Swept Away

 Swept Away
Longacre Theatre
December 28, 2024 

Photo courtesy of Swept Away

The Broadway production of Swept Away is a beautiful telling of a harrowing tale.   John Logan’s book cuts to the heart.  The music and lyrics by the Avett Brothers run the gamut from foot stomping fun to tender, spiritually moving ballads.  Director Michael Mayer approaches the challenges of this unique musical with creativity and perspective that grips the soul and engages every emotion.  This new musical is closing way too soon.  

Mate (played by John Gallagher, Jr.) is haunted on his deathbed by the ghosts of three of his shipmates.  They urge him to tell their story.  He resists, and finally gives in.  It is the year 1888.  A whaling vessel is ready to set sail, but one crew member is missing.  Little Brother (played by Adrian Blake Enscoe) rushes in, ready for his first big adventure.  He is followed by Big Brother (played by Stark Sand), who is trying to convince him to return home to their farm.  While they are engrossed in their argument, Captain (played by Wayne Duvall) orders the gangplank to be removed so the ship can set sail.  Big Brother is now trapped with Little Brother, embarking on a journey he had no intention of joining.  The brothers continue to argue for days, but it is useless.  They are at sea.  When the ship hits a storm, all the crew are lost, except Mate, Captain, Big Brother, and Little Brother.  They are adrift in a lifeboat, where they will remain for over twenty days with no food or water.  As Little Brother lays dying, they make the only decision that will keep the remaining three alive. 

Photo courtesy of Swept Away

The first half of this musical is full of discovery, comradery, and conflict aboard the whaling vessel.  The choreography, by David Neumann, creates relationships among the hardy crew, builds tension between the characters, and keeps the action moving at a brisk pace.  Mr. Neumann works closely with scenic designer, Rachel Hauck to magnificently depict the sinking of the ship.  It is a gripping and stunning enactment.  

Photo courtesy of Swept Away

The second half takes place in the lifeboat, and the tone dramatically shifts.  The four main actors (Adrian Blake Enscoe, Stark Sand, Wayne Duvall, and John Gallagher, Jr,) keep the audience fully engaged.  Mr. Mayer brilliantly spins the lifeboat in different directions to transition the perspective.  The climax of the action is a heart wrenching twist, which allows the rest of the story to fall gracefully to its conclusion.  Forgiveness, comfort, and redemption are shared among these characters.  It is an honorable ending to a tragic story. 

Swept Away announced an abrupt closing date shortly after it opened at the Longacre Theatre.  The closing was extended for two weeks to December 29.  At this time, there is no notice of it being extended again, which is highly unfortunate.  It is a unique and brilliant piece of theatre.  Its closing is a tremendous loss to the Broadway season. 

Domenick Danza

Funny Girl

 Funny Girl
August Wilson Theatre
August 13, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Funny Girl

The Broadway revival of Funny Girl is going through major changes this summer.  Julie Benko is beautifully carrying the show forward.  She embraces the role of Fanny Brice and grows with her throughout the story.  From youthful insecurity to magnetic stardom, Ms. Benko fully captures the heart of the character.  Her voice is strong and expresses the emotional range needed to fully engages the audience.  Under the direction of Michael Mayer, the production is bright and evenly paced.  The tap choreography, by Ayodele Casel, is stylistic and sharp. 

The story starts at the end.  Fanny Brice (played by Julie Benko) is a Ziegfeld star.  She is in her dressing room getting ready to open a new show.  She is anxiously waiting for her husband, Nick Arnstein (played by Jeremiah James, understudy).  Her nervousness brings her thoughts to the start of her career.  She is a young Jewish girl from Brooklyn with big dreams.  Her mother (played by Jane Lynch) believes in her, yet her mother’s two friends (played by Toni DiBueno and Debra Carona) have their doubts.  While appearing in a Vaudeville act, she befriends the choreographer, Eddie Ryan (played by Jared Grimes).  He works overtime with her to prepare for the show.  After the opening night performance, she meets Nick Arnstein, who recognizes her as the star she is.  Fanny falls in love at first sight, but does not meet up with Nick for another year.  By that time she is working for Florenz Ziegfeld (played by Peter Francis James).  Fanny and Nick start a romance that changes both their lives in ways neither of them expected. 

Julie Benko as Fanny Brice
Photo courtesy of Funny Girl

Jeremiah James and Julie Benko work well together as Nick and Fanny.  Sparks fly in the scene when they first meet.  Their hearts open when they sing “People."  Their characters mature as their relationship develops.  The final scene, when Nick returns, is their finest.  It is grounded and sincere.  Fanny is left with a decision to make.  Ms. Benko digs deep to portray the courage Fanny musters to move forward.  It is a powerful moment.  We understand how she become the comic legend she was born to be. 

Toni DiBueno, Debra Cardona, and Jane Lynch make a great trio.  Their comic timing succinctly creates the Jewish Brooklyn community of Fanny’s upbringing,  It has a consistent feeling of home every time the story return to them. 

Jared Grimes & Julie Benko
Photo courtesy of Funny Girl

Jared Grimes shines as Eddie Ryan, Fanny’s friend and choreographer who supports her on her rise to stardom.  His character is bold and enthusiastic.  His tap dancing is phenomenal.

Funny Girl is sure to transform with the casting changes that are coming in the next month.  No matter which cast you see, the story of Fanny Brice is sure to inspire you. 

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

Head Over Heels

Head Over Heels

Hudson Theatre

July 9, 2018

Photo courtesy of Head Over Heels

Head Over Heels is fun and smart and wild and sexy!  Combining the music of The Go-Go’s with The Arcadia, a play written at the end of the 16^th century by Sir Philip Sidney, is pure genius.  The design and style for the production is over the top and brilliant.  It is the Renaissance meets Greek tragedy in the 1980s, surging forward to tell a well needed message of acceptance, love, and persistence.  The creative team, led by director Michael Mayer, pulls out all the stops and picks up the pace to entertain, dazzle, and fill the Hudson Theatre with pure joy.

Princess Philoclea (played by Alexandra Socha) is in love with Musidorus, a mere shepherd boy (played by Andrew Durand).  Her older sister, Princess Pamela (played by Bonnie Milligan), has been introduced to numerous suitors over the past five years, and cannot find anyone to her liking.  Their father, Basilius, King of Arcadia (played by Jeremy Kushnier), is not happy with these events, and his wife, Gynecia (played by Rachel York), is not happy with him.  Pythio, the Oracle of Delphi (played by Peppermint) has four predictions for the King.  When they come true, Arcadia will have a new King, “lose their beat,” and fall into turmoil and despair.  King Basilius keeps the oracle a secret and takes his family and court on a journey to Bohemia to avoid the predictions and face his adversary head on.  Truth in the guise of mayhem ensues, proving that you meet your destiny on your journey of denial.

Photo courtesy of Head Over Heels

The cast and ensemble are a skillful, energetic, and cohesive unit.  They are truly amazing in every way.  Their voices are strong.  Their energies are high.  Their timing is crisp.  Andrew Durand and Alexandra Socha are heartwarming and funny.  Jerry Kushnier and Rachel York are bold and commanding.  Bonnie Milligan and Taylor Iman Jones are daring and hilarious.  Peppermint is dazzling and fabulous.  Tom Alan Robbins is the glue that holds them all together during the mayhem. 

Photo courtesy of Head Over Heels

Scenic design by Julian Crouch creates numerous, imaginary locations that transport you into this outlandish story.  They are lush, alive, and colorful through enhancement from lighting designer Kevin Adams and projection designer Andrew Lazarow.  The costumes, by Arianne Phillips, transcends any specific time period.  They encompass a wide array of styles and evoke clear characters with a single glance.  Tom Kitt’s choreography is fierce and thrilling.

Head Over Heels is playing at the Hudson Theatre.  If you see anything this summer, make it this show!

 

Domenick Danza

Love, Love, Love

Love, Love, Love

Roundabout Theatre Company

The Laura Pels Theatre

October 1, 2016

Photo courtesy of
Roundabout Theatre Company

In Love, Love, Love, now playing at the Laura Pels Theatre, playwright Mike Bartlett takes his audience on a journey of ideals, compromises, and perseverance.  Director Michael Mayer keeps the action focused in this three act play that spans forty years.  The stellar cast in this Roundabout Theatre Company production is funny, jarring, and honest in their portrayals of flawed characters moving along in life, who never really give up on the dream.

It is 1967 in London and the Beatles are performing live on television.  Henry (played by Alex Hurt) invites his date to his flat for dinner.  His brother Kenneth (played by Richard Armitage) is saying with him while receiving grant money to go to Oxford, and is definitely cramping his style.  When Sandra (played by Amy Ryan) finds herself more interested in the non-conformist Kenneth that her conservative date, Henry, she does not hold back in making her move.  Fast forward twenty years to Act II where Kenneth and Sandra are married with two teenage children, Jamie (played by Ben Rosenfield) and Rose (played by Zoe Kazan).  The couple has clearly compromised on their rebellious ideals, but it is not until Act III that they face their shortcoming and the fact that “all you need is love.”

The cast of Love, Love, Love
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

The maturity that Richard Armitage develops in his character from one act to the next (each a twenty year jump) is truthful and realistic.  He becomes resigned as the decades pass, yet retains his energy, sincerity, and optimism.  Amy Ryan enters with a roar in Act I and shocks you senseless.  She then does it again in Act II and Act III.  Her character ages gracefully, and never loses her brash demeanor.  Ben Rosenfield creates the character of Jamie in the spitting image of his father, Kenneth.  His posture, gesture, and expressions illustrate how it is much more than just genetics that make up a family.  Zoe Kazan delivers a strong performance as Rose.  Her character is the darkest member of the family.  She is touching and damaged, and clearly her mother’s daughter.

Love, Love, Love makes a strong statement of the effect the ideals of the baby boomer generation has on their adult children.  The characters are realistic, selfish, and true to their word.  You will definitely see yourself reflected in one aspect of their personalities or another.  The play is running at the Laura Pels Theatre through December 18.

Domenick Danza