Reviews Off Broadway is Now at…
Posted on | January 27, 2011 | No Comments
Moved back to:
http://reviewsoffbroadway.blogspot.com/
Blood From A Stone; The Actors Shine in this story of Family
Posted on | January 21, 2011 | No Comments
Blood From a Stone, now playing at New Group, 410 W. 42nd St., is a hard, unflinching look at a dysfunctional family. And, like any real family – but not all stage families, there are honest moments of humor, tenderness and affection mixed in with the more explosive emotions.
Parents Bill and Margaret have been married for at least 30 years, even though their present lives are almost totally disconnected. They share the same house, but occupy it at different times due to work shifts and their choice. Gordon Clapp plays Bill, a father with severe anger issues. But he does not run around in a stereotypical rage. He tries to keep a lid on it. His “friend”, the never-seen Delores, takes him to anger management classes. Margaret, his wife, is played by Ann Dowd. It is implied that she, like her husband, might be having an affair, and she definitely shares some anger issues. But her anger is sparked by the mere sight of her husband, and manifest itself as a string of expletives and belittling.
Gordon Clapp, Ethan Hawke and Ann Dowd play a combustible family in Blood From A Stone
These two have seemingly found a way to survive through the years, embroiled in constant low level combat, forcing the children to take sides. It is the arrival of Travis (Ethan Hawke in an outstanding performance) that ratchets up the tension. Travis and his mother have a conspiratorial relationship; he facilitates her secretive money hording and trash talk about his father. His arrival upsets the balance of wills between these two married strangers.
These three actors hold the stage the entire time, either alone, with another actor. Wonderful acting and writing keep these people entirely in the moment, with actions and reactions that don’t feel forced or exaggerated.
Travis, and his brother Matt, played by Thomas Guiry, have both inherited their parents’ temperament, changing from relaxed to furious in a flash for the slightest of reasons. This is a family that has lived on the edge for years, and they now skip the slow building and go right for the jugular. Matt has a gambling addiction, and is leaving his wife for a married woman. Travis has an affair with the married neighbour next door, an ex-girlfriend from school (Daphne Rubin-Vega, burning up the stage in a minor cameo role). But neither men are Lotharios, they are simply looking for happiness in the manner learned from their parents.
Travis and Matt clearly chose sides in their parents’ feud years ago, and probably couldn’t change now, even if they wanted to. Tentative gestures from their parents are missed in the backwash of remembered hurts. There is a moment between Bill and Travis where father and son both try to reach across the emotional divide, but cannot connect. A sister, played by Natasha Lyonne, seems to prove the only way to cope with this family is to get some emotional distance from them. But even she has a problem removing herself completely when her brother returns.
The story sounds grim, but the grace it shows is in revealing the moments of love and tenderness that inevitably pop up. These flashes of warmth make the anger all the more heartbreaking.
A great scenic design by Derek McLane sets the mood; and the piece is nicely directed by Scott Elliott. It moves with its own speed, which builds well. Blood From a Stone is honest piece of theater with characters that stay with after the show is over.
Blood From A Stone
Director: Scott Elliott
Playwright: Tommy Nohilly
Cast: Gordon Clapp, Ann Dowd, Thomas Guiry, Ethan Hawke, Natasha Lyonne and Daphne Rubin-Vega
Tags: Ann Dowd > blood from a stone > Daphne Rubin-Vega > Ethan Hawke > Gordon Clapp > Natasha Lyonne > Scott Elliot > Thomas Guiry > Tommy Nohilly
Hillbilly Women: A Thoughtful Look at Lives in Appalachia
Posted on | January 13, 2011 | No Comments
Hillbilly Women, now playing at the Arclight Theater, suffers from a terrible title. The title conjures up images of Ma and Pa Kettle or Lil’ Abner, instead of what it is – which is a thoughtful, if uneven, look at the women of Appalachia.
Hillbilly Women takes its title from the book of the same name. It is based on interviews of the women who live and work in Appalachia in the 1970s. It was then a hard, but not impossible, life where these women struggled help their families. Most of the husbands worked, and still work, in the coal mines of the region. The women worked in the garment factories, which have since relocated to China or Bangladesh. So this play looks back on a difficult period in history that only got worse as time passed.
l-r: Mickey Sumner (as Della), Alicia Meer (as Jewel), Evangeline Johns (as Siddy), Annette Hunt (as Ada), Lauren Fox (as Sharleen) in HILLBILLY WOMEN. Photo by Steve Friedman
It is this theme, persevering against difficult situations when the viewer knows things will only get worse, which cast a melancholy shadow over the proceedings. The cast of women play interviewees from different social groups that wouldn’t normally interact. Alicia Meer and Mickey Sumner play Jewel and Della, Jewel’s daughter, from the North Carolina garment factories. They live a rougher and more social life than the other women. Ms. Meer and Sumner play their roles broadly and with an almost aggressive swagger. It works well with the stories they tell.
Three women, Annette Hunt as Ada, Lauren Fox as Sharleen and Mimi Turque as Denise, are coal miner wives running a sewing cooperative. They represent a more traditional social group, one based on a stricter and more religious moral code. Lauren Fox, with a stunning voice, is a bitter, abused and underappreciated woman who shows strength only when pushed.
Tags: Alicia Meer > Annette Hunt > Arclight > Donna Hanover > Evangeline Johns > Hillbilly Women > Katy Frame > Lauren Fox > Mickey Sumner > Mimi Turque
Matemorphoses: Edinburgh’s Best is a Wonder to Behold
Posted on | January 10, 2011 | No Comments
Metamorphoses, the amazing import from the Edinburgh Fringe festival, takes its title from the Ovid’s Roman epic poem of the same name. It is the story of the Gods, and their capricious interactions with mankind. This version of Metamorphoses, performed by the Pant’s On Fire theater group, sets the stories in England at the time of World War II. The cause and decisions regarding war are nearly as impenetrable as random decisions made by Gods, and the effects are every bit as arbitrary and devastating. It is a wonder, then, that Metamorphoses is primarily such a fun and touching romp through the 1940s Britain.
It is filled with cleaver changes, witty use of space and a theme of transformation and humanity. Transferring the Gods from Rome to the England of the 1940s works wonderfully for the audience, where the landscape is less remote, but still locked in history. England of the period is awash in stereotypical characters that can suggest the class distinctions and social stratification with wardrobe and dialects – yet these stereotypes are not set in stone, allowing for growth and change.
The cast plays multiple roles, but Jupiter and Juno, the King and Queen of the Gods, are prominent across many of the episodes. Jonathan Davenport plays Jupiter with a regal panache, but it is Jo Dockery as Jove who steals the show. Ms. Dockery, with the help of a great hat, exhibits the fury, the anger and the passion of Jove magnificently. She is not just a God, but a complex woman who you do not want to anger. All of the cast members have stand out moments, but this is a complex group of actors that shine collectively.
The stories are familiar, but are stripped of their Disney-esque lucky turns and happy endings. Hearing the story of Echo or Tiresias is interesting in itself. To hear with the extra layers of class and war, somehow make them more accessible to the current day. There is an abundance of original songs and music, from Lucy Egger. These songs fit completely within the context. The songs and music add to the 1940s vibe and the cast doesn’t seem to have a bad voice among them.
But it is Eloise Secker, as Ariadne, whose song sticks in the memory, long after the show. Ms. Secker sings the standard Am I Blue, sad enough to rip your heart out – only to be joined by a chorus of big mouthed fish which somehow transforms the scene into an oddly charming moment.
Transformation is the theme of Metamorphoses, and director Peter Bramley introduces it slyly into the piece. The designs of Samuel Wyer provide a quick and versatile canvas for these artists to work on. Metamorphoses is a wonder that is reveled slowly by this creative team.
The show has transported from Edinburgh to the intimate Flea Theater intact, sparse in sets but rich in emotion. Carol Tambor Theatrical Foundation brings the best of Edinburgh to New York. See it while you can, it is a inovative example of what theater can do.
Metamorphoses (web site and tickets)
Adapted and Directed by Peter Bramley
Cast: Jonathan Davenport, Jo Dockery, Mabel Jones, Tom McCall, Alex Packer, Hanah Pierce, Elosie Secker
Tags: Alex Packer > edinburgh fringe > Elosie Secker > Hanah Pierce > Jo Dockery > Jonathan Davenport > Mabel Jones > metamorphoses > pants on fire > Tom McCall
Hillbilly Women: Opening Jan 13th
Posted on | January 7, 2011 | No Comments
Upcoming at the Arclight Theater on January 13th is Hillbilly Women. Details from the Web Site:
The Bleecker Company presents the Sondra Lee production of Elizabeth Stearns’ HILLBILLY WOMEN — a play with music telling the personal stories of Appalachian women, based on the book of the same title by Kathy Kahn — with previews set to begin January 6, prior to an official press opening on January 13 at Arclight Theatre (152 West 71st Street).
Based on interviews, HILLBILLY WOMEN follows the lives of six women who reveal in song and narrative their heartfelt stories of survival
against incredible odds among the coalmines, factories and farms of
Appalachia. The women’s recollections of Appalachian life in the
late-70s is underscored with traditional songs and country & western
favorites made famous by The Judds, Tim Sullivan, Tammy Wynette, and others.
The ensemble of HILLBILLY WOMEN includes Lauren Fox (“I Love You, I Love You Not”); former first lady of NYC Donna Hanover (THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, “The People vs. Larry Flynt”); Annette Hunt* (DONA ROSITA: WHILE SHE WAITS); Evangeline Johns* (LATE NITE CATECHISM, BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE); Alicia Meer (FAUST INVITRO); Mickey Sumner (Neil Jordan’s “The Borgias”); and Mimi Turque* (KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF).
Good News for our Pennsylvania Readers
Posted on | January 6, 2011 | No Comments
BROADWAY COMMUNITY
JOINS WITH RESIDENTS OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA
TO REVIVE VENERABLE THEATRICAL LANDMARK
“ B U C K S C O U N T Y P L A Y H O U S E ”
CONSORTIUM OF BROADWAY PROFESSIONALS LED BY PRODUCER JED BERNSTEIN WILL JOIN FORCES WITH BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE CONSERVANCY AND HERITAGE CONSERVANCY TO PRESERVE SITE AND OFFER IMPROVED FACILITIES AND PROGRAMMING
New York, NY– A unique public/private partnership has been formed to lead a revival of the venerable Bucks County Playhouse, a 450 seat theatrical landmark on the scenic banks of the Delaware River in Bucks County, PA. The playhouse’s fate became uncertain following a recent collapse in management and subsequent bank foreclosure. Broadway producer Jed Bernstein (Driving Miss Daisy) today announced the partnership, which will involve a consortium of Broadway professionals led by Bernstein, government and community leaders and local residents. Peggy McRae and Rick Appel are taking the lead for a newly formed not-for-profit: Bucks County Playhouse Conservancy, which will be working under the auspices of theHeritage Conservancy.
Bernstein and his associates are advising the group in the development of a plan to buy and renovate the Playhouse property, as well as helping to plan programming for the upcoming 2011 season. The consortium hopes to make it possible to produce first-rate professional theatre and expects the Playhouse to reclaim its place as a destination regional theatre in its own right. Additional plans also include returning the Playhouse to Actors’ Equity status and featuring live musicians for musical offerings. Under this approach, the Playhouse Conservancy would purchase the property from Stonebridge Bank, the entity that currently holds the Playhouse’s title, and maintain and operate the venue. The venue would also be available for community events and rentals.
Dancing Fools: Opening Jan 13th
Posted on | January 5, 2011 | No Comments
Upcoming January 13th is Dancing Fools at the Medicine Show Theatre. The show bills itself this way:
John Gruen’s DANCING FOOLS is comprised of three short comedies: In “Six ‘Everything’ Bagels,” an older gay man despairs over his young lover’s infidelities, while the young lover yearns to find himself and a career. In the meantime, a transgendered person enters their lives producing both outrage and chaos. In “Olivia Wants to Dance,” after ten years of marriage, a woman wants to end her marriage to a much older man and resume her career as a dancer. When a previous lover, the sexy Leopold, reappears in Olivia’s life, he tries to make her dreams come true – with a novel idea involving his Polish aunt. “The Almighty” centers on three men discussing The Almighty and what The Almighty can do for them. All yearn for untold happiness: two may have already achieved it, but the third is very skeptical and very resistant. But just who is The Almighty? And what can He really do? The answer becomes confounding, sinister and, most certainly, cynical.
Metamorphoses: Opening Jan 9th
Posted on | January 4, 2011 | No Comments
Upcoming on Jan 9th is the Edinburgh Fringe’s METAMORPHOSES. Here is the promise:
The Flea Theater hosts the US premiere of the 2010 Best of Edinburgh Award-winning play PANTS ON FIRE’S METAMORPHOSES, adapted and directed by Peter Bramley.
Pant’s On Fire’s actor-musician extravaganza relocates Roman mythology to 1940’s wartime Britain. Ovid’s epic tales of heroics, love, gods, monsters and the secrets of the universe are revealed through gasmasks, gramophones, live original songs, dance, puppetry, film and darkly comic, dynamic storytelling. A fun-packed exploration of man’s relationship with nature.
In PANTS ON FIRE’S METAMORPHOSES, Cupid is an evacuee with a catapult. Narcissus is a Hollywood Matinee Idol drooling over his screen image. And an Andrews Sisters chorus finds close harmony amid cosmic chaos. The Guardian raved, “Welcome to the swell party that is Pants On Fire’s glorious retelling of Ovid’s tales of myth and fancy. A breakthrough show… Rich in inventions!”
THE ANNIHILATION POINT: Jan 9th
Posted on | January 3, 2011 | No Comments
Upcoming on January 9th is the SciFi Comedy - The Annihilation Point. Here is the promise…
Philadelphia’s The Berserker Residents invites you to the New York Premiere of their sci-fi spectacle THE ANNIHILATION POINT. Written by Tim Sawicki and directed by Dan Rothenberg (of the Obie Award-winning
Pig Iron Theatre Company), performance begin January 7 at the Abrons Arts Center (466 Grand Street).
In THE ANNIHILATION POINT, three renegade time travelers beam to the present-day from the year 3037 A.X. (“After Xenocide”). They come bearing a warning of the end. With gobs of futuristic technology, a vast array of survival knowledge, and the will to live, Astronaut Z, his cyborg companion Dr. Doomstache, and alien advisor Gregory
Tamborsky attempt to salvage humanity by time-jumping the audience into the future, past the end of man. Laugh in the face of mutants, machines, and flesh eating nano-bots. Scream in horror as the trio is pursued by inter-dimensional droid vigilantes. Feel the terror of the Annihilation Point!!!
A New Year Begins with Broadway Closings
Posted on | January 2, 2011 | No Comments
The beginning of January is a time often marked by the end of Broadway Runs. Shows close that aren’t pulling in enough customers to make money (like La Bete) or where the leads are leaving and it is all but impossible to replace them (like Promises, Promises).
Ending today is one of my all time favorite musicals, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Although it received okay to great reviews, it never found the audience it deserved on Broadway. I saw it twice – since I loved it Off Broadway at the Publis Theater.
Benjamin Walker and the cast of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
The first time I saw it on Broadway, the cast didn’t seem to be quite in sync with Broadway. Lines that brought laughs Off Broadway, did not resonate with the Broadway audiences. The second time, I took friends at Thanksgiving and the show was much better and in tune with the crowd, but it was too late. So hats off and good-bye to a great show.
Next To Normal – one of my all time favorite shows – closed today as well. It had a nice long life on Broadway. Well deserved.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown also closes today. I hadn’t seen it, so I took the time out. It has a famous cast and I have seen each one tear up a musical in the past. I had to see it before it left. It was a stupendous disaster. Amazing to watch, it was filled with great performances in a show that just never should have been a musical. Sheri Rene Scott worked really hard in a role that was okay in script, but dreadful in song. Someone tried to translate the words too literally. Patti LuPone suffered through some very inappropriate songs, for her one showstopper – but it was great. The sets were a kaleidoscope of kitsch – in both a fun and terrifying way. I enjoyed it, but I am not sure I should have. Only Laura Benanti was giving a role she could run away with – and she did.
The Women on the Verge
I loved seeing it, but I can understand how it never connected with an audience.
There are some great shows coming up soon Off Broadway. Over the next few days, I will share what is coming up and when it is opening.
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