Prayer for the French Republic

 Prayer for the French Republic
Manhattan Theatre Club
NY City Center Stage I
January 29, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

Joshua Harmon has raised the bar on excellence with his new play, Prayer for the French Republic.  The story tracks the lineage of a Jewish family in France to show how hatred and fear have been passed down through time.  His characters are victims of antisemitism and experience the political situations that cause such behavior.  The writing is multi-layered and inspired.  Large, vital themes sweep through the action, connecting the characters and relationships through the generations.  Director David Cromer keeps the action connected in this three hour play (don’t worry, it has two intermissions) that spans seventy-two years.  The skilled cast brings truthful dimension to Mr. Harmon’s compelling characters, emotionally motivating the audience to engage on their own personal journey toward awareness and self-reflection.

Francis Benhamou, Jeff Seymour, Yair Ben-Dor, & Betsy Aidem
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

It is 2016 in Paris, France.  When Daniel (played by Yair Ben-Dor) is badly beaten on his way home from work, his mother, Marcelle (played by Betsy Aidem), blames it on his wearing his yarmulke in public.  This is not the first time this has occurred, and Marcelle believes Daniel’s wearing his yarmulke makes him a target.  His sister, Elodie (played by Francis Benhamou) holds very strong political ideals, and supports her brother on his convictions.  Daniel’s father, Charles (played by Jeff Seymour), starts to see how the aggression against Jews is accelerating in Paris, making it unsafe for his family to remain there.  He grows fearful, and decides he wants to move them to Israel. 

Nancy Robinette and Kenneth Tigar
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

The time shifts to 1944.  We meet Irma and Adolphe Salomon (played by Nancy Robinette and Kenneth Tigar).  When a Nazi officer came to their apartment to arrest them, he was turned away by their doorman.  They safely remained in Paris throughout World War II.  Their son, Lucien (played by Ari Brand), escaped with his family to Poland, where they were arrested and placed in concentration camps.  He and his son, Pierre (played by Peyton Lusk), are the only surviving members of that family.  They return to Paris at the end of the war to unite with Irma and Adolphe.  Pierre is Marcelle’s father. 

Ari Brand, Kenneth Tigar, Nancy Robinette, & Peyton Lusk
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

Mr. Harmon creates two important characters to keep the audience connected to this expansive story, which contains an intense amount of political information.  The character of Patrick, Marcelle’s brother (played by Richard Topol), acts as a narrator, providing detailed direct address on the lineage of the family and facts about the history of antisemitism.  Patrick is humorous in his direct address, yet antagonistic in his scenes with the family.  This is a well-balanced character, and Mr. Topol does him great justice.  Molly (played by Molly Ranson) is a distant American cousin of Marcelle.  While studying abroad in France, Marcelle invites Molly to her home in Paris to get acquainted.  Molly’s first visit is the same night Daniel is beaten.  The audience sees the brutality and political situation in Europe through her eyes.  As Molly injects herself into the struggles of this family, the audience is given the opportunity to do the same, with a shared, American point of view.  Molly is both naïve and educated, which is reflected in how her comments agitate the family’s conflicts.   

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

The skillful way Mr. Harmon builds his characters and crafts his dialogue gives the audience opportunity for self-reflection.  Molly’s distance from her Jewish faith combined with Irma and Adolphe Salomon’s ability to silently stay under the Nazi’s radar give the audience pause to reflect on how we hide our true identities in order to survive.  Lucien’s unwillingness to share his experiences in Poland with his mother informs us as to how vital truths do not get passed down through the generations.  Within this family there is constant conflict, yet a resilient bond that keeps them united.  They pull strength from their ancestors, and gain purpose for moving forward toward survival.  The connection through the generations is profound.  This is brilliantly constructed and gives the audience a vital insight into the themes Mr. Harmon is communicating in this play.                          

The Manhattan Theatre Club production of Prayerfor the French Republic is stunning.  The cast is outstanding.  The play is simply brilliant.  It is playing at NY City Center Stage I through February 27.  Get a ticket right away!  

Domenick Danza

Intimate Apparel, A New Opera

 Intimate Apparel
A New Opera
Lincoln Center Theater
The Mitzie E. Newhouse
January 22, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Lynn Nottage has collaborated with composer Ricky Ian Gordon on an opera version of her play, Intimate Apparel.  The Lincoln Center Theater production that was scheduled to open before the pandemic, is now running at the Mitzie E. Newhouse Theater.  Directed by Bartlett Sher, the production is simple and passionate.  The music and action flow from one scene to the next with sweeping momentum. 

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

The year is 1905.  Esther (played by Kearstin Piper Brown) is an unmarried black woman who employs herself as a seamstress, making intimate apparel for a wide variety of customers.  She receives a letter from, George Armstrong (played by Justin Austin), a laborer working in Panama, digging the canal.  Esther cannot read or write, so she asks Mrs. Dickson, who runs the boardinghouse where she lives (played by Adrienne Danrich), to read the letter for her.  George is searching for companionship, and the son of Esther’s pastor recommended he write her.  Mrs. Dickson does not trust this letter.  Esther confides in one of her customers, Mrs. Van Buren (played by Naomi Louisa O’Connell), who boldly offers to reply to George’s letter.  The correspondence begins.  When Esther tells her friend and customer, Mayme (played by Krysty Swann), about her new suitor, she also volunteers to write letters for Esther.  Love builds over time, and George proposes marriage.  The wedding takes place the day of his arrival to New York.  Among the things they learn about one another is that neither of them was the author of their letters.

Kearstin Piper Brown & Justin Austin
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

The strength of Lynn Nottage’s writing in her 2004 play Intimate Apparel is the relationships.  In writing the libretto for this opera, she delved deeply into this aspect of the story.  Ricky Ian Gordon’s music takes these relationships to another level, especially in the second act.  The tenderness between Mr. Marks, the Jewish merchant from whom Esther buys fabric (played by Arnold Livingston Geis), gradually intensifies as the action progresses.  When Esther realizes her true feelings for Mr. Marks, the musical theme floats through the action.  It is repeated by Mrs. Van Buren, when she realizes her feelings for Esther, and again by Mayme as she meets and starts an affair with a man she calls Songbird.  It is emotionally engaging and follows through on the connections established in Act I.  The music and dramatic action equally build as Esther realizes that Mayme’s Songbird is actually her husband George.  

Although the cast is larger than Ms. Nottage’s original play, this is an intimate production.  It is very well suited for the Mitzie E. Newhouse Theater.  The set, designed by Michael Yearger, is minimal, consisting mainly of a turn table that keeps the scenes continually connected.  The costumes, designed by Catherine Zuber, are richly detailed and beautifully establish the time period.  The cast is superb.   Their voices are magnificent.  The acting is truthful.  

Intimate Apparel, A New Opera is playing at Lincoln Center Theater through February 28.  Don’t miss it! 

Domenick Danza

Skeleton Crew

 Skeleton Crew
Manhattan Theatre Club
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
January 15, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew tells a riveting, character driven story.  It is skillfully crafted with natural and engaging dialogue.  The action is full of conflict that builds to unexpected levels.  The Manhattan Theatre Club production is awe-inspiring.  Ruben Santiago-Hudson directed a stellar cast, who brings life and depth to Ms. Morisseau’s complex characters.

The Cast of Skeleton Crew
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

The year is 2008.  Faye (played by Phylicia Rashad) is the union rep for the workers of a stamping factory in Detroit, Michigan.  She has worked there for twenty-nine years and knows everyone’s story.  Dez (played by Joshua Boone) is saving up to open an auto repair shop.  Shanita (played by Chanté Adams) is pregnant with her first child.  Reggie (played by Brandon J. Dirden) is the plant supervisor who started working the line fresh out of high school.  When Reggie confides in Faye that the plant is going to close down within the year, he asks her to keep the news to herself and help him negotiate a good severance package for the workers.  Everyone is expected to put in overtime and meet quota, and the stress builds as supplies and materials go missing.  Tempers flare when Dez refuses to undergo a mandatory search before leaving work.  Secrets are revealed, and Faye asks Reggie to step up for the workers.  When he does, Faye is forced to make a crucial decision to keep him from losing all he worked for.

Phylicia Rashad is solid and grounded as Faye.  She breaks the rules, yet has a strong sense of dignity and loyalty.  When the stakes are highest, Faye steps up and puts herself on the line.  Ms. Rashad plays this moment with heart and commitment.  In this crucial moment, the character’s true nature blossoms, and Ms. Rashad soars.   

Dominque Morisseau & Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

Brandon J. Dirden truthfully creates a conscientious and fair-minded factory supervisor in his character of Reggie.  As the action builds, so does his heightened state of stress.  Mr. Dirden’s connection with Ms. Rashad’s character is direct and genuine, and vital to the dramatic impact of the story.  Together they bring the action of the story to a stunning climax.

Joshua Boone and Chanté Adams have a strong chemistry as Dez and Shanita.  Their characters are at odds with one another throughout the play.  Mr. Boone portrays Dez with a rough, street-wise exterior, which slyly masks his sincerity and sense of hope.  Ms. Adams plays the optimistic Shanita with a low tolerance for games.  These two skilled actors create characters driven by a common need.  They bring a sense of continuity and endurance to the ending of the play. 

The scenic design by Michael Carnahan illustrates the degradation of Detroit in 2008.  The design extends outside the proscenium, reveling support beams and broken plaster.  It is further enhanced with vibrant projection designs my Nicholas Hussong.  Adesola Osakalumi performs his own choreography during the scene breaks, creating a sense of urgency in the need of the people of Detroit and the workers in the factory. 

Skeleton Crew is playing at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre through April 30.  Don’t miss this stunning production of Dominique Morisseau’s riveting play. 

Domenick Danza

Wit

 Wit
The Seeing Place Theater
Paradise Factory
January 2, 2022 

Photo courtesy of The Seeing Place Theater

The Seeing Place Theater production of Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize winning Play Wit is now playing at Paradise Factory in the East Village.  Brynn Asha Walker skillfully directed this production with a clear comprehension of Ms. Edson’s intention.  The audience experiences the sever, experimental cancer treatment the main character undergoes, allowing them to walk away with a new perspective.  Erin Cronican takes on this tough leading character with grace and integrity.

Dr. Vivian Bearing (played by Erin Cronican), a professor of English and expert on the metaphysical sonnets of John Donne, receives a diagnosis of stage four ovarian cancer.  Under the advice of her doctor (played by Brynn Asha Walker, u.s.), she immediately begins an intense, experimental chemotherapy treatment.  One of her attending physicians, Dr. Jason Posner (played by Robin Friend), is a former student.  He recognizes her immediately, and speaks highly of her proficiency and discipline.  Vivian has only known the grueling and determined work required in her area of study, and has been diligent in living by it and impressing it upon her students.  She is reminded of when she refused to give Jason an extension on his paper.  The fact that he received a grade lower that he hoped for in her class still weighs on his mind.  Vivian’s unwavering focus and dedication stems from the discipline she learned from her mentor, Professor E.M. Ashford (played by Janice Hall).  As Vivian comes to the realization of the need for kindness, she allows herself to lean on her attending nurse, Susie Monahan, (played by Brynn Asha Walker). 

Erin Cronican as Dr. Vivian Bearing
Photo courtesy of Russ Rowland

There is an urgency in this play, as expressed by the main character in the opening monologue.  She states that she has only two hours to live.  She needs to come to terms with this, and does so by analyzing her life in the same way she solves the mysteries of the poems of John Donne.  Because of this approach, Dr. Vivian Bearing is a very challenging role.  She is highly intellectual and emotional detached, yet must be sympathetic to the audience.  Erin Cronican takes time to portray the vulnerability of this character.  She exposes Vivian’s thought process, allowing the audience to get inside her head and understand what makes her tick.  Ms. Cronican makes insightful choices that allow the audience to empathize with Vivian.  They are on her side, rooting for her well-being.  Without this, the valuable message in Ms. Edson’s play would be missed.

Erin Cronican & Brynn Asha Walker
Photo courtesy of Russ Rowland

This cast plays the irony of numerous moments during the story, which brings out the humor in the writing.  Although not comical, this humor gives the audience a chance to relieve the tension that builds throughout the action.  Director Brynn Asha Walker guides the cast in finding these important moments, which keep the play moving at its required pace and the audience’s attention consistently engaged.

With the exception of Ms. Cronican, the cast plays more than one role, covering for one other in case of Covid related absences.  Janice Hall plays Professor E.M. Ashford with diligent focus.  Robin Friend is clinical and impersonal as Dr. Jason Posner.  Brynn Asha Walker portrays Susie Monahan with heart and knowledge.  

The Seeing Place Theater production of Wit is running at Paradise Factory (64 E. 4^th St.) through January 16.  Although the theater is small, much attention is given to keeping the space safe for the audience.  Don’t miss Erin Cronican’s riveting performance.  

Domenick Danza