A Perfect Future

David Hay's new work at the Cherry Lane Theatre attempts to explore the "glory days"of a few 1970's college radicals in a Manhattan apartment 30 years later.  Lifetime movie, you may ask?  Unfortunately, worse than than, i regrettably report.

While the cast was aptly chosen for their good looks, the play, rather than focus on the subtleties of the relationships, chose to accentuate the stereotypical and painfully obvious plot twists that these people's lives cold have taken.  John Hudson (Michael T Weiss) is a rude, annoying, pompous, rich, Wall street guy.  Natalie Schiff-Hudson (Donna Bullock) is an over-the-top, former radical turned documentary film maker who seemingly turned "rich guy's wife" allegedly because they used to have good sex and apparently she never bothered to realize her husband was a complete phony, racist, capitalist ass.  Elliott Murphy (Daniel Oreskes) - the radical friend who "kept the faith" and has always "fought the good fight" amazingly comes out of the closet after it's safe to do so and is now a big gay daddy who defends terrorists and fights against AIDS  - and surprise - has lots of relationship issues.   Into this patently obvious storyline comes Mark Colvin (Scott Drummond) a young, good-looking associate at John's office who - get this - looks as straight as a Mormon arrow - but turns out he's gay too.  Over the course of this dinner party, more (expensive) wine was uncorked than at a medieval feast and (surprise) the participants reveal exactly what you would expect them to - that none of them are happy and some of them are not what they seem.

With a blueprint that could make a bad lifetime move look good, even the main prop - the wine - was a disaster.  Someone in the properties department needs a basic lesson in what color red and white wine should be.  (Hint - neither is pink).

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity

As advertised - a power-slam of a play!  Wow. Kudos to Kristoffer Diaz.  Wrestling on Broadway - who could guess that it would win a Pulitzer prize!?  Well, although it's subject matter happens to be wrestling - it's about so much more.  Americans, immigrants, money, culture, ignorance, racism, and identity.  That's a whole lot of stuff packed into two hours.

Let me be upfront.  I HATE wrestling.  (If I liked it do you think I'd be writing a Broadway theatre blog?).  But wrestling is a merely the perfect tool to lay out the argument.  And "lay out" is exactly what Ushman Ally, Terrence Archie, Desmin Borges, Christian Litke, and Michael T Weiss do with the material.  Power-Slam.

Want to see what a Pulitzer prize winning play looks like - Proceed immediately to Second Stage Theatre.

Scarcity

Lucy Thurber has penned a powerhouse - now on stage at the Atlantic Theater Company. Scarcity is the story of intense frustration and struggle. Struggle with family, choices, poverty and alcohol. Frustration over how our position in life is affected by those choices- and the struggle to escape and the collateral damage left behind.

The poor family has a smart kid - who takes advantage of an over-attentive teacher to "get out" from under his alcoholic father and ocassionally delusional mother. Kristin Johnston (3rd Rock from the Sun) and Michael T Weiss (The Pretender) preside over the sad family and mom and dad. I saw Brandon Espinoza (u/s) as the young man at the center of all the energy and Meredith Brandt making her off-Broadway debut (at age 11) as the youngest member of the family - who in many ways was the smartest - - and certainly the most vulnerable.

The family dynamic might remind us of the television show Roseann - the twisted ways that love weaves into these families. The hope offered by escape. The sadness at the situation, and the despair of the young ones left behind.

You might not leave with a smile on your face - but you will certainly enjoy a powerful evening of theater.