Road Show (The SOB Review) - The Public Theater, New York, New York
*** (out of ****)Just when you may have thought everyone either loved or hated the latest revision to
Stephen Sondheim's ever-gestating musical, currently called
Road Show, I'm here to tell you that I merely liked
John Doyle's interpretation.
But that's infinitely better than where my own personal journey began with this
Road Show. Just over five years ago, I took in the overbloated
Goodman Theatre production of the tuner's precursor of
Bounce in Chicago, which included a major love storyline barely hinted at in the streamlined
Public Theater staging.
With
John Weidman's book and Sondheim's
Assassinsesque score substantially whittled, Doyle's decidedly darker direction ironically gives
Road Show its, er, bounce. It doesn't hurt that the largely comic verve in Chicago has been replaced by a more serious, sinister examination of
Addison and
Wilson Mizner, the real-life brothers who sought fame and fortune (the former was credited with launching a "Florida Renaissance" via his architecture in Palm Beach and Boca Raton, while the latter wrote three Broadway shows staged between 1909 and 1912). Set against another troubling economic time, Doyle mines the material to maximum cautionary impact, including through his own ingenious scenic design.
In the single best performances I've yet to see from frequent Sondheim interpreters
Michael Cerveris and
Alexander Gemignani, the actors offer measured portrayals of Wilson's greedy self-destruction and Addison's yearning to rise above it, respectively. While Gemignani wrings pathos from his Addison, Cerveris' Wilson is purely and perfectly pathetic ... and highly entertaining.
Will
Road Show someday find its place among the most revered in Sondheim's canon? While it's nowhere near that, yet, it's certainly come a long way.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Alexander Gemignani, Bounce, John Doyle, John Weidman, Michael Cerveris, Musical, New York City, Off-Broadway, Public Theater, Road Show, Stephen Sondheim, The SOB Review
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #1: Deanna DunaganIntroduction: While others use the end of the year to provide their lists of the top shows of the past year, here at Steve On Broadway (SOB), I wait until the conclusion of the entire Theatrical Season to provide my official tally.
Instead, I'm once again devoting the waning days of the calendar year to celebrate SOB's Singular Sensations -- those magical live performances that have stayed with me throughout the year. During 2007, I have enjoyed, been wowed and ultimately inspired by a dazzling display of excellent performances from some of the theatre world's best actors, singers and dancers of our time.Once in a lifetime, a stage turn comes along that is so important, so real, so vital and so intoxicating that you want to urge every last person you know to catch it. In
August: Osage County -- by far, the best stage production I've seen all year --
Deanna Dunagan has seemingly come out of far left field to offer up one of those rarest of performances and then some. Really.
While Broadway is absolutely agog (and rightly so) over this new "discovery," the truth is, Dunagan has long been considered one of Chicago's finest actresses. In fact, she has even been been recognized with two
Joseph Jefferson Awards (the Jeffs are to Chicago theatre what the Tony is to Broadway) -- one of those two honors came this past October for her excellent work on the
Steppenwolf stage as Violet Weston in
August: Osage County.
My first opportunity to see Dunagan came in 2003. The actress was part of the ensemble for the
Stephen Sondheim/
John Weidman musical
Bounce when it premiered at Chicago's
Goodman Theatre. Talk about versatility.
In my August review of her extraordinary current play, I noted that:
August: Osage County centers on a heavy-drinking poet Beverly Weston (Dennis Letts, the playwright's father, in a subtle poignant portrayal who haunts the play long after his lone appearance) and his venomous drug-addled wife Violet (a breathtakingly potent Deanna Dunagan...in the single most important performance I've seen yet this year).
Despite Violet's often delusory state, she manages to retain an iron grip on the roost, lording over her three daughters.
...
Violet's tentacles also suck in her own seemingly clueless sister Mattie Fay (Rondi Reed in a delectable departure from portraying Madame Morrible in Chicago's Wicked) and her husband Charlie (a wonderfully obtuse Francis Guinan).
My first twinge in realizing just how excellent this production would be was in the opening scene. Beverly is not so much interviewing Johnna (Kimberly Guerrerro), a mysterious young native American woman, for a housekeeping position as much as he's preparing her for the tumult she's about to face in the wake of his departure. He's long-since resigned to losing his battle with the bottle and his wife's addictions to the many drugs she takes, yet he wants to leave Violet in caring hands. During their conversation, Violet makes her first incoherent drug-hazed entrance, and it becomes clear that Johnna will have her hands full.
What an entrance that was. Once Dunagan was on the stage, I couldn't take my eyes off her.
When
August: Osage County was about to open,
I wrote:
Deanna Dunagan in particular offers perhaps the single most important Broadway debut in recent memory. Her performance will surely be recalled as one of the best on the boards in years.
Not surprising,
the critics were equally enamored with her breakthrough performance. Even though Dunagan is an intrinsic part of one of the most amazing ensembles on Broadway in years, like castmate
Amy Morton, she is one singular sensation I've been truly fortunate to see.
Here's toasting you, Deanna Dunagan!
Happy New Year!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:SOB's Singular Sensations Of '07 - Honorable Mentions (December 31, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #2: Christine Ebersole (December 30, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #3: Amy Morton (December 29, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #4: Elena Roger (December 28, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #5: Raúl Esparza (December 28, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #6: John Gallagher, Jr. (December 28, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #7: Jennifer Holliday (December 27, 2007)
August: Osage County (The SOB Review) (August 19, 2007)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #1: Patti LuPone (December 30, 2006)
Honorable Mentions: SOB's Singular Sensations Of '06 (December 30, 2006)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #2: Cate Blanchett (December 30, 2006)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #3: Chita Rivera (December 29, 2006)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #4: Barry Humphries (December 28, 2006)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #5: Kitty Carlisle Hart (December 28, 2006)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #6: Meryl Streep (December 26, 2006)
Labels: Amy Morton, August Osage County, Bounce, Broadway, Chicago, Deanna Dunagan, Play, Steppenwolf
The Most Farfetched Tony BounceLess than one week after his production of
Company won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical,
John Doyle is himself a hot property.
In addition to having already lined up a directing gig for the new Broadway-bound
Harvey Fierstein musical
A Catered Affair, which will world premiere at San Diego's
Old Globe Theatre this September, Doyle is "likely" to stage a
Public Theater mounting of
Stephen Sondheim's
Bounce next spring,
according to New York Post's Michael Riedel.
In his story, Riedel duly notes the troubled past of the tuner, but explains:
Sondheim and (John) Weidman (who wrote the show's book) have been unwilling to let Bounce die. They get together fairly often at Sondheim's Turtle Bay townhouse to work on the show, and last year the Public staged a private reading of their latest draft. Weidman recently told friends that he and Sondheim believe they've finally solved the show's problems, and that Bounce deserves a New York production.
Riedel says a Broadway transfer is eyed if the reviews are favorable.
I may be one of the few who actually saw the last incarnation of
Bounce, taking in its 2003 Chicago
Goodman Theatre mounting with
Hal Prince at the helm. To be honest, while not exactly the best Sondheim work I've ever seen, it certainly wasn't as bad as its notoriety has made it out to be. Its factually-based story on the rise and fall of Addison and Wilson Mizner held plenty of promise.
Two summers ago, while at Chicagoland's
Ravinia Festival for a special concert performance of Sondheim's
bona fide Broadway flop
Anyone Can Whistle (Ravinia's terrific staging included
Patti LuPone,
Audra McDonald and
Michael Cerveris), I was heartened by a pre-performance discussion with the great composer himself in which he indicated that the saga of
Bounce was far from over. He indicated that he was working to bring the troubled tuner back to his original vision.
If today's Riedel column is any indication, perhaps
Bounce is finally ready to be propelled to theatre's main stage on Broadway. Let's hope so.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: A Catered Affair, Anyone Can Whistle, Bounce, Broadway, Chicago, Company, Goodman Theatre, John Doyle, Off-Broadway, Public Theater, Ravinia, Stephen Sondheim
Gavin Creel's World Turned Upside-Down by Mary PoppinsStarting tonight, Ohio native
Gavin Creel takes to the rooftops of London as cockney Bert in the unbelievably excellent Olivier Award-winning production of
Mary Poppins. Creel is making his West End debut, and right about the moment I am writing this, I'm imagining him dancing upside-down, thanks to
Matthew Bourne's breathtaking choreography.
I've truly enjoyed watching the rise of this budding star. Not only did I see Creel's Tony-nominated work in the thoroughly enjoyable
Thoroughly Modern Millie back in 2002, but I was also among the relatively few who had a chance to see him in the world premiere of the short-lived
Stephen Sondheim/
John Weidman musical
Bounce opposite
Richard Kind and
Howard McGillin at Chicago's
Goodman Theatre in August of 2003.
As regular readers may recall,
Mary Poppins ranks as my absolute
favorite show of the 2004-05 Theatrical Season, but
La Cage Aux Folles -- the second regular Broadway show to feature Creel and winner of the 2005 Tony for Best Revival of a Musical --
was on my honorable mention list for the same year. I'm pleased to see Creel take on this exciting role. To learn more about Creel's first-hand experience, you may want to
visit his official blog.
Perhaps once
Gavin Lee -- who originated the role of Bert in London -- concludes his upcoming run in the stateside version of
Mary Poppins, the
American Gavin might make a triumphant and welcome return to the Great White Way as the world's favorite chimney sweep.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Rejoice! Gavin Lee to Cross Atlantic for Mary Poppins on Broadway (May 8, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Disney Moves from Continent to Continent (May 22, 2006)
Labels: Bounce, Film, Gavin Creel, La Cage Aux Folles, London, Mary Poppins, Musical, Stephen Sondheim, Thoroughly Modern Millie
