The American Plan (The SOB Review) - The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York, New York*** (out of ****)Leave it to playwright
Richard Greenberg to find each subtle shading within the term
The American Plan.
For travelers, the "American Plan" has long constituted the type of meal package you were offered with your hotel stay -- breakfast, lunch and dinner would be included. However, among workers in the roaring twenties, it came to describe employers' policies of not negotiating with unions.
On the surface of
David Grindley's somewhat lumbering revival of
The American Plan, the Catskills getaway for Eva Adler (
Mercedes Ruehl) and her flighty daughter Lili (
Lily Rabe) would seem to suggest the former meaning. Yet, there's something inherently non-negotiable in this
American Plan. When the dashing Nick Lockridge (
Kieran Campion) comes across the lake and steals young Lili's heart, Eva's suspicions ultimately leave little room for negotiation in her attempts to protect her daughter from emotional heartbreak.
The real heartbreak is that Lili yearns for nothing more than to escape the clutches of her overprotective mother, a Jewish survivor of Nazi Germany. Greenberg reveals plenty of surprises -- including a particular blend of oppression, self-suppression and self-preservation not atypical for its early sixties timeframe -- which only adds further emotional depth and complexity to his story.
Despite
Jonathan Fensom's endlessly revolving stage design, which at times threatens to spin Grindley's direction into tedium, the sparkling performances are enough to make this a very sound and worthy
Plan.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: David Grindley, Kieran Campion, Lily Rabe, Mercedes Ruehl, Play, Revival, Richard Greenberg, The American Plan, The SOB Review
Sounds Like A Plan: Critics Review Greenberg PlayLast night, the
Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) revival of
Richard Greenberg's
The American Plan opened at Broadway's
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Helmed by
David Grindley, the play about potential love on a Catskill lake stars
Mercedes Ruehl,
Lily Rabe,
Kieran Campion,
Austin Lysy and
Brenda Pressley.
Critics were across the dock on this one.
Praising it as "an elegant and incisive 1990 play that has been given the revival it deserves,"
The New York Times'
Ben Brantley waxes rhapsodic: "People rarely talk about doing or having done things in the precisely and exquisitely written
American Plan; instead they speak of what happened to them.... Out of such innately inactive types Mr. Greenberg has woven a drama that crackles with friction and a muted suspense, stoked by the throb of stifled desires.... But what this production brings out so beautifully is how Mr. Greenberg ... combines novelistic nuance with theatrical flash. There probably isn’t a more consciously literary play on the boards in Manhattan now (well, from the past century, anyway) than
The American Plan, which is as precisely patterned as a sonnet by
Milton. Yet Mr. Grindley and his cast make the play as engaging as a potboiling soap opera."
Concluding that
The American Plan "is written with characteristic eloquence, and beautifully played,"
Elysa Gardner of
USA Today provides three and a half (out of four) stars: "Though Greenberg's breezy facility with language can run the risk of being mistaken for glibness, Plan deals unflinchingly with some dense, bitter truths: the selfishness of a mother's love, the convenience of lies and half-truths, the cruelly arbitrary nature of catastrophic events.... Ruehl brings great style and compassion to Eva. But the real star of this production is Rabe, who continues to blossom into one of the most beguiling stage actresses of her generation."
Deeming this a "delicate" revival,"
Variety's
David Rooney practically tip-toes around his own review without really sticking his foot in the water: "If the play's themes don't crystallize as swiftly or satisfyingly as they should, it's nonetheless an absorbing reflection on relationships carved out of disappointment and resignation in an era immediately before nonconformity became a more available option.... Much of the low-key tension in the characters' interplay, teased out with a gentle but coaxing hand by director David Grindley, stems from their exertions to keep up a facade or to lock in the elements that will allow them to construct one.... Even if there's something naggingly insubstantial about the minor-key play ... the acerbic wit of Greenberg's dialogue and the frequent acuity of his psychological insights keep it engrossing."
Calling it a "thoughtful but slow-moving play,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News awards three out of five stars: "(Grindley's) staging is straightforward and clear, but repetitive. After each scene, the dock rotates behind a sweeping curtain. The constant 'here we spin again' gets dull. The performances, fortunately, never do. Campion, Pressley and a particularly fine Lysy bring nuance to their roles. In presence and performance, Tony- and Oscar-winner Ruehl is big and bold.... [T]his is (Rabe's) finest, most complex performance so far."
Complaining that "there's too much talk, too little action,"
New York Post's
Barbara Hoffman gives away too much of the plot in her two and a half (out of four) star review: "[T]he real dance in Richard Greenberg's intermittently intriguing 1990 play is the tango between a domineering mother and her delicate daughter. Think
The Glass Menagerie and
The Light in the Piazza, in the looming shadow of (spoiler alert!) '
Brokeback Mountain.' Ruehl, one of our great stage actresses, makes Eva a force of nature. But even as she gleefully extols the excesses across the lake ... she's constrained by an ungainly German accent. It's like seeing a beautiful woman who's been zipped into a fat suit and can't get out. You wish someone had sprung for a dialog coach."
Lamenting that "
American Plan doesn't add up to much more than a social study about the oppression of a wide assortment of tyrannies,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer is engaged, but otherwise dismissive: "The Manhattan Theatre Club ... has revived it in the company's Broadway venue as a vehicle for the compulsively watchable Mercedes Ruehl and Lily Rabe.... And the production, directed by David Grindley ... doesn't always help us sort out the unknowable from the unbelievable in these complicated people.... And Brenda Pressley is quietly shattering as the black maid-companion, a woman who isn't quite family but who has given up her entire life to facilitate someone else's. There is a play in this unexplored character, perhaps more compelling than this one."
I'll be seeing the production in February and will weigh in with my own SOB Review. The limited run is scheduled through March 15.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, David Grindley, Kieran Campion, Lily Rabe, Manhattan Theatre Club, Mercedes Ruehl, Play, Revival, Richard Greenberg, The American Plan
On The Menu Tonight: Greenberg's American Plan OpensTonight, the
Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) revival of its 1990 Off-Broadway play
The American Plan has its opening night at the
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, MTC's Broadway venue.
The American Plan was written by Tony-winning playwright
Richard Greenberg, who is also represented on Broadway this season via the revised book in the
Roundabout Theatre Company production of
Pal Joey. Tony-winning director
David Grindley helms this revival starring
Mercedes Ruehl,
Lily Rabe and
Kieran Campion, along with
Austin Lysy and
Brenda Pressley.
As
I noted last July, I am a fan of Greenberg's work. As such, I am looking forward to seeing this production in part because of his longtime collaboration with MTC, which has produced eight of his works, but also because I'm looking forward to seeing Ruehl and Rabe perform.
While I won't be taking in the production until February, I'll provide my critics' capsule tomorrow.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, David Grindley, Kieran Campion, Lily Rabe, Manhattan Theatre Club, Mercedes Ruehl, Opening Night, Play, Revival, Richard Greenberg
Pal Joey: Critics Were Bewitched, Bothered Or BewilderedLast evening, the latest revival of
Richard Rodgers and
Lorenz Hart's
Pal Joey opened at
Roundabout Theatre Company's
Studio 54. The tuner is directed by
Joe Mantello and features a new book by playwright
Richard Greenberg.
Pal Joey stars
Stockard Channing,
Martha Plimpton and
Matthew Risch, who replaced
Christian Hoff in rehearsals.
Critical response varied wildly across the board from those who were positively bewitched by the production, to those much more bothered by it all, with some bewildered reviews in between.
Praising the show as "snazzily revived by the Roundabout Theatre Company, (that) pumps much-needed fresh blood into a Broadway grown anemic," Bloomberg's
John Simon is positively bewitched: "Risch has the properly improper gigolo looks and persona of Joey, singing, dancing and acting with precarious insouciance spelled by the called-for defensive arrogance. Channing is appropriately sophisticated and cynical as Vera; if her singing seems a bit too studied, it fits in with Vera’s personality. Plimpton’s Gladys is as beautifully rounded as a hard-edged dame can be.... With splendid choreography from
Graciela Daniele, combining period with modern; scrupulously detailed staging by Joe Mantello; and
Paul Gemignani’s expert conducting of a spirited orchestra, it would take an aged-in-the-wood curmudgeon to ask for anything more."
David Rooney of
Variety is also vexed: "[W]hat makes the Roundabout revival of their 1940 show so compelling is Richard Greenberg’s trenchant adaptation of the original book by
John O’Hara. Erasing the sanitizing stamp of musical-theater coyness, Greenberg brings a fascinating melancholy grubbiness to this cynical story of sordid emotional transactions and opportunistic behavior in late-1930s Chicago. It’s a dark show for desperate times, with enough dramatic meat on its bones to work even as a nonmusical play.... The good news is that while Risch is neither a top-drawer singer nor dancer, he’s doing creditable work as louche lounge lizard Joey Evans. He has the right thuggish good looks, sleazy charisma and self-assured moves to play the unscrupulous gigolo. This is not quite a star-is-born moment, but Risch understands the role of the inveterate cad and he knows how to sell it. Likewise director Joe Mantello, choreographer Graciela Daniele and set designer
Scott Pask; their seamless collaboration makes this apparent the moment the curtain goes up."
Bewildered by Risch's "serviceable voice and none of the nuance needed to make Joey's amorous conquests remotely plausible,"
Eric Grode, who thankfully is reviewing again, now for Newark's
Star Ledger, sees the pluses in the female performers: "Greenberg has radically overhauled John O'Hara's script while remaining in sync with Richard Rodgers' shrewd riffs on supper-club pop and Lorenz Hart's shiv-sharp lyrics.... Greenberg has a sharp ear for the dimestore argot favored by just about everyone else on stage.... [I]n 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,' which Channing delivers with a knowing rendition that makes up for in world-weary style what it lacks in vocal perfection. But the real surprise is Plimpton, a fixture of Broadway's more serious recent efforts (
Shakespeare,
Tom Stoppard and
Caryl Churchill in the last two years alone), who proves to be a sparkling musical theater performer, too. Greenberg and Mantello have bolstered her role considerably, and from a barn-burning rendition of 'Zip!' to a touching glimpse of envy near the end, Plimpton rewards their efforts in full."
Lamenting that the revival "seems more like grown-ups playing dress-up than gritty and cynically delicious pulp fiction,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer comes out swinging: "There is no nice way of saying this. Matthew Risch, the understudy who stepped into the starring role when Christian Hoff reportedly was injured, is a slick and stylish hoofer, and a competent singer. But he doesn't have the wattage to make us care about Joey Evans.... Without more spark behind Joe Mantello's handsomely imagined Chicago lowlife of a production, the darkness starts to feel more dull than glittery.... Channing, as Vera, the wealthy older woman who today would be called a cougar, pulls this off with husky-voiced aristocratic earthiness, looking great in
William Ivey Long's daring gowns and talk-singing her way through the music as if it were written that way. There is more unexpected delight in Plimpton, rapidly becoming one of the theater's most invaluable adventurers. Here she is fearless in a black lace corset and garters as Gladys Bumps, a sturdy been-around thug of a stripper."
Concluding that the show "is seriously undercut by the gaping hole at its center,"
Frank Scheck at
New York Post awards just two and a half stars (out of four): "As the tough-talking, second-rate nightclub performer Gladys Bumps, Plimpton -- not exactly known for musical comedy -- is terrific, the standout attraction of the flawed revival that opened last night.... While (Risch is) a strong dancer and a fair singer, he doesn't yet have the acting chops and, more important, the charisma to make his Joey as much of a charmer as he is a heel.... Joe Mantello has provided a smooth, reasonably entertaining staging that's enhanced by the slinky, sexy choreography of Graciela Daniele.... Stockard Channing, looking impossibly young for her 64 years, is compelling as the sexually rapacious socialite Vera Simpson, even if her renditions of such classic songs as 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' are better acted than sung."
Bothered by "Mantello's low-impact staging,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News awards just two and a half (out of five) stars: "Risch ... gets an A for effort. He's a capable singer and deft dancer and gives just the kind of performance you'd expect -- solid and professional. Period.... Under Mantello's inconsistent direction, the acting styles range from realism to broad musical comedy while tuneful Rodgers and Hart songs ... land with little impression.... (Channing's) bluesy version of 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' aches with longing and resignation. The delightful surprise is Martha Plimpton as the street-smart showgirl Gladys. The actress debuts a robust and smoky singing voice and makes the novelty number 'Zip' (usually sung by another character) enormously entertaining."
Blasting it as a "joyless revival,"
The New York Times'
Ben Brantley clearly feels a bit beguiled (and not in any good sense): "[N]obody, with the qualified exception of Martha Plimpton as a floozy with a grudge, emerges from this Roundabout Theater Company production covered in stardust. In shining a harsh light on the inner rot of selfish characters ... this revival has succeeded only in turning them into zombies. When Ms. Channing, as the alcoholic society matron Vera Simpson, sings the show’s most famous song, 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,' it might as well be titled 'Benumbed, Bummed Out and Bored Silly.'... Joey, a part first played by
Gene Kelly, has to be the engine of the show, and that’s a challenge beyond Mr. Risch.... Ms. Channing, whose drollery is one of the greater natural resources of the New York theater, here pushes deadpan into deadness, talking and singing in a hushed, level voice as if in a trance.... But here it’s not easy to differentiate between a character’s distancing herself from her bad behavior and an actress’s distancing herself from a bad production."
The limited run revival of
Pal Joey is slated to close February 15, 2009. You can read my review of
Pal Joey by clicking
here (I actually liked the production).
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Joe Mantello, Lorenz Hart, Martha Plimpton, Matthew Risch, Musical, Pal Joey, Revival, Richard Greenberg, Richard Rodgers, Stockard Channing
Pal Joey (The SOB Review) - Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54, New York, NY*** (out of ****)Incredibly enough, the first time I ever heard
Richard Rodgers and
Lorenz Hart's enduring classic "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" on stage was not as part of a mounting of
Pal Joey. No, it occurred in 2006 when the enormously talented
Samuel Barnett delivered his poignant rendition as Posner in
The History Boys.Fast forward two years to
Joe Mantello's sparkling revival of
Pal Joey, when I finally had my chance to hear it as originally intended. Well sorta.
No matter that
John O'Hara's book has been substantially updated by
Richard Greenberg. With his decidedly contemporary and largely effective libretto, replete with allusions to abortion and outright depictions of closeted homosexuality -- circa 1930s -- this is certainly not your grandfather's
Pal Joey. Nevertheless, the underlying story of the ne'er-do-well ladies' song-and-dance man Joey Evans, who blithely bounces between women, remains true to the original.
It doesn't hurt that he's cavorting around the sleazy side of Chicago. In fact, with
Scott Pask's El tracks shrouded in shadows from
Paul Gallo's lighting, one can't help but wonder if a
certain disgraced governor could be found lurking here. He'd no doubt be welcome alongside Joey's lothario.
Of course, one of our anti-hero's conquests happens to be a cougar named Vera Simpson. As portrayed by
Stockard Channing, Vera has that rare opportunity to sing "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," in this case right after being bedded by Joey. But alas, unlike Barnett's earlier performance in
The History Boys, I found myself bewildered by Channing's uneven, faltering voice. Pity, since she imbues her Vera with such natural grace, style and seductiveness ... whenever the music stops.
Fortunately, the flipside of this equation is the absolutely stunning portrayal of Gladys Bumps by a bewitching
Martha Plimpton. Talk about a revelation. We already knew this Tony-nominated actress had the dramatic chops, but who knew she also possesses such an sensational singing voice? Her "Zip" alone is worth the price of admission. Along with her sly moves, courtesy of
Graciela Daniele's uniformly captivating choreography, is there nothing Plimpton can't do? Look for a Tony nod in her future.
As for being bothered, well, let's just say that given the dynamic degree to which Joey Evans is a song-and-
dance man, it's hard to imagine anyone hoofing it -- including
Christian Hoff -- quite like the magnetic
Matthew Risch. Apart from what
Michael Riedel might suggest, Risch mostly succeeds in going from chorus boy to promising lead performer.
Adding to the overall luster of Mantello's well-executed revival are Pask's dazzling set, Gallo's wondrous lighting and
William Ivey Long's elegant costume design. Ultimately in this entertaining
Pal Joey, bewitched wins out over both bothered and bewildered.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Joe Mantello, Lorenz Hart, Martha Plimpton, Matthew Risch, Musical, Pal Joey, Revival, Richard Greenberg, Richard Rodgers, Samuel Barnett, Stockard Channing, The SOB Review
Trying To Beguile Again, Pal Joey Opens On BroadwayThis evening,
Roundabout Theatre Company's retooled revival of
Richard Rodgers and
Lorenz Hart's classic
Pal Joey finally opens at
Studio 54. With
Joe Mantello at the helm, this is the final show to open on Broadway during this calendar year.
As noted above, this is not a straightforward revival as
Richard Greenberg has provided a substantial rewrite to
John O'Hara's book. This
Pal Joey stars
Stockard Channing as the stage's original
cougar, Vera Simpson, while Broadway's current straight play "it girl"
Martha Plimpton takes on Gladys Bumps -- her first musical role.
Much has happened since none other than
Hugh Jackman was first being touted for the title role.
Jersey Boys' Tony-winning
Christian Hoff was since cast as Joey Evans, only to be sidelined during previews because of "foot injury." Hoff was replaced last month by
Matthew Risch, whose most recent Broadway gig was as the reprehensible Carlos in the abysmal
Legally Blonde musical.
Will life imitate art with this former chorus boy making critics recall
42nd Street's Peggy Sawyer? Will critics be bewitched, bothered or bewildered? Find out tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule, along with my very own SOB Review.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Christian Hoff, Joe Mantello, Lorenz Hart, Martha Plimpton, Matthew Risch, Musical, Opening Night, Pal Joey, Revival, Richard Greenberg, Richard Rodgers, Stockard Channing
Broadway Preview: The American PlanAs
noted last week, Tony-winning playwright
Richard Greenberg will be represented on Broadway twice during the 2008-09 Theatrical Season.
First comes
Pal Joey at the
Roundabout's
Studio 54 this November; Greenberg will supply a new book for this classic tuner. Then, in early January comes the Broadway premiere of
The American Plan, which enjoyed its
West Coast premiere earlier this year at San Diego's
Old Globe Theatre.
The play is included as part of the new Broadway season for the
Manhattan Theatre Club's (MTC)
Biltmore Theatre, with previews beginning January 2, 2009 and opening night set for January 22, 2009. Helmed by Tony-winning director
David Grindley, the limited run is scheduled through March 15.
While casting is yet to be announced, MTC
provides a rather veiled description:
An exciting new look at an early, acclaimed play by the Tony Award-winning author of Take Me Out. It is the Catskill Mountains in the early 1960s, and Lily Adler and her mother Eva are spending the summer across the lake from a bustling hotel where comics entertain and buffets overflow. When a handsome young stranger enters their world, the emotionally fragile Lily finds herself falling in love. But once her imperious mother learns of their relationship, lies are exposed, alliances are forged and Lily's one chance to escape her mother's control may be lost forever. Playwright Richard Greenberg continues his long association with MTC where his other New York premieres have included The Violet Hour, Three Days of Rain and Eastern Standard.
In fact, it was only after taking a look at the Old Globe's information that I found
much more intriguing details:
Tony Award-winning playwright Richard Greenberg (Take Me Out, Three Days of Rain) is considered one of the American theatre’s greatest living playwrights. The American Plan is his funny and intriguing look at deeply rooted double standards of America in the early 1960s. Set in an idyllic Catskills lake retreat, The American Plan tells the tale of an elegant and imperious German-Jewish refugee mother, her eccentric daughter who strains against her domineering mother’s tight leash, and the young, mysterious man who enters their lives.
For more background on the play's setting, check out the Old Globe's exceptional
Program Notes, which provides insights on how the Catskill Mountains became known as “Borscht Belt" -- a preferred vacation spot for Jews in the mid-1900s.
I'm a huge fan of Greenberg's work and as a subscriber to the MTC, I'll be anxious to take in this work.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Labels: David Grindley, First Word On New Show, Manhattan Theatre Club, Old Globe Theatre, Play, Richard Greenberg, The American Plan
Broadway Preview: Pal JoeyWant to know the Broadway show I'm
most looking forward to seeing during the 2008-09 Theatrical Season?
Look no further than
Roundabout Theatre Company's retooled revival of
Richard Rodgers and
Lorenz Hart's classic
Pal Joey, which begins previews at
Studio 54 on November 14. With an opening set for December 11, this incarnation is currently listed as an "open-ended" run.
What excites me most is that it ushers in the return to the Great White Way for
Stockard Channing as the stage's original
cougar, Vera Simpson. It's been nine years since this five-time Tony nominated actress -- who won once for her 1985 portrayal of Sheila in the 1985 revival of
Joe Egg -- last trod the Broadway boards.
Personally, I've loved this great American actress ever since "discovering" her as Miriam Knight in the 1973
ABC Movie of the Week "
The Girl Most Likely To." I'm practically embarrassed to admit that I've never seen her perform live. I've promised myself I would move heaven and earth to see her. Finally,
Pal Joey is providing me with my perfect opportunity.
Additionally, it doesn't hurt that the Main Stem's reigning denizen of drama is also in the show. Marking her first foray into Broadway musical theatre is
Martha Plimpton, who will portray Gladys Bumps.
Of course, the acting name that's been most frequently bandied about is that of
Christian Hoff as Joey Evans. This will be Hoff's first leading role on the Great White Way, and his first stage gig there of any kind since winning a Tony two years ago for his work as Tommy DeVito in
Jersey Boys. Hoff tackles the role once thought destined for
Hugh Jackman. But will he have what it takes?
Given that
Richard Greenberg (
Take Me Out,
Three Days of Rain,
The Well-Appointed Room and the upcoming Broadway production of
The American Plan) is rewriting
John O'Hara's book that Chris Caggiano (
Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals) calls "creaky at best," I have high hopes for both Hoff and this
Joe Mantello-helmed revival. And it certainly doesn't hurt that
Pal Joey boasts a terrific score, including timeless tunes like "Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered."
Roundabout describes this fourth Rialto revival:
Set in Chicago in the late 1930s, Pal Joey is the story of Joey Evans, a brash, scheming song and dance man with dreams of owning his own nightclub. Joey abandons his wholesome girlfriend Linda English, to charm a rich, married older woman, Vera Simpson, in the hope that she’ll set him up in business.
Pal Joey first played Broadway's
Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Christmas Day, 1940, and would run for 374 performances, ending just a week before
Pearl Harbor launched the nation headlong into war.
Gene Kelly's Joey played opposite
Vivienne Segal's Vera, while none other than
the Baby/Dainty June,
June Havoc (the 94 year old actress has been forever immortalized in
Gypsy), portrayed Gladys Bumps.
The
first revival, once again starring Vivienne Segal as Vera, came less than a dozen years later in January 1952 at the
Broadhurst Theatre. With 540 total performances, it would enjoy a run outlasting the original. Joey was played by
Harold Lang, but it would be
Helen Gallagher's take on Gladys that would win a Tony. And the great
Elaine Stritch appeared in this version as Melba.
Barely ten years after the first revival closed, a
second one opened May 29 at
City Center for a mere fifteen performances. But it was enough to provide
Bob Fosse with his only Tony nomination in an acting role, this time in the title role. Fosse was cast opposite
Viveca Lindfors as Vera and
Elaine Dunn as Gladys.
The last revival of
Pal Joey came a whopping 32 years ago at the tiny (by Broadway standards)
Circle in the Square Theatre. Bereft of any Tony nominations, the 1976 revival starring
Christopher Chadman (Joey),
Joan Copeland (Vera) and
Janie Sell (Gladys) came and went after just 73 performances.
So how long will this new revival of
Pal Joey remain on Studio 54's stage? It could be zip, unless critics mustn't kick it around.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Labels: Broadway, Christian Hoff, Joe Mantello, Lorenz Hart, Martha Plimpton, Musical, Pal Joey, Revival, Richard Greenberg, Richard Rodgers, Stockard Channing
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL)Over the past ten years, Richard Greenberg has become one of the most prolific and respected playwrights of our time. Just recently, his 1996 Pulitzer Prize-nominated
Three Days of Rain made its way to the Broadway stage with a certain well-publicized high-profile cast. But beyond Broadway, he’s launched several new works including this year’s world premiere of
The Well-Appointed Room at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre. Evocative of
Three Days of Rain in that it traces two story lines through the same setting using its actors in multiple roles, the newer, sometimes explosive piece also carefully weaves a subtle tapestry that covers the most significant event in recent American history: the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001.
While Greenberg’s original script for
The Well-Appointed Room actually included three acts, the two that remain are quite distinctive from each other with seemingly little in common save for the New York City apartment setting and effective use of Steppenwolf ensemble members Tracy Letts and Amy Morton. The first act begins with Letts as a happily oblivious husband who is confronted by his wife Natalie (with bags packed), infuriated by his pretentious ignorance toward all pain he has created within his relationship. Natalie’s pointed tongue ultimately eviscerates her husband, who never saw the lashing coming. The rather breathtakingly short act ends with wife leaving husband.
The second act revolves around Mark, a young man played by Josh Charles (known to most audiences for his work on television’s “Sports Night”), who makes an immediate bond with the audience. He shares his story of finding Gretchen -- played with great emotional depth by Kate Arrington -- falling in love with her and trying to build a life together in that same well-appointed room from Act One, albeit some time later. The act evolves around a backdrop that focuses on where they were on 9/11, as well as by Gretchen’s mysterious behavior after taking a walk away from that room.
While I can’t pretend to know exactly what Greenberg intended to serve as the common thread between the two dramatically divergent acts, my instincts tell me that it is 9/11 itself. I can tell you that I walked away from this fascinating performance haunted by the broken relationship from the first act. It resonated with me as a metaphor for the strained ties between the United States and much of the world. Letts’ character, so caught up in himself, arrogantly ignored all the warning signs until it was simply too late to repair any of the damage he unwittingly and blithely inflicted. Interestingly enough, the second act – which specifically called out the horrific events of 9/11 – ended up serving as a more hopeful salve, that maybe it wasn’t too late for us after all.
As I’ve mentioned in earlier postings in the interest of full disclosure, I’m a proud member of Steppenwolf’s Auxiliary Council’s Board of Governors. But trust me, this richly textured play stands on its own merits. With moving performances by the entire cast, exquisite direction from Steppenwolf co-founder Terry Kinney and a truly poignant story,
The Well-Appointed Room is my selection for ninth place on my “Best of 2005-06” list. Should it come to a theatre near you, I encourage you to make a point of seeing it.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA) (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre, London, UK) (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (Brooklyn Academy of Music – Harvey Theatre, New York, NY) (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (Steppenwolf Garage, Chicago, IL) (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (The Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis, MN) (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 21, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 19, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (Victoria Palace Theatre, London, UK) (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York, NY) (May 15, 2006)
The SOB Five "Worst" of 2005-06 (May 12, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Labels: 9/11, Amy Morton, Chicago, Richard Greenberg, SOB's Best of 2005-06, Steppenwolf, Terry Kinney, The Well Appointed Room, Tracy Letts
Three Days Of Rain (The SOB Review) - Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, New York, NY***1/2 (out of ****)
First things first: Julia Roberts
is better than the initial reviews would have you believe. Yes, her portrayal of Nan in the Broadway mounting of Richard Greenberg’s lauded play
Three Days of Rain is indeed rather stiff, and yes, she does fidget with her hands throughout most of the first half of the play, but if you listen closely to the dialogue, you’ll discover that Nan herself is a bit uneasy and tightly wound.
As for the play itself, I have to confess to being quite a fan of Greenberg’s works. I can completely appreciate how this work was in contention for a Pulitzer Prize ten years ago, and I truly believe his knack for building stories around rooms and their inhabitants over time (including in the premiere of his excellent
The Well-Appointed Room at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre earlier this year) make for captivating theatre. In
Three Day of Rain, we first meet Nan and her brother Walker – played with enormous emotional range by Paul Rudd – after the death of their father Ned. Walker finds his father’s journal (“not diary”) and discovers that even in this case, Ned can be a man of few words, particularly as he describes the fading of his business partner Theo and a mysterious “three days of rain.”
The first act is complicated by the appearance of Nan and Walker’s childhood friend and Theo’s son Pip, portrayed with relish and charm by Bradley Cooper, who unwittingly divulges information not previously known to Walker. Pip confesses to the rather delicate detail after the three have learned that Walker has been denied the famous house his father built. We then get a true sense of Walker’s emotional state.
The second act takes us back 36 years to the same room when it was shared by Ned (Paul Rudd) and Theo (Bradley Cooper), and it’s where Julia Roberts demonstrates her star quality as the object of both men’s attention as Lina, mother to Nan and Walker. I won’t reveal much more of the plot -- even though we know who obviously gets the girl in the end, as confirmed by the play’s first act -- other than to say that Greenberg discloses what occurred on those three days of rain, which are accentuated by a glorious rainfall on stage. Most noteworthy is that Rudd delivers an breathtakingly solid, nuanced performance throughout and clearly fills this play with much of its warmth and heart.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: Bradley Cooper, Broadway, Julia Roberts, Paul Rudd, Play, Revival, Richard Greenberg, Steppenwolf, The SOB Review, The Well Appointed Room, Three Days Of Rain
