Indian Summer

Gregory S. Moss is indeed a talented playwright.  In his latest installment at Playwrights Horizons we are treated to a summer romance between two innocent high school kids.  Of course that couldn't be all there is to it - so he threw in a jealous not-so-smart 27 year old boyfriend and a sad widowed grandfather who ultimately offs himself.  The romance was fine.  The 27year old boyfriend was entertaining.  The grandfather was a disturbing and incongruous character with a creepy effect.   Maybe this was what Mr. Moss was going for.  I'm not sure.

What I do know is that the play is slow.  Very slow.  Aside from creepy grandpa, there isn't much you can't see coming.  The set is simple and appropriate.  A pile of sand on the stage.  How could it get easier.  No nails.  No screws.  (sets, Dane Lafferty).  And well lit was this stage and sky behind.  Colorful sunsets and sunrises abound (lighting, Eric Southern).  The extremely talented young actor, Owen Campbell (Daniel), is an adorable, scrawny, smart young man seemingly dumped at a Rhode Island beach for the summer at his grandfather's by his mother.  Elise Kibler (Izzy) is a sassy, pretty, local kid who falls for Daniel all the while being a big-girl with a bullying, dopey, 27 year old boyfriend Jeremy (the sexy, hunky Joe Tippett).  Things amusingly unfold as you might imagine.  Grandpa (Jonathan Hadary) is the anomaly to the trio and the overall play in general.  His unsettling character brought to mind Paula Vogel's uncomfortable How I Learned to Drive.

As a season ending show, it wasn't a zinger, wasn't a thriller, and wasn't memorable.  It was, perhaps, like a summer read of the latest by Mary Higgins Clark on the beach.  Mindless. Easy. Forgettable.

White Rabbit Red Rabbit

Quite possibly one of the most mysterious, unique, and highly secretive show running today, White Rabbit Red Rabbit, for the un-initiated, is a play performed sight-unseen by an actor only once.  The script is handed to the actor on the stage and off-we-go.  Now there's no preventing anyone from googling the show and figuring out the premise and general plot.  Heck, I'm sure there is a full transcript out on the Internet somewhere.

No spoilers here.  But my advice to you is to go see someone you like.  Someone who is a fairly good story teller and can handle the spontaneity of interacting with the audience and reading at the same time.  I would imagine the producers (Tom Kirdahy and Devlin Elliott) pre-select for these qualities - but it is up to you to choose someone you really want to see read you a story.  

My chosen actor was the adorable and lovable David Hyde Pierce and I regret nothing.  Mr. Pierce was genuinely interested in the on-the-fly evening, did not appear overly prepared and gave us an enjoyable, engaging, and seemingly authentic read of the extremely unique play.

The play is written by Nassim Soleimanpour, an Iranian playwright who refused to do his national service so he could not get a passport.  Instead he wrote a play that could travel the world without him.  He requested a different actor do the show each night and that people email him about their experience (during the play).  His message in the play is one told through the use of a sort of science or experiment using white and red rabbits and after you clear through the messy script has a message.

The message is confusing, but potent.  The story is choppy and a bit messy and unfocused.  But if you listen carefully you can really hear a young Iranian playwright vigorously trying to convey an important message through an unsuspecting, un rehearsed actor on the stage with a little help from the audience.

A Better Place

Despite several decent aspects of this show, I could not shake the feeling that I was mis-sold on what I was going to see and it was not overcome by what I actually saw.

The show is sold as a comedy about New York Real Estate - Love, Lust, and the crazy, life-is-always greener across the street aspect of the crazy real estate market in NYC.   I thought it might be a bit like Playwrights Horizons' Assistants or perhaps Michael Urie in Buyer & Cellar.  What I got instead was a rather repetitive, snooze of a show that simply plotted poor rent-controlled brownstone renters in Brooklyn situated across from a modern, all glass and steel high-rise across the street.  They watch the supposedly rich family across the street and envision their life.  The rich family across the street is anything but.  They are poor, loud, and common.  The husband gambles, the wife is a maid with high class dreams and the daughter is dumb as a box of rocks who gets excited when real estate brokers talk "dirty amenities" to her.

Casting seemed a hodge-podge of mix and match talents.  Judith Hawking (Mary Roberts) was a fairly decent over-bearing (and over-acting) mother.  Edward James Hyland (John Roberts) didn't seem like a carpenter but could have been a a gambler.  Rob Mitner (Les Coven) was a convincing over-the-top gay cater-waiter with a dash of drama queen but was paired with a much too old John Fitzbibbon (Sel Trevoe) as a professor in purportedly his rent-controlled shoe-box.  Jessica Digiovanni (Carol Roberts) had little to work with in the material except that she was dumb and a sexpot.  Michael Satow aptly worked the various broker boys, doorman, and waiter.  He was perhaps the best looking and most versatile actor (and by far the cutest) of all despite, again, his lack of any decent material to work with.

I might have been mildly amused if this show was 60 minutes but it was 30 minutes more of the repetitive "I wish we were them" and "I'm going to the track" and "Talk dirty to me" dialogue.  There were several scenes that were absolutely out of left field - Why did poor guy's father leave? and The restaurant scene and the hospital scene.  Waaaay too long, waaaay to repetitive.  Add in a lost briefcase of cash, a much too old professor for his young cater-waiter boyfriend, and horse racing and all you've got is a hot mess of a show with little entertainment value.

One bight spot in this production was the set - an innovative split-set depicting actors on both sides of the street.  The audience was also situated on two opposite sides of the theatre thus creating the peeping Tom effect for both the actors and the audience. Kudos David L. Arsenault.

Stick to the Sunday Times for your real estate fantasies.  This show won't fulfill any of them.

Hadestown

Like many of the productions at New York Theatre Workshop, Hadestown is a superbly interpretive and entertaining work of story told through music.  With a musical score by Anais Mitchel and directed and co-developed by Rachel Chavkin, the show is a remarkable story re-telling with fantastic music, song, and dance.  I purposely say re-telling because this is effectively the Greek myth of Eurydice and Orpheus and Persephone and Hades. With folky tunes, upbeat rhythms and even an Andrews sisters trio (representing the Greek chorus of Fate) the entire production was absorbing and astounding.

Performed in a de-constructed theater reconstructed to be a bleacher theater in the round, the show effectively uses lighting, smoke, and the round stage with it's platforms and entrances/exits as an entire canvas to weave the story.

Damon Daunno (Orpheus) and Nablyah Be (Eurydice) are the young lovers with the voices of angels.  Amber Gray (Persephone) and Patrick Page (Hades) are strong willed, bold, and vocal powerhouses.  Ms. Gray has perhaps "the number" of the show and Mr. Page's booming low bass personifies Hades himself.  Chris Sullivan (Hermes) infuses the show with his sharp and potent persona as the narrator of the tale.

One need not know much about Greek mythology to enjoy or understand the show.  It's an ageless tale of love, innocence, lust, and wonder.  It's good vs. evil.  Seasons represent life.  Hades is tempting. Can love triumph?   You'll have to stick around till the very end to find out.

Incognito

Nick Payne certainly has a niche genre that has been playing out on the stage at Manhattan Theatre Club.  Neuro-cognative science and memory are the unique and intriguing substance for his plots.  Not exactly a light and fluffy topic.  His plays explore the mind.  Incognito, similar to Constellations, which previously played a Broadway stage, is a play that makes you think, decode, and analyze.  It's certainly not an evening for those looking for fluff.

Charlie Cox, Geneva Carr, Heather Lind, and Morgan Spector aptly play a cadre of characters in couple pairs as they rotate, move, and act out the play's 3 main acts.  The stories vary in depth and complexity - from a scientist who stole Einstein's brain to a boy with a seizure disorder who can't remember 5 seconds ago but remembers his wife and their plans for the last day they were together to a lesbian couple trying to figure each other out.  What do all these people have in common you ask?  Well, from what I can tell, it's the quest for what gives them identity and context in life.  What they think today might not be what they think tomorrow.  An does it really all matter?  Are our brains all in control in their own way and we are just passers by in the equation?  

These thoughts and others are brought to life through the stories on stage and they keep you thinking well after the play ends.  Mr. Payne's plays may grow tiresome if he doesn't broaden his horizons a bit but for now, off-Broadway seems to be the most appropriate place for his fine works.

Dear Evan Hansen

I've never felt so torn about the review of a show as I have after attending an evening at Second Stage to watch Dear Evan Hansen.  The title represents a key document in the teen-angst musical's plot - an alleged suicide note to be specific.  The trouble here - it wasn't s suicide note and just about everything that Evan Hansen (Ben Platt) told Colton's (Mike Faist) family after they mistook it for their son's suicide note is a complete lie.  The lie explodes beyond friends, family, school and ultimately and predictably overtakes social media into the entire community and larger social network.  The social commentary here has something to do with "fitting in".  It is complicated by the fact that the chief liar is a messed up kid himself - so one might ask "Is it OK to lie and promote those lies about a dead kid as long as it actually helps heal and help the messed up one who is still alive?"  I really think that the fact that this show made it this far means that people just look at the premise and say "That's just how it is."

I understand that one of the writers of this musical (Benj Pasek or Justin Paul I am not sure which) wrote it as a response to a suicide they experienced in their own young school life.  The trouble I found here is that although there is a mild "you get what you deserve" ending, it basically promotes this behavior or if you can't take that  strong a position, you must admit it does virtually nothing to reject the premise.   To make my life harder - the music and songs were astonishingly beautiful.  It really is possible to pair superb music with sub-standard material.

As for the acting - overall despite the youth and inexperience of the cast - it was indeed superlative, and in Ben Platt's (Evan Hansen's) case - (once this show makes it to Broadway) Tony Award Winning stuff.  Seriously, it was that good.  Mr. Platt takes the mannerisms, verbal ticks, quirks, and eye movements of a shy, anxious, socially awkward boy and makes you believe he really is.  His staccato verbal style, pregnant pauses, and nervous laughter is real.  His emotion and actual tears on the stage are quite literally present and true.  His vocals are angelic and the songs/lyrics by Messers Pasek and Paul are quite literally haunting.  Although I will make note that way too many songs had wild swings in octave which forced Mr. Platt into and out of his falsetto voice way too many times.  His cast mates Mike Faist (Connor Murphy) and Will Roland (Jared Kleinman) support Mr. Platt well.  It's a  fine young ensemble cast, the look of the stage, digital and the sound, electronic.

Indeed, I cried at multiple points at the show.  I was upset, I was disturbed, I was sad for Evan Hansen.  But those tears were often tears for the sad and tragic situation he created.  I was crying for his predicament.  Some would argue that is the achievement of theatrical empathy.  I would agree with that theatrical analysis, except I was more upset at what he did rather than for him.

At over 2h:35m (at my performance) the show, which is known to be heading to Broadway after this run, is also way too long.  There is much to be cut and if asked I could readily suggest at least 3 different scenes that could be scrapped.  This show should probably come in at 2 solid hours including the intermission.

Much like Evan, I too am tortured and torn.  This show was so good, yet so disappointing all at the same time to me.

Fully Committed

I thought I'd be rolling in the aisle.  I thought my sides would hurt from laughing too much. How could it not be good?  A cute, funny, gay-boy playing the part of a haggered high-end restaurant reservation desk clerk playing his own part and the parts of ever crazy person who calls into the restaurant.  This really seemed like a guaranteed recipe for hysteria for the masses.  Unfortunately, as cute, and gay, and adorably cuddly as Jesse Tyler Ferguson is, he's just not an over-the-top character actor - and that is what 110% of this role requires.  (Think, for example, Mario Cantone!).

At Broadway prices ($$) and a stage about 8x larger than what the show should be presented on, I found little to enjoy and many-a-glance at my watch to check when 90 minutes would finally be up.  Not to mention, the seats in the dumpiest Broadway theater around, The Lyceum, were busted and uncomfortable.  Not a great match for the purported restaurant in the show.

And for the record, I've never heard an American use the titular expression to say "We're full tonite".

Sorry Jesse.  I really wanted to fill your reservation book up!

Call me.

Death for Five Voices

Peter Mills, a multi award-winning composer, is responsible for this magnificent, sweeping, and lush musical along with the artistic director of Prospect Theater Company herself, Cara Reichel who worked with Mr. Mills on the book.

The subject matter of the musical is perhaps an awkward choice, but one, when properly imagined on the stage, as Ms. Reichel and her more than capable company has done, is a majestic and breathtaking journey into the past.

Set back hundreds of years in Italy during the tumultuous years when Popes and the Church were in power struggles all across Europe, the play examines the early life of Carlo Gesualdo, himself a groundbreaking composer of the late Renaissance.  The score incorporates the musical style of the period with a contemporary Broadway feel and the result is nothing short of musical delight with a murderous twist.

The production is set in what I understand to be a new space, the Black Box Theatre at the Sheen Center.  The quality and comfort of this space rivals some of it's distant uptown higher end venues. Heck it was even more comfortable than the dump of the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway where I had the displeasure of spending the remainder of my evening.  The lighting, sound, and seating were all top notch. I hope to see many more productions in this space.

The entire superlative cast could not have been more pitch-perfect from start to finish.  Vocal prowess was no issue for these masterful young artists - who I hope to see on another stage soon. Nathan Gardner, who I cannot believe is only making his off-Broadway debut, sounded like a well rehearsed Broadway veteran and his youthful demeanor tells me we will see him again on a larger stage very soon. Manna Nichols (Maria D'Avalos) was an angelic soprano and a force to be reckoned with.  The insanely gorgeous AND vocally talented Nicholas Rodriguez (Fabrizio Carafa) did not fail to impress on either front - shirt on AND off. Rounding out the impressive cast were Jeff Wiliams (Alfonso Gesualdo), Ryan Bauer-Walsh (Pietro), and L.R. Davidson (Sylvia) - all of whom despite their secondary character status turned in outstanding, first-rate performances.

Death for Five Voices is currently running through April 17th at The Black Box Theater at the Sheen Center on 18 Bleecker Street.  Show Website

Tuck Everlasting

The producers (and there are many) of this show have assembled perhaps the finest creatives available on Broadway and have made the best casting decisions possible.  Book writers Claudia Shear and Tim Federle brought their "A" game on this effort after many years of work on the story.  The music and lyrics by Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen are a perfect blend of Broadway and Folk with rousing ensemble production numbers, tender ballads, and entertaining character solos.  Although he is the last one mentioned on the marquis page, Casey Nicholaw is at the top of his game with the show's inventive and dynamic choreography with hints of ballet and not a single kick line.  His directorial choices aren't obvious, and that's what makes the show sail along as smoothly and easily as it did.

The story is adapted from the novel of the same name by Natalie Babbitt - and for the record I've neither seen the movie nor read the book.  The charming and heart-warming story goes something like this - young girl whose father died last year wanders into the forest, meets young boy from a family that has discovered a fountain of youth in the wood and has lived forever for generations without aging.  They take her home overnight and eventually return her home the next day where she has to make a decision  - drink some of the water (in 6 years when she's old enough) or live her life in the here and now as intended.

The young girl, Winnie, is played by newcomer Sarah Charles Lewis.  In what will for sure be considered her star-making debut on Broadway, this young girl will most assuredly be on the short list for a Tony nom.  Surrounding her is a cast like no other and might be the most perfect casting for this show.  Of the Tucks, Broadway veteran and vocal powerhouse Carolee Carmello (Mae Tuck) plays the Mother, Broadway veteran and great stage actor Michael Park (Angus Tuck) plays the father, Handsome and talented Robert Lenzi (Miles Tuck) plays the older brother, and last, but not least, the undeniably adorable and supremely talented singing, dancing, and acting star Andrew Keenan-Bolger plays the title character Jesse Tuck.  But the casting bulls-eyes don't end here.  Broadway stalwart Terrence Mann plays with aplomb the Man in the Yellow Suit.  He's got a devilishly devious part and perhaps leads one of the best numbers (there are many) of the show - Everything's Golden.  And in case you didn't think that was enough - the Indomitable Fred Applegate perfectly plays older Constable Joe along with his young sidekick (and son) Michael Wartella (Hugo) to the delight of the entire audience - especially since the creatives smartly gave them a number at the end of the show that almost got a standing ovation -Story of the Man in the Yellow Suit.  The reprise of Join the Parade in Act I brought the entire company on stage with Mr. Keenan-Bolger joining the male dance ensemble to bring the crowd to its feet in a rousing company number.  It deserved an encore (as cheesy as those are).

To be critical, Act II was better than Act I in terms of story and pace but I suppose a bit more exposition (the drag) is needed in Act I.  What I think the creative team did brilliantly was to engage the audience throughout.  All those Broadway numbers for the secondary characters, the talented Tuck family casting, ensemble dance routines, the introduction of young star and finally the epilogue - which for some will evoke potent emotional memories of the ending of Six Feet Under - it was perfectly choreographed with ballet inspired dance and staged and without a single word the audience understood exactly what was transpiring.

Tuck Everlasting will tug at your heartstrings and bring you to your feet at the end.  Live for now and run over to the Broadhurst Theatre and catch a performance of a show that aims to live forever!

The Battle of Central Park

Playwright Andrew Massey stumbled onto Robert Moses in a car ride in the Bronx.  He stumbled on Joseph Papp in his college drama class.  I bet he never thought he would write a play about these two powerful men, each in their own worlds - which collided in a grand battle for the Arts smack in the middle of Central Park.

This bio-play is really a story told and re-told through letters, newspaper articles, and memories.  The very clever point which could have been made even more dramatic in the play is that these two gentleman, despite their massive battles never actually met.  Mr. Massey opens the play with a scene that once repeated at the finale, hits that point home.  Through the use of projections, slides, and historical photos, the ensemble, who are part narrators and part choreographed movement, weave a tale of two powerful men - often at odds with each other.  Kudos Jamie Watkins and Michael Monacan (Projections) and Annalisa Ledson (Choreographer).

Jon Huggins (Robert Moses) has an impressive stage presence and is a commanding actor.  (He's also incredibly tall).  His booming voice and larger than life attitude brought the needed arrogance and power to life in Mr. Moses.  

Nick Trotta (Joseph Papp) made you feel the conviction of his beliefs, the frustration with the government inquiries to his private life, as well as his life long commitment to and love of the arts.  Both actors held court in this 60+ minute historically relevant and culturally interesting piece.

Both deserved their own bow after the initial company at the curtain call.  That's just how good they were.

I could really see this play being expanded slightly (maybe 90 minutes) and brought onto an off-Broadway stage for a slightly more robust performance with more projections/slides and a moderately expanded story filling in some of the gaps.  Not having given much thought until this moment, I could even imagine two stars teaming up to bring the show to a Broadway stage.  Danny DeVito as Papp?  Tony Goldwyn or Jeff Daniels or Kevin Spacey as Moses?   Stranger things have happened.

American Psycho

In the rehearsal room this show must come off like a a giant snooze fest with little entertainment value.  The fact that is is even on Broadway is a testament to the people who sold this show to the producers.  They must have had an incredible story-board presentation.  However, on the stage, with amplified contemporary music (Duncan Sheik), booming sound effects (Dan Moses Schreier), colorful rock concert-like lighting (Justin Townsend), dazzling video projections (Finn Ross), and sleek sets and special effects (Es Devlin), the actors with these tools on their side bring the awkward subject matter to life.

Dripping with pure sexual energy and a hefty amount of talent, to back up their good looks, the cast of handsome and upper-crust 80's characters manages to salvage what is otherwise an awkward horror movie on the stage.   At the helm and top of the bill is the incredibly chiseled and flat out gorgeous Benjamin Walker (Patrick Bateman).  His vocal prowess is second to none and his sultry cut body is simply perfect.  I can say this because he is on stage in just his underwear more than he is on it clothed.  And yes, it didn't bother me one bit.... not one.   His Wall Street firm-mates are also oft shirtless too.  It's the 80's in NYC at the height of hedonism, after all.  Jennifer Damiano (Jean), a powerhouse in her own right, had to dumb it down for her mousy, shy, and good-girl secretary role, but she nonetheless impressed.   Patrick's mother, Mrs. Bateman, played by the indomitable Alice Ripley, proved there are really no small roles.  I frankly didn't know it was her until well into act one when she finally took off her big sunglasses (the 80's, remember?).

What haunted me throughout this very innovative and ironically enjoyable if not awkward production was the feeling that the least impressive element was the adapted book itself (Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa).  The show felt like it was built around the special effects and Mr. Bateman himself.  It seemed like the book was merely a vehicle to deliver the movie's Cliff notes.  It felt like Mr. Aguirre-Sacasa simply strung 12+ scenes together with homage to the movie but without the ability to do it justice due to the limitations of the stage.  In the end, there was not enough to scare you, not enough to keep you guessing, and not enough to explain the abrupt and confusing ending even if you are listening to the lyrics.  The show's packaging and bold performance style (it was more like a rock concert story) keeps you in your seat and the regular insertion of popular 80's music sung by the pitch-perfect cast kept your toes tapping and eyes rolling throughout.  Between those toes tapping and the drool on your shoes continually flowing due to the uber-sexy cast, you just might enjoy the journey this show takes you on even if it seems out of place on Broadway.

Note:  Cast Photos resemble the Broadway production, but are from the London Production

The Robber Bridegroom

The pure joy and toe-tappin' excitement over at the Laura Pels Theatre at Roundabout Theater Company is absolutely not to be missed.  Brilliant director, Alex Timbers, brings the the entire kitchen sink of musical theater joy to the stage in a revival of Alfred Uhry and Robert Walodman's  The Robber Bridegroom.

And tap your toes you certainly will.  Helmed by the incredibly hunky and easy-on-the-eyes Steven Pasquale (Jamie Lockhart, The Robber Bridegroom) who himself is a powerhouse of the theatre, this production is triumphantly successful at having fun and entertaining its audience.

Supporting Mr. Pasquale are darkly funny Leslie Kritzer (Salome), the devilishly handsome and talented Andrew Durand (Little Harp), and the beautiful and beguiling Ahna O'Reilly (Rosamund).

When the actors themselves all appear to be having fun, you know the show is going to be a delight.  At one point Mr. Pasquale seemed to be "gotten" by a line from another character and a Carol Burnett moment of trying to conceal the hilarity ensued.  It's a Mississippi tale brought to life 8 glorious times a week.

Theatricality at its highest of heights (kudos Mr. Timbers); Lighting dynamic and creative (Jeff Croiter, Jake DeGroot); and authentic sets (Donyale Werle).  The on-stage Band could not have been a more tightly integrated and absolutely adorable component to the show (Cody Owen Stine, Mike Rosengarden, Ben Lively, Douglas Waterbury-Tieman, Matt Cusack).

For a brief break from the political primary rat-race,  join this cast for a 90 minute ROMP!

The Father

I never doubted for one second that Langella would shine.  In its American debut at Manhattan Theatre Club, The Father, by Florian Zeller is a master class in acting and story telling.  Frank Langella (Andre) is aging and it's not pretty.  He's losing his mind - or has he already lost it?  His daughter, Anne (Katheryn Erbe) stands by his side watching his decline, painfully enduring what it brings.

There is brilliance in Mr. Langella's performance, but perhaps more importantly there is brilliance in Doug Hughes' direction of Mr. Zeller's work.  The vignette blackouts, the shocking strobe light, the stark lights up on the next, often conflicting scene - all effects that heighten the impact of the material.

What Mr. Zeller does so brilliantly is bring the audience into the world of confusion and uncertainty of Andre by repeatedly swapping actors for the same character - to which the audience in addition to Mr. Langella must react and process.  He juxtaposes dialogue that is similar but with entirely different outcomes.  He repeats segments of dialogue between the same characters but offers different emotion and conclusion.  The jolting effect to the audience is what a man in Mr. Langella's condition must experience in his condition.

Mr. Langella does most of the heavy lifting here, and his performance is transcendent. This is one play you won't soon forget - even tho the play itself is all about forgetting.

Antlia Pneumatica

Anne Washburn is at it again.  I did not see her last play, Mr. Burns, which has been described as leaving you "dizzy with the scope and dazzle of its ideas".  Antlia Pneumatica seems to be a repeat of that theme as it relates to memory, dreams, and the universe.   Ms. Washburn seems to be a non-linear writer.  Concept is king.  Ethereal is the theme.  Wonder and mystery loom large.

Nina (Annie Parisse) has a family house in the middle of nowhere Texas.  Friends from eons ago (i.e. college 25+ years ago) gather to bury one of their crew.  She has a sister, Liz (April Matthis) although color blind casting makes that fact less than obvious unless you are paying attention. Amusingly quirky friends - cute, cuddly, and gay Len (Nat Dewolf) and neurotic contrarian Ula (Maria Striar) seem to be devoted to her although it is unclear when the last time they actually saw each other.  Nina's drop dead gorgeous ex-boyfriend Adrian (drop-dead gorgeous Rob Campbell) may or may not have visited the compound of friends after a 14 year estrangement.

Nothing is truly explained.  We watch in linear time but the story is non-linear.  Time is flexible. The mind plays tricks on these friends as dreams and memories abound as they gather to bury their friend Sean.  Pies are made but not baked, Breakfast is discussed but not eaten, Children are heard, but unseen (Recorded voices of Casey and Wally are played offstage).  The ethereal tale comes to a climax of confusion and wonder when Bama (Crystal Finn) shows up (one assumes her name is an homage to her accent) and proclaims her own tale about Adrian who couldn't possibly have been there if it were true. This goes along with a separate mystery of a friend of Adrian who may or may not be alive and a successful real estate guy in Nevada.

At one point, Nina and Adrian have an extended hushed and dream-like conversation in the darkness of the family's Pecan orchard, the stage lit only by a multitude of tiny stars in the Texas sky.  (Kudos Tyler Micoleau - lighting, Rachel Hauck, Sets) and it is only then you begin to realize that Ms. Washburn's play isn't what it seemed all along.  It's mind-bendingly better - in a heavenly and dizzying sort of way.  Don't wait for the 3 pecans to drop to head over to Playwrights Horizons.

Medea

Sometimes you have to venture out of milquetoast midtown to get a re-grounding in what it means to educate in the theatre.  Having ventured up to the Harlem School for the Arts this Sunday, I got a glimpse of this concept in action.  Artistic Director, Alfred Preisser has adapted, directed, and produced a compact and powerful Medea mixing both students and theatre professionals (HSA Faculty) and the result packs quite a punch.

First performed in approximately 431 B.C (that's a long time ago folks), this tale is just as relevant 2400+ years later.  A lot has changed in the world, but Mr. Preisser's production reminds us - a few things have not.


Women's rights, immigrants, misogyny, murder, and betrayal.  These thorny subjects were around then - and they are still around today.  I would agree with Mr. Preisser that Medea is just as culturally relevant today as it was then. Our news feeds are filled with reminders of this on a daily basis.

Medea (Tracy Johnson) is a strong woman.  Medea killed for what she believed in.  She is a warrior.  Despite these strengths, she is the oppressed by her powerful husband Jason (Khalil Kain).   Ms. Johnson exuded the very aura of confidence and conviction the tale requires.  In classic form, the Greek Chorus of mostly student echos the thoughts and themes of the tale.  The tale we see unfold could have unfolded on West 96th  Street today ostensibly the same as it did 2400 years ago.  Swap the poison crown for a gun, and the castle for a coop and -  voila - Medea today.

While nobody would advocate killing your own children, one can admire the strength, conviction, and power a woman can wield.  The education of our youth in the theater is an important task and HSA has taken this to heart by mixing life lessons with acting lessons - all in a black box theater in Harlem.  An easy trip uptown well worth making.

HSA is located at 645 Saint Nicholas Avenue and the production runs February 26 - March 20 - Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 7 PM.

Red Speedo

After a tremendously impactful showing at Playwrights Horizons this fall with Christians, Lucas Hnath bring another of his works to the New York Theatre Workshop stage with less than impressive results, Red Speedo.  

Mr. Hnath used a different writing style in this show.  In Christians, it was long preacher-like paragraphs.  Here, he has imbued this play from cover to cover with staccato, interrupted dialogue between two characters - as if each of them is talking a mile a minute but getting only one or two words out before being interrupted by the other - over and over and over.  The result is unfortunately that the actors would have had to rehearse for weeks and weeks to get this style to feel like it was naturally occurring.  On paper it likely looks like a frantic, energetic, heightened dialogue.  On stage, it merely appeared like a machine gun mis-firing.

In terms of casting, whomever was responsible for this NYTW production cast a beautifully tall and lean muscle boy as Ray (Alex Breaux) - not so much a swimmer tho.  It was distracting.  He wasn't beefy and V shaped enough (believe-you-me he was drop-dead gorgeous nonetheless).  In another interesting casting decision, his brother Peter (Lucas Caleb Rooney) looked nothing like him.  I know we all don't look alike but it just seemed odd and lacked authenticity.  Coach (Peter Jay Fernandez) was a bit too serious and stoic.  I didn't sense a reason for him to be so rigid, except that the machine-gun dialogue almost required it.  Ray's complicated girlfriend, Lydia (Zoe Winters), turned in a fine performance but Mr. Hnath might want to stop referring to her as a sports therapist, as I initially thought she was a shrink (she was a physical therapist).

The moral question of the play was unexpectedly complicated.  I expected the performance enhancing drug topic. What I didn't expect, and very much appreciated, was that Ray, the gorgeous Olympic-qualifying swimmer, was dumber than a box of rocks.  It added the dimension of a lack of a choice - that he needed to do this and it was much more instinct than calculated, intelligent decision.  It really made me think about education and emotional development.  Ray was clearly a hunk of meat who could swim but do absolutely nothing else.  Peter was clearly the sleaze bag from beginning to end and it was artful to watch how the coach transformed right before our eyes.  Three very different personalities and how they all interact is a fascinating study.

Now, the white elephant in the room - Hello?  Drug Testing??  Olympic athletes are tested to the moon and back.  Mr. Hnath should have done a better job at explaining this away rather than just hinting at how the testing focuses on levels from test to test rather than a substance itself.

Overall, Mr. Hnath's work presents an universally present problem in all sports and culturally relevant decision making process.  Like everything that is a bad idea, things don't usually end well going down this path.  And Mr. Hnath clearly agrees.

Boy

A true very raw and tender story penned by Anna Ziegler is being presented on stage by Keen Company at The Clurman Theater on Theater Row.  At just over 90 minutes, this show packs a powerful and real punch.

Walking into the theatre, the first thing you notice is the mirror image set hanging above the real set on the floor (Sandra Goldmark).  The mirror image, only upside down.  This is much like the life of Adam Turner (Bobby Steggert).  Mr. Steggert plays the titular boy of the play - actually born a boy but after an accident during circumcision, surgically altered to a girl and raised as such by his deeply caring (if ignorant) parents.  Nobody really talked about or acted on these things and it was a time where a doctor with a theory had some sway in the public discourse.  In his teenage years, he rejected the identity and after surgery re-emerged as a boy... (mighty easy on the eyes, i might add).

Mr. Steggert plays the dual role of Samantha (growing up age 6 thru 13) and Adam (age 23) in the current time.  Through alternating flashbacks and current scenes, we see Adam today and learn of his struggle and anguish growing up.  We learn of his parents who cared dearly for him and through this play are portrayed as nothing more than caring parents who tried to do "the right thing".

Mr. Steggert alternates between a wounded man of 23 struggling to love a girl and a tortured little girl who somehow knew she didn't fit in even though she didn't know what was wrong. Tough, tender, raw are the words that come to mind repeatedly when observing Mr. Steggert in his fine portrayal of the little boy trapped inside this little girl.  Confronting the doctor later in life is an eye opening and tough scene and one could sense his trepidation in the meeting.

Supporting Mr. Steggert  aptly are his mother and father (Heidi Armbruster, Ted Koch) and the love of his life, (Jenny) Rebecca Rittenhouse.  His doctor for these many years, (Dr. Wendel Barnes) was played earnestly by Paul Niebanck.

I cannot imagine the anguish and torture this young boy must have endured growing up.  You can't blame his parents.  You can only partially blame the doctor. Although he never admits it in the play, the accusation is made that he put experiment over patient, but that is never proved or admitted, at least not in this play.

She Loves Me

Roundabout Theatre Company has taken a musical theater gem, polished it up in a new, delightful production, and is presently dazzling audiences nightly over at Studio 54 with a star-studded cast.

Scott Ellis helms this Broadway gem for the second time, actually.  In Roundabout's first musical undertaking in 1993 was his one of his first shows too.  In a fresh, new production staring the indomitable Laura Bennati (Amalia Balash), the dashingly handsome Zachary Levi (Georg Nowack) and the bombshell Jane Krakowski (Ilona Ritter) and the delightfully debonaire Gavin Creel (Steven Kodaly) we are witness to pure musical comedy genius.

In typical Roundabout style, the sets, a 1934 Budapest Parfumerie and ancillary apartment rooms, are simply divine - dripping with color and panache (David Rockwell).  Costumes were period perfect (Jeff Mashie).

Ms. Benanti is perfectly cast as a brash young women who bursts into the store seeking a job.  Mr. Levi surprised all with his pitch-perfect deep, baratone voice as Ms. Benanti's shy young (and secret) love interest.  Ms. Krakowski plays the musical comedy bird-brain and Mr. Creel plays the greasy and slick both to the hilt.  Being surrounded by a supporting cast of old-timers only adds to the enjoyment of the evening - Michael McGrath (Ladislav Sipos), Byron Jennings (Mr. Maraczek), and a one-scene wonder, Peter Bartlett (Headwaiter). As a special note, I saw the delightfully adorable and talented understudy for Arpad Lazlo (Justin Bowen) and I couldn't have enjoyed him more.

Opposites attract is the theme.  We watch our young lovers meet, argue to exasperation, and eventually fall deep in love once their secret letter writing relationship is confirmed.  At 2 hours and 30 minutes, it's a full evening - Act I being a tad bit longer than Act II.  It's old fashioned, silly, frivolous, and delightful and I could not think of a better way to pass an evening in the theatre than with these talented actors.