Victory: Choices in Reaction

The sub-headline for this post should be "Between Follies".  That's because Jan Maxwell helms this heady, intelligent, no-small-undertaking of a play - in-between her Follies DC run and its transfer to Broadway.  Talk about a busy schedule!

Howard Barker's play is certainly not a run-of-the-mill work.  It takes place in the 1660's in England in the restoration period - which translates to a period when government was in chaos, political ideology was in flux between the economic forces, religious forces, and the old and new aristocracy.  I don't for a minute claim to be knowledgeable on this topic nor do I believe I understood everything going on.  What I do know is that Director, Richard Romagnoli has even further energized this powerful work by adding a rough edge to the production.  Pounding punk music and choreographed moves during each scene change add a dramatic contrast to the subject matter and time frame of the play.  Costumes and makeup add bite and drama to the already heightened tension of the story.

Despite the heady subject matter, the delivery by some of the actors was magnificent.  Of special mention is the stand-out performance by David Barlow who played Charles Stuart, A Monarch.  The monarch's extremely unstable mental state shown thru in Mr. Barlow's dynamic and potent portrayal.  Jan Maxwell seemed to immerse herself in the complex role of Bradshaw, The Widow of a Revolutionary and Steven Dykes equally impressed in his portrayal of Scrope, A Secretary (and several other minor characters also).

While this play might not be for everyone, I find more and more that off-Broadway houses produce such high quality work that while you might not think it your cup of tea, you're drawn in to a story, it's power, and the intimacy of the theatre that you find yourself enraptured, educated, and enthralled.  Next thing you know it's 10:45pm and you're dumped back out on the street wanting more.

Follies

Although a fully staged production, it appeared to me to be nothing more than an enhanced concert version of Stephen Sondheim's luxurious score at the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.  The construction of the show is quite cumbersome to begin with - old people enter, begin to reminisce, younger versions of their characters appear in the dialogue, one by one they all have "moments" in the spotlight.  The story struggles to keep moving forward because we are constantly having to look back at how it all started to understand why we are where we are.  Then come 4 fantasy follies numbers that chop up the 2nd act and finally back to a quick wrap-up in reality.

All the stars on stage seemed as if they rehearsed alone in a room and for the first time stepped foot on stage together.  No chemistry.   No palpable feeling they were coming back to revisit memories.  Just actors singing songs and saying lines.  Perhaps you were one of the early and loud-clappers that sat next to me?  By this I mean the throngs of freaks who were there to burst out into applause 8 seconds before everyone else and before the songs were over just because Bernadette Peters was somewhere near the stage and may have hit a note that sounded marginally good.   With that said, most of the performances were pretty good.  But we still have the first problem - no chemistry.  Without that, the show is just a pastiche of concertized Broadway numbers under a rose colored spotlight.

Bernadette Peters (Sally) and Jan Maxwell (Phyllis) were OK.  Not great, but OK.  Linda Lavin, however, knocked Hattie out of the park - Broadway Baby was her number to deliver and was honestly the best number of the entire show.  Elaine Paige, on the other hand, was terrible.  I'm Still Here should be a rousing, crowd stirring number by the time it's finished.  She's got the right first name for the song - but a Stritch, she is not.  Ron Raines (Benjamin) and Danny Burstein (Buddy) seemed oddly miscast although Ron's vocals were in fine form.  Mr. Burstein only seemed to hit it out the park when he was in his sweet spot - character acting - performing his follies number - Buddy's Blues.

Overall, the show was disappointing, although to see any of these actors perform is a treat.  This production just didn't seem to pull it all together.  Regret.  It was both the theme of the show and my evening as well.

Wings

When John Doyle directs, we've come to expect a stage that is sparse and a play that is packed with emotion and energy.   Wings is no exception either.  It's Jan Maxwell on full throttle - and what a tour de force she packs in those 75 precious minutes.

You learn, virtually immediately, that something is wrong.  Emily Stilson has had a stroke.  The next 74 minutes take you on an audio-visual tour  - from inside her mind - the point of view of the stroke victim - her loss and confusion, her frustration and inability to put the right words together at the right time - all the while knowing inside what she wants to say.  Her slow climb back is emotional and inspiring.

Some will complain about the lack of sets (not me).  Some will complain it was too short (not me either).  The lighting, sound, and video effects were just enough to take you beyond the stage on a journey of the mind  - the mind of Emily Stilton - a 1920's stunt airplane wingwalker where adventure and courage can't be beaten down.

Lend Me a Tenor

What started as a funny romp turned into a tragedy of epic proportions at the Music Box Theatre.  More like a overly long episode of the Carol Burnett Show, I thought this one would never end.  Truth be told, I left at intermission.  The actors were all decent  - and frankly i chuckled quite a few time - but c'mon, even Carol Burnett has limits.  She can only try to make Harvey Korman or Tim Conway laugh so many times before the joke gets very old, very quickly.

The Royal Family

To Be or Not To Be

A well acted, yet disappointing production is currently languishing at the Biltmore Theatre (I know, it's now the Friedman) at the Manhattan Theatre Club.  A little bit of a play within a play concept going on here;  Throw in a lot of Hitler jokes;  Add a dash of humor and you've got Nick Whitby's To Be Or Not To Be.   

Based on the 1941 original and subsequent 1983 Motion picture staring Mel Brooks, this stage production seemed to pale in comparison.  Perhaps that was Nick Whitby's interpretation or possibly Casey Nicholaw's direction or maybe both.  Or maybe it was just the fact that taking a motion picture and turning it into a play doesn't always work. Strangely enough, I felt that this was somehow intentionally staged to compete with Roundabout's The 39 Steps.  I think RTC won that contest hands down.   Stop copying.  Start pioneering.  Welcome Back Lynne Meadow.

You'd better get to work.  You are 0 for 2 so far this season.  Barry Grove's choices that you are now stuck executing appear to be miserable failures.

It's not particularly knee slapping funny, but it's not a flop either.  Entertaining, yes.  Run-don't-Walk, no.   Run time is about 2 hours (thankfully).  The story doesn't really have much more in it to last any longer.  I have to say that the ending (at least what you perceive as the ending) is odd.   Thankfully someone threw in one last joke to let you leave the theatre with a smile.   To Go or Not to Go?  Don't rush.

Entertaining Mr. Sloane

It seems that the season of plays at the Roundabout (and beyond!) are all about slightly crazy people. No exception here.

A crazy 41 year old woman who has a sick father and slightly closeted homo brother all seem to revolve around a young, mysterious stranger. Ok, the woman wants him to call her Mom - and at the same time to have sex with him (on both, she succeeds). The father knows the boy killed someone in his past. But he's old and feeble - so who could he tell? The boy would just kill him too. The brother (Alec Baldwin) is a dweeby, British aristocrat (with two cars) and all the same a closet case! There was much innuendo and double entendre in all the dialogue... Ok - so the young mysterious boy emerges with his shirt off (um, yes, he's gorgeous and built!) and you find yourself wishing you were on stage instead.

A bit too "British" for me - but all the while well acted and funny. I just have one question - where exactly was the crossover from Act II to Act III?