There is that moment, when the house is dark and just before the curtain rises, that sends a small shiver down your spine. Let's capture that moment together!
Lights dim, the curtain goes up. Suddenly, we are transported into the imagination of a playwright and actors we do not know! The stage is set for magic and fireworks.
Being drunk and lovesick may not be an ideal combination.
In Anita Loos's "Happy Birthday," at Theatre Row;s Beckett Theatre in a TACT production through April 13th, the combination proves magical.
Mary Bacon as Addie Bemis and Todd Gearhart as Paul Bishop in "Happy Birthday." Photo by Hunter Canning.
The mousy librarian, Miss Addie Bemis (Mary Bacon) is lovestruck. She shows up at Gail Hosmer's (Karen Ziemba) Jersey Mecca Cocktail Lounge to warn Paul Bishop (Todd Gearhart) that her father Homer (Anderson Matthews) intends him harm. Paul is the object of Miss Bemis's affections.
Don't know how many of us thrive through liberal doses of alcoholic beverages, but Addie Bemis comes into her own the more she drinks. Her priggishness melts and her confidence builds. As the evening goes on, she is sure she can get Mr. Bishop away from Miss Maude Carson (Victoria Mack.)
Addie's barroom full of new friends, and the audience, are all pulling for her. The bartender, Herman (Ron McClary) gives her godfatherly advice. She sings, she dances, but can she prevail over Miss Carson's obvious charms?
The large cast to a man and woman are as delightful as the lighthearted, but savvy, romance in "Happy Birthday." Mary Bacon is especially poweful, as she carries Addie seamlessly from stiff to giddy.
There is a mystique that romanticizes the gold-digger. Holly Golightly is an icon of that ambitious young woman. She is a naif, an innocent, a survivor.
Emilia Clarke as Holly Golightly with Vito Vincent in a photo by Nathan Johnson.
Fred, a writer whose success is not guaranteed, and whose charm is plentiful, comes on the scene in a torrential rain, reciting lines so poetic he sounds like Tennessee Williams reincarnate. In fact,there are many positively lyrical passages in Richard Greenberg's adaptation of Truman Capote's "Breakfast At Tiffany's," currently enjoying an open run at the Cort Theatre, with the young British star from "Game Of Thornes," Emilia Clarke, as Holly Golightly.
George Wendt as Joe Bell in "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Photo by Nathan Johnson
Holly is an object of desire for men of all persuasions, even Joe Bell (George Wendt) the bartender with whom Fred (Cory Michael Smith) and I.Y. Yunioshi (James Yaegashi), both now prosperous, reminisce about the long lost Holly.
As a conceit, having breakfast at Tiffany's doesn't conjure the intended image of luxury. As a play, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is a little like a tonic one takes in aid of sleep. Perhaps to enjoy that early meal amid gold and diamonds.
The staging, with scenic design by Derek McLane and projections designed by Wendall K. Harrington, and lighting by Peter Kaczorowski, is remarkably alive and vivid. The storyline and production is a bit dull, even though all the acting is excellent. Cory Michael Smith's lovestruck Fred is particularly outstanding. Emilia Clarke is aflutter with the conflicting emotions and intelligence of her character.
Emilia Clarke as Holly with Cory Michael Smith as Fred. Photo by Nathan Johnson.
In the interest of complete honesty, not entirely in keepig with Holly's vaunted style, this reviewer is neither a fan of Truman Capote nor smitten by the film his novella inspired.
Don't expect to be humming "Moon River" on your way out of the theater.
This is the premiere season of "To Make Crops Grow," a deadly funny character study of modern folk
embroiled in ancient rites.
It is always an honor and a privilege to witness a Taylor dance performance. The Paul Taylor Dance Company is holding its second spring at the David H. Koch Theatre on the Lincoln Center campus through March 24th.
So many of the pieces Paul Taylor has created elevate our understanding of even simple things to delightful new heights. Among those exciting and sometimes revelatory experiences, there are the flowing movements of "Cascade," a dance he choreographed in1999 or "Eventide." The latter is a companion piece to Taylor's beautiful new work, "Perpetual Dawn." (See the review of the world premiere here.) Or is it the other way around, since the intimate "Eventide" was created in 1997?
The moody backdrop of a lone tree -with set and costume design by Santo Loquasto-- and Jennifer Tipton's lighting are characters in "Eventide." The dance is set in seven parts to music by Ralph Vaughan Williams.The exceptionally lovely interlude in "Eventide," Musette wasdanced by Parisa Khobdeh and Michael Trusnovec at our performance with a wonderful lyricism. Heather McGinley and Francisco Graciano also made a particularly nice pairing in Moto Perpetuo.
Photo by Tom Caravaglia from Paul Taylor's new "Perpetual Dawn"
The souls writhing in gayly silk robes (the women) or workmen-like overalls (the men), sets and costumes by Alex Katz, present a Hieronymous Bosch-like vision of end times in "Last Look." Donald York composed the music for the Taylor dance, which was first performed in 1985. Mirrors and darkness create a haunting texture for "Last Look."
Story-telling is one of the delights of a Taylor work, and in "To Make Crops Grow," he takes his time to the reveal, riffing along the way on human nature and foibles. "To Make Crops Grow," enjoying its premiere season this year, making it dance number 137 in the Taylor compendium,with music by Ferde Grofe, is tantalizing in its pace.
"Le Sacre Du Printemps (The Rehearsal)" is celebrating the anniversary of the Nijinsky-Stravinsky collaboration that ended in near riot in Paris in 1913. Taylor's take blends humor with brutality, making fun of Nijinsky's maligned ballet, but not completely abandoning its theme of sacrifice. Amy Young's on-going tantrum of loss is poignantly amusing. The mix of joyful and barbaric, is also seen in "Company B," a personal favorite, where the hope and bounce of the dancing and the songs by the Andrews Sisters contrast with the ugly realities of war.
Randy Sharp’s “Last Man Club” is being remounted by Axis Theatre Company through 30 Mar, having been cancelled in the aftermath of Sandy. It is a fitting irony that a storm blew away the original launch date for this performance. Wild weather is the backstory for "Last Man Club," too.
“Last Man Club” is set in the Dust Bowl of 1936. As ten years of drought have decimated farms in a 200-mile wide surge of storms, one family has decided to risk staying.
Working together is the very definition of collaboration, of course, so the 2nd Annual Collaborative Concert features a large group of musicians working with the youngsters from the Noel Pointer Foundation's Youth Orchestra.
Members of the NPF Youth Orchestra are getting a big break this week when The Noel Pointer Foundation and the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music co-host this concert. Twenty-three of them will perform with musicians from Julliard, N.Y.U. and Manhattan School of Music at this grand event at St Ann & The Holy Trinity, 157 Montague Street, Brooklyn on March 22nd at 7pm. The program ends on a high note, with Gershwin's beautiful and emblematic "Rhapsody in Blue," featuring World Piano Competition Winner, Tatiana Tessman.
Heeding the admonition to "write what you know," A.R. Gurney chronicles the WASP experience with its expectations and disappointments. The expert interpreters at the Keen Company are reviving a slightly updated version of Gurney's 1991 "The Old Boy," through March 30th at the Clurman on Theatre Row. Jonathan Silverstein directs the production which features Peter Rini, Cary Donaldson, Tom Riis Farrell, Laura Esterman, Chris Dwan and Marsha Dietlein Bennett.
For more information and tickets for "The Old Boy," visit Keen Company on-line.
There is an adage that luck is what you make it. Having advantages is not the same as being advantaged.
In "The Luck of the Irish," Kristen Greenidge's excellent new play at LCT3's new Claire Tow Theater that just closed March 10th, the well-educated middle class Taylors would seem to be ideal neighbors in a decent suburb of Boston, except for the redlining that keeps black families from buying in to the American dream. The Donovans, poor and uneducated have to ghost buy the property for them.
Patty Ann Donovan's (Amanda Quaid as the younger and Jenny O'Hara in 2012) mantra "There is an order to things..." is the whine of the overlooked. Dr. Taylor (Victor Williams) and his wife Lucy (the phenomenal Eisa Davis) are sophisticated people. Mrs. Taylor and Patty Ann's husband, Joe (Dashiell Eaves) are kindred spirits,dreamers lost in a love of words.
The winds of change that Joe foresees in the late 1950s do not serve the Taylor's granddaughters, Nessa Charles (Carra Patterson) and Hannah Davis (Marsha Stephanie Blake) and her husband Rich (Frank Harts), as they try to negotiate among their neighbors in 2012.
Change takes on a very different form in Annie Baker's "The Flick," at Playwrights Horizons through March 31st, when a movie theater in the Worcester environs changes hands.
Rose (Louisa Krause) with Sam (Matthew Maher) and Avery (Aaron Clifton Moten) in "The Flick" by Annie Baker. Photo by Joan Marcus
The new owner will take it from celluloid to digital-- the wave of the future, but one that has Avery (Aaron Clifton Moten) distressed. The feel and look of film, as he points out, is meant to be on celluloid. His fellow employees are movie buffs also, but they are just working minimum wage jobs. Neither Sam (Matthew Maher) nor Rose (Louisa Krause) share his passion or intensity.
David Zinn's set for "The Flick" is very impressive.
There is nothing wrong wth "The Flick" that some prudent editing couldn't fix. Many of the pregnant pauses, slow takes and musical transitions, really belong on the cutting room floor.Sam Gold might have done more with his discretion in pacing the play better, Annie Baker could have been more concise.
Avery (Aaron Clifton Moten) is ever introspective in "The Flick" at Playwrights Horizons. Photo by Joan Marcus.
In "The Madrid," Liz Flahive's concise and tightly written new play at Manhattan Theatre Club's NY City Center Stage I through May 5th, on the other hand, the pacing and structure are really quite perfect. Change is something for which the main character in "The Madrid" yearns, and her family dread.
Edie Falco, as Martha, the mom gone missing, and Phoebe Strole as her daugher Satah. Photo by Joan Marcus
"The Madrid" offers an odd point of view, but one that calls for thinking and questioning. Martha (Edie Falco) is a kindergarten teacher who chooses to disappear. She moves to a somewhat derelict apartment near the lovely home she shared with her husband, John (John Ellison Conlee) and their daughter Sarah (Phoebe Strole). Her disappearance is no surprise to her mother, Rose (Frances Sternhagen) who undertakes some desperate measures to bring her back, nor to John. Sarah on the other hand is completely unmoored. She raises to the occasion, moving back to live with her dad, driving her grandmother around, and dealing with the ostreperous neighbors, Danny (Darrne Goldstein) and Becca (Heidi Schreck), who feels the loss of her friend keenly.
Martha, it seems, simply wants a timeout, from the responsibilities of her life. She likes the noise and quiet of her new life, but she misses Sarah.
John Ellison Conlee as the steady John, Phoebe Strole as Sarah, Frances Sternhagen as Rose. Photo by Joan Marcus.
Let's face it, none of us likes to be left hanging. It's natural to want to know how a story, once begun, ends.
Due to a habit of writing for serialization, and his sudden death, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" was a bit of unfinished business for Mr. Charles Dickens.Fortunately, Rupert Holmes came along with a wonderfully theatrical solution in his rendition of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," in a revival at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Studio 54 through this weekend. (Clsoing March 10th after a splendid and extended run.)
For the occasion of this production, the entire theater is turned into London's Music Hall Royale at the turn of the century, presided over the master of ceremonies, The Chairman/Mr. William Cartwright (Jim Norton).
Holmes' musical of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" is set as a solid Victorian melodrama enveloped in a lively vaudeville. Since this is a play within a review, each cast member has two parts, as actor and character of rhe play within. The audience participates, all the way to "voting" on whodunnit and is incited to applause and mayhem from the beginning to the end.
There is a villain, John Jasper/Mr. Clive Paget (Will Chase) and the delicate ingenue, Rosa Bud/Miss Deirdre Peregrine (Betsy Wolfe) whom he pursues even though she is engaged to his nephew, Edwin Drood, played in the play within the vaudeville by Miss Alice Nutting, the company's male impersonator (Stephanie J. Block.)
It is the Princess Puffer. the Music Hall's doyenne, Miss Angela Prysock (Chita Rivera) who supplies John with the opiates that fuel is evil spirits.
The "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" is grand fun. William Ivey Long's opulent costumes add to the playful tone set by Scott Ellis's direction and the superb cast.
The gift that Paul Taylor shares with us is not his longevity --he's 82, as it happens-- but his lifelong creativity!
His latest creation, "Perpetual Dawn," which enjoyed a world premiere at the Gala on March 5th at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater, is a balletic work set in a rustic backdrop. A troupe of eleven dancers, clad as turn of the century peasants under a gorgeous landscape backdrop.The set and costumes are by Santo Loquasto with lighting by James F. Ingalls adding to the blissfully pastoral atmosphere of the piece. "Perpetual Dawn" is excitingly balletic!
"Offenbach Overtures," Paul Taylor's 1995 tweak on the composer of the can-can makes for a light-hearted and beautiful romp. Even for big fans of Moulin Rouge, Toulouse-Lautrec and La Belle Epoque, "Offenbach Overtures," is supremely funny.
The Paul Taylor Dance Company's spring season offers more hi-jinks and high kicks, continuing on through March 24th.
For information and tickets, please visit www.ptdc.org Tickets may also be purchased at the David H. Koch box office on the Lincoln Center plaza.
Have you ever noticed how often nonsense makes the most sense? Before you find a dozen contradictory examples, just think about it.
"Clive," based on Bertolt Brecht's "Baal," at The New Group through March 9th, is surreal and disjointed, spinning a coherent and emotionally satisfying tale of an unredemptive soul.
Jonathan Marc Sherman has retold, "stolen from," been "inspired by," Brecht, in creating "A play in 21 shards" as directed by and starring Ethan Hawke, with alot of help from a marvelous cast of 9 (including Jonathan Marc Sherman, Brooks Ashmanskas, and Vincent D'Onofrio.)
There was a time, not so long ago, when being in an interracial relationship was actually dangerous.
Sheldon Best as David at 22 and Auden Thornton as Stace at 22 in "Years of Sky" at 59 E59. Photo by Carol Rosegg.
"Years of Sky," directed by Christopher Scott at 59E59 Theaters through March 10th, follows the lives of a pair of star-crossed teens.
Amy Hargreaves as Stace at 45 and Gano Grills as David at 45 in "Years of Sky" at 59E59. Photo : Carol Rosegg.
Stace (Auden Thornton) stays true to the dream that she and David (Sheldon Best) can be together in JFK's more-perfect world. David's love for her is never completely derailed by other allegiances. By the time they reunite as adults in 1992, David (Gano Grills) is married, and Stace (Amy Hargreaves) is still idealistic.
Barbara Blatner's bitter-sweet love story plays out over three decades of change and stasis in American society. When they meet again after thirty years, David asks Stace, "In the course a' your day, ya ever find yourself thinkin' - 'I'm white?'
Auden Thornton (Stace at 22)., Tood Davis (Ben) and Sheldon Best (David at 22). Photo by Carol Rosegg.
The cleverly executed sets, constructed by The Ken Larson Co. from Rebecca Phillips fine designs, make excellent use of the small space in 59E59's Theater C.
Among the personable ensemble, Auden Thornton as Stace at 17 and 22, Amy Hargreaves as Stace grown-up and Sheldon Best as the younger David are standouts. Todd Davis rounds out the cast as David's dad, Ben.
For more information and tickets for "Years of Sky," please visit www.59e59.org.
Patrick Fitzgerald, Jon Fletcher, Margaret Daly, Wrenn Schmidt in Teresa Deevy's "Katie Roche" in a
photo by Richard Termine
Irish playwright Teresa Deevy was a master of middle-class parlor-room dramas.
"Katie Roche," at the Mint Theatre throough March 24th, is about a young serving girl who marries the master of the househould. Like most of Deevy's characters, Katie (Wrenn Schmidt) aspires to better herself. She's sure she comes from "grand people" and it is her cockiness that Stanislaus Gregg (Patrick Fitzgerald) finds most appealing. Stan also has aspirations; he believes that marrying will help his career.
Wrenn Schmidt as Katie in "Katie Roche." Photo by Richard Termine.
Katie's ascent from housemaid to mistress of the house does not go smoothly, of course. Amelia Gregg (Margaret Daly), Stan's sister is kind. On the other hand, their married sibling, Margaret Drybone (Fiana Toibin) is a meddling gossip. It's Katie, however, who is her own worst enemy, flirting with Michael Maguire (Jon Fletcher) and with disaster.
Jon Fletcher as Michael with Wrenn Schmidt as Katie. Photo by Richard Termine.
Deevy's gentle, well-mannered comedy gets off to a slow start in the first act, but then quickly finds its pace.
Wrenn Schmidt, as the headstrong Katie, Margaret Daly as her sweet employer turned sister-in-law, and Jon Fletcher as the charming working man who loses out on Katie's affections are stand-outs in this nice ensemble. Jonathan Banks knows how to direct an old-fashioned story for the maximum pleasure of its viewers.
Teresa Deevy's "Katie Roche" celebrate the ordinary, making it extraordinary. "Katie Roche" is a lovely evening (or afternoon, for that matter) in the theater.
To find out more about "Katie Roche," The Mint Theatre, and the Deevy Project, please go to http://minttheater.org/.
Launched in the turmoil of conflicting artistic opinion, with that performance on May 29, 1913, Igor Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” has enjoyed its place in the sun ever since. In fact, Stravinsky's music is one of the most recorded works in the classical repertory, and has had a great influence on many of the 20th century's leading composers.
This year, Igor Stravinsky’s beautiful work is getting the birthday bashes it deserves. And a revival of the Paul Taylor ballet “Le Sacre Du Printemps (The Rehearsal)”as an anniversary treatment as well. It’s like icing on the cake.
Michael Trusnovec and Laura Halzack in Paul Taylor's Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rehearsal), photo by Paul B. Goode
Never one to shy from a controversy, Paul Taylor gives his take on the Vaslav Nijinsky original in “Le Sacre Du Printemps (The Rehearsal),” set to the two piano version of the revolutionary composition.
In PTDC’s spring season, “Le Sacre Du Printemps (The Rehearsal)” will be performed on March 8th, 14th and 22nd at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.
Also look for the premiere of Taylor's 138th dancepiece, along with the New York premiere of "To Make Crops Grow" (his 137th creation. Expect the return of old favorites, as well, of course, like "Company B" (see reviews at
There are times when there is nothing better than to be proven wrong. Pantomime and slapstick are two genres of comedy that have always left this reviewer unimpressed.
"Old Hats," at Signature Theatre's new Pershing Square Signature Center, already extended through April 14th, is a hilarious array of vignettes which tickled every funny bone in my body.
Photo by Gregory Costanzo. Bill Irwin and David Shiner in "Old Hats," directed by Tina Landau and featuring Nellie McKay.
David Shiner and Bill Irwin are the brilliant clowns and playwrights for this original theater piece. Nellie McKay contributes her skills as narrator, music director, composer, pianist, cellist and ukeleist to the entertainment. Nellie McKay sings and dances, to the able accompaniment of her band of merry men--
Alexi david on bass, Mike Dobson on percussions, Tivon Pennicott playing sax and flute, and Kenneth Salters on drums and assisting as the bartender in the "Cowboy Cinema" segment of "Old Hats."
There is foolishness a plenty, and audience participation, in the above mentioned "Cowboy Cinema" and in the marvellous "A Magic Act," for which Irwin gets to don a dress and show off his legs.
"Old Hats" will appeal to even the curmudgeons among us, as attested to by my delight in the program.
L-R: Emily Fleischer and Jen Tullock in ON THE HEAD OF A PIN at 59E59 Theaters. Photo by Hunter Canning
There were plenty of historical precedents for the use of paramilitary reinforcements before Bush the younger sent two hired guns for every soldier into Iraq. It's true that most of those did not involve using private companies to run operations in hot zones, but as long as there have been wars, there have been combatants whose allegiance to the cause was strictly for pay.
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L-R: Will Gallacher, Sofia Lauwers, and Devin Dunne Cannon in ON THE HEAD OF A PIN at 59E59 Theaters. Photo by Hunter Cannon
Mercenary corporations treat both their own personnel and combatants cavalierly. In "On The Head Of A Pin," in a Strangemen & Co. production at 59E59 Theaters through March 10, their actions fall under the scrutiny of an intrepid reporter. Lily Strauss (Sofia Lauwers) lost her job and reputation making allegations against them, but this time she has proof that Caliban, the company authorized to send Arab-speakers to interrogate prisoners, is involved in ugly dealings in Iraq.
L-R: Sofia Lauwers and Jason Ralph in ON THE HEAD OF A PIN at 59E59 Theaters. Photo by Hunter Canning
Chris Conrad (Jason Ralph), Caliban's head of HR, doesn't look too closely at Sarah Kennedy's (Emily Fleischer) motives when he sends her to an Iraqi prison despite the fact that he wonders why a newly wed wants to go so far away from her husband. Her boss, Kathleen Crane (Jen Tullock) browbeats her into forcing confessions. Sarah's only ally in her new job is a soldier named Russell Clark (Marcus Callender) whose offer of help to her goes very much awry.
Frank Winters' "On The Head of a Pin"is deeply earnest even when it's funny. From Gwen (Devin Dunne Cannon), the news intern who assists Lily in her expose to the interim editor, Jon Lowe (James Ortiz), the characters are all dedicated and righteous. Sadly, sincerity is not enough to make a drama work, even one that is as hard-working as this one. For more information about "On The Head of a Pin," please visit www.59e59.org.
Who is it that said "In comedy, as in life, it's all in the timing?"
Whoever it was, David Ives is on board at any rate with his 6 short playlets, "All In The Timing," in a Primary Stages revival at 59E59 Theaters through March 17. In its premier in 1993, this packet of one act comedies was hailed as masterly.
Unfortunately, mere zaniness does not guarantee hilarity Several of these sketches fall flat. Some contain the germ of a laugh; these are merely based on a funny premise Others are too tedious or too precious. Happily, a couple are truly wonderful. All six of these one-acters are very off-beat. A cafe pick up in "Sure Thing" runs through all the permutations of a flirtation in rapid fire.
"The Philadelphia" hits a high-point on this-- or admittedly, any-- program. It's at a fine tuneed level of absurdism.
Ives coul d not have found a better cast to deliver this material. Carson Elrod does pratfalls and "tongue stoppers" with equal grace. Each fall and every syllable he delivers is a surprise no matter the set-up. In "The Universal Language," Jenn Harris's verbal slapstick is as screamingly funny as Elrod's physical falls.
The theme of time and timing is cleverly picked up in the set design by Beowulf Boritt, who uses six different genres of clock to illustrate each skit. John Rando's quick-paced direction respects the spirit of silliness in "All In The Timing."
For more information about"All In The Timing," please visit www.primarystages.org.
250 groups in 17 countries have put on "Theatre Uncut" productions.
Moving, intelligent, tightly-written, politically-inspired and inspiring art is not commonly to be found.
In "Theatre Uncut," in a Traverse Theatre Edinburgh production courtesy of The Carol Tambor Theatrical Foundation at the Clurman on Theatre Row through February 3rd, the emphasis is on art.
World-wide fiscal crises and budget cuts for social services are the impetus for "Theatre Uncut," an international movement of stage professionals, dubbing themselves "Theatre Uncutters."
"Theatre Uncut" are plays of protest.
The fantastic U.S. cast all volunteered their time, artistry and talent to perform the six short works on the program.
"In the Beginning" by Neil LaBute. Gia Crovatin and Victor Slezak Photo by Allison Stock
As might be expected from Neil La Bute, his "In The Beginning" does not tow strictly to a line. He examines the Occupy Movement as it might play out in the living room of an occupier (Gia Crovatin and her well-heeled dad (Victor Slezak.) La Bute questions, and does not come up with any easy answers. "In The Beginning" is thought-provoking and not in the least polemical.
Not that any of the other excellent playlets are polemical.
In Clare Brennan's "Spine," Amy (Robyn Kerr) befriends a brilliantly dotty old lady whose library is appropriated from the stacks of all the closed libraries in the district.
"This situation," says Jack (Brian Hastert) in "Fragile" by David Greig, "is all fucked up and it has to stop." Greig addresses the financial issue in the prologue to his piece (read by Robyn Kerr.) For budgetary reasons, "Fragile," under the direction of Catrin Evans, written for two characters-- Jack and Caroline-- is performed by only one. The audience will cue Jack by reading Caroline's lines.
Tyler Moss in "The Birth of My Violence" by Marco Canale Photo by Allison Stock
"The Price" by Lena Kitsopoulou paints an absurdist tragi-comic picture from the Greek economic meltdown. A Man (Carter Gill) and his wife (Shannon Sullivan) argue over every drachma -- now in Euros-- of expenditure while shopping in a gulag-like supermarket.
The playbill suggests that one request the works for private reading but that would not be half as much fun as watching these superb actors.
Go see "Theatre Uncut" during its short stay. Enjoy the performances in these short offerings. Along with those actors already mentioned, there's Tyler Moss as a disaffected writer in Spain in Marco Canale's "The Birth of My Violence," directed by Cressida Brown, as are both "The Price" and "Spine." Lou (Ali Ewoldt) and Ama (Jessika Williams) are reluctant escapees in "The Breakout" by Anders Lustgarten, and directed by Emily Reutlinger, who also directed "In The Beginning."
The run at the Clurman is a preamble for the "Theatre Uncut 2013 week of international action" scheduled for November. 250 groups in 17 countries have put on this show case of protest everywhere from stages to kitchens.
"The idea began in the U.K. in October 2010, as the Coalition government announced the worst cuts to public spending," co-Artistic Directors Emma Callander and Hannah Price, say in the program notes," since WW2. Fast forward to 2013. Austerity is a buzzword."
To learn more about "Theatre Uncut" or to join the "Uncutters," go to www.theatreuncut.com or email getinvolved@theatreuncut.com. Tickets are available at the Clurman box office at Theatre Row on 42nd Street.
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
With Valentine's Day approaching, many of us turn our thoughts to couplehood-- which includes love, of course, and often much more.
Cora Bissett as Helena with Matthew Pidgeon as Bob in "Midsummer [a play with songs]" by David Grieg, who also directs with songs by Gordon McIntyre. Costumes by Georgia McGuiness. at the Clurman. Photo by Douglas Robertson
Each year, Carol Tambor heads to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to sample the unusual and find the play she deems to be "Best of Edinburgh." The Carol Tambor Theatrical Foundation then presents the play thus designated to New York audiences. Last year the work was "Leo" (See review on these pages.)This year, "Midsummer [a play with songs]"by David Grieg, who also directs, at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre through January 26th,shares the Award with "Mies Julie," currently running at St. Ann's Warehouse. "Midsummer [a play with songs]" is an early Valentine's gift from Ms Tambor to us. In "Midsummer [a play with songs]" romance is a by-product of a quest.
Searching for meaning in booze, sex and bondage (it's a long story!), Helena (Cora Bissett) and Bob (Matthew Pidgeon) find something far more valuable-- friendship and ₤15,000.
When they meet, Bob is reading "Dostoyevsky... to cheer himself up." Despite his overtly intellectual endeavors, Bob is "a f****** underachiever." Their match-up is improbable. He is a low to mid level crook, and she's a swanky divorce lawyer.
Photo by Douglas Robertson. Helena (Cora Bissett) and Bob (Matthew Pidgeon) in "Midsummer [a play with songs]" by David Grieg, who also directs with songs by Gordon McIntyre. Costumes by Georgia McGuiness.
"Midsummer [a play with songs]" is not for everyone. Love and romance mingles with philosophical asides and silliness in this not strictly linear tale. Songs are interspersed with the narrative and dialogue. "And so-- when you see them -- the runners," Helena says, "weaving and glistening through the crowds-- you might think, 'look at them, the fools, they're trying to run away from death,' -- but they're not-- they're honestly not-- they're running towards something...." The central bed is the all-purpose set,cleverly designed by Georgia McGuiness, which also has convenient storage for some of the props the actors need.
Photo by Douglas Robertson of Matthew Pidgeon as Bob and Cora Bissett as Helena in "Midsummer [a play with songs]" by David Grieg, who also directs with songs by Gordon McIntyre. Costumes by Georgia McGuiness.
While you're in a romantic mood, take your sweetie to see "Perfect Catch," being reprised at Canal Park Playhouse on Saturdays and Sundays at 1pm and 4pm through February.
"Perfect Catch," billed as "Throw-mantic Comedy" takes mime and juggling to Hollywood. Just watching
Jen Slaw and Michael Karas toss umbrellas to the soundtrack of "Singing In The Rain" is worth the price of admission.
James Da Vita in a photo by Jacob J. Goldberg from "In Acting Shakespeare."
For those of us smitten with it, the theater is an uplifting and enriching experience.
James Da Vita's " In Acting Shakespeare," at The Pearl Theatre through February 3rd, stands on the shoulders of Sir Ian McKellan, on whose one man show his own is based, and Shakespeare, whose body of work inspired Da Vita to "a life in the theater."*
"And that , I think," Da Vita says, "was Shakespeare's true gift. He wrote us. He includes all of us in the question of what it is to be human."
Da Vita, an undeniably smart man, wisely opens with Shakespeare's great villain Richard III. Contorting his boy into the deformed figure of the would-be King, Da Vita recites his honeyed and poisonous lines with a clarity and deep understanding. James Da Vita knows his Shakespeare!
James Da Vita in "In Acting Sharkespeare" in a photo by Jacob J. Goldberg.
In fact, the excerpts he plays out from the Bard's work, are the most entertaining sections of his memoire in tribute to his profession.Da Vita is a savvy theatrical technician.
Photo by Jacob J. Goldberg
Once a fisherman, the handsome and charismatic Da Vita went from gutting fish to hoisting petards. and writing plays and novels. He is now also the literary manager, and a core member, of American Players Theater in Wisconsin.
Shakespeare's legacy is of course undeniable and it apparently includes James Da Vita. His stage is peopled with characters from Hotspur to Polonius, John Shakespeare and young Will himself. "In Acting Shakespeare" is about Da Vita's journey from unschooled Long Island boy to actor.
*"In Acting Shakespeare" borrows nothing from David Mamet.
To find out more about The Pearl Theatre Company, and "In Acting Shakespeare," please visit http://www.pearltheatre.org/. Next up at The Pearl, "Henry IV, Part I."
For many productions these days, the transfer to Broadway seems to be accomplished with ease and run smoothly.
Helped by having some of the same crew on board, including director Joe Mantello, "The Other Place" made its move, with stops in the Nationaltheater Mannheim and on the West Coast along the way, to MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, where it will play through February 24th, with its staging intact.
Laurie Metcalf as Juliana. Photo by Joan Marcus
That's more than can be said for award-winning playwright Sharr White's main character, a scientist in emotional and physical free-fall. "Not knowing who I am is oddly who I've become," Juliana Smithton (Laurie Metcalf, reprising her role off-Broadway) announces. Her husband Ian's (Daniel Stern) frustration as she unravels is understable. His patience is admirable. (For a review of the world premiere MCC production at the Lucille Lortel in 2011, visit http://www.vevlynspen.com/2011/04/sorting-things-out-in-other-place.html.) Metcalf is a fine dramatic actress, with celebrated comic timing. (Her three Emmys as Jackie in "Roseanne" attest to her comedic chops.) Juliana's acerbic accusations of Ian's infidelities, including one with her doctor who is also Ian's colleague (Zoe Perry), are both funny and devastating.
Zoe Perry (Metcalf's daughter) as her doctor with Laurie Metcalf as Juliana. Photo by Joan Marcus.
Ian and Juliana have suffered an unspeakable loss. In the throes of her illness, Juliana rubs salt in their wounds. Ian, as poignantly portrayed by Daniel Stern, exudes a measure of exasperation with his love for Juliana. Zoe Perry stands out especially in her role as a stranger, (billed abstractly as The Woman), who comforts Juliana in the climatic scenes of "The Other Place." Rounding out the cast is John Schiappa once again comfortably and naturally taking on several roles in support of Juliana's story.
In the passion of the moment watching "The Other Place," it is easy to overlook the melodramatic coincidence that the drug Juliana has researched and brought to market is the treatment administered to her. "The Other Place" is a heartbreaking and thoroughly engrossing experience. For more information about "The Other Place," visit http://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/
