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Othello: Theatre For a New Audience – Review

19 Aug

There are experiences in the theatre that are as close to perfection as possible while still being real.  Othello, by The Theatre For A New Audience is one such production.  This Othello, directed by Arin Arbus, has returned to The Duke on 42nd Street, for a limited engagement, after a sold-out run.  The Duke is a 200 seat thrust stage (seats on three sides) theatre.  It is an intimate and fully exposing space.  There is no room for error whatsoever.  The actors cannot grandstand or break concentration without very easily being detected.  There is nowhere to hide.  For two hours and forty five minutes, these actors strut and fret with *very* minimal set.  This paradigm could very easily result in disaster.  Or in the case of this production of Othello it could be, and is, tremendous.  Directed at a breakneck speed, using every inch of space to create visual interest and dramatic effect, it is captivating.  The cast, with only one slight exception is monumental.  Othello (John Douglas Thompson) is a beautiful commanding physical presence with the voice of G-d.  The timbre, passion and inflection of his voice are quite unusual in their excellence.  I cannot think of any modern actor (in this country) with such a command of their vocal instrument.  Mr. Thompson’s physical presence is artistic, witnessed by his seeming loss of height as the play unfolds.  Iago (Ned Eisenberg) has embodied his character.  The subtle nuances and humor that he evokes are that of an actor who fully understands his role.  He is an absolute (dastardly) pleasure to watch.  Desdemona (Juliet Rylance) is lovely and utterly convincing in her role as well.
Of particular note is the drunken celebration after the victory on Cyprus.  The music and dance are so well choreographed that  I felt as if I had entered a Taverna.  The only distracting player emerges in this scene.  Bianca (Elizabeth Meadows Rouse) lacks the confidence to play in such an intimate theatre.  She is a relatively accomplished actress but very ill at ease when she is not speaking.  While this is a bit of unfortunate casting, it did work to reinforce how stellar the rest of the casting really is.  Without a flaw, it is difficult to really appreciate near perfection.  This production of Othello is the nearest thing to perfection we may ever see. With little fanfare, no bold face names or gimmick casting, and a deep reverence for the text, this Othello is a beacon of hope for the theatre purist.  Ms. Arbus direction is intelligent and respectful and she is someone to watch. This production is only up until April 24th.  If possible see it and immerse yourself in the pool of pleasure that is excellent theatre.

 
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Posted by on August 19, 2011 in Uncategorized

 

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Next To Normal – Review

19 Aug

This is not a complete review of Next to Normal, but rather a review of Act I.  That’s right dear reader, this reviewer walked out.  While it pains me to be a quitter, it pains me more to subject myself to misery.  This is a life philosophy that I embrace.  I know how terribly unpopular this negative opinion of the show is.  I am not a stranger to this phenomenon.  I saw (and hated) Rabbit Hole!
Next to Normal is a rock opera centered on a family, focusing specifically on the mother who has been diagnosed (for 16 years) with bipolar disorder and delusions.  What little dialogue there is, is made up for in copious cliches and cheap sentiment.  It is a loud, seriously over-miked, “high school musical” “very special Growing Pains” confection.  I was prepared to love this show, billed as cutting edge and compared to _Spring Awakening_.  Given that every show that is not produced by Disney seems to be compared to Spring Awakening these days, you’d think I would have been prepared.
The amplification is such, in the diminutive Booth Theatre, that I felt as if I was listening to the soundtrack and the cast was lip synching.  The score is not awful (even screamed at a constant intensity) but the songs are indistinguishable.  Every tune sounds exactly the same. The storyline (at least of Act I) is utterly unconvincing.  The family is at a crisis.  Why?  The mother (Alice Ripley) has been ill for 16 years!  Why is the teenage daughter only now falling apart?  Why would the girl fall apart at a recital because her mother didn’t show up?  Her mother has never shown up.  Why would the over-achieving Yale-bound girl suddenly start taking her mother’s medication?  To create drama no doubt.  It rang as false as the girl singing about her family not being normal.  A senior in high school, especially one with a mentally unbalanced mother and a dead sibling (oh, didn’t I mention that after school special conceit?) would most certainly be spending as much time out of her house as possible and certainly not sing treacly lyrics about her quirky family.
The characters are one dimensional and utterly unconvincing.  It speaks volumes that the only fully formed character is the figment of mommy’s imagination.  Alice Ripley (mommy) surprised me.  She is a seasoned performer, and I did not expect such an awkward and cartoonish performance.  Her physical performance was primitive, she actually resembled a primate at times.   I realize there wasn’t much physicality called for in her most famous role (Side Show) as a conjoined twin, but we should believe that she can walk across a stage upright. The costuming added to the cheapness of this production.  Characters were dressed in nearly identical outfits at times to alert us to the synergies.  It wouldn’t have been such an overbearing device if it didn’t always occur while the scene was also spelling out the synergies.  The piano-synching that director Michael Greif indulges in is grating.  Jennifer Damiano (daughter) has obviously never been near a piano, but plays a serious player.  Instead of helping her by hiding the keyboard from the audience, he exposes her awkward and clumsy fingers. What irritated me most was the sense I had of the creative team’s arrogance.  Did they genuinely think that mental illness, dead children and substance abuse were such novel theatrical fodder?  It’s as if they thought they could get away with just simply delivering the topic without artistic integrity.  It was disrespectful to the audience.

 
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Posted by on August 19, 2011 in Uncategorized

 

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Desire Under the Elms – Review

19 Aug


The Goodman Theatre’s Desire Under the Elms has come to the St. James Theatre.  Last night was the first night of previews in this limited NYC production.  Starring Brian Dennehy, Carla Gugino (Suddenly Last Summer) and Pablo Schreiber (Awake and Sing) and directed by Robert Falls (Death of a Salesman, Long Days Journey into Night) this remarkable production is going to create a stir.  The play itself (Eugene O’Neill) holds few surprises but packs an emotional wallop nonetheless.  It has good structure and as bizarre as this sounds, is the perfect starting point for this production. What is really going on, on the very large stage, is cinematic in scope.  This production is HUGE.  There are hydraulics, gargantuan set pieces, farm animals and lots of smashing and hurling.  It is a credit to the cast that they were never overpowered by the set and design.  There is an actual house that is raised and lowered throughout the production, which often hangs over the family.  Metaphor aside, I was terrified.  Call me a worry wart, but I did not entirely trust the cables.  This being the first night, the hydraulics were often a bit slow on the uptake, leaving yawning holes in the stage for minutes.  I was concerned for the actors’ safety.  All of this motion is not actually distracting; in fact it takes a relatively sedate play and brings it into the 21st century attention span demands. Music is used as a powerful device in this production.  There is one scene that has no dialogue, just a riveting musical accompaniment, lending a modern cinematic touch.  At one point a “violinist” comes on upstage.  He is obviously “bow synching” his playing (I’m not sure why) and lends an edgy touch.  The opening and closing music that accompanies father and sons as they tow rocks is pitch perfect in tone and emotion. The set is very dark, and the music works to give it a more colorful dimension.  The set and costuming echoes the bleakness of the storyline, and in such a large space does not feel overly oppressive.
Although, it is clear that this production dictates the use of a large stage, the St. James is not the right venue.  It is very large.  Musical large.  The actors are wearing body mics, although where, remains a mystery, as we saw one of the actors disrobe.  The distortion is a travesty.  The set is dark, and several times I could not discern who was actually speaking.  The volume settings were off at times, creating a  pearl crashing Singing In The Rain reality that just didn’t work.  A smaller theatre would have allowed the actors to be free to unplug.  The accents are a bit off as well.  Mr. Dennehy was using his lovely brogue with no reference to being Irish, but Ms. Gugino seemed to struggle with a New England accent.  I much prefer no accents as a rule, as so few people, save Meryl Streep, can actually master one. The acting is phenomenal, the direction perfection, and the staging out of this world.  It is a dark and sad play, with very little humor.  See it if you can, but not for a first date.


 
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Posted by on August 19, 2011 in Uncategorized

 

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Exit The King – Review

19 Aug


I went to see Exit The King this weekend, with just a tad of reservation.  Well, more “dark foreboding” than a “tad of reservation.”  I was almost certain that Eugene Ionesco and I would never understand each other.  I discovered that I was right, and also that I don’t need to understand someone to enjoy them.  Take the French for example.

I found myself completely absorbed for two and a half hours.  This 1963 revival was directed by Neil Armfield (hailing from Australia) and performed at the stunning Ethel Barrymore Theatre.  The small cast is headed by Geoffrey Rush, Lauren Ambrose, Andrea Martin and Susan Sarandon.  The strong, often absurd characters work in perfect concert with each other and the set design.  It is a credit to Mr. Armfield that the small cast, top heavy with powerhouses, works as a synchronized ensemble.
The storyline and references of Exit The King are shockingly modern.  Yes, 1963 was not that long ago, but the political references are so current, as to be somewhat depressing.  What have we been doing for the last 45 years?  It’s probably more a testament to Ionesco than a critique of our current culture, which makes this play feel so modern.

The king and the natural resources are all dying, but Andrea Martin will make us all forget it.  She is a gem, and I am delighted that she has been on the New York stage at least three times in the past year (On The Town, Young Frankenstein.)  Lauren Ambrose (Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet) is ethereal and stunning and will rule the Broadway stage at some point.  Geoffrey Rush is incredibly physical throughout this play.  He is a dynamo and very very funny.  The doctor (William Sadler) and the guard (Brian Hutchinson) were both quite good, although I must confess to picturing Tim Conway in the guard.  Mr. Hutchinson’s mannerisms were either lifted from the “Old Man” character, or I just watched far too much television as a child.  Ms. Sarandon spent most of the play in profile, and seated as I was in the fourth row, I was mesmerized by her two tone make-up (neck brown, and face white to give definition to the jaw line.)  I was also quite taken with her (very large) tattoos and thumb ring.  I’m guessing Mr. Armfield lost that round.  Her performance was not terribly interesting.  The body accouterments plus the Playbill biography (omitting all acting credits, and simply citing “motherhood and activism” as her accomplishments) scream “star.”  I much prefer watching an actress than a star.

My only hesitation in recommending this production is that I had incredible seats.  I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much in the balcony.  Seated front and center, I truly felt swept up.


 
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Posted by on August 19, 2011 in Uncategorized

 

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God of Carnage – Review

19 Aug

Hitting the leg of the person next to you (while laughing out loud) repeatedly during a performance is a good sign.  My stinging palm is proof that God of Carnage, at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre, is an absolute delight.  This French expose of modern marriage is written by Yasmina Reza (translated by Christopher Hampton) and directed by Matthew Warchus (Boeing Boeing, Follies, and numerous West End productions.)  Set in Cobble Hill Brooklyn in 90 minutes of real time, there is never a dull moment.  It seems dismissive to describe Ms. Reza’s work as a 21st century Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, but somewhat apt.  Perhaps any theatrical construct of two married couples exposing the underbelly of their selves and their marital dynamics is going to conjure Edward Albee.  In the case of God of Carnage it was the fierce humor, and quite frankly, the drinking, that whispered “Virginia Woolf” repeatedly.  But that reference is merely a jumping off point for this play.  Without resorting to Lifetime movie tactics, God of Carnage manages to tackle; bullying, gangs, violence and social class while never losing its humor or dramatic interest.  The fact that the evening stays above the sentimental fray must be greatly credited to the incredible cast.  Hope Davis and Jeff Daniels as one couple and Marcia Gay Harden and James Gandolfini as the other couple.  Not enough can be said about the sheer delight in watching these four very talented people.  Ms. Harden has a luscious role and plays it like a virtuoso; she is hysterical and heartbreaking and infuriating.   As difficult as it is to take ones eyes off of Ms. Harden, this truly is an ensemble piece and it is clear that this quartet is having the time of their lives.  It speaks volumes to me that during repeated silences, the acting was equally as riveting as it was during the explosions.

Ms. Davis and Mr. Daniels (a wealth management professional and attorney) are visiting Ms. Harden and Mr. Gandolfini (an art historian and home fixture retailer) to discuss their sons’ recent physical altercation.  The stage is set in a dramatic fashion.  The entire stage is used as the living room; a rather unbelievable conceit for a Brooklyn home.  However, in an entertainment world in which Greenwich Village rent controlled apartments are 2,000 square feet with terraces, and newspaper columnists can support $650 a pair shoe shopping habits, all NYC scale bets are off.  There is a bold textured wall separating the living room from the rest of the apartment.  The wall is set at an angle and we can see the walls behind it, painted red.  As the play/story unfolds, the walls become progressively darker; a nice touch.  Despite the expanse of the apartment, it is surprising how much of the production so accurately represents time and place; keeping in mind that this play is French.  The only nod to its original Parisian setting is the omnipresence of the clafouti (a French pastry.)  The costumes, mannerisms and parental concerns simply scream “NYC 2009!”
I strongly recommend seeing this production, and seeing it with someone who does not bruise easily.
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Posted by on August 19, 2011 in Uncategorized

 

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