"Row After Row" Is Billed as Dark Comedy

By Sallicio (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Civil War was about a lot of things.

It was not primarily about equaility as Jessica Dickey seems to suggest in "Row After Row," a Women's Project Theatre production at City Center's Stage II through February 16th. Mostly the war between the states was a horrific slaughter, made more awful because it pitted a once united people against each other.

It's hard to say what motivates anyone to want to re-enact these battles. In "Row After Row," the motives vary. Tom (Erik Lochtefeld) is a history teacher/nerd/buff. He and Cal (PJ Sosko) are both Gettysburg natives. Leah (Rosie Benton) is new in town and thought this might be a way to get to meet.

Clearly, it's an intense experience for all three of the protagonists.

As directed by Daniella Topol, "Row After Row," transitions smoothly but jarringly from the present day back to the scene of the battle in 1863. Clint Ramos' costumes and sets -- the scenery is strictly minimalist-- with a mostly bare stage edged all around by fallen timbers-- are arresting. The stage design plays more towards the tragic, however, while the text is a sloppy mix of romance, comedy and pagentry.

Rosie benton has exhibited charm in roles at the Mint Theatre and Broadway's "Stick Fly" in the past several years. Here she can't help but be affable even when she's cornered into gratuitous silliness about "history" being "his story." That is not to say she doesn't embody called for fiereceness as Leah. Erik Lochtefeld is a wimpy and harrowed intellectual. His Tom dithers and vacilates, telling a truth about the uneven sweep of history. PJ Sosko's Cal, on the other hand, is a doer. His sensitive good old boy with a platinum heart is compelling. "I did not see that coming," Leah says when he waxes sophisticate.

Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the talent in "Row After Row," the play is an unsatisfying work. It's neither fish nor fowl, as drama and tragedy lurk in the Civil War flashbacks, while touches of "meet cute" infect the post reenactment drinks at the tavern.

The distraction of having "trauma dogs" in the first row, practically participating in the play's proceedings, is unhelpful to the play's cause.

Love Goes Underground in "The Man Under"

L-R: Briana Pozner and Paul Bomba in THE MAN UNDER at 59E59 Theaters. 
Photo by Bitten By A Zebra Photography

Some of us need a jolt to come out of a deep funk.

In "Man Under," presented by Athena Theatre at 59E59 Theaters through February 17th, a depressed young man is enlivened by an odd encounter.

Jeff (Paul Bomba, also the author) walks around in a fog of grief, worrying his friends, Martin (Curran Connor) and Jennifer (Veronique Ory). Martin is thrilled to help Jeff find the girl he met on a subway platform and Jennifer wonders how exactly they are searching for this stranger. 

L-R: Briana Pozner, Paul Bomba and Curran Connor in THE MAN UNDER at 59E59 Theaters. 
Photo by Bitten By A Zebra Photography

When Jeff finds Lisa (Briana Pozner) standing next to him once again on a platform, she leads him on another merry chase through the subway tunnels. Lisa shares the art of dodging the third rail with Jeff. She is an adrenalin rush to Jeff. Her energy invigorates him and Lisa also inspires Jennifer to move on. Lisa is a troubled sprite. 

Exhilirated by the thrill ride Lisa takes him on, Jeff finds his lost peace.

A winsome cast perform with an easy naturalism in "Man Under."

L-R: Curran Connor, Veronique Ory and Paul Bomba in THE MAN UNDER at 59E59 Theaters. 
Photo by Bitten By A Zebra Photography

The small proscenimum stage (scenic design by Julia Noulin-Mérat) doubles as a comfy Brooklyn apartment and expands to an underground labyrinth of graffitti and danger. Charles Foster (lighting) and Jeremy S. Bloom (sound) take us into the subterranean world of the MTA in their excellent designs.

In the end, it seems that love and good sense triumph in "Man Under."

For more information about "Man Under," visit www.59e59.org.

Disquiet Contemplation in "HIM"

Nature can be both cruel and glorious.

The titular and unseen "HIM" in Daisy Foote's new play, in a Primary Stages production at 59E59 Theaters through October 28th, leaves volumes describing the pleasure he felt sitting on a mountaintop.

Hallie Foote as Pauline and Tim Hopper as Henry in "HIM" at Primary Stages. Photo by James Leynse.

Quiet contemplation is the antithesis of the hubbub of family life. In "HIM." his children see only a remote and withdrawn man. It's not entirely satisfying that so much of the story of "HIM" is pegged to this mysterious disconnection, to what was unknown or unknowable about their father. Nonetheless, there is so much humor  and humanity in "HIM" that the emotional characterizations ring true and clear.

The eldest, Pauline (Hallie Foote) harbors deep resentful hatred for the father she does not understand because of the poverty in which the family has lived. She is ambitious, acquisitive and envious of her better-off neighbors.

Adam LeFevre as Farley and Tim Hopper as Henry in "HIM." Photo by James Leynse.

"We don't have lives," she tells her brother Henry (Tim Hopper), "we have existences." Pauline's burdens which include caring for their retarded brother, Farley (Adam LeFevre), his girlfriend Louise (Adina Verson) and a failing family business are brightened by an unexpected inheritance. Meanwhile, looking for a glimmer of understanding of their father's legacy, Henry wonders, as he reads the journals his father left behind,  "What was he reaching for when he died?"

The small and accomplished cast, ably led by director Evan Yiounoulis, polish the jewel-like dialog in "HIM" to a fine sheen.

Primary Stages is celebrating the Foote Family Legacy this season. So far, they have given us Horton Foote's closely observed vignettes of life in "Harrison, TX" and his daughter Daisy's skillful look at a misappropriated legacy in "HIM." Hallie Foote, the other family treasure, has her deft and subtle acting to both productions.

For more information about Primary Stages and this production of "HIM," visit www.primarystages.org 

Just Being Neighborly in "Detroit"

Neighbors used to be more than just the folks who live next door. They were the people with whom we shared a community, a way of life, a neighborhood.

As Lisa D'Amour's "Detroit," at Playwrights Horizons through October 28th, begins, the welcome mat is extended in that old-fashioned neighborly way.

John Cullum in "Detroit" in a photo by Jeremy Daniel. 

Ben (David Schwimmer) and Mary (Amy Ryan) invite the young couple who've moved in next door for a barbeque. Thanks to the friendship they develop with Ken (Darren Pettie) and Sharon (Sarah Sokolovic), their lives seem a little less lonely. Suburbia is an isolating environment, and the one we visit in "Detroit," thanks to the inspired set designs by Louisa Thompson, is nearly desolate.

Sarah Sokolovic, Darren Pettie, Amy Ryan  & David Schwimmer in a scene from "Detroit." Photo by Jeremy Daniel

Ken and Sharon are open about their lives and their addictions.  Ben, recently laid off, is building a website for the business he wants to start. Sharon works in a call center. The couples engage with each other, sharing their life stories as neighbors do, over the next several months.

But there is a dark side to each of them. Darren Pettie is especially creepy showing off his while Amy Ryan's Mary is so fragile that she can barely open the sliding door to the porch.  John Cullum's Frank comes in like a "deus ex machina" to tie up the loose ends for us, but by then, the damage has been done.

Photo by Jeremy Daniel.  Darren Pettie, Amy Ryan, David Schwimmer & Sarah Sokolovic.

The writing in "Detroit" is natural. The acting is uniformly excellent. Bring some chips, and join the party.

For more information about "Detroit," visit http://www.playwrightshorizons.org/now_playing.html.

He Really Is A Beast, Just Ask Mary Broome

Grace and gentility can attach to anyone in any station in life. It is not reserved for the well-born.

Such sentiments are mostly foreign to us in what we like to consider our egalitarian society, but they are fitting for a long lost English play from 1911 like"Mary Broome," revived by The Mint Theater Company through October 21st. In Allan Monkhouse's sharp comedy/drama, the titular servant has more class and sense than her masters.


The family gather in the parlor: Kristin Griffith as Mrs. Timbrell, Julie Jesnick as Sheila Ray, Katie Fabel as Ada Timbrell, Rod Brogan as Edgar Timbrell, Janie Brookshire as Mary Broome, Graeme Malcolm as Edward Timbrell, and Roderick Hill as Leonard Timbrell in Allan Monkhouse's "Mary Broome," at the Mint. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Leonard Timbrell (Roderick Hill), the youngest in an affluent family and a ne'er do well , is the least likeable of many flawed characters in "Mary Broome." Leonard's mother, Mrs. Timbrell (Kristin Griffith) is the only one in the family who seems almost beyond reproach. 

Janie Brookshire, Roderick Hill and Kristin Griffith in a photo by Carol Rosegg.

Leonard has charmed and seduced the Timbrell's otherwise sensible parlor maid, Mary Broome (Janie Brookshire.) When his father, Edward (Graeme Malcolm) insists that they marry in exchange for a handsome stipend, Mary reluctantly, and against her better judgement, agrees.

Leonard's brother Edgar (Rod Brogan), his fiance Sheila (Julie Jesnick) and their sister Ada (Katie Fabel) are displeased at having a maid as an in-law. Mrs. Timbrell alone welcomes Mary whole-heartedly. She also hopes that Mary will have a salutory affect on her son.

Leonard's constant disclaimers that he is "a beast" become cloying, disingenuous and self-serving. He is a self-centered cad. Mary, and even his very forgiving mother, eventually catch on to his slippery lack of integrity. Roderick Hill, to his great credit, is not looking to be likeable.
In "Mary Broome," we have snobs and humbugs on the one hand, and a wastrel and bounder on the other, flanked by the women who sometimes find him endearing.

The excellent production, led by director Jonathan Bank, and with piquant sets by Roger Hanna, balances the comic with the serious briliantly. The cast are flawless, even if their characters are not.

The Mint, whose motto is "Lost Plays Found Here," has unearthed another gem.

For more information, and for tickets, visit http://minttheater.org/.





Greed Kills, Well, Not Really, in "Fly Me To The Moon"

Katie Tumelty and Tara Lynne O'Neill in Marie Jones' "Fly Me To The Moon." Photo by Vinnie Loughran

Fans of Hitchcock's "The Trouble With Harry" or "Waking Ned Divine" can take heart in Marie Jones' "Fly Me To The Moon."

Loretta Mackie (Tara Lynne O'Neill) and Francis Shields (Katie Tumelty) are community care workers, which translates roughly as nurses' aides, for Davy Magee, a lonely bloke who loves Sinatra tunes and needs round the clock assistance.

Katie Tumelty as Francis and Tara Lynne O'Neill as Loretta share a lighter moment after Davy's gone.
Photo by Vinnie Loughran  

Well-intentioned, overworked and underpaid, the two spend their days with their charge, running errands for him to  place the occasional bet with his bookmaker or pick up his government check. Francis, a bit of a self-centered schemer, left on her own when Loretta is late, takes Davy into the toilet from which he doesn't emerge.  It's Monday, the day Loretta picks up his check, Francis goes to the bookies for any winnings.  

And there-in lies the plot of "Fly Me To The Moon." Francis and Loretta get in deeper and deeper. "Well there is no turnin' back now is there?," Francis says. "You didn't tell her he was dad, so according to her [the nurse on the phone] Davy Magee is still alive. Why did you not tell her he was dead?" Loretta's answer: "I was scared." 

"Fly Me To The Moon" mines the thin terrain of this not entirely original premise. Katie Tumelty and Tara Lynne O'Neill exhibit well seasoned comic timing. Tara Lynne O'Neill's Loretta lets greed and need get the better of her good-nature. 

Loretta and Francis shift through Davy's few belongings. Photo by Vinnie Loughran.

For more information on "Fly Me To The Moon," visit www.59e59.org.

"Hell: Paradise Found" is-- dare I say it-- Heavenly

Stacy Panitch as Mother Maria Theresa with Matt Lewis as Simon Ackerman in “Hell: Paradise Found” Photo © Chip Cooper

Is Hell the thinking man's Heaven?

In "Hell: Paradise Found," at 59E59 Theaters through July 22nd, playwright Seth Panitch envisions an alternative view of Hell and Heaven.

In Panitch's minority report, there's less brimstone and more brainstorm, as it were, in his Hell. Hell is the destination for "the originals," as The Interviewer (Seth Panitch, who directs) puts it while inducting Simon Ackerman (Matt Lewis) into the afterlife.

Simon is reluctant to go to Hell even though Heaven is dull. "Who do you suppose goes to Heaven anyway," The Interviewer asks. "Anyone.... anyone who defers to another explanation, anyone who believes because they are told to believe... or stops questioning," he says, " because they are told to 'have faith.'"

In this witty play with music, Hell is peopled with luminaries from Vlad the Impaler (Chip Persons who also plays Lucifer, a Dapper Devil in the opening dance number, and a judge), Don Juan and Hitler (Lawson Hangartner who also has a turn as Adam and Elvis), Eve and Lizzie Borden (Alexandra Ficken), Mother Maria Theresa (Stacy Panitch) and Einstein, Shakespeare, Sinatra (all Peyton Conley who also portrays a childish and narcissistic archangel Gabriel.)

The Devil and God (Dianne Teague) ultimately have an old-fashioned tousle over Simon's immortal soul, but this "Hell..." is not for humbugs.

For more information about "Hell: Paradise Found" at 59E59 Theaters, go to http://www.59e59.org/ 

A Feast Awaits

So much of our lives play out around dining tables, often even at non-descript restaurants.

Phoebe Strole, Cameron Scoggins, Jennifer Mudge, Anita Gillette, Tom Bloom. Photo by Joan Marcus
Dan LeFranc's "The Big Meal," at Playwrights Horizons in an extended run through April 22nd, has an unusual structure, without being in any way avant-garde or revolutionary. It simply stretches an extraordinary timeline, covering some eighty years in a family's life. In "The Big Meal," LeFranc chronicles a family over many seatings at a generically favorite restaurant.

David Wilson Barnes, Jennifer Mudge, Anita Gilette, Tom Bloom, Rachel Resheff. Photo byJoan Marcus.

The writing, the acting, the pace of the direction, all tell this engaging story that begins with Nicky (Phoebe Strole in this incarnation) and Sam (Cameron Scoggins) on their first dates. They meet, flirt, fight, and eventually reconnect, older (Jennifer Mudge is now Nicky with David Wilson Barnes playing Sam) and ready to commit. Sam and Nicky hang in over many more drinks and dinners, bringing their kids, Maddy and Robbie (Rachel Resheff and Griffin Birney) out to eat with Sam's parents, Alice (Anita Gillette) and Robert (Tom Bloom.)

Carmeron Scoggins, Phoebe Strole. Photo by Joan Marcus

The actors rotate into the characters as they age, picking up the nuances from generation to generation. "We really started something," Anita Gillette says late in "The Big Meal."

Anita Gilette,Molly Ward, Tom Bloom. Photo by Joan Marcus

"The Big Meal" is delightful in its simplicity and authenticity. For tickets and information about "The Big Meal," go to www.playwrightshorizons.org.

The Scottish Plays Open In April At 59E59

Not the one by Shakespeare whose name famously must not be spoken, but a new batch of plays coming directly from Scotland to kick off 2012—The Year of Creative Scotland are due at 59E59 Theaters beginning on April 4th. The celebrated playwright David Harrower will direct his “A Slow Air” which comes to NY from the Glasgow’s Tron Theatre, via a premiere at the Traverse Theatre at the 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. “A Slow Air,” scheduled for a short run from April 4 through the 29th , examines the effect that the 2007 Glasgow Airport attacks have on an estranged family.

Allison Pill and Jeff Daniels in the MTC production of David Harrower’s “Blackbird.” Photo © Joan Marcus

(Find out more about David Harrower.)

“Federer Versus Murray,” a dark comedy about bereavement and war, was shortlisted for the London Fringe Theatre Writing Award in 2010 when it premiered at the Oran Mor in Glasgow. It subsequently went on the to 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it played the Assembly Hall. “Federer Versus Murray,” written and directed by Gerda Stevenson, will run from April 4th through the 22nd. The two-hander will be produced by Communicado Theatre Company and features Gerda Stevenson and Dave Anderson.

Here's an interview with Gerda Stevenson about "Federer Versus Murray:" Click here.