No need to say much about this mis-hap of a play. What makes the occasion even more upsetting is that a perfectly good idea for a cracklingly good drama has been botched by playwright Beau Willmon and his play "SPIRIT CONTROL" is dull ,confusing , and unsatisfying.
It even gets off to a most promising start as it tells of an air traffic controller who talks a terrified through an emergency landing when the pilot of a small plane suffers a heart attack, but after that taut start the play goes off in so many directions that the total effect is almost total disaster.
The stage direction by Henry Wishcamper is on the droopy side and the acting can best be described as low grade stock.
Add to all this a cheap looking production[the projections are sub-standard high school] and "SPIRIT CONTROL" [ even with a solid premise behind it] winds up being a well meaning but total botch.
At THE N.Y. CITY CENTER STAGE 1 131 WEST 55th STREET N.Y.C.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
ELLING A REVIEW
While it was not too well recieved and has already posted it's closing notice, I found "ELLING" to be a light, funny and sometimes touching comedy about life,love, friendship and survival. In a friendlier Broadway climate it might have had a better fate commercially.
This comedy started out as two bestselling novels first published in Norway a couple of years ago. It was then adapted into a successful film and stage play in it's homeland.
It is the stage version that was adapted into English by Simon Bent and successfully done in England that is now on Broadway. It is a lightweight but sweet tale of two longtime patients of a mental hospital trying to adjust to life in the outside world, and in these roles both Denis O'Hare and Brendan Fraser could not be bettered. Mr. O'Hare is especially noteworthy as a little man who never got over his mother's death , and Mr Fraser is just as good as a childlike 40 year old eager to lose his virginity.
The rest of the cast [ Jennifer Coolidge, Richard Easton, and Jeremy Shamos] are first rate, and Doug Hughs's stage direction is everything it should be.
The play is also helped by Scott Pask's witty sets, Catherine Zuber's just right costumes, and Kenneth Posner's first rate lighting.
To be sure "ELLING" is not a work of art or even a first rate comedy, but this longtime theatregoer found it charming and sometimes sweetly touching. Too bad more people won't get to see it.
At THE ETHEL BARRYMORE THEATRE 243 WEST 47th STREET N.Y.C.
Note- The play closed after only nine performances.
This comedy started out as two bestselling novels first published in Norway a couple of years ago. It was then adapted into a successful film and stage play in it's homeland.
It is the stage version that was adapted into English by Simon Bent and successfully done in England that is now on Broadway. It is a lightweight but sweet tale of two longtime patients of a mental hospital trying to adjust to life in the outside world, and in these roles both Denis O'Hare and Brendan Fraser could not be bettered. Mr. O'Hare is especially noteworthy as a little man who never got over his mother's death , and Mr Fraser is just as good as a childlike 40 year old eager to lose his virginity.
The rest of the cast [ Jennifer Coolidge, Richard Easton, and Jeremy Shamos] are first rate, and Doug Hughs's stage direction is everything it should be.
The play is also helped by Scott Pask's witty sets, Catherine Zuber's just right costumes, and Kenneth Posner's first rate lighting.
To be sure "ELLING" is not a work of art or even a first rate comedy, but this longtime theatregoer found it charming and sometimes sweetly touching. Too bad more people won't get to see it.
At THE ETHEL BARRYMORE THEATRE 243 WEST 47th STREET N.Y.C.
Note- The play closed after only nine performances.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
BELLS ARE RINGING A THOUGHT
I first saw "BELLS ARE RINGING" when it was first done back in 1956. I was 13 years old, an incurable theatre geek, and loved anything to do with the Broadway musical and I have very fond memories of sitting in Broadway's Shubert Theatre and having the time of my life, so I was looking forward to the concert version that the excellent organization called Encores was offering up this weekend.
"BELLS ARE RINGING" was written for the late great Judy Holliday by her friends Betty Comden and Adolph Green and had a wonderfully sassy and melodic score by Julie Styne. It was a resounding hit running 924 performances and was made into a popular movie with Ms. Holliday repeating her role as a telephone operator who gets involved with her customers and tries to solve their problems, and it is the Styne, Comden and Green score that make this concert version worth doing because the book [which many critics found dated in 1956] is close to being almost laughably old hat.
It has been given a lively production by director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall and Robert Russell Bennett's original orchestrations make Styne's lively score sound as fresh as ever.
It's not important that Kelli O'Hara can't even begin to erase my memories of Judy Holliday or the rest of the cast is no better than routine at best. What matters most is that the score is first rate and it is superbly conducted by Rob Berman,and it is for this reason that "BELLS ARE RINGING" is still worth doing and for the most part, I had a good time.
At THE N.Y. CITY CENTER 131 WEST 55th STREET N.Y.C. THRU NOV. 21st.
"BELLS ARE RINGING" was written for the late great Judy Holliday by her friends Betty Comden and Adolph Green and had a wonderfully sassy and melodic score by Julie Styne. It was a resounding hit running 924 performances and was made into a popular movie with Ms. Holliday repeating her role as a telephone operator who gets involved with her customers and tries to solve their problems, and it is the Styne, Comden and Green score that make this concert version worth doing because the book [which many critics found dated in 1956] is close to being almost laughably old hat.
It has been given a lively production by director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall and Robert Russell Bennett's original orchestrations make Styne's lively score sound as fresh as ever.
It's not important that Kelli O'Hara can't even begin to erase my memories of Judy Holliday or the rest of the cast is no better than routine at best. What matters most is that the score is first rate and it is superbly conducted by Rob Berman,and it is for this reason that "BELLS ARE RINGING" is still worth doing and for the most part, I had a good time.
At THE N.Y. CITY CENTER 131 WEST 55th STREET N.Y.C. THRU NOV. 21st.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
A QUIET PLACE A THOUGHT
To say that I found " A QUIET PLACE" disappointing is the understatement of the year. The fact is that Leonard Bernstein's final work for the stage just does not work, and what started out as a charming one act opera called "Trouble In Tahiti" [about a bored couple living in the suburbs] has been blown up into a three act opera [libretto by Stephen Wadsworth] dealing with alienation,strife, and reconciliation of a dysfunctional American family.
Even with an often lovely Bernstein score [wonderfully well orchestrated by the composer,Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal] this is an overlong often ponderous work, and the production it is being given by the New York City Opera Company seems underdirected by Christopher Alden, and the single all-purpose set by Andrew Lieberman seems to have been done on a very limited budget.
The opera is conducted by Jayce Ogren with a loving hand and the company is good, but not first rate.
Anyway, "A QUIET PLACE" left me as cold as a penguin's toes.
At THE DAVID H. KOCH THEATRE LINCOLN CENTER N.Y.C.
Even with an often lovely Bernstein score [wonderfully well orchestrated by the composer,Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal] this is an overlong often ponderous work, and the production it is being given by the New York City Opera Company seems underdirected by Christopher Alden, and the single all-purpose set by Andrew Lieberman seems to have been done on a very limited budget.
The opera is conducted by Jayce Ogren with a loving hand and the company is good, but not first rate.
Anyway, "A QUIET PLACE" left me as cold as a penguin's toes.
At THE DAVID H. KOCH THEATRE LINCOLN CENTER N.Y.C.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
A LIFE IN THE THEATRE A REVIEW
When David Mamet's play "A LIFE IN THE THEATRE" was first done off-Broadway back in 1977 it was was given a good [if not overwhelming] critical reception, had decent run of almost 300 performances and has had a substantial afterlife in regional and stock productions. Never having seen that production I can't say what it was like, but I am sure that it played alot better in a 299 seat off-Broadway house then it does in this ernest but ill- advised first Broadway showing.
The problem is basically that Mr. Mamet's valentine to the theatre is not really a play but a long dramatic sketch about two actors one young and full of ambition and the other much older and ready to retire after a long only moderatly successful career. They talk backstage of an empty theatre about various plays they have done acting out fragments of some of them.There really is no plot to speak of, just short scenes and fragments of scenes and lots of talk.
I am sure this worked beautifully in a small Greenwich Village theatre but it seems lost in a 1000 seat medium-sized Broadway house, and while a fair amount of this is reasonably entertaining it still comes off as more of an exercise then a fully thought out play.
The two actors involved could not be improved upon. Patrick Stewart is wonderful as the older actor and T.R. Knight is just as fine as the young actor just starting out and Neil Pepe's stage direction is ok but he has not been able to make such a small play fill a big Broadway stage.
As one who has had a lifelong love affair with the theatre and even with serious reservations I have I still had a fairly good time, but I did not pay to get in. The fact is that A LIFE IN THE THEATRE is not substantial enough for Broadway in these expensive theatregoing days.
At THE GERALD SHOENFELD THEATRE 236 WEST 45th STREET N.Y.C.
The problem is basically that Mr. Mamet's valentine to the theatre is not really a play but a long dramatic sketch about two actors one young and full of ambition and the other much older and ready to retire after a long only moderatly successful career. They talk backstage of an empty theatre about various plays they have done acting out fragments of some of them.There really is no plot to speak of, just short scenes and fragments of scenes and lots of talk.
I am sure this worked beautifully in a small Greenwich Village theatre but it seems lost in a 1000 seat medium-sized Broadway house, and while a fair amount of this is reasonably entertaining it still comes off as more of an exercise then a fully thought out play.
The two actors involved could not be improved upon. Patrick Stewart is wonderful as the older actor and T.R. Knight is just as fine as the young actor just starting out and Neil Pepe's stage direction is ok but he has not been able to make such a small play fill a big Broadway stage.
As one who has had a lifelong love affair with the theatre and even with serious reservations I have I still had a fairly good time, but I did not pay to get in. The fact is that A LIFE IN THE THEATRE is not substantial enough for Broadway in these expensive theatregoing days.
At THE GERALD SHOENFELD THEATRE 236 WEST 45th STREET N.Y.C.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS A REVIEW
It's been almost two years since a really good American born and bred musical has come to Broadway ["Next To Normal" was the last one] so it's a pleasure to welcome "THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS" uptown after it's acclaimed Off-Broadway run last summer. I'm not saying this final collaboration of the great team of John Kander and Fred Ebb is perfect by any means[Mr. Ebb died shortly after the first workshop was held] but it is a brave show that has something important to say and says it with a reasonable amount of wit and intelligence.
The book by David Thompson adresses one of the gravest abuses of human rights ever to happen in a cort of law in this country. On a spring morning in 1931, nine African American boys boarded a boxcarheading through Alabama lookingfor a new life.By the end of the day they were accused of raping two white women. This was a crime they never committed and the trials that followed caused a sensation all over the country and marked a turning point for the civil rights movement.
This powerful tale is told in the form of a minstrel show and points out the bigotry that was going on at that time. While this concept is confusing at times it sometimes works and when it does it presents it's story in a novel and interesting way and if the score is not on the level of Kander and Ebb's best work it is still head and shoulders above almost anything I have heard on Broadway over the last couple of years. It is Powerful, infectious and very well orchestrated by Larry Hochman.
That this show works as well as it does is a real tribute to Susan Stroman's masterful direction and choreography, and the cast from top to bottom is first rate.
While "THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS" is not the masterpeice it could have been it is still a fine and sometimes first rate musical, and well worth the attention of serious musical theatre fans. It is also a fitting farewell to the great team of John Kander and Fred Ebb.
At THE LYCEUM THEATRE 149 WEST 45th STREET N.Y.C.
A FOOTNOTE---The same story was used as the basis for a drama called "They Shall Not Die" in 1934. It was a failure running only 72 performances.
The book by David Thompson adresses one of the gravest abuses of human rights ever to happen in a cort of law in this country. On a spring morning in 1931, nine African American boys boarded a boxcarheading through Alabama lookingfor a new life.By the end of the day they were accused of raping two white women. This was a crime they never committed and the trials that followed caused a sensation all over the country and marked a turning point for the civil rights movement.
This powerful tale is told in the form of a minstrel show and points out the bigotry that was going on at that time. While this concept is confusing at times it sometimes works and when it does it presents it's story in a novel and interesting way and if the score is not on the level of Kander and Ebb's best work it is still head and shoulders above almost anything I have heard on Broadway over the last couple of years. It is Powerful, infectious and very well orchestrated by Larry Hochman.
That this show works as well as it does is a real tribute to Susan Stroman's masterful direction and choreography, and the cast from top to bottom is first rate.
While "THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS" is not the masterpeice it could have been it is still a fine and sometimes first rate musical, and well worth the attention of serious musical theatre fans. It is also a fitting farewell to the great team of John Kander and Fred Ebb.
At THE LYCEUM THEATRE 149 WEST 45th STREET N.Y.C.
A FOOTNOTE---The same story was used as the basis for a drama called "They Shall Not Die" in 1934. It was a failure running only 72 performances.
LA BETE A REVIEW
Whatever it was that caused David Hirson's quasi-verse play "LA-BETE" to fail twenty years ago I can't say because I never did see that production, but I would almost bet that it's pretentious talkiness and general lack of appeal had alot to do with it running only three weeks back then. Anyway, seeing it for the first time I found Mr. Hirson's comic look at the conflict between art and populism to be arty, talky, and pretentious in the extreme, but it is almost saved by director Matthew Warchus's brilliantly conceived staging and a wonderfully high
spirited company of actors.
The time is the 17th century and the location is France. It concerns a street clown who has been spotted by a local princess who decides that he is just the addition she needs to liven up her court acting troup led by a popular actor/playwright.The gist of the story is that the clown is out to prove to the actor/playwright that he is a worthy member of the acting profession.
It is not an easy task to make such a wordy script come alive but a wonderfully talented acting company almost succeeds in turning the trick. As the street clown looking for respect Mark Rylance is a revelation. His physical comedy is priceless and his grasp of this complex
part make him one of the most resourceful actors we have seen in years . This is only his second Broadway show, and this export from England is one of the theatre's treasures.
As the actor/ playwright David Hyde Pierce gives a wonderfully understated and comic performance proving once again what a fine stage actor he is and Joanna Lumley is lovely as the princess trying to buck up her court acting troup.Known in this country for the t.v. show "Absolutely Fabulous" Ms. Lumley is making her Broadway bow and she is also a fine addition to the Broadway stage.
The rest of the cast is fine and [as already mentioned] Matthew Warchus's stage direction is brilliantly inventive. It is almost enough to make one overlook the fact that "LA BETE"is basically a bore, but the good things in it may make it up to you and Mr Rylance's performance alone may make it worth a visit.
At THE MUSIC BOX THEATRE 239 WEST 45th STREET N.Y.C.
spirited company of actors.
The time is the 17th century and the location is France. It concerns a street clown who has been spotted by a local princess who decides that he is just the addition she needs to liven up her court acting troup led by a popular actor/playwright.The gist of the story is that the clown is out to prove to the actor/playwright that he is a worthy member of the acting profession.
It is not an easy task to make such a wordy script come alive but a wonderfully talented acting company almost succeeds in turning the trick. As the street clown looking for respect Mark Rylance is a revelation. His physical comedy is priceless and his grasp of this complex
part make him one of the most resourceful actors we have seen in years . This is only his second Broadway show, and this export from England is one of the theatre's treasures.
As the actor/ playwright David Hyde Pierce gives a wonderfully understated and comic performance proving once again what a fine stage actor he is and Joanna Lumley is lovely as the princess trying to buck up her court acting troup.Known in this country for the t.v. show "Absolutely Fabulous" Ms. Lumley is making her Broadway bow and she is also a fine addition to the Broadway stage.
The rest of the cast is fine and [as already mentioned] Matthew Warchus's stage direction is brilliantly inventive. It is almost enough to make one overlook the fact that "LA BETE"is basically a bore, but the good things in it may make it up to you and Mr Rylance's performance alone may make it worth a visit.
At THE MUSIC BOX THEATRE 239 WEST 45th STREET N.Y.C.
Monday, November 1, 2010
LOMBARDI A REVIEW
It's not easy to to bring sports icons to life on stage. Most of the time they come off as stereotypes or self-patronizing, so I had no idea what to expect from a play celebrating the career of the legendary Vince Lombardi who was one of the best and most loved figures to coach in theN.F.L. so it's a pleasure to report that playwright Eric Simonson has taken the life of this remarkable person and turned it into a solid and sometimes moving play "Lombardi".
Working from David Maraniss' 1999 biography" When Pride Still Mattered" Mr. Simonson zeros in on the year 1965 when he took over the Green Bay Packers and led a last place team to three consecutive N.F.L.championships,and how his obsession with winning affected his family life.
What makes this play work so well is the fact that Mr. Simonson understands his subject inside out and makes this legendary coach the gruff but lovable figure he was and in Dan Lauria's larger than life performance Mr. Lombardi is not just a magnificent coach but a man of great dignity and stature.
There is another notable performance by Judith Light as Lombardie's long suffering but supportive wife and the rest of the cast is for the most part first rate.
The director Thomas Kail has staged the play with a firm hand and has even managed to deal with the fact that the play is performed in the round surrounded by the audience reasonably well. However I think that this play would be even more effective in a standard theatre where the actors faces would be visable for the whole evening rather than looking at their backs part of the time.
But this is just a small and personal gripe. What matters most is that " Lombardi" is solidly crafted and beautifully acted and the best thing is that you don't have to be a football fan to be moved by it.
This is one play that is well worth seeing and the National Football League deserves alot of credit for sponsoring it.
At THE CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE THEATRE 50th STREET WEST OF BROADWAY N.Y.C.
Working from David Maraniss' 1999 biography" When Pride Still Mattered" Mr. Simonson zeros in on the year 1965 when he took over the Green Bay Packers and led a last place team to three consecutive N.F.L.championships,and how his obsession with winning affected his family life.
What makes this play work so well is the fact that Mr. Simonson understands his subject inside out and makes this legendary coach the gruff but lovable figure he was and in Dan Lauria's larger than life performance Mr. Lombardi is not just a magnificent coach but a man of great dignity and stature.
There is another notable performance by Judith Light as Lombardie's long suffering but supportive wife and the rest of the cast is for the most part first rate.
The director Thomas Kail has staged the play with a firm hand and has even managed to deal with the fact that the play is performed in the round surrounded by the audience reasonably well. However I think that this play would be even more effective in a standard theatre where the actors faces would be visable for the whole evening rather than looking at their backs part of the time.
But this is just a small and personal gripe. What matters most is that " Lombardi" is solidly crafted and beautifully acted and the best thing is that you don't have to be a football fan to be moved by it.
This is one play that is well worth seeing and the National Football League deserves alot of credit for sponsoring it.
At THE CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE THEATRE 50th STREET WEST OF BROADWAY N.Y.C.
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