The Frogs

The Frogs
Master Voices
Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall
November 4, 2023 

Photo courtesy of Master Voices

The Frogs, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, was performed in concert by Master Voices at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall.  It was a rare opportunity to experience this unique  musical theatre piece.  Based on the 405 BC comedy by Aristophanes, the book was adapted by Burt Shevelove in 1974.  It was revived by Lincoln Center in 2004, with additional music by Mr. Sondheim.  That production was directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, with book revisions by Nathan Lane.  Mr. Lane introduced and narrated this concert presentation.  

Dionysos, the god of theatre and wine (played by Douglas Sills), realizes there is a desperate need for truth and humor in present day theatrical productions.  He takes his servant, Xanthias (played by Kevin Chamberlin), on a quest.  They travel to Hades to bring back George Bernard Shaw (played by Dylan Baker) to write new work.  While crossing the River Styx, Xanthias and Charon, the Boatman (played by Chuck Cooper), save Dionysos after he is captured by a group of frogs.  Upon arrival in Hades, they meet Plato (played by Peter Bartlett), who allows Shaw to leave for a short period of time.  They are all set to depart until Dionysos encounters a few other surprises that alter his original plan. 

This stellar cast and brilliant chorus presented this lesser-known Sondheim gem with skill and grace.  There were masterful and humorous performances by Douglas Sills, Kevin Chamberlin, Marc Kudisch, Chuck Cooper, Peter Bartlett, Dylan Baker, Jordan Donica, and Candice Corbin.  The choreography by Lainie Sakakura was creative and energizing.  Director/Conductor Ted Sperling delivered a stunning concert event. 

This presentation of The Frogs played for only one weekend (November 3 & 4).  Congratulations to Master Voices for making it memorable.  Check out their website for future concert performances (mastervoices.org).  They are sure to be valuable experiences.      

Domenick Danza

Pictures from Home

 Pictures from Home
Studio 54
January 20, 2023 

Photo courtesy of Pictures from Home

In Pictures from Home, playwright Sharr White takes a deep dive into Larry Sultan’s photo memoir of the same title.  She is quoted as saying, “This play is my exploration of Larry’s exploration.”  She takes Mr. Sultan’s probing of the relationship between his parents and his juxtaposition of truth with image to the next level.  Ms. White adds layers of fiction to the story through her dialogue.  The characters speak their truth as they face the masks they wear in order to project the images they desire.  Director Bartlett Sher molds and shapes this play into an emotional engaging piece of theatre.  The direct address seamlessly blends into genuine moments between the characters that are full of spunk and humor.  The cast is truly phenomenal, delivering authentic and heartwarming performances.

The action drops in on year eight of a project undertaken by photographer Larry Sultan (played by Danny Burstein).  He is in the process of interviewing and capturing images of his parents, Irving (played by Nathan Lane) and Jean (played by Zoë Wanamaker).  Irv questions the amount of time Larry has been spending on the project, constantly challenging every question he is asked and every photograph his son takes.  In the midst of these disputes, Irv tells of when he quit his job in New York City and moved his family to California to seek a better life.  His success was hard earned, yet his animosity not easily resolved upon his retirement.  Jean’s success in real estate kept the couple financially secure after her husband’s retirement, yet is underplayed in the shadow of Irv’s demanding ego.  These are the areas Larry explores with his photographs and interviews.  How do his parents project the images of success differently?  Can he capture their vulnerable sides?  Which of these qualities are reflected in him? 

Nathan Lane, Danny Burstein, & Zoë Wanamaker
Photo courtesy of Pictures from Home

Nathan Lane and Danny Burstein create a truthful and intimate father/son relationship as Irving and Larry.  They are direct and unapologetic.  They both have high standards for themselves.  They continually push each other beyond their limits.  No matter how harsh they get, you can feel their mutual respect.  Zoë Wanamaker is their rock.  She is the devoted wife, caring mother, and straight man to both male characters.  The timing between these three actors is impeccable, and surpassed only by their heart and sincerity.

Playwright Sharr White asks more questions in the course of this play than she delivers answers.  This directly corresponds to the purpose of Larry Sultan’s photography.  As his photographs tell a full story in an isolated image, questioning the truth in the perspective, so do Ms. White’s individual scenes.  They are full of subtext and backstory.  The audience is able to respond to each moment, relate to the characters and events, and bring their own perspective to the story.  They become part of the intimacy shared between the characters, their tenderness, their frustrations, their eagerness, and their hesitations. 

The character of Larry Sultan discovers at the conclusion of the story that his greatest joy is in how he touched a culture with his work.  We feel that touch in this play.  Pictures from Home is playing at Studio 54 for a limited engagement.  Don’t miss it!  

Domenick Danza

Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

Booth Theatre

April 13, 2019

Photo courtesy of
Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

Taylor Mac weaves together layers of laughter and grief mixed with hope and despair in Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus.  His writing is boldly satirical.  He moves in and out of metaphoric verse, giving the audience opportunities to ponder what lies beyond their own understanding in order to see the larger possibilities for transformation and healing.

It is the fall of the Holy Roman Empire and a street clown, Gary (played by Nathan Lane), has been promoted to maid.  His job is to clean up the dead bodies fallen from the carnage, and prepare the palace for the inauguration of the new Emperor.  The job, though overwhelming, seems simple enough, until he meets his supervisor, Janice (played by Kristine Nielsen).  She is determined to get the job done right and refuses to fall behind schedule due to Gary's trifling.  In his efforts to transform the tragedy that is all around him into comedy, Gary envisions a new genre, a “foolery,” which is comedy with a deep and serious theme.  Just as Janice is beginning to buy into Gary’s “foolery,” Carol (played by Julie White) emerges from beneath the pile of carcasses.  She was midwife to Tamora, and is obsessed with the fact that she failed to save Tamora’s baby before her throat was cut by Aaron.  Gary begins to think his idea of a “foolery” to change the future is not going to work.  When Carol locates and rescues the baby, Gary regains his confidence and begins to rethink his plan.   

Nathan Lane as Gary
Photo courtesy of Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

The true brilliance of the production is that immediately following bombastic humor, Nathan Lane and Kristine Nielsen shift the tone to sincere introspection.  Director George C. Wolfe shows a strong grasp of Mr. Mac’s writing in these transitions.  These moments are where absurdity meets truth, and we realize that our laughter is a defense against the extreme, not in acceptance of it.  

Mr. Mac brings hope for the future in the form of the baby thought to be lost.  His most prolific moments are when he pulls in the events from Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus.  I strongly recommend googling the synopsis before attending the play.  The themes will reverberate more soundly if you know these details.

Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus is playing at the Booth Theatre.  Go see it!

Domenick Danza

Angels in America Part Two: Perestroika

Angels in America

Part Two: Perestroika

National Theatre Live

BAM Rose

July 27, 2017

 

Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live

In the National Theatre Live screening of Angels in America Part Two: Perestroika, director Marianne Elliott transports the audience into a world where tenacious characters face their fears and obstacles with the sense of endurance they are prepared to carry forward into the next millennium.  In Part One the set was split into sections where one scene followed another in linear fashion.  In Part Two Ms. Elliott opens up the space so that the scenes overlap, unfold, and weave into one another.  This complements the way Tony Kushner breaks down the structure he sets up in Part One.  The story opens and becomes much more visceral and imaginary.  However, just when you are soaring in the avant-garde, he hits you with the human needs of the characters that bring you back to the truths of the events and frailty of human existence.  

Denise Gough & Andrew Garfield
Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live

My post from July 22 discusses Angels in America Part One: The Millennium Approaches.  The cast masterfully leads the audience through four and a half hours of emotional extremes in Part Two.  Nathan Lane’s portrayal of the ill and dying Roy Cohen evokes layers of pity, despair, compassion, and disdain.  He is riveting.  Andrew Garfield carries the audience through the complexity of Part Two, delivering the audience safely to a state of calm and understanding.  His performance is astounding, impactful, vulnerable, and truthful.  Susan Brown rises in Part Two as Hanna Pitt / Ethel Rosenberg.  She creates these two characters as enduring and persistent with an inner sense of compassion and acceptance.

  

Russell Tovey & James McArdle
Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live

The angels are portrayed as dark and foreboding.  Puppeteers (listed as Angel Shadows) create the wings of the lead angel (played by Amanda Lawrence) and move her around the stage.  These Angel Shadows also roll in the sets and props, shifting and connecting the action of the scenes.  The scene where Prior Walter wrestles with the angel is powerfully staged and emotionally enthralling. As Act III wraps up, Tony Kushner unravels the characters and events and makes clear and profound statements about forgiveness and the desire for life.

Nathan Stewart-Jarrett & Nathan Lane
Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live

Watching Angels in America offers a retrospective view of a very dark time of our not too distant past.  This perspective is very different from the way it framed the events of the day when it was first experienced in 1991, when the millennium was approaching.  Both ways, the message of hope is pervasive and valuable.  Thinking about how we as a country managed to move into the new millennium with a sense of optimism calls for a pause to the fatalistic sense of the present.  When did we abandon our sense of continuity and the inevitability of forward movement?  Prior Walters asks the angels for a sense of hope to propel him forward in his choice, which is to live.  Perhaps this is what we need to get a stronger sense of how to face the day. 

Andrew Garfield
Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live

As I said before, the National Theatre Live is an invaluable opportunity to experience high quality theatre that most of us, until now, have only been able to read about.  Take advantage of these affordable broadcasts and broaden your exposure.  Check out their website (ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk) for locations and dates of encore screenings of Angels in America. 

Domenick Danza

Angels in America Part One: The Millennium Approaches

Angels in America

Part One: The Millennium Approaches

National Theatre Live

BAM Rose

July 20, 2017

 

Photo courtesy of National Theatre Live 

The National Theatre Live screening of Angels in America Part One: The Millennium Approaches is potent and poignant.  Director Marianne Elliott finds the rhythms in Tony Kushner’s writing, and allows them to build with great momentum.  The cast creates characters and relationships that are genuine, volatile, and relatable.

Tony Kushner subtitles Angels in America as “A Gay Fantasia on National Themes.”  First performed in 1991, the play explores the aids epidemic in the Ronald Regan era through the characters of Prior Walter (played by Andrew Garfield), his boyfriend Louis (played by James McArdle), well known conservative Republican attorney, Roy Cohen (played by Nathan Lane), his protégé, Joe Pitt (played by Russell Tovey), and Joe’s wife, Harper (played by Denise Gough).  Mr. Kushner’s juxtaposition of a gay couple, a Mormon couple (Joe and Harper Pitt), and conservative Republican values opens the door for political and moral issues of the time to be aired and debated.  Roy Cohen is sick with aids and haunted by the spirit of Ethel Rosenberg (played by Susan Brown).  Historically, Mr. Cohen was influential on Ethel Rosenberg’s death penalty decision.  Prior Walter, also sick with aids, is visited by his ancestors and the great profit, who has a message for the new millennium.

Andrew Garfield as Prior Walter
Photo courtesy of National Theatre

Andrew Garfield is deeply grounded and enveloped in his physical choices for the character of Prior Walter.  He is transformed.  His performance is honest and real.  Nathan Lane is strong as Roy Cohen.  He masterfully nails the humor, the coldness, and the magnitude of this character.  Denise Gough creates a Harper Pitt who is lost in addiction and delusion.  She makes the truth in Tony Kushner’s words ring with clarity and power.  James McArdle is perfectly neurotic and torn as Louis, offering insight into the emotional turmoil of the time.  Russell Tovey effectively portrays Joe Pitt as steadfast on the outside and tragically crumbling on the inside.

Nathan lane as Roy Cohen
Photo courtesy of National Theatre

The National Theatre Live is an invaluable opportunity to experience high quality theatre that most of us, until now, have only been able to read about.  Take advantage of these affordable broadcasts and broaden your exposure and limitations.  Check out their website (ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk) for screening locations and dates.  Angels in America Part Two: Perestroika will be shown at BAM Rose on Thursday, July 27 at 7:00 PM.  Visit their website for tickets (www.bam.org/#Theater), and be sure to check back here next week for a posting.

Domenick Danza

The Iceman Cometh

The Iceman Cometh

BAM's Harvey Theatre
February 17, 2015

Photo courtesy of The Goodman Theatre

The last time I read Eugene O’Neil was in college, 35 years ago.  I’d heard many great things about the Goodman production of The Iceman Cometh when it played in Chicago in 2012.  I got on line to get tickets as soon as I read it was going to be at BAM’s Harvey Theatre.  I went into the theatre expecting four hours of deep, moving intensity.  I was ready.  I was prepared.  What I got was five hours, so I have to admit that the last unexpected hour was rough, but great and powerful.  Nathan Lane commanded the stage and led a cast of eighteen actors, all who did a tremendous job of bringing depth and detail to each character and created extraordinary moments exemplifying the human condition.

The first act opens in the dark, shadowy backroom of Hope’s Bar, filled with pain and despair.  Hickey, Nathan Lane’s character, enters, awakening them to the realization that they are stuck in their “pipedreams” waiting for tomorrow.  His desire to stir them into action is infectious.  Act II is olive green and red and bright.  An upright piano is on stage for the characters to play and sing together.  They start looking at themselves based on Hickey’s rant, stripping away one layer at a time.  There are a variety of responses to self-assessment characterized by the assorted group.  Some fight it.  Some give in with conditions.  Larry, played by Brian Dennehy, holds firm, grounding them all in skepticism and obstinacy.  Act III is bright as the stage opens up to show the entire bar.  The sunlight outside the door at the far end of the bar is warm, stark, and harsh.  The characters exit into the light after hesitating, struggling, and wrestling with their own selves.  In Act IV we are back to the dark disillusionment of the first act as we hear the detailed truth of Hickey’s story.  At the end Larry utters, “Thank God there is no hope,” as all the characters dance and celebrate the comfort of their own despair.

I was very caught up in the yearning for change that Hickey brought to the bleak setting.  I believed him.  I wanted each character to face their fear and overcome their past.  Have their “pipedream” of tomorrow become a reality for the present.  Whether it was Nathan Lane’s hutzpah or my ridiculous optimism, I forgot the Eugene O’Neil I studied so many years ago.  The journey of the play brought hope to the inhabitants of Hope’s Bar.  I fell for it… and fell even harder in the final act as the conditions of these character’s lives overwhelmed them and firmly held them down.

Nathan Line in The Iceman Cometh  -  Photo courtesy of The Goodman Theatre

The production is superbly directed by Robert Falls, the Artistic Director of The Goodman Theatre in Chicago.  He has a clear understanding of Eugene O’Neil’s intention and how to get the actors grounded in the reality of the situation and setting.  The sets, by Kevin Depinet, and lighting, by Natasha Katz, give the actors an amazing space to create, explore, and get lost in.

Powerful and moving.  Detailed and intense.  This production is not to be missed.  Go in prepared for a full five hours.  The three intermissions give you ample time to stretch and process the material.  Take it all in and let the journey of the play take you into the deepest part of the soul of Eugene O’Neil.     

Domenick Danza