SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER A REVIEW

To celebrate Tennesee Williams' 100th birthday the excellent White Horse Theatre Company is presenting one of his darkest and most complex plays "SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER"and [as usual] is doing a first rate job of it, and Cyndy A. Marion [ who's stage direction is way beyond first rate] again proves herself to be a master at sizing up difficult, challanging plays and making them into rich theatregoing experiences.
This self described allegory about how deep human cruelty can go started life as part of a double bill Off Broadway called "Garden District" in 1958 right after the Broadway failure of "Orpheus Descending" and about a year before his Broadway success with "Sweet Bird Of Youth" It deals with a strange, distant lady who is trying to talk a young doctor into lobotomizing her neice to keep her from revealing a deep dark family secret and much of the time Mr. Williams has his characters talk directly to the audience. While this device does not always work out it is sometimes effective and successful at making the plays' sometimes needless symbolism clear, and under Ms. Marion's expert staging the cast is astonishingly good.
As the cruel lady who will do anything to protect a secret Elizabeth Bove is nothing short of titanic in an almost impossible role delivering the long asides with a facility that is almost astonishing, and Lacy J.Dunn is every bit her equal as the neice.
They are backed up by a cast that is from top to bottom superb.
"SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER" is not perfect and it's unrelenting symbolism will limit it's appeal to many people,but it has many fine moments in it and once again Ms. Marion proves herself to be one of New York's finest stage directors.
As it stands, this is a rich rewarding theatre evening and well worth checking out.
THE WHITE HORSE THEATRE COMPANY AT THE HUDSON GUILD THEATRE 441 WEST 26th STREET N.Y.C. thru October 2nd.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING A REVIEW

George S. Kaufman [that emenent and much loved all around theatre man] once said that satire is what closes on Saturday night. While there have been successful musical satires over the years,most of them have not had much of an after life." Of Thee I Sing" was the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize and was the longest running book musical of the1930s, but when it was revived twenty years later it seemed awfully tame and mighty creaky. The fact is that most satires are very much of their time and date rather quickly.
When I reviewed the original production of "HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING" in 1961[I was in my first year of college and was their resident drama critic] I thought that this razor sharp poke at big business was beyond brilliant with it's devistatingly funny book by Abe Burrows [with help from Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert] and classic score by Frank Loesser. It won the Pulitzer Prize, ran 1,417 performances and is considered by many to be the classic musical satire. When it was revived in 1995 it still had some spark, but not much sting. Now in this 50th anniversary revival it has no spark and and it's once brilliant satrical edge is woefully dated in this high-tech age.
It's the familiar tale of a go-getter determined to get to the top of the business world at any price,but he has so much charm that you root for him to succeed despite his sinster underbelly. It's a difficult role to play and requires perfect balance between the charming and sinster aspects, and in it Daniel Radcliffe works hard and has charm to spare but does not have the underlying cunning that would make the role beleivable.
However, John Larroquette has fun with the role of the company head and has just the right amount of grumpiness and charm to make him seem likeable.
Newcomer Rose Hemingway is delightful as the go-getters girlfriend and Tammy Blanchard is halarious as the boss's mistress.
Director/choreographer Rob Ashford keeps things moving briskly enough in Derek McLane's colorful but oddly moodless sets,and the great Loesser score is not well served by Doug Besterman's new orchestrations which can't begin to compare with the wonderful Robert Ginzler originals.
The fact is that"HOW TO SUCCEED" is very much tied to it's period and what was a benchmark in musical satire now seems dated and even a little foolish.
AT THE AL HIRSCHFIELD THEATRE 302 WEST 45th STREET N.Y.C.

" FOLLIES" AND "SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM" SOME THOUGHTS

While on a mini-vacation to Washington D.C. last weekend with my wife I attended two theatre events that are worth mentioning.


The first one was the long awaited Kennedy Center production of the great James Goldman/ Stephen Sondheim musical "FOLLIES" and even in this in and out and unevenly cast production it is still [in my opinion anyway] one of the best musicals to emerge in the 1970s with one of the decades best scores, possibly surpassed only by Mr. Sondheim's late 70s masterpiece "Sweeney Todd".


Forget about the fact that I saw [and loved] the original 1971 production and I was at the legendary 1986 concert reading at Lincoln Center. Both were perfectly cast and and staged and were exroadanary theatre evenings so I was willing to judge this production on it's own terms, but the somewhat uneven casting[ of the four leads only Jan Maxwell seemed well suited to her role] and spotty stage direction by Eric Schaeffer cast a pall over the procedings that [for me anyway]never went away. Even the sets by Derek McLane and the costumes by Gregg Barnes were lacking in mood and style.


Is there anything good? Well Jonathan Tunick's orchestrations and John Berkman's dance music arrangements are as fresh and vibriant as ever and they are played by a good pit orchestra conducted by James Moore.


While it is true that " FOLLIES" was never a flawless show [the book has problems of structure and seems to sometimes get out of hand] the music and lyrics are beyond great and even in this underpowered production it is worth seeing.


The second show we saw was a delightful production of the 1975 revue "SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM"produced by the excellent Signature Theatre in Arlington Virginia and performed by an excellent cast of three performers and two musicians. This was a lighthearted look at Sondheim's work thru the1970s[ ending right before"Sweeney Todd"] and was performed by three very talented singers Sherri L. Edelen, Matthew Scott, and especially Nancy Anderson who has a smile and personality that are irresistable.


For those that are interested, "SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM" runs thru June 12th and 'FOLLIES" is on thru June 19th.

















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THE NORMAL HEART A REVIEW

The early years of the AIDS epidemic is the the background for Larry Kramer's heartbreakingly brilliant drama "THE NORMAL HEART". When it was first produced Off Broadway 1n 1985 it caused a sensation and ran almost a year. I considered it a benchmark in American Theatre when I saw that memorable first production and it is as gut -wrenching as ever in this explosive
and classic first Broadway showing.
Mr. Kramer focuses his play on Ned Weeks, a gay man trying to cope with the illness and eventual death of his lover and in this highly emotional and high profile role Joe Mantello[making a most welcome return to acting after becoming an award-winning stage director] is almost unbearably heartbreaking, and John Benjamin Hickey is just as good as his lover.
The other outstanding performance is turned in by Ellen Barkin as a wheel-chair confined nurse trying to cope with everything that is happening around her, but the entire cast is so perfect in their roles that watching them becomes an unmitigated joy.
The stage direction is split between Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe and it is as vibrant and riviting as you could want, and David Rockwell's white box set[with it's stunning projections]catches the plays mood perfectly.
"The Normal Heart" may not be for everyone. It's over the top anger and unflinching emotional pull is sure to upset many people but for those willing to take the ride this is as riviting a theatre evening as even a hard to please aisle-sitter could ask for. Go see it.
AT THE JOHN GOLDEN THEATRE 252 WEST 45th STREET N.Y.C.

SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON A THOUGHT

While I am not an expert on opera I found "SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON" to be a reasonably accomplished work. Stephen Schwartz has done the libretto and score for this adaptation of a 1961 novel by Mark McShane and the 1964 film by Brian Forbes, and while it is alittle slow getting underway it is an interesting and always engaging work.
It tells the tale of a phychic who plans an elaborate kidnapping scheme to insure a successful recovery and in this role Lauren Flanigan is exceptional, singing well and acting with passion. The rest of the cast is fine and Scott Schwartz[the composers son] directs the opera with spirit and knowhow, and Heidi Ettinger's set is well designed and playable.
I found "SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON" to be no classic but it is a worthy effort and was worth doing, and Iwould like to see Mr.Schwartz do another American Opera because he shows definite talent in that area.
AT THE DAVID H. KOCH THEATRE LINCOLN CENTER N.Y.C.

JERUSALEM A REVIEW

The collapse of English society is the theme of Jez Butterworth's spellbindingly brilliant play "JERUSALEM" and in it's central role Mark Rylance moves to the head of the class as one of the worlds great actors.
All you have to do is look at the virtuoso performance he gave earlier this season in "La Bete" and his award winning turn in "Boeing-Boeing" three years ago to figure out that this is an actor of extroadanary gifts and here he is nothing short of titanic as a fun loving man who is unemployed because of an injury and living in a broken down motor home in the English countryside. He is about to be evicted because of an incoming county fair and and real estate interests who want to develope the land his home is on. He is visited by a motley group of friends who want nothing more than a good time and a son who wants his attention.
It's a marathon role that keeps Mr. Rylance on stage 95% of the play's three hour running time and I have not seen an actor blend into a role so completly since Paul Scofield stunned Broadway 50 years ago when he came to town in" A Man For All Seasons"
He is surrounded by an extroadanary company of actors some of whom are [ like Mr.Rylance] reprising the roles they played in England last year, and the play is beautifully staged by Ian Rickson, a fine director repeating his London staging.
The sets and costumes by Ultz and the lighting by Mimi Jordan Sherin catch the mood of the play perfectly and Stephen Warbeck's background music is just right. By the way, the play's title comes from a hymn that is sung at the end of the Labor Party confrences every year as a tribute to the beauty of the land.
Anyway, 'JERUSALEM" is a stunning play and Mr. Rylance gives a performance that will be talked about forever. Don't miss it.
AT THE MUSIC BOX THEATRE 239 WEST45th STREET N.Y.C.

ARCADIA A REVIEW

Time travelling can be a tricky thing to pull off theatrically but British playwright Tom Stoppard manages to do it beautifully in "ARCADIA" ,his elegant and thought-provoking play now being given a beautifully conceived and artfully staged revival by director David Leveaux.
Mr. Stoppard's play moves back and forth between the year 1809 and the present at an estate owned by a promenant British family. The 1809 scenes reveal a household in transition while the present day scenes depict the family dedescendants and two scholars who are researching a possible scandal at the estate in 1809 involving Lord Byron.
As is the custom with all of Mr.Stoppards plays "ARCADIA" requires the utmost attention from the playgoer, but Mr. Stoppard is a master at storytelling and his use of the English language is nothing short of astonishing and his exploration of truth and time across the centuries is nothing short of genius.
Under David Leveaux's often brillant stage direction the cast works together like a well oiled machine and Billy Crudup, Raul Esparza, Margaret Colin nd all the rest give marvelously shaded performances of these most complex characters.
The elegence extends to Hilegard Bechtler's sets, Gregory Gale's costumes, and Donalde Holder's lighting, but everything about this production represents serious theatregoing at it's best.
I did not see the first New York production at Lincoln Center in 1995 so I can't compare it to this one. All I can say is that this production of "ARCADIA" is a flawless realization of a thought provoking and sometimes masterful play and any serious playgoer should put it at the top of their must see list.
AT THE ETHEL BARRYMORE THEATRE 243 WEST 47th STREET N.Y.C.