…what the end will be

 …what the end will be

Roundabout Theatre Company

Laura Pels Theatre
June 10, 2022

Photo courtesy of
Roundabout Theatre Company

Playwright Mansa Ra’s …what the end will be is a tender story about family love, acceptance, and letting go.  His characters are truthful, honest, and relatable.  Under the direction of Margot Bordelon, poignant moments blossom out of stressful confrontations.  The Roundabout Theatre Company production is perfectly cast and beautifully realized.

Maxwell Kennedy (played by Emerson Brooks) spared no expense preparing his home for his father, Bartholomew Kennedy (played by Keith Randolph Smith), to move in as he faces the final stages of his cancer diagnosis.  Max’s partner, Charles (played by Randy Harrison), is not there to welcome him, but his son, Tony (played by Gerald Caesar), is overjoyed to see his grandfather.  Max and Tony realize what is ahead for them when the visiting nurse, Chloe (played by Tiffany Villarin), reviews Mr. Kennedy’s medication schedule.  When Tony’s boyfriend, Antoine (played by Ryan Jamaal Swain), is caught sneaking out of Tony’s room, he realizes it is time to come out to his father and grandfather.  “Well the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” proclaims Mr. Kennedy, who is deeply missing his partner, who passed away recently.  The fears and deep issues of these three men start to surface, yet due to the aggressive progression of Mr. Kennedy's illness, their time to face and resolve them is limited.  

Gerald Caesar & Emerson Brooks
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Mansa Ra sets up a unique premise with three generations of gay, black men.  The characters 
are all very well drawn out, with rich family histories and cultural roots that both unite and divide them.  They clearly share great love, yet their sense of acceptance is urgently put to the test.  Mr. Ra takes these characters to the breaking point, then creates a clear path for them to travel forward. 

Gerald Caesar & Keith Randolph Smith
Photo courtesy of
Roundabout Theatre Company

Emerson Brooks is stubborn and set in his ways as Maxwell Kennedy.  As his son, Tony, Gerald Caesar is both optimistic and aware of the limitations of his father’s expectations.  The scenes between these two gifted actors are complex and captivating.  Keith Randolph Smith is funny, free, and determined as Bartholomew Kennedy.  The character has accepted his fate, and Mr. Smith plays every moment with joy and conviction.  Randy Harrison portrays Charles as the voice of reason, wanting so much to keep the family together, yet has serious challenges to face in his relationship with Max.  Randy Jamaal Swain is a blast of vivid color and fresh air as Antoine.  He also shows the character’s serious, no-nonsense point of view.

…what the end will be is playing at the Laura Pels Theatre through July 10.  It is a poignant and touching story, well directed, with a superb cast.  It will truly move you! 

Domenick Danza

Napoli, Brooklyn

Napoli, Brooklyn

Roundabout at Laura Pels Theatre

Harold & Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre

July 25, 2017

 

Photo courtesy
of Roundabout Theatre Company

Napoli, Brooklyn is a tale of the bond of sisterhood and the strength of maternal nurturing.  Playwright Meghan Kennedy weaves a story of an immigrant Italian family living in Park Slope, Brooklyn in 1960.  Her characters are tender, bold, brave, and daring.  Director Gordon Edelstein creates an atmosphere that is authentic, honest, and real.  The tumultuous events of the play are emotionally riveting, and the message will touch your heart.

Luda Muscolino (played by Alyssa Bresnahan) has three daughter, Vita (played by Elise Kibler), Tina (played by Lilli Kay), and sixteen year old Francesca (played by Jordyn DiNatale).  They all live under the explosive temper of their husband/father, Nic (played by Lev Gordon).  Francesca is in love with her best friend from school, Connie (played by Juliet Brett).  They are planning on stowing away on a ship to Europe to start a new life together.  When an unexpected disaster falls out of the sky, their lives disperse unexpectedly.

Alyssa Bresnahan as Luda Muscolino
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

This entire cast is superb.  Jordyn DiNatale, Elise Kibler, and Lilli Kay create a strong bond that keeps the play connected.  Ms. DiNatale is fiery and energetic.  Ms. Kibler is feisty and vocal.  Ms. Kay is stoic and solid.  Alyssa Bresnahan is magnificent as their mother, Luda Muscolino.  She creates a devoted, loving, maternal character who bridges the events of the play with consistency and strength.  Lev Gordon creates a volatile character in Nic Muscolino.  Ms. Kennedy writes a clear and well-developed background for this character, and Mr. Gorn plays him with an emotional charge that propels the action of the play forward.

Elise Kibler, Lilli Kay, & Jordyn DiNatale
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

If you want to see a heartwarming story that will move you and leave you with a message of strength and endurance, this is the play to see.  Its production values are as high as you would expect from any Roundabout Theatre show.  Napoli, Brooklyn is running at the Laura Pels Theatre through September 3.

Domenick Danza

Therese Raquin

Therese Raquin

Roundabout Theatre Company

Studio 54

December 26, 2015

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

My colleague and fellow blogger, Dierdre Deloatch, texted me last week to say she saw Therese Raquin.  She highly recommended it.  Since I trust her more than the reviews, I immediately went on line to TDF to see if it was available.  I got a ticket for December 26 at 2:00, and prayed that Keira Knightly and Judith Light would both be in for the matinee.  They were, and I have to concur with Ms. Deloatch.  The show is dark and intense.  It is wonderfully conceived and directed.  All the performers are engaging and mesmerizing.

Matt Ryan, Judith Light, Keira Knightly, & Gabriel Ebert
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Adapted from the Emile Zola novel by Helen Edmundson, this tale of repression and servitude takes place in France in the year 1868.  Therese Raquin (played by Keira Knightly, making her Broadway debut) has been raised by Madame Raquin, her aunt (played by Judith Light).  Now that she is of age, Madame Raquin arranges for Therese to marry her son, Camille (played by Gabriel Ebert).  It is a loveless marriage based on the servitude that Therese has become accustomed to through her upbringing.  When Camille announces that he wishes to move the family to Paris for better opportunity, Therese sees the glimmer of a better life.  She quickly realizes that hope is futile, until her husband brings home an old friend, Laurent (played by Matt Ryan).

Keira Knightly & Matt Ryan
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

The chemistry between Ms. Knightly and Mr. Ryan is electric.  When Laurent first enters the Raquin’s Paris residence, you can feel the magnetism between the two characters.  The action of two-thirds of the play hinges upon this attraction, and these two actors skillfully deliver with exuberance.  Therese speaks sporadically during Act I, yet Ms. Knightly has the ability to clearly and effortlessly communicate her thoughts through subtle body language, carefully gestures, and intimate glances.  Both Laurent and Therese undergo huge transformations in the second act.  Ms. Knightly and Mr. Ryan seamlessly take these leaps by captivating the audience until the climax of the play.  They motivate every change and communicate every thought.

Keira Knightly & Judith Light
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Judith Light is amazing as Madame Raquin, a role out of her physical type and age range, yet clearly not out of reach of her incredible talent and expertise.  The aging and infirmity of her character is impeccable and emotionally driven.  Gabriel Ebert is riveting as Camille.  He skillfully portrays his constrained upbringing through his narrow mindedness, condescending comments, and physical disability.

Gabriel Ebert, Matt Ryan, & Keira Knightly
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

The production is magnificently directed by Evan Cabnet.  The pace is steady and even.  There are small moments throughout the play that entice the senses into a deep level of engagement and keep you riveted.  The set is breathtaking.  A river flows across the stage creating tranquility, disturbance, and fear – each of which reflects Therese’s emotion at different times in the play.  The expanse of space and light of the Raquin home by the river is sharply descended upon by the heavy, low-ceilinged Paris apartment.  Lamont’s attic, sky lit apartment literally hangs amid the stars.  This unbelievable design by Beowulf Boritt makes possible a visceral understanding of the underlying fire in the characters and keeps the plot of Ms. Edmundson’s commissioned and concise adaptation moving forward.

If you listened to the reviews of Therese Raquin, chances are you missed seeing this moving and enthralling Roundabout Theatre production.  If it makes you feel better, you are not alone.  The theatre, during Broadway’s busiest season, had a large number of empty seats.  Not to worry, there’s still time.  Therese Raquin plays as Studio 54 until January 3.  Run… now! 

  

Domenick Danza

On the 20th Century

On the 20^th Century

Roundabout Theatre Company

American Airlines Theatre

July 2, 2015

Photo courtesy of
Roundabout Theatre Company

RoundaboutTheatre Company has outdone itself with their production of On the 20^th Century.  The cast, the sets, the costumes, the direction, the choreography – all brilliant!  It makes you remember what Broadway is all about.

The musical comically entwines the desperate need of a failing Broadway producer with a glamourous Hollywood starlet as they travel aboard the Twentieth CenturyLimited, the high speed train of 1937, which sped its passengers from Chicago to New York in just sixteen hours.  The score, by Cy Coleman, drives the play with rhythm and speed of the famous steam engine.  The book and lyrics, by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, provide the hilarity and screwball comedy that keeps the plot alive on the journey.  Director Scott Ellis finds every second of comic timing.  Together with choreographer Warren Carlyle, they create a stylistic work of genius.

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

The cast of Kristin Chenoweth, Peter Gallagher, Andy Karl, Mark Lin-Baker, Michael McGrath, and Mary Louise Wilson is strong and funny, vocally tremendous, and engaging on every level.  The entire ensemble moves vigorously and smoothly throughout the show with extraordinary vocal expertise.  The four porters steal every moment they are in, and perform the best tap dancing on Broadway. 

The sets, by David Rockwell, fill the moderately sized stage of the American Airlines Theatre with sharp, mesmerizing art deco designs.  William Ivey long’s costumes capture the time period and exude a richness that sets the characters apart on this luxurious mode of transportation.

Kristin Chenoweth & Peter Gallagher
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

On the 20^th Century is scheduled to close on July 19.  Treat yourself to this monumental production while you still can!

Domenick Danza