Little Miss Sunshine
Posted: December 6, 2013 Filed under: Comedy, Musical, Off-Broadway | Tags: intothewoods, jameslapine, littlemisssunshine, roryo'malley, secondstage, stephaniejblock, williamfinn, willswenson Leave a comment
Well, what a charming little show Little Miss Sunshine is. The evening was such a pleasant surprise. I’d heard mixed things (mostly negative), but it was a treat, plain and simple.
True, the show already has a lot going for it since it’s based on the excellent movie hit of 2006. I only saw it once in theatres, but it’s remained one of my favorites. The movie made an impression because it had a new, touching, funny screenplay with a talented cast, and now you can encounter that same great combination on stage.
You’ve got Stephanie J. Block, Will Swenson, and Rory O’Malley to name a few of the performers. Then there is music by William Finn whose work you might have heard if you’re a fan of Falsettos, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, or A New Brain, and the book and direction is by James Lapine. You know you’re in good hands if you have Lapine taking care of you (Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George). I don’t remember the last time I saw a musical with this strong of a book. Again, this may simply be because they’re working with gold. I’m not sure how many lines are taken directly from the screenplay (I think another movie viewing is in order), but the musical definitely sticks to the plot.
Why turn this particular movie into a stage show? Because it’s just so damn fun to watch them figure out the van. If you recall, the bright yellow VW bus is a key character in the movie, as the family spends many an hour riding, driving, and pushing it from New Mexico to California. In this production the bus is six chairs on wheels and boy, do they make it work. The bus transforms throughout the piece. It’s incredibly clever, and the choreography is sharp and clean. In fact, the whole show is. It’s well put together with an extremely talented cast playing well-developed characters. The supporting characters are also hilarious (I wish Wesley Taylor had more to do!).
Now it’s not perfect. The score isn’t to die for; I didn’t fall in love with it the way I did when I saw Spelling Bee on Broadway. I didn’t leave humming the songs, and a few could pack a little more punch. I wanted more from the son’s big number, and the bathroom encounter between Frank (O’Malley) and his ex left much to be desired. The opening moments of the show were also odd. It just kind of…started. It was as if it picked up in the middle of a song, and I thought I had missed something. Nonetheless, the harmonies are beautiful, and the music certainly fits the style of the piece.
Overall, it’s quirky, fun, and adorable, just like the film. It was nice to see the story again with a new twist. And you have to go simply to see that pageant at the end. After being disappointed by the musicals thus far this season, Little Miss Sunshine is a breath of a fresh air.
Little Miss Sunshine
Written by James Lapine and William Finn, Directed by James Lapine
Second Stage Theatre through December 15th
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
Pictured: Stephanie J. Block, Will Swenson, and the Cast of Little Miss Sunshine
Analog.Ue
Posted: December 5, 2013 Filed under: Off-Broadway, Play | Tags: analog.ue, analogue, danielkitson, monologist, recorder, reeltoreel, review, stanns Leave a comment
Up until the current production of Analog.Ue at St. Ann’s Warehouse, I had never heard of Daniel Kitson. He’s known as an English stand-up comedian as well as a playwright and monologist. At the heart, Kitson is a storyteller. After seeing his show, I departed a fan of his stories but not so much of this particular rendition.
Would you like some context? So a light comes up on a table far upstage covered in old-school tape recorders, reel-to-reel players, etc. The particular story being shared with us is entirely pre-recorded, and Kitson slowly but surely brings forward each player, hooks it up to a central circuit board, and plays the next section of the story. He often switches back and forth between a couple players, but primarily he moves on to the next piece of the story with a new piece of equipment.
In these one-to-two-minute increments, we learn about Thomas, an 80-year-old man, who has decided to record his life story at the encouragement of his wife of 40 years. He gets settled in his garage with plenty of snacks and surrounded by dozens of recorders. Meanwhile, this narrative is also spliced with tales of a young woman named Trudy. It’s years later and she happens to own one of Thomas’s tapes and has spent years trying to find the man whose voice she has listened to since childhood. While the story is appealing in itself, it takes a while to get going. The running time is approximately 75 minutes, fluctuating due to the technical problems that may crop up. In fact, it was during the technical difficulties that I was most amused. Kitson’s anecdotes and interjections to fill the pauses were quite amusing and made light of the reality.
It’s a very interesting idea, but the actual execution didn’t hold my interest. Sitting in a dark room with minimal physical activity and lighting makes it difficult to stay present (and awake). With only auditory stimulation, you might be asking yourself: couldn’t this be a podcast? Let’s check in with my theatre companions for that evening. Allison (my bro’s gf) wasn’t too pleased. She has seen Kitson’s work before and was disappointed he didn’t talk to us. His storytelling is his MO, and we didn’t get to see it. Jeff (my bro), on the other hand, kept arguing the point that this is the only way the story can be told! Maybe you should go and decide for yourself. Personally I don’t think it’s enough. While it is an intriguing experiment in technology and audio devices, I found myself counting how many recorders were left on the table.
Analog.Ue
Written by Daniel Kitson
St. Ann’s Warehouse through December 21st
First Date
Posted: December 4, 2013 Filed under: Broadway, Comedy, Musical | Tags: bailout, bff, chuck, firstdate, musical, review, tangled, zacharylevi Leave a comment
I had hoped I wouldn’t come out of this show echoing all of the other critics, but unfortunately there’s not much new to share. We have a musical here packed with one-dimensional characters. Everyone is the ultimate stereotype: the bad boy, nagging sister, player best friend, super gay bff, the list goes on. No character ever digs below the surface, and when the writers try to do so with the leads, it only comes off as lame and ineffective.
What my companions and I were left wondering was: does the actual idea work? Can you make an entire show based on the premise of a first date? Yes, it’s funny. People easily relate; they can look at the characters up on stage and think, “Ohh yes, I’ve been there.” With the classic highlights of the introduction, small talk banter, no-no’s of first dates, awkward pauses, picking up the check, etc., there is a lot to poke fun at, but is there enough meat to make a full musical? Perhaps if there were more vignettes of multiple couples, rather than just one date, you could find more to work with. I’m not sure, but as it stands, First Date is 90-minutes of mostly filler.
The banter is light, packed with easy jokes. My theatre pal, Matt Franzetti, called it sitcom writing, and I couldn’t agree more. Now, let me stress that I love me some quality sitcoms, but I don’t go to the theatre for that. This musical could be a 22-minute sitcom with the main storyline being the horrors of a first date, but since these characters are so over-the-top and archetypal, there’s no way to connect to them as an audience. They seem fake, so when the topics try to steer their way to real connection, I didn’t go along for the ride.
I tried. I did! There are a handful of genuinely funny moments, but the rest are forced and uncomfortable. For example, there’s the gay BFF bail-out call. It’s a somewhat funny gag; yes, girls often have a friend call just in case they want to get out of a date. But then he sings the same song THREE times. They take a gag that’s not all that great to begin with and then beat it into the ground.
As for the stars, First Date features Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez. We first heard Levi’s pipes in Tangled, and he is a king of landing awkward humor (see: Chuck). He’s just the right combination of awkward and charming to make even the lamest dialogue endearing. But it gets old quick. True, he keeps landing the jokes, but let’s give the guy some variety please. Also, I’m so over the standard stereotypes of guy meets girl: the uptight, tripping-over-his-words guy and the punk-rock, hard-shell girl who deep down is vulnerable and looking for love. And Rodriguez, whom I usually like, is just reciting her lines. It doesn’t feel organic, but can you blame her with some of the stuff she has to say?
It’s hard to be so harsh, but between that book, the primarily forgettable score, and the marketing, I just can’t get on board with this show. First Date will definitely be my last.
First Date
Written by Austin Winsberg, Alan Zachary, and Michael Weiner, Directed by Bill Berry
Longacre Theatre through January 5th
Photo Credit: Chris Owyoung
Pictured: Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez
Macbeth
Posted: November 19, 2013 Filed under: Broadway, Drama, Play, Revival, Shakespeare | Tags: briand'arcyjames, ethanhawke, ladymacbeth, lincolncentertheater, macbeth, review, shakespeare Leave a comment
I’m sorry to declare that if you’re a fan of Macbeth, the current production up at Lincoln Center is not the one to see. Maybe you caught the more interesting Alan Cumming production a few short months ago. Or there’s still time to go see the abstract, interactive Sleep No More at the McKittrick Hotel. This more traditional approach, on the other hand, starring none other than Ethan Hawke as Mac, just sits there, barely filling the vast stage that is the Vivian Beaumont. True, the set and lighting designs are epic and at times beautiful, but they cannot make up for the significant lack of stakes within the scene work.
The drama comes across as stale with nothing really hanging in the balance. This is Macbeth we’re talking about! The murderous, bloody, envious story of Macbeth usurping King Duncan’s throne and then destroying everyone in his path in his desperate attempt to hold on to the throne. Instead, when something serious goes down, the moments venture toward melodrama. You know something is wrong when the most effective moment in the show is when the dining room table suddenly appears covered in lobster after Banquo’s untimely end. It’s quite surprising given that Jack O’Brien is the director. I like his work; he rarely disappoints. Is direction the core issue at hand here or is it the acting?
I love Brian d’Arcy James as Banquo. The man has an incredible singing voice, and his speaking voice is just as musical. I found myself wishing he had played Macbeth. And Anne-Marie Duff’s Lady Macbeth was quite astute. Her work, including the infamous “Out Damn Spot” monologue, was some of the best in the show. John Glover is also charming and enticing as one of the bearded witches. As for Ethan, while I have enjoyed some of his film work, he has never particularly impressed me on stage. Granted he is fearless and always ready to take on any part, no matter the size, but he yelled his way through Henry IV and all three parts of The Coast of Utopia. In this, his voice is all one note. There is no music in his sound, and I left craving something more.
The show doesn’t open until November 21st, and I’m very curious what the reviews will report. The running time is just under three hours. I wonder if any cuts were made from the original script. Hecate and the weird sisters are followed around by crawling gremlin-like things. My friend had a nice nap during Act II. I’m not quite sure what else to say. The bottom line is Shakespeare needs stakes. Period. If that is missing, particularly in one of the tragedies, then why is the story needed?
Macbeth
Written by William Shakespeare, Directed by Jack O’Brien
Lincoln Center Theater through January 12th
Photo Credit: T. Charles Erickson
Pictured: Ethan Hawke and Anne-Marie Duff
Bad Jews
Posted: November 18, 2013 Filed under: Comedy, Off-Broadway, Play | Tags: badjews, chai, review, roundabout, shiksa Leave a comment
First, let me say that I did not care for this show. Second, I should also say right off the bat that I am most definitely in the minority. Bad Jews has received rave reviews and audiences love it. My theatre buddy that evening (and fellow Jew) was my brother’s girlfriend, Allison (of Accessories by ASH), and she loved the show, too.
So what’s wrong with me you ask? Well, let’s back up a bit. We start in a fancy New York City studio with Jonah and his first cousin, Daphna (actually named Diana, but she’s super Jewish so she’s Daphna now, don’t bring it up) after their grandfather’s funeral. They are soon to be joined by Jonah’s brother, Liam, who arrives late (missing the funeral) with his Shiksa girlfriend, Melody. Tensions are immediately high, yes due to the death in the family, but primarily because Daphna is “that cousin” who gets in your face about everything. She and Liam can’t stand each other. Jonah would prefer to stay out of the drama as much as possible. As the fighting enters into the wee hours of the morning, these four characters brawl over their feelings toward Judaism, marrying outside the faith, how to best honor their grandfather, and above all who should receive Poppy’s Chai necklace that he’s had since the Holocaust.
Now I went into this play thinking I was going to see a slapstick comedy about Jews. The play does have some good laughs (there is one bit with Molly Ranson as Melody and I could hardly breathe), but this is no farce. There are serious issues being covered, and very intense words are shared. Thoughtful questions are raised and interesting perspectives put out there, but the way in which they are approached is what put me off. I want to hear these arguments but not from these people. For example, the second Liam is introduced he is a jackass through and through with no redeeming qualities. Why do we start with him there? There isn’t anywhere for him to go if he’s already so terrible.
It’s hard to watch people fight for close to two hours. It’s hard to watch unlikable people tear each other down with cruel words. Some of what these characters say is exactly that: cruel. They are bullies, pure and simple. There are two monologues in particular that are full of hateful words directed at another person in the room. Luckily there comes a point when someone steps in, but I as an audience member didn’t see why we had to watch it. Charles Isherwood calls it savage humor, and apparently it’s just not my style. I only felt a consistent sense of unease.
Maybe the discomfort I felt during the show is part of the playwright’s intention; perhaps he wants to ruffle some feathers. But instead, I felt like Jonah – stuck in the middle and not wanting to get involved.
Bad Jews
Written by Joshua Harmon, Directed by Daniel Aukin
The Laura Pels Theatre through December 29th
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
Pictured: Tracee Chimo, Philip Ettinger, and Michael Zegen
Becca on Broadway 