For reals tho, when did you guys become total indie theatre rockstars? And why aren’t you calling me to do your next project for the love of god!?!?!

For reals. Every piece of theirs gets better and better as they clearly evolve as some of the country’s best emerging avant guarde theatre makers. Am I gushing? Perhaps. Do they deserve it? Oh yes.

Anyway. This is by far the grandest in scale piece I’ve seen of theirs, and in the biggest theatre - The Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side. Apparently we were their first sold out crowd, but to fill that size of theatre for that type of show - even for one performance - I found most impressive.

The show itself is hard to describe. A panel of academics (you guys are obsessed with panels) get together to discuss the story of Beowulf, and the 3 panel members, in addition to a large band and cast of actors, get out of their panel to become the characters of the story.

The music is inspired, and I don’t wanna use the word steam punk but there is an accordion involved, so there ya go. The talented Dave Malloy wrote the songs and also sings and performs as King Hrothgrar. The music is dark, and broody, yet somehow fun and amiable. Defies description.

Jason Craig does an excellent job as the heroic yet dimwitted Beowulf. Jessica Jelliffe is a total rockstar as panelist 2/ Grendel’s mom. I’ve met her a couple times, once after a performance that I was in, and she complimented me on my singing. Well, perhaps I’ve inspired her to do some vocal training, because I’ve never heard her voice so strong and so confident. Whereas before I considered her an actress who sings in her plays, now she can legitimately be categorized as a singer. I’m so excited to have watched her progress like this.

The set was pretty simple - band on either side of the stage, panel of experts downstage center, and center of the action on a raised, square platform, directly center stage. On each of the 4 corners of the platform were microphones hanging from the ceiling, so whenever a character needed to sing, they would just grab a corner mic and go for it. This worked brilliantly because it was a highly functional way to make mics quickly accessible to all the performers, and it also created a subtle division of space (story space vs. panel space.) The back wall was a stack of square wall fans that created an awesome wind tunnel for the fight sequences.

What I loved most about this show was the dichotomy in tone. It was dark and broody and gory and bloody, yet somehow funny, whimsical, and lighthearted. They managed to approach the subject matter from both angles and incorporate them both appropriately. And of course, their breaking of the fourth wall (incorporation of the Beowulf characters with the modern day experts) was the perfect climax.

The only (and only slightly) thing that I questioned was the existence of the two chorus girls/warriors. They were clearly trained musical theatre dancer/singers and seemed a bit out of place in this group. They sounded and looked fantastic, but I almost felt like they were in a different play. As if a metal band has hired a pop singer to front the band - the styles of performance didn’t quite meld. Not to say that they both aren’t immensely talented and added quite a lot to the songs. Hire someone not quite as polished for the next time you do the show. (hint hint someone like me.)

And I super loved the fact that they gave full heed to the fact that no one gives a crap about part 3 of Beowulf’s tale. Except, of course, for Beowulf himself - and his wishes to go out fighting as in the original story are granted by the panel. It’s confusing unless you see it. And anyone that is interested in new and interesting forms of theatre that use music (like me) - I really hope you were able to see it. Not sure how commercially viable their work is (also positive that that is not their aim) but based on the positive press, the sold out house, and audience reaction? This show could have a life after closing. The theatre company themselves will of course continue to grow and do more and more awesome stuff. No doubt.

Everyday Rapture is the (mostly) one woman show starring and created by Sherie Rene Scott. Now, I’ll see anything at Second Stage, and while a one woman show doesn’t usually shout excitement to me, I was looking forward to this one - I’ve been a fan of hers ever since I saw her hilarious turn in Debbie Does Dallas. Not the film, the off-Broadway musical of course. Anyway, the show is worth seeing if you’re a fan of hers, but if you don’t know her work or who she is at all, I would imagine it’s not as interesting.

The show pulls from specific moments in her own life, starting with her upbringing as a half-Mennonite (or, “Mennonite-lite” as she refers to it), her first trip to New York, her first jobs, etc. And then it transitions into her experiences as a “semi” star in some “semi” hit shows (all very modest and comical self deprecation), and ends with her experience as a mom and wife and where she is now in her career. She gets very personal at times, surprisingly so in fact, specifically in the section where she talks of her abortion at a young age and then again of the homophobia and ostrasization of her gay cousin Gerome (with whom she worshiped Judy Garland as a kid) - and her growing feeling that the intolerance of her upbringing was wrong and she had to escape that mentality. I also loved how she handled the abortion situation. Basically she says, (paraphrasing) “I chose life. MY life.” And doesn’t make any apologizes for it. Because if she had made another decision, she wouldn’t have had the same life.

She is backed up by 2 background singers who are irritatingly slightly fatter than her, in a clearly obvious attempt to make Sherie look skinnier - totally unnecessary, as Sherie is already very thin. I found this annoying.

The music features new songs in addition to sourced material, and she sings all of it well. It’s great to see her be able to tell her story, well, sing her story, really, surrounded by a series of monologues and dance numbers and comedy sketches. I definitely learned about her as a person and what has occurred in her life. Groundbreaking new piece of theatre? Not so much. But anyone who’s a fan of her work will enjoy this candid and entertaining look into her life.

Do not let the stupid, misleading ad campaign currently running on TV make you think that this is a bad show. The ad makes it look like a horrible show. In fact, it is a great, great show. I think the ad is trying to attract the wrong kind of audience, who probably wouldn’t like it if they saw it anyway, so what is the point in all this?

Anyway.

Not knowing anything about it other than that it had recently transferred from Second Stage, and everything I’ve ever seen there has been awesome, and also that it stars Alice Ripley (Sideshow, Rocky Horror, etc), I was all - sign me up. Had no idea what it was about. Turns out the subject matter hit a little closer to home than I had expected. In fact, it smacked me across the face several times.

The history and past casts of the show are very interesting. From Wikipedia:

The musical, originally called Feeling Electric, was first seen in 2002 at the Cutting Room in New York City, featuring Norbert Leo Butz as Dan and Sherie Rene Scott as Diana.

In 2005 it was workshopped at Village Theatre (in Issaquah, Washington) featuring Amy Spanger as Diana, Mary Faber as Natalie and Deven May as Dr. Madden. In September 2005 the Barrow Group Arts Center production ran at the New York Musical Theatre Festival featuring Spanger as Diana, Joe Cassidy as Dan, Annaleigh Ashford as Natalie and Anthony Rapp as Dr. Madden. Second Stage Theatre workshopped the piece in both 2006 and 2007, featuring Cassidy and then Greg Edelman as Dan, Alice Ripley as Diana, Mary Faber and then Phoebe Strole as Natalie, Rapp as Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine and Skylar Astin as Henry.

Next to Normal was produced off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre from January 16 through March 16, 2008, directed by Michael Greif, with Anthony Rapp as assistant director. The cast featured Ripley as Diana Goodman and Brian D’Arcy James as Dan Goodman. Although the show received mixed reviews in New York, it was criticized by at least one reviewer for pushing an irresponsible message about the treatment of bipolar disorder and for failing to strike the proper balance between pathos and comedy.

After revisions to the show, a pre-Broadway regional theatre production ran at the Arena Stage in Arlington, Virginia, November 21, 2008 through January 18, 2009. Michael Greif returned as director. Ripley and most of the off-Broadway cast participated, but D’Arcy James remained in New York to play the title character in the musical Shrek. The changes included removing “comic songs and glitzy production numbers” and substituting some songs that are complementary to the emotional content of the book; the production received rave reviews.

Next to Normal began previews on Broadway at the Booth Theatre on March 27, and opened on April 15, 2009. The cast from the Arena Stage production returned, as well as the director, Grief.

So. That’s the history of the show. As it turns out, I saw the last preview before official opening, which is exciting for me. It’s the story about one woman and her family. She loses a child at the age of 8 months, and her bi-polar/schizophrenia whatever is wrong with her kicks in. The play deals with how her disease affects her family and others around her. That’s pretty much it. It’s about her relationship with her daughter and husband, and there’s the B plot of the overachieving daughter and her boyfriend, who’s relationship parallels that of the two parents. Interestingly, (spoiler alert!) Diana’s main pathos is that she still believes her son to be alive, and he is a character in the play too - albeit, only Diana can see him. But in her mind, he never died, and has grown up with the rest of the family.

It’s really, really sad. It has some comic moments, but mostly it’s raw and emotional throughout. Ripley plays Diana pretty much flawlessly. No complaints. Would not change a thing. Her husband, Dan, played by J. Robert Spencer - wowie. I expected Ripley to blow everyone out of the water but this cast is so solid they just flowed with one another perfectly. Especially him. What a voice on that guy. Endless, powerful, effortless and beautiful singer. And for someone that good of a singer, he handled the raw dramatic parts exceptionally well.

Also - Jennifer Damiano as Natalie - perfect casting. Plays the misunderstood, overachieving, unhappy, angst ridden teenager without a twinge of irony. Probably because she’s actually that age, or close to it. I could listen to her belt out tunes all day, she’s like a machine. What a voice. And really makes the character into a real person. Which is hard to do in a musical. And they all manage to pull it off.

Oh and the two boys were great too. Aaron Tveit as Gabe (the ghost son) and Adam Chanler-Berat as Henry (the boyfriend) are exceptional in their roles.

You wouldn’t think a rock score would work with such dark subject matter, but somehow it does. I wouldn’t say the music is the greatest I’ve ever heard, but I certainly plan on purchasing the CD and committing it to memory. So, there ya go. Music is by Tom Kitt, who also did High Fidelity, which flopped but I have the CD and the music is totally fun. But this will make him a name in the biz. Good job.

This is basically the kind of musical I wish there were more of. Raw drama, good singing, a rock score, and no dance numbers. Essentially, the kind of musical I would be cast in. And also enjoy working on.

And on a personal note - age wise - I found myself able to commiserate with almost all of the characters. The teens, the adults, men, women, everyone. There was such a humanity in all of them. And living with and seeing the affects of mental illness is not something I would ever have expected to see in a musical - but it was quite the catharsis for me. I decided that in 15 years it is likely I’ll either end up just like Diana, or I’ll be playing her somewhere. Hopefully the latter. And hopefully I’ll have someone at my side to walk me through either situation, like she did. Although she eventually decides that that’s not necessarily a good thing - with someone always carrying you, you never learn to feel solid ground under your feet. Or something like that.

To quote my non-emotion showing date for the evening - “That show was emotional.”
Me: “What emotions did you feel?”
Date: “Sadness. Mostly sadness.”

‘Nuff said.

So….the Norman Conquests is a play trilogy by Alan Ackbourn, written in 1973. After a successful run at the Old Vic in London, they’ve arrived in NYC with the original cast for a 4 month run. They are all three currently playing in rep at Circle in the Square.

As explained on Wikipedia:

Each of the plays depicts the same six characters over the same weekend in a different part of a house. Table Manners is set in the dining room, Living Together in the living room, and Round and Round the Garden in the garden. Each play is self-contained, and they may be watched in any order. Some of the scenes overlap, and on several occasions a character’s exit from one play corresponds with an entrance in another. The plays were not written to be performed simultaneously, however - although Ayckbourn did achieve that some twenty-five years later in House & Garden.

And that pretty much sums up the situation. We saw Table Manners at 11 am, had brunch, went back in and saw Living Together at 3pm, then had another break in which we went shopping, and came back for the 8pm performance of Round and Round the Garden.

Honestly I thought I would be wiped out by the end of it all, but that wasn’t the case. Each show was so good I was more and more excited to see each part, and see what had been happening in the garden while we’d been watching the action in the living room, etc. It’s a bit of a gimmick, sure, but one that hasn’t been explored very much in theatre and it works very well.

My only complaint with the writing is that I wish there had been even more callbacks to the other plays. I know the intent was to keep them as separate works. But the best parts of all of them was when you could see or hear something from one of the other plays happening (an offstage voice, a surprise entrance and exit, etc). When you were able to put the pieces together from the other two plays, and things clicked together like pieces of a puzzle, that’s where the real gratification comes in. So actually I’d say you’d be doing yourself a disservice not to see all three plays. The only one that’s even remotely skippable is Living Together, just because so much of it involves Norman getting drunk and passing out. Which is funny but not all that relevant.

Mostly I was just super excited to see Steven Mangan as Norman, who I know as Guy Secretan on the late, great amazing British comedy Green Wing. Aka Donkey Boy. A stellar cast of improv and comedy actors, him one of the best. After seeing all the behind the scenes work from Green Wing, I expected Mangan to be a bit of a loose cannon - more improv, more messing with his fellow actors, you know - goofy comedy stuff. But he played the role really truthfully, honestly - I mean, still completely hilariously, but I didn’t expect it to be so perfectly honed, word for word, line for line. I guess in a show with such complexity, you’d have to approach it like that. Or perhaps the original director at the Old Vic was just a stickler for perfection. It’s just that he’s such a brilliant improviser, and we didn’t get to see that here. But I did get to see him be funny for almost 8 hours, so, no complaints.

I was also psyched to see Jessica Hynes, who plays Annie. I know her from her work on the TV show Spaced, which she stars in and co-created with her co-star Simon Pegg. She’s also in Sean of the Dead (also with Pegg). Both of these actors have also been on Doctor Who, which makes me instantly remember them - Hynes was on a particularly good two-parter in season 3 - “Human Nature/Family of Blood” where she plays Joan. It’s a very dramatic role, whereas on Spaced she does comedy (albeit the straight man role, more or less), so I was looking forward to seeing her play darkly funny on stage. And yes, she can do all of these things with aplomb. Rangey actress, she is. I loved how her interactions with each character were so different that she seemed to take on different personalities in each of the plays, depending on who she was talking to - but still clearly playing Annie. Good job.

The whole cast really did a fantastic job. Amanda Root is appropriately annoying and provincial as Sarah. I loved Paul Ritter as Reg. Clearly a brilliant comic actor, unfortunately a bit overshadowed by Mangan. Ben Miles was loveable and pitiable as the simpleton veterinarian, Tom. The only casting bit I questioned was Amelia Bulmore as Ruth (Norman’s wife). She’s a cosmopolitan, successful woman who knows her husband is cheating on her but she somehow feels the need to keep him around - like an old dog really. She played the role very well but I think perhaps there’s a piece missing to her character in the writing. Her motivations are sort of unclear and she seems to be floating thru the plays, sort of lost. Perhaps this is also because she shows up later in the course of the action and doesn’t have as much to say as the other 5 characters.

It was really exciting to see all 3 in one day. I felt like I was part of something big. Now I look forward to seeing the televised version from 1978, which is presented in a different order, so I’ll get a taste of what it would have been like to have watched them in a different arrangement.

NEAT

Apparently the theatre company name that put on this show is called “The Pig Brooch Theatre Company.” I am not familiar with their previous work. All I know is that my friend and colleague Alden Ford told me he would be playing Linus in a line-by-line, movement-by-movement reenactment of the classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Super cute. And his gf was playing Peppermint Patty and another friend (Justin Tyler, artistic director of the company) - would be playing Charlie Brown. And it was to play the Brooklyn Lyceum. These are all good things so I went. And it was cute.

It really was an amazingly accurate and truthful reenactment of the cartoon, just brought to life with real people. The actors clearly took a long hard look at the cartoon in order to mimic the facial expressions, bodily movements, and vocal inflections to be a close to the original as possible. And they hit it damn close almost every time. Of course the best scene is when they’re all dancing doing those ridiculous dances that look totally cartooney and inhuman but when performed by humans, is just pure comedy. They even have the kid doing the frankenstein dance in the background in that one scene - he doesn’t have any lines - but they still got someone in to do that part - sticklers for consistency, they are.

All in all, the live version was every bit as cute and heartwarming as the classic cartoon. Although it sort of made me notice for the first time how very low on content it actually is. The show itself ran about 25 minutes, which I assume is the exact length of the cartoon. So again, perfectly consistent. The show might have benefited from additional scenes, but then it would no longer have been a truthful adaptation; it would have been something wholly different. So the choice to leave it as is was solid. Also the audience was half babies and I was impressed they all (mostly) sat still for that long.

Super cute. Alden makes a cute Linus. His monologue at the end about the true meaning of Christmas was the highlight (and only non-comedic moment) for me.

It all reminded me a bit of the Saved By the Bell musical I saw a few years back, but this had more respect for the original source and much less camp was involved. In fact, the camp factor was low to non-existent. It’s clear that it was directed with a true love of the original in mind.

Good and happy Xmas cheer for all.

I had no idea who Meow Meow was until I saw her open up for the Dresden Dolls last New Years Eve. She crowdsurfed to the bar, got a whiskey, and crowdsurfed back to the stage. And I realized that she is awesome. So when I found out she was doing a 3 night stint at the Highline Ballroom (a Christmas show!) I was very excited to see her on her own.

First - have to complain about the venue. We bought our tickets on TDF at a slight discount. Turns out there were even lower priced tickets available online. But we get to the theatre to discover that the “tdf” area is in the balcony, and the way they’ve set up the tables is such that unless you’ve snagged one of the tables directly in front, facing the stage, you can’t see a damn thing. We had to stand for the whole show to see past the people in front of us. Quite annoying. We were not happy with this venue.

BUT the show was awesome. Meow Meow is a singer/comedienne/diva from England. Don’t know exactly where from, just know that she is English. The show was comprised mainly of her singing songs, some original, some covers, and comedy banter in between musical numbers. Her covers were of some of my favorite artists including “Missed Me” by the Dresden Dolls, and stuff from Nick Cave and Radiohead. Basically awesome punk rock music that she somehow makes into cabaret material.

Notable comedy bits included:
1) adorable singing orphans. Well, one orphan, cuz that’s all she could afford. The other two orphans were life-size cutouts of impoverished children.

2) Costume rental place taking her dress off her because she hadn’t paid for the dress so she had to perform the next few numbers in her slip - then magically, her iconic poofy yellow gown floats down from the ceiling - a Christmas miracle!

3) Singing while walking across the tables as if the were floor, stealing people’s drinks and insulting them, all while behaving like a complete lady.

4) Audience participation. Not that we got to participate, being all up in the nosebleed section.

5) Christmas cheer.

Great show but still can’t get past the douchebaggery of the venue. But she is a performer I will surely follow to the end of my days. What is not to love about the fabulous Ms. Meow Meow? Nothing, I tell you. Nothing.

I had to see this again before it closed, it was just that good.

The only difference is that this time we saw Paige Davis as the American flight attendant (I had seen her understudy previously). It was interesting how the two different actors brought very different elements to the table. Paige was more confident and a bit crazier I think. The character made a bit more sense to me the second time through.

Also, this show is so fast paced, so many words, so many jokes, that some jokes that had flown over my head the first time round, I was able to catch this time. So it’s definitely a show you’d benefit from seeing twice because of this factor alone.

Also for the sheer, indescribable comic brilliance of Mark Rylance. There are just no words. I’m gonna follow him all over the world and see everything he does from now on. Ridiculous.

(My previous review can be found here.)

I regret not writing about this immediately after seeing it because I feel like I had a lot to say at the time, and now I’ve forgotten it all. So I’ll just hit the main points.

LOVED the set. The minimalism, the horse cages, the plain cubes that move around and become every necessary set piece within seconds - everything about the production design was flawless. Even sound and lighting, which I rarely even notice, I noticed were exceptionally good.

What I found so exciting about this production is that it was the first time it had been back to Broadway in 30 years (after a sold out run in London - the NT I think) - and it didn’t seem dated. It was so modern and polished and sleek, that even a play based largely on psychiatric philosophy, which has changed drastically in the last 30 years, still managed to appear current. Impressive.

It’s hard to describe the experience without saying first and foremost that it is essentially a British production. What that means, I’m not sure. It just had the same look/feel/vibe as shows I’ve seen in the UK, and rarely have the same elements appeared on the NY stage - especially Broadway. I like my theatre dark and disturbing, and this certainly delivered. I would imagine most NY audiences wouldn’t go for that sort of thing, so to ensure ticket sales they got Daniel Radcliffe to headline the show - bringing out anyone that had seen him in the Harry Potter movies and wanted to see if he has real acting chops. He was undeniably the real draw of the show, and he delivered. I think his stage work is a bit over the top - he is young and has a lot to learn (vocally, it sounded like he was straining) but overall I was very impressed with his performance. It was brave and fearless. Particularly the famous nude scene, in which he runs around completely naked - for about 20 minutes. I had no idea he stayed nude for that long, whilst delivering crazy intense drama. Very brave, intense and worthy of great recognition for him.

Richard Griffiths, I’m pretty sure was sick at the performance we saw. I know he’s one of “the greats” and all but I definitely felt like he was phoning this one in. Maybe he was burned out. Or just very sick. He could also probably stand to lose a few pounds. I don’t think I could do 8 shows a week at my current weight, I don’t know how he does it.

Kate Mulgrew (aka Captain Janeway from Startrek Voyager) actually disappointed me as the psychiatrist’s friend Hester. I didn’t really get why she needed to be in the play - there was no sexual tension between her and Griffiths, and when she spoke it was as if there was a camera 3 feet in front of her. She needs to work on her stage voice vs. TV voice. But other than that she was solid.

T. Ryder Smith, in his Bway debut, was awesome as Frank (Alan’s dad). Good for him. Downtown theatre actor hits the big time and delivers. Rock and roll dude.

I loved watching this play. Every second of it. I felt like the British National theatre had magically transported itself to NYC. Which I guess in a way, it had. Thank you for coming to NY! I couldn’t get tickets when we were in London!!!!

Ok. Seeing as I saw this several months ago, I’ll make this a - here’s what I can remember-type of review.

The girl who played Sally Sparrow on one of the best Doctor Who episodes ever, called Blink, played Nina. Her name is Carey Mulligan and she is radiant and lovely and innocent and everything that the part called for. I recognized her right away from her TV work but she’s just as strong on stage.

Kristen Scott Thomas made her Broadway debut as Arkadina and all the positive acclaim that she got for the role was well deserved. She was consistent, and fully fleshed out as a character. Very very good work on her part.

I wasn’t as excited about Peter Saarsgaard, who I was really looking forward to seeing. He, conversely, I think is better on film than on stage. Since half the cast was British and the other half American, it sounded like he was doing a half-British accent the whole time. It was all very phony. His acting wasn’t bad, I just didn’t fall in love with him the same way the female characters in the play all seemed to. Maybe it was the long beard.

Zoe Kazan as Masha was great. What goth/emo kids acted like (and dressed like) in that time period. I find her funny, not sure if you’re supposed to. She’s just so self-hating. I loved her in the role.

Set - fine. A living room in a big old drafty house.

And speaking of drafty - we saw the show in December, and sat in the back by the doors to the street - and were freezing the whole time. It actually made the experience of watching the play very uncomfortable. I know the action takes place in Russia, but come on. No need for that. Put a space heater by the door. Had I actually paid the full ticket price I’d be super mad. Wait, I still paid a good amount for that ticket. No need to turn me into a popsicle.

So basically it was the best production of The Seagull I’ve ever seen, but that’s not saying much, cuz I haven’t seen all that many and it’s not even a play that I like all that much. A metaphor I use a lot - it was like going to the dentist. You don’t enjoy it but you know you just have to go sometimes for your own good.