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 .
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
SPIRIT CONTROL A THOUGHT
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.
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.
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.
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