The Lady from Dubuque (Edward Albee)

Signature's Theatre's revival of The Lady from Dubuque is an excellent production of an intriguing, moving, yet nevertheless flawed play.  The characters from the first scene, three couples, none of whom seem to like another, suffer from a dearth of kindness and intelligence.  None of the witty repartee that we expect in an Albee play.  That appears, like a breath of fresh air, when the Oscar and Elizabeth (The Lady from Dubuque played by Jane Alexander) arrive to bring comfort to the hostess Jo, who is dying. Though Elizabeth claims to be Jo's mother, her husband Sam vehemently refutes that claim.  Jo, reduced to whimpering pain, merely embraces Elizabeth without identifying her one way or the other.

Elizabeth and Jo are more than the charming urbanity that we've been wishing for.  And they are more than Jo's mother and her friend (or not). They are allegorical representations of Death, who confront the reality of Jo's imminent death (which neither her husband nor her guests are willing to do) and gently usher her beyond the pain.

Fine performances by all..though I can hardly imagine what it's like to inhabit such distasteful characters eight times a week.

Highly recommend. 

The Winter's Tale (Shakespeare)

A fine, refined production by Yale Rep and directed by Liz Diamond.  Except for the inexplicable decision to have Autolycus sing many of his lines, the production provided the audience with clearly conceived characters whose lines are so well delivered that no notes were necessary to follow the plot.

Highly recommend.

Friends with Children (Jennifer Westfeldt)

Fun romantic comedy that questions the role of sexual attraction in a successful, long-term marriage.   After lots of ups and downs, friendship rules.

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

We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay)

...but, of course, no one ever does.  In fact, no one really even talks to Kevin.  They ask his permission and apologize, but that's just about it.  A maddening film about bad parenting gone bad.  And we're never given reason to understand why Eva, Kevin's mother (Tilda Swinton in an excellent performance), is vilified by her community; instead, we're given every reason to understand why the community might grieve along with her.

Joins Sid and Nancy as one of the great, all-time depressing films.

Caveats.

In Darkness (A Holland)

This Polish film recounts the gripping narrative of a Lvov sewer manager who helps a small group of Jews survive 14 months in the city's sewers. Sympathetic portrayals of the reluctant savior and his Jews. Recommend.

The Yiddish King Lear

A delightful recreation of an art form that has almost disappeared.

Recommend.