St. Joan

St. Joan

Manhattan Theatre Club

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

April 21, 2018

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

Condola Rashad is starring in George Bernard Shaw’s St. Joan at Manhattan Theatre Club.  Ms. Rashad lights up the stage and reveals the vulnerable levels of this iconic character.  Her scenes passionately inspire others to take action and are then followed by truthful moments of emotional depth.  Scenic design by Scott Pask minimally creates a gothic atmosphere that effectively depicts 15^th century England and France.  Director Daniel Sullivan finds the rhythmic humor in Shaw’s writing and allows it to surface when it is most needed and appreciated.

Adam Chandler-Berat & Condola Rashad
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

The year is 1429 and France has been at war with England for 90 years.  The Dauphin (played by Adam Chandler-Berat) has not been able to be crowned King of France due to the surrender and slaughter of French troops by England’s army.  A peasant girl, Joan (played by Condola Rashad), presents herself to the Dauphin as the messenger of God with the power and the ability to take back the French territory.  Joan wins over the Dauphin, the Archbishop (played by John Glover), and Dunois (played by Daniel Sunjata), who assists her in attacking the English army.  They are victorious and the Dauphin is subsequently crowned King Charles VII.  England captures Joan as she tries to win back Paris.  The Church finds her guilty of heresy.  Almost five hundred years later, she is canonized a saint by the same Church that burned her as a heretic.

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

There are strong performances by John Glover, Adam Chandler-Berat, Daniel Sunjata, and a full cast of commanding Broadway actors.  The scenes between the royal courts of England, France, and the Church are full of conflict as they debate Joan’s voices, actions, and victories.  They need to categorize her as a traitor, soldier, witch, or heretic in order to justify her capture and execution.  These scenes clearly define the risk involved in her taking action and propel the plot forward by revealing the political dangers, yet through them I found myself waiting for Condola Rashad’s next entrance.  Naturally, the actor cast in the role of Joan needs to carry the show, and Ms. Rashad is truly captivating.  She delivers a majestic and powerful performance.  

Condola Rashad as St. Joan
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

The final scene of George Bernard Shaw’s play takes place twenty-five years after Joan’s death when she is acquitted of her conviction of heresy in a posthumous retrial.  In this scene the characters who either followed or doubted Joan comment on the effect her presence had on their lives.  This is Mr. Shaw’s finest scene of the play.  It offers a chance for the audience to reflect on the historic and religious accounts in his writing.  Because of this scene the audience leaves with a more personal and impactful understanding of the significant facts and spiritual beliefs.

St. Joan is playing at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre through June 10.  Condola Rashad’s performance is not to be missed.

Domenick Danza

The Cherry Orchard

The Cherry Orchard

Roundabout Theatre Company

American Airlines Theatre

September 23, 2016

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Stephen Karam’s new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard, presently in previews at Roundabout Theatre Company, is spectacular.  Mr. Karam brings Chekhov’s masterpiece into the 21^st century, making clear the economic class changes in Russia in 1904.  Director Simon Godwin highlights moments for each character that range from heartwarming to victorious to tragic.  Together this partnership takes the audience on a journey deep within their own fears, resistances, and futures.  They create a final act that is pertinent to present day class struggles. 

The Andreyevich family is facing bankruptcy.  Their estate, which includes their most valued cherry orchard, is soon to be auctioned off to pay their debts.  Ranevskaya (played by Diane Lane) returns from Paris in an attempt to unite with her family in saving the cherry orchard.  They face the monumental challenges that come with an unwillingness to accept their economic collapse and present circumstances.

Diane Lane & Harold Perrineau
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Harold Perrineau is encouraging and confident as Lopakhin, whose father and grandfather were serf (slaves), once owned by the Andreyevich family.  The parallels of Tsar Alexander II’s Emancipation Reform of 1861 to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 are clear and effective.  Lopakhin’s sense of empowerment is victorious when he purchases the cherry orchard at auction.  It is a severely jubilant moment that packs a mighty punch to the Andreyevich family.  Mr. Perrineau’s portrayal is authentic and truthful. 

Led by Diane Lane, the entire cast is outstanding.  She is revered, tender, and stoic as Ranevskaya.  Ms. Lane carries the grandeur of her character’s past as a protection from the future.  Her sense of hope and belief is powerful, and her loss and grief are devastating.  John Glover is charming, silly, and strong as her brother, Gaev.  The naiveté of his character brings levity to the seriousness of the family’s situation, which magnifies their downfall.  Joel Grey is sad and touching as Firs, the aging butler.  His grasp of the old ways is potent and eerie.  His timing and humor are endearing, illustrating a warm view of the family’s obsolete lifestyle.  There are also strong performances by Chuck Cooper, Tavi Gevinson, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Kyle Beltran, Tina Benko, Susannah Flood, and Quinn Mattfeld. 

The set design by Scott Pask is brilliant.  His powerful images and choices of symbols conjure broad emotions that force the audience to delve into their imagination.  This is further enhanced by the lighting design of Donald Holder.  Michael Krass’ costume designs span centuries, thus pushing the perspective into the present.  Together these designers make the family’s loss and reluctant acceptance of change a valid occurrence to a present day audience.

Celia Keenan-Bolger, Diane lane, Tavi Gevinson, & Kyle Beltran
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

This production is not to be missed.  Chekhov’s complex characters and deeply emotional play is relevant and alive in Mr. Karam’s new version.  The Cherry Orchard runs at the American Airlines Theatre through December 4.

Domenick Danza

Blackbird

Blackbird

Belasco Theatre

February 17, 2016

Photo courtesy of Blackbird

I wanted to see Blackbird when I first received an advertisement in the mail.  It is starring Jeff Daniels and Michelle Williams.  When I took my seat at the theatre and chatted with the person next to me, I realized that I knew nothing about the play or the playwright, David Harrower.  My expectations were high because of the stars, so I allowed myself to experience the unknown.  The writing is bold, suspenseful, and emotionally engaging.  The play is riveting and jaw-dropping. 

Photo courtesy of Blackbird

Jeff Daniel’s character is visited by Michelle Williams’ character at his workplace at the end of a long day.  Their history has caused him great agitation.  After about twenty minutes it is revealed.  He gains some sense of composure, which makes her nervous.  The back and forth of power continues until they each have moments of revelation and brutal honesty in two intense and superbly delivered monologues where they face their truths and fears.  The questions remain: Which is truth and which is fear?  Who is the predator and who is the prey?

Joe Montello brilliantly directs this skillfully crafted, intricate play.  Michelle Williams amazingly creates a quirky, concise, bold, and fragile character.  Jeff Daniels commands the stage with frailties and determination.  Each character gains control at different times during the performance, revealing the depth of their complexities.  The set, designed by Scott Pask, and lighting, by Brian MacDevitt, is stark, raw, and realistic… and just right.

Presently in previews, Blackbird opens on March 10 and runs for only seventeen weeks.  Get a ticket immediately!  I recommend going into the theatre not knowing the details and circumstances of the plot.  The experience will shock and enthrall you! 

Domenick Danza

Finding Neverland

Finding Neverland

Lunt-Fontaine Theatre

October 31, 2015

Photo courtesy of Finding Neverland

I remember being inspired by the movie Finding Neverland starring Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, and Freddie Highmore, who lit up the screen and captured the hearts of audiences everywhere.  When I saw the posters and advertisements for the musical version opening on Broadway last season, I knew that it had the potential for greatness, even though I could not remember the details of the story line.  The Broadway production is energetic, bright, and heartwarming.  It is not the story of Peter Pan, but the personal challenges of the writer J. M. Barrie and how and why he came to write his timeless tale of the boy who would never grow up.  Director Diana Paulus magically unravels the journey into the imagination of J. M. Barrie, and creates a production that heals the lost child within all of us.

Photo courtesy of Finding Neverland

The entire cast, led by Matthew Morrison and four amazing young actors, is bold, skillful, and exuberantly united.  Laura Michele Kelly is touching and tender as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies.  Carolee Carmello transforms in the character of Mrs. DuMaurier under the strain of heartbreaking grief and loss.  The understudy (yes, I saw the Saturday matinee) for Captain Hook, Paul Slade (in for Terrance Mann), gave depth to the role and convinced me to “live by the hook.”

Photo courtesy of Finding Neverland

The staging and choreography by Mia Michaels is what makes the show spectacular.  From the opening number and throughout the show, she surprises and amazes with high energy moves, unexpected patterns, and character driven gestures that move the story forward.  Her use of lifts to make characters fly affirms my belief that, in an era of high-tech theatrics, it is the simplest concepts that are always most effective.

Scenic design, by Scott Pask, is realistic, colorful, imaginative, and bright.  Lighting, by Kenneth Posner, beautifully enhances the mood, time period, and transitions.  The highlight in the score, by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy, is the song “When Your Feet Don’t Touch the Ground.”  I am still singing it.

Photo courtesy of Finding Neverland

This show focuses on the healing power of the creative mind and the value of the imagination.  “A man who does not want to fight (for what he believes), deserves what he gets,” shouts Captain Hook at the end of Act I.  If your playfulness of youth needs to be ignited, see the show and set your heart on fire.

Domenick Danza

The Visit

The Visit

Lyceum Theatre

April 4, 2015

Photo courtesy of The Visit

I am stunned by the power of The Visit.  It is a truly remarkable production, starring the legendary Chita Rivera in a performance that should not be missed.  The show is grim and sad and breathtaking.  It is a journey through the wounds of love, fuelled by vengeance and a yearning for reunification.

When the richest woman in the world, Claire Zachanassian, played by Chita Rivera, returns to her down trodden hometown, everyone looks to her as a savior, a beacon, and more importantly, a possible patron.  What she is looking for is to reunite with her first love, Anton Schell, masterfully played by Roger Rees.  The truth of how the town ostracized her family and forced her into exile is acknowledged when Claire reveals the true purpose of her visit.  The proposition she offers forces everyone in the town to question their humanity.  Strangely enough, the decision is a no-brainer for most of them, making you question your own compassion as you put yourself in their shoes.

Chita Rivera and Roger Rees both deliver riveting performances.  The whole cast is amazing.  They are a tightly woven ensemble strongly directed by John Doyle.  John Kander’s score cannot be compared to any of his other work.  His music creates a mood that envelopes you.  His rhythms and tempos lure you in to a unique setting with mesmerizing characters.  Fred Ebb’s lyrics tell a story that is clear and heart wrenching, driven by vengeance and passion.

Chita Rivera, Tom Nelis, Chris Newcomer, and Matthew Demming
Photo courtesy of The Visit

The entire production is coherently designed.  It envelops your emotions and enthralls your imagination.  The set, designed by Scott Pask, is vast and mysterious.  The yellow shoes worn by Claire’s entourage, along with the other symbols of prosperity and wealth, are garish and striking against the dark and gloomy backdrop created by Mr. Pask.  The lighting, by Japhy Weideman, creates intimate spaces for realistic moments in the extensive setting. 

The ghosts of the younger Claire and Anton are ever present throughout the play.  In the opening scene they gesture and move with efficiency and desire that carries the signature of choreographer Graciela Daniele.  All the characters in the show display her precise and distinct influence.  There is a duet between Claire and her younger self that is beautifully choreographed.  It is danced by Chita Rivera and Michelle Veintimilla with a truthful depth of emotion that propels the journey of the story forward with lucidity and fervor. 

Chita Rivera and Michele Veintimilla
Photo courtesy of The Visit

Originally produced by the Goodman Theatre in 2001, the remounting of this Kander and Ebb gem is remarkable.  In the final scene Chita Rivera and Roger Rees transport a grim and desperate story driven by decades of betrayal and revenge into an incomparable love story smoldering with youthful passion.  The Visit is the highlight of the season!

Before the show started, the man sitting to my left informed me that the show was based on a 1956 play written by Swiss dramatist Friedrich Durrenmatt.  It was originally written in German and titled “Der Besuch der alten Dame“.  It was produced on Broadway in 1958 starring Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, in English of course.  In 1964, it was made into a film with Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn.  He proceeded to tell me the story of the play, which he knew intimately because he taught it numerous times – an intellectual out to impress me, or whoever was lucky enough to sit to his right.  I thought, “Spoiler alert!” and tried to politely tune him out.  I am pleased to say that even a spoiler couldn’t spoil this show.  I was drawn in and willingly went on the deep, dark journey.  (I am willing to admit that I was impressed by the gentleman to my left and had felt relatively uniformed.  Naturally, I proceeded to do my research when I got home.  Not all his facts were accurate.  The above information is what I discovered.  Who’s the intellectual now?)*

By the way, I bought the refrigerator magnet… and was considering the key chain.  Yes, the show was that good!

Domenick Danza

*Additional interested tidbits:  The original 2001 Goodman production was a vehicle for Angela Lansbury.  She pulled out of the production due to her husband’s illness, who later passed away.  Chita Rivera signed on, and played opposite John McMartin.  The production was directed by Frank Gelati and choreographed by Ann Reinking.  It opened on October 1, 2001.  Due to the September 11 attacks, the show did not move to Broadway.