Matilda

Matilda

Shubert Theatre

October 2, 2016

Photo courtesy of Matilda, the Musical

I finally got to see Matilda!  Since they announced the closing of its very successful Broadway run, tickets are easy to get on TDF.  The show is vibrant, dark, and heartwarming.  It has everything you look forward to in a Roald Dahl story – revolting character, grotesque odors, amplified villains, and a precocious heroine.  Director Matthew Warchus pulls out all the stops to create a slick, stylized, and fast paced production filled with chaos, surprises, and uplifting zaniness. 

The cast is skillful and energetic.  There are three young actors who play Matilda at different performances.  Ava Briglia is amazing in the role.  John Sanders and Lesli Margherita are outrageous as her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood.  Sean Montgomery is boisterous and absurdly realistic as Miss Trunchbull.  Jennifer Blood is warm and caring as Miss Honey.

Photo courtesy of Matilda, the Musical

Set and costume designs by Rob Howell are colorful, bold, and imaginative.  The costumes succinctly define the characters and give the actors license to delve deeper into their eccentricities.  The set moves in and pieces together like a puzzle, and, at times, grows up out of the stage floor.  Music and lyrics by Tim Minchin reveal the characters’ determination and vigor.  The choreography by Peter Darling sets the style and pace for the show.  The opening number starts strong and fast, and the momentum builds for the next two and a half hours.

See Matilda on Broadway before it closes on January 1.

Domenick Danza

Love, Love, Love

Love, Love, Love

Roundabout Theatre Company

The Laura Pels Theatre

October 1, 2016

Photo courtesy of
Roundabout Theatre Company

In Love, Love, Love, now playing at the Laura Pels Theatre, playwright Mike Bartlett takes his audience on a journey of ideals, compromises, and perseverance.  Director Michael Mayer keeps the action focused in this three act play that spans forty years.  The stellar cast in this Roundabout Theatre Company production is funny, jarring, and honest in their portrayals of flawed characters moving along in life, who never really give up on the dream.

It is 1967 in London and the Beatles are performing live on television.  Henry (played by Alex Hurt) invites his date to his flat for dinner.  His brother Kenneth (played by Richard Armitage) is saying with him while receiving grant money to go to Oxford, and is definitely cramping his style.  When Sandra (played by Amy Ryan) finds herself more interested in the non-conformist Kenneth that her conservative date, Henry, she does not hold back in making her move.  Fast forward twenty years to Act II where Kenneth and Sandra are married with two teenage children, Jamie (played by Ben Rosenfield) and Rose (played by Zoe Kazan).  The couple has clearly compromised on their rebellious ideals, but it is not until Act III that they face their shortcoming and the fact that “all you need is love.”

The cast of Love, Love, Love
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

The maturity that Richard Armitage develops in his character from one act to the next (each a twenty year jump) is truthful and realistic.  He becomes resigned as the decades pass, yet retains his energy, sincerity, and optimism.  Amy Ryan enters with a roar in Act I and shocks you senseless.  She then does it again in Act II and Act III.  Her character ages gracefully, and never loses her brash demeanor.  Ben Rosenfield creates the character of Jamie in the spitting image of his father, Kenneth.  His posture, gesture, and expressions illustrate how it is much more than just genetics that make up a family.  Zoe Kazan delivers a strong performance as Rose.  Her character is the darkest member of the family.  She is touching and damaged, and clearly her mother’s daughter.

Love, Love, Love makes a strong statement of the effect the ideals of the baby boomer generation has on their adult children.  The characters are realistic, selfish, and true to their word.  You will definitely see yourself reflected in one aspect of their personalities or another.  The play is running at the Laura Pels Theatre through December 18.

Domenick Danza

Heisenberg

Heisenberg

Manhattan Theatre Club

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

September 24, 2016

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

Mary-Louise Parker is astonishing in Heisenberg, presently in previews at Manhattan Theatre Club.  She creates a character that is witty, needy, and neurotic.  Her chemistry with costar Denis Arndt is magnetic.  Together they captivate the audience in this intimate, two character play by Simon Stephens.

Georgia Burns (played by Mary-Louise Parker) kisses the back of the neck of a total a stranger, Alex Priest (played by Denis Arndt).  She then proceeds to weave a tale of lies.  A few days later, she seeks him out in his butcher shop to tell him the truth about herself.  Alex gradually opens up to her.  She then reveals her true motivations.  What occurs next surprises the both of them.

Denis Arndt & Mary-Louise Parker
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

To create an intimate setting at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, director Mark Brokaw and scenic designer Mark Wendland seats the two hundred or so audience members from the balcony on stage.  The playing area is forced to the narrow downstage section.  With only two tables and two chairs to move around to represent various locations, your focus goes directly to the connection between the two characters.  The push and pull between then plays out for ninety minutes and comes to a calm and gratifying fulfillment for both of their needs.

Heisenberg is a unique and tender script.  The characters are quirky and real.  The production is minimal and perfectly conceived.  It opens on October 13, and runs through December 4.

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

A Taste of Honey

A Taste of Honey

The Pearl Theater Co.

September 17, 2016

Photo courtesy of The Pearl Theatre Co.

A Taste of Honey is receiving a poignant and well-deserved revival at The Pearl Theatre Co.  Director Austin Pendleton finds just the right pace and tone that brings texture and relevance to Shelagh Delaney’s timeless and valuable script.  The cast delivers authentic and moving performances in this raw and honest production. 

The play tells of the complex relationship between Jo (played by Rebekah Brockman) and her mother, Helen (played by Rachel Botchan).  Helen abandons Jo when she jumps at the chance to marry Peter (played by Bradford Cover), a man with some money and means.  There is hope that Jo will have a future with her sailor boyfriend, Jimmy (played by Ade Otukoya), but he does not return from service, leaving her pregnant and alone.  She befriends Geoffrey (played by John Evans Reese), an outcast gay male.  Geoffrey takes over Jo’s care.  Any sense of security is thrown into disarray when Helen returns and discovers that Jo is carrying a biracial baby.

Rachel Botchan & Rebekah Brockman
Photo courtesy of The Pearl Theatre Co.

The plot does not sound very daring, but keep in mind that A Taste of Honey was first produced on the West End of London in 1958.  Portraying unmarried mothers, homosexuality, and biracial relationships was shocking and groundbreaking at that time.  Not only that, but playwright Shelagh Delaney was only eighteen when she wrote the play.  The severity of the dialogue and the depth of the characters are skillfully developed for a playwright of any age and experience level.  Her dialogue boomerangs, creating levels of emotional response in the relationships that unmask prolific characters and an insightful point of view. 

Rachel Botchan, Bradford Cover, & the Musicians
Photo courtesy of The Pearl Theatre Co.

Rebekah Brockman is sad, brooding, strong, and intense as Jo.  Her character runs directly into conflict, fights like mad, then retreats.  She generates a formidable level of empathy.  Rachel Botchan portrays Helen as a fierce survivor.  Her actions might be deplorable, yet you understand they are based on her limited choices.  John Evans Reese is charming and willful as Geoffrey.  He remains stoic and determined in his commitment to Jo, and never loses his sense of humor.

The characters’ fears and biases reflect their economic struggles and are not limited to the time period of the play.  The needs, expectations, and emotional conflicts in the relationships are pertinent to every generation. 

A Taste of Honey runs at the Pearl Theatre Co. (on 42^nd Street between 10^th and 11^th Ave.) through October 30.  Be sure to see it!

Domenick Danza

All the Ways to Say I Love You

MCC Theater

Lucille Lortel Theatre

September 11, 2016

Photo courtesy of MCC Theater

What is the weight of a lie?  That is the questions asked in Neil LaBute’s new play All the Ways to Say I Love You presently playing at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.  This sixty minute, one woman piece is produced by MCC Theater and directed by Leigh Silverman.  The play is mesmerizing, tender, and shocking.  Judith Light excels as a school teacher with a deep secret that she has kept hidden for sixteen years.

Ms. Johnson (played by Judith Light) has been teaching high school English and Drama for thirty or so years.  When a student asks on one of the first days of school, “What is the weight of a lie?” she has no answer.  This prods her to open up about an encounter that once took place between her and a male student.  She gradually peels back the layers of her passion, deceit, marriage, and underlying motivations until she is able to define the weight of her own lie.

Playwright Neil LaBute
Photo courtesy of MCC Theater

Neil LaBute has magnificently woven a story where every word and phrase is valuable to understanding the main character.  As you intellectually piece the story together, you are viscerally drawn into the emotional complexity and depth of the action.  Ms. Light is brilliant in creating sincere moments that bond the audience to her.  Her character physically eases into a trusting relationship with each individual in front of her as she opens up with genuinely honest confessions.  As shocking as some of her revelations are, you understand and support her.  She confides in you as she would a trusted and intimate friend.  Director Leigh Silverman found the perfect perspective for this piece by having Ms. Light create this personal one-on-one relationship with the audience.  It is absorbing and moving. 

  

Photo courtesy of MCC Theaater

All the Ways to Say I Love You is a unique and remarkable piece of theatre.  Due to demand, MCC has already extended the run through October 16.  Go on line and get your ticket NOW!

Domenick Danza

Edwin: The Story of Edwin Booth

Edwin: The Story of Edwin Booth

Great Circle Productions

Theatre at Saint Clement’s

September 10, 2016

Photo courtesy of Great Circle Productions

Great Circle Productions presents Edwin: The Story of Edwin Booth for a limited Off-Broadway run at the Theatre at Saint Clement’s.  It is a musical with a very dark score by Marianna Rosett.  The book and lyrics by Eric Swanson weave a grim tale of the fall of a family due to egotism, alcohol, and a historic act of significant magnitude.    

The play takes place on January 3, 1866 in New York City.  Edwin Booth is returning to the Winter Garden Theatre in the role of Hamlet after a long absence from the stage following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by his brother, John Wilkes Booth.  He is haunted by the ghosts of his father, brother, and wife as he prepares for his performance.  The action moves back in time as the facts of this family’s notoriety are exposed.  The characters play out scenes from Shakespeare, which clearly illustrate the heightened tragedy embedded in their family relationships.

Dana Watkins & Paul DeBoy
Photo courtesy of Great Circle Production

Dana Watkins is strong as Edwin.  His smooth transitions in time and location are clear and keep the action of the play connected.  He easily moves from Shakespeare scenes into Edwin’s present emotional state, then into song, creating emotional truths in each moment.  The scenes between Edwin and his father, Junius Booth (played by Paul DeBoy), are wonderfully written and directed.  Mr. DeBoy plays an overbearing egotist who teaches his son the skills he needs to become one of the greatest actors of his time.  Their relationship grows and builds with clear flaws and cracks that bring their downfall just a few years later.  Todd Lawson portrays John Wilkes Booth with a seething unrest that incites attention and builds conflict.  His stage presence is powerful and riveting.  Ben Mayne is charming as Rob, who is hired as a bodyguard and dresser to Edwin for the Winter Garden performance.  Rob often quotes his father to cheer up Edwin.  The twist in the ending scene when the identity of Rob’s father is revealed, whether historically true or not, adds a layer of depth to the plot and beautifully ties up the theme.

Todd Lawson & Dana Watkins
Photo courtesy of Great Circle Productions

The telling of this story through the ghosts and hauntings of the past is a brilliant concept.  The play is strongly constructed. Director Christopher Scott skillfully brings this accomplished cast of seven to the point of creating realistic characters and honest relationships.  The production, however, feels weighted down and the conflicts do not resolve.  In this play, as in real life, Edwin’s challenges and accomplishments are overshadowed by his brother’s action.  Edwin runs at the Theatre at St. Clement’s on 46^th Street through September 18.

Domenick Danza