Is it me?

At the risk of pre-judging, I am not anxiously awaiting "The Performers".  From the blurb...
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It is the night of the Adult Film Awards, and Lee (Breaker), a tabloid journalist, has come to Las Vegas to interview his high school friend Mandrew (Jackson), a hot new star. Lee, who’s accompanied by his fiancée Sara (Silverstone), first sees Mandrew as an exotic creature; but soon enough begins to question his own, more conservative lifestyle. Meanwhile, Sara is having doubts too, and she enlists Mandrew’s wife Peeps (Graynor) – also a performer – to compare notes on intimacy and the fear of commitment. Awards, sequins, and Barry Manilow converge as everyone tries to navigate the ins, outs, ups and downs of relationships. Thank goodness Chuck Wood (Winkler), the hardest-working man in the business, is on hand to remind everyone that size matters… but love matters more.

THE PERFORMERS is a hilarious romantic comedy sure to heat up Broadway this season.

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I just don't want to think of Fonzie's junk.
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Seriously, I rather think of Fozzie's Junk...

Don't Go Gentle is Good, but a Bit Unfocussed

Don’t Go Gentle at the Lucille Lortel Theatre takes its time to resolve what it is trying to say, though it never drags.  It is the story of a Judge who is forced from the bench by his failing health.  At a loss as to what to do with his days, he focuses on a mildly wronged African American mother and her nearly adult son.  His supportive relationship with them contrasts with the strained relationship he maintains with his own children,  a devoted daughter and troubled son.

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Michael Cristofer plays the Judge, Lawrence, who is going a bit stir-crazy being house bound after cancer surgery.  He is physically recovering well, but is not emotionally reconciling to the end of his career.  At his daughter’s suggestion, Lawrence offers legal aid to a young lady wrongly convicted of a felony, when it should have been a misdemeanor.  Angela Lewis plays the African American woman, Tanya, with very real emotions.  Tanya cares for her 16 year old son, the very tall Rasheed, played excellently by Maxx Brawer.

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Angela Lewis & Michael Cristofer in Don't Go Gentle

As the result of the misapplication of the law and her subsequent incarceration, Tanya and Rasheed find their lives interrupted.  None of their problems are direr, but they offend Lawrence’s sense of legal duty, and so he helps where he can.   Once he begins to help them, he finds that he enjoys being a benefactor.

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Concurrently, Lawrence’s son Ben returns to the US after a stay in India.  His attempts to help his father’s recovery are met with dismissal.  Ben and his father cannot help but bicker and daughter Amelia plays a constantly frustrated peacemaker.  David Wilson Barnes and Jennifer Mudge portray Ben and Amelia.   I last saw these two excellent actors in The Big Meal, and their easy chemistry is shown off her with a light and lovely touch as siblings well aware of each other’s foibles.  They grew up watching each other’s back in a strict home that was light on affection.

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Lawrence’s new found joy at “parenting” Tanya and Rasheed baffle his children, and offend young Rasheed. Director Lucie Tiberghien moves the action along well, even though the play relies quite a bit on episodic scenes that bring choppiness to Don’t Go Gentle.  The other problem is the character of Tanya, who moves from a self-reliant and wary young mother into a houseguest / care giver too easily.

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Don’t Go Gentle has some wonderful moments, but the discordant character growth occasionally trips up the narrative.   As with every MCC product at the Lucille Lortel, the technical side of things is excellent (scenic design – Robin Vest, sound design & original composition – Fabian Obispo).

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Don't Go Gentle

Playwright: Stephen Belber

Director: Lucie Tiberghien

Cast: David Wilson Barnes, Maxx Brawer, Michael Cristofer, Angela Lewis, Jennifer Mudge

website

Lewis Black On Form on Broadway

Running on Empty is the new Lewis Black show on stage now at the Richard Rodgers Theater.  For those of you that only know Mr. Black from his outbursts on The Daily Show, you will be pleasantly surprised.  His trademark humor and observations are present, but his quick tantrums are more spaced out, used to punctuate stories and humor.

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Mr. Black is a humorist of stories and observations, not quick one line jokes.  He delights (or wallows – depending on your viewpoint) in the absurdities of modern life and the indignities of the average man.  Were it not for a razor sharp sense of irony he would be that cranky old man screaming for you to get off the lawn.  In one very funny bit, he actually played the cranky neighbor as himself as a child.

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Some of his signature long form material has focused on politics over the years.  Running on Empty is not focused heavily on this.  Like many of the audience, politics has long passed humorous and moved on to pathetic for Mr. Black.  He still brings some attacks on Republican and Democrats, which are hilarious, but he doesn’t dwell.

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Much of the evening was spent on generational disparities.  These included easy targets – who expected him to actually like facebook, and some unexpected ones – he finds his own generation unmotivated and happy being lazy.  He seems to both love his  smartphone, and simultaneously dispare that all of our innovational expertise has been spent on such a individualistic device - we ended space travel but can stream porn into our pockets anywhere in the world. 

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But as always, Lewis Black wandered around different topics with surprising ease.  He elicited laughs consistently and mercilessly, but without malice towards any group – bar politicians.

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Running on Empty is funny as hell. If you can get tickets, go.

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Runny on Empty

Written & Performed: Lewis Black

Additional Material: John Bowman

Website

Upcoming: Scandalous

A new Broadway show is coming up, Scandalous.  It is the story of Aimee Semple McPherson, an Evangelical leader of a church in Los Angeles.  If you read Wikipedia, you can read all about the late Aimee Semple.
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But for me, a born and bred Angelino, it is the stuff of legends.  The huge church (built in 1923) still stands in Echo Park.  Eddie and I have driven by it.  Rumor has it (although it doesn't say anything about this in Wikipedia) that at some point she had the seats wired so that at appropriate times the worshipers would get a little electrical jolt to "feel the power of God".
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She had multiple love affairs, marriages and staged a fake kidnapping (by "Mexicali Rose"!), all the while building a church from the ground up that has over 8 million members!  I mean she is LA all the way!
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Yes, I have my tickets.
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Her church in Echo Park.

Postcard of the church from the 1930

Current view of the church with (I assume) new ficus trees.

Upcoming: CircusWorX

Canal Park Playhouse is thrilled to present the NY premiere of CircusWorX, created and performed by Brent McCoy. CircusWorX begins performances on Saturday, November 10 for a limited engagement through Sunday, December 2. Performances take place at Canal Park Playhouse (508 Canal Street, between Greenwich and West Streets in Tribeca). The performance schedule is Saturdays and Sundays at 1 PM & 4 PM. The regular ticket price is $20. For tickets or more information, call OvationTix on 1-866-811-4111 or visit www.canalparkplayhouse.com.

With a toolbox full of props, and some ingeniously interconnected circus feats, Brent McCoy constructs a wild physical comedy laugh factory! Using astonishing physical dexterity, Brent transforms items like a foam wrench, a rubber plunger and a traffic cone into pure fun. Intelligent, precise and absolutely hilarious, Brent’s antics have been described as “Cirque de Soleil meets Home Depot!” Home improvement was never this wacky!

Part of Canal Park Playhouse’s Matinee/Brunch series, brunch at the theater’s Waffle Iron Café is available before and after the show. 

Growing up on a dairy farm in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, Brent McCoy developed an interest in juggling and circus as a teenager. After teaching for Circus Smirkus, he continued to hone his skills while attending Bates College. Upon graduating with a painting degree, he quickly discovered that performing was his passion. Brent has worked with Avner the Eccentric, Keith Johnstone, Fritz Grobe, and Robert Post. He has performed at festivals world wide, from China to Canada, and for private corporate events. In addition to touring his solo show, he currently performs The Secret Circus with his wife Maya, produces semi-annual shows with Vermont Vaudeville and teaches school residencies with YES! Theater

Grace Flies High (but doesn’t Soar)

Grace, now playing at the Cort Theater, is a fine show performed by a stellar cast.  It is the story of Steve and Sara, who move from Minnesota to Florida to build a line of Christian Hotels (tagline – Where Would Jesus Stay?).  It opens with Steve committing adouble murder suicide, and then starts at the beginning of the story.

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Paul Rudd, in a role far removed from his juvenile but funny movie characters, plays the overly earnest Steve.  Steve is a Christian Evangelical, occasionally his is manically evangelical.   He believes that all of his blessing are a gift from God – a personal gift.  Mr. Rudd does not play Steve condescendingly, but with true conviction.  Steve tries to behave within the norms of society, but he cannot help but try to persuade people to his beliefs – always starting politely, but then pushing a little too hard and too long.

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Kate Arrington is wonderful as the understated wife, Sarah.  Srah is a little lost and lonely in Florida, but willing to follow her husband on his quest.  For her, it is about love and marriage, but she isn’t blind to Steve’s desire for money and a sort of fame.  Her loneliness leads her to seek out the reclusive neighbor, Sam.  Ms. Arrington's tender tentativeness is occasionally brushed away to show the strength of Sarah's personality.

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Michael Shannon & Kate Arrington in Grace

The reclusive neighbor is Sam, physically disfigured as well as emotional scarred from a car accident.  Michael Shannon is astounding in this role.  He is a tightly controlled bundle of nerves; so uncomfortable with his visage that he sees no one.  Sara befriends Sam and their mutual isolation pulls down their walls, and they fall in love.  As shown in the opening scene, Sam kills them both before killing himself.

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Where Grace surprises is showing the change in Sam and Sara.  They grow to have real faith in each other, and that leads them to question of their religious faith.  For Sara, it calls her morality into question.  Can something this good, be against God’s will?  Ms. Arrington’s understated performance lets the audience fill in the questions for her. For  Mr. Shannon's Sam, is the gift of love here something random, or a sign that there is a higher power?  Sam doesn’t have a sudden conversion to religion, but he does see something beautiful in the world.

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Mr. Rudd’s Steve follows the opposite path.  As his plans fall apart, he blames God.  You see in his eyes and his mannerisms that if all good comes from God, then all this evil must also come from God.  Abandoned, he lashes out.

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Ed Asner plays nicely in a small role as a German who saw too much in the war.  He brings the obvious questions, “If there is a God, why do some many bad things happen to good people?”, into the mix.  And there is a critical moment late in the play where Mr. Asner’s Karl returns – maybe in time to prevent tragedy.

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All in all, Grace moves by quickly, without an intermission.  Dexter Bullard’s direction keeps the show from falling into cliché, by focusing on these amazing portrayals.  In an interesting choice, the stage itself rotates very slowly.  Perspectives change subtly and, like the play, take a little while to seep in.

Grace

Playwright: Craig Wright

Director: Dexter Bullard

Cast: Paul Rudd, Michael Shannon, Kate Arrignton, Ed Asner

Website  

The Best Of Everything: An Eye-opening (and enjoyable) Trip to the 1950s

The 1950s doesn’t seem that long ago, most of the time.   The play The Best of Everything is based on Ronna Jaffe’s 1950s book and it looks at the period through a unique lens.  This theatrical adaptation is produced with the permission of The Rona Jaffe Foundation.  Ms. Jaffe was quoted as saying, "Back then, people didn’t talk about not being a virgin.  They didn’t talk about going out with married men.  They didn’t talk about abortion.  They didn’t talk about sexual harassment, which had no name in those days. I thought if I could help one young woman sitting in her tiny apartment thinking she was all alone and a bad girl, then the book would be worthwhile.”

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Sarah Wilson & Alicia Sable in The Best of Everything

The Best of Everything certainly does talk about those things, in a frank way that shocks even some of the characters who say the lines.  The story follows Caroline (played to perfection by Sarah Wilson) as she moves from jilted fiancée, to secretarial pool, to Female Editor (there is only one).  Along the way, she and the other secretaries aim for love or marriage, rarely both.  She is told early that there are only two kinds of women in the office, the ones looking for husbands or the “ambitious” ones – who are ready to backstab other women to get ahead.

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Caroline, however, loves her job, editing and being a reader.  She falls into the ambitious category without the backstabbing; but not without heartache.  Caroline slowly explores emotional and then sexual maturity without a husband in the 1950s.  It is a difficult road, and one without guideposts or mentors.  Ms. Wilson pulls the audience along with her as she tests the limits of the time and of herself.

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Two of her friends, innocent April (a perky and believable Alicia Sable) and sultry Gregg (Hayley Teirder doing good job with the most dated character) don’t follow the traditional path - dating, marriage, and, only then, sex.  It has bad consequences for both women.  Although, for April at least, she is able to turn her life back around.  The idea that you could be a loose woman, and then later become respectable was new and groundbreaking.

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Two of the other secretaries, Mary Agnes (a terrific Molly Lloyd) and Brenda (a hilarious Sas Goldberg) do get married and leave the office.  The Best of Everything shows a microcosm of women’s choices in the 1950s.  Ultimately, you probably couldn’t have the best of Everything, but you could have the best of some things.

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Sarah Wilson and Amy Wilson

Tom O’Keefe plays nearly all the male parts excellently, bringing to life a couple of key moments.  The other man, the jilting fiancé, is well played by Jordan Geiger.  Amy Wilson under plays Miss Farrow nicely.  If you only know Miss Farrow from the movie with Joan Crawford, you will be surprised to see Ms. Wilson doing an excellent job of being a terror without sucking up all the oxygen in the room.

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The show was adapted from the book and directed by Julie Kramer.  She has done an excellent job, moving the story along but keeping the audience invested in the characters.  Finally I have to give a huge credit to Daniel Urlie, whose costumes set the period perfectly.  It is a little thing, but when costuming is done badly it pulls the audience out of the moment, Mr. Urlie did a great job.

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The Best of Everything is one of the rare shows that is funny, entertaining and still shows you something new.

The Best of Everything

Book: Ronna Jaffe

Adaptation: Julie Kramer

Development: Amy Wilson

Direction: Julie Kramer

Cast: Sarah Wilson, Jordan Geiger, Sas Goldberg, Molly Lloyd, Tom O’Keefe, Alicia Sable, Hayley Treider, Amy Wilson

Website