Theater

A laughing matter

July 22, 2010 , ι Elisabeth Vincentelli

It's fun to see pros be pros, making everything look fluid and effortless. But it's also fun to see them go off the rails, as Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth did at last night's performance of... Read on

It's fun to see pros be pros, making everything look fluid and effortless. But it's also fun to see them go off the rails, as Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth did at last night's performance of
	 "Promises, Promises."As she was settling down to do "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," late in the second act, Cheno seemed to be battling a case of the giggles. It's unclear what set it up -- I'm betting on Hayes delivering a line in a slightly different manner than usual -- but there she was, looking like she was desperately trying to keep it together. But as soon as she started strumming her prop guitar, the laughter took over. Conductor Phil Reno got the number going anyway and Cheno bravely followed suit. And so she sang as she cracked up, her voice wobbly on the melody. As the audience started laughing --
	 withher, not
	 ather -- it became harder and harder for her to keep a straight face, and still she plowed through. Except her fit was contagious and it spread to Hayes as soon as he got in on the duet, while we all roared in delight. They somehow managed to finish the song, to thunderous applause.
	 
Now, some may argue that this little misshap ruined one of the show's flagship hits. And it's true that the number didn't sound the way it's meant to, to say the least. But we were also reminded that this is theater, not some YouTube video. Everything felt brilliantly, thrillingly in the moment, live and alive. Of course if this kind of stuff happened a lot, that'd be a problem. The rarity only adds to the specialness.
	 
In addition, that unplanned laughter inadvertently enhanced the scene. After all, Chuck and Fran, despite singing otherwise, share their feelings for the first time -- well, he already knew he was in love, and she finally realizes the right guy had been in front of her the whole time. Last night, the chemistry on stage was obvious and hit on both levels: Chuck and Fran enjoyed each other's company, just like Sean and Kristin did.
	 
Which brings me to another point. It's always interesting to revisit a show months after it opened. Usually I return when new actors are stepping in, as was the case with
	 "God of Carnage"and
	 "Race,"to name just two recent cases. But "Promises, Promises" has the same cast I saw back in April. Some of the structural problems are still there, of course: The Broadway Theatre's large stage often looks bizarrely empty. "Turkey Lurkey Time" continues to underwhelm when it should simply kill -- I just can't fathom why director/choreographer Rob Ashford didn't let loose there.
	 
But the show has improved in other areas, most notably Hayes and Chenoweth -- and I already liked them the first time around. She brings a simple pathos to Fran and the character's pain, her disappointment feel very real to me. Meanwhile, Hayes has turned the comic antics up a notch or five -- the scene in which he tries to sit in a futuristic chair and "It's Our Little Secret" have turned into miniature slapstick classics. But he also knows
	 exactlywhen to stop, which is right before physical comedy turns into mugging. As we know, the former is delightful while the latter is insufferable.
	 
"Promises, Promises" divided the critics when it opened. I fell on the booster side then, and after seeing the show again, I remain firmly there.

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'Spelling' been

July 16, 2010 , ι Elisabeth Vincentelli

Coincidentally, three alums from the Broadway production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" are on the boards right now. In today's paper, I reviewed "Falling for Eve," in which Jose... Read on

Coincidentally, three alums from the Broadway production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" are on the boards right now. In today's paper, I reviewed
	 "Falling for Eve,"in which Jose Llana plays Adam. Because Llana was nerdy boy scout Chip Tolentino in "Spelling Bee," his hunkiness was downplayed. No more! Llana makes his entrance in "Falling for Eve" naked, then spends the rest of the show in a loincloth, showing off his pecs. Good times. (Incidentally, "Falling for Eve" scenic designer Beowulf Boritt worked on "Spelling Bee" as well.)
	 
Second is Jesse Tyler Ferguson, once Leaf Coneybear and currently co-starring in not one but two plays:
	 "The Merchant of Venice"and
	 "The Winter's Tale."That's when he's not playing
	 Mitchellon TV's "Modern Family" or
	 covering Lady Gaga, of course.
	 
And finally, Celia Keenan-Bolger -- a Tony nominee for playing Olive Ostrovsky in "Spelling Bee" -- is currently in previews of
	 "Trust"at Second Stage Uptown.
	 
No sightings, however, of the actor who did win a Tony for his part in "Spelling Bee" and was briefly touted as the
	 new Jack Black. Where art thou, Dan Fogler?

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Gabbing about 'The Merchant of Venice'

July 14, 2010 , ι Elisabeth Vincentelli

A few days ago I debated the pros and cons of Daniel Sullivan's production of "The Merchant of Venice" with Time Out New York's Adam Feldman. Oh, we also touched on a few other small things, like... Read on

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All-singing, all-dancing samurai

July 09, 2010 , ι Elisabeth Vincentelli

One of the highlights of "Musashi" -- the Japanese play I reviewed in today's paper -- is the impromptu, tango-set dance that flows out of a sword-training session. Keep in mind that the show is set... Read on

One of the highlights of "Musashi" -- the Japanese play I
	 reviewedin today's paper -- is the impromptu, tango-set dance that flows out of a sword-training session. Keep in mind that the show is set in a 17th-century Buddhist monastery, and you'll get a faint idea of how deliciously surreal the scene is. Director Yukio Ninagawa incorporates the seeming anachronism to his advantage. It reminded me -- in its spirit if not its letter -- of the exhilarating finale of Takeshi Kitano's 2003 samurai movie "Zatoichi." Here it is, as a little Friday treat.
	 
<object width="400" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bT5_My6X3w4&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1?rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bT5_My6X3w4&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1?rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="385"></embed></object>

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Maria Dizzia rocks!

July 09, 2010 , ι Elisabeth Vincentelli

The Parabasis blog alerted me to this Q&A with actress Maria Dizzia, last seen in Anne Washburn's "The Small" off-off-Broadway, and a Tony nominee for Best Supporting Actress for "In the Next Room... Read on

The
	 Parabasisblog alerted me to this
	 Q&Awith actress Maria Dizzia, last seen in Anne Washburn's
	 "The Small"off-off-Broadway, and a Tony nominee for Best Supporting Actress for "In the Next Room or the vibrator play." Dizzia is also an associate artist with the
	 Civilianstroupe, but is currently "living off of unemployment, credit cards and my roommate’s supply of chia cereal." She's waiting to hear if she'll get a job as a test tutor. What is wrong with this picture? What is wrong with New York theater?? Why isn't someone as smart, talented and beautiful -- and let's face it, this last thing matters when it comes to actresses -- in a show right now?
	 
Okay, deep breath.
	 
Less depressing is Dizzia's eloquent account of her life-changing experience at a production of Brecht's "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui" directed by Heiner Müller. Now let's just hope she gets the parts she deserves very, very soon.

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Yay for New Yorkers!

July 08, 2010 , ι Elisabeth Vincentelli

The piece I wrote for today's paper made me really happy. Too often, we forget about the hardy audience members who sustain theater in New York, so it was a pleasure to introduce three of them. I... Read on

The
	 pieceI wrote for today's paper made me really happy. Too often, we forget about the hardy audience members who sustain theater in New York, so it was a pleasure to introduce three of them. I love their curiosity, their openness, and I don't care if this comes across as cheesily gushing! These guys are keeping us all in business.
	 
Zachary, Rosalie and Nicole have nothing in common except for two things: They're all up for a challenge, and they all bought a ticket to one of this weekend's performances of
	 "The Demons"on Governors Island. You may have heard of it -- it's the 12-hour-long Dostoyevsky adaptation staged by
	 Peter Stein. He's a legendary director in Europe but little of his work has been seen over here. But feast is following famine now since Stein is also making his Met debut in October, with a production of Mussorgsky's 
	 "Boris Godunov"starring the formidable bass René Pape.

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Web review: 'The Zero Hour'

July 07, 2010 , ι Elisabeth Vincentelli

Madeleine George's play "The Zero Hour" shouldn't be confused with "Zero Hour," which is about Zero Mostel and currently playing off-Broadway. Or with "Year Zero," about Cambodian-Americans in... Read on

Madeleine George's play "The Zero Hour" shouldn't be confused with "Zero Hour," which is about Zero Mostel and currently playing off-Broadway. Or with "Year Zero," about Cambodian-Americans in California, which recently concluded its run at Second Stage Uptown.
	 
No, this "Zero Hour" (at Walkerspace, in Tribeca, until Saturday) is the one about lesbians and Nazis.
	 
The former are twentysomething lovers O (Hannah Cabell) and Rebecca (Angela Goethals), who share a dingy apartment by the elevated 7 train. The unemployed, slyly charming O lives a life of dilettantish leisure while the uptight Rebecca toils as a textbook editor. Her current project involves the Holocaust, and it occupies so much of her thoughts that she starts striking conversations with friendly Nazis (all played by Cabell) on the subway.
	 
It's not surprising that German-accented war criminals would spring up from Rebecca's id. She lies about her sexuality to her mother, and to herself as well: "I love her but I'm not gay," she tells her therapist (Cabell again). Rebecca is so tightly wound-up that her emotions have to get out somehow, and what if they materialize as Nazis trying to buy Mets paraphernalia?
	 
The lackadaisical O, meanwhile, also encounters figments of her imagination -- or are they? O is visited by her and Rebecca's mother (both played by Goethals). Their presence force the young woman to address her own issues with domesticity, responsibility and growing up.
	 
There are smart ideas spread throughout the show, like having the actresses double up as characters representing the pull of family and order on the one hand, and the ultimate destructive ideology on the other. Director Adam Greenfield deftly crams various settings on one small stage, and keeps the action moving smoothly.
	 
And yet "The Zero Hour" (which is presented by the
	 13Pcollective) doesn't quite stick. At times the lead characters feel like boilerplates spouting too-clever repartees. And Rebecca is rather unappealing, the kind of churlish person who says "That's funny instead of actually laughing." Which at least is better than one of her other responses: "It's not funny. See how I'm not laughing?" Why anybody would stay with her is more puzzling than seeing National Socialists on the 7.
	 
Rob Strong

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John Connolly and David Sedaris, together at last

July 02, 2010 , ι Elisabeth Vincentelli

John Connolly is an Irish-born noir writer whose name isn't usually associated with theater. But on July 8-22, you can check out the Piper Theatre's stage adaptation of his spooky short-story... Read on

John Connollyis an Irish-born noir writer whose name isn't usually associated with theater. But on July 8-22, you can check out the
	 Piper Theatre'sstage adaptation of his spooky short-story collection "Nocturnes" at the
	 Old Stone Housein Park Slope. And it's free, too.
	 
Even more intriguing, at least from my perspective, is the Piper's revival of "The Book of Liz," by the Talent Family. Never heard of them? It's the name under which David and
	 Amy Sedariswrote for the stage. Unless I missed something, "The Book of Liz," which was produced in 2001, remains their last play to date. Amy played prim Elizabeth Donderstock, who kept her Amish community afloat by making and selling delicious cheese balls. When a fellow Amish (David Rakoff) tried to take over the business, he realized his
	 ballsmissed her secret ingredient. What could it be? The cast also included Talent Family regular Jackie Hoffman, and the show was just a riot.
	 
The Talent Family was most active in the 1990s, and their plays were all headlined by Amy, who did some of her most warped work in them. They include "Stitches," "One-Woman Shoe" (which I saw three or four times during its run at LaMama in 1995), "Incident at Cobbler's Knob" (part of Lincoln Center Festival 1997!) and "The Little Freida Mysteries." From LaMama to Lincoln Center in two years: not bad.
	 
"The Book of Liz" runs July 10-25 at the Old Stone House -- a perfect setting for an Amish-themed play since it's a 1699 Dutch farmhouse.

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On the airwaves

June 30, 2010 , ι Elisabeth Vincentelli

We're in between shows right now, so I'll use the opportunity to plug a couple of punditing appearance. Over at WNYC , you can listen to a podcast where I discuss theater and the media with Time Out... Read on

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The Umbrellas of London

June 28, 2010 , ι Elisabeth Vincentelli

I loved the Kneehigh company's production of "Brief Encounter," which ran at St. Ann's Warehouse at the end of last year and is transferring to Broadway in the fall. Now (or rather in February 2011)... Read on