Theater Review: The People in the Picture

Portrait of the Past Comes Alive with Murphy's Performance
By Lauren Yarger
A picture’s worth a thousand words, or in the case of Roundabout Theatre’s The People in the Picture, a whole Broadway musical.

Giving a flash of brilliance to the show is Donna Murphy who gives a strong performance as Raisel, a grandmother slowly slipping into Alzheimer’s while bringing alive her past as a star of Yiddish theater in pre-war Poland.

“Bubbie” recounts her experiences and teaches Yiddish to granddaughter Jenny (Rachel Resheff) with the help of the spirits of the members of her acting troupe known as The Warsaw Gang -- captured in an old photo (massive gilded picture frames provide the set backdrop designed by Ricardo Hernandez). They are Doovie Feldman (Hal Robinson), Chayesel Fisher (Joyce Van Patten), Yossie Pinsker (Chip Zien), Avram Krinsky (Lewis Stadlen), Moishe Rosewald (Alexander Gemignani), and Chaim Bradovsky (Christopher Invar). Megan Reinking gives a nice turn in a minor role as Dobrisch, a woman who helps hide Raisel’s daughter from the Nazis.

All grown up now, Raisel’s daughter, Red (the lovely voiced Nicole Parker), doesn’t like leaving Jenny alone with the increasingly forgetful and confused Bubbie, however, and starts looking for a care facility for the mother whom she resents teaching her daughter about a past she would rather forget.

Leonard Foglia directs Murphy in flawless morphs from Bubbie in 1977 Manhattan to Raisel in Poland between 1935 and 1946. Ann Hould-Ward’s simple costumes prevent a stark visual difference between the time periods. Murphy really is fascinating to watch and gives sympathy to a woman who not only endured the Holocaust, but who now stands to lose her mind, her home and the chance to pass on traditions when she’s denied the privilege of spending time with her beloved granddaughter.

Her portrayal keeps us interested, despite the completely predictable book from Iris Rainer Dart whose sole purpose seems to be to set up a good cry like the one guaranteed if you watch her movie “Beaches.” She succeeds, as loud sniffles and searching around for tissues in handbags can be heard throughout the house toward the end.

Dart’s lyrics are clever (additional lyrics and music by Mark Warshavsky are used for an old Yiddish lullaby), but they don’t overcome the melodramatic, hokey tone of the book (and Jenny’s just a little too sweet and good). One number, in which actress Raisel portrays The Dancing Dybbuk, a demon-like spirit who used to be a song-and-dance-man, is really ridiculous. Andy Blankenbueler provides the musical staging for the numbers, one of which evokes spirits of  Fiddler on the Roof.

Also disappointing is the music by Mike Stoller (of Leiber and Stoller fame) and Artie Butler. There are some strange note choices and none of the tunes is memorable.

Murphy’s performance has earned her Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics award nominations.

The People in the Picture runs through June 19 at Studio 54, 254 West 54th St., NYC. For tickets, visit www.roundabouttheatre.org.


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