What did I see in May? How about The Book of Mormon? Finally. And let me tell you, we bought full priced tickets ($137.50) that were partial view seats. How is that even legal? Remember the stink earlier this winter about previews not being advertised as previews and not being appropriately discounted? Well, I think the same should be said about full priced partial view tickets. I get it, though. The Book of Mormon is hot and I should be thanking them for letting me in the door. Honestly. But I also bought tickets to House of Blue Leaves this week, and out of curiosity I asked how much the partial view seats are. Full priced! Now House of Blue Leaves is not hot enough to get away with that! They have full priced, full view seats available; why would you opt for partial view? Anyhoo, we sat in row C of the front mezzanine of the far left and could see just fine. You've read enough about the show. I adored the missionaries. I am surprised that there is not more uproar about the portrayal of the Ugandans; it felt a little xenophobic to me. But the songs/acting/singing/direction were excellent. It was, of course, really funny. You can probably get tickets for September now. Or ask for them for a Christmas gift. Just do it soon.
The Normal Heart had extra meaning to me after reading Free For All: Joe Papp, The Public and the Greatest Theater Story Ever Told. First of all, the book is fabulous and if you haven't read it you should. Readers learn that Gail Merrifield Papp was the head of the Public Theater's literary department, working with playwrights before their plays were produced. She worked for about a year with Larry Kramer on The Normal Heart. The Public Theater was always producing relevant, timely, edgy material and The Normal Heart fell into that criteria. The Public helped give birth to this huge play and now it is being revived on Broadway. Joe Mantello is beautiful as Ned Weeks, anger just oozing from his pores. I loved seeing Luke MacFarlane on stage, even though he just had a bit part. The play is serious and sad and hugely important. Ned Weeks argues that if gay marriage were legal there would be fewer cases of AIDS, and I can't believe that was in the early 80's and we still don't have marriage equality! And there is still not a cure for HIV/AIDS! This play is just as relevant, timely and edgy as when it premiered at the Public.
I took my younger brother to see How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, about two months after everyone else saw it. The best part of the experience was in taking my brother, but there is something to be said for an old school Broadway revival with a big cast and cheesy numbers. I particularlly enjoyed the songs "Coffee Break" and "Grand Old Ivey", both of which bordered on campy. And I am not above enjoying seeing Daniel Radcliffe perform live.
I attended opening night of Knickerbocker at The Public Theater. I brought my school's drama teacher with me, which just seemed so poetic. She had never been to the Public! Ga! An expectant father sits at the Knickerbocker diner over the months while his wife gestates sharing meals with various important people from his life - his father, his two best friends, his wife, his exgirlfriend. The conversations were predictable - cirucmsision, baby names, how this will change his life, reflecting on his relationship with his parents etc. But many lines drew good belly laughs from the audience.
A similar lab experience was had at Dream of the Burning Boy at Roundabout Underground. It's closed now so I won't make you too jealous, but it was a sweet play about a high school in the weeks following a death of one of its students. The main characters were the dead student's sister, best friend, girlfriend and teacher. I hadn't missed such stories, but it made me realize that we don't see many plays about teenagers, especially contemporary teenagers. High school provides so much material! I am really looking forward to seeing more Roundabout Underground productions next year.
I really enjoyed Cradle And All. What an excellent season Manhattan Theatre Club has given us! I am still traumatized by The Whipping Man. Not to mention the success of The Pitmen Painters and Good People on Broadway. Their 2011-12 season looks just as promising.
I honestly went to see WTC View at 59E59 after Michael Urie tweeted about it (he was in the original Fringe Festival production of the play, and then starred in a movie version of it). The plot is about a man who had posted an ad for a new roommate on September 10, 2001. Then September 11th happens and he still needs someone to help pay the rent, so he continues searching for a roommate. All of the candidates come and share their experience of where they were when the towers were attacked. Playwright Brian Sloan pulls off a good surprise in the middle of the play, that I didn't anticipate at all - I love when that happens. I have read a few very good novels about those early days in September (The Good Life by Jay McInerney comes to mind), but I haven't seen any plays on the subject. WTC View is running through June 5 and is definitely worth a trip up town.
And I went back to iHo for a third, and final, time. My main observation is that when Michael Esper is not wearing only his underwear, he is wearing some tight, tight jeans, that just may have been left in the costume room for the off-Broadway run of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.
What's June look like for you? I am most excited about a couple of dates I have at Joe's Pub. June 10 to see The Civilians and June 29 for Our Hit Parade. You know the Pub will be on hiatus this summer while they renovate, so get in the shows while you can.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
MTC's Cradle And All Is Really Good Ya'll
With Cradle And All Manhattan Theatre Club continues with an excellent season. This play tells the stories of two couples in adjacent Brooklyn apartments. One couple is dealing with an infant who won't sleep. The other is at a turning point in their relationship, and their future may or may not involve babies.
The catch going in, is that both of the couples are played by the same pair of actors: Maria Dizzia and Greg Keller. How well the actors and director pull this off can make or break such a show. I imagined that the script would go back and forth between the couples, with a minor costume change and accent switch. This was not the case. The entire first act told the story of Claire and Luke who are deciding about their relationship. Then the second act was Annie and Nate with their sleepless baby.
Of course, actors are always acting on stage, but to see them play entirely different characters (and play them well) with only a fifteen minute intermission is impressive. Dizzia and Keller were outstanding. I thought they were good after the first act, but I was really convinced of their talent after the dramatic character changes for act two. Their entire affect, speech pattern and posture were different. There was nothing lazy about the transition. Nothing lazy about them at all, in fact - just the two of them in heavy dialogue for over two hours. Cheers to director Sam Buntrock. Credit must also be given to the costumes, hair, makeup and set designers all of whom helped make the two acts seem entirely different.
Daniel Goldfarb's script was fast moving and funny, especially the second act when you need it to be faster and funnier. The elderly man using a listening device and sitting next to me said loudly to his wife, "This play is really funny." And it is. Excellent writing, acting, directing. Another winner from Manhattan Theatre Club.
The catch going in, is that both of the couples are played by the same pair of actors: Maria Dizzia and Greg Keller. How well the actors and director pull this off can make or break such a show. I imagined that the script would go back and forth between the couples, with a minor costume change and accent switch. This was not the case. The entire first act told the story of Claire and Luke who are deciding about their relationship. Then the second act was Annie and Nate with their sleepless baby.
Of course, actors are always acting on stage, but to see them play entirely different characters (and play them well) with only a fifteen minute intermission is impressive. Dizzia and Keller were outstanding. I thought they were good after the first act, but I was really convinced of their talent after the dramatic character changes for act two. Their entire affect, speech pattern and posture were different. There was nothing lazy about the transition. Nothing lazy about them at all, in fact - just the two of them in heavy dialogue for over two hours. Cheers to director Sam Buntrock. Credit must also be given to the costumes, hair, makeup and set designers all of whom helped make the two acts seem entirely different.
Daniel Goldfarb's script was fast moving and funny, especially the second act when you need it to be faster and funnier. The elderly man using a listening device and sitting next to me said loudly to his wife, "This play is really funny." And it is. Excellent writing, acting, directing. Another winner from Manhattan Theatre Club.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
On taking my little brother to the theater
Last weekend my 23 year-old brother, Michael, was visiting me in Brooklyn. He's this super straight, beer drinking, baseball playing guy with a penchant for musicals. He says things like, "Do you think we can hit a matinee before the Yankees/Sox game?"
He is also a big Harry Potter fan, so when I had to come up with a big, flashy musical matinee for Saturday, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying won my money. It was also apropos, because Michael graduated from a business college last May and has had three entry level business positions in the past year. He would very much like to climb the corporate ladder quickly like J. Pierrepont Finch.
Michael eats up a theatrical outing like someone who loves the theater, but doesn't get to go often. He is consistently blown away by the theater's ceiling, the enthusiasm of the crowd and the quality of acting/singing. He is always impressed with our seats - we could be in the last row of the balcony and he would say, "It's awesome being so high up."
His favorite musical is In the Heights, but often when we see a new show he will declare it to be his second favorite. I first remember that happening when we saw A Chorus Line on tour in San Francisco. Then when we saw HAIR in Boston this spring, that became his second favorite. But I think it will be awhile before another show holds a candle to How to Succeed. We were both impressed by Daniel Radcliffe's comedic acting, his singing and his American accent. We agreed that he seemed to be obviously concentrating on the choreography. At intermission we had to google his height (5 feet, 5 inches), because he appeared to be the smallest person in the cast.
Michael had a ton of fun at the Yankees/Red Sox game, but surely his retelling of the weekend also included the experience of his sister taking him to see a highly satisfactory musical with a big movie star. It's such a pleasure to bring a guest to the theater who is so enthusiastic and easy to please. Michael is coming back to New York in August and I'm already planning what we should see.
He is also a big Harry Potter fan, so when I had to come up with a big, flashy musical matinee for Saturday, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying won my money. It was also apropos, because Michael graduated from a business college last May and has had three entry level business positions in the past year. He would very much like to climb the corporate ladder quickly like J. Pierrepont Finch.
Michael eats up a theatrical outing like someone who loves the theater, but doesn't get to go often. He is consistently blown away by the theater's ceiling, the enthusiasm of the crowd and the quality of acting/singing. He is always impressed with our seats - we could be in the last row of the balcony and he would say, "It's awesome being so high up."
His favorite musical is In the Heights, but often when we see a new show he will declare it to be his second favorite. I first remember that happening when we saw A Chorus Line on tour in San Francisco. Then when we saw HAIR in Boston this spring, that became his second favorite. But I think it will be awhile before another show holds a candle to How to Succeed. We were both impressed by Daniel Radcliffe's comedic acting, his singing and his American accent. We agreed that he seemed to be obviously concentrating on the choreography. At intermission we had to google his height (5 feet, 5 inches), because he appeared to be the smallest person in the cast.
Michael had a ton of fun at the Yankees/Red Sox game, but surely his retelling of the weekend also included the experience of his sister taking him to see a highly satisfactory musical with a big movie star. It's such a pleasure to bring a guest to the theater who is so enthusiastic and easy to please. Michael is coming back to New York in August and I'm already planning what we should see.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Rave: The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures
Ah, The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures - where to begin? With a joke about how I consider myself to be an intelligent homosexual? With pictures of Michael Esper in only underwear? Or straight to the gushing?
Straight to the gushing it is - Tony Kushner's Intelligent Homosexual is now playing at the Public Theater. This play is theater at its best, and you should go buy tickets now, before they sell out.
Gus, the family patriarch, played by Michael Cristofer, calls his three children, Empty, Pill and V (Linda Emond, Stephen Spinella and Steven Pasquale) to his home in Brooklyn for a family meeting. We all know family meetings usually bring bad news, and this meeting goes on for three days, nicely portrayed in three acts. They talk, debate and argue with rich, engaging dialogue that educates the audience as much as it entertains.
Gus has very different, complicated relationships with each of his three children, who in turn have even more complicated relationships in their personal lives. As the immediate family debates communism, labor unions and assisted suicide, the romantic lives of the three children spin out of control on the fringes of the story.
The main set is a beautiful, realistic Brownstone dining room, complete with a front door and second story bedroom. Gus was born in that house and lived there his whole life, which is reflected in the set, full of a lifetime's worth of memories. During an argument, V smashes a hole in one of the walls (which is surely replaced daily for the next performance); this move makes the house seem real, not a temporary piece of scenery. Similar to the recent production of Angels in America at Signature Theatre, Intelligent Homosexual gives the audience a feeling of voyeurism. You can completely forget that you are at the theater, and feel like you're peeking in your neighbor's window during one hell of a weekend. This effect results from a combination of Kushner's writing, Michael Greif's brilliant direction and a skilled group of actors who are very comfortable in their roles.
Seeing Intelligent Homosexual will leave you feeling haunted and questioning. It warrants a second visit to take time to notice the nuanced performances and dynamic Kushner story telling. So really, book your tickets now and early enough in the run so you can go back again before the show closes on June 12.
Straight to the gushing it is - Tony Kushner's Intelligent Homosexual is now playing at the Public Theater. This play is theater at its best, and you should go buy tickets now, before they sell out.
Gus, the family patriarch, played by Michael Cristofer, calls his three children, Empty, Pill and V (Linda Emond, Stephen Spinella and Steven Pasquale) to his home in Brooklyn for a family meeting. We all know family meetings usually bring bad news, and this meeting goes on for three days, nicely portrayed in three acts. They talk, debate and argue with rich, engaging dialogue that educates the audience as much as it entertains.
Gus has very different, complicated relationships with each of his three children, who in turn have even more complicated relationships in their personal lives. As the immediate family debates communism, labor unions and assisted suicide, the romantic lives of the three children spin out of control on the fringes of the story.
The main set is a beautiful, realistic Brownstone dining room, complete with a front door and second story bedroom. Gus was born in that house and lived there his whole life, which is reflected in the set, full of a lifetime's worth of memories. During an argument, V smashes a hole in one of the walls (which is surely replaced daily for the next performance); this move makes the house seem real, not a temporary piece of scenery. Similar to the recent production of Angels in America at Signature Theatre, Intelligent Homosexual gives the audience a feeling of voyeurism. You can completely forget that you are at the theater, and feel like you're peeking in your neighbor's window during one hell of a weekend. This effect results from a combination of Kushner's writing, Michael Greif's brilliant direction and a skilled group of actors who are very comfortable in their roles.
Seeing Intelligent Homosexual will leave you feeling haunted and questioning. It warrants a second visit to take time to notice the nuanced performances and dynamic Kushner story telling. So really, book your tickets now and early enough in the run so you can go back again before the show closes on June 12.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
April Theater Wrap-Up
April was a busy theater going month for me. I had a week and a half vacation, for which I remained in NYC. There were shows I wanted to see one last time before they closed, some hard to resist offers for free tickets, a new Broadway show and some irresistible downtown theater.
On the first day of April I went to see My Last Play. In December my friend bought us tickets to see Ed Schmidt's one man show. I didn't want to go. I wouldn't have bought tickets, but said friend assumed I would want to go, so April 1 went down in my planner. It was weird. It was in Schmidt's basement apartment in Carrol Gardens. He told us funny stories, but at the end told us that most of it was lies, which left a funny taste in my mouth. It was like when you read a great memoir and then the author has to retract half of it. But we did get to raid his library of plays. I got a copy of BENT and Dara took The Normal Heart for me, too.
Twice this month I ventured to The Public Theater to see The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures, more commonly referred to as iHo, or "the new Kushner play." I have tried to write more about iHo, but I keep stalling. I love this play, and I don't know why. I am absolutely struck by the young, intellectual hustler (Eli), played by the talented Michael Esper. I love that many of the actors (Stephen Spinella, Linda Emond) have a history with Tony Kushner. I love the ambiguous ending. I love the totally different, complicated relationships that each of Gus's children have with him. I love that there is so much union history in the play, at a time in our country when the future of unions is voted on by State Senates. This play is beautiful, timely and haunting. I would expect nothing less from Mr. Kushner.
I got free tickets to Tomorrow Morning from StageGrade. Otherwise I wouldn't have gone. I am not motivated to see more heterosexual marriage/divorce plays. It was my first time visting York Theatre Company (I didn't see Yank! I'm a bad gay) and we had a hard time finding it. It was in the basement of a church. "Are you taking me to a church play?" asked Dara. I actually liked the story. It was about a couple the night before their wedding, told in parallel with the story of the night before their divorce. The production felt more like a workshop. The singing and acting weren't great, but it was a free night at the theater.
We saw Part II of Angels in America with the original cast. Then we saw Part I with the new cast. I wanted to go back one last time before it closed, so we went to Part II with the new cast during the last week of the run. Keira Keeley and Michael Urie were just outstanding as sick, delusional souls. I could watch that play over and over again. The whole production was so beautiful. Kudos to Michael Greif and Signature Theatre.
This winter I saw Pearl Theatre Company's production of The Misanthrope and I didn't love it. Classical theater is not my thing, especially seventeenth century French theater. When I heard that Classic Stage Company was doing an adaptation of The Misanthope, I thought I would see it for another take, now that I was familar with the plot. I thought that if they were doing an adaptation there would be differences, like maybe it wouldn't rhyme, or maybe it would take place in a different period, but these factors were not changed. It was still the archaic rhyming prose, but with different, more modern words. The School for Lies did improve on the ending, but otherwise I found it to be just as inaccessible as the original. I had not seen Mamie Gummer on stage before and I was disapointed by her performance. Hamish Linklater was insanely good and was the saving grace in this production.
I really like the Public Theater's Lab productions, but Urge for Going wasn't on my calendar until we went to see iHo and Dara read the Playbill enclosed postcard advertising the show. She asked if we could see it (I usually feel like I'm dragging her to plays). Totally effective marketing, my dear Public Theater! The show was about a Palestinian family living in a Lebanese refugee camp, written by Mona Mansour, one of the many female playwrights whose work was produced by the Public this year. The story was about the teenage daughter trying to take an exam to go to college and get out of the camp. My favorite part was her brother who had a traumatic brain injury, played with great compassion by Omid Abtahi. The play contained a good amount of history about Palestine, served in small doses.
I went to see Baby It's You on Broadway, but I left at intermission, so I feel I can't really pan it. But at intermission I decided I would rather be on the subway reading my book that sitting through another hour of dribble, so I left.
We made one last visit to La Cage aux Folles and loved every minute of it. In fact, I got tickets for my mother and her friends to see it when they come to NYC before it closes.
Just yesterday I finally made it to see Being Harold Pinter, after being shut out from the sold out run during the Under the Radar Festival. I'm sure you've heard of the Belarus Free Theatre and how just performing their work is considered a crime in Belarus. This is, of course, when political theater is at its most important - when used to speak out against oppression, to give a voice to the silenced. I expected to be absolutely devastated by Being Harold Pinter, but it wasn't quite as emotionally draining as I had anticipated (in a good way). I was also nervous about having to read subtitles, actually supertitles, but that too was manageable. Scenes from Harold Pinter's plays are combined with his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. Both are used to shed light on modern day torture, political imprisonment and intimidation without alienating the audience.
Wonderful shows closed in the past week (Peter and the Starcatcher, Angels in America, La Cage aux Folles, American Idiot), but I know there is more great theater to come in May. I already have The Normal Heart and Book of Mormon on my calendar!
On the first day of April I went to see My Last Play. In December my friend bought us tickets to see Ed Schmidt's one man show. I didn't want to go. I wouldn't have bought tickets, but said friend assumed I would want to go, so April 1 went down in my planner. It was weird. It was in Schmidt's basement apartment in Carrol Gardens. He told us funny stories, but at the end told us that most of it was lies, which left a funny taste in my mouth. It was like when you read a great memoir and then the author has to retract half of it. But we did get to raid his library of plays. I got a copy of BENT and Dara took The Normal Heart for me, too.
Twice this month I ventured to The Public Theater to see The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures, more commonly referred to as iHo, or "the new Kushner play." I have tried to write more about iHo, but I keep stalling. I love this play, and I don't know why. I am absolutely struck by the young, intellectual hustler (Eli), played by the talented Michael Esper. I love that many of the actors (Stephen Spinella, Linda Emond) have a history with Tony Kushner. I love the ambiguous ending. I love the totally different, complicated relationships that each of Gus's children have with him. I love that there is so much union history in the play, at a time in our country when the future of unions is voted on by State Senates. This play is beautiful, timely and haunting. I would expect nothing less from Mr. Kushner.
I got free tickets to Tomorrow Morning from StageGrade. Otherwise I wouldn't have gone. I am not motivated to see more heterosexual marriage/divorce plays. It was my first time visting York Theatre Company (I didn't see Yank! I'm a bad gay) and we had a hard time finding it. It was in the basement of a church. "Are you taking me to a church play?" asked Dara. I actually liked the story. It was about a couple the night before their wedding, told in parallel with the story of the night before their divorce. The production felt more like a workshop. The singing and acting weren't great, but it was a free night at the theater.
We saw Part II of Angels in America with the original cast. Then we saw Part I with the new cast. I wanted to go back one last time before it closed, so we went to Part II with the new cast during the last week of the run. Keira Keeley and Michael Urie were just outstanding as sick, delusional souls. I could watch that play over and over again. The whole production was so beautiful. Kudos to Michael Greif and Signature Theatre.
This winter I saw Pearl Theatre Company's production of The Misanthrope and I didn't love it. Classical theater is not my thing, especially seventeenth century French theater. When I heard that Classic Stage Company was doing an adaptation of The Misanthope, I thought I would see it for another take, now that I was familar with the plot. I thought that if they were doing an adaptation there would be differences, like maybe it wouldn't rhyme, or maybe it would take place in a different period, but these factors were not changed. It was still the archaic rhyming prose, but with different, more modern words. The School for Lies did improve on the ending, but otherwise I found it to be just as inaccessible as the original. I had not seen Mamie Gummer on stage before and I was disapointed by her performance. Hamish Linklater was insanely good and was the saving grace in this production.
I really like the Public Theater's Lab productions, but Urge for Going wasn't on my calendar until we went to see iHo and Dara read the Playbill enclosed postcard advertising the show. She asked if we could see it (I usually feel like I'm dragging her to plays). Totally effective marketing, my dear Public Theater! The show was about a Palestinian family living in a Lebanese refugee camp, written by Mona Mansour, one of the many female playwrights whose work was produced by the Public this year. The story was about the teenage daughter trying to take an exam to go to college and get out of the camp. My favorite part was her brother who had a traumatic brain injury, played with great compassion by Omid Abtahi. The play contained a good amount of history about Palestine, served in small doses.
I went to see Baby It's You on Broadway, but I left at intermission, so I feel I can't really pan it. But at intermission I decided I would rather be on the subway reading my book that sitting through another hour of dribble, so I left.
We made one last visit to La Cage aux Folles and loved every minute of it. In fact, I got tickets for my mother and her friends to see it when they come to NYC before it closes.
Just yesterday I finally made it to see Being Harold Pinter, after being shut out from the sold out run during the Under the Radar Festival. I'm sure you've heard of the Belarus Free Theatre and how just performing their work is considered a crime in Belarus. This is, of course, when political theater is at its most important - when used to speak out against oppression, to give a voice to the silenced. I expected to be absolutely devastated by Being Harold Pinter, but it wasn't quite as emotionally draining as I had anticipated (in a good way). I was also nervous about having to read subtitles, actually supertitles, but that too was manageable. Scenes from Harold Pinter's plays are combined with his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. Both are used to shed light on modern day torture, political imprisonment and intimidation without alienating the audience.
Wonderful shows closed in the past week (Peter and the Starcatcher, Angels in America, La Cage aux Folles, American Idiot), but I know there is more great theater to come in May. I already have The Normal Heart and Book of Mormon on my calendar!
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