THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE A REVIEW

Lack of communication is the main theme of Julia Cho's unfocused and unsatisfying .new comedy "THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE". It's one thing for the characters not being able to relate to each other, but quite something else when the playwright fails to plug in to her audience.
Ms. Cho's play concerns a linguist who is proficiant in many languages but is unable to communicate his true feelings to his wife who winds up walking out on him. At the same time the linguist's cute female assistant is madly in love with him but can't convey her true feelings either.
It's a solid basis for an off-beat funny comedy but humor is mostly absent and Ms. Cho's characters are not the type of people you would want to spend an evening with.
Under Mark Brokaw's unsteady stage direction the cast does it's best and Matt Letscher almost is able to make the linguist into a likeable human being instead of the bore that he is,and Heidi Shreck and Betty Gilpin are competant enough as his wife and assistant respectivly. The real shame is that the talented Jane Houdyshell and John Horton are wasted in multiple roles that do nothing but slow up an already draggy play, and the set design by the normally unfailing Neil Patel is lacking in mood and style.
As already mentioned, lack of communication is a sound dramatic base, but "THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE'S" failure to communicate with it's audience make for a flat and unprofitable evening.
AT THE LAURA PELS THEATRE 111 WEST 46th STREET N.Y.C. THRU DEC.19th.

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE A REVIEW

After a highly praised run in Central Park last summer the Public Theatre's production of "THE MERCHANT OF VENICE" has come to Broadway in a splendid production that makes Shakespeare's famous play far more accessable to modern audiences then ever before.
Most of the interest in this production was generated by the casting of Al Pacino in the role of Shylock, the Jewish moneylender who takes a pound of flesh if loans are not repaid and he is at the very least fine and at the very most wonderful.
The evening's best performance comes from Lily Rabe as a beautiful heiress being courted by a venetian merchant, Ms. Rabe is fast becoming that rare actress that lights up any stage she is on and has that rare something called personal magnetisim.
Under the beautifully orchestrated stage direction by Daniel Sullivan and led by by the exceptional performances by Ms. Rabe and Mr. Pacino the rest of the acting company is first rate.
Also helping the evening greatly are the sets by Mark Wendland, the costumes by Jess Goldstein, and the lighting by Kenneth Posner.
With everything going for it this production of "THE MERCHANT OF VENICE" is a whale of an evening and in this arid theatre season[so far] this is a real cause for dancing in the streets.
AT THE BROADHURST THEATRE 235 WEST 44th STREET N.Y.C. THRU JAN. 9th and seats are scarce , but it is well worth the effort to try to get them.

BRIEF ENCOUNTER REVISITED

I loved it in Brooklyn last year and I loved it all over again in it's limited run Broadway transfer. Revisiting "BRIEF ENCOUNTER" has not altered my opinion that this is one of the most enchanting evenings to hit New York theatergoers in years.
Adapted and directed by Emma Rice from Noel Cowards classic 1945 film, this story about the special relationship between two married[to others] people is presented so brilliantly and is so beautifully acted that the total effect is close to genius. This should be seen by anyone interested in just how far theatre can go in creating mood and and an all -involving theatregoing experience all at the same time. It is just a heavenly theatre event and a real boost to an unusually arid theatre season.
AT STUDIO 54 254 WEST 54th. STREET N.Y.C. THRU JAN. 2 .

THE PITMEN PAINTERS A REVIEW

Inspired by the true story of a group of English miners who discover a new way to express themselves through their love of art, Lee Hall [who wrote the excellent book for "Billy Elliot"] has written an interesting and richly satisfying play "THE PITMEN PAINTERS " and it is being given a sterling production by the same company that played it successfuly in England last year.
As already mentioned, Mr. Hall's play concerns a group of miners who are close friends who hire a college lecturer to teach them to paint and through a series of shows and exibitions become art world sensations even though they continue to work in the mines.
While the play may lack action and plot development it is chock full of richly drawn characters and situations and is directed to perfection by Max Roberts repeating his acclamed London staging.
The acting company work together like a well oiled machine and every one of them are superbly suited to their roles, and Gary McCann's sets and costumes and Douglas Kuhrt's lighting are first rate.
It may not be classic by by any means, but "THE PITTMAN PAINTERS" is a wonderfully endearing play about ordinary likable people and provides as rewarding a theatre evening as you could want. Go see it.
AT THE SAMUEL J. FRIEDMAN THEATRE 261 WEST 47th STREET N.Y.C.

LONG STORY SHORT A THOUGHT

I have never been a big fan of stand up comedy,especially in a Broadway Theatre, so when the solo show "LONG STORY SHORT" was picked up for an uptown run after a very successful Off-Broadway run this summer, I was very skeptical of it's chances in an uptown house. Somehow this type of entertainment always seemed out of place on the street known as Broadway and this one is no exception.
It's not that it's very talented author/ performer Colin Quinn is not funny. He is very funny and sometimes uproariously funny, but to one theatregoer of long standing Mr Quinn's compact take on world history really belongs in a comedy club like Carolines or The Laugh Factory, but as a Broadway entry " LONG STORY SHORT" is mighty flimsy stuff.
By the way, the show's running time is listed at 75 minutes but the performance I caught clocked in at a little over an hour. Sixty five minutes at ninety eight dollars a seat is something of a swindle in these tough economic times . Theatregoers deserve a better deal for their hard -earned cash.
AT THE HELEN HAYES THEATRE 240 WEST 44th. STREET N.Y.C. THRU JAN. 8th.

WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN A REVIEW

If externals were enough,"WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN" would be a terrific show. This new musical [based on Pedro Almodovar's wonderfully funny 1988 film] has been beautifully directed by Bartlett Sher, has attractive scenery and projections by Michael Yeargan and Sven Ortel respectivly, a talented cast, and a professional look about it. But looking further, this latest offering from the fine Lincoln Center Theater Company is shy a few things, mainly a good book and a decent score.
What was once a classic study of male-female relationships and what insensitivity can do to them has been flattened into a witless and tastless book by one Jeffrey Lane[ no relation] that drains all the humor and humanity out of Mr. Almodovar's classic screenplay.
I have always believed that most musicals rise or fall on the quality of the songs. David Yazbek[who wrote the music and lyrics]has written music by the yard but none of it morphs into formal songs, and even with superb orchestrations by Simon Hale, it all sounds to me like a bunch of unrelated notes scattered on a music sheet, and the lyrics are about on par with the book.
As already mentioned, the cast [ headed by Patti Lupone, Sherie Rene Scott, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and the wonderful Laura Benanti] is wonderful and the the stage direction is first rate.
"WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN" has all the externals to be a freshly original musical ,but missing, sadly missing are the internals.
AT THE BELASCO THEATRE 111 WEST 44th STREET N.Y.C.