The House of Blue Leaves

John Guare just had a grand Broadway run with latest work, A Free Man of Color.  Now he's back on Broadway with one if his his first works, The House of Blue Leaves.   Despite the 40 years in-between the creation of the two, his style remains remarkably similar.  While Blue Leaves is substantially less grand and not quite the epic of an era that was Free Man, it still tells a wild and crazy tale in the characteristically Guare-like story-telling style.

Taking the helm in this 2nd Broadway revival are a divine Edie Falco (Bananas), a slightly bristling Jennifer Jason Leigh (Bunny), and an enthusiastic Ben Stiller (Artie).  Supporting this fine leading cast are the always sublime Allison Pill (Corinna), and uber-adorable Thomas Sadowski (Billy).  It's interesting to note that Mr. Stiller is not new to the production, having played the son, Ronnie, in the first Tony award winning (Best Play)  Broadway run in 1986.  Anecdotally, his mother, Anne Meara, played in the original 1971 off-Broadway run in also.

I didn't see that production in 1986 (staring John Mahoney, Stockard Channing, Swoosie Kurtz, Danny Aiello, Julie Hagerty and Ben Stiller - and later Christine Baranski and Patricia Clarkson), but it seems to me the current revival's cast is somewhat different.  I've asked a few people who have seen both and the two adjectives that are repeatedly used are related to temperature and energy.  According to my "experts" polled - the current cast has less warmth, less love, is more mechanical, detached, and, dare I say, "crazy".  In a way it makes sense to me.  Isn't that the general state of who we are in 2011 vs 1971?  The actors are simply reflecting our current norms and general state of sensational being.   The show, after all, is about a bat-shit-crazy family in Queens that starts out crazy and ends up 3 levels crazier.   It's part farce, part comedy, and part family drama.   Some may call it honesty, and some may call it drama, but the interactions between the characters (mostly between Stiller and Falco) can jump from moderately funny to mildly offensive and mean-spirited in a heartbeat.  I found the audience unable to discern between the two and prone to laugh at some of the most inappropriate points in the dialogue unfolding on stage.

Overall the show is a powerhouse - - of both drama and comedy.  It was written mainstream pre-terrorism, but rings as true today in that sense as it did the say it debuted.   While it's not my general cup of tea, I did enjoy the significant performances - - and it frankly left me wishing I could have compared all the performance casts.  But alas, live theatre is just that - live.  You can't press rewind.  That's something Artie probably wishes he could do too.

This Wide Night

 Two extraordinary women playing two rather ordinary women.  Two contemporary powerhouses, Edie Falco and Alison Pill, take on this two-hander from Naked Angels at the Peter J. Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizons.  Probably not a coincidence that artistic director, Jeffrey Nauffts, has a hit play, Next Fall, currently playing on Broadway.   How he has one playing off-Broadway too.

The play was commissioned in England to be delivered to women in prison - to tell them how hard it may be "on the outside" after they are released.  Money doesn't come easily, old habits die hard, and family may  take several forms.

A 90 minute electrifying performance by both women.  While virtually nothing much transpires between the two women the entire show - the message, emotion, and result is incredibly powerful.

Mauritius

The 2007-2008 Season at the Manhattan Theater Club opened with a scam! Well, the show was about a scam anyway - a philatelist (stamp collector), a suspicious deal maker, a desperate woman, and two rare stamps from Mauritius.

The cast was led by last season's darling from Blackbird - Allison Pill. Also on stage was Katie Finneran (Noises Off and Pig Farm), Bobby Cannavale (Will's Boyfriend on Will and Grace), and Dylan Baker (I know him as one of the Law and Order "High priced attorneys - Sanford Rems).

My subscription is a preview subscription - so let's just assume the show will get tighter, sharper, and more comfortable with a little time. The actors all seem fully capable and the writing appears to be high quality. The comedy at times seemed a bit forced, but again, that will most likely mellow out with a few more weeks of performance.

The story, however, leaves me with a few questions that were never answered. There were a few "guns introduced in act one that were never used in act two". The biggest one was the mysterious story about why the family broke up. Abuse? Rape? Murder? Something else? We hear about it in act one, but never really find out the details - - and specifically - the plastic bag? Is there a spin off of Law and Order in the works or what?

I frequently found myself asking "why don't you just go somewhere else to sell the stamps?" For the length of the show - I would expect a deeper plot with a bit more character development. Although, that was partially offset by the quality of the acting and the general twists of the story.

A little mystery, some intrigue, and a murky past to all the characters hold your interest - And it will get you looking at the stamp on your next letter!

Blackbird

Jeff Daniels and Allison Pill. Una shows up at the office. Ray is panicked.

What happens for the next 90 minutes will take your emotions on a roller coaster ride. The tension is palpable. The subject matter, unsettling.

David Harrower's play at the MTC is like none other playing on or off Broadway.