We only know how good Helen and Evan are with people through Helen’s lens and that creates a cauldron of suspense and redemption.
Ostensibly, Evan Bold (Andrew Scott-Ramsay) returns to Helensburgh to attend the re-marriage of his parents. Evan has been volunteering with the Red Cross as a nurse in Pakistan. After refusing to release a Taliban soldier from the hospital, two Taliban “guys who patrolled the hospital” beat Evan up in the school playground” injuring his shoulder. Evan chooses to stay at the hotel where he knows Helen Hughes (Blythe Duff) works. As a child, Evan had participated in bullying Helen’s son Jack. Despite refrains of “I hardly know you” and “You don’t know me,” it becomes clear during the course of the play that this meeting is more than a chance occurrence: Evan and Helen need to meet to work out things from the past, to participate actively in the process of confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation and to fall in unconditional love.
As these two unlikely but star-crossed companions jockey for position, power, and possibility, secrets of the past and worries for the future emerge. Accusations are made (“j’accuse”), including Helen’s to Evan, “You have a strange way with people.” However, both of these remarkable characters make their “bid for freedom.” And both are renegades. Evan Bold says is most succinctly: “People who weren’t content with their lot in life. Who looked beyond their immediate situation. Who wanted to make things better for themselves and others. The renegades. The idealists. Troublemakers.” Through the course of the play, Evan and Helen recognize they are both incurable renegades and equip the audience to identify with the renegade and the idealist in each member of the audience.
Under George Perrin’s meticulous and bold direction, Blythe Duff and Andrew Scott-Ramsay give electrifying life to David Harrower’s script. Tantalizing tropes teach the audience almost every moment. External struggles counterpoint the inner struggles of each character. And their conflicts mirror the conflicts between nation states and those between the individual and the world. This is a play about the power of forgiveness, the power of redemption, and the overwhelming power of love.
GOOD WITH PEOPLE
Good with People” launched the 2013 Brits Off Broadway festival at 59E59 Theaters and is produced by the Traverse Theatre Company and Datum Point in association with Paines Plough. “Good with People” began performances on Wednesday, March 27 for a limited engagement through Sunday, April 21.
The cast includes Blythe Duff and Andrew Scott-Ramsay. The creative team includes Ben Stones (designer), Scott Twynholm (sound designer), Tim Deiling (lighting designer), Raynelle Wright (AEA stage manager), Kevin McCullum (production manager), and Gemma Turner (stage manager
The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:15 PM; Friday at 8:15 PM; Saturday at 2:15 PM and 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM and 7:15 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Thursday, April 04, 2013 |
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"I Know What Boys Want" at the WorkShop Theater
“I Know What Boys Want” at the WorkShop Theater
Written by Penny Jackson
Directed by Joan Kane
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
It is difficult to identify the real antagonist in Penny Jackson’s new play “I Know What Boys Want” running at the WorkShop Theater through April 13. The conflicts are as numerous and entangled as the over-the-top tangle of cell phones dangling from the “ceiling” of the set. The main conflict which drives the predominant plot is between Vicky Walker (Sara Hogrefe) and, oddly enough, a cell phone: she needs to confiscate the cell phone of Oliver (Nick Vennekotter) who surreptitiously filmed Vicky in a compromising sexual tryst with her beau Roger (Liam Rhodes). It is not clear (and it needs to be less ambiguous) whether the act was consensual or not and whether in fact a date rape drug was used. These are significant details – not to be used to lay blame but to identify the precise sources of Vicky’s understandable and appropriate rage against Oliver and Roger.
There are also conflicts in the play between Vicky and her mother Margaret Walker (Dara O’Brien), her father, her stepmother, the world, and herself. These drive interesting sub plots but sometimes inadvertently detract from the main conflict involving how Vicky can restore her reputation. And these sub plots spin themes which remain unresolved: has bad parenting somehow contributed to Vicky’s situation and has Vicky’s mother’s fuzzy understanding of feminism resulted in an exacerbation of that less-than-admirable parenting? Who is Emma (Kimberly Diamond) and is her character really needed?
None of this detracts from the play’s importance in raising the issues of bullying, date rape, and the pandemic misuse of social media in the lives of teenagers. Whether or not Vicky should have had sex with her boyfriend is not the point: that is her choice and her responsibility. The point is Roger should not have allowed Oliver to tape the tryst and – out of revenge – post the clips on the internet. Vicky will have to struggle the rest of her life against the images that will remain of and re-surface on the internet for years to come. Such abuse can result in suicide and there is a reference in the script to the suicide Tyler Clementi the 18 year-old Rutgers who jumped off the George Washington Bridge in 2010.
One only wishes that Vicky’s bravery would have surfaced earlier and not been diluted in a mire of victimization. One also wishes the issues of parenting would have been clearer: how does parenting affect children’s behavior? Vicky and her roommate Lin Chang (Janice Amano) seem to long for more structure and better role models. But is Lin’s mother’s addiction to Xanax an excuse for Lin’s dependence on drugs and her lack of interest in academic excellence? Is Vicky’s mother’s self-absorption responsible for Vicky’s problems as a young adult?
Most of the performances given by the ensemble cast are adequate and serve the script well. Two performances stand out: the engaging and believable performances of Lauren D. Salvo as Hannah and Teddy Lytle as Ted serve collectively as a Super Ego for the rest of the teens. Both of these California transplants are bullied by their peers because they are “different.” Hannah sports a yellow rain slicker and yellow rain boots and her single mom is a neurosurgeon and Ted’s father has recently come out, left his wife, and formed a relationship with his male partner. If the entire cast could have reached the authentic level of performance of these two young actors, “I Know What Boys Want” would already be at a different level.
Joan Kane’s direction is adequate but uninspired. Perhaps she needs to spend more time around high school students, particularly wealthy and privileged high school students. The bullying that occurs – and there is a significant amount of bullying in this play - would be in real life much more aggressive and horrific. Ms. Kane’s characters need a rougher edge and a darker side. Although Oliver is a despicable human being, in reality such a person would be cruel to the point of exhaustion. When directorial and performance issues are addressed, this new play has a good chance of an extended life beyond its current run. Penny Jackson has developed an important script and her new play deserves an appreciative look in its current incarnation at the WorkShop Theater.
I KNOW WHAT BOYS WANT
Ego Actus (Bruce A! Kraemer and Joan Kane producers) presents “I Know What Boys Want,” a new drama by award winning playwright Penny Jackson at the WorkShop Theater through April 13. Joan Kane directs.
The cast features Sara Hogrefe, Dara O’ Brien, Janice Amano, Kimberly Diamond, Lauren D. Salvo, Liam Rhodes, Teddy Lytle and Nick Vennekotter.
The creative team includes Scarlet Jacobs (set design), Bruce A! Kraemer (lighting design), Cat Fisher (costume design), Ian Wehrle (sound design), and Kim Marie Jones (stage manager).
“I Know What Boys Want” plays at the WorkShop Theater (312 W. 36th Street, 4th FL.) from Thursday, March 28 thru Saturday April 13. Performances are Thursday thru Saturday at 8PM with Saturday matinees at 3PM. General admission is $18.00. For tickets go to http://iknowwhatboyswant.brownpapertickets.com/
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Tuesday, April 02, 2013 |
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"Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto" at Culture Project at 45 Bleecker Street
“Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto” at Culture Project at 45 Bleecker Street
Written and Performed by Anna Khaja
Directed by Heather de Michele
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Point of view percolates a delicious brew of intrigue in Anna Khaja’s “Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto” playing at Culture Project at 45 Bleecker Street. Through the points of view of eight characters, Khaja’s engaging play focuses on the life and death of Benazir Bhutto and this literary device allows the audience member to have access to a variety of understandings of Bhutto’s controversial personal and political history.
Under Heather de Michelle’s thoughtful and sedulous direction, Ms. Khaja plays all eight characters in an episodic rather than a chronological fashion: Sara an American college student; The United States Secretary of State from 2005 until 2009 Condoleezza Rice; Daphne Barak an international journalist; Quasim a professor at Boston University; Benazir’s niece Fatima Bhutto; Shamsher an auto-rickshaw driver in Rawalpindi; Afshan a student in Islamabad; and Benazir Bhutto herself who secures the penultimate point of view to her own story.
Ms. Khaja’s transformation from one character to another is not a conscious act. The actor morphs into her characters unconsciously and through an inner process. In other words, Anna Khaja does not “do” the characters; she “is” the characters intrinsically and precisely.
At the beginning of the play, Sara an American college student in Rawalpindi (Pindi) Pakistan shares her belief that the international focus should be on the Pakistani people who just want healing for themselves and for their country. A simple credo but one which all too often remains far removed from action. The international community would rather focus on what how what happens in Pakistan might benefit the world political community.
Benazir Bhutto’s story – her dream and her death – can be seen as an extended metaphor for the struggle of all dreamers to fulfill what they determine to be their life’s purpose. What do the members of their family think of them? What do their peers thin k of them? How important are their dreams in the larger scheme of human affairs? Perhaps the most significant question comes from Bhutto’s niece, [As a dreamer], “when and how does corruption creep up on you?”
Finally, this important play raises the deep and rich questions that have yet to be answered: How do dreamers and their dreams correlate with the disturbing history of dreamers meeting their deaths in less than natural ways? What is worth dying for and how effective have the deaths of dreamers proven to be historically? Join this important conversation counterpointed in the brilliant and imperious performance of Anna Khaja.
SHAHEED: THE DREAM AND DEATH OF BENAZIR BHUTTO
Culture Project’s Women Center Stage (Allan Buchman, Founder and Artistic Director) presents the Off-Broadway premiere of “Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto” written and performed by Anna Khaja and directed by Heather de Michele . Performances continue through April 21 at Culture Project at 45 Bleecker Street (at Lafayette Street) in New York City.
The creative team includes Maureen Weiss (set design), John Zalewski (sound design), Sam Saldivar (projection design), Phillip Young and Colyn Emery (composers), Will Hansen (lighting design), and Caitlin Lyons (production stage manager).
“Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto” will play the following performance schedule: Fridays, Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and Mondays at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are priced at $35 ($55 premium), and with student tickets at $25 (with valid I.D.) Tickets are available online at cultureproject.org or via phone by calling OvationTix at (866) 811-4111.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Sunday, March 31, 2013 |
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Marissa Mulder in "Tom ... in His Words" at the Metropolitan Room
Marissa Mulder in “Tom … in His Words” at the Metropolitan Room
Directed by Lauren Fox
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Most of Marissa Mulder’s patter is not patter at all. Her spoken words introducing songs or connecting songs in “Tom … in His Words” are the words of Tom Waits. This performance choice for her current appearance at the Metropolitan Room results in an engaging evening of song where Ms. Mulder proves unequivocally that exquisite vocal interpretation is more about something one is as opposed to something one does.
This maxim also holds true of the musically articulate work of Mulder’s accomplished band which includes Jon Weber (piano and music direction), Mike Rosengarten (guitar), and Ritt Henn (bass) who, with Ms. Mulder, form a formidable ensemble of epic proportion. These four artists sing and play together with such synchronicity that voice and string are sometimes indistinguishable. This successful collaboration is particularly evident in three songs in Ms. Mulder’s program: “Jersey Girl” (from the 1980 LP: “Heart Attack and Vine”); “Day after Tomorrow” (with Kathleen Brennan from the 2004 album: “Real Gone”); and “Heart of Saturday Night” (from the 1974 LP: “Heart of Saturday Night”).
In all three songs, as well as in the other songs in her program, Ms. Mulder showcases her remarkable ability to interpret the song’s lyrics with precision, her impressive vocal range and control, and her accomplished phrasing. When Mulder sings “And I call your name, I can’t sleep at night,” the listener can experience the visceral longing of the speaker of the song for his “little angel … on the Jersey side.” Perhaps the most haunting song in her program is the “protest song” “Day after Tomorrow” in which the speaker croons “You can't deny/ The other side/ Don't want to die/ Any more than we do/ What I'm trying to say, / Is don't they pray/ To the same God that we do?” It is difficult to imagine lyrics that more clearly exemplify the moral ambiguity surrounding war and Mulder delivers these lyrics with impressive intelligence and pathos.
Tom Waits’ songs are pure poetry and Ms. Mulder “speaks” his words in scintillating song in her rendition of “The Heart of Saturday Night.” “And you got paid on Friday/ And your pockets are jinglin'/ And you see the lights/ You get all tinglin' cause you're cruisin' with a 6/ And you're looking for the heart of Saturday night.” Waits use of repetition, internal rhyme, and figurative language make this song vibrate with realism and Mulder’s phrasing places that reality squarely in the hearts of the listeners.
Directed by Lauren Fox, “Tom … in His Words” delivers the work of Tom Waits with exceptional power and delectable grace. The word ‘perfection’ pours all too easily off the critic’s tongue; however, in this case, it is perhaps the best word to describe Marissa Mulder’s and her band’s foray into the fractured world of fantasy that is Tom Waits.
MARISSA MULDER IN TOM … IN HIS WORDS
Marissa Mulder will appear at The Metropolitan Room on Friday March 29th and Saturday March 30th at 7:00 p.m. Doors open 45 minutes prior to performances. The Metropolitan Room is located at 34 West 22nd Street in Manhattan. There is a $20.00 per person Music Charge and a Two Drink Minimum with a $5.00 discount for MAC/Industry Members. For further information and to make reservations visit http://metropolitanroom.com/
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Friday, March 29, 2013 |
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"Hit the Wall" at the Barrow Street Theatre
“Hit the Wall” at the Barrow Street Theatre
Written by Ike Holter
Directed by Eric Hoff
Original Music by Dan Lipton
Reviewed by Joseph Verlezza
Theatre Reviews Limited
An important piece of theater aptly entitled “Hit the Wall” is consuming the small stage at The Barrow Street Theater in New York City’s West Village. Ike Holter’s new play examines the incidents which occurred at the birth of the gay movement at the nearby Stonewall Inn where riots erupted on the night of Judy Garland’s funeral on June 26th 1969 and where police raided that ever so popular watering hole frequented by the diverse and in control gay community residing in Greenwich Village. This is an historical event which introduced the open protests of gay Americans to achieve equal rights as upstanding citizens of the United States. However, there is not simply one bona fide account of the actual event but many conflicting reports depending on where and when participants and bystanders witnessed the conflict.
Rather than attempting to be an historical drama, “Hit the Wall” takes theatrical liberties necessary to present this evolution as an entertaining and informative piece of theater that easily appeals to an all inclusive audience without ever diminishing the severity or importance of that event. As a literary work, it might at times falter with weak dialogue and stereotypical characters, but then again this might have been the time when these certain types were introduced and established the mainstream society. Borrowing appearances and language from different eras might also be a liberty taken in an attempt to reach a broader audience, even though these might not be historically accurate.
This 90 minute drama is filled with inexhaustible energy and the undivided commitment of a devoted ensemble cast. They electrify the multi level, multi faceted stage with profound, intricate and brutal choreography accompanied by live heart pounding music reminiscent of the popular hard rock from the era. These actors encompass your being, infiltrate your mind and transport you to their time and place, so you become part of the action, you are there. All are superb but Nathan Lee Graham who inhabits Carson the transvestite as she mourns Judy’s death, transcends beauty, courage and rage to portray the persecuted everyman with pride, grace, humility and intelligence. Also of mention is Rania Salem Manganaro who manages to give the lonely lesbian Peg a brave soul as she reveals pain that captures the senses of the audience as she stands her ground. It is certain that these performances could not occur without the incredible support of the entire cast.
“Hit the Wall” is a drama that needs to be seen if only to remind us that the struggle and challenge continues in order to achieve equal rights for the gay community. For an older generation it might rekindle a memory and for the younger audience the play will teach the bravery of the forefathers of this endeavor and the importance of respect and dignity. Throughout the play we here the mantras “I was there” and “The reports of what happened next are not exactly clear.” How appropriate. This reviewer feels all who are still struggling “were there” and “are here.” What happens next is certainly not exactly clear, but we are hopeful. Spend some time to experience a powerful, exciting and enlightening theatrical event.
HIT THE WALL
Hit the Wall is presented Off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre by Scott Morfee, Jean Doumanian, Tom Wirtshafter, Patrick Daly, Burnt Umber, Roger E. Kass, Starry Night Entertainment, BarLor Productions, Christian Chadd Taylor, Marc and Lisa Biales.
The ensemble of Hit the Wall features Nick Bailey, Jessica Dickey, Ben Diskant, Nathan Lee Graham, Matthew Greer, Gregory Haney, Sean Allan Krill, Rania Salem Manganaro, Jonathan Mastro, Ray Rizzo, Carolyn Michelle Smith, Arturo Soria and Indigo Street. Ms. Manganaro and Mr. Soria reprise their roles from the critically acclaimed World Premiere of Hit the Wall, developed and produced in 2012 by The Inconvenience as part of Steppenwolf’s Garage Rep. Series in Chicago.
The creative team includes Lauren Helpern (Set), David Hyman (Costumes), Keith Parham (Lighting), Daniel Kluger and Brandon Wolcott (Sound), J. David Brimmer (Fight Director), and Pat McCorkle (Casting). The Production Stage Manager is Bethany Russell.
Tickets for Hit the Wall are $35 - $75 and can be purchased online at www.smarttix.com, on the phone at 212-868-4444, or in person at the Barrow Street Theatre box office, open at 1:00 PM daily. The performance schedule is Tuesday – Friday at 7:30 PM, Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM. Student Rush tickets are priced at $20 (with valid student I.D.) and available on the day of performance.
The Barrow Street Theatre is located at 27 Barrow Street at 7th Avenue South in the heart of Greenwich Village. Nearby subway stops are the 1 at Christopher Street (walk 1 block South on 7th Avenue to Barrow) and the A, C, E, B, D, F and M at West 4th (walk West on 4th Street, left on Barrow).
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Thursday, March 28, 2013 |
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"Honky" at Urban Stages
“Honky” at Urban Stages
Written by Greg Kalleres
Directed by Luke Harlan
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
“Unless you are honest with yourself, you cannot be honest with the people who love you.”
Sigmund Freud would have loved “Honky,” Greg Kalleres’s new play running at Urban Stages through April 14th. This play is chock full of repression, transference, hysteria, projection, and it makes people laugh. Freud loved humor and posited in his 1905 “Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious” that humankind tells jokes about and laughs about things about which it is uncomfortable. Perhaps the top three things which make us uncomfortable are the power vectors race, sex, and money. “Honkey” bravely tackles these issues with humor, grace, and style.
Sky Shoes executive Davis (Philip Callen) wants to expand the market of shoe designer Thomas’s (Anthony Gaskins) sneaker from the successful all-urban (AKA black) market to the wannabe white retail market. Philip does not really like the look of the sneaker but he likes the money it makes for his company. The conversation between executive and designer uncovers the mother lode of repressed racism. This conversation is counterpointed in those between Peter (Dave Droxler) and his fiancé Andie (Danielle Faitelson) and between Thomas and Emilia (Arie Bianca Thompson) and these conversations, though, humorous, contain deeper meaning.
Beneath (or embedded in) the humor are truths demanding attention and action. Racism in America (and elsewhere) persists in being pandemic and a dangerous impediment to celebrating true equality for all Americans. The playwright’s suggestion that Dr. Driscoll’s (Scott Barrow) pill that eradicates racism is effective because it “replicates brain damage” is telling. In other words, racism is not only pandemic; it might be immune to reason.
At the core, however, is the issue of honesty, particularly the individual’s ability to be honest about his or her racist feelings. In “Honky,” the Sky Shoes new sneaker is an effective trope (here an extended metaphor) for the issue of racism and honesty about the characters’ authentic feelings.
At the play’s beginning, Davis asks Thomas if he would wear the sneaker he designed and has become the object of controversy and a murder. After successfully revealing his authentic feelings about race and relationships with Andie, Thomas places the sneakers on his feet and symbolically claims both his identity and his honest feelings about that identity. It is only after claiming and celebrating his identity that he can return to Andie and begin an authentic interracial relationship.
There are three important scenes which take place in a subway car which feature impressively staged dream ballets (“danced” beautifully by Kid 1 and Kid 2 played by Chris Myers and Reynaldo Piniella respectively) which serve as metaphors for the particular character’s (Davis, Peter, and finally Thomas) conflict with and resolution about racism. Significant, too, are the scenes including visits from Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas which equally powerfully confront characters with deep questions about racism.
Under Luke Harlan’s careful direction, the ensemble cast of “Honky” skillfully utilizes humor to handily tackle the important issues of racism and honesty and extends the conversation about racism to the important theatre audience.
HONKY
Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director; Peter Napolitano, Producing Associate) presents the World Premiere of Greg Kalleres’ comedy “Honky,” directed by Luke Harlan.
The creative team includes Roman Tatarowicz (set design), Sarah Thea Swafford (costume design), Miriam Nilofa Crowe (lighting design), Brandon Wolcott (sound design), Caite Hevner (projection design), Sean Hagerty (production manager), and Brian D. Gold (production stage manager).
The cast includes Scott Barrow, Philip Callen, Dave Droxler, Danielle Faitelson, Anthony Gaskins, Chris Myers, Renaldo Piniella, and Arie Bianca Thompson.
“Honky” will run through Sunday, April 14, 2013 at Urban Stages (259 West 30 Street). The performance schedule is Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. There are Saturday matinee performances at 3:00 p.m. on March 23 and April 6. Tickets are $40.00 and are available at www.Smarttix.com or by calling 212.868.4444. Student Rush with valid ID 10 minutes before curtain (based on availability). Running time: 90 Minutes NO intermission.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Thursday, March 28, 2013 |
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"Not as Cute as Picture" at the Duplex
“Not as Cute as Picture” at the The Duplex
Written and Performed by J. D. Cerna
Directed by Nick Demos
Reviewed by Joseph Verlezza
Theatre Reviews Limited
A slice of gay life or for that matter any selective lifestyle is the scenario that plays out in J. D. Cerna’s solo show “Not as Cute as Picture” taking the stage at the historic Duplex in Greenwich Village. Rather than the common coming out or coming of age drama this falls more into the finding myself category in which Cerna plays himself and a multitude of other colorful characters. The show opens with some powerful energy and slick choreography from the disco eighties that delivers the audience to a place and time where the journey begins. It brought to mind the kinetic energy of an early David Drake whose word, movement, and focus defined his performance.
Cerna wastes no time introducing the first of many unique individuals he will inhabit throughout the evening. It becomes instantly obvious that his astute talent lies in physically and vocally morphing into a vast array of distinctive persona. He is quick, precise and energetic although sometimes stereotypical. The material does not provide enough substance to elicit any compassion so instead of characters they remain as personalities. When the written word is tenacious and trusted the result is effective characterization. Andy, a past companion dying of AIDS who repeatedly appears in a letter or a phone call with no physical incarnation, becomes one of the strongest characters and captures the audience’s emotional involvement. The number of characters, speed of transformation and unnecessary presence and dialogue allows for confusion and lends no insight to the storyline. Perhaps less is more.
J. D. Cerna is a talented performer and skillful illusionist who provides an enjoyable evening of entertainment. With more focus on fewer characters his story could reach deeper into the minds and hearts of his audience and perhaps have them leave the performance feeling inspired by an incredible piece of theater.
NOT AS CUTE AS PICTURE
“Not as Cute as Picture” ran at the Duplex. 61 Christopher Street, through March 22, 2013. For more information on the show, visit http://www.notascuteaspicture.com/
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Tuesday, March 26, 2013 |
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"No Expectations" - Parker Scott and Wells Hanley at the Metropolitan Room
“No Expectations” at the Metropolitan Room
Parker Scott and Wells Hanley with Rubin Kodheli, Cello
Musical Direction by Wells Hanley
Directed by Gerry Geddes
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
The trio of talent at The Metropolitan Room on Monday February 25, 2013 - Parker Scott, Wells Hanley, and Rubin Kodheli – creates a synchronicity of sound that outreaches perfection. There are times when the voices coming from these three sources are indistinguishable and easily could be one voice.
We have said almost all that can be said about Parker Scott’s voice and his unique interpretive skills: the adjectives compound and sometimes serve to show simply the paucity of our critical vocabulary. Those adjectives are important for Parker’s ongoing review of his practice and for the overall health of the theatre (including cabaret). Adjectives like ‘distinctive’ and ‘unique’ are precise descriptions of Parker’s reprise performance of “No Expectations” on Monday evening. He reaches new heights in this performance: bluesy, jazzy tones counterpoint with operatic exactitude creating an auspicious vocal matrix.
But I believe we need to begin to honor Parker for the unique contribution he has made to the industry and to the genre. What follows is a stream of consciousness review of “that side” of my friend Parker and all that he continues to do for us. The “review” will make direct and subtle reference to his current performance at the wonderful Metropolitan Club.
We meet. These meetings are intentional, serendipitous, welcomed, dreaded. But meet we will and meet we must. Whatever the reason for the meetings, what is significant is what happens during the time we spend with those others who brush up against our lives. Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” meets “An American Hymn” (Molly Ann Leikin/Lee Holdridge) in Parker’s haunting rendition of this song based on an arrangement by Dick Gallagher.
Visiting a place where we’ve been before and wanting to go back because we liked it and enjoyed it is a commendable goal. But most of the time when we revisit we enjoy the same things and see the same things but rarely do we venture down a new street or into a new area. Parker’s performance on Monday takes him down new streets, new alleys. The reason we go back in the future is because there will be even more to explore and to learn. That’s what happened at the Metropolitan Room and what will happen when Parker finally visits Paris this summer. His deep and rich understanding of “Non, je ne regretted rien” (Michael Vaucaire/Charles Dumont) and “Hymne a l’amour” (Edith Piaf/Marguerite Monnot) honor not only the magic and mystery of Edith Piaf but also celebrate the wonder of unconditional and timeless love.
It’s All Right with Me” (Cole Porter) from the 1953 “Can-Can “showcases a collaboration between Parker Scott, pianist Wells Hanley, and cellist Rubin Kodheli which far transcends mere collaboration. This song along with “Taking the Wheel” (John Bucchino, based on an arrangement by Dick Gallagher) and “You Are Here” (Gerry Geddes/Anthony Gaglione, based on an arrangement by Dick Gallagher) showcases a team of professionals who work tirelessly to reach and share musical performance perfection.
As always, Parker Scott’s naming of his performances is more than random. In “No Expectations,” Mr. Scott invites the audience in every musical number to forego the “back seat” and “start dreaming again.” This lyric from John Bucchino’s “Taking the Wheel” encourages the listener to begin “dreaming again,” to “think, feel, and [take] action. This is a performance for making the dreams of 2012 the realities of 2013.
Parker Scott appeared at The Metropolitan Room on Monday February 25th at 7:00 p.m. The Metropolitan Room is located at 34 West 22nd Street in Manhattan. For further information visit http://metropolitanroom.com/
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Tuesday, February 26, 2013 |
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"On the Head of a Pin" at 59E59 Theater B
“On the Head of a Pin” at 59E59 Theater B
Written and Directed by Frank Winters
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
When people want to express the total pointlessness of something, they sometimes say that thing is as silly as "arguing over how many angels could dance on the head of a pin." The familiar phrase is also a rather cynical description of what might be considered a tedious concern with irrelevant details. For Caliban (a civilian version of Taliban perhaps), the civilian contractor overseeing operations at Fathoum Prison in Iraq, it is pointless to tell the truth. Worrying whether prisoners are tortured during interrogation is a tedious concern with irrelevant details: what matters to Caliban’s onsite manager Kathleen Crane (Jen Tullock) is that her untrained and unprepared interrogators get what she needs to secure convictions. Breaking down Sarah Kennedy (Emily Fleischer) who wants to blow the whistle on what goes on at Fathoum is also an irrelevant detail even if it results in Sarah committing suicide.
And when those who would do all they can to “break” those who would, through their heroic actions, prove that (in fact) “some things are worth saving,” they might charge that those heroes are simply arguing over how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. Those who can do whatever they want to do (governments, for example) need to dismiss as irrelevant anything that is done to save something worth saving, anything that is done to protect something worth protecting. Frank Winters’ engaging and important “On the Head of a Pin,” currently running at 59E59 Theater B, serves up characters and conflicts that drive a detailed and driving plot which moves from past (2004, a few miles south of Baghdad Iraq) to present (2007, New York City) in carefully crafted counterpoint.
Frank Winters’ script makes it clear that what is worth saving is honesty, integrity, and moral responsibility. Freedom of the press is worth protecting in the United States and in other democracies. Lily Strauss (Sofia Lauwers) wants her reporting job back at The New York Guardian and comes to acting editor Jon Lowe (James Ortiz) with a story that will save the paper from financial ruin. Her story is that of the torture of prisoners at Fathoum Prison. The problem is: Lily cannot reveal her source and the last time she convinced The Guardian to print one of her disclosures cost her not only her job but her paper’s reputation and subscriber base.
The remarkable story of Lily’s return, her collaboration with Henry Sullivan (Will Gallacher), Gwen Post (Devin Dunne Cannon), and Russell Clark (Marcus Callender), and her conflicted decision to print the story after the source is confirmed is captivating and each member of this brilliant cast helps to bring Mr. Winters’ tale to a successful climax and conclusion. Not even the likes of the government’s Allison Howe (Jennifer Loring) can dissuade Lily and her team to break. Lily’s relationship with Gwen is the only event that almost dissuades her. Actors Sofia Lauwers and Devin Dunne Cannon portray the loving relationship between Lily and Gwen with sensitivity and passion. Their story further heightens the play’s exploration into the meaning of commitment and cause.
Set designer James Ortiz makes full use of the playing area in 59E59 Theater B. There is an office cubicle downstage left that is difficult to light; however, this area is only used for transitions off and on the stage. Ortiz’s well-designed set allows director Frank Winters to move his actors from one scene to another seamlessly. Zach Pizza’s sparse but effective lighting further enhances the transition from one set location to another and from present to past. And Amanda Kullman’s costume design is pefect.
Strangemen & Company’s “On the Head of a Pin” is an impressive drama and stands a good chance at having a future. There needs to be some judicious paring in length but clearly Frank Winters is up to that task. This is a play to place on your “must see” list.
ON THE HEAD OF A PIN
Strangemen & Co. presents the world premiere of ON THE HEAD OF A PIN, written and directed by Frank Winters which runs for a limited engagement through Sunday March 10, 2013.
The cast features Jason Ralph (Peter and the Starcatcher on Broadway), Emily Fleischer (No Exit at the Secret Theater), Devin Dunne Cannon (30 Rock), James Ortiz (El Gato Con Botas with Tectonic Theatre), Sofia Lauwers (Off Broadway debut), Jen Tullock (The Projectionist with NY Stage & Film), Will Gallacher, Marcus Callender (Blue Bloods on CBS), and Jennifer Loring (Off Broadway debut).
The design team includes James Ortiz (sets), Zach Pizza (lighting), Sarah Dowling (props), and Amanda Kullman (wardrobe). The stage manager is B. Bales Karlin.
The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:15 PM; Friday and Saturday at 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $18 ($12.60 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
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| 1 Comment - Comment | Add Comment | Permalink | Tuesday, February 26, 2013 |
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Kevin Dozier - "Love's Never Lost" at the Metropolitan Room
Kevin Dozier – “Love’s Never Lost” at the Metropolitan Room
Musical Direction by Alex Rybeck
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
There was so much talent on the stage of the Metropolitan Room for Kevin Dozier’s “Love’s Never Lost” CD Launch that Kevin quipped, “I have no room to move.” Kevin’s new CD, produced by Paul Rolnick, features arrangements and musical direction by Alex Rybeck. Kevin said “The songs I’ve selected are about the many stages of love. They range from Edward’s and Raleigh’s ‘Wonderful! Wonderful!’ and Ann Hampton Callaway’s ‘Perfect’ to the first commercial release of Ahrens and Flaherty’s ‘Love’s Never Lost’ from their musical ‘A Man of No Importance’ and ‘Hold to My Hand ‘ an original song by Carol Hall and Alex Rybeck.”
Accompanied by musical director Alex Rybeck, drummer John Redsecker, bassist Jered Egan, guitarist Sean Harkness, and cellist Yoed Nir Kevin’s song list for this February 11, 2013 launch event at the Metropolitan Room included all 15 songs from the CD although he sang them in an order different from that on the CD.
Throughout the evening, Kevin approached each song with his unique styling and interpretation. No lyric escaped his keen understanding, delivered with his distinctive confident, smooth, and clear vocal tones reminiscent of Johnny Mathis. Although Kevin’s remarkable vocal craft was evident in each of the 15 songs, it reached the level of sheer brilliance in his pairing of “Always” (Irving Berlin, 1925) with Mabel’s “Time Heals Everything” from “Mack and Mable” (Jerry Herman, 1974). After a few enticing bars from “Always,” hauntingly accompanied by Mr. Rybeck’s piano and Mr. Nir’s cello, Kevin seamlessly transitions into “Time Heals Everything” with remarkable phrasing.
Equally distinguished was Kevin Dozier’s delivery of “What a Funny Boy He Is” (Michael Stewart/Alex Rybeck), “Love’s Never Lost” a song cut from “A Man of No Importance” (Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty, 2002), “Falling Out of Love” (Jed Leiber/Jerry Leiber/ Burt Bacharach), and “The Journey” (Julie Gold – who was in the audience).
The lyrics from Ann Hampton Callaway’s “Perfect” counterpoint precisely with Mr. Dozier and his understanding of perfection. He, too, lives for “sight, taste, touch, and sound.” He not only allows his audience to see him and taste his delicious craft; he also allows the audience to feel his warmth and hear his glorious voice. Kevin, time might heal everything; however, it will never heal our loving you. Thank you!
KEVIN DOZIER - LOVE’S NEVER LOST
Joining Kevin on stage at The Metropolitan Room will be Musical Director/pianist Alex Rybeck with John Redsecker on drums, Jered Egan on bass, Sean Harkness on guitars, and Yoed Nir on cello.
Kevin Dozier’s new show “Love’s Never Lost” (launching his new CD by the same name) played for one performance on Monday, February 11th at 7:00 p.m. at The Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, NYC. For further information visit http://metropolitanroom.com. For more information about Kevin, go to www.kevindozier.com.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Saturday, February 23, 2013 |
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"Clive" - The New Group at the Acorn Theatre
“Clive” – The New Group at the Acorn Theatre
Written by Jonathan Marc Sherman
Directed by Ethan Hawke
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
“So high you can't get over it /So low you can't get under it /So wide you can't get 'round it /You gotta' go in at the door.” - Traditional American Gospel Song
In The New Group’s spellbinding production “Clive” at the Acorn Theatre, Clive the protagonist does all he can to avoid redemption (going in at the door), including forfeiting his soul. Unlike Faust, Clive sidesteps selling his soul to the Devil; instead, he destroys whatever he perceives his soul to be. More like Saint Sebastian, Clive is a martyr, in Clive’s case a martyr for the cause of antinominianism. Clive is indeed exempt from the obligations of moral law. Clive’s soul is repeatedly shot through with the arrows of unbridled yearning until he is bereft of hope, bereft of the self who was/is Clive. Or perhaps Clive is whatever the Devil might be, selling his self to himself.
That soul - that self - is brilliantly portrayed by Vincent D’Onofrio as the on-stage character of Doc who serves as Clive’s doppelganger. Ethan Hawke’s Clive magically (it seems) skillfully collides Ego, Id, and Superego in the particle accelerator of the collective mind of the audience to create a truth-or-dare universe where “logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead” (Grace Slick with special thanks to William Butler Yeats). Through Doc’s cajoling, the audience experiences Clive’s desperate search for meaning and connection.
In Jonathan Marc Sherman’s engaging and provocative re-telling of Bertolt Brecht’s “Baal,” Sherman tumbles together images from a variety of musical, artistic, and literary sources to awaken Brecht’s celebration of the antihero (or is it Everyman?) and give it post-modern relevance. Armed with a treasure trove of tropes, the playwright chronicles Clive’s prodigal quest for pleasure. This playful protagonist broods like Hamlet and one of his women (like Ophelia) drowns herself. He snorts one of many colorful powders (a marvelous extended metaphor for the numbness of spirit, the ennui in the midst of the twenty-first century quest for happiness) and fathers an unwanted child.
Under Ethan Hawke’s decisive direction, the profoundly talented cast provides the virtual universe Clive transverses on his melancholic and Id-driven journey. Brooks Ashmanskas, Stephanie Janssen, Mahira Kakkar, Zoe Kazan, Aaron Krohn, Dana Lyn, and the playwright Jonathan Marc Sherman baptize the audience with wonder, strum and moan the music of madness (from the doors of the set!) and confuse our values-driven culture to the point of no return. This universe – where right and wrong, good and evil become meaningless constructs – is brought to life by Derek McLane’s expansive set that transcends even Dante’s nine circles of Hell and Jeff Croiter’s lighting that creates “Starry Night” without oil on canvas. Catherine Zuber’s costumes, Shane Rettig’s sound design and the Music and Sound Sculptures by GAINES with live violin performance by Dana Lyn complete the creative magic of this important new work.
Quixote-like, like Clive, we dash at windmills, stand silent before our distorted reflections. We dance for others with worn out shoes hoping to be terribly late for our date (down by the river, under the bridge, in the asylum, in the walk-up corridors of our minds) with that Grand Inquisitor just as others more capable (perhaps) before us attempted to do. But like Clive, Adam, Vincent, even (near the end of his journey) the Redeemer himself (Take this Cup!) we rendezvous with destiny on the highway, in the streets and find ourselves face to face with all we attempted to escape or deny. Like Van Gogh, like Clive, we look out from our supposed madness into the starry, starry night (Van Gogh ala Don McLean). “And we're lost out here in the stars/ Little stars big stars blowing through the night And we're lost out here in the stars Little stars big stars blowing through the night And we're lost out here in the stars” (Kurt Weill/Maxwell Anderson). And the game of truth-or-dare reboots.
CLIVE – THE NEW GROUP AT THE ACORN THEATRE
Presented by the New Group at the Acorn Theatre on Theatre Row, “Clive” is directed by Ethan Hawke. The creative team includes Derek McLane (set design), Catherine Zuber (costume design), Jeff Croiter (lighting design), and Shane Rettig (sound design). “Clive” features Music and Sound Sculptures by GAINES with live violin performance by Dana Lyn.
The cast of “Clive” includes Brooks Ashmanskas, Vincent D’Onfrio, Ethan Hawke, Stephanie Janssen, Mahira Kakkar, Zoe Kazan, Aaron Krohn, Dana Lyn, and Jonathan Marc Sherman.
“Clive” runs through March 9 on the following performance schedule: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.; and Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. with matinees Saturday at 2:00 p.m. . All performances are at the Acorn Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street in New York City. Tickets are $60.00 plus the $1.25 restoration fee and can be arranged through www.telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200 or at the Theatre Row Box Office 12:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. daily.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Friday, February 22, 2013 |
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"Children of Paradise - A Play with Mime" at the Theater for the New City
“Children of Paradise – A Play with Mime” at the Theater for the New City
Written and Directed by Richmond Shepard
Reviewed by Joseph Verlezza
Theatre Reviews Limited
“Children of Paradise,” Richmond Shepard’s new play being performed at the Theater for the New City, is a combination of several mime pieces seen in the film version of the same name and the life story of Baptiste Gaspard Debureau the famous pantomime who performed in France during the 19th century. The spoken dialogue in the script provides information about Debureau’s character, demeanor, and lifestyle offstage while the intricately choreographed mime pieces examine the true brilliance of his craft.
A somewhat lost art, fragments of mime can be seen today in the physical isolation of break dancers or certainly in the robotic gestures of several street performers, but the true essence only exists when pairing precise physical movement with exaggerated emotional facial expression to capture the audience.
The cast of thirteen provides an admirable attempt to recreate the original sketches using their skills of magic, mime, dance and acrobatics but the result, although interesting, is somewhat unsuccessful. Each of the three pieces falls short of the emotional collaboration needed for the audience to connect with the characters, putting too much effort and emphasis on the physical choreography. The dialogue is enlightening and manages to connect the action as the audience journeys into the past exposing Debureau’s character, but the delivery is forced and stilted.
Two exceptions who turn in engaging performances are Denise M. Whalen and Jonathan Hendrickson. Each of these actors brightens the stage with their precise movement in sync with telling facial expression and wide eyed enthusiasm. Live music for this production was adequately provided by Harrison Wade on keyboard and drums.
If you have never seen a live pantomime performance take this rare opportunity to enjoy the theatrical experience and learn about one of its prominent historical figures. Attend to acknowledge the energetic, multitalented cast who will entertain with their devotion and passion to learn a complicated, intricate and physically demanding art form.
CHILDREN OF PARADISE – A PLAY WITH MIME
The acrobatic mime-play features a company of 14 consisting of mimes, actors and gymnasts, all of whom are members of The Mime Guild. Composer and music director Harrison Wade leads a band consisting of clarinet, violin, and keyboard.
The cast includes Chris Douros as Baptiste Debureau/Pierrot, Kendall Rileigh as his wife Columbine, and Marcus Watson as Harlequin. Also featured are Jonathan Hendrickson, Denise Whalen, Jenny Chang, Stacey Hull, T Valada-Viars, Alexander Merinov, Aaron Kaplan, Bruce Schaffer, Michael Siegell, Nathanial Moore, Peter De Paula.
“Children of Paradise” performs three consecutive weeks, from Thursday February 7 through Sunday February 24, with performances as follows: Thursday through Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm. For tickets, which are $25, call Smarttix at 212/868-4444, or go to www.smarttix.com
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Thursday, February 21, 2013 |
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MCC Theater's "Really Really" Extends through March 24th
MCC THEATER’S “REALLY REALLY” EXTENDS THROUGH MARCH 24th
New York, NY – MCC THEATER (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, William Cantler, Artistic Directors; Blake West, Executive Director) is thrilled to announce the extension of the New York premiere production of Paul Downs Colaizzo’s Really Really, directed by David Cromer (the Obie Award and Lucille Lortel Award-winning director of hits Our Town, Adding Machine and Tribes). The production, which marks Colaizzo’s New York playwriting debut, is now scheduled at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC) through March 24, 2013. It was previously scheduled through March 10th. Tickets for the added performances are on sale now.
In a joint statement, the MCC THEATER Artistic Directors said, “Our goal at MCC is to inspire spirited discussion and debate with all of our productions. As we anticipated, Paul Downs Colaizzo’s new play Really Really is sparking intense conversations and crossing generational lines. It’s gratifying to see a new generation of theatergoers pouring through the doors at the Lortel. We’re excited to add these extra weeks to accommodate the demand.”
Really Really features Matt Lauria (NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” & “Parenthood”), Zosia Mamet (HBO’s “Girls”, AMC’s “Mad Men”), Lauren Culpepper (Signature’s Really Really), David Hull (Broadway’s Wicked & How to Succeed…), Evan Jonigkeit (Broadway’s High with Kathleen Turner), Kobi Libii (Off-Broadway’s CQ/CX), and Aleque Reid (Hair 1st National Tour). The play begins in the hazy aftermath of a wild party when ‘the morning after’ appears to be just another day in the undergrad carnival that revolves around a close circle of friends. But when morning-after gossip about privileged Davis (Lauria) and ambitious Leigh (Mamet) turns ugly, the veneer of loyalty and friendship is peeled back to reveal a vicious jungle of sexual politics, raw ambition, and class warfare where only the strong could possibly survive.
Paul Downs Colaizzo’s startlingly funny, booze-soaked cornucopia, Really Really, took Washington D.C. by storm last season with its acclaimed, record-breaking run at the Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre. In addition to direction by David Cromer (whose visionary take on Our Town floored New York audiences in 2009, and whose recent Tribes was one of Off-Broadway’s biggest hits ever), this production features scenic design by David Korins (Annie), costume design by Sarah Laux (associate designer, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), lighting design by David Wiener (reasons to be pretty), and sound design by Daniel Kluger (Tribes.
All performances of Really Really will offer $25 Under 30 seating, with Front Row and Rush seats available two hours prior to each curtain, pending availability, for $25 to patrons 29 years old or younger on the day of the performance. Advanced $25 Under 30 seating is also offered online for each performance, with tickets available for pick-up at will call with valid ID. One ticket per ID. No exceptions. Additionally, $20 Student Rush tickets for full-time high school and college students, 20 minutes before curtain (cash only) with valid ID. General tickets for Really Really are $69-$89 and are available by visiting www.mcctheater.org or calling 212-352-3101. 2-play subscriptions for the 2012-2013 mainstage productions are priced at $89 and are now available by visiting www.mcctheater.org.
As previously announced, the final show of MCC Theater’s 2012-13 season will be Reasons to Be Happy (May 16 – June 23, 2013), written and directed by Neil LaBute, a companion piece to his reasons to be pretty (a 2009 Tony Award® nominee for Best Play which originated Off-Broadway at MCC in 2008). Reasons to Be Happy picks up several years after the events of the first play with the same four conflicted, provocative characters. Casting for Reasons to Be Happy will be announced shortly, and tickets will go on sale March 11, 2013.
MCC Theater – founded in 1986 as Manhattan Class Company – is committed to developing and producing new work that challenges artists and rewards audiences. Our mission is carried out through an annual season of world, American, and New York premieres, literary development programs for emerging writers, and ground-breaking education programs that enable more than 1,000 New York City high school students to find - and use - their own unique voice each year through the creation and performance of original theater pieces. Notable MCC Theater highlights include: the New York premiere of The Other Place starring Laurie Metcalf (now on Broadway, extended through March 3, 2013); the 2008 Tony Award-nominated Reasons to Be Pretty by Neil LaBute, The Pride, Fifty Words, the 2004 Tony-winning production of Bryony Lavery’s Frozen, Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig, Rebecca Gilman’s The Glory of Living, Marsha Norman’s Trudy Blue, Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Wit, Tim Blake Nelson’s The Grey Zone, Alan Bowne’s Beirut, The Submission, winner of the inaugural Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award for new American plays, and last season’s newly reworked and fully re-imagined production of Carrie, the musical. Over the years, the dedication to the work of new and emerging artists has earned MCC Theater a variety of awards.
For a complete production history, visit www.mcctheater.org.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Thursday, February 21, 2013 |
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"It's Only Love" - An Evening of Broadway Love Songs at the Metropolitan Room
“It’s Only Love” – An Evening of Broadway Love Songs at the Metropolitan Room
Produced by Joseph Macchia
Musical Direction by Tracy Stark
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
If the opportunity returns next year, plan to spend Valentine’s Day at the Metropolitan Room. Make dinner reservations early in the evening and head over to the Room for dessert and drinks and experience love songs performed - as they were this Valentine’s Day - with a dash of grace, and style, and panache. On this Valentine’s Day, nine talented Broadway and Cabaret performers shared the love songs they cherished in “It’s Only Love” – An Evening of Broadway Love Songs.”
Danny Bolero, Bernard Dotson, and Tom Gamblin – whose “Boys Night Out” played at the Metropolitan Room in January 2013 – performed solo songs. Danny Bolero (Cast of “In the Heights” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”) sang “All I Ask of You” and delivered a tour de force rendition of John Kander’s comedic “Sara Lee.” Tom Gamblin (Cast of the National Tours of “Titanic” and “Starlight Express”) conveyed heartfelt and sweet renditions of Nina Simone’s “What More Can I Say” and what Tom describes as the greatest Broadway song “If I Loved You” from “Carousel” (Rogers and Hammerstein). And Bernard Dotson (Cast of “Chicago,” “Dreamgirls” and “Sweet Smell of Success”) showcased his perfect phrasing in Alicia Keys’ “Fallin’” and in his duet with Broadway producer Alison Eckert “One Hand One Heart” from “West Side Story” (Arthur Laurents/Leonard Bernstein).
Will Perez delivered crisply beautiful versions of “She Was There” from “The Scarlet Pimpernel” (Frank Wildhorn/Nan Knighton) and “He Touched Me.” Liz McEndry (Cast of “The Producers”) gave solid emotional substance to the prayerful “Make the Man Love Me” from the 1951 musical production “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (D. Fields and A. Schwartz).
Romelda Teron Benjamin (Cast of “Brooklyn” and the 2004 ATA production of “Bare”) gave new meaning to sultry in her powerhouse performances of “The Man That Got Away” (Harold Arlen/Ira Gershwin) and “Bring on the Men” (Frank Wildhorn/Leslie Bircusse). And Musical Director and six time MAC Award winner Tracy Stark, who accompanied each performer with sensitivity and style, sang “a song she wrote on the beach” – her 2006 award-winning “Camera.”
It was an honor to share the commitment and passion and craft of these singer-actors-dancers (and producer) who took the time to share their songs of love in the most loving ways. Bravo and thank you.
WITH: Romelda Teron Benjamin, Danny Bolero, Bernard Dotson, Alison Eckert, Tom Gamblin, Liz McEndry, Will Perez, and Tracy Stark.
“It’s Only Love” played for one performance at the Metropolitan Room located at 34 West 22nd Street in Manhattan. There is a per person Music Charge and a Two Drink Minimum. For further information visit http://metropolitanroom.com/
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Tuesday, February 19, 2013 |
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"All the Rage" at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater
“All the Rage” at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater
Written and Performed by Martin Moran
Directed by Seth Barrish
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
As the twenty-first century moves forward, events national and global have not only raised mortgage rates, the rate of unemployment, the amount of the national debt, and the level of bickering in the United States Congress but also has raised the level of national, global, and personal rage. That level of rage is apparent in the experience of many in this decade except one: Martin Moran seems to dodge the vicissitudes of rage and chronicles his experience with rage in his new “All the Rage” currently playing at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater in New York City.
Like the ultimate therapist, Martin Moran makes himself available to each member of the audience with his offer of unconditional and non-judgmental love. Transference and counter transference fill the sacred spaces between Moran and audience members as he chronicles his struggle with expressing rage. There is a great deal in Moran’s story that would (and should) result in rage: he was abused early in life by Bob a Roman Catholic counselor; he was repeatedly verbally abused by “Joyce” the woman he refuses to call his stepmother.
Rather than deal directly with his rage, Moran often chooses the paths of projection and sublimation. His rage is redirected toward careless cab drivers or sublimated in doing commendable and important “good works.” Indeed. Much of the content of “All the Rage” concerns Moran’s work with the Refugee and Immigrant Fund (www.AsylumHelp.org). There is also a significant presence of the performer’s history with his abuser Bob although Moran clearly states at the beginning of the piece that “All the Rage” is not about that event.
Rage is a natural and necessary stage of grieving. Recovery from sexual or psychological abuse requires the same process of grieving following the death of a significant person. One needs to experience the stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance (in no specific sequence). Rather than succumbing to the naturalness of grieving, Moran seems to function well within a process he calls “rehearsing consciousness” which embraces forgiveness and celebrates the connectivity of humankind (“flesh of my flesh). For example, when Moran is about to rage against Joyce, his almost accidental touch of her hand defuses his rage. He even refuses to express rage when he reconnects with and ailing and aging Bob in his adulthood.
Moran’s choice to sublimate his rage is not only commendable but needs to be embraced as his choice. Not everyone deals with rage in the same way. However, as we move forward in life we continue to experience death whether physical or emotional and we need to allow ourselves to grieve at what has been lost. So anger or rage walks with us throughout life and it, too, is flesh of our flesh and needs to be embraced and understood – for to ignore it might be something like dying itself.
What makes “All the Rage” remarkable is not its content alone: Moran’s writing and performance style are both marked with originality and grace. He writes and performs the way the human brain functions and the human mind meanders seemingly aimlessly to construct resolution. Armed with a troop of rhetorical tropes, Moran makes his unique case for balancing rage with forgiveness, projection with passion, and finding acceptable and commendable ways to anchor him in the matrix of the human experience.
ALL THE RAGE
“All the Rage” is produced by piece by piece productions and Rising Phoenix Repertory, in association with The Barrow Group. The creative team includes Mark Wendland (scenic design), Clint Ramos (costume design), Russell H. Champa (lighting design), Leon Rothenberg (sound design), Bart Cortright (video design), Robert Saenz de Viteri (production manager), and Tom Taylor (production stage manager).
“All the Rage” plays Monday, Wednesday – Saturday at 7:00 p.m.; Sunday at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., through Sunday, February 24 at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 416 West 42 Street, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. Tickets are $55.00 and may be purchased by visiting www.ticketcentral.com, or by phoning 212-279-4200, or at the Ticket Central box office, 416 West 42 Street (Monday through Sunday,12pm – 8pm). Same-day, $10.00 student rush tickets are available at the box office; $15.00 advance student rush tickets may be purchased by phone, online, or at the box office. The running time of “All the Rage” is 80 minutes. For more information about “All the Rage,” please visit www.alltherageplay.com.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Tuesday, February 19, 2013 |
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David Brenner at the Metropolitan Room
David Brenner at the Metropolitan Room
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
David Brenner returns to New York City in his Homecoming Performance at the Metropolitan Room. The Metropolitan Room is the location of the original Gotham Comedy Club, where Brenner performed regularly in his early years. In a tour de force ninety-minute performance, Mr. Brenner laces the engaging story of his iconic career in comedy with an avalanche of humor that buries the audience in delightful laughter, delicious memories, and daring darts and the powers-that-be.
After warming up with charming stories about the Bitter End, the Johnny Carson Show, and the bookings which followed his first appearance on the show, Mr. Brenner delivers the best stand-up comedy any audience could ask for. Whether sharing gems of observational comedy (“the stupid things people do”) or the newer genre of comedy which counterpoints current events he pioneered twelve years ago, David Brenner creates comedy that satisfies and challenges the listener. For example, commenting on the current concern over creating stronger gun control, Mr. Brenner suggests re-writing the Second Amendment to define the right to bear arms to mean the right to wear short sleeves!
Perhaps the most intriguing perspective on David Brenner’s performance (and I hope David will not mind this comment) is that it ought to be a Master Class for educators, particularly those who seem confused about why our children in public schools are not graduating high school in higher numbers. Mr. Brenner’s performance is none other than the perfect example of authentic learning or, to use edu-speak, a problem based learning lesson. After producing 150 documentaries and sensing the need for a change, David watched a stand-up comedian perform and said to himself, “Wait, I can do that!” He then determined what he needed to do to achieve that goal, identified his motivation, and grappled (the key word) with a plan that would result in success. Task: to become a successful stand-up comedian. Strategy: to get on the Johnny Carson Show. Motivation: knowing he could do it and knowing he had to continue “to climb the hill” in order to do so. This street-smart (David’s phrase) young professional was determined to become a successful stand-up comedian and he has become perhaps the most successful comedian working in the genre today.
Thank you, David Brenner, for your humor, your keen awareness of the complexity of the human condition, your commitment to excellence, and your return to the room which still reverberates with the joy you shared there years ago. And thank you for reminding us to watch out for self-professed faith healers sporting depilated domes.
DAVID BRENNER AT THE METROPOLITAN ROOM
David Brenner appears at The Metropolitan Room on the following schedule: Saturday February 16 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday February 17 at 7:00 p.m. Doors open 45 minutes prior to performances. The Metropolitan Room is located at 34 West 22nd Street in Manhattan. There is a $25.00 per person Music Charge and a Two Drink Minimum. For further information visit http://metropolitanroom.com/
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Saturday, February 16, 2013 |
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"All in the Timing" at 59E59 Theater A
“All in the Timing” at 59E59 Theater A
By David Ives
Directed by John Rando
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
In his seventeenth-century poem “On Time,” John Milton envisions humankind’s triumph over “envious Time.” Milton writes, “When once our heav'nly-guided soul shall clime, / Then all this Earthy grosnes quit, / Attir’d with Stars, we shall for ever sit, / Triumphing over Death, and Chance, and thee O Time.” Time (and all its vicissitudes) is the subject of “All in the Timing” currently running at 59E59 Theater A in New York City.
Under John Rando’s thoughtful and collaborative direction, the engaging ensemble cast of David Ives’ original six “All in the Timing” plays is able to achieve a remarkable level of artistic excellence. Ives’ six one-act plays employ existentialism, romanticism, wordplay, and a bevy of rhetorical devices to demonstrate how timing teases almost every aspect of life: dating; language; human encounters; humor; even humanity’s understanding of things eternal. And, of course, the plays demonstrate how success in the theatre is often achieved through actors’ understanding of timing.
The importance of timing is evident in “Sure Thing” with Carson Elrod as Bill and Liv Rooth as Betty. On a rainy night in a café, Bill approaches the empty chair at Betty’s table and the two engage in an extended round of possible conversations that might occur at such a chance meeting. This is probably the most difficult play for the actors. The conversations weave through each other and give the actors ample opportunities to respond to the wrong cue. This fast-paced one-act serves as a strong beginning and feature two actors who thoroughly capture the importance of timing in comedy.
“Words, Words, Words” is a wonderful parody of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” This one-act puts three actors in Dr. David Rosenbaum’s laboratory at Columbia University testing the infinite monkey theorem that revolves around the idea that a monkey hitting random keys on a typewriter (or in today's context, a keyboard) for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type a given text, usually defined as the complete works of William Shakespeare. With Carson Elrod, Liv Rooth, and Matthew Saldivar as three monkeys named Swift, Kafka, and Milton respectively, this riff on the theorem celebrates random theory and humanity’s fascination with the meaning of the infinite.
Knowing when a new beginning is really a new beginning is the argument addressed in “The Universal Language” with Jenn Harris as Dawn, Carson Elrod as Don, and Eric Clem as the Young Man. Occurring in the present in a generic classroom, the one-act develops the engaging trope of teaching a universal language which, in fact, is a fraud. Dawn come to Don’s class to learn Unamunda in hopes that the universal language will not only stop her stutter in it tracks but provide the opportunity for a new beginning in life. Just as the homonymic pair concludes the nonsense language is just nonsense, a young man enters the classroom searching for a new beginning in a world of non-sense and the quest continues.
After a fifteen minute intermission, “All in the Timing continues with “Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread” featuring the full cast at a bakery in the present imagining how the famed American composer would cope with encountering an old love while buying a loaf of bread. Ives’ script sweetly riffs the composer’s minimalist musings on what humanity wishes life could be.
Being out of synch, out of place, and out of time is the theme of “The Philadelphia” with Matthew Saldivar as Al, Jenn Harris as the Waitress, and Carson Elrod as Mark. A restaurant in New York City in the present provides the opportunity for the pair of friends to explore how their current difficulties in communicating and surviving relate to the distinct “personalities” of major cities. Jenn Harris’ waitress is the perfect foil to the friends’ floundering in a wonderful batch of truisms.
Perhaps most poignant is “Variations on the Death of Trotsky” where in his study in Coyoacan, Mexico on August 21, 1940, Trotsky “relives” his demise in eight variations. The one-act concludes with a large backdrop of Henri Rosseau’s painting “Surprised!” depicting a tiger ready to pounce on its prey just as Trotsky ultimately met his surprising death at the hands of an assassin (Eric Clem). Trotsky’s wife (Liv Rooth) reads from an encyclopedia from the future to inform her husband of the details of his death. If only humankind had more control of the mystery of the thing called time. We could re-boot, re-do, re-make important events, life-changing events, critical events and create alternative endings, alternate realities, even alternate futures.
Sitting for just short of two hours with David Ives and the 20th anniversary revival of his “All in the Timing” might be all we get of that possibility. However, that time, that precious time with the brilliant cast of “All in the Timing” is a timeless gift.
ALL IN THE TIMING AT 59E59 THEATER A
Presented by Primary Stages. Directed by John Rando. Scenic Design by Beowulf Boritt. Costume Design by Anita Yavich. Lighting Design by Jason Lyons. Original Music and Sound Design by Ryan Rumery. Hair and Wig Design by Tom Watson. Production Stage Management by Joanne E. McInerney.
WITH: Eric Clem, Carson Elrod, Jenn Harris, Liv Rooth, and Matthew Saldivar.
“All in the Timing” plays a limited engagement through March 17 at Primary Stages at 58E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street). Performances are Tuesday – Thursday at 7:00 p.m., Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. There will be a special Wednesday matinee on February 20 at 2:00 p.m. No performance on Wednesdays February 13 and 27 and March 6. Single tickets are priced at $70.00 for all performances. Tickets may be purchased by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200, online at www.primarystages.org, or in person at the 59E59 Theaters Box Office.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Friday, February 15, 2013 |
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Carole J. Bufford: "Body and Soul" at the Metropolitan Room
Photo: Kristin Hoebermann
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Carole J. Bufford: “Body and Soul”
Conceived and Produced by Scott Siegel
Musical Direction and Arrangements by Ian Herman
Upright Bass – Matt Wigton
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Often blending the velvety vibrato of Edith Piaf with the physicality of Judy Garland, Carole J. Bufford creates a unique and savvy song styling with which she graces the Metropolitan Room in her new “Body and Soul” which plays at the iconic Room on Wednesdays through February 27.
Exhibiting a marvelous clear tone and vocal quality, impeccable (and often unique) phrasing, and a remarkable understanding of a song’s lyric and the ability to interpret that understanding, Ms. Bufford successfully breezes through her program of fifteen songs that deliciously stretches the boundaries of The Great American Songbook.
The artist’s unique phrasing is evident in the earliest of the songs “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home” the jazz standard written in 1919 by Charles Warfield and Clarence Williams (though Warfield claimed he was the sole composer of the song). That same idiosyncratic phrasing is manifest in the most recent (2012) song “Fade into You” (Music and Lyrics by Trevor Rosen, Shane McAnally, and Matt Jenkins). This hit from the television show “Nashville” sports the lyric from the second stanza “If you were a window and I was the rain/ I’d pour myself out and wash off the pain/ I’d fall like a tear so your light could shine through/ Then I’d just fade into you.” Ms. Bufford outdoes onomatopoeia when she makes the word ‘fall’ unmistakably fall from her lips onto the stage.
Whether giving new life to “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man of Mine” (Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, 1927) or celebrating the comedy in “Say That We’re Sweethearts Again” (Music and Lyrics by Earl Brent, 1944), Carole J. Bufford succeeds in her goal of “stripping a song down to the emotion.” This is a remarkable feat which not every vocalist can achieve. There is nothing superficial about Ms. Bufford’s delivery of the classic song dealing with the satisfaction when, after being dumped, the offending lover attempts to crawl back. Her rendition of the jazzy blues ballad “Cry Me a River” (Music and Lyrics by Arthur Hamilton, 1953) vies with Joe Cocker’s upbeat rock rendition for best interpretation of this popular American torch song.
The final number “Body and Soul” (Music by Jonny Green; Lyrics by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, and Frank Eyton, 1930) gives Ms. Bufford the opportunity to add her interpretation of this most recorded jazz standard to those before her from Libby Holman in 1930 to Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse in 2011. Carol J. Bufford makes it crystal clear that body and soul are inseparable in life, in death, and in life beyond death.
Ms. Bufford’s encore could not have been more appropriate or more captivating. In all matters of body and soul, there truly are “no regrets.” Her rendition of this iconic song shatters the confines of space and time and revivifies both soul and body of Edith Piaf who witnessed selflessly to the mantra that, “Because my life, my joys/ Today, they begin with you.” For her audiences, life and joy begin anew when they hear her sing.
CAROLE J. BUFFORD: BODY AND SOUL
Carole J. Bufford appears at The Metropolitan Room on the following schedule: Wednesday February 13 at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday February 20 at 7:00 p.m., and Wednesday February 27 at 7:00 p.m., and Monday March 4 at 7:00 p.m. Doors open 45 minutes prior to performances. The Metropolitan Room is located at 34 West 22nd Street in Manhattan. There is a $20.00 per person Music Charge and a Two Drink Minimum. For further information visit http://metropolitanroom.com/
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Tuesday, February 12, 2013 |
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Pia Zadora - "Back Again and Standing Tall" at the Metropolitan Room
Pia Zadora – “Back Again and Standing Tall” at the Metropolitan Room
Created by Walter Painter, Jon Macks, and Larry Grossman
Musical Direction by Vinnie Falcone
Reviewed by David Roberts and Joseph Verlezza
Theatre Reviews Limited
The iconic Pia Zadora returned to the New York stage on Thursday February 7, 2013 at the Metropolitan Room for the first of five performances of her new show “Back Again and Standing Tall.” Ms. Zadora is indeed back with the feeling of celebrity status in a room filled with clicking cameras and adorned in glittering Hollywood style sequins to deliver her Vegas style show that simply does not fit into the New York cabaret scene. As for standing tall, both she and her performance fall terribly short. She entered the room at the Metropolitan cursing at her band and demanding they re-start her first number “Pick Yourself Up.” Jerome Kern and Dorothy Field probably gave an ethereal gasp from beyond when Ms. Zadora flung the “F” word at Vinnie Falcone her pianist and musical director.
Her abusive behavior toward her extremely talented band continued throughout the night, including making them provide background music while she went offstage to complete a costume change. If this indeed is her way of incorporating humor into the poorly constructed show it simply did not work. It was inappropriate and at times made the audience uncomfortable. It is difficult for an audience to listen to this harsh banter and then be expected to react to the sentimental and emotional material that follows.
Perhaps it was nerves or perhaps Ms. Zadora was just not prepared for her re-entry into the cabaret scene. Whatever the reason, her performance did not work. She half spoke, half whispered her way through almost a score of songs from the Great American Song Book, ending each with a bouncy bravado belt that seemed to satisfy her friends and family filled first night audience. Trying to capture the past, remembering and reenacting her time with Sinatra, did not provide any substance to the performance. There was no doubt of the effort made to please and entertain the audience but this sparkling event diminished to an unremarkable flash in the pan.
To her credit, Ms. Zadora provides a disclaimer in her encore number “I Am What I Am” (Jerry Herman). Pia Zadora knows exactly who she is and what she has achieved in her successful career. Audiences will either rave about or rant about her current show “Back Again and Standing Tall.” Either way, Pia Zadora is back and it is always good to have her back. One wishes she stood taller in this re-entry into the New York Cabaret scene. Maybe next time.
PIA ZADORA – BACK AGAIN AND STANDING TALL
Pia Zadora appears at The Metropolitan Room on the following schedule: Saturday February 9 at 9:30 p.m. and Sunday February 10 at 4:30 p.m. Doors open 45 minutes prior to performances. The Metropolitan Room is located at 34 West 22nd Street in Manhattan. There is a $35.00 per person Music Charge and a Two Drink Minimum. For further information visit http://metropolitanroom.com/
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Saturday, February 09, 2013 |
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"The Man Under" at 59E59 Theater C
“The Man Under” at 59E59 Theater C
Written by Paul Bomba
Directed by Benjamin Kamine
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Everyone in Paul Bomba’s “The Man Under,” currently running at 59E59 Theater C, is either in need of being saved (Jeff) or needs to be a savior (Martin), is skilled at being a confessor (Martin again) or is a practiced penitent (Jennifer), is either into holding hands and cuddling (Jeff) or into asphyxiophilia (Lisa). Any or all of these character traits combined with the appropriate conflicts could drive an interesting plot.
Unfortunately, the play’s characters are poorly developed in Mr. Bomba’s script, their conflicts uninteresting, and the resulting plot is less than engaging. It is not clear whether the actors (including the playwright) gave up on their attempts to make sense of the script or were simply ineffective at their craft (an option that seems unlikely). It is even more difficult to discern the precise role of the director in the failure of this performance; however, ultimately Benjamin Kamine must assume the share of responsibility for not steering “The Man Under” in a direction more closely resembling success.
It is somewhat difficult for a playwright to perform in his or her own play. In this case, it seems Paul Bomba had some difficulty distancing himself from the role of playwright and portraying the angst-ridden suicide-driven Jeff. Additionally, Theater C is a difficult space to launch a production that requires multiple sets. Julia Noulin-Merat, Charlie Forster, and Jeremy S. Bloom did their best to create an apartment with interior rooms, a subway platform with oncoming train lights and sound, ethereal settings for soliloquies, and the semblance of an adjacent apartment for Jennifer.
Hopefully, the cast and creative team can reflect on the production in its current state and make changes before the end of the play’s current run.
THE MAN UNDER
THE MAN UNDER began performances on Friday, January 25 for a limited engagement through Sunday, February 17. The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday and Saturday at 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Thursday, February 07, 2013 |
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"Collision" at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
“Collision” at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
By Lyle Kessler
Directed by David Fofi
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
In the online poetry dictionary “Toto Poetry,” one posted rondelet defines ‘collision’ in this way: “Cause motions, /assume the ready position. /Cause emotions, parasitic oscillations. /To go into operation, /strike with disgust or revulsion. /Cause emotions.”
In the Amoralists Theatre Company’s World Premiere of “Collision” currently running at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Grange collides with his new roommate Bromley, Professor Denton one of his instructors, and Doe a fellow student he fancies to bed with. As Grange collides with each of them he sets a variety of situations in motion and causes each person to erupt with unfamiliar and uncomfortable emotions. Each strikes with disgust or revulsion which causes further emotions to surface. All of this colliding ultimately results in a synchronicity of “parasitic oscillations” that shocks the senses and stirs deep feelings and rattles the chains of a Pandora’s Box of catastrophe.
Much like Alex the protagonist in Anthony Burgess’s dystopian novella “A Clockwork Orange,” Grange manipulates the minds of his band of academics and transforms them into a band of (perhaps) criminals who are willing to follow Grange wherever he leads. James Kautz’s Grange is maniacal as he manipulates his merry band of misfits, identifying the weaknesses of each and transforming those deficits into the assets he needs to fulfill his mission. Nick Lawson’s Bromley is perfectly indecisive and self-defacing. Anna Stromberg manages successfully to unearth a Doe whose insecurities make her easy prey for Grange’s misogyny. Michael Cullen gives Professor Denton the vulnerability needed to make his complicity believable. And Craig ‘muMs” Grant creates a Renel whose vicious streak provides the perfect foil to the real violence brewing in the dorm room.
Grange wants redemption. After badgering Doe for an extended period of time, she dissents to his point of view. Although she tells him to “Stop [messing] with my head,” Grange continues to extol her to “Stop trying to make ends meet.”When she leaves, Grange reflects that he almost achieved redemption: “if only she had said no!” But Doe does not say ‘no’ and Grange does not achieve redemption.
During the rehearsal process for “Collision,” the creative team and cast decided to make changes to the play’s tone (from dark comedy to drama) and to the play’s ending. Without revealing too much of the climax, falling action, and resolution, it is clear that the original ending involved a dark murder-suicide while the new ending breaks the fourth wall and includes the audience. Although the original ending seems more powerful and is more consistent with the plays characterization and conflicts, the new ending engages the audience in a matrix of moral judgments about national and global rage, violence, guns, murder, and complicity in crime.
The universe is replete with motions that place different nations, different peoples in the “ready position:” ready to flee, ready to fight, ready to struggle for life, ready to raise the flag of defeat and surrender. It seems that as time passes the fight response supersedes the response of flight. People gather in squares across the globe no longer willing to accept despotic demons ruling their lives and they are fighting, Issues of sex and sexual status mingled with the desire for authentic equality collide with repressive religious ideologies and pathetic political responsibility and those repressed for far too long are ready to fight back in the courts, in the chambers of congress, even in the streets. Ideologies collide, points-of-view collide, beliefs deeply rooted in tradition collide and all sides seem willing to take up arms. How this will end is anyone’s guess. But if the collision in Grange’s dorm room is any indicator, the end might not be what we would hope. Perhaps the opportunities for redemption are slipping away.
COLLISION
The Amoralists Theatre Company announces World Premiere of “Collision,” written by Lyle Kessler and directed by David Fofi. The cast for “Collision” includes Michael Cullen (Professor Denton), Craig ‘muMs’ Grant (Renel), James Kautz (Grange), Nick Lawson (Bromley) and Anna Stromberg (Doe). The creative team for “Collision” includes Alfred Schatz (Set Design), Jaime Torres (Costume Design), Phil Carluzzo (Sound Design) and Michael J. Kessler (Assistant Director). Judy Merrick is the Stage Manager.
“Collision” runs Off-Broadway from through February 17, 2013 at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, located at 224 Waverly Place between Perry & West 11th Streets in New York City. Performances are Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm, and Sundays at 5pm. There is no performance on Sun 2/3. Tickets are $55 and can be purchased online at www.CollisionThePlay.com or by calling 1-866-811-4111. A limited amount of $20 student tickets are available online (valid student ID is required at the box office). The running time is 1 hour and 40 minutes with no intermission. For more information visit www.CollisionThePlay.com.
The Amoralists are a self-funded theatre company and they depend on the generosity of contributors to sustain their organization and their mission. Help sponsor the development and production of fearless, dynamic new plays while fostering a new generation of theatre artists. Join the Amoralists as an “Amoralyte” and partake in a range of benefits bringing you in to the fold of the Amoralists community for the 2013 season, the company’s 7th, including 75% off ticket prices, special events and access to the creative process. See all the levels and benefits at www.SupportTheAmoralists.com.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Monday, February 04, 2013 |
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Theatre Uncut at the Clurman Theatre
Theatre Uncut at the Clurman Theatre
A Program of Short Plays
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Theatre Uncut is a United Kingdom based activist theater group that was established in 2011 to encourage people to think, talk and take action on injustices that they see happening in the world around them. In 2012, the group asked playwrights from Greece, Syria, Spain, the United States, Iceland and the United Kingdom to pen short dramatic responses to the political and economic challenges facing their own countries. These plays premiered at the 2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. “Theatre Uncut” in New York features the New York premieres of a selection of these plays that look at how the everyday person deals with the state of global capitalism, the effects of austerity, the Eurozone Crisis and the Occupy movement. Audiences are invited to join in a dialogue about the issues raised by the plays at the end of each performance.
In “The Breakout” by Anders Lustgarten (UK), directed by Emily Reutinger, two prison inmates contemplate escaping to the outside after a portion of the wall of their cell suddenly breaks open. Ali Ewoldt and Jessika Williams play Lou and Ama respectively and both actors are convincing in their examination of the cost of freedom versus the cost of confinement. The prison serves as a suitable metaphor for humanity’s acceptance of political and societal oppression and the play is an apt introduction to the remaining five shorts.
As cuts force the closure of libraries across the UK, “Spine” by Clara Brennan (UK) considers the high cost for future generations without the benefit of books. Directed by Cressida Brown, this short charmer features Robyn Kerr as a young Amy who enters the world of an older woman, a recluse who opens Amy’s world to the importance of knowledge and caring. Ms. Kerr plays Amy and the voice and character of the older woman. Ms. Brennan’s concern about library closures is relevant and challenging and cleverly counterpoints the acquisition of knowledge with the capacity for caring.
Absurdist themes abound in “The Price” by Lena Kitsopoulou (Greece), directed by Cressida Brown. This searing Greek comedy is set in a world of extreme austerity where absolutely everything has its price. Carter Gill and Shannon Sullivan portray a Man and a Woman considering what they really need in the supermarket when they barely have enough money to survive. They conclude that the only baby they can afford is a lifeless one which will not even scan at the checkout because it has been opened and returned. The couple wonders whether they will live in poverty or in squalor.
Cressida Brown directs “The Birth of My Violence” by Marco Canale (Spain). Brown’s terse treatment of apathy in the face of political violence is a powerful examination of the role of protest in the survival of the human species. Tyler Moss gives the audience a dynamic performance as the writer who wonders why theatre has lost its ability to counter systems that “organize to destroy us.”
As Occupy Movements spring up across the globe, Neil LaBute’s (US), “In the Beginning” questions our passion for holding on to what we believe in. Directed by Emily Reutinger, Gia Crovatin and Victor Slezak portray an activist Boston daughter and her conservative father who bicker over the daughter’s need for money to continue her passion for the Occupy movement in New York City. LaBute’s signature dialogue draws the audience into this world of moral ambiguity and clash of values.
The Tunisian graduate Mohammed Bouazizi sold fruit and vegetables illegally in Sidi Bouzid because he could not find a job and immolated himself in 2011 after authorities confiscated his wares because he did not hold the proper permit. “Fragile” by David Grieg (UK), directed by Catrin Evans, uses this event to highlight the danger of cutting back on mental health facilities in the UK (and globally). Jack, played brilliantly by Brian Hastert, breaks into his caseworker’s home to seek her help after his center’s days of operation have been cut back. Jack and his group members Eddie and Mrs. B. face an uncertain future if their center closes and the group has to find its way to a different center which will be available only once a week. The audience plays the role of Carolyn the caseworker, reading her lines from a screen. This technique effectively engages the audience in Jack’s dilemma and decision to immolate himself like Mohammed Bouazizi.
Kudos to the playwrights, directors, and actors of Theatre Uncut who give of their time and talents and bring important issues of global survival to the stage worldwide. If only they could spend more time with us here in New York City.
THEATER UNCUT
Performances of THEATRE UNCUT run for a limited engagement through Sunday, February 3 at The Clurman Theatre on Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues). The performance schedule is Tuesday at 7 PM; Wednesday – Friday at 8 PM; Saturday at 2 PM and 8PM; Sunday at 3 PM. Tickets are $18 ($15 for students) with net proceeds going to charity. For tickets, call Telecharge at 212-239-6200 or online at www.telecharge.com.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Saturday, February 02, 2013 |
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"The Truth Quotient" at the Beckett Theatre
“The Truth Quotient” at the Beckett Theatre
By Richard Manley
Directed by Eric Parness
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Fiction with themes of artificial intelligence and the manufacture and sale of androids is not a new genre. On that surface level, Richard Manley’s “The Truth Quotient” is not unique. What becomes unique is the play’s focus on the more subtle theme of motivation: the motivation of the manufacturer of the androids and the motivation of those who purchase the technology. Rachel, the company’s representative and omniscient concierge, reminds her customer and the protagonist of the play David that he needs to have faith in “our commitment to make you feel loved and wanted,” something David did not feel with his original set of parents or with his estranged brother Donald.
David’s first android Caprice gives him physical attention and affection. His upgraded model parents (his own abusive father and complicit mother had died years earlier) give David what he missed in childhood and adolescence: acceptance and understanding,
When David’s estranged brother shows up to make amends before he dies of incurable cancer, David’s new understanding of family is challenged. Donald ridicules David for loving robots and for assuming they can provide authentic love. But Rachel defends not only her company’s ability to provide “family” but defends David’s choice to be happy with his “new family.”
The importance of Manley’s script is not in providing revelatory information about artificial intelligence but about how that intelligence might become more desirable than human communication and affection. Manley’s well-conceived and well developed script is a trope (here an extended metaphor) for examining the existential meaning of family.
Given the misery that humanity has suffered individually and corporately, what would or should individuals do when offered a chance for happiness and a guaranteed escape from misery? David sees that Caprice and his Father and Mother are “too good to be true” and that with the availability of artificial intelligence “anything can be true.” The ensemble cast of “The Truth Quotient” successfully presents the possibility that what Donald sees as “the appearance of love” could in fact be love and could indeed be truth.
Manley’s vision of the future is a delicious matrix of moral ambiguity. What if the human family were nothing more than a set of “complex machines?” Prior to experiencing his new family, David avoided the truth of his misery by lying to himself. Donald almost tempted his brother back into the ancient value system (that incurable illness) that originally gave birth to David’s malaise. Rachel reminds everyone that loneliness is “pandemic in this country” and the choice to have a better life is as close as a contract for a new family of androids with dependable artificial intelligence. The power of the play lies in its ability to present to the audience an alternative to suffering and loss that might prove to be more possible than probable.
THE TRUTH QUOTIENT
Resonance Ensemble presents “The Truth Quotient” in repertory with “R.U.R.” “The Truth Quotient” is written by Richard Manley and directed by Eric Parness. The cast for “The Truth Quotient” includes Jarel Davidow, Angelina Fiordellisi, Meredith Howard, Brian Tom O’Connor, Shaun Bennet Wilson, and Maxwell Zener. The design team includes Jennifer Varbalow (set design), Sidney Shannon (costume design), Pamela Kupper (lighting design), and Nick Moore (composer/sound design). Jenna Lazar is he production stage manager.
“The Truth Quotient” runs at Theatre Row’s Beckett Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street, through Saturday February 2 on the following performance schedule: Wednesday January 23rd at 8:00 p.m.; Friday January 25 at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday January 26 at 2:00 p.m.; Tuesday January 29 at 7:00 p.m.; Wednesday January 30 at 2:00 p.m.; Thursday January 31 at 8:00 p.m.; and Saturday February 2 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $19.25 (includes a $1.25 facilities fee) and can be purchased through Telecharge by calling (212) 239-6200 or at www.telecharge.com.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Sunday, January 27, 2013 |
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"Bethany" at New York City Center Stage II (New Home of the Women's Project Theater)
“Bethany” at New York City Center Stage II (New Home of the Women’s Project Theater)
By Laura Marks
Directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
In Laura Marks’ “Bethany,” currently playing at the New York City Center Stage II, protagonist Crystal faces a series of important and life-changing decisions as she attempts to regain custody of her five-year-old daughter Bethany who has been taken from her after Crystal lost her job, her home, and was living with Bethany in her car.
Bethany is Crystal’s child’s name and – in Christian literature – a biblical village that was the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. It is the village where Jesus lived after leaving Jerusalem and from which he purportedly parted from his disciples at the Ascension. In Aramaic ‘Bethany’ means ‘poor house’ or ‘house of misery.’ Crystal (America Ferrera) is a desperate and homeless mother’s name and an abbreviated name of an addictive and dangerous substance. Crystal is utterly addicted to her mission of getting herself out of the poor house and bringing herself and Bethany out of the misery that has been their house for far too long. And Crystal will achieve this goal at any cost.
And it is this cost and the conflicts that are generated by its parameters that drive the scintillating and sometimes disturbing plot of this rich, dark comedy which features a power house ensemble cast underpinned with perceptive and penetrating direction by Gaye Taylor Upchurch.
Laura Marks’ well-constructed and challenging script includes parallel universes of world views, value systems, and motivations. In “Bethany” these universes counterpoint in a house which has been foreclosed in 2009 during the subprime mortgage crisis. What occurs in that abandoned house challenges all pre-conceived notions of right and wrong, good and bad and other perhaps archaic boundaries of belief systems. Crystal breaks into a foreclosed home, befriends and befuddles the neurotic fellow-squatter Gary, bamboozles Shannon her sales manager at the failing Subaru dealership where she works, unabashedly uses Charlie the moribund motivational speaker, and manages to recruit his wife Patricia to fund her recovery.
Emily Ackerman’s Shannon shares her belief that “There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women” when she feels Crystal stole Charlie as a customer from Tammy. But this skilled actor belies her character’s commitment to Crystal’s quest. Kristin Griffith unfolds a Patricia (Charlie’s wife) who conspires to rid herself of Crystal only to provide the funding Crystal needs to stay. Ken Marks’ creepy Charlie inadvertently gives Crystal the motivation she needs to survive his advances and Tobias Segal gives the audience a Gary that it loves and mistrusts from the first time he raises his two-by-four to defend his squatter’s space.
Perhaps most engaging and challenging is the pivotal relationship Crystal has with Toni the astute social worker assigned to determine whether Crystal has met all the requirements to regain custody of Bethany. In a pair of tour de force performances, Myra Lucretia Taylor who portrays Toni and America Ferrera who embodies Crystal with almost paranormal perspicacity conspire to create a new world of moral exactitude. During Toni’s last visit to Crystal in the home she knows deep in her soul is not Crystal’s, she overlooks obvious signs that there is something amiss in this house of horrors, including a broken sliding glass window that is clearly not opened by a proper key. Yet, obviously overworked and unappreciated, Toni approves Crystal’s appeal to regain custody and walks away saying, “Look at everything you've done. You've turned your whole life around.” Crystal replies, “I’d do anything for her.” And Toni finishes the conversation with, “I know you would.”
It is true that “Bethany’s” themes of self-determination and survival are relevant to men and women. However, “Bethany” is at heart and in spirit a play about and for women. Although fellow squatter Gary has many commendable philosophical ideas and supports Crystal in her anti-establishment route to equality, he misses the mark by not respecting Crystal’s right to determine what she does with her body and mind and with whom. The men in the play are simply foils to the work the women do to reclaim and maintain the power and authority necessary to survive.
“Bethany” challenges the audience to carefully examine the gray areas of decision making, the important expanse of moral ambiguity and to understand that there are no easy answers to the complex problems humankind faces. The best we can do is grapple with what we are given and commit ourselves to survival of self and survival of all that is important to us.
BETHANY
The World Premiere of “Bethany” is presented by the Women’s Project Theatre under the direction of Julie Crosby and Lisa Fane. The creative team includes Lauren Helpern (set design), Sarah Holden (costume design), Mark Barton (lighting design), and Leon Rothenberg (sound design). Jess Johnston is managing the stage.
The cast includes Emily Ackerman (Shannon), America Ferrera (Crystal), Kristin Griffith (Patricia), Ken Marks (Charlie), Tobias Segal (Gary), and Myra Lucretia Taylor (Toni).
“Bethany” performs Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30pm with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2:30pm through Sunday February 17. All performances are at New York City Center Stage II, 131 West 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues). Tickets for Women’s Project Tickets members start at $20.00 and can be purchased by calling 212-765-1706 or by visiting https://etm.patrontechnology.com/o/WP/p/run_module.php?__module__=3047. Single tickets start at $60.00 and van be purchased by calling 212-581-1212 or by visiting http://www.nycitycenter.org/tickets/productionNew.aspx?performanceNumber=6785
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Monday, January 21, 2013 |
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Peter Marshall: "And Then She Wrote" at the Metropolitan Room
Carol Weisman, Peter Marshall, and Denise Donatelli
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Peter Marshall: “And Then She Wrote” at the Metropolitan Room
With Denise Donatelli and Carol Weisman
Musical Direction by Carol Welsman
Reviewed by Joseph Verlezza
Theatre Reviews Limited
Peter Marshall became a household name as host of the ever popular game show Hollywood Squares. The successful turn was due in part to his multi talent as a singer and actor. He utilized his experience on Broadway and television to guide his on the spot responses and quick wit as he conversed with his celebrity guest stars. This talent cannot be more evident than in his latest cabaret show “And Then She Wrote” which played to appreciative audiences at The Metropolitan Room. Joined by Grammy nominated Denise Donetelli and Juno nominated Carol Weisman, these three artists pay homage to the contributions of woman songwriters to the American Songbook that span ten decades.
Not only are most songs easily recognizable but the vast array of style and lyric is captured with incredible skill and deft delivery. Whatever the patter, it is easy to the ear and not laborious, informative rather than trite and includes the audience by being personal and honest. The program moves quickly with sometimes a mere 16 bars of a familiar tune in order to pack over 35 songs into the 90 minute frame, but never leaves the audience unsatisfied, only wanting for more.
Vocally Mr. Marshall is smooth, articulate and soothing with a delightful tone and timeless style. Ms. Donetelli attacks each of her solos with pure tone and unequivocal control. The underlying silky, smoky layers enhance her pronounced jazz style with intensity. Ms. Weisman exhibits her immense musicianship not only with a characteristic vocal that is bold yet mellow but also with her turn tickling the ivories. She interprets the lyric with an easy understanding that captures the mood. Each contributes as solo artists and together not only do their personalities blend well but their voices become friends, sharing equally and evenly.
No one can argue that this is an enjoyable evening of songs that should never disappear from the American stage and certainly and importantly recognizes the significance of woman in music history. As an added touch this group is joined by Anne Drummond on piano and flute, and Brandi Disterheft on Bass, both displaying their talent as accomplished musicians.
PETER MARSHALL: AND THEN SHE WROTE
“And Then She Wrote” ran at the Metropolitan Room through Monday January 14, 2013. For more information on the Metropolitan Room and its schedule of performances, visit http://metropolitanroom.com/index.cfm.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Sunday, January 20, 2013 |
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"Midsummer [a play with songs]" at The Clurman Theatre
“Midsummer [a play with songs]” at The Clurman Theatre
Written and Directed By Daniel Grieg
With Music by Gordon McIntyre
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
After tackling the problem of evil in his successful 1978 “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” Rabbi Harold Kushner addressed existentialism, particularly the meaning of life, in his 1986 “When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough: The Search for a Life That Matters.” This latter title could easily be the subtitle of Daniel Grieg’s “Midsummer” currently playing at The Clurman Theatre in Manhattan.
On the longest day of the year, Midsummer, Helena and Bob meet by chance and celebrate mid-life in Edinburgh’s midsummer. Their serendipitous encounter results in each (and both) evaluating where they have been, where they are, and where they would like to be in their thirty-fifth year and beyond. Daniel Grieg’s engaging script is touching, challenging, and life-affirming. His use of narration and dialogue to provide characterization, exposition and conflict is brilliant. Helena and Bob’s confrontation with their various demons (including their secrets) is not unlike the annual brushes with powerful forces on Midsummer’s Eve.
“Midsummer festivals are celebrated throughout Scotland, notably in the Scottish Borders where Peebles holds its Beltane Week. The Eve of St. John has special magical significance. Traditionally St John's Eve (like the eve of many festivals) was seen as a time when the veil between this world and the next was thin, and when powerful forces were abroad. Vigils were often held during the night and it was said that if you spent a night at a sacred site during Midsummer Eve, you would gain the powers of a bard, on the down side you could also end up utterly mad, dead, or be spirited away by the fairies.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer and http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/midsummers-day.html)
Bob and Helena often step out of character and become narrators, providing the audience with needed exposition and distance from the characters themselves. In one of these “editorial moments” Bob responds to Helena’s thoughts about ‘this being It’ with “Disappointment will become our default position as each bright dream of our youth is snuffed out one after the other after the other.”
The lyrics of Gordon McIntyre’s soulful songs also allow the audience to examine the inner life of the characters (as well as their own psyches). In the “Song of Oblivion,” Bob longs for a devil-delivered dose of “drink, darkness, pain” and then to have it all taken away. And in another of Bob’s songs he affirms “We – can do anything tonight.” This significant realization counterpoints with Helena’s assent to the possibility of a new life when she exclaims, “Yes, I say yes.”
Under the playwright’s direction, Matthew Pidgeon (Bob) and Cora Bissett (Helena) bring their characters and the characters from their “secret lives” with precision and often shocking realism. The conflicts Helena and Bob have with Helena’s nephew Brendan, Big Tiny Tam Callaghan, Eyebrows Thompson, and Bob’s son Aidan drive the plot of “Midsummer” and bring the play to a profound and somewhat unexpected climax and conclusion.
Realizing that “change is possible” not only when paying at the car park but also in life, Helena says, “And it felt amazing – just for a second – and then the sun came up – and I remembered who I am and where I am and … well … you know.” This development occurs subtly in “Midsummer” and shows Helena’s dynamic character. Earlier she says,” “Life deals us the cards and it turns out we don’t even play them we simply turn them over and see what we’ve got. The pack gets shuffled when you’re born and all the rest’s just a slow unwinding. You might think life’s a game of poker but in fact it’s a game of patience.” And in a humorous and gripping scene, Bob in a conversation with his penis, Bob’s “other half” shares its feelings about being mid-life and in a crisis and attached to Bob. “Bob. You and I are not young men anymore. I’m fed up with being in different beds, in different places – I’m fed up with all of that. Our adventuring days – maybe they’re over.”
“Midsummer” proposes the profound possibility that human beings can reflect upon their “practice” and make the adjustments necessary to move forward into renewed personalities and possibilities. In a flash back to the Japanese Rope Bondage at Midsummer Night’s Cream (yes, you read that right: Shakespeare abounds) “In the end, can you point to your child and say this – this life is better because of me?” And, speaking to his child Aidan, Bob testifies that “We all come from the past. We all come from the past and we are all going towards the future. This is it, this is what happens – you are where you come from and you go where you go.”
Kudos to Cora Bissett, Matthew Pidgeon and the Carol Tambor Theatrical Foundation for bringing David Grieg’s play to New York City so we can celebrate with Edinburgh Festival Fringe this resplendent foray into “Midsummer” and all the magic is brings. As Bob and Helena sit quietly, Bob conjectures, “They agree that you know you really like someone when you’re comfortable being silent with them.” It is in the silence of the Clurman Theatre that the audience realizes that “change is possible” and often necessary.
MIDSUMMER [A PLAY WITH SONGS]
The Carol Tambor Theatrical Foundation presents The Traverse Theatre Production of MIDSUMMER is at The Clurman Theatre on Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues). The production is designed by Georgia McGuinness.
WITH: Cora Bissett (Helena) and Matthew Pidgeon (Bob).
MIDSUMMER runs for a limited engagement through Saturday, January 26. The performance schedule is Tuesday at 7 PM; Wednesday – Friday at 8 PM; Saturday at 2 PM and 8PM; Sunday at 3 PM. Tickets $37.50 (for performances from January 15 – 20); $50 (for performances from January 22 – January 27). For tickets, call Telecharge at 212-239-6200 or online at www.telecharge.com.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Thursday, January 17, 2013 |
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Lauren Fox - "Canyon Folkies: Over the Hills and Under the Covers" at the Metropolitan Room
Lauren Fox – “Canyon Folkies: Over the Hills and Under the Covers”
At The Metropolitan Room
Reviewed by David Roberts and Joseph Verlezza
Theatre Reviews Limited
If you were around during the folk-rock evolution or have any interest in this amazing period in musical history, an evening with Lauren Fox at The Metropolitan Room is mandatory. Not only is her pure and unique tonal quality reminiscent of some of the great talents of that time but also her knowledge of the artists living in Laural Canyon, the epicenter of this incredible musical eruption, is informative, interesting and perfectly integrated into this well-structured show.
Ms. Fox is accompanied by Ritt Henn on Bass, Peter Calo on guitar and musical director Jon Weber on piano and keyboard. These four musicians do not play the music; they become the music and successfully transfer the audience to another time and place. For some it might be a fond memory. For others a pleasurable experience to ponder, for during this period poetry was put to music and there is much to discover in Lauren Fox’s renditions of this genre. Ms. Fox is calm, confident and thoughtful as she captures the essence of an era gone by, filled with turmoil and free love. She unequivocally understands the lyric and carefully translates the meaning with intelligent phrasing and vocal prowess. Her dreamlike stare pierces time as her voice interprets the energy and angst of a bygone music revolution. There are many vocalists who cover folk-rock but Ms. Fox and her band have bold interpretations and they bond in a cohesive unit to deliver a respectful homage of superb quality.
Lauren Fox’s performance of Jackson Browne’s 1971 “A Child in These Hills” gives haunting relevance to the contemporary search for acceptance and meaning, especially for those who have not found peace “in the houses of their fathers.” Although Neil Young’s 1970 “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” was born after his separation from Joni Mitchell, the lyrics of the song connect to every broken heart despite age, sex, or sexual status. Lauren Fox’s clear tones and fresh styling of Carole King’s “Way Over Yonder” and “You’ve Got A Friend” give hope to those who need to call and know that someone will be there to “brighten even [ones] darkest night.”
When Ms. Fox sings a lyric from The Eagles’ hit “Take It Easy,” the audience glows with instant recognition: “Got a world of trouble on my mind/Lookin' for a lover/Who won't blow my cover.” Just a glance from Lauren Fox and the audience is given permission to connect to every song she shares in “Canyon Folkies: Over the Hills and Under the Covers.” The magic of her voice and the skill of her performance allow these songs from the late 1960’s and 1970’s to reach a broad and appreciative new audience.
Against the backdrop of a projected psychedelic image, Lauren Fox concludes “Canyon Folkies” with exceptionally relevant songs by Jim Morrison and Jackson Browne: “The End” (1966) and “Before the Deluge (1974). The astute of every generation seem to understand that “things are falling apart and the center is not holding” (William Butler Yeats). Ms. Fox plaintively asks “The blue bus is calling us
The blue bus is calling us/Driver, where you taking us? And we wonder where we are headed in the next four years. She carefully leads the audience down a challenging path when she breathes renewed life into Jackson Browne’s “Before the Deluge:” where exactly are we headed as a nation and a culture. We, like Browne, are deeply concerned about “the way the earth was abused/By the men who learned how to forge her beauty into power.”
We sing silently with Lauren Fox as she empowers us to have hope for the future: “Now let the music keep our spirits high/And let the buildings keep our children dry/Let creation reveal its secrets by and by/By and by--/When the light that's lost within us reaches the sky.”
Do not waste any time planning to see this performance, simply because you will certainly want to return for more before this engaging performance ends on January 24, 2013.
LAUREN FOX - CANYON FOLKIES: OVER THE HILLS AND UNDER THE COVERS
Lauren Fox appears at The Metropolitan Room on the following schedule: Thursday January 17 at 7:00 p.m. and Thursday January 24, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. Doors open 45 minutes prior to performances. The Metropolitan Room is located at 34 West 22nd Street in Manhattan. There is a $25.00 per person Music Charge and a Two Drink Minimum with a $5.00 discount for MAC/Industry Members. For further information visit http://metropolitanroom.com/
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Thursday, January 17, 2013 |
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Marci Kraft: "Singing Again for the First Time" at Don't Tell Mama
Marci Kraft: “Singing Again for the First Time” at Don’t Tell Mama
Created and Directed by Marilyn Maye
Arrangements Created by Marilyn Maye and Arranged by Tex Arnold
Special Lyrics by Marilyn Maye
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Marci Kraft’s auspicious appearance at Don’t Tell Mama Cabaret is a great beginning for a vocalist making her performance debut. Ms. Kraft is a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at The New York Times and realizes her dream to sing on a cabaret stage with “Singing Again for the First Time” an extensive review of 1920’s and 1930’s songs from The American Songbook.
After completing a Master Class with Marilyn Maye, Ms. Kraft expressed to her teacher that she wanted to continue to work toward a stage performance and her collaboration with Marilyn Maye has resulted in a stellar program of songs which transition one from another with delightful special lyrics and broad audience appeal. Throughout her performance, Marci Kraft exhibits remarkable phrasing and vocal control.
After an engaging opening set, Marci Kraft makes a strong opening argument with “Everything Old Is New Again” the song she reprises as her closing argument at the end of her program. In between, her argument is strong for the importance of the songs from the 20’s and 30’s. Highlights of her performance are “Some of These Days” (Shelton Brooks), the Perry Como Medley which includes charming key changes and examples of vocal control in “Catch a Falling Star” and “Stairway to the Stars,” and “Give Me the Simple Life” (Rube Bloom/Harry Ruby).
Ms. Kraft is accompanied by pianist and conductor Tex Arnold, bassist Tom Hubbard, and drummer Ron Vincent.
To say that Marci is precisely where she needs to be as a cabaret performer would be unfair to her, to her mentor, and to her audience. But she is on her way to that goal. To be able to appear on an iconic cabaret stage and give the controlled performance she does at Don’t Tell Mama is not only commendable but also a formidable accomplishment. What Marci Kraft needs now is to commit to move forward with her dream and to perform for an audience of strangers who can appreciate her craft anew and without prejudice.
MARCI KRAFT: SINGING AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME
Marci Kraft and “Singing Again for the First Time” ran for three performances from January 10 through January 12, 2013 at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues) in New York, NY. For more information on Don’t Tell Mama, please visit http://www.donttellmamanyc.com/
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Sunday, January 13, 2013 |
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"The Wonderful Wizard of Song" at St. Luke's Theatre
“The Wonderful Wizard of Song” at St. Luke’s Theatre
Written by George Bugatti
Direction and Musical Staging by Gene Castle
Reviewed by Joseph Verlezza
Theatre Reviews Limited
There is no doubt that it is fitting to pay tribute to and celebrate Harold Arlen one of the most influential and important composers of the Great American Songbook. His unique and interesting expressive style has graced stage and screen for decades. Arlen’s collaboration with some of the best lyricists created a phenomenal range of songs that continue to pay tribute to his legacy. “The Wonderful Wizard of Song” now playing at St. Luke’s Theatre is a valiant attempt by the 3 Crooners, Marcus Goldhaber, George Bugatti and Joe Shepard to accomplish this daunting task, especially given their choice to feature the enormous talent of Antoinette Henry to get the job done. Each of the crooners is vocally capable of delivering their songs in their solo turns and together they produce some interesting and pleasant harmonies. At times the crooner’s staging is, at best, standard musical theatre and the effort, although periodically entertaining, is forced and contrived and fails to enhance the music or delineate the lyric. An exception to this experience is when Ms. Henry takes the stage and surrounds herself with the melodies and plunges head first into the lyric to give an honest and intelligent interpretation. Her vocals are strong and powerful, clear and deliberate, always confident and constantly examining the moment.
Perhaps part of the problem is that when the music by Harold Arlen is joined with the great lyricists such as Ted Koehler, Ira Gershwin, Yip Harburg and Johnny Mercer, the musical’s vocalists decline to trust and believe in the material. It is most welcome to introduce a song with an infusion of a distinctive style, but in this case the integrity of some material was challenged by unnecessary harmonies and strange arrangements. Most notably this happened with the performance of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” arranged for the quartet and being close to unrecognizable, being pretentious by disregarding the dreamy lyric.
With all this critic’s reservations, it is still worth the trip to enjoy the undeniably remarkable music of Harold Arlen and the memorable lyrics of his notable collaborators. The exuberant cast constantly works to entertain the audience for the song filled 85 minutes, whether playful, moody or soulful, they produce a pleasant evening of musical theatre.
THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF SONG
“The Wonderful Wizard of Song” is produced by Yellow Brick Productions in association with Shea Arender, Steven Colucci and Jerry Rosenberg and has an original concept by Nigel Wright, Sam Arlen and George Bugatti with special thanks to Harold Arlen’s son Sam Arlen for all archival and historical content.
“The Wonderful Wizard of Song” features vocalists George Bugatti, Marcus Goldhaber, Joe Shepherd, and Antoinette Henry with a creative team which includes Josh Iacovelli (set and lighting design), Amy Pedigo-Otto (costume design), Marc Heller (sound design), and Andrew Smithson (musical director).
The performance schedule for THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF SONG is: Mondays @ 7, Wednesdays @ 2 and Thursdays @ 8. Tickets at $69.50 & $39.50 are available through TeleCharge at www.Telecharge.com or (212) 239-6200.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Sunday, January 13, 2013 |
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"City Love Song: Home" at 59E59 Theater C
“City Love Song: Home” at 59E59 Theater C
Written and Performed by Jack Finnegan
Directed by Tralen Doler
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Storyteller Jack Finnegan begins his travelogue with a rhetorical snapshot of a few minutes outside his building in New York City. This image, he claims, glorifies the interconnectedness of cultures and values extant in his neighborhood and reflects the common character of the people who love this urban home as much as he does. He uses this story as a springboard for his larger purpose; namely, to share for the third time his collection of anecdotes from his national and – this time – international travels.
In “City Love Song: Home” Jack Finnegan relates stories from his travels to Guatemala, to Brazil, to Casablanca, to Istanbul, and to New Delhi. In all of these places, his travelogue is meant to support his belief that we are all basically the same around the world and we need to be more fearless and more understanding when we interact with people in their cities -- cities which they love as much as we love our own.
All of that sounds commendable. Unfortunately, the exercise fails to materialize and ultimately falls flat on the stage of Theater C at 59E59. Storytellers need to be persuasive and to properly use all of the relevant rhetorical strategies available to them. There were times when Finnegan pulls these strategies into his stories: there are appeals to ethos, pathos, even logos and there are tropes (imagery, figurative language, compare-contrast, negation, etc) but none of these gels into a cohesive, compelling, engaging performance.
Tralen Doler is given credit for directing Mr. Finnegan; however, there is little evidence of meaningful direction. Effective storytelling sometimes needs some mystery in its mix of tricks: there is nothing wrong with a bit of a fourth wall, or effective lighting, or a larger-than-life persona. Mr. Finnegan began the performance sitting in the audience and insisted in interacting with his guests; there was not one lighting cue and the entire evening unfolded in abrasive, annoying white light; and Mr. Finnegan was not enough the shaman who should lead his listeners into deep recesses of the mind.
If you are a Jack Finnegan fan, by all means enjoy this third part of his trilogy. However, do not do that on the recommendation of this review or this reviewer.
CITY LOVE SONG: HOME is at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues).
CITY LOVE SONG: HOME runs for a limited engagement through Sunday, January 20. The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday and Saturday at 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $20 ($14 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Friday, January 11, 2013 |
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"Boys Night Out: The Music of the Rat Pack" at the Metropolitan Room
“Boys Night Out: The Music of the Rat Pack” at the Metropolitan Room
With Danny Bolero, Bernard Dotson and Tom Gamblin
Directed by Joseph Macchia
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
The group of actors known as The Rat Pack has a long history from the early days (1960’s) of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall until the 1980’s when three of the members (Martin, Davis, and Sinatra) appeared together for the last time in film in “Cannonball Run II” and the same trio staged their ill-fated revival tour which ended after only four performances. Whichever configuration of the pack one identifies with, the one most familiar to audiences and fans is the one celebrated in “Boy’s Night Out: The Music of the Rat Pack:” Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr.
Under Joseph Macchia’s direction and accompanied by Track Stark, stage veterans Danny Bolero, Bernard Dotson, and Tom Gamblin pay homage to the three crooners by performing from the repertory that made Sinatra, Martin, and Davis famous and sought after by an eclectic group of followers and admirers. Each vocalist has moments which stand out and when they perform together the synergy is remarkable.
Tom Gamblin sports inventive phrasing in “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime” (S. Coslow, I. Taylor, and K. Lane) and tight vocal control in “The Tender Trap” (J. Van Heusen, S. Cahn). Danny Bolero connects smoothly to “Sway” (Pablo Beltran Ruiz) giving it the proper mambo beat it requires. And Bernard Dotson provides the stand-out lead in the memorable “Gonna Build a Mountain” (Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse) and pays tribute to Sammy Davis, Jr. in his rendition of “Mr. Bojangles” (Jerry Jeff Walker).
What makes “Boys Night Out” remarkable is embedded in the name of the show itself. Bolero, Dotson, and Gamblin have a great deal of fun with their songs, with each other, and with their audience. Their patter and humor are inclusive, fresh, and relevant. Equally as important is the gift they proffer of the songs of a pack of talented singers and actors who will never be forgotten. These “boys” engage perfectly with an appreciative audience and this is, after all, the hallmark of good entertainment.
BOYS NIGHT OUT: THE MUSIC OF THE RAT PACK
Danny Bolero, Bernard Dotson and Tom Gamblin appear in “Boys Night Out” at The Metropolitan Room on the following schedule: Sunday January 6, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. and Monday January 21, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. Doors open 45 minutes prior to performances. The Metropolitan Room is located at 34 West 22nd Street in Manhattan. There is a $20.00 per person Music Charge and a Two Drink Minimum with a $5.00 discount for MAC/Industry Members. For further information visit http://metropolitanroom.com/
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Thursday, January 10, 2013 |
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"The Chess Lesson" at the IRT Theater
“The Chess Lesson” at the IRT Theater
By Sari Caine
Directed by Elizabeth Miller
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Sari Caine’s “The Chess Lesson” is a delightful trope for humankind’s inveterate attempt to understand “how things came to be.” Was there a creation? If so, was it a “big bang” or a divinely orchestrated event? Were there rules governing that creation? Did humankind “disobey those rules? Whose rules were/are they: those of some divine being or rules created by humankind itself? What happens when rules are broken? And can humankind – even in brokenness – return to its idyllic “pre-Fall” state?
When Mateo (David Crommett), Isabella (Meg Fee) and her husband Paul (David Rigo) decide to take chess lessons from their children’s teacher (Sari Caine), the rituals of creation, disobedience, fall, repentance, forgiveness and redemption come into sharp focus. Playwright Sari Caine skillfully uses the extended metaphor of the game of chess as the game of life to explore the important issues of the fall from and the return to states of grace in relationships and in interpersonal psychological health. As the three parents struggle to learn the game of chess, they confront their individual and interpersonal challenges to cope with each other and external reality.
Individually, and as an ensemble, the actors manage to engage the audience in the exploration of who we are, how we got that way, and where we want to go in our futures. As the Teacher, playwright Sari Caine watches her adult students dissolve into the squabbles typical of their children. Although she manages to continue to hold fast to her “rules,” she eventually joins them in their in a psycho-sexual meltdown of epic proportions. Ms. Caine’s performance here is just short of brilliant.
It is never easy for humanity to have attained the knowledge of good and evil. Mateo, Isabella, and Paul taste of that fruit in the classroom of life and struggle to find their way back to normalcy and viability. However, Ms. Caine’s mature and engaging absurdist script assures that her characters transcend even the confines of redemption and leave the knowledge of good and evil behind along with the “Fall” itself. At play’s end, creation and creator dance a new dance of acceptance of the limitations and joys of simply being human. Director Elizabeth Miller makes all of this work with efficiency and clarity on her and Daryl Embry’s expansive classroom set.
Slightly Altered States Theater Company’s “The Chess Lesson” is worth a look at the IRT Theater Space. The quirky new play is evidence that things are not always what they seem and that is a very good thing.
THE CHESS LESSON
“The Chess Lesson” is presented by Slightly Altered States Theater Company. This absurdist comedy is written by Sari Caine and directed by Elizabeth Miller.
The cast of “The Chess Lesson” includes Sari Caine, David Crommett, Meg Fee, and David Rigo with a production team that includes Daryl Embry (set), Derek Wright (lighting), Andre Fratto (sound), Zach Tait (stage manager), and Sonya Sobieski (dramaturg).
“The Chess Lesson” runs through January 27. The performance schedule is Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Performances are at the IRT Theater, 154 Christopher Street, Buzzer 3B, New York, NY. Tickets are $15.00 in advance, $18.00 at the door and can be purchased at 1-800-838-3006 or at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/301099.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Wednesday, January 09, 2013 |
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Marilyn Maye at the Metropolitan Room
“Marilyn by Request”
Marilyn Maye at the Metropolitan Room
Reviewed by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
Cabaret legend Marilyn Maye extends the celebration of the New Year with five glorious performances at the Metropolitan Room in Manhattan. Joined by Billy Stritch (piano), Tom Hubbard (bass), and Warren Odze (drums), Ms. Maye dazzles her fans for ninety remarkable minutes with her unique blend of song stylist, lyricist, and shaman.
Marilyn Maye lets the audience know “what it is in for” in her rendition of the re-imagined “The Song Is You” (Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein). Before launching into the “By Request” portion of the evening, Ms. Maye engages the audience with her comfortable humanness as she glides through “It’s A Most Unusual Day” (Harold Adamson/Jimmy McHugh) with a brilliant drum solo, “Golden Rainbow” (Walter Marks) with remarkable phrasing, a jazzy-operatic “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” (Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields), a comedic “Love Being Here with You” (Peggy Lee/Bill Schluger), and a solid “I Want To Be Happy” (Vinvent Youmans/Irving Caesar).
The “By Request” includes a veritable fusillade of hits from the Great American Songbook. Perhaps most memorable of these are the a cappella “Look to the Rainbow” (Burton Lane/E. Y. Harburg), “Make Me Rainbows” (Alan Bergman/Marilyn Bergman), “Ribbons Down My Back” with ethereal embellishments (Jerry Herman), “He Won’t Send Roses” from Jerry Herman’s “Mack and Mable,” “When the World Was Young (Johnny Mercer) and the tribute to New York medley.
Maye’s rich tones and scat-laced phrasing mine meaning from every lyric of every song she delivers. She leaves no note unexplored and her treatment of a song often becomes operatic: her songs are arias to be reined in to absolute perfection.
Eighty-five going on twenty-five, Marilyn Maye lives in the moment and invites her listeners to “be here, be now” with her. Maye’s love with the present moment contributes to her electrifying ability to approach each lyric and each note with a freshness that engages the audience and leaves them wanting more. Marilyn Maye closes the performance on January 4 with Jerry Herman’s “The Best of Times Is Now.” No truer words have been written or spoken or sung. Being there, being now with Marilyn Maye is a gift of grace and wonder.
MARILYN MAYE: MARILYN BY REQUEST
Marilyn Maye extends her stay in New York for five nights in “Marilyn By Request” – Thursday through Sunday, January 3, 4, 5, 6 and again on Wednesday January 9, all at 7pm. The music charge is $35, with a two-drink minimum. For information, or to order online, visit www.metropolitanroom.com For reservations call 212/206-0440.
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| 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Sunday, January 06, 2013 |
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