Drinks & the City

"The Drunken City" at Playwrights Horizons, March 21, 2008

Adam Bock's new play at Playwrights Horizons is an 80 minute extension of what might have been a very effective episode of "Friends" or "Sex and the City." Marnie (Cassie Beck), Melanie (Maria Dizzia) and Linda (Sue Jean Kim) are engaged (shrieks!!) all within two weeks of each other (shrieks!!). As good Jersey girls, they go into the city to celebrate - with too many cocktails and not unexpected results. They meet Eddie (Barrett Foa), the gay, tap-dancing dentist and his friend Frank (Mike Colter), whose last girlfriend dumped him because he didn't listen to her (that's what she said when she dumped him) on the streets during their bar crawl. Frank and Marnie are immediately drawn to each other, to the great consternation of their friends.

As expected, Marnie doesn't really want to marry Gary (her fiance'). Melanie dumps her fiance' when she finds out he cheated on her and Linda can't handle the possibility that things won't turn out like she wants them too (her drinking doesn't help). Linda calls Bob (Alfredo Narciso) who owns the NJ bakery where Marnie and Melanie work, to come sort things out. While the drama whirls around them, Bob and Eddie lock eyes and face off in what Mr. Bock (in his program notes) compares to Beatrice and Benedict from "Much Ado About Nothing."

The revelations and resolutions are not really surprising, but are handled genuinely. Mr. Bock does have a knack for capturing the incomplete phrasing of people who can finish each others' sentences, as well as that uncomfortable stilted dialog that occurs when there's some heavy sexual attraction at play, but neither party wants to reveal his/her cards first.

As Marnie, Ms. Beck gives the strongest performance of the women. The first of the three to accept her ring, it turns out she said yes before she really realized what the question had been (BTW, her fiance' had dated Melissa before he and Marnie got together). She gives Marnie the right level of realism in the early drunk scenes, faring best when the three women are onstage together.

As Frank, the new object of Marnie's affection, Mr. Colter is handsome and appealing, but a bit wooden and self-conscious in his delivery.

Ms. Dizzia's Melanie is little more than a bitter harpie, harboring resentment for Marnie which results in a major meltdown between them. Ms. Kim's Linda gets stuck with lines that speak the obvious. She doesn't quite master the profile of a young woman with a drinking problem, despite the strange theatrical monologue and song that pop up so oddly to describe her fear and fascination of the city when she drinks.

Mr. Foa's Eddie comes off nicely. He manages to balance his concern over his friend with remaining something of a calm voice amid the hysteria that surrounds his and Frank's meeting with the women. I found his discomfort over his attraction to Bob appropriately bittersweet. As Bob, Mr. Narciso brings the same intensity last seen in his performance in "The Misanthrope" at New York Theatre Workshop (minus the food fight). He finds some touching layers in the defensive, yet vulnerable character.

Director Trip Cullman has assembled a pretty cast of six, and some of them can really act, too. He treats some segments like a farce, though that poses for some rough transitions from time to time. Still, he gives the audience an entertaining evening with some things that many of us may recognize in ourselves at the same time.

David Korins' spare set is a clean canvas for the proceedings, and coordinates well with Matthew Richards' lighting.

Here's a discount offer from Playwrights Horizons:

PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS presents

THE DRUNKEN CITY

A new play by Adam Bock

Featuring

Cassie Beck • Mike Colter • Maria Dizzia
Barrett Foa • Sue Jean Kim • Alfredo Narciso

Directed by Trip Cullman

March 13 – April 20

Playwrights Horizons Peter Jay Sharp

416 West 42^nd Street between 9^th & 10^th Avenues

“Hey, why not write a play where everyone is drunk – that way truth’ll be flying every which everywhere.” - Adam Bock

Off on the bar crawl to end all crawls, three twenty-something brides-to-be find their lives going topsy-turvy when one of them begins to question her future after a chance encounter with a recently jilted handsome stranger. The Drunken City is a wildly theatrical take on the mystique of marriage and the ever-shifting nature of love and identity in a city that never sleeps.

Special Discount offer for Bloggers Posts: $35 tickets (REG. $45) for all performances

How to order (purchase by March 26 and mention code ‘DCBL’ to receive discount):

• Online: www.ticketcentral.com and use code DCBL
• Phone: Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily) and mention code DCBL.
• In person: Ticket Central, 416 West 42^nd Street between 9^th & 10^th Avenues

Don't Cry for Me, Styne and Sondheim - Take 2

"Gypsy" at the St. James Theatre, March 13, 2008

I'll hold firm to my review from last summer "out of town tryout" underwritten by at Encores!, except to say that Patti now sports a sassy red wig and I think Laura Benanti is the most amazing Louise I've ever seen.

The new question now is:

"Who's Mama Rose in the next Gypsy revival?"

My money is on Faith Prince.

Finding Focus on a Dream

"The Conscientious Objector" presented by the Keen Company at the Clurman Theatre, Theatre Row, March 11, 2008

Michael Murphy's play presents us with Martin Luther King, Jr. at the height of his reign as a civil rights leader. The program notes that while it "...is first and foremost a play. It is a dramatization and some liberties were taken." Personally, I can only vaguely remember when Dr. King was shot in Memphis in 1968, so I cannot speak to the historical accuracy in Mr. Murphy's work, or lack thereof.

What Mr. Murphy does give us in his interpretation of Dr. King (DB Woodside), is a reluctant and unsure man. The evening begins in 1965 when Dr. King first spoke out against the Vietnam War. Mr. Murphy puts forth that Dr. King felt compelled to take this position despite the fact that it would pull him away from the civil rights struggle. He has written a Dr. King who practically bows and scrapes in the first meeting we see with Lyndon Johnson (John Cullum). President Johnson needs Dr. King to back off the Vietnam issue so that he can continue to get similar legislation passed to the Voting Rights Act. King retreats briefly, but can't disregard the issue for the sake of politics. His advisers, Ralph Abernathy (Bryan Hicks), Stanley Levison (Steve Routman), Andrew Young (James Miles) also want him to choose his battles and stay with those he can win. James Bevel (Jimonn Cole) is the lone dissenter of his supporters and keeps pushing him to fight against the Vietnam war.

Mr. Woodside's King is certainly the reluctant hero. His resolve only forms when pushed forward by others whom he respects, or when forced on the defensive. I'm afraid, though, Mr. Woodside (and Mr. Forsman) have been very poorly served by their dialect coach, Meagan Prahl. I've complained about inaccurate southern accents before, and Mr. Woodside's is simply appalling. I would much rather he had spent his time finding the rhythm and music in King's voice and making the role his own. Consider the choices that Frank Langella and Anthony Hopkins made in their respective interpretations of Richard Nixon. Neither imitates, yet both captured the character in vastly different ways.

Note to Ms. Prahl: While I congratulate you on your first coaching gig, be informed that substituting "uh" for "er" sounds and "eh" for "ee" do not a southern accent make. I have no idea where you grew up, but the Brown/Trinity Consortium pedigree leads me to conclude it was well above the Mason-Dixon Line. I know you're excited about your coaching debut in NYC, but you may want to consider spending your coaching fee to pay the Keen to reprint their playbills without your credit for the remainder of the run.

As Lyndon Johnson, Mr. Cullum (thankfully) avoids an imitation of the late president. He also had significant struggles getting his lines out. Having been in previews for a week, one might expect more from such an accomplished actor.

Rachel Leslie's Coretta Scott King gets little do to, other than look lovely and concerned. Seemed a bit of a waste of talent to me.

Mr. Cole's James Bevel suffers from the substitution of volume for passion at the expense of diction and clarity. Bryan Hicks as Ralph Abernathy couldn't pick up a cue if the other actors dropped it in his lap. Jonathan Hogan, in multiple roles, demonstrates the kind of skill one obtains after 25 years with Circle Rep, not to mention his numerous Broadway, film and television appearances. The younger actors in this cast would do well to study his performance and choices.

Director Carl Forsman seems at times overwhelmed by the material (or at least by the actors in it), unable to fine tune performances when needed. At other times, his touches are quite sensitive and thoughtful - the scene when Coretta is boosting Martin up on the telephone, knowing exactly what his physical appearance is and mothering him in support to give.

Once again, Beowulf Boritt's set is the real star of this production. An American flag drapes the back wall and gently raked stage, interpreted in shades of grey - an absence of color yet not reduced to simple black and white. Josh Bradford's lights make a good start, but could use a bit more refinement to distinguish time and location on the abstract set.

I admire the efforts of the Keen Company. I think this is a group who truly attempts to create valid and relevant theatre in New York. I look forward to their next outing.

A Dark Machine

"Add1ng Mach1n3" at the Minetta Lane Theatre, February 29, 2008

(Photo: Carol Rosegg)

Based on Elmer Rice's 1923 play, "The Adding Machine" has been adapted into a dark and sometimes compelling musical. Mr. Rice was a prolific writer/producer, whose first Broadway outing was his play "On Trial" from 1914. Given the excesses of the 1920s, this story is a prescient foreshadow of the darkness to come with the Great Depression. His presence on the Great White Way was a relative constant from then until the mid-1960's, not returning again until the Manhattan Theatre Club's "Lovemusik" in 2007.

With this adaptation, it's easy to see his influence on 20th century theatre in the work of experimental theatre artists like Bertolt Brecht and Marc Blitzstein. It has transferred to New York after an acclaimed run at the Next Theatre Company in Chicago. (Is it necessary to announce a spoiler alert for an 85 year old story?)

Jason Loewith (Artistic Director of Next Theater Company) and Joshua Schmidt have adapted Mr. Rice's work into a sung-through musical that totally captures the style of early 20th century musical composition. Harmonic, "hummable" melodies are not to be found for the most part. This tale is a dark indictment on the increasing mechanization of the late Industrial Revolution and its adverse impact on humanity. Mr. Zero (Joel Hatch) is a 25-year company man, working in the bookkeeping department of a large store. His job is to add sales receipts by hand, assisted by Daisy (Amy Warren) who reads each number to him for recording in a large ledger.

The show opens with Mr. and Mrs. Zero (Cyrilla Baer) lying in bed, while she nags, whines and complains about the life she will likely never have, "Something to Be Proud Of." At work, we learn that Mr. Zero and Daisy are secretly (to everyone and each other) in love with each other. They hide their feelings with constant bickering, each longing to escape with the other to a new life, "I'd Rather Watch You."

Beaten and worn by his 25 years of work and marriage, Mr. Zero's only attainable hope is to be promoted on this 25th work anniversary. Instead, he is laid off since the store has purchased new invention, the titular adding machine, to replace most of their bookkeeping staff. In a rage, Mr. Zero kills his boss and is sentenced to death. On death row, his cell-neighbor Shrdlu (Joe Farrell) also awaits execution for killing his mother. Raised in the shame and fear of religion, Shrdlu longs for the retribution of hell for his crime "The Gospel According to Shrdlu." (An interesting side note: this role was originated by Edward G. Robinson in 1923, "...see.") Mrs. Zero arrives on the eve of his execution for a final visit, bringing him his favorite last meal, "Ham and Eggs!" a waltz that leads to a reconciliation of sorts as they say goodbye "Didn't We?"

In death, Mr. Zero finds himself in an unexpectedly "Pleasant Place," the Elysian Fields filled with sunlight, blue skies, water, flowers and greenery. Shrdlu discovers him and tells him fearfully that it will always be like this. Shrdlu cannot cope without the punishment of hell that he longed for and runs away distraught. Daisy appears (in a great Flory-dory confection of organdy pleats and lace) having committed suicide over the loss of Mr. Zero and finally reveals her feelings "Daisy's Confession." Hoping for an eternal after-life of happiness they reprise "I'd Rather Watch You" but Mr. Zero is unable to forgive himself and enjoy their time together. Shrdlu returns, having accepted his fate, "Freedom" but Mr. Zero cannot accept it and flees to the anonymity and safety of The Machine. He spends another 25 years there mastering the adding machine that pushed him toward his own death, only to be told that it's time to return to life. "Souls are recycled. Think about how crowded it would be here otherwise." Fearful, Mr. Zero begs to stay and learns that his soul has been recycled many, many times by The Machine. Each time, he's made choices that prevented his own happiness: as an Egyptian slave building the Great Pyramids, continually the servant refusing to stand for his own dignity and thus, happiness. He struggles against being returned and seeing Daisy lined up for recycling, grabs her hand and runs with her. Are they running away from a new life or toward it? This is the last unanswered question.

As Mr. Zero, Mr. Hatch is appropriately deadpan and beaten. His only emotions are frustration, anger and fear, being most fearful when happiness looms largest. Ms. Baer's Mrs. Zero is a shrill harpy, resentful that her husband's mediocrity has never raised their lives above mere subsistence.

Mr. Farrell's Shrdlu quite successfully relates the pain and sabotage that results from much of organized religion. He literally quakes in his fear and self-reproach. It is a remarkable performance.

I found Ms. Warren's Daisy to be the most successful performance of the evening. This self-doubting, insecure and damaged Daisy literally blossoms in death, reveling in the freedom of after-life. This woman (originally Daisy Diana Dorothea Devore) longs for the beauty and grace invoked by her name and in an awkward and touching display, and nearly achieves it before being abandoned by man who can't choose happiness. Given what we learn of the history of Mr. Zero's soul, it seems she has lived a similar fate over many lives.

Director David Cromer has assembled a talented (though hardly attractive cast - and appropriately so) to play those with lives of "quiet desperation." Even Daisy's version of beauty in death is only a relative improvement, bringing home the harsh realities the human struggle. His stylized staging excellently evokes the darkness of this tale.

Takeshi Kata's sets support the varying emotions of fear and fleeting hope, but Keith Parham's lighting is even dimmer than that of the foxhole in last year's revival of "Journey's End." Though I can understand the design concept behind it, more often than not I felt that I was missing facial expressions in the shadows that cloaked most of the production. Kristine Knanishu's costumes were spot-on to the period. I could almost feel the scratchy wool of the suits worn by the men.

Similar to my recent experience with "The Homecoming," "The Adding Machine" is not a jolly night at the theatre. Rather, it's a provoking contemplation that reflects back on what a modern world could have looked like.

Through the Fire

"Liberty City" at New York Theatre Workshop, February 23, 2008

NYTW, in their 25th anniversary season, presents another tale of pain and growth with "Liberty City," a one-woman show performed by April Yvette Thompson and written by Ms. Thompson and Jessica Blank.

The story is that of Ms. Thompson's early life, growing up in the Liberty City neighborhood in Miami in the 1970s and 1980s. Ms. Thompson tells her tale from several perspectives, including her father, Saul Thompson (Sol?), her mother Lily, her grandmother Aunt Carolyn, and her aunt Valerie. The story is of a man trying to prepare his children to live in a world of discrimination and bigotry by understanding their history as descendants of African slaves.

Ms. Thompson moves between characters with effective physical postures (though least successfully distinguishing her mother from herself). Aunt Carolyn is actually the neighbor of her biological grandmother who abandoned her father on a search for his philandering father. Her parents' relationship, at first strong and united, falters when Saul gets more focused on the political power struggle of African-Americans in the '70s than supporting and tending to his own family. Lily turns to religion (Jehovah's Witness?) to fill the void, pushing Saul further away.

It is a very emotional experience for Ms. Thompson. She wipes her own eyes after scenes that recall the more difficult events in her family's life. This is a revealing and courageous performance.

Even with the raw emotion and tragic tale, Ms. Thompson effectively portrays the diverse characters who so strongly impacted her growing up, but she doesn't chart any new territory as was seen in Sarah Jones' "Bridge and Tunnel" in 2006.

Antje Ellerman's has created an excellent set, subtly defining the various worlds of Ms. Thompson's family, nicely complemented by David Lander's lighting. The video projections by Tal Yarden are more distraction than addition to the evening's proceedings since we see more visuals of a blue sky that never seems truly realized by the story being told.

Ms. Blank directs in addition to co-writing the script. She keeps things moving well. But, there were some bits of business such as Lily adding glue and glitter to a construction paper book of sorts, that also distract rather than enhance either character or story.

NYTW is offering a ticket discount to you. Please support them.

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

Tickets for all performances February 15 – March 16 are just $25 each (reg. $45). Use code LCBLG88 when ordering.

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

___________________________________________

Liberty City: a place where people of the African Diaspora have settled; where urban and island cultures rub up against each other, and the site of Miami’s infamous 1980 riots. Enter April Yvette Thompson – a child of children of the 60’s, the daughter of a Bahamian and Cuban father and an African American mother: free thinkers, young radicals and movement people. As the hope of the 60’s and 70’s gave way to the disillusionment and disintegration of the 80’s, April’s family struggled to survive and stay together. Part history, part imagination, Liberty City is her personal story that illuminates the lives of one family through the context of social, cultural, and political events.

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.

Arguing for Acceptance

"Speech & Debate" presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre/ Black Box Theatre, February 20, 2008

Stephen Karam's play has enjoyed a well-deserved, extended run at the Roundabout's off-off-Broadway basement on W46th St. I believe it is the inaugural production for this space, and an auspicious start it is.

The story centers on three high school misfits, Howie (Gideon Glick), Solomon (Jason Fuchs) and Diawata (Sarah Steele), each searching for his/her own form of recognition. Solomon longs for the scoop that will make him a journalist, Diawata longs for the glamour of the stage. Howie just wants to find a boyfriend and finish the torture that is being gay in high school.

Mr. Karam has, very interestingly I thought, structured each scene along the rules of the NFL (that's the National Forensics League, which creates the rules for high school debate teams across the US). For those of you who weren't debate nerds in high school, some of the categories that Mr. Karam illuminates so skillfully include:

• Dramatic Interpretation
• Original Oratory
• Duo Interpretation
• Lincoln Douglas Debate
• Extemporaneous Oratory

Mr. Fuchs' performance as Solomon anchors this production. He's got the precocious, too-smart-for-his-own-good, wannabe journalist thing down pat. Pushy, pretentious and condescending, he demonstrates all the signs of a teenager with something to hide (which he does).

Mr. Glick's Howie suffers at times from the affected speech pattern he has chosen. Otherwise, he also has nailed the mercurial behaviour of an outsider who recognizes that high school will nto be his time to shine, but still kinda wishes it were.

Ms. Steele's Diawata is the least consistent performance. She has moments of brilliance, particularly during her live podcasts of her "monoblog." She dies struggle from time to time with keeping in character when Diawata lands some of her funniest lines.

As the only adults in the story, Susan Blackwell (from [title of show] fame) feels particularly underused. She is tender and concerned as Solomon's faculty sponsor for this school paper, then has a marvelous turn as a local journalist/bookwriter who interviews the students about the new Speech and Debate club that Diawata is trying to start (since she can't manage to land a featured role in the school play). Her granting of each teen's wish in her final scene smacked a bit of the Wizard and his black velvet bag, but can be forgiven.

The design team of Anna Louizos (sets), Heather Dunbar (costumes), Justin Townsend (lights) and Brett Jarvis (sound & projection) have worked a bit of magic in the basement, black box space. Mr. Jarvis and Ms Louizos, in particular, deserve notice for the incorporation of each other's efforts.

Director Jason Moore has done a great job with what otherwise might be a small piece. He handles Mr. Karam's subjects of Foley-esque mayors and drama teachers, and the burgeoning sexuality of teenagers with respect and intelligence without turning the debate podium into a pulpit. This approach is consistent with his previous work ("Avenue Q"). I'll be interested to see how his next project ("Shrek") turns out with such big corporate money behind him.

Not That Kind of Slug

"The Slugbearers of Kayrol Island" at the Vineyard Theatre, February 16, 2008

(photo by Carol Rosegg)

I really admire the Vineyard Theatre - one of New York's thriving off-Broadway theatres like Playwrights Horizons and Second Stages. This organization consistently pursues and presents interesting and thoughtful theatre.

Their current production, "The Slugbearers of Kayrol Island (or, the Friends of Dr. Rushower) is more on the "interesting" track. I wish it were more compelling as well, but sadly that's not the case. It's certainly a visual treat to see the illustrations projected onto the fixed and moving panels that line the stage.

The story is pretty much comic book/fairy tale fare. Orphaned daughter Gingin (Jody Flader) lives with well-meaning but ineffectual step-father Dr. Rushower (Peter Friedman) who wants to see her married off and happy. He has devised a strategy of spilling food from his rooftop terrace onto men walking by, then inviting them up to his penthouse to take care of cleaning the clothes, and introduce them to Gingin. She has also been getting phone calls from Samson (Matt Pearson) who dials random numbers on his cell phone just to have someone to talk to. Gingin is more concerned with finding a cause to believe in, rather than find a relationship.

The title comes to play when Immanuel Lubang (Bobby Steggert) gets the Rushower treatment and learns about the labor issue on Kayrol Island. Underpaid workers are kept in seemingly poor conditions as they unload lead slugs that are part of small appliances to give them a sense of weight and quality - a result of improved technology that has removed heavier electronic components from manufacturing. The workers are housed in dormitories and fed a poor diet that includes Kayrol cola, a carbonated drink of unknown ingredients but the color of mud.

Immanuel and Gingin appear to bond and go to Kayrol to bring culture (in the form of public readings of small appliance instruction manuals) to the slugbearers, who show no interest. By the way, guess who lives on Kayrol Island - - Samson! He and Gingin finally "connect" and she stays with him after drinking the Kayrol cola (cool-aid?).

I struggled with the whole point of the show. If it's social commentary about the treatment of third world workers, the picture painted is that they don't really know what they're missing and don't care.

The performances among the cast were consistent and respectable, but the material leaves something to be desired. The talents of both Mr. Steggert and Mr. Friedman felt particularly wasted here. Mark Mulcahy's score is reminiscent at times of the recitatives from "Rent" without the sparkle. Mr. Katchor's book and lyrics told a story, but never felt compelling. I was more interested in how his drawings were projected and how the transitions would be made than I was in the story. I felt like I needed to be much more familiar with Mr. Katchor's work before entering the theatre.

Director Bob McGrath keeps things moving at a pleasant pace and elicits performances as good as anyone might from this somewhat thin material. It looks like he and Mr. Katchor got so caught up in the mixed media concept that the storytelling suffered.

Pinter: Putting the Fun in Dysfunction? The Irk in Quirky?

"The Homecoming" at the Cort Theatre, February 12, 2008

I'll say first that I haven't seen many productions of Harold Pinter's plays. Actually, I think this is only my second, the first having been the Roundabout's revival of "The Caretaker" a couple of years ago.

With that said, I'm not sure I'm a Pinter fan, at least from an audience perspective.

I've heard it said that film is a director's medium, where stage is more the actor's. I've also heard comments that success in Pinter's work is found in the acting between the lines of dialog. To me that sounds a like a bit of blurring as to whose medium specifically Pinter plays would be.

Entering the world of a Pinter play seems to contain an element of voyuerism. He reveals, layer by layer, the ugliest and most twisted family I've ever seen on a stage. Max (Ian McShane) is the retired butcher and aging bully patriarch of the all-male household, including his brother Sam (Michael McKean) and sons Lenny (Raul Esparza) and Joey (Gareth Saxe). Max's power is fading. Lenny's is growing, as is his contempt and intolerance of his father. Joey is the aspiring boxer, who appears to have taken too many blows to the head already. Sam just wants a peaceful existence.

Teddy (James Frain), the oldest son arrives after a nine year absence with wife Ruth (Eve Best) in tow. They've been visiting Europe away from their home and three sons in the US and have dropped in unannounced. Once Ruth's presence in the house is known, the sexual tension short circuits the entire house, led by Lenny and followed the next morning by Max in a misogynistic game of one-upsmanship. Make no mistake, Ruth can give as good as she gets in this game. And, before you know it, Teddy, Joey, and even Sam in his own befuddled way get in the game, too.

As Max, Mr. McShane wields his cane like the meat cleaver with which his character had spent his career. He carries the same piss and vinegar bluster that he displayed so well in HBO's Deadwood for two seasons. His Max realizes his increasing impotence, both figuratively and literally, fueling his rage.

As the oldest, Teddy, Mr. Frain is the only man in the family who has completed higher education and appears to have risen above his lower class London roots. He is dry and attentive, but plays Teddy distantly, almost as a mere observer in his own life. This detachment is almost chilling as Ruth makes her choice about her own future.

Mr. Esparza's Lenny is jaded and aloof, but ever-opportunistic. It takes some time to figure out that he's something of a high-rolling pimp, running a bordello operation at multiple sites. His deadpan delivery did have some ups and downs in its effectiveness. In the opening scene with Max, it delivers his disdain to his father. Later, it feels more like he's just trying to get all the words out.

Mr. McKean's Sam, a chauffeur, grasps for self-respect, but is painfully cowed in the high-testosterone environment. Mr. Saxe's Joey is at first just a dumb jock, unaware of his physical strength as a weapon against his father's and brother's insults and intimidation. Joey's muscle is put to use in Lenny's business when it comes to recruiting new talent for the family business, though even he doesn't really know of his crimes.

Eve Best gives another splendid performance for New York as Ruth. Buttoned up and wary in her first entrance, she warms to the harsh environment and rises to the challenging with surprising results. Ms. Best gives as good as she gets and fiercely matches the intensity of the performances around her.

Eugene Lee's set is a house that appears under renovation, but is actually under destruction represented by exposed wall studs and ceiling beams. Kenneth Posner's lighting complements well. Jess Goldstein's costumes evoke the period.

Director Daniel Sullivan has done an excellent job filling in between the lines. Tension is established early on and only builds through the evening. He maneuvers this talented cast through what must be an amazing acting experience. It's a somewhat bitter pill for the audience however, as these damaged and angry characters wreak emotional (and sometimes physical) havoc on each other. Pinter is certainly not for the feint of heart and Mr. Sullivan never lets us forget it.

If you're looking to be challenged during your night at the theatre, this is the place to be. Better hurry - this limited run ends April 13.

Fasten Your Seatbelts

"Applause" presented by Encores! at City Center, February 10, 2008

The new Encores! season has started with a relative bang. The 1970 "Applause" with book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, was quite the star vehicle for Lauren Bacall, winning four Tonys and three Drama Desk awards. Based on the classic Bette Davis film "All About Eve" from 1951 (And you thought film to stage was a new concept?), it "updates" the story to 1970 in the wake of Vietnam, rather than the aftermath of WWII. If you really need a plot summary, you should be ashamed, but you can click here for the original movie plot - I think the adaptation to the stage did little more than change the period.

I first saw a production of "Applause" in the early 1990s. The score struck me as dated and the book, a bit creaky. Both observations still hold, despite the excellent orchestra under the skillful direction of Rob Berman.

Chip Zien and Kate Burton in the supporting roles of Buzz and Karen Richards, Margo's playwrights, have a grand time with their crossover numbers and supporting player shtick. I haven't heard Ms. Burton sing before and she does a nice job. Mr. Zien is in his usual fine form.

As Bill Sampson, Michael Park takes a well-deserved break from television's As the World Turns' Jack Snyder. He is well-cast as the handsome younger director in love with the slightly older Margo. His part is a bit thin (it's really not one of Comden and Green's better books), but he sings nicely and it's easy to understand why Eve is so attracted to him.

Tom Hewitt is nicely nasty as Howard Benedict, the Broadway producer who turns the tables on Eve after she tries to step over him on her way up. Mario Cantone is remarkably subdued as Duane Fox, Margo's hairdresser, though he does take his moment when it's appropriately given to him with a nod to Ms. Davis and Katherine Hepburn tossed in for fun.

Director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall has reunited the mother/daughter pairing of Christine Ebersole and Erin Davie in the respective roles of Margo Channing and Eve Harrington. It's actually quite an effective touch of casting.

Ms. Davie's Eve truly captures the the vulnerable and mousy waif who burrows her way into Margo's life. Her transformation into starlet is skillful, sleeping her way to the top, regardless of the consequences. When what "goes around, comes around" it's a well-deserved and satisfying end.

It's Ms. Ebersole who carries the bulk of the show. As I mentioned earlier, I had seen a production of the show many years ago. At the time, it was easy to see Ms. Bacall in the role, but still with remnants of Ms. Davis lingering. Ms. Ebersole totally makes the role her own in no uncertain terms. There are no references to either of her predecessors' Margos - quite a feat.

Ms. Marshall has also done an excellent job capturing the period in her choreography with a strong feel of early Michael Bennett. I do think more time was spent on the songs than the scenes. This was the first time I was really distracted by the actors carrying their scripts. I especially liked the new staging and arrangement of the title song extended into a tribute medley of other Encores! productions including The Apple Tree, Babes in Arms, Boys From Syracuse, Bye Bye Birdie, Call Me Madam, Can-Can, Carnival, Chicago, Follies, Hair, Kismet, The New Moon, Of Thee I Sing, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Promises, Promises, St. Louis Woman, Stairway to Paradise, Strike Up the Band and Wonderful Town. (I think I identified all but three of these from the musical references.)

I Think She Was Married to Ernest Hemingway

"The Maddening Truth" presented by the Keen Company at the Clurman @ Theater Row, February 7, 2008

The Keen's latest production maintains their high standard of production values with a beautiful set by Beowulf Borittt and serviceable lighting and costumes by Josh Bradford and Theresa Squire, respectively.

The play is a less successful piece by David Hay, whose writing includes an eclectic array of independent films and articles on art and architecture as well as this and another soon-to-be-produced play. The playbill notes state: "The events in this play are inspired by the life of Martha Gellhorn." Ms. Gellhorn (Lisa Emery) was an active war correspondent covering conflicts from Franco's Spain to the liberation of the concentration camps at Dachau to Vietnam to the US invasion into Panama. She was also the third wife of Ernest Hemingway. Mr. Hay takes this fertile opportunity and spins it into a less than interesting mix of action and flashback, awkardly fashioned around a professional relationship with another writer, Peter Wilkinson (William Connell). Mr. Hay pulls from many devices from the theatrical bag of tricks: direct address to the audience, flashbacks, radio broadcast readings from Ms. Gellhorn's writing, internal dialogs with a dead Hemingway.

In the end, the dialog feels forced and unnatural, Ms. Gellhorn's lines sound particularly British, though she was American born and raised (repeated used of words like "piffle," "palaver," and "buck up").

Ms. Emery works hard, but is ultimately miscast since her character is in her middle 60's for the majority of the play. She does her best to make the ill-fitting lines work. Mr. Connell is more successful as the young writer who befriends Ms. Gellhorn, alienates her and regains the friendship late in her life. His British accent helps him through the stilted language he's given with a bit of Hugh Grant style. Peter Benson as Wilkinson's boss at the unnamed British newspaper is wasted here in a small role. Terry Layman doubles as Hemingway and a radio actor. He doesn't have enough material to communicate the first character and is merely an instrument of the plot as the second. Richard Bekins as Laurance Rockefeller does what he can with the apology of a role he's taken.

Director Carl Forsman has also worked hard to make a compelling evening and manages to do so in spite of the weak material. Pacing is good and he makes some nice choices to add depth to the play.