Ride the Cyclone

Ride the Cyclone

MCC Theater

Lucille Lortel Theatre

November 12, 2016

Photo courtesy fo MCC Theater

Riding the Cyclone is a haunting and thought-provoking musical directed and choreographed by Rachel Rockwell.  The MCC Theater production is sharp and spectacular with exceptional sound and lighting effects.  The music and lyrics by Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond are fun and energetic.  The skilled cast creates characters and moments that are true and touching.  Even with all of this in its favor, the show somehow falls short of building dramatic impact.

After performing at the fair, six members of the Saint Cassian High School Chamber Choir ride the roller coaster.  When an axel breaks in the front car, they are flown high in the air, then plunge to their deaths.  Before crossing to the other side, they review their short lives, hopes, and dreams in an effort to win the chance to go back, which can only be awarded to one of them.

Photo courtesy of MCC Theater

The production elements are amazing and perfectly delivered.   The set design by Scott Davis is spooky, vast, and spectacular.  It fills the Lucille Lortel Theatre with an atmosphere that sets the imagination on fire.  Lighting design by Greg Hofmann take everything on stage a step further by adding depth and illusion that captivates and draws you in.  The projections, designed by Mike Tutaj, are emotionally stimulating and show up in the most unexpected of places.  Unfortunately, these production elements far exceed the journey of the characters and arc of the action of the play.  Although there are poignant moments and a strong thematic finale song, the play is structured with mostly direct address and solos for the purpose of character development.  The relationships are not developed enough to create an emotional connection, and the theme is more stated than viscerally understood.

MCC's Riding the Cyclone is playing at the Lucille Lortel Theater through December 18. See it for yourself and add your comments here. 

Domenick Danza

All the Ways to Say I Love You

MCC Theater

Lucille Lortel Theatre

September 11, 2016

Photo courtesy of MCC Theater

What is the weight of a lie?  That is the questions asked in Neil LaBute’s new play All the Ways to Say I Love You presently playing at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.  This sixty minute, one woman piece is produced by MCC Theater and directed by Leigh Silverman.  The play is mesmerizing, tender, and shocking.  Judith Light excels as a school teacher with a deep secret that she has kept hidden for sixteen years.

Ms. Johnson (played by Judith Light) has been teaching high school English and Drama for thirty or so years.  When a student asks on one of the first days of school, “What is the weight of a lie?” she has no answer.  This prods her to open up about an encounter that once took place between her and a male student.  She gradually peels back the layers of her passion, deceit, marriage, and underlying motivations until she is able to define the weight of her own lie.

Playwright Neil LaBute
Photo courtesy of MCC Theater

Neil LaBute has magnificently woven a story where every word and phrase is valuable to understanding the main character.  As you intellectually piece the story together, you are viscerally drawn into the emotional complexity and depth of the action.  Ms. Light is brilliant in creating sincere moments that bond the audience to her.  Her character physically eases into a trusting relationship with each individual in front of her as she opens up with genuinely honest confessions.  As shocking as some of her revelations are, you understand and support her.  She confides in you as she would a trusted and intimate friend.  Director Leigh Silverman found the perfect perspective for this piece by having Ms. Light create this personal one-on-one relationship with the audience.  It is absorbing and moving. 

  

Photo courtesy of MCC Theaater

All the Ways to Say I Love You is a unique and remarkable piece of theatre.  Due to demand, MCC has already extended the run through October 16.  Go on line and get your ticket NOW!

Domenick Danza

The Changeling

The Changeling

Red Bull Theater

Lucille Lortel Theatre

December 31, 2015

Photo courtesy of Red Bull Theater

The Changeling, the Renaissance tragedy set in Spain, is remounted by Red Bull Theatre and presently playing in the West Village at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.  Jesse Berger boldly directed this dark and graphic tale of love and murder.  If you enjoy well done, classic theatre set in the time period in which it was written, this production is for you.  The characters are all genuinely driven by their desire and swallowed up by the fate they initiate for themselves.

Sara Topham & Christian Coulson
Photo by Carol Rosegg
Courtesy of Red Bull Theater

When Beatrice-Joanna (played by Sara Topham) meets the noble Alsemero (played by Christian Coulson), they fall immediately in love.  She is so overtaken that she plots with her father’s servant, DeFlores (played by Manoel Felciano), to murder Alonzo (played by John Skelley), to whom her father has previously betrothed her.  Unbeknownst to Beatrice-Joanna, DeFlores sees this as an opportunity to bond himself to her and demand what his heart desires, her maidenhood and loyalty. 

Christopher McCann &Andrew Weems
Photo by Carol Rosegg
Courtesy of Red Bull Theater

The subplot of the play takes place in “a madhouse resembling Bedlam, or Bethlehem Hospital, the famous London institution for the incarceration and ‘cure’ of madmen and fools.”*  This setting adds disorder, chaos, and comic relief to the darkness of the main plot, while deepening the level of intrigue and lunacy.  Actors Bill Army, Phillipe Bowgen, Christopher McCann, Michelle Beck, and Andrew Weems realistically create this locale and level of mayhem.

The entire cast is superb.  Each character is clearly developed with a strong sense of setting and time period.  They all deliver the classic language, which is Red Bull’s specialty, with natural comfort and expertise.  The set, costumes, and lighting (by Marion Williams, Beth Goldenberg, and Peter West) create an authentic atmosphere.  Choreography, by Tracy Bersley, in the opening of the first and second act clearly and skillfully sets up the action and pace for what follows.

Photo by Carol Rosegg
Courtesy of red Bull Theater

This is my first experience with Red Bull Theater.  They are “dedicated to the presentation  of vital and imaginative productions of heightened language plays and to the development of new plays written in a similar vein.  With the Jacobean plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries as its cornerstone, Red Bull Theatre engages the intellect and imagination of today’s theatergoers through intimate and evocative staging of great classic stories.”*  If The Changeling is an example of the quality of their work, I look forward to seeing future productions.  It runs at the Lucille Lortel Theatre through January 24.  Check it out!

Domenick Danza

*These quotes come directly from Red Bull Theater’s program for The Changeling.

Permission

Permission

MCC Theatre

Lucille Lortel Theatre

June 6, 2015

Photo courtesy of MCC Theatre

Permission, MCC Theatre’s production of Robert Askins new play, did not deliver the bang I had expected.  Perhaps it was that Mr. Askins’ Hand to God was so ingenious that my hopes were too high.  Perhaps the performances lacked the timing and chemistry to deliver the laughs and punch the script deserved.  Perhaps the director did not have the insight to the deeper levels or rhythms of the script. Yes, to all of the above.

When Eric (Justin Bartha) and his wife Cynthia (Elizabeth Reaser) accidentally walk in on their friend Zach (Lucas Near-Verbrugghe) spanking his wife Michelle (Nicole Lowrence), they don’t know what to think.  They quickly exit the dinner party and plan not to speak of the incident.  Zach meets up with Eric the next day and explains that he spanks his wife for Jesus.  It is part of CDD (Christian Domestic Discipline) which, through the power of God, allows couples to become the best they can be.  Eric and Cynthia try it and, thanks to the grace of God, their lives become empowered and productive… until it all comes back to bite them in the ass (pun intended).

Photo courtesy of MCC Theatre

The first act is relatively short as the premise of the play is established.  Mr. Askins delivers an Act II with a few twists and reveals that make the play worthwhile.  Director Alex Timbers finds the timing in the final scene that builds the action to the point where the main couple, Eric and Cynthia, is able to take a realistic look at their relationship.  Unfortunately, that sharp timing was missing from the earlier parts of the show.

The set, designed by David Korins, transformed the small space at the Lucille Lortel Theatre into six different realistic locations.  Each set was quickly changed, revealed, and smoothly rolled downstage as David Weiner’s lighting and M. L. Dogg’s sound design kept the transitions delightful.  Well done gentlemen!

Photo courtesy of MCC Theatre

Robert Askins is a playwright who pushes the envelope.  It is possible that this is too strong a conclusion to draw since I have only seen two of his plays, but they both did that so well.  The dramatic question in Permission is about discipline, how far is too far, and who really holds the power.  Even though the driving forces behind the behavior in this play were not as deep and dark as in Hand to God, he is still the playwright to watch. 

Domenick Danza