Top Girls (The SOB Review) - Biltmore Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York, NY**1/2 (out of ****)With apologies to
Annie Lennox, sisters may be doing it for themselves, but as
Caryl Churchill's
Top Girls ultimately concludes, they're just as likely to do
in themselves in their struggle to break through the glass ceiling.
Just as this year's political season only elucidates and confirms, the fairer gender is completely capable of throwing one of their own under the bus. In Churchill's 1982 play, which takes major issue with the United Kingdom's first (and to date only) female Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher, rising star Marlene (
Elizabeth Marvel in a performance that more than lives up to her name) is all too willing to hop in the driver's seat and run over just about anyone who stands or even lies in her way.
Marlene's an equal opportunity offender, whether the offendee is her former (male) boss, her very own sister Joyce (
Marisa Tomei in one of her three outstanding portrayals), or even worse, her teenage niece Angie (a mindblowing
Martha Plimpton, who also more than ably doubles as Pope Joan). In Marlene's world, power is not so much the ultimate aphrodisiac as it is the end-all.
And therein lies the conundrum in
Top Girls as meticulously directed by
James Macdonald. Is true equality in society a double-edged sword, something that should be handled with only the utmost care? And are women who serve as trailblazers helping or hurting other females left in their wake?
There are no clear answers, but the play begins with an amazingly surreal dream sequence in a restaurant to celebrate Marlene's exciting promotion. Only thing is the navel gazing guest list includes women from throughout history who have triumphed over male domination -- or have they? Ironically, as they swill wine and pontificate -- quite literally in the case of Plimpton's pompous pope -- they remain oblivious to the hard-working attentiveness their waitress (a marvelous
Mary Beth Hurt) delivers in silence.
I can appreciate why this first act might drive some theatregoers to depart when the house lights go up. With a bit of sensory overload, the act can be a bit confounding as Pope Joan, Griselda (
Mary Catherine Garrison in one of four sly turns), Isabella Bird (Tomei) and Lady Nijo (a crackling
Jennifer Ikeda) talk over one another. Personally, I found the entire episode amusing, if not intriguing, akin to the way your ears dance, caught between two simultaneous, yet equally riveting dinner conversations. Taking it all in with us are Marlene -- who on reflection must realize that while she's the reason they're all there, they have scant interest in her achievements -- and the anything but Dull Gret (an understated, yet funny
Ana Reeder).
The first act only crystalized for me once the play was over. To leave after the initial act would be to miss the story behind the celebration banquet -- how Marlene and her employment agency colleagues not so much help their female clients find gainful work, but stop at nothing to get to the top themselves. Even more harrowing is the storyline on how Marlene has eschewed her family and obligations at her roots.
In one of the most poignant scenes and true to her name, Hurt portrays a dejected Louise, who comes to the agency after 20 years at her current job. Far from a backstabber, she notes how underappreciated she's been and how her efforts have largely gone unnoticed. Others she has trained have gone on to bigger and better things, but because she has little of the moxie to steamroller over her co-workers, she's stuck in a rut.
In
Top Girls, Churchill has essentially created a modern-day womanifestation of Darwin's social theory. Survival of the fittest indeed.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Did Critics Place Top Girls At Top Of Their Lists? (May 8, 2008)
Opening: Top Girls Tops Off Broadway Season (May 7, 2008)
Labels: Broadway, Caryl Churchill, Elizabeth Marvel, James Macdonald, Marisa Tomei, Martha Plimpton, Mary Beth Hurt, Play, Revival, The SOB Review, Top Girls
Did Critics Place Top Girls At Top Of Their Lists?Last evening, the final opening of Broadway's 2007-08 Theatrical Season occurred at the
Manhattan Theatre Club's
Biltmore Theatre.
Caryl Churchill's
Top Girls opened its limited run under the direction of
James Macdonald. The cast includes
Martha Plimpton,
Mary Catherine Garrison,
Mary Beth Hurt,
Marisa Tomei,
Elizabeth Marvel,
Jennifer Ikeda and
Ana Reeder.
While not necessarily offering their top marks for the year, critics gave the revival that's never previously been performed on the Great White Way very decent notices.
Right at the top is
The New York Sun's
Eric Grode, whose rave is practically over the top: "James Macdonald's razor-sharp, impeccably acted production basks in the play's frequently cloaked but constantly beating heart without sacrificing an ounce of the intellectual gravitas that made it such a powerhouse in 1982. Sometimes greatness can obscure just how good something is — and
Top Girls, we are bracingly reminded, is a very, very good play.... Coupled with Ms. Plimpton's gorgeous rendition of a teenager destined for the slag heap, the three (including Tomei and Marvel) convey both the resentments and the deep-seated empathy of a sundered family."
Noting how "its originality is undiminished in MTC's incisively acted Broadway production," David Rooney of
Variety gives the production top grades: "It's a mark of the spiky brilliance of
Top Girls that regardless of having previously seen or read the 1982 play, deciphering its cryptographic mosaic of narrative, themes, structure and style is still a bracing challenge.... Marvel is superb at outlining the steely edges that have enabled her to snatch the office throne from a senior male colleague while showing a glimmer of the fear that keeps her looking over her shoulder. Her clipped tones slip down the class scale when talking to Angie and then click efficiently back into place as she resumes executive mode.... Any reservations about Macdonald's visual scheme are countered by his razor-sharp work with the tremendous cast, all of them aside from Marvel in multiple roles."
Declaring this "a provocative play, one that -- 26 years later -- makes one think and think again,"
New York Post's
Clive Barnes' three-star review (out of four) comes close to the top: "I was engrossed by Churchill's technical command of the theater and her willingness to take risks.... Churchill makes one seriously consider the female/male equation more closely than would a simple propagandist screed.... James Macdonald's staging is beautifully nuanced, especially in its careful development of Marlene, with Marvel giving a shaded performance that covers every base. All the acting has a perfect ensemble feel to it. Plimpton shines in her dual roles as a dry Pope Joan and a touching Angie, and Tomei is splendid in three roles."
Observing that this play "climbs toward the top,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News is a notch lower, awarding three out of five stars: "Though the play is overly talky and circuitous, incisive performances by seven actresses in the Manhattan Theatre Club production make it a fine final entry to the 2007-08 Broadway season.... Director James MacDonald, who staged Churchill's
Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? at the
Public, expertly guides the cast and brings out the story's rich humor.... As the lone cast member who plays just one part, Marvel expertly captures the brittle - maybe even mannish, at times - climber of the corporate ladder.... Tomei and Plimpton are very affecting."
Waxing that "It feels no less original today,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer lauds the production, but notes that the
sound is anything but tops: "Blame the acoustics, or the inexplicable failure of that fine director, James Macdonald, to check the sound throughout the house.At a recent preview, despite my good seat, I had trouble hearing stretches of the play. Seven spectacular actresses ... are perhaps too devoted to delivering the foreign, class and regional English dialects.... They are all wonderful. Churchill precisely depicts the convivial chatter and overlapping narcissism, the fashionable food and blurted revelations of such modern gatherings. Buried in the conversation, however, is a work-and-family history of choices available to strong women."
Calling it a "well-acted revival,"
Ben Brantley of
The New York Times offers a middling assessment: "Watching that consciousness surface in Ms. Churchill’s fantasy dinner in a London restaurant ... makes the first act of
Top Girls not only an inspired gimmick but also one of the most resonant theatrical set pieces of the past 50 years. And it has been done full justice here by a cast rounded out by Mary Catherine Garrison, Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Ikeda and Ana Reeder, directed with intelligence and sensitivity by James Macdonald. That nothing else in
Top Girls equals its virtuosic opening scene is no fault of this revival... Even 25 years ago, when the play opened at the Public Theater in New York, it was evident that Ms. Churchill had saved her best for first."
Given the largely positive overall critical response, will
Top Girls now earn sufficient Tony buzz to warrant an extension beyond its scheduled June 22 closing? And will capacity hovering just under the 70% range, will audiences now flock to the show?
I'll keep a close eye on developments, but first I'll be taking in a performance in the next few days and will have my own SOB Review shortly thereafter.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Opening: Top Girls Tops Off Broadway Season (May 7, 2008)
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, James Macdonald, Marisa Tomei, Martha Plimpton, Mary Beth Hurt, Mary Catherine Garrison, Play, Revival, Top Girls
Opening: Top Girls Tops Off Broadway SeasonAfter having been written more than a couple decades ago, this evening marks the first Broadway opening night for
Caryl Churchill's
Top Girls at the
Manhattan Theatre Club's
Biltmore Theatre.
Directed by
James Macdonald, this limited run, non-linear production features a stunning cast including Broadway supernova
Martha Plimpton,
Mary Catherine Garrison (Izzy in 2006's
Rabbit Hole and Lynette "Squeaky'' Fromme in 2004's
Assassins), four-time Tony nominee
Mary Beth Hurt and Academy Award winner
Marisa Tomei, along with downtown wonder
Elizabeth Marvel,
Jennifer Ikeda and
Ana Reeder.
This also marks the final opening night for the entire 2007-08 Theatrical Season on the Great White Way.
After critics have weighed in on this production, the next stop is the Tony derby, with nominations being announced on Tuesday.
Look for my critics' capsule tomorrow.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: Broadway, James Macdonald, Marisa Tomei, Martha Plimpton, Mary Beth Hurt, Mary Catherine Garrison, Opening Night, Play, Revival, Top Girls
