Thus far, the fall theater season has been fairly lackluster, with just one bright spot on Broadway, a few gems off-Broadway, and several notable winners in Los Angeles.
First, the only new production on Broadway that I can highly recommend is the fresh, invigorating Steppenwolf Theater production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" starring the perfectly matched Tracy Letts and Amy Morton. This is by far the best production of this play I have seen, and it makes Albee's masterpiece feel like something written just yesterday. Letts and Morton, guided by Pam Mackinnon's pitch-perfect direction, reveal a psychological subtext to George and Martha that I had never before witnessed. This is by far the best new production on Broadway, and nothing else I have seen thus far on Broadway this fall comes even close.
New York's off-Broadway scene offers two more excellent productions, one a new work and the other a revival. The new work is the dark and challenging "The Whale" at Playwrights Horizons. Playwright Samuel Hunter shows a knack for finding humor and compassion amidst dark circumstances, and instills his viewer with compassion for the main character who is essentially overeating himself to death. It sounds odd, but great writing combined with a stunning performance by Shuler Hensley in the lead role make it all work. At the end of the performance I saw, the audience was visibly and audibly stunned.
Signature Theatre has another winner in its touching and perfectly cast revival of August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson," expertly directed by Ruben Santiago Hudson. This production mines the humor and poetry abundant in this play, which I had always liked, but had never found to be one of Wilson's finest until I saw this revival. While the entire ensemble cast is outstanding, the work of Brandon Dirden as Boy Willie and Chuck Cooper as Wining Boy are worthy of special note. Both give deeply moving portrayals of two of Wilson's most interesting characters, and both give a special lift to this sterling revival.
The best of fall theater in Los Angeles was evident in two works from the two current playwrights who are my favorite contemporary play writers - Lynn Nottage and Tarell Alvin McCraney. Ms. Nottage was well represented by the Geffen Playhouse's production of the funny and moving "By The Way Meet Vera Stark." I found this production to be even better than its Second Stage premiere in New York, although both mountings featured the luminous Sanaa Lathan in the title role. Mr. McCraney's bold and poetic "In The Red And Brown Water," one of the Brother/Sister trilogy plays, is being given a spirited and musical spin at the Fountain Theater. Anchoring the fine cast is Diarra Kilpatrick in the lead role. I have seen three actresses play this role to date, and Ms. Kilpatrick has been the best of the three. She breathes a unique spirit into this fantastic and incisive play from this young and talented playwright who has not hit a false note to date.
Finally, a quite note to recommend the finest movies I have seen this fall - "the perks of being a wallflower," "Argo," and "Silver Linings Playbook." Three very different films, and all three well worth a viewing.
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