THE GLASS MENANGERIE A REVIEW

Getting right to the point,the Roundabout theatres' new production of THE GLASS MENANGERIE is sublime, magical, terrific or any other superlitive you care to heap on it. Director Gordon Edelstein has staged Tennessee Williams' masterpiece with such care and know-how that it becomes [for me anyway] a breth of fresh air in a rather stale theatre season.
This is more of a memory piece than a play with all the action coming from the narrators' mind as he recounts his memorys of his frowzy Southern belle of a mother and his lame sister, and the quartet of actors present constitute the finest ensemble acting to grace a play in a long time.
As the overbearing mom Judith Ivey is simply magnificent. I was a toddler in 1945 when Laurette Taylor played this role and I understand that her performance was legendary, but I doubt that even she came up to Ms. Iveys' fresh and intelligent take on the role, and as her lame daughter Keira Keeley gives a radient performance. Patch Darragh gives a fine account of himself as the narrator/son and Michael Mosley is just right as a possible sutor for the daughter.
This production came to New York by way of the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven Conn.where it recieved rave reviews. They were not in error because this fresh take on THE GLASS MENANGERIE is a marvelous theatre evening and one of the few don't miss events of the season.
At THE LAURA PELS THEATRE 111 WEST 46th STREET N.Y.C. THRU JUNE 13th.

THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES A THOUGHT

The vital off-broadway Pearl theatre company ends its 26th season with a workmanlike production of Frank D. Gilroys' 1964 Pulitzer Prize winning THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES. This kitchen-sink drama about past mistakes and misunderstandings in a post W.W.two family is mostly what it was 46 years ago. Maybe a little slow-starting but rich in plot development and well defined characterizations. The cast of three is fine and the stage direction by Amy Wright is well thought out and generally efective.
I still have very fond memories of that 1964 production and this one doesn't erase any of them, but it is still a good production of a fine play. Worth checking out.
At THE N.Y. CITY CENTER STAGE II 131 WEST 55th STREET N.Y.C THRU MAY 9th.

THE FLYING DUTCHMAN A THOUGHT

The Met continues its' first rate season with an excellent re-creation of its' 1989 production of Richard Wagners'1843 opera THE FLYING DUTCHMAN. This ghost tale about a mysterious sea captain cursed to sail forever unless he finds unconditional love of a woman is a fascinating creation boasting some soaring music ,and remarkably colorful orchestrations which conductor Kazushi Ono understands completly. The great Met orchestra has never sounded better.
Everything works, from August Everdings' expert staging to Hans Schavernoch' stunning sets.
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN is fascinating and the staging is first rate. Another fine evening at the opera.
At THE METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE LINCOLN CENTER N.Y.C.

LEND ME A TENOR A REVUE

With this revival of LEND ME A TENOR,Broadway has aquired something as rare as a bank mistake in your favor or an unexpected tax refund, a truly funny and sometimes riotous theatre evening.

This is a most pleasant surprise to me because I was not a big fan of Ken Ludwigs' 1986 farce about the opera racket when it was done on Broadway three years after its first production in London. This proves as much as anything that that going to the theatre with an open mind is a good thing to do.
Slapstick comedy is one of the most difficult of theatre feats to pull off but director Stanley Tucci [a fine actor himself in his freshman outing on Broadway] has managed it superbly,orchestrating the pratfalls and door slamming with split second timing and a wonderful sense of humor.
He is helped enormously by one of the most talented and enthusiastic cast in New York, and Anthony LaPaglia, Tony Shalhoub, Justin Bartha and all the rest are having as much fun on stage as the audience I saw it with was having out front.
As I said before I was not a big fan of this show 21 years ago, but with Mr Tuccis' superb slam-bang staging and a beautifully chosen cast LEND ME A TENOR is a fine example of a classic farce and unless my judgement is way off should be an unqualified crowd pleaser.
At THE MUSIC BOX THEATRE 239 WEST 45th STREET N.Y.C.

A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE A REVUE

The talented Irish playwright Martin McDonagh has always been well recieved in this country. I have attended most of his plays that have transferred to Broadway,and in efforts like "The Beauty Queen Of Leenane" and The Lieutenant Of Inishmore" he has created characters that speak beautiful words and are good if sometimes nontraditional people. While all of his previous works have come from his native country, his latest A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE was written here with Broadway its main destination, and its arrival was regarded as a major event of the spring theatre season.
Unfortunatly my inability to like or appreciate almost anything in this tale of a bitter down and outer who lost his hand in a fight some 47 years ago grew almost nightmarish. I thought it had the most unpleasant characters and situations I have seen in years,and its lack of even a touch of real acceptable human behavior made this a rather depressing evening for this longtime fan of not only Mr McDonagh,but of Irish theatre in general.
This is to bad because John Crowley has staged the show beautifully, and the cast of four are outstanding. Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, Anthony Mackie and Zoe Kazan play together with such precision and skill that they are a joy to watch even though they are playing characters that are totally unreal and unpleasant, and Scott Pasks' scenery and costumes do their job effectivly and well.
I might add that many in the audience I saw it with found the show to be a real hoot,but I found A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE to be loopy, droopy, and dopy.
At THE GERALD SCHOENFELD THEATRE 236 WEST 45th STREET N.Y.C.

WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING A REVIEW

The good things in WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING are so good that I feel like Scrooge for not liking it. Andrew Bovells' play is arresting in its form as it goes back and forth in time between the years 1959 and 2039 and it has been given a beautiful production, but I found it to be a cold and uninvolving work for the stage..
The play deals with four generations of the same family. Every relationship from parents to children to spouses to lovers is explored in a back and forth time travel concept, but Mr. Bovell never makes the time changes clear,and that is the main problem with his play. I was never sure what period of time I was in and because of that any concept of what the playwright was trying to say was lost.
This is too bad because there are many lovely things in the production. Director David Cromer has staged the show masterfully and the acting company is from top to bottom beautiful.
But this time the good things can't hide the sad fact that WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING is a confused and confusing play that never lives up to its' concept or potential.
AT THE MITZI E. NEWHOUSE THEATRE LINCOLN CENTER N.Y.C. THRU APRIL 18th.

ANYONE CAN WHISTLE A THOUGHT

The popular Encores series of little known and underperformed musicals in concert winds up its 15 th season with a spiffy revival of ANYONE CAN WHISTLE.
This is the legendary Arthur Laurents-Stephen Sondheim musical flop that ran only 9 performances on Broadway in 1964. I was at the closing night of the original production[ and have the playbill to prove it] and loved every minute of its' offbeat, quirky and undisiplined book and new style score.
Now after 46 years it's a pleasure to hear Stephen Sondheim's score performed with the original Don Walker orchestrations, and it is splendidly conducted by Rob Berman leading the always teriffic Encores orchestra.
Forget about Arthur Laurents' convoluted book dealing with a corrupt mayoress who invents a fake miracle to save her bankrupt town. It was a mess in 1964 and is still a mess in its cut down David Ives version.It's the score that matters, and what a score it is.
The cast is perfect from top to bottom,especially Donna Murphy as the corrupt mayoress and Sutton Foster as the head nurse of the local insane asylum,and director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw keeps the show moving at top speed, and has provided some zippy dances as well.
Mr. Sondheim is celebrating his 80th birthday this year, and it is fitting that his famous failure should be seen at this time.
Even back in 1964 ANYONE CAN WHISTLE was a true demonstration of Sondheims' genius and Encores is to be congratulated for giving us a chance to see it again.
At THE N.Y. CITY CENTER 131 WEST 55th STREET N.Y.C. APRIL 8THRU APRIL11.

NEXT FALL A REVUE

It's always exciting to go to the theatre and discover a fresh voice with something to say and say it with humor, honesty and dramatic force. That voice belongs to playwright Geoffrey Nauffts and his maden Broadway effort NEXT FALL is a play that heralds the arrival of a major talent.
Mr. Nauffts tells the story of a gay couple and their struggle for acceptance in a society that is still sharply divided over same-sex marriage. The subject of faith and human connection is also explored with an understanding rare in todays' home grown plays,and director Sheryl Kaller [making an impressive Broadway debut] has staged it beautifully getting the best out of her acting company.
Patrick Breen and Patrick Heusinger are first rate as the couple the story revolves around and the rest of the cast could not be better.
By telling its' story simply and honestly NEXT FALL marks the arrival of a fresh new American playwright and is in a small way a cause for celebration.
At THE HELEN HAYES THEATRE 240 WEST 44th STREET N.Y.C.

LOOPED A REVUE

Tallulah Bankhead was one of the entertainment worlds most colorful characters. Be it on radio, stage, or screen, Ms. Bankhead was larger then life, and Valerie Harper[a talented actress herself] has a ball playing her in Matthew Lombardo's minor but sometimes entertaining comedy LOOPED.
The time is summer 1965 and the place is a recording studio in Los Angeles California where Ms.Bankhead has gone to redub one line for what was to be her final movie. She arrives drunk and high and in a grueling eight hour session she tosses her customery insults and zingers at her hapless recording engineer and her harried producer/ director.
You may wonder why it would take all day to record just one line of dialog, but you have to remember that this is Tallulah, and she is apt to say or do anything on a moments notice so nobody knows what this foul mouthed, outspoken talented lady will say next.
The trouble with Mr. Lombardos' play seems to be its' generally flat dialog and plain lack of excitement, and the stage direction by Rob Ruggiero is right off the assembley line without much in the way of wit or invention. Still,every so often Mr. Lombardo comes up with a bright scene or peice of dialog that shows what he is capable of doing and Ms.Harper is simply sensational as the drunk pill addicted Tallulah, and she is capably supported by Brian Hutchison an her put upon producer and Michael Mulheren as the sound engineer.
So while LOOPED is unexciting and sometimes on the level of low grade stock Ms. Harper is a hoot and single-handedly makes the play entertaining and just maybe worth a visit.
At THE LYCEUM THEATRE 149 WEST 45th STREET N.Y.C.

RED A REVUE

Mark Rothko was one of the better known American abstract painters of the 20th century. In his later years he battled depression, alcaholism and personal demons, but his genius was always there. That genius is celebrated in John Logan's exciting and entertaining new play RED.
We first encounter Mr Rothko in 1958. He has been comissioned to paint murals for the about to be opened Four Seasons restaurant in New York and hires an assistant to stretch canvas, mix paints, and buy Chinese food. The play examines the complex and sometimes explosive relationship between this disturbed genius and his young assistant.
This is playwright Logan's first New York effort [ he has had a number of plays done in London]and many of the people who did it in London last year are repeating their assignments here.
Michael Grandage's staging, Christopher Oram,s costumes and set design, and Neil Austin's lighting could not be better.
As the explosive genius Alfred Molina gives his best performance yet [and that is saying alot for he is a splendid actor] and Eddie Redmayne is titanic as the assistant. This role won him a bunch of awards in London, and he reveals himself as a stage actor of uncommon gifts. These are the only two actors on stage and no more are needed.
Fine staging and first rate production values combined with a fine play make RED a true occasion in the theatre,and a high point of a spotty season on Broadway.
At THE JOHN GOLDEN THEATRE 252 WEST 45th STREET N.Y.C.

ALL ABOUT ME A REVUE

How you react to ALL ABOUT ME [a cabaret act unwisely being presented in a Broadway theatre]depends on how you feel about Michael Feinstein and Dame Edna Everage[in real life Barry Humphries], the two wildly different personalities the show is built around.
Mr Feinstein is a fine interpeter of the great American songbook. His mellow croon and easy style go well with a cocktail and a good meal,but he seems out of his element in his present surroundings, especially when he tries to match wits with the outragous humor of Dame Edna.
Dame Edna is another story altogether. Her wild performing style had many in the audience rolling in the aisles with laughter. I was not one of them and after about fifteen minutes I had enough of her over the top humor.
Sometimes two totally different personalities can work well together but this is not the case here. The two stars seem to be in a constant battle for the spotlight and Dame Edna's overpowering demenor is clearly the winner.
For some, ALL ABOUT ME may offer great satisfaction. For me it was a cabaret act in the wrong neighborhood.
At THE HENRY MILLER THEATRE 124 WEST 43rd STREET N.Y.C.