Himself & Nora

Himself & Nora

Minetta Lane Theatre

June 26, 2016

Photo Courtesy of Himself & Nora

Himself &Nora is a new musical about the love affair between James Joyce and Nora Barnacle.  With book, music, and lyrics written by Jonathan Brielle, the show poetically portrays the romance, passion, commitment, and emotional abuse in the long term relationship between these two individuals.  The two main actors are extraordinary.  The ensemble of three fills the stage with the presence and vocal power of a cast of twenty.  Director Michael Bush finds just the right the pace to create a seamless story that engages all the senses.  He allows this brilliant cast to develop their characters and build relationships that tells a story of longing, fervor, and devotion.

Matt Bogart as James Joyce
Photo courtesy of Himself & Nora

Matt Bogart embodies the character of James Joyce with commanding physicality.  He grows from an adolescent dreamer into a confident artist with astounding awareness of detail.  Whitney Bashor is powerful and bold as Nora.  Her presence demands attention when she enters in scene one, and keeps you riveted throughout the show.  It takes a strong actor to portray the woman who inspired James Joyce, was his true love, and tolerated his emotional distance and inflated sense of “himself.”  Ms. Bashor is perfectly cast to bring this amazing woman to the stage and match Mr. Bogart’s visceral interpretation.  Her singing is superb, as is Mr. Bogart’s.  These two actors ignite one another’s passion and yearning.  The story follows the characters’ exile from Ireland in hopes of escaping the restrictive weight of the Irish Catholic Church.  Together their journey takes them to Italy and Paris, where Joyce painstakingly develops his authentic writing style.

Lianne Marie Doss & Michael McCormick
Photo courtesy of Himself & Nora

The ensemble plays numerous roles including James Joyce’s parents, children, and publisher.  Zachary Prince is remarkable as the hometown Irish Priest, who is ever present, creating the inner conflict that haunts Joyce throughout his life.  Mr. Prince also delivers a touching portrayal of Joyce’s son, Giorgio.  Lianne Marie Dobbs is heartbreaking as Joyce’s daughter, Lucia, comical as Harriet Weaver, and energetic as determined publisher, Sylvia Beach.  Her range is phenomenal.  Michael McCormick is endearing and rough as Joyce’s father, and, just when the audience needs a laugh, is riotous as Ezra Pound.  These three actors physically and vocally create distinct, engaging characters and relationships.  They are skillfully versatile and keep the action of the play moving forward with tremendous verve.

Whitney Bashor & Matt Bogart
Photo courtesy of Himself & Nora

Scenic design, by Paul Tate dePoo III, is a unit set with moveable window frames, tables, chairs, and benches that serve numerous purposes.  Director Michael Bush utilizes these pieces to keep the flow of action seamless.  The design is simple, solid, and effective, and depicts the settings of Ireland, Italy, and Paris during the time period.  Lighting designer Jason Lyons skillfully enhances the setting with depth, warmth, and humor.

Himself & Nora is an amazing telling of “the greatest love story never told.”  It is playing at the Minetta Lane Theatre through September.  Go see it!  The cast is remarkable.  The score is unique and breathtaking.  The production is moving and inspiring.  It will make you want to read (or reread) Ulysses and give you a deeper understanding of The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.   

Domenick Danza

Smart People

Smart People

Second Stage Theatre

Tony Kiser Theatre

February 7, 2016

Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theatre

I immediately bought a ticket to see Second Stage Theatre’s production of  Smart People because it is written by playwright Lydia Diamond.  I studied playwriting with her at Chicago Dramatists a number of years ago.  She focused on teaching how to write realistic and riveting dialogue.  Her script overflows with this specialty.  Her dialogue connects the characters on a visceral level, creates compelling relationships which leads to strong conflict, and draws your attention deeply into what drives the play forward.  The production has a few flaws, but Lydia’s writing is sharp and detailed.

The title speaks for itself.  The play is about

Joshua Jackson & Tessa Thompson
Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theatre

four smart people.  Brian (played by Joshua Jackson) is a Harvard professor conducting a study on racism, particularly how a person’s brain reacts when seeing images of people of different races.  Jackson (played by Mahershala Ali) is a surgeon immersed in his residency while simultaneously running a clinic for people at risk.  Ginny (played by Anne Son), also a Harvard professor, is a psychologist who specializes in working with Asian women adapt to American society.  Valerie (played by Tessa Thompson) is an actress who cleans houses to pay off the extreme debt from graduate school.  The lives of these four very smart people intertwine as they emotionally relate and respond to one another based on their racial upbringing, self-image, and stereotypical expectations.  The deeper level of conflict surfaces when they choose to directly share their points of view on race relations.

Tessa Thompson & Mahershala Ali
Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theatre

The four powerhouse actors skillfully deliver these multi-dimensional characters with energy and vitality.  Their relationships are true and their emotional portrayals honest.  Unfortunately, there are times when they move in and out of the light.  Jason Lyons made some very bold choices in his lighting design, yet it does not always illuminate the playing areas completely.  The projections, designed by Zachary G. Borovay, create a strong atmosphere, yet spread over the set in a way that distorts the images.  Scenic design, by Riccardo Hernandez, utilizes the vast stage at the Tony Kiser Theatre, yet take away from the impact of the more intimate scenes.

Smart People runs at Second Stage Theatre through March 6.

Domenick Danza

An Afterthought:

When I got to the box office to pick up my ticket, the matinee had just let out.  There was a group of women heavily into a conversation about the social stereotypes and racial bias the show presented.  Since I just read a very poor blog review about the show, I listened into the discussion to get a different mindset before viewing the performance.  The women were committed to their points of view and impassioned by how the show broadened their frame of understanding. 

When I left the theatre that evening, I found myself agreeing with a few comments I heard earlier, yet I did not think the play made a strong statement about race in America.  The play did resonate with me, and after a few days of thinking about it, I realized that the depth of the characters and juxtaposition of the situations made a stronger statement than I had originally realized.

The two male character, one white and on black, are both frustrated with a specific work situation.  When each character voices their frustration, they face similar repercussions, yet are viewed very differently.  There is a strong commonality to their frustration, yet these two very intelligent, well-educated, hard working men cannot see beyond their own self-image and racial bias in order to bond over their situations. 

Playwright Lydia Diamond

This is one example of the subtle and powerful style in which Lydia Diamond chose to write this play.  There is a lot there, under the surface.  It is the purpose of theatre to make us think.  A catharsis occurs when we are able to view ourselves and the world differently after a shared experience.  Smart People is that kind of play.  See it if you want to understand yourself differently, but don’t expect it to be handed to you with ease.  You’re going to have to think, and that’s what makes good theatre.