Scott Katzman’s
Act Naturally
February 8-24, 2007
The Workshop Theater
Reviewed by Corey
Ann Haydu
Act Naturally,
a new play written by and starring Scott
Katzman, is a hilarious and heartbreaking
look at the life of an actor who has put
years into the business without a lot to
show for it. The play starts out strongly
and the premise is fantastic. Katzman plays
a non-union actor who has taken a job as
an understudy in a one man show to get his
equity card. He was never supposed to go
on stage, but the lead actor becomes ill
and Katzman must fill ninety minutes with
"something" to entertain his audience
and acquire his equity card. What follows
is a fluid exploration of this character’s
life; Katzman assesses the choices he has
made that have brought him to this moment
and questions his abilities, his talents,
his goals and his ambitions. Though the
play is a comedy, this exploration eventually
leads the character to some serious topics
and the comedy turns into a reflective look
at a struggling artist’s life.
Although the focal point of the show is
Katzman’s character, the real joy
in the production is the cast he has surrounded
himself with. The six ensemble actors take
on multiple roles throughout the show. Each
of these actors is blessed with unbelievable
comedic timing and a real understanding
of character work. The supporting characters
they play are all precise, lovable and straight
out of a Saturday Night Live sketch. From
Tracee Chimo’s portrayal of a vicious,
spiteful Russian cleaning woman to Marlene
O’Haire’s fabulous performance
as a ditzy receptionist with a limited vocabulary,
every moment of the play comes to life through
these fine actors. The real standout in
the supporting cast is Darron Cardosa. His
endearing, over the top characters steal
every scene and make the play as a whole
shine. Katzman is an “average Joe”
straight man next these wacky lunatics,
and the juxtaposition is a comedic thrill.
Act Naturally is a comedy written
by an actor for actors. Many of the scenes
are inside jokes for the theatre community
and even the more serious themes address
life in The Business. Non-actor types might
have trouble appreciating some of the most
raucous and wonderful scenes. Katzman has
written pointed vignettes about casting
calls and acting classes that capture all
that is wacky, infuriating and hysterical
in the world of actors and directors. I
hope that the witty and unexpected humor
is accessible to all audiences, but worry
that it might reach only other actors.
Katzman’s new show is clearly a work
of love and it is a pleasure to see the
dissection and reconstruction of his life’s
passion unfold on stage. Act Naturally
is an unusual blend of truth and comedy,
and the result is a unique, affecting production
that pays real homage to trying to “make
it” in the big city.
Tickets $18 available through SmartTix www.smarttix.com
or (212) 868-4444.
The WorkShop Theater|312
West 36th Street | 4th Floor.
Matt Morillo's
Angry Young Women in Low Rise Jeans
with High Class Issues
January 4, 2007 - February 11, 2007
Theater for the New City (Cino Theater)
Reviewed by Corey Ann
Haydu
Angry Young
Women is a fearless look at modern
womanhood told through a series of comedic
vignettes that left the audience both laughing
and appalled. Watching this play would be
a great outlet for angry young women every
where; it embraces all that is crazy, neurotic,
hypocritical and vulnerable in our lives.
The lovely actresses unleash intense emotional
whirlwinds throughout the entire eighty-five
minute performance, somehow managing to
continually keep the drama humorous.
The highlight of the show
is the vignette titled “Unprotected
Sex”. The scene explores the mania
of women on the birth control pill and manages
to both magnify the crazed emotions and
sympathize with the hormonal realities.
The scene is both hyperbolic and compassionate,
capturing both genders in moments of conflict
and love. Rachel Nau (the powerhouse actress
of the show) is loveable, infuriating and
frightening - all at the same time. She
allows herself to ride out the highs and
lows of the script with fearless abandon
and we all reap the benefits of her courage.
This powerful and hilarious vignette is
all that is right about Angry Young
Women. At its best, this is a show
that teases without criticizing, challenges
without preaching and looks at gender difference
without determining a winner in the gender
wars.
At times, the script
was under-edited and a few scenes repeated
dialogue to the point of exhaustion. Though
the premises of each scene was fresh and
inventive, the dialogue was at times cliché
and repetitive. However, the energy of the
actors was so impressive that the audience
stayed with the show and all was ultimately
forgiven. Each actor was thoroughly dedicated
to the quirky moments and raunchy outbursts
of the play and it was a pleasure simply
watching their energy explode onstage.
Matt Morillo
has written and directed a show that entertains
men and women alike. Somehow he has managed
to capture private female thoughts and intimate
moments with such accuracy that you have
to wonder if he had a personal peephole
into the ladies room at his local bar. The
audience of both men and women laughed with
the seven young brazen actors for the majority
of the show. The pace, momentum and vigor
were unfailing and it was a sexy and shocking
night at the theatre - something we could
all probably use.
Ticket info: Th-Sat's
$20, Sundays "pay what you can"
www.kadm.com
Theater for the New City
(Cino Theater) |155 1st Ave. Ny, NY
Eric Bland's
Bruise and Gringo
Sundays – Tuesdays @ 8 PM
January 21st - February 13th
UNDER ST. Marks
Reviewed by Corey Ann
Haydu
Bruise and
Gringo, two one act plays presented
in one evening, is a fantastic example of
downtown theatre at its best. Playwright
Eric Bland wrote both shows; the heartbreaking
and simple The Bad Bruise of Billy McBean
and the quirky, fast paced The
Gringo of the Deli Acapulco. Performed
at the intimate Under St. Marks Theatre,
these two plays are wonderful when viewed
together but are also are impressive enough
to be considered alone. The night as a whole
is an exploration of love and relationships.
It is a meditation on the difficulty of
connecting with others and a celebration
of language and loyalty. Wonderfully acted,
impeccably directed and beautifully written,
Bruise and Gringo is the kind of
play that inspires us all to be better artists…
and better lovers.
The first play, The
Bad Bruise of Billy MsBean is the stronger
of the two pieces. From the opening moment
(a perfectly lit kiss between two lovers),
the audience is focused on the simplicity
of the performance and its two talented
actors. The play itself is a string of vignettes
that explore the trying and tender relationship
between the downtrodden Billy and his gorgeous,
enthralling girlfriend Klare who are stuck
in a basement with very little to do but
interact with each other.
The two actors, Charlie
Hewson and Kaytie Morris are magnetic; their
performances are strong, vulnerable and
engaging. They have lovely chemistry together
and an intimate comfort with the production.
In such a small space, the audience can
see every eye movement and hair flip and
both actors are vibrant and fully alive
for every second of the play. Noah Burger’s
directing vision is clear and strong. Each
scene is a poignant snapshot of Klare and
Billy’s time together, and Burger
has made each moment unique and valuable.
In one tiny scene Billy pokes Klare over
and over while they lie on the floor. Finally
Klare, out of quiet exasperation grabs hold
of his poking hand and tells him to stop.
Though it is a mundane moment between Klare
and Billy, for the audience is a lucky instant
of voyeurism that allows us to recognize
and adore this relationship.
The Gringo of the
Deli Acapulco, although not as strong
as the first piece, also offers a new view
on relationships, complete with pointed
dialogue and strained interactions. The
dialogue is the high point of this performance,
and Bland’s quirky but fluid style
reminds one of early John Patrick Shanley.
This piece is far more dreamlike, and the
directing and acting styles lend themselves
well to the wordy text. Olivia (Reema Zaman)
first falls in love and then confronts the
man who potentially killed her sister (Scott
Eckert). The two face off in an intense,
gritty conversation, complete with the sudden
entrance of a gun as a kind of third character.
Again, Noah Burger’s extremely able
direction moves the show along beautifully.
Zaman and Eckert lack some of the chemistry
of the previous scene, but have great wit
and commitment, and pull off a complicated
piece with excellent results.
Bruise and Gringo makes an impression
in a way theatre rarely does. It is the
kind of play that should be recognized and
the kind of production that makes one hope
(and hope hard) that somehow more of the
world will get to experience the ecstasy
that is simple, basic, plain good theatre.
Tickets cost $15 and can
be purchased by calling Smarttix at 212.868.4444
or by going to www.smarttix.com.
For more information, please visit www.oldkentroadtheater.com.
UNDER ST. Marks
|94 St. Marks Place
Btwn. 1st Ave and Ave A
Stephen
Sondheim and George Furth’s
Company
Tuesday 7:00pm
Wednesday 2:00PM & 8:00PM
Thursday 8:00PM
Friday 8:00PM
Saturday 2:00PM & 8:00PM
Sunday 3:00PM
Barrymore Theatre
Reviewed by Frank
J. Avella
On April 26, 1970, one
of the most significant and groundbreaking
musicals of the modern era opened to rather
divisive notices. A year later, Follies
would receive similarly polarizing
reviews. Yet these two musicals and the
creative artists involved in them, would
go on to dominate and define the decade.
Thirty-seven years later,
Company proves to be as timely
as ever and the new production, brilliantly
directed by John Doyle, at the Ethel Barrymore
Theatre is, by far, the most intelligent
and thought-provoking musical now running
on Broadway. (A decade ago a rather disappointing
revival had a brief Broadway run.)
In a career that boasts
some of the greatest stage musicals of all
time including, Follies, A
Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd,
Into the Woods and Sunday in
the Park With George (my choice for
the best of the best), there is no question
that Stephen Sondheim is one of the few
true geniuses of the musical theatre. What
is remarkable is just how strong and lasting
his work truly is. One would think that
Company, so grounded in the late
sixties/early seventies milieu, would prove
impossibly dated today. And even a great
revival would be nothing more than a fun
evening of nostalgia. But Company
is as vital and relevant today as it was
back in 1970, it actually feels even more
urgent in 2007.
Raul Esparza plays Bobby,
the seemingly happy bachelor surrounded
by a slew of married couples who appear,
on the surface, to be content. But deeper
therein lies the rub.
As Bobby embarks on a
searing psychological journey of self-discovery,
spearheaded by his 35th birthday celebration,
the audience become privy to the exploration
of the complex lives of his friends. And
that is part of what makes Company
so unique. It actually delves into the characters
thoughts and hopes and wishes and failures
with such honesty, that the viewer sometimes
feel like voyeurs.
The deft and dramatic
book by George Furth is complimented by
Sondheim’s demanding and dynamic score.
Raul Esparza is the key
to the show’s success. Here is a Bobby
who is able to convey the pain and confusion
of being single, married with the delirious
freedom and excitement that is also par
for the bachelor course. Esparza has an
adorability and sexual-ness that makes one
want to rush up onstage and hug and/or lick
him! He never overplays the part and is
always fascinating to watch.
Bobby’s Act One
tour de force, “Marry Me a Little”
(amazingly cut from the original production)
is a heartbreaking moment for him.
Doyle used the ‘gimmick’
of having all the actors play musical instruments
last year in his much celebrated production
of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd.
It is repeated here to greater effect, especially
since Bobby is the only performer who does
not take part. The metaphor is not lost
on the audience and once he does finally
take to the piano on the spectacular, “Being
Alive,” we have been anticipating
the moment with great desire. It is our
needed climactic catharsis.
Doyle expertly stages
the couples (book) scenes, never allowing
the bickering to get on our nerves. And
the musical numbers are handled with equal
expertise.
Early in Act One, three
of Bobby’s girlfriends group together
to sweetly attack him in the song, "You
Could Drive a Person Crazy." All three
gals sing as they play sax, making the instruments
a part of the commentary. It’s a fantastic
moment.
In the hilarious number
“Getting Married Today,” Heather
Laws plays a neurotic bride who needs to
decide whether to take the plunge or not.
What ensues is giddy and inspired madness.
Barbara Walsh kicks musical
ass performing the classic (Elaine Stritch
signature) “The Ladies Who Lunch”.
Walsh is one of Broadway’s hidden
treasures and her Joanne is destined to
be Tony nominated.
The exquisite “Barcelona”
feels like a short film and is one of the
best songs ever about a fleeting sexual
encounter. Elizabeth Stanley is the delightfully
ditzy flight attendant April and the end
of the song hits way too close to home for
anyone who has ever been in that...predicament.
Arguably the best number
in the show and a song that masterfully
personifies the New York experience is “Another
Hundred People” It is given a rousing
and just rendition by Angel Desai.
David Gallo’s symmetrical
set impresses and Thomas C. Hase’s
lighting is also to be commended.
The entire production
is an astounding success and the irony is
that the show satirizes the precise group
of people that often patronize the theatre:
bored, upper class Manhattanites who are
looking for meaning in their mundane lives.
If only they had Sondheim around each morning
to poke a little fun at them, perhaps they
would like themselves more...
Ultimately, Company
is about the anxiety, ambivalence and angst
that comes with being 35, living in New
York and not being coupled...the entire
cast and crew should be congratulated for
a perfect production. And Raul Esparza should
now easily enter the pantheon of Broadway
stars!
Tickets $36.25-$111.25 www.telecharge.com
Barrymore
Theatre|
243 W. 47th Street
Ronnie Koenig's
Dirty Girl
Thursday–Saturday @ 8:00PM
Through Jan 27
The Kraine Theater
Reviewed
by Sharyn Jackson
It's every young
writer's dream: land a fat-titled editorial
job at a national magazine with only a little
experience and a line like, "I'm a
strong writer, a fast learner, and I know
that I will both meet and exceed your expectations."
Well, that, and a quickly generated list
of a hundred euphemisms for penis. That's
all Dori Richter needed to do to get herself
a cubicle in the offices of Loverboy, and
assumedly it's not far off from playwright
Ronnie Koenig's own experience as a former
editor of Playgirl magazine.
In less than one year, this "nice Jewish
girl from Long Island" moves all the
way up to editor in chief but the road to
success at the top of a "women's entertainment
magazine" is not without it's bumps.
Dori's desperate search for one female reader
of Loverboy threatens to knock her off her
rocker as her hopes to make a difference
empowering women by providing them with
glossy pages of exposed male members fizzles
out and the reality hits hard: Dori is running
a gay magazine. At least she gets free sex
toys and "finally has great party conversation."
Dori's obsession with proving the validity
of her job to herself reveals Dirty
Girl's core: it's no exposé
on the adult magazine industry as one might
hope—rather, it's the memoir of an
ambitious kid's sexploitation along the
way to conquering her dreams. Didn't anyone
ever explain to Dori that you take the jobs
you have to in order to survive in New York?
This production of Dirty Girl has
expanded from its original one-woman format.
Monologue-heavy, this may not have been
the best choice. The supporting cast members,
however, do a fine job disappearing into
dozens of characters. Koenig, in the lead
role, gives a sing-songy recitation, but
her character's and her play's mousy innocence
is still endearing.
Written by Ronnie Koenig; Directed by Robert
W. McMaster; Starring Ronnie Koenig, Corrie
Beula, Bridget Harvey, Michael Littner and
Jesse Teeters.
Tickets $18.00 at www.smarttix.com
and 212-868-4444.
The Kraine Theater |
85 E 4th St
Evil
Dead: The Musical
Monday 8:00pm
Tuesday 8:00pm
Wednesday 8:00pm
Thursday 8:00pm
Friday 7:30pm & 11:00pm
Saturday 7:00pm & 11:00pm
Closes on February 17, 2007
New World Stages
Reviewed by Allison Ford
If the Evil Dead
movie trilogy is the quintessential send-up
of cheesy horror films, Evil Dead: The
Musical is all that as well as one
of the funniest, most original pieces of
theater I've seen in a long time.
It might sound inappropriate
to describe Evil Dead as "original,"
since it's a musical based on a movie, and
the last few years have brought several
of those. Some, such as Hairspray
and The Producers, have been wildly
successful, while others (and here I am
thinking of High Fidelity) have
been disastrous. Evil Dead is fresh,
new, and –yes- original, which is
fortunate for us theatergoers, because it's
also hysterical.
The story begins like
countless other 70's horror flicks…five
teenagers go camping in the woods. What
follows is a clever mix of plot elements
culled from the first two Evil Dead
films. The teenagers stumble across
"The Book of the Dead," and they
accidentally open a portal to another dimension,
thereby allowing Candarian demons into our
world to wreak havoc, promising that everyone
will be "dead by dawn." The important
thing about Evil Dead: The Musical
is that this is not just a retelling of
the same old story. The musical version
is a fresh interpretation of the story,
with an entirely original mood and tone.
Although the musical is more light-hearted
and self-referential, it manages to stay
true to the campy, lewd, and bawdy spirit
of the films.
The show is best enjoyed
by an audience that has knowledge of the
film trilogy, but newcomers to the story
will have no trouble appreciating it as
a stand-alone piece of theater. Film geeks
will find many inside jokes relating to
Sam Raimi and Army of Darkness,
and there are just as many jokes that necessitate
knowledge of the musical theater genre too,
so everyone manages to feel like an insider.
. Sure, it utilizes some of the classic
gags from the movie, but it is far from
just a rehashing of the same old jokes.
The spinning clocks, the possessed hand,
and the chain saw are all there, but on
stage, the jokes are realized in a way that
seems entirely unexpected, and (dare I say
it) possibly funnier.
The high-energy cast delivers
great performances. Perhaps the characters
are somewhat broadly drawn, but a horror
musical doesn't really demand much subtlety
or depth. As Ash, Ryan Ward is outstanding,
with the perfect amount of swagger and doofy
charm. While his characterization may be
a homage to Bruce Campbell, it never feels
like he is just doing an impersonation.
Renee Klapmeyer is excellent in the double
role of Shelly (the slut) and Annie (the
Professor's daughter.) Her second-act number,
"All the Men in My Life Keep Getting
Killed by Candarian Demons" is the
best song in the show. Although the score
is catchy, and inclusive of many musical
styles, I suspect that the cast possesses
more vocal virtuosity than the music allowed
them to display. There were many moments,
especially in the first act, when I could
sense the performers struggling with the
limits set forth by the songs.
The most surprising thing
about the show is that the second act is
even stronger than the first. The dialogue
is snappier, the music is deeper, and the
action definitely reaches a frenzy point,
when the demons do the big production number,
"Do the Necronomicon."(Yes, the
demons have a big dance at the end, and
yes, it's hysterical.) As far as the bloodlust
goes…the second act really comes through
in a big way, drenching the audience members
in the first few rows. When they say "Splatter
Zone," they mean it.
Film fans have been less than satisfied
by musical theater's attempts to cater to
them, but where many movie-musicals have
failed, Evil Dead succeeds: it
retains the spirit of the films while retaining
the quirky charm of a campy musical. It's
theater for those who want to have fun,
not to ponder life's eternal questions.
Seeing Evil Dead: The Musical may
not bring you any deep human understanding,
but it's a bloody great time.
Book and lyrics by George Reinblatt, music
by Frank Cipolla, Christopher Bond, Melissa
Morris and George Reinblatt.
Tickets: $66.00 Mon-Thu, $71.00 Fri-Sat,
$29.00-$36.00 splatter zone
$25.00 student rush Order Tickets By Phone:
212-239-6200
800-432-7250 or Online www.telecharge.com.
New World Stages
| 340 West 50th Street | New York, NY 10019
Between 8th & 9th Avenues
Gutenberg!
The Musical!
Thursday–Friday @ 8PM
Saturday @ 7 & 10PM
Sunday @ 3 & 7PM
Through March 25
Actors' Playhouse
Reviewed
by Sharyn Jackson
The show-within-a-show
genre is nothing new, especially these days
with The Drowsy Chaperone sustaining
on Broadway, A Chorus Line making
its comeback and [title of show]
recently completing a successful off-Broadway
run. Like it or not, there's no doubt that
theatre-people love making theatre about
theatre. Gutenberg! The Musical!
is the newest show to adhere to this time-honored
tradition. The good news? It's the most
hilarious one yet.
Two wide-eyed writers have one dream: get
their musical about—you guessed it—the
inventor of the printing press onto the
Great White Way. They present a reading
of Gutenberg! to an audience full
of producers, and luckily, we get to sit
in. Doug (book/lyrics) and Bud (music/lyrics)
play all of their characters—and there
are many—through the creative use
of labeled baseball hats.
Each scene plays out between enthusiastic
prefaces comparable to something out of
perfectly twisted educational theater. Gutenberg!
is historical fiction, they say in one such
intro. What's that? "It's fiction…that's
true." (And that's a stretch for this
show!) But these interludes, wholly inappropriate
for the audience Bud and Doug are trying
to woo, are where the real writers' love-hate-love
relationship with musical theater comes
out. They jab at ticket prices, over-the-top
special effects, vampire musicals ("They
do not work!"), and the employment
of serious issues to lend shows importance.
Combined with the fake writers' completely
inaccurate story about Johann Gutenberg,
their outlandishly brilliant songs, and
imaginative staging, Gutenberg! The
Musical! as a whole is a hysterically
entertaining parody of Broadway—with
heart. Behind all the jabs, there's an optimism
that the writers—both fictional and
real—share: a belief in the magical
power of Broadway dreams. That, and the
belief that everyone deserves to learn how
to read.
Written by Scott Brown and Anthony King;
Directed by Alex Timbers; Starring Christopher
Fitzgerald (Bud) and Jeremy Shamos (Doug)
with Ryan Karels; T.O. Sterrett (piano).
Tickets $50.00 at www.telecharge.com
and 212-239-6200. For more information:
www.gutenbergthemusical.com
Actors' Playhouse
| 200 7th Ave S
Julie White and
Tom Everett Scott
Douglas
Carter Beane’s
The Little Dog Laughed
Closes February 18, 2007
Cort Theater
Starring: Tom Everett
Scott; Julie White; Johnny Galecki; and
Ari Graynor.
Reviewed by Wendy R.
Williams
Douglas Carter Beane has
created a charming, fun, fast-paced comedy
of manners with The Little Dog Laughed.
The play tells the story a “love that
dare not speaks its name” and may
be loosely based on the life of a certain
celebrity you have heard a lot about lately,
but of whom we certainly dare not speak.
The play is advertised
with this tag line:
A movie star on the rise
An agent on the phone
A hustler on the prowl
Welcome to Hollywood, baby!
Tom Everett Scott plays
Mitchell, a Hollywood movie star in New
York City for an awards show who finds he
has some time on his hands, an empty hotel
room and a well-stocked mini bar. First
he investigates the bar and then decides
to let his fingers do some walking-on-the-wild-side
and dial up a rent-a-boy, Alex (played by
Johnny Galecki), for a bit of in-room service.
Both Mitchell and Alex earnestly tell the
audience, each other and themselves that
they are not actually gay. For Alex, it’s
a job; when not working, he is happily involved
in a relationship with down-town-party-chic
Ellen (played by Ari Graynor). For Mitchell,
it’s just something that happens when
he drinks too much.
So the die is cast; two
nice boys have met and love is in the air
…..But wait; Mitchell has an agent,
Diane (played by Julie White). Diane is
a whirling dervish of a Hollywood power-broker
who has many plans for Mitchell, none of
which involve having Mitchell acquire a
gay lover. They are in New York for a day
or two and while they are there, they are
going to make good use of their multi-tasking
time and purchase a gay play which they
will then transform from a boy-loves-boy
play to a boy-loves-girl screenplay, squashing
the protesting playwright like a half-chewed
pretzel on a sidewalk grate. But complications
ensue (don’t they always) and Diane
has a chance to show her incredible negotiation
skills when she deftly creates an arrangement
that would make Cole Porter proud.
I saw this play right
after it opened on Broadway (it had a successful
Off Brodway run earlier this year) and I
absolutely loved it. Little has
a sophisticated and worldly script, filled
with rapier sharp repartee. Scott Ellis’
direction is skillful and fast paced; he
was probably running to keep up with Miss
White who attacks her role like she was
the Road Runner. And the rest of the cast
does a capable and talented job of portraying
their roles. But Miss White is so mega talented
and she so totally steals the show every
time she explodes onto the stage, the rest
of the cast spends their stage time trying
manfully and “femalefully” to
not get left in her dust. But like I said,
this is a very talented cast and they are
bravely suiting up eight times a week to
duel with a master. So by the time you can
get tickets, the game will be on.
Ticket Prices $26.25-$96.25
www.telecharge.com 212-239-6200 or 800-432-7250.
For more information: www.thelittledoglaughedonbroadway.com
Cort Theater 138 West
48th Street New York, NY 10036
Harley Granville-Barker’s
The Madras House
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday @7 PM
Fridays and Saturdays @ 8 PM
Matinees Saturday & Sunday @ 2 PM
January 31st - March 29th
The Mint Theater
Reviewed by Katharine
Heller
www.katharineheller.com
Sex, love, betrayal,
polygamy and fashion. No, it's not the
latest in celebrity news, although there
is a bald person involved. It's The
Madras House, a new production by
the consistently impressive Mint Theater
Company.
When I hear the words
"British" and "revival"
in the same sentence, I tend to expect
stuffy humor and over-indulgent wordplay.
But what I saw was an intensely rich,
exciting and emotionally arresting show.
Written in 1909 by Harley Granville-Barker,
this play's progressive themes about sex
and relationships are still relevant today.
The story revolves around
Phillip Madras, the heir to a London fashion
empire. His father Constantine, a designer,
is returning from years abroad in Iraq
to work out the details of selling the
family business. The biggest problem is
dealing with Phillip's mother who, after
being abandoned by his father, desperately
wants to take him back. While there Phillip
deals with a situation at the factory
workhouse where one of the young women
boarders becomes pregnant and refuses
to say who the father is. And then after
his best friend admits he has
feelings for Phillip's wife, things get
a little crazier as father Constantine
reveals he has converted to Mohammedism
so as to fulfill his self proclaimed right
to marry as many women as he'd like. And
I thought my family was dysfunctional.
With smart dialog, realistic characters
and an ever present energy, the play takes
on this simple theme; How powerful are
our sexual desires in making the choices
we make? Is there a right or wrong and
really, what is ethical? The Madras House
also carefully addresses the emotional
differences between men and women.
In the case of Phillip,
we see a young man struggling to make
each situation "right". He is
a comfort to his mother but is conflicted
when it comes to addressing his father.
In order to present these sensitive arguments
Granville-Barker introduces three prototypes
- a woman who wants to love one man no
matter the consequences, a man who desires
so much to love more than one woman he
will go so far as to change religions,
and a young woman who wishes to break
free and raise a child on her own. Are
any of them wrong and if so how can their
choices make them happy? And then there
is Phillip who has to deal
with the prospect that his own marriage
may be in jeopardy due to his friend's
temptation.
Eventually the audience
is given a strong case to support each
of the characters. A particularly riveting
scene occurs between Phillip and his father
when Constantine compares his harem to
Phillip's factory workhouse where young
women are dependent on him for their survival
and as such have no way in which to break
free.
The arguments presented
are applicable to anyone who has ever
felt both pain and joy from loving someone.
I won't tell you what happens, but I will
say that The Madras House addresses its
subject matter with wit, sensitivity and
insight.
It would be wrong to
only name cast standouts as this is one
of the most strong ensemble performances
I have seen in a long time. Every single
member of this talented company makes
each character so refreshingly real and
intriguing. Director of Gus Kaikkonen
clearly should take credit for this accomplishment.
It would be an understatement
to say that the show is a little long.
Actually, it's three hours. But as a testament
to the overall production it only felt
like two. I highly recommend this show
to anyone. It's conservative enough to
bring grandma to, and fun enough to take
your 20 year old niece. Just tell her
it's more exciting than any recent tabloid
scandal.
The Madras House
runs through March 11th. Performances
are Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7:00
PM, Fridays and Saturdays at 8
PM with matinées Saturday and Sunday
at 2:00. Tickets are $45 and are
available by calling 212-315-0231 or online
at www.minttheater.com.
David Johnson’s
The Oresteia
Wednesday - Saturday @ 8:00PM
Closes on March 10, 2007
Access Theater
Reviewed by
Corey Ann Haydu
In the independent theater
world, most great productions can be split
into two categories. There are the productions
that embrace the intimacy and low budgets
of the off-off Broadway scene; these are
plays that are small, meaningful, stark
and cozy. There are also those rare plays
that strive to prove that independent theatre
can push its black box boundaries and achieve
Broadway style product for the price of
an off-off Broadway play. David Johnston’s
inventive adaptation of the classic Greek
tragedy, The Oresteia is a fine
example of the second category. In production
quality alone, The Oresteia rises
above most plays you can catch off-off Broadway.
The set, designed by Robert Monaco, is simple
but ideal and the costumes are luminous.
The technical choices were overwhelming,
beautiful, and at times shocking. The play
felt larger than life, harkening back to
a time when that was what audiences demanded
from classic tragedies.
Dan Johnston’s adaptation proved to
be much more than a nod to the Greek classics.
The dialogue was contemporary, making the
play accessible and humorous to modern audiences.
One of the opening scenes features a museum
tour guide being heavily questioned by his
audience on the gory details of the royal
family’s history. The scene is clever
and witty, and above all a surprising break
from the rest of the dramatic production.
Johnston’s script is full of these
happy surprises. The audience is thrust
back and forth between comedy and tragedy
with brilliant ease. Director Stephen Speights
embraced both the quirky humor and the enormous
drama of the script and delivers a truly
unique and memorable theatrical experience.
The cast is a strong ensemble and there
is palpable chemistry between all the actors.
Kathy Lichter as Clytemnestra and Frank
Anderson as Agamemnon are the stand-out
actors of the production; they steal the
show in their scene together. They stand
above an imagined crowd giving political
speeches while also arguing quietly with
each other in between the public addresses.
Brendan Bradley as Orestes is charming,
capturing perfectly the boyish confusion
of the title character. All the actors are
at their best when they are committed to
the high drama of the play. The large, dramatic
acting styles clearly encouraged by Speights
are another unexpected success. Instead
of feeling abrasive or forced, the unabashed
drama is welcome in the context of the plot.
It is thrilling to see this practically
abolished acting style return to stage with
such vigor and humor, leaving behind the
understated methods generally preferred
in contemporary independent theatre. The
play only stumbles when actors shy away
from the drama. Throughout the play there
are clashing acting styles, as if some of
the actors are unable to commit to the heavier
style the play demands of them. Though in
a weaker production these inconsistencies
would threaten to break the drive of the
play, this particular piece is so strong
that these details are only minor distractions
from the wonder and excitement of the world
the cast and crew have lovingly created.
Hopefully David Johnston’s brilliant
adaptation will outlast the run of this
show and be performed and re-imagined again
and again. But for now, Blue Coyote should
be thrilled with the risk they took and
the excellent product of their obvious passion.
Days after attending the play, I am sure
the audiences are still haunted by the beautiful
images and fulfilling dark humor of The
Oresteia.
Tickets: $18 at www.smarttix.com or 212-868-4444
Access Theater 380 Broadway
Photo Credit Olivia
Jacquet
Venus Opal
Reese’s
Split Ends
Friday & Saturday @ 10:00PM
Sunday @ 5:30PM
Closes February 11, 2007
The Club at LaMaMa
Venus Opal Reese Lets Her Hair Down
in “Split Ends”
Reviewed by William
S. Gooch
Self-love
is a beautiful thing, but the lack of
it can cause generations of pain, delusion,
and destruction. In Split Ends,
now showing a LaMaMa NYC through February
11, Venus Opal Reese utilizes dance, video
clips, rap, and well-structured dialogue
to create a mélange of characters
that magnify the generational and sometimes
detrimental anguish that women of African
descent have around hair texture. Utilizing
newspaper clippings from African American
newspapers of the early 1900s that encourage
blacks to get “Freedom from nigger
hair and nigger features,” Reese
shows that hatred of ‘kinky’
or ‘bad hair’ was not the
sole domain of whites. Reese also weaves
her tale of assimilation, negation and
heartache by cleverly interspersing videotaped
personal interviews between each character’s
monologues.
Using street
vernacular, Reese is able to illuminate
each character’s angst, humiliation,
and ‘miseducation’ around
what is beautiful or ugly about black
hair. Sankofa, the owner of a hair salon
in ‘the hood’, erupts into
a hilarious diatribe on the care of black
hair and the cultural ramifications of
‘good hair.’ “Good hair
is when you comb your hair and it don’t
break all the teeth of the comb…
if you lock your hair, you will be called
a dyke, a ragtag, an intellectual or confused…
if you cornrow, you will look as if you
are about to serve twenty to life.”
In another
monologue, a drag queen explains that
the power of African American R&B
singers rests in the beauty of their wigs
or weaves. Mimicking R&B divas (Whitney
Houston, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Patti
LaBelle and Lil’ Kim) by dancing
and changing wigs, he says, “Being
a woman is a performance, especially if
she is black. Drag shows are a black woman’s
affirmation.” Unlike cultural and
sexual outsiders who are sometimes are
able to look beyond convention, his clarity
is muddied by loathing and self-negation,
desiring to have something he can never
obtain, acceptance and long, straight
tresses.
The most
poignant character studies are those of
an African American breast cancer survivor
and a drug-addicted incest survivor. “I
don’t want my breasts back, I want
my hair back,” says Ann. “Now
I look like a monkey, with bald patches
and short, kinky, thinning hair.”
This character is convinced that she is
nothing without the good hair that got
her dates and jobs. Pitifully asking if
the audience finds her beautiful without
her thick mane, she screams back, “Liars.”
“I
wasn’t always this way,” says
the incest survivor. While singing Nina
Simone’s “Black Is The Color
of My True Love’s Hair,” she
details that before each incestuous assault,
male relatives played with her ‘good
hair.’ Fragmented and forlorn, she
reiterates that her life wasn’t
always a mass of confusions and contradictions.
Reese triumphs
where few performance artists succeed
in that she is able to educate and entertain
simultaneously. Through layered character
development, she forces the audience not
only to look at their perceptions around
hair texture but their overall self-definition.
Because of its overarching universality,
this work, though heavy in African American
themes, is not race-specific. Reese, a
modern-day Rapunzel of sorts, lets down
her hair by exposing an intra-racial issue
that takes us on a journey toward truth
and wholeness.
Tickets
are $15 at https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/42
or 212.475.7710
LaMaMa|
74A East 4th St. NY, NY 10003
Thomas
Bradshaw's
Strom Thurmond is Not a Racist and
Cleansed
Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 PM.
February 8th - March 3rd
The Brick
Reviewed by Katharine
Heller
katharineheller.com
A block
away from a train station that is only
two stops from Manhattan resides a little
theater called The Brick. Raw, open and
a bit rough around the edges, it has become
a home to many new plays searching for
some light in which to cultivate their
creative seedlings. It is here that I
saw a two-show presentation by the
budding playwright Thomas Bradshaw, Strom
Thurmond is Not a Racist and
Cleansed. These uncomfortably
intense plays focus on racism in our society,
from the Dixiecrats of the South to the
confused generation of today. And much
like the theater that houses this show,
they too are definitely a bit raw and
imperfect in their production, yet exude
exciting potential.
Based on
the true story, Strom Thurmond is
Not a Racist follows the life of
America's favorite hypocritical Senator
Strom Thurmond who secretly fathered a
black child. Thurmond, played to perfection
by the talented Hugh Sinclair, struggles
with the dichotomy of loving his daughter
and yet fighting vehemently for segregation.
His daughter Essie (Makeda Christodoulos),
plays uncomfortably along with the ruse
while maintaining a supportive and loving
relationship with her
father. The incredibly versatile Peter
Schuyler takes on such supporting roles
as Strom's father and the ever unintentionally
hilarious Trent Lott.
The choice
to use actual interviews and speeches
in the show made it even more poignant;
a very good move on Bradshaw's part. While
I would have liked to see a more comprehensive
relationship between Essie and Strom,
I think Bradshaw is on the right track
to developing a touching, in depth look
at the man we love to hate. He does do
a great job at making Strom Thurmond seem
vulnerable and likable, and Sinclair's
sensitive portrayal only adds to that.
With the expected
drama and creative humor, this show was
definitely enjoyable.
Cleansed
takes place in the present day South.
We are introduced to a mixed race family
raising a daughter, Lauraul, in a very
conservative southern town. Classmates
call her names and refer to her mother
as a traiter b@#ch. Things escalate for
the confused Lauraul when she is confronted
constantly by neighborhood skinheads.
The story
takes a very interesting turn when Lauraul
confides to one of the skinheads, Mitch,
that she hates herself for being half
black. What follows is probably one of
the best directed and executed sex scenes
I have ever seen on stage. Okay, it may
have been the only sex scene I've witnessed
in a theater. Part violent, part sweet
and overall disturbing, Lauraul uses Mitch
to try and rid of the self hatred that
has been building up. The dramatic change
in Lauraul
affects everyone from her friends to her
parents. As we follow her struggle to
rid herself of her blood through a complete
transformation, more family secrets come
out with disturbing results.
This show
is raw and not for the faint of heart.
Through excellent direction by Jose Zayas,
a strong cast and a rocking soundtrack,
the intensity Bradshaw intended came through
tenfold. A few standout performances should
be noted; Barrett Doss as Lauraul is an
extraordinary actress and takes on this
difficult role with shocking ease. Matt
Huffman, Bobby Moreno and Joseph Caursone
as the skinheads give us an extremely
dedicated and disturbing performance.
While these
shows are still works in progress (I'd
heavily edit the first half of Cleansed),
you will definitely be hearing again from
Thomas Bradshaw. Hopefully in a theater
with a better heat system.
Strom
Thurmond is Not a Racist and Cleansed
run through March 3rd, Thursdays through
Saturdays at 8 PM. Tickets are $15 and
can be purchased by calling 212-352-3101
or go to www.theatermania.com.
The Brick |575
Metropolitan Ave
(Btwn. Union and Lorimer St.)
Steve
Sater & Duncan Sheik’s
Spring Awakening
Monday 8:00pm
Wednesday 8:00pm
Thursday 8:00pm
Friday 8:00pm
Saturday 2:00pm & 8:00pm
Sunday 2:00pm & 7:00pm
Eugene O'Neill Theatre
Reviewed by Frank J.
Avella
When I first heard that
Spring Awakening was moving to
Broadway, I was a bit concerned. Would such
an intimate show lose all potency and urgency
in a big Broadway house?
Well the answer, thank
the theatre gods, is a resounding no!
I am elated to report
that this exciting, enthralling and oddly-enchanting
production thrives at the Eugene O’Neill
Theatre. And it’s improved greatly
from the version I saw this past summer.
It’s still audacious
and ambitious but it now has a wonderful
sense of humor as well. The original production
took itself a wee too seriously. But the
gifted director Michael Mayer has found
the perfect blend of comedy and pathos here.
And it doesn’t hurt to have the extraordinary
Christine Estabrook on board.
Based on Frank Wedekind’s
highly controversial 1891 play The Awakening
of Spring (not produced until 1906),
and adapted by Steven Sater (book &
lyrics) and rock star Duncan Sheik (music),
the ‘play with songs’ (quoted
by Sheik) focuses on adolescent schoolboys
and girls at the age of sexual and spiritual
awakening. The central figures being the
good looking, wave-making Melchior (Jonathan
Groff), his sweet, naive girlfriend Wendla
(Lea Michele) and his troubled, oddball
friend Moritz (John Gallagher, Jr.) as well
as a slew of other angst-ridden, sexually-stirred,
hormonally-bonkers characters.
Spring Awakening is
mesmerizing to the eye--and ears. It’s
a deliberately hard-edged visual and aural
cacophony of the evils of repression--religious
and societal (usually one begets the other).
The richly-rewarding anachronistic
nature of the work adds to its originality
and freshness. Although the piece is set
at the turn of the last century, the actors
whip out mikes and perform raw, intensely-modern
rock songs. The device achieves a Brechtian
break in the ‘period’ action.
It’s as if the audience has warp-sped
a century to a modern day rock concert.
But the songs are the inner monologues and
emotional mind states of Everykid. And that
is why it works so well.
Sheik’s music is
extraordinary, whether it be a heart-wrenching
ballad (”The Song of Purple Summer”)
or an angry rant (the fantastically fun
“Totally Fucked”) and are matched
by Sater’s intelligent lyrics and
by the extraordinary ensemble’s vitality
and conviction in song as well as performance.
These guys were great last summer. They’re
even better and seem more assured now.
“The Bitch of Living”,
in particular, raises the levels through
the rafters!
Melchior is that perfect
blend of youth: a walking sack of sexual
energy mixed with smarts and savvy and Jonathan
Groff brilliantly brings him to life...and
to despair as is necessary. Groff has a
command now that is dazzling to behold.
Moritz is a tad more difficult
since, as written he goes from frustration
and confusion to doom very quickly, yet
Gallagher, Jr. transcends the trappings
and let’s us inside the loopy/scared
mind of this tragic hero (especially in
Act Two’s Don’t Do Sadness”).
Michele’s Wendla
still feels too tentative as Wendla but
she conveys naiveté much better and
has an amazing voice. Lauren Pritchard’s
Ilse still brims with sex appeal and evoked
the perfect combo of tumult and rebellion.
And king of smarm and charm, Jonathan B.
Wright nails his role down perfectly as
the gay survivor about to feast on his prey.
His self-pleasure moment is a riotous combo
of delight and embarrassment. Special mention
to Gideon Glick as the adorable Ernst.
Newly added cast members
Stephen Spinella, and especially, Christine
Estabrook give the show a great lift as
well.
Beyond the masterful score,
near-perfect performances and deft direction,
I had
a problem last time with feeling emotionally
caught up in the lives of the characters.
This, too, has changed. I DID feel passionately
drawn into their worlds and I did care about
their fates.
Spring Awakening
is a triumph that should be seen by anyone
who cares about the future of musical theatre.
Tickets $66.25-$111.25
at www.telecharge.com
Eugene O'Neill
Theatre | 230 West 49th Street | New York,
NY 10036
Much like an unfamiliar
dish to the palate, Richard Foreman's work
can be an acquired taste. And sometimes you
never quite know what you ingested.
It is safe to say that Foreman
has proven himself to be one of the foremost
avant-garde playwrights to date. Having completed
over fifty productions since 1968, when he
founded the Ontological-Hysteric Theater,
he is notorious for his stylized use of disassociated
scenery and staging that take on the feel
of a playground atop a minefield.
That is to say, anything can happen. Foreman
doesn't utilize the common idea of plot, character
or narrative; rather, he evokes emotions and
feelings through visuals, lights and sound.
He has been known to use obstacles as set
pieces, deliberately placed strings or even
plexiglass in front of the action so you can
also observe the audience watching the show.
This particular production
is different than most of his others as it
is the second time he has incorporated film
into his work. When you are ushered into the
intimate theater, there are two screens above
the stage, and the space is littered with
various set pieces such as flowers, chairs
and mannequins. Directly above hangs a small
airplane piloted by a hoard of baby dolls.
The hour long show that follows is a delicate
balancing act between five live actors onstage,
interacting with and reacting to the pre-recorded
film of another set of actors. (The film portion
was shot in a functioning mental hospital
in Lisbon, Portugal under the direction of
Mr. Foreman and his collaborator, Sophie Haviland.)
The performances from the
onstage ensemble are strong and consistent
throughout the show. The "characters"
are eerily similar to each other yet each
have a chance to break free and often suffer
consequences for their curiosity. At first
I found it difficult to absorb the film and
the live show as a unified event, but once
I did (thanks to the talented cast) the effect
was gripping.
One of the main themes of
this show is the theory of the unconscious
mind. According to Freud, unconscious, as
opposed to subconscious, is a state that is
nearly impossible to access and yet responsible
for much of our neurosis. Over the course
of the show, it is insinuated that the invention
of the airplane and other such superficial
creations are responsible for a "mortal
blow" to the unconscious. The stage then
becomes a delirious battleground where the
frenetic actors fight for a chance to renew
what has been lost.
Now if you are like the
mother of the NYU student I was sitting next
to, you'd want to know what the play really
meant. At least that's what she asked me in
the restroom after the show. At the risk of
sounding pretentious, I might just say that
the meaning is meaningless. Foreman's style
of presentation is akin to the remnants of
a particularly vivid dream. You don't quite
know what is going on, but react strongly
to it so much that when you wake up, you cannot
stop thinking about it. It's a different kind
of theater, and very well executed at that.
If you are looking for a
more traditional show, this might not be for
you. But if you choose to stray from the conventional
menu, I think you'll find it's pretty tasty.
Tickets are $23 (Tues. Thurs.
Fri. & Sun.) and $28 (Saturday). Running
time: 1 hour and 5 minutes. Tickets through
theatermania.com:
212-352-3101 www.ontological.com
The Ontological Theater
at St. Mark's Church
| 131 East 10th Street
At Second Ave.
While many plays take three
hours to make a point that could be stated
in two, Your Face is a Mess has the
opposite problem. It's only an hour long,
and doesn't manage to create any real story
or character development. The playwright,
Marc Spitz, who has had several of his works
produced off- and off-off-Broadway, touches
lightly on many themes, while never giving
any of them a proper treatment. The result
is a play that doesn't really ever have the
chance to blossom into any kind of satisfying
dramatic experience. Without much cohesiveness,
build, or structure, Your Face is a Mess
felt more like a rough draft than a performance-quality
piece. It has the potential to be a lot of
things, but right now is little more than
a skeleton of a fully-formed play.
The show's three central
characters are Denny, a man facing prostate
cancer, Moses, the drug dealer trying to live
an honest life, and Bette, the aging soap
star. While the actors offer mostly fine performances,
they are limited by the dialogue and direction,
both of which are unspecific and sloppy. The
director, Carlo Vogel, has chosen to stage
the play in quick little vignettes. While
this choice does keep the pace brisk, it only
serves to heighten the feeling of abbreviation
that permeates the whole play. The scenes
don't have a particular arc and always seemed
to end just as they were getting interesting.
While I applaud the attempt to change the
traditional narrative structure, this felt
half-hearted at best. I felt like I was watching
scenes in an acting class, or possibly some
very un-funny sketch comedy.
Your Face is a Mess is billed as
a black comedy, and, to its credit, there
are some genuinely comic moments in the play.
Many of the jokes, though, were easy potshots
and one-liners. Rare was the successful joke
that was organic and text-derived. On more
than one occasion I wondered if the other
members of the audience were only laughing
because they were related to the cast.
The show features four actors:
three with major roles and one actor who plays
many different characters throughout the show.
As Denny, the television producer dying of
cancer, Tom Vaught is charismatic, clever,
and appropriately slimy. Bradford Scobie plays
umpteen characters in the play, and while
he does a lot of shameless mugging, he is
funny and energetic. Ivan Martin is delightful
as Moses, the drug dealer, with a goofy and
affable earnestness. As Bette, Camille Habacker
is the weak link in the cast. In what I assume
is an attempt to be disaffected and haughty,
she manages only unspecific bitchiness. Even
in the moments where she tries to be tender,
all she can muster up is sarcasm and disdain.
It is hard, though, to blame
any of the actors for faults in their performances
when the real problem is the script itself.
The character of Bette is flat and static
to begin with, and the random characters played
by Bradford Scobie are little more than broadly-drawn
caricatures.
At the heart of this play, I can see a message
about living life and growing older and life's
transitions, and it would greatly benefit
by a thorough reworking and expansion. Mr.
Spitz should lose the silly vomit jokes and
cheap sight gags. There's a potential for
good material under there, and this is the
kind of theater that should be supported.
This is black-box theater, with artists doing
work because they love it, not because they
are getting paid. There's nothing fancy or
astounding about the production values, as
most of the show is played on the bare stage
with minimal props and costumes. Unfortunately,
this kind of theatrical minimalism demands
a tight, sharp story, and this play isn't
quite there yet. I hope that this isn't the
last we hear of Your Face is a Mess,
because with some revisions, it could be a
great example of edgy, honest downtown theater,
instead of a disjointed mishmash of an hour
that just left me saying "Huh?"
Tickets are $20 and can
be purchased by calling Smarttix at 212.868.4444
or by going to www.smarttix.com.
Kraine Theatre | 85
East 4th Street
