THE GREAT WHITE WAY April 23-May 13, 2007
M E D I O C R I T Y
REIGNS ON & OFF THE GREAT WHITE WAY
April 23 to May 13, 2007
It was a most disappointing Spring Season on Broadway. Some great performances in some very mediocre and boring shows. Let’s hope things perk up as we get ready for the 2007-2008 Theatre Season.
Events are listed in the order of attendance, not in the order of preference:
THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING FAIR
I had never read Joan Didion’s memoir of the same name about her grief when her husband, John Dunne, died suddenly at their dining room table. John is the brother of Domenic Dunne, the tabloid-type writer for Vanity Fair Magazine. If John was anything like his brother, I would doubt if I would like him. Joan and John wrote screenplays: “The Panic in Needle Park,” “True Confessions,” and Streisand’s “A Star Is Born.” Vanessa Redgrave was quoting passages from the memoir for 90 minutes. New material was added about Ms. Didion’s daughter passing away shortly after her husband’s death. I was not moved at all with the story of her husband; somewhat moved by the daughter’s passing. Watching Vanessa’s acting technique was worth the price of admission. Playwright David Hare directed: not much for him to do; Vanessa sat most of the time and then stood up for a few minutes. Maybe he gave her line interpretations, but the emotion Vanessa can give the reading of a line is astounding. Almost a boring evening in the theatre, but saved by the lovely Vanessa Redgrave.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT GOOD
“Present Perfect/The Tenant” Part 2 of “It Takes One Litre of Petrol & 20 Minutes”
By Susan Charlotte and “Ashes to Ashes” by Harold Pinter
Two very good one-act plays. Would love to see Parts 1 and 2 of Ms. Charlotte’s play. Pinter’s play is about the Holocaust; one does not realize this until the middle of the play. Some audience members never realized that it was about the Holocaust. Lunch is dreadful at these “Food for Thought” events, but the readings are quite interesting and enjoyable. Actor, Kevin Stapleton (no relation to Maureen), appeared once more. He is so talented; wish the right script would come along for him so he can garner some fame!!!
World Premiere of AND ON EARTH, PEACE: A CHANTICLEER MASS FAIR
The setting for the singing of this Mass was in the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Acoustics are great and the setting spectacular and very dramatic. The Mass itself was the bore of bores. Wish I had taken a couple of magazines; I would have read those. Five composers wrote each part of the Mass without consulting each other. They should have! Each part was dull, dull, dull, more dull, and even duller!? The Mass is supposed to be a joyous and miraculous occasion celebrating the transubstantiation of wine and bread into the body of Christ; nothing joyous or miraculous about this work at all.
KEELY SMITH at the Café Carlyle VERY GOOD
I remember seeing Keely Smith with her husband, Louis Prima, when I was a child! Loved them both: he was zany and wild; she kept a blank face and was the butt of his jokes. However, the voice was great especially with the ballads. Her one big hit was “I Wish You Love.” She can still sing it! She sang for one hour and has a rather risqué sense of humor with her marvelous rapport with the audience. She sang a lot of Neopolitan songs that were fun (Prima used to do these also!). Wish she had gone on for more than an hour since the cover was $100 at the tables and $50 at the bar. I chose the bar.
OUR LEADING LADY VERY GOOD
“Star Treks” Kate Mulgrew is back on the boards once more in Charles Busch’s (he is a drag performer who happens to write plays) latest. It is the story of actress Laura Keene who was the leading lady in OUR AMERICAN COUSIN the night Lincoln was assassinated. Actor Maxwell Caulfield has lost his boyish looks in his middle age but continues to mature as an actor; Ann Duquesnay plays an African American who poses as a Chinese woman!?!!?—a very weird character. Had no idea what Busch had in mind with this one. Character actress Barbara Bryne who has been in several Sondheim musicals, was very good. A great learning experience about what happened to Ms. Keene’s career—it ended!! She was cursed by the tragic event.
NYC Ballet AN ALL BALANCHINE EVENING EXCELLENT
What an outstanding evening this was: the NYC Ballet is the best in the world as far as I am concerned. “Apollo” with music by Igor Stravinsky was outstanding with Nilas Martins in the title role (debuted June 1928). “Agon” with more Stravinsky music was superb with quite a few of the company; usually modern works are not my thing. This was superb with their perfect coordination and such great choreography (debuted December 1957). The evening ended with “Symphony in C” with music by Georges Bizet; a more traditional ballet with “tutus”! (debuted 1947 at the Paris Opera). What a marvelous evening at the lovely New York State Theatre at Lincoln Center!!
JOURNEY’S END EXCELLENT
This play was premiered in 1928 to speak out against the horrors of war—specifically WWI. This is an outstanding revival (has won awards for Best Revival of 2007) with a first-rate cast (Hugh Dancy, Boyd Gaines, and “I Am My Own Wife’s” Jefferson Mays) and glowing reviews. However, no one is going to see the play. Maybe Americans are fed up with the Iraq conflict. This play should be seen by the Bush Administration, especially the man who is REALLY President of the US, Richard Chaney. This closes on Broadway on May 20. What a shame!
THE BROADWAY MUSICALS OF 1959 VERY GOOD
These programs at Town Hall are wonderful. They feature cabaret singers mostly from the NYC area. This one featured the belter, Mary Bond Davis, Broadway leading man, Mark Jacoby, and Jose’s son, Manoel Felciano, who is quite talented. Emily Skinner tried her best with a few songs, but Bruce Vilanch brought down the house with some comic numbers. The show featured songs from shows of 1959: DESTRY RIDES AGAIN, FIORELLO, THE GIRLS AGAINST THE BOYS, GYPSY, JUNO, THE NERVOUS SET, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, REDHEAD, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, and TAKE ME ALONG. Try to get a lineup like that these days! I am glad I was 19 years old in ’59 and got to see most of these shows!
110 IN THE SHADE GOOD
The only competition Christine Ebersole has for the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical is Audra McDonald in this musical adaptation of N. Richard Nash’s play, THE RAINMAKER. The music and lyrics are by Harvey Schmidt & Tom Jones who wrote the longest running musical, THE FANTASTIKS. The score is so dull. This show has been directed by the wonderful Lonny Price who can make anything look wonderful! They have tried it with this show; purely second-rate material with the lovely Ms. McDonald giving a superb and moving performance as the old maid, Lizzy Curry. John Cullum turns in another superb performance as her father. Unknown, Steve Kazee, was ok as the conman rainmaker, Starbuck (audience tittered because of the coffee connection these days to the name). This show was not very successful many years ago with Inga Swenson in the lead. The evening I saw this show, Audra’s father was killed in a plane crash, but she performed….and grandly, I might add! Set and costume designer, Santo Loquasto has done his best also trying to dress up this quite inferior show. Ms. McDonald saves the day!!
CURTAINS EXCELLENT
Is it possible for a musical to have too many musical numbers? Yes, in the case of this show. But the plot thickened in each number: someone was done away with during each number. This was Kander & Ebb’s last musical; it was unfinished when Fred Ebb passed away last year. Original book writer, Peter Stone, also passed away before completing the show. Rupert Holmes was called in to finish the book and the lyrics and what a great job he has done. What a fun time; this old-fashioned musical lights up the Great White Way very brightly! What a cast: David Hyde Pierce (from “Fraiser” fame) is a delightful detective who really wants to be in show biz and solves the murder during the tryout of a musical! Debra Monk steals the show with her great timing and has all the great comic lines! She also has me worried that she might take the Tony away from Ms. Ebersole. Karen Ziemba turns in her usual solid song and dance performance! Edward Hibbert from “The Drowsy Chaperone” is also very funny as the eccentric director of the musical within this musical. Ernie Sabella (who sang “Mr. Cellophane” in Kander & Ebb’s CHICAGO) was also very good in a small role: Ms. Monk’s husband who is hung backstage. Ms. Monk has a line to deal with the double meaning of all of this! Scott Ellis directs this with great precision and Rob Ashford’s choreography works well most of the time but becomes a bit repetitive since there are so many musical numbers. I sat back, relaxed, and was thoroughly entertained! Something not found readily on Broadway during this Spring Season!
NYC Ballet ROMEO AND JULIET POOR
Michael Smuin, who passed away a week before this version premiered, choreographed the Ballet “Romeo and Juliet” for the San Francisco Ballet quite a few years ago. A very good production that was even broadcast on PBS. This version of the ballet, choreographed by Peter Martins, the Artistic Director of the NYC Ballet, is just a mish mash of nothing! Hardly any dancing; the bit of dancing that occurs is quite uninteresting and not very moving! Boring, boring, boring!!! One scene has caused quite a stir: Lord Capulet slaps his daughter Juliet when she refuses to marry Paris. He slaps her so hard that she falls to the ground. The audience gasps at this short scene. It was really the only interesting moment in the entire ballet. Stayed for the whole ballet, but would never see it again. Rent Smuin’s version if you want to see an exciting Romeo and Juliet!
COMPANY VERY GOOD
English Director, John Doyle, stunned Broadway last year with his version of Stephen Sondheim’s SWEENEY TODD using actors who also played a musical instrument and became the orchestra on stage. It worked beautifully!!! It won the Tony for Best Musical Revival. This season he has come up with Stephen Sondheim’s COMPANY with the actors playing at least two or three instruments each. A much richer sound and quite a good cast, especially the lead, Raul Esparza, as Bobby. Enjoyed this production very much. I saw the original on Broadway, and I did miss Michael Bennett’s choreography. The actors were dancing and moving every second; they were also being transported at several levels via elevators. This all captured the energy and movement of New York City. Also, I could not get Elaine Stritch out of my mind singing, “The Ladies Who Lunch.” Actress Barbara Walsh gave it the ol’ college try, but I could still hear Elaine!! What a score and an enjoyable evening!!
INHERIT THE WIND VERY GOOD
Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee collaborated on shows for more than 50 years and came up with some great hits. This play was the first drama I got to see on Broadway; it starred Paul Muni and Ed Bagley. Christopher Plummer does an outstanding job playing the defense attorney, Henry Drummond, in this revival. His timing and courtroom scenes are superb; there may be a Tony in his future for this role come June! Brain Dennehy underplays the role of Matthew Harrison Brady and lets Plummer take the spotlight! Denis O’Hare plays the reporter, E. K. Hornbeck; that was a role I played when I was in college with the adult theatre group in New Britain, CT. This play about the Scopes Monkey Trial was written in protest to Joseph McCarthy and the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. Wish we could get some writers to come up with some gripping plays protesting what is going on with our civil rights being taken away from us! Where are the American writers these days? Writing very mediocre plays with lots of four and five letter words that pass for “great” writing!?! Very discouraging!
FROST/NIXON EXCELLENT
I was not even going to see this show which was a big hit in London at the Donmar Warehouse. I wanted to see Frank Langella and also have been following the writing of Englishman, Peter Morgan (who wrote the screenplays, “The Queen” and “The Last King of Scotland”). Morgan makes the setting up of interviews by David Frost with Richard Nixon so interesting and full of suspense. Lots of humor in the script; Nixon was quite the “cunning” man and could practically talk his way out of anything, except impeachment, I suppose! Langella may win the Tony for a fine portrayal of Nixon and Michael Sheen (who played Tony Blair in “The Queen”) was great as David Frost. Quite an enjoyable theatre event.
TALK RADIO POOR
Wish I could say the same thing for this revival of Eric Bogosian’s 1987 off-Broadway play! It has become very dated and boring, I’m afraid. A radio announcer is facing the decline of America and has a nervous breakdown by the end of this 90-minute intermissionless tirade. Live Schreiber has been winning all sorts of acting awards for this role. Thought he was very low key and does not really have his “breakdown” until the last few minutes of the play. He most likely will win the Tony for this one! I was not impressed with him or the play. Robert Falls from Chicago’s Goodman Theatre directed—not very successfully as far as I could tell.
IN THE HEIGHTS EXCELLENT
First of all, this musical is being performed in a new theatre facility off-Broadway called 37 Arts. Nicely done with a wide stage and intimate and comfortable seating. When this musical began, composer, lyricist, and star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, began with a hip-hop number! I was worried! All soon changed and types of music were included in this very original and charming musical! A very good score. The plot gets a bit “soapy” but I like “soap”! One of the most unique musicals in years! It’s about the Puerto Rican neighborhood in Washington Heights in Manhattan. Rumor has it this show may be transferring to Broadway in the fall. It certainly would be a welcome addition!
BILL W. AND DR. BOB GOOD
What I enjoyed most about this drama which covered the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous was its information. I had never realized how it all began. Religion played a very important part in it all, but other drunks helping drunks was the key to the success of the organization. This was the story from 1925 to 1935 of how the two men helped each other by “having been there” and knowing how it feels to be a drunk and not able to stop. A few men in the audience were actually sobbing during this performance. It could have been a bit more theatrical; the script kept repeating things. On the whole though, I enjoyed it.
LYRICS & LYRICISTS: Thanks for the Memories EXCELLENT
The Lyrics of Leo Robin
I been attending these programs for quite a number of years. It seems there is always one on when I visit NYC. This one was hosted and performed by Andrea Marcovicci with her wonderful music director and pianist, Shelly Markham. Other vocals were also done by brassy Klea Blackhurst, Brian Byers, and Jennifer Sheehan. Leon Robin was responsible for such songs as: “Thanks for the Memory,” “Love is Just Around the Corner,” “Horray for Love!” “Blue Hawaii” which was around much before Elvis got to it, “My Ideal,” “Beyond the Blue Horizon,” “Louise,” “No Love, No Nothin’” that Alice Faye sang, “For Every Man There’s A Woman,” “A Gal in Calico,” “A Rainy Night in Rio,” “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend,” “Bye, Bye, Baby,” “A Little Girl From Little Rock,” and “If I Should Lose You” among many others that were featured in the show. He wrote a lot of music for films. A very enjoyable afternoon!!
THE BIG VOICE: GOD OR MERMAN? GOOD
This is the true story of Steve Schalchin: raised a Roman Catholic and dreamed of not only becoming a priest, but wanted to be Pope! He soon changed his mind when he bought the cast album of ANNIE GET YOUR GUN and heard the voice of Ethel Merman!! His father also knew Ethel and her husband so he got to meet her several times. Jim Brochu was born in Arkansas and longed to be an evangelist until he fell in love with music and wanted to be a songwriter. His mother told him to write a song. He did and got a job on cruise ships writing original music for the shows. In 1985 he met Steve and they’ve been together ever since! The two of them take you on the journey of their lives and relationship as you experience their journey with AIDS, success, breakup and reconciliation. A charming evening. This will be coming to SF with the original men (I saw actors playing them) in the very unique Actors Temple Theatre on West 47th Street. This is the Jewish version of the Catholic Actor’s chapel, St. Malacy’s. There are plaques honoring famous worshipers: Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, Joe E. Lewis, and Sophie Tucker, among others.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT VERY GOOD
“A Change of Pace” and “I Hate It When It Gets Dark Early”
by Edward Pomerantz and “Come On” by Susan Charlotte
Lorraine Bracco, who is the psychiatrist on “The Sopranos,” appeared in all three one act plays. Now that her stint on the famous series is over, it is time for her to return to her roots: the theatre. She needs some reminding about projecting her voice; the microphone is no longer directly over her head! The plays by Edward Pomerantz about marriage were quite funny; the one by Susan Charlotte which also had John Shea in it was very clever; a story of an after-sex breakup with Shea only saying “come on” throughout was quite humorous. An enjoyable afternoon and one of their better programs. The lunch still was terrible! Can’t they have some type of casserole? Greek salad? tuna-pasta salad?
LOVEMUSIK FAIR
What is happening to our creative artists? Alfred Uhry had one of the most interesting stories in show business: the Kurrt Weill/Lotte Lenya marriage and careers (1920s to 1950s). What a dull book he has written for this musical. Patricia Birch who has been around forever has staged the musical numbers by stealing from herself: one of the numbers was right out of her staging for Sondheim’s FOLLIES!! Harold Prince directed the proceedings without much imagination. Michael Cerveris did the best he could as Weill—he was padded and wore a wig; he looked just like Weill. Donna Murphy did not look anything like the homely Lotte Lenya but sang her heart out with her supposedly injured vocal chord!?!? Donna is so thin that I think the problem is bulimia and not vocal chords. Such a promising bunch of people; was very, very disappointed with this boring musical! The show came alive the last five minutes when Ms. Murphy sings a haunting “September Song” after Weill dies and she is about tomake her entrance onto an off-Broadway stage in Weill’s A THREEPENNY OPERA, which will make her a star in America (1954). I suppose I would have enjoyed this a bit more if I was a Weill fan. His music does not get me all excited! Neil Simon and his wife were sitting near us looking as bored as we were. Can’t win them all!!??
BLACKBIRD EXCELLENT
Finally a play that was well written and emotionally involving by British playwright, David Harrower. It won the Best Play Olivier Award in England over Tom Stoppard;s hit, ROCK AND ROLL. This starred Jeff Daniels returning to Broadway after 25 years as the child molester; Alison Pill from last season’s THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE was wonderful as the woman meeting her “molester” ten years after the incident occurred. Lots of twists and turns in this very engrossing play. It is now playing at our American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in SF with a different cast. I wanted to see Daniels in this. Not sure if I shall go to see the ACT version to compare actors.
CORAM BOY POOR
Talk about “dressing up” material that is much ado about absolutely nothing and trying to make it pass for a huge theatrical event! This is it! Adapted from a teenage novel by Jamila Gavin (should I give the book a try!?), this is the story of 19th Century orphans both alive and dead. The stage is surrounded by a chorus of 16 in red Church of England choir outfits singing the songs of Handel to accompany the story. It was like watching an opera; the set was like a weird circus tent. A big hit at London’s National Theatre, but not a hit in NYC—it is closing on May 20 after a very short run. Word does get around (received poor to mixed reviews). Merrill got to see this one too and found it boring. Boring, boring, boring!!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT FAIR
“For Your Pleasure, Madame” by Susan Charlotte
An unpublished Short Story by Arthur Miller as read by Joan Copeland
Charlotte’s play was fine, but did not find the reading of Arthur Miller’s short story very interesting. More about the Holocaust. Miss Copeland gave it her all, but I guess I do not like being read to. Another awful lunch but the program was ok. Could not stop my mind from wandering during the short story reading!
DEUCE GOOD
Another major American talent cheapening himself with such a thin play with language to shock: Terrence McNally. His latest play will certainly make money as long as Angela Lansbury and Marian Seldes stay in the show. They are wonderful playing two retired tennis champs watching a match; they will be honored after the games are completed. We hear them conversing as the match is going on; they stay seated with their heads moving back and forth. Easy direction for Michael Blakemore. Maybe Ms. Lansbury cannot move as well as she used to?!?! McNally cheapens the entire play by having the actresses say the “f word” quite a number of times as well as several other four and five letter words; they also get on a big discussion of lesbians!?! Shock! Shock! Shock!—especially those tourists from the Southland! A pleasure to watch Lansbury and Seldes playing off each other as actresses! Long may they reign! Two national treasures; get a better playwright the next time to bring out their outstanding talents!!
DRAMA LEAGUE AWARDS LUNCHEON VERY GOOD
One of the reasons for attending this luncheon is to meet a few of the actors at the hosted cocktail hour before the luncheon. This year we spotted only Michael Cerveris and had our photo taken with him. Gary Beach was a rather lackluster Master of Ceremonies. You would think there would have been more humor and a lot of camp in his introductions and hosting of the luncheon.
Bernadette Peters presented the Unique Contribution to the Theatre Award to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids
Chita Rivera presented the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre to John Kander and Fred Ebb. It was accepted by John Kander.
Tony Kushner presented the Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing to a Drama League Alumnus, Michael Mayer for SPRING AWAKENING
Christine Baranski presented the Distinguished Revival of a Play to JOURNEY’S END
Jonathan Groff (from Spring Awakening) and Ashley Brown (from Mary Poppins) presented the Distinguished Revival of a Musical Award to COMPANY
Live Schreiber presented the Distinguished Production of a Play to THE COAST OF UTOPIA by Tom Stoppard
Audra McDonald presented the Distinguished Production of a Musical to SPRING AWAKENING
And
Christine Ebersole, last year’s winner for Grey Gardens, presented the Distinguished Performance Award to Live Schreiber for TALK RADIO
I was proud to be a part of the DRAMA LEAGUE AWARDS COMMITTEE and listed in the program!
There were 56 actors sitting at the luncheon dias this year. Why more of them were not at the cocktail hour to mingle with Drama League members is a puzzle. Each actor had a comment to make as the microphone was passed around: some comments were great. Others were not, of course.
An enjoyable luncheon: the first course was a veg quiche with pickled onions. A very moist chicken breast on top of orzo pasta with sweet cooked cherry tomatoes with broccoli rabe and roasted potatoes. Pastries were on the table to be eaten. Lots of red and white wine was served. Delicious!!
10 MILLION MILES POOR
Michael Mayer, who received the Distinguished Director’s Award from the Drama League, was directing this musical at the Atlantic Theatre Company. I attended the first preview. The actors were in great shape and never asked for a line or missed a cue; all the sets worked. The show however was terrible: a redneck musical with the pickup truck on stage being the “star” of the show!! It turned into a diner, a bed, a living room, etc. You get the idea! Music and lyrics were by singer, Patty Griffin. Each song sounded like the one before: all in the country western style! It got boring, boring, boring! There goes that word again! The cast was fine: Matthew Morrison of THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA was a fine leading man; typical redneck in jeans, T-shirt and needing a shave; Mare Winningham played several parts; who knew she could sing? Skipp Sudduth from TV’s “The Third Watch” was very good in a few character parts. It just got monotonous and wanted to scream away the country western music blaring in my ears! One would think that Michael Mayer would have better taste in material to direct: they should take away his Distinguished Director’s Award for being associated with this awful show. It opens the end of June; I am interested in the reviews!
A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN VERY GOOD
This is the production from Kevin Spacey’s Old Vic Theatre in London. He received mixed reviews for his performance; critics said he recited his lines at a breakneck speed. This was not so the performance I attended. He spoke at a normal pace in this three-hour Eugene O’Neill play which is not one of my favorites. English actress, Eve Best, received glowing reviews as Josie Hogan. She was fine but she had some projection problems. I was in Row O in the Orchestra and had trouble hearing her at times. Diction was fine, it was the volume! I remember seeing the Colleen Dewhurst/Jason Robards, Jr. revival in the 1970s. This was no where near as emotionally draining as that revival. Some things are better left alone.
and
NYC CITY CENTER ENCORES! STAIRWAY TO PARADISE EXCELLENT
What a way to end my theatergoing in the Big Apple! This was a wonderful tribute to the “good old days” of musicals on Broadway featuring songs from 1917 through to the early 1950s. What a wonderful evening. Kristin Chenoweth was the star of the show! If only she could get a big fat Broadway hit!!! WICKED did it for her, but she needed something bigger than that show. A shame there is no Irving Berlin or Cole Porter around to write a show especially for her! Kevin Chamberlin, who I had seen in the show about Mae West called DIRTY BLONDE, was fabulous also. He is quite overweight, but he can move and sell a song! England’s Ruthie Henshall can sell a ballad and did a fabulous job with a few WWII songs. There is a 25 piece orchestra on stage and this is all done concert style at a breakneck speed. What a fabulous evening!!!! Of course it was all directed by the great Broadway director, Jerry Zaks. We should be so lucky with our 42nd Street Moon here in San Francisco. One piano player is all we have in the dingiest theatre in town! Oy vey!!
For such a poor spring season, I tallied the following:
EXCELLENT 8 plays
VERY GOOD 9 plays
GOOD 5 plays
FAIR 3 plays
POOR 4 plays
Keep in touch and enjoy the summer……….Gerry
REIGNS ON & OFF THE GREAT WHITE WAY
April 23 to May 13, 2007
It was a most disappointing Spring Season on Broadway. Some great performances in some very mediocre and boring shows. Let’s hope things perk up as we get ready for the 2007-2008 Theatre Season.
Events are listed in the order of attendance, not in the order of preference:
THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING FAIR
I had never read Joan Didion’s memoir of the same name about her grief when her husband, John Dunne, died suddenly at their dining room table. John is the brother of Domenic Dunne, the tabloid-type writer for Vanity Fair Magazine. If John was anything like his brother, I would doubt if I would like him. Joan and John wrote screenplays: “The Panic in Needle Park,” “True Confessions,” and Streisand’s “A Star Is Born.” Vanessa Redgrave was quoting passages from the memoir for 90 minutes. New material was added about Ms. Didion’s daughter passing away shortly after her husband’s death. I was not moved at all with the story of her husband; somewhat moved by the daughter’s passing. Watching Vanessa’s acting technique was worth the price of admission. Playwright David Hare directed: not much for him to do; Vanessa sat most of the time and then stood up for a few minutes. Maybe he gave her line interpretations, but the emotion Vanessa can give the reading of a line is astounding. Almost a boring evening in the theatre, but saved by the lovely Vanessa Redgrave.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT GOOD
“Present Perfect/The Tenant” Part 2 of “It Takes One Litre of Petrol & 20 Minutes”
By Susan Charlotte and “Ashes to Ashes” by Harold Pinter
Two very good one-act plays. Would love to see Parts 1 and 2 of Ms. Charlotte’s play. Pinter’s play is about the Holocaust; one does not realize this until the middle of the play. Some audience members never realized that it was about the Holocaust. Lunch is dreadful at these “Food for Thought” events, but the readings are quite interesting and enjoyable. Actor, Kevin Stapleton (no relation to Maureen), appeared once more. He is so talented; wish the right script would come along for him so he can garner some fame!!!
World Premiere of AND ON EARTH, PEACE: A CHANTICLEER MASS FAIR
The setting for the singing of this Mass was in the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Acoustics are great and the setting spectacular and very dramatic. The Mass itself was the bore of bores. Wish I had taken a couple of magazines; I would have read those. Five composers wrote each part of the Mass without consulting each other. They should have! Each part was dull, dull, dull, more dull, and even duller!? The Mass is supposed to be a joyous and miraculous occasion celebrating the transubstantiation of wine and bread into the body of Christ; nothing joyous or miraculous about this work at all.
KEELY SMITH at the Café Carlyle VERY GOOD
I remember seeing Keely Smith with her husband, Louis Prima, when I was a child! Loved them both: he was zany and wild; she kept a blank face and was the butt of his jokes. However, the voice was great especially with the ballads. Her one big hit was “I Wish You Love.” She can still sing it! She sang for one hour and has a rather risqué sense of humor with her marvelous rapport with the audience. She sang a lot of Neopolitan songs that were fun (Prima used to do these also!). Wish she had gone on for more than an hour since the cover was $100 at the tables and $50 at the bar. I chose the bar.
OUR LEADING LADY VERY GOOD
“Star Treks” Kate Mulgrew is back on the boards once more in Charles Busch’s (he is a drag performer who happens to write plays) latest. It is the story of actress Laura Keene who was the leading lady in OUR AMERICAN COUSIN the night Lincoln was assassinated. Actor Maxwell Caulfield has lost his boyish looks in his middle age but continues to mature as an actor; Ann Duquesnay plays an African American who poses as a Chinese woman!?!!?—a very weird character. Had no idea what Busch had in mind with this one. Character actress Barbara Bryne who has been in several Sondheim musicals, was very good. A great learning experience about what happened to Ms. Keene’s career—it ended!! She was cursed by the tragic event.
NYC Ballet AN ALL BALANCHINE EVENING EXCELLENT
What an outstanding evening this was: the NYC Ballet is the best in the world as far as I am concerned. “Apollo” with music by Igor Stravinsky was outstanding with Nilas Martins in the title role (debuted June 1928). “Agon” with more Stravinsky music was superb with quite a few of the company; usually modern works are not my thing. This was superb with their perfect coordination and such great choreography (debuted December 1957). The evening ended with “Symphony in C” with music by Georges Bizet; a more traditional ballet with “tutus”! (debuted 1947 at the Paris Opera). What a marvelous evening at the lovely New York State Theatre at Lincoln Center!!
JOURNEY’S END EXCELLENT
This play was premiered in 1928 to speak out against the horrors of war—specifically WWI. This is an outstanding revival (has won awards for Best Revival of 2007) with a first-rate cast (Hugh Dancy, Boyd Gaines, and “I Am My Own Wife’s” Jefferson Mays) and glowing reviews. However, no one is going to see the play. Maybe Americans are fed up with the Iraq conflict. This play should be seen by the Bush Administration, especially the man who is REALLY President of the US, Richard Chaney. This closes on Broadway on May 20. What a shame!
THE BROADWAY MUSICALS OF 1959 VERY GOOD
These programs at Town Hall are wonderful. They feature cabaret singers mostly from the NYC area. This one featured the belter, Mary Bond Davis, Broadway leading man, Mark Jacoby, and Jose’s son, Manoel Felciano, who is quite talented. Emily Skinner tried her best with a few songs, but Bruce Vilanch brought down the house with some comic numbers. The show featured songs from shows of 1959: DESTRY RIDES AGAIN, FIORELLO, THE GIRLS AGAINST THE BOYS, GYPSY, JUNO, THE NERVOUS SET, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, REDHEAD, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, and TAKE ME ALONG. Try to get a lineup like that these days! I am glad I was 19 years old in ’59 and got to see most of these shows!
110 IN THE SHADE GOOD
The only competition Christine Ebersole has for the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical is Audra McDonald in this musical adaptation of N. Richard Nash’s play, THE RAINMAKER. The music and lyrics are by Harvey Schmidt & Tom Jones who wrote the longest running musical, THE FANTASTIKS. The score is so dull. This show has been directed by the wonderful Lonny Price who can make anything look wonderful! They have tried it with this show; purely second-rate material with the lovely Ms. McDonald giving a superb and moving performance as the old maid, Lizzy Curry. John Cullum turns in another superb performance as her father. Unknown, Steve Kazee, was ok as the conman rainmaker, Starbuck (audience tittered because of the coffee connection these days to the name). This show was not very successful many years ago with Inga Swenson in the lead. The evening I saw this show, Audra’s father was killed in a plane crash, but she performed….and grandly, I might add! Set and costume designer, Santo Loquasto has done his best also trying to dress up this quite inferior show. Ms. McDonald saves the day!!
CURTAINS EXCELLENT
Is it possible for a musical to have too many musical numbers? Yes, in the case of this show. But the plot thickened in each number: someone was done away with during each number. This was Kander & Ebb’s last musical; it was unfinished when Fred Ebb passed away last year. Original book writer, Peter Stone, also passed away before completing the show. Rupert Holmes was called in to finish the book and the lyrics and what a great job he has done. What a fun time; this old-fashioned musical lights up the Great White Way very brightly! What a cast: David Hyde Pierce (from “Fraiser” fame) is a delightful detective who really wants to be in show biz and solves the murder during the tryout of a musical! Debra Monk steals the show with her great timing and has all the great comic lines! She also has me worried that she might take the Tony away from Ms. Ebersole. Karen Ziemba turns in her usual solid song and dance performance! Edward Hibbert from “The Drowsy Chaperone” is also very funny as the eccentric director of the musical within this musical. Ernie Sabella (who sang “Mr. Cellophane” in Kander & Ebb’s CHICAGO) was also very good in a small role: Ms. Monk’s husband who is hung backstage. Ms. Monk has a line to deal with the double meaning of all of this! Scott Ellis directs this with great precision and Rob Ashford’s choreography works well most of the time but becomes a bit repetitive since there are so many musical numbers. I sat back, relaxed, and was thoroughly entertained! Something not found readily on Broadway during this Spring Season!
NYC Ballet ROMEO AND JULIET POOR
Michael Smuin, who passed away a week before this version premiered, choreographed the Ballet “Romeo and Juliet” for the San Francisco Ballet quite a few years ago. A very good production that was even broadcast on PBS. This version of the ballet, choreographed by Peter Martins, the Artistic Director of the NYC Ballet, is just a mish mash of nothing! Hardly any dancing; the bit of dancing that occurs is quite uninteresting and not very moving! Boring, boring, boring!!! One scene has caused quite a stir: Lord Capulet slaps his daughter Juliet when she refuses to marry Paris. He slaps her so hard that she falls to the ground. The audience gasps at this short scene. It was really the only interesting moment in the entire ballet. Stayed for the whole ballet, but would never see it again. Rent Smuin’s version if you want to see an exciting Romeo and Juliet!
COMPANY VERY GOOD
English Director, John Doyle, stunned Broadway last year with his version of Stephen Sondheim’s SWEENEY TODD using actors who also played a musical instrument and became the orchestra on stage. It worked beautifully!!! It won the Tony for Best Musical Revival. This season he has come up with Stephen Sondheim’s COMPANY with the actors playing at least two or three instruments each. A much richer sound and quite a good cast, especially the lead, Raul Esparza, as Bobby. Enjoyed this production very much. I saw the original on Broadway, and I did miss Michael Bennett’s choreography. The actors were dancing and moving every second; they were also being transported at several levels via elevators. This all captured the energy and movement of New York City. Also, I could not get Elaine Stritch out of my mind singing, “The Ladies Who Lunch.” Actress Barbara Walsh gave it the ol’ college try, but I could still hear Elaine!! What a score and an enjoyable evening!!
INHERIT THE WIND VERY GOOD
Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee collaborated on shows for more than 50 years and came up with some great hits. This play was the first drama I got to see on Broadway; it starred Paul Muni and Ed Bagley. Christopher Plummer does an outstanding job playing the defense attorney, Henry Drummond, in this revival. His timing and courtroom scenes are superb; there may be a Tony in his future for this role come June! Brain Dennehy underplays the role of Matthew Harrison Brady and lets Plummer take the spotlight! Denis O’Hare plays the reporter, E. K. Hornbeck; that was a role I played when I was in college with the adult theatre group in New Britain, CT. This play about the Scopes Monkey Trial was written in protest to Joseph McCarthy and the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. Wish we could get some writers to come up with some gripping plays protesting what is going on with our civil rights being taken away from us! Where are the American writers these days? Writing very mediocre plays with lots of four and five letter words that pass for “great” writing!?! Very discouraging!
FROST/NIXON EXCELLENT
I was not even going to see this show which was a big hit in London at the Donmar Warehouse. I wanted to see Frank Langella and also have been following the writing of Englishman, Peter Morgan (who wrote the screenplays, “The Queen” and “The Last King of Scotland”). Morgan makes the setting up of interviews by David Frost with Richard Nixon so interesting and full of suspense. Lots of humor in the script; Nixon was quite the “cunning” man and could practically talk his way out of anything, except impeachment, I suppose! Langella may win the Tony for a fine portrayal of Nixon and Michael Sheen (who played Tony Blair in “The Queen”) was great as David Frost. Quite an enjoyable theatre event.
TALK RADIO POOR
Wish I could say the same thing for this revival of Eric Bogosian’s 1987 off-Broadway play! It has become very dated and boring, I’m afraid. A radio announcer is facing the decline of America and has a nervous breakdown by the end of this 90-minute intermissionless tirade. Live Schreiber has been winning all sorts of acting awards for this role. Thought he was very low key and does not really have his “breakdown” until the last few minutes of the play. He most likely will win the Tony for this one! I was not impressed with him or the play. Robert Falls from Chicago’s Goodman Theatre directed—not very successfully as far as I could tell.
IN THE HEIGHTS EXCELLENT
First of all, this musical is being performed in a new theatre facility off-Broadway called 37 Arts. Nicely done with a wide stage and intimate and comfortable seating. When this musical began, composer, lyricist, and star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, began with a hip-hop number! I was worried! All soon changed and types of music were included in this very original and charming musical! A very good score. The plot gets a bit “soapy” but I like “soap”! One of the most unique musicals in years! It’s about the Puerto Rican neighborhood in Washington Heights in Manhattan. Rumor has it this show may be transferring to Broadway in the fall. It certainly would be a welcome addition!
BILL W. AND DR. BOB GOOD
What I enjoyed most about this drama which covered the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous was its information. I had never realized how it all began. Religion played a very important part in it all, but other drunks helping drunks was the key to the success of the organization. This was the story from 1925 to 1935 of how the two men helped each other by “having been there” and knowing how it feels to be a drunk and not able to stop. A few men in the audience were actually sobbing during this performance. It could have been a bit more theatrical; the script kept repeating things. On the whole though, I enjoyed it.
LYRICS & LYRICISTS: Thanks for the Memories EXCELLENT
The Lyrics of Leo Robin
I been attending these programs for quite a number of years. It seems there is always one on when I visit NYC. This one was hosted and performed by Andrea Marcovicci with her wonderful music director and pianist, Shelly Markham. Other vocals were also done by brassy Klea Blackhurst, Brian Byers, and Jennifer Sheehan. Leon Robin was responsible for such songs as: “Thanks for the Memory,” “Love is Just Around the Corner,” “Horray for Love!” “Blue Hawaii” which was around much before Elvis got to it, “My Ideal,” “Beyond the Blue Horizon,” “Louise,” “No Love, No Nothin’” that Alice Faye sang, “For Every Man There’s A Woman,” “A Gal in Calico,” “A Rainy Night in Rio,” “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend,” “Bye, Bye, Baby,” “A Little Girl From Little Rock,” and “If I Should Lose You” among many others that were featured in the show. He wrote a lot of music for films. A very enjoyable afternoon!!
THE BIG VOICE: GOD OR MERMAN? GOOD
This is the true story of Steve Schalchin: raised a Roman Catholic and dreamed of not only becoming a priest, but wanted to be Pope! He soon changed his mind when he bought the cast album of ANNIE GET YOUR GUN and heard the voice of Ethel Merman!! His father also knew Ethel and her husband so he got to meet her several times. Jim Brochu was born in Arkansas and longed to be an evangelist until he fell in love with music and wanted to be a songwriter. His mother told him to write a song. He did and got a job on cruise ships writing original music for the shows. In 1985 he met Steve and they’ve been together ever since! The two of them take you on the journey of their lives and relationship as you experience their journey with AIDS, success, breakup and reconciliation. A charming evening. This will be coming to SF with the original men (I saw actors playing them) in the very unique Actors Temple Theatre on West 47th Street. This is the Jewish version of the Catholic Actor’s chapel, St. Malacy’s. There are plaques honoring famous worshipers: Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, Joe E. Lewis, and Sophie Tucker, among others.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT VERY GOOD
“A Change of Pace” and “I Hate It When It Gets Dark Early”
by Edward Pomerantz and “Come On” by Susan Charlotte
Lorraine Bracco, who is the psychiatrist on “The Sopranos,” appeared in all three one act plays. Now that her stint on the famous series is over, it is time for her to return to her roots: the theatre. She needs some reminding about projecting her voice; the microphone is no longer directly over her head! The plays by Edward Pomerantz about marriage were quite funny; the one by Susan Charlotte which also had John Shea in it was very clever; a story of an after-sex breakup with Shea only saying “come on” throughout was quite humorous. An enjoyable afternoon and one of their better programs. The lunch still was terrible! Can’t they have some type of casserole? Greek salad? tuna-pasta salad?
LOVEMUSIK FAIR
What is happening to our creative artists? Alfred Uhry had one of the most interesting stories in show business: the Kurrt Weill/Lotte Lenya marriage and careers (1920s to 1950s). What a dull book he has written for this musical. Patricia Birch who has been around forever has staged the musical numbers by stealing from herself: one of the numbers was right out of her staging for Sondheim’s FOLLIES!! Harold Prince directed the proceedings without much imagination. Michael Cerveris did the best he could as Weill—he was padded and wore a wig; he looked just like Weill. Donna Murphy did not look anything like the homely Lotte Lenya but sang her heart out with her supposedly injured vocal chord!?!? Donna is so thin that I think the problem is bulimia and not vocal chords. Such a promising bunch of people; was very, very disappointed with this boring musical! The show came alive the last five minutes when Ms. Murphy sings a haunting “September Song” after Weill dies and she is about tomake her entrance onto an off-Broadway stage in Weill’s A THREEPENNY OPERA, which will make her a star in America (1954). I suppose I would have enjoyed this a bit more if I was a Weill fan. His music does not get me all excited! Neil Simon and his wife were sitting near us looking as bored as we were. Can’t win them all!!??
BLACKBIRD EXCELLENT
Finally a play that was well written and emotionally involving by British playwright, David Harrower. It won the Best Play Olivier Award in England over Tom Stoppard;s hit, ROCK AND ROLL. This starred Jeff Daniels returning to Broadway after 25 years as the child molester; Alison Pill from last season’s THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE was wonderful as the woman meeting her “molester” ten years after the incident occurred. Lots of twists and turns in this very engrossing play. It is now playing at our American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in SF with a different cast. I wanted to see Daniels in this. Not sure if I shall go to see the ACT version to compare actors.
CORAM BOY POOR
Talk about “dressing up” material that is much ado about absolutely nothing and trying to make it pass for a huge theatrical event! This is it! Adapted from a teenage novel by Jamila Gavin (should I give the book a try!?), this is the story of 19th Century orphans both alive and dead. The stage is surrounded by a chorus of 16 in red Church of England choir outfits singing the songs of Handel to accompany the story. It was like watching an opera; the set was like a weird circus tent. A big hit at London’s National Theatre, but not a hit in NYC—it is closing on May 20 after a very short run. Word does get around (received poor to mixed reviews). Merrill got to see this one too and found it boring. Boring, boring, boring!!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT FAIR
“For Your Pleasure, Madame” by Susan Charlotte
An unpublished Short Story by Arthur Miller as read by Joan Copeland
Charlotte’s play was fine, but did not find the reading of Arthur Miller’s short story very interesting. More about the Holocaust. Miss Copeland gave it her all, but I guess I do not like being read to. Another awful lunch but the program was ok. Could not stop my mind from wandering during the short story reading!
DEUCE GOOD
Another major American talent cheapening himself with such a thin play with language to shock: Terrence McNally. His latest play will certainly make money as long as Angela Lansbury and Marian Seldes stay in the show. They are wonderful playing two retired tennis champs watching a match; they will be honored after the games are completed. We hear them conversing as the match is going on; they stay seated with their heads moving back and forth. Easy direction for Michael Blakemore. Maybe Ms. Lansbury cannot move as well as she used to?!?! McNally cheapens the entire play by having the actresses say the “f word” quite a number of times as well as several other four and five letter words; they also get on a big discussion of lesbians!?! Shock! Shock! Shock!—especially those tourists from the Southland! A pleasure to watch Lansbury and Seldes playing off each other as actresses! Long may they reign! Two national treasures; get a better playwright the next time to bring out their outstanding talents!!
DRAMA LEAGUE AWARDS LUNCHEON VERY GOOD
One of the reasons for attending this luncheon is to meet a few of the actors at the hosted cocktail hour before the luncheon. This year we spotted only Michael Cerveris and had our photo taken with him. Gary Beach was a rather lackluster Master of Ceremonies. You would think there would have been more humor and a lot of camp in his introductions and hosting of the luncheon.
Bernadette Peters presented the Unique Contribution to the Theatre Award to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids
Chita Rivera presented the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre to John Kander and Fred Ebb. It was accepted by John Kander.
Tony Kushner presented the Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing to a Drama League Alumnus, Michael Mayer for SPRING AWAKENING
Christine Baranski presented the Distinguished Revival of a Play to JOURNEY’S END
Jonathan Groff (from Spring Awakening) and Ashley Brown (from Mary Poppins) presented the Distinguished Revival of a Musical Award to COMPANY
Live Schreiber presented the Distinguished Production of a Play to THE COAST OF UTOPIA by Tom Stoppard
Audra McDonald presented the Distinguished Production of a Musical to SPRING AWAKENING
And
Christine Ebersole, last year’s winner for Grey Gardens, presented the Distinguished Performance Award to Live Schreiber for TALK RADIO
I was proud to be a part of the DRAMA LEAGUE AWARDS COMMITTEE and listed in the program!
There were 56 actors sitting at the luncheon dias this year. Why more of them were not at the cocktail hour to mingle with Drama League members is a puzzle. Each actor had a comment to make as the microphone was passed around: some comments were great. Others were not, of course.
An enjoyable luncheon: the first course was a veg quiche with pickled onions. A very moist chicken breast on top of orzo pasta with sweet cooked cherry tomatoes with broccoli rabe and roasted potatoes. Pastries were on the table to be eaten. Lots of red and white wine was served. Delicious!!
10 MILLION MILES POOR
Michael Mayer, who received the Distinguished Director’s Award from the Drama League, was directing this musical at the Atlantic Theatre Company. I attended the first preview. The actors were in great shape and never asked for a line or missed a cue; all the sets worked. The show however was terrible: a redneck musical with the pickup truck on stage being the “star” of the show!! It turned into a diner, a bed, a living room, etc. You get the idea! Music and lyrics were by singer, Patty Griffin. Each song sounded like the one before: all in the country western style! It got boring, boring, boring! There goes that word again! The cast was fine: Matthew Morrison of THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA was a fine leading man; typical redneck in jeans, T-shirt and needing a shave; Mare Winningham played several parts; who knew she could sing? Skipp Sudduth from TV’s “The Third Watch” was very good in a few character parts. It just got monotonous and wanted to scream away the country western music blaring in my ears! One would think that Michael Mayer would have better taste in material to direct: they should take away his Distinguished Director’s Award for being associated with this awful show. It opens the end of June; I am interested in the reviews!
A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN VERY GOOD
This is the production from Kevin Spacey’s Old Vic Theatre in London. He received mixed reviews for his performance; critics said he recited his lines at a breakneck speed. This was not so the performance I attended. He spoke at a normal pace in this three-hour Eugene O’Neill play which is not one of my favorites. English actress, Eve Best, received glowing reviews as Josie Hogan. She was fine but she had some projection problems. I was in Row O in the Orchestra and had trouble hearing her at times. Diction was fine, it was the volume! I remember seeing the Colleen Dewhurst/Jason Robards, Jr. revival in the 1970s. This was no where near as emotionally draining as that revival. Some things are better left alone.
and
NYC CITY CENTER ENCORES! STAIRWAY TO PARADISE EXCELLENT
What a way to end my theatergoing in the Big Apple! This was a wonderful tribute to the “good old days” of musicals on Broadway featuring songs from 1917 through to the early 1950s. What a wonderful evening. Kristin Chenoweth was the star of the show! If only she could get a big fat Broadway hit!!! WICKED did it for her, but she needed something bigger than that show. A shame there is no Irving Berlin or Cole Porter around to write a show especially for her! Kevin Chamberlin, who I had seen in the show about Mae West called DIRTY BLONDE, was fabulous also. He is quite overweight, but he can move and sell a song! England’s Ruthie Henshall can sell a ballad and did a fabulous job with a few WWII songs. There is a 25 piece orchestra on stage and this is all done concert style at a breakneck speed. What a fabulous evening!!!! Of course it was all directed by the great Broadway director, Jerry Zaks. We should be so lucky with our 42nd Street Moon here in San Francisco. One piano player is all we have in the dingiest theatre in town! Oy vey!!
For such a poor spring season, I tallied the following:
EXCELLENT 8 plays
VERY GOOD 9 plays
GOOD 5 plays
FAIR 3 plays
POOR 4 plays
Keep in touch and enjoy the summer……….Gerry
posted by Gennaro (Gerry) DeVito | 6:09 AM
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