FRINGE: when last we flew

Tony Kushner is lucky to be getting such a touching homage to his masterpiece Angels in America in Harrison David Rivers's when last we flew. Rivers clearly loves the play and isn't trying to rewrite it. The play takes place in Kansas and there are no characters dying from AIDS or closeted Mormons. At a little under 2 hours, it's not the epic that Angels is. It does, however, remind us of the power of literature.

The central characters are two African-American high school students. Paul (Jon-Michael Reese) reads Angels in America obsessively. As he struggles with his sexuality and deals with the feelings of alienation brought on by his father leaving, he finds solace in the play as well as his bathroom--the only room in his house with a lock. Natalie (Rory Lipede--remember that name) is an exceptional student who gets kicked out of her private school when she realizes that she wants to stand up for injustice. Rivers uses imagery and lines from Angels in America to invoke a similar feeling of fantasy. My guess is that a knowledge of the play isn't required to be moved by when last we flew, but I wonder how someone unfamiliar with Angels would take scenes such as Natalie crash landing into Paul's bathroom.

The young actors come across much stronger than the adults, especially Lipede, who is such a magnetic performer that the play seems to lose something whenever she isn't onstage. Reese effectively plays Paul with a nervous edge and Christopher Larkin sweetly plays Paul's best friend Ian.

Rivers has the ability to write humorous as well as poignant dialogue and I'd like to see what he can do when writing a piece not so heavily influenced by someone else.

Remaining performances are Fri 27 at 9:45 and Sun 29 at 2:30 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

If you are interested in other stories about artists who have been inspired by Angels in America, read Signature Theatre's blog.

FRINGE: Getting Even With Shakespeare

For a play about Shakespeare, there are an awful lot of Beckett jokes. Though Matt Saldarelli's Getting Even With Shakespeare primarily deals with the playwright in the title, no one is safe in this hilarious madcap comedy which references everything from Star Wars to Pirandello.

The play takes place in a bar where Shakespearean tragic heroes hang out in between shows (whenever their plays are performed anywhere in the world, they have to be there). Josh Odsess-Rubin is appropriately douchey as Hamlet, Patrick Pizzolorusso is the comedic standout as the angry Macbeth, John D'Arcangelo is the pitiful King Lear, Amanda Tudesco channels Blair Waldorf as the Upper East Side princess Juliet (the only character that has conformed to the times), and Ben Holmes is an adorably innocent Romeo. The bartender is an actress known as Ophelia #482, played delightfully as an airhead by Kelsey Formost. How these Ophelias come to be at this bar is never explained, but no matter--disbelief has to be suspended to enjoy this play.

Lawyer Matt Saldarelli (Greg Ayers) stumbles into the bar one night and wants to be part of the exclusive club. The requirements are that you have to be a character in a play (he was--in a college play that he wrote), you have to drink pig's blood (he obliges), and you have to exact revenge on William Shakespeare. Saldarelli decides to do this by writing a play.

The real Saldarelli clearly had a lot of fun writing Getting Even With Shakespeare and the audience has just as much fun watching. The best moments are when the fictional characters talk amongst themselves (the play opens with Hamlet and Macbeth discussing who had it worse). I could do with less of the fictional Saldarelli. The play gets off on one too many self-indulgent tangents, but even so, theater nerds are sure to get a kick out of this play.

Remaining performances are Wed 25 at 7:30 and Fri 27 at 7 at the Players Theatre.

FRINGE: Veritas

There is no doubt that Stan Richardson's Veritas, which sold out its entire run before the Fringe Festival even began, is the hit of the festival. So, is it worth the hype? Well, it needs some work, but mostly, the answer is yes.

In 1920, Cyril Wilcox, a student at Harvard University, committed suicide at his home. His brother, Lester (an intense Doug Kreeger), discovered letters sent to Cyril implicating his classmates in homosexual activities. "The Court" was formed by the president and dean of the university to interrogate the students. The play offers its version of these events. This disturbing period in Harvard's history was only uncovered in 2002. It's an important story that deserves to be told. The writing is quite powerful, effectively using repetition and greek chorus style where the actors often speak at once. The use of music and Shakespeare monologues make this a lovely production (directed by Ryan J. Davis), but the downside is that the play is a little too artsy and it would be hard to connect to the characters were it not for the cast of talented up-and-comers. Sam Underwood deserves particular recognition as the shy and awkward Joseph Lumbard, one of only two to be deemed not guilty and allowed to return to the school, but Justin Blanchard, Paul Downs Colaizzo, Mitch Dean, Morgan Karr, Eric Nelsen, Matt Steiner, Jesse Swenson, Joseph Yeargain, and Kreeger deserve recognition for their fine work humanizing the play.

Veritas loses its footing a bit at the end. A dream-like scene in which Lester is playing a game show at the end of his life is very out of place with its humorous and surreal tone as is the epilogue in which the characters break the fourth wall. Sometimes, Richardson and Davis could trust the story more rather than relying on these devices, but this is a very promising first run and I expect to see an even stronger production in the near future.

Remaining performances are Tue 24 at 4:15, Thu 26 at 3:30, Fri 27 at 5:15, and Sat 28 at 8 at HERE Arts Center. Performances are sold out, but there is a cancellation line.

FRINGE: I Don < 3 U Ne Mor

If you see one musical at Fringe this year, make it the endlessly fun I Don < 3 U NE Mor, with music by Frank Grullon and Cathy Thomas and lyrics by Daren Taylor. With its tight book (also Taylor) and John Hurley's fast-paced direction that never drags, this fully realized production could transfer with very little editing, a rarity for Fringe.

The musical begins with "Out of Service/Out of Touch," a number with colorful costumes and dance moves (courtesy of choreographer Curtis LeMoine) that look like a parody of High School Musical. The dancers repeatedly stop mid-song to answer their cell phones, which is a smart set-up to a show about the dangers of technology. Ron (Dewy Caddell) and Sam (Elise Link) are about to lose their jobs as archivists for an Internet company after a merger leads to the creation of Verizon Micronet unless they can come up with a new job position. In the midst of trying to save his job, Ron is also trying to win over the girl of his dreams, Daliya (Felicia Hudson), who doesn't know he is alive until Ron's roommate Nic (Cameron Leighton Kirkpatrick) introduces him to the power of cell phones, texting, and My Facester.

Let's be honest--this isn't the type of show that will change your life. The musical isn't earth-shattering in its opinions of technology, but that doesn't make songs like "The Internet Makes Stalking OK" any less true or funny. The score is lively, the cast is fully committed and nails the comedic timing, and the show is unapologetic in its silliness. What more could you want out of a 90-minute evening?

Remaining performances are Tue 24 at 9:30, Wed 25 at 12:45, Fri 27 at 2:15, and Sat 28 at 9:45 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

FRINGE: Together This Time

Together This Time is like a City of Angels for literature instead of film. Scenes are split between a novelist's life and the characters in his novel, sometimes overlapping. There is a fundamental problem, though, that makes it impossible for the show to work. The story our protagonist is writing sounds so dumb that I cannot imagine why anyone would want to read it.

Jay Allen Jones (Jonathan Whitton) was a successful writer in New York City, but he moved to Colorado to get away from it all. He has spent the last four years working on a novel about two 18-year-olds in love, Jamie Gower (Andrew Redlawsk) and Gillian Wilder (Emily Olson). His girlfriend and editor Emily (Tro Shaw) wants to move back to the city, so she leaves him, and he follows her, winning her back through his novel. Emily is apparently an in-demand editor (as we learn through the song "Can You Help Me With My Book?") and Jay is a critical darling, so why would they be spending all their time on a book where nothing much happens except that Jamie and Emily leave home to start a life together and then come back home but this time it will be different because they will be in their own apartment.

The rock score by Andrew Heyman is repetitive, but at least it's performed by a live and very capable band. The lyrics by Heyman and Zac Kline (who also wrote the book) sometimes offer a spark of what this show could have been, such as when Emily sings about falling in love with Phillip Roth at the age of 12. The actors all seem to be directed by Troy Miller to clutch their chests and fists as if every song is a life or death situation, which would be distracting in any case, but seems especially out of place when the stakes really aren't that high.

Remaining performances are Mon 23 at 1 and Thu 26 at 4:30 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

FRINGE: Have A Nice Life

For a show called Have A Nice Life presented by Nice People Theatre Company (the most adorable name for a theatre company ever), the characters are not very nice. I wouldn't want to spend 90 minutes hanging out with any of them, but spending 90 minutes watching them is not so bad.

The show takes place during a group therapy session led by Patrick (Benjamin Michael). Jackie (Amy Acchione) brings her new best friend Amy (Miriam White), who she met only three hours earlier, to join the session. Each character gets a song or two, but we never get to know much about them beyond their basic problems, which are pretty familiar (mommy and daddy issues, etc.). Book writer Matthew Hurt often brings up topics but doesn't explore them, such as when it is mentioned that the macho Frank (Gregg Pica) might be gay. I suppose this is realistic in that not everything can be addressed and dealt with in one group session, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating.

Composer and lyricist Conor Mitchell borrows too frequently from others. Several numbers sound like lesser Sondheim and there is a song that Barbara (Nicole Paloux) sings about writing hate mail that is reminiscent of "The Cell Block Tango" from Chicago. Still, a new musical with conventional musical theater songs is appreciated and the voices of the cast are among the best I've heard at a Fringe musical this year. Nancy Berman Kantra's choreography, especially when the actors dance with umbrellas for a cute number about how romance has changed, is the highlight of the show.

There are no Fringe performances remaining for Have A Nice Life.

FRINGE: Hamlettes

Going into Hamlettes, I expected a light comedy about 12-year-old girls staging Hamlet (this is not the first time I've been misled by a Fringe blurb), but the show was unexpectedly dark, and was all the better for it.

Alex (Alexandra Bassett) is given a book of Shakespeare plays for her birthday and falls in love with the play Hamlet. When Chloe (Savannah Clement) performs a Claudius monologue in class, Alex asks her to form a drama club. They decide to stage Hamlet with Alex in the title role and Chloe as everyone else. When Chloe decides she can't play Ophelia because she doesn't relate to her, they cast the shy new girl, conveniently named Ophelia (Lauren Weinberg). Up until this point, the play is very funny due to Patrick Shaw's ability to write realistic dialogue for 12-year-old girls who think they know a lot more than they do. Once the girls decide to never drop character, themes of betrayal and sexual awakening are introduced. Because pre-pubescent girls already deal with these emotions, the fact that they would get so caught up in a play like Hamlet makes so much sense that it's a wonder no one has thought of it before Shaw, but luckily he also has a capable director, Lillian Meredith, to execute his ideas. The actors are all very believable as teenage girls and Weinberg is the standout with her heartbreaking performance.

The show still needs a little work--some of the scenes felt a little muddled towards the end--but it already will have a future life (it's being staged in Chicago). Perhaps in the future it could be performed for all girls schools, which would be very compelling and educational.

Remaining performances are Tue 24 at 9, Wed 25 at 4:15, and Sat 28 at 7:15 at The Cherry Pit.

FRINGE: Richard 3

Let's get this out of the way. Richard 3 is misleadingly billed as a punk rock musical, but most of the music by Mike Fabano does not fit the punk description. Although there is a band onstage, the songs are often sung a cappella. This is not to say that the music, which has a haunting quality, doesn't fit the show, it does, but if I'm promised a punk rock Richard III, I want to see a punk rock Richard III.

James Presson's reimagining of Shakespeare's play takes place after World War III. The show actually owes a greater debt to Spring Awakening than American Idiot, by having characters speak Shakespeare's words and then using modern language when at the microphone. There is not much in the production to suggest a nuclear wasteland, but the look of the show, which is more punk than the music, provided by Marissa Parkes costume design and Rebecca Zoltoski's make-up, is quite polished, as is Cory Asinofsky's fight choreography. The 18-person cast is the largest I've seen at Fringe. Though the young cast is uneven, Jake Ahlquist is a revelation as Richard, capturing the qualities that make him both alluring and frightening.

Tonight was the final scheduled performance, but I suspect we'll see more of this show, either in the Fringe Encore series or another production down the line.

FRINGE: William and the Tradesmen

If you want to spend an evening with Morrissey, Joe Strummer, and Paul Weller, look no further than William and the Tradesmen. All three are channeled to remarkable accuracy by Eli James, who also wrote the one-man show.

The three British musicians are Will Bray's idols. Will imagines them guiding him in his quest to be a successful musician, even though his band never shows up for gigs. James has a nerdy appeal as Bray and his Morrissey is particularly brilliant. The songs are well-written, but not so exceptional that you can't see why Will has never had his big break. As both a theater nerd and an Anglophile, I especially appreciated "The Second Song Is An I Want Song."

When the biggest misstep in Francesco Campari's production is that the show opens with Eli James miming typing on a computer when maddeningly there is a laptop on his bed just a few feet away, you know the show is in good shape.

The final performance is Wed Aug 25 at 7 p.m. at The Club at LaMaMa.

FRINGE: The Beatitudes

The final performance of Eidolon Ballet's The Beatitudes is tonight at 8 p.m. at Dixon Place. I recommend trying to make room for it in your Fringe schedule. At only 35 minutes, it can easily fit in between two other shows.

The dance piece begins with Ray (Jerry "Chip" Scuderi) serving in WWII and follows his journey as he returns to New York, discovers the Beat Generation, heads west, and eventually returns home. The dance is set to jazz music as well as readings by Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. I don't claim to be a dance critic, but to these eyes, the dance set to spoken word is particularly engaging because it enhances the poetry of the language. The choreography by Melanie Cortier is lovely, if at times repetitive. Scuderi, Maureen Duke (as his girlfriend Alvah), Alfredo Solivan (as his best friend Dean), A. Temple Kemezis (as Maggie), and the rest of the company are captivating.

According to the press packet, Eidolon is dedicated to make dance more accessible to the community at large. With accessible pieces like this one, they are succeeding.

FRINGE: Feed The Monster

Feed The Monster starts off strong when Rita Emerson (Stephanie Ehrlich) takes the stage to perform the title song by Ehrlich, who also wrote the show, and composer Jim Keyes. She channels a psychedelic rock goddess and for that moment, it feels as though we've been transported to the 70s, but unfortunately, the rest of the show is a little dull in comparison.

Rita is playing a farewell concert for the fictitious The Village Vestibule, where she got her start as a folk singer in the 60s. The Club at La MaMa is the perfect venue for a show that takes place at a New York nightclub. She tells us about her Jewish upbringing in Brighton Beach, her beginnings as a folk singer, her move to San Francisco, and how she eventually found her way back to Brooklyn. Ehrlich is a likable narrator, but the humor often falls flat. She looks like a nice Jewish girl, so when Rita speaks about waiting for a man naked in bed, all 250 pounds of her (Ehrlich is not overweight), it's tough to believe. For a concert, she spends too much time talking and not enough time singing. Almost all the songs she performs are fragments, which is unfortunate, as she is at her most engaging when singing.

Remaining performances are Sun 22 at 5 and Thur 26 at 9:45 at The Club at La MaMa.

FRINGE: Bunked!: A New Musical

Beware the buzzed-about Fringe show. It's impossible to guess how shows will fare until they begin performances and it's often the ones that sound best on paper that end up disappointing. Bunked!, a musical about summer camp counselors, sounds like a campy (pun only partially intended) good time, but the lack of dramatic tension makes for a tedious evening.

Each counselor is a stereotype: Anabel (Amanda Jane Cooper) the goody two shoes, her flamboyant twin Oliver (Tim Ehrlich), Carmen (Lizzie Klemperer) the bitch with a heart of gold underneath, Max (Jake Loewenthal) the boy with a secret, and Stewart (Ben Moss) the over-achiever who is sick of doing what his parents want. There are themes of summer romance and jealousy, but there isn't much of a story arc. In the opening song, "Best Summer Ever," Seth Sikes's direction is over-the-top, setting the audience up for silliness, but the show ends up being too sincere for its own good. When serious topics such as suicide are introduced, they feel forced, and the characters are too one-dimensional for us to care, as much as the hard-working cast tries. The most successful bits of the evening are the loudspeaker announcements provided by Michael Urie.

The songs by Alaina Kunin (book, lyrics) and Bradford Proctor (music, book, lyrics) do not propel the story enough to be necessary and though they are pleasantly tuneful, they all sound alike.

The show is sponsored by LogoTV and the quickly resolved plot points would lend themselves to a YouTube series, which seems like a logical step for this show, rather than another production.

Remaining performances are Fri 20 at 4:15, Sat 21 at 2:15, Sun 22 at 8, and Wed 25 at 10:45 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

FRINGE: Pigeons, Knishes, and Rockettes

Cynical theatergoers should probably avoid Diana Rissetto's Pigeons, Knishes, and Rockettes, but those who smile at the thought of Christmas cookies and cry every year during It's a Wonderful Life (full disclosure: I am in the latter category) may be unable to resist the charms of this romantic comedy.

Eve (Julia Arazi) is a bubbly romantic who knits scarves and is obsessed with Christmas. She is used to being overshadowed by her tall and attractive best friends/roommates, Georgia (Kristin Muri), a Rockette, and Cherokee (Matthew Waterson), an actor who, as you might expect, is gay. Then she meets Peter (Carl Howell), a jazz singer with a Christmas album who hates the holiday, but actually notices her.

Arazi and Howell are believably awkward in their courtship, providing some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. At the Fringe, with its avant-garde shows, it's refreshing to see a wholesome love story. Costume designer Lisa Renee Jordan and sound designer Jay Spriggs provide the knitwear and Christmas music that contribute to that winter coziness, even on a muggy August night.

Remaining performances are Wed 18 at 3:45, Fri 20 at 2, and Tue 24 at 4:30 at The Cherry Pit.

Midtown International Theatre Festival

With so many theater festivals and outdoor Shakespeare, New Yorkers and tourists have plenty of options for summer theater. It can be overwhelming to keep track of everything and within each festival, it can be hard to narrow down what to see. The Midtown International Theatre Festival, now in its 11th year, offers 61 productions and free readings in eight genres (The Melting Pot, Breaking Up is Hard to Do, Off the Mortal Coil, The Art of the Con, Isn't It Bromantic?, Remember My Name, From the Pages of History, and GRRRL Power!). This weekend, I attended two of those shows--The Gospel According to Josh and Lovers: A Bold New Musical (an advantage to theater scheduling is that you can often make a day of it and knock out a bunch of shows at once)--both playing through August 1.

The Gospel According to Josh is Josh Rivedal's one-man show (directed by Josh Gaboian) about his religious Baptist upbringing and his desire to be a star. The conflict is a bit forced--in the first scene, Rivedal recalls being spanked with a belt by his father, but it was also his father who was largely responsible for Rivedal's love of music. With an easygoing voice and manner similar to Jeff Anderson who played Randal in Clerks and the ability to morph into various characters, Rivedal is an engaging performer and the 75 minutes fly by.

Lovers is a two-hander with book, music, and lyrics by Christopher Massimine and directed by Christopher M. Czyz. Chip (Will Taylor) has just killed himself and left a note and package for his girlfriend/fiance of 8 years, Jolie (Courtney Hammond). It's hard not to call to mind The Last Five Years while watching the story of their relationship unfold. According to his bio, Lovers is Massimine's first major production. He shows much promise as a songwriter, but there is still room for growth. Some of the lyrics are smart, but a few are cringeworthy. There are some moments of originality, such as the story of their courtship, but the mysterious package is an unnecessary gimmick. The intermission comes at a very awkward place (some audience members were confused as to whether the show had ended) and the show feels overlong at 2 hours, but with some work, it could have a future life.

Cold As Ice

The Ice Factory Festival is the last chance for New Yorkers to see a show at the Ohio Theatre before it sadly closes its doors on August 31. For those looking to cool off and drawn to the title Ice Factory, it should be noted that the performance I attended of Hater (the third of six plays presented) last night was a little too warm for comfort, but paper fans were provided on every seat. Ice could apply, however, to the characters in the play, a new translation of Moliere's The Misanthrope by Samuel Buggeln.

Though the play still takes place in 17th-century Paris, the language is modern and the names have been updated. Alex (Nick Dillenburg) hates everyone and everything except Celine (Zoë Winters), even though she represents the qualities (phoniness, backstabbing) he despises most in society. He is jealous of her many suitors, but blind to the other women who are in love with him.

Strobe lights by Dans Maree Sheehan and choreography by Robin Carrigan (backed by Subvader's beats) suggest a club-like atmosphere in between scenes, but they don't aid the storytelling process and feel extraneous.

The cast as a whole is capable, but only a few performances stand out. Aysan Celik as Celine's frenemy Alison and Noah Weisberg as Alex's friend Phil excel in the humor department--her with facial expressions and him with physicality. It is Merritt Wever in the smaller role of Celine's cousin Liane that impresses the most. She is the most natural on stage and brings a needed humanity to the play.

Hater plays nightly at 7 through July 24.
Photo credit: Krissie Fullerton

Good Morning America(n Idiot)

I can't take credit for the title of this post--it was taken from a cute sign that somebody had this morning at the American Idiot performance in Central Park, part of Good Morning America's Summer Concert Series.

They performed two mash-ups--"Boulevard of Broken Dreams/Holiday" and "Letterbomb/American Idiot"--as well as "Good Riddance." This was a smart move as most of the actors had a chance to be featured and the portions of the songs not suitable for television could easily be cut. All in all a morning well spent. I don't claim to be a great photographer, but here are a few of the photos I took:


The stage


The band shows up


Rehearsing some of the dance moves


Michael Esper, John Gallgher, Jr., and Stark Sands looking happy


I couldn't get a good shot of Tony Vincent, but he had to wear his St. Jimmy costume and make-up and was barely on camera, so someone should see it.


This picture seems very Jesus of Suburbia-esque


Rebecca Naomi Jones, rocking it out


Action shot

Eyes Look Your Last...

When RENT closed in 2008, I wrote a blog post about how much it meant to me. I did the same for Spring Awakening and Avenue Q, so I couldn't let one of my favorite productions close today without a tribute of some kind.

In September 2007, the Public Theater announced a three-night only 40th anniversary concert of Hair. I was in California at the time, having recently finished graduated school and still figuring out my next move, and was bummed that I had to miss it. Fortunately, by the time the Public announced a full production in Central Park for the summer of 2008, I was already living in New York, and my mom and sister were determined to come visit me so we could all see it together.

They came during previews, so the reviews hadn't come out yet, but because we had never done Shakespeare in the Park before, we cautiously arrived at 5 or 5:30 a.m. and ended up being one of the first people in line. A few hours later, I had to go to work, and they stayed until 1 to get the tickets. They ended up getting 2nd row seats--they were on the side, but that hardly mattered to us. We all love the music and would often listen to the original cast recording together, but my sister and I had never seen a production of the show. Though my mother saw it in Buenos Aires (in Spanish!), she didn't remember it too well and felt like she was seeing it for the first time as well. Throughout the show, we kept hitting each other at our favorite songs, not believing we were seeing it live, in such a beautiful setting. We were blown away by the talent on that stage. I never expected to be so moved by the show, but the ending was heartbreaking. After the bows, we of course joined the dance party. My mom and I were dancing and we somehow lost my sister in the crowd, but at the end of the dance party, she found us, excited and out of breath, informing us that she had just danced with Jonathan Groff (her idol). Seeing her happiness was just icing on the cake for us.

I've seen Hair many times (some would say too many) since then, in the park and on Broadway, but nothing will ever top seeing it for the first time. It's hard to explain why this show means so much to me without getting too personal, but some of my other favorite memories include seeing the closing night performance at the Delacorte, seeing swing and future star Jay Armstrong Johnson's Claude, and seeing it again with my mom and sister on Broadway (that time, the drummer gave my mom his drumsticks at the dance party).

It's unfortunate that the show couldn't last longer on Broadway, but it had a successful run, considering so many thought it would be a mistake to bring it to Broadway. Though I am sorry for those losing their jobs, I don't think the closing is a sad occasion. I know I'll be seeing the cast in many shows in the future. Everybody involved should be proud of all they've accomplished, not just with the production itself, but everything they've done to support marriage equality and other causes they believe in. And this isn't the end of Hair--a national tour is in the works and a book will be out in the fall (full disclosure: my friend wrote it and I helped out with some editing, but I'm telling you honestly, he's a great writer). There's only one way to end this post. LOVE!

Photo credit: Joan Marcus

This Family Dinner Is Only Mildly Appetizing

I'm not sure what it says about Michele Willens's new play, Family Dinner, that I left the theater not thinking about the story I had just seen, but wondering whether they had to pay for the rights to use two Beatles songs and several Bob Dylan and Beach Boys songs. If they did, how they could afford it?

Family Dinner is playing at The Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row through July 3. The first act takes place in Santa Monica in 1963 at the home of the Wells family. Jane (Nancy Nagrant) is the submissive housewife who gave up the violin for her family. Howard (Willaim Broderick) is the strict father who drinks too much. Alex (Rick Desloge) is the oldest--a poetic soul who longs for attention. Johnny (Marshall Pailet) is the baseball star, the golden child. Maggie (Lily Corvo) is the youngest, who idealizes Johnny and used to be one of the boys, but now would prefer to be Ann-Margret. These characters probably sound familiar because we've seen their kind before. But what is there to say about a family in 1963 that we haven't seen before in movies, TV shows, and plays?

The second act takes place in 2002 at the New York City home of Maggie (Nagran), now in a struggling marriage of her own and the mother of two. Her daughter's graduation brings about a reunion for the family (except for Howard, now dead). As the family tries to deal with the issues that have been repressed for so long, again, we feel that we've seen it before. Still, at two hours, the play moves along quickly.

A play with such stock characters requires a strong cast to transcend the material. Sadly, most members of the cast seemed uncomfortable in their roles. The grown-up versions of the children aren't similar enough in mannerisms to feel like the same characters. Only Corvo manages to have any real spark on the stage.

One positive about watching other families onstage is that it can make you appreciate your own family. And at least Family Dinner offers a pleasant soundtrack while doing so.

If Anyone Still Cares (Post Tony Thoughts)

If you had told me at the beginning of the season that Memphis would win best musical, I'd have said you were crazy, but by the time the Tonys rolled around, it was the front runner. I think it's a strong production of a mediocre show and the fact that it swept just shows what a weak year it was. It was the safe choice, but I didn't think any of the musicals (even my favorite of the four, American Idiot) were completely deserving. Here are some general thoughts about the night:

Host:
Sean Hayes was charming and funny, just as he is in Promises, Promises. My favorite bit was when he dressed as Spider-Man and sang "Don't Rain on My Parade."

Performances:
Lea Michele stole the show with "Don't Rain On My Parade." They should just give her the role in Funny Girl now. It was kind of random to have Matt Morrison sang "All I Need Is The Girl," but he was terrific too. Too bad those performances won't sell tickets to anything. Was it just me or did the camera love Matt Morrison? There were so many shots of him throughout the night. I also enjoyed Green Day and American Idiot. When Memphis performed, my mom, who has not seen the show, said, "I thought this was supposed to be rock and roll music." The opening number this year was a slight improvement over last year, with those random pairings like Stockard Channing and Aaron Tveit, but I don't like montages. Also, having the winning show perform at the end was such a letdown after Neil Patrick Harris's performance last year. Why didn't Finian's Rainbow perform? Ragtime did, but couldn't they have at least let Christianne Noll sing all of "Back to Before"?

Awards:
The biggest surprise for me was Scarlett Johansson winning best featured actress in a play. I thought Jan Maxwell would get it for sure, especially since she wasn't going to win lead. I liked Scarlett Johannsen just fine, but I was really pulling for Maxwell. I happiest for Eddie Redmayne, who made a stunning Broadway debut in Red (he was up against another of my favorite debuts of the year, Jon Michael Hill in Superior Donuts) and Red. What I don't get is all the La Cage love. I enjoyed it, but I wasn't blown away. What was I missing?

Memories of Patrick Lee

Yesterday, I was shocked to hear that Patrick Lee, the blogger behind Just Shows to Go You and a writer for TheaterMania, had passed away. He was only 51.

I didn't know him too well, but I have some fond memories of him. We were in the Independent Theater Bloggers Association (ITBA) together. The first time I had an extended conversation with him was when we sat near each other at F#@king Up Everything at NYMF. After the show, we both agreed that this particular show was the best we'd seen so far at NYMF. I really valued his opinion, and it was nice that we agreed. It was always a treat to run into him at shows.

My favorite memory of Patrick was just a little over a month ago when a few of us bloggers met up for brunch to discuss nominations for our ITBA nominations (Patrick was the awards director). I'm so glad I attended because I had a great time discussing shows with my fellow bloggers, especially Patrick, who was hilarious, but still on task and very dedicated to making the awards as fair as possible.

In addition to our conversations, I was a regular reader of his theater blog for its well-written criticism and insightful interviews. He will be missed.