Macbeth

Macbeth

Classic Stage Company

October 26, 2019

Photo courtesy of Classic Stage Company

The Classic Stage Company has produced a heart-racing, one hour and forty-minute rendition of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.  Director John Doyle cuts right to the insatiable lust for power that drives the play, then overshadows it with the overwhelming sense of guilt that brings the downfall of the characters.  The cast of nine seamlessly move the action forward, skillfully portraying noble loyalty, voracious cunning, and vengeful retribution. 

Macbeth (played by Corey Stoll) is sought after by the three weird sisters (played by the ensemble) to predict his rise to power.  When his wife, Lady Macbeth (played by Nadia Bowers) hears the news, she devises a plan to hasten the events.  She manipulates her husband to kill King Duncan (played by Mary Beth Peil) to gain the throne.  He does the deed as planned and finds it only one of many slaughters to come.  He hires assassins to kill his friend Banquo (played by Erik Lochtefeld) in order to secure his position as king.  When the ghost of Banquo haunts him, Macbeth is propelled to visit the three weird sisters for an answer to its meaning.  Their revelations fuel Macbeth’s thirst for power and hide the clues to his imminent downfall.

Corey Stoll as Macbeth
Photo courtesy of Classic Stage Company

John Doyle’s choice to have the three weird sisters played by the ensemble is truly inspired.  The theater echoes with their unsettling verse and their evil is existent within every person on stage.  He ends the play with the same lines and formation as the opening, showing how this driving force of selfishness is ever present and seductive as events shift and move forward.

Corey Stoll portrays Macbeth as an honorable man, lured into making choices from which he cannot escape.  His character is changed after the murder of Duncan.  His physical and emotional transformation is clear and strong.  He spends the remainder of the play masking his emotional state as he continues to cause harm.  As he says to Lady Macbeth, “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”  

Nadia Bowers as Lady Macbeth
Photo courtesy fo Classic Stage Company

Nadia Bowers is powerful as Lady Macbeth.  She conjures forces within herself to construct her plan and moves on it with unwavering determination.  Her mad scene is focused and unnerving.  Barzin Akhavan is strong as Macduff, and Raffi Barsoumian is passionate and innocent as Malcolm.  Mary Beth Peil is imposing as Duncan, and Erik Lochtefeld is loyal and gentle as Banquo. 

This production of Macbeth is boldly conceived and masterfully interpreted.  It is playing at Classic Stage Company through December 15.  If you are a Macbeth fan, as I am, you will truly enjoy it.

Domenick Danza

Slave Play

Slave Play

Golden Theatre

October 20, 2019

Photo courtesy of Slave Play

Jeremy O. Harris’ Slave Play makes clear and strong statements on race and identity.  It is a highly psychological look at the effect of trauma on inter-racial relationships, particularly from the point of view of the partner who identifies as black.  Director Robert O’Hara layers in humor to allow the audience to process the volume of information presented during the course of the action.  The cast of eight deliver high level performances, establishing genuine relationships as they reveal intimate inner-conflicts at an amazing pace.

Three couples are engaged in a week-long therapy retreat.  We enter the story on day three, as they are intensely invested in the fantasy portion of the process.  Kanesha (played by Joaquina Kalukango) portrays a house slave who is whipped and degraded by her overseer, Jim (played by Paul Alexander Nolan).  Alana (played by Annie McNamara) dominates her house servant, Philip (played by Sullivan Jones).  Gary (played by Ato Blankson-Wood) takes advantage of his indentured servant, Dustin (played by James Cusati-Moyer).  Their sexual fantasies take them all to the core issue they are struggling with in their relationships.  Some are able to come to acceptance of themselves and their partner.  Others need to dig deeper.

James Cusati-Moyer & Ato Blankson-Wood
Photo courtesy of Slave Play

Each actor develops their character with vigor and sensitivity that produces complex and truthful portrayals.  They lift Jeremy O. Harris’ writing off the page with raw honesty.  The play is packed with psychological theory and social data that is reflected in the relationships between the characters and the secrets they reveal. 

Slave Play is playing at the Golden Theatre.  It is multi-layered with profound insight that requires thoughtful discussion. 

Domenick Danza

The Lightning Thief, The Percy Jackson Musical

The Lightning Thief

The Percy Jackson Musical

Longacre Theatre

October 12, 2019

Photo courtesy of The Lightning Thief,
The Percy Jackson Musical

The Lightning Thief, The Percy Jackson Musical hits Broadway like a lightning bolt.  Commissioned by Theatreworks USA in 2017, this show has gained quite a momentum.  The book by Joe Tracz is masterfully adapted from the young adult novel by Rick Riordan.  The music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki brilliantly builds the action and develops the relationships.  Choreography by Patrick McCollum is crisp and concise.  Director Stephen Brackett skillfully pulls all these high quality pieces together to create an engaging and entertaining production for all ages.

Percy Jackson (played by Chris McCarrell) is expelled from school for a mishap during a field trip.  When his mother (played by Jalynn Steele) finds out the reason, she decides it is time to tell him about his father, who he has never met.  After telling him of their chance meeting and the plans for him to go to camp, she is killed by a Minotaur.  Percy finds himself at the camp, protected by Grover (played by Jorrel Javier), a faun (a mythical half goat, half human creature) and Chiron (played by Ryan Knowles), a centaur (a mythical half horse, half human creature).  They tell him that he is a half-blood (half god, half human), as are all the inhabitants of the camp.  Percy does not know who his father is until Annabeth (played by Kristin Stokes), the daughter of Athena, uses him as bait to win a war game.  When he draws upon his undiscovered power over water to lead them to victory, they all realize his is the son of Poseidon.  This discovery makes him a suspect in stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt.  He, Grover, and Annabeth go on a quest to get it back and prove his innocence.

Kristin Stokes, Chris McCarrell, & Jorrel Javier
Photo courteys of The Lightning Thief,
The Percy Jackson Musical

There are only seven actors in the cast and most of them play more than one major role.  They all deliver phenomenal performances.  Chris McCarrell is magnetic as Percy.  Jorell Javier is energetic as Grover and outstanding as Mr. D.  Ryan Knowles shows his expansive vocal range, creating the roles of Chiron, Medusa, Hades, and Poseidon.  Kristin Stokes is strong as Annabeth.  She blows the roof off the theatre with her singing.

The Monotaur
Photo courtesy of The Lightning Thief, The Percy Jackson Musical

The Lightning Thief, The Percy Jackson Musical is playing at the Longacre Theatre through January 5.  It is refreshing to see a low budget Broadway production that captures the imagination.  It is good storytelling with excellent performances.  It is great family entertainment.  Go see it!

Domenick Danza

The Sound Inside

The Sound Inside

Studio 54

October 5, 2019

Photo courtesy of The Sound Inside

Adam Rapp’s play, The Sound Inside, is mesmerizing.  It is an intimate story of connection and regeneration.  Mary-Louis Parker is riveting.  You hang on her every word.  She does not leave the stage for a full ninety minutes.  Director David Cromer finds moments of profound insight that pull you deeply into the soul of the main character.  Just when you think you’ve gone as far as humanly possible, Mr. Rapp takes you further through the despair and gives you a glimpse of hope for the future.

Bella (played by Mary-Louise Parker) is a creative writing professor at Yale University.  As she tells her story, she takes notes, writing the sentences that ring with poetic truth.  She tells of her mother’s painful death by a rare cancer that spreads through her stomach.  As she sat with her during her final days, her mother seemed to vanish before her eyes.  She then tells of her own recent diagnosis, not as severe as her mother’s, but no less fatal.  Before the reality of that news sinks in, she jumps back in her story to an unscheduled office visit by a student, a freshman, Christopher (played by Will Hochman).  He tells her how much he loves her class and that he is writing a novel.  Christopher is awkward and unconventional.  He returns the next day to tell her about his novel, again an unscheduled visit.  Their connection has a distance that cannot be crossed.  His third visit is appropriately on Bella’s calendar.  When an unexpected request is made, their fates become parallel, both tragic and optimistic.

Will Hochman & Mary-Louise Parker
OPhoto courtesy of The Sound Inside

This is a must-see play.  Adam Rapp’s writing is profound, prolific, and succinct.  The mood is haunting, mysterious, and at times wonderous.  Mary-Louis Parker and Will Hochman fill the expansive Studio 54 theatre with a resounding and quiet intimacy.  Their performances are honest, natural, and deeply moving. 

The Sound Inside is running through January 11.  Don’t miss this play!

Domenick Danza

Doubt

Doubt

Studio Theatre

Washington DC

September 29, 2019

Photo courtesy of Studio Theatrer

When John Patrick Shanley wrote Doubt, he was addressing what he felt was a situation bubbling up in America’s mindset.  The need to take a side without all the facts creates a sense of doubt.  His skillful writing for this timely play won him the Pulitzer Prize in 2005.  This underlying theme is more relevant today than when first presented, and the Studio Theatre production is giving audiences in Washington DC the opportunity to experience it with a new perspective.

Christian Conn & Sarah Marshall
Photo courtesy of Studio Theatre

It is 1964 in the Bronx, New York.  When the principal of St. Nicholas School, Sister Aloysius (played by Sarah Marshall), suspects Father Flynn (played by Christian Conn) of wrongdoing, she asks the novice, Sister James (played by Amelia Pedlow), to keep a sharp eye for anything out of the ordinary.  Sister James observes some peculiar behavior by one of the boys in her class, and reports back to Sister Aloysius.  She confronts Father Flynn directly, even though it is highly inappropriate.  Once the floodgates are open, there is no going back.

Sarah Marshall & Tiffany M. Thompson
Photo courtesy of Studio Theatre

Sarah Marshall is strong and rigid as Sister Aloysius.  The confrontation scenes between her and Christian Conn’s Father Flynn are fiery and full of conviction.  They are an even match, which is required in these two characters if this story is going have impact.  Amelia Pedlow portrays Sister James with the right balance of innocence and eagerness to please.  She finds herself caught in the middle of something she does not fully understand, and grows significantly from the experience.  Tiffany M. Thompson plays Mrs. Muller.  She and Sarah Marshall deliver excellent performances in the most striking scene in the play.    

Doubt has been extended at Studio Theatre in Washington DC through October 13.  This play is John Patrick Shanley at his best.

Domenick Danza

Henry IV

Folger Theatre

Folger Shakespeare Library

Washington DC

September 28, 2019

Photo courtesy of Folger Theatre

The Folger Theatre production of Henry IV (Part 1) is packed with merriment, celebration, and honor.  In one of the final scenes the character of Falstaff humorously tells us that “the better part of valor is discretion,” yet the action of the play illustrates a more serious and noble theme.  Director Rosa Hoshi keeps the lighthearted scenes genuine, while sustaining the danger and risk of the rebels seeking the crown.  The performance culminates in scenes of battle that are choreographed with precision and build quickly from one moment to the next.

Avery Whitted & Peter Cook
Photo courtesy of Folger Theatre

King Henry IV (payed by Peter Crook) is in dispute with his once ally Hotspur (played by Tyler Fauntleroy), who decides to rally Worchester (played by Naomi Jacobson) and Northumberland (played by U. Jonathan Toppo) to rebellion.  They rise up against the King’s army.  The King summons his son, Prince Hal (played by Avery Whitted) to return to duty.  Hal has spent his youth carousing in taverns and befriending Falstaff (played by Edward Gero), who mischievously influences his behavior.  Their bond is strong and gives Hal the excuse to continually chose irresponsibly.  When summoned by his father, Hal needs face his fate and make a life altering decision.

Edward Gero & Avery Whitted
Photo courtesy of Folger Theatre

The ensemble cast plays numerous roles and keeps the action moving at a brisk pace.  Peter Crook is commanding as King Henry IV.  Tyler Fauntleroy’s Hotspur is passionately driven.  He lights a fire under the characters who he leads into rebellion and never loses his conviction.  Avery Whitted portrays Prince Hal with youthful energy and a strong sense of integrity.  His character’s honor and morality are never compromised.  Edward Gero is warm and genuine as Falstaff.  He does not take anything too far over the top, so we can see why Prince Hal follows and admires him.  Their relationship is truthful and sincere.

Henry IV (Part I) is playing at Folger Theatre in Washington DC through October 13.  It is a powerful and bold production.  If you see a performance at Folger’s Theatre, be sure to sign up for the Folger Library tour.  It is free and truly remarkable.   

Domenick Danza

The Rose Tattoo

The Rose Tattoo

Roundabout Theatre Company

American Airlines Theatre

September 21, 2019

Photo courtesy of
Roundabout Theatre Company

Marisa Tomei is passionate and tempestuous in Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of The Rose Tattoo.  Director Trip Cullman finds the rhythms and longings in Tennessee Williams’ writing.  He builds the action of the play to the stunning realization for the main character as she releases the past and opens her heart.  The original music by Fitz Patton and Jason Michael Webb sets the perfect tone throughout the play.  The composition and vocals allow time to  process and absorb the events of the story, as they connect the poignant moments.

It is1950 in a small Gulf Coast town.  Serafina (played by Marisa Tomei) is a Sicilian woman, passionately in love with her husband.  Together they have one daughter, Rose (played by Ella Rubin).  Serafina wakes from a dream one night and envisions her husband’s rose tattoo on her breast.  At that moment she knows she has conceived a son.  When her husband does not return from work, the women of the town come to tell her he has been killed.  The shock causes her to lose the baby.  Three years pass.  Seraphina keeps her husband’s ashes in an urn on a shelf, and holds on tight to her daughter’s innocence.  She prays to the Blessed Mother for help and send a sign of how to handle her daughter’s growing up.  Alvaro Mangiacavallo (played by Emun Elliott), a truck driver passing through, winds up at her door.  He has the body of her husband and the face of a clown.  Is this the sign Serafina was praying for?  What will it take for her to open her heart again?

Marisa Tomei as Searfina
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Emun Elliott and Marisa Tomei have a powerful chemistry.  They find the humorous moments in Tennessee Williams writing, then dive deeply into the fire.  The second act is rich in emotion, discovery, pain, and joy.  Ella Rubin also shares a beautiful chemistry with her love interest, played by Burke Swanson.  She is bold and forthcoming, while he is reserved and respectful.  This plays out in wonderfully tender and sincere moments.

The entire ensemble works magnificently together to create a close-knit community.  The set design by Mark Wendland and lighting design by Ben Stanton evoke a warm, open, and run-down beach front home, complete with a stage covered in a foot of sand.

The Rose Tattoo is playing at the American Airline Theatre through December 8.  This production brings the poetry and passion of this Tennessee Williams work beautifully to life on a large scale.  The performances are magnificent!

Domenick Danza