A Good Week: The Method Gun & Invasion!

Ludlow Lad sees a lot of theater. Much of it isn't very good - or at least isn't work that Ludlow Lad enjoys. That is why seeing two pieces as good as The Rude Mechs' The Method Gun and The Play Company's Invasion! in the same week can be a revelation...and inspiring.

At the center of The Method Gun is the missing (and fictitious) Stella Burden, whose high-concept production of A Streetcar Named Desire that omits the characters of Blanche, Stanley, Stella and Mitch she has abandoned. The Rude Mechs "recreate" the post-Stella rehearsals, her unique acting techniques, her rituals and ultimately the production itself. Its two coup-de-theatres - one physical and one emotional are worth the price of admission alone.

The Play Company's Invasion!, by Jonas Hassen Khemiri, translated from Swedish by Rachel Willson-Broyles, begins with a a coup-de-theatre and takes off from there telling the story of Abulkasem from multiple points of view. Invasion! is about language, terrorism, misunderstanding, and about twenty other things and it is expertly directed by Erica Schmidt and the cast of four is outstanding.

Like Ludlow Lad said - a good week.

CITIZEN RUTH and the Minetta Lane Theater

Ludlow really enjoyed Citizen Ruth. It’s always been a favorite film and the music is, for the most part, very good. Knowing the film, it’s hard not to miss Laura Dern’s terrific performance – but Garrett Long does more than an honorable job. Annie Golden, Janet Dickinson and Sherri L. Edelen are all excellent and it is staged so tightly (by Howard Shalwitz) that the evening just flies by! This isn’t the last we’ll be hearing about this show.

Ludlow couldn’t help but be struck by the line of ticket holders stretching to MacDougal Street. When was the last time anything at the Minitta Lane Theatre had a line stretching down the block to get in? What is generating that much interest; is it that it’s a Fringe Show? Is it the $15 ticket price? Similarly, the line was almost as long for VOTE! on Friday night. Is it that there are only a handful of performances to catch? Are people hoping to catch “the next big thing” or taking advantage of a bargain. I’m not sure, but how can someone capture this excitement and use it again in say, October?

Frost/Nixon: 04/24/2007

Some great plays spring from actual events. For me, the David Frost interview of Richard Nixon in 1977 was just a post-script to the story of Watergate. But in this real-life drama, playwright Peter Morgan has found the inspiration for an epic battle of wills between two media figures. In Frost/Nixon both Frost and Nixon have everything at stake during the course of these multi-hour dialogs, but as told by Morgan, only one of these men can be victorious. The text is more slanted towards the Frost character (his team has several narrators, while Mr. Nixon has only one) but a fair fight is still to be had because if your underdog is played by Frank Langella he has more than a fighting chance. Similar to that other recent historical British import, Stuff Happens, Frost/Nixon suffers from a little too much plodding exposition at the beginning, but by the end you can't help but be fully involved.

For Tickets & Info: www.frostnixononbroadway.com

Dying City: 03/14/2007

Christopher Shinn's Dying City is an excellent play being given an excellent production at Lincoln Center Theater's Mitzi Newhouse. It's rare to see a challenging play being given such a thoughtful, creative production; one that actually rises to the occasion of a great script. Dying City is a three character play, being performed by two actors on a very slowly revolving stage. I know, it sounds like bag of gimmicks – but it's not. It's a drama that hooks you when the apartment buzzer sounds in the opening minutes and doesn't let you go until the final blackout. Pablo Schreiber playing twin brothers – one of whom is actually being portrayed in flashback, an American soldier killed in Iraq, the other his gay brother visiting his widow is excellent. But this is not quick-change “trick” - is not a “Mystery of Iraqi Vet” - both characters are physically, vocally and emotionally drawn wholes. No less impressive, even though "only" playing one character, is the fabulous Rebecca Brooksher. The play itself unfolds as delicately as the stage revolves slowly. Director James Macdonald does a fine job on every level, making for a terrific evening of theater.

For Tickets & Info: www.lct.org

The Curse of the Mystic Relando The: 03/09/2007

I can't remember the last time I was so baffled by a show - even the title is bizarre. The Curse of the Mystic Relando The begins as a mock, recently unearthed, silent film and quickly turns into a performance-art cabaret; a sort-of Cabaret Voltaire with a cool band backing it up. Aldo Perez (as Relando The) is a trip-and-a-half and Jenny Lee Litchell (as the Maid) reminded me of a young Teri Garr with all of the physical comic ability of Lucille Ball. The show is basically a series of blackout sketches: some funny , some bizarre, some musical and some unexplainable. And while most of the show is very smart, without some sort of through-line or climax, ultimately I left The Curse of the Mystic Relando The unsatisfied. But I laughed very hard a times too...go figure.

For tickets & Info: www.3leggeddog.org

Prelude to a Kiss: 03/02/2007

When should a play be revived? Is it ever too soon? These were questions I though of when The Roundabout Theatre announce it's revival of the Craig Lucas play, Prelude to a Kiss. These questions were again front of mind tonight after seeing the production. Originally staged in NYC in 1990 at the now defunct Circle Rep, the production starred Alec Baldwin (who would become too hot of a film commodity to do the Broadway transfer), Mary-Louise Parker (in her break-through role) and the legendary Barnard Hughes. The original production won three OBIE Awards, transferred to Broadway, was nominated for a Tony for best play and was subsequently adapted for film starring the then-very-famous Baldwin and Meg Ryan. Flash-forward to 2007, and the play is again on Broadway. Whom did this revival serve? None of the performers live up to the original cast. The play now looks quaint and slightly obvious. The Roundabout Theatre Company looks pathetic with such an uninspired choice. And while lots of set pieces move around and spin, this production doesn't hold a candle to the original. When should a play be revived? When there is a reason to revive it; maybe when a director has something new to say about it. Is it ever too soon? Sadly, yes.

For info & tickets: www.roundabouttheatre.org

The Wooster Group's HAMLET: 03/01/2007

The Wooster Group's HAMLET is a near-masterpiece. Using the filmed version of Richard Buton's 1964 Broadway production, the Group recreates that filmed version on stage, almost entirely. And the source film has been digitally re-edited, erasing actors here and there, fast-forwarding through sections and just generally slicing the film in deliberately choppy ways – all of which is physicalized on stage. The closest analogy would be to say that The Wooster Group is “remixing” Burton's HAMLET. The sound design, always an important element of a Wooster Group show, is here outstanding. Scott Shepherd, in the title role, has never been better - this is his show. The current running time is slightly under three hours, including an intermission, and there were times I wished they had fast-forwarded a little more. I suspect the show might be tightened for it “official” premiere at The Public in the fall, but if you want to see what may be the full-length version of this show, get thee to St. Ann's Warehouse now.

For Info: www.thewoostergroup.org
For Tickets: www.stannswarehouse.org

Journey's End: 02/21/2007

If ever there was a case to be made for giving a Tony Award for for an ensemble of actors, that case is being made at the Belasco Theatre where Journey's End is currently blowing away audiences nightly. Based on the real-life experiences of playwright R.C. Sherriff, the play is a tight, tense, emotional portrait of several days on the front line in France during World Ward I. It's a pleasure to see an audience as involved and engaged in a two-and-a-half-hour, almost plot-less drama as the one I sat with this evening. David Grindley, who directed the play a few years ago in London, has assembled a perfect, mostly American cast, lead by the superb Hugh Dancy and Boyd Gaines. Let's hope that Journey's End, bucks the trend and a thought-provoking intense drama can find success on Broadway.

For tickets & Info: Telecharge

Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris

...well, at least "alive", but not for long - this revival is about to close. As for "well" ...well, not really. The group numbers really soar, as does Gay Marshall in her solo songs. Former American Idol, Constantine Maroulis is charming if a bit mannered. But the real problem is the tone of the evening...cheap laughs, sentimentality, song and dance...it's all there, but jarringly so from song to song. Maybe audiences today expect more than they did in 1968, they certainly pay more.

For Tickets & Info: Telecharge

Follies: 02/09/2007

There is a very telling moment in the current Encores presentation of Stephen Sondheim's Follies. In the second act, Phyllis (Donna Murphy) is singing the drippingly sarcastic “Could I Leave You?” in which she is listing all the things she would no longer have to deal with if married to Ben. At one point while mentioning “the World's Best Books” Murphy takes her script (which all the actors are carrying) and slams it onto the stage. This may be a major milestone in theater history; a physical representation of the primary problem with Follies – it's cliché-ridden dog of a book. Other than its book, Follies is a great musical. City Center's Encores, which has basically become a glorified backer's audition for Broadway revivals, has assembled a very good cast; the standouts being: Donna Murphy, Mimi Hines, Michael McGrath, JoAnne Worley and especially Victoria Clark. Follies has become the ultimate underdog of a musical, for which its fans are awaiting the quintessential production. These fans were all in attendance at City Center, anticipating every moment. Alas, I don't think the penultimate production will ever arrive as long as this book is along for the ride.

For Tickets & Info: www.nycitycenter.org

Toys in the Attic: 02/06/2007

Lillian Hellman's Toys in the Attic is a strange play. It's part Suddenly Last Summer and part Rasin in the Sun. It's as melodramatic as can be and yet has some bits of wisdom, emotion and insanity, hints of incest and morphine use . Austin Pendleton's production for The Pearl Theatre Company is mostly very respectable and his cast is generally excellent. Rachel Botchan, Robin Leslie Brown, Ivy Vahanian and Joanne Camp to a fine job and Sean McNall is outstanding. Although Act One starts out a little too slow and Act Three gets slightly messy, Act Two is simply remarkable. Overall, it's a pleasure to see this odd play given life on St. Marks Place. I'd love to see The Pearl tackle The Children's Hour one day soon.

For Tickets & Info: www.pearltheatre.org

Dead Set #3: 01/25/2007

If anyone needs hard evidence as to how dark the world has become in the past, say, six or so years, need only to look at the production history of Big Art Group. Their previous work, specifically their Real-Time Film trilogy, maintained an air of playfulness even when the plots were the material of B-movie slasher films. Flash forward to 2007 and Dead Set #3, the newest work of Caden Manson, and there is a definite shift and things have taken a threatening turn. Dealing with issues of cannibalism and war, Dead Set #3, explores the personal and public sides of violence exposing the audience to an extreme visual and aural and practically physical assault as one is likely to see on stage this year. Beginning with a montage of lights and sound, moving into a collage of dialogue from numerous films (including The Shining, Night of the Living Dead and the remake of The Hills Have Eyes) and ultimately ending in the meeting of two men who meet on-line for an act of consensual cannibalism. Despite some technical quibbles – such as some misguided lighting - this is a work one is not soon likely to forget.

For Info: www.bigartgroup.com

Wake Up Mr. Sleepy! Your Unconscious Mind is Dead!: 01/23/2007

Like clockwork, in the middle of January each year, arrives a new production by Richard Foreman. Wake Up Mr. Sleepy! Your Unconscious Mind is Dead! is the second of Foreman’s film/performance projects. A film consisting of various tableaus plays behind what is a more typical Foreman-esque stage piece. I’m not sure how I feel about the film element of Foreman's new projects, but I have the feeling if there was no film in next year’s piece that I would miss it. This year's piece seems quieter than previous pieces, with stretches of silence. The recognizable style of previous Foreman sets uses more of the Ontological's stage than past productions, including a cemetery-like section with flowers in black vases over which flies a large brown airplane piloted by six baby dolls. Wake Up Mr. Sleepy! seems to be about technology and unforeseen dangers of “progress” but resist over-analysis and enjoy the ride.

For Tickets & Info: www.ontological.com

Regrets Only: 01/18/2007

I don't understand why Paul Rudnick was bashed so harshly for writing a farce on gay marriage. Many of the NY critics berated him writing one-liners that they said didn't amount to a play. I'm not sure if said critics actually know what a farce is, but Regrets Only is a first class farce. The fact that it manages to be as poignant as it does should be to its credit, not its detriment. I can't recall Neil Simon being held to these same standards. Christine Baranski, looking beautiful in William Ivey Long's gorgeous costumes, has the pristine timing to land every joke Rudnick supplies. Jackie Hoffman is flawless as the only white, Jewish maid in New York City. And Sian Phillips, as Baranski's mother, almost steals the show at the beginning of Act Two. I think the New York critics need to start reviewing the shows they see not the shows they think they should be seeing.

For tickets and info: www.mtc-nyc.org

The Polish Play: 01/14/2007

Katharsis Theater Company's The Polish Play, “devised” and directed by Henry Wishcamper, is part Ubu Roi, part Macbeth, and that's the problem – well that's one of the problems. Alfred Jarry's Ubu is partially based on Macbeth, so the fusing of the two is already redundant. The execution of of The Polish Play is the remainder of the problem. The performance I saw was obviously rough, but the inherent problems of the production can't be overlooked. Most of what is intended to be humorous, just isn't funny. The large set pieces are not easily maneuvered around Walkerspace's narrow playing area. And while there are some creative ideas they are few an far between and even those are executed poorly. The live sound effects are good and actually wind up stealing focus. Happily, things were proceeding briskly, however after about an hour the announcement of an Intermission, after Act III, Scene 4, came as a huge surprise/disappointment. I didn't return for the second half.

For Info & Tickets: www.katharsistheater.org

You Belong To Me: 01/07/2007

You Belong To Me: The Fifth Installment of the Death of Nations Project is a three part theater piece taking place in the US south on the last day of the American Civil War, in Germany on the last day of World War II, and in a present-day US military hospital in Germany. This was my first encounter with the Death of Nations Project and The International WOW Company for that matter. Maybe they are an acquired taste – by the third part I was really enjoying You Belong To Me, but it was really rough going. Act I – Belongings – has none of the humor of the final two Acts, and it's sorely missed. The style of Act One is part Robert Wilson, part Reza Abdoh, part Heiner Müller, and at times it crosses over into avant-garde parody. But things pick up considerably after the first intermission. Act Two is very funny (on purpose) and Wagnarian in scope. And Act Three is just trippy, but enjoyably so. So if you are planning to see You Belong To Me – don't leave at the first intermission – or better yet, just second and third act it.

For Tickets & Info: www.ps122.org

The Clean House: 01/06/2007

Sarah Ruhl's The Clean House is a great play. It should be quickly entered into the cannon or great American dramatic literature. It's funny and smart and moving. It filled with brilliant visuals and juicy bits of wisdom. The Clean House concerns Matilde, a maid from Brazil who doesn't like to clean. She is on a quest to find “the perfect joke” and cleaning makes her depressed. Her employer, Lane, a successful doctor is at her wits end – so in steps Virginia, Lane's sister to offer to clean Lane's house on Matilde's behalf. It's a terrific premise, dealing with class, privilege, work, finding one's place in life, and about a dozen other ideas. So it's sad to report that the expensive production currently at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center only rises to the occasion of this wonderful script in Act Two, when the top-notch cast really finds its stride. Jill Clayburgh's portrayal of Virginia seemed a little too much of cartoon but Blair Brown's Lane is much more sturdy and really blooms in Act Two. As Matilde, Vanessa Aspillaga is very good, finding the right note pretty much throughout. The Clean House is worth a visit, but I don't think this the perfect production that this play deserves.

For Tickets & Info: www.lct.org

The Rapture Project: 01/05/2007

Great Small Works' The Rapture Project is inspired by classic Sicilian puppet theater’s Orlando Furioso cycles, which performed the epic clash of Christians and Muslims in the 1800’s, proving in explicit marionette style, that everything old is indeed new again. Despite an occasional sloppy presentation and sometimes confused narration, The Rapture Project is a riveting political polemic with a cast of characters that include fundamentalist Christians giving a tour of the Grand Canyon, punk Muslims in Buffalo, and American CEO supplying faulty armor to the US soldiers in Iraq and the ghost of Susan Sontag. Along the way to the inevitable blood-bath of a climax is a terrific sound-scape, songs and music composed and performed by Jessica Lurie. And the visual of the Anti-Christ walking down Jay Street is my favorite theater image in a long time!

For Tickets & Info: www.here.org

Carrie: 12/27/2006

Theatre Couture's Carrie based on the famous Stephen King novel and the Brian de Palma film it inspired is a campy and funny good time. Of course Carrie tells of the fateful last few days of the awkward, telekinetic teenager Carrie White leading up to her apocalyptic night at her senior prom. Here, Carrie is played by Keith Levy (aka drag performer Sherry Vine) in a dramatically restrained hilarious performance. Levy's co-stars are mostly hysterically first rate, including Kate Goehring (doing an excellent send-up of Piper Laurie as Carrie's religious fanatic mother), Kathy Searle (as Christine – the mean girl), Keri Meoni (as Norma – the dumb-blond friend), Danielle Skraastad (as Miss Gardner, the gym teacher) and Matthew Wilkas (as Tommy – the prom date). Only a mis-cast Marnye Young, as Sue Snell, doesn't rise to the ridiculous occasion. But, the special effects and puppets by the wonderful Basil Twist don't fail to disappoint. Although I'm a little surprised that Eric Jackson's adaptation didn't fine even more humor given such rich source material, Carrie is still well worth a trip to PS122. Given the standing room only crowd tonight, I can't believe the last performance is December 30th.

For Tickets & Info: www.ps122.org

Heartbreak House: 12/16/2006

Maybe it’s me, maybe I have A.D.D.; maybe it was this production, the pace did seem to lag at times; maybe it was the fact that there is only one intermission after act one and acts two and three are played straight through; maybe it was the typically annoying matinee audience – but at close to two hours and fifty minutes, Heartbreak House seemed unusually long and a little dull. Swoosie Kurtz is always fun to watch on stage, even if she’s more Swoosie than Hesione. Lilly Rabe, Laila Robins and Byron Jennings are all good, too. Philip Bosco is almost unrecognizable and slightly miscast as Captain Shotover. The last few minutes of this play always give me a thrill, but this time it was more out of gratitude that the show was over.

For Tickets and Info: www.roundabouttheatre.org