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.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
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.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON A REVIEW
It's hard to talk about a show that is creative,has good things in it,and makes it's points intellegently but winds up being [ to me anyway] unsatisfying. This is the case with the new rock musical " Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson".
The problem might be due to the fact that rock musicals have never been my cup of tea. Far too often I have gone to these exibits and my senses have been assaulted by unmelodic ear-shattering music and idiotic lyrics.
This latest example at least has creative minds behind it. It redefines America's controversial seventh president. This is the man who invented the Democratic Party, drove the Indians west and doubled the size of our nation. The show was written [book ] and directed by Alex Timbers and he has an inventive mind and a fair degree of intellegence,but political satire is hard to bring off for a whole evening and the irreverence in the treatment of the subject gets way out of hand long before the evening is over. The music and lyrics are by Michael Friedman and here too there is evedence of talent but his work is hard to judge when the sound design is so loud that intellegent judjement is impossible.
The cast works hard and Benjamin Walker is most engaging in the title role. Donyale Werle's set is all over the house and seems to be needlesly cluttered.
In short, "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" is not to my taste but it's authors show talent and invention and this show should satisfy a fair amount of the crowd that attends the theatre these days.
Go and decide for yourself.
At THE BERNARD B. JACOBS THEATRE 242 WEST 45th STREET N.Y.C.
The problem might be due to the fact that rock musicals have never been my cup of tea. Far too often I have gone to these exibits and my senses have been assaulted by unmelodic ear-shattering music and idiotic lyrics.
This latest example at least has creative minds behind it. It redefines America's controversial seventh president. This is the man who invented the Democratic Party, drove the Indians west and doubled the size of our nation. The show was written [book ] and directed by Alex Timbers and he has an inventive mind and a fair degree of intellegence,but political satire is hard to bring off for a whole evening and the irreverence in the treatment of the subject gets way out of hand long before the evening is over. The music and lyrics are by Michael Friedman and here too there is evedence of talent but his work is hard to judge when the sound design is so loud that intellegent judjement is impossible.
The cast works hard and Benjamin Walker is most engaging in the title role. Donyale Werle's set is all over the house and seems to be needlesly cluttered.
In short, "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" is not to my taste but it's authors show talent and invention and this show should satisfy a fair amount of the crowd that attends the theatre these days.
Go and decide for yourself.
At THE BERNARD B. JACOBS THEATRE 242 WEST 45th STREET N.Y.C.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
MRS. WARREN'S PROFESSION A REVIEW
There is nothing as gratifying for a theatregoer as the joy of discovery. In the sometimes cruel world of the Broadway this does not happen very often and when it does it can be a welcome change from the often second rate product we get in these expensive theatregoing days. It is a pleasure to report that "Mrs. Warren's Profession" which George Bernard Shaw wrote in 1894 is still capable of providing a stimulating theatre evening,and it is being given a first rate production by director Doug Hughes and a fine cast.
When it was first produced this play was considered immoral and was banned from having a New York showing in 1905. It focuses on Mrs. Warren who runs a chain of brothels in Victorian England in order to give her daughter a life of comfort, and her attempt to re-enter her life after years of estrangement. When her daughter finds out about Moms past she is appalled and wants nothing to do with her.
How well the play works depends on the actresses playing these two very strong willed women, and it here that the play is most fortunate. Cherry Jones [who is becoming Broadway's finest actress] is superb as the Mom who not only defends her profession, but sees it as employment for her girls.
As the strong willed daughter who has become a success in the business world Sally Hawkins [after a weak first act] shines in the climatic final scene in which the two women have their final showdown. It's a strong scene, as good as any of our modern plays can offer.
The play is handsomly designed and costumed by Scott Pask and Catherine Zuber respectivly and Kenneth Posner's lighting is just right.
While "Mrs. Warren's Profession " is not one of Shaw's best plays, it still provides a worthwhile and stimulating evening.
At THE AMERICAN AIRLINES THEATRE 227 WEST 42nd STREET N.Y.C.
When it was first produced this play was considered immoral and was banned from having a New York showing in 1905. It focuses on Mrs. Warren who runs a chain of brothels in Victorian England in order to give her daughter a life of comfort, and her attempt to re-enter her life after years of estrangement. When her daughter finds out about Moms past she is appalled and wants nothing to do with her.
How well the play works depends on the actresses playing these two very strong willed women, and it here that the play is most fortunate. Cherry Jones [who is becoming Broadway's finest actress] is superb as the Mom who not only defends her profession, but sees it as employment for her girls.
As the strong willed daughter who has become a success in the business world Sally Hawkins [after a weak first act] shines in the climatic final scene in which the two women have their final showdown. It's a strong scene, as good as any of our modern plays can offer.
The play is handsomly designed and costumed by Scott Pask and Catherine Zuber respectivly and Kenneth Posner's lighting is just right.
While "Mrs. Warren's Profession " is not one of Shaw's best plays, it still provides a worthwhile and stimulating evening.
At THE AMERICAN AIRLINES THEATRE 227 WEST 42nd STREET N.Y.C.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
THE BROADWAY SCENE-50 YEARS AGO--THE WRAP-UP
The season for comedy was better than most. It began with the Irish playwright Brendan Behan's untidy but often hilarious "The Hostage" boosted by Joan Littlewood's brilliant direction.
Neil Simon made his Broadway debut with the flimsy but hilariously funny "Come Blow Your Horn" and began his career as Broadway's top comedy playright. Jean Kerr gave us the delightfully witty "Mary, Mary" which became the comedy smash hit of the season, and "Rhinoceros" was Eugene Ionesco's dark comedic look at the human race shot into orbit by Zero Mostel's memorable performance.
"Period Of Adjustment" proved that Tennessee Williams[ talented as he is ]was out of his element trying to write a comedy, and "Under The Yum Yum Tree", Send Me No Flowers", "Critics Choice" and "Invitation To A March" had their good points but just were not good enough to compete with the better shows, and "Midgie Purvis" was a rickety comedy even with the great Tallulah Bankhead's brilliantly enthusiastic performance in the title role.
For revues we had "Vintage 60"which was friendly but totally out of place on Broadway and "Show Girl" with Carol Channing brilliantly comic in a number of funny sketches, but it was Mike Nichols and Elaine May with their hilarious two person revue that gave me my best Broadway experience that year. Just two people surrounded by talent.
There were two notable events Off-Broadway. The Phoenix Theatre,s mesmerizing take on "Hamlet" with Donald Madden giving a fine performance in the title role and Gene Genet's stunning play "The Blacks" beautifully directed by Gene Frankel.
For this incurable theatre geek it was a totally worthwhile season.
Neil Simon made his Broadway debut with the flimsy but hilariously funny "Come Blow Your Horn" and began his career as Broadway's top comedy playright. Jean Kerr gave us the delightfully witty "Mary, Mary" which became the comedy smash hit of the season, and "Rhinoceros" was Eugene Ionesco's dark comedic look at the human race shot into orbit by Zero Mostel's memorable performance.
"Period Of Adjustment" proved that Tennessee Williams[ talented as he is ]was out of his element trying to write a comedy, and "Under The Yum Yum Tree", Send Me No Flowers", "Critics Choice" and "Invitation To A March" had their good points but just were not good enough to compete with the better shows, and "Midgie Purvis" was a rickety comedy even with the great Tallulah Bankhead's brilliantly enthusiastic performance in the title role.
For revues we had "Vintage 60"which was friendly but totally out of place on Broadway and "Show Girl" with Carol Channing brilliantly comic in a number of funny sketches, but it was Mike Nichols and Elaine May with their hilarious two person revue that gave me my best Broadway experience that year. Just two people surrounded by talent.
There were two notable events Off-Broadway. The Phoenix Theatre,s mesmerizing take on "Hamlet" with Donald Madden giving a fine performance in the title role and Gene Genet's stunning play "The Blacks" beautifully directed by Gene Frankel.
For this incurable theatre geek it was a totally worthwhile season.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)