A Little Life

A Little Life
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
October 29, 2022

Ramsey Nasr & Maarten Heijmans
Photo courtesy of BAM & Internationaal Theatre Amsterdam

Internationaal Theatre Amsterdam’s production of A Little Life played at BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera House from October 20 through 29.  The play is adapted by Koen Tachelet from Hanya Yanagihara’s 2015 novel.  It is a powerful piece, running four hours and ten minutes with one intermission.  It is performed in Danish with English subtitles.  Director Ivo van Hove has outdone himself on this production.  He keeps the action focused and clear.  As in the original novel, the story is character driven.  The relationships build to tell a harsh and cruel story that leaves you filled with compassion, marveling at how precious life truly is.

Maarten Heijman, Ramsey Nasr, Majd Mardo, & Edwin Jonker
Photo courtesy of BAM & Internationaal Theatre Amsterdam

The story is about four friends: Jude (played by Ramsey Nasr), Willem (played by Maarten Heijmans), JB (played by Majd Mardo), and Malcolm (played by Edwin Jonker).  Jude is a successful lawyer with a physical disability, caused by a “car accident” in his youth.  When his mentor, Harold (played by Jacob Derwig) decides he wants to adopt him, Jude’s fears rise to the surface.  His doctor, Andy (played by Bart Siegers), notices a drop in Jude’s health.  Jude is a cutter, inflicting pain on himself as a means of balancing the challenges he faces with abuses he suffered in his youth.  He keeps this a secret from Harold and his friends.  Amid flashbacks of his abuse, Jude has memories of time spent with Anna (played by Marieke Heebink), a therapist he worked with for many years.  After Jude is hospitalized because of an violent incident with Caleb, a man he is secretly seeing (played by Hans Kesting), Willem steps up to give him the care and support he needs.  Willem develops an intimate closeness with Jude, which opens a door for him to face his past and begin the slow and painful process of healing. 

Maarten Heijmans & Ramsey Nasr
Photo courtesy of BAM & Internatinaal Theatre Amsterdam

Ramsey Nasr draws the audience deeply into Jude’s story.  The details of his past are revealed one layer at a time.  As each layer peels back, we gain a clearer understanding of Jude’s inability to open up and form close, intimate, and lasting relationships.  Maarten Heijmans portrays Willem as selfless and compassionate.  He sacrifices parts of himself so Jude can build trust in him.  Their scenes are truthful and honest.  They develop a genuine relationship that is vulnerable and transformative.

A bold choice by Ivo van Hove was to cast the same actor (Hans Kesting) as the three men (Caleb, Luke, and Traylor) who inflict extreme abuse on Jude.  This allows the audience to comprehend how Jude’s’ abusive past formed continual trauma, causing Jude’s thick layer of defense and elevated need for secrecy.  As in past productions, Mr. van Hove uses the image of blood throughout the piece.  This symbolizes the pain and scars Jude perpetually carries.  It successfully illustrates the brutality of the story, without overwhelming the audience with its severity. 

This production keeps true to Hanya Yanagihara’s brilliant writing.  The characters of BJ and Malcom are not as detailed as in the novel, but it does not take away from the impact of the story.  Unfortunately, A Little Life played at BAM for a limited run.  Since it was part of BAM’s Next Wave Festival, there is no telling where it will be heading next.  If you see it scheduled in another venue, make sure to get a ticket.  Whether your read the novel or not, this production surely will have a powerful and lasting impact. 

Domenick Danza

Marnie

Marnie

The Met Live in HD

Brooklyn Academy of Music

November 10, 2018

Photo courtesy of Met Live in HD
& the Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera production of Nico Muhly’s Marnie was part of the Met Live in HD series at Brooklyn Academy of Music.  I have been attending these broadcasts a few times each season over the past few years.  I don’t post on this blog about them because, although I am learning about opera and beginning to follow the different singers, I don’t have enough expertise to comment on it as an art form.  However, under to the direction of Michael Mayer and with choreography by Lynne Page, this production contains sharp theatrical elements that dramatize the psychological layers of the main character to tell an intensely complex story that I very much want to share.

Based on the novel by Winston Graham, which is the same source material as the 1964 Alfred Hitchcock move starring Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery, the main character has a dark, hidden secret that causes her to take on different personas and run from the truth.  The role of Marnie is performed by Isabel Leonard.  She captures the mystery of the role and uses it to propel the action forward.  The character’s inner world is dark and haunted.  There are four women on stage at various times representing different parts of her personality, as well as an ensemble of male dancers representing the dark forces pulling her in different directions.  The magnificent collaboration between Nico Muhly, Michael Mayer, and Lynne Page is evident in these moments.  They brilliantly illustrate the inner world of the character.  Alfred Hitchcock believed that suspense is created when the audience is aware of the ticking bomb that can explode at any time.  These moments create that tension and engage the audience in caring for the main character.  They are powerful, stylistic, genuine, and clear. 

Christopher Maltman, Isabel Leonard, & the dark figures
of Marnie's inner world
Photo courtesy of The Metropolitan Opera

The role of Terry Rutland (Sean Connery’s role from the Hitchcock movie) is played by Christopher Maltman.  He and Ms. Leonard are phenomenal together.  Their chance meeting during the opening scene is tender and sincere.  The tension between their characters builds throughout the two acts of the opera.  As the intrigue builds, they become tightly bonded through fear and lies, which all falls away as they face the truth in the end.

Michael Mayer’s versatility as a director is truly amazing.  Among other outstanding projects, he has directed the edgy Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the over the top Head Over Heels, and this dark, psychological dramatic opera.  He is highly skilled at finding and balancing the proper ingredients to tell the story in the best, most effective way possible.

Isabel Leonard as Marnie
surrounded by the images that haunt her inner world
Photo courtesy of The Metropolitan Opera

I highly recommend attending the Met Live in HD broadcasts at Brooklyn Academy of Music.  There is always a speaker an hour before the broadcast who shares information about the art form, composer, and background on the production that frames the experience so you can enjoy it and learn how to watch and listen.  The benefits of the Met Live in HD broadcasts are the close-ups of the singers and intimate scenes, the subtitles, and the backstage interviews during the intermissions.  Whether you see one of the classic well-known titles or a new production like this one, Met Live in HD is a great introduction to the world of opera at a very reasonable ticket price.  It is an amazing world to disappear into on a Saturday afternoon. 

Domenick Danza

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?

National Theatre Live in the UK

Brooklyn Academy of Music

June 10, 2017

Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live from the UK

Brooklyn Academy of Music is presenting a series of National Theatre Live from the UK screenings.  The latest, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?, was live from the Harold Pinter Theatre in London.  The screening included background information on the work of Edward Albee as well as a discussion about the set and costume design of the production.  This series is an excellent opportunity to experience gripping, high quality, live theatre from across the pond.

Imelda Staunton & Conleth Hill
Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live from the UK

Martha (played by Imelda Staunton), daughter of a university president, and her husband George (played by Conleth Hill), a history professor, invite a young couple (played by Luke Treadaway and Imogene Poots) for a night cap after a university gathering.  As the drinking gets out of hand, everyone’s dark secrets come out in the open.  It is a devastating evening of truth or dare, especially when the distortion of games and facts begin to disentangle.  

Imelda Staunton as Martha
Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live from the UK

Imelda Staunton is on fire as Martha.  She bursts in at the opening of the play, only to continually escalate as the journey continues.  She is equally matched with Conleth Hill as George.  Together they take the audience on a roller coaster ride fueled by frustration, passion, disappointment and anger.  Luke Treadaway is a little stiff as Nick, yet he successfully portrays the character’s determined ambition.  Just when you think he is victorious, he breaks.  His quiet agenda swiftly crumbles.  Imogene Poots is well cast as Honey.  When her façade quickly fades, the depth of her fragility and emptiness is frighteningly exposed.

Luke Treadaway & Imogene Poots
Photos courtesy of National Theatre Live from the UK

Directed by James Macdonald, this production is sharp, biting, and unnerving.  His clear breakdown of beats in Edward Albee’s phenomenal writing gradually builds the tension while allowing opportunities for the audience to process the action.  The wild outbursts of emotion are genuinely grounded in the truth of the characters, and the heightened reactions are visceral and honest.  The balance of reality and game in the lives of the main characters is revealed in the ending.  The layers of this dark secret are essentially traced back to previous scenes where it was gradually peeled away.

BAM is presenting the following National Theatre Live productions:

Angels in America, Parts I & II - Starring Andrew Garfield, Denise Gough, Nathan Lane, James McArdle, and Russell Tovey

-          Angels in America Part I:  The Millennium Approaches

Thursday, July 20, 7:00 PM

-          Angels in America Part II:  Perestroika

Thursday, July 27, 7:00 PM

Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live

Tickets are modestly priced.  Based on this presentation of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?, I highly recommend checking them out.

Domenick Danza

The Iceman Cometh

The Iceman Cometh

BAM's Harvey Theatre
February 17, 2015

Photo courtesy of The Goodman Theatre

The last time I read Eugene O’Neil was in college, 35 years ago.  I’d heard many great things about the Goodman production of The Iceman Cometh when it played in Chicago in 2012.  I got on line to get tickets as soon as I read it was going to be at BAM’s Harvey Theatre.  I went into the theatre expecting four hours of deep, moving intensity.  I was ready.  I was prepared.  What I got was five hours, so I have to admit that the last unexpected hour was rough, but great and powerful.  Nathan Lane commanded the stage and led a cast of eighteen actors, all who did a tremendous job of bringing depth and detail to each character and created extraordinary moments exemplifying the human condition.

The first act opens in the dark, shadowy backroom of Hope’s Bar, filled with pain and despair.  Hickey, Nathan Lane’s character, enters, awakening them to the realization that they are stuck in their “pipedreams” waiting for tomorrow.  His desire to stir them into action is infectious.  Act II is olive green and red and bright.  An upright piano is on stage for the characters to play and sing together.  They start looking at themselves based on Hickey’s rant, stripping away one layer at a time.  There are a variety of responses to self-assessment characterized by the assorted group.  Some fight it.  Some give in with conditions.  Larry, played by Brian Dennehy, holds firm, grounding them all in skepticism and obstinacy.  Act III is bright as the stage opens up to show the entire bar.  The sunlight outside the door at the far end of the bar is warm, stark, and harsh.  The characters exit into the light after hesitating, struggling, and wrestling with their own selves.  In Act IV we are back to the dark disillusionment of the first act as we hear the detailed truth of Hickey’s story.  At the end Larry utters, “Thank God there is no hope,” as all the characters dance and celebrate the comfort of their own despair.

I was very caught up in the yearning for change that Hickey brought to the bleak setting.  I believed him.  I wanted each character to face their fear and overcome their past.  Have their “pipedream” of tomorrow become a reality for the present.  Whether it was Nathan Lane’s hutzpah or my ridiculous optimism, I forgot the Eugene O’Neil I studied so many years ago.  The journey of the play brought hope to the inhabitants of Hope’s Bar.  I fell for it… and fell even harder in the final act as the conditions of these character’s lives overwhelmed them and firmly held them down.

Nathan Line in The Iceman Cometh  -  Photo courtesy of The Goodman Theatre

The production is superbly directed by Robert Falls, the Artistic Director of The Goodman Theatre in Chicago.  He has a clear understanding of Eugene O’Neil’s intention and how to get the actors grounded in the reality of the situation and setting.  The sets, by Kevin Depinet, and lighting, by Natasha Katz, give the actors an amazing space to create, explore, and get lost in.

Powerful and moving.  Detailed and intense.  This production is not to be missed.  Go in prepared for a full five hours.  The three intermissions give you ample time to stretch and process the material.  Take it all in and let the journey of the play take you into the deepest part of the soul of Eugene O’Neil.     

Domenick Danza

The Met Live in HD at BAM

Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta and Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle

Saturday, February 14, 2015

I broke my regular Saturday routine, which consists of prepping my class lessons for the week, then going to the theatre in the evening.  My friend Julia recommended I put off my school work for one day, since it President’s Day Weekend.  She wanted to go to IKEA, but I suggested we go to see the Met Live in HD at BAM.  It was a double feature, Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta and Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle.

Photo courtesy of Met Live in HD

I am not a big opera fan, but watching the production in HD on the big screen has its advantages.  The interviews with the stage director (Mariusz Trelinski), the conductor (Valery Gregiev), and the stars (Anna Netrebko, Piotr Beczala, Nadja Michael, and Mikhail Petrenko) during intermission (on screen, or course) gave a deeper insight into the juxtaposition of the two one-act operas.  The production was inspired by the classic noir films of the 1940s.  Both stories are fairy tales.  Iolanta explores the coming into the light of a young woman as she finds her true love.  Bluebeard’s Castle delves into the dark side of love as Judith, the main character, becomes victimized by her circumstances.  The performances were moving, engaging, and intense.  The through line of images and color, props and lighting from the first opera to the second illustrated the extension of theme that Mariusz Trelinski identified in his interview.  These images along with the interview details allowed me to follow the character and theme development from the Iolanta’s fairy tale happy ending to the darker metaphors in Bluebeard’s Castle.  

The always enthralling communal experience of any theatrical endeavor is why I attend every weekend.  Upon entering, Julia mentioned how we were among the youngest members of the audience.  That was an interesting thing for her to notice, especially since there is a 30 year difference between her age and mine.  I did wonder why the showing was not in one of the cinemas on the first floor of the BAM Rose.  It would have made it a lot easier for a majority of the audience, since there were no elevators or easy access to the theatre.  After we found seats, Julia pointed out the turquoise knit sweater sticking out of the coat sleeve or the elderly gentleman seated to her left.

“It makes me think there’s a whole other personality under his conservative exterior," Julia said.

We laughed as I told her I was in an elbow battle with the man seated to my right, he claimed the arm rest before we arrived and proceeded to inch his elbow into my side all the way through Iolanta. 

Julia had a great conversation with the turquoise sweater man on her left during the intermission.  He was telling her that he and his wife used to go to the Met often and sit in the dress circle.  They could not see the faces of the singers, but were happy to hear and experience the music and voices.  He continued to tell her how much he prefers the Met in HD presentations.  He said it is a more personal experience, since he can see the singers’ expressions, the acting nuances, and production detail up close.  I definitely agree with him.  Between the close-ups and the English subtitles, the Met in HD is a truly engaging experience. 

Clearly, Julia lucked out with the communal experience.  I, on the other hand, continued to sit with my elbows glued to my sides as the man to my left spread out across the arm rest during Bluebeard’s Castle.  Some people just need to get out more.

“So,” I said to Julia as we walked out of BAM into the lightly falling snow, “this is what people do on a Saturday afternoon.”

“Yes,” she replied, “and it’s only 4:20.”

Be sure to take in on of the upcoming Met Live in HD presentations at BAM on one of the following Saturdays:  March 14 and April 25.  When I got to the box office about an hour and a half before show time, I bought the last two tickets that were available, so I recommend getting your tickets ahead of time. 

Domenick Danza