Art

 Art
The Music Box
November 19, 2025

Photo courtesy of Art

The Broadway revival of Yasmina Reza’s Art is stunning.  Director Scott Ellis explores every moment of Christopher Hampton’s translation, giving each member of this stellar cast the chance to dive deeply into their character’s sense of identity in their friendship, and genuinely respond to their wounded egos and hurt feelings.  The rhythm and timing are impeccable.  The play lands with a beautiful balance of satisfaction and apprehension.

Serge (played by Neil Patick Harris) buys a work of modern art, a painting, four ft. by five ft., all white, for $300,000.  When his friend, Marc (played by Bobby Cannavale) sees it, he calls it a “piece of shit.”  Marc is surprised at Serge’s response to his comment, so he seeks out Yvan (played by James Corden) for corroboration on his assessment.  When Yvan sees the painting, he hides his true feelings and becomes the peacekeeper between Marc and Serge.  Yvan has his hands full with his upcoming wedding plans.  The stress of that makes it difficult for him to balance Marc and Serg’s needs and resolve their dispute.  The three friends voice unspoken resentment that has built up over twenty-five years.  Perhaps they have gone too far.

James Corden, Bobby Cannavale, & Neil Patrick Harris
Photo courtesy of Art

The three roles are perfectly cast.  Bobby Cannavale plays Marc as the alpha male.  He does not hold back speaking his mind when Serge spends that high an amount of money on something he sees as worthless.  Serge expects his best friend to share in the joy of his purchase.  Neil Patrick Harris portrays Serge’s disappointment and hurt with arrogance and defensiveness.  This pushes Marc’s buttons even more, no matter how hard he tries to hold his tongue.  The pride in these characters is high, and these two skilled actors shade this antagonistic battle in every way imaginable. 

Neil Patrick Harris & James Corden
Photo courtesy of Art

James Corden is delightful as Yvan, delivering hearty laughs, often at his own expense.  When he reaches the end of his rope in placating his two best friends, Yvan must step up.  He speaks from his authentic self, surprising all three of them.  James Corden gets laughs even in that moment, filling it with sincerity and energy.

Art received a lot of attention when it originally opened on Broadway in 1998.  The premise of purchasing a questionable work of art for such an exorbitant price was highly controversial at the time.  They raised the price paid for the artwork from that production to make it relevant in today’s economy.  Either way, it is the examination of the roles and expectations in a long-term friendship that makes this play timeless. 

Art is playing at The Music Box through December 21.  It is a riveting revival. 

Domenick Danza

Amy and the Orphans

Amy and the Orphans

Roundabout Theatre Company

The Laura Pels Theatre

February 4, 2018

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Lindsey Ferrantino’s new play Amy and the Orphans, presently in preview at Roundabout Theatre Company, is a bold telling of siblings facing the truth about their upbringing.  Ms. Ferrantino skillfully weaves humor into the unravelling of brutal facts, crafting a script that is masterfully structured.  Scott Ellis beautifully directs this phenomenal cast into finding moment after moment of honest revelation that builds to clear and painful understanding and acceptance.

When Jacob (played by Mark Blum) and Maggie’s (played by Debra Monk) father pass away, they fly to New York to make the necessary arrangements.  Before driving to their father’s home in Long island, they stop in Queens to pick up their sister Amy (played by Jamie Brewer).  Amy was born with Down syndrome, lives in a state funded residence, and has a job in a local movie theater.  There is much talk between Maggie and Jacob about their regular visits with Amy, but the reality is that they don’t know her very well.  They learn a lot about her in the few days they spend with her and her state appointed guardian, Kathy (played by Vanessa Aspillaga), including the truth about the years she spend in a “group home” in Staten Island.

Director Scott Ellis in rehearsal with Jamie Brewer, Debra Monk, and Mark Blum
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Diane Davis and Josh McDermitt deliver heart breaking performances as the parents of Amy, Maggie, and Jacob.  Their scenes take place at least fifty years prior to the main action of the play.  The turmoil in their decision to put Amy into a state funded hospital in Staten Island is stirring and powerful.  Their scenes are full of denial, humor, fear, love, and desperation.  These scenes accurately depict the limited knowledge of the time period about people with special needs.

Debra Monk and Mark Blum develop an honest and poignant sibling dynamic.  It reflects the idealism and naiveté of their generation and offers a vivid insight into the cause of their distance and inability to connect.  Jamie Brewer delivers an excellent performance as Amy.  She has a strong presence, and her character’s intentions are clearly portrayed.  Vanessa Aspillaga tells it like it is as Kathy.  She gives the audience a focused perspective on the themes and actions of Ms. Ferrantino’s brilliant writing.

The full company of Roundabout Theatre Company's production
of Amy and the Orphans
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Amy and the Orphans is a poignant and potent play.  It allows us to see how far we’ve come as a society on the education of people with disabilities, and how far we have yet to go in our understanding of individuals with special needs.  See this play!  It is running at the Laura Pels Theatre through April 22. 

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