Broadway Theater Review: The Elephant Man with Bradley Cooper (Top Pick)

Bradley Cooper Transforms into Both Elephant Man and Stage Star Before Our Eyes
By Lauren Yarger
There is a reason Broadway’s The Elephant Man is doing gangbusters at the box office and has already recouped for its investors: it’s terrific.

Two-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (“Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle”) turns in what will surely be a Tony-award nominated performance in Bernard Pomerance’s play about Joseph Merrick, a horribly deformed man who became the toast of Victorian society in London.

Merrick (named John here and played by Cooper), suffers from a bone disease that causes elephant-like skin development, an oversized head and other deformities that make him an outcast. He finds himself living a horrible life in a workhouse, then as a sideshow freak under the cruel, exploitive management of a man called Ross (Anthony Heald).

He eventually finds his way to a kind doctor, Frederick Treves (Alessandro Nivola) who wants to study Merrick “in the interest of science.” He launches a public drive for funds and brings Merrick to London Hospital – at first against the wishes of its head, Carr Gomm (Henry Stram) -- where he is sheltered and finds the first “home” he ever has known.

While Treves lectures students about his subject, with the help of slides showing Merrick’s grotesquely tortured body, we see Cooper transform into the Elephant Man as each deformity is addressed. The performance, under the direction of Scott Ellis, who helmed this production in Williamstown in 2012, renders makeup, prosthetics or additional costuming unnecessary for Cooper to make the transition. It’s attractive Cooper (named People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2011) up there on stage, but we see the Elephant Man. Clint Ramos designs the Victorian garb to remind us of the uptight, layered society in which Merrick lives.

The slides used in the performance, with the help of projection and expert lighting design (Timothy R. Mackabee, who also is scenic designer, and Philip S. Rosenberg, respectively), are actual photographs of Merrick taken by Dr. Treves in 1880. Additional mood is set by John Gromada’s original music and sound design as hospital curtains are drawn across the stage to change scenes. They are a constant reminder that Merrick, though in much better conditions, still is a subject of study and that society has a hard time accepting what it doesn’t understand.

As Merrick settles in, enjoying baths to lessen the odors of his flesh, and building a model of St. Phillip’s Church (still on display at the hospital), a strong friendship develops between patient and doctor. Treves works to bring in other people, especially women, to interact with Merrick. Mrs. Sandwich (Kathryn Meisle) thinks she is up to the task after having nursed unfortunates on missions trips, but finds she can’t deal with Merrick’s deformities. Treves finds success when he introduces a renowned actress and queen of London’s society, Mrs. Kendal (a delightful Patricia Clarkson who manages to steal some scenes). She throws herself into playing a role, but finds herself genuinely drawn to Merrick as a friend and as a man.

Merrick has an unshakable faith in God and in his salvation. He has some intelligent conversations with Bishop Walsham How (also played by Heald) and becomes the toast of society with royalty begging for an audience with him. While Merrick blossoms into his own person and enjoys as “normal” a life as he ever has known, the disease continues its progression, however. Pomerance’s play tells the moving story of Merrick, his courage and incredible outlook while making intelligent comment on society, both Victorian and modern.

Cooper’s astonishing performance is strenuous as he contorts his body into the misshapen man, walks with a limp and speaks with a slur. Clarkson is absolutely charming. They make a dynamic stage duo. My only complaint is that it sometimes was difficult to hear. Some dialogue should not be missed:

“Sometimes I think my head is so big because it is so full of dreams. . . do you know what happens when dreams cannot get out?”

Otherwise, The Elephant Man is one of the most enjoyable two hours of the season. It runs through Feb. 22 at the Booth Theatre, 222 West 45th St., NYC. Performances are Tuesday and Thursday at 7 pm; Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm; Wednesday and Saturday at 2 pm, Sunday at 3 pm with some scheduling changes planned. Tickets $99 - $169: http://elephantmanbroadway.com

Christians might also like to know:

-- Nudity

Off-Broadway Theater Review: Pocatello

Restaurant Serves Up Desires for Family, Belonging in a Hungry America

By Lauren Yarger

No matter how bad times get, we always have family. But what happens if that’s not true? Where do we find our sense of roots, belonging and support then?

These are the questions raised in Pocatello, the premiere of a new play by award-winning playwright Samuel D. Hunter at Playwrights Horizons Off-Broadway in New York.

Pocatello is a small town in Idaho, where Eddie (T.R. Knight of TV’s “Grey’s Anatomy” fame) runs an Italian chain restaurant franchise that he is pouring his own savings into to postpone the closing that corporate is telling him must occur. The restaurant is everything to Eddie: his claim of a place in his hometown and a source of existence for his extended family of employees.

That group consists of Max (Cameron Scoggins), a drug user who is grateful to Eddie for giving him a job when no one else would; Isabelle (Elvy Yost), a waitress who utters profanity while trying to keep service running smoothly; and Troy (Danny Wolohan), who took a waiting job to avoid a move that would make his daughter, Becky (Leah Karpel), have to switch schools when he lost his job at the local paper mill. They all appreciate Eddie. He’s the best boss, after all, since he puts up with their trysts in the back room, pot smoking and hasn’t had the heart to tell them that the restaurant needs to close.

His idea to sponsor an employee “Famiglia Week” doesn’t go over so well, though, since dysfunctional is a mild term for the family members who come for dinner.

Troy’s alcoholic wife, Tammy (Jessica Dickey), wonders whether she would have been better off with old beau Eddie while coping with Tory's father, Cole (Jonathan Hogan), who suffers from Alzheimer's, bulimic daughter Becky who can’t eat anything -- especially meat -- because of the processes used in preparing it. She rattles on excessively about cows getting caught in slaughter machinery and promptly sours the evening.

Eddie’s mother, Doris (Brenda Wehle) can’t seem to find anything on the menu she likes either and brother, Nick (Brian Hutchinson) can’t wait to get out of the place. Is it his loathing of being back in the town that holds bad memories of his father, or is it that he is uncomfortable around his homosexual brother? The only one who seems genuinely pleased to be there and to make an effort at reuniting family is Nick’s wife, Kelly (Crystal Finn), who urged her husband to make the trip home.

Davis McCallum, who directed Hunter’s sensitive and moving play The Whale at Playwrights in 2012, returns here and creates an atmosphere (with the restaurant set designed by Lauren Helpern and music/sound ambiance designed by Matt Tierney) that keeps us interested. Knight, in particular, delivers a solid portrayal of a man losing control, but unable to figure out what to do to make things better.

The play itself is flawed. Too many people thrown at us in the opening scene with run-on conversations makes it difficult to figure out who’s who and what is going on. In addition, Wehle doesn’t look old enough to be Eddie’s mother, so at first I thought she was Nick’s wife and the young-looking Finn was their daughter making it even more confusing.

The action evens out, but Hunter, who is a 2014 MacArthur Foundation “Genius,” fails to take us as deeply into the characters as we need to go. What exactly happened with Eddie and Nick’s father? Why did Eddie and Doris become estranged and what motivates her to make a renewed effort to reach out to her son?

We leave with a feeling of despair in an atmosphere where family relationships appear to be going the same way as small-town life --  replaced by chains and strip malls rather – rather than with hope in the staple of family relationships, which I think is on Hunter’s take-out menu.

Pocatello runs through Jan. 4 at Playwrights Horizons, 416 West 42nd St., NYC. Performances are Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7 pm, Thursdays and Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 2:30 and 8 pm and Sundays at 2:30 and 7:30 PM.  Special Monday evening performances Dec. 22 and Dec. 29. Tickets $75-$95 with discounts available: www.TicketCentral.com; (212) 279-4200.

Christians might also like to know:

-- Language

-- Lord's name taken in vain

-- Homosexuality

-- Sexual dialogue

Quick Hit Off-Broadway Review: Lost Lake

Lost Lake
By David Auburn

Directed by Daniel Sullivan

Manhattan Theatre Club

NY City Center Stage I

What's It All About?
The newest from playwright David Auburn (Pulitzer Prize-winning Proof and The Columnist) and director Daniel Sullivan, starring Oscar nominee John Hawkes ("The Sessions, "Winter’s Bone") and Tracie Thoms (Rent, TV's “Cold Case.”). Veronica (Thomas) rents a shabby lake cabin (scenic design by J. Michael Griggs, who gets kudos for a slick scenery change trick) for a vacation with her kids, but property owner Hogan (Hawkes) doesn't follow through on work he promised to complete around the house. In fact, he sort of doesn't really vacate the place since he has no place to go except for his truck. Things get even more uncomfortable when it appears that Hogan may have let the property without his brother and sister-in-law's blessing and Veronica might not be willing to pay the balance of her rental fee, especially since she just lost her job under difficult circumstances. An unusual friendship grows between the two adults who both are lost in their own ways and trying to find acceptance.

What are the Highlights?

Good performances and tight direction.

What Are the Lowlights?

Much of the premise is unlikely. Given the less-than-cozy state of the cabin, what's the likelihood that a mom, who goes out of her way to check the place out in person, would book the place, especially when she has looked at other rentals that are nicer? What's the likelihood that she would stay when repairs haven't been made and the heat doesn't work? What is the likelihood that she would allow Hogan to keep showing up, particularly when she discovers he ha been sleeping in his truck on the property and at one point when he shows up drunk. What's the likelihood that these two would end up being friends? Perhaps that last question is the one that fuels the play -- an interesting study of how to people from different backgrounds and lifestyles can both feel lost and find something in common despite circumstances. The rest of the questions are answered by "if not, there would be no play."

More Information:

Design team includes: Jess Goldstein (costume design), Robert Perry (lighting design), and Fitz Patton (original music & sound design).

Closing Dec. 21. http://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/2014-15-season/

Christians might also like to know:

-- Language

-- God's name use din vain

Book Note: Show Stopping Recipes: From Your Palace to Your Plate

Just in time for holiday shopping comes a special cookbook from the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

Comprised of more than 250 recipes submitted by the theater's staff and volunteers, the hardcover volume (published through Morris Press Cookbooks, 2014) is creatively laid out with step-by-step instructions on how to make every meal a showstopper, from the "Opening Number" (soups, salads and appetizers) to the final "Curtain Call" (desserts). 

Other sections are "Supporting Cast"(vegetables and side dishes), "Featured Presentation" (main dishes), "Intermission" (breads and rolls) and "Encore" (cookies and candies). Clever!

I just received a copy of the book to review an already have book marked a number of savory sounding recipes to try out:

• Greek chicken, spinach and rice soup by Karen Streeter
• Coleslaw vinaigrette by Judith Campbell
• Bacon and double cheese quiche by Joan Montesi
• Sour cream almond coffee cake by Maureen Piccochi

Actually, there are a lot of them --  more than I usually bookmark in these community group type cookbooks.

The front of the book offers a short history of the theater and a message from its CEO Frank Tavera (would have loved to see more photos of the beautiful theater, but they probably aren't an option for this publishing format). Also would have loved a listing of the contributors and their relationship to the theater. The book instead includes some generic "helpful hints" sections.

The idea for the cookbook was generated by the Palace Theater’s Volunteer Fundraising Committee, which is spearheaded by members Genevieve Delkescamp, Carol Marchand, Karen Streeter and George Theroux.

Each cookbook is $20, or $20 for the first book and $15 for each additional copy, and can be purchased at the Box Office, 100 E. Main St. in Waterbury, or in the theater’s gift shop during all upcoming performances. Proceeds from sales benefit the Palace Theater Annual Campaign.

-- Lauren Yarger

Broadway Theater Review: The River starring Hugh Jackman

Plot Waters Too Murky to Figure Out What Hugh Jackman is Doing By the River

By Lauren Yarger

Let me start out by saying that I although I was somewhat alone in the critics circles a couple of seasons ago, I really liked Jez Butterworth’s puzzling, deep and humorous play Jerusalem (also directed by Ian Dickson).

Critics weren’t sure what the heck it was about, but enjoyed the fabulous performance of Mark Rylance. I appreciated the mythical saga of a man’s journey through pain and felt, yes, somewhat superior to my colleagues who didn’t get it. No longer.

After seeing The River, Butterworth’s newest play, getting a limited run at Circle in the Square Theater with Box-Office-Golden Hugh Jackman as its star, I have to admit I’m in the “didn’t-get-it” category for this one. A colleague texted me after seeing it: “What the heck was that about?” “No idea,” I replied.

Jackman plays a man (listed in the Playbill only as “The Man,” so you know you’re in trouble….) who likes fishing a lot at a “cabin on the cliffs, above the river” – the nonspecifics continue. We know he likes fishing because he talks about it a lot to two women (Cush Jumbo and Laura Donnelly), identified as The Woman and The Other Woman who appear at the cabin separate from each other, but who tend to have the same conversation with The Man….

Is he really just trying to get them to do a little night fishing or is there more sinister bait at the end of his hook? Who are they and why are they at the cabin, and whose drawing with the face missing is hidden under the bed and why is her dress still in the cabin? No clue.

“I promised myself I would only bring one woman here,” Jackman’s character tells one of the women. “The woman I wanted to spend my life with. The woman I wanted to be with forever. She would come here, and it would be sacred. It would be something I had only shared with her and her alone.”

OK, so is the woman with her face scratched out that “sacred” choice and none of these others can fill her shoes? Is this a line which he uses to gain the confidence of a long stream of woman he captures in his net? Is one of them the ideal woman before her face is scratched out of the photo? Do they all only exist in his imagination? Did he kill one or more of them and now he’s is reeling in his next catch? Did his uncle do the killing? Is this some sort of purgatory? 

No clue, but it certainly was 80 minutes of confusion for my brain, despite Jackman’s solid performance and fish-gutting skills. The able design team is Scenic Design by Ultz, Costume Design by Esosa, Lighting Design by Charles Balfour; Sound Design by Ian Dickinson for Autograph, music by Stephen Warbeck.

In an attempt to offer you some insight to the play and its meaning, I offer you the description from the show’s page:

“On a moonless evening, a man brings his new girlfriend to a remote cabin for a night of trout-fishing. But before the night is over, it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems… and as memory collides with desire, the truth becomes the most elusive catch of all.”

In addition, here the few notes I scribbled on my reporter’s pad: “

• What the heck did that mean?” (The Woman had just read a poem by Yeats.)
• · “Isn’t that a different woman?”
• · “He just said he loved her while gutting a fish.”
• · “Who the heck is buried out at the abandoned house?”
• · “Isn’t that a different woman again?”
• · “Isn’t that the same water spigot they used for The Miracle Worker and Godspell at this theater?
• · “Isn’t that a different woman again?”

OK, now you write the review…. Press agents asked us not to reveal the ending. No problem since I didn’t get that either.

The best part of the night came after the curtain when Jackman enticed members of the audience to bid on the T-shirt he was wearing to raise funds for Broadway Cares, Equity Fights AIDs. The quite personable actor ended up with two parties paying $7,000 each for the privilege of having their pictures taken with him backstage. He also brought in the most money – almost $500,000 – of all the Broadway, Off-Broadway and touring shows competing in this year’s Gypsy competition for the cause.

That’s the kind of star power that is keeping The River packing the house with premium tickets selling as high as $275 each. It sure isn’t the plot.

The River runs (nice pun) through Feb. 8 at Circle in the Square Theatre, 235 W. 50th St., NYC. Perfromances: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 7 pm; Friday and Saturday at 8 pm; Wednesday and Saturday at 2 pm; Sunday at 3 pm. Tickets $35-$175;  http://www.theriveronbroadway.com/

Christians might also like to know:

-- The show posts a MATURE warning

-- Language

-- God's name taken in vain

Drama Desk Holiday Party

Sandi Durell, Rex Reed, Lillian Wolf and Lauren Yarger

Drama Desk members and guests gathered at the Coffee House Club Friday for the annual holiday party. Lots of fun. Some celebrities joined the fun. All photos by the fabulous Barry Gordin. More available at theaterlife.com.

David Sheward, Drama Desk President Charles Wright, Nominating Committe Chair Barbabar Siegel, Scott Siegel

Board members John Istel and David Kauffman

Jeffry Denman, Mary Testa and Charles Wright

Reed Birney and Patrick Christiano

Jeffry Denham and Lauren Yarger

Pat Addiss, Linda Langton and Lauren Yarger

Board members Leslie Hoban Blake and Arlene Epstein

Kathie Lee Gifford Shares How Faith Helps Shape Generosity

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Kathie Lee Gifford supported the Salvation Army last week in Harlem.

Photo courtesy of the Salvation Army.

Broadway Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Bestselling Novel Comes to Stage in Full Sensory Experience

By Lauren Yarger

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time proves once again why Britain’s National Theatre is one of Broadway’s hottest tickets.

The production of Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel into a stage production was no easy feat. Any adaptation of a work that has such a loyal following is difficult in itself. Will the show live up to expectations? Will it include all of the parts enjoyed by fans? This book’s concept offered even greater challenges since most of it takes place in the mind of an autistic boy.

For this production of Curious, Director Marianne Elliott (who won the Tony for the excellent War Horse) and Scenic and Costume Designer Bunny Christie (who has three Oliviers) don’t disappoint. They depict every sensation, every thought honed with mathematical precision, every emotion that takes flight to produce an immersive experience quite unlike anything we have seen on a Broadway stage.

Recent Julliard graduate Alexander Sharp makes a smashing Broadway debut as Christopher, a 15-year –old who is exceptional at math, but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When the police suspect him of killing a dog belonging to his neighbor, Mrs. Shears (Mercedes Herrero), he initiates his own investigation into the incident and records his observations in a book he is writing to solve the murder. His special-ed teacher Siobhan (Francesca Faridany) reads to us from it and later convinces Christopher to turn it into a play. By using this technique, script writer Simon Stephens keeps the idea of the first-person narrative from the novel.

The boy’s father, Ed (Ian Barford), who has been raising Christopher alone, is very much opposed to the investigation, however, especially when helpful neighbor Mrs. Alexander (Helen Carey) provides some disturbing information about Christopher’s mother, Judy (Enid Graham).

Christopher continues, however, making a map (projected onto screens and the stage) and setting out on a voyage that has him walking down walls, flying through space and ending up at the truth.

The story is engaging (if a bit drawn-out at two and a half hours) thanks to Elliot’s excellent direction. Actors not involved in the action take seats around the stage, leaning in when the story gets interesting. The real triumph here is Christie’s visual communication of Christopher’s thought process.

“I see everything,” he says, and we see everything he sees. Concepts become projected mathematical equations (designed by Finn Ross with lighting by Paule Constable); heightened emotions and thoughts jumbling at too-fast a rate manifest in a crash of music and sound (designed by Adrian Sutton and Ian Dickinson for Autograph, respectively).

This full sensory experience becomes one giant piece of breath-taking choreography (movement by Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett for Frantic Assembly) that involves the audience in emotional ways and takes Broadway stage production to a new level. At the end of the performance, the audience gave a collective “hmmmm” then burst into applause. Now that’s theater that makes you think.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time transferred to London’s West End (where it still runs), following a sold-out run at the National’s Cottesloe Theatre in 2012. The production received seven Olivier including Best New Play. Look for it at the 2015 Tonys….

Curious? Catch it at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 243 West 47th St., NYC, Performances: Tuesday and Thursday at 7 pm; Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm; Wednesday and Saturday at 2 pm; Sunday at 3 pm; Tickets $27 - $129: http://curiousonbroadway.com.

Christians might also like to know:

-- God's name taken in vain

-- Language

-- Adultery

Off-Broadway Theater Review: The Oldest Boy

This Story Idea Proves a Bit of a Leap of Faith

By Lauren Yarger
You’re a mother and of course that means you want the best for your son. But what if the “best” means that when he is just 3, you have to give him over to the care of strangers in a foreign land and never see him again?

Such is the question playwright Sarah Ruhl wants us to ponder in her new work, The Oldest Boy, getting an Off-Broadway run at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre. It seems Tenzin (portrayed by a puppet created and directed by Matt Acheson of War Horse fame), the toddler son of an American woman (Celia Keenan-Bolger) and a Tibetan man (James Yaegashi), has been recognized as the reincarnation of a recently deceased Lama, a high Buddhist teacher. A visiting lama (James Saito) and a monk (Jon Norman Schneider) want the parents to allow them to take Tenzin to their temple in India for training.

To make the idea a bit more plausible, Ruhl (Stage Kiss, In the Other Room, Dead Man’s Cell Phone; faculty at Yale School of Drama) pens the mother as someone who embraces and who eventually converts to the Buddhist faith.

Even still…..

Apparently the reincarnated lama/boy (who seems really creepy in his wooden puppet form -- manipulated by some chorus members -- and voiced in a whiny manner by full-grown Ernest Abuba) needs to go back, but his parents can’t come with him. Oh, they go check out the place (vividly created with projections, costumes, lighting and choreography designed by Mimi Lien, Anita Yavich, Japhy Weideman, and Barney O’Hanlon respectively), but once a special ceremony takes place the toddler transforms into his former, older self – at least in the eyes of his mother. Emotionally struggling with giving up her boy, she is thrilled that her new baby is a girl and can’t be taken away for training in a monastery.

Really? Would any mother willingly drop off her son in another country, say goodbye and return home convinced that the sacrifice would be worth it in the long run? Maybe, but not me, so I struggled with the plausibility of the plot throughout the play. Even if you became convinced that your son was the reincarnation of a wise teacher who wanted to return to his roots, wouldn’t you want to stay with him and see him while he was growing up? Could you really stand their while your son cried and miserably and begged you not to allow the monks to cut his hair and let them? I couldn’t.

Let’s put it into context to which I can relate. Say my son were discovered to be in line to the throne of England and he needed to grow up at Buckingham Palace to be trained in his royal heritage. Would I want to stand in the way of his being able to claim his inheritance? No. I would want him to be able to ride to the hounds, attend state dinners and wear the crown jewels with the best of them. But you’d better believe the queen would have to provide a suite at the castle for me too, because I can’t imagine packing him up at the age of 3, dropping him off at William and Kate’s and never seeing him again. And if they insisted on giving him a haircut to make him look like Prince Charles, you better believe I would object.

There is no loss of affection between the mother and son in the play, even when the older man’s soul seems to take over the boy, so the whole question about giving him up totally and making a sacrifice seems to be more about creating a plot device to give emotional fodder rather than grounding a story in plausible circumstance (Keenan-Bolger does justice to the flighty, conflicted American woman). The father even suggests at one point that they can move to India and visit the boy on weekends. Good idea.

That said, there isn’t too much tension about the religious choices of the mother either. Raised Catholic, the woman embraced the “scientific” and “rational” qualities of Buddhism in a search for God that also took her through a time of atheism (ironically, she hates the story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son). She met her Tibetan husband when she fell in love with the food he cooked at his restaurant (this and other elements of the story are told in flashbacks, directed by Rebecca Taichman in a manner that doesn’t confuse) and now, it appears their meeting was ordained when their son, as his former Lama self, chose her to be her mother in his rebirth.

She doesn’t really answer, I noticed, however, when her young son starts asking questions and making philosophical ponderings about God. She later decides she is ready to convert and asks for guidance from the visiting lama who says he used to be her son’s student.

The highlights in this otherwise non-engaging two-hour production are some comedic moments with the monk and the beautiful backdropping which incorporates live action, sound and images to transport us to spiritual Asia.

The Oldest Boy is Reincarnated Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 8 pm; Wednesday and Saturday at 2 and 8 pm; Sunday at 3 pm at the Mitzi E. Newhouse, Lincoln Center, 150 West 65th St., NYC. Tickets $87. http://www.lct.org/shows/the-oldest-boy; (800) 432-7250.

Christians might also like to know:

-- Buddhist meditation, chanting and prayer

-- God's name taken in vain