New York in May
We returned to New York in May, and saw a lot of theatre. I thought the selection in April was better than in May, and Douglas preferred the May selection. However, I'm pleased with what we saw, and feel that none of the shows wasted our time.
The first show we saw was Awake and Sing! at a Wednesday matinee. We were so fortunate because Ben Gazzara was in it, but not in the evening performance. Ben Gazzara was excellent at the grandfather, but I had to get used to his manner of speaking, because it was almost as if he'd had a stroke. Zoe Wanamaker, Pedro Schreiber, and Mark Ruffalo were also in the show. We had seen this show in the Berkshires and were very disappointed in it. However, this production was quite good, and gave us a good feeling for a family living during the Depression. Zoe Wanamaker was excellent, but she did not look at all Jewish, and that detracted from the story. All of the acting was good, except Lauren Ambrose, the daughter, was not too strong. This play was at the Belasco, the theatre in which it premiered in 1935. Pablo Schreiber was excellent as the son and Mark Ruffalo was right on target as Moe. We spoke to both of them after the production, and Mark Ruffalo was very willing to chat with us and to share some inside information with us.
Next we saw The Drowsy Chaperone. I hadn't really wanted to see it, but it received the most Tony nominations, so I thought we had to. I enjoyed it a lot, not for the muscial, but because of the darling Man in the Chair. It was a pleasant evening, although Douglas thought it was a waste, as we could have seen Dumb Waiter that night.
Thursday we attended a play reading of Lake Effect Snow by Rogelio Martinez. One of the actors was Halley Wegren Gross, who we saw last year in Hurlyburly, so that added to the production. The play was fairly entertaining, but people killed others so easily I hope it doesn't have a life unless it's altered.
Next was Friedrich Schiller's Mary Stuart, one of shows we really wanted to see. It was produced by the Pearl Theatre, whose artistic director, Shep Sobol, is always so pleasant and available to chat with. The play is lengthy and difficult, and the Pearl did a good job. I was interested to learn some of the history of Mary Stuart and Queen Elizabeth, but the performance didn't move me at all.
Friday we returned to Primary Stages for a play reading, and really liked what we saw: Dusty and the Big Bad World by Cusi Cram. One of the actors, Stephen Barker Turner, we had just seen at the Humana Festival, but we didn't realize that until we got home. This play is about a gay family and the role the government plays in promoting, or not presenting them, on public televison. It was very well written, and we'd like to see it have a further life.
Neil LaButte's Some Girl(s) was quite clever, but because I'm used tohis cleverness I guessed the ending. It was still a fun show. The acting was very good, and much of the audience (not us) knew the cast from television. Fran Drescher, Eric McCormack, Judy Reyes, Brooke Smithe, and Maura Tierney were in it. It's about a man who visits many of his former flames before he gets married, and it also scares anyone who has a writer in their family.
Saturday we saw Zarathustra Said Some Things, No? by Trevor Ferguson. It was painful to watch, but well-written and interesting. In retrospect, it reminds me in many ways of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. I came away liking it, and Douglas got even more out of it than I did, which added a lot for me. It's theoretically about a couple's last day before their planned suicide. The 2 actors, Lina Roessler and Brett Watson, were excellent.
The final play reading we attended was Out of the Water by Brooke Berman. Keira Naughton and Bruce McVittie were familiar-looking actors, but I;m not sure from where. The play about a father who has an affair, did not really go anywhere, but was an interesting character sketch. It needs more work to be a full-fledged production.
Defiance by John Patrick Shanley was a very good play, much better than last year's Doubt, which won the Pullitzer and Tony. In 90 minutes racism, religion, the military, and relationships are dealt with in thoughtful, moving scenes. Naturally, since we liked it a lot, it will have a much shorter life than Doubt did. Jeremy Strong gave such a moving 5-minute performance that I had tears in my eyes when he came out for his final bow.
Stuff Happens by David Hare was a disappointment. It told the story of the build-up in the Bush cabinet to the Iraq war. We agree that this is a tragic disaster, but we learned nothing watching this play. We were expected to laugh at Bush and how simple he is, but I don't think a man responsible for so many deaths is funny. Thje acting was good, but the content was as expected. I expect that the entire audience agreed with the play so no minds were changed. I prefer theatre to broaden my horizons, not just reinforce them.
Trout Stanley by Canadian Claudia Dey was the final play we saw. Her writing is very lyrical, and the cast was perfect in delivering the lines at a super-fast pace. The play was about a set of twins, and a man who enters their lives. It was enjoyable, funny, and interesting to listen to, but we're not sure what the point was.
The first show we saw was Awake and Sing! at a Wednesday matinee. We were so fortunate because Ben Gazzara was in it, but not in the evening performance. Ben Gazzara was excellent at the grandfather, but I had to get used to his manner of speaking, because it was almost as if he'd had a stroke. Zoe Wanamaker, Pedro Schreiber, and Mark Ruffalo were also in the show. We had seen this show in the Berkshires and were very disappointed in it. However, this production was quite good, and gave us a good feeling for a family living during the Depression. Zoe Wanamaker was excellent, but she did not look at all Jewish, and that detracted from the story. All of the acting was good, except Lauren Ambrose, the daughter, was not too strong. This play was at the Belasco, the theatre in which it premiered in 1935. Pablo Schreiber was excellent as the son and Mark Ruffalo was right on target as Moe. We spoke to both of them after the production, and Mark Ruffalo was very willing to chat with us and to share some inside information with us.
Next we saw The Drowsy Chaperone. I hadn't really wanted to see it, but it received the most Tony nominations, so I thought we had to. I enjoyed it a lot, not for the muscial, but because of the darling Man in the Chair. It was a pleasant evening, although Douglas thought it was a waste, as we could have seen Dumb Waiter that night.
Thursday we attended a play reading of Lake Effect Snow by Rogelio Martinez. One of the actors was Halley Wegren Gross, who we saw last year in Hurlyburly, so that added to the production. The play was fairly entertaining, but people killed others so easily I hope it doesn't have a life unless it's altered.
Next was Friedrich Schiller's Mary Stuart, one of shows we really wanted to see. It was produced by the Pearl Theatre, whose artistic director, Shep Sobol, is always so pleasant and available to chat with. The play is lengthy and difficult, and the Pearl did a good job. I was interested to learn some of the history of Mary Stuart and Queen Elizabeth, but the performance didn't move me at all.
Friday we returned to Primary Stages for a play reading, and really liked what we saw: Dusty and the Big Bad World by Cusi Cram. One of the actors, Stephen Barker Turner, we had just seen at the Humana Festival, but we didn't realize that until we got home. This play is about a gay family and the role the government plays in promoting, or not presenting them, on public televison. It was very well written, and we'd like to see it have a further life.
Neil LaButte's Some Girl(s) was quite clever, but because I'm used tohis cleverness I guessed the ending. It was still a fun show. The acting was very good, and much of the audience (not us) knew the cast from television. Fran Drescher, Eric McCormack, Judy Reyes, Brooke Smithe, and Maura Tierney were in it. It's about a man who visits many of his former flames before he gets married, and it also scares anyone who has a writer in their family.
Saturday we saw Zarathustra Said Some Things, No? by Trevor Ferguson. It was painful to watch, but well-written and interesting. In retrospect, it reminds me in many ways of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. I came away liking it, and Douglas got even more out of it than I did, which added a lot for me. It's theoretically about a couple's last day before their planned suicide. The 2 actors, Lina Roessler and Brett Watson, were excellent.
The final play reading we attended was Out of the Water by Brooke Berman. Keira Naughton and Bruce McVittie were familiar-looking actors, but I;m not sure from where. The play about a father who has an affair, did not really go anywhere, but was an interesting character sketch. It needs more work to be a full-fledged production.
Defiance by John Patrick Shanley was a very good play, much better than last year's Doubt, which won the Pullitzer and Tony. In 90 minutes racism, religion, the military, and relationships are dealt with in thoughtful, moving scenes. Naturally, since we liked it a lot, it will have a much shorter life than Doubt did. Jeremy Strong gave such a moving 5-minute performance that I had tears in my eyes when he came out for his final bow.
Stuff Happens by David Hare was a disappointment. It told the story of the build-up in the Bush cabinet to the Iraq war. We agree that this is a tragic disaster, but we learned nothing watching this play. We were expected to laugh at Bush and how simple he is, but I don't think a man responsible for so many deaths is funny. Thje acting was good, but the content was as expected. I expect that the entire audience agreed with the play so no minds were changed. I prefer theatre to broaden my horizons, not just reinforce them.
Trout Stanley by Canadian Claudia Dey was the final play we saw. Her writing is very lyrical, and the cast was perfect in delivering the lines at a super-fast pace. The play was about a set of twins, and a man who enters their lives. It was enjoyable, funny, and interesting to listen to, but we're not sure what the point was.
posted by Between Shows @ 12:37 PM
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