Defending The Philanthropist

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)

CYMBELINE

I'm not sure if Trapezia could stand another day without my blogging about Lincoln Center's respectable production of Cymbeline, so I will break from my bad Blog About Town habit of procrastinating on reviews until a production is just about to close and encourage you, here and now, to consider attending this arguably underrated and certainly worthwhile play, which won't close until next year (January 6, 2008).

Before seeing the play myself, I had imagined that Cymbeline was a Hans Christian Andersen story about a little girl who emerges from a zil, but it turns out that it is actually Shakespeare drama of skulduggery during the reign of the English king Cymbeline. One of the last plays credited to Bacon...er, Shakespeare, Cymbeline has a lot in common with its more popular chronological counterparts The Tempest and, especially, the quirky The Winter's Tale. Directed by Mark Lamos and starring Michael Cerveris and Martha Plimpton, the play kicks off with crystal-clear explication, then gradually meanders along various plot threads, with some comic and grotesque surprises along the way, until reaching a memorable denouement that can make you wonder whether Shakespeare has been pulling your leg all along.

It turns out, in fact, that the character Cymbeline is not even one of the major roles in the play, but I concur with Roma Torre in admiring the versatile John Cullum's performance as the King as well as the widely liked John (Mad About You) Pankow's widely praised supporting turn as Pisanio. Playing Iachimo, Jonathan "Beef" Cake also qualifies as a contender for the Best Supporting Torso Tony of 2008.

Trapezia and I both noticed the eclectic production elements for the play, including some very strong suggestions of Star Trek, of all things. And it turns out we weren't alone, as per the likes of Newsday's Linda Winer, who wasn't won over as much as we were.