Off-Broadway Review: A Number and 'Night Mother

Carla Brandberg and Erin Cronican in 'Night Mother. Photo by Russ Rowland.

Brandon Walker and Michael Stephen Clay in A Number. Photo by Russ Rowland

A Number 
By Caryl Churchill
Directed by Erin Cronican
 and

'Night Mother
By Marsha Norman
Directed by Brandon Walker

Presented in rep by
The Seeing Place
Through Jan. 20

By Lauren Yarger
The Seeing Place presents two hard-hitting two-handers in rep in an intriguing study of  parent/child relationships.

In Caryl Churchhill's  A Number, Bernard (Brandon Walker) discovers that his father, Salter  (Michael Stephen Clay) -- or at least the man he thinks of as his father -- has been harboring some pretty dark secrets about their relationship. In fact, Bernard discovers he is one of "a number" of genetically cloned individuals who Salter had created to replace his biological son. Clay is intriguing as the father confronted in a pack of lies -- and emotions --  while Walker portrays a number of the clones confronting Salter. Just how are we connected to those we love?

In Marsha Norman's Pulitzer-Prize and Tony-Award-winning play 'Night Mother, a difficult, but loving mother-daughter relationship seems like any we might experience until we realize that the clock is ticking (literally) in what are the last minutes of life for Jessie (Erin Cronican), who plans to commit suicide right after she gives her mother (Carla Brandberg) her weekly manicure. . .
Brandberg is engaging, personifying both a woman oblivious to her daughter's emotions as well as a mother who loves her daughter and who is at a loss to help. Cronican's matter-of-fact delivery of Jessie's gut-wrenching lines adds to the building terror as we  -- and Mama -- realize she's serious about ending it all.

It's a nice pairing of works nicely presented on a set that works for both.

Additonal credits:
Lighting Design by Joyce Liao. Sound Design by Brandon Walker. Scenic and Costume Design by Erin Cronican. Stage Management by Mackenzie McGuire.

More info:
Tickets are $30 to $40 at the Paradise Factory 64 East 4th Street, NYC (enter the theater by walking down the short flight of stairs outside the building which leads to the lower level. ) seeingplacetheater.com

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FACTORS:
-- Some language and mature themes

Off-Broadway Theater Review: Williston

Kate Grimes and Robert LuPone. Photo: Jeremy Daniel

Williston
By Adam Seidel
Directed by Valentina Fratti
Miranda Theatre Company
Through Nov. 10

By Lauren Yarger
Something's not quite right in the small town of Williston, North Dakota.

That much is obvious just from the fact that oil company deal closers Barb (Kate Grimes) and Larry (Robert LuPone) are expected to share quarters in a trailer camp setting (drably designed Graham Kindred, who also designs the lighting). And how is it that their parent company didn't let them know that they were sending a new numbers guy, Tom (Drew Ledbetter) to bring in the lease on one of the largest and possibly most productive tracts of land? After all, the killer team of Barb and Larry has been working for years on "Indian Jim," the Native American holdout who is reluctant to allow drilling on his land.

Playwright Adam Seidel crafts a nifty three-hander where everything and everyone is not as it seems. A greedy corporate message takes a back seat in this work to the interaction among characters. We think we might know them. They may even think they know themselves, but when push comes to shove, .what they are willing to do to get ahead, make a buck and grab some power surprises all.

Deftly directed by Valentina Fratti, the actors are given the freedom to unwrap layers. Fratti keeps the action moving around the small stage to mimic the ever-changing status of the characters and their relationships to each other.  We even experience a meeting where six other people are unseen.

Grimes goes deep as the seasoned woman who knows how to hold her own and get ahead in a man's world. There are hints at more than just a business relationship between her and long-time collaborator, Larry. LuPone portrays a tough guy on the outside, but stuns with the revelation of a scared vulnerable man just under the surface.  Ledbetter strikes a nice balance between his character's innocent newbie facade and the ruthless power grabber who hides waiting for a chance to strike without mercy.

Just how far are people willing to go? In Williston, pretty far...

The limited run plays at IATI Theatre, 64 E 4th St., NYC, through Nov. 10 mirandatheatrecompany.com. There is a clever surprise takeaway at the conclusion of the 90-minute production.

Additional Credits: costume design by Matsy Stinson, sound design by Margaret Montagna.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FACTORS:
-- Language (lots of it)
-- Lord's name taken in vain (lots of times)

Broadway Theater Review: The Waverly Gallery -- TOP PICK

Lucas Hedges, Elaine May, Joan Allen, David Cromer, Michael Cera. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

The Waverly Gallery
By Kenneth Lonergan
Directed by Lila Neugebauer

Golden Theatre

By Lauren Yarger
The Waverly Gallery in Greenwich Village has seen better days, It's not longer a vital part of the art landscape. No one comes in or thinks what it has to offer is important. The same can be said for its owner, elderly Gladys Green, played with astonishing alacrity and pathos by Elaine May, who no doubt will be nominated for a Tony.

With her mind and hearing fading, Gladys spends her days at the gallery passing time waiting for someone to come in and buy the less than exciting art displayed on its walls. When she's not there, she lives in an apartment behind the shop. As her health deteriorates, the anxiety of her family increases, especially as she repeats family stories ad nauseam and keeps messing with her hearing aid settings so the family has to incessantly yell or adjust them for her. Her grandson, Daniel (Lucas Hedges, who snagged an Oscar nomination for his role in playwright Kenneth Lonergan's film "Manchester by the Sea," making a noteworthy Broadway debut) lives next door and increasingly spends sleepless nights as his grandmother rings his bell to check in or ask for help.

Daughter Ellen Fine (a fabulous Joan Allen) knows what needs to happen. Her mother can't be on her own and must move in with her and her husband, Howard (a jovial David Cromer getting some time on stage instead of off stage where he has distinguished himself as one of Broadway's finest directors). She dreads it, though, and doesn't think she will survive the arrangement.  The family gets a little help from Don Bowman (Michael Cera), an awkward guy from Boston who fancies himself a talented artist. Gladys offers him a place to stay and his dream come true: a show in a Greenwich Village gallery. Don helps look after Gladys a bit, but disaster strikes when the building owner decides to turn the gallery into a restaurant and gives Gladys her notice.

The story is told through the eyes of Daniel, who steps out of the action (with excellent lighting by Brian MacDevitt)  to serve as a narrator from time to time. His rapport with the audience is not severed when he returns to the action and we cannot help but appreciate his subtle humor.

David Zinn's set creates a feeling of imposing doom as a second story of brick towers above the gallery location with exterior walls blocking escape. Director Lila Neugebauer expertly guides time passages and our heart breaks as Gladys deteriorates. Allen's performance as the daughter torn between loves, duty and despair is gut-wrenching. May's fear as she realizes what is happening to her -- then when she doesn't understand any more what is happening to her -- is palpable. The 86-year-old gives a bold, extraordinary performance that should not be missed.

May's iconic show An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May played the Golden Theatre  in 1960. She is a Grammy Award winner and an Academy and Golden Globe Award nominee (and like I said, be will be adding Tony-Award nominee to that in May...)

Lonergan's script is a delight. He packs an amazing amount of character development, engaging dialogue and emotion in to just two hours and 10 minutes. It deserved its Pulitzer Prize nomination in 2000.

More information:

The Waverly Gallery plays at the John Golden Theatre, 252 W, 45th St., NYC. thewaverlygalleryonbroadway.com

Additional Credits:

Ann Roth (Costume Design), Leon Rothenberg (Sound Design), Tal Yarden (Projection Design) and Luc Verschueren and Campbell Young Associates (Hair and Makeup Design).

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FACTORS:

--Language

--God's name taken in vain

Listen to my review on the radio at
http://www.audreyrusso.com/Lauren_Yarger_1118_intro.mp3

Broadway Theater Review: The Ferryman

The company. Photo: Joan Marcus

The Ferryman

Credit:

© 2018 Joan Mar

The Ferryman
By Jez Butterworth
Directed by Sam Mendes.
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

By Lauren Yarger

It's 1981 in Northern Ireland and the happy Carney clan has gathered for the harvest, but the local priest (Charles Dale) and an ominous visitor  from the IRA (Stuart Graham) threaten their happy celebrations. The family finally discovers what happened to their beloved Seamus, who disappeared more 20 years ago, leaving behind his wife, Caitlyn (Laura Donnelly) and son, Oison (Rob Malone). 

They stayed on with Seamus's brother Quinn (Paddy Considine) and his invalid wife, Mary (Genevieve O'Reilly) and their seven children (one of whom is a baby who charms the entire audience). Filling out the household, in which playwright Jez Butterworth evokes the best of the eclectic family of You Can't Take It with You, are humorous Uncle Pat (an engaging Mark Lambert), not to be confused with Aunt Pat (Dearbhla Molloy) and Aunt Maggie Far Away (Fionnula Flanagan), the elderly aunt who entertains the children with her adventures in other times and places as she fades in and out of dementia while parked just off the action in her wheelchair. 

A slow-witted Englishman named Tom Kettle (Justin Edwards) and some visiting Corcoran cousins, including Shane (Tom Glynn-Carney), who might have ties with Seamas's disappearance, add to the tension -- and the crowd on stage. Rounding out the ensemble are Dean Ashton, Glynis Bell, Peter Bradbury, Trevor Harrison Braun, Sean Frank Coffey, Will Coombs, Gina Costigan,  Fra Fee, Carly Gold, Cooper Gomes, Holly Gould, Carla Langley, Matilda Lawler, Conor MacNeill, Michael McArthur, Willow McCarthy, Colin McPhillamy, Bella May Mordus, Griffin Osborne, Brooklyn Shuck, Glenn Speers, Rafael West Vallés, and Niall Wright.

Sam Mendes directs the Royal Court Theatre production with excellence, setting an undercurrent of unrest despite the seemingly happy existence of the family, marked by singing, dancing (choreography by Scarlett Mackmin) and cute animals trained by William Berloni. But inside, dark secrets threaten to cloud the external. The ferryman, after all, is a reference to Caron, the mythologcal transporter of souls across the River Styx. A surprise twist at the end of the three-hour, 15 minute run will have you gasping.

Rob Howell helps create the atmosphere with scenic and costume design, aided by Peter Mumford;s lighting design), Nick Powell's sound design and original music.

More information:

The Ferryman opened at The Royal Court in May 2017 and was the fastest selling play in the theater’s history. The sold-out show transferred to the Gielgud Theatre in London’s West End. In London, The Ferryman won three 2018 Olivier Awards, including Best New Play (marking Butterworth’s second Olivier win), Best Actress Donnelly and Best Director  Mendes (marking his fourth Olivier win). 

The Ferryman runs at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 W. 45th St., NYC. theferrymanbroadway.com

Additional credits:

Tim Hoare (associate director), Benjamin Endsley Klein (resident director), Campbell Young Associates (hair, wigs and makeup design), Terry King (UK fight director), Thomas Schall (US fight director), Majella Hurley (UK dialect coach), and Deborah Hecht (US dialect coach).

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FACTORS:

-- Language

-- Violence

-- God's name taken in vain

Listen to my review of The Ferryman on radio:
http://www.audreyrusso.com/Lauren_Yarger_1118_intro.mp3

New Victory Theatre Will Present Stage Version of Sendak's 'Where the Wild Things Are'

The Maurice Sendak Foundation announced that it has commissioned the first major and only full-length stage play adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are. 

This stage adaptation follows a 1984 opera and 2009 film based on the classic children’s story. The New Victory Theater (a project of The New 42nd Street),New York City's premier performing arts nonprofit entirely devoted to kids and families, has committed to produce the play, marking its first foray into original production. The creative team for the production is in formation and will be announced at a later date.

The Foundation commissioned Sendak’s dear friend and collaborator, Arthur Yorinks, to write the script.

The Foundation remains steadfast in preserving Maurice Sendak’s artistic legacy and will remaster and reissue Sendak’s books with publishing partner HarperCollins in the coming years. Earlier this month, HarperCollins published Presto and Zesto in Limboland, a book discovered years after Sendak’s passing, co-authored by Arthur Yorinks. This is the third book collaboration for Yorinks and Sendak, predated by The Miami Giant (1995) and Mommy? (2006).

The University of Connecticut will house all Sendak’s book art in the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection by March 2019. Construction on an archive attached to Sendak’s Connecticut home has also been completed and will open to the public, by appointment only, in late 2019. This archive will house the rest of Sendak’s art. Additionally, the Sendak Fellowship & Workshop that has been a part of the Foundation since Sendak was alive will continue in 2019, taking place on the grounds of his home.

For more information on The Maurice Sendak Foundation visit www.SendakFoundation.org. For more information on Yorinks visit www.arthuryorinks.com.

The New Victory Theatre is located at 209 West 42nd St., NYC. 

New York City Children’s Theater Announces 22nd Season

In its 22nd season, New York City Children’s Theater (NYCCT) will premiere three theater productions for families that celebrate the power of imagination

Join NYCCT for three original, entertaining and enriching theater productions and along the way you'll help a friend who has trouble falling asleep, learn why some fairy tales never get old and live out your dreams without leaving your room.

Our 2018-19 season will also include classes, story time events and more!

Pillowland

Stanley always has trouble falling asleep - even counting sheep doesn't help! When he receives an invitation to visit the Kingdom of Pillowland, he sets off on an exciting adventure with his friends Finn, Quinn and you!

From the company that brought you Please Bring Balloons comes a new interactive play for your youngest theatergoers based on the hit song by Laurie Berkner.

Written by Barbara Zinn Krieger (Ballerina Swan)

Devised by Jonathan Shmidt Chapman (Up and Away)

Directed by Khalia Davis (Judy Moody and Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt)

Based on the song by Laurie Berkner

The Pete at The Flea Theater | 20 Thomas Street, NYC 10007

Select Sundays through April 14th at 10am and 12pm.

Best for ages 2-5 | Tickets: $25.00

#Pillowland

The Emperor’s New Clothes and More Magical Stories by Hans Christian Andersen

A normal day at the park becomes so much more when a young girl gets swept away into four of Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tales: The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Nightingale and The Ugly Duckling.

The company that brought you Interstellar Cinderellainvites you to discover why some fairy tales never get old.

Adapted for the Stage by Barbara Zinn Krieger (Interstellar Cinderella, Wanda’s Monster)

Devised and Directed by Adrienne Kapstein (War Horse, Wanda’s Monster)

Original Music by Charles Greenberg (Young Charles Dickens)

Playing at Theatre Row, a program of Building for the Arts NY, Inc.
410 West 42nd Street, NYC 10036

November 24th - December 22nd

Saturdays and Sundays at 11am and 2pm

Best for ages 5-8 | Tickets starting at $29.25

#MoreMagicalStories

This is Sadie

What do you do when you get up before your parents on a Saturday morning? If you’re six-year-old Sadie, you take your favorite stuffed animal on a world-wide adventure, without ever leaving your bedroom!

From the company that brought you Ballerina Swan and the Nutcracker comes a new dance/theater show that celebrates the power of imagination!

Choreographed by Stephanie Klemons (Hamilton)

Scenario by Barbara Zinn Krieger (Ballerina Swan and the Nutcracker)

Based on the book by Sara O’Leary

Playing at Theatre Row, a program of Building for the Arts NY, Inc.
410 West 42nd Street, NYC 10036

March 30th - April 21st

Saturdays and Sundays at 11am and 2pm

Best for ages 3-8 | Tickets starting at $29.25

#ThisisSadie

“Our beloved Artistic Director and Founder, Barbara Zinn Krieger, has worked with fantastic, established artists to create three world premiere productions that promise to delight families this season. Our shows will demonstrate to young theatergoers that curiosity, collaboration and a sense of wonder are all tools that can help change their world.” - Andrew Frank, Executive Director

Engage with Us:

Join us for pre-show activities in the lobby before every performance and take a picture with the cast after every performance!

Talk about the show with the cast and/or members of the creative team after select performances. See which performances include talkbacks here: www.nycchildrenstheater.org/engagement

Engage with NYCCT on social media: Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube

#NYCCT | #IfYouImagine | #ImaginewithNYCCT 

Sensory Friendly Performances:

December 9th at 11am | The Emperor’s New Clothes…
April 13th at 11am | This is Sadie
For more information on sensory friendly performances, visit: www.nycchildrenstheater.org/sfp

Group Sales:

Save 15% or more by bringing 10 or more people to a show! Visit www.nycchildrenstheater.org/groups or email groups@nycchildrenstheater.org for more information.

Also Happening This Season at NYCCT:

Boogie Woogie Books

Come play, sing and boogie woogie with New York City Children’s Theater!

Children up to 5 years of age and their grown ups will explore children’s books through live music, songs, movement and imaginative play in these 45-minute fun-filled classes!

Fall Session | September 22nd - November 17th
Spring Session | January 12th - March 16th

Park Avenue United Methodist Church 106 East 86th St, New York, NY 10028

To register, visit www.nycchildrenstheater.org/boogie-woogie-books or call 646-250-1178

Story Time at Strand Books  

Join us throughout the year for a reading of a children’s book complimented by a craft and/or music class.

Pillowland | Saturday, September 15th at 11am

Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales | Saturday, November 17th at 11am

This is Sadie | Saturday, March 16th at 11am

Harvey, the Child Mime | Saturday, June 15th at 11am

Middle School Playwriting Competition

Now in its 5th Year!

NYCCT is seeking short plays from some of the most talented playwrights in New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut: Middle School Students!                 

                       

Five (5) grand prize winners will receive a staged reading of their play, performed by professional actors at Theatre Row in May 2019, as well as another weekend of staged readings with Broadway pros in CT sponsored by The New Paradigm Theatre. Every entry will receive feedback from a theater professional.

                                                           

For more information on the competition, please visit:https://nycchildrenstheater.org/join-us/middle-school-playwriting-competition/       

About New York City Children’s Theater:

New York City Children’s Theater programs cultivate children’s growth in the areas of emotional intelligence, community building and responsible decision-making. The result is empathetic, creative and independent thinkers who make a positive impact on their world.

In 1996, New York City Children’s Theater began as the family theater and education program of the Tony Award-winning Vineyard Theatre. It became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2001.

For more than 20 years, our local and nationally recognized arts-in-education programs and professional theater productions have served over 300,000 children and adults across all five boroughs and surrounding communities in the tri-state area.

NY Theater Review: The Peculiar Patriot TOP PICK

Liza Jessie Peterson. Photo: Garlia C. Jones-Ly The Peculiar Patriot Written and performed by Liza Jessie Peterson Directed by Talvin Wilks National Black Theatre Through July 29 By Lauren Yarger We all get a chance to pull up a seat at a table in the visitor's room of a prison in Liza Jessie Peterson's gripping look at incarceration, The Peculiar Patriot, getting a remount at Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre. Hi-Arts co-produces the production, which recently received a $100,000 grant from the Agnes Gund’s Art for Justice Fund, Playwright Peterson stars in the passionate one-woman drama directed with precision by Talvin Wilks. Peterson is Betsy LaQuanda Ross (her moniker is the inspiration for the play's title), who regularly visits incarcerated friends and family members. Entering the visiting room (starkly designed and lighted by Maruti Evans), Betsy interacts with guards who frisk her down, greets other visitors their seeing loved ones and then focuses on boosting the morale of her best friend who has about two more years to go on her unjust sentence. Betsy brings news of the woman's three children, happenings in their neighborhood and updates about her own relationship with new beau, the good looking, poetic, political philosopher Pablo. Begrudgingly, she also gives updates about her ex, Curtis, whom her BFF seems to feel is somehow in the picture despite her protests that he is old news. Now, re-read that last paragraph and remember that this is a one-woman play. Peterson is so absorbing in her portrayal, that we could swear we just witnessed a conversation between two characters sitting at the table. All of the people mentioned come to life in our imagination, or by character changes as Peterson, helped by sound effects (Luqman Brown, design) and projections (designed by Katherine Freer) also portrays Pablo and Curtis. The huge problems of mass incarceration, from African Americans being wrongly convicted or getting stiffer sentences than white offenders to the profit-motivated consequences of outsourcing prisons and their services to private companies is covered in the conversations without becoming preachy (the more politically motivated agenda comes in a forced talk-back session that follows every show). The set up might be different, but message is that slavery is alive and well thanks to today's prison system. Like her patriotic namesake, Betsy sews. She recently returned to quilting, an interest she picked up from a woman who was a positive interest in her life. The woman helped her through time in detention and juvenile hall and steered the daughter of a black panther toward pursuing an existence outside of prison walls, Betsy's quilt, which she brings with her on the visits, includes squares for those who are incarcerated. Her best friend's has a full moon to show her potential, a shooting star for each of her three beloved children and a yellow ribbon to show that she will be coming home soon, The lives of those incarcerated become woven together with Betsy's as her needle sews s story of monotony, injustice and despair. Though much of the 90 minutes is intense and deeply moving, Peterson keeps the tale from becoming depressing by including a lot of humor. The story rings true, not only because of the exceptional writing, acting and directing, but because Peterson brings real-life experience to the tale. She worked for nearly two decades at Riker's Island in various capacities. Peterson also was in Ava DuVernay’s documentary "13th" and was a consultant on the Bill Moyers’ PBS documentary "RIKERS." The production at the National Black Theatre, 2031 Fifth Avenue between 125th and 126th streets in Harlem, runs through July 29 prior to a tour planned this fall.  Performances are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7:30 pm; Saturday at 2 pm; Sunday at 4 pm. Tickets are $35: nationalblacktheatre.org. Additional information: NO LATE SEATING PERMITTED.  Additional credits: LaToya Murray-Berry (Costumes); Belynda Hardin (Props) FAMILY-FRIENDLY FACTORS: --Language (and the "N" word is used) -- God's name used in vain