Thursday, May 3, 2012

Theater Review; The Lyons


hael Esper, Dick Latessa, Linda Lavin, and Kate Jennings Grant. Photo: Carol Rosegg
These Lyons Roar -- and Devour Each Other
By Lauren Yarger
She growls and pounces and the audience roars as Rita Lyons (Linda Lavin) attacks. In Nicky Silver’s Broadway play The Lyons, however, the unfortunate prey who find themselves devoured in her deadly jaws are her husband and children.

Rita’s husband, Ben (Dick Latessa) lies in his hospital bed wishing for impending death to come a little quicker than the doctors hope – just so he doesn’t have to listen to the endless stream of verbal abuse hurled his way by his wife, who among other things, constantly asks for input on her plans to redecorate the living room once he’s gone. She’s never liked it and can’t wait . . . 

“I’m dying, Rita,” he whines like a wounded animal.

“But try to be positive,” she replies. 

There’s not a lot of love lost here and things aren’t too much better between Ben and the children who have been summoned for a final goodbye. 

The reunion doesn’t go too well. Homosexual Curtis (Michael Esper)  has never felt his father’s approval and alcoholic Lisa (Kate Jennings Grant) hits the bottle again to cope with her failed marriage and her mother's constant disapproval.  

A melee of insult hurling ensues, and this dysfunctional family is off on the hunt for fresh blood with Ben giving that wounded cry every so often. Despite the depressing subject matter, the first act is non-stop laughs thanks to claw-sharp zinger lines and Lavin’s impeccable delivery and timing. 

The second act veers off target, however, and while it’s not quite the implosion that too often can follow such a sizzling first act, it does lose steam and focus. The scene shifts to an apartment Curtis is thinking of buying, his encounter with the real estate agent (Gregory Wooddell) -- which is weird to put it mildly -- then ends up back at the hospital where Curtis receives care from the same plain-talking nurse (Brenda Pressley) who helped his father. (Set design is by Allen Moyer). 

Director Mark Brokaw can’t help us make the abrupt shift. Silver’s goal in this disappointing second half is to trade realism for laughs (and when Brokaw doesn’t tighten timing, laughs get trampled. 

This one is worth it for the first act, however. Don’t miss the wickedly funny carnage that earned Lavin this season’s best actress award nominations and which will give Tracie Bennett's turn as Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow, some serious competition for the Tony. 

The Lyons roar at the Cort Theatre, 138 West 48th St., NYC. Tickets: 212-239-6200; 800-432-7250.

Christians might also like to know:
-- Language
-- God’s name taken in vain
-- Sexual dialogue
-- Theological issue: there’s a sort of purgatory. I kind of liked that Ben starts being afraid he might end up in hell.

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Gracewell Prodiuctions

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Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

Copyright

All material is copyright 2008- 2022 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

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Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

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