Quick Hit Theater Review: Title & Deed

Title and Deed
By Will Eno
Directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett
Signature Theatre

What's it About?
Well... in a Becket sort of way, it's about nothing and everything. A traveler, known only as Man(Conor Lovett), arrives with his baggage (literally and figuratively) from a far off land to chat with the audience about life.

"I'm not from here ... and probably never will be."

In the course of the dialogue, Man touches on the things we all have in common: hopes, dreams, love, loss, happiness, wanting to be home -- all the things that make up life.


What are the Highlights?
Eno's prose is touching, humorous, lyrical and engaging storytelling. Lovett's performance is commanding and understated. Man is very likable and the Irish lilt in Lovett's voice lends to the melodic sound of the piece which is produced at Signature in association with Gare St. Lazare Players Ireland.


What are the Lowlights?
If you're not a fan of Becket, you probably won't enjoy this. If you are, or if you're just a fan of Eno's work like Pulitzer-Prize-finalist Thom Pain (based on nothing), the wonderful Realistic Jonses which just had a run at Yale Rep; or Horton Foote Promising New American Play winner Middletown, you will enjoy Title and Deed.

What Else Do I Need to Know:
Title and Deed runs through June 17 at Signature Theatre, 480 W 42nd St., NYC. Tickets are $25. Call 212-244-7529 or visit http://www.signaturetheatre.org/.

Christians might also like to know:
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Quick Hit Theater Review: The Common Pursuit

The Common Pursuit
By Simon Gray
Directed by Moises Kaufman
Roundabout Theatre Company

What is it about?
A group of friends at Cambridge idealistically begins a literary magazine called The Common Pursuit edited by Stuart Thorne (Josh Cooke). Contributing to the periodical are self-loathing poet Humphry Taylor (Tim McGeever), chain-smoking, coughing Nick Finchling (Lucas Near-Verbrugghe), Peter Whetworth (Kieran Campion), known to the gang as Captain Marvel for his numerous female conquests and Martin Musgrove Jacob Fishel), who handles the business side of things when he isn't lusting after Stuart's girlfriend, Marigold Watson (Kristen Bush). Jump nine years later and the magazine is in trouble. So is Stuart's and Marigold's relationship -- she's pregnant, but economics say she will have to abort the child. Some of the friends offer possible solutions to save The Common Pursuit including using their influence to get an arts grant, but Stuart is adamant about keeping it free of influence. Besides, Martin's offer to go into a business partnership with Stuart seems motivated more by his desire to be a part of Marigold's life rather than by a passion to continue publishing literary material. The plot jumps forward again and then back in time to follow the plight of these friends over 20 years who discover that life doesn't always turn out the way you plan.

What are the Highlights?
Cooke, Fishel and McGeever turn in some solid performances and bounce well off of each other at the highly different personalities. Derek McLane's set quickly adapts with a few changes to create the various locations.

What are the Lowlights?
The story tends on the boring side. It's hard to bond with any of the rather unlikable characters except for Martin, and well, there's only so far you can go in bonding with a guy whose best friend is a cat. Stuart really lost me when he seemed to think that being broke and printing the highest quality poetry was more important than Marigold's obvious desire to have the baby or the life of his child despite clear options to allow him to continue printing and support his family. Near-Verbrugghe's smoker's cough isn't believable.

What Else Do I Need to Know?
The limited engagement plays at the Laura Pels Theatre, 111 East 46th Street, NYC through July 29. For tickets and performance information: http://www.roundabouttheatre.org.

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New plays by LaBute, Gurney Among Shorts About Disabilities

Mary Theresa Archbold (Ginger), Anita Hollander (Rose) and Tiffan Borelli (Gorgeous) in Bekah Brunstetter's GORGEOUS, part of Tlast year's theater Breaking Through Barriers' SOME OF OUR PARTS at the Clurman Theatre (410 West 42nd Street). Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Theater Breaking Through Barriers (TBTB), the renowned Off-Broadway
company known for its productions that integrate able-bodied actors
with artists with disabilities, presents MORE OF OUR PARTS – its
second annual festival of short plays about disabilities and the
people affected by them.
The festival features world premieres by Neil LaBute,
A.R. Gurney, Bekah Brunstetter, Bruce Graham, Samuel D. Hunter, and
Jeffrey Sweet – with performances to run June 21 through July 1 at
Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre (410 West 42nd Street).

TBTB artistic director and founder Ike Schambelan, Tony-nominee Pamela Birch,
Christopher Burris, TBTB company member Christina Roussos, and Russell
Treyz, and direct.

The world-premiere plays, each commissioned by TBTB, include Bekah
Brunstetter's AFTER BREAKFAST, MAYBE; Bruce Graham's THE AHHHH FACTOR;
A. R. Gurney's THE INTERVIEW; Samuel D. Hunter's GEESE; Neil LaBute's
THE WAGER; and Jeffrey Sweet's A LITTLE FAMILY TIME.

The ensemble of MORE OF OUR PARTS includes Melanie Boland, Tiffan
Borelli, Donna Bullock, Shannon Devido, Stephen Drabicki, Joshua Eber,
Shawn Elliott, Warren Kelley, Shawn Randall, Jonathan Todd Ross,
Nicholas Viselli, and Blair Wing. The production features set design
by Bert Scott; costume design by Kristine Koury and dramaturgy by
Julius Novick. Brooke Elsinghorst is Production Stage Manager.
ABOUT THE PLAYS:
In Bekah Brunstetter's AFTER BREAKFAST, MAYBE, a young woman plots to
take over the world, while her mother serves her blueberry
smiley-faced pancakes. Christina Roussos directs.

In Bruce Graham's THE AHHHH FACTOR a producer and writer argue over
whether they should shoot a sex scene for a beautiful, deaf movie
star. Russell Treyz directs.

In A.R. Gurney's THE INTERVIEW, a young, deaf man has an admissions
interview at a prestigious college. Ike Schambelan directs.

Samuel D. Hunter's GEESE looks at a wheelchair-using young woman who
wants to save the geese in a city park. Christopher Burris directs.

In Neil LaBute’s THE WAGER, on their way home from a club in NYC, a
guy and his girlfriend are stopped by a homeless man and a game of
chance quickly begins to escalate into something more dangerous. Ike
Schambelan directs.

In Jeffrey Sweet’s A LITTLE FAMILY TIME a celebrated writer is forced
to introduce his fiancée to a corner of his life he has tried to keep
hidden. Patricia Birch directs.

Theater Breaking Through Barriers, formerly Theater by the Blind, is a
critically acclaimed company integrating able-bodied actors with
artists with disabilities. Founded in 1979, by Artistic Director Ike
Schambelan, the company's mission is to change the image of people
with disabilities from one of dependence to independence, to fight
stereotypes and misperceptions associated with disability, and to show
how vibrant, fluid and exuberant the work of artists with disabilities
can be.

MORE OF OUR PARTS runs June 21-July 1 at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre
(410 West 42nd Street): Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm;
Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 3pm and 8pm; Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are
$19.25. For reservations, call 212-239-6200 or visit
www.telecharge.com. For additional information, visit www.tbtb.org.

New Victory announced Season of Family-Friendly Fare

The New Victory Theater will launch its 40th anniversary season with the U.S. premiere of URBAN by Circolombia, an edgy, thrilling and inspiring circus featuring young Colombian performers who share their real-life stories through acrobatics, aerial work and tremendous feats of strength. URBAN, which was originally commissioned by Roundhouse London as part of CircusFest 2010, will run from October 12 through October 21. 

The season:

Urban

U.S. Premiere

Circolombia

Cali, Colombia

October 12 – 21

Circus

Playing at The New Victory Theater

An original commission for CircusFest 2010 at London’s Roundhouse, URBAN, created in the barrios of Colombia, features autobiographical performances with “an edginess that lifts them above the everyday” (The Stage). Vigor, danger and attitude infuse every act, from feats of strength to the trapeze, tightrope and triple dutch routines. Reggaeton music underscores lyrics like escribe con los pies, poeta de la calle—write with your feet, poet of the street— in this 2010 Brighton Fringe Festival Audience Choice Award winner.

URBAN is recommended for everyone over the age of 8.

Ring A Ding Ding

U.S. Premiere

Oily Cart

London, England

October 17 – Nov 11

Theater

Playing in Studio 3A/B at the New 42nd Street Studios

Alice and her dog are having a “wuff” day. When she demands that her furry friend stop chasing his tail “right now,” he runs away, sending her into a tricycle-riding tizzy. From London’s acclaimed Oily Cart, creators of innovative, multi-sensory and interactive productions for the very young, RING A DING DING is an imaginative and energetic work of participatory theater. 

RING A DING DING is recommended for ages 3-5.

Mojo

U.S. Premiere

Theatre-Rites

London, England

October 26 – Nov 4

Physical Theater

Playing at The New Victory Theater

Objects take new forms and spring to life in fantastical and funny ways in MOJO, a collage of puppetry, illusion, dance and live music by Theatre-Rites (Mischief, New Vic 2009). Lauded internationally for their distinct interest in multi-disciplinary work for young people, Theatre-Rites collaborates with a variety of sculptors, poets, painters, and video or installation artists to present children with unusual contemporary imagery and push the boundaries of theatrical form.

MOJO is recommended for everyone over the age of 5.

Black Violin

Miami, Florida

November 9 – 25

Music        

Playing at The New Victory Theater

They played to sold-out houses at The New Victory in 2009, and now, virtuoso violinists Kev and Wil B return with their funky fusion of classical, jazz, hip-hop, blues and R&B. With DJ TK on the turntables, Beatdown on the drums, and Joe Cello on the cello, these Apollo Legends perform a concert of new compositions, classic favorites and pop cover tunes. Black Violin has toured with Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Akon, Diddy and Linkin Park.

Black Violin is recommended for everyone over the age of 6.

FROM THE GROUND UPU.S. Premiere

Circus Oz
Melbourne, Australia

November 30 – December 30

Circus

Playing at The New Victory Theater

Circus Oz returns to The New Victory for the fifth time this holiday season when they launch the U.S. tour of their brand new show, FROM THE GROUND UP. Starring acrobats, jugglers, trapeze artists, and a live rock band, FROM THE GROUND UP features all the hallmarks of a Circus Oz show: irreverence, eccentricity, and astounding circus feats -- each one topping the last.

FROM THE GROUND UP is recommended for everyone over the age of 5.

I, Malvolio

U.S. Premiere

Tim Crouch

Brighton, England

January 11 – 20, 2013

Theater

Playing at The Duke on 42nd Street

The puritan killjoy of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night finally has his say in this poignant one-man tour-de-force by British scribe Tim Crouch. A hilarious, charged and often unsettling rant from a complex man full of pride, passion, rage and humiliation, I, Malvolio is a compassionate deconstruction of one of classical literature’s most misunderstood characters.

I, MALVOLIO is part of a series of solo Shakespeare pieces written and performed by Tim Crouch that was commissioned by the Brighton Festival. The series also includes: I, CALIBAN (inspired by The Tempest), I PEASEBLOSSOM (inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and I, BANQUO (inspired by Macbeth). Mr. Crouch received the award for Best Male Performer for his performance in I, MALVOLIO at the Brighton Festival 2010.

I, MALVOLIO is recommended for everyone over the age of 11.

The Mark of Zorro

Visible Fictions

Glasgow, Scotland

February 8 – 24, 2013

Theater

Playing at The New Victory Theater

From acclaimed Scottish theater company, Visible Fictions (Jason and the Argonauts, New Vic 2009), comes THE MARK OF ZORRO, a timeless tale about a mysterious masked avenger. Using simple props and physical ingenuity, the cast of three conjures all the drama, wit and suspense of an action flick.

The script for THE MARK OF ZORRO was originally commissioned by and co-produced with the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. Visible Fictions has collaborated with The Seattle Children’s Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and The Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis.

THE MARK OF ZORRO is recommended for everyone over the age of 7.

GRUG

Windmill Theatre

Adelaide, Australia

February 20 – March 17, 2013

Puppet Theater

Playing in Studio 3A/B at the New 42nd Street Studios

Windmill Theatre (Plop!, New Vic 2012) returns with GRUG, a new puppetry show for the littlest theatergoers and their families. Based on author Ted Prior’s hugely popular character about the top of a Burrawang tree that comes to life, this playful show’s protagonist serves as an inspiring role-model with perception, curiosity, determination and creativity.  

GRUG is recommended for ages 2-5.

As You Like It

Acting Company

New York, New York

March 1 – 10, 2013

Theater

Playing at The New Victory Theater

When Rosalind’s uncle banishes her from the palace, she, her cousin Celia and the court jester, Touchstone, flee to the Forest of Arden, where they soon find themselves entangled in a beguiling game of love, deceit, desire and mistaken identity. This production of Shakespeare’s AS YOU LIKE IT by Tony Honors recipient for Excellence in Theatre, The Acting Company, is directed by Pig Iron Theatre’s Dan Rothenberg (Chekhov Lizardbrain).

AS YOU LIKE IT is recommended for everyone over the age of 12.

Bello Mania

U.S. Premiere

Bello Nock

Sarasota, Florida

March 15 – 31, 2013

Circus

The circus superstar Time Magazine calls “America’s Best Clown” performs and directs his brand new show, BELLO MANIA. With his signature gravity-defying hairdo, Bello Nock, a former Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey clown along with his talented troupe of circus all-stars performs trampoline and bungee jumping routines, handstands on a high wire and much, much more “all the while making audiences laugh with his brilliantly comic timing and gusto” (The New York Times).

BELLO MANIA is recommended for everyone over the age of 4.

The Intergalactic Nemesis

Book One: Target Earth

The Robot Planet                 

Austin, Texas

April 5 – 14, 2013

Live Action Comic Book

Playing at The New Victory Theater

In THE INTERGALACTIC NEMESIS -- a sci-fi adventure with aliens, adventure, conspiracy and intrigue (and plenty of laughs) -- three actors voice a cast of dozens of characters, one Foley artist creates all the sound effects with hundreds of gadgets, a keyboardist plays a live score, while more than 1,250 comic-book images blast panel-by-panel from a two-story-high screen.

Originally crafted as a radio play in 1996, THE INTERGALACTIC NEMESIS was subsequently published as a comic book, and then staged as a theatrical production.

THE INTERGALACTIC NEMESIS was an Official Selection of Fantastic Fest 2010 (Austin, TX), the biggest genre film festival in the country, specializing in fantasy, sci-fi and action films. It's been featured on “Conan O'Brien” and NPR.

THE INTERGALACTIC NEMESIS is recommended for everyone over the age of 7.

Le Grand C

U.S. Premiere

Compagnie XY

Lille, France

April 18 – 28, 2013

Circus

Playing at The New Victory Theater

In LE GRAND C, a collective of 17 acrobats performs heart-stopping stunts with distinctive style and trust in each other as their only safety net. They create one astounding human formation after another to make a portrait of expressive movement, powerful physicality and continuous surprise. “Wonderfully unfussy yet loaded with delightful surprises and genuine risk” (The London Times).

LE GRAND C is recommended for everyone over the age of 7.

Fragile

U.S. Premiere

Le Clan des Songes

Toulouse, France

April 25 – May 12, 2013

Puppetry

Playing in Studio 3A/B at the New 42^nd Street Studios

In FRAGILE, a word-free work of Puppet Theater, an inquisitive, Chaplin-like fellow embarks on a journey carrying a suitcase filled with magical surprises. Bunraku and shadow puppetry combine with haunting original music to provide a poetic narrative for each vignette in the story. Inspired by the Italian animation series, “La Linea” (The Line, 1975-84) by Osvaldo Cavandoli, FRAGILE is part two of a trilogy created in 2007.

For the past 20 years, Le Clan des Songes has developed theater with powerful and dreamlike imagery, primarily using puppets and animated forms. The Company has performed in many major theaters and festivals throughout France, including the prestigious Charleville Mézières International Festival.

FRAGILE is recommended for everyone over the age of 4.

David Bruce and Glyn Maxwell’s

The Firework Maker’s Daughter
Based on the Novel by Philip Pullman

U.S. Premiere

Co-produced by The Opera Group and Opera North in association with ROH2 and Watford Palace Theatre

London, England

May 3 – 12, 2013

Opera

Playing at The New Victory Theater

Based on the enchanting novel by celebrated author Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials trilogy), this new opera tells the story of one girl’s quest to become a firework maker. David Bruce and Glyn Maxwell’s THE FIREWORK MAKER’S DAUGHTER Based on the Novel by Philip Pullman, which is directed by John Fulljames (The Enchanted Pig, New Vic 2010), boasts a grand, expressive score by Mr. Bruce and a witty libretto by Mr. Maxwell, both of which are inspired by world folk traditions. Accompanying a cast of five singers are stunning creations from Cambridge-based puppet design company, Indefinite Articles.

This production was co-commissioned by The Opera Group and ROH2.

THE FIREWORK MAKER’S DAUGHTER is recommended for everyone over the age of 8.

RHAW

Rennie Harris Awe-Inspiring Works

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

May 17 – 26, 2013

Dance

Playing at The New Victory Theater

Urban dance guru and Alvin Ailey Award recipient, Rennie Harris (Legends of Hip-Hop, New Vic 2004, 2006; Puremovement, New Vic 1999), delivers street dance with straight-up Philly soul in Rennie Harris Awe-inspiring Works, aka RHAW. With music as diverse as its dance styles, RHAW features a youthful company of nine dancers who put fresh spins on pop and lock, b-boy, house, hip-hop and boogaloo to create funky, upbeat depictions of city life, young love and growing up.

Mr. Harris started Rennie Harris Awe-inspiring Works in 2007 as a youth organization driven by community outreach, education and mentorship. In 2001, in addition to receiving an Alvin Ailey Award for Choreography, he received three Bessie Awards for Rome & Jewels and was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award.

This project is partially supported by a grant from Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, a program developed and funded by The Heinz Endowments; the William Penn Foundation; the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency; and The Pew Charitable Trusts; and administered by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

RHAW is recommended for everyone over the age of 6.

The Girl who Forgot to Sing Badly

Theatre Lovett

Dublin, Ireland

May 31 – June 9, 2013

Theater

Playing at The Duke on 42nd Street

In The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly, actor Louis Lovett spins a fantastical yarn about a young heroine with the voice of an angel (an angel who can't sing at all) who knows it's up to her to save the day and rescue an entire city . This “riotously inventive” (The Scotsman) one-man production written by Finegan Kruckemeyer is directed by Lynne Parker, one of Ireland’s most celebrated directors.

For her contributions to Irish theater, Ms. Parker was awarded the Irish Times Special Tribute Award in 2009 and an Honorary Doctorate in Letters from Trinity College Dublin. 

This production was originally commissioned by The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children, and produced by The Ark in association with Theatre Lovett.

THE GIRL WHO FORGOT TO SING BADLY is recommended for everyone over the age of 7. 

A sneak peek at The New Victory Theater 2012-2013 Season can be found on YouTube at the following address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooMcmymFaag

Ticket Information : Available online starting July 17 or by telephone starting July 24. To purchase tickets online, visit NewVictory.org, and to purchase by phone, call 646-223-3010. 

Full-price tickets for individual productions, as low as $14 each, will also be available from August 7, 2012, either online or by phone. Beginning September 4, The New Victory Theater box office (209 West 42nd Street) will be open Sunday and Monday from 11am-5pm and Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm-7pm.

Brooke Shields, Brian D'Arcy James Will Host Drama Desk Awards June 3

Brian D'Arcy James

Award winning actress, model and author Brooke Shields and past Drama Desk Award winner Brian d’Arcy James will cohost the 57th Annual Drama Desk Awards Sunday, June 3 at Town Hall.

This year’s award show is being written by cast album producer, playwright, and two-time Drama Desk Award winner Bill Rosenfield and directed by multi-award winning director Mark Waldrop (Divine Miss Millennium Tour, When Pigs Fly, Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends). 

Brooke Shields

“Brian and I can’t wait to honor our colleagues at this celebration of New York theater.” Shields said.

“The Drama Desk Awards are legendary and winning the award for Shrek was a true highlight," D'Arcy James said. "I am thrilled to co-host this year’s awards next to the great actress Brooke Shields.”

The Drama Desk nominees were announced at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency on April 27 and celebrated at an exclusive Nominees’ Reception May 8 at Oceana Restaurant in Manhattan. For a list of the nominees, click here.

Executive Producer Gretchen Shugart, CEO of TheaterMania, will present the awards ceremony with Robert R. Blume and David S. Stone in association with Renee McCurry. TheaterMania has engaged Joey Parnes Productions to produce and manage the event.

The show begins at 8 pm June 3 at Town Hall, 123 West 43th St., NYC. Tickets for the general public, ranging from $45 to $175, can be purchased by visiting www.dramadeskawards.com/tickets.html.

Theater Review: Nice Work if You Can Get It

Nice Work Reviewing Shows Like Nice Work if You Can Get It
By Lauren Yarger
Gershwin tunes, Matthew Broderick and book writer Joe DiPietro. Nice! Add in humorous performances by Estelle Parsons, Judy Kaye, Michael McGrath and Jennifer Laura Thompson. Nicer! End of review.

Seriously, there's much more to like than not in Broadway's light-hearted, toe-tapping musical Nice Work if Your Can Get It. It's silly funny with a role that almost seems tailor-written for Broderick's nerdy, clueless characterization and well, any show that has "But Not for Me" in the list of songs is OK in my book.

There is an actual story here and the Gershwin songs seem to be selected to help tell it, rather than what we see in "jukebox" musicals, where a number of songs are selected, then some ridiculous story is invented to connect them. That's because DiPietro (Memphis, The Toxic Avenger, I Love You, You're Perfect. Now Change) is the writer here. I am a big fan and have been keeping an eye on him as one of the more promising book writers on Broadway for a number of years. He's funny and skilled at crafting a cohesive book. This show runs a little long (at two hours and 40 minutes) and some of the Gershwin songs selected are a little more obscure but the lyrics seemed to fit perfectly into the story. It's Gershwin. I'll listen -- though I couldn't help but wish the orchestra under the musical direction of David Chase (who provides arrangements) was even larger.

In a send up of screwball comedies and dance films of an age gone by,  the story here follows playboy Jimmy Winter (Broderick), taking a fourth wife, modern -- and I use the term loosely -- dancer Eileen Evergreen (Thompson) in the hopes that his formidable mother, Millicent (Parsons), will finally approve and allow him to take over the family business, though he isn't sure exactly what the family does to earn its vast fortune.

Outside a speakeasy, Jimmy meets up with bootlegger Billie Bendix (Kelli O'Hara) and her two cohorts, Duke Mahoney and Cookie McGee (Chris Sullivan and Michael McGrath). The gang decides Jimmy's mother's unused beach house mansion will be the perfect place to store their illegal booze, but when Jimmy, Eileen and others arrive unexpectedly, they are forced to change plans with Cookie posing as the butler and Duke as the cook. When sparks fly between Jimmy and Billie, things get even more complicated. (Sparks didn't fly for me about O'Hara's performance. I'm guessing she was under the weather the day I saw this show, since I know what she can do. I'll give her a pass.) The large ensemble cast is strong.

McGrath and Kaye have some great comic bits -- don't miss Kaye as the righteous, prohibitionist Duchess Estonia Dulworth who gets a little tipsy at dinner -- but this show is just nice to look at too. Besides Derek McLane's opulent sets, which seem to have a cartoonish quality that compliments the mood of poking fun at depression-era musicals without detracting from it, there are lovely period costumes by Martin Pakledinaz (I want them all in my closet) and really terrific stage direction and choreography by Kathleen Marshall (who keeps delivering great old-fashioned, bog-dance musicals to Broadway like Anything Goes and Wonderful Town).

Broderick and O'Hara dance up a storm and for "S Wonderful," the choreography is absolutely furniture and gravity-defying. In other numbers, chorus girls pop out of a bathtub, chorus boys pop out of the wood work and even Thompson's horrible "modern dance" steps are fun to watch. There's a brain-tilting image of O'Hara singing "Someone to Watch over Me" while cocking a rifle -- the audience couldn't stop laughing.

It's easy on the eyes and easy on the ears. Its S Wonderful, and for me, this fun, smile-inducing romp turned out to be the last Broadway show to review for the season. Nice work if you can get it.

Nice work if You Can Get It runs at the Imperial Theatre, 249 West 45th St., NYC. Tickets: 212-239-6200; 800-432-7250.

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Theater Review: Don't Dress for Dinner

Spencer Kayden is the Charm in this Sequel to Boeing Boeing
By Lauren Yarger
I've got to give credit to playwright Marc Camoletti. His plays might not be all that charming themselves (after all, just how funny are we supposed to think stupid women and men taking advantage of them are), but a few of his characters are the type that a skilled comedic actor can rip into and make their own.

Mark Rylance went on to a Tony Award win for his turn as hapless Robert caught in between his airplane pilot friend Bernard and the three stewardesses he has stowed away in his Paris flat in Boeing Boeing, and now Spencer Kayden gets to shine as a cook hired to cater another of Bernard's affairs in the play's sequel, Don't Dress for Dinner produced on Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre Company. She just won the Outer Critics Circle award and is up for the Tony. She deserves it.

In Camoletti's farce, adapted by Robin Hawdon, it's 1960 and Bernard (Adam James) is married to Jacqueline (Patricia Kalember), who won the stewardess contest in Boeing Boeing, and they live in their quiet converted barn outside of Paris (John Lee Beatty, design). Believing his wife is off to visit her mother Bernard arranges a weekend tryst with buxom mistress, Suzanne (Jennifer Tilly). Just like old times, he tries to cover the plot with a visit from Robert (Ben Daniels), but Jacqueline decides to stay home when she hears he is coming -- she and Robert are secretly involved with each other too. Kayden's character, Suzette, is hired to cater for this fiasco, but is mistaken for Suzanne and assumes the role of Robert's mistress to throw off suspicion. Many other cases of mistaken or assumed identity ensue, all needing explanation when Suzette's husband, George (David Aron Damane), shows up.

Kayden makes the tediously long double entendre all worth sitting through. She's a hoot, mastering physical humor and comedic timing. William Ivey Long provides a terrific break-away costume that helps her in one bit and dresses straight-man Kalember in some interesting frocks as well.

Director John Tillenger isn't able to get the same natural comedy out of the other actors, however, and some of the other physical pranks look too staged.

Do dress, get some dinner, then see Spencer Kayden in Don't Dress for Dinner through June 17 at the at the American Airlines Theater, 227 West 42nd St., NYC. Tickets: 212-719-1300; www.roundabouttheatre.org.

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