Love and Information
Posted: April 3, 2014 Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Off-Broadway, Play | Tags: carylchurchill, churchill, loveandinformation, minettalane, nytw, review Leave a comment
Here’s something I’ve learned about myself after watching years and years of theatre: I need narrative. I crave it. That doesn’t mean it needs to be a linear narrative (LOST anyone?). But if anything, I need to be able to make connections within the piece, whether it’s through plot points, characters, clues, something more specific than thematic. It’s how I personally connect and relate. That’s what gives a story purpose for me.
Love and Information is Caryl Churchill’s new play currently being produced by New York Theatre Workshop and performed at Minetta Lane Theatre. It’s just under two hours and a collection of vignettes – moving, hilarious, and thought-provoking. Each “scene” ranges from a few minutes to a few seconds – a full conversation or perhaps a single phrase, and then it’s gone in the blink of an eye as the set swiftly changes to the next set of circumstances. These pieces are lovely to say the least – beautifully entertaining, some very funny, others heartbreaking. Plus the fantastic design (lights, set, and sound) only adds to the setting. With this style of theatre, you as an audience member have to constantly adapt to new situations and figure out what’s going on. I like having to work in that way. But then, that was it. After 45 minutes, I started to check out once I realized there wasn’t going to be a “story” in the typical sense. Not that I didn’t enjoy the rest of the scenes! If the second half had happened first, I would have appreciated those just as much. It was simply the nature of the piece as a whole that I had difficulty with. It’s hard for me to stay engaged that long to watch brief moments in time. Others may not need the narrative as much as I do. The themes and issues brought up from scene to scene may be enough to get their gears turning.
I do think it’s exciting to note that the script itself is pretty much bare-bones, not specifying place, gender, character, situation, etc. From basic dialogue on a page, the ensemble created this piece and all of the beautiful details. I love when theatre does that. I simply left craving a greater common denominator linking these vignettes other than topics of “love” and “information.”
Love and Information
Written by Caryl Churchill, Directed by James Macdonald
Minetta Lane Theatre, closing April 6th
Photo Credit: Sara Krulwich
Pictured:Noah Galvin and Adante Power
Philosophy for Gangsters
Posted: March 5, 2014 Filed under: Comedy, Off-Broadway, Play | Tags: callie, courtneyromano, courtneyromanohanson, philosophyforgangsters, review, theatrerow Leave a comment
This isn’t going to be so much a review as it is a chance for me to brag about my friend, Courtney Romano, who made her Off-Broadway debut last month in a play called Philosophy for Gangsters at the Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row. I went to go see the show a second time last week. Courtney starred as Callie, a mafia princess and college graduate who leads a philosophical revolution with the help of her mob family and a kidnapped philosophy teacher from New Jersey University.
Now, the play leaves much to be desired. While a funny concept with some genuinely entertaining moments, it is very much a film script trying to be a stage play. There are so many quick “cut-to’s,” and sometimes it feels like we spend more time in scene transitions than scenes (which keeps the momentum from building). Just when a couple of characters are really starting to get to the meat and potatoes, there’s a blackout. Some scenes only last a few sentences, and then there’s a transition to jump a few minutes in time. The creators need to take advantage of the fact that we’re in the theatre. They can use stage tricks and/or set up theatrical conventions for the time jumps or even work around them entirely.
But whenever the play started to dip or wander, Courtney was there, solid, with her feet on the ground, serving as the North Star for the production. She set the example for keeping the pace and sticking to the objective at hand. If the plot started to wane, I knew I could look to Courtney who would be on track.
And on top of all that? She was still playing. She was still having fun and diving deeper into the role. I had attended opening night on February 4th, and it was great to see how much she’d developed the character over a few short weeks.
So even though the show closed on Saturday and I can’t tell you go to see it, I can tell you to keep your eyes peeled for my pal in the future.
Philosophy for Gangsters
Written and Directed by Liz and Barry Peak
Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row, closed March 1st
Photo Credit: Carl Wiemann
Pictured: Courtney Romano, Tally Sessions, David Demato, and Tom White
Outside Mullingar
Posted: March 3, 2014 Filed under: Broadway, Comedy, Drama, Play | Tags: debramessing, doubt, doughughes, johnpatrickshanley, manhattantheatreclub, mtc, outsidemullingar, review Leave a comment
Outside Mullingar is John Patrick Shanley’s newest play, and what a delight it is.
You likely know Shanley best from his 2005 Tony and Pulitzer prize-winning play Doubt, or perhaps his lesser-known work – but still a favorite of mine – the film Joe Versus the Volcano (check it out, it’s so weird). That Shanley can write such a range has always been noteworthy to me, and he’s done it yet again with this delightfully endearing piece. As Jenn, my companion for the day, joked afterward, “I think this guy’s got a real future.”
This production stars Debra Messing (of Will & Grace fame) and Brían F. O’Byrne (the always fantastic stage actor) as lifelong neighbors in the town of Mullingar, Ireland. It’s clear from their first scene that they’re meant to end up together, and we should simply sit back and enjoy the ride. So yes, it’s been rightly advertised as primarily a romantic comedy, but it also goes beyond the romance and covers larger themes (family struggles, death, madness). Watch some clips here.
There actually isn’t much I want to say about this play other than how much I liked it. You’ll see that the show speaks for itself. It’s so incredibly charming. Very, very funny. Great acting on all fronts. Excellent direction by Doug Hughes. An amazing, smart set design by John Lee Beatty. Plus the Production Stage Manager is my friend Winnie Lok!
It’ll make you laugh. It’ll make you cry. It’ll surprise you. It’ll close on March 16th. See it if you can.
Outside Mullingar
Written by John Patrick Shanley, Directed by Doug Hughes
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre through March 16th
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
Pictured: Brían F. O’Byrne and Debra Messing
Sex Tips for Straight Women From a Gay Man
Posted: February 25, 2014 Filed under: Comedy, Off-Broadway, Play | Tags: jasonmichaelsnow, lindsaynicolechambers, review, sextipsforstraightwomenfromagayman, sextipsplay, submissionsonly Leave a comment
If you haven’t heard, Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man is not getting much respect from critics, but I don’t understand why. Some are calling it unsophisticated or not actually helpful or packed with sex jokes, etc., but isn’t that EXACTLY why audiences are going? I’m pretty sure people know what they’re getting into with a title like that. They’re expecting phallic jokes and a strip tease, especially audience members who are already fans of the book on which it’s loosely based. So I think these critics need to let their hair down a little bit, lighten up, and trust that the folks attending Sex Tips are just there to drink a few drinks and have a good time. They’re not looking for intellectual stimulation. Perhaps other kinds in fact…
Sure, there are cheap jokes. Sure, the characters aren’t fully developed, but it’s an 80-minute play about sex. Let’s be honest; people are there to laugh about penises. Despite the weak sections of the show, it’s jam-packed with laughs and led by a talented cast. You’ve got the very funny Jason Michael Snow, recently out of The Book of Mormon, who has an excellent knack for ad-libbing, a trait incredibly crucial in this type of environment. He stars as Dan Anderson, the co-author of Sex Tips the book, and is this month’s guest at a community college “Meet the Authors” event. Said event is being moderated by the straight-laced Robyn, played by Lindsay Nicole Chambers, of whom I am a big, big fan from the excellent web series, Submissions Only, created by Kate Weatherhead and Andrew Keenan-Bolger. Watch it, you won’t be sorry, especially you theatre people out there. And then there’s the third character, Stefan (played by Andrew Brewer), who’s a kind of stage assistant slash European scientist slash male model slash stripper. Basically, he’s so pretty it hurts to look at him. We watch as Dan gives Robyn advice about her love life and perhaps helps her nab the hunky Stefan. And don’t forget about the audience participation. People who sit down front in the “Wet Zone” beware – you may very well be up on stage at some point during the show.
I also want to give a shout-out to my pal Matt Franzetti, the fantastic company manager. He’s famous, guys.
So if you’re looking to laugh at dirty jokes, host a bachelorette party, have a night out with friends, or embarrass your significant other on an unusual date, then why not I say? Audiences are having a blast, and you too may be fully at attention.
Sex Tips for Straight Women From a Gay Man
Written by Matt Murphy, Directed by Tim Drucker
777 Theatre, Open-ended
Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel
Pictured: Lindsay Nicole Chambers and Jason Michael Snow
Becca on Broadway 