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.
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/.
Michael Trusnovec in Paul Taylor's Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rehearsal, photo by Paul B. Goode
It’s been 100 years since a near-riot broke out in a Parisian theater, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, as Vaslav Nijinsky staged his now notorious ballet for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. It is said that it was not Igor Stravinsky’s new and experimental “Le Sacre du Printemps” but the seeming brutality of the ballet that caused the outcry.
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.
o
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
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.
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/
Publicity photo of singer Patti Page pre-1978 from General Artists Corporation (management)
Clara Ann Fowler's "flip side" is Patti Page, the singer (and woman) she became through a series of happenstances.
"Flipside: The Patti Page Story," at 59E59 Theaters in a Front Page Productions/Square 1 Theatrics, in association with The University of Central Oklahoma, through December 30th, is a biography with music.
www.59e59.org
Greg White's script (he also directs the play) features 28 of the 111 Billboard hits Patti Page sang over the years. The popular singer was born in a small Oklahoma town in modest circumstances, and discovered under the pseudonym of a jingle singer for the Page Milk Company at KTUL radio in Tulsa.
In "Flipside...," her story as narrated by Clara Ann Fowler (Haley Jane Pierce) on the occasion of a 1965 tribute at KTUL for Miss Patti Page "The Singing Rage" (Lindise vanWinkle) with a sweet modesty and reserve. Clara will realize that hers is the voice of Patti Page, and, as her daddy, Ben Fowler (Willy Welch) had told her, "'Let 'em hear your voice, Clara Ann. 'Cause there's so much for them to hear."
The modesty and down-hominess shrouds Patti Page's accomplishments as an innovative musician. For instance, her recording of "Confess" has doubled up her voice for two parts -- a technique born of necessity now known as overdubbing. "We can't afford two voices," her manager Jack Rael (Justin Larman) says. She was to sing echoing herself on a number of hits after that one was produced.
On one occasion, by way of illustration, "Flipside..." cheats in taking advantage of the technique-- there are four Patti's singing in "With My Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming," when Haley Jane Pierce and Lindsie van Winkle are joined by Jenny Rothmayer and Kassie Carroll in a Patti Page Quartet.
"Flipside..." makes the most of the sumptious array of gowns costume-designer Corey Martin has styled for it. Patti Page models a different one for each number.
There is a coda, a device not uncommon in the genre of biographical playwrighting, in "Flipside...," which helps us catch up with the singer today. At 85, Miss Patti Page is still performing. In 1998, she won a Grammy for her Live at Carnegie Hall: The 50th Anniversary Concert.
For more information abut "Flipside: The Patti Page Story," visit www.59e59.org
It was sad to hear that Patti Page died at the age of 85 on New Year's day 2013.
If "the past is prologue," what follows for those who are stuck in the past?
In their latest work, playwrights Amy Herzog and Francine Volpe focus on protagonists who are diminished by their past.
In Volpe's "The Good Mother," at the New Group in the Acorn theater through December 22nd, personal history sets up a pattern of self-destruction and delusion. Larissa (Gretchen Mol) is held back by an infantile crush on her teen counsellor, Joel (Mark Blum.) Larissa exerts her considerable allure to entangle the men in her life in webs of intrigue.
Mark Blum as Joel and Gretchen Mol as Larissa in "The Good Mother." Photo by Monique Carboni.
Memory is a double-edged sword of nostalgia and dread in Herzog's "The Great God Pan," at Playwrights Horizons mainstage through Januaray 6, 2013. It may be that Jamie (Jeremy Strong) is stymied by suppressed memories. Jamie has a middling career. He is not fully committed in his long-term relationship with Paige (Sarah Goldberg.) His mother, Cathy (Becky Ann Baker) worries that is not happy. Jamie is stumbling along with his life when he reunites with a boyhood friend, Frank (Keith Nobbs).Frank's unwelcome revelations make Jamie and his father, Doug (Peter Friedman) uneasy.
Jeremy Strong as Jamie with Sarah Goldberg as Paige in "The Great God Pan." Photo by Joan Marcus.
Keith Nobbs cuts a splendidly fierce goth-like figure. His Frank is straightforward and secure. Jeremy Strong's Jamie is appropriately listless and uncertain.
Keith Nobbs as Frank and Jeremy Strong as Jamie in "The Great God Pan." Photo by Joan Marcus.
The pathologically self-absorbed Larissa in "The Good Mother," on the other hand, willfully provokes a series of incidents that unsettle her peace and comfort. She victimizes Angus (Eric Nelsen), Joel's troubled son, and leaves him bewildered. After a one-night stand, she calls upon the protective and equally befuddled Jonathan (Darren Goldstein) and then dismisses him.
Gretchen Mol as Larissa with Darren Goldstein as Jonathan in "The Good Mother." Photo by Monique Carboni.
Larissa is a temptress and a user. She doesn't seem to care that her schemes, like her troubled past, all seem to backfire. It's easy to see her triumphant smirk from ten rows back as she draws in the long-ago jilted Buddy (Alfredo Narciso.)
Fans of HBOs Boardwalk Empire will be happy to again see Gretchen Mol in person. She acquits herself brilliantly in this psychological thriller.
The many lingering questions Amy Herzog leaves unanswered in "The Great God Pan" are part of its dramatic power. Carolyn Cantor directs the superb cast in even and compelling performances. Volpe's "The Good Mother," under Scott Elliot's direction, is satisfyingly complex.
Larissa and Jamie are both hampered by their childhoods, and haunted by their pasts.
Certainly there were many precedents, like The Jazz Singer, of disappointed fathers whose sons were determined to pervert their pure talent for commercial success. Clifford Odets, however, had a hand in turning the dilemma of choosing fame over art into a cliché.
Seth Numrich as Joe and Yvonne Strahovski as Lorna in "Golden Boy." Photo by Paul Kolnik
In "Golden Boy," at the Belasco Theatre again for its 75th anniversary, staged by Lincoln Center Theaters, and running through January 20th, a boy forsakes music for the excitement of the boxing ring.
In the 1930s, and for many years thereafter, boxers exerted celebrity. The limelight, not fiddling under a street lamp for tips, is what Joe Bonaparte (Seth Numrich) seeks. The day when Joe decides to put on boxing gloves, his father (Tony Shalhoub) spends a small fortune on a violin for his 21st birthday.
If Joe needs convincing on the path to the fight game, he gets it from Lorna Moon (Yvonne Strahovski), the hard-boiled dame who falls for his sweetness while pushing him toward brutality.
Yvonne Strahovski as Lorna Moon and Danny Mastrogiorgio as Tom Moody. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Tom Moody (Danny Mastrogiorgio), perhaps sensing their rivalry for Lorna's affections, doesn't much like the kid he's managing. Tom dubs Joe "the cock-eyed wonder" to the press and fans.
Anthony Crivello as Eddie Fuseli with Seth Numrich as Joe Bonaparte. Danny Bustein as Tokio in background. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
The gangster, Eddie Fuseli (Anthony Crivello), on the other hand, like Joe's trainer, Tokio (Danny Burstein), is captivated by Joe. Fuseli buys a piece of the rising star, and then showers him with gifts of clothing. After a while, Joe begins to dress like his mentor. He takes on the trappings of oppulence, flashy clothes and a fast car. The one woman Joe wants is engaged to Tom Moody. The hubbub of Joe's life is very different from the quiet and peace he felt when he was a champion violin-player as a boy.
Tony Shalhoub as Mr. Bonaparte, Seth Numrich as Joe and Danny Burstein as his trainer, Tokio. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Given Joe's outsized resentments and grandiosity, it's not hard to sympathize with his detractors, like Moody, or Roxy Gottlieb (Ned Eisenberg), the other member of the syndicate backing him. The press too don't like Joe. Even Joe says, "I don't like myself, past, present and future." Joe is a discontented soul, out to "show 'em all."
Everything about the LCT production of "Golden Boy" is true to the period it represents, from the brilliant costumes by Catherine Zuber, to the dialect. In fact, as an example of the latter, Yvonne Strahovski, an Austrailian import making her LCT and Broadway debuts, is pitch-perfect as "the tramp from New Jersey."
Overseeing the harmonious presentation, director Bartlett Sher shows his sensitivity and appreciation for Odets's work in all facets of "Golden Boy."
Among the well-directed cast, Michael Aronov stands out as Siggie, Joe's brother-in-law, whose ambitions are homier and more down-to-earth that that of the "Golden Boy." Seth Numrich gives a nuanced performance that keeps him in balance between Joe's insecurity and his bravado. Danny Mastrogiorgio's Tom Moody is so completely natural it's as if he's living the part. Credit Tony Shalhoub for his restraint in underplaying Mr. Bonaparte whom he embues with a resolute strength and sadness.
In fact, there are very few missteps in this "Golden Boy." The only quibble brings us back to the beginning, that the story is by now so familiar that it mostly lacks dramatic surprise. And if it has become an mundane theme, we can lay some of that blame on Clifford Odets.
For more information about "Golden Boy," pleasevisit www.lct.org.
Dance is a sort of go-to during the holidays. For some of us New Yorkers, it's Ailey Season.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, at New York City Center through December 30th, is a sort of alt-Nutrcracker-- not that there is anything wrong with the profusion of Nutcrackers around town.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater company in "Revelations." Photo by Manny Herhandez.
The uplifting, "Revelations," an Ailey-choreographed piece that has stopped the show all over the world since its creation in 1960, continues to be the crown-jewel of the AAADT.
Artisitic Director Emerita Judith Jamison in "Revelations" from the company archives.
Going to church with Ailey is always a special privilege. At the performance we attended, the music was live, conducted by Nedra Olds-Neal, and the AAADT company was joined by Ailey II and Students of the Ailey School to make up a cast of 50.
Cast of 50 for "Revelations." Photo by Christopher Duggan.
Ailey's dancers are among those who can be entrusted to do justice to the Paul Taylor cannon. Indeed, Taylor directed them when they introduced his "Arden Court" to the repertory last season. AAADT's style meshes well with the work.
AAADT in Paul Taylor's "Arden Court." Photo by Paul Kolnik.
The pomp and circumstance of the music by William Boyce has a processional grace. The dancing is at once majestic and down-to-earth. The muscularity of motion is fluid and easy. For Taylor, dance is play for adults.
AAADT's rendering of "Arden Court" is joyful and fun.
Robert Battle, who took over as the third Artistic Director in AAADT's history in 2011 from Judith Jamison,
does not want his choreography to dominate the repertory. His "Takedeme" offered a brief (at just 5 minutes) but powerful and amusing addition to AAADT programming.
Yannick Lebrun makes a leap in Robert Battle's "Takedeme" seem so easy. Photo by Andrew Eccles.
The score, "Speaking in Tongues II" by Sheila Chandra, scolds in jibberish. The dance is complex, based on Indian Kathak, and the dancer, Yanick Lebrun moved muscles he could not possibly have had in isolation.
The afternoon's highlight, however, was Garth Fagan's "From Before," (1978) which enters AAADT repertory as a company premiere this season. Set to "Path" by Trinindadian composer, Ralph MacDonald, the dance starts out with African inflections, moves on to the Caribbean, and from there becomes jazzy. The Fagan-costumed cast in silken unitards, their bodies sleek in vivid colors. The steps are as lively as the vibrant melodies and rhythms that accompany the movement.
AAADT in Garth Fagan's "From Before." Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Virginia (Penny Fuller) is a widow in distress. It seems her husband Ed mortgaged away their life's assets to some shady characters, including his brother Frank and the local banker, Bob O'Klock, before his sudden death.
Musical Director Paul Greenwood plays the piano and Penny Fuller as Virginia sings in 13 Things About Ed Carpolotti. Photo by Carol Rosegg
In "13 Things About Ed Carpolotti," at 59E59 Theaters through December 30th, Virginia under siege hums, sings and narrates her tale.
Penny Fuller as Virginia in "13 Things..." Directed by Barry Kleinbort (book, music and lyrics). Photo by Carol Rosegg
The tension in "13 Things About Ed Carpolotti" builds as new creditors approach Virginia. "We're Gonna Be Fine," the not-entirely-convinced Virginia says and sings. Penny Fuller, backed by pianist and musical director, Paul Greenwood, is a delight. She voices each of the townsfolk she encounters. Her emotions flutter then overflow. "We're gonna be great... we're gonna be swell."
Penny Fuller is Virginia in "13 Things..." Photo by Carol Rosegg
The cafe seating is the showcase for a cabaret styled musical piece directed by Barry Kleinbort (book, music and lyrics), based on a play by Jeffrey Hatcher.
The humor is of the gentle gallows kind, the mood sentimental and sweet. "13 Things About Ed Carpolotti" proves to be a delightful little show.
For more information on "13 Things About Ed Carpolotti," visit www.59e59.org.
