How Superior Did Critics Find Letts' Donuts?Last evening,
Tracy Letts'
Superior Donuts enjoyed its world premiere at Chicago's Steppenwolf. Directed by
Tina Landau,
Superior Donuts stars
Michael McKean (right) and
Jon Michael Hill (left), along with
James Vincent Meredith,
Yasen Peyankov,
Jane Alderman,
Kate Buddeke,
Cliff Chamberlain,
Michael Garvey and
Robert Maffia.
Critics' sentiments were nearly unanimous in citing
Superior Donuts' "sentimental" streak, with most calling it funny and entertaining while predictably drawing inevitable comparisons with
August: Osage County.
Crediting Landau for making this an "ideal production,"
Variety's
Steven Oxman provides the most praise: "This is most definitely Letts in a mild, even slightly sentimental mode, although he has such a penchant for dark edges that even his comic work comes with physical and emotional injury. Small in scale and certainly fully accessible,
Superior Donuts also shows Letts wading more forcefully into social themes.... But this is also the first play by Letts that's probably best when nothing at all is happening, because while the dialogue is always zesty, the plotting itself is extremely transparent and oddly anti-climactic, never shaking off that sense of being manufactured out of formula.... That said, there are pleasures aplenty. McKean invests Arthur with enough quiet soulfulness to make us care about him, particularly when the character steps forward to deliver his backstory in monologues interspersed between the scenes. And Hill is without question a talent to watch, in a part tailor-made for him."
Advising readers to "Relax. Have a good time," after pointedly noting this is not going to be the next
August: Osage County,
Chris Jones of
The Chicago Tribune waxes largely enthusiastic: "Landau’s humanely and unpretentiously staged premiere enhances a witty, seductive, live-wire and greatly entertaining dark comedy that you just don’t want to end and you just don’t want to miss. The one thing it most assuredly has in common with its illustrious predecessor is that it lands with an audience. A Chicago audience.... It is a meditation on Chicago’s old soul from a writer clearly entranced with the place but disinclined, by temperament, to be sentimental. Letts can write cliches ... But he’s smart enough to undermine and subvert them when they start to bother you.... Thus his newest work is at once a challenge, a comfort and an insouciant pleasure."
While criticizing
Superior Donuts for serving "up an admittedly more pedestrian vision" of America than Letts' last effort,
Chicago Sun-Times'
Hedy Weiss still serves up a "somewhat recommended" rating: "The whole thing has an undeniable zest, but also feels far from seamless as it lurches from behavioral comedy to urban tragedy to social critique. And its characters -- the young genius undone by his not-so-streetwise escapades, the Maalox-gobbling thug, the female cop with hidden baking skills -- all feel like they've been pressed from pre-existing molds.... Letts is a writer who rarely repeats himself, though
Superior Donuts, directed by Tina Landau, contains many of his trademarks: a sharply funny offhandedness; a playful social commentary rooted in stereotype, but heightened by a certain mix of braininess and raw earthiness; a slightly off-kilter realism; and a turn-on-a-dime ability to switch moods. And Arthur, one of Letts' most intriguing, deftly drawn characters -- gentle but full of suppressed rage -- is given a marvelously natural and believable performance by McKean."
Calling the show "an intimate, sentimental little comedy,"
Jeremy Gerard of Bloomberg weighs in with a mixed assessment: "The result is predictable and silly but, as with
August: Osage County, extremely entertaining, not to mention a full hour shorter.... Much of the show's charm owes to warm performances elicited by director Tina Landau from the Steppenwolf ensemble. At the top of that list would be Michael McKean, pony-tailed, pot-bellied and hirsute as Arthur, and Jon Michael Hill, who, as ants-in-his-pants Franco defies credulousness.... Sitcom jokes and soul-baring rarely co-exist comfortably in the same script. Letts is ambitious, however, and writes terrific characters. Give him time, not prizes."
Deeming the work as "insubstantial and sweet, with virtually no nutritional value,"
Charles Isherwood of
The New York Times nevertheless admits: "minor though this comedy is, it is also hard to dislike.... The best news about
Superior Donuts is probably its unlikeness to any of Mr. Letts’s previous plays....
Superior Donuts is a funny play. It certainly glides by comfortably. But much of the comedy feels tame, safe and solicitous, lacking in the spontaneous acid truth of the flaying insults in
August....
Superior Donuts is not a significant play, but Mr. Letts’s willingness to explore new forms, to confound expectations, has its heartening aspects."
Having taken in last evening's premiere of
Superior Donuts myself, I'll be providing my own SOB Review shortly.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Letts' Superior Donuts Opens Tonight (June 29, 2008)
Tracy Letts On Superior Donuts: "Pressure's Off!" (June 19, 2008)
Looking Forward: The SOB Top Five (January 2, 2008)
Labels: August Osage County, Chicago, Critics' Capsule, Jon Michael Hill, Michael McKean, Play, Steppenwolf, Superior Donuts, Tina Landau, Tracy Letts, World Premiere
Superior Donuts (The SOB Review) - Downstairs Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago, IL**** (out of ****)How is a hero distinguished from a coward?
In
Tracy Letts' profoundly moving new play
Superior Donuts, it all comes down to choosing one's battles. Wisely.
Last night,
Steppenwolf staged the world premiere production of Letts' first play to be set in his adopted hometown of Chicago. And he does so by placing the action in a most unsentimental place: the city's timeworn Uptown neighborhood, a section of Chicago that's been fighting gentrification for years, yet has somehow remained one of the few true microcosms for the city's cultural diversity and divide alike.
Marking yet another stunning departure from his previous efforts, Letts'
Superior Donuts feels so right, including being right up to the minute, replete with local references including that of a
stray cougar alongside
iconic lore. But Letts is at his best when he's intelligently combatting some urban myths about race.
Which brings me back to the capability for choosing one's battles.
You see,
Superior Donuts proprietor Arthur Prysbyszewski (an astonishing and nearly unrecognizable
Michael McKean) may have evaded the Vietnam draft forty years ago by heading north to Canada (we learn Arthur's essential backstory via his poignant soliloquies interspersed throughout
Superior Donuts), but when his brilliant young employee and promising literary genius Franco Wicks (a wonderfully cocksure
Jon Michael Hill) needs a lifeline, something both vital and raw sparks inside Arthur.
So bleak and dreary has Arthur's life become that he hardly seems to notice or care when his dingy little baked goods shop is broken into. Near the beginning of
Superior Donuts, Arthur arrives to find two police officers Randy Osteen (
Kate Buddeke displaying a heart of gold) and James Hailey (
James Vincent Meredith in one of his funniest performances yet) surveying the damage. The duo is taking the statement of Max Tarasov (a delightfully scabrous
Yasen Peyankov), the Russian-born electronic shopkeeper from next door, who would stop at nothing to buy-out Arthur's space to enlarge his own store and give
Best Buy a run for its money.
With no coffee to offer his lone patron, a street person affectionately referred to simply as Lady (
Jane Alderman), Arthur requisitions some java from the other relentlessly encroaching
neighborhood pariah. It's as if Arthur has permanently thrown in the towel, resigned to defeat.
That is, until Franco walks into his donut shop to apply for an open position. Before long, it's Arthur who's being interviewed, and recognizing that this is not just another kid from the hood, Arthur hires Franco, a drop-out from a local college who lugs around a foot-thick stack of diaries and papers comprising his great American novel. Franco and Arthur hit it off so well that the budding author lets his boss read the material in exchange for advice on how to snare Randy, all while considering the possibilities that life with a published book and upgraded donut shop could offer.
Despite Franco's book smarts, he's also learned plenty from the streets, including the perils associated with gambling. Seems he's run up a hefty debt that's so large that his newly found minimum wage job could never get him out of it. But there's that beloved book. Franco's great American novel becomes central to the plot as the mob comes looking for their money, sparking Arthur's resolve to finally stand up and redeem himself for something so right.
Thanks in large measure to
Tina Landau's loving direction,
Superior Donuts feels genuine, gritty and real, right down to its climactic brawl that forever underscores just how clumsy and inept actual fist fights can be.
Loy Arcenas adds to the remarkable authenticity with a set design in various stages of disrepair, accentuated further by Chris Akerlind's moody lighting.
But best of all, matching Letts' extraordinarily affecting script is
Superior Donuts' exceptional ensemble. Chief among them is the yeoman service of McKean as Arthur who anchors the production in all his humility, however ordinary it may seem. McKean has clearly lost himself in this most unglamorous of roles, but the audience wins as a result. Equally excellent is Hill's Franco, whose tremendous zest for living is infectious, and whose woes make us actually give a damn.
There's a lot more to chew on in
Superior Donuts than what's on its surface. In fact, instead of finding a sugary goo, or worse, nothing at all, there's plenty of humanity and heart to be found deep inside of this intelligent and entertaining play.
I absolutely loved this courageous show that truly lives up to its name.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:How Superior Did Critics Find Letts' Donuts? (June 30, 2008)
Letts' Superior Donuts Opens Tonight (June 29, 2008)
Tracy Letts On Superior Donuts: "Pressure's Off!" (June 19, 2008)
Looking Forward: The SOB Top Five (January 2, 2008)
Labels: Jon Michael Hill, Michael McKean, Play, Superior Donuts, The SOB Review, Tina Landau, Tracy Letts, World Premiere
Broadway Preview: EquusNearly 31 years after the one and only Broadway production of
Equus opened at the
Plymouth Theatre (now the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre),
Peter Shaffer's disturbing play is set to commence its Rialto revival at the
Broadhurst Theatre on September 5, with an opening scheduled for September 25.
What makes this staging of particular widespread interest is that a naked
Daniel Radcliffe (yes,
Harry Potter himself) will make his Broadway debut as Alan Strang, a psychotic young stable boy who finds sexual pleasure in blinding horses and riding them.
Radcliffe reprises the role he first took on across the pond in the early 2007, ahem,
mounting in London.
Thea Sharrock helms this transfer as she did in the West End, and
Richard Griffiths will once again portray Strang's doctor, Martin Dysart. Additionally, it was announced just last week that
Kate Mulgrew will join the cast as Hester Salomon.
Winner of the Tony Award for Best Play in 1975, the original
Equus opened October 24, 1974 and ran for 1209 performances before closing on October 2, 1977. The play's original cast was nothing short of breathtaking, featuring such major theatrical names as
Anthony Hopkins,
Roberta Maxwell,
Marian Seldes and
Frances Sternhagen. Director
John Dexter took home a Tony for Best Director, while
Peter Firth was honored with a Tony for his portrayal of Strang.
When this revival of
Equus opened at London's Gielgud Theatre in early 2007,
critics were mixed in their assessments. But given the high profile status of Radcliffe, the show offered a box office bonanza.
Expect the same, plus perhaps a more mature Radcliffe when this transfer is finally trotted out for Broadway critics and audiences alike. While he'll bare his soul and everything else, just don't expect the young star to sign any autographs.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Broadway Preview: A Tale Of Two Cities (June 28, 2008)
Broadway Preview: for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (June 25, 2008)
Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
Broadway Transfer For Equus Mounts In 2008 (April 20, 2007)
Labels: Daniel Radcliffe, Equus, Harry Potter, Kate Mulgrew, Peter Firth, Peter Schaffer, Play, Revival, Richard Griffiths, Transfer
Letts' Superior Donuts Opens TonightTwo weeks ago tonight,
Tracy Letts'
August: Osage County earned the Tony Award for Best Play. That modern masterpiece premiered nearly one year ago at Chicago's
Steppenwolf. Now, Letts' latest work
Superior Donuts opens this evening at the Windy City theatre where
August: Osage County got its start.
And the entire theatre world will be
watching. Closely.
Helmed by
Tina Landau,
Superior Donuts boasts a fine company of actors, including
Jon Michael Hill,
James Vincent Meredith,
Yasen Peyankov,
Jane Alderman,
Kate Buddeke,
Cliff Chamberlain,
Michael Garvey,
Robert Maffia and
Michael McKean.
Will lightning strike once again for Letts and his fellow Steppenwolf ensemble members? I can't wait to find out as I'll be on hand for tonight's hotly anticipated opening. Tomorrow, look for my critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Tracy Letts On Superior Donuts: "Pressure's Off!" (June 19, 2008)
Looking Forward: The SOB Top Five (January 2, 2008)
Labels: August Osage County, Chicago, Opening Night, Play, Steppenwolf, Superior Donuts, Tracy Letts, World Premiere
Broadway Preview: A Tale Of Two CitiesThis August, it could either be the best of times or the worst of times for new musicals based on other source material. What the Dickens am I talking about?
Well, come August 19, the very first stage adaptation of
Charles Dickens' classic
A Tale Of Two Cities to hit the Great White Way, incredibly enough, since
Freeman Wills' 1899 adaptation
The Only Way was
revived in 1902 will begin previews!
Helmed by choreographer
Warren Carlyle (
Mame, 2006,
Kennedy Center)
, the new version of
A Tale Of Two Cities will make its Broadway debut at the
Al Hirschfeld Theatre ... as a
musical, with book and score by
Jill Santoriello.
Although the show enjoyed a March out-of-town tryout at Sarasota's
Asolo Repertory Theatre (which drew raves from
Man In Chair), casting for the Main Stem has yet to be announced. But if indeed the Rialto production elicits critics' praise as being the best of times upon its September 18 opening,
A Tale Of Two Cities can settle in for a long, open-ended run.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Broadway Preview: for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (June 25, 2008)
Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
Barbour Affair: A Minor Trifle? (January 9, 2008)
Starring Roles Whether Or Not They're The Ones You Want (August 16, 2007)
Which Broadway Musical Will Depart Next? (August 21, 2006)
Labels: A Tale Of Two Cities, Broadway, Charles Dickens, Jill Santoriello, Man In Chair, Musical, Prev, Warren Carlyle
GagtimeAt the intersection where freedom of speech crosses racial sensitivity, the
Wilmette (IL) Park District has abruptly canceled its scheduled performances of
Stephen Flaherty and
Lynn Ahrens' musical
Ragtime, due to its use of the "n" word at 12 different times.
While I profess to personally blanching anytime I've heard that awful, egregious epithet used, including in dramatic works, I have never heard anyone accuse
Terrence McNally (who wrote
Ragtime's book) or Ahrens of racial insensitivity or bigotry.
Reports of the cancellation have even speculated that the Wilmette Park District Executive Director Tom Grisamore may, in fact, have jumped the gun due to a "misunderstanding of the show's message and realistic look at race relations in the past century."
Grisamore has been quoted in the
Chicago Sun-Times defending the decision by stating:
We had grave concerns that people would take the language they heard over the amplified sound system out of context from a performance that was being held in the bowl.
***
I can tell you that this is not something that was done easily and this is not something we did lightly. My heart really goes out to all of the cast and crew that have worked on this for the last couple of months. This is something we very honestly should have known about and hopefully we could have acted on this sooner, but we did as soon as we found out what was there.
As regular readers know, I have always defended our most basic, intrinsic right to freedom of speech. I may not agree with anything that you have to say, but I'll defend your right to say it.
In this case, while I can sincerely appreciate Grisamore's noble intentions, I can't help but agree with the production's director
Ty Perry, who gets the last word here:
You take that word out of this story and you invalidate my history as an African-American male.... Do I like the word? No. But to pretend nobody said it is wrong. I wouldn't even consider doing that. Context is everything, and it's not gratuitous, it's not for shock value. How can we learn about our present if we don't educate people about what happened in our past?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Cancellation, Chicago, Freedom Of Speech, Illinois, Lynn Ahrens, Musical, Ragtime, Revival, Stephen Flaherty, Terrence McNally, Ty Perry, Wilmette
Cirque Critiques: Dreamy Or Night-mares?Last evening,
Neil Goldberg's
Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy opened at Rialto's
Broadway Theatre. Not to be confused with
Cirque du Soleil, this limited run production features choreography from
Tara Jeanne Vallee and a company of acrobats, aerialists, contortionists, jugglers and musicians.
Critics offered middling reviews overall.
Calling the show "harmless fun (that) should prove catnip to the hordes of entertainment-starved family tourists who invade Manhattan every summer,"
New York Post's
Frank Scheck's two-and-a-half star review compares with Cirque du Soleil: "[Y]ou'd be hard-pressed to tell them apart. Like its Canadian rival, this Cirque -- while it lacks the imagination of Soleil -- boasts dazzling circus acts in a highly theatrical presentation replete with elaborate scenery and wall-to-wall music.... Accompanying them is the by-now obligatory New Age-style musical score, most of it pre-recorded except for the overly frequent vocalizing of Mother Nature (Jill Diane) and the live violin playing of Soultree (Jared Burnett), a shirtless artist who clearly spends as much time doing abdominal crunches as he does practicing arpeggios."
Noting that this "finely polished production" is "not as overtly sexy or ambitiously arty" as Cirque du Soleil,
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News awards three out of five stars: "
Jungle Fantasy has its own smiling, family-friendly vibe.... Goldberg keeps the action flowing and dynamic. There's always a lot to see. And hear. Though the disco-driven music is piped in -- worth noting and grousing about -- it's enhanced by three Americans.... For light summer entertainment, this is a
Fantasy worth indulging."
Advising that
Cirque Dreams is "ideally suited for children ages 6 to 12 with an advanced interest in either jungle fauna, gymnastics or sequins,"
Charles Isherwood of
The New York Times squarely lands his review on place in the middle: "...the production deploys its well-drilled army of aerialists, contortionists, jugglers and gymnasts around a slender vine of story.... I must admit that the fascination of this ensemble never palled for me. And it proved useful in distracting me from the songs Ms. Diane was singing, most of which featured lyrics (by Jill Winters) of wince-making inanity.... Tastefulness, obviously, is not among the pronounced assets of
Cirque Dreams. But the show’s low-tech simplicity is endearing.... The acts are sometimes standard, sometimes inspired variations on acrobatics and aerial gymnastics, juggling and balancing and limb twisting. They are performed with the usual daredevil panache and ouch-that-must-kill elasticity by the assembled international hordes."
Deeming it a "two-hour spectacle, geared primarily toward children and patient parents," Bloomberg's
John Simon takes aim at the "generic" nature of the show: "As created and directed by Neil Goldberg,
Cirque Dreams' lacks the sophistication of Cirque du Soleil. Anyone who has seen the $165 million battle-adventure
Ka or the Beatles-infused
Love, both playing in custom-built theaters in Las Vegas, will be disappointed by this earthbound Cirque du Syosset. That said, the cast is able. The stunts, if you haven't seen them in other shows, are impressive. All cirques are not created equal, but
Cirque Dreams does provide a mild, family-friendly diversion."
Proclaiming this show as "an all-natural way for kids to replicate Seth Rogen's mushroom-induced Cirque du Soleil freak-out in 'Knocked Up,'"
Eric Grode of The New York Sun inevitably compares this troupe with its better known rival: "The main difference is a noticeable gap in musical quality. Cirque du Soleil has elevated its game musically of late, most notably with its Beatles-themed
Love. But even its most banal New Agey noodlings compare favorably to the appalling
Jungle Fantasy score by Jill Winter and a half-dozen co-writers. As Mother Nature, the melismatic-at-all-costs Jill Diane handles the vocals with considerably more exertion than inspiration, while the consistently vapid lyrics inspire envy for the audience members who speak one of those other 10 languages.... Everything rides on the physical feats, and the vast majority of those in
Jungle Fantasy are daring enough and clever enough to captivate audiences of all ages without overstaying their welcome."
Concluding his review with a line from
The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie: "For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like,"
Variety's
David Rooney offers the most visceral critique: "The interchangeable songs by Cirque Prods. musical director Jill Winters have titles like 'Eyes Wide Open,' 'You Can Grow Too,' 'Courage' and 'Strange Things,' but their words are pure nonsense. With vocalist Diane cranking up the dark sensuality and fierce enunciation in apparent homage to Shirley Bassey’s Bond themes, it’s merciful that long stretches of lyrics are incomprehensible over the disco-Muzak-meets-funked-up-faux-classical score....
Jungle Fantasy is not as pretentious as the worst of Cirque du Soleil, but it’s not as sophisticated either; the key word here is 'busy.'... But the three-ring circus tradition of simultaneous acts works less efficiently on a proscenium stage. Often the effect is of chaotic overkill when the main attraction is competing for focus with cancan-dancing bees, bustier-clad zebras, faux-balletic butterflies, goofy emus, a unicorn or even the versatile antics of Balestracci, who gets in on most of the acts."
Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy plays the Broadway Theatre through August 24 before heading out this November on a 39-city tour of North America.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Not Cirque Du Soleil: Cirque Dreams Opens On Broadway (June 26, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
Labels: Broadway, Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, Cirque du Soleil, Critics' Capsule, Neil Goldberg, Special Theatrical Event
Rondi Reed Helps Make Chicago Wicked A Gas This Summer
Rondi Reed Helps Make Chicago Wicked A Gas This SummerLess than two weeks ago,
August: Osage County's
Rondi Reed (pictured) was honored with a Tony Award for her stellar performance as Mattie Fae Aiken.
The
Steppenwolf ensemble member has since returned home to Chicago, but it's not to take on a role in
Tracy Letts' new play
Superior Donuts, which opens this Sunday. No, on that very same day, this amazing actress is returning to a role she originated in the Windy City just over three years ago to the day. Once again, she'll become Madame Morrible in Chicago's sitdown production of
Wicked. Reed will join fellow Steppenwolf ensemble member
K. Todd Freeman, who portrays Doctor Dillamond.
Certainly, her reappearance in the production should be more than enough to entice Midwesterners to make tracks to the city's Oriental Theatre. But wait! There's more!
For performances from July 1 though 6, those who purchase two tickets (with the exception of lowest priced seating) are eligible to receive one $50 gas card. The offer's fine print states:
Valid only for July 1- 6, 2008 performances. Must use code "GAS" when ordering. Not valid on lowest price seating. Gas cards will be distributed at the orchestra level bar on the night of the performance when you present your coded ticket. Subject to availability. Limited number of seats per performance and price level. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer. Regular ticketing and handling fees will apply. Other restrictions may apply. Not available at outlets.
While the Chicago sitdown production of
Wicked is now due to close on January 25, 2009 after 1500 performances and grossing more than $200 million, I would strongly suggest that anyone hoping to see Rondi Reed perform best get there over the next few months. After all,
August: Osage County is due to begin performances in London with most of its original cast come November, and I'd say it's a good bet that Reed will be returning to the role that earned her that well-deserved Tony.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Wicked Chicago tickets.Related Stories:August: Osage County (The SOB Revisit) (June 18, 2008)
Tony Awards: Win Place Show (June 16, 2008)
August: Coming To A County Near You (June 12, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Who Will Win (June 10, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part II (June 5, 2008)
"What Is The 'Value' Of Theatre?" (March 19, 2008)
August: Osage County (The SOB Revisit) (February 20, 2008)
August: Osage County (The SOB Review) (August 19, 2007)
Approaching One Year, Chicago's Wicked Continues to Captivate (May 23, 2006)
Labels: August Osage County, Chicago, Closing Notices, K. Todd Freeman, Musical, Rondi Reed, Special Offers, Wicked
Not Cirque Du Soleil: Cirque Dreams Opens On BroadwayWell, I'll be a monkey foot manipulator percushroomist!
Those and other wild characters springing from the imagination of impresario
Neil Goldberg will be on full display as
Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy opens at the Great White Way's
Broadway Theatre.
It should be noted that this show
is not in any way associated with the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil.
The limited engagement opening tonight is scheduled to run through August 24 before heading out on a tour of Canada and the United States.
Choreographed by
Tara Jeanne Vallee,
Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy boasts a company of 25 acrobats, aerialists, contortionists, jugglers and musicians. The cast includes
Uranmandakh Amarsanaa (Contorting Lizard and Aerial Bird),
Marcello Balestracci (Adventurer),
Jared Burnett (Soultree Violinist),
Zachary Carroll (Jungleboy),
Jill Diane (Mother Nature),
Lauren Diblasi (Bee and Ensemble),
Iryna Dmytruk (Bee and Ensemble),
Ruslan Dmytruk (Frog Juggler),
Ivan Dotsenko (Trapeze Owl),
Vladimir Dovgan (Balancing Giraffe and Snake Roller),
Nataliya Egorova (Monkey Foot Manipulator),
Judah Frank (Unicorn and Ensemble),
Buyankhishig Ganbaatar (Aerial Bird and Contorting Lizard),
Erdenesuvd Ganbaatar (Aerial Bird and Contorting Lizard),
Stefka Iordanova (Blackbird Hairialist),
Denys Kucher (Vine Swinger),
Vitalii Lykov (Vine Swinger),
Lee Miller (Percushroomist),
Odgerel Oyunbaatar (Contorting Lizard and Aerial Bird),
Sergey Parshin (Butterflyer and Jungle King),
Pavel Pozdnyakov (Jungle King and Ensemble),
Glenn Rogers (Jungleboy),
Naomi Sampson (Butterflyer and Ensemble),
Konstantin Serov (Emu and Ensemble),
Carly Sheridan (Trapeze Owl),
Serguei Slavski (Jungle King and Monkey Manipulator),
Alexander Tolstikov (Jungle King and Monkey Manipulator) and
Anatoliy Yeniy (Balancing Giraffe).
Will critics proclaim this a production fulfilling their wildest dreams, or will their reviews be downright nightmarish? Find out tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
Labels: Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Productions, Opening Night, Special Theatrical Event
A Midsummer Night's Dream (The SOB Review) - Wurtele Thrust Stage, Guthrie, Minne-apolis, MN** (out of ****)Nearly every evening over the past few years, my nightly dreams have become extraordinarily crazy, yet incredibly vivid. Almost every single one is typically nonsensical, brimming with one non-sequitur sequence after another.
Why, just last week, I endured a doozy. One moment, there were Cirque du Soleileque aerial artists swinging on ropes in form-fitting, fluorescent-colored spandex, swinging on ropes.
The next moment, the daughter of a modern military-minded king was pleading with her father against the would-be union he had arranged for her.
That gave way to a
bon vivant bunch of vaudevillians practicing their latest act.
Then there was this freaky earthen ball, which opened with a phantasmagorically lusty goddess, ready to reel in her latest prey.
My dream nearly turned into a nightmare as all these elements came swirling together at once, with a dash of disco music and other strangely incongruent intersecting musical pieces.
And on top of all that, I could swear I dreamt a little something sounding a bit like William Shakespeare’s brand of Olde English being spoken well beyond its freshness date. Like every similarly interminable dream I have had like it (and I have way too many), I couldn’t help thinking to myself, is this really a dream? As I was dreaming, I was hoping beyond hope I’d simply wake up.
Oh wait! That wasn't a dream?
Well, not in the literal sense. It was the new unfortunately unfantastic fantasy revival of
A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Guthrie’s ever innovative Artistic Director Joe Dowling.
The pieces meant to dazzle -- especially John Stead and Joel F. Harris’ cirque-lite wire activity that’s only intermittently thrown in, and rarely to any captivating effect -- just prolong the ability to effectively tell this already convoluted tale in less than three-plus hours. It doesn’t help that designs, including Frank Hallinan Flood’s set and Paul Tazewell’s costumes have a cheap look to them. Think small-time Indian casinos trying to ape their more vibrant Vegas contemporaries.
It’s almost as if Dowling has determined in advance that the rickety plot points can’t sustain our interest on their own. So he has instead manufactured a mini-spectacle for today’s ADD generation, obfuscating the weakest links, including
A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s younger cast members. The glaring exception is William Sturdivant as Lysander, who stands alone among the young lovers in comfortably conversing in Shakespeare-speak.
Fortunately, that merry band of vaudevillians mentioned above -- primarily comprised of Guthrie veterans Stephen Pelinski (Nick Bottom), Jim Lichtscheidl (Peter Quince), Stephen Yoakam (Snug) and Sally Wingert (Robin Starveling), along with relative newbie Randy Reyes (Francis Flute) (other Guthrie vet Richard S. Iglewski was out during my performance) -- upstages the primary story line and ultimately lifts the spectacle into some semblance of what one would likely hope for when taking in this revival.
Dowling deserves enormous credit for his ever-evolving vision. After all, trying to breathe new life into an old Bard classic isn’t easy. I also applaud him for dreaming up new ways to attract a new generation of theatergoers to Shakespeare.
But don’t lose any sleep over missing this
Dream.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Guthrie, Joe Dowling, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Play, Revival, The SOB Review, William Shakespeare
Broadway Preview: for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enufAugust 19 is the date set for the initial preview for Broadway's first revival of
Ntozake Shange's Tony-nominated
for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf.
Described as a
choreopoem, this dramatically updated version of the play will feature Grammy-winning vocalist
India.Arie in her Main Stem debut.
Shirley Jo Finney will direct, while Tony winner
Hinton Battle will choreograph this incarnation produced in part by
Whoopi Goldberg.
The original
1976 Rialto production enjoyed a run of 742 performances at the
Booth Theatre, and earned
Trazana Beverley a Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf will open September 8 at Broadway's
Circle in the Square Theatre. American Express cardholders will get first dibs on tickets beginning July 9.
To say the least, with all of the amassed talent thusfar, color me very intrigued.
UPDATE (7/31/08, 8:50 p.m. EDT): According to a July 30 Playbill story, the production has been "temporarily delayed" because one financial backer pulled out of the show.This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
Broadway Bound, Second Time Around And Then Some (March 14, 2008)
Labels: for colored girls who have considered suicide, Hinton Battle, India Arie, Shirley Jo Finney, Whoopi Goldberg
Broadway Preview: [title of show]
OK, all you [tos]sers!
I know there's plenty of you out there who are every bit as anxious as I am to see how well
[title of show] translates to the Broadway stage, the very place this littlest of little shows has always aspired to be.
This July 5, many theatre lovers' favorite show (as opposed to their ninth favorite show) will finally begin previews for its Great White Way run at the cozy
Lyceum Theatre. The tuner is set to open there July 17.
Helmed by
Michael Berresse,
[title of show] chronicles every conceivable thought (including this one? yes, including this one) that goes into putting on this very show. Co-creators
Hunter Bell and
Jeff Bowen will once again reprise their roles as Hunter and Jeff, respectively, and will once again be joined with their Off-Broadway castmates
Heidi Blickenstaff (as Heidi) and the handsome
Susan Blackwell (as Susan).
No doubt, if you don't count the lack of scenery, there will be much more to this gem of a show than what
I saw back in September of 2006, which was immediately before its celebrated run at New York's Vineyard Theatre came to an end. That's because this is a musical that builds and builds, quite literally with each charted step it takes toward potential Tony recognition.
And that, my friends, is a show worth looking forward to.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
[title of show] To Headline Broadway (April 4, 2008)
[title of show] (The SOB Review) (October 2, 2006)
Making a Name for Itself: [title of show] Extends (August 16, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, First Word On New Show, Heidi Blickenstaff, Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, Michael Berresse, Musical, Off-Broadway, Susan Blackwell, title of show, Transfer
George Carlin: 1937-2008He may never have trod the boards of Broadway like other comedians, but
George Carlin certainly knew how to command a stage. He also knew how to get himself arrested from one, too.
I was sad to learn that the great comedian died yesterday of heart failure. He was truly one of a kind.
Having grown up in Milwaukee, I certainly knew who Carlin was -- he has been a household name there for 36 years. After all, it was his appearance at Brew City's
Summerfest in 1972 where he was
famously arrested for including the
seven words you can't say on television (or at the time, on a stage in Milwaukee) in his act.
As the very first host of NBC's "Saturday Night Live," Carlin questioned everything from the ingenious to the inane. One of my favorite riffs from
that appearance concerned the color of food:
Why is there no blue food? I can't find blue food - I can't find the flavor of blue! I mean, green is lime; yellow is lemon; orange is orange; red is cherry; what's blue? There's no blue! Oh, they say, "Blueberries!" Uh-uh; blue on the vine, purple on the plate. There's no blue food! Where is the blue food? We want the blue food! Probably bestows immortality! They're keeping it from us!
Years later, as I was riding an escalator at the Las Vegas Airport, who should be standing right in front of me but the affable George Carlin himself. And of all things I could muster to tell him I appreciated, it was that riff on blue food. So generous and kind
and interested was the comedian, that the two of us ended up having a conversation all the way down to the departure gate for my flight.
Almost in spite of those seven infamous words, the man had the capacity for making one think about life and all its mysteries, banalities and indignities with amazing insight and amusing humor.
And even though he may never have found that elusive blue food that could make us immortal, he made us laugh. He will be missed.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Comedy, George Carlin, In Memoriam
November: London CountyJust steps away from London's glorious
County Hall along the Thames sits the famed
National Theatre, which has repeatedly served as the springboard for countless British stage productions that have conquered the world.
Now, that very theatre will host the London incarnation of the
Pulitzer Prize,
Tony Award-winning American export
August: Osage County.
Tracy Letts' phenomenal work is set to enjoy an eight-week run at the National's Lyttleton Theatre starting in November with most of its original Broadway cast intact.
Look out,
West End Whingers! Violet Weston and her brood are coming your way.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:August: Osage County (The SOB Revisit) (June 18, 2008)
Things I Learned At The Tonys... (June 17, 2008)
Tony Awards: Win Place Show (June 16, 2008)
August: Coming To A County Near You (June 12, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Who Will Win (June 10, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part III (June 6, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part II (June 5, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part I (June 4, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best New Plays (May 30, 2008)
More August Honors (May 19, 2008)
Whoopi! Tony Eligibility And More Handicapping (May 9, 2008)
An August Award (April 7, 2008)
Today's The Day ... Or Maybe Not (April 7, 2008)
Producer's Perspective Is Sneak Peek (March 24, 2008)
Fantasy Casting Calls (February 26, 2008)
Dennis Letts - RIP (February 24, 2008)
August: Osage County (The SOB Revisit) (February 20, 2008)
August: Osage County Will Extend Again, Moving To Music Box (February 15, 2008)
Is It Just Me, Or... (Part III) (January 22, 2008)
Hot, Hot, Hot August Just Got Longer (January 14, 2008)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #1: Deanna Dunagan (December 31, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #3: Amy Morton (December 29, 2007)
ModFab: The Jury Is In (December 28, 2007)
August: Best Time Of The Year (December 15, 2007)
Sorkin "No Tracy Letts" (December 14, 2007)
More Than One Critic Letts August Esteem Show (December 5, 2007)
August Heat Fires Up December Opening (December 4, 2007)
Cold Opening Possible For August: Osage County? (November 16, 2007)
Finally, Back To The Table (November 14, 2007)
Add August To The List? (November 14, 2007)
An August Work (October 30, 2007)
Steppenwolf Letts "Juicy" August Move Forward (September 15, 2007)
This October, Letts' "August" Begins On Broadway (August 22, 2007)
August: Osage County (The SOB Review) (August 19, 2007)
Labels: August Osage County, Broadway, First Word On New Show, London, Play, Steppenwolf, Tracy Letts, Transfer
Catered Affair Issues Final RSVP DatesAs I learned last Sunday at the wonderful Tony soirées, all good parties must come to an end. And so it goes with
A Catered Affair, which posted its closing notices last evening.
The final performance at Broadway's
Walter Kerr Theatre will come on July 27. The show will have played a total of 116 regular performances.
Leave it to the tuner's librettist and star to sum it all up
via Michael Riedel this morning.
Harvey Fierstein says:
We set out to do something different, and we did it. We wrote a show that is for the real theater audience, not for the audience that watches "You're The One That I Want" -- not that there's anything wrong with that! But we're not a summer show for the tourists. After July, we go off the cliff.
Riedel quotes Fierstein further on what might have been...
...had we gotten one of those f***ing breaks. Like a Tony. Or a critic who had a social life and an emotional life. That would have helped.
But instead we have those critics who have never had a boyfriend. Or a date since 1912. They don't know what love is. They go to the theater every night. How do they get laid?
Ouch! Of course, in reality, several critics offered
positive notices, including
New York Post's Clive Barnes with his four star review,
USA Today's
Elysa Gardner and
Variety's
David Rooney. And
I loved it, ranking it as
my second favorite new musical of the last theatrical season.
Based on
Paddy Chayefsky's kitchen sink film "
The Catered Affair" starring
Bette Davis,
Ernest Borgnine,
Debbie Reynolds and
Rod Taylor,
A Catered Affair features a score by
John Bucchino.
John Doyle directed the musical, which stars Fierstein along with
Faith Prince,
Tom Wopat,
Matt Cavenaugh and
Leslie Kritzer.
As luck would have it, I ran into a very stunning Leslie Kritzer the other night at the
August: Osage County affair and had an opportunity to talk with her about how absolutely moved I was by
A Catered Affair. Mark my words, this is one gracious, gifted actress whose star will shine brightly in the Broadway spotlight.
Alas, the time of Prince, Wopat and Fierstein in
A Catered Affair's won't be much longer. Catch it while you can.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Top Ten Of The Year (June 2, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best New Musicals (May 29, 2008)
A Catered Affair (The SOB Review) (May 16, 2008)
A Snubbed Affair (May 14, 2008)
And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 13, 2008)
Whoopi! Tony Eligibility And More Handicapping (May 9, 2008)
Did Affair Positively Cater To Critics? (April 18, 2008)
A Catered Opening Night (April 17, 2008)
Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)
Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, Closing Notices, Faith Prince, Harvey Fierstein, John Bucchino, John Doyle, Leslie Kritzer, Michael Riedel, Musical, Tom Wopat
Broadway: What's NextNow that the Tonys are history, it's time to focus on all the plays and musicals set for Broadway's 2008-09 Theatrical Season.
According to my count, there are a total of 19 shows that have either confirmed berths on the Great White Way or announced plans for the upcoming year. They include six new musicals, two of which can be deemed completely original (imagine that -- not based on
anything, including a movie); four revivals of musicals; five revivals of plays; and -- most shocking given that the past year on Broadway was all about the plays -- only three new ones have been announced.
The 19th production is a most curious one. Let's place this one squarely in the Special Theatrical Event category since it certainly can't be considered a musical or play.
Already in previews,
Neil Goldberg's
Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy gives the impression of being a
Cirque du Soleil wannabe with its cast of 25 acrobats, aerialists, contortionists, jugglers and musicians all jostling for position.
Cirque Dreams is set to open June 26 at the
Broadway Theatre for a limited run through August 24 before heading out this November on a 39-city tour of North America.
Guess Goldberg must be figuring if he can get enough press on his Rialto venture, folks will be lining up across Canada and the United States to see the upcoming tour.
The production of
Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy is described as:
...an exotic encounter inspired by nature’s unpredictable creations that are brought to life by an international cast of 25 soaring aerialists, spine-bending contortionists, acrobats, jugglers and musicians.
The astounding feats performed in this action packed Cirque Dream are enhanced with over 150 spectacular costumes and set in a fantastical jungle ignited by striking visual effects. From the breathtaking aerial ballet of butterflies to the balancing giraffes, gigantic flowers and trees, this world-class explosion of athleticism, theatre and imagination will exhilarate the entire family.
In the ongoing tradition of extravagant touring shows, Neil Goldberg and Cirque Productions continue to blend European artistry with circus and Broadway theatrics in a dramatic fashion that transcends imagination and leaves its’ narration to the eyes of the beholder making Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy a Broadway first.
To be honest, I have never heard of Goldberg or the Pompano Beach (Florida)-based
Cirque Productions. Somehow, just somehow, they've managed to be eclipsed by the nearly quarter century old Cirque du Soleil.
Call me a cynic, but isn't
Cirque Dreams just a brazen attempt to cash in on the "Cirque" craze among unsuspecting theatregoers? Not to take anything away from Goldberg's performers, whom I'm sure are talented, but I'll bet many a ticket buyer will automatically assume this is a genuine Cirque du Soleil production.
Despite what the
courts may have ruled, isn't the rather transparent goal here to be able to usurp the good name Cirque du Soleil has established by now being able to market the announced tour as "seen on Broadway"? Am I wrong here?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Productions, Special Theatrical Event
Tracy Letts On Superior Donuts: "Pres-sure's Off!"
There's no rest for the weary, and if you're
Tracy Letts, it's back to Chicago's
Steppenwolf where your next,
now very hotly anticipated new play
Superior Donuts, set in the Windy City's Uptown neighborhood, begins previews this evening.
What? Now that Letts won the Tony for
August: Osage County, you were expecting
Disney World?!
In a very candid interview with
Time Out Chicago, Letts lets loose about the expectations for his latest work:
Time Out Chicago: No pressure with the new play, right?
Tracy Letts: No. Hell no. Pressure’s off, man. Pressure’s off forever.
TOC: Really? Why is that?
Tracy Letts: Well, come on! [Laughs] I mean, what the f*** do I have to do? The pressure’s off!
TOC: So you’ve accomplished it all now.
Tracy Letts: [Laughs] Yeah, yeah, I’ve done it all. No. I enjoy the new play, and I think people are going to enjoy it, too, and that’s all I’m worried about. I’ve had a sense that it’s gonna get clobbered critically.
TOC: Why clobbered?
Tracy Letts: Just ’cause that’s the nature of things, right? You build something up and then you tear something down. Nothing I can do about it.
Asked specifically about
Superior Donuts and its take on how Chicago's changed, Letts says:
The city’s changed a lot. I’m not very expert in saying how it’s changed. Nor is my play about urban gentrification -- Jesus. I keep reading this, and it sounds so f***ing dry, you know? It’s about the people in a donut shop. Urban gentrification is an element of it. Maybe the city hasn’t changed so much as I have. When I moved here, I was a broke motherf***er working in storefront theaters and s***, lucky to get those jobs. Now I’m a hugely wealthy old fat man.
Directed by Steppenwolf ensemble member
Tina Landau,
Superior Donuts features an outstanding cast that includes
Jon Michael Hill (2006's
The Unmentionables),
James Vincent Meredith (2005's
The Pain And The Itch, 2007's
The Crucible and 2008's
Carter's Way)and
Yasen Peyankov (2006's
The Pillowman and 2007's
The Diary Of Anne Frank) with
Jane Alderman,
Kate Buddeke (2003-04's
Gypsy on Broadway),
Cliff Chamberlain,
Michael Garvey,
Robert Maffia and
Michael McKean (2007-08's
The Homecoming on Broadway).
I've been told that the play is actually quite heartwarming. Yes. From Tracy Letts.
Steppenwolf provides its own overview for this 2 hour and 15 minute work:
Arthur Pryzbyszewski owns a decrepit donut shop in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. Franco Wicks, a black teenager who is his only employee, wants to change the shop for the better. Steppenwolf concludes the season with acclaimed ensemble member Tracy Letts' provocative world premiere comedy about the challenges of embracing the past and the redemptive power of friendship.
UPDATE (June 19, 2008, 1:00 p.m. EDT): Castmember Jon Michael Hill blogs about what it's like to work with Tracy Letts and Michael McKean, saying:This is as excited about a play that I have ever been. A lot of it has to do with Tracy and Michael McKean. I have two reasons you want to work with them too:
To bask in their aura of brilliance and hope that some of it rubs off
To laugh so hard that you can no longer tell what kind of sound your body is making (I laugh incredibly hard)
I'll be basking in all their auras with the opening night performance of
Superior Donuts on June 29, and
as I stated earlier this year, this play ranks at the top of my list for shows I'm most eager to see. Now, one half year later, I'm downright excited.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Looking Forward: The SOB Top Five (January 2, 2008)
Labels: August Osage County, Chicago, Play, Steppenwolf, Superior Donuts, Tracy Letts, World Premiere
Bye-Bye, BabyDespite showcasing its absolutely best number at Sunday night's Tony Awards (and even I concede
that was dazzling), the Broadway musical
Cry-Baby is set to close this Sunday, according to
Playbill (although as of this writing, tickets are still be sold for performances beyond that date). The tuner will have played 68 regular performances at the
Marquis Theatre in addition to its 45 previews.
ModFab
predicted as much on Monday. While the
Cry-Baby's capacity numbers last week of 64.4% didn't appear to be too terrible, dig a little deeper in the box office totals and you'll see that its average ticket price was rock bottom, coming in at $33.27. To put that into perspective, the only other show with an average ticket price under 50 bucks was
Les Liaisons Dangereuses at $49.75. Meanwhile,
Jersey Boys still commands an
average ticket price of $115.79!
Despite all those Tony nominations -- inspiring many,
including me, to wonder what those Tony nominators were thinking --
Cry-Baby never really caught the right footing, which is ironic given that
Rob Ashford's choreography was about the best thing to be said for the show.
Mark Brokaw directed this adaptation of
John Waters' film with a book by
Mark O'Donnell and
Thomas Meehan and score by
Adam Schlesinger and
David Javerbaum.
Cry-Baby stars
James Snyder and
Elizabeth Stanley, along with
Harriet Harris.
Given the
dreadful performance I saw three weeks into previews, there was nothing that made me want to return. In fact,
Cry-Baby earned the dubious distinction of
landing on my "Five Worst" list for the 2007-08 Theatrical Season.
Obviously, I won't be shedding any tears at this show's passing.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2007-08 (May 23, 2008)
A Snubbed Affair (May 14, 2008)
Did Cry-Baby Induce Critical Cries of Joy? (April 25, 2008)
Cry-Baby Finally Given Birth On Broadway Tonight (April 24, 2008)
Theatre Etiquette, Part Four (Or Drunken City) (April 15, 2008)
Cry-Baby (The SOB Preview) (April 2, 2008)
Looking Forward: The SOB Top Five (January 2, 2008)
John Waters: This Filthy World (The SOB Review) (November 12, 2007)
Giving Birth To Cry-Baby (September 27, 2007)
Cry-Baby To Move Forward Without Schuck (May 6, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Closing Notices, Cry-Baby, Elizabeth Stanley, Harriet Harris, James Snyder, John Waters, Mark Brokaw, Mark O'Donnell, Musical, Rob Ashford
LaBute's Play About La Beauts Broadway BoundAccording to
Variety,
MCC's Off-Broadway production of
Reasons To Be Pretty will transfer to Broadway early next year. This will mark the Great White Way debut for a work by playwright
Neil LaBute.
Under the direction of
Steppenwolf founder
Terry Kinney, the current castmembers
Piper Perabo,
Alison Pill,
Thomas Sadoski and
Pablo Schreiber will all be part of the Main Stem incarnation, which will be produced there by three of the individuals responsible for bringing
August: Osage County to New York:
Jerry Frankel,
Jeffrey Richards and
Steve Traxler.
The last time Kinney helmed a show on Broadway, it was the Tony-winning revival of Steppenwolf's
One Flew Over A Cuckoo's Nest back in 2001. More recently, he's directed the world premiere of
Richard Greenberg's
haunting post 9/11 play
The Well Appointed Room at Steppenwolf in 2006. That production starred
Kate Arrington,
Josh Charles and a couple actors you may have heard of recently named
Tracy Letts and
Amy Morton.
Anything Kinney directs, I'll be interested in seeing, and given it's Neil LaBute with a cast including Alison Pill? Are you kidding? I'll be there!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Alison Pill, Broadway, First Word On New Show, Neil LaBute, Off-Broadway, One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, Play, Reasons To Be Pretty, Terry Kinney, Transfer
August: Osage County (The SOB Revisit) - Music Box Theatre, New York, NY**** (out of ****)To think that one of the biggest stories to come out of Broadway this past year
began in Chicago less than one year ago.
The wild success enjoyed by actor/playwright
Tracy Letts'
August: Osage County all started last summer at the Windy City's celebrated
Steppenwolf. And I was there!
I know I'm not necessarily the first theatre blogger to have written about this stunning play, but I know my
SOB Review last August sounded the initial clarion call for many of you.
While one feckless
critic elected this past Sunday to
try raining on this brilliant play's parade, he's the only one who ended up getting wet. He's clearly in the minority. Mind you, I don't begrudge him his opinion one iota, but geesh, isn't it a little
fraught, if not tacky, to finally reveal his hand on the very day the Tonys were to be handed out?
The night
before the Tonys, I took in the second-to-last Broadway performances by
Deanna Dunagan,
Rondi Reed,
Francis Guinan,
Ian Barford and
Jeff Perry in their beloved
August: Osage County. The show was hitting on all cylinders, chugging like a steamroller. Only it didn't flatten anything -- its characters, the storyline, etc. If anything, the work has become even more multi-dimensional, more potent and intensely vivid, more so than on my earlier visits.
You see, this marked my third time passing through this modern masterpiece, and now that it's settled into the intimate
Music Box Theatre, it was my third venue.
Each time I've seen the show, a different actor has portrayed patriarch Beverly Weston, starting with the late
Dennis Letts (Tracy Letts' father) in Chicago, then
Munson Hicks at Broadway's
Imperial Theatre (who bravely took over during Letts' illness and subsequent death), and now
Michael McGuire at the Music Box. All three actors have certainly imbued their Beverly with their own unique stylings. Today, McGuire is succeeding with a surprising amount of laughs.
Still, I must admit to having enjoyed most the quiet, dignified shadings Letts brought to the role. During the performance I saw last summer in Chicago, his brief time on the stage was so effective and enthralling you could hear a pin drop.
On Sunday, Father's Day no less, I couldn't help but wonder how proud Dennis Letts would have been of his son taking home the year's highest honor reserved for a Broadway play, and a resounding, new
American classic at that. I'm just hoping that with a London run set to begin this fall that British critics don't misconstrue Tracy Letts' acceptance speech in which he stated:
I don't know all these people, I assume they're associated with the play. Writing is better than acting. You get to use your words, you don't have to be there eight times a week and I can guarantee you that this moment beats the hell out of auditioning for "Jag." I see some of you auditioned for that, too.
I want to thank the Tony committee for including a play with the other nominees. You know you're pretty stout company when Mark Twain doesn't get a nomination. Particularly Jeffrey Richards, Jean Doumanian, Steve Traxler and Jerry Frankel. They did an amazing thing. They decided to produce an American play on Broadway with theatre actors. (Emphasis added) I see some of you are theatre actors, too.
I want to thank Steppenwolf Theatre, Martha Lavey, David Hawkanson, our board, our staff, Ed Sobel, Erica Daniels, these people have really helped foster the environment in which this play was made.
A special thanks to our Chicago theatre community, they are the ones who made this possible. Thank you very much.
Here's to Tracy Letts,
Deanna Dunagan,
Rondi Reed (the three are pictured above in an
exclusive SOB Photo),
Anna D. Shapiro and
Todd Rosenthal on their richly deserved Tony wins, and congratulations to Steppenwolf for doing its part in making Broadway plays relevant to American audiences once again.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here to check out Steppenwolf's very own August: Osage County blogs. Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Things I Learned At The Tonys... (June 17, 2008)
Tony Awards: Win Place Show (June 16, 2008)
August: Coming To A County Near You (June 12, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Who Will Win (June 10, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part III (June 6, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part II (June 5, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part I (June 4, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best New Plays (May 30, 2008)
More August Honors (May 19, 2008)
Whoopi! Tony Eligibility And More Handicapping (May 9, 2008)
An August Award (April 7, 2008)
Today's The Day ... Or Maybe Not (April 7, 2008)
Producer's Perspective Is Sneak Peek (March 24, 2008)
Fantasy Casting Calls (February 26, 2008)
Dennis Letts - RIP (February 24, 2008)
August: Osage County (The SOB Revisit) (February 20, 2008)
August: Osage County Will Extend Again, Moving To Music Box (February 15, 2008)
Is It Just Me, Or... (Part III) (January 22, 2008)
Hot, Hot, Hot August Just Got Longer (January 14, 2008)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #1: Deanna Dunagan (December 31, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #3: Amy Morton (December 29, 2007)
ModFab: The Jury Is In (December 28, 2007)
August: Best Time Of The Year (December 15, 2007)
Sorkin "No Tracy Letts" (December 14, 2007)
More Than One Critic Letts August Esteem Show (December 5, 2007)
August Heat Fires Up December Opening (December 4, 2007)
Cold Opening Possible For August: Osage County? (November 16, 2007)
Finally, Back To The Table (November 14, 2007)
Add August To The List? (November 14, 2007)
An August Work (October 30, 2007)
Steppenwolf Letts "Juicy" August Move Forward (September 15, 2007)
This October, Letts' "August" Begins On Broadway (August 22, 2007)
August: Osage County (The SOB Review) (August 19, 2007)
Labels: Anna D Shapiro, August Osage County, Broadway, Deanna Dunagan, Dennis Letts, Michael McGuire, Munson Hicks, Play, Rondi Reed, Steppenwolf, The SOB Revisit, Todd Rosenthal, Tracy Letts
How Superior Did Critics Find Letts' Donuts?
