Joe, Author at TheaterReviewsFromMySeat

About This Reviewer - December 16, 2019January 3, 2020

The Young Man From Atlanta (Signature Theatre)

As an enormous fan of the work by Horton Foote, I was genuinely thrilled that Signature Theatre was going to revive The Young Man From Atlanta. I missed that production when it had its world premiere in 1995. Mr. Foote was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for this play. I find that praise hard to fathom after sitting through this stilted melodrama.

Will Kidder, Lily Dale Kidder and Pete Davenport are the major characters in this play. They were included in the magnificent nine play opus called the The Orphan’s Home Cycle. I saw a superb revival of the entire cycle at Signature Theatre in 2009.

The original story was about generations of a family inspired by Mr. Foote’s own father. He decided to revisit these characters when he wrote The Young Man From Atlanta. The settings are typical of his style combining quirky Texas families and their relationships with each other and the outside world.

Will Kidder (Aidan Quinn) is much older here and has suffered the loss of his only child who drowned at 37 years old. He’s convinced the death was suicide. He discusses this with a co-worker as he cannot talk to his wife. Clunky set-ups like this one at the start of this play mar the usual believable and naturalistic atmosphere so prevalent in other pieces.

Wife Lily is sure the drowning was an accident. Her grief has stopped her from playing the piano. She reminded me of my grandmother who never drove a car after her teenage son died. That pain is recognizable. Kristen Nielsen, an admirable and often excellent comic actress, is necessarily restrained in her performance. She is not necessarily the right choice for this part, however.

The title character is a man who lived with their son in Atlanta. He showed up at the funeral and was obviously grieving. Lily is still communicating with him and has sent him money. When the patriarch loses his job, the solid ground of the white American male collapses. Mr. Foote’s men see work ethic as their primary driver in life. An absolute right to success that they are owed given their efforts. With the debt of a brand new home, money is suddenly tight for the first time ever. Financial stress mounts and it is not hard to predict what will happen.

The Kidder’s have a black maid named Clara (Harriet D. Foy). Lily is obsessed with “The Disappointment Club.” This is one in which black women supposedly fail to show up for work at white women’s homes to get back at them. Lily’s heard that Eleanor Roosevelt was behind this and quizzes both black characters about their knowledge of such club. Texas in the 1950’s feels segregated as in the book and film, The Help.

Throughout the performance I caught, lines were flubbed repeatedly. Some people come across as underdeveloped caricatures. Others such as Lily’s stepfather (Stephen Payne) just blandly appear and seem to add little to the proceedings. Michael Wilson directed this production as he did with the accomplished Orphan’s Home Cycle. I cannot pinpoint why the tone seems so off-kilter and the pacing so labored. A late scene between Will and Lily, thankfully, was richly emotional and perhaps hinted at the original’s success.

Pat Bowie portrays Etta Doris in the show’s best scene. She is a retired elderly maid who worked for Lily many years ago. Clara invited her to say hello. There is a touching moment when the passage of time and the wisdom of age is considered. Whose life is happier or more settled in retrospect?

Dan Bittner and John Orsini were equally memorable as the co-worker Tom Jackson and a familial relative named Carson. We never meet the young man from Atlanta. It is not too hard to guess why this grieving man is clinging to Lily’s sympathy. Their creative son was always a bit different and hard to understand. Set in 1950, one can understand the burying of secrets. By 1995, however, this contrived soap opera is hardly unique storytelling or thematically revolutionary.

I highly recommend trying Horton Foote’s plays. They are usually superb dissections of a time, a place and a people he knows intimately. The Young Man From Atlanta is not one of them. The cycle mentioned above as well as The Trip to Bountiful, Dividing the Estate and The Roads to Home are all ones I’ve seen and worth your time. I will seek others out as they are revived. He’s usually that good.

About This Reviewer - December 15, 2019

Where Are We Now (La Mama)

Fans of David Bowie’s music – and especially his lyrics – should immediately stop reading this review and book tickets to see the very limited run of Where Are We Now. Then come back and continuing reading! With a $26 top ticket price, this is one of the greatest cabaret values in New York City. The version of “Heroes” is musically gorgeous and absolutely unforgettable. I would argue the best one ever. I would be right.

In the basement space of La Mama, Sven Ratzke performs two hours of music from the Bowie catalog. In between numbers he tells stories, makes jokes and pulls his audience into his orbit. He enters wearing a blue jacket with hilariously exaggerated shoulder pads and large boots. Everything about his look and his performance, however, screams homage rather than caricature.

Mr. Ratzke remarks that the one thing he and his audience have in common is a memory of this unique and remarkable artist. For him, David Bowie gave us “a key to a big house at the end of a street.” Exploring each room leads to another song in another world. Why not open the show with “The Man Who Sold the World?”

Charming is the word which best describes this performer. He informs us that he is one-half German and one-half Dutch. That dichotomy leads to one side yelling “where are the drugs?” and the other side responding “nein! nein! nein!” Directed by Dirk Groeneveld, the show is well paced. The enjoyable storytelling and relaxed atmosphere is interspersed with one musical high point after another.

The marvelous Christian Pabst accompanies Mr. Ratzke on a grand piano. This show is intimate and reflective, funny and seriously thoughtful. The music is simply exquisite and beautiful in its simplicity. You can hear David Bowie in the performance but it is not mimicry. It’s adulation. The lyrics shine brightly and the piano becomes a perfect vehicle to reconsider these classic songs. There is a nice mix of later career radio standards and early developmental quirkiness.

“Jean Genie” has never been a favorite song of mine. This version adds piano solos and riffing. The tune becomes yet another stand out so that it is very difficult to decide which is the best moment in this melodic waterfall of excellence. “Ashes to Ashes” perhaps?

Thierry Mugler and Armin van Zutphen designed the witty and colorful costumes with shoes by Jan Jansen. Mr. Ratzke has an imposing stage presence. He is a space oddity with his elaborately styled mane of hair. The impressively restrained lighting design enhances this show considerably. I found the evening to be as magical as it is nostalgic.

In an encore at the end of the Where Are We Now, Mr. Ratzke will ask “Is There Life on Mars?” He sings about the film being a saddening bore. This show is anything but that. If you are unable to catch this extraordinarily conceived and performed entertainment this week, he will be back in May at Joe’s Pub. Don’t commit a “Rock’n Roll Suicide” and miss this opportunity to slow down and listen. Expressive lyricism and wistful introspection await the lucky theatergoer.

Where We Are now is being performed in The Downstairs at La Mama through December 21, 2019.

www.lamama.org

About This Reviewer - December 10, 2019December 10, 2019

The Wild Parrots of Campbell (NOW Collective)

In Sean Gorski’s excellent scenic design, an inflatable parrot is perched on the back of a lounge chair. More parrots hang from the eave of the house. One of them, tellingly, has deflated and collapsed onto the gutter’s downspout. Three empty beer bottles and two empty Proseccos sit on the table. An accumulation of cigarette butts fills the ashtray. Even the table cover has images of parrots. It’s New Year’s Eve and time to meet The Wild Parrots of Campbell.

Amanda is the newest resident of this unkempt California home. She brings a camera outside to take photos of the squawking birds which reside on telephone wires nearby. Charlie invited her to live with him after having developed a six month relationship with her online poker playing persona, stubborn-girl-96. Amanda’s early take on her new situation is candid. The house contains “dirty dishes and a bunch of losers who don’t want me to be here.”

Change seems difficult for these slackers. Nikki is the front woman of a feminist punk band. She notices the inside getting cleaner. “She’s leaving her mark.” Jack understands that his brother’s “always brought in strays.” Charlie has been grieving since his mother died. He fills his inherited home with humans adrift in financial predicaments and unfocused, yet swirling, seas.

Charlie is unhappy but his online relationship with Amanda helped him cope. She has had her own troubles and his offer was a chance to escape. She’s 20 years old and he is 23. The face-to-face encounter isn’t exactly going as planned for either of them. She’s quiet and off-putting. He’s tired of “all the slacker shit” but surrounds himself with that world. The tense energy created by this home intrusion is utterly believable in Alex Riad’s world premiere play.

Older brother, the freeloading Jack, is 31 and sits around all day drinking. Jobs suck and not doing them is his rule. He returned to his childhood home last year after a thirteen year absence. Charlie had to take care of his dying mother alone. The bridge between them is vast but a familial sense of responsibility helps their relationship maintain a reasonable co-existence.

Kevin is the fifth person living here. He works at Psycho Donuts (Crazy Good!) with teenage girls. He spends his free time getting stoned as “a day is an easy thing to waste.” Kevin is portrayed by Adrian Burke. The character is two-dimensional and the performance is equally two-dimensional. This loser without feelings or depth is so completely realized you knowingly agree when Charlie says that he has the “social skills of a radish.” When Kevin is finally needed to step up and say something meaningful other than “cool,” the moment was sadly pitiful and vividly realized.

Padraic Lillis directed The Wild Parrots of Campbell and his cast develops all of their naturalistic characters into fully fleshed out, damaged souls. There are (many) slacker laughs to be had. Mr. Riad’s play, however, seems more invested in the past traumas endured by these people which caused their symbiotic co-dependence. How did each of them get here? More importantly, will any of them get better in this house together?

Nikki admits hers is “a pretty pathetic life to keep fighting for.” I left the theater believing she may have the best shot at a different future. Charlie may be the one with the job at Google but his anxieties seem too deeply rooted. Both appear to manage the outside world more easily than the others – or at least pretend better. Both Kasey Lee Huizinga and John Dimino beautifully inhabit these roles with stark realism and abject fear lurking very near the surface. Their second act scene together exudes a bond of friendship that only years of history can create.

Older brother Jack is filled with warmth, drunkenness, compassion and anger. Why did he not return home until his mother died? Evan Hall is tremendously successful in bringing all facets of this complicated person in a strikingly complete portrait. Jack has a compellingly dramatic scene near the end of the first act. This was the only section of this play where the writing seemed a bit heavy-handed.

Domenica Feraud nicely handles the difficult role of Amanda. She may be the most adrift despite her no smoking or drinking stance. In a houseful of young people surviving emotional injuries, she has not put on as many Band-Aids as the others. When asked “will you ever go home?” she replies “I hope not.” The gaping wounds and crusty scars are what make this play so very penetrating.

The parrots are indeed real in Alex Riad’s observational and searching character study. They squawk and even say a few phrases. They remind us that words are heard and remembered sometimes long after they’ve been said. An entertaining piece of theater that managed to get under my skin, The Wild Parrots of Campbell is definitely a trip to the zoo to see slackers. By the end, you’ll hope the souls in these particular cages will find peace, love and joy. I’m doubtful and eternally hopeful.

The Wild Parrots of Campbell is playing at the Cherry Lane Studio Theatre in Greenwich Village until December 21, 2019.

www.nowcollective.org

www.cherrylanetheatre.org

About This Reviewer - December 8, 2019January 3, 2020

A Christmas Carol in Harlem (The Classical Theatre of Harlem)

A close friend recently told me there was no cure for climate change. Too many people are on the planet. He theorized the solution was to eliminate two-thirds of the world’s population. Ebenezer Scrooge also shares the same sentiment. If the sick and downtrodden cannot survive then they will help “decrease the surplus population.” A Christmas Carol in Harlem updates Charles Dickens’ classic novella into modern times with a socially contemplative spin.

Charles Bernard Murray is a miserable Scrooge and that is a compliment. He is a landlord who boasts “tis the season to pay rent.” A social worker Sierra Jones (Ure Egbuho) pleads with him to not raise rents so high that people are forced out of their homes. “There’s welfare for that,” Scrooge replies. “Many are not faring well,” she counters. The rallying cry is bluntly delivered. “Harlem, are you tired of the increasing number of empty store fronts?” This story is localized and laser beam focused on its neighborhood.

Scrooge is a classic miser. For him, Christmas is about wasting money from online sales to throw away trees. He tells Ms. Jones that he always follows the law when charging tenants. Her well-written response: “laws by design make fairness elusive.” Many topical points are raised in this story to bring themes from the Victorian era into present day Harlem.

The structure of Dickens’ story is followed from the Cratchit family’s financial woes to the ghost visitations. Eryn Barnes acrobatically performs the Ghost of Christmas Past. Her enjoyable take on the role is limber, casually stylish and unique. This section of A Christmas Carol in Harlem is a high point. Scrooge revisits his old workplace, a packing and shipping facility. A rousing ensemble number singing “underneath the mistletoe” is fun. This is one of many moments that Alan C. Edwards’ lighting design is used to excellent effect.

The staging of this musical is filled with visual treats from costumes (Lex Liang and Margaret Goldrainer) to varied entrances and exits. The set design (Izmir Ickbal) is a clever set of boxes with window cutouts to represent city buildings. They will shuffle around as the story requires and also hold props. The projections (Maxwell Bowman) nicely enhance the simple settings. The playground fence with a hole in it was wholly recognizable.

Director Carl Cofield and Choreographer Tiffany Rea-Fisher have inserted interesting transitions using their ensemble to represent the hustle and bustle of a city. The scene change between the office and the clock store was especially good and led to a very funny cameo by Angela Polite as the Clock Shop Lady.

Not every moment in this show is at that same level. The more serious sections slow momentum until the next bit of sparkle arrives. This musical is clearly a family entertainment. Playwright Shawn René Graham has written this version to be locally focused and easily relatable to its target audience. A few social concern points, however, come across as messages delivered by standing on a soapbox rather than through organic dialogue.

What is particularly rewarding about this take on the parsimonious Scrooge are the bigger picture lessons which this theater company is passionate about communicating. Harlem used to be a cultural mecca as exemplified by the past glories of the Lenox Lounge and the Savoy. There is an urgent plea to make arts thrive again in this community to enrich the neighborhood and, by extension, reflect its people and their lives.

The overarching theme of A Christmas Carol in Harlem is to keep the holiday spirit alive throughout the year. Worldwide problems like climate change and income inequality can seem daunting and unsolvable. This musical beautifully presents an alternative to giving up. Every person can make a difference. Start by taking care of one child at a time followed by one family. Incremental steps will lead to taking care of one building at a time and then one block at a time. That is the recommended prescription to bringing joy back to a neighborhood. Isn’t that the true meaning of Christmas?

A Christmas Carol in Harlem is playing through December 21, 2019 in Aaron Davis Hall at City College.

www.cthnyc.org

About This Reviewer - December 6, 2019

The Santa Closet (Houses on the Moon Theater)

Christmas is fully represented on the stage in the small Teatro Círculo Theater. All is not quite normal though. On the left side of the stage there is a decorated tree with presents underneath. The same thing is duplicated on the right side except this group hangs upside down from the ceiling. Our world and the legend of Kris Kringle are turned upside down in The Santa Closet. Claire DeLiso’s scenic design beautifully prepares the viewer for this topsy-turvy tale.

Written and performed by Jeffrey Solomon, The Santa Closet is an update of a 2009 Off-Broadway play. Santa Claus is Coming Out has been rewritten to reflect changes in our society since then. Every word, he promises, is based on real interviews with individuals and creatures. Mr. Solomon plays all of the parts. This story is thought-provoking and funny. The struggles are realistic and theatrical. Could Santa be gay?

Young Gary writes a letter to Santa. He wants a Sparkle Ann Doll. Action figures are boring since “you can’t style their hair.” Mom tells us that her son is “more sensitive… artistic.” Dad always has to play the bad guy to protect him from bullying. The parents are standard issue types but are compassionately rendered to reflect inner turmoils and fears for their son.

Sidney is Santa’s Jewish agent. He’s the one who got Santa those Coca-Cola commercials all those years ago. He narrates part of this story. Sid is one of a parade of broad stereotypes. Gary’s best friend is a young black girl. The elf foreman is a manly blue collar guy. There is an Italian man and a harsh family values woman who hates the “radical alphabet people.” Mr. Solomon easily slips in and out of all of these characters as the tale unfolds.

When Gary fails to receive his beloved Sparkle Ann Doll, the next year he is extra good. “I cut all the plastic rings on Daddy’s beer cans so the sea turtles do not get choked.” His new Christmas request is Dream Date Norm, a shirtless, muscular Ken-like plastic doll. Fans of mockumentary films will find much of the tone here familiar and welcome. The play is agreeably silly with dashes of wink-wink snarkiness tossed in.

Rudolph makes an appearance. He is a founding member of the Misfit Task Force. The name was changed to the Christmas-Town Diversity Committee because Hermie the Dentist thought the word “misfit” could be offensive. One child writes to Santa and asks, “Why do gay people say, you better work it?” When the jokes land, they are often hilarious and good-spirited. Many laugh lines fall a little flat, unfortunately.

The best parts of The Santa Closet involve more serious philosophical questions. Santa was caught in a photograph as a participant in the Stonewall riots. Agent Sid has to hire an actress to play Mrs. Claus for damage control. (Her “nuances have nuances.”) The plot morphs into a consideration of the legend of Santa Claus and what would happen if it were discovered he was a gay man.

There is a good deal of crisis imagined in Mr. Solomon’s play. None of it seems far-fetched, sadly. How would parents react? The media? Children? Focusing a rainbow spotlight on the cherished Father Christmas makes for some thoughtful debate. Since the show presents this material in a fairly tame manner, families could watch this together and have interesting discussions afterward. The Santa Closet was inspired by the need to discuss LGBTQ issues with children. On that level, it succeeds.

The play is directed by Joe Brancato and Emily Joy Weiner. Mr. Solomon is a game performer who brings these characters to life. (My favorite was Gary’s mother with the Italian a close runner-up.) The video projections are very well done. The Santa Closet has good intentions but the story does drag on as characters frequently rotate in and out of the story. Jokes miss as much as they hit. The concept is terrific, however. This modern parable might be even better realized as a mockumentary film with multiple actors creating a campy and insightful holiday treat.

The Santa Closet is running at Teatro Círculo until December 22, 2019.

www.housesonthemoon.org

About This Reviewer - December 3, 2019

Podcast Episode 25

Podcast Episode 25 is now live. Pick your favorite service through these links: iTunes Spotify Stitcher Google Podcast or by clicking the Buzzsprout link below.

Monthly recap from www.theaterreviewsfrommyseat.com covering shows primarily in New York City. In this episode, three Broadway plays are reviewed including The Great Society with Brian Cox as LBJ, The Sound Inside starring Mary Louise Parker and the two part epic The Inheritance.

Off-Broadway coverage includes Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage as Cyrano in a new musical. Other recommended plays discussed are Heroes of the Fourth Turning, History of Violence from Schaubühne Berlin and Will Eno’s The Underlying Chris. Additionally, two immersive pieces are reviewed: The Black History Museum… According to the United States and Unmaking Toulouse Lautrec. Sixteen different productions in total PLUS a new sound effect !

This month also features one out-of-town production at the University of Notre Dame (Indiana) entitled Staging the Daffy Dame.

The mission of theaterreviewsfrommyseat is to record my experiences without plot spoilers in order to share my passion for live theater. I hope to inspire you to see a play, musical or theater company you may not have known about. Free email subscriptions for newly published reviews are available at www.theaterreviewsfrommyseat.com.

I hope you enjoy the November 2019 Podcast. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Please send any thoughts to this email: theaterreviewsfrommyseat@comcast.net.

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/episode25podcast

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About This Reviewer - December 1, 2019December 2, 2019

Nutcracker Rouge (Company XIV)

Holiday entertainments come in many differently colored packages. Some are very traditional and celebrate a White Christmas. “Silver Bells” is A Christmas Carol. Hanukkah is represented by blue and silver. Red and green are standard and scream trees and Santa. Rouge, however, suggests both a color and a rosy cheek. If you are looking for an excess of sexiness in your holiday punch this year, try the Nutcracker Rouge. Depending on your tolerance for bare buttocks, this decadent vaudevillian delight might even make you blush.

Company XIV bills itself as the home of Baroque Burlesque. I have previously seen their supremely entertaining stagings of the classic tale Ferdinand and the Alice in Wonderland themed Queen of Hearts. This holiday entertainment fits seamlessly into this troupe’s aesthetic for showcasing eye-popping talent and visual splendor with wit and ceaseless joy.

In their atmospheric cabaret environment, grab a cocktail and allow the performers to seat you. Take a look at the screen onstage. On the right, a man and woman who may represent French royalty are expressing shock. That is in reaction to the scene illustrated on the left. A woman is caught performing the Can-Can with no underwear. There is a naked man laying on the floor. He is not alone. The category is… Moulin Rouge. The imagery is flagrant debauchery.

The endlessly performed Nutcracker is frequently represented in this show. There are ballets and many sections where Tchaikovsky’s music is celebrated. Austin McCormick and his company add tons of modern flourishes to its dance of the sugar plum fairy and other favorites. The show opens with some magic tricks (Albert Cadabra) and a “Russian Lullaby.” The range of performance variations is typically dazzling. The fun quotient is extremely high.

Through the course of this three act extravaganza, you will learn that “absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.” Even the intermission is provocative as a scantily clad woman teases her audience while sweeping confetti off the stage. Candy and sweets are central to this show. The powerhouse Cristina Raé belts out “I smell sex and candy” from Marcy Playground’s hit song. The line “mama this surely is a dream” nicely sums up the mood generated.

In an evening of exquisitely conceived exotic and erotic musical numbers, there are high points. Britney Spears’ “Toxic” accompanies Troy Lingelbach on the trapeze. His body contortions are unbelievable and the breakneck speed of the skills he performs is incredible. I was reminded of an airborne pommel horse routine. He concludes his number with something that can only be called a spinning upside down Biellmann (figure skating fans can conjure that image).

The effervescent Marcy Richardson rides a crescent moon while singing an operetta version of Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova.” In the air she will continually change body positions and ask her appreciative audience “where were you when we were getting high?” Nutcracker Rouge is, first and foremost, a party.

Each cast member shines in their moments in the spotlight. Christine Flores plays the ballet’s grown up Marie Claire (Clara) character in this production. She will explore many of her adult fantasies throughout the evening. The heady mix of styles and genres allows her to “Chew Chew Chew (Your Bubblegum)” and also dance a fine Sugar Plum Pas de Deux with Nicholas Katen.

As always, the creative elements are mesmerizing. Costumes are relentlessly sexy, appropriately scandalous and hilariously cheeky (in more ways than one). The lighting design bathes the stage and the performers in a glow which suggests a dream cabaret. The athleticism and artistry of these talented individuals are top notch. The holiday may be represented in the theme but this burlesque is a celebration of the human body and its abilities.

There is a lot of competition for your holiday entertainment dollar each and every holiday season. Last year I finally returned to see the Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular. If that show is indeed spectacular, then Nutcracker Rouge is certainly fantastique. From my seat, these recurring productions are essential New York holiday viewing.

The Nutcracker Rouge will be performed in Company XIV’s Bushwick location until January 26, 2020. The show’s promotional video trailer can be seen here: youtubetrailer

www.companyxiv.com

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theaterreviewsfrommyseat/companyxiv/queenofhearts

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/radiocitychristmasspectacular

About This Reviewer - November 30, 2019

The Giant Hoax (Indieworks Theatre)

In the musical Barnum, a song lyric compels you to “join the circus like you wanted to, when you were a kid.” In the family friendly new musical The Giant Hoax, a young farm girl named Emily will do just that. She’s heard about the Cardiff Giant and wants to see the amazing wonder for herself. Emily runs away from home and will learn some valuable lessons, meet an assortment of colorful characters and sing about “Wonderful Things.”

Scenic Designer Theron Wineinger places you into the period immediately when you enter the theater. There’s a shiny red and white circus tent. The sign promises the “one and only Cardiff Giant” who is ten feet tall and weighs 2990 pounds. The Albany Daily newspaper headline reads “Scientists Question Authenticity of Giant Man Uncovered in Cardiff.”

This musical is inspired by one of the most famous hoaxes in American history. On October 16, 1869, workers digging a well behind the barn of William C. “Stub” Newell found a purported petrified man. Stub (Forest Vandyke) pitched a tent over this discovery and charged twenty five cents for people who wanted to see this colossal human ancestor.

Stub and Emily open the show with a song called “The Cardiff Giant.” The entire ensemble is noticeably alive with energy. Emily will see the giant and befriend him. Their duet is “Imaginary Friends.” Emily joins Stub’s business and learns some tips about salesmanship and the power of carnival barking.

P. T. Barnum took notice of this profitable phenomenon. When his offer to buy the novelty was rebuked, he famously made his own version. (Both versions, incredibly, are on display in museums today.) Kit Goldstein Grant wrote the book, music and lyrics for The Giant Hoax. The storytelling is creative and clear. The songs are pleasantly simple and tuneful. I dare you to see this show and not exit the theater singing “beautiful things/ beautiful things/ believe in these/ beautiful things.”

This musical, however, does not pander to its target young people audience. Themes about blind faith, greed and trustworthiness are placed front and center. Barnum (Paul Aguirre) himself makes that very clear. “It’s the American way to steal ideas and make them pay.” Emily’s childlike beliefs and her naiveté will be challenged as she escapes the comforts of home and mother.

The Giant Hoax is memorably staged by Director Christopher Michaels to evoke this particular time period and this bizarrely entertaining story. The creative elements are outstanding and well coordinated. Tyler Carlton Williams’ costumes are nicely realistic. Noel Williams’ puppet design of the giant creates a sense of wonder and an impression of enormity. The lighting design by Conor Martin Mulligan is superb. The old fashioned shadow effects are stunning.

There are many elements to enjoy in The Giant Hoax. The story is an incredible combination of American chutzpah and American gullibility. People flocked to see this exhibit as proof of the Bible. Genesis 6:4 mentions giants in the earth. Dr. Martin (Yvette Monique Clark) from the Yale School of Paleontology begs to differ. (Ms. Clark is my first choice to play Niecy Nash in her biographical musical.)

Performances are solid across the board. Staci Stout is a believably wide-eyed Emily. She’s a smart young lady facing a complicated big world for the first time. Daniel Moser’s giant is vividly embodied. The direction and performance of the ensemble is to be commended. Everyone seems to have a purpose to be onstage which enriches the entire viewing experience.

There are quite a few song reprises in The Giant Hoax which unnecessarily elongate this musical. In addition, a few distracting side stories – such as the one about the two other kids – do not seem integral to the main plot. A tighter show would be even more welcome, especially when given a production this thoughtful and imaginative.

The Giant Hoax is running until December 7, 2019 at Theatre Row.

www.bfany.org/theatre-row

www.indieworks.com

About This Reviewer - November 26, 2019

Unmaking Toulouse-Lautrec

One of the best known painters of the Post-Impressionist period, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec lived a short and fascinating life. His art captured the spirit of late 19th century Paris from the denizens of brothels to the dancers at the Moulin Rouge. Bated Breath Theatre Company in conjuction with the bar Madame X are presenting an immersive entertainment entitled Unmaking Toulouse-Lautrec.

This one hour show is billed as immersive theater. When heading up the stairs to the upper floor of this bar, the door opens and you enter a room dripping in red. Head over to the bar and grab a cocktail. There are an assortment of chairs and couches on the perimeter of the elongated room. The environment is very promising.

The “show” is an assortment of sketches and imagery intended to illuminate a feeling of the era. The action occurs on a balcony at one end and also in the middle of the room. Highlights from the painter’s life are covered from his bone growth disorder to his troubled relationship with his parents. They were first cousins. Was inbreeding the cause of his physical ailments? There is nothing that deep considered in this production but Toulouse-Lautrec’s feelings of inferiority register strongly. What happens after his childhood makes sense from the biographical outline presented here.

The underclass of Paris did, however, embrace him to a degree. They became the inspiration for his extensive artistic output. In order to celebrate this era, dancers will perform the can-can. Sexy women are clad in bustiers. The mood is light and fun but the artist is anything but that. He descends into alcoholism and catches syphilis. There are many bad syphilis jokes told.

This revue-like show contains some truly inspired moments such as when his mother (Derya Celikkol) uses movement and a marionette to narrate her relationship with her son. As Toulouse-Lautrec, Daniel George was very effective. The overall impact is, unfortunately, only a slight diversion. The concept is interesting but the execution is just a bit too simple, especially when compared to other immersive theatrical events in New York.

Ticket prices are a reasonable $47 and include a complimentary cocktail. The show is performed twice on Wednesday nights and is usually sold out. Unmaking Toulouse-Lautrec has some good creative elements. The audience is very small and everyone is close to the action. In order to make this a recommended trip downtown, this company should probably further develop the Parisian vibe of the period. As it currently stands, this endeavor does not have enough focus to even sustain its one hour running time.

Unmaking Toulouse-Lautrec began performances six months ago and is currently booking through January 8, 2020.

www.unmakinglautrecplay.com

About This Reviewer - November 25, 2019

Staging the Daffy Dame (Notre Dame, IN)

Lope de Vega was a prolific Spanish playwright during Spain’s Golden Age. He was a contemporary of Shakespeare and nearly five hundred plays are attributed to him. One is La dama boba written in 1613. This play has been loosely translated as The Lady Simpleton or The Lady-Fool or Lady Nitwit. Staging the Daffy Dame is a modern consideration of how to present this work in the #hashtag era.

The original play is not simply the silly exploits of a daffy woman or two. The main characters seem to fall under the spell of potential suitors. Their father is strict. Is that to protect or control them? In a world dominated by men, what role do these women play in order to adapt themselves to their time? Can daffy be an intelligent strategy to manipulate the world to their advantage?

That is a premise worthy of study. Staging the Daffy Dame has been written by faculty member Anne García-Romero and was presented by the Notre Dame Film, Television and Theatre Department. The idea is great but the plot has been grossly overstuffed with nearly every possible hot topic of the moment.

Lupe Sanchez (Natalia Cuevas) is a college professor. Her vision is to stage The Daffy Dame with colorblind casting. Latino and Latina actors covet these roles. Why should they have to share them? After an overextended sequence about calling them Latinx now, there is an interesting but unanswered question. Shouldn’t Latinx actors train on Spanish classics like English actors train on Shakespeare?

This story about putting on a play falls into the trap of soap opera plotting. Twists and turns are not really established. Felicia Alvarado (Ana Wolfermann) will be playing the lead opposite Luis Gonzalez (Jake Berney). In the third scene, she announces that she cannot act with him. I couldn’t see how that was established. When he suggests they try to rehearse in the play’s native Spanish, she says, “I’m experiencing a hostile environment.”

Felicia, it turns out, is an undocumented immigrant and does not speak Spanish. Both leads are in the midst of the DACA cycle. He outs her to the cast. The director is criticized for creating a hostile environment where such behavior could happen. The term “safe space” is tossed into the mix. A cast member who suggests rehearsing in the play’s native language is treated as horrific and insulting. If this is what the intellectual give and take of college campuses are now, I’m very glad to be well past this period in my life.

As you might imagine, there are lots of side dramas and relationships. Susan Harrison is “attracted to smart, woke, interesting men or women depending on the person.” In the best, most complete performance, James Cullinane plays the jock type. While the character of Jeff Hollister has to utter “bro” and “dude” more times than a frathouse on Friday night, he manages to fill out the role and shade it nicely into a fully developed real person. He even manages to make the “homoerotic friendship” rehearsal scene work with Mr. Berney.

The best scene in this production, by far, is the one between the jock and the bisexual young lady. Mr. Cullinane and Ms. Barron brought nice depth and interpersonal chemistry to the moment. The playwright added some nice imagery about birds crashing into windows, leading to conversations about one’s soul and healing.

The professors and the stage crew are fairly underdeveloped stereotypes. One stagehand is gay, the other wants to remain a virgin. Being a professor of the arts as a person of color is hard. “Don’t pull that card with me,” screams the other teacher. I found the mounting cliches too much to bear.

When the play finally gets to the point where the cast is Staging the Daffy Dame, I was engaged. The costumes (Richard E. Donnelly) were particularly good. Director Kevin Dreyer did not amp up the antics far enough to demonstrate that this was corral de comedias typical of the period. After all of the woke lecturing and many mini-dramas, an over-the-top flamboyant style might have made all the previous plodding worthwhile.

University theater departments should be pushing their students to take on culturally relevant topics. They also should be exploring the classics and bringing lesser know plays and playwrights into the theatrical discussion. The attempt to combine the two ideas was commendable. The result, however, seemed more like a teaching exercise rather than an explosion of intellectual debate about women and immigrants in today’s society.