Dance
and Film reviews are in their own sections.
 |
| Maximilian
Osinski and Mark Zeisler in a scene from Cherry Docs. Photo by
Caleb Levengood. |
Cherry Docs
Larry Litt says that rarely does he leave a theater feeling he's seen
a play so overwhelming and important that he has to tell friends they
shouldn't miss it. Plays come and go, but their issues remain long
after their runs. "Cherry Docs" by Canadian David Gow is
a play that will stay because its issues demand immediate attention;
its writing is clear and characters human and its actors are superlative.
 |
| Mark
Rylance and Kathryn Hahn in "Boeing-Boeing" by Matthew
Camoletti. Photo by Joan Marcus. |
Boeing-Boeing
A few minutes into the play, buoyantly directed by Matthew Warchus,
the plot is revealed. Bernard (Bradley Whitford), an attractive, self-assured
bachelor, has three girlfriends. "Less than three would be monotonous;
more than three is way too tiring." All are airline hostesses,
and all think he's going to marry them. "Boeing-Boeing"
is filled with double entendres, misunderstandings, near misses and
high jinx. It takes a while for "Boeing-Boeing" to get off
the ground, but once it takes off, the show is non-stop hilarity.
By Paulanne Simmons.
The Devil and
Tom Walker
If you're looking to spend a couple of enjoyable hours with delightful
songs, storytelling and capable acting about The Devil conning a ne'er-do-well
into lending money to greedy colonial New Englanders, then watch him
justify foreclosing on their properties and shrug at their ruined
lives, then this very timely show is just the ticket for a lively
Springtime entertainment. By Larry Litt.
 |
| The
cast of "Cry Baby" by Mark Brokaw. Photo by Joan Marcus. |
Cry-Baby
Broadway's exuberant new musical, "Cry-Baby"
opens at an anti-Polio picnic in Baltimore. It's 1954, and Mrs. Vernon-Williams
(the always magnificent Harriet Harris) presides over a group of wholesome,
all-American teenagers, the girls wearing flared skirts, the boys
wearing identical sweaters. They sing an innocent 50s number about
the joys of inoculation. By Paulanne Simmons.
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| "Kiss
Me Kate", Paper Mill Playhouse, Photo by Gerry Goodstein,
Left to Right, Liz Kimball, Elliott Bradley, Gary Lynch (Pops),
Stephen Carrasco (Hortensio), Wes Hart (Gremio), Katie Hagen,
Kyle Vaughn and Desirée Davar |
Kiss Me Kate
"Kiss Me Kate" is the ultimate backstage musical in that
it integrates the show-within-the show better than anybody had done
before or has done since. Based on Shakespeare's comedy, "The
Taming of the Shrew," the musical shows how the hero, Fred Graham
(Mike McGowan) manages to tame his woman, his former wife, Lilli Vanessi
(Michele Ragusa), both onstage when she plays Kate, the shrew, and
offstage as the temperamental diva. By Paulanne Simmons.
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| Alvin
Epstein and Kathryn Grody in "Endgame" by Andrei Belgrader.
Photo by Richard Termine. |
BAM Plays "Endgame"
"Nothing is funnier than unhappiness," says Nell
in Samuel Beckett's "Endgame," now onstage at the BAM Harvey
Theater under the direction of Andrei Belgrader. Whether or not this
is true, it is certainly the guiding principle behind much of Beckett's
work. "Endgame" is not an easy play to watch or to perform.
But when it is performed as well as it is at the Harvey Theater it
can certainly be hugely satisfying. By Paulanne Simmons.
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| The
cast of "The Importance of being Ernest" directed by
J.R. Sullivan. Photo b Gregory Costanzo. |
The Importance
of Being Earnest
If there ever was a play that's almost impossible to destroy it might
be Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest." Yet
given modern directors' inability to leave a good thing alone, one
can be assured nothing is safe. So when "The Importance of Being
Earnest" is presented as gleefully and energetically as the Pearl
has done this season, it is still cause for celebrations. By Paulanne
Simmons.
A Catered Affair
"The Catered Affair," a 1956 MGM film starring Bette Davis,
Debbie Reynolds and Ernest Borgnine, explored the fragmentation and
eventual coming together of a Bronx Irish family when their daughter
decides she is going to marry her longtime boyfriend. It was a heartwarming
story, but would it make a successful musical? Harvey Fierstein and
John Bucchino's adaptation of "The Catered Affair"
proves that turning a drama into a musical takes a lot more than adding
a few songs. By Paulanne Simmons.
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| David
Magentale in "The Conversation" by Leo Farley. Photo
by Peter Sylvester. |
The Conversation
Harry Caul is a storyteller of other people's real life stories. Normally
characters in Harry Caul's stories don't know him. Nonetheless he's
created their moment. Indeed, they wouldn't want to know Harry unless
they too are electronic surveillance geeks. These mediated stories
are intended to change and destroy lives. By Larry Litt.
How theatre failed
America
It's the new regional theater buildings and their creative inhabitants
that irk Daisey's imagination. Artistic directors, agents, stage managers,
boards of directors, sponsors, grant officers all come under his scrutiny
for forgetting about the role of the play and acting in the process
of making theater. Theater is now like professional sports, it's the
new building that impresses and imparts pride to the local crowd and
the ever more important money people. It's a permanent testament to
the community's love of the arts, but not art making. By Larry Litt.
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| Einstein's
brain is removed in "The Brain," a new puppet theater
work by Inkfish which explores the life, science, and mind of
Albert Einstein, presented by The Club at La MaMa, NYC, April
18 to 27, 2008. Alissa Mello directs. Puppeteer: Brian Snapp.
|
The Brain
In The Brain, the extremely theatrical methods use wildly diverse
mixed media to explain the theory of relativity in a way any theatergoer
can recognize. Inkfish provides science education through amazingly
skilled and innovative video and puppetry theater arts. Video is uniquely
used to amplify Einstein's theories. You'll never wonder
about relativity again. This production should be seen by all who
love theater, science and peace. By Larry Litt.
 |
| In
"Attorney for the Damned," a funny, horrific rock musical
by Denis Woychuk (book, lyrics) and Rob McCullough (music), an
idealistic lawyer (played by Allison Johnson) is forced to represent
two criminally insane mental patients. This "Tommy"-style
production is an adventure story told with dark humor, weird science
and outsized, grotesque characters. |
Attorney for the
Damned
If Rocky Horror Picture Show can be summed up as loss of innocence
rock musical with sex changes and gender bending, then Attorney for
the Damned is rock and roll's personality loss, professional disappointment
and violent acting out tribute.We're asked to understand and sing
along with the very real manipulation, guilt and final redemption
of a young, beautiful, former corporate lawyer, turned attorney for
the criminally insane, the play's attorney for the damned. Musicals
have come a long way baby. By Larry Litt.
The Day The Whores
Came Out To Play Tennis
"The day The Whores Came Out To Play Tennis" is a play for
those who love the absurdity of class and social manners. It is a
poke at our striated society pretending to be classless in public
but completely committed to an aristocracy of financial dominance.
It could have been written at any time in history. It's at home next
to Greek high comedy or French farce or an English drawing drollery.
By Larry Litt.
Chamber Music
Eight woman live in the same ward of a mental institution, each believing
they're the embodiment of other famous women. They interact at their
ward's annual organization board meeting. The organization does nothing.
Seems harm less enough. Except they're all status crazed, a microcosm
of the outside world. They have nowhere to go but back to their beds
with their desires. This trapped crew's existential absurdity is Kopit's
theatrical strength. He creates models of the ridiculous and pompous
in human relations. By Larry Litt.
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| The
cast of "Candide." Photo by Carol Rosegg. |
Candide
"Candide" is back at the New York City Opera for a limited
run. It has the lavish Prince treatment and is certainly delightful
to both the eye and ear. Leonard Bernstein's comic opera, "Candide,"
has not had an easy life. It was conceived back in 1953 when Lillian
Hellman made the suggestion to Leonard Bernstein that Voltaire's comic
novel could be successfully adapted into a musical. The immediate
result was not promising, and it's been a "problem play"
ever since. This "Candide" is a pleasing spectacle; it's
delightful to both the eye and ear. By Paulanne Simmons.
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| Another
Vermeer -- Justin Grace and Austin Pendleton. Photo
by Kim T. Sharp. |
Another Vermeer
Paulanne Simmons calls Bruce J. Robinson's "Another Vermeer"
the most literate play she has seen this year. Based on the true story
of noted Dutch forger Han Van Meegeren, who was thrown into jail after
World War II, when it was discovered he sold a Vermeer to Hermann
Goring, it asks many perceptive questions about the nature of art
and its relationship to the artist and society.
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| Michael
Shannon, Ellen Burstyn. Photo by Monique Carboni. |
The Little Flower
of East Orange
" The Little Flower of East Orange" could easily be just
one more play about a dysfunctional family that keeps its secrets
if it weren't for Stephen Adly Guirgis' sensitive writing, Philip
Seymour Hoffman's muscular direction and a superb cast headed
by Ellen Burstyn. It is this combination of talent that turns the
play into a gripping drama of raw emotion and exposed nerves. By Paulanne
Simmons.
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| Rebecca
Schull (R) plays Anna Akhmatova and Sue Cremin (L) plays Lydia
Chukovskaya, a young writer who kept a journal of her meetings
with Akhmatova, in "On Naked Soil - Imagining Anna Akhmatova." |
On Naked Soil
- Imagining Anna Akhmatova
Rebecca Schull's playwriting craftsmanship shines in this production
about the tragic life of Russian poetess Anna Akhmatova during the
1930s Stalinist purges. While the words are deeply true, they are
spoken with uncommon feeling and sincerity by Ms Schull, who plays
Anna. This is a superior example of actor/writer theater, a genre
usually reserved for one person shows. By Larry Litt.
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| "Gypsy" -- photo by Paul Kolnik. |
"Gypsy"
is back
As the quintessential stage mother who launched Gypsy Rose Lee on
her career, Patti LuPone is brassy and vulnerable, calm and frenetic,
distracted and intense. Her voice fills the theater and her heart
takes over the stage. From the moment she steps onto the stage at
the St. James Theatre, it's obvious she's going to make this role
totally her own. Who could ask for more? By Paulanne Simmons.
 |
| Victoria
Clark is the hardworking Irish matriarch struggling heroically
to hold her family together in "Juno," the second Encores!
production of the season. |
"Juno"
Is Well-Worth a Second Look
Based on the 1924 play "Juno and the Peacock" by Sean O'Casey,
"Juno" is about the trials of an Irish family during the
time of troubles when the IRA was terrorizing both the British and
the Ireland it was sworn to defend. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Betrayed"
by George Packer. Directed by Pippin Parker
An old Chinese proverb warns that when you walk on the tiger's tail,
you must tread lightly. It is a lesson the three idealistic Iraqis
in George Packer's provocative play "Betrayed" learn day
by day as they return home to the war zone from their jobs as translators
for the American army. They don't all survive. Prescott (Mike Doyle),
their American supervisor, is the play's voice of indignation, and
we join him in wishing that these bright young people – the
hope of their nation – survive and move on to bigger and better
lives. They are the drama, but the larger lesson of the play is our
good-natured but deadly delusions about the country and our ambivalent
moral responsibility. Since its inception in 1996, Culture Project
has been bringing cutting edge political issues to audiences through
high quality dramas. They have been a call to conscience. "Betrayed"
is one of its finest productions. By Glenda Frank.
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| DB
Woodside and John Cullum in "The Conscientious Objector"
Photo by Theresa Squire |
"The Conscientious
Objector" Explores the Man Behind the King Myth
"The Conscientious Objector" is a brilliant and timely dramatization
of those final years when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took his courageous
stand against the war in Vietnam. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Parlor Song,"
a familiar tune
"Parlour Song," like Jez Butterworth's two other plays staged
at Atlantic Theater Company, "Mojo" and "The Night
Heron," takes place in contemporary Great Britain, in an area
somewhere close to London. But the drama offers an apt depiction of
a familiar, bleak view of the alienated, isolated and empty life endured
by many couples. By Paulanne Simmons.
 |
| Lynn
Redgrave and Oscar Isaac in MCC Theater's production of "Grace."
Photo by Joan Marcus. |
Looking for God
Off-Broadway
What is Grace? In Mick Gordon and AC Grayling's play by the same name,
now making its American premiere at the Lucille Lortel Theater, grace
is two things. It's the name of the principal character, a mother,
wife, professor and confirmed atheist. It's also that state one achieves
through what the dictionary calls "the unmerited love and favor
of God toward mankind." By Paulanne Simmons.
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| Christine
Ebersole as Margo Channing in "Applause." Photo by Joan
Marcus. |
Four Days of Applause
"Applause," the 1970 Tony-winning musical hasn't been seen
on Broadway for more than 35 years. Happily for those who remember
its fine score and saucy dialogue, as well as those who need to be
introduced to the show, "Applause" is part of this season's
City Center Encores! series. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Glimpses
of the Moon" Is Jazzy and Juicy
Based on a novel by Edith Wharton, "Glimpses of the Moon"
has a book and lyrics by Tajlei Levis and music by John Mercurio.
Composer and lyricist have created a score with clever lines and catchy
melodies that pay tribute to the likes of Cole Porter and the Gershwins.
By Paulanne Simmons.
Star Gazing at
the Judson Memorial Church
''The Great Nebula in Orion'' is one of a trilogy by Wilson that composer
Kenneth Fuchs scored. There are some exciting phrases and instalments,
when sound becomes architectural and music, voices and mood achieve
a rare beauty and complexity. But the musical whole does not consistently
command attention and interest. The script itself is more an exercise
for two actors than a developed short play. The women never achieve
significant contact or conflict despite some genuine human moments
of cattiness, jealousy and discomfort. The score serves as a thread
instead of stepping into the gaps and offering more drama and deeper
emotional context. The singers, however, excel. Their voices tell
the human story in many colors and tones, effortlessly and as a natural
extension of their acting. They move well on the comfortable, elegant
set with lighting by Richard Currie and direction by Wallace Norman,
Artistic Director of Woodstock Fringe, the co-producer . By Glenda
Frank.
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| Philip
J. Cutrone, Marianna McClellan in "Apartment 3A." Photo
by Kat Cheng |
"Apartment
3A" Opens Doors of Hope
Two years ago Paulanne Simmons reviewed "Apartment 3A" at
ArcLight Theater and liked it. Now Jeff Daniels' fine piece of work
is at Beckett Theatre, presented by the young and vibrant Clockwork
Theatre, and she loves it.
Water Running
Under Ice
"Maudie and Jane" was written by Luciano Nattino but based
on Doris Lessing's story, "The Diary of Jane Somers." Hanon
Reznikov has translated the play from the Italian and directed it
for The Living Theater, casting Judith Malina as Maudie and Pat Russell
as Jane. The production does for theater what Erica Jong and Philip
Roth did for novels in the 70s. By Ellen W. Lytle.
 |
| Lisa
Emery and Terry Layman in Keen Company's production of "The
Maddening Truth." Photo by Theresa Squire |
"The
Maddening Truth" Makes Words Count
David Hay, whose "The Maddening Truth" is now being staged
by Keen Company under the direction of Carl Forsman, is a writer on
art and architecture, and a contributor to The New York Times, Men's
Vogue and New York Magazine. All of this is clearly evident in his
new play. "The Maddening Truth" takes a look at Hemmingway's
third wife, Martha Gellhorn, and her heroic attempt in her mid-60s
to write a novel with the same kind of stature achieved by those of
her husband. It is a play about people, places and times. But most
of all it is a play about ideas. When the dust settles, what this
play does make obvious is that creativity is not passive, but it is
painful. In Gelllhorn's triumphant BBC reading with Geoffrey Brooks
(Layman), her limpid prose is searing and revelatory; and Forsman
knows how to let the words speak for themselves, with no gimmicks
and no bells and whistles. "The Maddening Truth" is making
its premiere in the 21st century. But there is something about this
play that hearkens back to another time: a time when words counted
and people were willing to pay attention long enough to listen and
think about them. This alone cause for celebration. By Paulanne Simmons.
 |
| Mike
Shimkin, Ashton Crosby and Dustin Olson in "Slaughterhouse
Five Or: The Children's Crusade." Photo by Donata Zanott |
Godlight Illuminates
"Slaughterhouse-Five"
Turning a novel into a play is no easy matter; but when the novel
happens to be Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-five," the
difficulties might seem insurmountable. Fortunately, Eric Simonson
has created an excellent adaptation that is both faithful to the original
novel and eminently dramatic, and Godlight Theatre Company handles
this production with great care, energy and expertise. By Paulanne
Simmons.
A Hundred Characters
for "The 39 Steps"
If you are old enough to remember Alfred Hitchcock's fabulous script,
its intricate design, its suspense, and amusing chase between the
hero and the spy masters, then you will certainly appreciate this
spoof of Hitchcock's. Imagine three men and a single woman playing
all the roles that encompass the entire movie from the beginning to
the end; and this they do so brilliantly that it is impossible to
tell that the actors are playing multiple characters. How does this
production, so cleverly directed by Maria Aitken, get this story in
shape? She had only four actors who seem as if they are improvising.
Within a minute they change from one character to another. Sometimes
they run across the stage, existing from the right only to re-enter
left, almost instantly. These actors have the agility of clowns as
they depict changes of scenery with a variety of body movements. They
walk, glide, run, exit, enter. Few props are used: a wooden frame
becomes a window, certain body movements by the cast indicate a moving
train, or a mountainous climb all this is accomplished by the actors'
perfect timing. By Margaret Croydon.
 |
| Fiona
Shaw as Winnie in "Happy Days" by Samuel Beckett, directed
by Deborah Warner, National Theatre of Great Britain, photo by
Richard Termine. |
The Search for
"Happy Days"
There are two characters in Samuel Beckett's "Happy Days."
One is Winnie, a fifty-year-old woman who cannot walk because she
is partially buried, or literally in a hole. The other is her husband,
Willie, a sixty-year-old man who cannot talk. Or rather a man who
can only occasionally talk in monosyllables and grunts. Winnie, on
the other hand, can certainly talk. And that she does, incessantly.
Many people regard Beckett's plays as abstract, obscure and intellectual.
The National Theatre of Great Britain's production, directed by Deborah
Warner, brilliantly exposes the emotional core of Beckett's tragicomic
view of life. By Paulanne Simmons.
 |
| "No
Regrets: The Remarkable Barb Jungr" at the Metropolitan Room. |
Barb Jungr is
Smokin' in "No Regrets: The Remarkable Barb Jungr"
Barb Jungr is sultry in a way that makes one think of crowded bistros
entered through a beaded door, dimly lit and filled with smoke. Cigarettes
are now banned in most public places. But, have no fear, Jungr provides
her own smoke. By Paulanne Simmons.
Fourteenth Annual
"Spoken Word Extravaganza"
Futurus Lux is the latin name for future light, the fourteenth annual
'spoken word extravaganza' at the Bowery Poetry Club. As most of you
know the original idea of founder Bruce Weber was to have an alternative
to the poetry politics of the St. Marks' Poetry Project; that is to
have absolutely free of charge, freedom to express performances that
would last all day and all evening so almost all the poets and musicians
who want to read or perform, may. It works. By Ellen W. Lytle.
 |
| Kymm
Zuckert as Caliban, Alexandra Devin as Stephano, and Sarah Hankins
as Trinculo in The Tempest, photo by Kimberly Zuckert. |
The Women Take
Over "The Tempest"
In recent years we have seen directors stage numerous successful all-male
versions of Shakespeare's plays, most notably Edward Hall's
Propeller Company's all-male productions of Shakespeare's
"Taming of the Shrew" and "Twelfth Night."
So an all-female production of the Bard might be a long time coming.
"The Tempest" at Wings Theater begins with a long and somewhat
contrived narrative of past events in which Prospero tells his daughter,
Miranda (Kendall Rileigh) how years ago his brother Antonio (Kim Carlson),
stole the dukedom of Milan from him, and cast him off to sea along
with his baby, Miranda. On the lonely island where they now reside,
Prospero found Caliban (the excellent Kymm Zuckert), the vulgar son
of the witch Sycorax, and Ariel (Kerry Shear), a spirit whom Caliban
had imprisoned. After releasing Ariel, Prospero made both Caliban
and Ariel his servants through his expert use of magic. By Paulanne
Simmons.
"The Seafarer"
-- At last, a Winner!
If you want to see terrific acting on the Broadway stage (which is
rare) you must see Conor McPherson's new play, "The Seafarer"
at the Booth theater. There, five actors will show you how group acting
can make a simple drama compelling. As expected in a McPherson play,
the story takes place in a provincial town outside of Dublin where
four friends meet to celebrate Christmas, beginning with Christmas
Eve morning and ending Christmas Eve night. In Richard's (Jim Norton)
run down, shabby house, each man is eager to indulge his ritual--playing
poker and drinking. Drinking, the endless talk about it, the search
for it, are the principle obsessions of this besotted group. And they
will do anything to procure the precious alcohol which unites them
in a common bond. By Margaret Croyden.
 |
| The
Devil's Disciple -- Lorenzo Pisoni and Cristin Milioti. Photo
by Carol Rosegg. |
"The Devil's
Disciple" Is Filled with Wit and Wisdom
George Bernard Shaw's "The Devil's Disciple," presents us
with three intriguing men: Anthony Anderson, a preacher doing God's
work; Dick Dudgeon, the elder son in a Puritan family, who considers
himself a renegade, a disciple of the devil; and General Burgoyne,
a cynical and pragmatic military man. By Paulanne Simmons.
 |
| SYMPATHY
FROM AN IMPOSTER -- In "Is He Dead" by Mark Twain, cross-dressing
Francoise Millet (Norbert Leo Burtz) embraces the comely Marie
Leroux (Jenn Gambatese). Photo by Joan Marcus. |
"Is He Dead"
by Michael Blakemore
"Is He Dead?" has none of the biting wit and dark humor
that made Twain famous. It is a broad farce that owes more to vaudeville
than the legitimate theater. By Paulanne Simmons.
Nice Jewish Girls
Gone Bad
"Nice Jewish Girls Gone Bad" is a timely chronicle of deep
disappointment and unfulfilled desires painted over with songs, comedy,
dance and joy from assimilated Jewish women who want it all. Fame,
fortune, love and family. The poetical angst of learning that coming
to New York, trying to be modern, hip, and Jewish in cold, cold show
business, has a personal toll. By Larry Litt.
"Rock 'N'
Roll" by Tom Stoppard
In "Rock 'N' Roll," Tom Stoppard, Britain's most erudite
and scholarly playwright, has once again tackled political and historical
problems on repression and revolution in 20th century Czechoslovakia
during the Cold war--a perfect background for arguments about Marxism,
socialism, Soviet oppression, and revolution and its effect on human
character. By Margaret Croyden.
The Pearl Theatre
Company Keeps "The Constant Couple" Young
In "The Constant Couple," five men vie for the beautiful
and rich Lady Lurewell (Rachel Botchan), a woman who's traumatic first
experience with love has made her determined never to love again.
By Paulanne Simmons.
Richard III at
CSC
Some Richards glower. Some limp around the stage and sneer. Some simply
look dyspeptic. But Michael Cumpsty's King Richard III, the most evil
and beloved of all Shakespeare's villain, smiles with unsullied delight.
He adores this game of bloody politics. Ticking off the murdered players
is his opiate of choice. The blending of this upbeat villainy with
some judicious editing makes this "Richard III" at Classic
Stage Company, directed jointly by Cumpsty and Brian Kulick, the Artistic
Director of CSC, compelling, fresh, and exciting. By Glenda Frank.
The Piano Teacher
Mrs. K, the title character in Julia Cho's new play, "The Piano
Teacher," is an aging widow who lives in a fussy, old-fashioned
house with her old baby grand piano and her memories. By Maulanne
Simmons.
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| "THE
ROUND OF PLEASURE" IS A VIENNESE TREAT -- Werner Schwab's
play, based on Schnitzler's "La ROnde" has ten assignations,
just like the original. Here, Catherine Correa (Prostitute) consorts
with Peter Schmitz (Member of Parliament). |
"The Round
of Pleasure" by Werner Schwab
We have playwrights
like Austria's Werner Schwab in this country. Playwirghts who see
through all the major and minor hypocrisies of our contemporary lives.
But can they tell their stories without schmaltz, without making you
want to cry? Because our American version of the human condition is
that somewhere there's a better life for us? Yeah right. Not any more.
That's why The New Stage Theatre Company's production of Schwab's
"The Round of Pleasure" is a Viennese treat, a rich dessert
from Mittel Europa that breaks all the artificially imposed rules
of political correctness. Call it anti-Kushner to a stylistic extreme.
"Round" has no social conscience, while also having as complete
a picture of society's moral hypocrisies and ethical duplicities as
one can get in an hour and a half. By Larry Litt.
Cyrano de
Kevin Kline
Edmond Rostand's 19th century classic
play "Cyrano de Bergerac" has always attracted stars and
over the years many have tried their hand at it. In the past Jose
Ferrer played it on stage and screen, and even the French leading
man Gerard Depardieu stared in the original French version. Margaret
Croyden assesses Kevin Kline's stab at the role.
Pygmaleon in the
Roundabout
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, Directed by David Grindley Margaret
Croyden attends Shaw's "Pygmaleon," directed by David Grindley
at the Roundabout, and comes out filled with praise for the author.
The production, she relates, was enjoyable but not without its flaws.
John Jesurun's
Philoktetes
John Jesurun's Philoktetes is definitely not a gay romp in ancient
Greece. It is a poetic masterpiece that made me close my eyes so I
could hear and digest the brilliance of his language. By Larry Litt.
Night Over Taos
In its frenetic search for the next new voice or style, the many theatre
festivals in New York have been demonstrating the need for craft –
and with craft the American masters whose work has fallen by the wayside.
The award-winning Mint Theatre and Transport Group at the Connelly
Center have been holding the banner high. Recently INTAR, under the
guidance of Eduardo Machado, has joined them with Maxwell Anderson's
"Night over Taos." The 1932 play offers audiences both the
historical and the contemporary -- thanks in large part to the insight
of director Estelle Parsons. The play runs almost three hours but
time flies by. It is hard to come by that sense of real satisfaction
from ticket prices this reasonable. By Glenda Frank.
"Electra"
from National Theatre of Greece at City Center
When Sigmund Freud read Sophocles' tragedy about family murder and
obsession, he recognized the pathology and so titled a daughter's
infatuation for her father an Electra complex. The National Theatre
of Greece has brought us the original, slightly adapted but still
in Greek (modern) with supertitles, and staged by the internationally
celebrated German director Peter Stein at City Center's Main Stage.
The return of the national theatre for six performances at City Center
is always an event, but this year it is a little disappointing. The
production has many impressive moments, but it is emotionally unengaging.
By Glenda Frank.
 |
| Tim
Ryan Meinelschmidt in "Who Do You Think You Are" at
78th Street Theatre Lab. Photo by N. Rainford. |
"All The
Help You Need"
Working with director Christopher Fessenden, Tim Ryan Meinelschmidt
has turned his true-life experiences as an actor supplementing his
income by hiring himself out as a jack-of-all-trades into a monologue
filled with humor and pathos. By Paulanne Simmons.
"Sive"
John B. Keane's first play, "Sive," originally produced
in 1959 and this season at The Irish Repertory Theatre, is a simple
but moving family drama set in Ireland during the days when the country
was still poor. By Paulanne Simmons.
 |
| Marty
Maguire and Johnny Hopkins in "Rock Doves." Photo by
Jaisen Crockett. |
"Rock Doves"
Is Heartbreaking and Hilarious
"Rock Doves" is set in a derelict house on the fringes
of a Protestant Estate in inner-city Belfast. The IRA boys are all
drinking cappuccinos in Armani suites. But the Loyalists have found
it difficult to adjust. By Paulanne Simmons.
 |
| Angela Reed
and Mark Alhadeff in "The Power of Darkness." Photo
by Rahav Segev. |
"The Power
of Darkness" Has Great Dramatic Strength
Tolstoy's "The Power of Darkness" does not just expose the
depths to which immoral persons can sink. It also reveals the saving
power of faith in the Lord's goodness and mercy. By Paulanne Simmons.
 |
| Jewel
Thieves! by Norman Beim |
Mystery and Mayhem
in "Jewel Thieves!"
If Agatha Christie had written comedies, the result might have been
something like Norman Beim's "Jewel Thieves!" now making
its New York premiere at The Turtle's Shell Theater. By Paulanne Simmons.
Walmartopia
It's easy to target Wal-Mart, but doing it as tunefully as Catherine
Capellaro (book) and Andrew Rohn (music and lyrics) in their new musical,
"Walmartopia," directed by Daniel Goldstein at The Minetta
Lane Theatre, is another matter. By Paulanne Simmons.
 |
| Vit
Horejs pokes through the puppet stage's floor in "Johannes
Dokchtor Faust." |
Johannes Dokchtor
Faust, with Czech Puppets
In the United States puppetry is dominated by the Muppets and children's
entertainment. So it may come as some surprise that the Czechoslovak-American
Marionette Theatre has chosen for its latest production the centuries-old
story of the learned Johannes Faust, who sold his soul to the devil
in exchange for ultimate knowledge. The company's "Johannes Dochtor
Faust" is filled with clever effects and brilliant staging. By
Paulanne Simmons.
