Contest: Win Tickets to Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf

Update: The contest is now closed. Thanks to everybody who entered. I really enjoyed reading all your entries. The winner was picked at random. Congratulations @SoloZach! If you didn't win, check back here on Monday for a ticket contest to another new Broadway show.

Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is back on Broadway starting on September 27. Tracy Letts, Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright of August: Osage County, and Amy Morton, Tony nominated star of August: Osage County, play the dysfunctional couple in this Steppenwolf transfer. I've never seen a production of this play, so I'm looking forward to finally seeing it live. Plus, I'm digging the logo.

I am also excited to give away a pair of tickets. There are two ways to enter:
1) Answer this question in the comments: In the play, George and Martha invite a young couple over for drinks. Which couple, real or fictional, would you like to have drinks with?
2) Tweet about the contest or retweet one of my tweets about it.

You can enter each way once, for a total of two entries. You must be following on Twitter to win. A winner will be chosen at random from all the entries on Friday, September 28 at 5:30 p.m. Please include your e-mail address or Twitter handle in the comments so I have a way to contact you if you win. Good luck!

If you don't win, you can also get discount tickets for performances before October 22 and save 35%:

Tues, Wed, and Thur performances:

$79.50 (reg $127)

$49.50 (reg. $65)

Fri, Sat, and Sun performances:

$89.50 (reg. $132)

$59.50 (reg. $75)

Call 212-947-8844 and use code VWNFP831.

Visit BroadwayOffers.com and use code VWNFP831.
Bring this offer to the Booth Theatre (222 W. 45th Street)

The fine print: Not available for October 13, 2012. Restrictions may apply. Offer may be revoked at any time.

Contest: Win Tickets to Closer Than Ever

Update: The contest is now closed. Thanks to everybody who entered. The winner was picked at random from all the entries. Congratulations Mark Falconer!

I haven't seen Closer Than Ever--the revue of songs by lyricist Richard Maltby, Jr. and composer David Shire--yet, but after all the wonderful things I've heard about it, it's on my list. It's been extended multiple times, now through November 25 at the York Theatre at Saint Peter's. The musical stars Jacquelyn Piro Donovan, George Dvorsky, Anika Larsen, and Sal Viviano.

I'm giving away a pair of tickets to one lucky reader. In order to be entered to win a pair of tickets to Closer Than Ever, tweet about this contest or retweet one of my tweets about it. You must be following on Twitter to win. I will choose the winner on Monday, September 24 at 10 a.m. Good luck!

If you don't win, use these codes for discount tickets:

• $44.50 tickets through October 14th, use code RRFALL1
• $49.50 tickets through October 28th, use code RRFALL2
• $54.50 tickets through November 18th, use code RRFALL3

To redeem, visit YorkTheatre.org or call 212-935-5820 and use the codes above or visit The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (enter at 54th Street just east of Lexington)

The fine print: Offer not valid in conjunction with any other offer or on previously purchased tickets. Subject to availability and prior sale. All sales final. No refunds or exchanges. Offer may be revoked at any times. Blackout dates may apply. Tickets regularly $67.50.

Rob McClure Channels Chaplin

Photo credit: Joan Marcus

I saw Chaplin the Musical with my friend Yair Solan, who runs the first and only Charley Chase website and knows far more about silent films than I do. I mention this because not only did he provide me with additional insights and historical context, but I found it interesting that though he was looking at the show more for its portrayal of Charlie Chaplin and I more for whether it succeeded as a piece of theater, we came away with similar thoughts about where the show worked and didn't.

In one of the first scenes of the show, a director with a clapperboard says, "Chaplin. Scene one. Take one," and I assumed the filming of a movie called Chaplin (confusing because such a movie already exists) was being used to frame the show, but this device is only used once more and then disappears.

Chaplin the Musical spans 1894 to 1972, or the bulk of his life (1889 to 1977). That's a lot to tackle in two-and-a-half hours and book writers Christopher Curtis and three-time Tony winner Thomas Meehan did a fairly good job of keeping it focused--the first act on Chaplin's (Rob McClure) rise to fame and how being separated from his mother Hannah (Christiane Noll) when she was taken to an insane asylum affected his work and the second on his fall as gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Jenn Colella) accuses him of being a communist. However, there are some unnecessary scenes such as the long act one closer "The Look-a-Like Contest"--which seems like an excuse to have a lot of dancing Chaplins.

Though some numbers like "The Look-a-Like Contest" don't propel the plot forward, there is a lot to enjoy in Christopher Curtis's score, especially the overture/prologue, which pulls the audience into the silent film world immediately. Scenic designer Beowulf Borritt, costume designers Amy Clark and Martin Pakledinaz, lighting designer Ken Billington, projection designer Jon Driscoll, and make-up designer Angelina Avallone have come as close to creating a black-and-white movie on a stage as possible and it's lovely, though I could have done without the influx of color at the end.

The show works best when recreating scenes from Chaplin's films. Rob McClure more than imitates Charlie Chaplin, though he has the Little Tramp's mannerisms down. He's funny in his own right, and he never feels anything other than authentic when showing us the charming, difficult, selfish, and troubled sides of Chaplin, even when the show gets heavy-handed. There's a long theater season ahead of us, but I hope that McClure is remembered come award season in the spring.

Q & A With Cait Doyle

Cait Doyle is the star and creator (she co-wrote the libretto with her sister, Meggie Doyle) of the cabaret act Hot Mess in Manhattan, which attempts to answer the question, "If Sex and the City lied, then what's to become of a Hot Mess in Manhattan?" Doyle won the 2009 Manhattan Association of Cabaret and Clubs (MAC) award for best female debut. Now her show is being turned into a 90-minute "high-heeled, low-brow" musical comedy. Its two-week developmental production, directed by David Ruttura, will run from August 30 to September 8 at the American Theater of Actors. Check out the Q&A to learn more about the show, find out what makes someone a "hot mess," and more.

Q: How did the idea for Hot Mess In Manhattan come about?
A: Hot Mess in Manhattan: The Musical is a realistic portrayal of the "single gal in the big city." As a bartender, I would meet so many women new to the city in tears, all lamenting that city life was not what Sex and the City, Friends, etc. told them it would be. I had been auditioning aimlessly at the time and it occurred to me it would just be easier for me to write my own show--after all, my life is like Carrie Bradshaw's, except way more realistic and a hell of a lot funnier.

Q: How is the musical version different than the cabaret act?

A: The cabaret was me singing these 12 incredible new songs written for the show and setting them up with ever-changing pieces of stand up comedy reflecting on whatever was happening to me/on my mind that month, i.e. "The Bridesmaid Mess" or "The Hip-Hop Mess" or "The Economic Downturn Mess." The musical version, however, is exactly as it sounds. I do break the fourth wall at times to talk to the audience, but for the most part it is a fully staged, choreographed story. There are two additional actors (DJ Bucciarelli and Jared Zirilli) who play a variety of other characters in the story: creepy Craigslist roommate, her gay best friend, etc.

Q: A lot of big up-and-coming composers [Ryan Scott Oliver, Adam Gwon, Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk, etc.] contributed music to the show. How did everybody get involved?

A: That was a real life lesson in that it never hurts to ask for things! Worst thing that can happen is that someone says 'no' to you. These musical theater writers are at the top of their game and I could not be any more fortunate.

Q: What makes someone a "hot mess"?
A: I don't think anyone is ever permanently a "hot mess," but we all have "hot mess" moments. From my personal collection, you know you're a hot mess if:

• You ran into your gym right before closing time not to exercise, but solely to shower before going back out for the night, and then the gym closes and you are locked in for the night.

• At a Broadway level callback in the middle of a song your pianist stops accompanying you--you are missing a page of sheet music.

• The night before you put a huge crack in a jukebox because you were violently angry that "the best Kelly Clarkson song ever" was not listed. You refuse to believe this until you are shown many pictures and videos of you in the aftermath, hugging said jukebox and apologizing to it.

Q: Why should audiences come see your show?
A: This show is for anyone that's ever intensely loved NYC yet felt they weren't quite sure where they fit inside of it. It's also, in my extremely non-biased opinion, one of the funniest things ever written for the stage. At an 85-minute run time, it's the great type of show to hit before having a night out on the town. Or to just head back home after to wear pjs, eat italian ice, and watch reality TV.

Q: Favorite place in the city to...

drink? 

A: The Watering Hole

eat?  

A: Bar Americain

shop? 

A: my friends' closets

go on a first date?  

A: Theater or the movies (So we have something to talk about if you are super boring!)

Q: What's your go-to karaoke song?  

A: Cee-Lo's "Forget You"

Q: What's your drink of choice?

A: Vodka Gimlet

For $13 tickets ($5 off), use the discount code PataphysicalMESS. Tickets are available here. This discount is only good through the 25th.

And check out the video preview below:

Broadway (And Off) On A Budget

Summer is almost over (sob), but on the plus side, as the tourists leave the city, the theater discounts start piling up. Here are some deals to be on the lookout for:

Today is the release of the 22nd Season of Savings booklet, which was created in response to the effect September 11 had on Broadway ticket sales and is released twice per year. It features discounts to Broadway and off-Broadway shows.

Broadway Week's 2-for-1 tickets also go on sale today for performances from September 4 to 16. And during off-Broadway's 20 at 20, from September 4 to 23, you can get $20 tickets for select shows 20 minutes before curtain.

For those who prefer free theater tickets, Season of Savings is also running a contest on Facebook. At the end of each week in September, a winner will be chosen at random to receive tickets to a show and dinner for 2 at Tony's Di Napoli. The grand prize winner will receive the "ultimate theater weekend," which includes tickets to 3 shows, dinner at Tony's Di Napoli, hotel accommodations, and a Broadway gift bag. You can enter the contest here.

FRINGE: Help Jane Austen Write the Next Big Young Adult Novel!

If you've ever wanted to be a part of a young adult focus group, then the entertaining improv show Help Jane Austen Write the Next Big Young Adult Novel! might be for you. The concept was thought up by Danielle Staubitz, who also plays Jane Austen. Austen's literary agent (Ian Murphy) wants her to write a hip new book that will appeal to teenagers (think The Hunger Games or Twilight).

With the help of the intern (Kate Hamill), ideas are collected from the focus group (audience) and when a whole plot is sketched out, Austen, the agent, and the intern act out the book. It would have been nice to get more reactions from Austen other than an occasional mention of characters writing letters and other Austen tropes. Overall it felt like Austen's name was used to draw an audience, but the show could just have easily been Help Write the Next Big Young Adult Novel!. Still, the show is great fun. Hamill is delightful and convincing as the eager intern who uses the word "sexy" a lot. Murphy is hilarious, especially in the dance battle (part of the novel my audience came up with).

Remaining performances are Wednesday, August 22 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, August 25 at 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, August 26 at 2 p.m. at the Studio at Cherry Lane.

FRINGE: Standby--The Musical

I tend to choose Fringe shows based on the titles. I was drawn to Standby because I've spent a lot of time in airports waiting on standby and I thought it would be a musical comedy about that experience (musicals have been written about stranger things). It turns out Standby is a very serious musical in which (and I don't think this is a spoiler because it is revealed very early on in the show) the travelers have all committed suicide and are waiting to see if they can get on a flight to heaven (or somewhere else). Basically, it's a cross between the film Wristcutters: A Love Story and the musical Happiness (in that case the dead passengers were on a subway car).

From left: Seth Blum, Jillian Gottlieb, Matthew Corr,
Ashley Picciallo, and Mike Backes
Photo credit: Brian Camarao

It is admirable that the creative team (Keith Robinson and Amy Baer wrote the music and Alfred Solis and Mark-Eugene Garcia wrote the book and lyrics) have tackled such an ambitious subject matter. Unfortunately, the results are unoriginal and predictable. But the potential for this musical comes through in a solid pop rock score and convincing performances all around. Jillian Gottlieb as Samantha, who lost her family in a car crash, and Matthw Corr as Andrew, who worked in a wedding dress shop and feared no one would ever love him, were particularly moving. Michael-Anthony Souza as Peter is a vocal standout, picking up the energy up in his two rousing numbers.

Remaining performances: Wednesday, August 22 at 5 p.m. and Thursday, August 23 at 7 p.m. at the Players Theatre

FRINGE: The Hills Are Alive!

From the premiere at the Westchester Square Arts Festival in May
Photo credit: Lorah Haskins

I don't know how it's August--it feels like it was just the 2011 Fringe Festival, but here we are again. First up on my Fringe agenda: The Hills Are Alive!

I love The Sound of Music (I mean, obviously). I don't know how many times I've watched it in my life, but it's probably a ridiculously high number. And I'm guessing that the creators of The Hills Are Alive!, Frankie Johnson (lyricist and bookwriter) and Eric Thomas Johnson (composer and music director) have seen the film just as many times, which is why they're able to parody it so well.

If you recall, The Sound of Music ends with the Von Trapp family in the Alps, having just escaped the Nazis. The Hills Are Alive! picks up from there, with the "Von Klapp" family making their way through the Alps, trying to get to Switzerland.

The characters all have similar personalities and functions to their film counterparts. There's the cute one little Gerty (Frankie Johnson, doing quadruple duty since she also directs), sweet Magda (Daniele Hager, the vocal standout) who everyone forgets about, precocious Bettina (Katie Bland) who is always paired with Ludwiga (Skylar Saltz) although they're nothing alike, effeminate Knut (Becky Whitcomb), and the two oldest, the bickering Felix (Christopher Tiernan) and Lotte (Maggie Wetzel). The cast do an admirable job of channeling the film actors, especially Ashley Ball as Fraulein Mathilde, who accurately mimics Julie Andrews's enunciation when teaching the children how to sing.

The show is a little longer than it needs to be. Act two starts to become repetitive, but it picks up during the authentic dream ballet. The songs were written to serve similar functions as those in the movie. For example, "Goodbye Austria" is in the vein of "So Long, Farewell," complete with similar choreography and Kurt/Knut's high note on "goodbye." Though it's a spoof, it's so lovingly done, that any Sound of Music devotee is sure to enjoy.

Remaining performances: Sunday, August 19 at 1 p.m. and Friday, August 24 at 9 p.m.

Revisiting War Horse

Photo credit: Paul Kolnik

I had a chance to revisit War Horse last week, a little over a year since seeing it for the first time. Some of the cast may have changed, but my feelings about the show remain the same: awed by the puppetry, meh on the play.

War Horse is based on a children's book by Michael Morpurgo. Albert (Andrew Durand) lives on his family's farm in Devon, England. At the start of World War I, his father Ted (Andy Murray) sells his beloved horse Joey to the cavalry and Albert runs away to France to find him.

The play, adapted by Nick Stafford, is at times slow and the characters are not very fully drawn out. But the stagecraft makes up for it. Directors Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris have made each scene a work of absolute beauty. And those puppets (created by Adrian Kohler with Basil Jones for Handspring Puppet Company). The horses are every bit as majestic and lifelike as real horses, even though the puppeteers are visible. Every puppeteer deserves mentioning for conveying so much emotion through the horses, sometimes more than even the human actors. At the performance I attended, they were: Hunter Canning, David Pegram, and Hannah Sloat (Joey as a foal); Alex Hoeffler, Jeslyn Kelly, and Enrico D. Wey (adult Joey); Leah Hofmann, Tom Lee (also stealing the show as the goose, the comic relief), and Isaac Woofter (Topthorn, the other main horse); and Toby Billowitz, Joel Reuben Ganz, Nat McIntyre, and Tommy Schrider (other horses).

Molly, You In Danger Girl!

The same day it was announced that Ghost The Musical would be closing on August 18, I saw the show for a second time as part of a blogger night. Yes, I willingly went to Ghost twice. Because here's the thing: I really enjoy it. A lot of it has to do with expectations. I think director Matthew Warchus's other Broadway-bound musical Matilda is overall the better show, but I had such high expectations for Matilda that I was ultimately disappointed, whereas Ghost pleasantly surprised me.

Photo credit: Sean Ebsworth Barnes

If you're familiar with the movie Ghost, you know the story--screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin also wrote the book. Sam (Richard Fleeshman) and Molly (Caissie Levy) are in love, even though Sam has trouble saying the words. When Sam is murdered, he becomes a ghost who nobody can see except the medium Oda Mae Brown (Da'Vine Joy Randolph). He enlists her help to keep Molly out of danger and to find his murderer.

For every forgettable number in the score by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard (e.g. "I'm Outta Here," meant to be a show-stopper sung by Oda Mae, but is unnecessary and slows down the action), there is a solid pop song, such as "Here Right Now." And for those wondering, "Unchained Melody" shows up a few times, most adorably when Sam plays it to Molly on the guitar to cheer her up.

But let's get to the real reason to see the show--the illusions (by Paul Kieve). The special effects were more impressive than anything at Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark (Sam walks through a door!). Still, the projections could have been toned down (my sister described the show as "special effects diarrhea"). The dancing would have been enough without video of dancers behind the actual ensemble.

Ghost is sometimes cheesy, sometimes ridiculous, but it's hard to criticize the show for the reasons I had a good time. There was a touching story there that got lost in the sensory overload, but it was a step in the blending of new technology and storytelling that other shows may be able to build on in the future.

Contest: Win Tickets to Cock

Update: The contest is now closed. Thanks to everybody who entered. The winner was picked at random from all the entries. Congratulations @MDinda!

Happy Monday! What better way to start the week than free Cock? I'm giving away a pair of tickets to the play that can't be named in certain publications. If the rave reviews and word of mouth haven't convinced you to see it yet, now's your chance.

In order to be entered to win a pair of tickets to Cock, tweet about this contest or retweet one of my tweets about it. You must be following on Twitter to win. I will choose the winner on Friday, August 3, at 5:30 p.m. Good luck!

The Tonys Happened

So, the Tonys happened last night. I pretty much said what I wanted to say about them in my live tweets, but in case you haven't had enough Tony coverage yet, here are my short and sweet overall thoughts on the evening.

This was one of my favorite Tony telecasts in a long time. Although there were some definite favorites going in, nothing was a sure thing. And that made it all the more exciting when people like Steve Kazee (Once), who gave the most moving speech in a night of moving speeches, Christian Borle (Peter and the Starcatcher), Nina Arianda (Venus in Fur), and Judith Light (Other Desert Cities) won. I wanted them to win, I thought they probably would win, but there were no guarantees. And there were some genuine surprises like the adorable James Corden (One Man, Two Guvnors) winning lead actor in a play over Philip Seymour Hoffman (Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman). I also loved that the awards were spread out between eleven shows so that most of the play and musical nominees got something. So you could have Clybourne Park deservedly win best play, and then have Peter and the Starcatcher win mostly technical awards for its beautiful production values.

The rest of the award show was entertaining, getting off to a solid start with The Book of Mormon opening and Neil Patrick Harris's number answering the question what if life were like theater (because who doesn't want that). Most of the musical numbers sold their shows well, especially Newsies, Once, and Peter and the Starcatcher--a play (shocking!). I'm going to guess that Peter and the Starcatcher will benefit the most from the telecast based on a totally unscientific survey. A co-worker who was interested in Peter before the Tony performance told me she bought a ticket to the show today. My sister has a list of shows she wants to see when she comes to New York. Peter was towards the bottom. After last night, it rose to almost the top of that list.

In case you missed the show, or you just want to relive your favorite moments, the complete telecast is online at CBS.com.

Murder in the First at 59E59

I was drawn to Murder in the First mostly because I was curious to see Chad Kimball in a role other than Huey Calhoun in Memphis. And from the moment this 1940s courtroom drama begins, with Kimball naked and writhing like an animal on the floor, I knew this was different territory. Kimball plays Willie Moore, a man on trial for murdering a fellow inmate with a spoon after three years of solitary confinement in Alcatraz.

Henry Davidson (Guy Burnet) is assigned to the case--his first ever--because it's open and shut. But Henry sees an opportunity to put Alcatraz on trial for the inhumane treatment of Willie. The friendship between Henry and Willie is compelling, but playwright Dan Gordon includes other unnecessary story lines. He introduces the character of Henry's fiancé Mary (Larisa Polonsky) and his brother Byron (John Stanisci), but doesn't flesh them out fully enough to warrant the amount of scenes they have. Director Michael Parva has assembled a large cast to give an authentic feel of the courtroom, and it's a nice touch to have the actors treat the audience as jury.

As for Kimball, he doesn't completely erase the memory of Huey, especially when he draws out his words, but he does give a layered and intense performance, inciting feelings of both fear and sympathy for the volatile and innocent Willie.

2011-2012 ITBA Patrick Lee Award Recipients

As a member of The Independent Theater Bloggers Association (the “ITBA”), I'm happy to share with you the 2012 recipients of the Fourth Annual Patrick Lee Theater Blogger Awards, (“the
Patricks”). Patrick Lee was one of the ITBA's founding members. Patrick passed away
suddenly in June 2010, and was an erudite, passionate, and tireless advocate for theater
in all its forms. Patrick was also the ITBA's first awards director, and was a regular
contributor to Theatermania and TDF Stages.

The 2011-2012 Patrick Lee Theater Blogger Award Winners (you can probably guess which ones I voted for):

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
Peter and the Starcatcher

CITATIONS FOR EXCELLENCE BY INDIVIDUAL PERFORMERS (Across Off-
Off Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Broadway)
Nina Arianda in Venus in Fur
Christian Borle in Peter and the Starcatcher
Philip Boykin in The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess
Danny Burstein in Follies
James Corden in One Man, Two Guvnors
Santino Fontana, in Sons of a Prophet
Judy Kaye in Nice Work If You Can Get It
Judith Light in Other Desert Cities
Jan Maxwell in Follies
Lindsay Mendez in Godspell
Terri White in Follies

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
Once

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
Peter and the Starcatcher

OUTSTANDING BROADWAY MUSICAL REVIVAL
Follies

OUTSTANDING BROADWAY PLAY REVIVAL
Death of a Salesman

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF BROADWAY PLAY
Sons of the Prophet

OUTSTANDING OFF-OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Samuel & Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War by The Mad Ones at The
New Ohio Theatre
&
She Kills Monsters at the Flea Theatre

UNIQUE OFF-OFF BROADWAY EXPERIENCE
The Tenant by Woodshed Collective

CITATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN OFF-OFF BROADWAY THEATRE
The Flea Theatre

OUTSTANDING SOLO SHOW/PERFORMANCES (Across Broadway, off-
Broadway and Off-Off Broadway)
Hugh Jackman Back on Broadway
Denis O'Hare, An Iliad, New York Theatre Workshop
Zoe Caldwell, Elective Affinities, Soho Rep
Juan Francisco Villa, Empanada for a Dream, Ballybeg at Barrow Group
Stephen Spinella, An Iliad, New York Theatre Workshop
Daniel Kitson, It's Always Right Now Until It's Later
Lorinda Lositza, Triumphant Baby

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF BROADWAY MUSICAL
Now. Here. This.

The ITBA, is comprised of bloggers who regularly see live performances in all its
forms in New York City and beyond. Members are in New York, Boston, Chicago,
Minneapolis, and London. For further information and a list of our members, our website
is www.theaterbloggers.com. If you are interested in learning more about the ITBA,
email info@theaterbloggers.com. To invite the members of the ITBA to your show or
event, please send an email to invite@theaterbloggers.com.

The Two Best Plays on Broadway

A scene from The Lyons
Photo credit: Carol Rosegg

A scene from Clybourne Park
Photo credit: Nathan Johnson

Last weekend, I revisited two plays I loved off-Broadway, Clybourne Park and The Lyons. There are other plays I've been recommending, such as Peter and the Starcatcher, which is a beautiful production, but for my money, in terms of writing, Clybourne Park and The Lyons are the two best new plays on Broadway right now.

The Lyons by Nicky Silver seems at first to be a conventional family drama. Ben Lyons (Dick Latessa) is dying and he and his wife, Rita (Linda Lavins) have invited his children, Lisa (Kate Jennings Grant) and Curtis (Michael Esper), to the hospital to say their goodbyes. That may not sound liked the stuff of comedy, but Silver gives Rita plenty of zingers, but they don't feel gratuitous because they are in keeping with her character.

Act two focuses on Curtis and I don't want to give anything away, but it goes in a different, unexpected, and completely thrilling direction.

The Lyons aren't very likable people, but they're fully formed and complicated. It's easy to relate to them--their sadness, their loneliness, their selfishness.

In Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris, fifty years divide the first and second act. Act one takes place in 1959 in Clybourne Park, a white neighborhood in Chicago. Bev (Christina Kirk) and Russ (Frank Wood) are packing up to move after a tragedy with their son. Karl Lindner (Jeremy Shamos) and his deaf wife Betsy (Annie Parisse) come over, concerned that Bev and Russ have sold their home to a black family (the family, never seen in the play, is the one at the center of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun).

In the second act, Lindsey (Parisse) and Steve (Shamos) are moving into that same house, only now it is a predominantly black neighborhood (as Karl predicted would happen) and Kevin (Damon Gupton) and Lena (Crystal A. Dickinson) are protesting the changes they want to make to the house and to their history.

None of the characters are completely in the right or wrong. Like Silver's characters, Norris's characters feel like real people, not just vehicles for an agenda.

Both plays have the benefits of exceptional casts and direction (Mark Brokaw for The Lyons and Pam MacKinnon for Clybourne Park), but I'm pretty sure that these are two plays that could be enjoyed on the page, not just in fabulous productions. Both Norris and Silver are making their Broadway debuts as playwrights this season. Let's hope that these plays will stick around for a while and that there will be more to come from both.

Rapture, Blister, Burn

Ever since seeing Gina Gionfriddo's Rapture, Blister, Burn at Playwrights Horizons, I've been thinking a lot about what kind of woman I am, what it means to be a woman in today's society, and what men want and expect from us. That said, the play might benefit from some rewriting and focus.

Virginia Kull, Beth Dixon, and Amy Brenneman
Photo credit: Carol Rosegg

Catherine (Amy Brenneman) is a successful feminist author. She returns home to take care of her mother Alice (Beth Dixon), who recently suffered a heart attack. Catherine's ex, Don (Lee Tergesen), gets her a job at the college where he works as a dean. Don is now married to Gwen (Kellie Overbey), who studied with them, but chose to be a stay-at-home mother of two. At the start of the play, Avery (Virginia Kull, last seen in Assistance, and I wouldn't be mad if Playwrights Horizons keeps casting her in all its shows) arrives to babysit, but Gwen sends her away because she has a black eye and she doesn't want her son to think violence against women is ok. (Avery didn't get the black eye from her boyfriend, but she did get it working on the reality show they are developing.) Gwen introduces Avery to Catherine, thinking she will be a good influence, and Avery and Gwen sign up for Catherine's class.

The three meet at Alice's house and the classroom scenes are the best in the play. In the first, they discuss Phyllis Schlafly, who opposed equal rights. When they are in the middle of their discourse, I almost wanted to get up on stage and join them, I was so engaged in the conversation. But then the play goes in another direction. Catherine starts to rekindle her romance with Don, leading to somewhat absurd plot developments in act two.

In an interview with Gionfriddo on the Playwrights Horizons website, she says she started writing a play about internet porn. That subject is briefly touched upon, but I would like to see the play she would have written had she stuck to that.

Discount Tickets to Rapture, Blister, Burn for Pataphysical Science readers:
Regular run: May 18-June 24
Tues at 7, Wed-Fri at 8, Sat at 2:30 & 8, Sun at 2:30 & 7:30
Additional Monday evening performance June 11 at 7

Order by June 5 and use the code RBBLOG [note two B's]
$40 (reg. $70) for all performances May 18-27
$50 (reg. $70) for all other performances May 29-June 24

Click here to purchase online

Call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 noon to 8 p.m. daily

In person: Ticket Central Box Office, 416 W. 42nd Street between 9th & 10th Avenue

Note: The production officially opens on June 12, but I was invited to a preview and asked to post my thoughts.

My Children! My Africa!

Photo credit: Joan Marcus

Ruben Santiago-Hudson's production of Athol Fugard's My Children! My Africa! at the Signature Theatre has a lot going for it, namely three fine performances and transportive original music by Bobby McFerrin, but it can't quite overcome some of the problems in the script.

The play was originally written in 1989 and takes place in an Eastern Cape Karoo town in 1984. It begins with a debate in Mr. M's (James A. Williams) classroom between his star pupil, Thami (Stephen Tyrone Williams) and Isabel (Allie Gallerani), visiting from a nearby white school. The two students become fast friends and Mr. M decides to team them up to compete in a literary competition. But as Thami gets more and more caught up with the student boycott, he is torn between love for a teacher whose principles he disagrees with and his own beliefs that the education system is unfair.

The characters often go into too-long monologues which break up the flow of the rest of the play and significantly slow down the pacing, even when delivered by this cast. But when acting opposite each other, the performers are riveting. Stephen Tyrone Williams is particularly memorable. I saw him earlier this season in Burning and was shocked it was the same person--so convincingly was he able to portray a teenager.

Old Jews Telling Jokes May Surprise You

You probably already know if a show titled Old Jews Telling Jokes is for you. It's basically what's advertised, but also not. Here are five surprising facts about the show, conceived by Peter Gethers and Daniel Okrents and playing at the Westside Theatre:

From left: Audrey Lynn Weston, Marilyn Sokol, Lenny Wolpe, Todd Sussman, and Bill Army
Photo credit: Joan Marcus

1) Not everyone is old. Audrey Lynn Weston and Bill Army are the two youngsters in the cast.
2) One of the actors isn't Jewish, but he's very convincing (spoiler alert: it's Army).
3) They're not just telling jokes. Sometimes, they sing, perform skits, and deliver monologues.
4) Young up-and-coming composer Adam Gwon wrote the amusing title song.
5) It's actually funny. To be honest, I was afraid the jokes would be groan-inducing, but I found myself laughing out loud, largely due to the delivery by Marilyn Sokol, Weston, Army, Todd Susman, and Lenny Wolpe.

Three Finches: A Handy Chart

How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying closes on Broadway today. I'm sad to see it go. It has a lovely score, some of the best (and best looking) dancers on Broadway, and great merchandise (I'm really hoping those Nick Jonas pillows show up at the Broadway Flea Market this year). I was lucky enough to see all three actors who played J. Pierrepont Finch, so I've decided to commemorate its run with a chart comparing the three. I've placed an asterisk by the winner in each category.

Finch	Singing	Comedic Timing	Dancing	Acting	Charisma
Daniel Radcliffe	Not his strongest suit, but there's a pleasant quality to his voice, and the singing required of the character is not too difficult.	* The most natural, especially when he did his look-at-the-audience-and-smile.	Considering he apparently never had a dance lesson before the show, Harry Potter sure can bust a move.	* Played Finch as someone who knew what he was doing, but you still rooted for him.	* On and off the stage, Radcliffe always charms.
Darren Criss	Inconsistent vocally without the help of Glee’s autotune, sometimes going out of tune.	Seemed to be trying too hard, milking every line more than necessary.	* His strongest area, possibly the best of the three, although they all mastered Rob Ashford's choreography. But I wanted to give Criss the edge in at least one category.	His weakest area, but he also had the least amount of time in the role.	Maybe because he doesn’t seem as humble or nice in real life, he was the hardest to root for.
Nick Jonas	* When not doing his nasally Jonas Brother rock star voice, the youngest Jo Bro can sing. Don’t believe me? Check out his How To Succeed… EP.	Not as funny as Radcliffe, but made some unique choices that worked, such as whispering “Finch” while using jazz hands.	Also nailed it.	Played Finch as someone who didn’t plan each move. It kind of all fell into his lap. Since he’s the youngest, it worked for him.	Again, his youth and adorableness (is that a word?) worked in his favor.