Middletown

Were it not for the fine actors on stage, this play would have been a real snooze.  Notwithstanding the fact that this is an award winning play, it doesn't guarantee an engaged and awake audience.  Playwright Will Eno took a lofty academic subject and has tried to translate that into action on stage.  The problem is that the play is about nothing.  Literally.  So was the TV show Seinfeld, you might quip.  The difference is, this is a serious drama, not a light hearted comedy.  Boring and drama is a deadly combination on stage.

Now let me get back to my first statement.  Were it not for the actors Michael Park (cop), Heather Burns (Mrs. Swanson), Linus Roache (John Dodge), and James McMehamin (mechanic) and Georgia Engel (librarian), we might be talking about a train wreck.  Instead, they've taken this material and worked miracles.  Michael Park (recently seen in Burnt Part Boys) exudes just the right mix of loneliness, anger, and suburban frustration alongside small town popularity and familiar like-ability.  Linus Roach (most recognizable for his role as Jack McCoy's ADA replacement on Law and Order) turns in a fascinating study in strange, off-beat, lonely and friendly all wrapped up in one.   Heather Burns is a convincing pregnant lonely suburban housewife who's husband is perennially out of town on business.  James McMenamin aptly portrays the perfect "lost" kid who has a storied past, uncertain present, and hopeless future.  Georgia Engel quite possibly was the perfect pick for the innocent, naive, yet solidly grounded town librarian with eternal hope and endless love.


So what was this play about?  The main theme of birth, death and everything in-between (hence the title Middletown) is a good summation.  Where are we going?  How do we know when we get there? Where did we come from?  Why are we here?  Pretty heavy, academic stuff, huh?  In the end, the subject matter and words on the page probably deserved high praise and recognition with the Pulitzer.  However, when translated to the stage, it somehow loses its power and punch and looks more like a sad indictment of our suburban (or even American) plight overall.  The opening monologue to the audience was awkward (was it part of the play or done for the theatre?).  The end of Act I with the "onstage audience" was clever, but upon reflection, a bit insulting.  (Am I perceived by the playwright or director to be that dumb that I need this explained to me?).


An unfair early review, I don't think so.  Technically, there were no problems - lighting, scenery, and sound - all top notch.  I especially loved the astronaut radio communication scene sound effects and night sky lighting.  Actors turned in top notch, solid, and well rehearsed performances. Perhaps not my cup of tea, i admit.  But at least I stayed for Act II.  I can't say that for about a dozen or so of my fellow audience members.  At the Vineyard Theatre, that's a high percentage.

The Drowsy Chaperone

I think if I could ever write a Broadway show, it might come out just like this one! I must say, I went in with mixed expectations but I came out beaming from ear to ear with a smile and rave reviews for the clever and unique story!

Bob Martin wrote the book and was ever so crafty to also star as a character in the show. Now, I know what you might be thinking - I have many times before told you to beware of the guy who writes and stars in his own play! But this one is different. Trust me.

"The Drowsy Chaperone" is really a story in one man's mind about a musical called "The Drowsy Chaperone"of days gone by. The entire story is about how musicals just sweep you away and take you to a place where you're not sad or blue. All this is relayed to us by "Man in Chair", who's sitting in his living room in a not-so-fancy New York apartment on a rainy afternoon listening to his favorite record album of a Broadway musical (yes record album) to cheer him up. The clever part here is that Bob never leaves the stage. He peppers each scene (just short of interacting with the characters) with his own commentary (and comic wit) on the show. He never let's us forget we're watching what he's hearing and enjoying on his record album.

Now - onto the show - within the show - - Sutton Foster (from "Millie"), Georgia Engel (you know her from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"), Edward Hibbert (you know him as Gil Chesterton on "Frasier"), Jason Kravits (you know him as Richard Bay on The Practice") and all the others in this true "cast of characters" all entertain us!

The actual story of the Drowsy Chaperone is really musical theater fluff - which if often pointed out by Bob - which keeps us laughing even harder. At one point in a company number the record gets stuck- so the actors on the stage "get stuck" (hehehe). He goes to the bathroom at the "intermission" and tells us to listen to the entre act by the orchestra until he returns. The actors all come out on stage in completely different costumes surrounded by different scenery - (oops, he put the wrong record on the turntable (hehehe). See, it's silly funny!

Even if you're not a Broadway musical freak like me - I'm pretty sure you'll leave the theater with the same warm feeling inside. It's truly the Broadway Musical of all Musicals this season! Put your blades on and glide on over to the Marriott Marquis!