Three plays now running in New York deftly tackle the biggest questions in life. Love, family and death are the primary ideas explored in the terrific new Playwrights Horizons play The Big Meal. Death returns as the main theme in Signature Theater's expertly cast revival of Edward Albee's The Lady From Dubuque, and Manhattan Theater Club's Broadway revival of Margaret Edson's Pulitzer Prize winning Wit. All three plays feature great casts and are well worth a visit.
The most exciting and fresh of these offerings is the new play in the bunch- The Big Meal which is a uniquely structured look at the history of three generations of a family. Interestingly, each character is played by multiple actors at different ages ranging from childhood (in many cases) to old age. To explain the conceit further would make the play sound too complicated and confusing, but as expertly directed by Sam Gold and his terrific cast, everything rings clear and emotionally true. I am in awe of playwright Dan LeFranc's ability in less than 90 minutes to both chronicle a long familial history while keeping each character and their traits clearly and sharply portrayed. The whole cast is outstanding, but the performances of Anita Gillette and Jennifer Mudge are particularly solid and worthy of note. I am hopeful that the reviews in New York will match the great notices that this play received in Chicago, and that this production has a life longer than its brief run in the smaller theater at Playwrights Horizons where it is currently playing. I also eagerly await the next play from this drama's exciting playwright.
Wit the Pulitzer Prize winning drama that focuses on the end of life issues faced by a poetry teacher/scholar, is on Broadway for the first time in the MTC revival that stars the enormously talented actress Cynthia Nixon. I have seen this play numerous times, including its original production at South Coast Rep and the outstanding NY off-Broadway production that started the formidable Kathleen Chalfant. The tone of the current production is a little off, overly highlighting the humor in the play. Before seeing the show, and even in its first few minutes, I also worried that Cynthia Nixon might not be able to convincingly play a tough as nails university professor faced with her rapidly encroaching mortality. But Ms. Nixon gives such an emotional true and deeply felt performance, that she won me over to her portrayal which added new layers to the play. This is a performance that should not be missed.
Death essentially plays a character (or two) in Signature Theatre's engaging revival of Edward Albee's late 1970s commercial flop, The Lady From Dubuque. Signature wisely enlisted the great actress (and former NEA head) Jane Alexander to play the "Lady" mentioned in the play's title, and further cast the entire production with a skilled group of actors that expertly navigate the absurdist edges of Albee's work. I admired the cast more than the play itself (which tends to drag a bit in the first act that screams out for some editing), but the play itself is nevertheless interesting, daring and thought provoking.
Visiting the Signature Theatre's new multi-stage home on 42nd Street for the second time in the past month, I was again struck by what an amazing accomplishment Signature has achieved in the form of its new venue. Waiting in the generous shared common area for "Dubuque" to begin, the diversity and energy of the theater going crowd Signature has attracted left me thrilled and excited for the future of off Broadway theater in New York. Kudos to Signature and it's funders for a job extremely well done. I cannot wait to visit again soon.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Saturday, March 03, 2012
Signature's New Home Dazzles; "Salesman" and "Carrie" Fizzle
New York's Off-Broadway gets a amazing new addition in the form of Signature Theatre's new home on 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues. The Frank Gehry designed space, officially named the Pershing Square Signature Center, is composed of three theaters and a huge common area on the second level of a massive new residential development just a stone's throw from Signature's prior venue. The complex itself is a huge winner, and the common space shared by the theaters achieves what no other theater space in New York can match - an airy, comfortable, electric pre- and post-show gathering spot. The closest equivalent space I can think of is London's National Theatre complex. Bravo to the developers and Signature for having the vision and persistence to make this incredible complex a reality.
How great it is to report that the new productions inaugurating the Signature's grand opening are terrific shows that stay true to the Signature's spirit and mission. I had the pleasure of seeing Signature's revival of Athol Fugard's searing "Blood Knot" and its premiere of Katori Hall's exciting new "Hurt Village." Both works are expertly directed (the first by Fugard himself, the send by Patricia McGregor) and both feature amazing casts the breathe vigor and excitement into both texts. At the subsidized bargain of $25 per ticket, it is hard to find a better theater bargain in New York, or anywhere else in the country for that matter.
Elsewhere, the news is not so good. The Mike Nichols directed revival of Arthur Miller's seminal work "Death of a Salesman," is, plain and simple, a dud. A miscast dud, with a much too young cast playing most of the show's major roles. Phillip Seymour Hoffman lacks the range needed for Willy- he can only display confusion and anger, and he wildly vacillates between those two emotions. Andrew Garfield does not seem to know quite what to do with Biff, and Linda Edmond has nothing much to play off with such miscast male leads. The supporting cast is much better, but the whole exercise feels dated, lethargic and like a woefully produced college production where everyone is much too young for their roles. I was hesitant to see this production because the last one I saw (the 1999 revival starring Brian Dennehy) was one of the most moving and devastating experiences I have had in a theater. Don't be drawn in by the box office draw names above the title of this revival - the show is a bore, not easy to do with such a great work of writing.
The revival of the legendary flop musical "Carrie," is, I am sad to say, also a flop. Not a flop of embarrassing proportions, just the deadly dull type. Clearly, "Carrie" should have been left unrevived.
Much more successful was Encore's terrific revival of Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along," which was on par with the finest production of that show I have seen, and it featured by far the best second act of that show I have seen. The refurbished NY City Center which housed the two week "Merrily" run also looks terrific, although the acoustics in that venue need some tweaking.
Not much to report on theater-wise in Los Angeles, except for an intriguing and engaging work from Argentina at the Redcat entitled "El Pasado Es Un Animal Grotesco." The show featured a revolving multi-roomed circular set on which the talented Spanish speaking cast (the show featured English subtitles) presented this brilliantly conceived rumination on the passage of ten years in the lives of twenty- and thirty-somethings. Unfortunately its brief multi-day run has ended.
Coming up in the next post - reviews of another Signature show (Albee's "Lady From Dubuque") and the MTC revival of "Wit" starring Cynthia Nixon.
How great it is to report that the new productions inaugurating the Signature's grand opening are terrific shows that stay true to the Signature's spirit and mission. I had the pleasure of seeing Signature's revival of Athol Fugard's searing "Blood Knot" and its premiere of Katori Hall's exciting new "Hurt Village." Both works are expertly directed (the first by Fugard himself, the send by Patricia McGregor) and both feature amazing casts the breathe vigor and excitement into both texts. At the subsidized bargain of $25 per ticket, it is hard to find a better theater bargain in New York, or anywhere else in the country for that matter.
Elsewhere, the news is not so good. The Mike Nichols directed revival of Arthur Miller's seminal work "Death of a Salesman," is, plain and simple, a dud. A miscast dud, with a much too young cast playing most of the show's major roles. Phillip Seymour Hoffman lacks the range needed for Willy- he can only display confusion and anger, and he wildly vacillates between those two emotions. Andrew Garfield does not seem to know quite what to do with Biff, and Linda Edmond has nothing much to play off with such miscast male leads. The supporting cast is much better, but the whole exercise feels dated, lethargic and like a woefully produced college production where everyone is much too young for their roles. I was hesitant to see this production because the last one I saw (the 1999 revival starring Brian Dennehy) was one of the most moving and devastating experiences I have had in a theater. Don't be drawn in by the box office draw names above the title of this revival - the show is a bore, not easy to do with such a great work of writing.
The revival of the legendary flop musical "Carrie," is, I am sad to say, also a flop. Not a flop of embarrassing proportions, just the deadly dull type. Clearly, "Carrie" should have been left unrevived.
Much more successful was Encore's terrific revival of Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along," which was on par with the finest production of that show I have seen, and it featured by far the best second act of that show I have seen. The refurbished NY City Center which housed the two week "Merrily" run also looks terrific, although the acoustics in that venue need some tweaking.
Not much to report on theater-wise in Los Angeles, except for an intriguing and engaging work from Argentina at the Redcat entitled "El Pasado Es Un Animal Grotesco." The show featured a revolving multi-roomed circular set on which the talented Spanish speaking cast (the show featured English subtitles) presented this brilliantly conceived rumination on the passage of ten years in the lives of twenty- and thirty-somethings. Unfortunately its brief multi-day run has ended.
Coming up in the next post - reviews of another Signature show (Albee's "Lady From Dubuque") and the MTC revival of "Wit" starring Cynthia Nixon.
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