Broadway these days can be a cruel place for intelligent, well written adult dramas, and Manhattan Theatre Club is commended for bringing Nick Payne's terrific new play "CONSTELLATIONS" to Broadway at its Samuel Friedman Theater. As box office insurance, it does not hurt that film star Jake Gyllenhaal was cast as one of its two person cast. The happy news to report is that Mr. Gyllenhaal gives a remarkable Broadway debut that holds its own with the highest caliber stage veterans. Fortunately, he is cast opposite a equally well skilled British actress, Ruth Wilson. "Constellations" is a very well written and crafted play that equally engages the mind and heart, but which unquestionably requires the assistance of excellent actors to succeed. This production supplies the necessary high quality actors who mine the writing for all of its nuances and emotions. The beneficiaries are the lucky audience members who see this production before it closes in a few weeks.
I will be the first to admit that vampire dramas are not my thing. To me, they largely seem silly, derivative and pointless. Thus, I was quite surprised by how much I was drawn into such a drama in the form of the stage adaptation of "LET THE RIGHT ONE IN" an import from the National Theatre of Scotland currently playing at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn. Director John Tiffany and choreographer Steven Hoggett, together with the help of their ace design team and enormously talented actors, fashion a lyrical and psychologically intriguing stage tableau that cast its surprising spell on this skeptical viewer.
Finally, I recommend the two fine lead performances of Matt Doyle and Nicolette Robinson and the tuneful score of "BROOKLYNITE" at off-Broadway's Vineyard Theater, provided that you can endure an overlook a clunky superhero themed book and some cringe-worthy dialogue. This show has its charms, but needs to pick a consistent tone and stick with it.
