I'll skip the tired and repetitive apologies for not posting more lately. I'll get it in gear when I can find the time.
In the meantime, a rare timely Review Preview of Argonautika at McCarter. Not quite the mindblower I was hoping for, but quite interesting and kind of fun to watch.
And what could be better than a visit to Princeton in the spring?
Please all keep my stepson, Cyle, in your thoughts. He left for Afghanistan last week and is now an Army lieutenant in charge of a reconnaissance team, flushing Taliban and other bad guys out of caves and such.
Hell of a way to make a living. Good news (I hope) is after two tours in Iraq, his wife has told him this is the last one.
Mother is with the young Mrs. on that one.
Anyway, on with the show. Talk to you soon, I hope.
If you want to go:
What: “Argonautika”
When: through April 6
Where: Centenary Matthews Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center at Princeton University, 91 University Place, Princeton
How much: $15 to $49
Info: (609) 258-2787; www.mccarter.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Daily Record
“Don’t be so literal. You’ll miss a lot.”
That’s the advice from one God to another in “Argonautika,” the latest myth-inspired theatrical experience staged by Mary Zimmerman at McCarter Theatre.
Zimmerman clearly has an abstract eye, as she previously proved at Princeton with “The Secret in the Wings” and “The Odyssey.” The former blended a sampling of lesser-known Grimm fairy tales and the was latter based on Homer’s epic poem. She also won a Tony for her 2002 staging of “Metamorphoses,” based on another Greek poem by Ovid.
Artistic director Emily Mann praises Zimmerman’s ability to “tell a tale by transforming language into thrilling visual life.” “Argonautika,” which visualizes the mythology of Jason and the Argonauts, is certainly evidence of that ability. On a set that resembles a mostly bare wooden crate set on its side, Zimmerman turns “Argonautika” into a gift basket full of visual treats.
Her grasp of language and dialogue, however, is less consistent. She overreaches by tapping into two different interpretations of the tale, which causes some confusion, especially for those people who may not be familiar with the story in the first place.
Fans of Greek mythology know all about Jason, son of a deposed king who is tasked by his uncle and current king to retrieve the mythical Golden Fleece and thereby claim the thrown. Looking on from above, the goddess Hera knows this is a fool’s errand, designed to get Jason out of the king’s hair, and most likely send him to his death.
With Hera and Athena watching his back. Jason constructs a mighty ship, the Argo, assembles a mighty strike force (including Hercules) and sets sail into unknown waters. During their storied voyage, they encounter myriad peril, including vengeful gods, sea monsters, flying harpies, fire-snorting bulls and a liberal dose of sorcery.
In her director’s notes, Zimmerman acknowledges the most popular adaptation of the story, crafted by Apollonius of Rhodes, along with another by Gaius Valerius Flaccus. From them, and two different translations, she rescues the full story of Jason’s lover, Medea, which often has been removed from popular Hollywood adaptations.
Small wonder, since they cast the title hero in a bad light. Medea was a sorceress and virgin daughter of King Aietes of Colchis, keeper of the Fleece. Because Jason needs Medea’s help to accomplish his mission, Hera and Athena convince Aphrodite to get her son, Eros, to shoot Medea with an arrow that makes her fall in love with Jason.
But in this adaptation, once the mission is accomplished, Jason dumps Medea for a politically motivated marriage, setting off a final series of tragedy.
Zimmerman’s narrative is frequently dry and heavy handed, which occasionally anchors the Argo in muddy seas. It also weighs down the actors, who struggle to give their characters a clear sense of identity.
A few actors break through. Soren Oliver plays Hercules as an oafish brute full of bluster, while Atley Loughridge covers a gamut of emotion as Medea. Her giddy giggling early on makes her undeserved fate that much more tragic.
Others struggle, including Jake Suffian as the title character, who has trouble standing out in a crowd of uniformed Argonauts, and Sofia Jean Gomez as Athena, who is saddled with much of the narration.
No matter, because “Argonautika” is more for the eye than the ear, and Zimmerman does not disappoint her fans. Characters drop from the sky and disappear through the floor, while puppets and some stunning costumes bring supernatural characters to more life than some of the human ones. Black grills in the “box” allow for eerie lighting effects, while the entire cast choreographs a spectacular wind storm.
The actors also execute some tricky and physical gymnastics that will remind some of a ballet, and even sing a few entertaining songs.
Zimmerman also has a knack for comic relief, and an odd sense of comic timing that seems delightfully random, so you never know when it might pop up. Allen Gilmore, as the scheming King Pelais, has the most fun as the scheming, two faced King Pelias.
The director also injects brief bursts of profanity to remind you that you are in Princeton, not at a child’s show at the Growing Stage.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Signs of life
A quick check in to make sure you all know I did not go away. Sorry, but I've just been too busy to blog. So much to do at the Daily Record, where we have now started five new weeklies since last summer, including two in the last month. And I'm hip deep in that project. I enjoy it more than most, given my community newspaper background. We're not filling these with trailblazing, first-amendment, watchdog journalism, but rather positive news, including lots and lots of photos and reader-contributed content.
All very well received, and keeping the ship afloat, so to speak. But they are large monsters that must be fed, forcing me to work some weekends and nights in addition to the rest.
Also have been regularly producing auto columns for our new Real Morris magazine for the rich and famous (well,maybe not famous). I've test driven a Porsche Cayenne, a Mercedes I don't remember the number and a Lamborghini Gallardo.
But I hope you've been noticing that I'm still getting tot he theaters and cranking out the reviews. You just need to go to Dailyrecord.com to read them.
FYI, I'll leak word that I've won another first place NJ Press Award for critical writing, although not official until the awards ceremony in April. Guess I'll have to update the profile. If anyone cares, the submitted reviews were for Henry VI, Seven Brides and My Three Angels. I believe all three are posted here somewhere.
I'll get back to Review Previews, etc, soon, but just don't have the time right now. Also,I hear the Gannett NJ papers are going to do some sort of collective blog consolidation or reorg, and I'm still in the mix for that. Perhaps even they'll acknowledge blogging in the job description, which would force them to budget time from your week to do that.
I can dream, can't I?
In the meantime, back to the grind. Talk to you soon.
All very well received, and keeping the ship afloat, so to speak. But they are large monsters that must be fed, forcing me to work some weekends and nights in addition to the rest.
Also have been regularly producing auto columns for our new Real Morris magazine for the rich and famous (well,maybe not famous). I've test driven a Porsche Cayenne, a Mercedes I don't remember the number and a Lamborghini Gallardo.
But I hope you've been noticing that I'm still getting tot he theaters and cranking out the reviews. You just need to go to Dailyrecord.com to read them.
FYI, I'll leak word that I've won another first place NJ Press Award for critical writing, although not official until the awards ceremony in April. Guess I'll have to update the profile. If anyone cares, the submitted reviews were for Henry VI, Seven Brides and My Three Angels. I believe all three are posted here somewhere.
I'll get back to Review Previews, etc, soon, but just don't have the time right now. Also,I hear the Gannett NJ papers are going to do some sort of collective blog consolidation or reorg, and I'm still in the mix for that. Perhaps even they'll acknowledge blogging in the job description, which would force them to budget time from your week to do that.
I can dream, can't I?
In the meantime, back to the grind. Talk to you soon.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Review Preview: The Miracle Worker
OK, here's a technically timely Review Preview of "The Miracle Worker" at Paper Mill. Only technically, cause I saw the show two weeks ago. But the review does not publish until Friday, so it's fresh as a daisy.
No play last week and none this week, but following is another busy stretch, I think seven plays in six weeks.
Oy.
FYI congrats to all the new management types at Paper Mill, recently announced. We're all hoping things turn around.
If you want to go:
What: “The Miracle Worker”
When: through Feb. 24
Where: Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn
How much: $25-92
Info: (973) 376-4343; www.papermill.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
The New York Giants recently completed a miracle season in the Meadowlands. For additional inspiration, the Miracle in Millburn plays on a while longer.
There’s no denying the power of “The Miracle Worker,” which is enjoying a high-profile revival at Paper Mill Playhouse. William Gibson’s adaptation of the true-life saga of Helen Keller and her teacher is one of those stories that cannot fail to move an audience.
“The Miracle Worker” also is a fairly simple production to stage, making it one of the most frequently seen plays in the United States. So when a company with a large stage and a lot of seats decides to present this important but intimate drama, several questions come to mind.
Practical considerations include how the director will prevent the huge stage from swallowing the story. Another concern shared by prominent professional theaters is how to make a given production stand out among its many predecessors.
Paper Mill takes on this challenge every year about this time. Last year, it was Tennessee Williams’ “Summer and Smoke.” The season before showcased another inspirational classic, “Diary of Anne Frank.” Both were worthy productions that struggled to connect with the audience beyond the orchestra seats.
Paper Mill, like competing stages across the Hudson, sometimes ups the ante with big-name actors such as “Summer and Smoke” stars Amanda Plummer and Kevin Anderson. Director Susan Fenichell has no such ringer in her cast, although the actors all do an admirable job. And to be fair, it’s hard to find a ringer actress capable of playing a 12-year-old, especially with Miley Cyrus busy on her concert tour.
Instead, Paper Mill has split the daunting responsibility of playing Helen between two up-and-comers: fifth-grader Meredith Lipson of Pennsylvania and New Jersey sixth-grader Lily Maketansky.
Lipson drew the assignment of playing Helen for the press opening and was a bundle of energy in a role normally played by an older “young” actress. Her dark, wild hair, tossed back like a lion’s mane, and high forehead made her eyes stand out like the coal nuggets on a snowman’s face. But those eyes never showed any sign of usefulness as she quickly groped her way around the stage, arms flailing and hands dancing over everything she touched.
The untamed nature of her character—left blend, deaf and largely mute by a childhood fever—leads to the entrance of the title character, Anne Sullivan (Annika Boras). Barely 20 years old and graduated from a special school, traumatized as an orphan and with her own limited vision, Sullivan seemed ill-equipped to reach Helen when many other professionals had tried and failed.
But Helen’s wealthy family in 1880s Alabama was running out of options more humane than a mental institution.
As we all know, Sullivan’s unique perspective and stubborn determination proved to be exactly what Helen needed. The rest is popular history — Helen learned not only to communicate, but became an inspirational speaker, advocate for the disabled and a celebrity, and enjoyed a lifelong friendship with her mentor.
Fenichell does a better job than most directors in adapting an intimate story to the large space. Center stage functions largely as the courtyard of the Keller estate. It later gives way to the dining room set for what is sometimes referred to as the longest battle scene in American drama. Boras and Lipson execute the complex and exhausting scene, in which Anne forces Helen through a lesson in table manners, with admirable precision.
Fenichell also emphasizes the subtle humor that Gibson sprinkles through the story, including Anne’s famous line after emerging from her battle with Helen.
“The room’s a wreck, but her napkin is folded.”
Among the supporting cast, John Hickok nicely blends Captain Keller’s mix of compassion and Confederate bluster, while Emily Dorsch, as Kate, is a sympathetically desperate mother. Scenic designer David Zinn, who also designed the costumes, fills the stage with real estate.
Still, there’s very little here to recommend as a must-see. Certainly, if you have not yet seen “The Miracle Worker,” this would be a fine choice to start. But at $95 for top-priced ticket, you’ll want to search the discount schedule for an acceptable admission.
No play last week and none this week, but following is another busy stretch, I think seven plays in six weeks.
Oy.
FYI congrats to all the new management types at Paper Mill, recently announced. We're all hoping things turn around.
If you want to go:
What: “The Miracle Worker”
When: through Feb. 24
Where: Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn
How much: $25-92
Info: (973) 376-4343; www.papermill.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
The New York Giants recently completed a miracle season in the Meadowlands. For additional inspiration, the Miracle in Millburn plays on a while longer.
There’s no denying the power of “The Miracle Worker,” which is enjoying a high-profile revival at Paper Mill Playhouse. William Gibson’s adaptation of the true-life saga of Helen Keller and her teacher is one of those stories that cannot fail to move an audience.
“The Miracle Worker” also is a fairly simple production to stage, making it one of the most frequently seen plays in the United States. So when a company with a large stage and a lot of seats decides to present this important but intimate drama, several questions come to mind.
Practical considerations include how the director will prevent the huge stage from swallowing the story. Another concern shared by prominent professional theaters is how to make a given production stand out among its many predecessors.
Paper Mill takes on this challenge every year about this time. Last year, it was Tennessee Williams’ “Summer and Smoke.” The season before showcased another inspirational classic, “Diary of Anne Frank.” Both were worthy productions that struggled to connect with the audience beyond the orchestra seats.
Paper Mill, like competing stages across the Hudson, sometimes ups the ante with big-name actors such as “Summer and Smoke” stars Amanda Plummer and Kevin Anderson. Director Susan Fenichell has no such ringer in her cast, although the actors all do an admirable job. And to be fair, it’s hard to find a ringer actress capable of playing a 12-year-old, especially with Miley Cyrus busy on her concert tour.
Instead, Paper Mill has split the daunting responsibility of playing Helen between two up-and-comers: fifth-grader Meredith Lipson of Pennsylvania and New Jersey sixth-grader Lily Maketansky.
Lipson drew the assignment of playing Helen for the press opening and was a bundle of energy in a role normally played by an older “young” actress. Her dark, wild hair, tossed back like a lion’s mane, and high forehead made her eyes stand out like the coal nuggets on a snowman’s face. But those eyes never showed any sign of usefulness as she quickly groped her way around the stage, arms flailing and hands dancing over everything she touched.
The untamed nature of her character—left blend, deaf and largely mute by a childhood fever—leads to the entrance of the title character, Anne Sullivan (Annika Boras). Barely 20 years old and graduated from a special school, traumatized as an orphan and with her own limited vision, Sullivan seemed ill-equipped to reach Helen when many other professionals had tried and failed.
But Helen’s wealthy family in 1880s Alabama was running out of options more humane than a mental institution.
As we all know, Sullivan’s unique perspective and stubborn determination proved to be exactly what Helen needed. The rest is popular history — Helen learned not only to communicate, but became an inspirational speaker, advocate for the disabled and a celebrity, and enjoyed a lifelong friendship with her mentor.
Fenichell does a better job than most directors in adapting an intimate story to the large space. Center stage functions largely as the courtyard of the Keller estate. It later gives way to the dining room set for what is sometimes referred to as the longest battle scene in American drama. Boras and Lipson execute the complex and exhausting scene, in which Anne forces Helen through a lesson in table manners, with admirable precision.
Fenichell also emphasizes the subtle humor that Gibson sprinkles through the story, including Anne’s famous line after emerging from her battle with Helen.
“The room’s a wreck, but her napkin is folded.”
Among the supporting cast, John Hickok nicely blends Captain Keller’s mix of compassion and Confederate bluster, while Emily Dorsch, as Kate, is a sympathetically desperate mother. Scenic designer David Zinn, who also designed the costumes, fills the stage with real estate.
Still, there’s very little here to recommend as a must-see. Certainly, if you have not yet seen “The Miracle Worker,” this would be a fine choice to start. But at $95 for top-priced ticket, you’ll want to search the discount schedule for an acceptable admission.
Review Preview rewind: TNJ, McCarter
Neglecting my duties again as me and Mrs. Willie go into full home-improvement mode. We're refinancing to lower our rate and grab some cash for renovations. My home has been a revolving door of contractors, while evening conversations center around countertops and door sizes.
But I am getting to the shows. Following is a draft of the review we already published last Friday, which sort of perverts the whole Review Preview concept. But for the record,we post.
I'll follow with my Review Preview of Paper Mill's "The Miracle Worker."
FYI: "Me, Myself and I" closes Sunday, so if the review inspires you to go, move your booty. Also, tickets are tight.
Theater review
What: “Me, Myself and I”
When: through Feb 17
Where: Berlind Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton University, Princeton
How much: $15-49
Info: (609) 258-2787, ext.10; www.mccarter.org
What: “Flying Crows”
When: through Feb 17
Where: Playwrights Theatre, 33 Green Village Road, Madison
How much: $25-$27.50
Info: (973) 514-1787, ext.10; www.ptnj.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Daily Record
It’s not every week that you can find two famous writers staging world premieres in New Jersey.
One of these novel stories comes from a novel, “Flying Crows,” by PBS news anchor Jim Lehrer. James Glossman adapted and directed this fascinating mystery.
At Princeton, three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward Albee is exploring more familiar territory, at least for him. “Me, Myself and I” is a dark, abstract, absurd comedy, full of confrontation and twisted conversation that would drive a grammar convention to the hotel bar.
“Flying Crows” is more complicated, but easier to follow. It reconstructs the life of a vagrant discovered living in Kansas City’s Union Station in 1997. Detective Randy Benton (Dan Domingues) finds Birdie Carlucci (Anthony Blaha) there during a final inspection before the historic building’s demolition.
When Birdie reveals he’s lived there since escaping from the infamous Somerset Medical Institution in 1933, Benton searches for answers. How did Birdie avoid detection? How did he eat? And what happened to Birdie at Somerset?
Benton’s only clue is the name Josh (Reathel Bean), whom Birdie says escaped with him. As Benton follows the trail, “Flying Crows” becomes a memory play. We see scenes of Josh and Birdie building a friendship and enduring hardships at Somerset, where thug-like attendants kept the peace with baseball bats.
We also see the memories of other witnesses, including a waitress from Union Station’s fabled Harvey House restaurant, who became more than a friend to Birdie back in the day.
There’s no active crime to solve, but Lehrer has crafted some rich characters and pulls you into this world of shadows.
Glossman’s adaptation moves at a brisk pace and covers a lot of ground. He’s also assembled a talented and brave cast. The problem is they are nearly overwhelmed by having to play two dozen characters in at least as many scenes.
Prentiss Benjamin spends the most time donning new skins. She begins as a narrator, although everyone takes turn providing narration that sounds like it came straight from the book. She also plays an aunt, a doctor, an EMT and the “Harvey Girl” waitress, both in flashback and in 1997.
Benjamin and Domingues know the territory, having done similar ensemble duty in Glossman’s “Sunrise at Monticello” on this stage a few years back. They are up to the task, but the audience has trouble keeping up with who’s who, where and when.
Newcomers Bean and Blaha both turn in rich performances in their principal roles. Bean’s calm, country manner and deep voice give Josh the kind of dignity his character never experienced at Somerset. Blaha is a convincing lunatic and a believable ladies man, both qualities essential to the tale.
Glossman adds a video screen with images of the station real structures that serve as the setting for this fictional story, along with datelines to remind you which decade you’re in. It helps, but so would trimming a few scenes and characters.
But as it stands, “Flying Crow” is worthy of an audience that, in the middle of a Hollywood writer’s strike, could use a good story right about now.
In Princeton, Albee’s “Me Myself and I” doesn’t offer much of a story — a mother who named both of her twin sons Otto and can’t tell the evil one from the good one. We never learn why the doctor who delivered them replaced the father who left on their birthday.
But this darkly hilarious gem is a brilliant showcase for the fabulous Tyne Daly (showing off some rarely seen comic skills) and Broadway favorite Brian Murray as the mom and the doc, who have a ball with Albee’s intricate wordplay. Artistic director Emily Mann wisely clears the set of everything but actors and a few beds, and lets them coin phrases, then twist them into knots like Eagle Scouts at a jamboree. Along the way, we learn a bit about maternal bonds, sibling rivalries and individual identity.
Like “Flying Crows,” it gets confusing at times, but the “Me, Myself and I” audience also can enjoy how the characters are as confused as they are.
But I am getting to the shows. Following is a draft of the review we already published last Friday, which sort of perverts the whole Review Preview concept. But for the record,we post.
I'll follow with my Review Preview of Paper Mill's "The Miracle Worker."
FYI: "Me, Myself and I" closes Sunday, so if the review inspires you to go, move your booty. Also, tickets are tight.
Theater review
What: “Me, Myself and I”
When: through Feb 17
Where: Berlind Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton University, Princeton
How much: $15-49
Info: (609) 258-2787, ext.10; www.mccarter.org
What: “Flying Crows”
When: through Feb 17
Where: Playwrights Theatre, 33 Green Village Road, Madison
How much: $25-$27.50
Info: (973) 514-1787, ext.10; www.ptnj.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Daily Record
It’s not every week that you can find two famous writers staging world premieres in New Jersey.
One of these novel stories comes from a novel, “Flying Crows,” by PBS news anchor Jim Lehrer. James Glossman adapted and directed this fascinating mystery.
At Princeton, three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward Albee is exploring more familiar territory, at least for him. “Me, Myself and I” is a dark, abstract, absurd comedy, full of confrontation and twisted conversation that would drive a grammar convention to the hotel bar.
“Flying Crows” is more complicated, but easier to follow. It reconstructs the life of a vagrant discovered living in Kansas City’s Union Station in 1997. Detective Randy Benton (Dan Domingues) finds Birdie Carlucci (Anthony Blaha) there during a final inspection before the historic building’s demolition.
When Birdie reveals he’s lived there since escaping from the infamous Somerset Medical Institution in 1933, Benton searches for answers. How did Birdie avoid detection? How did he eat? And what happened to Birdie at Somerset?
Benton’s only clue is the name Josh (Reathel Bean), whom Birdie says escaped with him. As Benton follows the trail, “Flying Crows” becomes a memory play. We see scenes of Josh and Birdie building a friendship and enduring hardships at Somerset, where thug-like attendants kept the peace with baseball bats.
We also see the memories of other witnesses, including a waitress from Union Station’s fabled Harvey House restaurant, who became more than a friend to Birdie back in the day.
There’s no active crime to solve, but Lehrer has crafted some rich characters and pulls you into this world of shadows.
Glossman’s adaptation moves at a brisk pace and covers a lot of ground. He’s also assembled a talented and brave cast. The problem is they are nearly overwhelmed by having to play two dozen characters in at least as many scenes.
Prentiss Benjamin spends the most time donning new skins. She begins as a narrator, although everyone takes turn providing narration that sounds like it came straight from the book. She also plays an aunt, a doctor, an EMT and the “Harvey Girl” waitress, both in flashback and in 1997.
Benjamin and Domingues know the territory, having done similar ensemble duty in Glossman’s “Sunrise at Monticello” on this stage a few years back. They are up to the task, but the audience has trouble keeping up with who’s who, where and when.
Newcomers Bean and Blaha both turn in rich performances in their principal roles. Bean’s calm, country manner and deep voice give Josh the kind of dignity his character never experienced at Somerset. Blaha is a convincing lunatic and a believable ladies man, both qualities essential to the tale.
Glossman adds a video screen with images of the station real structures that serve as the setting for this fictional story, along with datelines to remind you which decade you’re in. It helps, but so would trimming a few scenes and characters.
But as it stands, “Flying Crow” is worthy of an audience that, in the middle of a Hollywood writer’s strike, could use a good story right about now.
In Princeton, Albee’s “Me Myself and I” doesn’t offer much of a story — a mother who named both of her twin sons Otto and can’t tell the evil one from the good one. We never learn why the doctor who delivered them replaced the father who left on their birthday.
But this darkly hilarious gem is a brilliant showcase for the fabulous Tyne Daly (showing off some rarely seen comic skills) and Broadway favorite Brian Murray as the mom and the doc, who have a ball with Albee’s intricate wordplay. Artistic director Emily Mann wisely clears the set of everything but actors and a few beds, and lets them coin phrases, then twist them into knots like Eagle Scouts at a jamboree. Along the way, we learn a bit about maternal bonds, sibling rivalries and individual identity.
Like “Flying Crows,” it gets confusing at times, but the “Me, Myself and I” audience also can enjoy how the characters are as confused as they are.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Review preview preview: The Miracle Worker
It's a long story, but although I saw Paper Mill's "The Miracle Worker" opening night, my review won't run for more than two weeks. So it's not actually written yet.
And I'll probably see two more plays and write their reviews before I get around to writing "Miracle Worker" up.
I know what I think. I just haven't thought it through a keyboard. But since you have to know, I'll give you this much:
Pretty good.
Suprisingly effective use of the entire stage, something that's alays a problem here for shows better seen in a smaller space.
Cast was fine all around.
But is it one of those productions I go around and tell my friends, "Hey, you gotta go see this"? Not really. It's always an inspiring story to witness, and I've never seen it done better. But I learned nothing new, nor did I see any performances that had to be seen.
So my friends don't need to be paying Paper Mill prices when they can see this wonderful play the next time it plays for $15 at a nearby community theater, which it undoubtably will soon.
Friday I'm at Playwrights Theatre for "Flying Crows." Saturday I'm at Princeton for "Me, Myself and I." Sunday I have two stories to write before I go to a Super Bowl Party.
So glad my schedule has finally let up a bit.
And I'll probably see two more plays and write their reviews before I get around to writing "Miracle Worker" up.
I know what I think. I just haven't thought it through a keyboard. But since you have to know, I'll give you this much:
Pretty good.
Suprisingly effective use of the entire stage, something that's alays a problem here for shows better seen in a smaller space.
Cast was fine all around.
But is it one of those productions I go around and tell my friends, "Hey, you gotta go see this"? Not really. It's always an inspiring story to witness, and I've never seen it done better. But I learned nothing new, nor did I see any performances that had to be seen.
So my friends don't need to be paying Paper Mill prices when they can see this wonderful play the next time it plays for $15 at a nearby community theater, which it undoubtably will soon.
Friday I'm at Playwrights Theatre for "Flying Crows." Saturday I'm at Princeton for "Me, Myself and I." Sunday I have two stories to write before I go to a Super Bowl Party.
So glad my schedule has finally let up a bit.
Review Preview: Almost Maine
Bravo to the Bickford for a good choice and good execution on John Cariani's "Amost Maine." Always enjoy my visits there, and if you haven't seen the changes at the Morris Museum, you need to check them out. It continues to be a curiously well-kept secret that Morris County has a substantial museum that ranks with the very best in the state. The expanded music box exhibition, which we've seen bits and pieces of in the past, is spectacular. Lots of touring exhibits come and go as well, so keep in touch with them at www.morrismuseum.org.
Anyway, here's the draft of my review, which pubs Friday in TGIF. As always, you get it here first.
And for free.
I'm not sure we have this cross-platform thing completely licked.
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Almost Maine”
When: through Feb 17
Where: Bickford Theatre, Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township
How much: $30, $28 seniors, $27 museum members, $15 students 18 and younger
Info: (973) 971-3706; www.bickfordtheatre.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Daily Record
The 2008 theater season in New Jersey is off to a busy start, with big stars, world premieres and an Oscar and Tony-worthy classic all within easy driving distance.
The Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum counters with the revival of a relatively obscure romantic comedy where the lovers spend most of the evening dressed for the Iditarod.
The very idea is so crazy—and the show is so enjo yable—that it just might work.
Certainly, the large opening-night audience last Friday evening for “Almost Maine” showed their approval for John Cariani’s charming collection of nine unusual love stories, featuring four terrific actors. Most are funny, although at least one starts sadly and ends sadder.
Cariani’s point is that romance always seems to involve a measure of pain, but the author’s clever writing allows us to absorb—and appreciate—his tough lessons while leaving our romantic idealism intact.
He accomplishes his mission with sneaky humor and little twists that adds delightful abstraction to each sketch. It’s as though Rod Serling decided to write an entire extended episode of the old “Love, American Style” TV series.
Cariani’s twilight zone is the town of Almost, Maine, in the far northwest of New England’s frontier territory. It’s really not even a town, which we learn in the first scene.
“To be a town, you’ve got to get organized, and we never got around to it,” a local fellow named East (Michael Irvin Pollard) informs a strange woman who’s camping on his land without permission.
The visitor, Glory (Liz Zazzi), tells East that her heart is broken in 19 pieces. Fortunately for Glory, East is a repairman.
The next scene presents a sad fellow (Daniel Robert Sullivan) whose broken romance, and tragically misspelled tattoo, lead to a surprisingly happy ending. The first act concludes with Pollard as a man who cannot feel pain, and a couple who argue until their love quite literally gives them a soft place to land.
The second act isn’t quite as funny, but Cariani continues to make thoughtful commentary on love. It’s amusing to watch two people who can’t stand up when they fall in love, but bittersweet because neither wants to admit their feelings. In the next scene, neither husband nor wife wants to admit they are miserable. They’re followed by a woman determined to find her lost love, only to learn she waited too long.
It’s almost enough to ruin the warm, fuzzy feelings we banked in the first act, but Cairiani wisely brings us full-circle. The last sketch gives us as longtime friends who finally connect romantically. Their consummation, though, has to hurdle one more obstacle, not a wardrobe malfunction so much as a wardrobe conspiracy.
Cariani closes the book by concluding a prologue that featured Sullivan and Janice Kildea as young romantics with opposing opinions of what it means to be close. Like the best of “Almost Maine,” these bumper scenes are delightfully offbeat, but not so abstract that the most casual observer won’t get it and appreciate the sentiment.
All four actors are well-known on professional stages in North Jersey and can add several lines to their respective resumes with this single show. Regardless of geographical similarity, the many characters they play in “Almost Maine” demand a wide range of skills and every one of them is up to the challenge.
Director Wendy Liscow, another veteran of New Jersey and New York stages, nurtured the actors, and her production, with smooth confidence. The fast-paced show moves smoothly from scene to scene and mood to mood, while the actors appear comfortable in every circumstance.
Scenic designer Jim Bazewicz gives them an appropriately sparse, snowy landscape, with the kind of star-filled sky that attracts lovers and astronomers in equal number.
From Paper Mill Playhouse (“The Miracle Worker”) to Playwright’s Theatre (the world premiere of newsman Jim Lehrer’s “Flying Crows”) to McCarter Theatre (premiering Edward Albee’s “Me, Myself and I”), there’s plenty of obvious choices right now for theater fans. Hopefully, they won’t overlook this charming and worthy show set on the outskirts of U.S. territory.
Anyway, here's the draft of my review, which pubs Friday in TGIF. As always, you get it here first.
And for free.
I'm not sure we have this cross-platform thing completely licked.
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Almost Maine”
When: through Feb 17
Where: Bickford Theatre, Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township
How much: $30, $28 seniors, $27 museum members, $15 students 18 and younger
Info: (973) 971-3706; www.bickfordtheatre.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Daily Record
The 2008 theater season in New Jersey is off to a busy start, with big stars, world premieres and an Oscar and Tony-worthy classic all within easy driving distance.
The Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum counters with the revival of a relatively obscure romantic comedy where the lovers spend most of the evening dressed for the Iditarod.
The very idea is so crazy—and the show is so enjo yable—that it just might work.
Certainly, the large opening-night audience last Friday evening for “Almost Maine” showed their approval for John Cariani’s charming collection of nine unusual love stories, featuring four terrific actors. Most are funny, although at least one starts sadly and ends sadder.
Cariani’s point is that romance always seems to involve a measure of pain, but the author’s clever writing allows us to absorb—and appreciate—his tough lessons while leaving our romantic idealism intact.
He accomplishes his mission with sneaky humor and little twists that adds delightful abstraction to each sketch. It’s as though Rod Serling decided to write an entire extended episode of the old “Love, American Style” TV series.
Cariani’s twilight zone is the town of Almost, Maine, in the far northwest of New England’s frontier territory. It’s really not even a town, which we learn in the first scene.
“To be a town, you’ve got to get organized, and we never got around to it,” a local fellow named East (Michael Irvin Pollard) informs a strange woman who’s camping on his land without permission.
The visitor, Glory (Liz Zazzi), tells East that her heart is broken in 19 pieces. Fortunately for Glory, East is a repairman.
The next scene presents a sad fellow (Daniel Robert Sullivan) whose broken romance, and tragically misspelled tattoo, lead to a surprisingly happy ending. The first act concludes with Pollard as a man who cannot feel pain, and a couple who argue until their love quite literally gives them a soft place to land.
The second act isn’t quite as funny, but Cariani continues to make thoughtful commentary on love. It’s amusing to watch two people who can’t stand up when they fall in love, but bittersweet because neither wants to admit their feelings. In the next scene, neither husband nor wife wants to admit they are miserable. They’re followed by a woman determined to find her lost love, only to learn she waited too long.
It’s almost enough to ruin the warm, fuzzy feelings we banked in the first act, but Cairiani wisely brings us full-circle. The last sketch gives us as longtime friends who finally connect romantically. Their consummation, though, has to hurdle one more obstacle, not a wardrobe malfunction so much as a wardrobe conspiracy.
Cariani closes the book by concluding a prologue that featured Sullivan and Janice Kildea as young romantics with opposing opinions of what it means to be close. Like the best of “Almost Maine,” these bumper scenes are delightfully offbeat, but not so abstract that the most casual observer won’t get it and appreciate the sentiment.
All four actors are well-known on professional stages in North Jersey and can add several lines to their respective resumes with this single show. Regardless of geographical similarity, the many characters they play in “Almost Maine” demand a wide range of skills and every one of them is up to the challenge.
Director Wendy Liscow, another veteran of New Jersey and New York stages, nurtured the actors, and her production, with smooth confidence. The fast-paced show moves smoothly from scene to scene and mood to mood, while the actors appear comfortable in every circumstance.
Scenic designer Jim Bazewicz gives them an appropriately sparse, snowy landscape, with the kind of star-filled sky that attracts lovers and astronomers in equal number.
From Paper Mill Playhouse (“The Miracle Worker”) to Playwright’s Theatre (the world premiere of newsman Jim Lehrer’s “Flying Crows”) to McCarter Theatre (premiering Edward Albee’s “Me, Myself and I”), there’s plenty of obvious choices right now for theater fans. Hopefully, they won’t overlook this charming and worthy show set on the outskirts of U.S. territory.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Over the Hump Day
Last night I "put to bed," as we say in the biz, Part II of the Daily Record Forecast section, which coincided with my three-month anniversary back in Parsippany. An eventful 90 days, to say the least. Very busy, very exciting, very challenging.
Tonight, I'm at the Bickford. Sunday at Paper Mill. Saturday, I'm off for the first time since Jan. 5. I can kick back, play Internet poker, watch movies on the DVR.
Nap.
TV sports are light in the Superbowl 'tween weekend. But I'm that rare bird that watches golf on TV, and both Tiger and Phil are back swinging.
Might even go hit a bucket of balls if the weather's cooperating. Try out that new driver I got for Christmas.
Life is good, is what I'm saying.
So why am I writing this at five in the morning?
Tonight, I'm at the Bickford. Sunday at Paper Mill. Saturday, I'm off for the first time since Jan. 5. I can kick back, play Internet poker, watch movies on the DVR.
Nap.
TV sports are light in the Superbowl 'tween weekend. But I'm that rare bird that watches golf on TV, and both Tiger and Phil are back swinging.
Might even go hit a bucket of balls if the weather's cooperating. Try out that new driver I got for Christmas.
Life is good, is what I'm saying.
So why am I writing this at five in the morning?
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