"My Problem Child"

"A Beautiful Child" presented by FringeNYC Encores at the Culture Project, September 15, 2007

"A Beautiful Child" is an adaptation of a Truman Capote story from a collection published in 1975, Music for Chameleons. (No credit for the adaptation was provided in the playbill.)

The story is based on an afternoon that Mr. Capote spent with Marilyn Monroe after the funeral of her acting coach, Constance Collier. The 40-minute act begins with Mr. Capote (Joel Van Liew) in direct address to the audience about Ms. Collier, and her relationship with him and Marilyn. I must give Mr. Van Liew credit for smoothly handling the latecomers who marched in after he had begun to speak. Ever polite, as Truman was, he encouraged them to find suitable seating, before continuing with his monologue. His Truman was not a caricature, nor even an attempt at imitation, but more what I imagine Truman viewed himself as a literary device in this particular story. Still fey and bespectacled, of course, but not lisping and nasal. To have done more would have upset the balance of the characters as they were presented.

Maura Lisabeth Malloy's Marilyn was very impressive. Dressed in all black and forgoing the blond locks that made her so famous, Ms. Malloy captured a Marilyn that most of us might have imagined would be in "real life": insecure, sometimes unaware, sometimes inappropriate, occasionally crude, ever vulnerable yet always thinking. She also gets a couple of terrific zingers, too. About Los Angeles: "One big varicose vein." After Truman's confession of a one-nighter with Errol Flynn and his reputed prodigious endowment, she says, "Everyone says Milton Berle has the biggest prick in Hollywood, but who cares?"

Director Linda Powell has done a nice job of keeping the flow organic as the play flows from scene to monologue elegantly. The only part that approaches a misstep is some uncomfortable choreography used as musical scene shifts. Ellen Reilly's costumes suit the moment. Lara Fabian's minimal sets also fit well.

Practice, Practice, Practice

"The Age of Romance: Vienna to Broadway" presented by Royal Road Productions on October 6, 2007

"What!" you say? It's only September 17. How can he be reviewing something that hasn't run yet? It's not a review.

In this case, I'll be appearing in a supporting role to Karyn Levitt's performance. From the Carnegie Hall website:

PRESENTED BY ROYAL ROAD PRODUCTIONS

The Age of Romance: From Vienna to Broadway

Weill Recital Hall (Seating Chart)
Saturday, October 6, 2007 at 8:30 PM

Tickets from $25

Program Details

Karyn Levitt, Singer/Actress
Terrence Montgomery, Director

Songs from operettas and early Broadway including works by Strauss, Romberg, Kern, Herbert, Lehar, Forrest, and Wright

Carnegie Charge (212) 247-7800

I received an email on Saturday morning from the director who had seen my profile at backstage.com, requesting a meeting on Sunday. I went, met with him and Ms. Levitt, and left expecting to hear the outcome on Tuesday. There was another contender for the role.

Lo and behold, I received another email from Terry last night offering me the part.

Woo!

Hoo!

Caroline Makes Change

"WALMARTOPIA" at the Minetta Lane Theatre, September 15, 2007


What was well-received at the 2006 NYFringe Festival has suffered seems to have suffered at the hands of [title of show] vampires who have spent the last year "improving" this musical. Rather than finding the "Urinetown" track to commercial success, they seem to have lost their way and fallen into a trap of mediocrity. I didn't see the Fringe production and I'm sorry for that. I went to see the new commercial production running at the Minetta Lane Theatre, and I'm sorry for that, too.

There were hints and flashes of some potentially biting humor and well-sharpened barbs that have gotten edited down to dullness and disinterest. If the goal is to create a satirical and political jab at the powers and abuses of multinational corporations, choose a style and stick with it. Within the first four numbers we saw farce, musical comedy and a drama of emotional struggle. Shoved together, none of them work.

The cast have impressive credits and experience. At least half of them have appeared on Broadway.

Cheryl Freeman as Vicki Latrell sounds stuck in her Acid Queen/Tina Turner mode, singing every note through her nose. As her daughter Maia, Nikki M. James fares much better vocally.
The rest of the ensemble give fully committed performances, Stephen DeRosa is a standout, but the overall result was that I left at intermission.

Die, Vampire. Die!

Two Stamp Monte

"Mauritius" presented by Manhattan Theatre Club at the Biltmore Theatre, September 13, 2007

Theresa Rebeck's latest effort has begun performances at Manhattan Theatre Club. With an impressive cast, and some occasionally good scenes, the result is pretty much a cable "dramedy" (hence the pointless profanity) disguised as theatre.

I missed "The Scene" last season, but did suffer through "The Water's Edge." The mixed reviews from TS, combined with MTC's willingness to produce her on B'way gave me hope that Ms. Rebeck was hitting her stride as a playwright. I think MTC would have been wiser to produce this one at City Center and saved their big stage for better material. Sorry to see them with another miss, right on the heels of "Lovemusik."

Now, I do realize that I saw the very first preview performance and likely was one of the first run-throughs this cast has had with a sizeable audience. That said, I will proceed.

Jackie (Alison Pill) whose mother has just died after what was apparently a difficult period emotionally and financially. Among her effects are a stamp collection compiled by her late father-in-law. Jackie's half-sister Mary (Katie Finneran) has arrived after fleeing the home as a teenager, leaving Jackie to deal with the fallout.

Driving the title of the play are a couple of particularly valuable stamps, printed with errors during the reign of Queen Victoria on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar. The pair could be worth more than $6 million. Jackie arrives at the stamp shop of Phil (Dylan Baker) to see about getting an idea of how much the collection might be worth.

Yes, that's Phil the philatelist.

Lurking about the store is Dennis (Bobby Cannavale), a somewhat shady dabbler in the stamp trade. He spots the opportunity to scam Jackie on her stamps, hoping to set her up with Sterling (F. Murray Abraham), an equally shady dabbler in the stamp trade, but with the cash to back it up.

Yes, Sterling is the man with the money.

Scams and double-crosses are attempted and exposed. Jackie slugs Mary. Sterling slugs and chokes Jackie. Sterling slugs Dennis. One could only hope that hilarity would ensue, but it's just not that funny.

As Jackie, Ms Pill is at first unsure and awkward, wavering in whatever direction she's pushed by whomever she's talking to. She does find some strength as events transpire, finding a bit of backbone that seems to come out of nowhere. She plays what she's given, but the character has been drawn a bit thin.

Katie Finneran as half-sister Mary, suffers with even less to work with. I should have counted how many times she said "He was my grandfather" in comparison to how many other lines she had. I'm gonna guess the ratio was just under 40%, but Ms. Finneran did her best to bring some kind of interest to the vapid role.

Dylan Baker's Phil is self-important and elitist with little to support it. He sneers and snubs sufficiently.

Bobby Cannavale, in his Broadway debut, charms as Dennis, but I was never really sure what his character wanted out of the transaction. I can only presume he was looking for a cut/commission on the sale of the stamps, but that part was never made clear. Beyond that, he was merely a device to facilitate the plot.

The real question is: What is F. Murry Abraham doing in this mess? Is this role his attempt to transform his image like Ben Kingsley did in "Sexy Beast?" If so, I don't think this will be the vehicle to accomplish that. He's much better than his material here, but even then can't bring the play much above mediocrity.

Doug Hughes has assembled a fine cast of very talented actors, and seems to have worked pretty hard to make the play enjoyable. The material just doesn't provide enough of a foundation to make any magic.

Catherine Zuber's talents go wasted (though I did think putting Sterling in a shiny, silver, sharkskin suit was an excellent touch), as do John Lee Beatty's excellent sets. He really has done a nice job exploiting the double turntables at the Biltmore. Paul Gallo's industrial and intrusive light towers overwhelm the delicate proscenium - does a play like that really require so many instruments to light it effectively?

Dance: 7, Vocals: 3

"A Chorus Line" at the Schoenfeld Theatre, September 6, 2007

Well, I can honestly say that the second national tour of "A Chorus Line" now running on Broadway is everything you might expect...of a second national tour.

At one level, I can think of many reasons why this show should always be running on Broadway. On another level, this production is not the one that deserves that run. Bob Avian's restoration of Michael Bennett's ground-breaking work from 1975 neither does justice to the original nor finds significant relevance to Broadway theatre today.

The cast is truly a mixed bag, talent-wise. Some standouts are Bryan Knowlton as Paul, Michael Berresse as Zach, Will Taylor as Bobby and Jason Patrick Sands as Don. Dance-wise the cast is generally competent, but it is the vocals that undercut this production. Marvin Hamlish's score does have some hummable tunes, but it's not the strongest of scores. As a result, some numbers are not as easy as others to perform. Unfortunately, it is the weaker singers who get these songs. Pitch problems occurred the most, with Natalie Cortez (Diana), Jessica Lee Goldyn (Val) and Melissa Lone (Maggie) as the major offenders.

Another weak spot was Katherine Tokarz' Kristine, throwing away most of her jokes in "Sing!" by swallowing her words.

Even Charlotte d'Amboise as Cassie felt weak, rushing her lines leading into "The Music and the Mirror." Whether intentional or not, Ms. d'Amboise brought a piercing reality to Cassie. Talented and singled out early in her career, but never really becoming the star she could potentially be, her song was less than a show-stopper and she failed to hold her balance in her final dance pose. Even in the working version of "One" when Zack corrects her over and over again, she still doesn't conform and blend with the other dancers.

I think what troubles me most about this production is that this was one of the first that set the bar for Broadway performers to be triple threats (sing/dance/act), is that the number of triple threats in this cast is very small, limited to the standouts above along with Deidre Goodwin (Sheila), but even some of her jokes got tossed away.

Mr. Bennett's choreography soars in some numbers ("One"), yet stumbles in others (The Music and the Mirror"), as if out of a bad jazz dance class. The Ed Sullivan reference, among others were totally lost on a large part of the audience. I would much rather have seen some attempt at updating, or if not, a focus on the show as a period piece. Doing neither undercuts the potential power inherent in this show.

NY Theatre Workshop Discount

NY Theatre Workshop offers the following discount for their next production, "The Misanthrope."

We'd like to offer your readers the following discount:

Tickets for all performances September 14 – November 11 are just $45 each (reg. $65). In order receive this discount, tickets must be ordered by September 24.

Use code TMBLG44 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.

Three's Company?

"Lights Rise on Grace" Fringe Encores at the Culture Project, September 3, 2007

I didn't get to any of the shows at this year's NY Fringe Festival during the regular run, but once again several shows have returned this month in an encore series.

Chad Beckim's "Lights Rise on Grace" tells the story of Grace, Large and Riece. It's a bizarre love triangle of race, prison, and self-deception. Grace (Ali Ahn) is the child of Chinese immigrants, seduced and at once in love with Large (Jaime Lincoln Smith), who is soon shipped off to jail for 6 years where he meets Riece (Alexander Alioto).

This minimalist production moves well under the direction of Robert O'Hara, but Mr. Beckim's script still needs a bit of work. While he does pretty well having the story jump back and forth in time to reveal certain plot points, the characters suffer a bit as a result. Most injured by this is Grace. We meet Grace in a direct- address monologue and she is forthright, honest and open, traits which all three disappear as she flashes back to her first meetings with Large. She becomes a Bronx Cio-Cio-San, barely able to speak from shyness and inexperience. Yet, in her first interaction with her parents, there is no hesitation in how she expresses herself. Ms. Ahn does the best she can with the material but is hindered early on by the writing.

As Large, Mr. Smith plays the smooth operator very well, but as the plot shifts to his time in jail and his relationship with Riece, again, things don't quite ring true.

It is Mr. Alioto's Riece that gets the full treatment. A sociopath at heart, Riece is the only character who gets a true arc through the course of the play. Mr. Alioto manages to stir empathy with this troubled man as he abuses and torments Large, and later Grace, in the name of love.

Surge of the Heart

"100 Saints You Should Know" at Playwrights Horizons, September 1, 2007

In its world premiere at Playwrights Horizons, Kate Fodor's new play continues to build on her award-winning resume. "100 Saints..." centers on two people from dramatically different backgrounds passing each other on their respective paths questioning faith.

Theresa (Janel Moloney), a single mother of a teenage manipulator and self-styled bad girl, cleans the rectory and offices for Father Matthew McNally (Jeremy Shamos), who has gotten himself suspended over some photographs by George Platt Lines he tore from a library book. Theresa was raised by two logicians, both professors at the University of Michigan and took off as a pregnant teen after her parents' rejection. Father McNally has returned to visit his mother Colleen (Lois Smith), having no place else to go during his suspension. Things deteriorate when Theresa arrives to deliver a book she found in the rectory after McNally's departure. She's left her daughter Abby (Zoe Kazan) in the car, who strikes up a conversation with the ever-so-conflicted Garrett (Will Rogers), the teenage son and delivery boy of McNally's mother's grocer.

Ms. Fodor spends a little longer than what felt necessary setting up the dysfunctional relationships between mothers and children. Ms. Moloney's first scene with Ms. Kazan quickly and clearly established the contentious situation between the two. The scene played well as a situation that happens regularly between the two characters, mother exhausted and resigned, daughter contemptuous and controlling, but went on about three pages past making the point.

Ms. Kazan, last seen as a precocious school girl in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" remains precocious and even more promiscuous this go-round.

Ms. Moloney's Theresa is worn from the difficult life she's lived after having her child when she was little more than a child herself at the time. Tall and attractive, but without polish or much education, she's doing the best that she can to reconcile the practical world she was raised in, but longing for something with more meaning than her day to day drudgery.

Similarly, the first scene between Mr. Shamos and Ms. Smith became tiresome. Credit is due to Ms. Smith for making this seem much less obvious. Her Colleen is a woman of the post WWII generation, committed and loyal. She immediately assumes that her son only wants to return to his parish, and doesn't understand how he can walk away from his commitment to the church. Her natural reaction is to want to help him "fix" his situation. She wields a Catholic, loving guilt like a weapon from the moment he arrives.

Mr. Shamos' Matthew captures the conflict of a man whose spiritual life is fading as the beauty and reality of the world around him wakens thoughts and desires he doesn't know how to handle. Prayer offers no answers or solace and he is haunted by the writings of a poet who said "Beauty is God's goodness made physical."

Mr. Rogers' Garrett, gets little more than use as a plot device to provide exposition from Matthew's past, and Abby's recognition at the harm she wields with her mean-spirited comments and scheming.

Director Ethan McSweeney has assembled quite the capable cast for this premiere and keeps things moving nicely, particularly in the second act as the characters' crises of faith begin to collide. What could have fallen into stereotype here remains fresh under his hand. There is a terrific moment between Theresa and Matthew in the second act when he confesses how alone he's felt, never being touched by anyone. Theresa's maternal instincts kick in and she offers to rub his head like she used to do for Abby when she was younger. The tension and its release feels like a confession in itself - a beautiful moment.

Rachel Hauck's sets rotate around a silvered tree at center stage which provides the symbols of strength and wisdom, but also provides the means for what will be the tragic moment in the second act. Jane Cox' lighting complements very well.

Conspiracy, Perhaps?

I was supposed to see "Walmartopia" last Saturday evening. I arrived at the theatre to find that the performance had been cancelled because the air conditioning in the theatre had broken down that afternoon.

I'll be seeing it on Sept. 15 instead. In the meanwhile, here's a political ad I did for a group in Brooklyn in 2005 who were trying to keep Walmart from opening a store in the borough after a failed attempt to do so in Queens the year before.

Playwrights Horizons Discount

Playwrights Horizons is offering the following discount for their next production, "100 Saints You Should Know."

Playwrights Horizons Presents

100 SAINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW

A NEW PLAY BY KATE FODOR

Featuring:

Zoe Kazan, Janel Moloney, Will Rogers, Jeremy Shamos, Lois Smith

DIRECTED BY ETHAN McSWEENY

At the Playwrights Horizons’ Mainstage Theatre

416 West 42^nd Street (Between 9^th and 10^th)

New York, New York 10036-6809

Theresa (Janel Moloney) cleans the rectory of the local parish to support her unruly teenage daughter (Zoe Kazan). When its priest (Jeremy Shamos) leaves the church under uncertain circumstances and returns home to his protective mother (Lois Smith), Theresa finds herself compelled to pursue him. One eventful night joins them all, forcing a reckoning with the broken memories and shaken faith that divides them — and the discovery of a shared, tenuous common ground.

Written by Kate Fodor (Hannah and Martin) and directed by Ethan McSweeny (Broadway revival of The Best Man, Never the Sinner), 100 Saints also features the distinguished cast of...two-time Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk winner Lois Smith (The Trip to Bountiful), two-time Emmy Award nominee Janel Moloney (TV's "The West Wing"), Zoe Kazan (Sam Mendes' upcoming film "Revolutionary Road"), Obie Award winner Jeremy Shamos (Gutenberg! The Musical!), and Will Rogers.

The discount for your readers:

Save over 35% when your order by September 18^th!

$40 (Regular $65) for all performances August 24^th through September 2^nd.

$50 (Regular $65) for all performances September 4^th through September 30^th.

Performances Tuesday through Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 2 and 8 PM, and Sunday at 2:30 and 7:30 PM.

How To Order:
1. Online at www.playwrightshorizons.org or www.ticketcentral.org and use the code SABL.
2. Call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 (Noon to 8 PM daily) and mention the code SABL when ordering.
3. In person by visiting our box office (Noon to 8 PM daily) at 416 West 42nd Street (between 9^th and 10^th) and mention the code SABL.

For more information, visit www.playwrightshorizons.org