SOB’s Best Of 2006-07: Top Ten Of The YearYou've endured my "Best Of" lists of everything from the year's best New Musicals and Plays to best Revivals of Musicals and Plays to best Theatrical Events.
Now, before I launch into which Broadway shows would get my Tony vote if I
could actually vote, here’s how the
best of the best rank in my personal countdown of the “10 Best” theatrical productions I saw over the course of the 2006-07 Theatrical Season:
10 - A Moon For The Misbegotten (Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York, NY) – Eve Best and Kevin Spacey are as symbiotic as any two actors I’ve witnessed and provide one of the most astonishing and affecting hours I’ve experienced from live theatre all year.
9 - The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (Acorn Theatre, New York, NY) – A hauntingly beautiful revival of
Jay Presson Allen’s pre-World War II drama that had me spellbound.
8 - The Unmentionables (Downstairs Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago, IL) - Playwright
Bruce Norris' compelling brilliance was woven throughout his riveting tale that stands good intentions on its head.
7 - Barry Humphries & Friends: Back With A Vengeance! (Arts Centre, State Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) – Three hours worth of ingenious wit and wisdom from one of Australia's true treasures, Barry Humphries.
6 - Curtains (Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center, Los Angeles, CA) – An exceedingly smart, exceptionally funny and a thrilling theatrical finale for the legendary songwriting team of
John Kander and the late
Fred Ebb.
5 - Sonia Flew (Downstairs Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago, IL) – A splendid, soaring play that left me positively chilled.
4 - The Real Thing (McGuire Proscenium Stage, Guthrie, Minneapolis, MN) – An eminently smart and deliciously acccessible revival that was a joy to behold.
3 - Gypsy (Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, IL) –A mesmerizing, show-stopping Patti LuPone soared to new heights with an unforgettable, heart-wrenched rendering of Mama Rose.
2 - Evita (Adelphi Theatre, London, United Kingdom) – The best revival of a musical from the past year that was dazzling.
1 - Grey Gardens (Walter Kerr Theatre, New York, NY) – A completely satisfying triumph of the first order – bravo to Christine Ebersole, who should win the Tony.
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Labels: A Moon For The Misbegotten, Barry Humphries, Curtains, Evita, Grey Gardens, Gypsy, SOB's Best of 2006-07, Sonia Flew, The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, The Real Thing, The Unmentionables
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.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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
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 Brodie starring
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.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (The SOB Review) - Acorn Theatre, New York, NY (October 10, 2006)
Prime Time Tonight Off-Broadway (October 9, 2006)
Cynthia Nixon Lands Prime Role (June 8, 2006)
Labels: Critics' Capsule, Cynthia Nixon, Off-Broadway, Play, Revival, The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie
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 is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:Prime Time Tonight Off-Broadway (October 9, 2006)
Cynthia Nixon Lands Prime Role (June 8, 2006)
Labels: Cynthia Nixon, Off-Broadway, Play, Revival, The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, The SOB Review
Prime Time Tonight Off-BroadwayThis evening marks the opening of The New Group's Off-Broadway revival of
The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie starring
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 Brodie made 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.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Cynthia Nixon Lands Prime Role (June 8, 2006)
Labels: Cynthia Nixon, Off-Broadway, Opening Night, Play, Revival, The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie
