How I Learned to Drive

 How I Learned to Drive
Manhattan Theatre Club
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
April 28, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

The Manhattan Theatre Club production of Paul Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive is mesmerizing.  Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse step into the award winning roles they created in the original 1997 Vineyard Theatre Off-Broadway production.  Director Mark Brokaw finds a pace that eases the audience into the unsettling events of the story.  We are lured into the action of the play as the darker side is exposed.  The story does not unfold, but jumps around in time, requiring the audience to piece the details together.   

David Morse & Mary-Louise Parker
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

When we first meet Li’l Bit (played by Mary-Louise Parker) and Peck (played by David Morse), they are sitting in a car.  There is a physical distance between them, but the sexual tension and discomfort is potent.  They could be any two people, until we hear her call him “Uncle” Peck.  The action jumps back to Li’l Bit's younger years.    She grew up in Maryland, in a family that made her feel less than whole.  At first, she finds companionship in her Uncle Peck.  Her company helps him stop drinking.  The affection between them grows, until Li’l Bit becomes unable to escape.  Her mother (played by Johanna Day) warns her against spending time with him.  Her Aunt Mary, Uncle Peck’s wife (also played by Johanna Day), is somewhat aware of what is going on, yet waits for it to pass.  Both women feel Li’l Bit is to blame what happens to her.  Li’l Bit survives the sexual misconduct inflicted on her by her Uncle Peck over the years, yet she carries him with her for her everywhere she goes.

Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse are brilliant as Li’l Bit and Uncle Peck.  Ms. Parker embodies a darkness within her throughout the play.  Mr. Morse flavors his character with a soothing southern charm.  They find moments of connection, attraction, disdain, and surrender that draw you into the events.  As Li’l Bit’s resistance builds in the later years of the story, Ms. Parker infuses the character with fierce determination.  Mr. Morse portrays the beginning of Uncle Peck’s downfall with a surprising level of vulnerability.  They are enthralling together.  

Alyssa May Gold, David Morse, Mary-Louise Parker,
Johanna Day, & Chris Myers
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

Johanna Day is powerful as Li’l Bit’s Mother and Aunt Mary.  Her characters have distinct voices, yet share a rhythm that shows the destructive forces that surround Li’l Bit’s upbringing.  Adding to this damaging atmosphere are Alyssa May Gold and Chris Myers as Li’l Bit’s grandmother and grandfather.  Ms. Day, Ms. Gold, and Mr. Myers work as a tight ensemble (“Greek Chorus” as listed in the program), building tension and keeping the action flowing.

Since 1997, Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive has been produced across the country, giving voice to victims of sexual molestation.  It is a most valuable work, addressing the effects of holding in a secret that can have a long term effect.  This Manhattan Theatre Clun production is well directed, skillfully acted, and masterfully produced.  Go see it!  

Domenick Danza

Mr. Saturday Night

 Mr. Saturday Night
Nederlander Theatre
April 23, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Mr. Saturday Night

Billy Crystal lights up Broadway in Mr. Saturday Night.  The show is full of one liners, double takes, and heartfelt moments.  The book is written by the same three who wrote to original move (Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, & Babaloo Mandel).  Jason Robert Brown’s score is lively and memorable.  Amanda Green’s lyrics are witty and character driven.  Director John Rando brings all the elements together and shines them up to create a fun new musical.  

The year is 1994.  Buddy Young Jr. (played by Billy Crystal), who was a famous TV comic in the 1950s, is now performing in Senior Homes and feels he has hit bottom.  When he is mistakenly listed as “recently deceased” on the Emmy Awards presentation, his brother Stan (played by David Paymer) flies in from Florida.  Stan was Buddy’s manager in the early days, until they had a falling out.  The Today Show calls Buddy for an interview to correct the error from the Emmy Awards.  Buddy feels this is his chance to make a comeback, so Stan calls in a favor with a big agency, who sends Annie Wells (played by Chasten Harmon) to discuss the possibilities.  In his usual style, Buddy manages to insult Ms. Wells, but she still wants to represent him.  Buddy has a rough road ahead, not just with his career, but in building back the relationship with his brother and healing the relationship with his daughter, Susan (played by Shoshana Bean).  

David Paymer & Billy Chrystal in the 1992 film
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Billy Crystal’s timing during his stand-up routines and old comedy sketches is impeccable.  He and David Payne have a strong connection as brothers, both having played these roles in the original 1992 film.  Their relationship plays out through rhythm and comic timing.  They create a few very serious moments that are genuine and touching.

Randy Graff plays Buddy’s wife, Elaine.  Her character is a grounding force for Buddy.  She is solid and charming in this role, keeping the characters around her connected and the action moving.  Shoshana Bean is engaging and charismatic as Susan.  Her energy pushes each scene forward.  Her solos are strong and emotionally engaging.  Chasten Harmon brings heart and determination to the character of Annie Wells.  She raises the stakes and builds the momentum of the story. 

David Paymer, Billy Crystal, Shoshana Bean, & Chasten Harmon
Photo courtesy of Mr. Saturday Night

The ensemble is made up of three amazing performers: Jordan Gelber, Brian Gonzales, and Mylinda Hull.  Each play numerous roles that resurface throughout the story.  They are full of surprises, while skillfully keeping the action connected and delivering the laughs.  

Mr. Saturday Night has all the humor and heart you expect from a Billy Crystal project.  The story is touching.  The performances are bold and honest.  The set design, by Scott Pask brilliantly incorporates the video and projection designs of Jeff Sugg.  Get a ticket today.  You will definitely enjoy this show.     

Domenick Danza

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf

 For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide /
When the Rainbow is Enuf
Booth Theatre
April 1, 2022 

Photo courtesy of
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide /
When the Rainbow is Enuf

Director/Choreographer Camille A. Brown brings For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf vividly to life on Broadway.  The show returns to the Booth Theatre forty-six years after its original opening in 1976.  The brilliant cast creates vibrant characters, infusing Ntozake Shange’s writing and poetry with energy and passion.

Seven women tell tales of youthful hope, bitter disappointment, and hurtful betrayal.  They rise above and find the light within themselves that keeps them moving on.  The poetry rings with truth.  The prose are crisp and bitingly clear.  The choreography expresses the wide expanse of emotions experienced by the characters.  The movement comes from the earth and fills the space with enthusiasm and joy. 

Tendayi Kuumba leads the opening sequence as Lady in Brown, commanding the attention of the audience and luring them in with her expressive rhythms.  Kenita R. Miller, as Lady in Red, delivers a monologue that tears your heart out, then lifts you to a higher place.  Amara Granderson plays Lady in Orange with humor and zest.  D. Wood is sultry and seductive as Lady in Yellow.  Stacey Sargeant, Lady in Blue, tells her stories straight from the heart.  Okwui Okpokwasili is tall and bold as Lady in Green.  Alexandria Wailes is fluid and passionate as Lady in Purple.  

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf is a unique journey through storytelling, poetry, and movement.  The show was groundbreaking in 1976, and is still relevant and innovative today.  It is playing at the Booth Theatre for a limited time, presently scheduled through August, so get your tickets right away. 

Domenick Danza

Birthday Candles

 
Birthday Candles
Roundabout Theatre Company
American Airlines Theater
March 29, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

How do you measure a life?  Through its celebrations?  Its loses?  Its accomplishments?  Its hardships?  Noah Haidle ponders that question in his play Birthday Candles.  The action takes place on the many birthdays of his main character, spanning almost one hundred years.  Director Vivienne Benesch finds the pearls in each of Mr. Haidle’s tender moments, and this stellar cast string them together to deliver a stunning theatrical experience.

It is Ernestine’s (played by Debra Messing) seventeenth birthday.  Her mother, Alice (played by Susannah Flood), teaches her how to bake her special birthday cake so part of her will live on in tradition.  Ernestine is distracted by her dreams of finding her place in the cosmos and auditioning for the role of King (Queen) Lear in her high school play, but she does learn how to bake the cake.  The action flows seamlessly into her eighteenth birthday.  Her neighbor, Kenneth (played by Enrico Colantoni), surprises her by coming to her party two hours early.  Ernestine is baking the cake as her mother taught her.  Kenneth asks Ernestine to the prom.  She turns him down and tells him to go home and return in two hours.  When Matt (played by John Earl Jelks) shows up early, Ernestine does not send him home, and she does accept his request to take her to the prom.  In an instant, it is eighteen years later.  Ernestine and Matt’s two teenage children (played by Christopher Livingston and Susannah Flood) are celebrating Ernestine’s birthday.  Ernestine is preparing the cake her mother taught her how to bake.  The story continues to flash forward, celebrating the joys, disappointments, and turning points of the coming years on each birthday in Ernestine’s long and abundant life.

Debra Messing, Christopher Livingston, & Susannah Flood
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

The cast plays numerous roles throughout the story as Ernestine’s children grow up and have children of their own.  Each distinct character weaves a pattern of love and connection.  Each birthday repeats tradition, sayings, gestures, and sentiment as the characters face the challenges and truths of the present year.  Debra Messing grows and blossoms as Ernestine.  She captures your heart the minute she enters and does not let go throughout the action of the play.  Her physicality shifts as her character ages and her heart expands.  She creates genuine and endearing relationships with each character in the story.  Susannah Flood, Enrico Colantoni, John Earl Jelks, Chrystal Finn, and Christopher Livingston all deliver authentic, heart warning performances.

Birthday Candles is a much needed reminder of what is important on this journey we call life.  It is playing at Roundabout’s American Airlines Theatre through May 29.  Go see it! 

Domenick Danza

To My Girls

 To My Girls
Second Stage
Tony Kiser Theater
March 24, 2022 

Photo Courtesy of Second Stage

JC Lee’s play, To My Girls, is delivering a brilliant balance of laughter and poignant moments at 2^nd Stage’s Tony Kiser Theater.  The play serves up a subtle and thought provoking commentary on the cultural evolution of social engagement.  The writing is witty and biting.  The action is fast paced and colorful.  The performances are big and bold. 

Curtis (played by Jay Armstrong Johnson) rents an Airbnb in Palm Spring to reunite with his friends after a long separation due to the pandemic.  He has a wild weekend planned, which includes making a video of them performing one of their old drag routines to boost his social media following.  First to arrive is Castor (played by Maulik Pancholy), who is thrilled to be spending time with his friends, but not the least bit interested in Curtis’ social media plans.  Jeff (played by Carman Lacivita) travels from NYC to join the group.  He starts in on how Curtis continually leads Castor on in thinking there is a chance for a more serious relationship.  Leo (played by Britton Smith) and his long-term boyfriend are late to arrive, so Bernie (played by Bryan Batt) fills in on the drag number during rehearsal.  When the boys go out that night, Castor comes home with a young, hot hook-up, Omar (played by Noah J. Rickets).  After Castor falls asleep, Curtis and Omar connect, which ignites Castor’s insecurities.  When Leo finally arrives, he announces that he and his boyfriend are breaking up because of Curtis’ selfish behavior.  Before the weekend is over, Curtis faces the truth of his actions and the effect they have on his circle of friends. 

The Cast of To My Girls
Photo courtesy of Second Stage

Jay Armstrong Johnson’s character of Curtis is the glue that holds this group of friends together, as well as the bomb that destroys them.  He creates a charming and flawed character, driven by the need to be the center of attention.  Maulik Pancholy delivers the laughs as Castor, yet also pulls the more serious scenes into focus.  All eyes are on him as he skillfully creates these distinct moments.  Carman Lacivita commands the stage from his first entrance, and does not drop his energy for a second.  He plays Jeff as an observer of the group, sharing his insight throughout the action of the play.  Bryan Batt brings an older perspective with his character of Bernie, making the other characters laugh, as well as think deeply about their choices.  Noah J. Rickets’ character of Omar bring the younger perspective to the story.  He infuses the action with envy, yearning, and an interesting sense of absurdity.  The character of Leo enters later in the course of the play.  Britton Smith rises to the challenge of making this character a part of the already established action, and brining it to the next level.

Playwright JC Lee has represented three generations of gay men from various ethnic background to show the progression of change in the gay culture.  The play takes place present day, so the post-Trump and post-pandemic perspective of these characters adds a significant layer of awareness to their encounters.  Social media has created a new level of shallowness to the way they relate.  It takes earnest effort for them to connect on a sincerely personal level.  Mr. Lee offers a powerful sense of optimism as the characters acknowledge the bond in their friendship, despite the fact that they are seeing one another in a different light.  Even though their relationships are harmed by selfishness and insolence, they choose to not allow their hurt feelings to take control. 

The 2nd Stage production of To My Girls is playing at the Tony Kiser Theater through April 24.  It is full of laughs while delivering a strong dose of truth with a powerful punch. 

Domenick Danza

Garbageman

 Garbageman
Chain Theatre
March 17, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Chain Theatre

Keith Huff’s play Garbageman, now running at Chain Theatre, is packed with twists, turns, and unexpected surprises.  Director Greg Cicchino keeps the bold action moving at a brisk pace.  Each scene builds to a high point, propelling the action into the next unanticipated moment.  Set design by Richard Hoover and Kis Knekt is visually impactful, creating a bold metaphor for the boggled and cluttered minds of the characters.. 

Buddy Maple (played by Deven Anderson) needs to get his hands on a gun, so he drops in on his old friend from high school, Dan Bandana (played by Kirk Gostkowski).  Dan asks for an explanation.  Buddy tells the whole story, which starts with his becoming a Garbageman straight out of high school, and continues to when he was hired to work at a recycling plant.  It is there he finds a severed head, which he keeps in the trunk of his car.  Buddy goes on to tell of when he backed up his work vehicle and crushed the skull of a red headed little boy, whose father took revenge by putting Buddy’s son in a coma.  Buddy wants the gun so he can kill the red headed boy’s father.  This story motivates Dan to admit he wants to kill his ex-wife.  The two men become entwined by their rage and need for vengeance, but don’t seem to be able to follow though with their plans.  When Dan gets severely depressed, Buddy grows concerned he might be suicidal, or worse.  To cheer him up, Buddy suggests they drive to Washington DC for a rally on January 6.  What ensues is recorded and broadcast to the entire country. 

Deven Anderson & Kirk Gostkowski
Photo courtesy of Chain Theatre

Playwright Keith Huff offers a gripping perspective on the causes for rise of violent behavior in America.  He creates two characters drowning in despair and desperately seeking a way out.  The humor keeps the audience connected to the characters, yet allows them to distance themself from the action.  This gives them a chance to absorb the events that lead to the January 6 insurrection.  The final scene makes a strong statement on the harsh realities of America’s present state of mind.

Deven Anderson and Kirk Gostkowski develop an intriguing relationship between Buddy Maple and Dan Bandana.  The severity of their emotions becomes almost absurd at times, yet these two actors stay grounded in each moment, drawing the audience deeply into their reality.  They skillfully play the timing of the dark humor in Mr. Huff’s writing, keeping the action connected and the audience alert.

The Chain Theatre production of Garbageman has been extended through April 16.  The play delivers a bumpy ride, yet definitely one worth taking.  Visit their website (chaintheatre.org) and get a ticket today.  

Domenick Danza

Chain Theatre Winter One Act Festival

 Chain Theatre Winter One Act Festival
February 15, 2022
Program 1 – 6:00 PM
A Place for Us & For My Very Own 

Photo courtesy of Chain Theatre

Chain Theatre continues their Winter One Act Festival with riveting performance of new and unique plays.  The festival consists of nine different programs, including comedies, dramas, and musicals.  Each program is given four performance dates and one live stream date.  Program 1 showcases two strong pieces: A Place for Us, written and directed by Anthony M. Laura, and For My Very Own, written by Emma Lefkowitz and directed by Sarah De Baets.

In A Place for Us, playwright Anthony M. Laura explores alternate realities.  When Judith (played by Donna L. White) finds a bloody towel in her laundry basket, she questions her daughter, Hannah (played by Madison Murrah).  This adds to the already elevated level of stress between them, due to Judith’s infidelities.  Natalie, an unexpected visitor (played by Raina Silver) arrives, claiming she lives in their house.  Hannah befriends Natalie, against the strong warnings of her father, Vincent (played by Emerson A. Buchholz).  Natalie refuses to leave, and offers little detail to her life and history.  Even though her true identity remains a mystery, the family slowly begins to resolve their differences.

Photo courtesy of A Place for Us

Playwright Anthony M. Laura structured his play in short scenes.  This heightens the tension and mystery throughout the piece.  Each scene suspends the reality further, while grounding the characters in realistic actions.  It is the careful balance of this dichotomy that keeps the audience engaged, while continually questioning the levels of truth.  The final scene delivers a solid answer to Judith’s discovery of the bloody towel in the opening scene, yet opens the door to possibilities for Hannah’s continued journey. 

The cast fully commits to the realistic traits of their characters.  Their objectives are strong and clear, building genuine conflict.  This gives the audience a compelling story to follow, while the alternate realities unfold.  Madison Murrah effectively portrays Hannah as a confused and conflicted teenager.  Donna L. White builds an authentic mother relationship with her that is riddled with conflict.  Emerson A. Buchholz plays the father with humor and wisdom.  Raina Silver is enigmatic as the unexpected visitor.     

For My Very Own takes a humorous and effective look at white privilege.  Anne (played by Maya Kate Frueh) is looked over for a promotion at the Center, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to changing social policy.  She admits to her co-worker, Ines (played by Hannah Deale), that she is ready to sacrifice her white privilege to prove her dedication to making change.  She connects with Nora (played by Hadas Brown), who is starting a movement to adopt homeless people and place them in pods for support.  Anne takes her commitment too far, and ends up needing more help that she was ever able to offer in the first place. 

Playwright Emma Lefkowitz’s writing has a sharp wit and biting tongue, which serves her theme of white privilege very well.  Director Sarah De Baets guides this cast of skilled actors to deliver the powerful punch Ms. Lefkowitz’s play sets out to do.  Maya Kate Frueh plays the self-serving, righteous white woman with total conviction and bold humor.  Hannah Deale makes the side remarks that keep the far-fetched actions reality based.  Hadas Brown adds the intellectual, analytical point of view to the over the top actions.  Brian Mendoza plays a reporter who adds an outsider perspective to the story. 

Program 1 has one more showing on February 18 at 8:00 PM.  Go to the Chain Theatre website (www.chaintheatre.org) to get tickets for their final performance.  While there, check out the other one-act programs.  The festival runs through February 25 at 312 West 36 St. (4^th floor).  Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door.  The Winter One Act Festival continues to build Chain Theatre’s reputation for presenting quality theatre.  Don’t miss out.  Get a ticket today! 

Domenick Danza