January in New York

Since Gili and Cornelius were kind enough to let us stay in their apartment, and since New York's weather was much warmer than usual, Doug and I took a quickly-planned theatre trip January 4-9. We saw the following shows:
The Vertical Hour written by David Hare and starring Julianne Moore and Bill Nighy. I liked this show better than Douglas did. I liked the language used and that Julianne had an idea about Iraq different from the usual position. I certainly liked it better than Stuff Happens, where I feel Hare spent his time preaching to an audience already in agreement with him. This play was by no means perfect, but the journey was quite interesting.
Spring Awakening was the biggest disappointment of this trip; the reviews have been amazing, but we both found the show boring. Douglas has read the original by Wedekind, and Sheik and Slater lightened the tone. The music was rock, but not appealing, and the words were quite mundane. This has been compared to Rent, but we both thought Rent was superior. This is supposed to appeal to an audience younger than we are, so possibly we missed something. Some of the tragedy was presented so casually that I actually was offended.
Toys in the Attic was also a disappointment for me, but Douglas liked it better than I did. Most of the reviews agree with him, but some say exactly what I felt. The basic story is quite interesting, and the acting was good, but I felt the play was too long with too many uninteresting asides. Douglas did not feel that, and was very interested in all of the characters. It is autobiographical, but it's the worst Lillian Hellman I've seen. On the other hand, I don't mind that we saw it because it presents another aspect of her life.
The Ionesco Plays included The Lesson and The Painting. The first was very interesting and funny because Doug and I were taking a class from a teacher very similar to the one in the play. It's worth seeing as an interesting portrayal of the lack of communication that is so common in life. The Painting was interesting, but we didn't understand it. We researched it, and it seems there isn't much meaning except the problems with beauty and capitalism, but I'm not sure how successful Ionesco was in that presentation.
I really enjoyed Translations by Brian Friel; it is about both the horrors of colonization, and the diffculties of communication in different languages. However, language represents much more, and I was very moved by it, and thought the writing and acting were superb. Douglas felt it was too one-note, but most of the reviews agree with me. I highly recommend this play.
The Merchant of Venice starring F Murray Abraham as Shylock was also an excellent production. This was the first time I was able to pay attention to the beauty of the language in this play, either because the actors spoke so well, because it was staged in the near-future, or because I've seen the play numerous times before. This is a very hard story to sit through because of the anti-semitism, but the beauty of Shakespeare's language softens it some. I ran into F Murray Abraham about 15 minutes after the show and told him how wonderful I thought he was. He was kind enough to thank me very much.
The Germans in Paris by Jonathan Leaf was ok, even though Terry Teachout, my favorite critic, liked it much more than we did. It was about Heinrich Heine, Karl Marx, and Richard Wagner. I liked learning about them, but we felt the playwright was trying much too hard to write clever dialogue. I actually was able to speak to Terry Teachout before the play, and I was pleased to tell him how important his reviews are to my choice of plays.

letter to the editor

Here is a copy of a letter to the editor appearing in today's Palm Beach Post:

Publish more photos of daily carnage in Iraq

I want to register my strong approval of The Post's printing on Tuesday's front page the picture of the seriously wounded Kimberly Dozier nearly completely obscured by medical equipment ("Wounded CBS journalist arrives in Germany").
Next, I hope the paper will start publishing daily pictures of the anonymous Iraqi civilians who are being maimed permanently by this unspeakably evil adventure foisted on the world by our "elected" leaders. Those brave, self-righteous "leaders" have been afraid to let the world see the pictures of the coffins of our soldiers for fear that our blissfully oblivious population might awaken sooner to the reality of the price that is being paid every day that this unlawful invasion continues.
Americans need to be reminded constantly of the true human cost of this war on Iraq, as it is all too easy to go about our daily routines and ignore the suffering that has been so unnecessary.
DOUGLAS WARSETT
North Palm Beach

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.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Last night Douglas and I saw an excellent production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf at Palm Beach Dramaworks. We think it's the third time we've seen this play, and we saw the movie with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. I liked this production better than Douglas did. The cast was terrific, especially Gordon McConnell as George. He was a much stronger George than we remembered. There also was practically no humor in this production, and I thought that was fine. I think that in the end George and Martha will live without their illusions, and I wonder about that ending because I find illusions very helpful in day-to-day existence. I need to add that I question whether they really can exist without illusions. This is of course some of the best dialogue that exists, and there's no denying that Albee is a genius. Martha did not look attractive as Elizabeth Taylor was, and Elizabeth Ashley in a previous production, and that added an interesting, valuable twist. This is such a valuable piece of drama, but I choose not to sit through it too often.

New York in April 2

Next, we saw Sarah Jones in Bridge and Tunnel. She is an amazing actress who embodied the roles of 14 different immigrants. I liked it better than Douglas, and found the show interesting; I felt she embodied her characters well and portrayed them with warmth. Douglas felt her characters were stereotypes, but I felt their humanity was displayed well. She wrote the show where her cast performs at an open mike, and I was interested in most of them. Would that this production could help put a face on our immigrant community. recommend
Skin Tight from New Zealand won many prizes at the Edinburg Festival. Douglas liked it a little more than I did. It was mostly a 2-hander about the end of a marriage, and the cast was very competent in their physicality. However, the language seemed mundane, and I didn't care much about them. It makes me feel that we're not missing much by not going to Edinburg, which does seem overwhelming. Not recommended, but not unhappy that I saw it.
Shining City by Connor McPherson was very good, as expected. His writing is lyrical, and his characters are so human! Bryan O'Byrne, Martha Plimpton, and Oliver Platt were wonderful, and I cared about them very much. They all delivered monlogues with a lot of meaning. I'm not sure of the meaning of the surprise ending, and Douglas and I are still discussing it. I just read that Oliver Platt is not sure of the significance of the ending, so I would guess we each brought our own interpretation to it. Highly recommend.
Red Light Winter by Adam Rapp was another well-written, well-crafted play by a playwright I usually like. I liked this better than Douglas, as I did his play Blackbird. We both liked his Nocturne very much, and Douglas liked Finer Noble Gases much more than I did. He has an ear for young people on the margins of society, and I felt for his characters in this play. Christopher Denham, the star, was exceptional. We spoke to him after the show, and he seemed the same as he was in the show. This was another moving experience I will recommend.
One Good Marriage from Canada was the final show we saw. It was an interesting 2-hander about a couple who experienced a tragedy on their wedding day. I liked it better than Douglas and was especially taken by the language of playwright Sean Reycraft. Justin Conley and Siobhan Power were very good at expressing their thoughts and emotions. The ending was so unexpected that I felt it added a lot. Recommend.

New York in April

Douglas and I went to New York in April and saw 9 shows in 5 days. He and I did not agree about a lot of what we saw, and I will share my comments more than his. The theatre was good, but not as fantastic as I expected. I would love to discuss details of these plays with anyone, but I don't want to put any spoilers in my blog, so I won't be as precise as I'd like to be.
I liked History Boys very much (much more than Douglas), and I am surprised because I have never cut any slack for some of the behavior discussed. I thought it was very clever and had a lot to say, both about education and about human relationships. The acting was excellent, and there were many clever lines. I of course cared very much about at least one of the students, and I was moved by the ending in a way that really surprised me. I would definitely recommend this play, andI look forward to seeing more of Alan Bennett's work.
Tryst was an interresting, well-acted 2-hander that I liked better than Douglas did. The acting was excellent, and I sympathized with the female character. The story kept my interest and was suspensefully written. recommend.
Sweeney Todd with Patti Lupone and Michael Cerveris was a disappointment, and Douglas agrees with me. In this production, each actor plays at least one instrument, and there is no orchestra. It was a fine production and possibly supposed to be more the telling of the story than acting it out completely, but we thought it did not compare to the production of Sweeney Todd we saw at Porchlight Theatre in Chicago October of 2004.
The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh was another disappointment for both of us, but I have thought about the show a lot since we saw it. We were both so overwhelmed by his Pillowman last year, and this did not compare. However, Inishmore really was full of very dark humor and was supposed to show how ridiculous terrorism is. We all know that, but we did laugh a lot at seeing it. The actor whose timing was so perfect was Domnhall Gleeson, the man accused of killing the terrorist's cat. There's much gore in this play, but it hardly bothered me, as it was just so over the top. I also wonder how the Irish feel about this play, as their depiction is not positive. I would recommend this play, as long as your expectations aren't too high. There's no denying that it's clever.

Seven Guitars

Douglas and I saw Seven Guitars on Sunday at M Ensembe in Miami; this is a Black theatre that we support. We've seen many good productions here and learned a lot. This was the second time we'd seen Seven Guitars, and we thought this production was very good. The cast was good; we'd seen many of them before , and they inhabited their roles totally. This is August Wilson's play of the 1940's, and life was beyond difficult, and of course unfair (that seems like too mild of a word.) We were able to tell the director and producer how pleased we were with the production, and as always, we're saddened that August Wilson is no longer with us.

Lysistrata

Douglas and I saw Lysistrata Saturday night at Palm Beach Community College. We had never seen the play before, although we knew the story. It was a funny, very raw production. I thought it probably had been changed a lot, but Douglas said Aristophanes wrote very raw plays. Many topical lines were added, and they were quite clever. The students were very good, and the production was a lot of fun. Many in the audience seemed to absolutely love the grossness, and I hope they realize the importance of the message (naturally, because I agree with it.) My question: if so many anti-war productions are out there, why do those of us who are anti-war have no influence?

Secret Garden

Last night Douglas and I went to see Secret Garden. It's interesting that after years of agreeing alomost totally, our opinions have become quite different lately. This was at the Dreyfoos School for Performing Arts, and we've previously seen shows there that we liked. This was the musical of Secret Garden; years ago we saw the drama and thought it was fairly good. This show had very good singing and acting; I liked the choreography, scenery, costumes, and music. However, the story really bored me. Part of the problem may have been that the sound techs didn't always have the correct microphones on, and I missed some of the show, but I think the story was just kind of dull. When we returned home, Doug opened up Frank Rich's review of the original Broadway production of this show, and he said the audience may be "bored by it." I was, and felt bad because it really was an impressive high school production.