The biggest excitement being generated in the early portion of the Spring 2010 NY theater season can be found off-Broadway, where I recently sampled three solid new shows now playing to, for the moment, sold out (or near sold out) houses.
The first, and best of the lot is the new Kander & Ebb musical "The Scottboro Boys" which is given an exciting, audacious and sparkling production helmed by director Susan Stroman. Everything about this show is top-notch, from the score, to the technical aspects (lighting, sound, sets), to the talented cast. The story focuses on the historical Scottsboro Boys incident that took place in the early 1930s, when a group of young African American men were falsely accused and convicted (multiple times, after multiple successful federal constitutional appeals) of raping two young white woman who were travelling on the same train in Alabama.
In a very bold and risky move, the show is performed minstrel-style, which is somewhat off-putting at first glance. But before long, the brilliance of the concept shines through - minstrel shows are all about denying the essential humanity of the performers - the same denial of essential humanity that African Americans faced in the early 1930's which provided the breeding grounds for the travesties of justice depicted here. The show's style in quite reminiscent of two earlier Kander & Ebb shows - "Chicago" and "Cabaret," and "Scottsboro" is just as good as those now classic musicals. The performances are outstanding, with a particular star making turn provided by the lead performance of Brandon Victor Dixon. At times the show shocks its audience with its stereotyped racial portrayals, but nothing is more shocking than the treatment that the Scottsboro boys received from the Alabama state judicial system.
Essential for a successful musical, the score on first hearing is tuneful and beautiful. Particular standouts in the score are "Go Back Home," "You Can't Do Me" and the title tune. The tone of the show veers from joyous, to melancholic, to disturbing - all emotional reactions that its canny creators surely intended. There are rumblings that this show may move to Broadway. It will be a challenge to make this show work in that environment, but the real shame would be not giving this amazing show, which Fred Ebb was working on at the time of his death, a chance at a bigger audience and the greater exposure that a Broadway run would provide.
Another outstanding show playing off-Broadway is Horton Foote's three-part, nine hour opus "The Orphan's Home Cycle," which I recently caught in one of the scarce full day (it starts at 11am and ends after 11pm) "marathon performances." The first part of three is the most breathtaking and focused, although the second part is also very strong. By the time I made my way through the third and final part, I have to admit feeling that the show's themes were repeating themselves too often; but it is a minor problem amidst a major work. I could also take issue with some of the acting, but overall, the acting is solid, especially the outstanding lead performance of Bill Heck who plays the main character, Horace Robedaux.
An interesting companion piece to "Orphan's Home Cycle," albeit in a much more condensed form, can be found at Lincoln Center's Mitzi Newhouse Theater where the Australian dark family drama "When The Rain Stopped Falling" recently opened. A similar "sins of the father" theme can be found in both works, although many of the particular sins handed down from prior generations differ in the works, at least in name. But the inability of family members to communicate, and the consequences of such failure, are central themes in both plays.
The acting in "Rain" is quite strong, but the real star of the production is the sensitive and elegant direction by the supremely talented director, David Cromer. Cromer ensures that all of the theatrical elements - e.g., the actings, set, staging, music and lighting, are carefully calibrated and synchronized to allow for the themes of the play to slowly and beautifully reveal themselves. Walking out of Lincoln Center after the show, I felt a strong urge to read the lyrical
"Rain" script, which thankfully can be quickly obtained from Amazon.com!
These three solid off-Broadway shows provide an exciting and solid base for the spring 2010 theater season in New York.
