In The Next Room or the vibrator play (The SOB Review) - Lincoln Center Theatre, Lyceum Theatre, New York, New York** (out of ****)In
Sarah Ruhl's provocative yet surpringly limp
In The Next Room or the vibrator play that opened last evening, the playwright apparently wants to have it both ways.
Try as Ruhl might to suggest that the climax isn't
the most important thing, she dares to make hers exactly that. Her conclusion's message on the delicate balance between intimacy and, er,
paroxysms isn't so much heavy-handed as it is a few delicate digits milking things for all its worth making the rest of the work seem too clever by half.
Euphemisms and word play abound in supplementing the handheld variety in this work about the introduction of the vibrator in the Victorian era. As demonstrated by Dr. Givings (an unusually earnest
Michael Cerveris), the device's earliest use was purely clinical in treating (primarily) women for "
hysteria" by releasing paroxysms.
While he's helping his patients feel, um, better, his own wife (an unfortunately out-of-her-element
Laura Benanti) is feeling low from post-partum neglect that we'll just call a no-coital connection with Dr. Givings. Exacerbating her melancholy are the squeals emanating from her husband's office, immediately adjacent to their home's living parlor. She's hearing an array of pleasured patients including the blooming sapphist Mrs. Daldry (portrayed with dizzying delight by
Maria Dizzia) and caddish artist Leo Irving (
Chandler Williams).
Try as she might to rouse her husband, including by actively engaging both Leo and Mrs. Daldry's own spouse (
Thomas Jay Ryan), if only to elicit a response from Dr. Givings, Mrs. Givings is largely left to her own devices. That is, until Mrs. Daldry introduces her to the one Dr. Givings has been using in treatment.
Ruhl certainly tries to titillate by mining laughs at the expense of the period's intense degree of innocence and prudishness. And it is often quite funny. But even with an eleventh hour epiphany by Dr. Givings that enables him to view his wife in a new light (furnished here by
Russell H. Champa), the real stimulation comes too late to be completely satisfying. It's enough to leave you feeling as if someone has been faking it all along just to be done with it.
Post script: On a side note, one aspect of this production that was particularly infuriating for me were the extremely poor sight-lines from my left orchestra seat. Not only could I not see much of the action, but for a play that yearns to be about intimacy, I felt as though I was in the theatre next door, trying to get my own peek inside. For this, I not only fault director
Les Waters' blocking of his actors, but also
Annie Smart's less than ingenious scenic design that separated the two time appropriate rooms from each other.
Would I have enjoyed the play more had I been able to see everything? It's possible. Word to the wise: If you're going to see this
In The Next Room, be sure to get center seating to enjoy an unobstructed view.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: In The Next Room, Laura Benanti, Lincoln Center, Michael Cerveris, Play, Sarah Ruhl, The SOB Review
Critics Undivided In Praise Of EstateLast night,
Horton Foote's Off-Broadway hit
Dividing The Estate opened at Broadway's
Booth Theatre. Directed by
Michael Wilson, the
Lincoln Center Theatre presentation stars
Elizabeth Ashley, ,
Arthur French,
Penny Fuller and
Gerald McRaney. Critics were fairly united in their positive reviews.
Calling the show "tart and delicious,"
The New York Times'
Ben Brantley praises, singling out the playwright's own daughter for special attention: "As played with true comic genius by Hallie Foote, the covetous, calculating Mary Jo has absolutely no sense of humor. But it’s hard to think of anyone on a Broadway stage right now ... who’s funnier.... [E]ven without the gloss of relevance it has acquired since its New York premiere Off Broadway in September 2007,
Dividing the Estate would still be a must for discriminating theatergoers. This production -- which arrives with most of its original cast, directed with hair-trigger timing by Michael Wilson -- has ripened into an ideally balanced ensemble piece, with acting that matches and magnifies Mr. Foote’s slyly and acutely observant writing."
Noting that the "deeply humanistic and funny play is old-fashioned in the best sense,"
New York Post's
Frank Scheck awards three-and-a-half stars out of four: "Director Michael Wilson's assured production features a wonderful ensemble cast whose seamless work feels even more lived-in than it did earlier. It's easy to believe that this loving but endlessly bickering clan would drive themselves crazy if they failed to live up to the task of the play's title.... While all of the performances are first-rate, special praise must be reserved for Hallie Foote, the playwright's daughter."
Labeling the show a "sweetly satirical comedy,"
Variety's
David Rooney is charmed: "The well-worn scenario is familiar from more than one chestnut of Southern drama. But the playwright's work, as always, is distinguished by the delicate brushstrokes of his characterizations, making seasoned stereotypes human and giving even the most venal of them some hint of redeeming vulnerability. Perhaps even more essential to the old-fashioned play's appeal is Foote's deep understanding of the personalities within a precisely defined subculture.... Under Michael Wilson's decorous direction, the cast has deepened its ties while maintaining the light touch, the relaxed flow and the melodiousness of the talk that are essential to Foote's plays."
Relieved that the play is "blessedly unchanged" from its earlier incarnation, Bloomberg's
John Simon offers laurels: "A very late play such as “Dividing the Estate” is easily as good as, if not better than, his best earlier work....
Dividing the Estate will draw you into its drawing room and the shadows beyond with the theatrical equivalent of a page- turner, capturing your undivided attention as you hang on its teasing turmoil in guiltlessly glad complicity.
Concluding that "It's not as profound or ambitious as Broadway's other multigenerational melee,
August: Osage County, but Foote's fine play does go down easy,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News provides three-and-a-half stars out of five: "Under the deft direction of Michael Wilson, the actors are keener and the handsome production feels tighter. The drastic economic turndown, meanwhile, has given the situation tearing at the needy, greedy Gordon clan an even tangier bite.... Stage vet Ashley is highly amusing, even if she is about two decades too young to play an 85-year-old."
Looks like the show is clearly a winner. Look for it to receive multiple Tony nominations next spring.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Dividing The Estate, Elizabeth Ashley, Gerald McRaney, Hallie Foote, Horton Foote, Lincoln Center, Michael Wilson, Penny Fuller, Play, Transfer
Opening Broadway's Estate SaleThis evening, the show that is arguably the most anticipated play to transfer to Broadway this season --
Horton Foote's acclaimed Off-Broadway hit from last fall
Dividing The Estate -- opens this evening at the
Booth Theatre.
Presented by
Lincoln Center Theatre (a "little" revival of a
rarely seen musical continues to grace
its stages), the
Michael Wilson-helmed production includes much of the original cast, including such marquee names as
Elizabeth Ashley, ,
Arthur French,
Penny Fuller and
Gerald McRaney. The cast also includes
Devon Abner,
Pat Bowie,
James DeMarse,
Virginia Kull,
Maggie Lacey,
Nicole Lowrance,
Jenny Dare Paulin and
Keiana Richard.
Will
Dividing The Estate unite critics in praising the show once again? Find out tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Dividing The Estate, Elizabeth Ashley, Gerald McRaney, Hallie Foote, Horton Foote, Lincoln Center, Michael Wilson, Opening Night, Penny Fuller, Play, Transfer
Wholly Happy Talk! South Pacific Turns Into Open-Ended RunIt's as if Bloomberg's
John Simon knew what was coming!
Bartlett Sher's critically-acclaimed revival of
Richard Rodgers and
Oscar Hammerstein II's
South Pacific has just been
officially extended into an open-ended run!
All I can say is "Oh, what a beautiful afternoon!"
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Did Critics Think There Is Nothing Like South Pacific? (April 4, 2008)
South Pacific (The SOB Review) (April 4, 2008)
South Pacific: Some Enchanted Opening Night (April 3, 2008)
Is Johansson's South Pacific Journey Just Happy Talk? (March 14, 2007)
Will Broadway's First-Ever South Pacific Revival Provide Some Enchanted Evenings? (December 19, 2006)
Labels: Bartlett Sher, Broadway, Extension, John Simon, Lincoln Center, Musical, Oscar Hammerstein II, Revival, Richard Rodgers, South Pacific
Did Cymbeline Receive Posthumus Critical Acclaim?Yesterday, the first
William Shakespeare play to receive a Broadway revival in two years opened at Lincoln Center Theater at the
Vivian Beaumont. The
Mark Lamos-helmed
Cymbeline includes quite the starry cast:
Jonathan Cake,
Michael Cerveris,
John Cullum,
John Pankow,
Martha Plimpton and
Phylicia Rashad, among others.
Critics were all across the board on this one.
Rejoicing is
John Simon of Bloomberg, who raves: "Lincoln Center Theatre gives
Cymbeline,' an imperfect play, a production as perfect as humanly possible. Impeccable direction, stylish acting, and enough lavish spectacle to carry the eye and ear past any demurral of the finickiest brain....All honor to Martha Plimpton for mastering the difficult role of Imogen....This Imogen transcends symbolic young womanhood into flesh-and-blood embraceableness....Most amazing, perhaps, is the Cymbeline of John Cullum, whose advanced age nowise impedes his commanding presence, youthful sprightliness and syllable-perfect diction relatively uncommon among non-British actors."
Calling the play both "emotionally charged" and "entrancing,"
New York Post's
Clive Barnes celebrates with a three-and-a-half star review: "
Cymbeline has traditionally had a reputation ranging from bad to difficult. It's not. It's a fairy tale for adults who have suffered enough to believe in fairies and heavenly providence. Perhaps the prime virtues of Lamos' elegant, eloquent staging (and the man is among the finest Shakespearean directors in the world) are its grace, speed and total intelligibility. More than any of the many productions of
Cymbeline I've seen, it has an immediacy that grips, grasps and tenaciously holds."
Proclaiming this work as "ever accessible,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News is similarly positive: "Director Mark Lamos' command at balancing light, dark and magical elements makes the chockablock tale cohesive....For
Cymbeline to resonate, it helps to care about Imogen. Plimpton, who has fully shed her gawky "Goonies" tomboy past, makes a likable and plucky heroine who reeks intelligence, even when she's disguised as a man wearing a hat that looks like a small ottoman. Cerveris brings the right mix of heartbreak and rage, while beefy Cake layers on the villainy and sexiness."
Noting that "this is a work not easily tamed,"
David Rooney of
Variety recommends the play by lavishing praise on Martha Plimpton: "Her Imogen in Lincoln Center's sumptuous
Cymbeline is more complex and more complete -- the intensity of her love and pain, her exaltation and sorrow anchored by a clear-eyed intelligence that makes her nobody's fool. If not everything in Mark Lamos' production quite matches the exquisite depth and scope of Plimpton's characterization, the fault lies more in this late problem play than in the work of the director or his generally accomplished cast. Unswerving in her fidelity, Imogen may be Shakespeare's most mature heroine, but she's been given an unsteady showcase."
Offering a so-so review is
Charles Isherwood of
The New York Times: "Lincoln Center Theater’s stately production of
Cymbeline, Shakespeare’s late romance, or tragicomedy, or whatnot, is remarkable for its lucidity. In imposing a formal elegance on one of Shakespeare’s most wayward plays, the director, Mark Lamos, keeps confusion firmly at bay, smoothing its kinked story line into a well-drilled parade of avowals and betrayals, plots and counterplots, deaths and resurrections. The clarity and restrained opulence of the production are more satisfying, unfortunately, than the caliber of the performances, which tend toward blandness or overstatement. The singular exception is an outstanding turn from Michael Cerveris, who provides the play with a wrenching emotional center as a husband who believes himself to be grossly betrayed, and who betrays his own nobler self in seeking to avenge this wrong."
Lamenting this as "a work that is endearingly broken,"
Eric Grode of
The New York Sun is largely negative: "Mark Lamos gets through
Cymbeline without painting himself into any corners. If only he had. Instead, with the help of a top-notch design team and a somewhat baffled cast, the dependably picturesque director has planted himself in the middle of the room, far from the weird angles and vertiginous gaps that make
Cymbeline such an odd and potentially spellbinding play....Establishing a throughline that can prop up these wildly discordant threads is the challenge, one Mr. Lamos only halfheartedly addresses. Perhaps this stems from his recent efforts directing opera, with its implicit strata of recitatives that exist largely to prop up the arias. Or perhaps the relative unfamiliarity of the play's soliloquies, particularly those for the beguiling Imogen, resulted in a disproportionate amount of rehearsal devoted to these set pieces."
Despite calling the production "handsome,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer offers the one flat-out pan: "What we don't know is why the ambitious Lincoln Center Theater chose to run this one by us again. Perhaps director Mark Lamos believes he found a key into mature profundities in this very silly play. One of the four late romances, which peak in the fantastical wisdom of
The Tempest,
Cymbeline remains a mishmash of incompatible styles and improbable plot lines. The language is not especially beautiful or witty. And despite modern scholarly protestations, the final message of reconciliation does not merely tie up the laughable number of loose ends. It wraps them in nonsensical ribbons and finishes them off with plenty of bows."
Regardless of the reviews (including my own enthusiastic
SOB Review), this incarnation of
Cymbeline is, alas, to be very short-lived with a run only scheduled through January 6.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Cymbeline (The SOB Review) (December 3, 2007)
Cymbeline Opens Tonight (December 2, 2007)
I've Got A Secret (August 15, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Cymbeline, John Cullum, Lincoln Center, Mark Lamos, Martha Plimpton, Phylicia Rashad, Play, Revival, William Shakespeare
Cymbeline (The SOB Review) - Lincoln Center Theater at the Vivian Beaumont, New York, NY**** (out of ****)A funny thing happened on my way
from the forum known as
Lincoln Center. I left with a complete sense of wonder and downright amazement that I had finally -- and so thoroughly -- enjoyed a production of a
William Shakespeare play.
As
I've previously admitted in this space, the word-for-word retellings of the esteemed playwright's works tend to leave me decidedly cold. Yet the only shiver I felt upon leaving
Cymbeline was the definable chill of delight shooting down my spine. I found myself utterly thrilled.
While
Cymbeline became one of the Bard's
most popular plays during the 18th and 19th Centuries -- the first known known production of
Cymbeline occurred sometime between 1609 and 1611 -- somehow this enchanting blend of tragedy, comedy and romance managed to lose its luster at the onset of the 20th Century. In fact, the play had so fallen out of favor that director
Mark Lamos' exquisite production is the first Broadway revival since the brief 1923 revival that consisted of a mere 15 performances.
Critics of
Cymbeline may complain that the story is predictable, or worse, that it borrows too heavily on themes developed in Shakespeare's other earlier and more celebrated works. To be sure, there's a hint of
Romeo And Juliet here and a taste
King Lear there, but I beg to differ with anyone who claims that this is a predictable story. It's anything but. After all, if that were the case -- particularly if you pause to consider all of the Bard's greatest tragedies -- wouldn't the climax yield a far different conclusion in spite of the carnage and death?
It's to Lamos credit that the luster is back with a vengeance in this brilliant, sparkling revival. He empowers his cast not only to maneuver through the Byzantine layers of plot unscathed, but also to navigate through the cadences of Shakespeare's often difficult language with such natural precision, grace and gusto, that they never feel unnatural or forced. Thanks to Lamos and his cast, Shakespeare sounds unusually crisp, never mind how verbose it sometimes can be.
Chief among his players are the extraordinary stellar performances by
Martha Plimpton as Princess Imogen,
John Cullum as her father King Cymbeline and
Paul O'Brien as the exiled lord Belarius.
The luminous Plimpton skillfully moves from dazzled lover of Posthumus (
Michael Cerveris, whose performance among anyone in this cast flirts dangerously close to overreaching) to forlorn royalty in hiding with impeccable ease. Cullum aptly commands the stage as the King who's undermined by his deceitful Queen (deliciously played by
Phylicia Rashad). And then there's O'Brien whose heartfelt, heroic performance as the man who unwittingly takes in each of the king's three children is both touching and exhilarating.
Other standouts in this large cast include
Jonathan Cake as the ruggedly handsome Iachimo, a charming rapscallion who wagers with Posthumus that he can deflower Imogen;
John Pankow as Pisanio, Posthumus' loyal servant -- it takes a strong actor to deliver such a humble performance; and
Adam Dannheisser as the Queen's son Lord Cloten, who singlehandedly offers the play's best comic relief, while making the often wooden Shakespearean dialect sound vibrant.
Michael Yeargan and
Jess Goldstein, respectively, offer alternately sumptuous and spare scenic and costume designs that vividly evoke the proceedings' regal grandeur, as well as the Roman baths and the harsh battle scenes, the latter of which are accentuated by the haunting lighting design offered by
Brian MacDevitt.
If you are like me and have been holding out for the right time to see Shakespeare on Broadway, this is the production to see. It's one of those rare treats that I'd even consider going back to enjoy a second time. But you'd better hurry -- the limited run revival will close on January 6, 2008.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Cymbeline Opens Tonight (December 2, 2007)
I've Got A Secret (August 15, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Cymbeline, John Cullum, Lincoln Center, Mark Lamos, Martha Plimpton, Phylicia Rashad, Play, Revival, The SOB Review, William Shakespeare
Cymbeline Opens TonightThis evening marks the first of many Broadway openings during a very crowded week, thanks to all the reshuffling done to accommodate shows shuttered during the recent stagehands strike.
But the show opening tonight is one of a small handful that thankfully was open for business throughout due to its being staged at the not-for-profit
Lincoln Center. And the opening
did not need to be rescheduled.
A revival of
William Shakespeare's
Cymbeline, which was
last produced on the Great White Way more than 84 years ago, formally opens this evening with a star-studded cast including
Jonathan Cake,
Michael Cerveris,
John Cullum,
Martha Plimpton and
Phylicia Rashad. Helmed by
Mark Lamos, the limited run revival only performs through January 6 at the
Vivian Beaumont.
I took in a performance during the final week of the strike and will provide my SOB Review tomorrow along with my regular critics' capsule. We'll see how much I agreed with the critics on this rarely mounted play.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:I've Got A Secret (August 15, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Cymbeline, John Collum, Lincoln Center, Martha Plimpton, Michael Cerveris, Opening Night, Phylicia Rashad, Revival, William Shakespeare
I've Got A SecretYou're about to learn one of my deepest, darkest secrets. I've never shared it in this space before because I know what I'm about to say is considered heresy by most of my peers who enjoy theatre. But here goes...
I dread seeing most productions of
William Shakespeare's plays. They invariably put me to sleep.
I realize that this admission is probably not one I should make lightly (and I don't), and I may actually live to regret ever admitting it quite so boldly.
However, as artful and daring as The Bard was in creating virtually every story line ever imaginable in 16th and 17th Century England, the fact of the matter is that my ears rarely adjust to the tedious nature of the time's spoken word (many of which were created by Shakespeare himself). It becomes torture.
Yes, Shakespeare's themes may be universal, but no one speaks that way anymore, and if delivered poorly, as is too often the case, it's too much of a slog for me. So much so that the only show I've ever walked out of was a production of
Antony And Cleopatra. (Boring!)
OK, so I know this is sacrilege to most theatre lovers, but it's my truth.
It is against this startling admission that I learned
Lincoln Center would be mounting a revival of Shakespeare's
Cymbeline, which was
last seen on Broadway nearly 84 years ago...for 15 performances.
If there's any reason for me to be somewhat hopeful, it's because of the casting that includes
Jonathan Cake,
Michael Cerveris,
John Cullum,
Martha Plimpton and
Phylicia Rashad. It certainly doesn't hurt that
Mark Lamos will be directing.
Performances at the
Vivian Beaumont begin on November 1 with opening night slated for December 2. Maybe, just maybe, I'll find myself riveted. But I'm not counting on it.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for ticket information.Labels: Broadway, Cymbeline, First Word On New Show, John Collum, Lincoln Center, Martha Plimpton, Michael Cerveris, Phylicia Rashad, Revival, William Shakespeare
