Sorry to be silent for more than a week, but was transitioning from one Gannett newspaper (Jersey Stages blog host The Courier News) to the Daily Record. But got to New Brunswick Saturday night to catch up with Jack Klugman and Paul Dooley in "The Sunshine Boys."
Nice night out for yours truly and Mrs. Willie, although the town was in a bit of a funk following the ugly Rutgers football loss. By dinner time, though, the streets were full of people. Nice to see downtown N.B. so alive when it's easy to remember when it wasn't a very good idea to be walking down George Street after dark.
Lovely dinner at Soho, just around the corner from George Street Playhouse. Good food, good service and prices were a notch below some of the wonderful, but incredibly expensive Hub City restaurants. Of course, Jersey Stages always reminds readers to budget time for a nice dinner before a show in New Brunswick. The choices are myriad, especially if you're willing to drop $100 on dinner and a bottle of wine.
Oh, yeah, and the show was good too. Here's the Review Preview:
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “The Sunshine Boys”
When: through Nov.11
Where: George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick
How much: $28 to $64
Info: (73) 246-7717; www.gsponline.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Did you hear the one about Lewis and Clark discovering New Brunswick and marking it on their new map as Exit 9?
The famous explorers also inspired the name of the fictional vaudeville team, Lewis and Clark, aka “The Sunshine Boys,” who are packing them in at George Street Playhouse, N.J. Turnpike Exit 9, in the Hub City of Middlesex County.
Neil Simon’s hilarious and sentimental comedy has its own timeless quality, but Artistic Director David Saint has figuratively tossed the clock out the window, teaming one ageless acting legend with another familiar and respected veteran in the title roles.
Jack Klugman, who starred here last fall in “The Value of Names,” continues to explore his roots as a stage actor, with results that are a privilege to witness. The spry 85-year-old, who once played opposite Ethel Merman in “Gypsy,” makes it look almost too easy, as though comic timing was as natural as breathing.
Paul Dooley, one of the most recognizable actors most of us can’t name, is the perfect straight man, calmly serving as the target of Klugman’s comic rage.
After 43 years in the business, Willie Clark (Klugman) and Al Clark (Dooley) are spending their golden years apart. They haven’t even spoken in 11 years, after Al retired before Willie was ready.
We catch up with Willie in 1973, miserably comfortable in his dingy, apartment-style Manhattan hotel room. Willie’s nephew, Ben (Michael Mastro, another veteran New York actor) stocks the pantry during one of his weekly visits, during which he begs his uncle to take better care of himself.
But Willie would rather stay inside, complain and read the obits of his former friends in Variety.
“Look at that, 89 years old” he says, reading one. “He went like that, from nothing.”
Ben also is Willie’s agent, although there’s little work for an aging actor who can’t remember his lines. But Ben’s brought news of a big CBS TV special on the history of comedy, and they want Lewis and Clark.
After much cajoling, and several pages of Simon zingers, Willie reluctantly agrees to the reunion. Ben brings Al up for a rehearsal and the real fun begins.
“I heard your blood doesn’t circulate,” Willie says.
“My blood circulates fine,” Al rebuts. “I’m not saying everywhere …”
Simon’s silly lines are so deceptively simple that many actors turn them into throwaways, knowing if one doesn’t work, there will be plenty more. But Klugman and Dooley are so good at what they do that they don’t even need the lines to get a laugh. One of the funniest scenes in the show is a wordless exercise in which the surly Sunshine boys attempt to set up their famous doctor skit. Each has a sketchy memory of the sketch, and they spend several side-splitting minutes moving chairs around a table until they get it just wrong.
There’s also a quietly funny scene where they mirror mannerisms while sipping tea, never once looking at each other, like an old married couple who have blended into one entity.
Klugman’s voice remains compromised from surgery for throat cancer, scratchy at best and occasionally trailing off to a high-pitched whisper. But the rhythm of his voice, which speeds up when his character is agitated (which is quite often), is familiar as Oscar Madison’s messy bedroom. It helps that all the actors are miked and mixed to the same volume, so every line is clear all the way to the back row.
Ebony Jo-Ann and Peggy Joyce Crosby enrich a supporting cast, respectively playing a sassy home nurse and a shamelessly buxom actress playing a nurse.
A rotating stage brings the audience from Willie’s flat, where most of the action takes place, to the soundstage for a rehearsal of the doctor sketch, which, of course, falls apart as the warring geezers revisit ancient conflicts.
Add a relentless barrage of Jersey Jokes and you have the makings of a show that should back up traffic at Exit 9, which “The Sunshine Boys” appears to be doing. Saturday’s second-week performance drew a full house, so make your reservations early for this limited-run treasure.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Review Preview times 2: Frankie and Johnny; Tartuffe
Another busy weekend, no wonder my golf game suffered. And it doesn't help to come home to serious computer issues (no time or patience to explain, but Internet access takes some improvisation).
But the information must flow, so here's a draft of my combined review of Frankie and Johnny at the Clare De Lune and Tartuffe. To Tartuffe or not to Tartuffe? That is the question answered ahead.
If you want to go:
What: “Frankie and Johnny in the Clare De Lune”
When: through Nov. 4
Where: Parsippany Community Center, 1130 Knoll Road, Lake Hiawatha section
How much: $15, $13 seniors
Info: (973) 316-3033
If you want to go:
What: “Tartuffe”
When: through Oct. 28
Where: Matthews Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton
How much: $12 to $55
Info: (973) 316-3033
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
A bountiful harvest awaits theater fans this autumn in New Jersey. Two current productions reflect the wide variety of choices—one is a straightforward approach to a contemporary work, and the other an abstract, contemporary take on an old classic.
The former may be the easier pill to swallow, at least for adult patrons. “Frankie and Johnny at the Clare De Lune” is one of the more provocative dramas staged in recent years by the Women’s Theatre Company. Now in its third year at the Parsippany Community Center, Barbara Krajkowski’s little professional company is hoping to make a big noise this year with a fresh approach that includes plays written by men as well as women. The choice of Terrence McNally’s two-character drama should attract younger audiences eager to experience a daring, edgy and intimate story in an equally intimate space.
So close to the stage, the audience becomes voyeurs, almost uncomfortably close to a pair of lonely, middle-aged coworkers who one night become lovers. We arrive before the first deed is done, greeted by grunts, groans and moans in the dark. The light gradually reveals Frankie and Johnny, a waitress and cook, respectively, at the Clare De Lune diner in Manhattan.
We soon realize Frankie (Susan Barrett) also is uncomfortably close to Johnny, whom she liked enough to have sex with, but would rather he didn’t spend the night.
On the other side of the bed, Johnny (Lenny Bart) is convinced he’s found his true love and won’t leave until she realizes it as well. She spends the next 90 minutes pointing to their differences. He admits to more faults than even she sees, but is hardly discouraged. He also has a knack for discovering their common ground (both are originally from Allentown, both have mothers who left them at age 7, both refer to the refrigerator as the ice box).
Both are desperately lonely, not getting any younger and well aware that the years have not been kind to them. Barrett and Bart both turn in fearless performances, revealing warts and more in various stages of undress (neither quite makes it to completely naked). Barrett takes a little longer, however, to connect with her character’s profound sadness. It takes an impassioned monologue by Johnny, phoning a song request to a radio host, to bring genuine tears to her eyes. From that point, late in the first act, she’s terrific.
Bart lets it all hang out from the opening curtain. Johnny may be a bit of a creep, bordering on stalker, but Bart warms the character with a relentless, cheerful sincerity that is nearly irresistible.
Director Lauren Moran Mills gets the credit for assisting the chemistry of the players, while the narrow, New York-style apartment flat from set designers Gerg Moran and Kathrynne Forsbrey is both functional and realistic.
In Princeton, the set is neither functional nor realistic for “Tartuffe,” the familiar 17th century Moliere comedy about a Rasputin-like grafter who dupes a wealthy man into signing away his daughter and, eventually, his entire net worth. The partially obscured bedroom at stage left looks like a typical “Tartuffe” set, but the rest of the large Matthews Theatre stage is nearly bare. Two large, grey walls, in back and stage right, contain large video screens, airing a live feed from the bedroom. It’s a jittery digital broadcast from a young woman, video designer Alexandra Eaton, wearing a casual test-pattern t-shirt and operating a hand-held camera.
The cast is fine and Richard Wilbur’s English verse translation of Moliere’s original French is always a pleasure. But the odd staging, in and out of the room, seems blocked merely to provide interesting camera angles. You may get the uneasy feeling that this approach could have been applied to any revival with equal impact, or lack of the same. “Tartuffe” seems a random choice — or victim — for director Daniel Fish’s uncertain vision.
Perhaps it’s the You Tube influence on our culture, which apparently has made it all the way to the Ivy League. But if I wanted to watch videos, I could have stayed home. And with “Frankie and Johnny” in the neighborhood, Princeton suddenly seems far away.
But the information must flow, so here's a draft of my combined review of Frankie and Johnny at the Clare De Lune and Tartuffe. To Tartuffe or not to Tartuffe? That is the question answered ahead.
If you want to go:
What: “Frankie and Johnny in the Clare De Lune”
When: through Nov. 4
Where: Parsippany Community Center, 1130 Knoll Road, Lake Hiawatha section
How much: $15, $13 seniors
Info: (973) 316-3033
If you want to go:
What: “Tartuffe”
When: through Oct. 28
Where: Matthews Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton
How much: $12 to $55
Info: (973) 316-3033
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
A bountiful harvest awaits theater fans this autumn in New Jersey. Two current productions reflect the wide variety of choices—one is a straightforward approach to a contemporary work, and the other an abstract, contemporary take on an old classic.
The former may be the easier pill to swallow, at least for adult patrons. “Frankie and Johnny at the Clare De Lune” is one of the more provocative dramas staged in recent years by the Women’s Theatre Company. Now in its third year at the Parsippany Community Center, Barbara Krajkowski’s little professional company is hoping to make a big noise this year with a fresh approach that includes plays written by men as well as women. The choice of Terrence McNally’s two-character drama should attract younger audiences eager to experience a daring, edgy and intimate story in an equally intimate space.
So close to the stage, the audience becomes voyeurs, almost uncomfortably close to a pair of lonely, middle-aged coworkers who one night become lovers. We arrive before the first deed is done, greeted by grunts, groans and moans in the dark. The light gradually reveals Frankie and Johnny, a waitress and cook, respectively, at the Clare De Lune diner in Manhattan.
We soon realize Frankie (Susan Barrett) also is uncomfortably close to Johnny, whom she liked enough to have sex with, but would rather he didn’t spend the night.
On the other side of the bed, Johnny (Lenny Bart) is convinced he’s found his true love and won’t leave until she realizes it as well. She spends the next 90 minutes pointing to their differences. He admits to more faults than even she sees, but is hardly discouraged. He also has a knack for discovering their common ground (both are originally from Allentown, both have mothers who left them at age 7, both refer to the refrigerator as the ice box).
Both are desperately lonely, not getting any younger and well aware that the years have not been kind to them. Barrett and Bart both turn in fearless performances, revealing warts and more in various stages of undress (neither quite makes it to completely naked). Barrett takes a little longer, however, to connect with her character’s profound sadness. It takes an impassioned monologue by Johnny, phoning a song request to a radio host, to bring genuine tears to her eyes. From that point, late in the first act, she’s terrific.
Bart lets it all hang out from the opening curtain. Johnny may be a bit of a creep, bordering on stalker, but Bart warms the character with a relentless, cheerful sincerity that is nearly irresistible.
Director Lauren Moran Mills gets the credit for assisting the chemistry of the players, while the narrow, New York-style apartment flat from set designers Gerg Moran and Kathrynne Forsbrey is both functional and realistic.
In Princeton, the set is neither functional nor realistic for “Tartuffe,” the familiar 17th century Moliere comedy about a Rasputin-like grafter who dupes a wealthy man into signing away his daughter and, eventually, his entire net worth. The partially obscured bedroom at stage left looks like a typical “Tartuffe” set, but the rest of the large Matthews Theatre stage is nearly bare. Two large, grey walls, in back and stage right, contain large video screens, airing a live feed from the bedroom. It’s a jittery digital broadcast from a young woman, video designer Alexandra Eaton, wearing a casual test-pattern t-shirt and operating a hand-held camera.
The cast is fine and Richard Wilbur’s English verse translation of Moliere’s original French is always a pleasure. But the odd staging, in and out of the room, seems blocked merely to provide interesting camera angles. You may get the uneasy feeling that this approach could have been applied to any revival with equal impact, or lack of the same. “Tartuffe” seems a random choice — or victim — for director Daniel Fish’s uncertain vision.
Perhaps it’s the You Tube influence on our culture, which apparently has made it all the way to the Ivy League. But if I wanted to watch videos, I could have stayed home. And with “Frankie and Johnny” in the neighborhood, Princeton suddenly seems far away.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Shopping for Shakespeare
Just got back from the Costume and Prop Sale at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Lots of cool stuff, as I promised. We got some masks, a parasol, some $5 T-shirts and a few other knick knacks. Mrs. Willie loves knick knacks. Lots of fun waiting on line as well as we met up with some fellow old timers, reminiscing about seeing bands in the 70s and the 80s at places like the Main Event and Zaffy's. Anybody else remember the Good Rats? "Rat City in Blue?" "Tasty?"
Takes a fella back. Back to the days when the George Street Playhouse was still on George Street, and the seats at the Shakespeare Theatre were folding desks.
Still plenty of stuff, so if you read this in a timely manner, get over there the same way.
Busy weekend on the boards as we saw "Frankie and Johnny at the Clair de Lune" last night at the Womens Theater Company in Parsippany. Incredible rain storm on the way home.
In about an hour, we're off to Princeton for a matinee of "Tartuffe." Whew.
As Greg Schiano is so fond of saying, "you just gotta keep choppin'."
Takes a fella back. Back to the days when the George Street Playhouse was still on George Street, and the seats at the Shakespeare Theatre were folding desks.
Still plenty of stuff, so if you read this in a timely manner, get over there the same way.
Busy weekend on the boards as we saw "Frankie and Johnny at the Clair de Lune" last night at the Womens Theater Company in Parsippany. Incredible rain storm on the way home.
In about an hour, we're off to Princeton for a matinee of "Tartuffe." Whew.
As Greg Schiano is so fond of saying, "you just gotta keep choppin'."
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Forum readings at Playwights Theatre
Misplaced the press release for this event so did not get it into the column in a timely manner. So let's play catch up with Playwrights Theatre with apologies. Fortunately, I can give you bloggers a complete report, while my column readers will have to pick up with weekend 2 of the new Forum series of staged readings.
Strange I haven't had the chance to blog all that much about Playwrights Theatre, but they were dark all summer and have replaced their usual fall production with this series of readings, which they used to do in December and May.
It's also frustrating because I would love to get to more readings, especially of new works, but my schedule just won't allow it. We generally only review shows that are still running, and I have to budget my limited time to attending events I can write about.
But that's my problem. Playwrights is a developmental theater, so emphasizing readings is true to their mission.
Anyway, here's the info. You guys can decide for yourself how to budget your time.
Playwrights Theatre is proud to announce it will open its 22nd season in October with a new event called FORUM. Staged readings of 7 new plays with intimate discussion with the artists following each performance will take place at 7:00pm each evening on October 17, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27 and November 2 & 3 at Playwrights Theatre, 33 Green Village Road, Madison, NJ. Patrons can attend one reading for $10 or purchase a FORUM PASS to the entire festival for $25. Playwrights Theatre’s season subscribers receive a FORUM PASS as a free added bonus. Reservations can be made online at www.ptnj.org or call (973) 514-1787 X10.
Featuring the work of some of the nation’s best writers, including Tony and Pulitzer nominee Lee Blessing, off-Broadway regular Richard Dresser, and a commissioned premiere from New Orleans (Rising Water by John Biguenet) a play just nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, FORUM brings critical mass to Playwrights Theatre’s new play programs. Visit Playwrights Theatre’s website www.ptnj.org for additional pre-show and post-show information.
"We are very much looking forward to working on these new plays, and we are especially excited about the line-up. These are some of the best writers working in the theatre today," said John Pietrowski, Artistic Director. “John Biguenet’s play, Rising Water, has been nominated for a Pulitzer, so we’re holding our breath to see what will happen. Even though it’s received a production already in New Orleans, John has done some additional work for this reading."
Thursday, October 18 at 7:00 p.m.
Sexsting by Doris Baizley
Directed by David Winitsky
John Doe, a middle aged married man with two teenage children, has become addicted to Internet Chat Rooms where he likes to engage in "virtual sex" with underage girls. But the girl he becomes closest to is an undercover male FBI agent who is also middle aged. Sexsting is a provocative new play about virtual pornography, entrapment, loss of identity, and the blurring of boundaries in today's cyber world. This play is for ages 18 and up and not recommended for children.
Friday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Lonesome Hollow by Lee Blessing.
Directed by John Pietrowski
Lonesome Hollow is a small town and high security penal colony for pedophiles and others that the government now considers “dangerous.” The open air space has trees and benches; it seems, well, kinda nice. But there sure are a lot of gunshots in the distance--and prisoners frequently get R & R in ways that leave no marks. From the Pulitzer and Tony nominated author of Whores, A Walk in the Woods, and The Winning Streak, is a brand new play that explores where America’s post 9/11 obsessions with self-protection may be heading. Recommended for 18 and up.
Saturday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m.
There or Here by Jennifer Maisel
Directed by John Pietrowski
Robyn and Ajay are desperate to have a baby so they “outsource” the pregnancy by going to a third world country to rent a womb. From the author of The Last Seder, Mallbaby, … And The Two Romeos comes a complex new play about those who yearn to connect within a world where technology let’s everyone remain distant. Recommended for ages 15 and up.
Thursday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m.
The Pursuit of Happiness by Richard Dresser
Directed by John Pietrowski
Annie and Neil are mighty concerned when Jodi, their prized daughter who went to all the right private schools, refuses to go to college. People must go to college; it’s the next step! From the author of Augusta and Rounding Third, comes a funny play about middle-aged baby boomers, obsessed with getting ahead, who build their lives inside a house of sand. Recommended for ages 15 and up.
Friday, October 26 at 7:00 p.m.
Love Song by John Kolvenbach
Directed by James Glossman
Beanne lives alone in his bare apartment. Lately the walls have been closing in, rather slowly, just like his life. When Molly magically appears out of nowhere, she rattles not only Beanne's insular world, but affects the lives of his annoying sister and her rational husband. Recently commissioned by Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, this play is for recommended for ages 15 and up.
Saturday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m.
The Day of the Picnic by Russell Davis
Directed by John Pietrowski
Denise Fullbright is a widow. She now resides inside a nursing home. Lately, she and others are hearing the faint call of "yoo-hoo." It's everywhere. But where does this "yoo-hoo" really come from and where it will finally lead? From the author of The Song of Gwendelyn, Sally’s Porch and Mahida’s Extra Key to Heaven, this menacing yet humorous new play evokes elements of the mystical, explores a prophecy of Isaiah, and wonders whether or not we ever see what's truly coming at us during our lives. Recommended for ages 15 and up.
Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Rising Water by John Biguenet
Directed by John Pietrowski
In post Katrina New Orleans, an old married couple are stuck in their attic. Water is seeping up slowly; the whole neighborhood is flooded. Unsure of what just happened or where they are going, these refugees examine what is left of their long and difficult marriage. This play is for ages 13 and up.
**Programs are subject to change. Please visit the website www.ptnj.org for up-to-the-minutes details.
Season subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now (discounts available for students, seniors and groups). Registrations are being accepted for the Creative Arts Academy Fall classes for children, teens and adults. The New Jersey Writers Project is accepting applications for 2007-2008 residencies. For more information about any of the programs, please visit www.ptnj.org or call (937) 514-1787.
About Playwrights Theatre:
Playwrights Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, professional (Actors’ Equity) theatre. A community of professional playwrights, theatre artists, and arts educators, Playwrights provides opportunities for writers to develop their works in a nurturing environment and connect with new audiences. Our New Play Development Program is a multi-step process through which playwrights, theatre artists, and audiences collaborate to bring selected texts from rough draft to finished production. Our Education Programs introduce students of all ages and backgrounds to the possibilities inherent in thinking and communicating creatively. Playwrights Theatre's New Jersey Writers Project provides hands-on workshops led by professional writers-in-residence to students in schools and community centers throughout the state reaching over 15,000 students annually. We place an equal emphasis on New Play Development and Educational activities, and encourage our community and audiences to participate fully in both.
We are honored that for the years 2007-2010 the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) designated Playwrights Theatre as a Major Arts Institution. This means that the Council considers Playwrights Theatre to be “an anchor institution that contributes vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey” (along with Paper Mill Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and the McCarter Theatre Center).
Funding for Playwrights Theatre is made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc., The Prudential Foundation, the Victoria Foundation, the New Jersey Cultural Trust, Bank of America, Campbell Soup Company, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, The Turrell Fund, Atlantic Mutual Companies, Novartis, Pearsall Family Foundation, Pfizer, PSE&G, St. Paul Travers, Wyeth and many other corporations, foundations and individual contributors. FORUM is supported by grants from the Puffin Foundation, The Shubert Foundation and The Dramatist Guild Fund.
Playwrights Theatre is a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the National New Play Network, American Alliance for Theatre & Education, Theatre Communications Group and Madison Arts & Culture Alliance.
Strange I haven't had the chance to blog all that much about Playwrights Theatre, but they were dark all summer and have replaced their usual fall production with this series of readings, which they used to do in December and May.
It's also frustrating because I would love to get to more readings, especially of new works, but my schedule just won't allow it. We generally only review shows that are still running, and I have to budget my limited time to attending events I can write about.
But that's my problem. Playwrights is a developmental theater, so emphasizing readings is true to their mission.
Anyway, here's the info. You guys can decide for yourself how to budget your time.
Playwrights Theatre is proud to announce it will open its 22nd season in October with a new event called FORUM. Staged readings of 7 new plays with intimate discussion with the artists following each performance will take place at 7:00pm each evening on October 17, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27 and November 2 & 3 at Playwrights Theatre, 33 Green Village Road, Madison, NJ. Patrons can attend one reading for $10 or purchase a FORUM PASS to the entire festival for $25. Playwrights Theatre’s season subscribers receive a FORUM PASS as a free added bonus. Reservations can be made online at www.ptnj.org or call (973) 514-1787 X10.
Featuring the work of some of the nation’s best writers, including Tony and Pulitzer nominee Lee Blessing, off-Broadway regular Richard Dresser, and a commissioned premiere from New Orleans (Rising Water by John Biguenet) a play just nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, FORUM brings critical mass to Playwrights Theatre’s new play programs. Visit Playwrights Theatre’s website www.ptnj.org for additional pre-show and post-show information.
"We are very much looking forward to working on these new plays, and we are especially excited about the line-up. These are some of the best writers working in the theatre today," said John Pietrowski, Artistic Director. “John Biguenet’s play, Rising Water, has been nominated for a Pulitzer, so we’re holding our breath to see what will happen. Even though it’s received a production already in New Orleans, John has done some additional work for this reading."
Thursday, October 18 at 7:00 p.m.
Sexsting by Doris Baizley
Directed by David Winitsky
John Doe, a middle aged married man with two teenage children, has become addicted to Internet Chat Rooms where he likes to engage in "virtual sex" with underage girls. But the girl he becomes closest to is an undercover male FBI agent who is also middle aged. Sexsting is a provocative new play about virtual pornography, entrapment, loss of identity, and the blurring of boundaries in today's cyber world. This play is for ages 18 and up and not recommended for children.
Friday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Lonesome Hollow by Lee Blessing.
Directed by John Pietrowski
Lonesome Hollow is a small town and high security penal colony for pedophiles and others that the government now considers “dangerous.” The open air space has trees and benches; it seems, well, kinda nice. But there sure are a lot of gunshots in the distance--and prisoners frequently get R & R in ways that leave no marks. From the Pulitzer and Tony nominated author of Whores, A Walk in the Woods, and The Winning Streak, is a brand new play that explores where America’s post 9/11 obsessions with self-protection may be heading. Recommended for 18 and up.
Saturday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m.
There or Here by Jennifer Maisel
Directed by John Pietrowski
Robyn and Ajay are desperate to have a baby so they “outsource” the pregnancy by going to a third world country to rent a womb. From the author of The Last Seder, Mallbaby, … And The Two Romeos comes a complex new play about those who yearn to connect within a world where technology let’s everyone remain distant. Recommended for ages 15 and up.
Thursday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m.
The Pursuit of Happiness by Richard Dresser
Directed by John Pietrowski
Annie and Neil are mighty concerned when Jodi, their prized daughter who went to all the right private schools, refuses to go to college. People must go to college; it’s the next step! From the author of Augusta and Rounding Third, comes a funny play about middle-aged baby boomers, obsessed with getting ahead, who build their lives inside a house of sand. Recommended for ages 15 and up.
Friday, October 26 at 7:00 p.m.
Love Song by John Kolvenbach
Directed by James Glossman
Beanne lives alone in his bare apartment. Lately the walls have been closing in, rather slowly, just like his life. When Molly magically appears out of nowhere, she rattles not only Beanne's insular world, but affects the lives of his annoying sister and her rational husband. Recently commissioned by Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, this play is for recommended for ages 15 and up.
Saturday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m.
The Day of the Picnic by Russell Davis
Directed by John Pietrowski
Denise Fullbright is a widow. She now resides inside a nursing home. Lately, she and others are hearing the faint call of "yoo-hoo." It's everywhere. But where does this "yoo-hoo" really come from and where it will finally lead? From the author of The Song of Gwendelyn, Sally’s Porch and Mahida’s Extra Key to Heaven, this menacing yet humorous new play evokes elements of the mystical, explores a prophecy of Isaiah, and wonders whether or not we ever see what's truly coming at us during our lives. Recommended for ages 15 and up.
Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Rising Water by John Biguenet
Directed by John Pietrowski
In post Katrina New Orleans, an old married couple are stuck in their attic. Water is seeping up slowly; the whole neighborhood is flooded. Unsure of what just happened or where they are going, these refugees examine what is left of their long and difficult marriage. This play is for ages 13 and up.
**Programs are subject to change. Please visit the website www.ptnj.org for up-to-the-minutes details.
Season subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now (discounts available for students, seniors and groups). Registrations are being accepted for the Creative Arts Academy Fall classes for children, teens and adults. The New Jersey Writers Project is accepting applications for 2007-2008 residencies. For more information about any of the programs, please visit www.ptnj.org or call (937) 514-1787.
About Playwrights Theatre:
Playwrights Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, professional (Actors’ Equity) theatre. A community of professional playwrights, theatre artists, and arts educators, Playwrights provides opportunities for writers to develop their works in a nurturing environment and connect with new audiences. Our New Play Development Program is a multi-step process through which playwrights, theatre artists, and audiences collaborate to bring selected texts from rough draft to finished production. Our Education Programs introduce students of all ages and backgrounds to the possibilities inherent in thinking and communicating creatively. Playwrights Theatre's New Jersey Writers Project provides hands-on workshops led by professional writers-in-residence to students in schools and community centers throughout the state reaching over 15,000 students annually. We place an equal emphasis on New Play Development and Educational activities, and encourage our community and audiences to participate fully in both.
We are honored that for the years 2007-2010 the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) designated Playwrights Theatre as a Major Arts Institution. This means that the Council considers Playwrights Theatre to be “an anchor institution that contributes vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey” (along with Paper Mill Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and the McCarter Theatre Center).
Funding for Playwrights Theatre is made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc., The Prudential Foundation, the Victoria Foundation, the New Jersey Cultural Trust, Bank of America, Campbell Soup Company, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, The Turrell Fund, Atlantic Mutual Companies, Novartis, Pearsall Family Foundation, Pfizer, PSE&G, St. Paul Travers, Wyeth and many other corporations, foundations and individual contributors. FORUM is supported by grants from the Puffin Foundation, The Shubert Foundation and The Dramatist Guild Fund.
Playwrights Theatre is a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the National New Play Network, American Alliance for Theatre & Education, Theatre Communications Group and Madison Arts & Culture Alliance.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Review Preview: "Henry VI: Blood and Roses"
OK, in a timely manner, for once. Here's the review preview for "Blood and Roses."
As exciting as it was, I'm not sure I can go out of my way to recommend it for casual theater fans, becuase it is long and somewhat demanding. That said, I still think most people, including those with an aversion to Shakspeare, might find it surprisingly exciting. The problem is keeping up with the story, but there's so much action, your attention never wanders.
As for the rest of you (and I assume most of the people who read this blog are theater fans), you simply don't want to miss this. The acting is top-notch, including numerous performances from actors new to this stage, and the the show generally rocks and rolls like one of those old Allman Brothers concerts. Rock on, Brian Crowe, and expect some of my worthless (but highly coveted) end-of-the-year awards.
Here you go:
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Henry VI: Blood and Roses”
When: through Nov. 11
Where: F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124), Madison
How much: $28 to $52
Info: (973) 408-5600; www.shkespearenj.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Ken Burns needed 15 hours to document America’s four-year involvement in World War II. Brian B. Crowe needed only three to cover the 32-year War of the Roses, three Shakespeare plays and an intermission.
Crowe obviously was the better choice to adapt the Bard’s sprawling trilogy of Henry VI plays, Parts 1, 2 and 3, into the taut “Henry VI: Blood and Roses,” which explodes through Nov. 11 at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
Crowe also directed this thrilling epic, wrapping up a thematic arc that began in May with the company’s season-opener, “Henry V.” Artistic director Bonnie J. Monte got the ball rolling with that one, then turned it over to Crowe to close, which he does with a noisy slam
When performed as separate entities, the “Henry VI” troika can run nine hours or more, so many past adapters have scissored Shakespeare’s fictional look at the infamous War of the Roses, which involved petty power struggles that escalated in the aftermath of the death of conquering King Henry V. “Blood and Roses” begins with V’s funeral, on the rugged, minimalist set used for “Henry V,” now clearly in decay. Also prominent is the scaffold-like London Bridge (used in “Henry V” for prop storage), with plenty of posts to hold severed heads. They are put to good use in the second act.
To detail the plot would require an adapter to fit this space, but young Henry VI’s (grammer-schooler Daniel Marconi is a marvel in a demanding role) peaceful world is being torn apart by his squabbling uncles, protectors and mentors.
The scorecard includes Gloucester (John Hickok), the Bishop of Winchester (William Metzo) and Suffolk (Fletcher McTaggart). York (Rufus Collins) and Somerset (Joe Discher) have their own ambitions, but are more interested in fighting each other.
Suffolk takes the early lead by fixing up Henry with the lovely Margaret (Angela Pierce). By now, Henry’s a sweet young man (Ryan Farley) in way over his head. He’s got no stomach for war, and clutches his Bible like a warm puppy. His wife, however, is always up for a fight, and plots with her lover, Suffolk, to seize power.
The players alternate forming conspiracies with fighting battles, and the pattern repeats for most of the evening. But Crowe’s sharp scissors and knack for staging action keeps the story rolling downhill, picking up speed as it goes along. Some battles last only a few seconds, but fight choreographer Doug West makes the most of every moment. At one point, a new scene begins to play while a battle, already under way, rages on in the background.
More than two-dozen actors execute this complex production with dazzling precision, exiting in the wings, switching costumes and then making dramatic entrances seconds later from the back of the theater.
Hickok and Metzo are memorable sparring partners in the first act, as Gloucester’s steely resolve infuriates the devilishly nasty Winchester. Pierce and McTaggart also raise some heat as the passionate conspirators. Farley tempers the passion with his sad-eyed Henry, who just looks like he needs a hug.
The second act is like a game of Risk, as unstable alliances are formed, armies are broken, players switch sides and the fighting resumes. As the lead players’ severed heads accumulate on the bridge, second-line characters rise in profile, including Scott Whitehurst as the mercurial Earl of Warwick and Derek Wilson as Richard, the homicidal humpback who would later surface as the infamous Richard III. Wilson has turned in some nice work on this stage, mostly in gentlemanly roles. He shows some surprising range here, a frightening sight with stringy hair and flashing an evil grin while declaring “I can smile, and murder while I smile.”
Crowe adds a nod to last year’s startling production of “Richard III,” adding the gasping sound effect used in that show as Richard makes his final exit.
The Shakespeare Theatre has a well-deserved reputation for making what looks like easy work out of difficult productions. “Blood and Roses” raises the bar in Madison by whipping three at once. The only problem is, what do they do for an encore?
As exciting as it was, I'm not sure I can go out of my way to recommend it for casual theater fans, becuase it is long and somewhat demanding. That said, I still think most people, including those with an aversion to Shakspeare, might find it surprisingly exciting. The problem is keeping up with the story, but there's so much action, your attention never wanders.
As for the rest of you (and I assume most of the people who read this blog are theater fans), you simply don't want to miss this. The acting is top-notch, including numerous performances from actors new to this stage, and the the show generally rocks and rolls like one of those old Allman Brothers concerts. Rock on, Brian Crowe, and expect some of my worthless (but highly coveted) end-of-the-year awards.
Here you go:
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Henry VI: Blood and Roses”
When: through Nov. 11
Where: F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124), Madison
How much: $28 to $52
Info: (973) 408-5600; www.shkespearenj.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Ken Burns needed 15 hours to document America’s four-year involvement in World War II. Brian B. Crowe needed only three to cover the 32-year War of the Roses, three Shakespeare plays and an intermission.
Crowe obviously was the better choice to adapt the Bard’s sprawling trilogy of Henry VI plays, Parts 1, 2 and 3, into the taut “Henry VI: Blood and Roses,” which explodes through Nov. 11 at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
Crowe also directed this thrilling epic, wrapping up a thematic arc that began in May with the company’s season-opener, “Henry V.” Artistic director Bonnie J. Monte got the ball rolling with that one, then turned it over to Crowe to close, which he does with a noisy slam
When performed as separate entities, the “Henry VI” troika can run nine hours or more, so many past adapters have scissored Shakespeare’s fictional look at the infamous War of the Roses, which involved petty power struggles that escalated in the aftermath of the death of conquering King Henry V. “Blood and Roses” begins with V’s funeral, on the rugged, minimalist set used for “Henry V,” now clearly in decay. Also prominent is the scaffold-like London Bridge (used in “Henry V” for prop storage), with plenty of posts to hold severed heads. They are put to good use in the second act.
To detail the plot would require an adapter to fit this space, but young Henry VI’s (grammer-schooler Daniel Marconi is a marvel in a demanding role) peaceful world is being torn apart by his squabbling uncles, protectors and mentors.
The scorecard includes Gloucester (John Hickok), the Bishop of Winchester (William Metzo) and Suffolk (Fletcher McTaggart). York (Rufus Collins) and Somerset (Joe Discher) have their own ambitions, but are more interested in fighting each other.
Suffolk takes the early lead by fixing up Henry with the lovely Margaret (Angela Pierce). By now, Henry’s a sweet young man (Ryan Farley) in way over his head. He’s got no stomach for war, and clutches his Bible like a warm puppy. His wife, however, is always up for a fight, and plots with her lover, Suffolk, to seize power.
The players alternate forming conspiracies with fighting battles, and the pattern repeats for most of the evening. But Crowe’s sharp scissors and knack for staging action keeps the story rolling downhill, picking up speed as it goes along. Some battles last only a few seconds, but fight choreographer Doug West makes the most of every moment. At one point, a new scene begins to play while a battle, already under way, rages on in the background.
More than two-dozen actors execute this complex production with dazzling precision, exiting in the wings, switching costumes and then making dramatic entrances seconds later from the back of the theater.
Hickok and Metzo are memorable sparring partners in the first act, as Gloucester’s steely resolve infuriates the devilishly nasty Winchester. Pierce and McTaggart also raise some heat as the passionate conspirators. Farley tempers the passion with his sad-eyed Henry, who just looks like he needs a hug.
The second act is like a game of Risk, as unstable alliances are formed, armies are broken, players switch sides and the fighting resumes. As the lead players’ severed heads accumulate on the bridge, second-line characters rise in profile, including Scott Whitehurst as the mercurial Earl of Warwick and Derek Wilson as Richard, the homicidal humpback who would later surface as the infamous Richard III. Wilson has turned in some nice work on this stage, mostly in gentlemanly roles. He shows some surprising range here, a frightening sight with stringy hair and flashing an evil grin while declaring “I can smile, and murder while I smile.”
Crowe adds a nod to last year’s startling production of “Richard III,” adding the gasping sound effect used in that show as Richard makes his final exit.
The Shakespeare Theatre has a well-deserved reputation for making what looks like easy work out of difficult productions. “Blood and Roses” raises the bar in Madison by whipping three at once. The only problem is, what do they do for an encore?
Sunday, October 14, 2007
To "Tartuffe" or not to "Tartuffe"
Still writing my review of "Henry VI: Blood and Roses."
Here's the early draft:
"!"
But the reason I'm jumping in here is to share some interesting buzz coming up from Princeton.
I'm friendly with a lot of the other critics and we usually gaggle, especially at the big openings, where the crowd of us can get pretty big. And last night, virtually every one of them asked me if I had seen "Tartuffe," because they didn't see me at Friday's press opening.
And all of them said, "You're lucky. It was awful." And I mean all of them. With the rolling of the eyes and the smirk and the whole magilla.
My response to most was, "well, did you like his (director Daniel Fish, who definitely has some interesting ideas) "Hamlet"? And they all said no. I said, "well, I did," to which they said, "well, then maybe you might like this." Again with the eye rolling and the smirking and the whole magilla.
Ouch! Still haven't got that one on the schedule, but I'm still hoping to go.
They can't scare me off.
Here's the early draft:
"!"
But the reason I'm jumping in here is to share some interesting buzz coming up from Princeton.
I'm friendly with a lot of the other critics and we usually gaggle, especially at the big openings, where the crowd of us can get pretty big. And last night, virtually every one of them asked me if I had seen "Tartuffe," because they didn't see me at Friday's press opening.
And all of them said, "You're lucky. It was awful." And I mean all of them. With the rolling of the eyes and the smirk and the whole magilla.
My response to most was, "well, did you like his (director Daniel Fish, who definitely has some interesting ideas) "Hamlet"? And they all said no. I said, "well, I did," to which they said, "well, then maybe you might like this." Again with the eye rolling and the smirking and the whole magilla.
Ouch! Still haven't got that one on the schedule, but I'm still hoping to go.
They can't scare me off.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Costume and prop sale
I've often written that one of my favorite theater nights of the year is the outdoor show put on by the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Mrs. Willie's favorite recurring event is the biennial costume and prop sale at said company's F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre.
We were late getting to the pickings in 2005, but still got a lot of cool stuff. Got someone unique on your holiday gift list? This is the place you want to be. I'm not shilling here; we stood in the rain to get in and had plenty of company. This thing is a lot of fun and well-attended, so get there early.
A more formal writeup of the event follows. FYI: I'll be there tonight for Blood and Roses. And since I'm up writing this at 4:30 a.m., I guess I'll be napping beforehand.
Oh, well, sleepless nights are good for the old blog. sorry I've been scarce lately, but life's been busy. Lots of plays, lots of transition issues as I approach my transfer date to the Daily Record.
I just gotta keep choppin', eh, Rutgers fans?
Remind me to blog about the personal-best 89 I shot last week. I know you want to know all about it.
i Just in time for Halloween, the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey will conduct its second Biennial Costume and Prop Sale Saturday at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124) on the campus of Drew University in Madison.
The sale will feature hundreds of unique items from the company’s costume and prop shops, including many worn, used or seen in main-stage productions. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the company’s educational and artistic programs.
Admission is free of charge and the doors will open at 10 a.m. sharp. Shoppers may want to consider arriving early since the 2005 sale was so well-attended that a long line formed outside the theater, with many people standing in a steady rain while waiting for their chance to enter.
For more information, call (973) 408-5600 or visit www.shakespearenj.org.
We were late getting to the pickings in 2005, but still got a lot of cool stuff. Got someone unique on your holiday gift list? This is the place you want to be. I'm not shilling here; we stood in the rain to get in and had plenty of company. This thing is a lot of fun and well-attended, so get there early.
A more formal writeup of the event follows. FYI: I'll be there tonight for Blood and Roses. And since I'm up writing this at 4:30 a.m., I guess I'll be napping beforehand.
Oh, well, sleepless nights are good for the old blog. sorry I've been scarce lately, but life's been busy. Lots of plays, lots of transition issues as I approach my transfer date to the Daily Record.
I just gotta keep choppin', eh, Rutgers fans?
Remind me to blog about the personal-best 89 I shot last week. I know you want to know all about it.
i Just in time for Halloween, the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey will conduct its second Biennial Costume and Prop Sale Saturday at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124) on the campus of Drew University in Madison.
The sale will feature hundreds of unique items from the company’s costume and prop shops, including many worn, used or seen in main-stage productions. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the company’s educational and artistic programs.
Admission is free of charge and the doors will open at 10 a.m. sharp. Shoppers may want to consider arriving early since the 2005 sale was so well-attended that a long line formed outside the theater, with many people standing in a steady rain while waiting for their chance to enter.
For more information, call (973) 408-5600 or visit www.shakespearenj.org.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Review Preview: School for Wives
Draft of my review of "School for Wives" at Centenary College follows. Had to wait until alst night to finish the lead (you'll understand when you read it).
Normally, I do not look forward to Centenary's season-opening costume classic, but this was a startling exception. Two reasons not in the review: the cast is not dependent on students that never seem to do very well on this stage, and a tight running time of 2 hours even.
Which is more than I can expect this week when I see "Blood and Roses" at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Looking forward to it (Brian Crowe is rapidly rising to the top of my list of resident directors there, and that's one talented list), but I have a nap scheduled in my DayRunner for Saturday afternoon.
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “School for Wives”
When: through Oct. 21
Where: Centenary Theatre, Centenary College, 400 Jefferson St., Hackettstown
How much: $15 to $22
Info: (908) 979-0900; www.centenarystageco.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Daily Record
Call him Mr. October.
Morris-area baseball fans may not have a team to cheer for in the World Series, but, like Reggie Jackson in the 1977 fall classic, artistic director Carl Wallnau is the straw that stirs the drink for Centenary Stage Company, which last week premiered a sensational production of “School for Wives.”
Wallnau traditionally directs his professional company’s season-opening, classic-theater production, but for the first time in several years, he’s also claimed the starring role. He’s cast himself perfectly as the unscrupulous, cradle-rocking fraud in Moliere’s 18th century farce, and he’s hit the part out of the park. There are many pleasures in “School for Wives,” but Wallnau’s side-splitting performance is more than enough to nominate it for comedy of the year in Northern New Jersey.
The famed 17th century French playwright Moliere also was known for starring in his not-so-romantic comedy about a middle-aged businessman experiencing something of a mid-life crisis. Arnolphe had achieved some measure of respect and success, but has yet to marry, fearing the fate of other men who have become cuckolds (men whose wives cheat on them). His long-term solution, however, is about to ripen. Agnes (Katie Tame), his young ward, is back home after years in a convent, where her only education came from the Bible and a book about how to be a proper wife.
Unfortunately, while he was traveling, Agnes was smitten by young Horace (Philip Mutz), the son of one of Arnolphe’s oldest friends. Enlisting the assistance of two less-than loyal—and less than competent—servants (Stuart Fingeret and Daniele Tampier), Arnolphe spends the better part of two acts plotting to separate the young lovers, taking one step forward and three steps back the entire way.
To be sure, there is no vegetarian alternative in “School for Wives” as Wallnau’s performance has more ham than the breakfast special at I.H.O.P. Imagine Jackie Gleason doing an impression of David Niven and you’ll begin to get the idea. Wallnau the director has given Wallnau the actor free reign, and he commands the stage like a child throwing a tantrum in the middle of Wal-Mart. Twisting syllables and eyebrows beyond their natural limits, Wallnau had the opening-night audience hyperventilating and gasping for air in between the belly laughs.
Of course, given his character’s utter lack of conscience and scruples (even his bribes are counterfeit), the over-the-top approach is perfectly appropriate. Arnolphe’s behavior is so inexcusable that he must be rendered a caricature for any audience to appreciate him, because they will never like or sympathize with him. This was true, even in Moliere’s day, and it takes a brave man to play such a coward with so much passion.
Wallnau the director also has a nice touch with his supporting cast. Fingeret and Tampier have a nice chemistry as the bumbling servants, while Mutz, who has done some work with the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, is an earnest, eager lover who handles the tricky dialogue with ease. Leon Hill, a Centenary student and Centenary Stage veteran, makes an impression in a brief role as a snooty notary.
Wallnau’s only misstep as director is dressing Agnes in a pink, baby-doll dress with oversize hair ribbons, and having Katie Tame play her as an obnoxious 8-year-old. Gilda Radner used to make this work on “Saturday Night Live,” but her character was not an object of male desire. Wallnau even supplies her with an oversized lollipop, adding a creepy Lolita quality to the list of reasons why we hate Arnolphe.
Tame also delivers her lines with a loud, shrill voice that would make one wonder why two men, let alone one, would want her as a wife. Fortunately, Wallnau lets her act her age during a balcony monolgue that lets us appreciate Tame, and her character, just enough to not consider if she may be the punishment Arnolphe deserves.
Centenary College has a lot to look forward to in the future, with groundbreaking this week on the new, 70,000-square-foot Lackland Center, which will include a new 500-seat theater. In the meantime, Centenary Stage Company has brightened the school’s present with this fine production of an enjoyable classic plucked from the past.
Normally, I do not look forward to Centenary's season-opening costume classic, but this was a startling exception. Two reasons not in the review: the cast is not dependent on students that never seem to do very well on this stage, and a tight running time of 2 hours even.
Which is more than I can expect this week when I see "Blood and Roses" at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Looking forward to it (Brian Crowe is rapidly rising to the top of my list of resident directors there, and that's one talented list), but I have a nap scheduled in my DayRunner for Saturday afternoon.
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “School for Wives”
When: through Oct. 21
Where: Centenary Theatre, Centenary College, 400 Jefferson St., Hackettstown
How much: $15 to $22
Info: (908) 979-0900; www.centenarystageco.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Daily Record
Call him Mr. October.
Morris-area baseball fans may not have a team to cheer for in the World Series, but, like Reggie Jackson in the 1977 fall classic, artistic director Carl Wallnau is the straw that stirs the drink for Centenary Stage Company, which last week premiered a sensational production of “School for Wives.”
Wallnau traditionally directs his professional company’s season-opening, classic-theater production, but for the first time in several years, he’s also claimed the starring role. He’s cast himself perfectly as the unscrupulous, cradle-rocking fraud in Moliere’s 18th century farce, and he’s hit the part out of the park. There are many pleasures in “School for Wives,” but Wallnau’s side-splitting performance is more than enough to nominate it for comedy of the year in Northern New Jersey.
The famed 17th century French playwright Moliere also was known for starring in his not-so-romantic comedy about a middle-aged businessman experiencing something of a mid-life crisis. Arnolphe had achieved some measure of respect and success, but has yet to marry, fearing the fate of other men who have become cuckolds (men whose wives cheat on them). His long-term solution, however, is about to ripen. Agnes (Katie Tame), his young ward, is back home after years in a convent, where her only education came from the Bible and a book about how to be a proper wife.
Unfortunately, while he was traveling, Agnes was smitten by young Horace (Philip Mutz), the son of one of Arnolphe’s oldest friends. Enlisting the assistance of two less-than loyal—and less than competent—servants (Stuart Fingeret and Daniele Tampier), Arnolphe spends the better part of two acts plotting to separate the young lovers, taking one step forward and three steps back the entire way.
To be sure, there is no vegetarian alternative in “School for Wives” as Wallnau’s performance has more ham than the breakfast special at I.H.O.P. Imagine Jackie Gleason doing an impression of David Niven and you’ll begin to get the idea. Wallnau the director has given Wallnau the actor free reign, and he commands the stage like a child throwing a tantrum in the middle of Wal-Mart. Twisting syllables and eyebrows beyond their natural limits, Wallnau had the opening-night audience hyperventilating and gasping for air in between the belly laughs.
Of course, given his character’s utter lack of conscience and scruples (even his bribes are counterfeit), the over-the-top approach is perfectly appropriate. Arnolphe’s behavior is so inexcusable that he must be rendered a caricature for any audience to appreciate him, because they will never like or sympathize with him. This was true, even in Moliere’s day, and it takes a brave man to play such a coward with so much passion.
Wallnau the director also has a nice touch with his supporting cast. Fingeret and Tampier have a nice chemistry as the bumbling servants, while Mutz, who has done some work with the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, is an earnest, eager lover who handles the tricky dialogue with ease. Leon Hill, a Centenary student and Centenary Stage veteran, makes an impression in a brief role as a snooty notary.
Wallnau’s only misstep as director is dressing Agnes in a pink, baby-doll dress with oversize hair ribbons, and having Katie Tame play her as an obnoxious 8-year-old. Gilda Radner used to make this work on “Saturday Night Live,” but her character was not an object of male desire. Wallnau even supplies her with an oversized lollipop, adding a creepy Lolita quality to the list of reasons why we hate Arnolphe.
Tame also delivers her lines with a loud, shrill voice that would make one wonder why two men, let alone one, would want her as a wife. Fortunately, Wallnau lets her act her age during a balcony monolgue that lets us appreciate Tame, and her character, just enough to not consider if she may be the punishment Arnolphe deserves.
Centenary College has a lot to look forward to in the future, with groundbreaking this week on the new, 70,000-square-foot Lackland Center, which will include a new 500-seat theater. In the meantime, Centenary Stage Company has brightened the school’s present with this fine production of an enjoyable classic plucked from the past.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
McCarter offering Non-Equity auditions
Big chance alert for budding professionals: two chances to put your foot in the door at Princeton University's Tony-winning McCarter Theatre Center.
Why are you sitting there reading this? Get to work!
Details follow.
Princeton University’s McCarter Theatre Center has scheduled rare non-Equity audition opportunities this week for two upcoming productions.
Auditions will take place Wednesday in New York City for a workshop of an interactive, educational touring production of “The Odyssey Experience,” directed by Christopher T. Parks. Auditions will be by appointment only. Rehearsals and performances will take place from Oct. 22 to Nov. 2. The performance will combine acting, teaching and storytelling. All rehearsals and performances are in New Jersey. Actors may not be required for all dates.
Male and female actors of all ethnicities are needed to play multiple roles in the production, based on characters in Homer’s “The Odyssey,” as well as leading student participation and improvising. Candidates must have experience working with young people, the ability to shift from character to character quickly, a good sense of humor and strong physical theater skills. Improvisation experience is strongly encouraged and teaching experience is required.
Auditioners are asked to prepare a one-minute classical or contemporary monologue. Cast members will be offered between 2 to 10 days of employment. To request an appointment, send a picture and resume to The Odyssey Experience Casting, McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton NJ 08540.
McCarter also will conduct non-Equity auditions Friday for its annual production of “A Christmas Carol.” Signups begin 9 a.m. at Chelsea Studios (Studio 607), 151 W. 26th St., New York City. Auditioners should be warmed up and ready to dance by 10 a.m.
Dancers and singers are needed to complete the ensemble cast. Two supporting roles—Charlotte Fezziwig and Schoolmaster/Ghost of Christmas Future—also will be cast from the ensemble.
Rehearsals begin Nov. 7, with performances scheduled from Dec. 2 to 23. The producers request no calls or e-mail inquiries. For directions to Chelsea Studios, visit www.theatreworksusa.org/chelsea_directions.cfm.
Why are you sitting there reading this? Get to work!
Details follow.
Princeton University’s McCarter Theatre Center has scheduled rare non-Equity audition opportunities this week for two upcoming productions.
Auditions will take place Wednesday in New York City for a workshop of an interactive, educational touring production of “The Odyssey Experience,” directed by Christopher T. Parks. Auditions will be by appointment only. Rehearsals and performances will take place from Oct. 22 to Nov. 2. The performance will combine acting, teaching and storytelling. All rehearsals and performances are in New Jersey. Actors may not be required for all dates.
Male and female actors of all ethnicities are needed to play multiple roles in the production, based on characters in Homer’s “The Odyssey,” as well as leading student participation and improvising. Candidates must have experience working with young people, the ability to shift from character to character quickly, a good sense of humor and strong physical theater skills. Improvisation experience is strongly encouraged and teaching experience is required.
Auditioners are asked to prepare a one-minute classical or contemporary monologue. Cast members will be offered between 2 to 10 days of employment. To request an appointment, send a picture and resume to The Odyssey Experience Casting, McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton NJ 08540.
McCarter also will conduct non-Equity auditions Friday for its annual production of “A Christmas Carol.” Signups begin 9 a.m. at Chelsea Studios (Studio 607), 151 W. 26th St., New York City. Auditioners should be warmed up and ready to dance by 10 a.m.
Dancers and singers are needed to complete the ensemble cast. Two supporting roles—Charlotte Fezziwig and Schoolmaster/Ghost of Christmas Future—also will be cast from the ensemble.
Rehearsals begin Nov. 7, with performances scheduled from Dec. 2 to 23. The producers request no calls or e-mail inquiries. For directions to Chelsea Studios, visit www.theatreworksusa.org/chelsea_directions.cfm.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Tyne Daly, Brian Murray coming to McCarter
That's some cast that Emily Mann has gathered for the world premiere of Edward Albee's "Me, Myself and I" at McCarter (Jan. 11-Feb. 17). See the details below.
Me, myself and the Missus will be at Centenary College tonight for their season-opener, "School of Wives." Centenary is hit-and-miss for me, but I'm looking forward to seeing artistic director Carl Wallnau onstage for the first time. He's done a lot of work on other Jersey stages and I've read some glowing reviews, but I've never seen him act.
Contact:
Dan Bauer Director of Public Relations
(609) 258-6524
dbauer@mccarter.org
TYNE DALY AND BRIAN MURRAY TO STAR
IN THE WORLD PREMIERE OF EDWARD ALBEE’S MY, MYSELF AND I
AT PRINCETON’S McCARTER THEATRE CENTER
DIRECTED BY McCARTER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR EMILY MANN,
THE PRODUCTION RUNS FROM JANUARY 11 THROUGH FEBRUARY 17, 2008
The nationally acclaimed McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey, is pleased to announce that TYNE DALY and BRIAN MURRAY will play the leads in the upcoming world premiere of Edward Albee’s Me, Myself and I. Directed by Artistic Director Emily Mann, the production plays the Berlind Theatre of McCarter Theatre Center from January 11 through February 17, 2008.
When a pair of identical twin brothers both named Otto, how’s a mother (played by Ms. Daly) supposed to keep them straight? Master playwright Edward Albee is in top form with this dark, funny and moving play that takes sibling rivalry to existential heights.
Widely considered one of the most versatile actresses of her generation -- with a wide range of roles on stage and television – Me, Myself and I marks the first time that Ms. Daly has performed in a play by Edward Albee. She joins a growing list of distinguished actresses in recent years to appear in plays by the three-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright: Kathleen Turner, Dame Maggie Smith, Rosemary Harris, Marian Seldes, Elaine Stritch, Sally Field, Mercedes Ruehl, to name a few.
Winner of the 1990 Tony Award for her portrayal of Rose in Gypsy, TYNE DALY was seen on Broadway in the world premiere of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole and in the 1992 revival of Chekov’s The Seagull opposite Jon Voight, Laura Linney, and Ethan Hawke. For her work in television, Daly has been honored with six Emmy Awards. She received the Emmy Award four times for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work in Cagney and Lacey, and two Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Emmys: one for Christy and another for Judging Amy.
A leading Albee interpreter, BRIAN MURRAY, has appeared in Albee's The Play About the Baby and Beckett/Albee Off-Broadway. He is a three-time Tony nominee for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Little Foxes and The Crucible, as well as a recipient of multiple Obie (Ashes and Edward Albee’s The Play About the Baby) and Drama Desk (Noises Off, Travels with My Aunt and The Little Foxes) Awards. Also a distinguished director, his Broadway directing credits include Hay Fever, Arsenic and Old Lace, Blithe Spirit and The Circle. His film and television work includes Bob Roberts; City Hall; Treasure Planet (voice of John Silver); The Investigation, Liberty, Hamlet, Twelfth Night. Mr. Murray is the recipient of a 1998 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence and the 1998 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work; as well as a Fox Foundation Fellow.
Multi award-winning Director and Playwright EMILY MANN received a 2003 Obie Award for her direction of Edward Albee’s All Over with Rosemary Harris and Michael Learned. Ms. Mann’s McCarter directing credits include Nilo Cruz’s Pulitzer-Prize winning Anna in the Tropics with Jimmy Smits (also on Broadway), the world premiere of Christopher Durang’s Miss Witherspoon (also off-Broadway), Uncle Vanya with Amanda Plummer, The Cherry Orchard with Jane Alexander, John Glover and Avery Brooks, Three Sisters with Frances McDormand, Linda Hunt and Mary Stuart Masterson, A Doll House with Cynthia Nixon, and The Glass Menagerie with Shirley Knight. Her plays include Having Our Say (3 Tony nominations), Execution of Justice, Still Life, Greensboro (A Requiem), Annulla, An Autobiography, and her most recent, Mrs. Packard (2007 Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Award).
Four major productions of work by playwright EDWARD ALBEE – who celebrates his 80th birthday on March 12, 2008 – will be presented in and around New York during the 2007-08 season. Collectively entitled, “The Albee Season,” the plays – from Peter and Jerry at Second Stage Theatre to Me, Myself and I at McCarter Theatre, to The Sandbox and The American Dream at Cherry Lane Theatre and Occupant at Signature Theatre – span 50 years of Mr. Albee’s singular career, from his first play The Zoo Story written in 1958 (now part of Peter and Jerry) to his newest plays Me, Myself and I and Occupant, premiering in 2008.
EDWARD ALBEE’s plays include the Tony Award-winning Best Plays Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning plays A Delicate Balance, Seascape and Three Tall Women. Other Albee plays presented in New York in recent seasons include The Play About the Baby, Counting the Ways, Tiny Alice, Marriage Play and All Over. In 2005, Mr. Albee received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement, and previously received the Gold Medal in Drama from American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, as well as the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.
This season-long array of plays – premieres, early works and a double-bill comprised of both the old and new – serves as a reminder of why Mr. Albee is widely-regarded as America’s foremost living playwright, most notably on the occasion of this milestone birthday.
Additional casting for Me, Myself and I will be announced at a later date.
Ticket for Me, Myself and I at McCarter Theatre Center (91 University Place, Princeton, NJ) range from $43 to $49. To order tickets by phone, call the McCarter Box Office at (609) 258-ARTS (2787); toll-free 1-888-278-7932; or on-line at www.mccarter.org.
McCARTER THEATRE CENTER
Under the leadership of artistic director Emily Mann and managing director Jeffrey Woodward, McCarter Theatre Center, home to the Matthews and Berlind Theatres, is recognized as one of the nation's premier theatre companies and performing arts centers. Renowned for major contributions to the theatrical canon, McCarter premieres have included Emily Mann's Mrs. Packard (Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays), Beth Henley’s Ridiculous Fraud, Christopher Durang’s Miss Witherspoon (Pulitzer Prize finalist), Steven Dietz’ Last of the Boys, Regina Taylor's Crowns, Dael Orlandersmith's Yellowman (2002 Pulitzer Prize finalist), Emily Mann's Having Our Say (3 Tony nominations), Athol Fugard's Valley Song, and Stephen Wadsworth's Marivaux trilogy. McCarter commissioned and will premiere Edward Albee's Me, Myself & I in January 2008. McCarter has also produced major new productions of Brian Friel's Translations (Tony nomination), directed by Garry Hynes; Nilo Cruz’ Anna in the Tropics (2003 Pulitzer Prize winner , 2 Tony nominations), August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson; Edward Albee's All Over (2 Obie Awards), directed by Emily Mann; and Electra (3 Tony nominations), directed David Leveaux. McCarter is supported by Princeton University, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and over 3,000 individuals, corporations and foundations.
Me, myself and the Missus will be at Centenary College tonight for their season-opener, "School of Wives." Centenary is hit-and-miss for me, but I'm looking forward to seeing artistic director Carl Wallnau onstage for the first time. He's done a lot of work on other Jersey stages and I've read some glowing reviews, but I've never seen him act.
Contact:
Dan Bauer Director of Public Relations
(609) 258-6524
dbauer@mccarter.org
TYNE DALY AND BRIAN MURRAY TO STAR
IN THE WORLD PREMIERE OF EDWARD ALBEE’S MY, MYSELF AND I
AT PRINCETON’S McCARTER THEATRE CENTER
DIRECTED BY McCARTER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR EMILY MANN,
THE PRODUCTION RUNS FROM JANUARY 11 THROUGH FEBRUARY 17, 2008
The nationally acclaimed McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey, is pleased to announce that TYNE DALY and BRIAN MURRAY will play the leads in the upcoming world premiere of Edward Albee’s Me, Myself and I. Directed by Artistic Director Emily Mann, the production plays the Berlind Theatre of McCarter Theatre Center from January 11 through February 17, 2008.
When a pair of identical twin brothers both named Otto, how’s a mother (played by Ms. Daly) supposed to keep them straight? Master playwright Edward Albee is in top form with this dark, funny and moving play that takes sibling rivalry to existential heights.
Widely considered one of the most versatile actresses of her generation -- with a wide range of roles on stage and television – Me, Myself and I marks the first time that Ms. Daly has performed in a play by Edward Albee. She joins a growing list of distinguished actresses in recent years to appear in plays by the three-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright: Kathleen Turner, Dame Maggie Smith, Rosemary Harris, Marian Seldes, Elaine Stritch, Sally Field, Mercedes Ruehl, to name a few.
Winner of the 1990 Tony Award for her portrayal of Rose in Gypsy, TYNE DALY was seen on Broadway in the world premiere of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole and in the 1992 revival of Chekov’s The Seagull opposite Jon Voight, Laura Linney, and Ethan Hawke. For her work in television, Daly has been honored with six Emmy Awards. She received the Emmy Award four times for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work in Cagney and Lacey, and two Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Emmys: one for Christy and another for Judging Amy.
A leading Albee interpreter, BRIAN MURRAY, has appeared in Albee's The Play About the Baby and Beckett/Albee Off-Broadway. He is a three-time Tony nominee for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Little Foxes and The Crucible, as well as a recipient of multiple Obie (Ashes and Edward Albee’s The Play About the Baby) and Drama Desk (Noises Off, Travels with My Aunt and The Little Foxes) Awards. Also a distinguished director, his Broadway directing credits include Hay Fever, Arsenic and Old Lace, Blithe Spirit and The Circle. His film and television work includes Bob Roberts; City Hall; Treasure Planet (voice of John Silver); The Investigation, Liberty, Hamlet, Twelfth Night. Mr. Murray is the recipient of a 1998 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence and the 1998 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work; as well as a Fox Foundation Fellow.
Multi award-winning Director and Playwright EMILY MANN received a 2003 Obie Award for her direction of Edward Albee’s All Over with Rosemary Harris and Michael Learned. Ms. Mann’s McCarter directing credits include Nilo Cruz’s Pulitzer-Prize winning Anna in the Tropics with Jimmy Smits (also on Broadway), the world premiere of Christopher Durang’s Miss Witherspoon (also off-Broadway), Uncle Vanya with Amanda Plummer, The Cherry Orchard with Jane Alexander, John Glover and Avery Brooks, Three Sisters with Frances McDormand, Linda Hunt and Mary Stuart Masterson, A Doll House with Cynthia Nixon, and The Glass Menagerie with Shirley Knight. Her plays include Having Our Say (3 Tony nominations), Execution of Justice, Still Life, Greensboro (A Requiem), Annulla, An Autobiography, and her most recent, Mrs. Packard (2007 Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Award).
Four major productions of work by playwright EDWARD ALBEE – who celebrates his 80th birthday on March 12, 2008 – will be presented in and around New York during the 2007-08 season. Collectively entitled, “The Albee Season,” the plays – from Peter and Jerry at Second Stage Theatre to Me, Myself and I at McCarter Theatre, to The Sandbox and The American Dream at Cherry Lane Theatre and Occupant at Signature Theatre – span 50 years of Mr. Albee’s singular career, from his first play The Zoo Story written in 1958 (now part of Peter and Jerry) to his newest plays Me, Myself and I and Occupant, premiering in 2008.
EDWARD ALBEE’s plays include the Tony Award-winning Best Plays Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning plays A Delicate Balance, Seascape and Three Tall Women. Other Albee plays presented in New York in recent seasons include The Play About the Baby, Counting the Ways, Tiny Alice, Marriage Play and All Over. In 2005, Mr. Albee received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement, and previously received the Gold Medal in Drama from American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, as well as the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.
This season-long array of plays – premieres, early works and a double-bill comprised of both the old and new – serves as a reminder of why Mr. Albee is widely-regarded as America’s foremost living playwright, most notably on the occasion of this milestone birthday.
Additional casting for Me, Myself and I will be announced at a later date.
Ticket for Me, Myself and I at McCarter Theatre Center (91 University Place, Princeton, NJ) range from $43 to $49. To order tickets by phone, call the McCarter Box Office at (609) 258-ARTS (2787); toll-free 1-888-278-7932; or on-line at www.mccarter.org.
McCARTER THEATRE CENTER
Under the leadership of artistic director Emily Mann and managing director Jeffrey Woodward, McCarter Theatre Center, home to the Matthews and Berlind Theatres, is recognized as one of the nation's premier theatre companies and performing arts centers. Renowned for major contributions to the theatrical canon, McCarter premieres have included Emily Mann's Mrs. Packard (Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays), Beth Henley’s Ridiculous Fraud, Christopher Durang’s Miss Witherspoon (Pulitzer Prize finalist), Steven Dietz’ Last of the Boys, Regina Taylor's Crowns, Dael Orlandersmith's Yellowman (2002 Pulitzer Prize finalist), Emily Mann's Having Our Say (3 Tony nominations), Athol Fugard's Valley Song, and Stephen Wadsworth's Marivaux trilogy. McCarter commissioned and will premiere Edward Albee's Me, Myself & I in January 2008. McCarter has also produced major new productions of Brian Friel's Translations (Tony nomination), directed by Garry Hynes; Nilo Cruz’ Anna in the Tropics (2003 Pulitzer Prize winner , 2 Tony nominations), August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson; Edward Albee's All Over (2 Obie Awards), directed by Emily Mann; and Electra (3 Tony nominations), directed David Leveaux. McCarter is supported by Princeton University, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and over 3,000 individuals, corporations and foundations.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Review Preview: "Happy Days," "The Dinosaur Musical"
Gee, October already and I've yet to post. Sorry, but the Review Preview got stuck in transit. It follows here. Note that I've piggybacked a review from the Growing Stage to the much-anticipated review of Paper Mill's "Happy Days: A New Musical." Give it a read and give them a try, especially if you have kids.
Looking ahead, 8 plays in the next 4 weeks.
Bonus review: Never would have though to combine the two, but the curried cashews my wife brought home from her trip to Vermont were delicious.
Believe me, I know my nuts, and these were some quality nuts.
If you want to go:
What: “Happy Days: A New Musical”
When: through Oct. 28
Where: Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn
How much: $25-92
Info: (973) 376-4343; www.papermill.org
If you want to go:
What: “The Dinosaur Musical”
When: through Oct. 21
Where: The Growing Stage, the Children’s Theatre of New Jersey, 7 Ledgewood Ave. (Route 183), Netcong
How much: $10-14
Info: (973) 347-4946; www.growingstage.com
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Two musicals premiered on Morris-area stages last week that transport their audiences to times past. One is clearly aimed more at older audiences, but neither really speaks to the grown-up that may or may not be in some of us.
Paper Mill Playhouse opened its 2007-08 season with the recycled nostalgia of “Happy Days: A New Musical,” while the Growing Stage, the Children’s Theatre of New Jersey, passed nostalgia and proceeded to prehistoric for “The Dinosaur Musical.” Both have their strong points, though the latter accomplishes its mission more consistently than the former.
Of course, Paper Mill has a larger and more demanding audience than the Growing Stage and, given its well-documented financial difficulties, there’s a lot more at stake. Paper Mill ran out of money and nearly closed before the end of last season, so it’s reasonable to assume that one more box-office failure could again cripple the state’s largest professional theater.
So it’s a relief to report that “Happy Days: A New Musical” should keep the ticket sellers busy. Based, of course, on the long-running TV sitcom, “Happy Days” has the color, pizazz and energy to attract a large audience already presold on the concept. A wide swath of baby boomers will find plenty to like about this staged reunion of beloved characters, including Richie Cunningham, his pals and, of course, Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli.
“Happy Days,” which is touring regionally with hopes of making it to Broadway, also comes with a pedigree of sorts, with book by legendary TV producer Garry Marshall and new original tunes by songwriter Paul Williams. Both were at Sunday’s press opening, yukking it up onstage with the audience before the opening curtain.
“Hello rich people,” said Marshall, who produced TV’s “The Odd Couple,” “Happy Days,” “Mork and Mindy” and “LaVerne and Shirley” (which starred his sister, Penny Marshall).
Williams, looking fit and healthy, sported a spiky new hairdo, referring to his once infamously long blond locks as from “my Haley Mills look-alike period.”
With budding journalist Richie (red-headed Rory O’Malley) serving as a narrator of sorts, the Jefferson High gang from Milwaukee is still hanging out at Arnold’s malt shop in 1959, but Arnold (Michael J. Farina) is worried his land may be grabbed by developers who want to build one of those newfangled mall things.
Richie’s dad, Mr. C. (Patrick Garner), and his fellow Leopard Lodgers hatch a fund-raising scheme to save Arnold’s by staging a wrestling match between Fonzie (Joey Sorge, a dead ringer for Henry Winkler, right down to the subtle overbite) and the rival Malachi Brothers. But with former flame Pinky Tuscadero (Felicia Finley) back in town, and nursing a bum knee, Fonzie’s off his game.
No need to discuss the plot further, but a convenient dance contest gives the ensemble a chance to strut, while recycled jokes from the series are updated by a few in-jokes. Richie gets the best one: “I can usually solve my problems in a half-hour, but this one’s a doozy!”, while Arnold blows off a merger meeting by some guy named Denny.
People with no recollection of the 1950s or the series may wonder what all the fuss is about, but that still leaves a few million people in the Tri-state area who might find a connection here. It runs out of steam well before its ending — something that Broadway audiences won’t tolerate — but “Happy Days” is a cute show with a very appealing cast.
Meanwhile, if your idea of nostalgia is the Jurassic age, or if you have kids who think 1959 was the Jurassic age, “The Dinosaur Musical” is equally cute, with wonderful songs (including “Spaghetti,” which doesn’t fit the show but is still a highlight) and a cast featuring six Equity professionals. The actors have fun wearing silly costumes and telling silly jokes, but there’s a story to follow as well, as the carnivores work together to establish a food chain that doesn’t involve eating each other. And the tickets ($14 adults, $10 children) won’t put quite the bite on your budget that a visit to “Happy Days” ($25-$92) will.
Looking ahead, 8 plays in the next 4 weeks.
Bonus review: Never would have though to combine the two, but the curried cashews my wife brought home from her trip to Vermont were delicious.
Believe me, I know my nuts, and these were some quality nuts.
If you want to go:
What: “Happy Days: A New Musical”
When: through Oct. 28
Where: Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn
How much: $25-92
Info: (973) 376-4343; www.papermill.org
If you want to go:
What: “The Dinosaur Musical”
When: through Oct. 21
Where: The Growing Stage, the Children’s Theatre of New Jersey, 7 Ledgewood Ave. (Route 183), Netcong
How much: $10-14
Info: (973) 347-4946; www.growingstage.com
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Two musicals premiered on Morris-area stages last week that transport their audiences to times past. One is clearly aimed more at older audiences, but neither really speaks to the grown-up that may or may not be in some of us.
Paper Mill Playhouse opened its 2007-08 season with the recycled nostalgia of “Happy Days: A New Musical,” while the Growing Stage, the Children’s Theatre of New Jersey, passed nostalgia and proceeded to prehistoric for “The Dinosaur Musical.” Both have their strong points, though the latter accomplishes its mission more consistently than the former.
Of course, Paper Mill has a larger and more demanding audience than the Growing Stage and, given its well-documented financial difficulties, there’s a lot more at stake. Paper Mill ran out of money and nearly closed before the end of last season, so it’s reasonable to assume that one more box-office failure could again cripple the state’s largest professional theater.
So it’s a relief to report that “Happy Days: A New Musical” should keep the ticket sellers busy. Based, of course, on the long-running TV sitcom, “Happy Days” has the color, pizazz and energy to attract a large audience already presold on the concept. A wide swath of baby boomers will find plenty to like about this staged reunion of beloved characters, including Richie Cunningham, his pals and, of course, Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli.
“Happy Days,” which is touring regionally with hopes of making it to Broadway, also comes with a pedigree of sorts, with book by legendary TV producer Garry Marshall and new original tunes by songwriter Paul Williams. Both were at Sunday’s press opening, yukking it up onstage with the audience before the opening curtain.
“Hello rich people,” said Marshall, who produced TV’s “The Odd Couple,” “Happy Days,” “Mork and Mindy” and “LaVerne and Shirley” (which starred his sister, Penny Marshall).
Williams, looking fit and healthy, sported a spiky new hairdo, referring to his once infamously long blond locks as from “my Haley Mills look-alike period.”
With budding journalist Richie (red-headed Rory O’Malley) serving as a narrator of sorts, the Jefferson High gang from Milwaukee is still hanging out at Arnold’s malt shop in 1959, but Arnold (Michael J. Farina) is worried his land may be grabbed by developers who want to build one of those newfangled mall things.
Richie’s dad, Mr. C. (Patrick Garner), and his fellow Leopard Lodgers hatch a fund-raising scheme to save Arnold’s by staging a wrestling match between Fonzie (Joey Sorge, a dead ringer for Henry Winkler, right down to the subtle overbite) and the rival Malachi Brothers. But with former flame Pinky Tuscadero (Felicia Finley) back in town, and nursing a bum knee, Fonzie’s off his game.
No need to discuss the plot further, but a convenient dance contest gives the ensemble a chance to strut, while recycled jokes from the series are updated by a few in-jokes. Richie gets the best one: “I can usually solve my problems in a half-hour, but this one’s a doozy!”, while Arnold blows off a merger meeting by some guy named Denny.
People with no recollection of the 1950s or the series may wonder what all the fuss is about, but that still leaves a few million people in the Tri-state area who might find a connection here. It runs out of steam well before its ending — something that Broadway audiences won’t tolerate — but “Happy Days” is a cute show with a very appealing cast.
Meanwhile, if your idea of nostalgia is the Jurassic age, or if you have kids who think 1959 was the Jurassic age, “The Dinosaur Musical” is equally cute, with wonderful songs (including “Spaghetti,” which doesn’t fit the show but is still a highlight) and a cast featuring six Equity professionals. The actors have fun wearing silly costumes and telling silly jokes, but there’s a story to follow as well, as the carnivores work together to establish a food chain that doesn’t involve eating each other. And the tickets ($14 adults, $10 children) won’t put quite the bite on your budget that a visit to “Happy Days” ($25-$92) will.
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