I may have been disappointed in the Fringe Festival production of Running that I saw yesterday but the performance of Just In Time - The Judy Holliday Story that I saw today more than made up for it. I loved this show.
Much of the credit for its success must go to Bob Sloan, the writer and director, who created an intricate interwoven tapestry out of a variety of events in Judy’s life, ranging from her high school graduation to her beating out Anne Baxter, Bette Davis, Eleanor Parker and Gloria Swanson for the 1951 Academy Award for Best Actress; from her appearance on the television show What’s My Line to her appearance before the House Un-American Activities Committee; from her work in standup comedy with Adolph Green and Betty Comden to her playing opposite Katherine Hepburn in Adam’s Rib; and from her relationship with her mother to her relationship with Peter Lawford. And he has done it all with a deft light touch which preserves the basic comedic brilliance of Judy’s life.
But if much of the credit for this show’s success should go to Bob Sloan for having created this vehicle in the first place, an equal amount must go to Marina Squerciati who brings the role of Judy Holliday to life. A bleeding heart kneejerk liberal on matters of world affairs but a distant uninvolved mother when it came to her own son, an intellectlually gifted woman but a ditzy blonde when it suited her, a wannabe writer and director contending a disdain for the acting profession who nonetheless achieved her greatest success as a comedic-actor, Judy incorporated in her persona all the confusing, infuriating, contradictory attributes that define humanity. And Marina Squerciati has done a superb job in bringing all this out.
The other three cast members are all deserving of considerable praise as well. Mary Gutzi plays the role of Helen, Judy’s mother, with humor and charm – and boasts a wonderful singing voice to boot. Catherine LeFrere plays all the other women in the show – no easy task when the list ranges from Katherine Hepburn to Betty Comden and from Dorothy Kilgallen to Gloria Swanson – and she succeeds deliciously. And Adam Harrington plays an even greater number of men - including Adolph Green, Harry Cohn, John Daly, Peter Lawford, Orson Welles and Jimmy Durante - and does so with equal success and considerable aplomb.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
FringeNYC: Running
Arlene Hutton, the author of Running, is certainly a talented playwright: her earlier work, Last Train to Nibroc was the first FringeNYC production to transfer Off-Broadway and her plays have since been produced around the world. Seth Barrish (Stephen) and Lee Brock (Emily), for whom Running was written and who are husband and wife in real life, are also excellent actors. Understandably, then, it was with great anticipation that I attended an early performance of Running at FringeNYC.
Alas, I was sadly disappointed. To be sure, Ms. Hutton created interesting characters in Stephen and Emily and a mildly intriguing situation at the outset of her play and she does have a fine ear for dialogue. And both Mr. Barrish and Ms. Brock played the roles that were written for them extremely well. But having said that, I found that the play rapidly petered out with any number of loose ends not being tied up and my not really caring that they hadn’t been.
The story line is rather simple. Emily arrives unexpectedly from London at Stephen’s home in Manhattan on the night before he plans to run his first marathon and while Stephanie, Stephen’s wife and Emily’s former roommate, is out of town (in London, herself, as it turns out). When Emily comes on to Stephen, the questions rapidly proliferate. Will he sleep with her and jeopardize his race – and maybe his marriage and self-image as well? Why did Emily show up in the first place: does she have some hidden agenda or ulterior motive? Why weren’t Emily and Stephanie in touch with one another in London? Indeed, what is Emily’s relationship with Stephanie anyway? Are Emily’s recollections of the time she smoked pot and lost her virginity true memories or just fantasies or outright lies? What really is the state of Stephen’s and Stephanie’s marriage? Is Emily fragile or traumatized or kooky or outright crazy? Is Stephen a “good guy” or a nebbish or a mildly agoraphobic loser himself?
I won’t ruin the play for you by telling you whether or not Stephen sleeps with Emily and what happens with his big race but I will tell you this about the other questions: most of them remain unanswered but, by the time the play ends, I don’t think you’ll care. Ms. Hutton, Mr. Barrish and Ms. Brock are all highly talented professionals but, unfortunately, their talents are not evident in this production.
Alas, I was sadly disappointed. To be sure, Ms. Hutton created interesting characters in Stephen and Emily and a mildly intriguing situation at the outset of her play and she does have a fine ear for dialogue. And both Mr. Barrish and Ms. Brock played the roles that were written for them extremely well. But having said that, I found that the play rapidly petered out with any number of loose ends not being tied up and my not really caring that they hadn’t been.
The story line is rather simple. Emily arrives unexpectedly from London at Stephen’s home in Manhattan on the night before he plans to run his first marathon and while Stephanie, Stephen’s wife and Emily’s former roommate, is out of town (in London, herself, as it turns out). When Emily comes on to Stephen, the questions rapidly proliferate. Will he sleep with her and jeopardize his race – and maybe his marriage and self-image as well? Why did Emily show up in the first place: does she have some hidden agenda or ulterior motive? Why weren’t Emily and Stephanie in touch with one another in London? Indeed, what is Emily’s relationship with Stephanie anyway? Are Emily’s recollections of the time she smoked pot and lost her virginity true memories or just fantasies or outright lies? What really is the state of Stephen’s and Stephanie’s marriage? Is Emily fragile or traumatized or kooky or outright crazy? Is Stephen a “good guy” or a nebbish or a mildly agoraphobic loser himself?
I won’t ruin the play for you by telling you whether or not Stephen sleeps with Emily and what happens with his big race but I will tell you this about the other questions: most of them remain unanswered but, by the time the play ends, I don’t think you’ll care. Ms. Hutton, Mr. Barrish and Ms. Brock are all highly talented professionals but, unfortunately, their talents are not evident in this production.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Broadway on the Hudson: Beauty and the Beast
Today I had the pleasure of seeing Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr., a Broadway on the Hudson production, at the Riverside Y. With a cast and company of more than 40 talented kids, ranging in age from six to fourteen, this delightful musical provided me with a wonderful afternoon’s entertainment.
I was somewhat surprised to see Joseph Lieberman, the Independent-Democratic Senator from Connecticut and former candidate for Vice President of the United States, in the audience, suggesting that this theatrical production was important enough to justify his taking time off from his Congressional responsibilities. But then I realized that of course it was, since he had come to kvell over the performance of his granddaughter, Eden – just as I had come to kvell over the performance of my granddaughter, Naomi Hornik.
And kvell I did, and justifiably so, because Naomi’s performance as the Hat Seller was (if I do say so myself with grandfatherly pride) just perfect! Congratulations, Naomi, on a terrific performance and congratulations, too, to all the other members of the cast and company who made this such a memorable experience. I look forward to seeing your next show in 2011.
I was somewhat surprised to see Joseph Lieberman, the Independent-Democratic Senator from Connecticut and former candidate for Vice President of the United States, in the audience, suggesting that this theatrical production was important enough to justify his taking time off from his Congressional responsibilities. But then I realized that of course it was, since he had come to kvell over the performance of his granddaughter, Eden – just as I had come to kvell over the performance of my granddaughter, Naomi Hornik.
And kvell I did, and justifiably so, because Naomi’s performance as the Hat Seller was (if I do say so myself with grandfatherly pride) just perfect! Congratulations, Naomi, on a terrific performance and congratulations, too, to all the other members of the cast and company who made this such a memorable experience. I look forward to seeing your next show in 2011.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Broadway: Come Fly Away
Last night, we saw Come Fly Away at the Marquis Theatre, and it was wonderful. Conceived, choreographed and directed by Twyla Tharp and with recorded vocals by Frank Sinatra, it is a music, song and dance extravaganza paying homage to Ol' Blue Eyes with some amazing choreography by Twyla Tharp.
Twyla Tharp’s choreography is incredible, requiring of the show’s dancers a level of balletic grace, athleticism and gymnastic skill, seemingly beyond normal human ability to execute – and yet, without exception, every member of the troupe was up to the task. If I had to single out anyone for special praise, it would be the comic couple Laura Mead (Betsy) and Charlie Neshyba-Hodges (Marty) and the sexy Laurie Kanyok (Kate) who filled in for Karine Plantadit on the evening we saw the show. (Amazingly, Ms. Kanyok usually dances an entirely different role, that of Babe, in matinee performances.) (My singling out Ms. Mead, Mr. Neshyba-Hodges, and Ms. Kanyok for special accolades is not meant to disparage any of the other performances, all of which were absolutely first-rate.)
The show consists of more than thirty musical numbers, all set in a 1940s style bar-nightclub and danced to the recorded music of many of Frank Sinatra’s classic songs including “Body and Soul,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,””Witchcraft,” “Makin’ Whoopee,” “Just Friends,” “One For My Baby,” and dozens more, culminating, as you might have guessed, with “My Way” and “New York, New York.” Sinatra’s recorded vocals are also supplemented by wonderful live musical renditions of some of his tunes by Hilary Gardner, the evening’s Featured Vocalist, sometimes as solos and sometimes as duets with Sinatra. Ms. Tharp’s genius is reflected in the manner in which she has seamlessly married Sinatra’s recorded music and Ms. Gardner’s live renditions and then integrated those vocals equally seamlessly with her dances.
The Come Fly Away Band, conducted by Russ Kassoff, is also deserving of considerable praise. Several of the brass soloists were truly outstanding.
One caveat: despite everything I’ve said, not everyone will be as enthusiastic about this show as I am. The show has no plot, no real structure and no dialogue and those who insist that a “Broadway Musical” must have those attributes may be disappointed and feel shortchanged. But if you go to this show not expecting a traditional “Broadway Musical” but rather an exciting musical event, a great song and dance entertainment, if you will, then I think you’ll agree that this is simply one fine show. And that goes for everyone, “seniors” and “juniors” alike - although if you are of an age to recall “Ol’ Blue Eyes,” you will probably enjoy the experience even more.
Twyla Tharp’s choreography is incredible, requiring of the show’s dancers a level of balletic grace, athleticism and gymnastic skill, seemingly beyond normal human ability to execute – and yet, without exception, every member of the troupe was up to the task. If I had to single out anyone for special praise, it would be the comic couple Laura Mead (Betsy) and Charlie Neshyba-Hodges (Marty) and the sexy Laurie Kanyok (Kate) who filled in for Karine Plantadit on the evening we saw the show. (Amazingly, Ms. Kanyok usually dances an entirely different role, that of Babe, in matinee performances.) (My singling out Ms. Mead, Mr. Neshyba-Hodges, and Ms. Kanyok for special accolades is not meant to disparage any of the other performances, all of which were absolutely first-rate.)
The show consists of more than thirty musical numbers, all set in a 1940s style bar-nightclub and danced to the recorded music of many of Frank Sinatra’s classic songs including “Body and Soul,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,””Witchcraft,” “Makin’ Whoopee,” “Just Friends,” “One For My Baby,” and dozens more, culminating, as you might have guessed, with “My Way” and “New York, New York.” Sinatra’s recorded vocals are also supplemented by wonderful live musical renditions of some of his tunes by Hilary Gardner, the evening’s Featured Vocalist, sometimes as solos and sometimes as duets with Sinatra. Ms. Tharp’s genius is reflected in the manner in which she has seamlessly married Sinatra’s recorded music and Ms. Gardner’s live renditions and then integrated those vocals equally seamlessly with her dances.
The Come Fly Away Band, conducted by Russ Kassoff, is also deserving of considerable praise. Several of the brass soloists were truly outstanding.
One caveat: despite everything I’ve said, not everyone will be as enthusiastic about this show as I am. The show has no plot, no real structure and no dialogue and those who insist that a “Broadway Musical” must have those attributes may be disappointed and feel shortchanged. But if you go to this show not expecting a traditional “Broadway Musical” but rather an exciting musical event, a great song and dance entertainment, if you will, then I think you’ll agree that this is simply one fine show. And that goes for everyone, “seniors” and “juniors” alike - although if you are of an age to recall “Ol’ Blue Eyes,” you will probably enjoy the experience even more.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Off Broadway: Freud's Last Session
Freud’s Last Session by Mark St. Germain, now playing at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at 10 West 64th Street left me with a disappointing sense of déjà vu. Some months ago, I saw The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis at the Westside Theatre and commented then that although the acting, set design and language of that play were impressive, the play itself “vastly disappointed me on two levels: first, because it is not really a play at all but rather a Christian apologia…[with] little dramatic interaction…[and] second …[because] the substance of the play itself…[is]…rather superficial, glib and sophomoric” (see my post of May 26, 2010).
Much the same thing now can be said, I think, about Freud’s Last Session which, like The Screwtape Letters, is based in large part on the Christian philosophical-theological ideas of C. S. Lewis, in this case counterposed to the atheistic ideas of Sigmund Freud. The acting in this play by Mark H. Dodd (as C.S. Lewis) and Martin Raynor (as Sigmund Freud) is also first rate. The set is also handsome. And the language is also sharp and clever.
And yet, in the final analysis, this play, centering on an imagined meeting between Freud and Lewis shortly before Freud’s death, suffers from the same shortcomings as did The Screwtape Letters: there is little dramatic impact and the ideas expressed come across as more of what you’d be likely to hear at a college sophomore bull session than in a conversation between two men considered to have been intellectual giants.
Much the same thing now can be said, I think, about Freud’s Last Session which, like The Screwtape Letters, is based in large part on the Christian philosophical-theological ideas of C. S. Lewis, in this case counterposed to the atheistic ideas of Sigmund Freud. The acting in this play by Mark H. Dodd (as C.S. Lewis) and Martin Raynor (as Sigmund Freud) is also first rate. The set is also handsome. And the language is also sharp and clever.
And yet, in the final analysis, this play, centering on an imagined meeting between Freud and Lewis shortly before Freud’s death, suffers from the same shortcomings as did The Screwtape Letters: there is little dramatic impact and the ideas expressed come across as more of what you’d be likely to hear at a college sophomore bull session than in a conversation between two men considered to have been intellectual giants.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Off Off Broadway: In God's Hat
This has been a great weekend for us for Off Off Broadway theatre. Yesterday we saw The Shape of Things which I thoroughly enjoyed (see my last post). And today we saw In God's Hat which I enjoyed just as much.
In God's Hat is an intellectually satisfying, powerful and menacing drama involving the interrelated themes of strained familial relations, child abuse, sexual predation, racial supremacy, violence and murder and the philosophical-theological concepts of nihilism, atheism and free will.
In the play, Mitch (Rhett Rossi) has just completed a ten years sentence for child molestation, during which time he has not once been visited or even contacted by his brother Roy (Tom Pelphrey). Why then has Roy just traveled 1500 miles to meet him upon his release from prison with the intention of returning him to a home he has no desire to revisit? And when Arthur Cruter (Dennis Flanagan), the white supremacist skinhead who viciously attacked Mitch in prison before his release, is himself released shortly thereafter, only to appear at the very motel that Mitch and Roy are at, the mystery deepens further and the sense of menace becomes palpable.
Confrontations among Mitch, Roy and Arthur appear inevitable and do, in fact, occur. Violence begets more violence and the squeamish might find some of the theatrics disturbing. But the violence and gore is not gratuitous, is necessary to move the story along, and is tinged with considerable humor, making it all quite worthwhile.
Tom Pelphrey, Rhett Rossi and Dennis Flanagan are all superb in their roles, as is Gary Francis Hope, who plays the part of Early Boyle, another white supremacist skinhead. The play itself, which is being produced by Apothecary Theatre Company and is having its world premiere at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, is very well written and structured by Richard Taylor, reminding me of some of the work of Martin McDonagh. The director, Kevin Kittle, who has worked with Richard Taylor for a decade, can also take considerable pride in this production.
In God's Hat is an intellectually satisfying, powerful and menacing drama involving the interrelated themes of strained familial relations, child abuse, sexual predation, racial supremacy, violence and murder and the philosophical-theological concepts of nihilism, atheism and free will.
In the play, Mitch (Rhett Rossi) has just completed a ten years sentence for child molestation, during which time he has not once been visited or even contacted by his brother Roy (Tom Pelphrey). Why then has Roy just traveled 1500 miles to meet him upon his release from prison with the intention of returning him to a home he has no desire to revisit? And when Arthur Cruter (Dennis Flanagan), the white supremacist skinhead who viciously attacked Mitch in prison before his release, is himself released shortly thereafter, only to appear at the very motel that Mitch and Roy are at, the mystery deepens further and the sense of menace becomes palpable.
Confrontations among Mitch, Roy and Arthur appear inevitable and do, in fact, occur. Violence begets more violence and the squeamish might find some of the theatrics disturbing. But the violence and gore is not gratuitous, is necessary to move the story along, and is tinged with considerable humor, making it all quite worthwhile.
Tom Pelphrey, Rhett Rossi and Dennis Flanagan are all superb in their roles, as is Gary Francis Hope, who plays the part of Early Boyle, another white supremacist skinhead. The play itself, which is being produced by Apothecary Theatre Company and is having its world premiere at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, is very well written and structured by Richard Taylor, reminding me of some of the work of Martin McDonagh. The director, Kevin Kittle, who has worked with Richard Taylor for a decade, can also take considerable pride in this production.
Off Off Broadway: The Shape of Things
Variations Theatre Group (VTG) was founded by Rich Ferraioli and Kirk Gostkowski less than a year ago and has achieved a great success with its first production, Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things. Originally launched by VTG in April of this year in Long Island City, I missed it when it first opened there but, fortunately, VTG has now brought this production to the Access Theatre in Manhattan and this time I made sure to see it.
Wow! This is a very professional production of an excellent play. Originally staged in 2001 with Paul Rudd, Rachel Weisz, Gretchen Moi and Frederick Weller in the roles of four college students in a small college town and directed by Neil LaBute himself, the play was turned into a motion picture two years later with the same cast. The play has been reprised several times since and this latest incarnation starring Deven Andersen (Philip), Alice Bahlke (Evelyn), Kirk Gostkowski (Adam) and Melissa Haley Smith (Jenny) and directed by Rich Ferraioli is just about as good as it gets.
I won’t disclose the plot because I don’t want to deprive you of the pleasure I think you’ll get from the very well-crafted surprise ending. Suffice it to say that the play provides intriguing allusions to such classical themes as those depicted in Shaw’s Pygmalion, Shelley’s Frankenstein and Kafka’s Metamorphosis, the direction and acting are first-rate across-the-board, and the set design is more than serviceable.
This production augurs well for the VTG. It is a terrific multi-layered exploration of the limits of art, the development and manipulation of a young malleable personality, sociopathy, sexual obsession, loyalty and betrayal, reality and fantasy, objectivity and subjectivity. Try to get to see it if you can.
Wow! This is a very professional production of an excellent play. Originally staged in 2001 with Paul Rudd, Rachel Weisz, Gretchen Moi and Frederick Weller in the roles of four college students in a small college town and directed by Neil LaBute himself, the play was turned into a motion picture two years later with the same cast. The play has been reprised several times since and this latest incarnation starring Deven Andersen (Philip), Alice Bahlke (Evelyn), Kirk Gostkowski (Adam) and Melissa Haley Smith (Jenny) and directed by Rich Ferraioli is just about as good as it gets.
I won’t disclose the plot because I don’t want to deprive you of the pleasure I think you’ll get from the very well-crafted surprise ending. Suffice it to say that the play provides intriguing allusions to such classical themes as those depicted in Shaw’s Pygmalion, Shelley’s Frankenstein and Kafka’s Metamorphosis, the direction and acting are first-rate across-the-board, and the set design is more than serviceable.
This production augurs well for the VTG. It is a terrific multi-layered exploration of the limits of art, the development and manipulation of a young malleable personality, sociopathy, sexual obsession, loyalty and betrayal, reality and fantasy, objectivity and subjectivity. Try to get to see it if you can.
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