Race To The StartThere's no disputing that with five of his plays having trod Broadway's boards over as many recent years, playwright, screenwriter and provocateur
David Mamet is back with a vengeance.
Now, the world premiere for his latest work
Race is set to begin previews November 16 at Rialto's
Ethel Barrymore Theatre, the same venue that gave birth to the Broadway premieres of Mamet's
American Buffalo (1977) and
November (2008), as well as the acclaimed revival of
Speed-The-Plow (2008-09). Marking Mamet's directorial debut on the Great White Way,
Race will open December 6 for an open-ended engagement.
While the contents of
Race are highly secretive, there's no doubt it's another super-charged, combustible work. Indeed, the play's advertising campaign succinctly describes
Race:
From Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet, comes his most explosive four-letter word yet. Race.
And they're not talking about a sporting event in which humans, horses or cars circle around a track. With
David Alan Grier,
James Spader,
Richard Thomas and
Kerry Washington on deck, it's safe to say that this show revolves, at least in part, around the color of one's skin.
While not tipping his hat regarding the plot, Thomas has been quoted by blogger
Jon Sobel saying
Race is:
so complex, so many perspectives -- to talk about the plot would be reductive. A quick summation would make it seem much simpler than it is. It's about things that no one says. It's strong stuff. Provocative, but not shocking for the sake of being shocking.
As Mamet enjoys a renaissance with a decidedly
less liberal voice, my curiosity is once again piqued.
I loved Speed-The-Plow and
was quite blown away by the current Broadway revival of
Oleanna, but
I wasn't quite as enthused by Mamet's last new work
November.
Still, as one of America's foremost playwrights, Mamet is likely to challenge your mind in a
Race to the finish.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, David Mamet, First Word On New Show, Play, World Premiere
Joan Rivers (The SOB Review) - Pantages Theatre, Minneapolis, Minnesota*** (out of ****)Joan Rivers. Can she talk?
Oh, puhleeze! If you mean can Joan Rivers dish a blue streak with the best of them, then absolutely.
Although she's just a few months shy of the same age as my very own mother (who incidentally, Joan, if you
are reading, she is
not the "B" in the SOB on this site), they may as well have been born in different generations given the tireless entertainer's incredibly filthy, obscene and hilarious mouth.
In her performance at Minneapolis' Pantage Theatre last Wednesday evening, Joan Rivers delivered perhaps
the single most politically incorrect comedy piece I've ever witnessed. And I loved practically every minute of it.
With Rivers, there are no sacred cows, largely because she's slaying and skewering virtually every one imagineable and even things you hold dear right before your eyes. As she boldly grabs the cajones of countless celebrities, no one is safe from her expert carving. Not
Michael Jackson. Not
Tom Cruise. Not
Whitney Houston. Not anyone, although just to hedge her bets a smidge, she often quickly adds that the star she's just mercilessly ridiculed is a good or close friend.
As an equal opportunity offender, Rivers is also quick to turn her own personal foibles and tragedies into comic fodder, whether joking about her humiliating failure as a light night talk host or even the truly devastating death of her beloved husband Edgar.
Thankfully, with all the sacred cows slaughtered so masterfully by this comedic icon, there's no bull s*** for the audience to wade through, only genuine laughs.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Comedy, Minneapolis/St. Paul, The SOB Review
The Play That Changed My LifeOver the past week, the theatre blogosphere has been buzzing as members of the
Independent Theatre Bloggers Association (to which I belong)
have been sharing fascinating stories from an array of theatre world luminaries on the plays that forever changed their lives.
Today, I'm proud to add to the ongoing discussion in sharing stories from two of this year's Tony-nominated actors,
Gregory Jbara (who went on to win a Tony) and
Gavin Creel. I've had the good fortune to meet both of these extraordinary actors, so it's a thrill for me to provide their anecdotes exclusively on Steve On Broadway (SOB). Additionally, I'll also tell you a little bit about the inspiration behind these stories and an associated contest, along with the play that indeed changed my life.
First, about that inspiration. Proving yet again that it is so much more to the international theatrical community than simply "the Tony Award organization,"
The American Theatre Wing is celebrating the December 1 launch of its new book,
The Play That Changed My Life. In it, 19 of the foremost American playwrights talk about the works that first captured their imaginations and inspired them in their careers and thus transformed their lives.
So what were the impetuses that propelled Jbara and Creel to Broadway's boards? Here are their stories.
Gregory JbaraAs one of Broadway's most beloved contemporary actors, Gregory Jbara has seven Main Stem shows among his stage and screen credits, including Serious Money, Born Yesterday, Damn Yankees, Victor/Victoria, Chicago and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Jbara can still be seen in his first Tony-winning role as Dad in Billy Elliot - The Musical. This Michigan native first came to my attention as Mr. Bernstein in Victor/Victoria, and he's even graciously provided yours truly with a backstage tour of his current show.
When asked to name the play that changed his life, Jbara said: I don’t know that there was any one specific play that I had that experience.
I’d have to say it was being an altar boy in church. It was High Mass, which is, you know, a lot of theatre. In third grade, that was my experience in front of people that I really think gave me the bug for speaking in front of large groups.
Crazy, crazy as it is, I have to attribute the Catholic Church for me being an actor. It was either that or a nun. So I’m glad it was being an actor.
Gavin CreelAs one of today's fastest-rising stars, Gavin Creel not only has three Broadway shows among his credits, including Thoroughly Modern Millie, La Cage aux Folles and the current revival of Hair, but he's already been nominated for two Tony Awards. I've had the pleasure of seeing this Ohio native in all three Rialto productions, as well as in the Chicago incarnation of the Stephen Sondheim musical known as Bounce. I had the pleasure of catching up with Creel at this year's Drama League Awards and was surprised a couple days later at a performance of Hair when this gifted actor tried something new out on me in my second row seat.When asked to name the play that changed his life, Creel said:Mine was The Most Happy Fella.
I saw a musical production of it at the University of Michigan that the university put on there and I thought I was watching a movie on stage. I thought it was the most beautiful thing, the music was stunning, the performances were incredible.
Totally The Most Happy Fella.
Edited by
Ben Hodges, The American Theatre Wing's new book features an introduction from
Paula Vogel.
The Play That Changed My Life features distinguished contributors, who have a combined total of some 40 Tony Awards, Pulitzer Prizes and Obies. They include
Edward Albee,
David Auburn,
Jon Robin Baitz,
Nilo Cruz,
Christopher Durang,
Charles Fuller,
A.R. Gurney,
Beth Henley,
David Henry Hwang,
Tina Howe,
David Ives,
Donald Margulies,
Lynn Nottage,
Suzan-Lori Parks,
Sarah Ruhl,
John Patrick Shanley,
Diana Son,
Regina Taylor and
Doug Wright.
In further celebrating the launch of the original book, The American Theatre Wing has also kicked-off an online essay contest. Here is your official invitation to participate:
[W]hether you work in theatre, hope to make your life in the theatre or just enjoy being in the audience, surely you’ve had that same experience: a single play (or musical) that you saw at some point in your life that had a profound effect on you, be it a childhood production of Cinderella in a school auditorium featuring an older sibling, a parent’s appearance at the local community theatre, a Broadway spectacle like Les Misérables or The Phantom of the Opera, a journey to a small out-of-the-way theatre that told its story with a minimum of technical tools.
Frankly, it could be any production, and that’s what ATW wants to hear about: what show had the greatest impact upon you, when you saw it in the course of your life, and most importantly why it meant so much to you. Entries (limited to 350 words) will be judged based on their creativity, their clarity and perhaps most importantly, for how they convey your passion for the theatre.
So tell ATW about the play that changed your life – those few hours in the theatre, at any age, in any theatre, that had the greatest impact on your life and your perception of theatre — and have the opportunity to share your story with the thousands of visitors to americantheatrewing.org while getting the chance to win an autographed copy of The Play That Changed My Life and other theatrical books from Applause Publishing. Enter by clicking here.
The contest entry period runs through Sunday, November 29. The final expert panel judging the contest includes ATW Board of Directors Chairman and President of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, Ted Chapin; Applause Books’ Editorial Director Carol Flannery; award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang; and former Time Magazine arts editor and Broadway & Me blogger (as well as dear SOB friend) Janice Simpson. Additional prizes will be given based on voting by the general public, which will continue through December 11.
As for the play that changed my life? Regular readers will recall that earlier this year,
I waxed nostalgic regarding the thirty years that have passed since I first took in a Broadway show, albeit on the London stage. That show was the British mounting of
Annie.
In that post, I mused:
[M]y view of the world and all its possibilities was forever and inalterably changed.
Little did I know upon entering London's Victoria Palace Theatre (current home to Billy Elliot - The Musical) how swept away I could become by just one show. From my front row center mezzanine seat, I witnessed nothing short of pure magic.
I was absolutely riveted by the legendary Stratford Johns as Daddy Warbucks and the glorious Sheila Hancock as Miss Hannigan -- she simply blew me away with a sublime performance I can still vividly recall even today.
I marveled at Charnin's ingenious direction, Peter Gennaro's breathtaking choreography and Theoni V. Aldredge's dazzling costume design. But it was David Mitchell's sliding set designs that completely floored me as they transported Annie's array of characters across the stage without them even having to take a step.
To say it transported me as well would be a major understatement. I was wowed. Big time. [T]he exhilaration I felt in seeing Annie was a life-changer of a different order.
With a strange new tingling sensation down my spine, I was replete with goosebumps from head to toe. This live performance would forever change my expectations of entertainment. I now saw just how brilliant stagecraft could be. Entertainment became art. And I was forever hooked on live theatre.
For those of you who may quibble that a musical doesn't count as a play, you may be interested in knowing that later in 1979 when I was a freshman in college -- with memories of
Annie still dancing in my head -- I decided to take in a Broadway tour during its Milwaukee swing at the
Pabst Theatre.
That play was
The Belle of Amherst starring none other than the legendary, 5-time Tony winner
Julie Harris, who also was honored with a Tony for this show.
Seeing Harris was like striking theatrical gold. Directed by
Charles Nelson Reilly, Harris completely mesmerized in this solo performance with her brilliant portrayals of poet Emily Dickinson and her contemporaries, including Charles Wadsworth. I had no idea that an actor could take on so many diverse roles and make each and every one of them seem so believable and immensely credible.
In learning how potent the power of the spoken word could be when delivered so passionately by Harris that one evening 30 years ago, I was spellbound. Thus,
The Belle Of Amherst truly was the play that changed my life.
What play changed yours?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Annie, Billy Elliot The Musical, Broadway, Charles Nelson Reilly, Gavin Creel, Gregory Jbara, Hair, Julie Harris, Milwaukee, Musical, Play, The Belle Of Amherst
Hamlet (The SOB Review) - Broadhurst Theatre, New York, New York*** (out of ****)One of my life's little tragedies is that my ears have rarely been in sync with the Bard's old English.
Typically, I'm faced with either foregoing revivals or bucking up and trying my best to decipher what's being spoken on stage. Yet as a true theatre aficionado, how can I not take the latter path?
As it turns out, my fears in taking in
Michael Grandage's revival of
Hamlet were completely allayed and in retrospect unfounded. Given Grandage's expert and imaginative direction I've witnessed throughout every one of his productions from
dark Russian drama to
classic musicals, I shouldn't have been surprised that he could pull off another miracle.
Fortunately for audiences sharing my apprehension over seeing works by
William Shakespeare because they're more often than not delivered on this side of the pond in a rather stultifying manner, this import from London's Donmar Warehouse is anything but. Thanks to Grandage, this play's the thing wherein I've finally caught the conscience of the king and then some!
High praise must be paid to the innovative
Jude Law for making his
Hamlet come alive. Rather than delivering Shakespeare's words as if they were part of some lost language, Law excels in cracking the code. He finds the depth and nuance redounding in every single word. Each syllable dances off his tongue sounding fresh and vibrant.
That's in part because
Hamlet here is not so much the brooding Danish prince as he is a particularly circumspect one replete with boyish verve and playful vigor. It's a testament to Law's mastery that his impassioned soliloquy immediately
prior to the oft-quoted one containing "To be or not to be" becomes the stand-out passage within this play.
While the brave choices he and Grandage have made may raise the eyebrows of purists, this revival sings, even if not everyone else in the cast can hold their notes quite as well or as long. No wonder shortly after I departed the Broadhurst, I
tweeted half in jest that Jude Law stole the show.
But with Law's towering performance casting a long shadow over my quibbles with his
Hamlet, this is one accessible production of Shakespeare's work that all are meant to see.
This is Steve Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Hamlet, Jude Law, Michael Grandage, Play, Revival, William Shakespeare
Memphis (The SOB Review) - Shubert Theatre, New York, New York*** (out of ****)If you like seeing all your money up on the stage, run, don't walk, to see
Joe DiPietro and
David Bryan's rhythmically-infused
Memphis. With a whole heck of a lot of hockadoo, it's almost impossible to contain.
With slick, fast-paced direction from
Christopher Ashley, rousing and impeccable cast, tuneful score, sizzling choreography (
Sergio Trujillo) and a visually stunning scenic design (
David Gallo) that's augmented with equally astonishing projections (Gallo and
Shawn Sagady),
Memphis is a dazzling destination worth the trip.
This original musical recounts the story of an outlandish white deejay Huey Calhoun (
Chad Kimball) who attempts to mainstream
Beale Street's rhythm and blues and in the process falls in love with one of its top singing denizens Felicia Ferrell (
Montego Glover), who happens to be black. Set against the segregated fifties, that makes Huey both a musical pioneer and a trailblazer in flouting the era's ridiculous laws against what was shamefully referred to as miscegenation.
DiPietro brilliantly captures the inherent danger of this time in Tennessee all too well. The risk of two individuals of different colors kissing, let alone even holding hands, could result in tremendous injury or worse. And given the
world headlines one neanderthal justice of the peace in Louisiana recently garnered for refusing to marry one such couple, not to mention the ongoing debate over another
type of marriage,
Memphis resonates on so many levels.
If the second act doesn't exactly measure up to the thoroughly captivating first, it's because it becomes confoundingly incongruous, particularly via a conclusion that defies credulity. And while the story may have you thinking
Dreamgirls for its depiction of the rise of R&B and
Hairspray for its forthright bridging of our nation's racial divide,
Memphis is, if not entirely fresh, a solid crowd pleaser that will have you cheering nevertheless.
Two principal reasons are Kimball and Glover. When I last saw Kimball, he was portraying Milky White -- a cow, no less -- in the wonderful 2002 revival of
Into the Woods. Although he's had two other Broadway roles since,
Memphis enables him to truly prove his mettle and then some. With a folksy swagger that's a bit reminiscent of
Christian Slater, Kimball's Huey is a great ball of fire who can't be extinguished. Then there's Glover's Felicia in which we witness an amazing ascent both for a captivating character and an immensely impassioned new Broadway star. Glover took my breath away.
It's been said that at the very heart of the genre known as rock and roll, you'll find soul. Fortunately, the boundless soul within
Memphis has the power to rock your heart.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Chad Kimball, Christopher Ashley, David Bryan, Joe DiPietro, Memphis, Montego Glover, Musical, Sergio Trujillo, The SOB Review
Random Thoughts & Tweets: Social Media And Criticism
Yesterday, theatre blogger Joseph Anthony Gomez of
I Can't I Have Rehearsal posed the following question to me via Twitter (@):
@ What do U consider pros/cons 4 writing theater reviews 4 blogging format/social media as opposed 2 other media like print?
My response:
@ Perhaps I'll need to write a long-form answer on my SOB blog since 140 characters won't do!
Joseph responded:
@ it took me 20 minutes just to reword the question so it would fit in 140 characters or less! haha!
Joseph and I subsequently communicated via that outmoded tool -- e-mail -- and he added some depth to his questions.
Which is kind of a funny coincidence given a column on the other side of the Atlantic in today's
The Independent. Nicholas Lezard doesn't seem to comprehend that more often than not people are using Twitter to communicate news with one another. Ironically, I learned about Lezard's column from, you guessed it, Twitter (via @)!
In his rant, Lezard says:
The name tells us straightaway: it's inconsequential, background noise, a waste of time and space. Actually, the name does a disservice to the sounds birds make, which are, for the birds, significant, and for humans, soothing and, if you're Messiaen, inspirational. But Twitter? Inspirational?
No – it's inspiration's opposite. The online phenomenon is about humanity disappearing up its own fundament, or the air leaking out of the whole Enlightenment project. In short, I feel about Twitter the way some people feel about nuclear weapons: it's wrong. It makes blogging look like literature. It's anti-literature, the new opium of the masses.
Since I'm writing what you're currently reading via, um, what Lezard describes as "literature," here's my two cents. Twitter is a great and essential tool for aggregating information as never before. While it may have previously been microblogging at its worst, it is evolving every day. In my humble opinion, the best tweets come from those who are sharing ideas and information (along with their
TinyURLs and
Bit.lys) to move people to read comprehensive stories in, oh, say newspapers, as well as blogs.
Now, as for answering Joseph's more thorough off-line questions, here's what I shared via that old-fashioned and oft-overlooked tool called e-mail:
It's kind of funny. In the earliest days of writing reviews on SOB, I took to doing them longform where I would write exhaustively about every aspect of a show.
But putting myself in the audience members' shoes, I came to realize that reading a review online can be tedious if it's too long, so I started to shorten them significantly and that usually came at the expense of critiquing some of the design elements and providing extended comments about plot lines. Online audiences want something shorter, more concise and easier to read, and it's more akin to radio/television reviews as opposed to the longform variety that you'll see in newspapers and magazines like the New Yorker.
As to the format I use? I've been across the board. I try to vary my style rather than writing the same thing over and over again. It takes some imagination. I usually try to think of the beginning and conclusion first and then build each review from there. It can be a challenge, but then it's nothing compared to producing a show, right?
Regardless of the new FTC rules governing blogs, which by the way I think are foolhardy, I think freebies will continue to exist for some of the reasons I outlined on the show, including the sheer cost per (theatre) ticket. Even though I pay for each and every ticket for shows I see and review, I'm the exception to the rule. I think what you'll see are bloggers simply noting at the bottom of each review that they were comped, and chances are you might even see more negative reviews as a way to tell their audiences that no free ticket can sway their opinion.
As social media continues to grow at the very same time mainstream media is cutting back (and print media is dying altogether), I believe blogs will be sought out even more, especially as mainstream critics gravitate online. Of course, anyone can have a blog or an opinion (it's true in some respects, now more than ever, that "everyone's a critic"), but it takes resolve and drive to keep blogging on a regular basis. And just like any other critic from other media, you build an audience who knows and respects your point of view or on the flipside can say, "well if he likes it, that means I'll hate it."
Blogs are here for the long haul. It's just a matter of finding those you value and trust.
How's that for 140 characters?!
Mr. Lezard, I would readily admit that I poo-pooed Twitter before I actually took the time to understand it and grasp its potential. But remember, without it, I would never have known about your opinion, however misinformed.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Blogs, Critics, Twitter
Brighton Beach: Too Soon To Fade To MemoriesThe new Broadway revival of
Brighton Beach Memoirs that just opened at the top of this week will close Sunday.
Over the past 15 hours, there has been a flurry of slightly varying news items about the future of the show, along with word that the planned production of
Broadway Bound originally scheduled to run in repertory with
Brighton Beach Memoirs beginning in November would be scuttled.
Last evening at 8:11 p.m.
The New York Times'
Pat Healy posted the initial scoop noting the production's weak ticket sales:
The production had failed to build a strong advance sale and grossed only about $124,000 for eight performances last week.
A little later last evening, in taking note of Healy's story, Playbill's
Kenneth Jones quoted a statement indicating only a "provisional" closing notice had been issued:
The notice can be taken down at any time and no final decision on closing will be made until Monday, Nov. 2, when a statement will be issued.
However, this morning, the fate of
Brighton Beach Memoirs appeared to be sealed as noted by
The New York Times' Healy in a story posted at 10:08 a.m.
Healy quotes producers Emanuel Azenberg and Ira Pittelman from a statement released earlier today:
A lot of nice people on stage and off will be out of work and a lot of good partners and investors will have lost a great deal of money. They all deserve better. It makes us sad.
It would be hard for anyone to say with a straight face that they didn't see this coming. As noted above, ticket sales have been extremely weak. Over the past
couple weeks,
Brighton Beach Memoirs had been the single lowest-grossing Broadway production by a mile, as well as the one with the lowest average ticket price. For the week ending October 25, the play's
average ticket price was a steal at just $21.32.
Personally, having easily scored a front-row seat without paying a premium just a week prior to attending the show, I was hardly shocked by the news. On my Saturday at the Nederlander Theatre, I was surprised by how few people were in the audience.
While I can't say I had not anticipated the closing notice, I am extraordinarily disappointed. I love what
David Cromer and his excellent cast have done with
Neil Simon's heartfelt material. It is a beautifully executed production deserving to be seen. While
most reviews were largely favorable (my own
SOB Review was a rave), the
one that I concede matters most was mixed with a dash of withering.
While I'm thankful I had an opportunity to see
Brighton Beach Memoirs for myself, I'm a little sad that my hopes for seeing what Cromer
et al had in store for us with
Broadway Bound have been dashed. So excuse me for feeling a little melancholy today.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Closing Notices, David Cromer, Neil Simon, Play, Revival
