Forever (Dael Orlandersmith)

This solo work, written and performed by Dael Orlandersmith, provides an unrelenting encounter with the pains of abuse and the (surprisingly) redemptive power of rock n roll, especially the punk variety.  This power is surprising because Orlandersmith is an African-American women raised in Harlem where Jim Morrison and Patti Smith are white kids without the street cred of the neighborhood's soul brethren.  The narrative, however, revolves primarily around her relationship with her mother whose years of physically and verbally taunting her daughter culminate in her self-centered response to Dael's rape.

Recommend with caveats (because of graphic depictions of abuse and rape)

My Name is Asher Lev (adapted by Aaron Posner from Chaim Potok novel)

When I was in high school, Chaim Potok's novels introduced to me to Hassidism--in truth, Judaism.  Though I lived in the middle of the West Texas Bible Belt, I identified with the protagonists in both The Chosen  and My Name is Asher Lev as they struggled to understand how they could accommodate their their desires and inclinations with their native religion. 

Thus, I was naturally inclined to enjoy My Name is Asher Lev, a 2009 play derived from the 1972 novel. And I did.  It avoided being overly sentimental, and any gaps in the script were papered over by the excellent cast.

Recommend. 

February House (Gabriel Kahane)

A couple of years ago, I spotted Sherril Tippins, February House, on a library shelf and checked it out on a whim.  Though it sat beside my reading chair for several weeks, maybe months, I never even opened it because more professional reading duties beckoned.  Apparently Gabriel Kahane was able to align the book with his professional duties better than I, for when the Public Theatre commissioned a new work from him, he decided to base the book of his next musical on Tippins' work. 

The narrative arc is the story of George Davis' efforts (both high-minded and low-minded at the same time) to create an inexpensive living community for artists.  The audience watches him lure Carson McCullers, W. H. Auden (and his lover), Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, Erica Mann, and Gypsy Rose Lee into taking up residence at 7 Middagh Street in Brooklyn during 1940-1941, and we watch them leave, one-by-one (sometimes two-by-two), until Davis is left alone in the crumbling Victorian.

The cast and direction of this production at Long Wharf (before it moves to NYC in April) were surprisingly good.  (I'm not a fan of musicals.)  Perhaps that's because this musical could fall under the genre of "chamber musical": no big rousing numbers, only two musicians (generally playing piano and banjo), and plenty of dialogue to keep the storyline moving along.  

Recommend.


The

Macbeth 1969 (adapted from Shakespeare by Eric Ting)

Well, this thoughtful adaptation of Shakespeare's Scottish play uses lines derived solely (I think) from Macbeth, but rearrangements them and distributes them among only six parts to tell an entirely different story.  Despite the obvious difficulties with such a project, I think it could work.  For example, the new version is set in a Vietnam-era VA hospital, and the lines of the Weird Sisters are given to the three nurses who staff the ward (and two of whom are also married to Macbeth and Macduff--or is it Banquo?).  Sometimes it is clear that when the nurses recite the Weird Sisters' lines, they are the hallucinations of the traumatized war hero, Macbeth; other times, it's just the nurses speaking those lines.  Nor is it clear what role Macbeth's PTSD plays vis-a-vis his murder of Duncan: does the PTSD cause him to kill his king, or does he kill his king because of PTSD? 

I think there are ways that the lighting and sound (which are already used to great effect) could answer some of these questions and give the production more coherence.  Because I have faith in Ting's ability to pull all of this together, I'd like to see the next iteration.  I bet it will be provocative.

Recommend.

Krapp's Last Tape (Beckett)

Not many people get the chance (or dare take the chance) of seeing two productions of the same Beckett play on the same weekend. We did. After seeing John Hurt's performance on Friday, we saw Brian Dennehy's performance in a Sunday matinee. In light of the tight control the Beckett estate exerts over productions of his plays, I was surprised by the substantial differences between the two productions. (Note: I saw the Royal Shakespeare Company's production in 1998 at BAM; I remember little about it beyond the interminable silences and the way it looked. I do not remember being able to understand the tape recordings very well.) There was no comedy in Dennehy's performance. Here, Krapp is clearly a pitiful alcoholic whose pratfalls would be comical if not so pathetic. There was nothing tedious and unclear about the performance. And as he had done for all the previous performances at Long Wharf, he returned to the theatre for an extensive talk-back (really a mini-lecture explicating the play followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions): worth the price of the ticket alone.

Recommend highly.

Selected Shorts

Is there anything finer than sitting in an audience having a great voice read a wonderful story? Perhaps, but I'm not certain what that might be.

Highly recommended.

The Old Masters ( Simon Gray)

Recommend

Shirley Valentine

Surprisingly good production of a one-woman play.

Highly recommend.

Selected Shorts

Denis O'Hare read John Biguenet's "I Am Not a Jew"
Isaiah Sheffer read Percival Everett's "The Fix"
B. D. Wong read Sherman Alexie's "Flight Patterns"

All three were strong stories read by excellent performers; however, Wong's rendition of Alexie's story was spot on. Absolutely mezmerizing.

Highly recommend.

Sylvia (A. R. Gurney)

Eric Ting is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors. Though I cannot imagine the tedium of reading this script, Ting has brought life and energy to it. Built upon the conceit that we over-anthropomorphize our canine pets, the plays features a dog played by a female actor. Erica Sullivan brings believability and humor to the role.

Recommend.

Lil's 90th (Darci Picoult)

A fine production of a play that takes a gentle, but uncompromising, view of families, aging, and marital love.

Recommend.

The Three Sisters, Anton Chekhov

In the past, Mike and I often noted that Chekhov wrote only one play with four different titles.  In retrospect, we found it difficult to distinguish in our memories between productions of the various plays.  This production--continuing a pattern established earlier this summer with Katona Josef Theatre Company of Hungary's Ivanov--is memorable.  

Much of the credit for this goes to the fine translation.  Then, the production works to distinguish each character from the others with recognizable traits and quirks.  For instance, Masha is first seen reclining, and she frequently takes that pose throughout the play.  Solyony, on the other hand, punctuates the scenes with odd clucking/crowing noises.  Most importantly, the production works to make sense of every line.  In doing so, the audience is repeatedly prepared for the lines long before the characters' words are delivered.

One of the great pleasures in attending this performance was the audience, which included a large number of students who are part of the Festival's Shakespeare Summer School.  They were thoroughly engaged with the play, audibly sighing, gasping, and even crying.  How could one fail to be moved when those about were so obviously touched?

Recommend.

Late: A Cowboy Song, Sarah Ruhl

Interesting, well-performed, look at homosocial love as a choice for a woman in an abusive marriage.

Recommend.

The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Wiliams

When we entered the theatre, I had no high hopes for "another" production of The Glass Menagerie. O my goodness. What a difference a fabulous production can make! Featuring the spectacular performance by Judity Ivey (as Amanda Wingfield) and excellent performances by Patch Darragh and Keira Keely (as Tom and Laura Wingfield), this production managed to be deeply moving and funny. It made me realize what a great play Williams wrote.

Highly Reommended.

Coming Home, Athol Fugard

A very moving play, especially the first act. The second act is less focused, but perhaps that's the point.

Highly recommend.

Hughie, Eugene O'Neill

Carousel, Rodgers and Hammerstein

Bleak.

The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison

Visually compelling production of a narrative painful to watch.

Highly recommend.

Bacchae (Euripedes)

Outstanding interpretation of Greek original

Uncle Vanya (Chekhov)