Isn't It Romantic: Paddy Chayefsky's Look At Love

Is there anything sweeter than romance, or more prone to meddling?

Lillian (Melissa Miller) and her husband Jack (Todd Bartels) with Jerry (Jonahan Hadary) and his sister Evelyn (Denise Lute) first hear Jerry's news in "Middle of the Night" by Paddy Chayefsky, directed by Jonathan Silverstein at the Keen Theatre through March 29th. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Family and friends impede on the happiness in the May-December romance at the heart of "Middle of the Night." Paddy Chayefsky's play at the Keen Company under Jonathan Silverstein's direction at Theatre Row through March 29th,  is in its first revival since a Broadway run (and national tour) in the mid 1950s.

 Jerry (Jonahan Hadary) and Betty (Nicole Lowrance) in "Middle of the Night" by Paddy Chayefsky, directed by Jonathan Silverstein at the Keen Theatre through March 29th. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

"Middle of the Night" has a fine pedigree, all penned by Chayefsky. It started out as a television for the inaugural show of the seventh season of he Philco Television Playhouse where it starred E.G. Marshall and Eva Marie Saint. It then relocated in 1956 to Broadway where it starred Edward G. Robinson and Gena Rowlands, and went on to star Kim Novak and Frederic March in the Columbia Pictures version in 1959.

In "Middle of the Night," an aging garment Manufacturer, Jerry Kingsley (Jonathan Hadary) is seduced by loneliness and the charms of the Girl from his plant, Betty Preisser (Nicolde Lowrance) into a romance he is not sure is wise. His family, with the exception of his son-in-law, Jack (Todd Bartels) -- his stern sister Eveylyn (Denise Lute) and his daughter Lillian (Mellisa Miller)-- try to dissuade him from continuing the affair.

On Betty's side the objections are even louder. She is only 24 to his 53, and her mother, Mrs. Mueller (Amelia Campbell) doesn't understand why Betty would want to divorce her husband, George (Todd Bartells again) in order to marry an old man. Betty's friend Marilyn (Melissa Miller in the role) is equally puzzled and disapproving.

Mrs. Mueller (Amelia Campbell) and Betty (Nicole Lowrance) in "Middle of the Night" directed by Jonathan Silverstein for the Keen through March 29th. Photo by Carol Rosegg. 

The allure of Paddy Chayefsky's slice-of-life drama is abundantly on display in this heart-warming Keen production. The cast are splendid, with Jonathan Hadary and Nicole Lowrance in especially fine form.

Betty (Nicole Lowrance) and Jerry (Jonathan Hadary) embrace in a scene from Chayefsky's "Middle of the Night" directed by Jonathan Silverstein for Keen Company at Theatre Row through March 29th. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

To learn more about "Middle of the Night," please visit the Keen Company website.

A Day At The Office in "London Wall"

Miss Pat Milligan (Elise Kibler) and Mr. Brewer (Stephen Plunkett)
in a scene from John Van Druten's "London Wall,"
in a Mint Theatre production through March 30th.
Photo © Richard Termine.

"'Work's work,'" Mr. Walker of Messers Walker, Windemere & Co. of London Wall, quotes his father as saying. "'but with women about it never can be.'"

John Van Druten studied, practiced and even taught law, while enjoying a great success as a playwright, and later screen writer. In "London Wall," The Mint Theatre is reviving one of his earlier gems.

"London Wall," playing through March 30th, is a naturalistic work, focusing on the economic exigencies of young working women in a busy law practice. "London Wall" sets off to a lethargic start, like Miss Bufton (Katie Gibson) after her lunch break--"I don't really like being taken out like that in the middle of the day. I'm no good at all for work in the afternoon. I shall probably fall fast asleep over my machine."--but picks up apace and never lets us nap once it does.

Miss Pat Milligan (Elise Kibler) with Miss Hooper (Alex Trow), Miss Bufton (Katie Gibson, seated) and Birkenshaw (Matthew Gumley) in a scene from "London Wall" at The Mint through March 30th.  Photo © Richard Termine.

The other typists in the office have less active social lives than Miss Bufton's. Miss Hooper (Alex Trow) is expecting her boyfriend to a get a divorce from his wife. Miss Janus (Julia Coffey) has spent seven years in courtship with a man in diplomatic service whom she too hopes to marry.

Mr. Brewer (Stephen Plunkett) oversees the office, flirting with all the typing pool, but with an eye to woo young Pat Milligan (Elise Kibler.) Their boss, Mr. Walker (Jonathan Hogan) warns Brewer off, finding his behavior towards the women in the office appalling.

Miss Blanche Janus (Julia Coffey) and Mr. Eric Brewer
(Stephen Plunkett)  in "London Wall"
at the Mint through March 30th. Photo © Richard Termine.

With the smirk of a cad, Brewer is outgunned by Miss Janus, who knows a thing or two about affairs of the heart. Blanche Janus is protective of Pat, and dislikes Brewer who is slimy and insinuating.  Her interest in Pat and her beau, Hec Hammond (Christopher Sears) is in part nostalgic.

Mr. Walker (Jonathan Hogan) with Pat (Elise Kibler) in
"London Wall" at the Mint. Photo © Richard Termine.

The play depicts office life in all its regular mundanity. The firm of Messers Walker, Windemere & Co. is hectic with the comings and goings of workers and clients. Hec is a visitor from a firm downstairs, frequently borrowing a reference book from the general office, as an excuse to see Pat.  Miss Willesden (Laurie Kennedy) is an eccentric but well-heeled client whom Mr. Walker will no longer see, but whose wills and legal actions are part of the firm's business. Mr. Brewer attends to her whenever she appears unexpectedly at the offices.

Brewer (Stephen Plunkett) with Miss Willesden
(Laurie Kennedy) in "London Wall."
Photo © Richard Termine.

"I know office work's no fun. I don't always enjoy it myself. There are lots of things I'd rather be doing, and thinking about, but they can't intrude here," Mr. Walker says. The office in "London Wall" is a great deal of fun, however.


The prolific Davis Mccallum directs this superbly well-coordinated ensemble. Resident dramaturg Amy Stoller contributes to the little realisms of this excellent and engrossing production.

The elaborate sets by Marion Williams engulf the theater space in the office, further emmersing us in the daily life at the law firm in London Wall.

Among this outstanding cast, the benevolent Mr. Walker is admirably brought to life by Jonathan Hogan; the dishonorable Brewer is divinely portrayed by Stephen Plunkett; and Miss Pat Milligan as embodied by the newcomer, Elise Kibler, is an intelligent go-getting young woman. Rounding out the cast is the cheeky officeboy, Birkenshaw (Matthew Gumley.)  In this group of players, no one should be left off this long list of bests, but we will add one more standout in Julia Coffey who gives Miss Janus a keen and warm understanding.

For more about "London Wall," please visit The Mint Theatre.

Around town

Thomas F. Flynn recounts his
esperiences on September 11th
in the new play based on his book of
the same name. At BMCC Tribeca
Performing Arts Center.

1. Raise a glass to the Bard 

2. King Lear for "A New Audience"

3. A noteworthy new venue takes shape at WTC

4. Remembering the day the Towers fell

5.  What would Sartre do?

6. Paul Taylor, Dancemaker

7. Project Shaw
8. Grifting, game theory and comics

Shakespeare and beer....
New York Shakespeare Exchange has come up with another brilliant way to promote the Bard of Avon: The first ShakesBEER of 2014 will kick off in March, with two "Stone Street" crawls scheduled for Saturday, March 1 and Saturday, March 8 with additional Shakespearean bar crawls scheduled throughout the year-- 10 in all.

At each pub, the actors, cheek by jowl with the audience, break out a scene from one of the Bard's works. The ShakesBEERean acting company includes many a Shakespeare hand from the city, NYSX past performances, and from around the country.

In case you need a remindeer, NYSX recently held The Sonnet Project as a tribute to William Shakespeare, and a way to encourage appreciation of his work in a modern context.

For tickets and information, visit www.shakespeareexchange.org/content/shakesbeer-2014

Kings in their dotage
For fans of "King Lear," there can't be too many productions of the great Shakespearean tragedy. There's another one in Brooklyn this spring, following Frank Langella's at BAM. This one features Michael Pennington, two-time Olivier Award nominee, an artist of international stature and one of England’s greatest classical actors, in the title role in William Shakespeare's tragedy. Mr. Pennington leads a company of 22 actors. This is the second production in Theatre for a New Audience's inaugural season, which kicked off with "Midsummer Night's Dream," at its first permanent home, the new Polonsky Shakespeare Center, 262 Ashland Place in Brooklyn, directed by Arin Arbus. "King Lear" begins previews March 14 for an opening March 27 and a run through May 4.

Find out more by visiting http://www.tfana.org/

The PAC at WTC
A new and noteable venue is emerging at the World Trade Center with the appointment of a core team to lead the The Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center (PAC.) David Lan, Artistic Director of London's Young Vic, has been appointed as Consulting Artistic Director alongside Lucy Sexton as Associate Artistic Director. Andy Hayles, Managing Partner of innovative theater consultancy Charcoalblue, will be the theater design consultant. Film director Stephen Daldry has joined the PAC’s Board of Directors.

The artistic team is collaborating with the PAC’s staff, board and numerous consultants to create a global center that will produce and present new work, in multiple disciplines. All of this will take place in an adaptable venue with unprecedented digital connectivity.

Where were you on 9/11?
Thomas F. Flynn jumped on his bicycle outside his Greenwich Village home and followed the first plane downtown. There he became not a witness and reporter, but a participant, caught up in surviving the tragedy that rocked New York a little over a dozen years ago. In "Bikeman,"  Flynn, a veteran journalist, and an award winning writer and producer for the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, recounts his experiences on 9/11.  Flynn was there at the fall of the south tower. "Bikeman," based on Flynn's book, is  directed by Michael Bush and features Robert Cuccioli, Irungu Mutu, Angela Pierce, Elizabeth Ramos, and Rich Topol.

"Bikeman" began performances on January 26th and is set for an opening on February 18th at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers Street.
For information, go to www.Bikeman911.com.  

"Hell is other people."-- Sartre
Can an existential attitude help us cope? Or might it drive us to solitude?  Find out when the Pearl Theatre presents Jean-Paul Sartre's "No Exit," from February 25th through March 30th. Linda Ames Key directs this adaptation from the French by Paul Bowles.

To find out more, please visit http://www.pearltheatre.org/1314/noexit/

Fill your March with dance. 
Paul Taylor is still turning out modern dance classics with attitude, verve and abandon. Beginning in mid March, his company, PTDC begins its diamond anniversary season at Lincoln Center, with the sponsorship of Tiffany's for its Spring gala. The repertory includes two newly minted pieces, so look for Marathon Cadenzas and American Dreamer on your dance card.

For a performance schedule and tickets, please visit www.ptdc.org.

And another thing....
Check out the Gingold Theatrical Group's "Project Shaw" at Symphony Space. Each production is one Monday night only, with "The Philanderer" coming up on February 24th.

For more information and tickets, go to Project Shaw.

Cons are a family affair in "Fast Company"

 www.carlaching.com

Blue (Stephanie Hsu) is the daughter who is excluded from the family business of grifting and sent off to college. There she discovers that you can run a con using advanced mathematical theory.

Carla Ching's new comedy "Fast Company," under the direction of Robert Ross Parker, begins previews March 12th for a run through April 6th at the Ensemble Studio Theatre.


For tickets for "Fast Company," please visit Ovation Tix.

How well do we know even our closest friends?

Domesticity can make for a very dull subject.

In Donald Marguiles' Pulitzer Prize winning play,  in a Roundabout Theatre Company revival, at Laura Pels Theatre through April 13th,"Dinner With Friends," it is laced with the spice of infidelity.

Beth (Heather Burns) spills her misery to her old friend Karen (Marin Hinkle) and her husband's best friend Gabe (Jeremy Shamos) even before the dessert is served. Tom's (Darren Pettie) absence from this regular gathering is actually due to his going to see his girlfriend, and not because he is off on another business trip.

When his travel plans are snowed out, Tom returns home to discover that Beth told Gabe and Karen that he wanted a divorce. Late as it is, Tom drives over to to set the record straight with Karen and Gabe, who feel betrayed by the dissolution of Beth and Tom's marriage.

Gabe and Karen had fixed Beth and Tom up, spent vacations with them and their kids together over the years. While Beth was clearly blind-sided, they were the last to know. Beth muses,  "He was moody. Yes. Distracted. I thought it was work. Or jet lag..." Tom tells Gabe he has never been happier than he has since his marriage ended. He doesn't want therapy, or need advice.

"Dinner With Friends" tells a simple tale of four friends, two couples, each looking to keep passion alive or rekindle it, despite the grind of the day to day domesticity of their lives.

As Tom, Darren Pettie manifests an appropriately defensive menace. He is the the bullying poster boy for leaving your wife. When Tom tells Gabe about his new girlfriend, he sounds as if he is proselytizing: "She saved my life, Gabe. She really did; she breathed life back into me " His enthusiasm for the new is like a slap at the friendship he and Gabe have shared.

Jeremy Shamos has the gift of likability that make his Gabe vulnerable and approachable. He is a content with the life he's chosen: "We’ve all made sacrifices to our kids. It’s the price you pay for having a family," he tells Tom.

Under Pam MacKinnon's direction, the ensemble breathes fresh life into this ordinary story. Heather Burns plays Beth as both put-upon and manipulative. The subtlety in her characterization contrasts with Marrin Hinkle's straightforward portrayal of the judgemental and down-to-earth Beth.

"Dinner With Friends" covers the twelve plus years of marriages and friendships with ease and panache. The attractive sets, designed by Allen Moyer, travel through the many locales "Dinner With Friends" inhabits, from Martha's Vineyard to rooms in the protoganists' homes.

If you have seen the 2001 Emmy-nominated film version or the original 1999 production, you will find this one charmingly done and nicely staged. (Need more opinion? Check out TB review on VP.com.)

To learn more about "Dinner With Friends," please visit http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/

Location, location... It's a drag!

The vagaries of real estate seems such a New Yorker's obsession.

Keira Keeley, Charles Busch, Julie Halston, Mary Bacon and Jonathan Walker in the Primary Stages production
of "The Tribute Artist" © 2014 James Leynse.

In Charles Busch's latest ouevre, "The Tribute Artist," in a Primary Stages production at 59E59 Theaters through March 16th, the real estate is a Greenwich Village townhouse.

The expansive and elegant set, by Anna Louizos, is a grand and dignified persona. The other characters do not fare as well. The live action is marred by improbability, admittedly often very funny, and a slow pace.

Cynthia Harris in the Primary Stages production of "The Tribute Artist" © 2014 James Leynse.

Treading the fine lines between drag queen/female impersonator/and down-and out "celebrity tribute" artist, Jimmy (Charles Busch) seizes a foolproof opportunity. Jimmy's unwarranted optimism lends both fizz and fizzle to playwright Busch's comedy. His friend, Rita (Julie Halston) joins him in a scheme to impersonate Adriana (Cynthia Harris); Adriana was Jimmy's landlady in the beautiful old house, who died in her sleep during a night of carrousing with Rita and Jimmy. 

Julie Haston in the Primary Stages production
of "The Tribute Artist" © 2014 James Leynse.

Halston, a long-time Busch actor and collaborator, and Busch have a natural chemistry and ease. What could go wrong, Jimmy asks? The plot's twists make for many a merry surprise.

Enter Adriana's niece by marriage, Christina (Mary Bacon) and her transgender daughter, Oliver (formerly Rachel) (Keira Keeley), wth a claim on the property. Oliver, ever the romantic, hunts up an old flame of Adriana's on Facebook and hence, enter Rodney (Jonathan Walker.)  Highlights of the producton include an exit scene Busch has written for Rodney, and the fact that young Oliver-Rachel can curse like a stevedore on steroids.

The unrelenting zany in "The Tribute Artist" has some wonderful moments, and some predictible. Don't fault the cast or director Carl Andress for any lulls in the party; sometimes the zany just falls flat.

It's always a pleasure seeing both sides of Busch-- ingenuous actor, inventive playwright. Unfortunately in "The Tribute Artist," Busch the playwright does not do Charles Busch, the actor, justice.
(See also Tamara's Tumblr for additional commentary.)

To learn more about "The Tribute Artist," please visit http://www.primarystages.org/

Theater is about engagement, tears and laughter, and make believe

Fairytales make for good theater, because through them we envision a world different from the daily grind.
There is magic and mystery.

by Sheila Burnett: "Beauty and the Beast" at Abrons Arts Center

"Beauty and the Beast" is a compelling story in which the beast is misunderstood and opposites attract.
In the new production at the Abrons Arts Center, starting March 13th,  the Beast is played by Mat Fraser, a well-known disabled actor and performance artist in his native England; Julie Atlas Muz, choreographer, former Miss Coney Island and burlesque artist, is his Beauty. This moving "Beauty and the Beast" is definitely for mature audiences only.

Jim Himelsbach (live) Paul Zimet (projected)
In Mallory Catlett's "This Was The End."
Photo by Keith Skretch

Phelm McDermott, founding member of Improbable theater company, directs the live-action, improvisational and puppet pageant. Hear what the director and actors say about the development of "Beauty and the Beast"in this video.

To learn more about "Beauty and the Beast," please visit www.abronsartscenter.org

Memory not fairytales drives Mallory Catlett's "This Was The End," at the Chocolate Factory from February 21s to March 8th. In Chekhov's play the eponymous Uncle Vanya asks, "What if I live to be 60?" In Catlett's play, a veteran cast of four, Black-Eyed Susan, Paul Zimet, Jim Himelsbach and Rae C. Wright explore the answer by looking at the manifestations of aging, from memory loss and sleep deprivation to the tolls it takes on the physical being.

Black Eyed Susan in Mallory Catlett's "This Was The End" at the Chocolate Factory through March 8th. Photo by Keith Skretch

To find out more about "This Was The End," and get a small sampling of the show see this and visit http://www.chocolatefactorytheater.org/. 

Emily Schwend's "Take Me Back," at Walkerspace in a Kindling Theatre Company production from February 28th through March 22nd, looks at the American dream through the eyes of a parolee back from a four-year Federal stint. To Bill, living with his diabetic mother, the dream is more like a nightmare. Or perhaps a different kind of fairy tale.

To find out more about "Take Me Back," please visit  them at their FB page and go here for tix.

Former Czech President, Vaclav Havel's last work "The Pig, or Vaclav Havel's Hunt for the Pig," witten by Havel and Vladimír Morávek, adapted into English by Edward Einhorn, presented at 3-Legged Dog in a Untitled Theater Company #61 production from March 6th through March 29th, combines food, drink, revelry, song and politics. 

Before the show, Cabaret Metropol, a New York-based ensemble specializing in classic European cabaret music, performs. The production's “after-party” features a tribute concert of music that inspired the Velvet Revolution, from the Velvet Underground and others, performed by the members of the dynamic cast. Dinner is provided by the Slovakian restaurant Korzo.

For more information about this production and 3-Legged Dog, visit http://www.3ldnyc.org/

Shakespeare, Houdini, and 50 Shades....Coming in February and March 2014

http://www.axiscompany.org/

Do you have a favorite Shakespeare play? Maybe one in each category -- tragedy, comedy, history like that?

Twelfth Night or What You Will is always fun, and Pig Iron Theatre Company aims to make it even more loveable in their accessible production, beginning February 4th at the Abrons Center. A Balkanized musical score seems like the perfect backdrop to Shakespeare's crazy mistaken-identity saga.

"Experimental theater is about opening up new ways of seeing," says Pig Iron's director Dan Rothernberg; "could we sneak this into a Shakespeare play without deconstructing the thing? All our experiments with clown theater, with cabaret, and with dance theater inform the way people speak and move in this production, resulting in a rough, wholly American Twelfth Night." This production of Twelfth Night premiered at the 2011 Philadelphia LiveArts Festival and was recently revived for Philadelphia’s 2013 FringeArts Festival.

For more information, please visit abronsartscenter.org  But wait, there's more....

While "Twelfth Night" easily qualifies as a favorite comedy, "King Lear" has to be this writer's most beloved Shakespearean play. There is a production of the tragedy, we are told, currently at BAM, with no less a Lear than Frank Langella. You can catch it through February 9th.

For information, visit http://www.bam.org/theater/2014/king-lear.

Shakespeare, as befits an artist working under Royal patronage, wrote many a histoy of Kings. "Henry IV, Part II" is being presented at The Pearl as a special event from February 13th through 16th. The readings are in collaboration with The Shakespeare Society. More at The Pearl 

More happenings in February....

If you have been swept into the mania for "Fifty Shades of Grey," you should pay a visit to 50 Shades! the Musical - The Original Parody. In this musical, a book club's three girlfriends turn from the usual fare to the more titilating best seller. With their interest piqued, Christian and Anastasia's affiair comes to life on the stage. Directed by Al Samuels, one of the many co-writers, and Rob Lindley, previews begin on February 21st at the Elektra Theatre, and 50 Shades! for a March 12th opening.

For more about 50 Shades!, go to 50ShadesTheMusical.com

The Wild Project has a "Shades of Love" series of poetic readings in February, from the 3rd through the 16th. Poetic License 2014: Shades of Love  is Produced by Poetic Theater Productions and features work from both emerging and established poets, including Mahogany L. Browne, Yadira De La Riva, Judith Sloan, Craig muMs Grant (HBO’s “Oz”), Staceyann Chin (Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway) and the presentation of an original theatrical work by the legendary Ntozake Shange (for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf). The festival also includes a performance from the renowned music group The Mighty Third Rail.

Learn more by going to www.thewildproject.com

And, not necessarily in honor of Valentine's Day...

Randy Sharp delves into the mysteries of Henry Houdini at the Axis Theatre in Nothing on Earth, opening on February 27th for a 2 month run. Sharp, the Artisitc Director at the Axis, has been directing plays for  30 years, most recently the Drama Desk nominated Last Man Club.

For this production, Axis Company worked closely with William Kalush, Executive Director of the Conjuring Arts Research Center, Houdini scholar, and author of The Secret Life of Houdini, to re-create some of Houdini's most famous illusions.

To learn more about Nothing on Earth, please visit www.axiscompany.org.

"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.

"Miss Lead"

Dawn Jamieson, Dylan Carusona, Nancy McDoniel,
Tyree Giroux, Tanis Parenteau, and Michelle Honaker in
"Miss Lead"
at 59E59 Theaters. Photo by Steve Bartel

As EPA standards lessen, land and water, as in the headlines about West Virginia, is polluted by companies safely unaccountable for their misdeeds. Going back to recent history, in the 1940's, the Bureau of Indian Affairs was able to use WWII as an excuse to allow mining for lead on Native grounds. In that case, as in the current headline events, the government is complicit.

Mary Kathryn Nagle's "Miss Lead," at 59E59 Theaters, in an Amerinda production, through January 26th, looks at a combination of the historic mismanagement by the BIA and the fact that large companies have been allowed to ride roughshod over communities, particularly Native American ones, around the country.  Unfortunately, all the sympathy for those vicimized cannot make sense of the jumbled plot.

Tanis Parenteau in "Miss Lead"  at 59E59 Theaters. Photo by Steve Bartel

It is nearly Thanksgiving in a mining town, and the family owned Tri-State Mining Company is trying to put a brave spin on impending law suits and EPA SuperFund excavations. Meanwhile, the effects of lead poisoning may already have hit close to their own home.

The device of using a writer, Katie (Tanis Parenteau), as the central character and sometime narrator only serves to distance the viewer from the tragedy at the heart of the story. "Miss Lead" is an unconvincing drama.

Kudos to Elizabeth Rolston, who as Rebecca, has to deliver a polemic with fluidity and ease. Among the large cast, Stuart Luth, both as Fred and as David, and Claire Louise Burke as Ruth are the most natural.
Also in a dual role, as Glenda and Aunt Mallory, Nacy McDoniel gives some broadly comic relief.

For more information about "Miss Lead," please visit 59E59 Theaters.

We're "Dancing In the Dark:" Barb Jungr's Holiday Show

Barb Jungr explores what she calls the "New American Songbook," distinguishing it from the traditional lounge fare of the "Great American Songbook." Hers is cabaret forged in the crucible of folk and rock.

Barb Jungr, with Tracy Stark on piano, in "Dancing In The Dark" at 59E59 Theaters. Photo by Carol Rosegg

Jungr reinterprets Dylan, McCartney-Lennon, Leonard Cohen, Kristofferson, and Carole King. Hers are tantalizing readings of the lyrics and music. Familiar tunes by Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell and Hank Williams are teased to fit her style.  

Barb Jungr, in "Dancing In The Dark" at 59E59 Theaters. Photo by Carol Rosegg

"Dancing in the Dark," at 59E59 Theaters through December 29th, Jungr says is just what we're all doing. Her show is about muddling through the long winter nights, heartache and the human condition.

Yes, that's Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" in the title and on the bill. But it's Cohen and Bob Dylan who are Jungr's main soul mates. 

Humor moves Barb Jungr through the gloom with which she flirts so casually. Jungr rocks hard, with passion and intelligence. Lucky are her fans who did not come as late to know her as did this reviewer.

A highlight from the playlist is Jungr's own "Till My Broken Heart Mends," written with Michael Parker, which she sings with her talented pianist, Tracy Stark.

Hurry, visit www.59e59.org for tickets; the show runs through Sunday December 29th.

"Handle With Care"

Broadway legend, Carol Lawrence (Tony nominated for her role as Maria in the classic "West Side Story") is Edna in Jason Odell Williams' comedy-drama-romance "Handle With Care," at the Westside Theatre/Downstaits. Directed by Karen Carpenter, the play for an ensemble of four runs  through March 30, 2014. Photo by Doug Denoff.

It's easy enough to acknowledge that the heart is a delicate organ. 

In Jason Odell Williams' "Handle With Care," at the Westside Theatre through March 30th, a trip to America is meant to help heal a broken heart and revitalize an old flame. These longings of the heart lead to strange coincidences in this charming little dramedy.

Charlotte Cohn and Carol Lawrence in Jason Odell Williams' "Handle With Care," at the Westside Theatre/Downstairs, directed by Karen Carpenter. Photo by Doug Denoff.

Edna (Carol Lawrence, Tony-nominated for her role as Maria in "West Side Story") brings her granddaughter Ayelet (Charlotte Cohn) with her from their home in Israel on a quest in small-town America. While at a motel in Goodview, Virginia, Ayelet's beloved "safta" dies and she entrusts DHX to ship the body home. DHX may be reliable but shlubby Terrence (Sheffield Chastain) is decidedly not.

Charlotte Cohn, Jonathan Sale and Sheffield Chastain in
"Handle With Care." Photo by Doug Denoff.

"Handle With Care" opens with Ayelet name-calling Terrence in Hebrew over the loss of her grandmother's body. In desperation, Terrence calls in his boyhood buddy, Josh (Jonathan Sale) to interpret.
"You speak Jewish, don't you?," Terrence implores.

Cohn's Hebrew rant is wonderfully mellifluent. It has spice and plays beautifully off Chastain's naif dumbfoundedness.

As the play moves back and forth in seamless and well-placed flashbacks, the cast under Karen Carpenter's direction makes the most out of the situation. "Handle With Care" is a holiday romance, in all senses of the word-- love, adventure, with a touch of the supernatural-- and it is utterly enjoyable.

For more information about "Handle With Care," please visit http://www.handlewithcaretheplay.com/.

The Exquisite Assistant

David Costabile and John Ellison Conlee in Madeleine George's "The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence" at Playwrights Horizons under the direction of Leigh Silverman, and playing through December 29th.
Photo by Joan Marcus.

Say "Watson" and I think Sherlock Holmes.

Apparently so does Madeleine George, the author behind "The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence," at Playwrights Horizons through December 29th.

George does not limit herself however merely to the one Watson, but also imagines Alexander Graham Bell's assistant, Thomas Watson, and the IBM computer that beat Jeopardy's best. All the "Watsons," (John Ellison Conlee,)  including the fictional one created for the play who is a techie on the "Dweeb Team" aim to please. They are, in many ways perfect companions, whose desire to serve their "master's" and divine their needs.

As helpful as Watson is, so obstructive is Merrick (David Costabile). In his various incarnations as a techno-phobic paranoiac, as an  inventor out to destroy his wife, he is the least likable man on the stage, not to say the planet.

Eliza (Amanda Quaid) is the object of Merrick's affections and distrust. Granted, she is not the only one he distrusts. Merrick's rants against the government are poisonously amusing.

Eliza is building a computer, based on IBM's "Watson," that will understand what she wants. A great asssitant anticipates your desires. Eliza's encounter with the techie Watson whom her husband, Frank Merrick, hires to follow her confuses her emotional landscape. In him she finds the living embodiment of the robot she is designing.

Eliza with the Watson robot she is programming: Amanda Quaid and John Ellison Conlee. Photo by Joan Marcus.

The concept, nicely executed by the actors under Leigh Silverman's able direction, is neat and fascinating, but like human interactions unpredictability. In many ways, the idea behind the play is frittered away by the many paths the plot takes. It's an entertaining and thought-provoking foray, but it ultimately disappoints.

For more information on "The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence," please visit
http://www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/plays/curious-case-watson-intelligence/

Exploring A Hertiage In "Dance and the Railroad:" David Henry Hwang's Signature Year

Opera and the operatic have been good to David Henry Hwang. "M Butterfly," a unique retelling of the grand opera, "Madame Butterfly," won the Tony for Best Play and BD Wong  as a Featured Actor in 1988. John Lithgow was a nominee for Best Actor in this huge Broadway hit. Hwang has also worked on operas with the likes of Philip Glass, Bright Sheng, Osvaldo Golijov, Phil Collins and Howard Shore.

"Dance and the Railroad," which was at Signature Center's Griffin Theatre last season, is not an opera, but it showcases a Chinese opera performer, Lone (Yuekun Wu) and his accolyte, Ma (Ruy Iskandar) as they practice their art while their fellow railworkers go on strike.

Hwang is the current Playwright in Residence at The Signature. His next play, "Kung Fu" with Cole Horibe as Bruce Lee, will have its world premiere in February-March 2014.

For more information and to book tickets, visit Signature Theatre's website.

Paris Swings

Peter Anderson (clarinet), Will Anderson (sax),
Luc Decker (drums), Clovis Nicolas (bass), and
Alex Wintz (guitar) in "Le Jazz Hot How The
French Saved Jazz" at 59E59 Theaters.
Photo by Eileen O'Donnell

"Love, Linda- The Life of Mrs.
Cole Porter," at The York
Theatre Company. Photos by
Carol Rosegg.

It's no canard that the French took to American jazz like a duck to water.

Starting in the 1920's, American musicians fled to the receptive shores of the Seine (and the Riviera) to enjoy a lively and welcoming cabaret scene. 

Among those were Les Cole Porters, as well as ex-pats Josephine Baker and Sidney Bichet. Bud Powell, Kenny Clark and Dizzy Gillespie felt right at home in France. Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong also made appearances before an admiring public.

Stevie Holland's and Gary William Friedman's "Love, Linda- The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter," premiering at The York Theatre Company through January 5th, tells the story of Cole Porter as husband. Cole and Linda Porter (Stevie Holland) set up house in one of the fashionable arrondissments and entertained lavishly, and enjpyed the cabaret life of the city.  "Love, Linda" documents in story and with songs by Cole Porter (arranged for "Love, Linda..." by Friedman) their life from Europe and back to the States. Cole Porter wrote music for revues, but met his first success wth the Broadway show "Paris," from which the hit "Let's Do It/Let's Fall In Love" emerged.

Stevie Holland is Linda Porter in "Love, Linda..." Sets by James Morgan, costumes by Pamela Dennis. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

"Love, Linda..." covers a lot more ground than just the Porters' sojourn in France. Linda Lee Thomas  was Cole's senior  by nearly a decade, and married at the time they met. While aware of his homosexuality, she was drawn to his talent and gentleness, a contrast to her first husband's brutality. Their marriage was more thna just one of convenience. Linda nurtured Cole's art. 

"The appreciation of beauty," Linda quotes her mother as saying, "is taste. The creation of  beauty is art."

Holland is supported by music director Christopher McGovern on piano, Alex Wyatt on drums, and Danny Weller on bass. Richard Maltby, Jr. helms Linda's story, which is cogently told in story and music. 

Peter and Will Anderson lead their "Le Jazz Hot" quintet. Photo by Eileen O'Donnell

"Le Jazz Hot- How The French Saved Jazz," at 59E59 Theater's E-Cafe through December 29th, takes an overview of Paris and its jazz scene from the years when Josephine Baker awed (and shocked) the world to the 50's and 60's, when Kenny Clarke and Bud Powell were regulars in the boites.

Peter and Will Anderson (sax, clarinets, flute) with Alex Wintz on guitar, Luc Decker on drums, and Clovis Nicolas on bass. (At other performances, you might encounter guitarist Randy Napoleon, bassist Neal Miner and drummer Phil Stewart on the small stage.) The apex of their virtuosity is in the performance of Duke Ellington's "Paris Blues." "La Vie en Rose" is pleasantly familiar while Django Reinhardt's "Manoir de Mes Reves" is hauntingly unfamiliar.

Cabaret mixed with informative film clips makes "Le Jazz Hot" an amiable entertainment.

For more information about "Love, Linda...," visit http://www.lovelindathemusical.com/. To learn more about "Le Jazz Hot," please visit 59e59.org.

The vast terrain of theatrical history

Carol Schultz (seated) with Micah Stock standing behind her, Dominic Cuskern, Rachel Botchan, and Sean McNall in a scene from Terrence McNally's "And Away We Go" at the Pearl Theatre through December 15th.
Photos by Al Foote III.

Theater has evolved over the centuries. Greek tragedies and comedies had state sponsorship, and free admission for all. Time moves on, and the theater continues to serve different audiences in different times. State assistance can also bring censorship, of course. With privatization come the headaches of raising funds to keep the shows going.  

Donna Lynne Champlin, Dominic Cuskern, Carol Schultz,
Micah Stock and Sean McNall.  Photo by Al Foote III.

Meant as a love poem to theater and its folk, Terrence McNally's "And Away We Go," at the Pearl Theatre Company through December 15th, mashes the traditions and tribulations of actors, acting and acting companies into a historical pastiche.

As it goes traipsing across the vast panoply of theater history, "And Away We Go," ambles through the Greek festivals, over to Richard Burbage's English stage, to the French and Russian revolutions and the playwrights who embodied them, to the impecunious present with a brief stop for Bert Lahr's "Waiting for Godot" in Coconut Grove in 1956. 

"And Away We Go" succeeds at being sometimes funny, sometimes maudlin, occasionally insightful, sometimes dreary, with the French (Versailles 1789) and Russian (Moscow Art Theatre 1896) sequences gratuitous and poorly executed. Many theatrical styles and periods are overlooked, others are overbooked.

The Greeks practiced a long form that has continually been whittled down so that McNally and his contemporaries tend towards the shorter play. "And Away We Go" attempts to find its perspective and cover the full range of theatrical history in under two intermission-less hours. 

By the way, I learned that it was the French who brought us the interval. In Shakespeare's time, the audience came and went as the actors performed.

Given the breadth of this survey, it would appear that McNally isn't aware that you can't do it all in one evening. Sandra Goldmark has created a scenic design that makes the stage look like a gigantic prop room. It's also a busy day at the office for the Pearl's troupe, all of whom are more than willing to tackle McNally's short but expansive text. 

Sean McNall and Dominic Cuskern, both Pearl Company regulars, distinguished themselves well. Both Carol Schultz and Rachel Botchan, also long time Company members, gave fine performances, with Ms. Schultz doing a particularly nice turn as Shirley Channing, executive director of a resident theatre company.
Donna Lynne Champlin, a Broadway and off-Broadway vet making her first Pearl appearance, was very very good in all her many roles. Micah Stock, another guest at the Pearl, had some difficulty with his French playwright, Christophe Durant, but was very good as Pallas, a member of the Greek chorus, and Kenny Tobias of the Coconut Grove concession stand.

For more information about "And Away We Go," and the Pearl Theatre Company, please visit the Pearl website.

Murder Most Delightfully Abominable

What would you do if you discovered that you were an heir to a distinguished family? One that had denied your existence and birthright and driven you and your mother into poverty?

The answer in "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder," at the Walter Kerr Theatre in an open run,  is to have our disinherited hero kill his way to the top.

Jane Carr as Miss Shingle and Bryce Pinkham as Monty Navarro in a scene from "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" at the Walter Kerr Theater. "You're a D'Ysquith," Miss Shingle informs Monty. Photo credit: Joan Marcus.

In a world in which motives for murder are so often random, it's refreshing to see how carefully planned Monty Navarro's (Bryce Pinkham) ascension is. All the mayhem he bestows is sweetly done, but Monty finds he has a knack for it. Here's a young man who finds purpose and a new skill.

Joanna Glushak as Lady Eugenia, Lauren Worsham as Phoebe D'Ysquith, Bryce Pinkham as Monty Navarro, Lisa O'Hare as Sibella Hallward, and Jefferson Mays as Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith, "Looking down the barrel of a gun" from "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" at the Walter Kerr Theater. Photo credit: Joan Marcus.

"A Gentleman's Guide.." has a book (and lyrics) by Robert L. Freedman, based like the Alec Guiness film,"Kind Hearts and Coronets" on Roy Horniman's Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal. The music, and additional lyrics, by Steven Lutvak, that accompanies all this silliness is superbly light and airy. The lyrics  match the froth of the score inserting clever plot points  to move the story along.

The relatives Monty is despatching, improvising as he goes, (all played by Jefferson Mays) are a varied lot of upper crust fops, toffs, fools, and snobs.

Jefferson Mays as Henry D'Ysquith, Jennifer Smith, and Bryce Pinkham
as Monty Navarro in a scene from "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"
 at the Walter Kerr Theater. Photo credit: Joan Marcus.

Bryce Pinkham is an amiably baby-faced murderer. He sticks to the spirit of the script executing his killing spree with a wink and an air of surprise. Jefferson Mays, in turn, is all bluster as one high-toned relative, gently ridiculous as another, always clearily enjoying himself. The cast led by Pinkham and Mays are as bright as a new penny.

There are three other stand-outs in this fine ensemble. Lisa O'Hare as Monty's love-interest  Sibella Hallward is fetchingly coquettish, while Lauren Worsham as Monty's cousin Phoebe D'Ysquith is beautifully eccentric. Both women have wonderful voices, and excellent comic delivery. The third is Joanna Glushak who grandly steps out of the chorus as Lady Eugenia, Adalbert D'Ysquith's dyspeptic spouse.

Lisa O'Hare as Sibella Hallward and Bryce Pinkham as Monty
Navarro in a scene from "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"
at the Walter Kerr  Theater. Photo credit: Joan Marcus.

Deftly directed by Darko Tresnjak, the British import is as pleasanly insubstantial. The sets, by Alexander Dodge, feature a puppet stage inset on which mostly the indoor scenes are played; like the book, music and lyrics, the set is cleverly done and there are effects that amuse. Despite all the wit and talent in "A Gentleman's Guide..," the play is a trifle, a fluffy, flimsy and enjoyable romp.

Do you ever wonder whywe find murder, while we decry the crime, such satisfying entertainment. In "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder," it is the pleasure of watching the underdog get even and get away with it. "A Gentleman's Guide..." is pure escapism, a beach read for a winter's eve.

Please visit agentlemansguidebroadway.com to find out more about "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder."

Theater for the Holidays: A Veritable Feast Awaits

The holidays are fast approaching. Here are some theatrical events to help you give thanks and jubiliation, and celebrate with cheer: 

Enjoy the spirit of Thanksgiving with the 99% when Around the Block presents its second installment of Recovery Blip Or Double Dip?--  short plays on the everyday struggles of the 99%.

By Wayne Wilkinson [CC-BY-2.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

In 2004 Around The Block  / Al Doblar La Esquina won an OBIE citation for being one of the producing companies for The Imagine Festival, focused on urban poverty and economic survival.  The reprise of the festival features six one-act plays by Marcia Slatkin, Nina Howes, Carlos Jerome, Edgar Chisholm, William Marley and Allan Yashin.

The off-beat Thanksgiving event will run from November 27th through December 1st at the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre,  312 West 36th Street (1st floor). For tickets and information, call 1-800-838-3006 or visit  http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/510663.

By Maryland Pride (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL
(http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

From November 29th to December 1st, Avenue Q’s John Tartaglia brings Jim Henson’s "Dinosaur Train – Live! Buddy’s Big Adventure" to NYU Skirball Center, as part of the venue’s 2013-14 Big Red Chair Family Series. Premium Orchestra ticket holders will have the opportunity for a 15 min post-show Meet & Greet with at least one character from the production in costume. Join us one hour prior to each performance for educational activities: come learn about dinosaurs and create your own dino puppet! For more information and tickets, visit nyuskirball.org, or call 212.352.3101

On December 19th, 20th, and 21st at 7pm at  St. John's Lutheran Church, 81 Christopher Street, Peter Filichia's "Adam's Gift" riffs on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Tickets are FREE. but you must have a reservation and please make a suggested donation to St. John's at the door. Reserve your tickets at, info@adamsgiftstheshow.com.

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

Traditions are a big part of the holidays, so join Urban Stages in their fifth season of A Twelve Night Musical Celebration including Musical Theatre, Cabaret, Jazz and more to benefit Arts and Education. Winter Rhythms 2013 will include a Centennial Celebration of Mary Martin, Sinatra at the Movies, and A Salute to Singers/Songwriters of the 70s. Look for performances from the likes of Karen Akers, Leslie Uggams, Lynn Cohen, T. Oliver Reid, among many others at Urban Stages Theater from December 3-15, 2013. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.SmartTix.com or calling 212 868-4444 for all performances. For a full schedule and more information, please go to www.urbanstages.org.

Brothers Grimm on a German stamp, 1959.
By Bert Jäger (scanned by NobbiP) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Another holiday tradition is the Axis Theatre's Annual Family Holiday Show, in its 12th year, "Seven in One Blow, or the Brave Little Kid." Adapted from a Brothers Grimm fairy tale by Randy Sharp, who also composed the music and directs the show, "Seven in One Blow" plays from December 6-22, with proceeds from the December 14th performance going to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  For more information, go to www.AxisCompany.org or call 212.352.3101.

By Rominak (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0
 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Wild Project has its own spirit of celebration for the holidays. These are shows strictly not for your youngsters. The original musical parody of Mad Men, "The Mad World of Miss Hathaway"  features unlimited amounts of booze, broads and bawdy good times.  Its return run is from Friday December 13th though Sunday December 16th. From the 19th through the 22nd, "Nicholas Gorham's White Hot Christmas," invites you to learn the true spirit of Christmas, which for this Hollywood star is money and glamour. Check out the full schedule of holiday treats from The Wild Project at www.thewildproject.com or by calling   212.352.3101.