Joe, Author at TheaterReviewsFromMySeat

About This Reviewer - February 20, 2020February 20, 2020

West Side Story

The overture begins. When the action starts a cameraman is filming the performers on stage. Images are projected on the large screen. West Side Story was a reasonable success on Broadway when it opened in 1957. The Academy Award winning film is the vehicle which projected this musical into classic status.

Hiring Ivo Van Hove to direct this third major Broadway revival signaled an intent to push the boundaries of what came before. Controversy swirled. Rumors of choreography changes in previews to go back to Jerome Robbins’ justifiably praised original. I have never seen a stage production of West Side Story and my movie memory is positive but decades old. I eagerly anticipated this revival. From my seat, this version is a mixed bag.

Gang members have cell phones so this revision is clearly an update. The best change relates to the gangs. These are not shiny chorus kids who are brilliant hoofers, although there are some very accomplished dancers on the stage. The Sharks and the Jets are more menacing here. The American versus Puerto Rican angle has been abandoned for significant diversity on both sides. These gangs are territorial focused rather than ethnically divided.

That change enables tensions with Police Officer Krupke (Danny Wolohan) to spotlight racial tensions and draw parallels to dynamics with law enforcement today. Amidst the swirling hormones and turf wars, a contemporary view emerges. Maria and Tony seem to fall deeply in love in three seconds. The core relationship at the center – and its intensity – is presented but not established in a remotely believable time frame. This choice may be commenting on the pace of coupling today enabled by technology and apps.

The whole show takes place over two days. Scenes are time stamped on the big screen. I presume the information was intended to ratchet up tension. I found the information undermined the storytelling. Did we really demonstrate “One Hand, One Heart” that quickly?

This West Side Story is largely spellbinding to watch. More than occasionally, however, the stage is barren of set and people. The video projections kick in. The locations where Tony and Maria work are rooms visible at the back of the stage. When the cast enters those areas they essentially leave the stage. The detail within the scenes is pretty cool. If you pull yourself away from the movie, you realize that the very large stage is empty. It’s compelling and puzzling at the same time.

What is not cool is the song “Cool” which is the low point of the musical numbers. A number of songs have been cut including “I Feel Pretty” which is not missed at all. Singing is not the strong point of this revival and the vocal styles are very mixed. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The development of characters and mood are clearly more central in the casting choices. If you come expecting glorious vocals, however, you will be disappointed.

Isaac Powell and Shereen Pimentel have nice chemistry as Tony and Maria. Their vocals are mismatched but that contradiction was additive. I found myself engaged with their story arc. They are the core of this show. Everything around them is busy but they manage to ground the story when they appear.

Mr. Van Hove’s use of projections on stage has been escalating. The staging of Network was intense. We watch Bryan Cranston melting down on stage and also see the television viewers’ perspective. In West Side Story, projections are scenery. The camera rolls down the street as the gang walks. Other times multiple images are maniacally flashing. The people on stage cannot compete with the overly distracting visual projections.

This West Side Story is a gallimaufry. Parts are very engrossing with an updated edginess. (Should there be a moratorium on stage rain at this point? Discuss among yourselves.) The musical numbers are largely unexceptional. I enjoyed the choreography by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. Hers is not Jerome Robbins at all but fit the style of this show. The sections of this production which sag give you time to wonder if this is conceptual filmmaking more than a theatrical presentation. That is a stimulating idea but an empty stage in a grand Broadway house will not be everyone’s cup of tea.

West Side Story is playing at the Broadway Theatre.

www.westsidestorybway.com

About This Reviewer - February 18, 2020

A Cocktail Party Social Experiment

The one page program announces A COCKTAIL IS A BEAUTIFUL THING in capital letters. “It transcends its base ingredients to become something new and exciting.” The theatrical event A Cocktail Party Social Experiment is also a beautiful thing. The premise is simple: invite some friends over, pour some drinks and play a game. If the moon is aligned, meaningful conversations will emerge. Happy people will return to their homes invigorated, refreshed and just a little bit more connected to their fellow Earthlings.

Based on a real game he co-created, Wil Petre hosts, essentially, the playing of a game on stage at the Chelsea Music Hall. In his introduction he notes that all you need is a beautiful living room, delicious cocktails, a banging playlist, party guests and his Cocktail Party game. The mission is to “create an analog experience.” Phones down, all. Fair disclosure: we host game nights in our apartment so I’m on board immediately.

Nine chairs are placed on the stage. Each is equipped with a microphone. Our host explains the “procedure.” Each round has a maître d and a guest of honor. That person picks two cards which determine their conversational question. After they finish, a toast. Then that guest becomes the maître d and a new volunteer is selected from those wishing to participate. Everyone else watches and sips away. I enjoyed a drink called the Paper Plane.

Ricardo, the Negroni drinker, came first. Mr. Petre superbly manages a positive tone throughout to foster a safe engagement for all participants. He eases into each conversation lightly with a silly question. Ricardo never eats pizza with a fork and knife. After receiving his cocktail order, the real question is posed. “What is a recent teachable moment you experienced?” Ricardo was recently seeing someone who lived in a negative space and seemed to wallow in sadness by choice. The man seemingly had “an addiction to sadness.” Ricardo shared that he is “not a fixer. I’m too irresponsible.”

Right out of the gate things were funny and lighthearted but also a tad serious yet effortlessly listenable. A follow up question was then asked. “What are you working on for yourself?” Clarity was the answer. The older Ricardo gets the more he wants to keep things simple. “Clarity in speaking,” he adds so people cannot “superimpose unintended meanings to those words.” A toast! The doorbell rings. Enter Beth Champagne.

Beth prefers Seinfeld over Friends. She’s not a bridge burner. There’s a downside, she warns. “People come in that should’ve been out.” Her fellow bubbly enthusiast Erin Champagne from San Francisco pops the cork next. She is asked to “Describe the Beginning.” After gulping down her quaff of choice, thoughtful pearls of wisdom emerge. Everyone came from the Earth to become millions of people. Treat everyone like a friend of a friend. “We all come from the same thing.”

The admittedly “very neurotic” Adam Cider arrives before intermission. He tells a story about a co-worker. “He’s a faucet. I’m a sponge.” A brief intermission to replenish cocktails is followed by the arrival of Ze “One Of The Bourbon Drinks.” “Marriage is hard,” she muses. Why is her current situation her most difficult relationship? “All of the others I knew were not going to last.”

Duruk Tequila & Soda contemplates religion and the afterlife. Olivia Whiskey Rocks discusses an unfortunate date at “The Box.” A staff member of that nightclub happened to be in the audience. A baby boomer squealed for information. Erotica would be the gist. Finally, last guest Aidan arrives and is asked, “What is your revolution?” His answer was “Bernie.”

While that might seem to be an expected response, the fact that we are all listening rather than talking allows a person to add nuance and depth of meaning to the quick quip. Think about this insight: “A generation not talking about politics and religion has created a generation that does not know how to talk about politics and religion.” Aidan believes in the “interchange of ideas; it’s called a society.”

The entire evening was fascinating to watch, endlessly interesting and always enjoyable. How do you know if your cocktail party is successful? When I was putting on my coat, all of the game participants were enthusiastically conversing on stage. People in the audience were coming up to talk to them and with them. The energy level was very high (and not simply fueled by excessive Monday night drinking I should add).

I expect A Cocktail Party Social Experiment will catch on big and fast. The actual game is expected to be produced later this year. In the meantime, grab a seat and volunteer to share. Or, better still, listen. Allow people to talk without constant interruption. Theater should always be a place to share fascinating stories and different perspectives. Nearly every person I know – and those from our game nights especially – would find this experience both intellectually stimulating and extremely entertaining.

A Cocktail Party Social Experiment is currently scheduled for two more performances at Chelsea Music Hall on March 16 and April 13, 2020.

www.acocktailpartysocialexperiment.com

www.chelseamusichall.com

About This Reviewer - February 17, 2020February 17, 2020

Chekhov/Tolstoy: Love Stories (Mint Theater)

Forgotten plays and playwrights are the mission of the Mint Theater Company. Their track record of success is as good as any troupe in New York City. Over the past few years they unearthed writings by Miles Malleson. Both Conflict and Yours Unfaithfully were excellent plays given extraordinary productions. Checkhov/Tolstoy: Love Stories is a double bill of two short fiction works Mr. Malleson adapted for the stage. The results miss the mark. Shockingly, by a long shot.

The first play is The Artist based on a translation of Anton Checkhov’s An Artist’s Story. In the garden of a Russian country house, a painter has emerged from five weeks of brooding. Nicov is now ready to start painting after gazing out of ten big windows during that time. Genya, the well-to-do with nothing-to-do teenage daughter pretends to read a book. Both are lazy, dreamer types. Genya flirts with the older man.

Sister Lidia is the Type A overachiever of this home busily working at a local school and dispensary. Her motto is “there’s always more to do than the time to do it.” The comparison between the lazy and the motivated are in obvious conflict. Lidia pushes for Medical Relief Centers for the peasants. The painter objects. He prefers poor people should be released from the slavery that society has inflicted on them.

As directed by company founder Jonathan Bank, the pace is very slow. This line stood out to me: “why do we lead such a tedious and boring life.” The language is also awkward such as “I’m an artist. I’m peculiar.” The adaptation is stilted and the pacing drags. In this dull vacuum, a relationship between the painter and the teenager begins to uncomfortably bloom. Nicov has ideas about a new religion.

Alexander Sokovikov makes his U.S. theater debut with this production. His performance of Nicov is the best one of the evening. The angst and the creative vision are well developed. The characters of the daughters are far less realized. As love interest Genya, Anna Lentz is far too contemporary and did not really develop or display any chemistry with the painter. Brittany Anikka Liu’s Lidia comes across as a one dimensional suffragette-type spouting lines. Her considerable passion is not evident.

There is no intermission between the two plays. Michael is based on Tolstoy’s What Men Live By. This piece has been directed by Jane Shaw. She has done thirty-one shows at the Mint as Sound Designer. This is her first directing role. The play is an allegory which contains some welcome and eerie mysticism. The staging does not accomplish the mood of transformation as required by the script.

Simon (J. Paul Nicholas) goes out to buy sheepskin for the upcoming winter cold. He returns without the blanket. Instead, he brings home a naked man he found on the side of the road. Wife Matryona (Katie Firth) accuses him of a “vodka spree.” Michael, the arrival, does not speak. When he smiles, however, it’s “as if the sun shined behind his eyes.”

One year later Michael is now an excellent shoemaker and helping to grow the family business and fortunes. The ever present creepiness of the man continues. He seems to be able to see the future. Unlike The Artist, this second play looks back and embraces old religion rather than seeking something new. Themes of penitence and spiritual learning are considered.

That level of mystery and religious imagery is not realized at a high enough level. Malik Reed portrays Michael at first as if he were Lenny in Of Mice and Men. The script calls for a magical reckoning of spiritual otherworldliness. In this staging, there do not seem to be any dimensions beyond a basic telling of the story. Without the magic, the plot simply proceeds and ends. There’s a decent tale buried in the short play Michael about kindness, repentance and love. This lukewarm attempt did not make a case for needing this revival.

Chekhov/Tolstoy: Love Stories is playing at Theatre Row through March 14, 2020.

www.minttheater.org

TheaterReviewsFromMySeat/Conflict/MintTheater

About This Reviewer - February 14, 2020

A Soldier’s Play (Roundabout Theatre)

Charles Fuller won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1982 for A Soldier’s Play which was originally staged Off-Broadway by the Negro Ensemble Company. That cast included Adolph Caesar, Denzel Washington, David Alan Grier and Samuel L. Jackson. Mr. Caesar was Oscar nominated in the film adaptation A Soldier’s Story which received additional nominations for Best Picture and Screenplay. That’s quite the pedigree which precedes this first Broadway production.

David Alan Grier returns to this story now in the pivotal role of Sergeant Vernon C. Waters. At the start of the play he is drunk and laughing. He yells, “they still hate you.” He is shot to death. What follows is a police procedural to determine the killer or killers.

A Soldier’s Play is set in Fort Neal, Louisiana in 1944 near the end of the second world war. This is a segregated fort. The enlisted black men are under the watch of a white Captain (Jerry O’Connell). They complain about the menial jobs they are given. A comment is made about being “lucky enough to get shipped out of this hellhole to the war.” Outside the base, the Ku Klux Klan looms but racism is omnipresent within as well.

The assumption is that the sergeant was murdered by the KKK deep in the heart of the Jim Crow south. A black officer, Captain Richard Davenport (Blair Underwood), has been assigned to this investigation. Naturally the presiding white officer objects and attempts to derail the process. In a series of interviews and flashbacks, the captain will get to the bottom of the mystery.

As staged by director Kenny Leon, this play captured my attention from start to finish. The ensemble work of the entire cast breathed palpable life into this production. While the play may seem dated as compared to this year’s mind-blowing Slave Play by Jeremy O. Harris, there are obvious reasons it remains relevant. Racism is hardly a historical footnote in America. Injustice lives and breathes in our government, in the prison-industrial complex and in the deeply rooted attitudes of countless millions.

What drives this play is not simply conflict between black and white men. There is a very fine scene when Captain Davenport interviews two white men (Nate Mann and Lee Aaron Rosen) who were on guard the evening of the murder. Their disgust at having to answer to a black man is not surprising but the effectiveness of how this new territory plays out is tightly wrought drama.

The soul of this play lies within the enlisted men. They have an easy camaraderie in the barracks and on their winning baseball team. Their black superior officer, Sergeant Waters, treats them like garbage. Waters’ racism is a complicated blend of self-loathing and aspirational whiteness. He has begun to climb the white man’s ladder and has definite ideas for his children’s future.

Mr. Grier is utterly convincing in this juicy role. Everyone on the stage has a reason to dislike him either from their inbred racism or their hatred of his condemnation of his own kind. His murder has many suspects. The police procedural part of this play is somewhat old-fashioned but completely entertaining.

Blair Underwood is terrific as the investigating captain. He is a black man with power. He wears his pride on his sleeve. His nuanced performance hinted at the battle scars he must have encountered on his rise. He does not back down ever. That skill had to be mastered. Unlike the white captain who runs the fort, he had to be exceptional to get as far as he did. That comparison registers nicely. (The matinee idol torso flash which opens the second act is the only misstep.)

A Soldier’s Play is not a masterpiece but it is a very good drama. This cast is excellent across the board most notably the grunts. Nnamdi Asomugha was a standout as Private First Class Melvin Peterson but each actor created a completely formed character. That makes for entertaining drama. The subject matter remains pertinent nearly forty years later.

The Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of A Soldier’s Play is running at the American Airlines Theatre through March 15, 2020.

www.roundabouttheatre.org

About This Reviewer - February 13, 2020February 13, 2020

David Byrne’s American Utopia

I remember going to a midnight screening of Jonathan Demme’s concert film Stop Making Sense in 1984. I was a huge fan of the New York band Talking Heads which successfully emerged out of the New York punk rock/new wave scene in the 1970’s. There is no possible way to estimate how many times I listened to the album Remain in Light. I finally got around to catching David Byrne’s American Utopia during the final week of its Broadway run.

This supremely stylized concert opens with Mr. Byrne seated at a table and contemplating a plastic brain. He delves into neural connection theory noting that our brains become less functioning as we age. “Does this mean babies are smarter than us and we get stupider as we grow older?”

Unlike Bruce Springsteen’s spectacular Broadway memoir, this piece is a concert with a few musings inserted along the way. The mood is unadulterated joy. He and his musicians are all wearing gray suits. Their feet are bare. Instruments are carried marching band style. For fans of halftime shows, the percussion is exultant.

Voting is an important message as demonstrated by the registration table in the lobby. Mr. Byrne comments on the 55% turnout for national elections and the 20% number in local ones. The average age in those contests is 57. Lighting shines on 20% of the audience to punctuate the point. The concert moves on to the next gloriously staged song but the point is made simply, quickly and effectively.

In the most serious section, he informs that he asked Janelle Monáe if he could cover her song “Hell You Talmbout” despite being a older white male. She agreed. This version was the closest this concert got to anger with the repeated phrasing of African American victims of racial violence. The lyric “Trayvon Marton” is followed by “Say His Name.” Mr. Byrne implored the crowd to join in which was only partially successful.

That moment was powerful but reminded me of the Springsteen show. In that one, certain audience members were hoping for a singalong show of greatest hits. Bruce had other ideas in mind. David Byrne’s American Utopia is certainly much more of a feel good concert and the big hits “Once In a Lifetime” and “Burning Down the House” are explosive. In between smiles and joy, however, playful seriousness lurks before quickly returning to a happier place, the imagined utopia of the title.

On the stage is a striking three sided curtain of hundreds of metal chains. The lighting design by Rob Sinclair is endlessly inventive and often highly dramatic despite rarely using color. The palette of this show is silver and gray like its’ star. Mr. Byrne is the elder statesman performing to his flock.

Is this concert a symbolic utopia? If you consider the outstanding orchestrations for this twelve person ensemble, the answer is yes. When you add in the phenomenally interesting and unique choreography by Annie-B Parson, utopia becomes an understatement. Marching band meets David Byrne meets funk and dabbles in rock. Somehow the physical movement tops everything and you cannot peel your eyes away.

Many songs from his whole career catalog are included in this show. From Remain in Light, I was thrilled to hear a superb rendition of “Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On).” Consider this line today: “Take a look at these hands/ The hand speaks/ The hand of a government man.” Could there be a more appropriate thought bubble in our increasingly fragile democracy? As Mr. Byrne brilliantly demonstrates, have your fun but pay attention. And vote.

David Byrne’s American Utopia is closing this weekend. There were some open seats in the back of the orchestra likely due to unsuccessful scalping. Try your luck by showing up at the theater. This show is, after all, once in a lifetime.

www.americanutopiabroadway.com

About This Reviewer - February 12, 2020

Where We Stand (WP Theater)

Free coffee and donuts are available on the stage when you arrive to help determine Where We Stand. Audience members are the citizens for this Town Hall meeting. The setting is sparse and realistic. House lights never go down. Everyone’s face is visible and present. There is a decision to make.

Playwright Donnetta Lavinia Grays begins the show humming from the rear of the theater. As she slowly descends the stairs on her way to the stage, audience members are joining in with her. She is connecting with them. The community is coming together. Or is it being manipulated? I cannot be sure which is the right interpretation. That may be the point.

Ms. Grays portrays “Man.” An exile on the edge of town is seeking forgiveness. He has sold the community to the devil in exchange for glory. He achieves that by successfully building up the town. Various townsfolk offer testimonies. This fable is portrayed with music, humor and a great deal of soul searching.

Will the town be merciful to the man or choose justice instead? The story is told with extremely poetic and non-linear language. Characters jump in and out. Songs are sung. Ms. Grays makes direct eye contact with individuals. Her eyes bore into you as she brings you on a journey toward the vote. She is unquestionably a compelling presence. Many in the audience clapped and hummed as they were swept up into the narrative.

Others were more restless. One woman could not take it any longer. She was trapped in the second row. Rather than ask everyone to let her out, she escaped by sliding over the first row which had a couple of empty seats. She stood up defiantly and angrily. The house lights were all on. There is only one person on the stage. The two individuals were standing about ten feet apart. It was hideously uncomfortable. An unexpected sign of our times manifested itself.

A little later the woman’s companion elected to travel the same route to the exit. In a way, this distraction colored my interpretation of the story. A grand personality swaying the townspeople to a conclusion. The failure to listen to words that may be not what one wants to hear. Ms. Grays’ performance is excellent so it has to be the lyrical poetry which failed to engage those two from their discourteous behavior.

Then again, isn’t America now all about discourteous behavior? Trump’s tweets insulting whomever got under his skin that day. Bernie Sanders’ followers attacking supporters of other Democratic presidential candidates. I saw both of these examples on social media today. This unfortunate yet spontaneous theatrical moment deepened the connection between this play and our reality.

As directed by Tamilla Woodard (3/Fifths), the play is both dreamlike and riveting, an odd balance. The townspeople are listening to arguments. A decision will have to be made. Will you participate when called? This show is definitely not straightforward. Some character transitions are less clear than others. This playwright is asking us to listen in her way. Like reaching across the aisle in politics, that willingness is not universally possible.

Where We Stand is clearly not for everyone. Donnetta Lavinia Grays’ commanding performance is, however, completely engrossing and vividly theatrical. (She will alternate performances with David Ryan Smith.) In our times, Town Halls are still utilized to convince and cajole opinion. It’s up to you to decide where you stand.

Where We Stand is being performed at WP Theater through March 1, 2020.

www.wptheater.org

About This Reviewer - February 10, 2020

Taste the Clouds

New York City Children’s Theater commissioned Hit The Lights! Theater Company to create a production for young audiences. Taste the Clouds is a breezy thirty minute exploration of whimsical notions to trigger the imagination. The story is based on Rita Marshall’s book of the same name. The targeted age range is two to five years old. The children in the audience ranged from fidgety but engaged to focused and riveted on the action.

In the lobby, cast members interact with the kids as they arrive. “Make sure you get your imagination paintbrush over there.” A “really cool” activity table is where the children decorate their paintbrushes with stickers. The table is toddler height and portends the level of smart details which follow.

There are plenty of chairs for the adults in the theater. Kids are encouraged to sit on the floor. A sheet is the “magic canvas.” Some children sat with their parents or on their laps. Others plopped themselves front and center. The first item on the agenda? “Raise your hands if this is the first time you’ve ever been to a play; ever been to the theater before?” The initial feel good vibe never wanes.

Hit The Lights uses shadow puppetry projected onto a screen in this show. I saw their production of Dungeon at Ars Nova in 2018. Similarly, action occurs on screen and in front with the actors. Rain comes down in the form of musical notes. A dog is outside looking up at the clouds. Buddy appears in the form of a two piece animal. His head is manipulated in one hand with his body in the other. One child stood up and gently poked Buddy in the nose. He sneezed. The moment was adorable.

Buddy also provided some structure. When one child left the magic canvas and joined the actors, Buddy pointed his nose back to the sitting area which seemed to do the trick. After all, it was time to take the imaginary paintbrushes and touch the stars. “We did it!”

Exploration is on the agenda in Taste the Clouds. A girl rides an owl into the sky. The projected puppetry shows the flight and then changes the perspective to a close up. The zooming in from larger imagery to detailed visuals is effectively used throughout. The puppet show is fun and appropriately simple. The questions posed are more surreal.

“Do you believe I can listen to colors?” The children are then asked, “What’s your favorite color?” Pink is the first one yelled out. Then a child adds “rainbow.” One of the actors comments that rainbow is a “solid choice.” Little imaginations are pressed into listening to the blue flower. “Purple was tricky.”

Fruits will be added to a cauldron. Our heroine dons a scuba mask and she and Buddy dive in. Swirling inside is a psychedelic soup. “All that smelling and swimming made me hungry.” The story quickly moves on and the children seemed attentive as a result. Their was a nice balance of watching and participating which kept interest high.

When the children paint the sky, a slice of pizza is seen floating. There will be dumplings and donuts. Buddy excitedly eats everything and then turns into an exaggeratedly bloated dog. This warning about overeating is very funny. By the show’s end, you will believe it is possible to smell a rainbow, taste the clouds, see the music and listen to the moon.

Exiting the theater, the cast is available for photos. The five performers, both in front of and behind the curtain, strike a nice tone to engage the children without using baby talk. At the end, the children are told “we are honored for this being your first play.” Taste the Clouds is a sunny introduction to the world of magical invention in the theater and in the mind. The kids looked like they had a fun time. From their seat, the clouds were very tasty.

Taste the Clouds is performed on Sundays at the Flea Theater through April 26, 2020.

www.theflea.org

www.hitthelights.org

www.nycchildrenstheater.org

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/dungeon

About This Reviewer - February 7, 2020

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake

Subtitled “The Legend Returns,” Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is back in New York for the third time. Twenty years ago this show ran on Broadway and won three Tony Awards for costumes, direction and choreography. This is my first encounter with this production. The accolades are deserved. This hybrid ballet and wordless musical theater piece is awesome.

Mr. Bourne’s version of Tchaikovsky’s ballet is famous for changing the swans to men. The original story is one of a prince and a princess. She has been converted into a swan by an evil sorceress. That detail (and others) are eliminated here to make way for an exuberant and modern take on this story.

In the first scene, the Prince is asleep in his bedroom. Above his head appears a half naked man from his dream (the future swan). There’s no mystery about the Prince’s internal leanings but he dutifully attempts to fulfill his birthright expectations. He will date “The Girlfriend,” a ditzy blond prototype. Katrina Lyndon is brilliant and hilarious in the part. A trip to the opera house is a clever show within a show conceit. Ms. Lyndon steals the scene with her crass behavior in the royal box.

Speaking of royals, the Queen (an excellent Nicole Kabrera) has no husband and seems to be interested in her guards. She is a cold mother. Sub-zero temperature. A scene occurs in the Prince’s Private Quarters and she recoils at his display of weakness. They dance but the effect is a combination of touching and heartbreaking. She demands he keep a stiff upper lip and remain resolute and unemotional when facing adversity. She concludes her visit as the Prince is looking in the mirror. Mom pulls his shoulders back to the required posture.

I have never seen Swan Lake before and I have seen few classic ballets. In this staging, the storytelling and acting are so strong that the main characters emerge as multi-dimensional emotional beings. The wit and modern spin go into full speed when the Prince heads to a seedy nightclub called the Swank Bar. He leaves dejected and forlorn, walking to a city park.

On a bench under a streetlight, the Prince writes a suicide note. Under a beautiful full moon, he approaches the lake. A very muscular male swan appears. The Prince is mesmerized. The dancing ensues. More swans appear. The choreography accentuates swan movements most notably in numerous arm positions. (To be honest, I am not a ballet aficionado and this segment went on a little long.) The lead swan appears to be the alpha of the bunch.

After intermission, media stand behind red velvet ropes. A Royal Ball is about to occur. Shots are poured and consumed. The dancing is hot. Princesses from many countries are present. When the Italian Princess dances, there’s no mistaking which one she is. “The Stranger” appears. He is The Swan only now clad in black leather pants. The ladies are agog. The Queen is agog. Their male escorts are irritated. The Prince is, to say the very least, jealous.

This party is filled with tensions everywhere. Erotic tensions between men and women and also between men and men. The entertainment soars. If The Swan at the city park appeared to be the alpha, the Black Swan that swoops in and oozes sex appeal confirms the initial diagnosis (and then some). In the performance I saw, Max Westwell performed The Swan and The Stranger. He was outstanding.

All of the principal dancers were excellent. As The Prince, a sublime James Lovell delivered a beautifully nuanced character study. The inner turmoil was transparent and distressing. The final scene is a visual and emotional masterpiece.

While Matthew Bourne’s conception for this Swan Lake is arresting, the execution is superb. The direction and clarity of storytelling is superior to the vast majority of Broadway musicals. The spectacularly large yet simple set design frames the grandeur of royalty. The costumes are playful and gorgeous. Both were memorably designed by Lez Brotherston. Paule Constable’s lighting is also top notch.

The movie Billy Elliot about a boy who wanted to be a dancer ends with his performing The Swan in this show. This artistic company tours the United Kingdom and internationally with a number of different productions. If given the opportunity, I won’t wait another twenty years to see the next one.

Matthews Bourne’s Swan Lake is being performed at New York City Center through February 9, 2020. In the United Kingdom, his New Adventures company is now touring The Red Shoes and a Nutcracker! revival is planned for the 2020 holiday season. Who knew there was a show made out of the movie Edward Scissorhands! Can we beg for a revival?

www.nycitycenter.org

www.newadventures.net

About This Reviewer - February 5, 2020

Packrat (Dixon Place)

Concrete Temple Theater is a multi-disciplinary company committed to creating compelling new theatrical works. Begun in 2004, they incorporate drama, dance, puppetry, music and visual arts. In their mission statement, they focus on presenting works that address real issues within communities such as grief, family relationships and environmental stewardship. Packrat falls into the latter category.

Bud is the title character and he, like all of this cast, are puppets of various styles. He is a packrat. Bud collects human “treasures” found on the desert floor. Humans know them better as litter or forgotten items casually tossed aside. A silver spoon and an opened bag of marshmallows play important roles in the story.

A faceless cowboy exuberantly drives through these creatures’ homeland in his car. This puppet is very amusing. He is built larger than life as would be the size view from an animal’s perspective. He dons an enormous cowboy hat and a lit cigar. An ash falls into the dry grasses and sets the land ablaze. Puppet animals start to scatter amidst the devastation.

Judgmental squirrels believe Bud’s hoarding of human treasures is the cause of the fire. Such activity is illegal, they remind. The humans are obviously mad. The squirrels want Bud banned. Their leader is a jack rabbit named Firestone who is Bud’s friend. He sleeps to think of a solution. One is revealed through a dream.

Firestone tells Bud that he needs to search for Artemisia, a land of big sagebrush. This is the place where there will be no humans. It must be found for the benefit of all. Bud attempts to take all of his belongings on this journey but there are too many trinkets to carry. He has to narrow it down to the most important treasure. Oh, the choices! The relocation adventure begins.

Renee Philippi is the writer and director of Packrat. The story is a simple one exposing the harm caused by humans unconcerned and unconnected with their impact on the environment. This tale is obviously a microcosm of larger issues concerning environmental damage and blatant disregard for nature. The focus here on the act of one person’s carelessness stresses the point of each and everyone’s responsibility to the land and its inhabitants.

The story of Packrat is simple and sweet. Three of us attended this production together and we all found some moments oddly confusing. Determining which rat puppet was the main character was not always crystal clear.

The puppets themselves are an interesting visual blend of styles. Carlo Adinolfi designed the puppetry, projections and set. Some animals appear as suggested forms with exposed rib cages. When burrowing owls run across the floor, their feet rapidly tap on the floor. The moment is delightful and just makes you smile. Another style uses outlines to suggest dreamlike forms and reminded me of dried palm fronds.

The set is composed of curved sculptures which function as blades of grass. They are moved around as location changes require. The puppeteers are visible but clad in black clothing. They add vocals to the soothing voice over narration by Vera Beren.

Packrat is an enjoyable little tale probably best suited to children given the simplistic themes and good-natured vibe. The creative elements, however, do provide some whimsical moments that will appeal to anyone who admires artistic inventiveness.

Packrat will be performed at Dixon Place through February 15th. The show is traveling to the Flint Repertory Theater in Michigan for the weekend of February 21 – 23, 2020.

www.dixonplace.org

www.concretetempletheatre.com

www.flintrep.org

About This Reviewer - February 5, 2020

Podcast Episode 27

Podcast Episode 27 is now live. Pick your favorite service provider through these links: iTunes Spotify Stitcher Google Podcast or by clicking this Buzzsprout link:

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/episode27podcast

This month’s recap includes three Broadway shows, five productions from the Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival, many Off and Off-Off Broadway plays and a few dance performances.

The Broadway shows discussed are Slava’s Snowshow, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical and Jagged Little Pill based on Alannis Morrisette’s music. Off-Off Broadway theaters companies visited this month include the Tank, The Barrow Group, Metropolitan Playhouse and LaMama. A review of a contemporary take on Medea starring Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale. Plus a few tips for upcoming sure-bets opening this spring.

Finally, if you’ve ever wanted to know what’s going on inside your phone, find out in my review of a fun new musical, Emojiland. A show to make you smize.

I hope you enjoy the January 2020 Podcast. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Please send any thoughts to this email: theaterreviewsfrommyseat@comcast.net.

Last month’s episode:

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/episode26podcast