Linda Vista (Second Stage)

Two men are moving boxes into apartment 217 in the San Diego community of Linda Vista.  They are long-time friends.  Dick Wheeler is middle aged and has been divorced for two years.  He wallows in negativity.  This reboot represents his new lease on life.  Wheeler may not be a fully realized curmudgeon but he’s on his way.  He is a supremely hilarious character in Tracy Letts’ very funny dark comedy.

Is Wheeler ready to take on a next phase in life?  He says so.  “New friends are better than old people.”  Loyalty is not a trait he values as it “leads to camping with Hitler.”  Our anti-hero is also a progressive thinker.  Can he find a middle ground with Trump voters?  He cannot as they are “too stupid” and believe “humans walked around with dinosaurs.”

The barbs fly frequently in many directions.  He thoroughly rejects the restaurant industry’s propensity for putting foam on a plate.  “Does someone in the kitchen have rabies?”  The humor is crotchety and cranky, like him.  Regarding hippies:  “I’m afraid of joy killers eating chick peas out of my skull.”  The zingers go on and on.

Wheeler used to be a photographer for a Chicago newspaper but agreed to move with his wife when children arrived.  They relocated to be near her family.  That long ago life decision is one of the the storm clouds hanging over his head.  “A lot of couples have offspring to distract them from their shattered dreams.”  Now he works as a repair man in a camera shop.

Linda Vista is both a look back on life’s regrets as well as a commentary about living in today’s world.  How does a snarky, self-flagellating, doughy underachiever reconnect with the world?  His friends Paul (Jim True-Frost) and Margaret (Sally Murphy) will set him up on a date.  Jules (Cora Vander Broek, terrific) arrives as a free but guarded spirit.  The double date?  A karaoke bar.

Ian Barford is outstanding as Wheeler.  It is not possible to like him but occasional glimpses of goodness shine through the sarcasm.  He meets a young woman in a bar in an awkward and very funny display of creepiness in today’s #metoo era.  Chantal Thuy is exceptional as Minnie, a wisecracking, vulnerable, strong and misguided person.  I expect she’ll have similar life regrets when she reaches fifty years old.

The last two characters in this situation comedy are Anita (Caroline Neff) and Michael (Troy West).  Wheeler works with them at the small shop.  These scenes showcase why the movement to eliminate inappropriate workplace environments took hold.  Mr. Letts has written an enjoyable comedy with ample edginess.  The plot, however, occasionally strains credibility through its 2:40 running time.

Now for some unfortunate news.  As in every Second Stage production I have seen in their new Broadway venue (the Helen Hayes Theater), there is preshow seat drama.  The first five rows are ridiculously crowded together.  People were discussing their unhappiness with the ushers and some moved to open seats at the back of the house.  Neck pains should be expected if you sit in the front row.  When will they finally take a row out?

The bigger crime is Todd Rosenthal’s set and Dexter Bullard’s direction.  Both were fine if you can actually see the whole play.  More than a few times characters were positioned so far stage left that we could not see them at all.  This was not obstructed view seating.  The ticket price was not different than center orchestra.  Here’s an idea, directors:  try sitting in multiple locations during rehearsals to see if the blocking works for all the theater patrons.  Nifty and considerate!

Originally presented by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Linda Vista is a very entertaining comedy.  As the ornery Wheeler, Ian Barford scores big in the laugh department but he’s sad and pathetic too.  The character is large and so is the performance.  I highly recommend this play as long as your seat is better than mine.

www.2st.com

www.steppenwolf.org

Slave Play

Take your seat and stare at the mirrors on the stage facing the audience.  An image of a large white plantation home is reflected from the front of the mezzanine.  Slave Play is the name of Jeremy O. Harris’ mind-blowing and audacious work which has moved to Broadway after a successful run Off-Broadway last season.  The play, the production and the performances are phenomenal.  This is theater for people who demand excellence, embrace discomfort and revel in brilliant character writing.

In order to experience this devastating satire, it is likely best to go in, like I did, with little knowledge and a vague assumption about what the titular word slave will mean.  I have no intention of spoiling the extraordinary surprises which unfold so let’s simply ponder the opening scene.

Kaneisha enters with a broom and does some light sweeping.  She can feel the music in her and begins dancing.  She is a black slave stereotype of the era.  Jim enters next carrying a whip.  He is the overseer on the plantation, not the master.  He thinks it is devilish to move one’s body like that, “dancing like a raccoon in heat.”  He is a white southern stereotype.  Will there be a whipping of this “negress?”

The politics of sex, power and race take center stage in Slave Play and never leave until the emotionally raw final scene.  Mr. Harris is using American history (or a fantasized, comedic version) to consider and illuminate interracial relationships.  Can a white man and a black woman ever be free of the Kaneisha and Jim dynamic?  No matter how hard you laugh – which will happen very, very often – the edges here are bitingly sharp and thought provoking.

When the play ended, there were two camps.  The majority seemed blown away by the masterful and thoroughly riotous dissection of our contentious racial issues and their long-lasting impact.  The not tiny minority, notably older white couples, gave the impression that they desperately had to flee the theater as quickly as possible during the curtain call.  If you like shows which are, so to speak, white-washed trifles of easily digestible and inoffensive history, Slave Play is not for you.

For everyone else, this experience is both mentally challenging and wildly entertaining.  Mr. Harris has written eight roles, all of which are infused with unique personalities, beliefs, attitudes and vulnerabilities.  Robert O’Hara directed this masterpiece which effectively lands every joke and dramatic sting.  Mr. O’Hara’s own play Barbecue similarly mined stereotyped racial profiles with comedy, tension and surprises.

The entire cast is stellar.  Joaquina Kalukango and Paul Alexander Nolan portray Kaneisha and Jim.  The elements of farce are spot on while the gut wrenching realness of true love and inbred wiring are painful to observe.  There is a lot of observation in Slave Play.  Clint Ramos’ playfully simple set design works its magic throughout the production.  The mirrors always face the audience.  This is you.  This is all of us.

Annie McNamara’s mistress of the plantation is nothing short of a tour de force.  Her scene with Sullivan Jones is a comedic pairing for the ages.  They will make you howl with laughter as you squirm in your seat.  As Dustin the not really white guy, James Cusati-Moyer nails an exceptionally written monologue in a play overflowing with them.  The entire cast is superb.

Time will tell if Broadway audiences will embrace this remarkable work.  When was the last time I saw a play this rich with such well-written characters across the board?  Hard to say but this one feels like a classic.  Boundaries are pushed.  Themes hit hard.  As they should.  Sex, race and power struggles are no laughing matter.  Thanks to playwright Jeremy O. Harris, that statement is incorrect.  Bold and adventurous theatergoers should grab a ticket to this one-of-a-kind fantasia.  There is so much more to this play than even mentioned here.

www.slaveplaybroadway.com

Freestyle Love Supreme

In 2002, Freestyle Love Supreme was created by the Tony winning team which would eventually soar into the theatrical stratosphere with Hamilton (2015).  Composer Lin-Manuel Miranda was also awarded a Pulitzer Prize for that effort.  Thomas Kail has directed four Broadway shows and the recent (and superb) Fosse/Verdon on television.  These two co-created this show with Anthony Veneziale.  What were these future geniuses up to after their fortuitous meeting at Wesleyan University?

Freestyle Love Supreme was presented by the then much smaller arts incubator Ars Nova back in  2005.  With the gazillions being raked in every week by Hamilton and a film of Mr. Miranda’s first Broadway musical In The Heights on the way, this show was revived off-Broadway earlier this year.  A successful run prompted an uptown transfer to the relative intimate Booth Theater.

This incarnation is my first encounter with the piece.  When I left the theater, I felt that I had been awash in a sea of positive joo joo.  There is a noticeable sense of community between the audience and the performers.  Without question there is some good-natured ribbing (“life as a white guy on the upper east side”).  There is also a “we did it!” spirit as this little engine that could finally emerges into the grand spotlight.

The show is described as a “freestyle, hip-hop, improvisational, never-before-seen comedy ride.”  When it begins, the players are introduced with labels such as microphone one and two.  They ask the audience for verb ideas.  In the performance I attended, run, gesticulate, impeach and vomit joined a litany of audience inputs.  From that, a hip-hop musical number is made up on the spot.

Kaila Mullady AKA Kaiser Rözé is the 2015 and 2018 World Beatbox Champion.  She is phenomenal throughout and impressively delivers the vocally impossible.  Our main storytellers are Utkarsh Ambudkar AKA UTK the INC., Andrew Bancroft AKA Jelly Donut and Aneesa Folds AKA Young Nees.  All of them are talented, funny and surprisingly adept at conveying delightfully warm and heartfelt reminiscences.

Mr. Bancroft (or should I say Mr. Donut) is the emcee  of this freewheeling (and obviously structured) enterprise and his level of infectiousness is very high.  When we move onto “things you hate,” the expected shout outs for Trump and Mitch McConnell are of course hurled at the stage.  They were followed by the New England Patriots and guns.  Things started to get interesting when flip flops and humidity were added into the mix.  Those provided some of the best material (and belly laughs) of the evening.

The spoken performers were joined onstage by musicians Arthur Lewis AKA Arthur the Geniuses and guest artist on keys Ian Weinberger AKA Berger Time.  They added to the merriment, riffed with the cast and noticeably celebrated humorous high points.  Guests are and will be a regular part of this show.  I attended a Monday night performance at 10:00 pm.  Lin-Manuel Miranda joined Freestyle Love Supreme at the earlier 7:00 pm show.   Lest we feel cheated, Mr. Donut killed in his impersonation and the audience convulsed with laughter.

Our guest that evening was introduced as a relative newbie to the troupe.  Ashley Pérez Flanagan AKA Reina Fire was the centerpiece of the finest segment.  The Muppets were chosen as the main topic for the things we love portion of the show.  The riffing on those puppets were indeed funny but also veered into the intimately nostalgic.  Tales of childhood.  A show which could appeal to adults as well.

Perhaps that is the essence of Freestyle Love Supreme.  A clever wink at our amusing differences and quirks laced with a knowing lampoon of our crazy world.  Add in a major dash of quick intellect and a refreshing nod of sentimentality and sweetness.

I enjoyed Freestyle Love Supreme from start to finish.  Ticket prices, however, range from $59 to $199.  I’m not convinced the upper end of that scale is a reasonable value proposition.  The show is only eighty minutes long.  If you can snag a reasonably priced seat, however, there is a lot of smiling and good vibes to be had.

www.freestylelovesupreme.com

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/hamilton/chicago

Beetlejuice

“This is already the best exorcism I have ever been to!”  That line should help inform your proclivity towards Beetlejuice.  When it opened last spring, a number of critics wrote that the funhouse antics (predictably) overwhelmed their delicate senses.  Au contraire!  Based on the 1988 Tim Burton film, this adaption is absolutely everything you want a big Broadway musical comedy to be.

The atmosphere is already percolating when you take your seat.  Chandeliers are outfitted with green lights.  The super friendly ushers seem to be in the best mood.  (Note to theater owners and house managers:  pop in to the Winter Garden and see what great customer service can look like.)  Multi-colored spotlights enhance the party vibe.  A BETELGEUSE sign hangs with an arrow pointing to a small opening in the curtain.  Smoke is billowing out.

A funeral opens the show and Lydia’s mother has passed away.  Beetlejuice jumps in on the action to let us know that this is a show about death.  “The Whole ‘Being Dead’ Thing” is a riotous kickoff setting the stage for the gazillion one liners, hilarious meta theater references and insanely clever visuals that follow.

Beetlejuice is a demon from hell and describes himself as “a ghost zombie Jesus.”  He is invisible to living beings.  His devilish plan can be enacted if someone will say his name three times.  Barbara and Adam are a childless married couple.  “What’s the point of having children when you are drowning in debt?”  They quickly die.  Beetlejuice intercepts their Handbook For the Recently Diseased so they remain earthbound for haunting purposes.  Will someone say his name three times?  You betcha.

Charles and daughter Lydia buy the recently available home and move in with Delia, Lydia’s moronic grief adviser and Daddy’s secret lover.  The stage is set for haunted house hijinks.  Sophia Anne Caruso (Lazarus) is a gothic and moody delight as Lydia.  Her “Dead Mom” solo is one of the many high points delivered by an exceptionally accomplished cast.

Rob McClure (Chaplin) and Kerry Butler (Mean Girls, Xanadu) are the newly diseased trying to learn how to be scary in “Fright of Their Lives.”  Both shine brightly in creating these adorably inept ghosts.  Adam Dannheisser (Oslo) and Leslie Kritzer (The Robber Bridegroom) are priceless as the unfeeling Dad and the dimwitted psychotherapist.  Ms. Kritzer also plays a second character in Act II because she is so damn funny.  Why not?

Alex Brightman is extraordinarily entertaining as Beetlejuice.  He is both the ringmaster and the clown in this tongue-in-cheek spookfest.  Line after line lands a bulls-eye.  The varied vocalizations he employs are remarkably effective.  I loved his performance a few years back in School of Rock.  This performance is at another level and, in my mind, is clearly the best one from this past Broadway season.  Michael Keaton was vividly memorable in the movie.  Mr. Brightman impressively manages to eclipse that memory.

Eddie Perfect’s music and lyrics are witty and tuneful.  The book by Scott Brown and Anthony King is sharp and smart.  Everyone seems to relish the source material and has lovingly transformed the story.  This production is not simply a rehash of the film like many other Broadway recreations.  Beetlejuice has been reimagined for the stage.  At the same time, this musical is incredibly faithful to the film’s reliance on wild antics and Tim Burton’s unparalleled style.

If all that weren’t enough, the creative team deserves kudos for countless moments of ungodly excess.  David Korins’ scenic design is gloriously inventive, adding splendiferous visuals to this manic mayhem.  The costumes (William Ivey Long) approach musical comedy perfection and, in the case of Ms. Kritzer’s Act II gown, exceed it.

Connor Gallagher’s choreography was fantastically possessed and energetically executed.  The ensemble is used brilliantly and sporadically.  They aren’t forced into scenes unnecessarily.  When they are utilized for the big numbers, the impact is stronger as a result.

All credit for this avalanche of musical theater otherworldliness must be given to director Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge!, Peter and the Starcatcher).  When you aim to take the ghoulish fun of Halloween, blow it up into a spectacular amusement and succeed to this level of excellence, I must invoke the Broadway poltergeists and chant “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.”  Three visits to this oddball Broadway charmer might be the ideal dosage for happiness on any spiritual plane.

www.beetlejuicebroadway.com

Be More Chill (Broadway)

Dear Cast and Creatives of Be More Chill,

I was fortunate enough to see your show last September off-Broadway.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I blogged about it then (link below).  I felt the Broadway transfer might be a little rough listening to comments from others at the time.  When you opened uptown, some critics seemed to be not just negative in their opinion but mean-spirited in their written words.  I didn’t say “bitchy” but you make the call.

Three eighteen year old young adults were visiting last weekend so we decided to bring them to your show.  I am happy to reconfirm my previous assessment.  I would add that the production upgrades were substantial and satisfying.  Beowulf Boritt’s scenic design coupled with Alex Basco Koch’s arresting production design nicely riffed on the all-consuming technology of this generation.

Your entire cast did a fine job creating individual personas unlike much ensemble work for less well-directed musicals (including this past season).  The direction by Stephen Brackett and the choreography by Chase Brock were revelatory on second viewing.  In my mind, both did Tony nominated work and were significantly more accomplished than some of the nominees.  Fun was abundant in each and every scene.  The costume design by Bobby Frederick Tilley II was an avalanche of goofy delights perfectly suited to the storytelling.

I attend a lot of theater and don’t have a particular cup of tea.  If a creative team wants to tell a young adult story and heap some sci-fi nerdiness on, go for it.  If you tell the story well, that’s what I’ll see and report.  Be More Chill is a musical comedy with heart, edge, vim and vigor.  For supporters of the theater, this particular show has the added benefit of bringing in the next generation of audiences.

This blog (and my related monthly podcast) now has an archive of nearly 400 reviews.  Thankfully the internet enables voices other than the major media outlets to  express their opinions.  Readers can find those writers they can personally trust for their advice.  None of us will always agree for sure.  In fact, many of my friends were not fans of Be More Chill.  I still can’t quite fathom why, frankly.

As for our lead actor, Will Roland’s performance was simply terrific.  The part of Jeremy Heere required as much, if not more, emotional fireworks and nuanced comedic timing as any starring male lead on Broadway this season.  Furthermore, Joe Iconis’ and Joe Tracz’s zany show would have been in my top five Best Musical contenders this year without a doubt.

As you all head into your last weekend of performances, I’d like to thank you for an exceptionally fine evening in the theater last week.  Each of us had a grand time and the energy in the house was electric.  Isn’t that what makes live theater so invigorating?  Congratulations on your Broadway run.  I hope America is a bit more welcoming than New York on what I would expect should be an upcoming national tour.

Sincerely,

Chilled and Smiling

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/bemorechill/offbroadway

Pretty Woman

Based on the hugely successful movie which made Julia Roberts a star, Pretty Woman was turned into a Broadway musical.  The show opened last summer and was not nominated for a single Tony Award.  The original cast is soon to finish its year long run so I decided to catch a glimpse of this critically dismissed but popular show.

Vivian Ward is a hooker but this is a fairy tale. The setting is “Hollywood – Once Upon a Time in the 1980s.”  Edward Lewis is a corporate raider businessman who bumps into Vivian and wants to hire her.  That proposal turns into a week long affair.  Like our cockney Eliza in My Fair Lady, she’ll dabble in society; this time at the Polo grounds.  She’ll go shopping.  She will even break her cardinal rule and kiss her client on the mouth.  It’s fairly unbelievable that this romantic comedy soft porn could be staged post #metoo and the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct Hollywood fiasco.

In my memory, Julia Roberts made the film somehow innocently charming and zingy fun.  I found Samantha Barks’ performance to be effortlessly endearing and beautifully sung. She nailed her 11:00 empowerment number, “I Can’t Go Back.”  Like the movie, you have to suspend all disbelief and ignore the slime factor to  settle in and enjoy this musical.  Ms. Barks (Éponine in the Les Misérables movie) ensures that will happen in a confidently radiant yet nicely grounded way.

As Vivian’s fellow working gal and best friend Kit De Luca, Orfeh (Legally Blonde) is brash, funny and her trademark pipes blast songs into the stratosphere.  Eric Anderson (Kinky Boots, Soul Doctor, Waitress)  completely steals the show from everyone onstage in the double role of Happy Man and Mr. Thompson.  He is hilarious as the hotel manager who, oddly, becomes the real heart and soul of this musical.  Happy Man is a philosophizing hobo and semi-narrator who opens Pretty Woman with Kit and the ensemble singing the woefully predictable “Welcome to Hollywood” number.  It’s like “Welcome to the Renaissance” from Something Rotten but, unfortunately, far less tongue-in-cheek.

I am an enormous fan of Andy Karl who plays Edward Lewis.  I’ve seem him in Rocky, Legally Blonde, On the Twentieth Century and the exceptionally fine but unloved Groundhog Day.  He is never short of excellent.  This role is not a perfect fit.  I totally bought his musical comedy romantic male lead side but not the ruthless businessman which is a significant (if superficially developed) part of this plot.

1980’s pop icon Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance penned the very average but listenable soft rock score.  Mr. Karl’s vocals fit the music nicely.  He actually sounded quite a lot like Mr. Adams in hits like “Summer of ’69” and “Straight From the Heart.”  The book is credited to Garry Marshall (the film’s director) and J. F. Lawton (the film’s writer).  Expect no surprises in this unimaginative update.

Director and Choreographer Jerry Mitchell’s production is cheap looking and the action is fairly flat.  The two-dimensional palm trees get to move in and out frequently to conjure California.  The pastel lit backdrop makes you realize how inadequately space is used.  Opulence and splendor is nowhere to be found in David Rockwell’s fairly basic scenic design.

Even the easy liberal Broadway targets misfired for me.  The second act opens with another welcome song, this one called “Welcome to Our World (More Champagne).”  The grossly wealthy Polo enthusiasts are having an event for charity and Vivian is clearly not in her element but smashingly outfitted.  High society evilness is mocked with the cynical lyric “whatever charity we dug up.”  I’ve known and worked for quite a number of super moneyed individuals.  They may be pompous, self-involved and unconcerned for the common man in their business dealings.  I have never met a single one who did not take charity very seriously (although having their name attached is the de rigueur narcissistic cherry on top).

All things considered, Pretty Woman is a reasonable evening in the theater.  Fans of the film could orchestrate  some drinks and dinner followed by this mediocre but pleasurable enough diversion.  Two days ago there was an announcement that this musical is closing in August but planning a national tour in 2020.  If you can ignore the ickiness factor perhaps Vivian’s unlikely princess story might be a fun night out with the gals.  Cocktails are advised.

www.prettywomanthemusical.com

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/groundhogday

Ink (Manhattan Theatre Club)

The story of Rupert Murdoch’s rise is well known.  No spoiler alert needed.  His media empire, including Fox News, continue to “inform” a public and support the Republican and Trump party lines.  Ink takes us back to the early mogul days when an Australian businessman would take over The Sun, a London tabloid, and change news forever.

James Graham’s intricate and slyly witty play is a marvel of multi-character storytelling which swirls around the two main figures in this tale.  Bertie Carvel (Matilda) won a Tony for his portrayal of Mr. Murdoch.  His body language and vocal inflections suggest slithering snake meets predatory fox.  The fascinating extra view is that there is a cloud of prudishness in his worldview.  For a tabloid which introduced Page 3 girls to print newspapers, that sidebar is interesting.

Jonny Lee Miller (After Miss Julie) is equally expert as Larry Lamb, the man handpicked to be the paper’s editor.  He scours Fleet Street and the local watering holes to drum up his team.  They are all going to have “fun” and give the people what they want.  In the process he warns his boss, “there’s going to be a lot of blood.”  Murdoch replies, “God I hope so.”

Murdoch wants “something loud” to upend the British establishment.  “When I hear codes and traditions, I hear things which benefit those that have written them.”  The motto is “we punch up and not down.”  For people concerned about the state of media communications today, this play is timely, troubling, very funny and hugely entertaining.

Directed as a swirling hurricane by Rupert Goold, the edges are sharp and the insights are meaty and delicious.  What will these journalists do to make The Sun the number one paper in the United Kingdom?  There is a scene where the unheard of idea to produce a television commercial is filmed.  Andrew Durand (Head Over Heels) plays the actor hired to communicate the message while cognizant of time and costs.  The moment is nothing short of hysterical.

The large cast is extremely accomplished in support of a story packed with details and amusing tidbits.  There is real tragedy of course since tabloids are known for chewing people up and spitting them out.  That section is riveting stuff.  It is also revolting and speaks volumes about the evolution of the media since then.

The set design by Bunny Christie is a marvelous pyramid of news desks cleverly designed to allow multiple levels of entrances and exits.  Frenetic is the newsroom.  Neil Austin won a Tony for the lighting design and it is magically nostalgic yet dark and seedy at the same time.  The original music (Adam Cork) is the heartbeat propelling this tale.  Jon Driscoll’s projection design is integral in adding to the tension and allowing us a visual glimpse at some of this tabloid’s history.

Near the end of the play comes an unsurprising but still powerful reveal.  Once you capture the minds of a large class of people, you can mold them to your way of thinking.  That is what The Sun did during the rise of Margaret Thatcher.  That is what Fox News and others have also done in America.

When my parents were screaming at me one day about President Obama taking all our guns away, I knew the mission was complete.  I had never heard them mention guns in my life, now they were rabid venom spewers.  For a superbly entertaining and creatively staged glimpse into how we got here, Ink is required viewing.

www.manhattantheatreclub.com

All My Sons (Roundabout Theatre)

Arthur Miller’s first successful play was All My Sons which had its Broadway premiere in 1947.  Over the next decade he wrote Death of a Salesman, The Crucible and A View From the Bridge.  Familial relationships and social responsibility are integral to his works.  His criticism of the American dream managed to have him questioned by Congress’ House Un-American Activities Committee.  Free speech has always been vaguely conceptual.  You just have to agree with who’s in power at the time.

All My Sons takes place in August 1947 after World War II has ended.  Chris Keller (Benjamin Walker) has returned with evidence of injury in his gait.  His brother Larry has been missing in action for more than three years.  Mother Kate (Annette Bening) believes in her soul that her son will come home.  Occasional news stories about such miracles fuel her belief.

Kate is a classic believer.  She’s convinced “there’s God so certain things have to happen.”  One particular line illuminates her character and simultaneously criticizes people like her at the same time.  “Don’t be so intelligent – some superstitions are very nice.”  Sadly misguided and heartbroken, Kate can also be quite nasty when it suits her.

Father Joe (Tracy Letts) is a  recognizable Miller patriarch.  A flawed individual who justifies his actions in support of his family.  Or is it primarily for himself?  During the war, a bad decision at his factory had his partner and next door neighbor sent to prison.  Joe was exonerated.  One family collapsed, the other thrived financially.

Ann Deever (Francesca Carpanini) was the daughter of the guilty man and has since shunned her imprisoned father.  She had a relationship with Larry before the war.  Brother Chris has invited her to visit.  Wounds will be opened.  A storm is brewing at the beginning of this play.  A tree planted in honor of Larry snaps.  Over three acts, people and dreams will be broken.

Jack O’Brien has staged a truly impressive revival of this play.  The play is wildly melodramatic which, in a less assured production, could make this seem preachy and perhaps even naively nostalgic.  Not here.  The actors are all excellent.  Their relationships – whether familial or neighborly – are effortlessly believable.  The tension builds and builds and builds, slowly and continually.  I did not see a moment that was not perfectly rendered.  All My Sons is a time capsule of yesterday and also a hazy reflection into a mirror of our society today.

In the most difficult role, Mr. Walker’s Chris has all the necessary gullibility and goodness embedded in his soul.  His slight limp reflects his desire to cover up his emotions and man up.  The performance is thrilling for its ability to equal the intense but realistic dramatic levels achieved by Ms. Bening and Mr. Letts.  The individualized tragedy of this family swept up inside the American dream has been beautifully and intelligently realized.

All My Sons certainly takes a hard look at the greed of capitalism and war profiteering.  In that regard, this seventy year old play remains fascinating and very topical.  The characters are from a different era of course.  What is the same, however, is the self-preservation mechanisms employed by humans to survive and excel, however that is defined.  That’s the dream we wish for all our sons and daughters.  It’s the collateral damage that’s so hard to face.

www.roundabouttheatre.org

Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations

Jukebox musicals continue to populate Broadway.  After the mega-hit Mamma Mia! came the Tony winning Jersey Boys.  The dull disco biography Summer: The Donna Summer Musical opened and closed last year.  Still running on Broadway, this season’s entertaining (albeit flawed) The Cher Show continues to believe in life after love.  Adding to this expanding universe is the surprisingly excellent Ain’t Too Proud:  The Life and Times of The Temptations.

One of the most successful popular music acts of all time, The Temptations had four number one singles.  They were the first Motown act to score a Grammy Award for “Cloud Nine” in 1969 (highlighting how notoriously behind the curve these awards always were).  The group’s hits are classics including “My Girl” and “Get Ready.”  Legendary producer Berry Gordy deftly molded these young men into one of the label’s biggest success stories.

1964’s Meet The Temptations was a compilation of previously released singles including “The Way You Do the Things You Do.”  Four years later they recorded Diana Ross & the Supremes Join The Temptations.  The two monumental Motown powerhouses combined for a television special.  How big was Motown during this time?  In one week during December 1969, they had five of the top ten Billboard singles:  “Love Child,” “Cloud Nine,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “For Once in My Life,” and from this super group combination, “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me.”

Considering that history, I understand why the Supremes get more than a quick number in Ain’t Too Proud.  Dominique Morisseau’s book has to cover a lot of ground so details are predictably rushed.  The story will be familiar to anyone who has ever heard how stars are born and how they flame out amidst the trappings and pitfalls of success.  This particular one includes nearly all of them including ego clashing, complicated relationships within the group and with women, alcoholism, drugs, music industry politics and an extraordinary cascade of musical excellence.

Admittedly, that last sentence could be applied to many acts from the recording industry.  What makes Ain’t Too Proud stand out is the inventive and incredibly interesting staging by Director Des McAnuff.  While the story might feel familiar and the presentation of hit after hit might become wearying, the unique way everything evolves is fantastically fluid and, in its own way, artistic.  I marveled at the creativity which never ceased throughout the production.

Performances are terrific across the board.  As Otis Williams. Derrick Baskin narrates the tale.  Noting that there is no progress without sacrifice, he revisits this journey wondering whether it was worth losing his friends.  Mr. Baskin effortlessly switches from narrator to group leader and performer then back again.  He is excellent.

The diverse personalities and musical stylings of the original four Temps are well played by talented performers.  From Detroit, Otis was joined by Paul (James Harkness, heartbreaking), deep voiced Melvin (Jawan M. Jackson), the combative Eddie (Jeremy Pope) and the gorgeously smooth voiced David (Ephraim Sykes).  In a frenzy of fast moving storytelling and dozens of songs, each manages to create a fully fleshed out individual.

This show doesn’t soften the hard edges (like the musical Motown did).  As a result, this story is more compelling than a silly hagiography.  The book effectively considers the ups and downs encountered along the group’s journey.  Agonizing decisions are part of The Temptations’ history.  As of today, there have been 24 members of this group.

Four women play multiple parts throughout this show and they are all, without exception, terrific.  Saint Aubyn as Dennis Edwards (and others) was particularly memorable.  I also loved Jarvis B. Manning Jr.’s performance of both Al Bryant and Norman Whitfield.

Otis Williams frequently reminds us that the group as a whole was much bigger than the sum of its parts.  The creative team for this production is no different.  The technical design aspects, choreography (Sergio Trujillo) and costumes (Paul Tazewill) were all first rate.

The emotional depth of the second act elevated Ain’t Too Proud from a slick jukebox musical entertainment to a richer examination of the human condition.  This musical recounts yet another trials and tribulations tale of the destructive nature of show business.  In this case, however, the superb quality of the overall production ensures that this story shines brightly.  Nearly as dazzling as the talented men brought back to life to be celebrated all over again.

www.ainttooproudmusical.com

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/thechershow

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/summer

Tootsie

The sixth show on Broadway this year to be adapted from a movie, Tootsie arrives loaded with classic comedy potential.  The 1982 Dustin Hoffman film was nominated for ten Academy Awards.  This story is about a man impersonating a woman in order to book an acting gig.  Along the way, he learns something about women and himself.  That message seems perfectly timed for the #metoo movement.  As a Broadway musical, the results are mixed.

On the very positive side, Robert Horn’s book is hilarious.  There are so many zingers to savor throughout the entire show.  When Michael dresses like a woman, he looks like “Faye Dunaway as a gym coach.”  The setting is the present day and the updates are inspired.  “My phone doesn’t recognize my face I.D. unless I’m crying.”  Word play is also employed when a character says “a plague on both your houses.”  Dental plague is the errant pronunciation.

A solid cast keeps the fun moving along.  As Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels, Santino Fontana (Cinderella, Act One, Billy Eliot) was funny and warmly winning.  I found the Michael scenes more entertaining that the Dorothy ones.  La Cage Aux Folles and other female impersonation entertainments were occasional novelties forty years ago.  Today, men dressing as women seem mainstream.  There are more than ten seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race on television.  Dorothy may be charming – even empowering – but just putting on a shiny red dress and smiling is fairly basic stuff.  (That it mimics the movie and happens twice is too predictable.)

Surrounding Mr. Fontana is a cadre of merry makers.  Michael’s roommate is the character who sees the lunacy and relishes the absurdity.  Andy Grotelueschen’s performance is a wonderful combination of deadpan line deliveries and comedic pauses.  Ex-girlfriend Sandy Lester is played by Sarah Stiles (Hand to God).  Hilarious as the neurotic actress who competes with Dorothy for a role, the energy on stage was at full wattage in her every scene.  She has the (by far) best number in the show, “What’s Gonna Happen.”  Admittedly a very close cousin (doppelganger?) from another David Yazbek musical (Women On the Verge of a Major Breakdown), the song killed for its swift and clever lyrics.

Reg Rogers was devilishly sleazy as the lecherous director Ron Carlisle.  As the producer, Julie Halston nailed every laugh written for her all-knowing, been around-the-block and back again character.  In the role of an unbelievably dumb reality star with washboard abs and wannabe actor Max Van Horn, John Behlmann (Significant Other) hit a home run with his physical comedy and brilliant buffoonery.

Why then is Tootsie just a fair musical?  David Yazbek’s score did not seem to match the show it was in.  There are a lot of songs, many of which are one or two character emotional numbers with titles like “Who Are You?” and “I Won’t Let You Down.”  In nearly every case, the songs are tuneful but largely uninteresting.  They slow the very funny story down considerably.  In addition, a few performers noticeably and repeatedly struggled to hit the notes as written.

Director Scott Ellis’ staging is fairly old school.  The few ensemble musical numbers and the choreography by Denis Jones were not additive to the fun.  Making average jokes about imitating Fosse’s signature movements is not particularly fresh especially when repeated multiple times.

The film Tootsie had Michael/Dorothy hired to be on a soap opera.  In this musical, the acting job was understandably changed to one in a Broadway play.  Juliet’s Nurse is the sequel to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.  Mr. Horn’s memorable book does wring some laughs out of this scenario.  The ending of this show, however, cannot compete with the zaniness of the original.

All things considered, perhaps Tootsie should have been constructed as a play with some music.  The pacing would have been much tighter.  This musical can be recommended for plenty of laughs and a very good cast.  The two dozen songs, however, will remind you that your girdle is too tight and your dogs are barking from those ill-fitting high heels.

www.tootsiemusical.com