The Toxic Avenger

The Toxic Avenger at New World Stages, April 29, 2009

(photo by Carol Rosegg)




















This Troma-ville tale of "La Belle et La Bete,"
Has a loud, hard-rock score you'll likely forget.
The Mayor, played balls to the wall by Miss Nancy
Opel, whose comedy can't be called fancy.

The lyrics are creaky (they mention geranium,
then not-so subtly rhyme it with cranium.)
The sets are inventive, encroaching the stage
Though the volume of sound sends you into a rage.

The cast, in support, work hard, but a few
like Demond Green's "Black Dude" rise above this stage stew.
Mr. Rando's direction, both broad and a bit coarse
Is pretty much faithful to Troma, his source.

Things of Dry Hours

"Things of Dry Hours" at New York Theatre Workshop, May 29, 2009

Writing a play about a political concept can be quite a challenge. Naomi Wallace's Things of Dry Hours is at times sadly like its title and at other times a compelling look at people searching. Tice Hogan, (Delroy Lindo) an unemployed Sunday School teacher and member of the Communist Party in Alabama in 1932 is widowed, living with his also widowed daughter Cali (Roslyn Ruff). She cynically doesn't share his political hope that Communism could right the wrongs of the south during the Depression Era, working as a laundress for the rich white folks in town. Corbin Teel (Garret Dillahunt) a white man, appears on their doorstep one night, blackmailing his way in to hide for possibly killing his foreman at the foundry. (Spoiler Alert)

Ms. Wallace complicates the structure with a nonsensical opening monologue from Tice (which never seemed to connect to the rest of the show), bringing back that kind of direct address not once, but three more times when exposition seemed necessary. Each time, the speeches felt disjointed and forced into the proceedings. Act I spent most (and a lot) of the time with the three characters stalking around each other, waiting for someone to draw a line in the sand, but not providing much plot advancement. Tice undertakes to groom Corbin as a spokesman for the Party, but Corbin is not so willing to jump into that fire. Cali watches from the sidelines, until Corbin turns his affection toward her. She stops him in his tracks and immediately takes the power position.

It's not until Act II that the play gets interesting, and not for very long at that. After Corbin's latest failed attempt to seduce or manhandle Cali into bed, we learn that she and Tice are actually competing for Corbin's attentions. Then Ms. Wallace tosses in a couple of oddly timed plot twists and before you know it, Corbin is dead. This exercise with Corbin has energized both Tice and Cali to rejoin the world.

Mr. Lindo's Tice is a self-educated man, balancing God and Karl Marx while struggling and stuck in his life. He remains compelling even as he struggles with lines here and there. (Granted it's still in previews, but the show has been running for a week as of my attendance.)

Mr. Dillahunt's makes this white-trash Corbin credible and at times sympathetic.

It is Ms. Ruff who is most successful as Cali, balancing the acerbic and cynical tongue with love for her father and the passion of a young widow re-awakened by Corbin.

Director Ruben Santiago-Hudson has assembled a talented cast, but the pace tends to drag. I'm also still trying to figure out why there was a dream ballet of dancing bedsheets at the opening of Act II. It was a visual treat, but felt out of place.

Richard Hoover's platform and string curtain set provided an excellent medium for the proceedings, which were beautifully complemented by Marcus Doshi's lighting.

New York Theatre Workshop is offering a discount:

Tickets for performances on May 22 & 23 are just $32.50 each and tickets for performances on May 26 – June 28 are just $40.00 (reg. $65).
* Tickets must be purchased by June 8, 2009.

Use code DHTB424 when ordering.

To purchase tickets, call (212) 947-8844 or visit www.broadwayoffers.com

New York Theatre Workshop also offers both Student Tickets and CheapTix Sundays.

CheapTix Sundays: All tickets for all Sunday evening performances at 7pm are just $20 each! Tickets are available in advance but must be purchased at the NYTW box office on a cash-only basis.

Student Tickets: Full-time students with a valid student ID may purchase $20 tickets for all performances (subject to availability). Limit one ticket per ID. Tickets must be purchased in person and require an ID at the box office.

The NYTW box office is located at 79 East 4th Street (between Second Avenue and Bowery) and is open Tuesday - Saturday from 1pm - 6pm.

NYTW "Things of Dry Hours"

Discount from New York Theatre Workshop:

Tickets for performances on May 22 & 23 are just $32.50 each and tickets for performances on May 26 – June 28 are just $40.00 (reg. $65).
* Tickets must be purchased by June 8, 2009.

Use code DHTB424 when ordering.

To purchase tickets, call (212) 947-8844 or visit www.broadwayoffers.com

New York Theatre Workshop also offers both Student Tickets and CheapTix Sundays.

CheapTix Sundays: All tickets for all Sunday evening performances at 7pm are just $20 each! Tickets are available in advance but must be purchased at the NYTW box office on a cash-only basis.

Student Tickets: Full-time students with a valid student ID may purchase $20 tickets for all performances (subject to availability). Limit one ticket per ID. Tickets must be purchased in person and require an ID at the box office.

The NYTW box office is located at 79 East 4th Street (between Second Avenue and Bowery) and is open Tuesday - Saturday from 1pm - 6pm.

2009 Tony Nominations

Nominations for the 2009 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards®

Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing

Best Play

Dividing the Estate

Author: Horton Foote

Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, Bernard Gersten, André Bishop, Primary Stages

God of Carnage

Author: Yasmina Reza

Producers: Robert Fox, David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers, Stuart Thompson, Scott Rudin, Jon B. Platt, The Weinstein Company, The Shubert Organization

Reasons to Be Pretty

Author: Neil LaBute

Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, MCC Theater, Gary Goddard Entertainment, Ted Snowdon, Doug Nevin/Erica Lynn Schwartz, Ronald Frankel/Bat-Barry Productions, Kathleen Seidel, Kelpie Arts, LLC, Jam Theatricals, Rachel Helson/Heather Provost

33 Variations

Author: Moisés Kaufman

Producers: David Binder, Ruth Hendel, Goldberg/Mills, Latitude Link, Arielle Tepper Madover, Bill Resnick, Eric Schnall, Jayne Baron Sherman, Wills/True Love Productions, Tectonic Theater Project, Greg Reiner, Dominick Balletta, Jeffrey LaHoste

Best Musical

Billy Elliot, The Musical

Producers: Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions, Weinstein Live Entertainment

Next to Normal

Producers: David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, Second Stage Theatre, Carole Rothman, Ellen Richard

Rock of Ages

Producers: Matthew Weaver, Carl Levin, Jeff Davis, Barry Habib, Scott Prisand, Relativity Media, Corner Store Fund, Janet Billig Rich, Hillary Weaver, Toni Habib, Paula Davis, Simon and Stefany Bergson/Jennifer Maloney, Charles Rolecek, Susanne Brook, Israel Wolfson, Sara Katz/Jayson Raitt, Max Gottlieb/John Butler, David Kaufman/Jay Franks, Mike Wittlin, Prospect Pictures, Laura Smith/Bill Bodnar, Happy Walters, Michele Caro, The Araca Group

Shrek The Musical

Producers: Dreamworks Theatricals, Neal Street Productions

Best Book of a Musical

Billy Elliot, The Musical

Lee Hall

Next to Normal

Brian Yorkey

Shrek The Musical

David Lindsay-Abaire

[Title of Show]

Hunter Bell

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Billy Elliot, The Musical

Music: Elton John

Lyrics: Lee Hall

Next to Normal

Music: Tom Kitt

Lyrics: Brian Yorkey

9 to 5: The Musical

Music & Lyrics: Dolly Parton

Shrek The Musical

Music: Jeanine Tesori

Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire

Best Revival of a Play

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten

Mary Stuart

New Version: Peter Oswald

Producers: Arielle Tepper Madover, Debra Black, Neal Street Productions/Matthew Byam Shaw, Scott Delman, Barbara Whitman, Jean Doumanian/Ruth Hendel, David Binder/CarlWend Productions/Spring Sirkin, Daryl Roth/James L. Nederlander/Chase Mishkin, The Donmar Warehouse

The Norman Conquests

Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, Tom Viertel, Dede Harris, Tulchin/Bartner/Lauren Doll, Jamie deRoy, Eric Falkenstein, Harriet Newman Leve, Probo Productions, Douglas G. Smith, Michael Filerman/Jennifer Manocherian, Richard Winkler, Dan Frishwasser, Pam Laudenslager/Remmel T. Dickinson, Jane Dubin/True Love Productions, Barbara Manocherian/Jennifer Isaacson, The Old Vic Theatre Company

Waiting for Godot

Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy, Elizabeth Ireland McCann

Best Revival of a Musical

Guys and Dolls

Producers: Howard Panter and Ambassador Theatre Group, Tulchin/Bartner, Bill Kenwright, Northwater Entertainment, Darren Bagert, Tom Gregory, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., David Mirvish, Michael Jenkins/Dallas Summer Musicals, Independent Presenters Network, Olympus Theatricals, Sonia Friedman Productions

Hair

Producers: The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Andrew D. Hamingson, Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Gary Goddard Entertainment, Kathleen K. Johnson, Nederlander Productions, Inc., Fran Kirmser Productions/Jed Bernstein, Marc Frankel, Broadway Across America, Barbara Manocherian/Wencarlar Productions, JK Productions/Terry Schnuck, Andy Sandberg, Jam Theatricals, The Weinstein Company/Norton Herrick, Jujamcyn Theaters, Joey Parnes, Elizabeth Ireland McCann

Pal Joey

Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy, Marc Platt

West Side Story

Producers: Kevin McCollum, James L. Nederlander, Jeffrey Seller, Terry Allen Kramer, Sander Jacobs, Roy Furman/Jill Furman Willis, Freddy DeMann, Robyn Goodman/Walt Grossman, Hal Luftig, Roy Miller, The Weinstein Company, Broadway Across America

Best Special Theatrical Event

Liza’s at The Palace

Producers: John Scher and Metropolitan Talent Presents, LLC; Jubilee Time Productions, LLC

Slava’s Snowshow

Producers: David J. Foster, Jared Geller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judith Marinoff Cohn, John Pinckard

Soul of Shaolin

Producers: Nederlander Worldwide Productions, LLC; Eastern Shanghai International Culture Film & Television Group; China on Broadway

You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush

Producer: Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Steve Traxler, Home Box Office Inc., Gary Sanchez Productions, Bat-Barry Productions, Ken Davenport, Ergo Entertainment, Ronald Frankel, Jon B. Platt, James D. Stern, The Weinstein Company, Tara Smith/b. Swibel, Dede Harris/Sharon Karmazin, Arny Granat

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Jeff Daniels, God of Carnage

Raúl Esparza, Speed-the-Plow

James Gandolfini, God of Carnage

Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King

Thomas Sadoski, Reasons to Be Pretty

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Hope Davis, God of Carnage

Jane Fonda, 33 Variations

Marcia Gay Harden, God of Carnage

Janet McTeer, Mary Stuart

Harriet Walter, Mary Stuart

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish – Billy Elliot, The Musical

Gavin Creel, Hair

Brian d’Arcy James, Shrek The Musical

Constantine Maroulis, Rock of Ages

J. Robert Spencer, Next to Normal

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Stockard Channing, Pal Joey

Sutton Foster, Shrek The Musical

Allison Janney, 9 to 5: The Musical

Alice Ripley, Next to Normal

Josefina Scaglione, West Side Story

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

John Glover, Waiting for Godot

Zach Grenier, 33 Variations

Stephen Mangan, The Norman Conquests

Paul Ritter, The Norman Conquests

Roger Robinson, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Hallie Foote, Dividing the Estate

Jessica Hynes, The Norman Conquests

Marin Ireland, Reasons to Be Pretty

Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit

Amanda Root, The Norman Conquests

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

David Bologna, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Marc Kudisch, 9 to 5: The Musical

Christopher Sieber, Shrek The Musical

Will Swenson, Hair

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Jennifer Damiano, Next to Normal

Haydn Gwynne, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Karen Olivo, West Side Story

Martha Plimpton, Pal Joey

Carole Shelley, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Dale Ferguson, Exit the King

Rob Howell, The Norman Conquests

Derek McLane, 33 Variations

Michael Yeargan, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Robert Brill, Guys and Dolls

Ian MacNeil, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Scott Pask, Pal Joey

Mark Wendland, Next to Normal

Best Costume Design of a Play

Dale Ferguson, Exit the King

Jane Greenwood, Waiting for Godot

Martin Pakledinaz, Blithe Spirit

Anthony Ward, Mary Stuart

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregory Gale, Rock of Ages

Nicky Gillibrand, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Tim Hatley, Shrek The Musical

Michael McDonald, Hair

Best Lighting Design of a Play

David Hersey, Equus

David Lander, 33 Variations

Brian MacDevitt, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Hugh Vanstone, Mary Stuart

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Kevin Adams, Hair

Kevin Adams, Next to Normal

Howell Binkley, West Side Story

Rick Fisher, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Sound Design of a Play

Paul Arditti, Mary Stuart

Gregory Clarke, Equus

Russell Goldsmith, Exit the King

Scott Lehrer and Leon Rothenberg, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Acme Sound Partners, Hair

Paul Arditti, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Peter Hylenski, Rock of Ages

Brian Ronan, Next to Normal

Best Direction of a Play

Phyllida Lloyd, Mary Stuart

Bartlett Sher, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Matthew Warchus, God of Carnage

Matthew Warchus, The Norman Conquests

Best Direction of a Musical

Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Michael Greif, Next to Normal

Kristin Hanggi, Rock of Ages

Diane Paulus, Hair

Best Choreography

Karole Armitage, Hair

Andy Blankenbuehler, 9 to 5: The Musical

Peter Darling, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Randy Skinner, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

Best Orchestrations

Larry Blank, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

Martin Koch, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt, Next to Normal

Danny Troob and John Clancy, Shrek The Musical

* * *

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

Jerry Herman

Regional Theatre Tony Award

Signature Theatre, Arlington, Va.

Isabelle Stevenson Award

Phyllis Newman

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre

Shirley Herz

* * *

Tony Nominations by Production

Billy Elliot, The Musical - 15

Next to Normal - 11

Hair - 8

Shrek The Musical - 8

Mary Stuart - 7

The Norman Conquests - 7

God of Carnage - 6

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone - 6

Rock of Ages - 5

33 Variations - 5

Exit the King - 4

9 to 5: The Musical - 4

Pal Joey - 4

West Side Story - 4

Reasons to Be Pretty - 3

Waiting for Godot - 3

Blithe Spirit - 2

Dividing the Estate - 2

Equus - 2

Guys and Dolls - 2

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas - 2

Liza’s at The Palace - 1

Slava’s Snowshow - 1

Soul of Shaolin - 1

Speed-the-Plow - 1

[Title of Show] - 1

You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush - 1

Hair

"Hair" at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, March 26, 2009

I went to see Hair last nighzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.









Oh, sorry.

I was really excited, having heard all the buzz from the production at the Delacorte last summer. I'll admit, I was slightly concerned about how this show about liberation and self-expression which sounded so well-suited for that outdoor venue, might translate into a traditional proscenium venue.

I didn't love it.

I know, I know! It's *Hair*!!

I was generally non-plussed by the whole affair. From Will Swenson's Billy Crudup imitation as Berger, to Gavin Creel's foretold and inevitable Claude caving in to family pressure, I never saw the reason for all the hype.

That's not to say there were no bright spots, just not many of them. Caissie Levy's angry "Easy to Be Hard," the "Black Boys/White Boys" combo, and "Good Morning Starshine" were among the few. Megan Lawrence, however, was terrific as Claude's mother

I struggled with the staging which put most of the early action literally in the front row, blocked from sight by anyone sitting past the front mezzanine. Then, seven songs later, the cast finally appeared to notice there was a mezzanine, and kept trouping up again and again through the rest of the show. I have no problem with breaking the fourth wall, but please have a reason for it other than just being able to.

I was only a child in the 60s (I know, I know!), but what I saw last night was merely a caricature of what the hippies were. This crowd were all too clean and healthy looking to be an accurate representation.

The orchestra was excellent and Kevin Adams (Spring Awakening) certainly knows how to light a rock concert. I'd like to see him take on a different style sometime.

Distracted

"Distracted" presented by Roundabout Theatre Company at the Laura Pels Theatre, March 19, 2009

Cynthia Nixon makes a delightful return to the NY stage in Lisa Loomer's opus on the subject the spreading diagnosis of ADHD and the effects of medicating indiscriminately. The play gets a bit preachy from time to time, but does raise an interesting question or two about how much of one's personality can or should be medicated into conformity. Ms. Loomer breaks the fourth wall a good bit seeming to have run out of ways to cram in all the exposition she requires to tell her story. The cast is generally strong, lead by Ms. Nixon. Shana Dowdeswell gives a nice performance as the neighbor's daughter Natalie. Director Mark Brokaw certainly keeps things moving apace, helped by Ms. Loomer's expedient script.

Tal Yarden's projection design works well with Mark Wendland's sets, the bright colors adding to a visual overstimulation that could bring on ADHD by itself.

Gates of Gold

"Gates of Gold" at 59E59 Theatre, March 12, 2009

(photo: Carol Rosegg)

In this slight melodrama, Frank McGuinness has effectively written "La Cage Aux Folles, the Epilogue." Gabriel (Martin Rayner) an actor, is dying from bowel cancer. His life partner Conrad (Charles Shaw Robinson), also his theatrical partner and director has hired an Irish nurse to see him through his end.

The bon mots and insults fly from all directions, giving an unseemly gloss over what could have been a very tender exploration of the process of dying. Instead, we get a series of dead-end plot points (no pun intended), distracting peripheral characters and unfulfilled pathos.

Director Kent Paul hasn't managed to pick up the pace, let alone line cues in this overlong 90 minute one-act.

Michael Schweikardt's set was outstanding, though it contributed to the confusion without a clear separation of rooms looking more like a NYC pre-war studio than an English manor house.