SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of PlaysOver the past year, I've had an opportunity to see many outstanding revivals of plays throughout the United States as well as abroad. Here's my personal "5 Best" list of the revivals I'm thankful I had a chance to see:
1 - The Real Thing (McGuire Proscenium Stage, Guthrie, Minneapolis, MN)
With some of the sharpest, wittiest writing among plays of the past quarter century,
The Real Thing was the real deal when it was presented late last summer as the first regular production in the new
Guthrie’s McGuire Proscenium Stage.
Tom Stoppard’s excellent London-based comedy on the meaning of true love was both imminently smart and deliciously accessible under
Joe Dowling’s expert direction, as well as through its superb ensemble, including
Jay Goede (Henry),
Kathryn Meisle (Annie),
Sally Wingert (Charlotte),
Lee Mark Nelson (Max),
Jonas Goslow (Billy), Elizabeth Stahlmann (Debbie) and Mike Rasmussen (Brodie).
Goede was in top form and exceptionally convincing as Henry, the “old sod” playwright who doesn’t readily show his emotions or affections. Yet when he did -- with the absolutely poetic language Stoppard speaks through Henry -- his dialogue was as romantic as it gets. Goede was breathtaking to watch. Meisle was every bit Goede’s equal and displayed raw emotions through her luminescent, expressive eyes.
The Real Thing was a joy to behold and proved to be a great harbinger of things to come for the new Guthrie as some of my other top picks will support. (
Meisle and Goede are pictured above, courtesy of Guthrie.)
Click here for The SOB Review of The Real Thing.
2 - The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (Acorn Theatre, New York, NY)
While maligned by some critics, I was absolutely spellbound by
Jay Presson Allen’s pre-World War II drama
The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie when it was given a hauntingly beautiful revival by The New Group under
Scott Elliott’s exquisite direction. In it,
Cynthia Nixon offered one of her most nuanced, breathtaking performances ever. Nixon was mesmerizing as teacher Jean Brodie, whose romanticized visions of how the world should be ordered are at once both gorgeous and grotesque.
In a stunning, breakthrough performance, the brilliant
Zoe Kazan played Brodie's student Sandy, who undermined her teacher's grand plans and in the process threatened her long tenure with the school. Throughout the course of the play, Nixon expertly peeled back each layer of Brodie to reveal a shockingly fascist and sanctimonious soul whose fascination with Benito Mussolini, Adolph Hitler and Francisco Franco imperiled not only her position, but also one of her students.
Through Brodie, we saw 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 was nothing short of exceptional and helped make
The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, hands-down, one of the best plays I've seen over the past year.
Click here for The SOB Review of The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie.
3 - A Moon For The Misbegotten (Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York, NY)
Less than two weeks ago, I finally caught
Eugene O’Neill’s spectacular
A Moon For The Misbegotten for the first time. To say I was completely enthralled by
Howard Davies’ mesmerizing, profoundly moving, and yes, even entertaining production -- as well as by the intensity of the three principal actors -- would be an understatement.
Colm Meaney,
Eve Best and
Kevin Spacey are all brilliant.
Best is nothing short of a revelation in offering the production's most nuanced performance; the diminutive actress may not quite be the cow O’Neill originally envisioned, but her forceful take on Josie makes her a woman whom men should challenge at their own peril.
What I found so captivating about Spacey’s ultimately heartbreaking portrayal is that, as the eternal actor and kidder, Jim Tyrone has little choice but to mask over the truth and shame he feels deep in his soul by putting up a front of frivolity. That and the refuge he takes in the bottle essentially provide him the sole remaining means by which he can bear to live with himself. Together, Best and Spacey are as symbiotic as any two actors I’ve witnessed, and they provide one of the most astonishing and affecting hours I’ve experienced from live theatre all year.
Click here for The SOB Review of A Moon For The Misbegotten.
4 - The Diary Of Anne Frank (Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, Chicago, IL)
Director
Tina Landau succeeds in building the current Steppenwolf revival of
The Diary Of Anne Frank into an engrossing, near pitch-perfect production. The real-life source material may already be 63 years old, but Landau brings a haunting brilliance to the time-honored dramatization by taking takes chances that ultimately pay off, including enabling the story to move beyond the play's previous conclusion in such a striking fashion that there were audible gasps from the audience. Landau triumphs in proving why this timeless classic deserves to be retold yet again.
This extraordinary production is also blessed by an exceptional ensemble, each of whom turns in a profoundly moving performance. Chief among them are the absolutely astounding
Claire Elizabeth Saxe in the title role and a spectacularly measured performance by
Yasen Peyankov as her father. Right before your eyes, Saxe's maturation as Anne, physically and emotionally, is palpable. You won't believe you're watching a current high school senior -- she's that good. As for Peyankov, by scaling his performance so astonishingly, he becomes the heart of this production.
This is a production that deserves to be seen, not only by those who don't understand the extent of the Nazis' savageries, but also for anyone who yearns for a deeper appreciation of the galvanic capabilities provided by the young Anne Frank's words, which remain as vital today as ever.
Click here for The SOB Review of The Diary Of Anne Frank.
5 - The Glass Menagerie (McGuire Proscenium Stage, Guthrie, Minneapolis, MN)
If there's a common thread among my five favorites, it's the daring to re-imagine respected and time-honored works into accessible theatre for today's audiences. Another prime example was in yet another
Joe Dowling-helmed revival, this time via
Tennessee Williams'
The Glass Menagerie. Shaking this play to its core, Dowling's split the Williamsesque Tom Wingfield in two with
Randy Harrison portraying the younger Tom, while
Bill McCallum tackled the older one. And it succeeded.
But if there was an actual force that lingered, even when she wasn't on the stage, it was
Harriet Harris as Tom's manic mother Amanda. Harris erupted with a volatile mix of authentic neurosis and delusional charm to make you believe she understood the archetype Williams intended perfectly. An actor's actor if ever there was one, Harris mastered this role with clarity and precision, even when she wasn't speaking a word. Hers was one of the best performances I saw all year.
There was much to recommend in Dowling's insightful, respectful and surprisingly entertaining production, and near as I could figure, none of Williams' beautifully poetic language had been altered. Dowling's dramatic tinkerings made for a very chilling evening that actually illuminated the darkest parts of Williams' soul. To me, that's the mark of a great production.
Click here for The SOB Review of The Glass Menagerie. Honorable Mentions:Two revivals from the last year are very deserving of honorable mentions:
- K2 (Jungle Theatre, Minneapolis, MN) -- Director Bain Boehlke succeeds in ascending to the apex with this chilling and riveting revival of Patrick Meyers' K2. This is without question the best production I've seen at Minneapolis' intimate Jungle Theatre. Despite its scant running time of 90 minutes (including one 15 minute intermission), K2 is an adventurous and towering achievement worth the plunge. (Click here for The SOB Review of K2)
- Lost In Yonkers (Wurtele Thrust Stage, Guthrie, Minneapolis, MN) -- While many of Neil Simon’s plays are known for their broader humor, Lost In Yonkers is much more introspective and personal, succeeding with subtle, sophisticated wit and charm. Thanks in no small part to Gary Gisselman's expert, deliberate direction, Lost in Yonkers was particularly winning in making us understand that under Grandma Kurnitz's (Rosaleen Linehan) tough, crusty exterior lies a human being, complete with heart, after all.
What were the best revivals of plays you saw over the past year? I invite you to join the conversation by sharing your theatre experiences with me.
Also, don't forget to vote for the shows you believe will win in each of the four major Tony Award categories: Best Musical, Best Play, Best Revival of a Musical and Best Revival of a Play. You'll find all four polls on the right-hand side of Steve On Broadway.
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Click here for tickets to A Moon For The Misbegotten (playing through June 10) Click here for tickets to K2 (playing through May 20).Click here for tickets to The Diary Of Anne Frank (playing through June 10)Related Stories:The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2006-07 (May 14, 2007)
SOB's Best & Worst Of 2006-07 Theatre Season (May 14, 2007)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (May 21, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (May 19, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (May 17, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd (May 15, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2003-04 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2001-02 (May 24, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2000-01 (May 23, 2006)
Labels: A Moon For The Misbegotten, Best Revival of Plays, K2, Lost In Yonkers, SOB's Best of 2006-07, The Diary Of Anne Frank, The Glass Menagerie, The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, The Real Thing
Summer Brings Old Acquaintance Harris Back To Broadway
But Harris has been busy earning accolades elsewhere for her breathtaking stage versatility. Her range has taken her from Vera Charles in
Mame (Washington DC's
Kennedy Center) to her current portrayal of Amanda in
The Glass Menagerie (Minneapolis' Guthrie), which ends Sunday.
In
my review of the former show, I called her "brilliant," while for her latter performance,
I was downright smitten: "Harris erupts with a volatile mix of authentic neurosis and delusional charm to make you believe she understands the archetype Williams intended perfectly. An actor's actor if ever there was one, Harris masters this role with clarity and precision, even when she's not speaking a word. Hers is one of the best performances of the year."
Harris is among a select group of actresses for whom I would go out of my way to see on the stage. Congratulations to Roundabout for once again tapping into this amazing and talented treasure.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Labels: Broadway, First Word On New Show, Harriet Harris, Mame, Old Acquaintance, Play, Revival, Roundabout Theatre, The Glass Menagerie, Thoroughly Modern Millie
The Hits From Coast To Coast
Ever since finally installing a statcounter on Steve On Broadway (SOB) last month, I've been intrigued by which stories are being read the most. In a bit of shameless self-promotion, here's the top ten according to you and other readers, along with some thoughts as to why these stories struck a chord (and for your added convenience, I've provided links to each of the original postings):
10. Were Critics Faithful To Betrayal? - Through May 27, Chicago's Steppenwolf is the place to see the company's incarnation of the Harold Pinter classic. This posting captures the reviews by the
Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones and
Chicago Sun-Times' Hedy Weiss.
8. (tie) Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II) - I learned with this story that if you load up an item with all kinds of varied information, ranging from a sequel to
The Phantom Of The Opera to discussions of Daniel Radcliffe's on-stage nudity to
Xanadu's casting (minus, Jane Krakowski, of course), you're bound to get readers. But I also took an unnecessary shot at John Doyle and indicated that Kristen Bell would replace Krakowski; I was wrong on both counts. So sorry!
8. (tie) Curtains (The SOB Review) - With this tuner from Kander & Ebb
and Holmes now in previews (with an opening set for March 22), is it any wonder that buzzomaniacs are wondering what others are saying about the show? I took in the tuner way back last summer in LA and loved it, as evidenced in my four-star SOB Review! Can't wait to see it again on Broadway, either.
7. Curtains Meets The Critics - Just as folks are searching for buzz on the aforementioned show, apparently they also want to know what the Left Coast critics have said. You can get it all via my Critics' Capsule on the show.
6. Holliday: You're Gonna Love Me...Again! - Apparently the fan base of
Dreamgirls just can't get enough of all things Jennifer Hudson
or Holliday. Just as hopes for a new Broadway revival with Miss Hudson are running high, suddenly Miss Holliday snaps us back to reality with the announcement that
she's gonna play Effie Melody White
again...in Atlanta this summer.
5. Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical (The SOB Review) - Welcome to all my Aussie cobbers who have visited this Yank's site to learn just how good the musical version of one of your fave pictures is! Well, what was initially going to be a limited run show at Sydney's Star City Casino through last October has continually expanded its run thanks to its fair dinkum popularity. I saw it in December as a Chrissie prezzie, and the performance was chock! Tickets are now selling through June 10. Good onya!
4. The Glass Menagerie (The SOB Review) - Welcome back to all you Randy Harrison fans worldwide who flocked to see how supposedly "not very positive" I was in my review of your favorite from "Queer As Folk." Well, while I may have quibbled with his meandering accent, I thought he comported himself "reasonably well, particularly in going toe-to-toe with Amanda (Harriet Harris)." You still have until March 25 to fly into Minneapolis to see this production that I awarded 3 1/2 stars out of 4 -- a great show in my book.
3. Dye Is Cast For Legally Blonde Reviews - With Left Coast critics singing this new tuner's praises and with Broadway previews less than a month away (April 3), it's no wonder that Google searches for any tidbit on
Legally Blonde are more common than split ends.
2. Betrayal (The SOB Review) - I was considerably more enthusiastic about the aforementioned Harold Pinter play at Steppenwolf than the critics. Maybe that's why so much traffic came my way. Just for the record, I gave this good, solid production 3 out of 4 stars.
1. The Pirate Queen (The SOB Review) - Two nights ago, this new musical began preview performances on Broadway...less than three months after taking a pretty severe beating from the Chicago critics. I was there on its Windy City opening night and could only muster up a two-star review. While I had hoped the production would have improved, I'm already reading comments from others (like Mike at
The Lunar Gemini), who aren't very impressed. Is there still hope of a salvage operation prior to its April 5 opening night? My bet at this point is it's going to sink.
Thanks to you, dear reader, for checking out
Steve On Broadway. And whether you agree wholeheartedly or think I'm full of it, you're always welcome to leave comments and join the discussion!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Betrayal tickets.Click here for Curtains tickets.Click here for Dreamgirls (Atlanta) ticket information.Click here for Equus tickets.Click here for Legally Blonde tickets.Click here for Priscilla Queen Of The Desert tickets.Click here for The Glass Menagerie tickets.Click here for The Pirate Queen tickets. Labels: Betrayal, Broadway, Curtains, Daniel Radcliffe, Dreamgirls, Equus, Jennifer Holliday, Jennifer Hudson, Legally Blonde, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, The Glass Menagerie, The Pirate Queen, Xanadu
The Glass Menagerie (The SOB Review) - McGuire Proscenium Stage, Guthrie, Minneapolis, MN
***1/2 (out of ****)
No doubt, purists will lament that director
Joe Dowling has taken too many liberties with
Tennessee Williams' classic play
The Glass Menagerie, which is currently playing a Guthrie stage. Given the play's semi-autobiographical depiction of Williams' own emancipation from the clutches of his mother, protestations over Dowling's artistic freedom may be a bit ironic.
For those who hold the original stagings of Williams' works sacrosanct, the most egregious element of this production may be found in Dowling's decision to split the Williamsesque Tom Wingfield in two.
Randy Harrison portrays the younger Tom, while
Bill McCallum takes on the older one. The latter not only serves as narrator, but essentially becomes a specter looking upon the proceedings much like the portrait of his long-deserted father hanging on the Wingfields' living room wall.
But if there's an actual force that lingers, even when she's not on the stage, it is
Harriet Harris as Tom's manic mother Amanda. Given that Williams once sardonically referred to his mother as "a little Prussian officer in drag,” it takes a volcanic performance to make every seismic shift one to be feared. Harris erupts with a volatile mix of authentic neurosis and delusional charm to make you believe she understands the archetype Williams intended perfectly. An actor's actor if ever there was one, Harris masters this role with clarity and precision, even when she's not speaking a word. Hers is one of the best performances of the year.
There are other winning performances.
Tracey Maloney imbues "crippled" daughter Laura with a haunting luminescence that shines as brilliantly as the light through one of her beloved glass figurines, particularly when she's caught up in the possibility that her love for Jim O'Connor might actually be reciprocated.
As the tender Jim, stunningly bereft of self-awareness,
Jonas Goslow is a revelation. Once the ever-popular high school boy who could do no wrong, Jim now struggles to rebuild his sense of affable confidence after losing his way for reasons never enunciated. I've previously seen Goslow in Guthrie productions of
The Real Thing and
Hamlet, but this is the first time I've seen him so genuine and vulnerable.
For his part, McCallum offers a poignant take as the elder Tom that hints at the air of sophistication to come for this erstwhile "Shakespeare." Then there's Harrison's portrayal of the younger Tom. Often trying to find the appropriate voice for Tom, Harrison is all over the map -- literally. While Williams places this drama in St. Louis, Harrison's forced accent alternately sounds like it's from the Deep South or New England, with hints of New Orleans thrown in for good measure. Still, Harrison ably handles this pivotal role reasonably well, particularly in going toe-to-toe with Amanda.
There is much to recommend in Dowling's insightful, respectful and surprisingly entertaining production, and near as I can figure, none of Williams' beautifully poetic language has been altered. Certainly, sticklers may not approve of Dowling's dramatic tinkerings, but they've made for a very chilling evening that actually illuminate the darkest parts of Williams' soul. To me, that's the mark of a great production.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Labels: Harriet Harris, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Play, Revival, The Glass Menagerie, The SOB Review
London Glass Menagerie Strikes Goold With Critics
Noting how "everything works gloriously" and that "a great play has been magnificently revived,"
Charles Spencer of the
Telegraph provides his stamp of approval: "I take my hat off to the sheer stubborn persistence of the impresario
Bill Kenwright and the actress Jessica Lange....The hotshot young director Rupert Goold stages a superbly judged production that captures both the haunting atmosphere of this memory play and its harrowing awareness of the unbearable pain that life can inflict on the innocent....Jessica Lange captures all the grotesque absurdity of Amanda Wingfield, flirting gushingly and girlishly with the man she wants to marry her daughter, but also leaving no doubt about the character's genuine pain and neurosis."
"Entering Edwina’s little world is like clambering down into a hideously cosy version of Hades," is how
The Times'
Benedict Nightingale describes
The Glass Menagerie in his four-out-of-five star review: "As Lange makes clear, the dividing line between concern and control, devotion and oppression, love and destruction, is awfully thin. That’s not all there is to Lange’s performance. She extracts the most from the burbling and babbling with which, dressed in a frock that would have looked dated in '
Gone with the Wind,' she soft-soaps
Mark Umbers as the Gentleman Caller she hopes will fall for Laura. She also gives us a glimpse, and sometimes more than a glimpse, at the desperation behind her endless, maddening manipulations."
The Independent's
Alice Jones is generally laudatory: "Lange is suitably striking in the role, flitting, with little bird-like movements of her hand, from mollycoddling mother to self-obsessed old crone and, most memorably, a girlish coquette in the company of the gentleman caller. She is not, though, the standout performance in a uniformly excellent cast.
Ed Stoppard is convincing as the narrator through whose tortured memory the action is filtered.
Amanda Hale's nervy performance as Laura is as delicate as the glass animals she treasures, and beautifully contrasts with Mark Umbers's robust, strong-jawed, good-natured charm as the long-awaited gentleman caller."
Offering up four out of five stars, the
Evening Standard's
Nicholas de Jongh is mostly positive, except for its major star: "Rupert Goold's dream-struck production of Tennessee Williams's
The Glass Menagerie finally convinces me this is one of the great, unhappy family-life plays in the modern American repertoire....The character of Tom, powerfully brought to dissatisfied life by Ed Stoppard and without that familiar belligerent glare of his, is Williams's alter ego and the play's narrator....Jessica Lange,
The Glass Menagerie's prime misfit, makes a far less forceful impression....But Lange, never a dynamic figure on stage, makes garrulous Amanda a shrill, artificial, unfunny babbler rather than the complex figure of comic absurdity and frightened self-deception she ought be."
Michael Billington of
The Guardian seems to agree. In providing three out of five stars, Billington states: "[E]ven though Jessica Lange had already played the role on Broadway, her Amanda seemed underpowered....Far more significant was the fact that Lange never persuaded me she inhabited a world of fantasy....Lange has good touches, such as her reflex attempts to smooth down her son's hair, but her Amanda never fully inhabits her own private world. But where the evening takes off is in the celebrated scene where Laura is confronted by a gentleman-caller in the shape of a colleague Tom has brought home to dinner. This is not only Williams at his best: it also brings forth a transcendent piece of acting from Amanda Hale as Laura."
Whether U.K. audiences will similarly warm to the tragic tale or are simply flocking to it to see two-time Oscar winner Jessica Lange remains to be seen.
I can't help but wondering what
Sir Alan Ayckbourn will think of that.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Labels: Critics' Capsule, Jessica Lange, London, Play, Revival, The Glass Menagerie
Harriet Harris To Headline Guthrie's Glass MenagerieAnyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Tony-winning actress
Harriet Harris knows what a gem she is.
Whether it was portraying Mrs. Meers in Broadway's 2002 Best Musical
Thoroughly Modern Millie or Vera Charles in the Kennedy Center's delightful revival of
Mame earlier this year, I've seen first-hand how this versatile actress more than holds her own opposite other great actors. However, it's a safe bet that most audiences are most familiar with her recurring television work as Bebe Glazer on "Frasier" and as Felicia Tilman on "Desperate Housewives."
Now, Harris is slated to tackle the fomidably dramatic role of Amanda Wingfield in the upcoming Guthrie production of
Tennessee Williams'
The Glass Menagerie, helmed by
Joe Dowling. Other cast members include Jonas Goslow,
Randy Harrison ("Queer As Folk"), Tracey Maloney and Bill McCallum. This revival enables Harris to return to her roots: She was a member of the Guthrie company during the 1980s appearing in such productions as
A Midsummer Night's Dream and
Tartuffe.
Winning Tennessee Williams his first major acclaim as a playwright -- including being named the Best American Play of 1945 by the New York Drama Critics' Circle --
The Glass Menagerie begins performances at the Guthrie's McGuire Proscenium Stage in Minneapolis on January 20 with its opening set for January 26.
I'll be taking in the production and providing you with my own assessment of the production.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Mame (The SOB Review) - The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Eisenhower Theatre, Washington, DC (June 18, 2006)
Labels: Guthrie, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Play, Revival, The Glass Menagerie
