Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace

Nederlander Theatre

June 27, 2015

Photo courtesy of Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace is the story of the spiritual awakening of John Newton, the man who wrote the well-known hymn of the same title.  This new musical has a flat and relatively melodramatic first act.  The second act contains truthful moments culminating in an emotional finale.  Hopefully the creative team can make some well needed adjustments before the show opens on July 16.

The story begins on a pier in Chatham, England in December, 1744 as John Newton (played by Josh Young) returns from a long sea voyage.  He is met by his beloved, Mary Catlett (played by Erin Mackey).  He sings to her about the journeys he is yearning for in order to find freedom from his father’s control.  The ironic twist at the end of the scene is extremely effective.  It is revealed that he has actually returned from a slave trade expedition.  Not only that, but his father owns the slave trading ship and company, and John Newton makes his fortune by selling slaves. 

Chuck Copper & Josh Young
Photo courtesy of Amazing Grace

Act I continues by setting up the main conflicts of the story: a father’s disappointment, a son’s agony of his mother’s death and his father’s emotional abandonment, a young woman’s need to marry for social status and financial security, and true love that is disregarded due to emotional upheaval and social responsibility.  The villains are identified and the hero’s obstacles are clear, but due to the circumstances, these conflicts and the characters are not emotionally engaging - it is too clean and pristine a rendition of a story that is dirty with slave trading and brutality.

Act II has genuine moments of suffering, pain, and integrity.  Chuck Cooper (as Pakuteh/Thomas), and Laiona Michelle (as Nanna) delve deeply in their portrayal of slaves owned by the two main characters.  Their heartfelt and visceral performances create genuine moments of loyalty and betrayal that heighten the dramatic action of the second act and drive the story forward.

Laiona Michelle & Erin Mackey
Photos courtesy of Amazing Grace

The vocal skills of Josh Young and Erin Mackey are stunning and strong.  The score by Christopher Smith is outshined by the finale of “Amazing Grace.”  It is well orchestrated and superbly performed, yet not as poignant as when PresidentObama sang it last week in North Carolina.  The audience in the theatre did, however, rise to its feet and join in when the song was reprised during curtain call.

The story of the transformation of John Nash enhances the meaning and value of his most known hymn, which was written in 1779.  His story is worth telling and worth knowing.  Is this musical, however, the best venue for an effective telling of this powerful story?  Can director Gabriele Barre eliminate the melodrama and rework scenes and characterizations that will be emotionally engaging, and tighten up this almost three hour musical?  Let’s hope so.  Write a comment if you see it and let me know how the show is developing.

Domenick Danza

A Human Being Died That Night

A Human Being Died That Night

The Fugard Theatre and Eric Abraham

BAM Fisher / Fishman Space

June 20, 2015

A Human Being Died That Night
Photo courtesy of BAM and the Fugard Theatre

“Between good and evil there is a thin paper.”  Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela makes this statement in a scene from A Human Being Died That Night.  The play, a Fugard Theatre and Eric Abraham production, is an emotional and political unraveling into the levels of forgiveness that are needed for a society to move on from deplorable acts of violence.  Currently playing at BAM Fisher / FishmanSpace, this is an important work that needs to be experienced by all.

The play is written by Nicholas Wright, based on the book by the same title written by Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, a psychologist who served on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in post-Apartheid South Africa.  It was created directly from taped interviews she conducted with Eugene de Kock, whom she first came in to contact with at a victim hearing while he was serving two life sentences and 120 years in prison for crimes against humanity.  He was nicknamed “Prime Evil” for his participation in Apartheid violence, torture, and murders.

A Human Being Died That Night
Photo courtesy of BAM and the Fugart Theatre

The play analyzes how we perceive someone who performed horrendous acts of violence as a “monster.”  It then deconstructs this initial perception by introducing facts, information, and points of view that transform the “monster” into a person.  As de Kock tells it, “a cog in a bigger wheel,” does not make him less guilty, just flawed and more human.  Playwright Nicholas Wright and Director Jonathan Munby take us through the many layers of understanding in order to see how forgiveness is essential to healing, both personally and as a society.

Noma Dumezwani
Photo courtesy of BAM
and the Fugard Theatre

Noma Dumezweni as Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela and Matthew Marsh as Eugene de Kock both deliver intense and provocative performances.  The production comes to BAM from the Fugard Theatre in Cape Town, South Africa.  It is flawlessly directed by Jonathan Munby.  The sound and lighting design by Christopher Shutt and Tim Mitchell blend together to generate seamless transitions in time, location, and inner monologue.

Matthew Marsh
Photo courtesy of BAM
and the Fugard Theatre

This play needs to be seen and discussed.  I could not help thinking about what I heard earlier that day on the news about the families of victims of the recent Charleston church massacre welcoming and forgiving the shooter.  Also what crossed my mind was an episode of Law & Order that ended with a mother forgiving the convicted murderer of her son and promising to pray for him because he will need God in “that dark place where he is going.”  What also came up for me during the play was how I blubbered like a baby when I heard on the news a few weeks ago that the Boston bomber was sentenced to death.  This play asks the essential question: How do we forgive the unforgivable?  According to Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela’s research and interviews, victims do not want to hold onto the pain.  They crave the giving of forgiveness, knowing it is an essential step to being able to morn and walk through the healing process.  

The silence that filled the theatre when the show ended was strong proof of how powerful and important this show is, especially at this time.  A Person Died That Night is playing until June 21 at BAM Fisher / Fishman Space.  I heard through my colleague Deirdre DeLoatch that BAM secured the rights to film the performance and show it to students sometime within the next year.  Be sure to experience it. 

Domenick Danza

The Way We Get By

The Way We Get By

Second Stage Theatre

Tony Kiser Theatre

June 13, 2015

Photo courtesy of Playbill &
Second Stage Theatre

I was very excited to be seated in the second row center to see Amanda Seyfried in The Way We Get By.  I opened my program and there it was.  The dreaded insert.  “At this performance the role of Beth will be played by Clea Alsip.”  The curse of the matinee performance.  I was disconcerted, hostile, furious.  Should I march to the box office and scream, “Refund!” and demand my TDF discount ticket price back?  “Wait,” I thought, “This is a NeilLaBute play at Second Stage Theatre.  I know it is going to be good.”  And it was!

The play was a roller coaster ride of emotion as Doug (Thomas Sadoski) wakes up in the middle of the night in the apartment of Beth, a girl he hooked up with (Clea Aslip… who delivered an excellent performance).  He is agitated and paces uncomfortably in his boxer shorts, and downs a bottle of smartwater.  The awkwardness accelerates when Beth enters from the bedroom wearing his vintage autographed Star Wars tee shirt, wondering why he left her alone in bed.  The one night stand banter plays back and forth until Doug hits an emotional wall.  Playwright Neil LaBute skillfully approaches and retreats from this wall throughout the play as Doug and Beth’s history is excruciatingly revealed.  Director Leigh Silverman intrigues the audience by building and releasing the tension between the two characters right up to the very end of the play.

Thomas Sadoski & Amanda Seyfried
in The Way We Get By
Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theatre

Scenic designer, Neil Patel clearly shopped at IKEA for every piece of furniture and knick knack on the set.  This might sound like a critical put down, but it is not.  He created the “perfect” setting for Doug and Beth’s coming together and facing their deepest fear.  The neat and orderly Manhattan condo with everything geometrically matching and in its place is an ideal backdrop for a rebellion against the norm.

Toward the end of the play, Doug says that the way people get by is to run and hide from what they want when they fear they cannot have it.  Neil LaBute takes us on a journey into the freedom that comes when you make a decision that is right for you regardless of what people will say, tweet, or politicize.

Clea Alsip
Photo courtesy of broadwayworld.com

I am still disappointed that I did not see Amanda Seyfried, especially from the second row.  I did, however, leave the theatre feeling elated from the cathartic experience of an extremely well written, directed, and performed work of theatre.

Domenick Danza

Permission

Permission

MCC Theatre

Lucille Lortel Theatre

June 6, 2015

Photo courtesy of MCC Theatre

Permission, MCC Theatre’s production of Robert Askins new play, did not deliver the bang I had expected.  Perhaps it was that Mr. Askins’ Hand to God was so ingenious that my hopes were too high.  Perhaps the performances lacked the timing and chemistry to deliver the laughs and punch the script deserved.  Perhaps the director did not have the insight to the deeper levels or rhythms of the script. Yes, to all of the above.

When Eric (Justin Bartha) and his wife Cynthia (Elizabeth Reaser) accidentally walk in on their friend Zach (Lucas Near-Verbrugghe) spanking his wife Michelle (Nicole Lowrence), they don’t know what to think.  They quickly exit the dinner party and plan not to speak of the incident.  Zach meets up with Eric the next day and explains that he spanks his wife for Jesus.  It is part of CDD (Christian Domestic Discipline) which, through the power of God, allows couples to become the best they can be.  Eric and Cynthia try it and, thanks to the grace of God, their lives become empowered and productive… until it all comes back to bite them in the ass (pun intended).

Photo courtesy of MCC Theatre

The first act is relatively short as the premise of the play is established.  Mr. Askins delivers an Act II with a few twists and reveals that make the play worthwhile.  Director Alex Timbers finds the timing in the final scene that builds the action to the point where the main couple, Eric and Cynthia, is able to take a realistic look at their relationship.  Unfortunately, that sharp timing was missing from the earlier parts of the show.

The set, designed by David Korins, transformed the small space at the Lucille Lortel Theatre into six different realistic locations.  Each set was quickly changed, revealed, and smoothly rolled downstage as David Weiner’s lighting and M. L. Dogg’s sound design kept the transitions delightful.  Well done gentlemen!

Photo courtesy of MCC Theatre

Robert Askins is a playwright who pushes the envelope.  It is possible that this is too strong a conclusion to draw since I have only seen two of his plays, but they both did that so well.  The dramatic question in Permission is about discipline, how far is too far, and who really holds the power.  Even though the driving forces behind the behavior in this play were not as deep and dark as in Hand to God, he is still the playwright to watch. 

Domenick Danza

Music & Dance: Who Could Ask for Anything More?

An American in Paris

Palace Theatre

May 28, 2015

Photo courtesy of An American in Paris

Having spent a semester in Paris during the eighties, I am particularly enamored with all things Parisian.  I love the language, the food, the architecture, the historical places, and the art.   All of these things make me smile.  When I first heard that An American in Paris was coming to Broadway, I knew that I would imminently see the show. Because I am a movie enthusiast, I looked forward to seeing the musical rendition of this film.  Although Paris is just the setting of the show, the writer, Craig Lucas, manages to infuse some of the language and the culture of Paris into An American in Paris.  The musical is both directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, a former dancer for both the New York City Ballet and for the Royal Ballet.  This musical is his directorial debut.   The creative team includes: Robert Fisher, musical arranger, Bob Crowley, set and costume designer, Craig Lucas, the book's author, and Natasha Katz, lighting designer.  The principal actors are Robert Fairchild, who plays Jerry Mulligan, the American, and Leanne Cope, who plays Lise Dassin, the woman he loves.  Having received twelve Tony nominations this season, An American in Paris is one of the forerunners for best musical.  In the musical, the dancers leap and move flawlessly, holding the attention of the audience as it waits to see whether the dancers will land dynamically with precision.  They leap over furniture and dance in tandem to music by George and Ira Gershwin.  After careful reflection, I wondered what was most important in a musical. Was it the music, the acting, the dancing, or the story?  Does a theater-goer go to the theater to see the creative set design, the lighting, or the audio?  Do the traditional conventions of theater matter?  I have come to the conclusion that normally a great well-defined story is essential, but if there are other great strong creative elements, then the musical may be catapulted to even greater heights.

Leanne Cope & Robert Fairchild
Photo courtesy of An American in Paris

Charles Isherwood of the New York Times said that this musical is typical of Broadway musicals.  This comment was not pejorative, but intended to show that it maintains the typical structure of Broadway musicals.  I disagree; it is atypical.  I believe that there is significantly less singing (not less music) than in traditional musicals and the story is less defined.  The acting is mostly encompassed within the dance compositions.  At the inception of this performance, I was disappointed, because I was accustomed to a traditional musical with a more well-defined plot and more intense acting and singing.  I, however in the end, came to see this musical as levels above a traditional musical, for the dancing and the choreography of this show are veritably unparalleled. The costumes for the dancers and for the prima dancer are exquisite.  Although the story is less developed in the first half, it becomes more defined during the second half.  After intermission, the action and the tempo rise in the musical to a pace that allows the audience to become captivated by the arrangement of Gershwin's music and by both the dance and choreography.  The story becomes sharper as the dancers leap in gran jeté fashion into the air and over props, further enthralling the audience and causing the viewers to applaud and say bravo at the end of the performance.  The dancers seamlessly integrate dance with music within the choreography with contemporary and jazz vernacular.

Photo courtesy of An American in Paris

An American in Paris is the story of an American soldier, Jerry Mulligan, who decides to stay in Paris after the Great War so that he can become a painter.  He meets Lise Dessin, a Jewish woman, who was hidden by a French family during the war.  He soon realizes that he is not the only one trying to woo her.  She feels, however, an allegiance to the French family, especially the son, Henri, expertly played by Max Von Essen.  Lise is an accomplished ballerina and she works to hone her craft so that she can perform adroitly in a performance.  The story is about love and internal conflict.  This story is about staying true to oneself and about reconciling conflict so that true love prevails.

This musical is all about the dancing, the choreography, and the music that make this show a stunning

Photo courtesy of An American in Paris

success, not the story.  It has the audience wanting more at the end.  The dancers demonstrated a variety of movements including pirouettes as they use props when leaping perfectly in such a way that one's eyes remain focused on all of the movements.  The chemistry between Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope is strong and it keeps the audience hoping that they will work through their conflict so that they can be together.  The dancers light up this show with their bright resplendent costumes.  Toward the end of the performance, all of the dancers line up across the stage and do a number similar to the Radio City Rockettes.  At the end, both the dancers and the singers reprise the song, "I Got Rhythm," and sing, "Who could ask for anything more?"  Indeed, I asked myself, who could ask for anything more?

Sunday evening, June 7th, is the Tony Awards.  I look forward with great expectation to seeing this musical and Something Rotten, two of my favorite musicals this year, take top honors.  I admit that my ticket to The King and I is after the Tony Awards; thus, I cannot comment on whether it will take some top honors as well.  Enjoy the awards and let's start a conversation.

     

Deirdre M. DeLoatch

Guest Contributor

The Spoils

The Spoils

The New Group

The Pershing Square Signature Center

May 31, 2015

Photo courtesy of The New Group

When I saw the listing on TDF for The Spoils, written by and starring Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) and co-starring Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory), I knew I had to see it.  The play far exceeds any expectations that the advertised names create.  The script is intriguing and challenging.  The characters are full, real and complex.  The relationships are genuine, compelling and relatable.  The world of this play rings true on a personal level as well as holds strong relevance on a broader scale.  

In the opening scene, Kalyan (Kunal Nayyar) asks his girlfriend, Reshma (Annapurna Sriram) if she thinks it is better to tell someone a truth that will hurt their feelings and possibly destroy what they have that is going smoothly in their life, or leave well enough alone by withholding information.  As a playwright, Jesse Eisenberg explores this concept when the main character, Ben, who he portrays, does just that to the people to whom he is closely connected.  The term “closely connected” refers to Ben’s roommate Kalyan, his girlfriend Reshma, Ben’s grade school crush Sarah (Erin Darke), and her fiancé Ted (Michael Zegen).  Since Ben has managed to alienate himself from all social, professional, and creative contacts (he considers himself a filmmaker), these four characters are not necessarily defined by this term within his isolated existence.   It gets ugly and uncomfortable when Ben starts revealing some “truths” he has kept to himself.  What exactly is the truth and what purpose does it serve anyway? 

Jesse Eisenberg and Kunal Nayyar in The Spoils
Photo courtesy of The New Group

Scott Elliot’s directing is superb.  The two and a half hour play is tight and controlled.  Each of the five cast members is excellent.  They create authentic and realistic relationships based on genuine emotion, whether it’s compassion, generosity, jealousy, love, lust, loathing, or any strange and complex combination.  The depths of the characters are revealed throughout the play, but not fully exposed until the last moments.  Thank you Jesse Eisenberg for this prolific, unpredictable, and riveting journey of a play.

Michael Zegen, Jesse Eisenberg and Erin Darke in The Spoils
Phots courtesy of The New Group

On a personal note:  In the second act, Kalyan tells Ben about a job interview he went on which was unpleasant and humiliating.  His possible future employer berated his comments so that he felt like everything he said was the wrong answer.  Kalyan’s qualifications, education, and intelligence are clearly built up throughout the play.  The integrity of his interviewer is clearly questionable in the way he tells the story.  I had a similar experience last week.  Kalyan only had Ben to turn to, who filled up his head with “truths” that magnified the point of view of his interviewer.  Ben then continues to tear down Kalyan and illustrates how he created the alienated situation he thrives on.  I, on the other hand, was lucky enough to immediately call my friend Julia who gave me a more positive perspective.  A few questions come to mind:  Which “truth” is real?  Is it the one that serves you and keeps you moving forward with verve and self-confidence?  Or, is it the one that the person in power holds over you?  This brings up the basis of Ben and Kalyan’s relationship.  Ben kicks Kalyan when he is down in order to lift himself up.  Which “truth” is best for Ben and Kalyan to face? Will “truths” that Kalyan holds back from Ben affect him as deeply as the ones Ben reveals to Kalyan?  Does the question Kalyan asks in the opening of the play have a different answer based on the circumstances?  

Go see The New Group’s production of Jesse Eisenberg’s The Spoils at The Pershing Square Signature Center.  It runs through June 28.  The truth is… you’re gonna love it! 

 

 Domenick Danza