"Heartless" But Not Cruel

It is not unusual for Sam Shepard to baffle even the most intent or admiring observer of his work. The Pulitzer Prize winning playwright knows his way around troubled families.

In "Heartless," his mystifying tale of a family at- home with its dysfunction, at the Pershing Square Signature Center extended through September 30th, nothing is permanent, not even death.

Betty Gilpin as Elizabeth and Julianne Nicholson as Sally in Sam Shepard's "Heartless." Photo (c) Joan Marcus.

There is the suggestion in "Heartless" that dysfunction is a natural state of affairs for families. That despite the fact that very little is normal in this household. Sally (Julianne Nicholson) has been saved by the implant of a murdered girl's heart. Her sister, Lucy (Jenny Bacon) indulges in the futility of curing their mother, Mabel (Lois Smith) of imaginary pains. To complicate matters, Sally has brought Roscoe (Gary Cole), a man estranged from his wife and children, home with her.  

Gary Cole as Roscoe, Betty Gilpin as Elizabeth, Lois Smith as Mabel, Jenny Bacon as Lucy (on roof), and Julianne Nicholson as Sally in "Heartless." Photo (c) Joan Marcus. 

"Heartless" is a confounding dramatic piece with a majestic breadth reflected in the set. The sparse yet expansive scenic design by Eugene Lee creates a vast landscape on which the story is played out. Daniel Aukin's able directing of the fine ensemble cast respects the disjunctive rhythms of "Heartless."

Lois Smith stands out in this fantastic panoply of actors. "Heartless" is, after all, also about the kind of cruelty that is typical of mother-love. Mabel is fiercely protective of Sally, who needs saving from night terrors and bad memories, and maybe even the accident of living.

For more information about "Heartless," and the new Signature Theatre season, please go to http://www.signaturetheatre.org/shows-and-events/index.aspx

Story Telling Will Save Us!

Now playing at Canal Park Playhouse, in a joint production with a new company called The TRUF, are two short productions meant to connect adult to child.

The adult-friendly children's story, "Sarazad and the Monster-King," playing through July 14th, pits Sarazad (Penny Middleton) against some schoolyard bullies (AJ Converse and Kelly Higgins.)

The imaginative nine-year old Sarazad finds a unique way to regain dominion over the swings. Her fantasies take her into a dream kingdom where the Monster-King (Dean Linnard) threatens to eat her. Just like the Scheherazade of the 1001 Nights, Sarazad weaves tales that are so diverting thatshe uses her skill at storytelling to save herself.

Written by EJC Calvert, "Sarazad and the Monster-King" will amuse both your children and their grandparents. "Sarazad and the Monster-King" is an update on the source material which is both funny and poignant.

To show how stories can save our lives, Frank McGuiness's Tony-nominated play "Someone Who'll Watch Over Me," running through July 15, explores the same theme. In it three men who are political prisoners in Beirut find storytelling as a way to survive.

The TRUF and CPP invite a multi-generational dialogue to come out of its paired offerings. "Someone Who'll Watch Over Me" is not recommended for anyone younger than teenagers, however. "Sarazad and the Monster-King," will please children as young as five or six.

To find out more about the performance schedule and Canal Park Playhouse, visit www.canalparkplayhouse.com

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.

In "Poetic License," Truth Is Given Some Leeway

It takes a great deal of work to scale an ivory tower.

In "Poetic License," in its New York City premiere at 59E59 Theaters through March 4th, poet and academe, John Greer (Geraint Wyn Davies) is on the verge of reaching the apex of a distinguished career.

He's had a lot of help from his ambitious wife, Diane (Liza Vann). Liza Vann's Dianne is a suburban, good-hearted Lady MacBeth-with a mordant sense of humor. Most recently, Diane has orchestrated a PBS special about John Greer, which pleases him because it means he won't have to go on a book tour.

Geraint Wyn Davies as John Greer, with Ari Butler as Edmund and Liza Vann as Diane Greer in a photo by Carol Rosegg

The TV crews have been held at bay for this weekend, however, so that John
can quietly celebrate his birthday with his daughter Katherine (Nathalie Kuhn) and her new boyfriend, Edmund (Ari Butler).

Natalie Kuhn as Katherine Greer, with Ari Butler as Edmund in a photo by Carol Rosegg

Just how things fall apart for this family is playwright Jack Canfora's well-told secret. His taut script, which won a 2011 Abingdon Theatre award, majestically weaves a web of betrayals.

Natalie Kuhn as Katherine Greer, with Geraint Wyn Davies as John Greer in a photo by Carol Rosegg

In an expert cast, Ari Butler stands out with a nuanced performance as a troubled and troubling young man. "Jesus, John." Diane says, "our daughter is sleeping with a Dickens character."

Liza Vann as Diane Greer in a photo by Carol Rosegg. “Anything is palatable,” she says, “if you’ve got the right sauce….”

Geraint Wyn Davies' John and Natalie Kuhn as his admiring daughter may have the most to lose in "Poetic License" since their trust and affection are at the center of this drama.

For more information and a schedule of performances for "Poetic License," please go to www.59e59.org.

A Tall Order: Anna Kerrigans "The Talls"

Anna Kerrigan's fine new play, "The Talls" would probably benefit from a more seductive title. Family in dysfunction can have so many iterations, but this one is fresh and beguiling.

Set in a small California town in the 1970's, "The Talls" at 2econd Stage Theatre Uptown, through August 27th, focuses on the rudderless Clarke children.

Everything in "The Talls" encapsulates the 1970s. The actors are perfectly dressed by Jenny Mannis and the Clarke living room, in a set by Dane Laffrey, is evocative of "The Brady Bunch."

Big sister, Isabelle (Shannon Esper) feels responsible for keeping her siblings on track. She makes sure they get their homework done, keeps Christian (Michael Oberholtzer) from picking on Catherine (Lauren Holmes) and makes sure that their youngest brother, Nicholas (Timothee Chalamet) gets ready for bed.

Gerard Canonico as Russell James with Shannon
Esper as Isabelle [Photo (c) Joan Marcus] 



The parents, John (Peter Rini) and Anne Clarke (Christa Scott-Reed) are pre-occupied-- mostly with dad's career and aspirations in politics, but also with Anne's friendship with Sister Connie, one of the children's teachers.

Christa Scott-Reed as Mrs. Anne Clarke and Peter Rini
as Mr. John Clarke [Photo (c) Joan Marcus] 

Anne, who has forgotten about Christian's and Catherine's ball games in the early afternoon, comes home to remind them, over an early cocktail, to get ready to meet their father's political advisor, Russell James (Gerard Canonico).

Isabelle is not just the oldest in the family, she is also the smartest, and in some ways, despite her youth, the wisest. She is, also, the most daring. Isabelle longs for freedom from the straight and narrow. Her dreams of being a hippie are partly fulfilled as the comedy reaches a poignant outcome.

To find out more about Anna Kerrigan's "The Talls," please visit http://2st.com/