Collected Stories

A charming and poignant evening in the theatre.  Seeing Lavin on a Broadway stage is a pleasure.  The role of Ruth Steiner was one she was born to play.  She brought an ethnic and comedic touch that few others could bring.   Sarah Paulson turned in a transformative performance - going from a shy, insecure undergrad to a successful award winning published author.

The dilemma presented in this story is one argued through the ages - Who owns a story?  Who has the right to tell it?   Ruth and Lisa wove a complex relationship - one of teacher and pupil and another as surrogate mother and daughter.  Playwright Donald Margulies prods the audience to take sides, makes you ask yourself where to draw the line.  He presents both sides of the story but it's highly likely you'll walk out of the theatre with an opinion on one side or the other.

Who's side will you take?

Crimes of the Heart

Beth Henley, the Pulitzer prize winning playwright brought us Crimes of the Heart in 1979. Roundabout Theater Company brought it to us briefly in 1980 in a limited run. It enjoyed a substantial Broadway run at the John Golden Theater in 1981. Most of us don't remember any of that, but do recall the 1986 film adaptation staring Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange, and Sissy Spacek.

Well, none of them were here this time around. Kathleen Turner makes her directorial debut toiling over relative stage newcomers Jennifer Dundas (Arcadia), Lily Rabe (Heartbreak House, Steal Magnolias) and Sarah Paulson (Glass Menagerie, The Sisters Rosensweig).

The story comes across a bit dated (circa 1974, Hazelhurst, Mississippi). The southern were accents a bit over-done, and the overall premise, aside from the black comedy aspects, a tad bit dumb. Many may remember the movie having more off-beat characters. Not found here. One bright spot in the play was the above average performance by Jennifer Dundas. Unlike her two other sisters, she delivered a believable and empathetic performance.
Stick with the movie and let's wait for Kathleen Turner to sink her chops into some better material next time!

Colder Than Here

A woman with cancer who plans her own funeral. Sounds a bit odd, doesn't it? But in the context of a loving, yet quite dysfunctional and quirky family - perhaps not.

Judith Light gave a magnificent performance as Myra - the "rock" of a mother stricken with Bone cancer given just 6-9 months to live - But despite that bad new, she continues to interject humor, wit, and helps the family learn how to become the "glue" that she always was to them. The supporting cast - two polar opposite daughters (Sarah Paulson - Laura in "The Glass Menagerie" and Lily Rabe - Anelle from Steel Magnolias") and a curmudgeon of a husband - a veritable potpourri of talented and witty dysfunction themselves - did a remarkable job at "not dealing with" and "dealing with" the impending death. Poignant, Tender, yet plenty of laughter thru the tears moments - - Which, I think, is exactly the way mother would have wanted it.

"Colder than Here" - is only here for a short run at the Lucile Lortell Theater in Greenwich Village. Give it a try!!

The Glass Menagerie