When I took in David Lindsay-Abaire's solidly-crafted Rabbit Hole when it played on Broadway back in 2006, I thought it merely OK. It was poignant to be sure, especially with uniformly good performances, yet I didn’t think it rose to any great heights, nor did I think it deserving of its Pulitzer Prize win.
Of course, never mind what I think. Especially now that that John Cameron Mitchell has directed the big screen adaptation by Lindsay-Abaire. The film, set for a limited release on December 17 in time for Oscar consideration, will star Nicole Kidman as Cynthia opposite Aaron Eckhart as Howie -- grieving parents mourning the loss of their son (the roles were played on Broadway by Cynthia Nixon and John Slattery, with Nixon earning a Tony).
But after viewing this trailer for the movie, I found myself strangely moved in ways I didn't feel four years ago. Interesting that the clip barely even hints at the film's very title. Take a look and let me know what you think.
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.
Now being produced at regional theatres throughout the United States (as well as abroad), Rabbit Hole was first presented by the Manhattan Theatre Club on Broadway from January through April 2006 at the Biltmore Theatre. While the play was Tony nominated for Best Play, it ultimately lost to The History Boys, a British work. However, its star Cynthia Nixon would win the Tony for Best Actress in a Play.
The three plays that were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize included A Soldier's Fugue by Quiara Alegria Hudes, Bulrusher by Eisa Davis, and Orpheus X by Rinde Eckert. Rarely is a non-nominated work ever selected by the Pulitzer committee, but this indeed was one of those years.
I took in Rabbit Hole when it was playing on Broadway last year. To be honest, I thought it was simply OK. While it was poignant and provided uniformly good performances, I didn’t think it rose to any great heights, nor do I think it deserving of a Pulitzer.
Completely overlooked were two outstanding musicals (and yes, musicals have previously been awarded the Pulitzer honor): Grey Gardensand Spring Awakening. Ironically, the latter features a breathtaking performance by an actor who figured prominently in Rabbit Hole: John Gallagher, Jr.
Unfortunately, the Pulitzer committee settled for safe.
Was Jean Brodie Primed To Be Hit Or Miss With Critics?
Last evening marked the official opening of The New Group's revival of The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodiestarring Cynthia Nixon in the title role. Scott Elliott directed the play, which received very mixed reviews from critics (click here for my own review).
Newsday's Linda Winer provided the most praise, saying, "With Nixon galvanizing the center...Elliott has found the danger lurking beneath the romanticism of a charismatic teacher with only a few lapses of character....Most of all, Nixon and Elliott find the psychological strands that connect the teacher's early rebellious idealism to the monster who eventually embraces Mussolini, Franco and even Hitler as heroic men of action. Her mantra, 'Give me a girl at an impressionable age and she is mine for life,' chillingly becomes more threat than promise....Without breaking her spell, Nixon's Jean starts making us uneasy about her ambitions for her students - especially for the pretty one (the deceptively aware Halley Wegryn Gross) who looks a little like her."
The critique of Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's Daily News went right down the middle: "Nixon, under director Scott Elliott, delivers a good performance, but she's not idiosyncratic enough or as enthralling as she must be for the play to fly....The plot comes down to three women: Brodie; her nemesis, Miss Mackay, the rigid headmistress (a fittingly dour Lisa Emery); and Brodie's most-trusted pupil, Sandy (Zoe Kazan, impressive -- and fully nude -- in her New York debut), who realizes how dangerous her reckless mentor is and puts a stop to her....Sarah Steele, Betsy Hogg and Halley Wegryn Gross turn in fine performances as the students Brodie calls her 'crème de la crème.' If only the whole production rose to such exalted heights."
Calling this revival "airless," Ben Brantley of The New York Times wasn't buying Nixon's performance: "[H]er pinched Scottish accent forces her voice into uncomfortably nasal upper registers that suggest Miss Brodie could be Minnie Mouse’s cousin from Edinburgh. It is not a voice to inspire girls to romantic reverie. The overall effect is more coquettish, even girlish, than passionate....The other adults, by the way, are uniformly good....Mr. (Ritchie) Coster, in particular, is excellent as Teddy Lloyd, the dashing but seedy art instructor, and he provides this production’s one illuminating insight....Ms. Brodie’s coterie of favored pupils, the anointed 'crème de la crème,' are all fine. Zoe Kazan...turns in a fluid, deeply felt performance (and even survives that excruciating nude scene in Teddy’s studio)."
Proclaiming the play "past its prime," Variety's David Rooney pans the show noting, "On the evidence presented in director Scott Elliott's pedestrian staging, this is a profound mismatch of leading actress and character....Nixon tends to convey flinty, grounded intelligence, her warmth and humor nestled behind a circumspect veneer....[B]ut they don't fit flawed, fanciful Jean Brodie."
The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie is playing at Off-Broadway's Acorn Theatre through December 9.
The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (The SOB Review) – Acorn Theatre, New York, NY
**** (out of ****)
Imagine a play set in the past about a charming, eloquent teacher at a single-sex British school who sets out to mold young, gifted minds. One of those students is particularly vulnerable and diffident, starving for the teacher's attention. Yet during the course of the story, there are revelations about dark secrets and inappropriate sexual teacher-student contact and their impact on the scholars.
You’d be forgiven if you thought the previous paragraph was ripped from a synopsis of The History Boys, recently departed from the Broadway stage. But it neatly describes a spellbinding play written nearly forty years ago: Jay Presson Allen’s pre-World War II drama The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, now given a hauntingly beautiful revival by The New Group under Scott Elliott’s exquisite direction.
Expertly filling the oversized shoes left by Zoe Caldwell (who won a Tony originating the role on Broadway) and Dame Maggie Smith (who won an Oscar for her screen portrayal) is Cynthia Nixon in one of her most nuanced, breathtaking performances ever. Nixon is mesmerizing as teacher Jean Brodie, whose romanticized visions of how the world should be ordered are at once both gorgeous and grotesque. Initially, Brodie revels in regaling her students on her libidinous “prime” all while feeding their fragile egos as the school’s “crème de la crème.”
Brodie clearly favors one student, the beautiful Jenny (played with innocence by Halley Wegryn Gross), on whom she pins her hopes that fellow teacher and onetime lover Teddy Lloyd (Ritchie Coster) -- who is married with children -- will someday deflower her. All that favoritism results in a severe backlash from another student, Sandy (the brilliant Zoe Kazan in a stunning, breakthrough performance), who undermines Brodie’s plans by becoming Lloyd’s muse, and in the process threatens Brodie’s long tenure with the school.
Throughout the course of the play, Nixon expertly peels back each layer of Brodie to reveal a shockingly fascist and sanctimonious soul whose fascination with Benito Mussolini, Adolph Hitler and Francisco Franco imperils not only her position, but also one of her students. Through Brodie, we see how easily impressionable minds can be swept up by charismatic leaders in following a perilous course, and in these dangerous times, the allegory remains every bit as valid today.
The ensemble in this excellent production is nothing short of exceptional. And a special nod must be made to Jason Lyons’ subtle lighting design, which helped punctuate each of the varied scenes against Derek McLane’s singular classroom set.
Thankfully, The New Group announced last week that the show has been extended through December 9. The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie is one of the best plays I've seen this year.
This evening marks the opening of The New Group's Off-Broadway revival of The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodiestarring Cynthia Nixon. The celebrated actress won a Tony earlier this year for her portrayal of Becca in Rabbit Hole.
It's been 38 years since The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodiemade its Broadway debut. Set immediately before the advent of World War II, the play centers on a charismatic if not eccentric teacher at a Scottish all-girls school. Acclaimed stage actress Zoe Caldwell received a Tony in the titular role back in 1968. Two years later, Dame Maggie Smith won an Academy Award for her film portrayal of Jean Brodie.
In a promising development, The New Group has already extended the play through December 9. Will the considerable C.V. for the show and its lead actress be enough to impress the critics? We'll find out tomorrow -- and I'll provide my own review of the show.
It's the eve of the American Theatre Wing's 60th Tony Award celebration, during which a dizzying array of Broadway's finest talent will be on hand to share in bestowing the coveted medellion, if not to receive an award.
Many prognosticators and critics have already shared whom they believe will win tomorrow night. I've studiously avoided reading any of those stories so can provide my own unvarnished picks. These aren't necessarily who I think should win, but whom I believe will take home the awards.
My choices in each category are below in red:
Best Play Rabbit Hole Shining City The History Boys The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Best Musical Jersey Boys The Color Purple The Drowsy Chaperone The Wedding Singer
Best Revival of a Play Awake and Sing! Edward Albee's Seascape Faith Healer The Constant Wife
Best Revival of a Musical Sweeney Todd The Pajama Game The Threepenny Opera
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play Ralph Fiennes, Faith Healer Richard Griffiths, The History Boys Zeljko Ivanek, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Oliver Platt, Shining City David Wilmot, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play Kate Burton, The Constant Wife Judy Kaye, Souvenir Lisa Kron, Well Cynthia Nixon, Rabbit Hole Lynn Redgrave, The Constant Wife
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Michael Cerveris, Sweeney Todd Harry Connick, Jr., The Pajama Game Stephen Lynch, The Wedding Singer Bob Martin, The Drowsy Chaperone John Lloyd Young, Jersey Boys Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical Sutton Foster, The Drowsy Chaperone La Chanze, The Color Purple Patti LuPone, Sweeney Todd Kelli O'Hara, The Pajama Game Chita Rivera, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play Samuel Barnett, The History Boys Domhnall Gleeson, The Lieutenant of Inishmore Ian McDiarmid, Faith Healer Mark Ruffalo, Awake and Sing! Pablo Schreiber, Awake and Sing! Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play Tyne Daly, Rabbit Hole Frances de la Tour, The History Boys Jayne Houdyshell, Well Alison Pill, The Lieutenant of Inishmore Zoë Wanamaker, Awake and Sing! Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Danny Burstein, The Drowsy Chaperone Jim Dale, The Threepenny Opera Brandon Victor Dixon, The Color Purple Manoel Felciano, Sweeney Todd Christian Hoff, Jersey Boys Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Carolee Carmello, Lestat Felicia P. Fields, The Color Purple Megan Lawrence, The Pajama Game Beth Leavel, The Drowsy Chaperone Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, The Color Purple
Best Direction of a Play Nicholas Hytner, The History Boys Wilson Milam, The Lieutenant of Inishmore Bartlett Sher, Awake and Sing! Daniel Sullivan, Rabbit Hole
Best Direction of a Musical John Doyle, Sweeney Todd Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game Des McAnuff, Jersey Boys Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone
Best Choreography Rob Ashford, The Wedding Singer Donald Byrd, The Color Purple Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone
Best Orchestrations Larry Blank, The Drowsy Chaperone Dick Lieb and Danny Troob, The Pajama Game Steve Orich, Jersey Boys Sarah Travis, Sweeney Todd
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre The Color Purple, Music & Lyrics: Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray The Drowsy Chaperone, Music & Lyrics: Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison The Wedding Singer, Music: Matthew Sklar; Lyrics: Chad Beguelin The Woman in White, Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics: David Zippel
Best Book of a Musical Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, The Wedding Singer Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, Jersey Boys Bob Martin and Don McKellar, The Drowsy Chaperone Marsha Norman, The Color Purple
Best Scenic Design of a Play John Lee Beatty, Rabbit Hole Bob Crowley, The History Boys Santo Loquasto, Three Days of Rain Michael Yeargan, Awake and Sing!
Best Scenic Design of a Musical John Lee Beatty, The Color Purple David Gallo, The Drowsy Chaperone Derek McLane, The Pajama Game Klara Zieglerova, Jersey Boys
Best Costume Design of a Play Michael Krass, The Constant Wife Santo Loquasto, A Touch of the Poet Catherine Zuber, Awake and Sing! Catherine Zuber, Seascape
Best Costume Design of a Musical Gregg Barnes, The Drowsy Chaperone Susan Hilferty, Lestat Martin Pakledinaz, The Pajama Game Paul Tazewell, The Color Purple
Best Lighting Design of a Play Christopher Akerlind, Awake and Sing! Paul Gallo, Three Days of Rain Mark Henderson, Faith Healer Mark Henderson, The History Boys
Best Lighting Design of a Musical Ken Billington and Brian Monahan, The Drowsy Chaperone Howell Binkley, Jersey Boys Natasha Katz, Tarzan Brian MacDevitt, The Color Purple
All totaled, I believe The Drowsy Chaperone will be the night's biggest winner in the musical categories, while The History Boys and Rabbit Hole will tie for the most awards in the play categories. But Sweeney Todd will also make headlines. I expect the award tallies to come down to this:
The Drowsy Chaperone -- Five awards, including Best Musical, Best Choreography, Best Book, Best Scenic Design of a Musical and Best Costume Design of a Musical. Sweeney Todd -- Four awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical and Best Orchestrations. The History Boys -- Three awards, including Best Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play and Best Direction of a Play. Rabbit Hole -- Three awards, including Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play and Best Scenic Design of a Play. Faith Healer -- Two awards, including Best Revival of a Play and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play. The Color Purple -- Two awards, including Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical and Best Original Score (I expect this to be the upset of the evening). The Pajama Game -- One award for the first Broadway turn by Harry Connick, Jr. in the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical category. This is the award Tony will use to illuminate its star power to the broader CBS audience. The Threepenny Opera -- One award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. Jersey Boys -- One award. Expect a nearly complete shutout of this overrated hit with a token award in the Best Lighting of a Musical category. Three Days of Rain -- One award for Best Lighting of a Play. Edward Albee's Seascape -- One award for Best Costume Design of a Play.
The 60th Tony Awards will be telecast at 8 pm EDT, Sunday, June 11 on CBS.
Rain: A Tribute To The Beatles Limited run extended through May 31, 2011 (Show will go on hiatus starting January 15 and reopen at Brooks Atkinson Theatre on February 8)
Rock Of Ages - Open-ended run (Show will go on hiatus starting January 9 and reopen at Helen Hayes Theatre in March)
As someone who has been involved in both politics and public relations, it's no wonder I love watching theatre. Good or bad, it's the raw energy of seeing a live performance that gets my adrenaline pumping. From the moment I saw my very first Broadway show ("Annie" in London in 1979), I was hooked. Now I see as many as 70 shows each year ranging from soaring musicals to two-hander plays. And these eyes just may be in an audience near you!
