Theater Reviews

“Ann”

Susan Granger’s review of “Ann” (Vivian Beaumont Theater/Lincoln Center 2013 season)

 

What began as my review of writer/actress Holland Taylor’s “Ann” at Lincoln Center has become an unadulterated fan letter:

Dear Ms. Taylor,

A one-person show is, to me, the purest form of theatricality.  As writer, you have inventively – and affectionately – captured the essence of Ann Richards, the brassy, outspoken one-term Governor of Texas, who has emerged as one of the most colorful and provocative contemporary political figures.

Directed by Benjamin Endsley Klein, your play opens at a Commencement address, as indomitable Ann, who served from 1991 to 1995, has recently been defeated at the polls by George W. Bush.

“I’ll bet some of you probably remember me just ‘cause of my air,” Ann says, tartly observing, “I notice most of you guys who tease me about my hair don’t have any.”

As Ann addresses the graduates, she recalls her Depression-era childhood, adored by her father and chafing under her domineering mother. Married at 19, she ran for county commissioner and then so electrified delegates at the 1988 Democratic National Convention with her keynote address that she was catapulted into the Texas Governor’s office. Advocating for a greater role for women in politics, she said, “…if you give us a chance we can perform. After all, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did; she just did it backwards and in high heels.”

As a divorced mother of four and recovering alcoholic, Ann ran herd on her often recalcitrant children with the same crisp, if comical and often salty efficiency that she worked the telephones, convincing politicians to actively combat their racial/ethnic prejudice and do the right thing.

Dressed in a white suit with a diamond Lone Star brooch and carefully coiffed gray wig, as an actress, you boldly embody the essence of Ann’s witty, feisty image, and your plain-talking Texas twang is rhythmically perfect. Broadway has missed you in the past three decades, while you’ve been entrancing and amusing television audiences in “Two and a Half Men,” “The Practice” and “Bosom Buddies.”

Welcome home, Ms. Taylor, you’re back on center-stage where you belong.

With awe and admiration,

Susan Granger

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“Totem”

Susan Granger’s review of “Totem” (Cirque du Soliel – 2013)

 

Canada’s Cirque du Soliel has set up its trademark blue-and-yellow tents, celebrating the sensuality of spring, at Citi Field (Lot C), where its spectacular new production will dazzle audiences through May 12, 2013.

Conceived and staged by theater/opera director Robert Lepage, “Totem” traces the fascinating journey of the human species from its original amphibian state to its ultimate desire to fly. Inspired by an international variety of myths illustrates, though a visual and gymnastic language, the evolutionary progress of mankind. The show begins as a sparkling Crystal Man descends from above, as an unfolding disco ball, launching various creatures on their journey as they venture out into the primordial ooze from the skeleton of a giant turtle, the symbol of origin for many ancient civilizations.

Seamlessly transitioning from science to mythology, 11 acrobatic acts perform in an ever-changing environment. Through the magic of virtual images from various parts of the world, the tilting set becomes a swamp, a river, a marsh, a lake, an ocean, a volcanic island, a pond and a starry sky. It’s an ingenious, aquatic concept, combining the titular totems, Darwin’s theories, Gnosticism and other creation stories, augmented by lively music – incorporating various percussion instruments, flutes and a didgeridoo – along with dazzling, eye-catching, exotic costumes.

Highlights of the awesome 2½ hour show include five young women pedaling unicycles who toss-and-catch silver bowls perched on their heads, a captivating trapeze seduction, intrepid balance-beam artists, high-flying acrobatics and death-defying spins on roller skates.

There’s a thematic connection with the circle of life, utilizing symbolic hoops and rings.  As always, the somewhat amusing clowns, often venturing into the audience and teasing various patrons, punctuate the production, including an Italian ‘tourist’ and a ‘scientist’ who whirls illuminated ‘atoms’ inside a giant glass container.

“Totem” is an astonishing extravaganza of acrobatic anthropology – perfect for family, friends and foreign visitors, since knowledge of the English language is completely unnecessary.

For the complete New York schedule and ticket information, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/totem.

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“Scandalous”

 Susan Granger’s review of “Scandalous” (Neil Simon Theater, 2012-2013 season)

 

Howard Dietz once wrote, “Sing a lament for the plays that fail – a dirge for the shows that fold – a tear on the bier of the flops of the year and the tickets that couldn’t be sold.”

Nobody sets out to write a flop. Perennially perky Kathie Lee Gifford from NBC’s “Today” show spent 12 years working on the book and lyrics, calling it “a labor of love.”  But what emerges is disappointing.

Aimee Semple McPherson was a fascinating character. Born and raised on a farm in Ontario, Canada, and seduced into faith healing by an Irish-born Pentacostal preacher, she traveled to China, where he died and she gave birth to her first child. Another failed marriage to an accountant named McPherson followed, along with another child, as ambitious Aimee took her traveling tent-pulpit to Hollywood, where she got herself into all sorts of scrapes with the law. That was back in the 1930s, when she launched a media-savvy generation of impassioned faith healers. Aimee Semple McPherson was the second woman ever to be granted a broadcast license, broadcasting her weekly sermons at Angelus Temple, where she staffed a soup kitchen and medical clinic during the Great Depression.

What frames the story is a controversial incident when Sister Aimee vanished for six weeks. Was she kidnapped? Or did she simply escape with one of her lovers? Gifford offers no explanation, although she’s a member of the Foursquare Church which Aimee founded.

Indeed, there’s little that’s either fun or compelling in Gifford’s formulaic, musical comedy rendition of Sister Aimee’s travails. Which is a shame since Aimee is played terrific actress/singer Carolee Carmello, who deserves a far better showcase than this. She gamely belts functional inspirational songs by David Pomeranz and David Friedman but – as directed by David Armstrong – it all amounts to a great deal less than a sum of its parts, never utilizing the talents of George Hearn and resorting to sheer camp with its splashy, silly, second-act Biblical pageants.

Audiences that pay Broadway prices deserve better than this

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“Grace”

 Susan Granger’s review of “Grace” (Broadway’s Cort Theater: 2012-2013 season)

 

    Craig Wright’s tragi-comedy begins with three people murdered and a fourth committing suicide; an extended flashback subsequently explains whodunit and why.

    Steve (Paul Rudd) is an Evangelical Christian who has moved from Minnesota to Florida with plans to open a chain of Gospel-themed motels called the Crossroad Inns, promoted by the slogan:  “Where would Jesus stay?” He’s invested all his money in this dubious real-estate venture but he still needs $9 million, which he’s counting on receiving from an overseas financier, the elusive Mr. Himmerman. “I’m not a knower,” he attests. “I’m a believer.”

    Steve’s lonely, neglected wife Sara (Kate Arrington) insists on befriending their despairing, reclusive neighbor Sam (Michael Shannon), a former NASA rocket scientist whose face has been horribly disfigured as the result of a car accident in which his fiancée was killed. Between seemingly endless, proselytizing conversations, they’re periodically visited by an exterminator named Karl (Ed Asner), a crusty W.W.II survivor who, as a child, lost all of his family in Nazi Germany and is now an avowed agnostic.

    Playwright Craig Wright (“Six Feet Under,” “Mistakes Were Made”) doesn’t delve too deeply insofar as faith, religion and/or theology is concerned, not does he offer the satiric amusement of “Book of Mormon.” Instead, there’s a formulaic, utterly predictable plot, propelled by extremely competent actors who make the most of the flimsy parable that they’re interpreting.

    Director Dexter Bullard, who previously staged this play in Chicago, adroitly shifts the action anxiously from one apartment to another, occupying the same, slowly revolving set space, cleverly designed by Beowulf Boritt. But the pacing makes the 100 minutes – without intermission – creep by.

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“The Capitol Steps”

Susan Granger’s review of “The Capitol Steps” at the Klein in Bridgeport on Oct. 27, 2012

 

    With less than two weeks before Election Day, this clever musical comedy troupe rocked The Klein Auditorium with laughter, poking fun at all the candidates, including Connecticut contenders Linda McMahon and Chris Murphy. As the show began, members of the audience were warned that anyone whose cellphone rang during the performance would have to moderate the next Presidential debate.

    Then President Barack Obama, played by Corey Harris, took the stage, telling the audience that the best way to launch a small business is to start a big business – then wait. Governor Mitt Romney, played by Mike Thornton, countered as a “plain white rapper,” warbling, “I’ve Got Big Bucks and I Cannot Lie.”

    For more than 30 years, the five performers and a pianist comprising The Capitol Steps have entertained audiences, poking fun at politicians and their peccadillos. Inaugurated in December, 1981, The Capitol Steps began as three staffers for Senator Charles Percy decided to perform at a Christmas party. As the story goes, they considered putting on a Nativity Play but, in the whole Congress, they couldn’t find three wise men or a virgin, so they satirized the headlines of the day with skits and songs. And the rest, as they say, is show biz history. Although not all the current cast members are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together, they have worked in a total of 18 Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience.

    One of the most popular segments of every show is backwards talk called “Lirty Dies.” Utilizing spoonerisms, like Pig Latin, it involves flipping letters, transforming our Senatorial candidates into “Minda Lichmahon” and “Miss Curphy,” along with “Tronald Dump” and “Bichele Machman.”

    Audiences of all ages seem to respond to the humor – and parents should know that The Capitol Steps do not indulge in profanity in their parodies, although some of the songs, subjects and routines contain suggestive innuendo, like “the elephant in the womb” and “morning-after politics.”

    The Capitol Steps performs every Friday & Saturday, year-round, in Washington, D.C. and there’s a road company that tours the country. Catch it whenever and wherever you can….hopefully, back at The Klein very soon.

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“Chaplin: The Musical”

Susan Granger’s review of “Chaplin: The Musical” (Ethel Barrymore Theater: 2012-2013 season)

 

    Since Charlie Chaplin scored his greatest success in silent pictures, it’s not surprising that the sight triumphs over sound in this new Broadway musical.

    The curtain opens with Chaplin (Rob McClure), dressed as his iconic Little Tramp, adroitly balancing on a tightrope, as those below question: “What you gonna do when it all falls down?”

    Flashback to 1894 in the East End of London, where young Charlie (Zachary Unger) is singing in the streets – to the delight of his loving mother, Hannah (Christiane Noll) a vaudeville star who was becoming more and more emotionally and mentally unstable, even as she taught him to astutely observe those around him.  After catching the eye of pioneer movie-maker Mack Sennett (Michael McCormick), now-grown Charlie moves from the Music Hall to Hollywood, where he creates the Little Tramp character in ‘flickers’ like “The Kid,” “The Gold Rush,”  “Payday,” “Modern Times,” “Limelight,” “The Circus” and “The Great Dictator,” achieving fame and fortune. When his brother Sydney (Wayne Alan Wilcox) joins him, they place demented Hannah in a Glendale nursing home. A succession of young, gold-digging wives follows, but then Charlie’s liberalism incurs the wrath of vituperative gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Jenn Colella), who contrives to have him deported. In 1972, Charlie returns – with his fourth wife, Oona O’Neill (Erin Mackey), the estranged daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill – to accept an Honorary Oscar.

    Built around songs by Christopher Curtis and a chronologically biographical book by Curtis and Thomas Meehan (“Annie,” “The Producers,” “Hairspray”) – borrowing liberally from the 1993 film “Chaplin,” starring Robert Downey Jr. – it’s directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle. Characterized by a shades-of-gray color palette, the sets by Beowulf Boritt and costumes by Amy Clark and the late Martin Pakledinaz reflect that muted tone, heightening the pathos.

    While Jenn Colella does some laudable scene-stealing, most memorable is Rob McClure’s sweetly uncanny Chaplin impersonation, which he first created at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego two years ago – and the stylish, monochromatic projections effectively recreate early Hollywood.

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“Tartuffe”

Susan Granger’s review of “Tartuffe” (Westport County Playhouse)

 

    There’s nothing remotely archaic about the idea of a patriarch becoming so infatuated with a religious guru that he loses all reason, although that’s the concept behind Moliere’s satire, written back in 1664, as a commentary on the excesses of the Catholic Church during the reign of Louis XV, the Sun King.

    Set in Orgon’s house in Paris, it begins as Orgon’s critical mother, Madame Pernelle (Patricia Conolly), proclaims, “This house appalls me!” She’s convinced that the resident ‘holy man’ interloper, Tartuffe (Marc Kudisch), is there to save them. Orgon’s wife Elmire (Nadia Bowers) disagrees, as does her brother Cleante (Tyrone Mitchell Henderson), and the other members of the household, particularly the outspoken maid Dorine (Jeanine Serralles). Told that she has to break off her engagement to marry Tartuffe, Orgon’s daughter Mariane (Charise Castro Smith) is heartbroken, as is her beloved fiancé Valere (Matthew Amendt). And when Orgon’s son Damis (Justin Adams) catches Tartuffe trying to seduce Elmire and reports this indiscretion to his father, he is not only chided but disinherited.

    Act II consists of various clever ploys to convince Orgon of the truth, as he suffers the calamitous results of his folly. Translated by Richard Wilbur and directed by David Kennedy, it’s spoken, as written, in rhyming couplets, forming a considerable challenge for the actors, most of whom rise to the occasion. Jeanine Serralles obviously relishes her comedic moments, while Marc Kudish oozes an oily charisma, particularly as he manipulatively confesses, “I am a wicked man, I fear, a wretched sinner.”

    Wilson Chen’s symmetrical set, filled with doors, seems perfect for a French farce, while Ilona Somogyi’s costumes are idiosyncratic – from Orgon’s formal suit to Dorine’s scanty maid’s uniform.

    As a result of its popularity, both the French and British still use the word ‘tartuffe’ to designate a hypocrite who ostensibly and exaggeratedly feigns virtue, especially religious virtue.

    Due to ticket demand, Moliere’s “Tartuffe” will continue at the Westport Country Playhouse through Sunday, August 5. For tickets and more information, call 203-227-4177 or go to www.westportcountryplayhouse.org.

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“The Year of Magical Thinking”

Susan Granger’s review of “The Year of Magical Thinking” (Westport Country Playhouse)

 

    Fiercely believable Maureen Anderman gives a “must see” performance of unwavering integrity, playing acclaimed writer Joan Didion in the one-woman stage adaptation of Didion’s eloquent, National Book Award-winning memoir about the sudden death of her husband, author John Gregory Dunne, and the subsequent demise of their grown daughter, Quintana Roo.  In a coolly cerebral,  90-minute lament about these two heart-wrenching events which occurred within a period of two years, Ms. Anderman’s control is extraordinary, as is her daring. She is impeccable. She is incandescent.

    But the wry, self-indulgent play can only be called ‘troubling theater.’  Talking to the audience, Didion begins with the dire, doomsday-like admonition: “This happened on December 30, 2003. That may seem a while ago, but it won’t when it happens to you.”  

    But it has happened to me – and probably to you.  By the time you reach an age when you’re sitting in the audience of the Westport Country Playhouse, inevitably, a tragedy or loss has occurred in your life – at least once, perhaps twice. There are the tense hospital encounters, often grotesque funeral arrangements and a detached, sanity-preserving numbness that permeates your consciousness during the mourning period. While I understand the cathartic value of theater, once you’ve lived these real-life experiences, why would you want to re-visit similar ones as an audience member – without even the mercy of an intermission during which to make a surreptitious escape from the pervasive negativity?

    Versatile Weston-resident Maureen Anderman stood by for Vanessa Redgrave during the Broadway production of this play and “Driving Miss Daisy” – and now, working with director Nicholas Martin, she makes the role distinctly her own, poignantly explaining how the “magical thinking” refers to the insistent delusion of many bereaved that their lost loved  ones will, somehow, come back.  Alexander Dodge’s fluid scenic design, Philip Rosenberg’s melancholy lighting design and Drew Levy’s subtle sound design facilitate the elegant simplicity of the austere production.

   “The Year of Magical Thinking” plays through June 30. For more information, visit www.westportplayhouse.org or call 203-227-4177 or 888-927-7529.

 

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“Leap of Faith”

Susan Granger’s review of “Leap of Faith” (St. James Theater: 2011-2012 season)

 

    There’s a reason why this screen-to-stage adaptation was – financially – the biggest flop of Broadway’s 2011-2012 season with losses estimated at more than $14 million. Quite simply, the redemptive musical about a con-man evangelist who experiences a spiritual conversion was wretched, despite an experienced creative team that included composer Alan Menken, lyricist Glenn Slater, book writers James Cercone and Warren Leight, director Christopher Ashley, set designer Robin Wagner and choreographer Sergio Trujillo.

    Clad in sparkly suits, Raul Esparza (“Company,” “Arcadia”) takes on the role of faith healer Jonas Nightingale, which genial Steve Martin played in the 1992 movie. After their bus breaks down in Sweetwater, a small town in Kansas, Nightingale and his troupe pitch their revival tent and are soon fleecing the flock with the help of Nightingale’s sister, Sam (Kendra Kassebaum) who secretly feeds info to the preacher. The local sheriff, Maria McGowan (Jessica Phillips), has their number but she’s also a lonely widow with a brave, disabled son, 13 year-old Jake (Talon Ackerman), and obviously smitten with this sinister new man in town. Besides, there’s this severe draught and maybe, just maybe, if he’s not a complete charlatan, Nightingale could conjure down some rain.

    While Esparza exudes energy, it’s been a rough road to get to Broadway and many elements were lost along the way, including pacing and the kind of essential coherence that distinguished other charismatic con-man tales like “The Rainmaker,” “The Music Man” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” among others.  The original director never got beyond the Los Angeles tryout, nor did the original female star, Brooke Shields. The collaborative duo of Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. who wrote the music for “Sister Act,” contribute oddly similar numbers for this show, which begs for some originality, particularly for the backup gospel choir called the Angels of Mercy, led by Ida Mae Sturdevant (Kecia Lewis-Evans).

    Closing almost as soon as it opened, “Leap of Faith” concludes this musical season on Broadway. Praise the Lord – and Amen!

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“Don’t Dress For Dinner”

Susan Granger’s review of “Don’t Dress For Dinner” (American Airlines Theater:  2011-12 season)

 

    Marc Camoletti’s naughty bedroom farce reunites the characters of Bernard (Adam James) and Robert (Ben Daniels), last seen on Broadway romancing airline stewardesses in Camoletti’s previous comedy “Boeing-Boeing.”

    Set in 1960 in a converted farmhouse northwest of Paris, it begins as Bernard’s wife, Jacqueline (Patricia Kalember) is preparing to depart to spend the weekend with her mother. Unbeknownst to her, Bernard has slyly planned a rendezvous with his mistress Suzanne (Jennifer Tilly), a voluptuously vulgar model.  But when the telephone rings, Jacqueline discovers to her delight that Bernard’s best friend Robert will be arriving shortly. Since Robert is Jacqueline’s secret lover, she quickly cancels her plans and decides to stay to have a tryst with her paramour, forcing Bernard to make Robert promise to cover for him by introducing Suzanne as his girl-friend. More frantic confusion commences as Suzette (Spencer Kayden), the Cordon Bleu chef whom Bernard has hired to cater an elegant, romantic dinner, arrives – and Robert assumes that she is Suzanne. Eventually, Suzette agrees to pose as Robert’s girlfriend/niece or whatever but she disdainfully demands additional bribery payments from both men for each layer of philandering deception – until her own beefy husband, George (David Aron Damane) shows up in the second act.

    Despite John Tillinger’s stylish staging of the mistaken identities and double-entendres and the cast’s obvious effort to try to keep the pace fast, the labored, over-the-top characters and their alleged ardor never really ring true – which makes it so simple for comedienne Spencer Kayden to steal the show – even without whipping up cheese soufflé and baked Alaska.

     John Lee Beatty’s chateau set evokes a sense of rustic elegance, giving rise to amusing lines about the converted dairy, hen house, pig sty and hay loft, but it is William Ivey Long’s inventive costume-change, as Suzette swiftly transforms from mousy maid to slinky, strapless vamp, that evokes spontaneous applause.

    BOTTOM LINE: If you’ve never seen a French sex farce, you might find this hilarious. But if you’ve seen several before, this Roundabout Theatre Company production is only mediocre.

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