This review of The Parkside Players' production of "The Foreigner" by Larry Shue at Grace Lutheran Church (Forest Hills) was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 4 (2014) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!
The Foreigner
The Parkside Players
Grace Lutheran Church (103-15 Union Turnpike, Forest Hills, NY)
Reviewed 11/22/14
The Foreigner was written by American Playwright Larry Shue. Following its premiere in Milwaukee, the play opened on November 1, 1984 at New York City's Astor Place Theatre where it ran for 686 performances. The play eventually won two Obie Awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards, including the John Gassner Playwriting Award and the Award for Best Off-Broadway Production. Larry Shue died at age 39 on September 23, 1985 in the crash of a Beech 39 commuter plane, not living to see the continued popularity of The Foreigner. On November 7, 2004, the Roundabout Theatre Company revived The Foreigner at the Off-Broadway Laura Pels Theatre where it ran for ten weeks. Larry Shue's most popular plays include The Nerd and The Foreigner, both comic farces he wrote while a playwright-in-residence at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.
This play revolves around Charlie Baker, a meek proofreader for a science fiction magazine whose adulterous wife thinks is boring. Mary, who has six months to live, has cheated on Charlie twenty-three times proudly announcing each indiscretion to humiliate him. Staff Sergeant "Froggy" LeSueur, a British Army explosives expert and Guest Instructor at a United States Army Base, has brought his buddy Charlie to a lodge in rural Georgia for a three-day holiday to escape from the stress of dealing with the illness of his wife, whom he still loves. Since Charlie doesn't feel up to speaking to anyone due to social anxiety, Froggy tells Betty Meeks, the resort lodge owner, that Charlie is a foreigner who doesn't understand or speak a word of English. At first, Charlie doesn't want to go along with the ruse but after he inadvertently overhears Catherine Simms, a wealthy heiress, tell her boyfriend, Rev. David Marshall Lee (a distant relative to General Robert E. Lee), that she is pregnant, he feels it best to go along with the plan. What is hilarious about this farce is how each of the characters in the play interact with this non-English speaking foreigner. Betty Meeks, the lodge owner, treats Charlie as if he's an exotic animal all the time speaking in a loud voice as if he were deaf. Catherine Simms takes long walks with Charlie and treats him as her confidante. Ellard Simms, Catherine's mentally challenged younger brother, takes pride in teaching Charlie new English words. The Rev. David Marshall Lee is highly suspicious of who Charlie really is and Owen Musser, a superstitious, dangerous racist hates foreigners and ultimately calls in the KKK to address the issue. There is a sub-plot about Rev. Lee and Owen conspiring to condemn the lodge and to use Catherine's money to buy it at a greatly reduced price in order to make it the new headquarters and capital of The Invisible Empire but you can rest assured that with the help of the foreigner, everyone will get their just rewards. Even poor Charlie may develop a new personality in the end.
The Foreigner is a very well-written play with plenty of laughs. You could argue over whether the more serious sub-plot is gratuitous or an essential element of the broad range of reactions this "foreigner" encounters and you can debate whether some of the farcical elements of the play are too outrageous to have been included, but overall, I felt the play hit just the right balance between comedy and satire. So what if sometimes Charlie breaks out into a Chicken Dance or repeats the phrase Klaatu barada nikto, which was from the 1951 science fiction film The Day The Earth Stood Still. It's all in good fun!
Bill Meaney, the one-time minor league shortstop, who enjoyed a half-season call-up to the Washington Senators during the season they last won the AL pennant, is perfectly cast as Charlie Baker. He brings just the right balance to the role. Kieran (JK) Larkin, who won a Josephine Foundation Award for Best Performance by a Teenage Actor for playing the Young Son Edgar in Ragtime, is extremely believable as the mentally challenged Ellard Simms. Their scenes together on stage are some of the highlights of the show. Stephen J. Ryan, who is a playwright himself and a teacher of history and advanced placement economics at Leon M. Goldstein High School in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, is a very charismatic actor with a strong stage presence. With him as Rev. David Marshall Lee, you could actually believe the South had a chance to rise again. Unfortunately, and this is not the actor's fault, it is less believable that Rev. Lee is a secret leader of the KKK hellbent on creating a new Christian, all White Nation free of Jews, Catholics, Negroes and Foreigners. His dialogue just doesn't reflect that he holds such views. Robert Aloi is well-suited to play Owen Musser, the true dim-witted, narrow-minded, Georgia Cracker in the play. Lori Ann Santopetro shines as Betty Meeks. Jimmy O'Neill successfully portrays "Froggy", who sometimes puts Charlie on the spot making me wonder how close a friend he really is to him. Krissy Garber is a very talented actress who portrays Catherine Simms, a character you will find far more likable in the second half of the play.
To highlight the lack of worldliness of Betty Meeks, the playwright included a line where Froggy says to her, "It reminds me a lot of Malaysia" and she responds, "Who's she?". By getting pregnant before marriage, Catherine Simms is learning you can't unstuff a turkey or unring a bell. While reading an article about this year's debutantes, she says, "They're coming out. The catch is you don't get to go back in." Charlie described himself as being Betty's "pet skunk," Ellard's "prized pupil," and Catherine's "confessor." When all is revealed, Ellard asks, "David, sheet head?", to which Catherine responds, "Yes, shit head!." Larry Shue's best line, which pretty much sums up the meaning of the play, is when one character says, "Nobody is like him" and the retort is, Nobody is like anybody!"
I highly recommend you go to see The Parkside Players' production of Larry Shue's The Foreigner. It is a highly engaging entertaining comedy and an audience pleaser. It is a fun show with an excellent cast. Reasonably priced concession items are available before the show begins and during intermission. Tickets cost $17.00 ($15.00 for seniors). The price is right for a quality evening of entertainment!
Monday, November 24, 2014
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Applause! Applause! Review of Chip Deffaa's The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue at 13th Street Repertory Theater by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens
This review of the world premiere of The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue at 13th Street Repertory Theater was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 4 (2014) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!
"The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue" - Written, Arranged & Directed by Chip Deffaa
13th Street Repertory Theater (50 West 13th Street, NYC)
Reviewed 11/16/14 at 3:00 p.m.
The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue features a number of songs written by American composer and lyricist Irving Berlin during the Ragtime Era, which ended just after World War I in 1918 when jazz replaced it as the popular musical genre of the day. Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin on May 11, 1888) published his first song, Marie From Sunny Italy, in 1907, but his first major international hit, published in 1911, was Alexander's Ragtime Band, which like all ragtime songs had a syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. The song sparked an international dance craze and quickly came to signify modernism, leaving behind, as music historian Philip Furia says, "the gentility of the Victorian Era" and replacing it with "purveyors of liberation, indulgence, and leisure." In 1914, Irving Berlin wrote a ragtime revue entitled Watch Your Step, which Variety called "The First Syncopated Musical." He went on to write an estimated 1,500 songs including the scores for 19 Broadway musicals and 18 Hollywood films. Many of his songs became popular themes and anthems such as Easter Parade, White Christmas, There's No Business Like Show Business, A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody, and God Bless America. Irving Berlin lived for many years at 17 Beekman Place in Manhattan. He died on September 22, 1989 at 101 years of age.
Chip Deffaa, who wrote, arranged and directed this revue, has put together a masterpiece of musical theater. It includes tap and syncopated dancing recreated on stage by Tyler DuBoys and Alex Acevedo, Co-Choreographers, who meticulously researched the dance moves of the Ragtime Era. The revue also includes plenty of historical facts about Irving Berlin's life as well as a number of amusing anecdotes. Forty-four songs are presented in two acts in just under two hours but the time flies because there is always an interesting story line to keep the revue moving. Some songs are grouped together (e.g. Love Songs, Patriotic Songs, Rag Songs and Travel Songs) while others are featured as part of the very interesting story being told for the edification and enjoyment of the audience. A cast of ten (five men and five women) take turns singing, sometimes as themselves, sometimes as other famous singers of the era, such as Sophie Tucker and Fannie Brice. Every performer in this revue sang the lyrics of the songs clearly, which is extremely important when presenting the work of Irving Berlin, who is widely recognized to be one of the greatest songwriters in American history. K.W. Andersson, a seasoned professional, appeared on stage as Chip Deffaa to explain how he came up with the idea for this musical revue as well as to sing a few songs. I was also lucky to have caught one of the select performances at which cabaret singer, Carolyn Montgomery-Forant, appeared as a special guest. She is absolutely amazing!
The show features an extremely talented cast of young performers who all have very promising futures in musical theater. Jonah Barricklo, who played Alex, and Michael Kasper, who was Michael, were both presented with awards by Chip Deffaa for their hard work and dedication to this production. Brandon Pollinger, another young performer who is currently attending the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts for Musical Theater, is a very charismatic and talented fellow I look forward to seeing more of. Andrew Lanctot, who played Irving Berlin and Jessee, and Michael Czyz, who played Ben, are both extremely proficient singers and actors on the fast track to superstardom. Emily Bordonaro and Missy Dreier, who played Emmie and Missy, respectively, were the standout female performers in this musical revue bringing their class, acting ability and talent to all they did on stage. But just as essential to the success of the show were the three remaining female leads: Rayna Hirt, who played Sophie, Maite Uzal, who was Brooke, and Ann Marie Calabro, the twin sister of Theatre Boys singer/actor Philip Louis Calabro, who was Samantha. Richard Danley, who is on the faculty of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), deftly played the piano and served as the revue's Musical Director.
The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue is a huge hit! It deserves to run for years!
"The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue" - Written, Arranged & Directed by Chip Deffaa
13th Street Repertory Theater (50 West 13th Street, NYC)
Reviewed 11/16/14 at 3:00 p.m.
The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue features a number of songs written by American composer and lyricist Irving Berlin during the Ragtime Era, which ended just after World War I in 1918 when jazz replaced it as the popular musical genre of the day. Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin on May 11, 1888) published his first song, Marie From Sunny Italy, in 1907, but his first major international hit, published in 1911, was Alexander's Ragtime Band, which like all ragtime songs had a syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. The song sparked an international dance craze and quickly came to signify modernism, leaving behind, as music historian Philip Furia says, "the gentility of the Victorian Era" and replacing it with "purveyors of liberation, indulgence, and leisure." In 1914, Irving Berlin wrote a ragtime revue entitled Watch Your Step, which Variety called "The First Syncopated Musical." He went on to write an estimated 1,500 songs including the scores for 19 Broadway musicals and 18 Hollywood films. Many of his songs became popular themes and anthems such as Easter Parade, White Christmas, There's No Business Like Show Business, A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody, and God Bless America. Irving Berlin lived for many years at 17 Beekman Place in Manhattan. He died on September 22, 1989 at 101 years of age.
Chip Deffaa, who wrote, arranged and directed this revue, has put together a masterpiece of musical theater. It includes tap and syncopated dancing recreated on stage by Tyler DuBoys and Alex Acevedo, Co-Choreographers, who meticulously researched the dance moves of the Ragtime Era. The revue also includes plenty of historical facts about Irving Berlin's life as well as a number of amusing anecdotes. Forty-four songs are presented in two acts in just under two hours but the time flies because there is always an interesting story line to keep the revue moving. Some songs are grouped together (e.g. Love Songs, Patriotic Songs, Rag Songs and Travel Songs) while others are featured as part of the very interesting story being told for the edification and enjoyment of the audience. A cast of ten (five men and five women) take turns singing, sometimes as themselves, sometimes as other famous singers of the era, such as Sophie Tucker and Fannie Brice. Every performer in this revue sang the lyrics of the songs clearly, which is extremely important when presenting the work of Irving Berlin, who is widely recognized to be one of the greatest songwriters in American history. K.W. Andersson, a seasoned professional, appeared on stage as Chip Deffaa to explain how he came up with the idea for this musical revue as well as to sing a few songs. I was also lucky to have caught one of the select performances at which cabaret singer, Carolyn Montgomery-Forant, appeared as a special guest. She is absolutely amazing!
The show features an extremely talented cast of young performers who all have very promising futures in musical theater. Jonah Barricklo, who played Alex, and Michael Kasper, who was Michael, were both presented with awards by Chip Deffaa for their hard work and dedication to this production. Brandon Pollinger, another young performer who is currently attending the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts for Musical Theater, is a very charismatic and talented fellow I look forward to seeing more of. Andrew Lanctot, who played Irving Berlin and Jessee, and Michael Czyz, who played Ben, are both extremely proficient singers and actors on the fast track to superstardom. Emily Bordonaro and Missy Dreier, who played Emmie and Missy, respectively, were the standout female performers in this musical revue bringing their class, acting ability and talent to all they did on stage. But just as essential to the success of the show were the three remaining female leads: Rayna Hirt, who played Sophie, Maite Uzal, who was Brooke, and Ann Marie Calabro, the twin sister of Theatre Boys singer/actor Philip Louis Calabro, who was Samantha. Richard Danley, who is on the faculty of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), deftly played the piano and served as the revue's Musical Director.
The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue is a huge hit! It deserves to run for years!
Monday, November 17, 2014
Applause! Applause! Review of Douglaston Community Theatre's production of The Gingerbread Lady at Zion Episcopal Church by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens
This review of Douglaston Community Theatre's production of "The Gingerbread Lady" by Neil Simon at Zion Episcopal Church was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 4 (2014) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!
The Gingerbread Lady
Douglaston Community Theatre
Zion Episcopal Church (243-01 Northern Blvd., Douglaston, NY)
Reviewed 11/15/14
The Gingerbread Lady is a play by Neil Simon written specifically for actress Maureen Stapleton, who won a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for her performance in the lead role of Evy Meara, a cabaret singer whose career, marriage and life have been destroyed by her addiction to alcohol and sex. The play opened on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre on December 13, 1970 and closed on May 29, 1971 after 193 performances. In 1981, Neil Simon adapted the play for a film released with the title Only When I Laugh. The Gingerbread Lady was also produced by the Equity Library Theater (New York City) in 1987. The title references a Gingerbread Cottage and Gingerbread Mom Evy gave her daughter Polly when she was 9 years old. Of course, the Gingerbread Mom is now crumbing just as Evy crumbles whenever her addictions get the best of her, which is most of the time.
The play opens with Evy Meara returning to her Brownstone Apartment in the West 80s in Manhattan from a ten-week stint in a rehabilitation center on Long Island where she sobered up and lost 40 pounds. Her latest binge was triggered by the infidelity of her 6-month live-in lover, Lou Tanner, a deadbeat guitar player who claimed to be inspired by Evy but who was probably just looking for a place to stay. Lou isn't the only incredibly needy person in Evy's life. Her friend Toby Landau is an overly vain woman who fears the loss of her looks and paints on her makeup in an increasingly losing battle to appear young. Then there is Jimmy Perry, a gay actor, who is currently unemployed and fears he may never work again. The funniest line in the play is when Evy asks Jimmy why they don't just get married. Jimmy responds, "You're a drunk nymphomaniac and I'm a homosexual...we'd have trouble getting our children into a good school."
The off-beat, quirky characters in this play bury their failures and fears in booze and are there for each other when they fall apart. After only three weeks of being sober and having already rationalized having a Sherry over lunch at Schrafft's, the shit hits the fan, so to speak. Lou Tanner reappears begging to return. Toby Landau's husband leaves her and at a birthday party Evy is hosting for her, she basically falls apart in front of her eyes. Jimmy Perry, who finally got a part in a play, is fired just before opening night. They all come to Evy's apartment for solace and before the night is out, Evy falls off the wagon big time and becomes the mean, unfunny, vindictive drunk she has always been. To top off the evening, she returns to Lou Tanner's apartment for some late night sex, smashes his guitar and gets punched in the face. The only positive person in Evy's life is her 19 year old daughter Polly, who has come to stay with her seeking a mom but who ends up trying to be her own mom's mother. The final character in the play is Manuel, a Spanish delivery boy, who insists on getting cash ($14.28) for the groceries since he knows Evy has been delinquent in paying past bills on credit.
This production features a very talented cast, which included Clare Lowell as Evy, Barbara Mavro as Toby and Harriet Spitzer-Picker as Polly. Rich Weyhausen was perfectly suited to play Jimmy Perry but Michael H. Carlin, an extraordinary, professional actor, should not have been cast as both Lou Tanner and Manuel. Those two roles need to be played by different actors. While Mr. Carlin did the best he could, I feel he was miscast. Lou Tanner, in my opinion, should be a man in his 30s, and Manuel, the Spanish Delivery Boy, should be as young as possible. Before the play reached Broadway, Neil Simon changed the ending to make it a bit more hopeful. Polly momentarily inspires her mom and the final line in the play is when Evy tells her daughter, "When I grow up, I want to be just like you." Still, the audience has no illusion that the road ahead will be easy for either Evy or Polly. However, a more realistic ending to the play is the one Neil Simon originally wrote for it. In that version, Evy alienates all her friends and the final scene is when Manuel returns to Evy's apartment to get paid for the groceries "in trade." Given that version of an ending, the younger Manuel is (I suggest 14 or 15), the greater it would drive home the point of just how far Evy has fallen.
If you haven't seen The Gingerbread Lady, I highly recommend you go see this show. Douglaston Community Theatre hosts their productions in the Parish Hall of Zion Episcopal Church. Reasonably priced concessions are now served before the show and during intermission. There are cushions on all seats to make your theater-going experience more enjoyable and you can't beat the price of a ticket.
The Gingerbread Lady
Douglaston Community Theatre
Zion Episcopal Church (243-01 Northern Blvd., Douglaston, NY)
Reviewed 11/15/14
The Gingerbread Lady is a play by Neil Simon written specifically for actress Maureen Stapleton, who won a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for her performance in the lead role of Evy Meara, a cabaret singer whose career, marriage and life have been destroyed by her addiction to alcohol and sex. The play opened on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre on December 13, 1970 and closed on May 29, 1971 after 193 performances. In 1981, Neil Simon adapted the play for a film released with the title Only When I Laugh. The Gingerbread Lady was also produced by the Equity Library Theater (New York City) in 1987. The title references a Gingerbread Cottage and Gingerbread Mom Evy gave her daughter Polly when she was 9 years old. Of course, the Gingerbread Mom is now crumbing just as Evy crumbles whenever her addictions get the best of her, which is most of the time.
The play opens with Evy Meara returning to her Brownstone Apartment in the West 80s in Manhattan from a ten-week stint in a rehabilitation center on Long Island where she sobered up and lost 40 pounds. Her latest binge was triggered by the infidelity of her 6-month live-in lover, Lou Tanner, a deadbeat guitar player who claimed to be inspired by Evy but who was probably just looking for a place to stay. Lou isn't the only incredibly needy person in Evy's life. Her friend Toby Landau is an overly vain woman who fears the loss of her looks and paints on her makeup in an increasingly losing battle to appear young. Then there is Jimmy Perry, a gay actor, who is currently unemployed and fears he may never work again. The funniest line in the play is when Evy asks Jimmy why they don't just get married. Jimmy responds, "You're a drunk nymphomaniac and I'm a homosexual...we'd have trouble getting our children into a good school."
The off-beat, quirky characters in this play bury their failures and fears in booze and are there for each other when they fall apart. After only three weeks of being sober and having already rationalized having a Sherry over lunch at Schrafft's, the shit hits the fan, so to speak. Lou Tanner reappears begging to return. Toby Landau's husband leaves her and at a birthday party Evy is hosting for her, she basically falls apart in front of her eyes. Jimmy Perry, who finally got a part in a play, is fired just before opening night. They all come to Evy's apartment for solace and before the night is out, Evy falls off the wagon big time and becomes the mean, unfunny, vindictive drunk she has always been. To top off the evening, she returns to Lou Tanner's apartment for some late night sex, smashes his guitar and gets punched in the face. The only positive person in Evy's life is her 19 year old daughter Polly, who has come to stay with her seeking a mom but who ends up trying to be her own mom's mother. The final character in the play is Manuel, a Spanish delivery boy, who insists on getting cash ($14.28) for the groceries since he knows Evy has been delinquent in paying past bills on credit.
This production features a very talented cast, which included Clare Lowell as Evy, Barbara Mavro as Toby and Harriet Spitzer-Picker as Polly. Rich Weyhausen was perfectly suited to play Jimmy Perry but Michael H. Carlin, an extraordinary, professional actor, should not have been cast as both Lou Tanner and Manuel. Those two roles need to be played by different actors. While Mr. Carlin did the best he could, I feel he was miscast. Lou Tanner, in my opinion, should be a man in his 30s, and Manuel, the Spanish Delivery Boy, should be as young as possible. Before the play reached Broadway, Neil Simon changed the ending to make it a bit more hopeful. Polly momentarily inspires her mom and the final line in the play is when Evy tells her daughter, "When I grow up, I want to be just like you." Still, the audience has no illusion that the road ahead will be easy for either Evy or Polly. However, a more realistic ending to the play is the one Neil Simon originally wrote for it. In that version, Evy alienates all her friends and the final scene is when Manuel returns to Evy's apartment to get paid for the groceries "in trade." Given that version of an ending, the younger Manuel is (I suggest 14 or 15), the greater it would drive home the point of just how far Evy has fallen.
If you haven't seen The Gingerbread Lady, I highly recommend you go see this show. Douglaston Community Theatre hosts their productions in the Parish Hall of Zion Episcopal Church. Reasonably priced concessions are now served before the show and during intermission. There are cushions on all seats to make your theater-going experience more enjoyable and you can't beat the price of a ticket.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Applause! Applause! Review of The Billboard Players' production of The Big Knife at the Community Church of East Williston by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens
This review of The Billboard Players' production of "The Big Knife" by Clifford Odets at the Community Church of East Williston was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 4 (2014) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!
The Big Knife
The Billboard Players
Community Church of East Willison (45 East Williston Avenue, East Williston, NY)
Reviewed 11/9/14
The Big Knife was written by Clifford Odets. It premiered on Broadway at the National Theatre on February 24, 1949 and closed on May 28, 1949 after 109 performances. It was made into a film in 1955. Its first Broadway revival was produced by Roundabout Theatre Company at the American Airlines Theatre opening there on April 16, 2013 and closing on June 2, 2013. Clifford Odets, an American playwright, screenwriter and director, was a card-carrying member of the American Communist Party. The message of his first play, the one-act Waiting For Lefty, which opened on January 5, 1935 at the Civic Repertory Theatre in New York City, can be summed up as "workers of the world unite!". Despite his "noble ideals" to write about the plight of the common man, one could say he compromised his integrity when, in 1936, he went to Hollywood to write for the very studio system he criticizes in this play. In addition, just like Charlie Castle, the main character in The Big Knife, he also cheated on his wife and probably participated in creating "art" he was not proud of. In essence, he compromised his integrity in many aspects of his life and then blamed "Hollywood" and the profit motive for his personal choices and moral failings. Finally, in May 1952, Odets was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. He avoided being blacklisted by cooperating with the Committee and giving them the names of Communist Party members he knew. After that, Odets was accosted in the street and snubbed in Hollywood restaurants. His productivity declined and he was allegedly "tormented by public reaction to his testimony" until his death in 1963.
In The Big Knife, Charlie Castle is a very successful Hollywood actor under contract to Hoff-Federated Studios. He owns a large home and beach house, spends money with little self-control and drinks alcohol to drown out his unhappiness about making films he doesn't believe are substantive and artistic enough for his taste. He casually cheats on his wife Marion, a self-righteous, pill-popping moralist, who has threatened to leave him if he signs a new fourteen-year, 3.744 million dollar contract with Hoff-Federated, but even though he claims to love his wife, he is also addicted to his current lifestyle and the fame that comes with it. So much so that when he kills a child driving drunk on Christmas eve with Dixie Evans, one of his many lovers, in the car he lets Marcus Hoff of Hoff-Federated Studios manage the crisis by making a deal to let his friend Buddy Bliss take the rap and go to prison for him. Dixie Evans got a contract with Hoff-Federated in return for keeping quiet and Buddy Bliss was hired back as a Publicist after serving his prison term. Charlie Castle pays his buddy back by sleeping with his wife Connie, and only grows the slightest backbone when Smiley Coy, Hoff's henchman, suggests that Dixie Evans may have to be "disposed of" if she doesn't stop hinting she knows something more about what happened the night of the accident. One must be committed after all! As Smiley Coy's character says, "Once you scheme, you marry the scheme and the scheme's children."
One of the best lines in the play is uttered by Patty Benedict, played by Sharon Levine, who when interviewing Charlie Castle for her gossip column, got a response from Buddy Bliss, his publicist. Ms. Benedict's retort was, "I want my gossip from the horse's mouth, not his ass." Marion Castle would rather her husband work in New York City acting in the theatre because she views Hollywood as being an "atmosphere of flattery and deceit" but her husband views theatre as "a stunted, bleeding stump where you wait for years for a good part." As for knowing what deceit is, Marion is an expert. She admits she just recently had an abortion without even telling her husband she was pregnant and she blatantly hints she is having an affair with Hank Teagle, one of her husband's best friends. One of the only stable relationships in the play is that between Charlie Castle and his agent, Nat Denziger, both who appear to have a genuine love for one another. They call each other "darling" and "lovey" but not in a manner you might describe as being sexual in nature. One of the weirdest lines in the play is "Life is a queer little man," by which I suspect Odets means that life is difficult to understand and full of twists and turns off the straight and narrow road. One such twist occurs at the end of the play when Charlie Castle promises his wife he will "make her happy starting tonight," which turns out to be one promise he actually keeps.
The best performance in this production is by Timothy F. Smith, who played Marcus Hoff. Mr. Smith has a very commanding stage presence and his character was given the most substantive lines by Odets. Michael Wolf is extremely believable as Nat Denziger, Charlie's Jewish agent. I have known many agents and managers cast in the same mold and Mr. Wolf perfected the mannerisms and speech cadence required for this part. I was very displeased with the performance of Diane Mansell as Marion Castle. It appeared as if she was more committed to methodically delivering her lines than to actually acting in the scenes. The rest of the cast did more than a fine job in their respective roles; John Carrozza was Charlie Castle, Joe Montano played Buddy Bliss, Joe Pepe was Smiley Coy, Al Carbuto played Hank Teagle, Kim Kaiman was Connie Bliss, Liz Bisciello played Dixie Evans, Sharon Levine was Patty Benedict, and Andy Minet played the servant, Russell. Special compliments are due Louis V. Fucilo, who directed the production and was responsible for the beautiful and detailed Set Decoration.
The Big Knife is a long, wordy play with many characters you will not respect or identify with. It also reflects opinions about the studio system in Hollywood and the artistic superiority of theatre over film that are more reflective of viewpoints held in the past than in contemporary society. Selling out and losing your integrity in return for financial stability are universal themes as is the need for every person to take personal responsibility for the decisions they make in their lives as well as for their moral failings. Clifford Odets uses the play as another soapbox for his leftist leaning ideological condemnation of merchants and those who seek to make a profit, but he also condemns the general public for consuming the crap produced by popular culture. That having been said, I do recommend you go out to see The Billboard Players' production of The Big Knife. The price is right and you will get a relaxing afternoon or evening of high-quality community theater. The staff is very friendly and all refreshments, served before the show and during intermission, cost only $1.00 (advance warning - for some reason they serve only decaf coffee, not that you'll need it to stay awake). After you see The Big Knife, you will leave the theatre committed to becoming a better person.
The Big Knife
The Billboard Players
Community Church of East Willison (45 East Williston Avenue, East Williston, NY)
Reviewed 11/9/14
The Big Knife was written by Clifford Odets. It premiered on Broadway at the National Theatre on February 24, 1949 and closed on May 28, 1949 after 109 performances. It was made into a film in 1955. Its first Broadway revival was produced by Roundabout Theatre Company at the American Airlines Theatre opening there on April 16, 2013 and closing on June 2, 2013. Clifford Odets, an American playwright, screenwriter and director, was a card-carrying member of the American Communist Party. The message of his first play, the one-act Waiting For Lefty, which opened on January 5, 1935 at the Civic Repertory Theatre in New York City, can be summed up as "workers of the world unite!". Despite his "noble ideals" to write about the plight of the common man, one could say he compromised his integrity when, in 1936, he went to Hollywood to write for the very studio system he criticizes in this play. In addition, just like Charlie Castle, the main character in The Big Knife, he also cheated on his wife and probably participated in creating "art" he was not proud of. In essence, he compromised his integrity in many aspects of his life and then blamed "Hollywood" and the profit motive for his personal choices and moral failings. Finally, in May 1952, Odets was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. He avoided being blacklisted by cooperating with the Committee and giving them the names of Communist Party members he knew. After that, Odets was accosted in the street and snubbed in Hollywood restaurants. His productivity declined and he was allegedly "tormented by public reaction to his testimony" until his death in 1963.
In The Big Knife, Charlie Castle is a very successful Hollywood actor under contract to Hoff-Federated Studios. He owns a large home and beach house, spends money with little self-control and drinks alcohol to drown out his unhappiness about making films he doesn't believe are substantive and artistic enough for his taste. He casually cheats on his wife Marion, a self-righteous, pill-popping moralist, who has threatened to leave him if he signs a new fourteen-year, 3.744 million dollar contract with Hoff-Federated, but even though he claims to love his wife, he is also addicted to his current lifestyle and the fame that comes with it. So much so that when he kills a child driving drunk on Christmas eve with Dixie Evans, one of his many lovers, in the car he lets Marcus Hoff of Hoff-Federated Studios manage the crisis by making a deal to let his friend Buddy Bliss take the rap and go to prison for him. Dixie Evans got a contract with Hoff-Federated in return for keeping quiet and Buddy Bliss was hired back as a Publicist after serving his prison term. Charlie Castle pays his buddy back by sleeping with his wife Connie, and only grows the slightest backbone when Smiley Coy, Hoff's henchman, suggests that Dixie Evans may have to be "disposed of" if she doesn't stop hinting she knows something more about what happened the night of the accident. One must be committed after all! As Smiley Coy's character says, "Once you scheme, you marry the scheme and the scheme's children."
One of the best lines in the play is uttered by Patty Benedict, played by Sharon Levine, who when interviewing Charlie Castle for her gossip column, got a response from Buddy Bliss, his publicist. Ms. Benedict's retort was, "I want my gossip from the horse's mouth, not his ass." Marion Castle would rather her husband work in New York City acting in the theatre because she views Hollywood as being an "atmosphere of flattery and deceit" but her husband views theatre as "a stunted, bleeding stump where you wait for years for a good part." As for knowing what deceit is, Marion is an expert. She admits she just recently had an abortion without even telling her husband she was pregnant and she blatantly hints she is having an affair with Hank Teagle, one of her husband's best friends. One of the only stable relationships in the play is that between Charlie Castle and his agent, Nat Denziger, both who appear to have a genuine love for one another. They call each other "darling" and "lovey" but not in a manner you might describe as being sexual in nature. One of the weirdest lines in the play is "Life is a queer little man," by which I suspect Odets means that life is difficult to understand and full of twists and turns off the straight and narrow road. One such twist occurs at the end of the play when Charlie Castle promises his wife he will "make her happy starting tonight," which turns out to be one promise he actually keeps.
The best performance in this production is by Timothy F. Smith, who played Marcus Hoff. Mr. Smith has a very commanding stage presence and his character was given the most substantive lines by Odets. Michael Wolf is extremely believable as Nat Denziger, Charlie's Jewish agent. I have known many agents and managers cast in the same mold and Mr. Wolf perfected the mannerisms and speech cadence required for this part. I was very displeased with the performance of Diane Mansell as Marion Castle. It appeared as if she was more committed to methodically delivering her lines than to actually acting in the scenes. The rest of the cast did more than a fine job in their respective roles; John Carrozza was Charlie Castle, Joe Montano played Buddy Bliss, Joe Pepe was Smiley Coy, Al Carbuto played Hank Teagle, Kim Kaiman was Connie Bliss, Liz Bisciello played Dixie Evans, Sharon Levine was Patty Benedict, and Andy Minet played the servant, Russell. Special compliments are due Louis V. Fucilo, who directed the production and was responsible for the beautiful and detailed Set Decoration.
The Big Knife is a long, wordy play with many characters you will not respect or identify with. It also reflects opinions about the studio system in Hollywood and the artistic superiority of theatre over film that are more reflective of viewpoints held in the past than in contemporary society. Selling out and losing your integrity in return for financial stability are universal themes as is the need for every person to take personal responsibility for the decisions they make in their lives as well as for their moral failings. Clifford Odets uses the play as another soapbox for his leftist leaning ideological condemnation of merchants and those who seek to make a profit, but he also condemns the general public for consuming the crap produced by popular culture. That having been said, I do recommend you go out to see The Billboard Players' production of The Big Knife. The price is right and you will get a relaxing afternoon or evening of high-quality community theater. The staff is very friendly and all refreshments, served before the show and during intermission, cost only $1.00 (advance warning - for some reason they serve only decaf coffee, not that you'll need it to stay awake). After you see The Big Knife, you will leave the theatre committed to becoming a better person.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Applause! Applause! Review of The Minstrel Players' production of The Game's Afoot at Trinity Episcopal Church by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens
This review of The Minstrel Players' production of "The Game's Afoot; or Holmes For The Holidays" by Ken Ludwig at Trinity Episcopal Church was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 4 (2014) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!
The Game's Afoot; or Holmes For The Holidays
The Minstrel Players
Houghton Hall
Trinity Episcopal Church (130 Main Street, Northport Village, NY)
Reviewed 10/26/14
The Game's Afoot; or Holmes For The Holidays was written by Ken Ludwig, a prolific American playwright best known for his Broadway productions of Lend Me A Tenor, Crazy For You and Moon Over Buffalo. His work has been performed in 30 countries and in over 20 languages. The Game's Afoot; or Holmes For The Holidays premiered at the Cleveland Play House in November 2011. It won the 2012 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Play. The boasting rights for having produced the Long Island Premier of The Game's Afoot, to my knowledge, goes to The Heights Players, who opened the show on October 10, 2014. However, this production by The Minstrel Players does appear to be the Suffolk County premier of the play. The famous phrase "The Game Is Afoot" was first uttered in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventure Of The Abbey Grange when Sherlock Holmes tells Watson: "Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot. Not a word! Into your clothes and come!" But the origin of "The Game's Afoot" in literature actually dates back to William Shakespeare's King Henry V where in Act 3, Scene 1, the King gives his soldiers the rousing speech that begins with the line, "Once more unto the breach, dear friends" and ends "And you, good yeoman, Whose limbs were made in England, show us here The mettle of your pasture; let us swear That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not; For there is none of you so mean and base, That hath not noble lustre in your eyes, I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, Straining upon the start. The game's afoot: Follow your spirit, and upon this charge Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'"
The main character in The Game's Afoot is William Hooker Gillette, who is hosting a Christmas Eve party at his home, the Gillette Castle, in 1936. William Gillette, in real life, was an American actor and playwright (who died on April 29, 1937) best remembered for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage more than 1300 times over a period of 30 years. His portrayal of Holmes helped create the modern image of the detective. His use of the deerstalker cap and curved pipe became durable symbols of the character Sherlock Holmes created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Gillette Castle, completed by William Gillette in 1919 at a cost of 1.1 million dollars is located on the Connecticut River in East Haddam, Connecticut. In this play, written by Ken Ludwig, William Gillette invites some recent cast members to his house along with a critic, Daria Chase, who is writing a feature article on him for Vanity Fair. William Gillette fancies himself to be a real life Sherlock Holmes and maintains a laboratory and recording equipment in his home. His real motivation for hosting the party is to try to discover who recently made an attempt on his life, and later, he tries to find out who allegedly killed Daria Chase, the evil theatre critic.
Ken Ludwig has no idea how to write a play in this genre. The Game's Afoot is derivative drivel that cheats and misleads the audience at every turn. A legitimate who-did-it murder mystery sets out clues, gives many of the characters possible motives, and invites the audience to try to solve the murder perhaps providing a surprising ending that leaves people feeling astonished and satisfied. That does not happen in this play. In The Game's Afoot, our Sherlock Holmes character wipes the murder weapon clean of fingerprints and calls the police before starting his investigation. William Gillette and his friend Felix Geisel both have no idea how to take a pulse and haven't a clue as to whether Daria Chase is alive or dead although Gillette has no problem definitely declaring "She's..." at the end of the First Act and "Dead" as the first word of the Second Act. Even the attempt on William Gillette's life is revealed in the end to just have been bad aiming on the part of the assassin, which is something an amateur sleuth in the audience could not anticipate and provides facts outside of those someone would normally consider in trying to figure out who did what to whom. By the end of the First Act, it was obvious to everyone that Simon Bright was a money hungry bad guy who probably killed his current wife's ex-husband while they were on their honeymoon in Killington, Vermont and that he was still keeping an old girlfriend on the side. Sure, some facts like the involvement of Simon's current wife Aggie Wheeler, and the fact that Martha Gillette, William's mom, was as mad as a hatter, were unexpected revelations but none that provided the audience with any feeling of fulfillment.
The best line in the play was uttered by Madge Geisel powerfully played by the very talented Tricia Ieronimo. After the alleged murder of Daria Chase, her character said, "I guess this means we're not exchanging presents tonight." Kevin Kelly played her husband Felix, who cheated on his wife with Daria and possibly with other women as well. Unfortunately, Mr. Kelly did not play the role of Felix straight enough to be a credible heterosexual. I have no idea, nor do I care, what Mr. Kelly's underlying sexual orientation is. However, as a professional actor, he must be believable as the character he is playing. There is no room for affirmative action in a production that is charging the public to attend. If an actor's natural demeanor is to come across as a flaming Queen who appears to be a stereotypical bottom, that actor is not immune from criticism if he lets those traits creep into a performance where they are not appropriate.
Alicia James hit a home run in the role of Daria Chase. When her character burst onto the scene, we knew we were in the presence of a star. Brian Hartwig surprised me the most in his role as Simon Bright. I can't comment on whether his bathing suit was too loose in a previous production, as Daria Chase seemed to think, but I can say that is this production, he was quite prominent and well-equipped to handle the role. I look forward to seeing more of him in the future. Linda Randolph deftly handled the role of Inspector Goring and Gabriella Stevens more than adequately portrayed Aggie Wheeler. Karen Mercorella succeeded in getting us to hate her character, Martha Gillette. Ray Palen was quite believable as William Gillette and may very well be on the way to fulfilling his goal "to one day be as famous as Gillette himself for playing Conan Doyle's infamous sleuth."
Taking everything into consideration, I still recommend you see The Minstrel Player's production of The Game's Afoot; or Holmes For The Holidays. You get to experience live theatre at a bargain price and get the opportunity to meet some friendly people. There is a 50-50 raffle, reasonably priced concession items and before or after the play, you can go out to dinner at one of the fine restaurants located in Northport Village. If you have extra time, you can buy some tea, get some home-made ice cream or visit some of the antique stores located on Main Street. Not a bad way to spend a few hours!
The Game's Afoot; or Holmes For The Holidays
The Minstrel Players
Houghton Hall
Trinity Episcopal Church (130 Main Street, Northport Village, NY)
Reviewed 10/26/14
The Game's Afoot; or Holmes For The Holidays was written by Ken Ludwig, a prolific American playwright best known for his Broadway productions of Lend Me A Tenor, Crazy For You and Moon Over Buffalo. His work has been performed in 30 countries and in over 20 languages. The Game's Afoot; or Holmes For The Holidays premiered at the Cleveland Play House in November 2011. It won the 2012 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Play. The boasting rights for having produced the Long Island Premier of The Game's Afoot, to my knowledge, goes to The Heights Players, who opened the show on October 10, 2014. However, this production by The Minstrel Players does appear to be the Suffolk County premier of the play. The famous phrase "The Game Is Afoot" was first uttered in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventure Of The Abbey Grange when Sherlock Holmes tells Watson: "Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot. Not a word! Into your clothes and come!" But the origin of "The Game's Afoot" in literature actually dates back to William Shakespeare's King Henry V where in Act 3, Scene 1, the King gives his soldiers the rousing speech that begins with the line, "Once more unto the breach, dear friends" and ends "And you, good yeoman, Whose limbs were made in England, show us here The mettle of your pasture; let us swear That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not; For there is none of you so mean and base, That hath not noble lustre in your eyes, I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, Straining upon the start. The game's afoot: Follow your spirit, and upon this charge Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'"
The main character in The Game's Afoot is William Hooker Gillette, who is hosting a Christmas Eve party at his home, the Gillette Castle, in 1936. William Gillette, in real life, was an American actor and playwright (who died on April 29, 1937) best remembered for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage more than 1300 times over a period of 30 years. His portrayal of Holmes helped create the modern image of the detective. His use of the deerstalker cap and curved pipe became durable symbols of the character Sherlock Holmes created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Gillette Castle, completed by William Gillette in 1919 at a cost of 1.1 million dollars is located on the Connecticut River in East Haddam, Connecticut. In this play, written by Ken Ludwig, William Gillette invites some recent cast members to his house along with a critic, Daria Chase, who is writing a feature article on him for Vanity Fair. William Gillette fancies himself to be a real life Sherlock Holmes and maintains a laboratory and recording equipment in his home. His real motivation for hosting the party is to try to discover who recently made an attempt on his life, and later, he tries to find out who allegedly killed Daria Chase, the evil theatre critic.
Ken Ludwig has no idea how to write a play in this genre. The Game's Afoot is derivative drivel that cheats and misleads the audience at every turn. A legitimate who-did-it murder mystery sets out clues, gives many of the characters possible motives, and invites the audience to try to solve the murder perhaps providing a surprising ending that leaves people feeling astonished and satisfied. That does not happen in this play. In The Game's Afoot, our Sherlock Holmes character wipes the murder weapon clean of fingerprints and calls the police before starting his investigation. William Gillette and his friend Felix Geisel both have no idea how to take a pulse and haven't a clue as to whether Daria Chase is alive or dead although Gillette has no problem definitely declaring "She's..." at the end of the First Act and "Dead" as the first word of the Second Act. Even the attempt on William Gillette's life is revealed in the end to just have been bad aiming on the part of the assassin, which is something an amateur sleuth in the audience could not anticipate and provides facts outside of those someone would normally consider in trying to figure out who did what to whom. By the end of the First Act, it was obvious to everyone that Simon Bright was a money hungry bad guy who probably killed his current wife's ex-husband while they were on their honeymoon in Killington, Vermont and that he was still keeping an old girlfriend on the side. Sure, some facts like the involvement of Simon's current wife Aggie Wheeler, and the fact that Martha Gillette, William's mom, was as mad as a hatter, were unexpected revelations but none that provided the audience with any feeling of fulfillment.
The best line in the play was uttered by Madge Geisel powerfully played by the very talented Tricia Ieronimo. After the alleged murder of Daria Chase, her character said, "I guess this means we're not exchanging presents tonight." Kevin Kelly played her husband Felix, who cheated on his wife with Daria and possibly with other women as well. Unfortunately, Mr. Kelly did not play the role of Felix straight enough to be a credible heterosexual. I have no idea, nor do I care, what Mr. Kelly's underlying sexual orientation is. However, as a professional actor, he must be believable as the character he is playing. There is no room for affirmative action in a production that is charging the public to attend. If an actor's natural demeanor is to come across as a flaming Queen who appears to be a stereotypical bottom, that actor is not immune from criticism if he lets those traits creep into a performance where they are not appropriate.
Alicia James hit a home run in the role of Daria Chase. When her character burst onto the scene, we knew we were in the presence of a star. Brian Hartwig surprised me the most in his role as Simon Bright. I can't comment on whether his bathing suit was too loose in a previous production, as Daria Chase seemed to think, but I can say that is this production, he was quite prominent and well-equipped to handle the role. I look forward to seeing more of him in the future. Linda Randolph deftly handled the role of Inspector Goring and Gabriella Stevens more than adequately portrayed Aggie Wheeler. Karen Mercorella succeeded in getting us to hate her character, Martha Gillette. Ray Palen was quite believable as William Gillette and may very well be on the way to fulfilling his goal "to one day be as famous as Gillette himself for playing Conan Doyle's infamous sleuth."
Taking everything into consideration, I still recommend you see The Minstrel Player's production of The Game's Afoot; or Holmes For The Holidays. You get to experience live theatre at a bargain price and get the opportunity to meet some friendly people. There is a 50-50 raffle, reasonably priced concession items and before or after the play, you can go out to dinner at one of the fine restaurants located in Northport Village. If you have extra time, you can buy some tea, get some home-made ice cream or visit some of the antique stores located on Main Street. Not a bad way to spend a few hours!
Monday, October 20, 2014
Applause! Applause! Review of Theatre Time Productions' Night Watch at the Colonial Church of Bayside by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens
This review of Theatre Time Productions' Night Watch: A Play Of Suspense In Two Acts by Lucille Fletcher at the Colonial Church of Bayside was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 4 (2014) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!
Night Watch: A Play Of Suspense In Two Acts
Theatre Time Productions
Colonial Church of Bayside (54-02 217th Street, Oakland Gardens, NY)
Reviewed 10/18/14
Night Watch: A Play Of Suspense In Two Acts was written by Lucille Fletcher, who also wrote Sorry, Wrong Number, one of the most celebrated plays in the history of American radio, which she adapted and expanded for the 1948 film noir classic of the same name. Night Watch appeared on Broadway in 1972 and was made into a movie in 1973 with Elizabeth Taylor in the lead role. The play is not your traditional murder mystery where you are presented with some dead bodies and need to figure out who the killer or killers are. Night Watch is more of a "who's doing what to whom and why mystery" with many twists and turns along the way. Is Elaine Wheeler, the rich heiress with insomnia who lost her first husband in a car accident where he was found with his 20-year-old mistress, simply losing her marbles on the downhill road to "crazyville" and treatment in a Swiss sanitarium or is this apparently unstable woman "crazy like a fox"?
The play is set in a fancy apartment on East 30th Street in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan in 1972. Elaine Wheeler is an heiress. Her husband, John Wheeler, works on Wall Street. They have a German maid named Helga and an intrusive gay neighbor, Curtis Appleby, who writes for the Kips Bay Tattler, the neighborhood newspaper. Staying with the Wheelers before heading out to work at the Mayo Clinic is Elaine's best friend Blanche Cooke, a nurse, who appears to be doing all she can to help Elaine get through what seems to be a particularly difficult time in her life although it is unclear what has been triggering the recent backslide in her mental condition. We learn that eight years ago, after personally coming upon the accident that caused the death of her husband and his mistress, she lost the child she was carrying, attempted to commit suicide and went into a deep depression. But two years later, she married John Wheeler and seemed to be getting on with her life. Now, six years later, she claims to have seen a murdered man in the window of an abandoned tenement on East 29th Street and then claims she saw a murdered woman in the tenement as well. The police investigate and find no evidence that any crime has been committed and so the mystery begins. Is Elaine seeing things or is Blanche, and perhaps her husband, singly or jointly, trying to drive her over the edge, confirm her deteriorating mental condition with the help of psychiatrist Dr. Tracy Lake, and cart her off to a clinic in Switzerland? If so, what are their motivations? Flowers, broaches, and wigs Blanche brings home to the Wheelers' home seem to remind Elaine of the trauma she previously went through. Perhaps her husband has been working with Sam Hoke, the Deli owner on East 29th Street, found trespassing in the tenement, to make his wife think she was seeing things that weren't there? This becomes all the more likely when we learn that a real estate holding company John Wheeler and his wife own, recently bought the very tenement where Elaine has been seeing dead people.
To say more would ruin the ending for you. So I will stop here but even after you see the play, there will still be some unresolved mysteries. What role, if any, did Sam Hoke (the Deli owner and face of the man Elaine claims to have seen murdered in the tenement window), and Curtis Appleby, the gay neighbor, play in the machinations? Did Blanche, who was familiar with the work of Dr. Tracy Lake, recommend her to John Wheeler? Did Helga "ask" for $500.00 from John Wheeler to go back to visit her mother in Germany because she thought she knew something that Mr. Wheeler wanted to keep secret? To what extent was John Wheeler in on the plans Blanche Cooke seemed to be cooking up and finally, what did Blanche see across the alley in the boarded up tenement that caused her to scream before any gun shots were heard? If you consider yourself an amateur sleuth, you will love this story.
Night Watch is another home run for Theatre Time Productions. There isn't a weak link in the entire cast. Everyone performed beautifully. Mary Lynch and Frank Freeman played Elaine and John Wheeler. Stephanie Lenna was Blanche Cooke. Cecilia Vaicels appeared born to play Helga, the German maid. Jim Haines was particularly impressive as Curtis Appleby. Joanne Engfer was Dr. Tracy Lake. Rene Bendana made a brief appearance as Sam Hoke, as did Paul Robilotto as Det. Vanelli, and Michael Zurik as Lt. Walker.
The play is being presented "in the round" and is expertly directed by Kevin C. Vincent. There were some glitches out of the sound booth that caused an underlying "ringing" sound during the first act but that problem was corrected during the second act. The cast joined the audience for a dessert buffet after the show but only decaf coffee and soda were offered so if you preferred tea or caffeinated coffee, you would have been out of luck.
I highly recommend you see Theatre Time Productions' Night Watch: A Play Of Suspense In Two Acts while you can. You will be thoroughly entertained.
Night Watch: A Play Of Suspense In Two Acts
Theatre Time Productions
Colonial Church of Bayside (54-02 217th Street, Oakland Gardens, NY)
Reviewed 10/18/14
Night Watch: A Play Of Suspense In Two Acts was written by Lucille Fletcher, who also wrote Sorry, Wrong Number, one of the most celebrated plays in the history of American radio, which she adapted and expanded for the 1948 film noir classic of the same name. Night Watch appeared on Broadway in 1972 and was made into a movie in 1973 with Elizabeth Taylor in the lead role. The play is not your traditional murder mystery where you are presented with some dead bodies and need to figure out who the killer or killers are. Night Watch is more of a "who's doing what to whom and why mystery" with many twists and turns along the way. Is Elaine Wheeler, the rich heiress with insomnia who lost her first husband in a car accident where he was found with his 20-year-old mistress, simply losing her marbles on the downhill road to "crazyville" and treatment in a Swiss sanitarium or is this apparently unstable woman "crazy like a fox"?
The play is set in a fancy apartment on East 30th Street in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan in 1972. Elaine Wheeler is an heiress. Her husband, John Wheeler, works on Wall Street. They have a German maid named Helga and an intrusive gay neighbor, Curtis Appleby, who writes for the Kips Bay Tattler, the neighborhood newspaper. Staying with the Wheelers before heading out to work at the Mayo Clinic is Elaine's best friend Blanche Cooke, a nurse, who appears to be doing all she can to help Elaine get through what seems to be a particularly difficult time in her life although it is unclear what has been triggering the recent backslide in her mental condition. We learn that eight years ago, after personally coming upon the accident that caused the death of her husband and his mistress, she lost the child she was carrying, attempted to commit suicide and went into a deep depression. But two years later, she married John Wheeler and seemed to be getting on with her life. Now, six years later, she claims to have seen a murdered man in the window of an abandoned tenement on East 29th Street and then claims she saw a murdered woman in the tenement as well. The police investigate and find no evidence that any crime has been committed and so the mystery begins. Is Elaine seeing things or is Blanche, and perhaps her husband, singly or jointly, trying to drive her over the edge, confirm her deteriorating mental condition with the help of psychiatrist Dr. Tracy Lake, and cart her off to a clinic in Switzerland? If so, what are their motivations? Flowers, broaches, and wigs Blanche brings home to the Wheelers' home seem to remind Elaine of the trauma she previously went through. Perhaps her husband has been working with Sam Hoke, the Deli owner on East 29th Street, found trespassing in the tenement, to make his wife think she was seeing things that weren't there? This becomes all the more likely when we learn that a real estate holding company John Wheeler and his wife own, recently bought the very tenement where Elaine has been seeing dead people.
To say more would ruin the ending for you. So I will stop here but even after you see the play, there will still be some unresolved mysteries. What role, if any, did Sam Hoke (the Deli owner and face of the man Elaine claims to have seen murdered in the tenement window), and Curtis Appleby, the gay neighbor, play in the machinations? Did Blanche, who was familiar with the work of Dr. Tracy Lake, recommend her to John Wheeler? Did Helga "ask" for $500.00 from John Wheeler to go back to visit her mother in Germany because she thought she knew something that Mr. Wheeler wanted to keep secret? To what extent was John Wheeler in on the plans Blanche Cooke seemed to be cooking up and finally, what did Blanche see across the alley in the boarded up tenement that caused her to scream before any gun shots were heard? If you consider yourself an amateur sleuth, you will love this story.
Night Watch is another home run for Theatre Time Productions. There isn't a weak link in the entire cast. Everyone performed beautifully. Mary Lynch and Frank Freeman played Elaine and John Wheeler. Stephanie Lenna was Blanche Cooke. Cecilia Vaicels appeared born to play Helga, the German maid. Jim Haines was particularly impressive as Curtis Appleby. Joanne Engfer was Dr. Tracy Lake. Rene Bendana made a brief appearance as Sam Hoke, as did Paul Robilotto as Det. Vanelli, and Michael Zurik as Lt. Walker.
The play is being presented "in the round" and is expertly directed by Kevin C. Vincent. There were some glitches out of the sound booth that caused an underlying "ringing" sound during the first act but that problem was corrected during the second act. The cast joined the audience for a dessert buffet after the show but only decaf coffee and soda were offered so if you preferred tea or caffeinated coffee, you would have been out of luck.
I highly recommend you see Theatre Time Productions' Night Watch: A Play Of Suspense In Two Acts while you can. You will be thoroughly entertained.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Applause! Applause! Review of Chip Deffaa's Theater Boys at 13th Street Repertory Theater by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens
This review of Chip Deffaa's musical Theater Boys at 13th Street Repertory Theater was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 4 (2014) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!
"Theater Boys" - Book, Music & Lyrics by Chip Deffaa
13th Street Repertory Theater (50 West 13th Street, NYC)
Reviewed 9/28/14 at 3:00 p.m.
The world premiere engagement of Theater Boys took place at the Kaufman Theater in the summer of 2008 as part of the Sixth Annual Fresh Fruit Festival. It has now returned for a run at 13th Street Repertory Theater and although a cast album is scheduled to come out in two weeks, Chip Deffaa still introduced the musical "as a work in progress." While that may be so, the cast in this production is extraordinarily talented, the writing is crisp and funny with many references to well-known local cabaret artists, and the music is upbeat and entertaining.
The flyer for the show says, "In Theater Boys actors auditioning for a gay musical are asked to bare their souls...and a bit more. They share coming-of-age stories both comic and heartfelt." While this description is literally true, I was shocked that even in "an off, off, off, off, off Broadway" gay musical in Greenwich Village, there was no full-frontal nudity. As cast member Joris de Graaf (who played Casey) said in the talk-back, "nudity is common on stage in the Netherlands." Yet somehow, in 21st century puritanical America, full frontal nudity was intentionally avoided in a show promoted as a "gay musical" where the actors were "to bare their souls...and a bit more." As for the "coming of age stories both comic and heartfelt," the show is divided into two very distinct acts. The first act is primarily an audition for a gay musical where the sets and script are "still in the director's head" and so each of the actors tells their own story by singing about some aspect of their life in the theater or of the struggles and obsessions they have faced in their private lives. This act is a satire of the theater and the directors, auditions and actors that are a part of it. The second act is basically a flashback dealing with the first sexual experiences of the Director and Kipp, the boy who the Director "discovered" as he just got off a bus from Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada (Note: In Halq'emeylem, the language of the Sto:lo communities, chilliwack means "as far upriver as you can go before having to switch to a pole."). Then there is a desert musical finale where the cast first performs wearing bed sheets and then finishes off dancing in their underwear.
Nearly three-quarters of the musical deals with issues of sexual seduction, sexual experimentation, denial and the importance of self-labeling. It is in these areas where the show shines the most and I believe Chip Deffaa needs to make a full commitment to bringing the musical in that direction. The elements are there. The show starts off in a most promising manner. The Director, a self-described "visionary" who claims to know everything and everyone (including having known Joan of Arc), has just convinced Kipp, a young actor from Canada, to come to his 5th Floor walk-up apartment for an audition and in the first musical number suggests Kipp take off his clothes "For The Theatre." The fact that Kipp can't memorize lines or dance doesn't deter the Director. But Kipp is too resistant. Even if he were straight, he probably would have given in with all the convincing arguments the Director made. Similarly, when Nathan LaChance is suggesting hypnotism as a method of his own seduction in "Tell Me Why," Chris (the Director at age 16) takes an eternity to get the message. Timing is everything and in certain scenes the resistance goes on too long. In others, the story line moves too quickly. If Chris's friend gets horny while smoking pot and somehow convinces Chris to give him a "helping hand," we need to know the actual lines he used to successfully complete the seduction. Another example would be the need for a deeper exploration into Braden's psyche and how two "straight" friends might convince each other they were in a straight bromance instead of a gay romance (No Homo!). Perfect timing was exhibited in the scene where bad boy Reese Brock convinced Kipp to take off his white briefs on a raft in a lake because it might attract snakes. Still, even that scene seemed incomplete because we never saw any sexual interaction between the two boys, even though that was clearly Reese Brock's goal.
The very attractive and talented actors in this production captured the audience's attention resulting in a relaxing and enjoyable experience. Future stars of stage and scene are in this cast! Michael Czyz, who played Kipp, is a fresh new face making his New York City stage debut in this show. With his innocent, boy-next-door looks, he was perfectly cast for the part of a young man from Chilliwack but perhaps that is the case because Mr. Czyz "is a proud Western Canadian afflicted with OCD and UW (Ukelele Withdrawal)." Daniel Coelho, who played Nathan La Chance, is also acting in his first New York production, having previously performed with the Papermill Playhouse Show Choir in Millburn, New Jersey. I feel Mr. Coelho struck just the right balance between playing a character who was, on the one hand unseducible pledged not to have sex until marriage, and on the other hand, a boy eagerly looking for an opportunity to allow his hormones to fly free. Daniel Coelho is a very talented actor with a great future in the theater. Sam Donnenberg was excellent in the role of Reese Brock, the brooding bad-boy who was best friends with Kipp back in Chilliwack. Although his part was a small one, he made a big impression on me. Philip Louis Calabro was very charismatic in the role of Rocky Kreeger, the actor who formerly performed as a scantily-clad French maid in the fictitious show Naked Maids Dancing and was inspired by his brief interactions with columnist Liz Smith. Mr. Calabro exhibited exuberant energy and has a strong stage presence. Taylor Martin played Braden Walker, the "straight" former child star willing to appear in a gay musical as long as it involved an artistically challenging role. Mr. Martin hit a home run portraying a man willing to engage in a sexual bromance so long as no one perceived him, or the relationship, to be gay. This perspective and attitude has a long history and Mr. Martin nailed it with his performance.
The part of the Director was played by two actors. Joseph Spitale was the Director as an adult, and Andrew Lanctot, played Chris, the Director at age 16. Both actors executed their respective roles flawlessly. From a psychological viewpoint, I found it fascinating how Chip Deffaa wrote the book so as to clearly exhibit how the behavior of the Director at 16 seducing his less experienced friends continued to be reflected in the adult Director's efforts to use his position to seduce young, inexperienced actors eager to make it in the theater. The Director's sexual modus operandi is unlikely to change, which makes the ending of Theater Boys and the new relationship between the Director and Kipp one that is very unlikely to last. Joseph Spitale is a very accomplished actor who was a pleasure to watch. Andrew Lanctot has great versatility and an abundance of raw talent. I look forward to seeing more of him in the future.
Chip Deffaa, who wrote the book, music and lyrics for Theater Boys, was also the show's director. Mr. Deffaa is the author of 15 published plays and eight published books. He is an extremely talented individual. This show, Theater Boys, offers many laughs, extraordinarily actors and some toe-tapping musical numbers, many of them that deal with the moon. There was "The Moon Montage" (a medley of moon songs), "Under The Chilliwack Moon", and the finale "Under The Mellow Arabian Moon", which literally ended with the cast full-mooning the audience. Theatre Boys plays Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m. and on Sundays at 3:00 p.m. through October 26, 2014. Tickets cost $25.00 for adults and $18.00 for students/senior, which you can purchase athttp://www.13thstreetrep.org/
If you are looking for a fun, upbeat show featuring some of the best actors New York theatre has to offer, then I highly recommend you see Theater Boys!
"Theater Boys" - Book, Music & Lyrics by Chip Deffaa
13th Street Repertory Theater (50 West 13th Street, NYC)
Reviewed 9/28/14 at 3:00 p.m.
The world premiere engagement of Theater Boys took place at the Kaufman Theater in the summer of 2008 as part of the Sixth Annual Fresh Fruit Festival. It has now returned for a run at 13th Street Repertory Theater and although a cast album is scheduled to come out in two weeks, Chip Deffaa still introduced the musical "as a work in progress." While that may be so, the cast in this production is extraordinarily talented, the writing is crisp and funny with many references to well-known local cabaret artists, and the music is upbeat and entertaining.
The flyer for the show says, "In Theater Boys actors auditioning for a gay musical are asked to bare their souls...and a bit more. They share coming-of-age stories both comic and heartfelt." While this description is literally true, I was shocked that even in "an off, off, off, off, off Broadway" gay musical in Greenwich Village, there was no full-frontal nudity. As cast member Joris de Graaf (who played Casey) said in the talk-back, "nudity is common on stage in the Netherlands." Yet somehow, in 21st century puritanical America, full frontal nudity was intentionally avoided in a show promoted as a "gay musical" where the actors were "to bare their souls...and a bit more." As for the "coming of age stories both comic and heartfelt," the show is divided into two very distinct acts. The first act is primarily an audition for a gay musical where the sets and script are "still in the director's head" and so each of the actors tells their own story by singing about some aspect of their life in the theater or of the struggles and obsessions they have faced in their private lives. This act is a satire of the theater and the directors, auditions and actors that are a part of it. The second act is basically a flashback dealing with the first sexual experiences of the Director and Kipp, the boy who the Director "discovered" as he just got off a bus from Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada (Note: In Halq'emeylem, the language of the Sto:lo communities, chilliwack means "as far upriver as you can go before having to switch to a pole."). Then there is a desert musical finale where the cast first performs wearing bed sheets and then finishes off dancing in their underwear.
Nearly three-quarters of the musical deals with issues of sexual seduction, sexual experimentation, denial and the importance of self-labeling. It is in these areas where the show shines the most and I believe Chip Deffaa needs to make a full commitment to bringing the musical in that direction. The elements are there. The show starts off in a most promising manner. The Director, a self-described "visionary" who claims to know everything and everyone (including having known Joan of Arc), has just convinced Kipp, a young actor from Canada, to come to his 5th Floor walk-up apartment for an audition and in the first musical number suggests Kipp take off his clothes "For The Theatre." The fact that Kipp can't memorize lines or dance doesn't deter the Director. But Kipp is too resistant. Even if he were straight, he probably would have given in with all the convincing arguments the Director made. Similarly, when Nathan LaChance is suggesting hypnotism as a method of his own seduction in "Tell Me Why," Chris (the Director at age 16) takes an eternity to get the message. Timing is everything and in certain scenes the resistance goes on too long. In others, the story line moves too quickly. If Chris's friend gets horny while smoking pot and somehow convinces Chris to give him a "helping hand," we need to know the actual lines he used to successfully complete the seduction. Another example would be the need for a deeper exploration into Braden's psyche and how two "straight" friends might convince each other they were in a straight bromance instead of a gay romance (No Homo!). Perfect timing was exhibited in the scene where bad boy Reese Brock convinced Kipp to take off his white briefs on a raft in a lake because it might attract snakes. Still, even that scene seemed incomplete because we never saw any sexual interaction between the two boys, even though that was clearly Reese Brock's goal.
The very attractive and talented actors in this production captured the audience's attention resulting in a relaxing and enjoyable experience. Future stars of stage and scene are in this cast! Michael Czyz, who played Kipp, is a fresh new face making his New York City stage debut in this show. With his innocent, boy-next-door looks, he was perfectly cast for the part of a young man from Chilliwack but perhaps that is the case because Mr. Czyz "is a proud Western Canadian afflicted with OCD and UW (Ukelele Withdrawal)." Daniel Coelho, who played Nathan La Chance, is also acting in his first New York production, having previously performed with the Papermill Playhouse Show Choir in Millburn, New Jersey. I feel Mr. Coelho struck just the right balance between playing a character who was, on the one hand unseducible pledged not to have sex until marriage, and on the other hand, a boy eagerly looking for an opportunity to allow his hormones to fly free. Daniel Coelho is a very talented actor with a great future in the theater. Sam Donnenberg was excellent in the role of Reese Brock, the brooding bad-boy who was best friends with Kipp back in Chilliwack. Although his part was a small one, he made a big impression on me. Philip Louis Calabro was very charismatic in the role of Rocky Kreeger, the actor who formerly performed as a scantily-clad French maid in the fictitious show Naked Maids Dancing and was inspired by his brief interactions with columnist Liz Smith. Mr. Calabro exhibited exuberant energy and has a strong stage presence. Taylor Martin played Braden Walker, the "straight" former child star willing to appear in a gay musical as long as it involved an artistically challenging role. Mr. Martin hit a home run portraying a man willing to engage in a sexual bromance so long as no one perceived him, or the relationship, to be gay. This perspective and attitude has a long history and Mr. Martin nailed it with his performance.
The part of the Director was played by two actors. Joseph Spitale was the Director as an adult, and Andrew Lanctot, played Chris, the Director at age 16. Both actors executed their respective roles flawlessly. From a psychological viewpoint, I found it fascinating how Chip Deffaa wrote the book so as to clearly exhibit how the behavior of the Director at 16 seducing his less experienced friends continued to be reflected in the adult Director's efforts to use his position to seduce young, inexperienced actors eager to make it in the theater. The Director's sexual modus operandi is unlikely to change, which makes the ending of Theater Boys and the new relationship between the Director and Kipp one that is very unlikely to last. Joseph Spitale is a very accomplished actor who was a pleasure to watch. Andrew Lanctot has great versatility and an abundance of raw talent. I look forward to seeing more of him in the future.
Chip Deffaa, who wrote the book, music and lyrics for Theater Boys, was also the show's director. Mr. Deffaa is the author of 15 published plays and eight published books. He is an extremely talented individual. This show, Theater Boys, offers many laughs, extraordinarily actors and some toe-tapping musical numbers, many of them that deal with the moon. There was "The Moon Montage" (a medley of moon songs), "Under The Chilliwack Moon", and the finale "Under The Mellow Arabian Moon", which literally ended with the cast full-mooning the audience. Theatre Boys plays Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m. and on Sundays at 3:00 p.m. through October 26, 2014. Tickets cost $25.00 for adults and $18.00 for students/senior, which you can purchase athttp://www.13thstreetrep.org/
If you are looking for a fun, upbeat show featuring some of the best actors New York theatre has to offer, then I highly recommend you see Theater Boys!
Monday, September 22, 2014
Applause! Applause! Review of Ray Allen Durand in Let The Little Boy Dance at The Duplex Cabaret Theatre by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens
This review of Ray Allen Durand's Let The Little Boy Dance at The Duplex Cabaret Theatre was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 4 (2014) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!
"Let The Little Boy Dance" - Ray Allen Durand
The Duplex Cabaret Theatre
61 Christopher Street
New York, New York 10014
Reviewed 9/21/14 at 4:30 p.m.
Ray Allen Durand stars in this autobiographical one-man show entitled Let The Little Boy Dance: From 'Bayou Baby' To 'Broadway Baby' - An Odyssey Told In Song, Dance & Drama, which traces his life from his birth in Hammond, Louisiana on March 6, 1943 to his current status as a retired High School Drama Teacher. Mr. Durand presents the key incidents of his life in chronological order as part of a fictitious speech he is giving at the 50th Annual Reunion of Hammond High School's Class of 1961, said event that was being held at the Columbia Theatre, a significant cultural venue in Hammond's Historic District. Ray Allen holds nothing back and is as honest about his family as he is about himself. If you know and love Ray Allen Durand from the UFT Players or as a former teacher at Clara Barton High School in Brooklyn, this show will be a revelation for you.
Mr. Durand starts his story at the beginning - his birth, when anticipating his future career in show business, was silently saying, "Push mama! It's time for me to make my entrance!". While his alcoholic father, who just came back from the war, was not at all pleased with his son's delight in dancing and singing, his mom took comfort in the fact that their parish priest called him "his little ray of sunshine" for reasons not fully disclosed. However, he did admit that when he was twelve years old, his uncle "seduced him" and that he "liked being wanted". In retrospect, he didn't like the fact he didn't have much say in the matter. Ray Allen took on a paper route that delivered to homes in a black neighborhood where he sometimes hung out. The other boys in town called him "Nigger Lover", "Mama's Boy", "Sissy", "Homo", "Faggot" and "Queen". Despite all the obstacles, Ray Allen Durand continued performing being named Bayou Baby Of The Year and winning a Jitterbug Contest. He eventually attended Southeastern Louisiana University and spent a good deal of his time in New Orleans where he was introduced to "Gay Life in the Quarter". One of the bars he frequented was Dixie's Bar on Bourbon Street, where Miss Dixie (Yvonne Fasnacht) had him perform as a stripper in drag telling him to "be yourself" and to "take these feathers and fly!". In New Orleans, he met an older gay man named Bob who invited him up to New York City after he graduated from college in the summer of 1966. Ray Allen accepted the ticket to paradise and stayed with Bob for two years while modeling, acting and taking dance lessons. He performed in a naked male revue, which his parents came to New York to see. His father, who by this time had accepted the obvious, told him after the show, "you gotta do what you gotta do".
Once in New York City, the little Southern Boy from rural Louisiana went hog wild, flittering from bar to bar and from man to man. One night, a handsome man named Dale asked Ray Allen what song he would like played on the jukebox. He responded Respect by Aretha Franklin, which Dale played before offering to buy the young man a drink. After four or five drinks, Ray Allen went home with Dale but it turned out they had a long and lasting connection with one another. Ray Allen moved out of Bob's home and spent the next 45 years with Dale, formalizing their marriage as soon as it became possible under New York State law. By 1976, acting and modeling work had dried up so he accepted a position with United Cerebral Palsy entertaining adults and kids for 10 years. He was then hired as the Drama Teacher at Clara Barton High School in Brooklyn. At the time, he was described as being "very theatrical". He rapped an introduction to his mostly minority students and told them to call him Mr. D. He said if they didn't like Mr. D, they could call him a "Southern Redneck Son-Of-A-Bitch". From then on, he got along well with his students. They eventually referred to him as "Mr. Johnson", which he later came to understand was the highest possible compliment they could pay to him since it meant they thought he was "a black man in a white man's body".
Eventually, Ray Allen Durand realized he ended up exactly where he wanted to be and that it was the total fulfillment of all his dreams. He finally understood that he was able to keep sharing with the students what he had been learning over the years. Some of that advice included: "No matter what environment you come from, you can rise above it." "There is no right or wrong with an artistic project. And there are no unwanted people here." "Keep your dreams alive. There is gold at the end of the rainbow." Pick yourself up, Dust yourself off, and Start all over again." "Keep it simple. One day at a time." Ray Allen Durand then finished with the observation that: "It took a while, but it dawned on me. I was finally in the long running hit that had always eluded me, with a large and generous supporting cast. In the best part of my career - a teacher!"
Ray Allen Durand's Let The Little Boy Dance was directed by David Brunetti with Bob Goldstone at the piano. Mr. Durand lays his life out for you on stage in just short of an hour. The show is an inspiration for all who seek to overcome adversity and make their mark in the world. The story he told reminded me of the message portrayed in the movie Mr. Holland's Opus with the exception that Mr. Durand's one-man show is brutally honest and tells you exactly what he had to go through to get to this point in his life. With respect to that life, all I can say is "Well Done!"
"Let The Little Boy Dance" - Ray Allen Durand
The Duplex Cabaret Theatre
61 Christopher Street
New York, New York 10014
Reviewed 9/21/14 at 4:30 p.m.
Ray Allen Durand stars in this autobiographical one-man show entitled Let The Little Boy Dance: From 'Bayou Baby' To 'Broadway Baby' - An Odyssey Told In Song, Dance & Drama, which traces his life from his birth in Hammond, Louisiana on March 6, 1943 to his current status as a retired High School Drama Teacher. Mr. Durand presents the key incidents of his life in chronological order as part of a fictitious speech he is giving at the 50th Annual Reunion of Hammond High School's Class of 1961, said event that was being held at the Columbia Theatre, a significant cultural venue in Hammond's Historic District. Ray Allen holds nothing back and is as honest about his family as he is about himself. If you know and love Ray Allen Durand from the UFT Players or as a former teacher at Clara Barton High School in Brooklyn, this show will be a revelation for you.
Mr. Durand starts his story at the beginning - his birth, when anticipating his future career in show business, was silently saying, "Push mama! It's time for me to make my entrance!". While his alcoholic father, who just came back from the war, was not at all pleased with his son's delight in dancing and singing, his mom took comfort in the fact that their parish priest called him "his little ray of sunshine" for reasons not fully disclosed. However, he did admit that when he was twelve years old, his uncle "seduced him" and that he "liked being wanted". In retrospect, he didn't like the fact he didn't have much say in the matter. Ray Allen took on a paper route that delivered to homes in a black neighborhood where he sometimes hung out. The other boys in town called him "Nigger Lover", "Mama's Boy", "Sissy", "Homo", "Faggot" and "Queen". Despite all the obstacles, Ray Allen Durand continued performing being named Bayou Baby Of The Year and winning a Jitterbug Contest. He eventually attended Southeastern Louisiana University and spent a good deal of his time in New Orleans where he was introduced to "Gay Life in the Quarter". One of the bars he frequented was Dixie's Bar on Bourbon Street, where Miss Dixie (Yvonne Fasnacht) had him perform as a stripper in drag telling him to "be yourself" and to "take these feathers and fly!". In New Orleans, he met an older gay man named Bob who invited him up to New York City after he graduated from college in the summer of 1966. Ray Allen accepted the ticket to paradise and stayed with Bob for two years while modeling, acting and taking dance lessons. He performed in a naked male revue, which his parents came to New York to see. His father, who by this time had accepted the obvious, told him after the show, "you gotta do what you gotta do".
Once in New York City, the little Southern Boy from rural Louisiana went hog wild, flittering from bar to bar and from man to man. One night, a handsome man named Dale asked Ray Allen what song he would like played on the jukebox. He responded Respect by Aretha Franklin, which Dale played before offering to buy the young man a drink. After four or five drinks, Ray Allen went home with Dale but it turned out they had a long and lasting connection with one another. Ray Allen moved out of Bob's home and spent the next 45 years with Dale, formalizing their marriage as soon as it became possible under New York State law. By 1976, acting and modeling work had dried up so he accepted a position with United Cerebral Palsy entertaining adults and kids for 10 years. He was then hired as the Drama Teacher at Clara Barton High School in Brooklyn. At the time, he was described as being "very theatrical". He rapped an introduction to his mostly minority students and told them to call him Mr. D. He said if they didn't like Mr. D, they could call him a "Southern Redneck Son-Of-A-Bitch". From then on, he got along well with his students. They eventually referred to him as "Mr. Johnson", which he later came to understand was the highest possible compliment they could pay to him since it meant they thought he was "a black man in a white man's body".
Eventually, Ray Allen Durand realized he ended up exactly where he wanted to be and that it was the total fulfillment of all his dreams. He finally understood that he was able to keep sharing with the students what he had been learning over the years. Some of that advice included: "No matter what environment you come from, you can rise above it." "There is no right or wrong with an artistic project. And there are no unwanted people here." "Keep your dreams alive. There is gold at the end of the rainbow." Pick yourself up, Dust yourself off, and Start all over again." "Keep it simple. One day at a time." Ray Allen Durand then finished with the observation that: "It took a while, but it dawned on me. I was finally in the long running hit that had always eluded me, with a large and generous supporting cast. In the best part of my career - a teacher!"
Ray Allen Durand's Let The Little Boy Dance was directed by David Brunetti with Bob Goldstone at the piano. Mr. Durand lays his life out for you on stage in just short of an hour. The show is an inspiration for all who seek to overcome adversity and make their mark in the world. The story he told reminded me of the message portrayed in the movie Mr. Holland's Opus with the exception that Mr. Durand's one-man show is brutally honest and tells you exactly what he had to go through to get to this point in his life. With respect to that life, all I can say is "Well Done!"
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Applause! Applause! Review of Thomas Adair Rossman's The Synthesis Revolution: New Thinking For A New Era Of Prosperity by Andrew P. Clunn
This review of Thomas Adair Rossman's book The Synthesis Revolution: New Thinking For A New Era Of Prosperity was written by Andrew P. Clunn and published in Volume X, Issue 4 (2014) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!
The Synthesis Revolution: New Thinking For A New Era Of Prosperity
Author: Thomas Adair Rossman
Publisher: Eudaimonia Publishing, LLC
ISBN-13: 978-0985659608
Reviewed 9/2/14
The Synthesis Revolution: New Thinking For A New Era Of Prosperity by Thomas Adair Rossman falls firmly into the genre of political manifestos. At just over fifty pages it's a quick enough read, which is perhaps its greatest weakness. It reads as a text that would have been profoundly insightful during the early Renaissance, but seems an introduction more than a real road map for revolutionary thinking. Where detailed explanation was called for, only summary was found. The greatest weakness of this book is not what the manifesto says, but rather what it does not.
The text is broken up into four parts. The first seeks to make clear that ideas have a profound impact on societies and nations, and that some ideas lead to better outcomes and greater economic prosperity for citizens of those nations when compared to others. A fairly non-controversial point to be sure, though the text does strongly imply that the purpose of political philosophy is to maximize prosperity among citizens (a point that certain pro-undocumented immigrant activists, animal rights advocates, and others may disagree with). Leaving that aside, many political manifestos make this assumed assertion about this goal, so simply put The Synthesis Revolution in with all other collective nationalistic political philosophies.
The book then attempts to show why a reform is needed (specifically in the United States, as this is a very American-centric text). It outlines various failures of modern political action, and claims that America has faltered from the original values instilled in it by its founding fathers (so make that collective nationalistic originalism). It points to tribalism and uncritical dogmatic thinking as the main sources of our failure as individuals, and corruption and special interest influences as the main detractors at an institutional level. As it outlines these weaknesses in human thought and our current political system, the text proclaims that, "...the Synthesis Revolution is the engine for propelling this fundamental change." A bold claim, but half way through the text I still had no clue what the Synthesis Revolution is supposed to be. The book consistently says that it's "reasonable" and "objective," but these words mean nothing without examples or details.
It is in the third section that Rossman begins to delve into contemporary policy, beginning with a brief summary of his views on the divide between the left and right in modern American political thought. He describes the left as being "top-down" and the right "bottom-up", with President Reagan serving as the great example of a uniting force between the two. He points to statistics concerning regional landslide political victories as evidence of how much more polarized America now is. He also points to the 2008 financial collapse, which he claims was caused by deregulation of the banking industry, as an example of ideology effectively undermining a lesson that was learned back during the Great Depression.
And so finally we are given a glimpse of what the Synthesis Revolution is supposed to be, though not directly, but rather only through inference by assuming his positions serve as an example thereof. Landslide elections at local levels have more to do with gerrymandering than political division among the people, as evidenced by the much greater number of registered independents. People can have their opinions about the legacy and presidency of Reagan, but to say he united people across the aisles requires an ignorance of history. Also, his analysis of the financial collapse is so sparse and summarized, that were it submitted for a high school report, the teacher would likely mark, "Give more details," on the side. Apparently the Synthesis Revolution is a view that accepts the single axis approach to classifying political thoughts, views history through rose colored glasses, and over simplifies issues. While claiming to rise above political rhetoric, it fully embraces political narratives repeated by party establishment figures and media talking heads. I can only assume this is done uncritically because no in depth analysis of any issue is actually done in this book.
The last section attempts (and I stress the word attempts) to answer the question of how to implement this Synthesis Revolution. Within three paragraphs, Rossman glosses over the difficulty of controlling for variables in the social sciences by stating that we need to break down our observations of society and political policy to their most basic core. Oh if only it were that simple. The Synthesis Revolution continually calls for "reasonable" and "common sense" policy making, as though critical thinkers are unaware that those are just buzz words used to emotionally manipulate people who can't be bothered with asking for specifics. When the entire point of your political philosophy is supposed to be that we need to rise above ideology and think critically and objectively about issues, then the details are non-optional.
The Synthesis Revolution: New Thinking For A New Era Of Prosperity
Author: Thomas Adair Rossman
Publisher: Eudaimonia Publishing, LLC
ISBN-13: 978-0985659608
Reviewed 9/2/14
The Synthesis Revolution: New Thinking For A New Era Of Prosperity by Thomas Adair Rossman falls firmly into the genre of political manifestos. At just over fifty pages it's a quick enough read, which is perhaps its greatest weakness. It reads as a text that would have been profoundly insightful during the early Renaissance, but seems an introduction more than a real road map for revolutionary thinking. Where detailed explanation was called for, only summary was found. The greatest weakness of this book is not what the manifesto says, but rather what it does not.
The text is broken up into four parts. The first seeks to make clear that ideas have a profound impact on societies and nations, and that some ideas lead to better outcomes and greater economic prosperity for citizens of those nations when compared to others. A fairly non-controversial point to be sure, though the text does strongly imply that the purpose of political philosophy is to maximize prosperity among citizens (a point that certain pro-undocumented immigrant activists, animal rights advocates, and others may disagree with). Leaving that aside, many political manifestos make this assumed assertion about this goal, so simply put The Synthesis Revolution in with all other collective nationalistic political philosophies.
The book then attempts to show why a reform is needed (specifically in the United States, as this is a very American-centric text). It outlines various failures of modern political action, and claims that America has faltered from the original values instilled in it by its founding fathers (so make that collective nationalistic originalism). It points to tribalism and uncritical dogmatic thinking as the main sources of our failure as individuals, and corruption and special interest influences as the main detractors at an institutional level. As it outlines these weaknesses in human thought and our current political system, the text proclaims that, "...the Synthesis Revolution is the engine for propelling this fundamental change." A bold claim, but half way through the text I still had no clue what the Synthesis Revolution is supposed to be. The book consistently says that it's "reasonable" and "objective," but these words mean nothing without examples or details.
It is in the third section that Rossman begins to delve into contemporary policy, beginning with a brief summary of his views on the divide between the left and right in modern American political thought. He describes the left as being "top-down" and the right "bottom-up", with President Reagan serving as the great example of a uniting force between the two. He points to statistics concerning regional landslide political victories as evidence of how much more polarized America now is. He also points to the 2008 financial collapse, which he claims was caused by deregulation of the banking industry, as an example of ideology effectively undermining a lesson that was learned back during the Great Depression.
And so finally we are given a glimpse of what the Synthesis Revolution is supposed to be, though not directly, but rather only through inference by assuming his positions serve as an example thereof. Landslide elections at local levels have more to do with gerrymandering than political division among the people, as evidenced by the much greater number of registered independents. People can have their opinions about the legacy and presidency of Reagan, but to say he united people across the aisles requires an ignorance of history. Also, his analysis of the financial collapse is so sparse and summarized, that were it submitted for a high school report, the teacher would likely mark, "Give more details," on the side. Apparently the Synthesis Revolution is a view that accepts the single axis approach to classifying political thoughts, views history through rose colored glasses, and over simplifies issues. While claiming to rise above political rhetoric, it fully embraces political narratives repeated by party establishment figures and media talking heads. I can only assume this is done uncritically because no in depth analysis of any issue is actually done in this book.
The last section attempts (and I stress the word attempts) to answer the question of how to implement this Synthesis Revolution. Within three paragraphs, Rossman glosses over the difficulty of controlling for variables in the social sciences by stating that we need to break down our observations of society and political policy to their most basic core. Oh if only it were that simple. The Synthesis Revolution continually calls for "reasonable" and "common sense" policy making, as though critical thinkers are unaware that those are just buzz words used to emotionally manipulate people who can't be bothered with asking for specifics. When the entire point of your political philosophy is supposed to be that we need to rise above ideology and think critically and objectively about issues, then the details are non-optional.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Applause! Applause! Review of Revolution In The Elbow Of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter at the Minetta Lane Theatre by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens
This review of Revolution In The Elbow Of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter at the Minetta Lane Theatre was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 4 (2014) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!
Revolution In The Elbow Of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter
Minetta Lane Theatre
18-22 Minetta Lane
New York, New York 10012
Reviewed 8/29/14
This Icelandic, surreal, multimedia, indie rock musical is set in the small nation of Elbowville, which is located in the elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson, a Furniture Painter, who loves watching Robert Redford films. Most of the citizens of Elbowville make a humble living fishing lobsters out of Ragnar's lymphatic system and praying to their god Robert Redford (Praise Bob!), whose movies can be seen up in Eyesockette. If they save enough money, the tiny people of Elbowville might be able to afford a vacation to Knee York, Texass or even Penisylvania. However, the status quo is not enough for Elbowville's leader, Manuela, who seeks to bring increased prosperity to Elbowville through the use of a Prosperity Machine that prints an unlimited number of promissory notes the country can then loan out to people at little or no interest. Revolution In The Elbow Of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter is a cautionary tale about the invention and ultimately predictable collapse of the modern financial system. While the musical may have been inspired by the 2008 economic crash and recession that hit Iceland, the relevance to the United States cannot be understated. The Federal Reserve now prints money out of thin air backed by nothing other than the full faith and credit of the United States, government guarantees cause banks to loan out money to risky enterprises and people who are unable to repay the loans, and the result is inflation and defaults that cause people to lose their life's savings.
When you arrive in the Minetta Lane Theatre, you see a video of a schlubby, oafish, unattractive working man projected on the back wall of the stage, who is presumably Ragnar Agnarsson. He moves around in his chair and occasionally scratches himself. The set and projections were expertly and innovatively designed by Petr Hlousek. The set consists of industrial steps on either side of the stage leading to a high bridge on which some of the action takes place. Bright tubing has been installed and/or projected onto the walls to evoke the veins and arteries of the human body. Much of this state-of-the-art production design is used to move the story forward, such as when the bloody revolution is mostly projected onto the walls instead of being acted out on stage. Stunning, imaginative costumes were designed by Hrafnhildur Arnardottir and Edda Gunmundsdottir. Exciting, innovative choreography was composed by Lee Proud and the show was expertly directed by Bergur Ingolfsson.
The musical's three main characters are Manuela, Elbowville's ambitious, power hungry Mayor, convincingly brought to life by Cady Huffman, a veteran actress who won a Tony Award for her performance in The Producers; Peter, played by Marrick Smith, a talented actor, singer and dancer who, in my opinion, is a hot, new Broadway bound rising star on the path to super stardom; and Alex, Peter's brother, sympathetically portrayed by Graydon Long, a charismatic, attractive actor with an excellent stage presence. The entire cast is top-notch and could easily follow the show to its Broadway debut. The Book, Music and Lyrics of Revolution In The Elbow Of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter are by Ivar Pall Jonsson. The band, which appears on stage, is the impressive Revolutionary Cellular Orchestra. I also need to give kudos to Carl Casella, responsible for the Sound Design, who made certain all the microphones were in perfect working order so the audience could clearly hear every word spoken and/or sung.
Ivar Pall Jonsson and his brother Gunnlaugur Jonsson are jointly responsible for writing the story and this is where I feel the show deserves some criticism. With respect to the financial issues raised, there is a difference between fiat money and the issuance of promissory notes. If the government was merely issuing fiat money, people would have been angry over the devaluation of the currency and not the fact that the promissory notes could not be redeemed. There are also problems in the story as to the dynamics between the characters and the internal logic of the fantasy world the characters live in. Peter, the entrepreneurial, young man trying to do good for his country by creating the Prosperity Machine, need not have been written as a morally bankrupt asshole. The brothers Jonsson would have done better to write Peter as a sympathetic character, who was just trying to bring prosperity to his fellow citizens without realizing the consequences of his actions. This would have made his ultimate fate more understandable. His brother Alex could have been written as someone who foresaw the potential financial crisis and who left to take a job elsewhere, only to return when he heard the financial collapse had endangered the life of his brothers and their families. Elements of this scenario are already in the script as when Alex says Peter "acted in good faith" and only "wanted everyone to have the good life." As for the internal logic of the fantasy world, why do babies have such a long gestation period, why did the Mayor bronze her uterus and hang it on the wall, and why do some men want shoulder implants while others prefer cuddles? Those aspects of the story need to be better explained and made more internally consistent. It is not enough to be outrageous just for the sake of being outrageous or for a cheap laugh. All that takes place must occur in the context of a well-written story.
The Prosperity Machine enables the government of Elbowville and its banks to give out loans to just about anyone who wants cash and for a while, the country rises on a wave of borrowed wealth. Everyone becomes instantly rich through the magic of easy credit until the tide turns. Inflation causes everything to become more expensive because of all the cash out there chasing a limited number of goods. Mandrake, an out-of-town Bank Examiner, hilariously played by Rick Faugno, then arrives to audit the books and eventually announces that Elbowville's credit rating has been severely downgraded. The government of Elbowville can no longer honor the promissory notes it has issued and they are placed in the position of having to borrow money at a high interest rate to pay off a small portion of its debts, a situation described by Manuela as "needing a loan to pay a loan to pay a loan to pay a loan." Citizens start defaulting on their loan payments resulting in repossessions and general civil unrest. Some pray to Robert Redford (Oh, dear Bob of Hollywood, Protect Us!) while others take to the streets in a bloody revolution.
At this point, in the last ten minutes of the show, it is very unclear what the ultimate message is. On the one hand, there is a democratic election, where the winner appoints former Mayor Manuela, the cause of the past financial crisis, as Financial Regulator of the new revolutionary government, which looks quite fascist, with flags and security and Manuela standing on the high bridge looking like Eva Peron. Is the message that ignorant citizens will be fooled and will elect leaders from the very same class of professional politicians that caused the financial crisis in the first place or is the message that a right-wing nationalistic government will arise from the ashes as Hitler rose out of the failed Weimar Republic? Even a third scenario is suggested when Alex decides to leave Elbowville given the new fascist government that has taken power. Where is he heading? Galt's Gulch? It is unclear what was intended but the end does leave the audience unsatisfied with respect to outcome and fails to give them closure.
Revolution In The Elbow Of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter features a cast with extraordinary talent and an excellent soundtrack. This rock musical is artistically and intellectually smart with a message that is insightful and relevant to many financial problems our country faces today. I strongly encourage you to see this show. You will have an enjoyable evening and will leave with a number of interesting questions regarding our current financial system that may haunt you, as well as provide you with insight, for years to come.
Revolution In The Elbow Of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter
Minetta Lane Theatre
18-22 Minetta Lane
New York, New York 10012
Reviewed 8/29/14
This Icelandic, surreal, multimedia, indie rock musical is set in the small nation of Elbowville, which is located in the elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson, a Furniture Painter, who loves watching Robert Redford films. Most of the citizens of Elbowville make a humble living fishing lobsters out of Ragnar's lymphatic system and praying to their god Robert Redford (Praise Bob!), whose movies can be seen up in Eyesockette. If they save enough money, the tiny people of Elbowville might be able to afford a vacation to Knee York, Texass or even Penisylvania. However, the status quo is not enough for Elbowville's leader, Manuela, who seeks to bring increased prosperity to Elbowville through the use of a Prosperity Machine that prints an unlimited number of promissory notes the country can then loan out to people at little or no interest. Revolution In The Elbow Of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter is a cautionary tale about the invention and ultimately predictable collapse of the modern financial system. While the musical may have been inspired by the 2008 economic crash and recession that hit Iceland, the relevance to the United States cannot be understated. The Federal Reserve now prints money out of thin air backed by nothing other than the full faith and credit of the United States, government guarantees cause banks to loan out money to risky enterprises and people who are unable to repay the loans, and the result is inflation and defaults that cause people to lose their life's savings.
When you arrive in the Minetta Lane Theatre, you see a video of a schlubby, oafish, unattractive working man projected on the back wall of the stage, who is presumably Ragnar Agnarsson. He moves around in his chair and occasionally scratches himself. The set and projections were expertly and innovatively designed by Petr Hlousek. The set consists of industrial steps on either side of the stage leading to a high bridge on which some of the action takes place. Bright tubing has been installed and/or projected onto the walls to evoke the veins and arteries of the human body. Much of this state-of-the-art production design is used to move the story forward, such as when the bloody revolution is mostly projected onto the walls instead of being acted out on stage. Stunning, imaginative costumes were designed by Hrafnhildur Arnardottir and Edda Gunmundsdottir. Exciting, innovative choreography was composed by Lee Proud and the show was expertly directed by Bergur Ingolfsson.
The musical's three main characters are Manuela, Elbowville's ambitious, power hungry Mayor, convincingly brought to life by Cady Huffman, a veteran actress who won a Tony Award for her performance in The Producers; Peter, played by Marrick Smith, a talented actor, singer and dancer who, in my opinion, is a hot, new Broadway bound rising star on the path to super stardom; and Alex, Peter's brother, sympathetically portrayed by Graydon Long, a charismatic, attractive actor with an excellent stage presence. The entire cast is top-notch and could easily follow the show to its Broadway debut. The Book, Music and Lyrics of Revolution In The Elbow Of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter are by Ivar Pall Jonsson. The band, which appears on stage, is the impressive Revolutionary Cellular Orchestra. I also need to give kudos to Carl Casella, responsible for the Sound Design, who made certain all the microphones were in perfect working order so the audience could clearly hear every word spoken and/or sung.
Ivar Pall Jonsson and his brother Gunnlaugur Jonsson are jointly responsible for writing the story and this is where I feel the show deserves some criticism. With respect to the financial issues raised, there is a difference between fiat money and the issuance of promissory notes. If the government was merely issuing fiat money, people would have been angry over the devaluation of the currency and not the fact that the promissory notes could not be redeemed. There are also problems in the story as to the dynamics between the characters and the internal logic of the fantasy world the characters live in. Peter, the entrepreneurial, young man trying to do good for his country by creating the Prosperity Machine, need not have been written as a morally bankrupt asshole. The brothers Jonsson would have done better to write Peter as a sympathetic character, who was just trying to bring prosperity to his fellow citizens without realizing the consequences of his actions. This would have made his ultimate fate more understandable. His brother Alex could have been written as someone who foresaw the potential financial crisis and who left to take a job elsewhere, only to return when he heard the financial collapse had endangered the life of his brothers and their families. Elements of this scenario are already in the script as when Alex says Peter "acted in good faith" and only "wanted everyone to have the good life." As for the internal logic of the fantasy world, why do babies have such a long gestation period, why did the Mayor bronze her uterus and hang it on the wall, and why do some men want shoulder implants while others prefer cuddles? Those aspects of the story need to be better explained and made more internally consistent. It is not enough to be outrageous just for the sake of being outrageous or for a cheap laugh. All that takes place must occur in the context of a well-written story.
The Prosperity Machine enables the government of Elbowville and its banks to give out loans to just about anyone who wants cash and for a while, the country rises on a wave of borrowed wealth. Everyone becomes instantly rich through the magic of easy credit until the tide turns. Inflation causes everything to become more expensive because of all the cash out there chasing a limited number of goods. Mandrake, an out-of-town Bank Examiner, hilariously played by Rick Faugno, then arrives to audit the books and eventually announces that Elbowville's credit rating has been severely downgraded. The government of Elbowville can no longer honor the promissory notes it has issued and they are placed in the position of having to borrow money at a high interest rate to pay off a small portion of its debts, a situation described by Manuela as "needing a loan to pay a loan to pay a loan to pay a loan." Citizens start defaulting on their loan payments resulting in repossessions and general civil unrest. Some pray to Robert Redford (Oh, dear Bob of Hollywood, Protect Us!) while others take to the streets in a bloody revolution.
At this point, in the last ten minutes of the show, it is very unclear what the ultimate message is. On the one hand, there is a democratic election, where the winner appoints former Mayor Manuela, the cause of the past financial crisis, as Financial Regulator of the new revolutionary government, which looks quite fascist, with flags and security and Manuela standing on the high bridge looking like Eva Peron. Is the message that ignorant citizens will be fooled and will elect leaders from the very same class of professional politicians that caused the financial crisis in the first place or is the message that a right-wing nationalistic government will arise from the ashes as Hitler rose out of the failed Weimar Republic? Even a third scenario is suggested when Alex decides to leave Elbowville given the new fascist government that has taken power. Where is he heading? Galt's Gulch? It is unclear what was intended but the end does leave the audience unsatisfied with respect to outcome and fails to give them closure.
Revolution In The Elbow Of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter features a cast with extraordinary talent and an excellent soundtrack. This rock musical is artistically and intellectually smart with a message that is insightful and relevant to many financial problems our country faces today. I strongly encourage you to see this show. You will have an enjoyable evening and will leave with a number of interesting questions regarding our current financial system that may haunt you, as well as provide you with insight, for years to come.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Applause! Applause! Review of The Normal Heart at The EastLine Theatre by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens
This review of The Normal Heart at The EastLine Theatre was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 4 (2014) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!
The Normal Heart
The EastLine Theatre
2123 Wantagh Avenue
Wantagh, New York 11793
Reviewed 8/22/14
Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart was first produced by Joseph Papp Off-Broadway at The Public Theater on April 21, 1985 and ran for 294 performances. There was a 2004 Off-Broadway revival at the Public and on April 19, 2011, the show had its Broadway premiere for a limited 12-week engagement at the Golden Theatre. It won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. A film adaptation debuted on the HBO premium pay cable channel on May 25, 2014.
The play focuses on the rise of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York City between 1981 and 1984 and the struggle of some early gay activists to obtain funding for research and treatment. The Normal Heart is a largely autobiographical play by Larry Kramer, who helped found several AIDS-activism groups, including Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) and AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP). After most performances of the 2011 revival, Kramer personally passed out a dramaturgical flyer detailing some of the real stories behind the play's characters. Kramer wrote that "the character 'Bruce' was based on Paul Popham, the president of the GMHC from 1981 until 1985; 'Tommy' was based on Rodger McFarlane, who was Executive Director of GMHC and a founding member of ACT UP and Broadway Cares; and 'Emma' was modeled after Dr. Linda Laubenstein, who treated some of the first New York cases of what was later known as AIDS." It was clear the character 'Ned' was based on Kramer's own experiences.
The Normal Heart clearly reflects the pain, frustrations and loss suffered by those who had or knew someone who had the as yet undefined virus that attacked the immune systems of mostly gay men. The struggles for recognition of their plight and to obtain funding for research is interesting all on its own. But for me, this play succeeds best in showing the divisions within the gay community with respect to strategy and historical perspective. While Ned, the Larry Kramer character, wants to warn the gay community to stop having promiscuous sex, Mickey, who works for the New York City Board of Health and is a veteran gay activist, argues that after being closeted for so many years, gay liberation means having gay sex without shame and that it is "the only thing that makes us different." Ned, on the other hand, argues that the culture gays have brought to this world for thousands of years since Socrates and Aristotle is very substantive and that "we need to be a proud united community willing to fight back" and that "gay culture needs to be defined by something more than just our cocks." There are other strategic differences featured in this play such as those activists who want to be more accommodating and work within the system versus those willing to take to the streets. Perhaps, as the character Tommy says, "all movements, to succeed, need both." Larry Kramer's character Ned told his brother the new organization, Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), would be a cross between the League of Women Voters and the United States Marines.
There are no weak links in this cast. All the actors performed admirably and put their heart and soul into their respective roles. Most impressive were Michael H. Carlin, who played Mickey, and Matt Rosenberg, who was Tommy Boatwright. Both accurately portrayed the perspectives and mannerisms of their characters so well that I felt I had met individuals similar to them many times throughout the years. Excellent performances! Evan Donnellan was so strong as Ned that he gave me new insight into Larry Kramer's motivations and activism. His performance is a tour de force. Kevin Kelly was Felix, Ned's lover, and Kevin Shaw played Bruce, Ned's nemesis at GMHC. Both handled their roles extremely well. Other cast members contributing to making this play a delight to watch were Michael Schlapp, Lisa Meckes and Patrick A. Reilly.
EastLine's The Normal Heart is a top-notch, high quality production. It features an extremely talented cast. Whether or not you have seen other productions of this play, I highly recommend you make time to see this show at The EastLine Theatre. You will be moved by the thought-provoking dialogue and impressed with the acting abilities of the performers. The time will fly by and you will be enriched by the experience. Visit EastLine Productions' website at www.eastlineproductions.com for more information.
The Normal Heart
The EastLine Theatre
2123 Wantagh Avenue
Wantagh, New York 11793
Reviewed 8/22/14
Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart was first produced by Joseph Papp Off-Broadway at The Public Theater on April 21, 1985 and ran for 294 performances. There was a 2004 Off-Broadway revival at the Public and on April 19, 2011, the show had its Broadway premiere for a limited 12-week engagement at the Golden Theatre. It won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. A film adaptation debuted on the HBO premium pay cable channel on May 25, 2014.
The play focuses on the rise of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York City between 1981 and 1984 and the struggle of some early gay activists to obtain funding for research and treatment. The Normal Heart is a largely autobiographical play by Larry Kramer, who helped found several AIDS-activism groups, including Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) and AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP). After most performances of the 2011 revival, Kramer personally passed out a dramaturgical flyer detailing some of the real stories behind the play's characters. Kramer wrote that "the character 'Bruce' was based on Paul Popham, the president of the GMHC from 1981 until 1985; 'Tommy' was based on Rodger McFarlane, who was Executive Director of GMHC and a founding member of ACT UP and Broadway Cares; and 'Emma' was modeled after Dr. Linda Laubenstein, who treated some of the first New York cases of what was later known as AIDS." It was clear the character 'Ned' was based on Kramer's own experiences.
The Normal Heart clearly reflects the pain, frustrations and loss suffered by those who had or knew someone who had the as yet undefined virus that attacked the immune systems of mostly gay men. The struggles for recognition of their plight and to obtain funding for research is interesting all on its own. But for me, this play succeeds best in showing the divisions within the gay community with respect to strategy and historical perspective. While Ned, the Larry Kramer character, wants to warn the gay community to stop having promiscuous sex, Mickey, who works for the New York City Board of Health and is a veteran gay activist, argues that after being closeted for so many years, gay liberation means having gay sex without shame and that it is "the only thing that makes us different." Ned, on the other hand, argues that the culture gays have brought to this world for thousands of years since Socrates and Aristotle is very substantive and that "we need to be a proud united community willing to fight back" and that "gay culture needs to be defined by something more than just our cocks." There are other strategic differences featured in this play such as those activists who want to be more accommodating and work within the system versus those willing to take to the streets. Perhaps, as the character Tommy says, "all movements, to succeed, need both." Larry Kramer's character Ned told his brother the new organization, Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), would be a cross between the League of Women Voters and the United States Marines.
There are no weak links in this cast. All the actors performed admirably and put their heart and soul into their respective roles. Most impressive were Michael H. Carlin, who played Mickey, and Matt Rosenberg, who was Tommy Boatwright. Both accurately portrayed the perspectives and mannerisms of their characters so well that I felt I had met individuals similar to them many times throughout the years. Excellent performances! Evan Donnellan was so strong as Ned that he gave me new insight into Larry Kramer's motivations and activism. His performance is a tour de force. Kevin Kelly was Felix, Ned's lover, and Kevin Shaw played Bruce, Ned's nemesis at GMHC. Both handled their roles extremely well. Other cast members contributing to making this play a delight to watch were Michael Schlapp, Lisa Meckes and Patrick A. Reilly.
EastLine's The Normal Heart is a top-notch, high quality production. It features an extremely talented cast. Whether or not you have seen other productions of this play, I highly recommend you make time to see this show at The EastLine Theatre. You will be moved by the thought-provoking dialogue and impressed with the acting abilities of the performers. The time will fly by and you will be enriched by the experience. Visit EastLine Productions' website at www.eastlineproductions.com for more information.
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