Two shows now playing in New York, one on Broadway and one off-Broadway, exemplify the best that theater can achieve.
Starting off-Broadway, where the Signature Theater should be commended for giving Tony Kushner's "Angels in America" a searing and moving production that matches the brilliance of the work itself. Despite having seen this show three times in its Los Angeles premiere, once on Broadway and the national tour, sitting through the spellbinding seven hours of this play in one day at the Signature I was struck by several notable observations about a play that seemed new to me all over again. First, this play works best for me when done in an intimate setting, and the Signature's relatively small venue provides a welcome home for this masterpiece. Second, while I loved all of the actors who were cast in the original US production of "Angels," in their own way each of the actors in the Signature production is at least as good as their original counterpart. I cannot even single any one of the cast out for special praise - they were all so very good. I know some people have expressed reservations with Zoe Kazan as Harper, but I found her take on the role to be original and genuine.
Third, I was struck by how timely "Angels" is today, and that surprised me a great deal. Politically, today's tea party fanatics are close proxies of the Reaganites depicted in the play, and history does seem to be repeating itself. I was also moved by how prophetic this play, written pre-9/11, was in addressing the tension between desires for a static world, and the yearning for a world that changes and progressess. Finally, due to some judicious rewrites by Mr. Kushner and fluid direction by Michael Grief, the second play ("Perestroika") is now simply perfect where it was previously the grander and more ambitious, albeit flabbier portion.
A perfect production of a now perfect play. I will go out on a limb and say that seeing "Angels" in its current incarnation provided me with the most satisfying and thrilling theatrical experience I have witnessed to date.
The good news does not end there, because one of the finest new musicals in years has taken up shop at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre in the form of Kander & Ebb's "The Scottsboro Boys." This show, which I loved at the Vineyard off-Broadway, and been tweaked and sharpened by its outstanding director and choreographer Susan Stroman. Taking on the true story of the Scottsboro Boys and placing them in a minstrel show framing device is sheer genius that grabs hold of the audience from the opening and never lets go. The score, one of Kander & Ebb's best, is the best new musical score in years. The cast has improved since the show's Vinyard days with one notable exception. In the lead role of Haywood Patterson, a very fine Joshua Henry simply does now show the vulnerabilty and range that the amazing Brandon Victor Dixon brought to the role off-Broadway. But no matter- the show works on Broadway and is a must see for anyone interested in the musical theater form.
A few quick notes on other new shows now playing. "Time Stands Still" and "Pitman Painters" are both good plays given sparkling and very well acted productions. "Woman on the Verge of A Nervous Breakdown" "Gatz" and "Middletown" are flawed works that nevertheless provide some real pleasures. "La Bete" was disappointing, as was virtually all of the Los Angeles based theater I have seen in the past few months. Nonetheless, if no other good new work opens in the balance of this theater season, "Angels" and "Scottsboro" together ensure that this year has been a good one for this theatergoer.
