The Minutes

 The Minutes
Studio 54
May 28, 2022 

Photo courtesy of The Minutes

Playwright Tracy Letts is very well known for bold, direct, in-your-face storytelling, yet The Minutes tops them all.  He crafted characters that are real.  You know them.  You like them.  You laugh at them.  You are them.  Mr. Letts structures this work so you follow these characters on their pursuit, yearning for the truth, until you find it.  Once you do, there is no going back.  

It is the weekly Big Cherry City Council meeting, a closed session.  Mr. Peel (played by Noah Reid) missed the previous meeting to attend his mother’s funeral.  He is welcomed back by Mayor Superba (played by Tracy Letts), who offers his condolences.  Mr. Peel asks the other council members what he missed from the previous meeting, including inquiring about Mr. Carp, another city council member (played by Ian Barford), who is not in attendance.  Everyone avoids these questions.  When the meeting starts, it is noted that the minutes from the previous meeting have not been prepared.  Mr. Peel is the only one concerned about this.  He continually brings up the absence of Mr. Carp and the omission of the minutes, yet his queries are incessantly avoided.  When an issue on the table requires a reference to the previous meeting, the minutes, which the clerk, Ms. Johnson (played by Jessie Mueller), was directed not to copy or distribute, are forced to be read.  The truth about Mr. Carp’s sudden disappearance is revealed, leaving Mr. Peel to make a life changing decision. 

Tracy Letts & Noah Reid
Photo courtesy of The Minutes

Mr. Letts brilliantly asks the question, “What happened to Mr. Carp?” in the opening scene.  This
driving questions draws you into about sixty minutes of action where you meet the characters and find out about the not too enthralling business of the town of Big Cherry.  You are fully engaged.  Truly invested.  The pay off, when the questions is answered, is far beyond any expectation.  Mr. Letts then takes it even further, giving insight into who we are as a nation and why we allow ourselves to become indoctrinated into beliefs and disciplines beyond imagination. 

Photo courtesy of The Minutes

The cast works as one solid unit, with leaders and outliers clearly defined.  The names of the characters offers insight into Mr. Lett’s intention for each character, and each actor delivers that intent superbly.  Noah Reid is naive and optimistic as Mr. Peel, persistently digging for the answers.  Tracy Letts is stalwart and steady as Mayor Superba.  Jeff Still and Cliff Chamberlain are steadfast and stubborn as Mr. Assalone and Mr. Breeding.  Danny McCarthy and K. Todd Freeman engage in meaningless discourse as Mr. Hanratty and Mr. Blake.  Austin Pendleton and Sally Murphy distractingly deliver the laughs as Mr. Oldfield and Ms. Matz.  Blair Brown is along for the ride as Ms. Innes.  Jessie Mueller is no-nonsense as Ms. Johnson.  Ian Barford is determined and straightforward as Mr. Carp.  

If you see anything this season make it The Minutes.  There is a frightening level of truth in Mr. Lett’s depiction of this small town and the people who inhabit it. 

Domenick Danza

POTUS

 POTUS
Shubert Theatre
May 26, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Potus

POTUS is a raucous and sidesplitting look at the behind the scenes happening at the White House.  Playwright Selina Fillinger has written an over the top script filled with funny lines, physical comedy, truthful characters, and a hilarious premise.  Director Susan Stroman works this cast of brilliant performers into a frenzy.  The action rises as the stress builds and the laughter culminates to a one line ending that says it all.

During an international meeting, the President of the United States makes a sexist and derogatory remark about his wife, Margaret (played by Vanessa Williams).  Harriet, the President’s Chief of Staff (played by Julie White), and his Press Secretary, Jean (played by Suzy Nakamura), are frantically figuring out how to spin it.  Stephanie, the President’s secretary (played by Rachel Dratch), is trying to prevent Margaret from seeing the president and making the situation worse.  Meanwhile, it is discovered that the president had an affair with a young, blond woman, Dusty (played by Julianne Hough), who is now pregnant with his child.  Harriet invited her to the White House to quiet the incident.  In addition, the President pardoned his sister, Bernadette (played by Lea Delaria), who was serving a prison sentence for international drug dealing.  When a reporter (played by Lilli Cooper), is interviewing the First Lady, she overhears and records the conversations where all this dirty laundry is aired.  Mayhem ensues, as Jean takes Margaret’s phone containing the recordings, and an accident takes place that could put all their necks on the chopping block. 

Julie White & Suzy Nakamura
Photo courtesy of Potus

The fast pace and high energy of the show is set in the opening scene between Julie White and Suzy
Nakamura.  These two skilled actors successfully light the fuse, and everything accelerates from there.  The set, designed by Beowolf Boritt, is on a turn table that quickly spins to reveal various rooms in the White House.  This allows for immediate changes, seamless transitions, and a continual build in the pace and comic timing. 

The Full Cast
Photo courtesy of Potus

The cast is phenomenal.  Julie White is full of vim and vigor.  She is a powerhouse.  Suzy Nakamura is enthralling.  Her character is constantly throwing obstacles, forcing the action to rise.  Vanessa Williams is aggressive and domineering.  Her portrayal of the First Lady is multi-layered and frighteningly truthful.  Rachel Dratch creates a character full of insecurity and very different from the others.  She makes the most out of every moment she is on stage.  Julianne Hough is perky and innocent as the President’s mistress.  She jumps right into the mix of powerful women, and rises to the challenge.  Lea Delaria is a grounding force.  Her character is full of surprises, carrying a bag of tricks on her shoulder from which she pulls out every imaginable prop needed for each sticky situation. 

As funny as this play is, it packs a thoughtful and provocative wallop at the end.  Go see it!  It is everything you could imagine from this magnificent cast. 

Domenick Danza

Cyrano de Bergerac

 Cyrano de Bergerac
The Jamie Lloyd Company
BAM Harvey Theater
May 14, 2022 

Photo courtesy of BAM

Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac is magnificently re-envisioned by Playwright/Translator Martin Crimp.  This production, originally scheduled to run at Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2020, is now running at the Harvey Theater.  Directed by Jamie Lloyd, this interpretation celebrates words: the power of the written word, the poetry in the rhythm of words, and the value of the spoken word.  This Olivier-winning production comes direct from London, and is not to be missed.

Cyrano de Bergerac (played by James McAvoy), a soldier, a poet, and a true romantic, is passionately in love with Roxanne (played by Evelyn Miller).  He has kept this secret hidden from her due to his ugliness.  He has an extremely large nose, which he is very sensitive about.  Anyone who comments on it is met with his vicious wrath.  When Roxanne falls in love with Christian (Eben Figueiredo), a new soldier in Cyrano’s regiment, she asks Cyrano to protect him.  Although brokenhearted, Cyrano agrees.  Christian, fully aware of Cyrano’s sensitivity, makes fun of his nose in full view of the other men in his regiment in order to prove his bravery.  Cyrano is about to pounce, when Christian’s name is revealed.  Cyrano befriends Christian out of loyalty to Roxanne.  He tells Christian of Roxanne’s love.  Christian explains that, when it comes to women, he is not good with words.  The two men enter a pact.  Cyrano will write letters to Roxanne and sign Christian’s name.  All goes well, until Christian realizes that it is Cyrano who Roxanne is truly in love with. 

James McAvoy as Cyrano
Photo courtesy of BAM & The Jamie Lloyd Company

This production is brilliantly staged in the style of spoke word performance.  In the opening scene the cast of eighteen line up on the stage and set the tone and rhythm for what is about to unfold.  They are a united ensemble.  They introduce the characters and the main story line.  Most of the dialogue/poetry throughout the play is direct address.  Therefore, the moments when the characters look directly at one another are amazingly powerful.  The relationships are strong.  The passion is visceral.  The poetry is enthralling. 

James McAvoy & Eben Figueiredo
Photo courtesy of BAM & The Jamie Lloyd Company

James McAvoy is commanding and charismatic as Cyrano.  Evelyn Miller is self-assured and demanding as Roxanne.  Eben Figueiredo is naive and arrogant as Christian.  Tom Edden is portentous and threatening as De Guiche. 

Cyrano de Bergerac runs at the BAM Harvey Theater through May 22.  Don’t let this unique and exciting production close without seeing it for yourself. 

Domenick Danza

The Land of Swollen Faces

 The Land of Swollen Faces
Kairos Italy Theater 
The Tank
May 13, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Kairos Italy Theater

The Land of Swollen Faces, a one character play by Paolo Bignami and translated by Carlotta Brentan, played for eight performances at The Tank (312 W. 36 St., NYC).  It was presented by Kairos Italy Theater, and part of the 2022 Homecoming Season.  The play packs a potent message of the long term effects from an environmental disaster.  The modest production elements allowed the audience to focus all their attention on the solo actor, Joseph Franchini.  His performance is highly engaging.  He creates a character that pulls the audience into the story, leaving a powerful impression on everyone watching.

Wimpy (played by Joseph Franchini) is a young boy living with his family outside of Milan, Italy.  He enjoys lying on the grass and watching the clouds.  He has his favorites.  One reminds him of a woman, and the other reminds him of a trumpet player.  He notices that they appear in the sky at the same time every afternoon.  When he gets older, he starts working at the chemical factory.  At first the factory is a remarkable place, full of strange smells and rigid structures.  After an explosion in the factory, some of the workers start getting sick.  Their faces swell up.  Wimpy’s supervisor tries to get the factory inspected and shut down, but since profits are good and the town relies on the factory for employment, management refuses to listen.  After a second explosion, more workers get sick.  Wimpy notices that the clouds in the sky are changing, growing darker, and that his face is starting to swell.  One by one, the workers from the factory die.  It is discovered that the land, water, and air of Wimpy’s town have become toxic.

Joseph Franchini creates an endearing character.  His Wimpy is simple minded and delightful.  The audience is amused by him, and builds trust in him.  This pays off when the action of the story turns serious and dangerous.  It is the fondness the audience has for Wimpy that emotionally engages them, making them concerned for his well-being.  This is how Mr. Franchini pulls the audience into the serious message of the story, allowing them to fully understand the severity of the situation and become aware of the long-term dangers of environmental accidents. 

Unfortunately, the final performance of The Land of Swollen Faces was on May 15.  Click HERE to check out the Kairos Italy Theater website for upcoming performances.  If this performance is an example of the quality of their work, they will all be well worth seeing. 

Domenick Danza

The Skin of Our Teeth

 The Skin of Our Teeth
Lincoln Center Theater
at the Vivian Beaumont
May 12, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

The Lincoln Center Theater production of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth is big, bold, and brilliant.  Director Lileana Blain-Cruz shrewdly juxtaposes the character interpretations, keeping the tension, conflict, and humor building throughout.  The third act rings with truth and relevance, as the actor are costumed in Civil War era attire.  Additional material by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins allows the direct address comments by the character of Sabina to be relatable to today’s audience.  The cast of twenty-eight works together as a tight ensemble, bringing this 1942 Pulitzer Prize winning three-act play to dazzling life on the Vivian Beaumont stage.  

Act I opens on Sabina (played by Gabby Beans), the housekeeper to the Antrobus family, preparing for Mr. Antrobus (played by James Vincent Meredith) to return from work.  We meet Mrs. Antrobus (played by Roslyn Ruff) and their two children, Gladys (played by Paige Gilbert) and Henry (played by Julian Robertson).  They are the perfect family, except for the alarming secrets they keep very well hidden.  Their existence is threatened by the ice coming from the north, moving everything in its path, and leaving people frozen in their homes.  They reluctantly open their home to a group of refugees in need of shelter and warmth, who help keep the fire burning as the ice approaches.  The world as they know it about to end.  

Roslyn Ruff, Julian Robertson, Paige Gilbert,
& James Vincent Meredith
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Act II finds the Antrobus family in Atlantic City among mayhem and merriment, during the convention of the order of mammals.  Mr. Antrobus declares “Enjoy yourself!” as the message of the day, while a Fortune Teller (played by Priscilla Lopez) predicts destruction by a great storm.  As Mr. Antrobus breaks the news to Mrs. Antrobus that he is leaving her for Sabina, the rain begins.  Mrs. Antrobus allows Sabina to escape with the family on a huge boat with two of each animal species.  They are prepared to start over. 

Act III is dark.  The war has ended.  The Antrobus family and Sabina have survived.  Gladys has a baby.  Mr. Antrobus and Henry return from war in serious dispute.  It is time to rebuild, yet Mr. Antrobus is tired and disheartened.  It will take community effort to restore the safety of their home if mankind is to endure. 

Gabby Beans as Sabina
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

From the minute the curtain goes up, Gabby Beans grabs the audience’s attention, and keeps them fully engaged and gleefully entertained for the full three hours.  Her Sabina is high energy and animated.  The tone of her direct address is distinctly different, setting up not only the humor in Mr. Wilder’s writing, but clarifying the device he employs throughout the play to punctuate his important messages.

James Vincent Meredith and Roslyn Ruff are strong and fearless as Mr. and Mrs. Antrobus.  They are fully in sync, especially when their characters are in dispute.  Ms. Ruff skillfully plays Mrs. Antrobus’ staunch determination with charm and appeal.  Mr. Meredith portrays Mr. Antrobus as a blustery, self-assured intellectual.  

Priscilla Lopez as The Fortune Teller
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Paige Gilbert and Julian Robertson are wonderful as Gladys and Henry Antrobus.  Their characters have a strong arc during Act I and Act II, and show tremendous growth and maturity in Act III.  Mr. Robertson delivers a heartbreaking moment in Act III that is truthful and genuine.  

Priscilla Lopez is mysterious, charismatic, and daring as the Fortune Teller.  Her character leads the narration in Act II, and Ms. Lopez skillfully brings the action to its well needed climax.

The Lincoln Center Theater production of The Skin of Our Teeth is running at the Vivian Beaumont Theater through May 29.  Don’t miss this production! 

Domenick Danza