I don't know what's up with me, The New York Times, and plays at the American Airlines Theatre. I saw 2009 Tony non-nominee Hedda Gabler when it was at the theater and felt that it didn't deserve the harshness in Ben Brantley's review. I mean, it wasn't the greatest Hedda Gabler imaginable, but it was all right.
And now I have similar feelings about Sara Krulwich's review of 2009 non-nominee The Philanthropist Hedda Gabler's successor. If you read her review, you'll see that while she had understandable praise for the costuming and the performances of Jonathan Cake, Anna Madeley, and Steven Weber, she ultimately laid into the production for its "sheer dullness" and Matthew Broderick's turn in the title role.
My feelings about the production are similar to the ones I have about Hedda Gabler. I'd agree that Broderick's interpretation is problematic but I still enjoyed the play, including the performances of the aforementioned thespians as well as Jennifer Mudge and Tate Ellington, who round out the cast along with Samantha Soule, who does fine subtle work being reached over by Cake. (See it and you'll see what I mean.) I was intrigued by the play's quirky structure as it unfolded and I enjoyed the surprises and the humor, which includes some clever punning. There were some dull moments, but overall I found it worthwhile. I was also intrigued by similarities between characters in The Philanthropist and Hedda Gabler as well as similarities between The Philanthropist and the 2009 Tony-nominated production The Norman Conquests. Plus I love what the play has to say about...cigarettes!
Source (5:03)
Showing posts with label Ben Brantley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ben Brantley. Show all posts
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Congrats to Next to Normal
The energetic musical Next to Normal, which follows the ups and downs of a severely traumatized family, opened to some glowing reviews last night. Probably the most important was the welcome Next to Normal received from Ben Brantley at The New York Times, which kicks off with
I caught Next to Normal at a preview performance, where I found that it had its own ups and downs. There were some very stimulating, thought-provoking moments that shed light on the characters, utilized stagecraft to excellent effect, or simply worked incredibly well, like a scene between Ripley and Louis Hobson as a doctor.
But I also thought that aspects of the show could have used even more work than the creative team has already devoted to it. I wasn't entirely sold on the tri-level set, even though at times the staging made good use of it. I thought the makeup or costuming of the character Henry could have offered more of a clue—not a big one, just a little hint—of his pothead tendencies. Some of the lyrics fell flat, and the same could be said of a second-act goodbye scene that ought to have much more of an impact.
Still, the show's high points are as numerous and authentic as they are rare elsewhere on Broadway, inspiring hearty cheers as well as tears from audience members. And they can get you to think—about life and about the potential of musical theater. So, even though I didn't like the production as much as Brantley did, I still found it worthwhile.
AND BY THE WAY... Is something fishy going on at the box office of the Booth Theater, home to Next to Normal? I've heard of weird problems cropping up lately—so, for the moment, I would not recommend leaving tickets there to be picked up unless you want to risk what could be a disturbing, surreal experience.
BROADWAY.COM BONUS Thanks to Broadway.com, here's the Next to Normal song "Superboy and the Invisible Girl," by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey. The featured singer is Spring Awakening alum Jennifer Damiano, backed by Ripley and Aaron Tveit.
Source (2:34)
No show on Broadway right now makes as direct a grab for the heart — or wrings it as thoroughly — as "Next to Normal" does. This brave, breathtaking musical, which opened Wednesday night at the Booth Theater, focuses squarely on the pain that cripples the members of a suburban family, and never for a minute does it let you escape the anguish at the core of their lives.and goes on to compliment the "astounding central performance from Alice Ripley" that "promises to be the musical performance of the season" as well as the "songs...propelled by the same rock ’n’ roll jaggedness and vitality that animated Duncan Sheik's score for Spring Awakening."
I caught Next to Normal at a preview performance, where I found that it had its own ups and downs. There were some very stimulating, thought-provoking moments that shed light on the characters, utilized stagecraft to excellent effect, or simply worked incredibly well, like a scene between Ripley and Louis Hobson as a doctor.
But I also thought that aspects of the show could have used even more work than the creative team has already devoted to it. I wasn't entirely sold on the tri-level set, even though at times the staging made good use of it. I thought the makeup or costuming of the character Henry could have offered more of a clue—not a big one, just a little hint—of his pothead tendencies. Some of the lyrics fell flat, and the same could be said of a second-act goodbye scene that ought to have much more of an impact.
Still, the show's high points are as numerous and authentic as they are rare elsewhere on Broadway, inspiring hearty cheers as well as tears from audience members. And they can get you to think—about life and about the potential of musical theater. So, even though I didn't like the production as much as Brantley did, I still found it worthwhile.
AND BY THE WAY... Is something fishy going on at the box office of the Booth Theater, home to Next to Normal? I've heard of weird problems cropping up lately—so, for the moment, I would not recommend leaving tickets there to be picked up unless you want to risk what could be a disturbing, surreal experience.
BROADWAY.COM BONUS Thanks to Broadway.com, here's the Next to Normal song "Superboy and the Invisible Girl," by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey. The featured singer is Spring Awakening alum Jennifer Damiano, backed by Ripley and Aaron Tveit.
Source (2:34)
Saturday, June 21, 2008
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
Deborah recently asked about the play August: Osage County, so now that I've finally written up some productions that are on the verge of closing I suppose it's a perfect time to turn to this much-lauded play by Tracy Letts, which promises to run for a decent stretch past Tony season.
August: Osage County, a three-act play that basically portrays a dysfunctional family, received some extremely positive reviews, including raves from Charles Isherwood of The New York Times, who called it "the most exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years." Then came the cavalcade of awards, including the Pulitzer and many Tony honors. But if you listen closely enough, you might hear some less enthusiastic appraisals amidst the chorus of praise. Friends of BAT have left the theater wondering "What's the big deal?" or gasping, "We couldn't believe how hammy it was!"
My feelings: The play is good and substantial, though not nearly as swell as you might think from all those honors. As has been noted in the Times and elsewhere, the family drama is rich with strains of Eugene O'Neill and Sam Shepard, among others. These are so apparent that one might suspect that the playwright said things like, "Okay, this is my O'Neill section" when working on the script. Even the play's characters recognize when they're playing out a truth-telling or secret-revealing scene.
I don't really have complaints about this type of grafting—and it was great to hear virtually the entire audience gasping together at the appropriate moments—but based on my one viewing of the play my main concern is that Letts just seems to stop at the hommagelevel. He doesn't seem to add much more, which leaves me feeling that the play, while accomplished, doesn't go far enough beyond evocation of the masters to announce the playwright as a master in his own right. So I'm actually less enthusiastic thinking about what Letts has accomplished with August: Osage County than I am about what he might do next. (And I do wonder whether this play is just one in a planned series of play, perhaps arranged by months.)
Something that did impress me about this production was how well it played to the rafters. When The Other Dave and I came to our half-price seats, located three rows from the back of the theater and quite far from the stage, we were downcast at the prospect of spending a few hours straining to hear what the actors were saying. But we were pleasantly surprised to find that nearly every word was intelligible where we were perched. And though I can understand why some attendees felt that the widely lauded star Deanna Dunagan did go over-the-top in imbuing her character with the characteristics of a venomous snake, I can attest that the characterization, while less than subtle, came through clearly in the nosebleed section. That is a sign of a top-notch and considerate technical production—and it's the kind of thing that helps many audience members leave the theater feeling that they've gotten their money's worth. In contrast, I can think of at least two recent productions that fell short of that level. As mentioned previously, the sound produced by the musicians in Sunday in the Park with George was too strong for many audience members in the upper level. And in the Manhattan Theatre Club's production of Top Girls, many lines were hard to discern in the upper level. (And I'm not just talking about the overlapping dialogue.) Critics including Ben Brantley of The New York Times liked Top Girls, but I think audience reaction would have been much more favorable if the words had been easier to follow.
Deborah recently asked about the play August: Osage County, so now that I've finally written up some productions that are on the verge of closing I suppose it's a perfect time to turn to this much-lauded play by Tracy Letts, which promises to run for a decent stretch past Tony season.
August: Osage County, a three-act play that basically portrays a dysfunctional family, received some extremely positive reviews, including raves from Charles Isherwood of The New York Times, who called it "the most exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years." Then came the cavalcade of awards, including the Pulitzer and many Tony honors. But if you listen closely enough, you might hear some less enthusiastic appraisals amidst the chorus of praise. Friends of BAT have left the theater wondering "What's the big deal?" or gasping, "We couldn't believe how hammy it was!"
My feelings: The play is good and substantial, though not nearly as swell as you might think from all those honors. As has been noted in the Times and elsewhere, the family drama is rich with strains of Eugene O'Neill and Sam Shepard, among others. These are so apparent that one might suspect that the playwright said things like, "Okay, this is my O'Neill section" when working on the script. Even the play's characters recognize when they're playing out a truth-telling or secret-revealing scene.
I don't really have complaints about this type of grafting—and it was great to hear virtually the entire audience gasping together at the appropriate moments—but based on my one viewing of the play my main concern is that Letts just seems to stop at the hommagelevel. He doesn't seem to add much more, which leaves me feeling that the play, while accomplished, doesn't go far enough beyond evocation of the masters to announce the playwright as a master in his own right. So I'm actually less enthusiastic thinking about what Letts has accomplished with August: Osage County than I am about what he might do next. (And I do wonder whether this play is just one in a planned series of play, perhaps arranged by months.)
Something that did impress me about this production was how well it played to the rafters. When The Other Dave and I came to our half-price seats, located three rows from the back of the theater and quite far from the stage, we were downcast at the prospect of spending a few hours straining to hear what the actors were saying. But we were pleasantly surprised to find that nearly every word was intelligible where we were perched. And though I can understand why some attendees felt that the widely lauded star Deanna Dunagan did go over-the-top in imbuing her character with the characteristics of a venomous snake, I can attest that the characterization, while less than subtle, came through clearly in the nosebleed section. That is a sign of a top-notch and considerate technical production—and it's the kind of thing that helps many audience members leave the theater feeling that they've gotten their money's worth. In contrast, I can think of at least two recent productions that fell short of that level. As mentioned previously, the sound produced by the musicians in Sunday in the Park with George was too strong for many audience members in the upper level. And in the Manhattan Theatre Club's production of Top Girls, many lines were hard to discern in the upper level. (And I'm not just talking about the overlapping dialogue.) Critics including Ben Brantley of The New York Times liked Top Girls, but I think audience reaction would have been much more favorable if the words had been easier to follow.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
I ENJOYED CRY-BABY!
There. I wrote it. I admit it. I confess it.
I mean, I realize it's not that big a deal to like the new Broadway musical Cry-Baby. I get the feeling that the general critical consensus is that it's all right, just not anything close to astounding. And I would agree that it doesn't come close to a number of fun-filled productions that I would consider its cousins, such as Urinetown, Little Shop of Horrors and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee—though I might be thought of as heretical for enjoying Cry Baby more than its sibling, Hairspray. But Ben Brantley put a harsh spin on it in The New York Times, and Michael Feingold offered a largely negative dissection of it in The Village Voice, so I'm also getting the feeling that its more appealing qualities might not be getting through in the media.
When I think about the brighter side of Cry-Baby, I think first of Alli Mauzey, who plays the obsessive Lenora. She's got fifth billing in the program, but she's tops in the show when it comes to enlivening it with comic talent and vocal ability.
Mauzey's performance seems to "click" more and more as the musical progresses, and I think that seems to be the case for the show as a whole. She has a good number in Act One with the Patsy Cline parody "Screw Loose," but everything seems to come together much better with the advent of Act Two, which opens with the strong "Misery, Agony, Helplessness, Hopelessness, Heartache and Woe" and then reaches a staging highlight with "All in My Head," in which masks help the production hit a bizarre note that comes close to what I tend to like most about the films of John Waters, whose movie Cry-Baby inspired this musical. Then comes an athletic novelty dance involving men and license plates, a disturbing and amusing confession from Harriet Harris as Mrs. Vernon Williams (who comes across as a Katherine Hepburn parody beside the Spencer Tracy of Richard Poe's Judge Stone), some funny riffing on "white bread" music, and the sardonic "happy ending" of "Nothing Bad's Ever Gonna Happen Again."
So don't treat Cry-Baby as if it had some sort of deadly and highly contagious disease. It's not perfect...but it's got Alli Mauzey and a strong second act with some outstanding numbers. I think some of the more negative critics would have acknowledged as much if they hadn't decided to emphasize the flaws in the production.
Here's a Theatermania video that offers glimpses from a preview of the production.
Source (4:59)
Sunday, July 22, 2007
ENCORES: GYPSY
The Encores! series extends its winning streak with its summer production of Gypsy, which runs through July 29. Could it be more finely tuned, as suggested in Ben Brantley's dour-toned New York Times review? Sure, I think it could...but it's still very good in many ways. And I think Brantley is unfair to Patti Lupone's intriguing and intelligent take on the character of domineering Momma Rose.
One of the show's highlights comes in a kind of throwaway transitional scene that shows Momma Rose adding young boys to her troupe while traipsing over to California. Her pouncing posture is funny, a little scary, and very representative of her character. Later in the first act Lupone and Boyd Gaines (as Herbie) offer a great little duet that climaxes with the two singing as they practically tumble to the floor. It's a great routine for the two stage veterans.
In the second act there are at least three big numbers. The reliable routine in which strippers teach the basics to the future Gypsy Rose Lee is entertaining, but there's magic in the sequence showing her blossom in the trade. On the surface it might not come across as very demanding for an actor, but Benanti's performance is so polished (and her makeup and costuming so flattering) that it suddenly made the vast City Center seem very, very intimate and offered a strong case that the kind of "striptease" touted by Gypsy Rose Lee can still be erotic even in today's more jaded and openly sexualized world. (I think an adult actually escorted a child out of the theater during the episode.) And then there's the big—really big—number, "Rose's Turn," which Lupone performs with high drama without turning it into a maudlin, cringe-inducing psychodrama.
Once again Encores! offers a full orchestra with a rich and lively sound that (even with problematic violin intonation in early passages) cannot be equaled by today's small, electronically enhanced pit ensembles. And the reliably hardcore Encores! theater crowd is an attraction in itself, delighted to be entertained and very demonstrative to boot.
I do have a complaint about the venue. Due to budgetary concerns, I've been getting nosebleed seats for a while, but for Gypsy I accidentally wound up with tickets in the center of the rear mezzanine, which has to rank as one of the worst seating sections in all of New York City. The rake is too flat, which means that many heads can block views of the action. A friend and I craned this way and that to get good vantage points, but before the second act he migrated to seats in a less crowded section to one side of the rear mezzanine. I joined him there after the woman behind me pleaded for me to stop my swaying. I am pretty sure that the rake can be improved, so I think that City Center should fix it promptly and, in the meantime, find a way to label and price the seats as "obstructed" or something like that.
Here's Gypsy Rose Lee in Stage Door Canteen (which also featured original Momma Rose Ethel Merman). And is that William Burroughs at the very end?
Source (5:00)
And here's writer Arthur Laurents on the musical and the "real" Gypsy Rose Lee.
Source (1:27)
The Encores! series extends its winning streak with its summer production of Gypsy, which runs through July 29. Could it be more finely tuned, as suggested in Ben Brantley's dour-toned New York Times review? Sure, I think it could...but it's still very good in many ways. And I think Brantley is unfair to Patti Lupone's intriguing and intelligent take on the character of domineering Momma Rose.
One of the show's highlights comes in a kind of throwaway transitional scene that shows Momma Rose adding young boys to her troupe while traipsing over to California. Her pouncing posture is funny, a little scary, and very representative of her character. Later in the first act Lupone and Boyd Gaines (as Herbie) offer a great little duet that climaxes with the two singing as they practically tumble to the floor. It's a great routine for the two stage veterans.
In the second act there are at least three big numbers. The reliable routine in which strippers teach the basics to the future Gypsy Rose Lee is entertaining, but there's magic in the sequence showing her blossom in the trade. On the surface it might not come across as very demanding for an actor, but Benanti's performance is so polished (and her makeup and costuming so flattering) that it suddenly made the vast City Center seem very, very intimate and offered a strong case that the kind of "striptease" touted by Gypsy Rose Lee can still be erotic even in today's more jaded and openly sexualized world. (I think an adult actually escorted a child out of the theater during the episode.) And then there's the big—really big—number, "Rose's Turn," which Lupone performs with high drama without turning it into a maudlin, cringe-inducing psychodrama.
Once again Encores! offers a full orchestra with a rich and lively sound that (even with problematic violin intonation in early passages) cannot be equaled by today's small, electronically enhanced pit ensembles. And the reliably hardcore Encores! theater crowd is an attraction in itself, delighted to be entertained and very demonstrative to boot.
I do have a complaint about the venue. Due to budgetary concerns, I've been getting nosebleed seats for a while, but for Gypsy I accidentally wound up with tickets in the center of the rear mezzanine, which has to rank as one of the worst seating sections in all of New York City. The rake is too flat, which means that many heads can block views of the action. A friend and I craned this way and that to get good vantage points, but before the second act he migrated to seats in a less crowded section to one side of the rear mezzanine. I joined him there after the woman behind me pleaded for me to stop my swaying. I am pretty sure that the rake can be improved, so I think that City Center should fix it promptly and, in the meantime, find a way to label and price the seats as "obstructed" or something like that.
Here's Gypsy Rose Lee in Stage Door Canteen (which also featured original Momma Rose Ethel Merman). And is that William Burroughs at the very end?
Source (5:00)
And here's writer Arthur Laurents on the musical and the "real" Gypsy Rose Lee.
Source (1:27)
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