Flying Over Sunset

 Flying Over Sunset
Lincoln Center Theater
Vivian Beaumont Theater
November 28, 2021 

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Flying Over Sunset is a psychological exploration of three true to life characters from the mid-20^th century (Aldous Huxley, Clare Boothe Luce, and Cary Grant).  The events leading up to the story are true, yet the action of the play is fiction.  It is a known fact that Aldous Huxley, Clare Boothe Luce, and Cary Grant experimented with LSD.  Playwright/Director James Lapine springboards this actuality into a journey of profound discovery and deep insight.  Tom Kitt’s music and Michael Korie’s lyrics lure the audience further in by engaging their imaginations and amplifying their emotions.  

We first meet Aldous Huxley (played by Harry Hadden-Paton) when his is shopping at Rexall Drugs with his wife Maria (played by Laura Shoop).  She instructed their close friend Gerald Heard (played by Robert Sella) to let Aldous try LSD.  The drug takes effect while they are shopping, and everything in the store vividly comes to life for Aldous. 

Tony Yazbeck, Harry Hadden-Paton, & Carmen Cusack
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

Cary Grant (played by Tony Yazbeck) makes an appointment with his wife’s therapist (played by Nehal Joshi) to request a dose of LSD.  While under the influence of the drug, he sees himself as a child (played by Atticus Ware) performing in vaudeville in England, dressed in girl’s clothing.  Cary faces buried memories from his childhood, including his father’s abuse and his mother’s abandonment.

Gerald visits his dear friend Clare Boothe Luce (played by Carmen Cusack) in the garden of her Connecticut home.  She asks him to gives her LSD.  While under the influence, she sees a vision of her deceased daughter and mother, both of whom died in tragic car accidents.  She is joyous and comforted by this vision. 

During a chance meeting at the Brown Derby in Los Angeles, Aldous Huxley, Clare Boothe Luce, and Cary Grant reveal the serious changes they are all facing.  They joke that the one thing they all have in common is their experimentation with LSD.  They decide to meet and, with Gerald as their guide, share an LSD trip.  This experience takes them in separate directions, yet bonds them in genuine moments of mutual need and earnest understanding. 

Robert Selia, Harry Hadden-Paton,
Carmen Cusack, & Tony Yazbeck
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater

This is truly an ensemble musical, as each character has a separate and strong story line that comes together in the end.  Carmen Cusack is vibrant as Clare Boothe Luce.  Her character oozes with charm and her singing is magical.  Harry Haddon-Paton has a strong presence as Aldous Huxley.  He does everything as a stiff upper lip Englishman with a high intellect.  Tony Yazbeck is smooth as Cary Grant.  He captures the image perfectly, and fills the character with the truths and challenges the man struggled with his whole life.  Atticus Ware is outstanding as Archie Leach, the young Cary Grant.  He and Mr. Yazbeck complement one another very well.

Robert Sella (as Gerald Heard) is the glue that brings all the characters and events of the story together.  His character is consistently present, and his performance is firmly grounded.  There are also strong performances by Laura Shoop, Nehal Joshi, Kanisha Marie Feliciano, Michelle Ragusa, and Emily Pynenburg.  

Michelle Dorrance’s choreography creates rhythms that give the show a driving pulse.  Her duets create strong relationships and viscerally move the plot forward.  The set, designed by Beowulf Boritt, makes this Lincoln Center Theater production visually stunning. 

Flying Over Sunset explores the hardships that separate us and the opportunities that can bring us together.  It is playing at the Vivian Beaumont Theater through February 6. 

Domenick Danza

The Beast in the Jungle

The Beast in the Jungle

Vineyard Theatre

June 15, 2018

Photo courtesy of Vineyard Theatre

The Beast in the Jungle, with music by John Kander and book by David Thompson, is now running at Vineyard Theatre.  Inspired by the Henry James novella, this “dance play” tells the romantic and tragic story of the missed opportunities for love.  Director/Choreographer Susan Stroman skillfully weaves realistic narrative with ballet and stylized movement to emotionally engage the audience in this dark tale.

John Marcher (played by Peter Friedman) advises his nephew (played by Tony Yazbeck) that if he truly loves his girlfriend, who just broke up with him because he cannot commit, he needs to run back to her, get on his knees, and ask her to marry him.  John Marcher tells his nephew the story of when he met May Bertram (played by Irina Dvorovenko) in Naples, and fell instantly in love with her.  It was the beast within him that compelled him to run from her as the mutuality of their feelings began to flourish.  This beast reared its ugly head again when they met by chance twenty years later.  It is not until sharing his story with his nephew that John faces his inner demons and is able to release them.

Irina Dvorovenko & Tony Yazbeck
Photo courtesy of Vineyard Theatre

Peter Friedman beautifully takes the audience through John Marcher’s story, facing the truth in the climax of the play.  Tony Yazbeck plays the young John Marcher as the story of his early years is told through dance.  Mr. Yazbeck is vulnerable and charming in this role.  His physical characterization and dance skills are strong and charismatic.  His transformation superbly reflects Mr. Friedman’s character.  Irina Dvorovenko is a beautiful match to Mr. Yazbeck.  She is an amazing dancer.  They connect and build a genuine relationship that carries the action of the story forward.

Photo courtesy of Vineyard Theatre

Susan Stroman uses an ensemble of six women to play numerous roles and create the setting and atmosphere of a beach in Italy, and English garden, and a New York City art gallery.  These six phenomenal dancers appear out of the darkness and create smooth transitions throughout the show.  They create the “beast” with a few simple and well-choreographed effects that evoke powerful images representing the main character’s deep-seeded fear.

John Kander’s score is lush and romantic.  Ms. Stroman’s choreography utilizes his rhythms and enhances the passionate swell in his score.  The Beast in the Jungle has been extended at Vineyard Theatre through June 24.  It is beautiful storytelling. 

Domenick Danza

Prince of Broadway

Prince of Broadway

The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

Manhattan Theatre Club

August 8, 2017

 

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

Prince of Broadway is presently in previews at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.  Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club and under the direction of Hal Prince himself, the show celebrates his career and highlights some of the most memorable moments in Broadway musical history.  Susan Stroman collaborates as co-director and choreographer doing what she does best, making this a cohesive piece of theatre.  The cast of nine of heavy hitting performers (Chuck Cooper, Janet Dacal, Bryonha Marie Parham, Emily Skinner, Brandon Uranowitz, Kaley Ann Voorhees, Michael Zavier, Tony Yazbeck, and Karen Ziemba) left me wanting more.

Hal Prince started his career working for free in the office of director George Abbott in the late 1940s.  He stage managed, directed, and/or produced some of the most well know Broadway musicals.  The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, She loves Me, West Side Story, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Merrily We Roll Along, Parade, and Phantom of the Opera, to name a few.  He has worked with the top directors, choreographers, composers, lyricists, book writers, and performers ever known.  The nine cast members all tell his story, wearing his trademark look, glasses on top of his head, when they are speaking his words.

The cast of Prince of Broadway
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

The Follies sequence is intense and mesmerizing.  The two selections from A Little Night Music are biting and emotional.  The Act II opening of three songs from Company pulls you into the questioning/rebellion mindset of the time period.  The Evita section is powerful.  The Sweeney Todd scenes are haunting.

The highlight of Act I is Karen Ziemba’s rendition of “Who Cares” from Cabaret.  The Act I finale of “Cabaret” sung by Bryonha Marie Parham is stunning.  Chuck Cooper delivers an invigorating “If I Were a Rich Man” from Fiddler on the Roof, then later pulls you into the rolling rhythm of “Ol’ Man River” from Mr. Prince’s Showboat revival.  Ms. Stroman’s choreography for “The Right Girl’ from Follies masterfully depicts the inner conflict of Buddy's character.  Tony Yazbeck delivers it to perfection.

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

The scenic design by Beowulf Boritt and lighting design by Howell Binkley are brilliant and effective.  They create strong impressions and vivid images that exemplify the complete settings and overall mood of each varied segment.  They keep the flow seamlessly moving from one moment to the next. 

From the insert in the program you can see they are tweaking and refining, but no matter what they do, this show is a wondrous look at the legendary body of work of a Broadway icon.  Prince of Broadway is scheduled to open on August 24.  It is on TDF during previews.  Get a ticket right away!

  

Domenick Danza