Macbeth

Macbeth

Classic Stage Company

October 26, 2019

Photo courtesy of Classic Stage Company

The Classic Stage Company has produced a heart-racing, one hour and forty-minute rendition of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.  Director John Doyle cuts right to the insatiable lust for power that drives the play, then overshadows it with the overwhelming sense of guilt that brings the downfall of the characters.  The cast of nine seamlessly move the action forward, skillfully portraying noble loyalty, voracious cunning, and vengeful retribution. 

Macbeth (played by Corey Stoll) is sought after by the three weird sisters (played by the ensemble) to predict his rise to power.  When his wife, Lady Macbeth (played by Nadia Bowers) hears the news, she devises a plan to hasten the events.  She manipulates her husband to kill King Duncan (played by Mary Beth Peil) to gain the throne.  He does the deed as planned and finds it only one of many slaughters to come.  He hires assassins to kill his friend Banquo (played by Erik Lochtefeld) in order to secure his position as king.  When the ghost of Banquo haunts him, Macbeth is propelled to visit the three weird sisters for an answer to its meaning.  Their revelations fuel Macbeth’s thirst for power and hide the clues to his imminent downfall.

Corey Stoll as Macbeth
Photo courtesy of Classic Stage Company

John Doyle’s choice to have the three weird sisters played by the ensemble is truly inspired.  The theater echoes with their unsettling verse and their evil is existent within every person on stage.  He ends the play with the same lines and formation as the opening, showing how this driving force of selfishness is ever present and seductive as events shift and move forward.

Corey Stoll portrays Macbeth as an honorable man, lured into making choices from which he cannot escape.  His character is changed after the murder of Duncan.  His physical and emotional transformation is clear and strong.  He spends the remainder of the play masking his emotional state as he continues to cause harm.  As he says to Lady Macbeth, “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”  

Nadia Bowers as Lady Macbeth
Photo courtesy fo Classic Stage Company

Nadia Bowers is powerful as Lady Macbeth.  She conjures forces within herself to construct her plan and moves on it with unwavering determination.  Her mad scene is focused and unnerving.  Barzin Akhavan is strong as Macduff, and Raffi Barsoumian is passionate and innocent as Malcolm.  Mary Beth Peil is imposing as Duncan, and Erik Lochtefeld is loyal and gentle as Banquo. 

This production of Macbeth is boldly conceived and masterfully interpreted.  It is playing at Classic Stage Company through December 15.  If you are a Macbeth fan, as I am, you will truly enjoy it.

Domenick Danza

King Kong

King Kong

The Broadway Theatre

March 9, 2019

Photo courtesy of King Kong

This was my second time seeing King Kong on Broadway.  The first time was during previews.  The show has grown tighter and stronger over the past five months.  I stand by what I wrote back in October (see my post dated October 20, 2018 for details).  The production is truly spectacular.  Drew McOnie’s choreography and staging are brilliant.  Kong himself is truly magnificent.  He is phenomenally conceived and collaboratively performed by a number of highly skilled theatre professionals.  Christiani Pitts, Eric William Morris, and Erik Lochtefeld have grown and solidified their performances since previews.

The reason I went to see it this second time was for a planned field trip with coworkers.  It was great to come together for a Saturday matinee and share this experience.  Everyone had a good time.  I highly recommend King Kong on Broadway for a group outing.  It is a show for the whole family, young and old alike.  Check out Broadway Inbound for group rate tickets.  The operators are courteous and helpful.

Domenick Danza

King Kong

King Kong

The Broadway Theatre

October 20, 2018

Photo courtesy of King Kong

I believe the measure of a good story is in how well it is told, and the Broadway production of King Kong tells this well-known tale with brilliant, captivating theatricality.  Drew McOnie, Director/Choreographer, partners with a creative team of designer to deliver a truly mesmerizing production.  Scenic and Projection Designer Peter England creates jaw-dropping seascapes and monumental structures.  The Video & Projection Image Content by Artists in Motion keeps the action moving at a phenomenal pace with breathtaking specificity.  Lighting Designer Peter Mumford pulls out all the stops while keeping your eyes focused on every moment.  Sound Designer Peter Hylenski creates a giant with earth shaking sound.  Drew McOnie’s choreography is mammoth.  It sets the tone for the production from the opening scene and continually entertains with movement that metaphorically echoes the dramatic action of the story.

Christiani Pitts as Ann Darrow with Kong
Photo courtesy of King Kong

Christiani Pitts portrays Ann Darrow, the heroine and love interest of Kong, as determined and fearless.  She does not back down or scream in fear.  Instead she stands up for herself and her beliefs, giving Kong the courage to fight back.  Her characterization is more reflective of a woman of the twenty-first century than one of 1931, when the show takes place.  This gives the story a new dimension.  Her dream of stardom, inner conflict, and personal growth are the through-line of the plot.

Ann Darrow & Eric William Morris
Photo courtesy of King Kong

Eric William Morris plays Carl Denham, the filmmaker who captures Kong.  His character is bold and cunning, and juxtaposed by the character of Lumpy, played with heart and tenderness by Eric Lochtefeld.

The true star of this show is Kong, a twenty foot beast operated by ten on-stage puppeteers.  These amazing artists are visible throughout the productions, as are the cables holding up the giant animal.  They become one with the creature.  Their movements are precisely choreographed.  Watching them create the illusion is part of the theatricality of the experience.  Kudos to Gavin Robins, the Kong/Aerial Movement Director, and Jon Hoche, the Voice of Kong.

This show is far more than astonishing spectacle.  It is brilliant theatricality that can only be accomplished through a high level of collaboration, ingenuity, and commitment.  King Kong is presently in previews at The Broadway Theatre.  It is a mind blowing experience. 

Domenick Danza

The Light Years

The Light Years

Playwrights Horizons

March 18, 2017

Photo courtesy of Playwrights Horizons

The Light Years, now running at Playwrights Horizons, is a story of inspiration and ingenuity.  The story covers forty years, and takes place during the 1893 and 1933 Chicago World’s Fairs.  Playwrights Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen weave fact and fiction into a heartfelt story of struggle, loss, and persistence.  Director Oliver Butler chooses a distinctive style for the production that captures the spirit of the time period.

Rocco Sisto, Aya Cash, & Erik Lochtefeld
Photo courtesy of Playwrights Horizons

Steele MacKaye (played by Rocco Sisto) has a vision for the grandest theatre ever built.  In it he will mount his most spectacular production, telling the story of Christopher Columbus’ journey across the Atlantic Ocean.  Around the proscenium the audience will see the constellations that guided Columbus.  This might be a small technological feat for present day theatre, yet this vision was to be constructed for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, when electric light was first being introduced.  Hillary (played by Erik Lochtefeld) and Hong Sling (played by Brian Lee Huynh) are the inventors of the mechanical contraptions envisioned by Mr. MacKaye.  Is the vision too great to be achieved?  What keeps these ideas alive for forty years, connecting them to the Chicago World's Fair of 1933?

Aya Cash & Erik Lochtefeld
Photo courtesy of Playwrights Horizons

The production does an amazing job of traveling forward and back over time.  The actors create a clear illusion that makes it easy and enjoyable to follow.  Aya Cash plays two roles.  First we see her as Adeline, Hillary’s wife in 1893, then as Ruth, the wife a musician in 1933.  Ms. Cash skillfully creates the emotional connection that links the two stories over the forty year span of the play.  The entire cast does an amazing job with this well written and constructed script, yet the stylistic concept of the characterizations does not allow for a personalized connection to the audience.

The design (sets by Laura Jellinek, lighting by Russell H. Champa, and sound by Lee Kinney) give a clear insight into the size and scope of Mr. MacKaye’s visionary theatrical production and the challenges faced by the characters due to the technological limitations of the day.  This makes the story well worth seeing.  The Light Years runs at playwrights Horizons through April 2.

Domenick Danza