The Flick

The Flick

Barrow Street Theatre

August 23, 2015

Photo courtesy of amazon.com

I came across The Flick, Annie Baker’s Pulitzer Prize winning script, in a few different bookstores and websites.  When I was in college, I worked as an usher in the Loews Oriental movie theater in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn with two of my very good friends.  Back in the day it was the place to be, so the concept of the play intrigued me.  I decided to buy a copy.  My first read of Annie Baker’s play did not deliver what I had hoped.  Why did it win the Pulitzer Prize?  With that question in mind I got a ticket to the remounted Off Broadway production at the Barrow Street Theatre, and found my answer.

The play opens on Avery’s (Aaron Clifton Moten) first day on his new job at the Flick, one of the last 35 millimeter, single screen movie houses in central Massachusetts.  Sam (Matthew Maher) is showing him the ropes.  Clearly there is not much skill in sweeping up popcorn and cleaning the soda machine, but for Sam this is a big deal.  Rose (Louisa Krause) is the projectionist, a high ranking position, love interest of Sam, and the cause of some mistrust between the boys.  All three actors are very well cast and create true moments to establish honest, relatable characters and relationships.

Louisa Krause and Aaron Clifton Moten
Photo courtesy of The Flick at Barrow Street Theatre

The play is long (3 hours, 15 minutes - with intermission).  At the end of the first act Ms. Baker gives us insight into Avery’s character, which clarifies his distanced behavior.  She skillfully holds back the truth of his experiences, then reveals it right before intermission.  This leaves the audience wanting more, which is a great feat after a one hour and forty minute first act.  She delivers a second act with depth and metaphor that ties everything together.  Life is like a celluloid film, where each frame is separated by darkness and shadow.  We are individuals, not identical like pixels in a digital movie.  Some things from the past need to be cherished and preserved as life progresses.

Aaron Clifton Moten, Mathew Maher, Louisa Krause
Photo courtesy of The Flick at Barrow Street Theatre

Since the play is set in a movie theatre, rows and rows of seats fill the stage facing the audience.  The set, by David Zinn, is extremely realistic, yet limits the playing area and inhibits the actors’ movement.  The rows of seats constantly separate them, forcing them to face away from one another when seated.  Is this a poor design decision or an ingenious physical obstacle that characters have to overcome in order to connect?  These are the kind of subtleties in the production and script’s concept that make it a strong work.  Is the play slowly paced, or is the pace representative of the shadow between the frames of a 35 millimeter film that enhances the experience?

What are the criteria for a script to win the Pulitzer Prize?  My first read of Annie Baker’s script make me wonder, and do some research (click for Pulitzer Prize Criteria / click for Pulitzer Prize Winners).  Seeing the play make me understand why it won, even though I think they could have picked up the pace of Act I.  See it and decide for yourself.

Domenick Danza

Oresteia

Oresteia

Classic Stage Company

Greek Festival

August 23, 2015

Photo courtesy of Classic Stage Company

ClassicStage Company is presenting their Greek Festival from August 10 through September 27.  The advertisement for Oresteia caught my attention, so I grabbed a ticket on TDF.  It is produced in association with Ashes Company, and conceived and directed by Jonathan Vandenberg.  This powerful and mesmerizing piece is presented with very little dialogue.  Mr. Vandenberg relies on impressive visual images, authentic sound, and concise movement to take his audience on a journey through the cycle of vengeance, greed, and passion all the way to healing. 

Photo courtesy of Ashes Company

Oresteia is Aeschylus’ tragic Greek trilogy that tells the story of the end of the curse on the House of Atreus.  The ensemble is amazingly gifted and intensely focused for this ninety minute interpretation.  Every gesture expresses intent and is delivered with clarity and significance.  The longing for retribution is passed from one character to the next through the passing of the knife and the spilling of blood.  The sound design, by Alexandria Bottiglieri, draws you into the intensity of each event, but it is the sound of each moment that rivets you to the action – the character’s breath, the dragging of costumes across the floor, the rustling of chains, the pouring of water.  This is what captivates your senses and draws you into the importance of each moment.  When Orestes cannot return the knife to the circle from whence it was first retrieved by Agamemnon, it is clear that the cycle of pain and suffering has ended.

Photo courtesy of Ashes Company

In the Classic Stage Company newsletter, director Jonathan Vandenberg addresses the question of catharsis.  What did it mean for an Ancient Greek audience?  Is it possible today?  By leading the audience through this stark and gritty retelling, he brings us to a visceral understanding of the pain of yearning for vengeance and forgiveness.  It is a phenomenal, and yes, cathartic encounter.

The consistency of quality in the work of Classic Stage Company is relevant in this original interpretation of Oresteia.  Be sure to take in a performance of the Greek Festival at Classic Stage Company, as well as look for upcoming work by Ashes Company.

Domenick Danza

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Belasco Theatre

August 11, 2015

Photo courtesy of Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Hedwig and theAngry Inch is a visually enthralling revival of the John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask 1998 rock musical.  It takes its audience on a painful journey through separation and sacrifice to self-acceptance and unification.  Presently Taye Diggs is gracing the stage at the Belasco Theatre with a starkly honest interpretation of the title character that will stun and captivate you.

The premise of the show is that Hedwig is performing for one night only on the Broadway stage with her band, The Angry Itch.  She tells the story of her life, which began in Berlin, when the wall split a culture down the middle.  After her father, a US Army Major General abandons them, her mother tells her the story of love.  The song, “The Origin of Love” is choreographed with stunning projections and declares how love split in two, and our purpose is to find the other half and reunite with it.  Her mother is the one who arranges her brutally botched sex change to help Hedwig escape East Germany by marrying an American soldier.  The journey of abandonment continues in a trailer park in Kansas.  The image of the wall, which is present on the set throughout the show, and the representation of the wigs as persona and identification are poetic and striking.

Taye Diggs as Hedwig
Photo courtesy of Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Taye Digg’s Hedwig is tall, bold, brassy, and as hurtful as she is wounded.  His characterization is mature, detached, and indignant.  The character’s humor is angry and projected on those closest to her.  Mr. Diggs nails every song and hooks you into following him deeply into the reality of Hedwig’s veiled need.  Rebecca Naomi Jones is fierce as Hedwig’s husband Yitzhak.  Throughout the show her character retreats from every confrontation with Hedwig.  In the end she rises like the phoenix when finally set free. 

The show is harsh, brash and cold.  More importantly, it contains a powerful message of love and self-acceptance.  It has a strong relevance to a teenage audience, and a large following to prove it.  Taye Diggs will be starring until October 11.  He is worth seeing in this role.

Domenick Danza

39 Steps

39 Steps

Union Square Theatre

August 5, 2015

Photo courtesy of 39 Steps

Director Maria Aitken’s remounted 2008 Tony Award winning production of 39 Steps is now playing at the Union Square Theatre.  It is a highly entertaining and farcical rendition of the Alfred Hitchcock 1935 thriller.  It is a must see for theatre goers who enjoy creative, out-of-the-box interpretations of classic, well know works.

The script is adapted by Patrick Barlow.  The Hitchcock suspense is surpassed by tongue in cheek humor and slapstick comedy.  The stage effects are low-tech, created by smoke and lighting.  Events like hanging off the side of a train, dangling from a bridge, being hunted down by a pair of biplanes, a crowded wild party in an adjoining room, and a chase scene on the roof of a train car are all cleverly achieved through pantomime, shadow puppets, and bold and focused reactions by the actors. 

Photo courtesy of 39 Steps

The advertisement boasts that four actors play 150 roles.  Arnie Burton, Billy Carter, Robert Petkoff, and Brittany Vicars are delightful, amazing, and funny.  Their characterizations are crisp and their timing is impeccable. 

The production has a style of its own.  It is witty and charming.  Take a friend and have a fun night out.

Domenick Danza

Something Rotten!

Something Rotten!

St. James Theatre

August 4, 2015

Photo courtesy of Something Rotten!

Unique!  Brilliant!  Witty!  Intelligent!  Bold!  Bawdy!  Crisp!  Ingenious!  Yes, I have seen Something’s Rotten! and those are only a few words to describe it.  It’s a farce, a parody, a slapstick comedy, a musical.  It’s Shakespeare meets the Carol Burnett Show (I mean that in a good way).

The plot is original and surprising.  The play takes place in 1595 in the South of London, where William Shakespeare is the most revered playwright of the day.  The Bottom Brothers, Nick and Nigel, want to write a play that supersedes the work of the Bard.  When Nick’s wife announces she is going to have a baby, he begins to feel desperate.  He employs a soothsayer to look into the future to see what the next popular theatre style will be.  He sees something new and different… the musical.  Zaniness ensues as the soothsayer’s visions become vague and muddled, leading the Bottom Brothers on a journey to perplexing hilarity.

Brian d'Arcy James as Nick Bottom
and Christian Borle as William Shakespeare
Photo courtesy of Something Rotten!

Brian d’Arcy James as Nick, John Cariani as Nigel, and Christian Borle as William Shakespeare are all amazing.  Their characters are boldly written and their portrayals are skillfully tremendous.  Heidi Blickenstaff, as Nick’s wife Bea, and Kate Reinders, as Nigel’s love interest Portia, bring the perfect blend of tenderness and humor to their roles.  The only way to mention other strong performances would be to list every name in the program.  The stage consistently exudes vibrant energy, as every cast member does an impeccable job delivering top notch material.

Photo courtesy of Something Rotten!

The production is superbly directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw.  The book and lyrics, by Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell, and Wayne Kirkpatrick, are highly intellectual and witty.  The Shakespeare references are right on and the musical theatre spoofs are priceless.  The score, by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Kary Kirkpatrick, is excellent.  It delivers a pace and tone that makes you tap your feet and sway in your seat.  Sets, by Scott Pask, and costumes, by Greg Barnes, are designed with broad strokes and bright humor.  They take you back to Shakespeare’s time grinning with delight.

Something Rotten! is sure to be a long running favorite.  No matter how much you pay for your ticket, it is worth five times the price.

  

Domenick Danza

Macbeth

Macbeth

The Drilling Company

Shakespeare in the Parking Lot

August 1, 2015

Photo courtesy of
The Drilling Company

The Drilling Company is batting a thousand this summer with their twenty-first season of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot.  Macbeth opened on July 30 in the parking lot behind The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center (located at 114 Norfolk Street - east side of Norfolk Street between Delancey and Rivington Streets).  The production, directed by Jesse Ontiveros, had a very strong and haunting opening weekend.  It has a limited run, so don’t miss it.

Dan Teachout is solid as Macbeth.  His guilt-ridden downward spiral into destruction is clear and complex.  As Lady Macbeth, Sheri Graubert portrays an insatiable hunger for power that leads to obscure madness.  Together these two actors lead the audience into the depths of Shakespeare’s most haunting play.  Other strong performances are Lucas Calzado as Malcolm, Veronica Cruz as Lady Macduff, Kineta Kunutu as Hecate, and, for most needed comic relief, Bill Green as the drunken Porter. 

Macbeth (Dan Teachout) and the Witches
(Gracie Winchester, Kineta Kunutu, and Llewie Nunez)
Photo by Jonathan Slaff and courtesy of The Drilling Company

Costumes, by Lisa Renee Jordan, and set, by Leontine Greenberg, are simple and effective.  Sound design, by Anna Grossman, adds just the right texture needed to transform the informal parking lot into a dark castle, a witch’s forest, and a bloody battlefield.

Macbeth runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 PM through August 15.  Admission is FREE, so get there!  The final show of the Shakespeare in the Parking Lot season will be The Taming of the Shrew at Bryant Park September 4 – 20.  Mark your calendars!  It is sure to be another classic sensation from The Drilling Company.

Domenick Danza