The Common Pursuit

What could have been a riveting barn-burner and some fierce competition for the much-hyped Cock over The Duke turns out to be a brush-fire that smolders about 25-30 minutes longer than it should with a decent flair-up at the end over at the Laura Pels.  

Simon Gray's two-act portrait of friendship and family certainly makes you think and reflect on life.  Spanning 20 years over 4 (well, really 5) scenes, The Common Pursuit takes you on a journey through the connected lives of six young college students as they form a literary (the titular reference) magazine and the subsequent decisions they make, paths they choose, and the lives they lead.

Set in England, we are introduced to a mix-and-match group of unlikely (yet not altogether unexpected) group of friends who all meet regarding said literary magazine being started by idealist Stuart Thorne (Josh Cooke).  Loves blossoms, life-long bonds of friendship form, and personalities develop, and wax and wane among the all-around fine ensemble including Marigold (Kristen Bush), Martin (Jacob Fishel), Humphry (Tim McGeever) Peter (Kieran Campion) and Nick (Lucas Near-Verbrugghe).

Act I is more than a bit too long.  While a certain amount of exposition is necessary to understand the life-long, enduring bonds of friendship among the characters, there were a few unnecessarily long monologues, and in the case of Nick, much-too-much hamming-it-up which Director, Moises Kaufman, should trim.

Act II is where the action is - and in stark contrast we finally see the figurative guns from Act I being pulled out, waived around, and in some cases used.  The boredom and monotony quickly wore off and I was engaged, interested, and quickly found myself engaged in the characters.  The lack of struggle or conflict in Act I (or perhaps just more the feeling of where is this going?) is completely obliterated in this shorter, much more punchy and dramatic half.  

I found myself leaving the theatre with my lady-friends engaged in discussions and debate about connected or unconnected dots among the characters, hints dropped in earlier scenes, and the meanings or messages ascribed to each character.  A few days later, it still piques my interest while writing this review.  That's the sign of good work.  I just have this nagging feeling that it could have been even better than it was. It's certainly, however, worth the price of admission.  The chance to renew my own bonds of friendship afterwards - Priceless.

Assistance

Playwright Leslye Headland is likely good at a minimum of four things:  grammar, being an assistant, reading people, and writing plays.  Each of these traits is quite obvious from a brief, yet incredibly entertaining evening at Playwrights Horizons to take in a performance of Assistance.

Six mixed-up, shook-up, wired-up, young assistants get messed-up, chewed-up and spit-out by an un-seen, un-heard un-relenting, un-kind, president of the company.   Mr. David Weisgert, whom we never actually see or hear, is indolent, un-reasonable, demanding, and over-the-top, and drives these assistants – both literally and figuratively – crazy.

The goal in the office seems to be to get in (that’s hard) and get out  - “across the hall” as fast as you can (even harder).  Part dig on corporate America, part study of what drives people to crave these maddening jobs, and mostly just an hysterical, all-too-familiar composite of some bosses we once knew and truly hated.

Nick (Michael Esper) and Nora (Virginia Kull) work out their issues through flirting and eventually sex (in the office).  Jenny (Sue Jean Kim) gets cut while she’s still an intern, Vince (Lucas Near-Verbugghe), a bit of a creep, is the first to “make it out”.  Jenny (Amy Rosoff) brings her ice-cool British-game to the office and Justin, a.k.a Bird (Bobby Steggert) puts in his time on the road with the boss as his personal assistant, suffers the battle scars to prove it, and eventually “makes it” into the office too.  One by one they rise… and fall.

The dialogue is quick, the banter, believable and the non-stop telephone-ballet, quite impressive.  I’m not saying that any of these talented actors should ever be unemployed and working the phones – but either many of them have indeed suffered the pains of an office assistant job, or they are quick studies not only into the art, but also the emotional intensity.  Either that, or director Trip Cullman is one hell of a teacher.  

Maybe it’s a little bit of all that - so tightly wound and ready to explode each night - that makes Assistance an 80-minute romp on West 42^nd Street each and every night.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Entertained?  I sure as f*#k was.  Witness to history?  In a way, sort of.  Top notch theatre?  No, not really.  What does this all mean?   Spend the $60 for a ticket and get an irreverent, funny, musical history of the life of our 7th president - Andrew Jackson.  

I don't see this as a Broadway transfer (but crazier things have certainly happened).  Appropriate for the Public Theatre this musical romp was well worth the 90 minutes in the elaborately shabby Newman theatre at the Public.  

From his first words (and first sight - *sigh*) Benjamin Walker (Andrew Jackson) is HOT (dripping with sex, one might say) .  The ensemble cast surrounding him never failed to entertain.  More than a few times - over the top - but I guess that's what I signed up for.  My favorites included Lucas Near-Verbrugghe (Van Buren) and Jeff Hiller (Adams)  - who both almost made me pee in my pants a few times.  Everyone is young.  Everyone is sexy.  It's loud. That's what they are going for.

Spring Awakening meets American Idiot meets Saturday Night Live - - that's my vote and I'm sticking to it.

The Ritz

Terrance McNally took on a controversial topic in 1975 on Broadway with the debut of The Ritz - a gay bathhouse! Well in 2008, it's not quite the same "gasp" from the audience regarding the topic. The movie was made shortly following the Broadway debut - staring Rita Moreno and Jerry Stiller. Coming back to Broadway in 2008 we find Kevin Chamberlain and Rosie Perez headlining the show.

Well - it's funny. And the shirtless young boys roving around the clever multi-level bathhouse set certainly hold your eye. But the show more reminded me of a marginal episode of Three's Company or Laverne and Shirley.

I did also enjoy the cabaret performances- which i have come to understand are meant to remind you of the starts to the careers of such singers at Bette Midler at the Continental Baths. Notwithstanding the farcical plot, I'd advise getting a discount ticket to see it. It's worth some moderate price just to make eye contact with one of the boy-babes roaming in and out of the steam room.