Theater Review: The Nance

A Tender Look at a Sad Character

By Lauren Yarger
Nathan Lane gives a tender performance in Douglas Carter Beane’s newest play, The  Nance getting a run by Lincoln Center Theater on Broadway.

In burlesque, a “nance” was a male performer who pretended to be gay. For Chauncey Miles (Lane), art imitates life. He really is gay, and while this is known to his fellow performers and theater friends, Efram (Lewis J. Stadlen), Sylvie (Cady Huffman), Joan (Jennie Barber), Rose (Mylinda Hull) and Carmen (Andrea Burns), the lifestyle is not considered acceptable by 1937 society or by the cops and politicians who constantly raid and shut down burlesque houses like New York’s Irving Place where they work.

The situation is made even more tenuous when Chauncey picks up a down-on-his-luck younger boy at the local automat (a meet-up where “the boys meet the boys.") Ned (Jonny Orsini) is hungry, dirty and used to having to exchange sexual favors to ear his keep, so Chauncey’s heartfelt kindness is different. Chauncey also is surprised to discover that the boy isn’t straight, simply turning gay tricks to get by. Ned moves in to Chauncey’s bachelor pad and the two begin a relationship.  Eventually Ned is roped into performing with the burlesque show. (John Lee Beatty’s fabulous set rotates to take us from the very cool automat to the theater, and angels so that we can see what is taking place on stage and backstage simultaneously.)

Actual vaudeville routines are included throughout the script and Lane’s comic chops are put to good use. He also gives a deeply personal portrait of a man who know what he wants, but who is unable to get it. The tale is as sad as it is funny. For some reason, Beane scripts Chauncey as a Republican, however, always supportive of the party and of Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, despite his crusade to rid New York of burlesque. It’s not believable, especially when Chauncey decides to protest the censorship by performing forbidden material on stage and starts calling a certain politician’s motives into question.

Ann Roth provides the costumes for this period piece (listed as a comedy --should be categorized as a dark comedy and should also have a **MATURE advisory) for which Lane gives one of his most moving portrayals, directed by Jack O'Brien.

The Nance runs through Aug. 11 at the Lyceum Theatre, 149 West 45th St., NYC. Tickets and info: http://www.lct.org/.

Christians might also like to know:
-- Scantily clad actors (and racy costumes)
-- Nudity
-- Homosexuality
-- Homosexual activity
-- God's name taken in vain
-- Language
-- Sexual situations

Quick Hit Theater Review: Buyer & Cellar

Michael Urie. Photo: © Sandra Coudert

Buyer & Cellar
By Jonathan Tolins
Directed by Stephen Brackett
Starring Michael Urie
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
(transfer to Barrow Street Theatre opens June 24, 2013)

What's It All About?
Struggling actor Alex More (Michael Urie, from TV's "Ugly Betty") is hired to be the storekeeper in an underground shopping mall beneath the Malibu mansion of Barbra Streisand, as detailed in her coffee table book. When the star visits to browse the items she has stocked in her quaint little shopping center like a doll that blows bubbles, she bonds with alex and the two become friends. Or at least as good friends as you can becme when one of you is a supertar above ground.

What are the Highlights?
Very witty and great fun if you're a Barbra fan. Urie is engaging and quite adorable as the guy trying to figure out how to keep the oddest odd job.

What are the Lowlights?
It's a bit too long at about 110 minutes without intermission. Shaving 20-30 minutes off (easily done) will make this even sharper for its new home at Barrow Street.

More information:
At Barrow Street, 27 Barrow Street, east of Seventh Avenue South:
Buyer & Cellar plays Tuesday through Sunday at 7:30 pm; Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $75: 212 868-4444; www.smarttix.com. More info: www.buyerandcellar.com.

Christians might also like to know:
--Homosexuality

Outer Critics Circle Awards Announced

And the winners are. . .  (in red)

 

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY

Grace

Lucky Guy

The Nance

The Testament of Mary

* Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL

Chaplin: The Musical

A Christmas Story

Hands on a Hardbody

*Kinky Boots

Matilda the Musical

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY

Bad Jews

Cock

* My Name is Asher Lev

Really Really

The Whale

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL

February House

Dogfight

Giant

* Here Lies Love

Murder Ballad

OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL (Broadway or Off-Broadway)

Cinderella

Chaplin: The Musical

Dogfight

Kinky Boots

* Matilda the Musical

OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE (Broadway or Off-Broadway)

Chaplin: The Musical

Dogfight

Hands on a Hardbody

Here Lies Love

* Kinky Boots

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY (Broadway or Off-Broadway)

Golden Boy

Orphans

The Piano Lesson

The Trip to Bountiful

* Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL (Broadway or Off-Broadway)

Annie

Cinderella

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Passion

* Pippin

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY

Pam MacKinnon Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Nicholas Martin Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

* Jack O’Brien The Nance

Bartlett Sher Golden Boy

Michael Wilson The Trip to Bountiful

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL

Warren Carlyle Chaplin: The Musical

Scott Ellis The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Jerry Mitchell Kinky Boots

* Diane Paulus Pippin

Alex Timbers Here Lies Love

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER

Warren Carlyle Chaplin: The Musical

Peter Darling Matilda the Musical

Jerry Mitchell Kinky Boots

Josh Rhodes Cinderella

* Chet Walker Pippin

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN (Play or Musical)

John Lee Beatty The Nance

* Rob Howell Matilda the Musical

David Korins Here Lies Love

Scott Pask Pippin

Michael Yeargan Golden Boy

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN (Play or Musical)

Amy Clark & Martin Pakledinaz Chaplin: The Musical

Gregg Barnes Kinky Boots

Dominique Lemieux Pippin

* William Ivey Long Cinderella

William Ivey Long The Mystery of Edwin Drood

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN (Play or Musical)
Ken Billington Chaplin: The Musical

Paul Gallo Dogfight

Donald Holder Golden Boy

Kenneth Posner Cinderella

* Kenneth Posner Pippin

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY

Tom Hanks Lucky Guy

Shuler Hensley The Whale

* Nathan Lane The Nance

Tracy Letts Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

David Hyde Pierce Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Tracee Chimo Bad Jews

Amy Morton Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Vanessa Redgrave The Revisionist

Joely Richardson Ivanov

* Cicely Tyson The Trip to Bountiful

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Bertie Carvel Matilda the Musical

Santino Fontana Cinderella

Rob McClure Chaplin: The Musical

* Billy Porter Kinky Boots

Matthew James Thomas Pippin

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Lilla Crawford Annie

Valisia LeKae Motown: The Musical

Lindsay Mendez Dogfight

* Patina Miller Pippin

Laura Osnes Cinderella

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY

Danny Burstein Golden Boy

Richard Kind The Big Knife

Jonny Orsini The Nance

Tony Shalhoub Golden Boy

* Tom Sturridge Orphans

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Cady Huffman The Nance

Judith Ivey The Heiress

Judith Light The Assembled Parties

* Kristine Nielsen Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Vanessa Williams The Trip to Bountiful

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Will Chase The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Dan Lauria A Christmas Story

Raymond Luke Motown: The Musical

* Terrence Mann Pippin

Daniel Stewart Sherman Kinky Boots

 

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Annaleigh Ashford Kinky Boots

Victoria Clark Cinderella

Charlotte d’Amboise Pippin

* Andrea Martin Pippin

Keala Settle Hands on a Hardbody

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE

Bette Midler I’ll Eat You Last

Martin Moran All the Rage

Fiona Shaw The Testament of Mary

* Holland Taylor Ann

Michael Urie Buyer & Cellar

JOHN GASSNER AWARD (Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)

Ayad Akhtar Disgraced

Paul Downs Colaizzo Really Really

Joshua Harmon Bad Jews

Samuel D. Hunter The Whale

* Aaron Posner My Name is Asher Lev

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Irish Repertory Theatre, Charlotte Moore, Artistic Director and Ciarán O’Reilly, Producing Director in recognition of 25 years of producing outstanding theatre 

Theater Review: Orphans

A Dynamite Performance Keeps Us Riveted in a Play That Forces Us to Suspend All Reality
By Lauren Yarger
A stand-out performance by Tom Sturridge highlights the electrifying and terrifying Broadway revival of Lyle Kessler's dark and absurdest play Orphans, also starring Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock") and Ben Foster.

Older brother Treat (Foster) earns a living as a petty thief to take care of brother Phillip (Sturridge) who inhabits his own autistic word, where tuna fish and a bowl of mayonnaise are the meals of the day -- every day -- and where contact with the outside world is feared as potentially lethal. Phillip leaps around the furniture and occasionally looks out the window to observe passers by or marvels at the woman's high heel he secrets away.

One day, Treat decides to up the stakes from mugging to kidnapping when he encounters well--to-do businessman Harold (Baldwin). He and Phillip tie him up in their dilapidated north Philadelphia home (John Lee Beatty, set design) and prepare to collect a handsome ransom. The tables are turned, however, when Harold frees himself, but decides to stay. He befriends Phillip and hires the inept Treat as his body guard. Suddenly roles reverse as Treat's confidence deserts him and Phillip discovers that he can do a lot more than he thought -- especially those things Treat has been telling him he couldn't do all these years -- with Harold's help.

The play itself is bizarre, bringing to mind Martin McDonagh’s A Behanding in Spokane. To enjoy these works, you have to check reality and all reasoning at the door or you will spend all of your time thinking, "That would never happen," or "That doesn't make sense." If you are willing to do that here, you'll allow Kessler some room to explore human nature and relationships.

The biggest takeaway from this production, however, is Sturridge's dynamite performance (he has been nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and the play is up for best revival). His portrayal is at once physical, energetic, calm and gentle. With each gesture or mimic of another character, he takes the portrait to a deeper level. It's one of the most gripping and engrossing performances I have seen on stage in a while, even more so because he upstages Hollywood badboy Baldwin, the box-office draw for the show. Foster could be completely lost up there, but the steady direction of Daniel Sullivan keeps him in play.

Orphans plays at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 West 45th St., NYC through June 30. Tickets and info: http://www.orphansonbroadway.com/.

Christians might also like to know:
-- Language
-- God's name taken in vain

Quick Hit Theater Review: Jekyll & Hyde

Constantine Maroulis and Deborah Cox. Photo: Chris Bennion

Jekyll & Hyde
Music by Frank Wildhorn
Book and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
Directed and Choreographed by Jeff Calhoun

What's It All About?
The revival of that adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's tale about Doctor Henry Jekyll ("American Idol" finalist Constantie Maroulis) who uses himself as a guinea pig to find a cure for the dark side of human nature. Victorian society scoffs at his attempts to help those they would rather hide in asylums, so Jekyll becomes the test case for his own experiments. His potions unleash his alter-self, the cruel Edward Hyde who preys on prostitutes and fights with Henry to win control of his body. The laboratory is colorful, but ridiculous in nature. Tobin Cost designs it and the rest of the fractured looking sets that reflect the shattered nature of Henry's soul and designs the costumes as well. Unaware of the split personality overtaking Jekyll are his fiancee, Emma Carew (Teal Wicks) and Lucy Harris (Deborah Cox), the prostitute kind Henry befriends after she is forced to endure brutality by his Hyde self.

What are the Highlights?
What a treat to hear the lovely Wildhorn score on stage again. It birthed a number of classic tunes like "This is the Moment," "Take Me As I Am," and the show-stopping "A New Life." Anyone who has listened to the original Broadway cast recordings or the two concept albums that preceded it a few thousand times and are wondering whether anyone but Linda Eder can do Lucy's songs justice stop worrying. Cox, a Grammy nominated R&B artist, does them wonderfully. "Someone Like You" is truly beautiful. David Benoit stands out in the minor role of Spider, the repulsive owner of the dive where Lucy and the other girls of the night make their living.


What are the Lowlights?
Calhoun doesn't seem to urge Maroulis beyond singing for his old television competition crowd. Every song is delivered to evoke applause. Portraying the characters of Jekyll and Hyde (he does a better job with this one) gets put on a back burner. For the song "Confrontation," usually performed by the actor morphing back and forth between his good and bad selves, the task gets eliminated completely. . In a big let down, Jekyll simply sings a duet with a projected image of Hyde (Daniel Brodie does the projection design -- loved the image he creates for Hyde Park, by the way). Also disappointing is Wicks as Emma. She comes off as uppity and is much too harsh. We almost understand Henry's desire to yield to the dark side. And what's up with the sound (Ken Travis, design). It's way too loud and the mix is off.

More information:
Jekyll & Hyde runs through June 30 at the Marquis Theatre, 1535 Broadway, NYC. Tickets and info: http://www.jekyllandhydemusical.com/.

Christians might also like to know:
-- Violence
-- Sexual actions
-- The show doesn't post a Mature Advisory, but I would suggest it should have one. It's dark, mature material.

Quick Hit Theater Review: The Big Knife

The Big Knife
By Clifford Odets
Directed by Doug Hughes
Roundabout Theatre Company

What's It all About?
Well, you tell me. The second Odets play to grace a Broadway stage this season had me asking the same question as when I saw his Golden Boy back in December: "Of all the plays out there, why would you revive this one?" The testosterone-heavy, exposition-laden, heavy-on-the-long-winded speeches  tale is about Charlie Castle (Bobby Cannavale), a movie star who is conflicted about signing a 14-year contract extension with sleazy studio head Marcus Hoff (Richard Kind) who has blackmail information on the star to keep him under his mafioso-type thumb.

What are the Highlights?
Strong performances from Cannavale and Kind and also from Marin Ireland, who plays Charlie's wife, Marion, the only woman on stage whose character gets a little development beyond being there to service the sexual needs of a man. She even does get to complain about being a doormat once (though she keeps taking him back after he cheats). One of the other "gals" likes it when her man physically hurts her.

What Are the Lowlights?
Too many to fully list here (why, oh, why this script, I ask again.) The play is full of ridiculously contrived moments to propel the action:  one actor exits, then the phone rings; another character falls asleep before the next one enters a scene -- how convenient. It also contains lines that are so bad, they are funny:

• Never underestimate a man just because you don't know him.
• Boy, if I didn't love people so much, how I'd hate them.
• You have hell in you. Let's enjoy it.
• You can't think beyond the tips of your shoes.
• Go home. You're mother wants you.

It's easy for one's mind to wander during those long-winded soliloquies too. During one, the character paused to say, "You ask me why?" then continued on to tell us. No one had asked. After another long tirade, a character asked, "Do I make sense?" A guffaw escaped from my lips because I seriously had just thought, "What the heck is she talking about?"

More information:
The Big Knife runs through June 2 at American Airlines Theatre, 227 West 42nd St., NYC. Tickets and info: http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/Shows-Events/Big-Knife.aspx.

Christians might also like to know:
-- Language
-- Abortion

Theater Review: Here Lies Love

Ruthie Ann Miles (center) and the cast of Here Lies Love. Photo : Joan Marcus

Add Stages, Subtract the Seats and This Innovative Pop Operetta Equals a Whole New Way to Do Theater
By Lauren Yarger
Here Lies Love running Off-Broadway at the Public Theater quickly separates audience goers into one of two categories: The "young and hip" or the "old and traditional."

Attendees check their coats and bags at the door and enter a happening dance club, complete with flashing lights  and video displays for an hour and a half of the dance club scene with a driving, pulsing beat (M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, sound design). Wranglers clad in fluorescent-pink jump suits direct the constantly moving crowd throughout the performance. There are no seats so if you aren't prepared (or able) to stand for the duration, you will have to invest in one of the few box seats available on a second level overlooking the action taking place on the floor. Where the DJ is housed for you "old and traditional" theatergoers.

Suddenly the crowd becomes the people of the Philippines and the story of former President and First Lady Ferdinand (Jose Llana) and Imeda (Ruthie Ann Miles) Marcos is playing out across five different staging platforms, all of which move and change during the presentation and through video projection (David Korins designs the set; Peter Nigrini designs the projections).

The exhilarating show was conceived by David Byrne (from the music world's Talking Heads and Luaka Bop), who writes the lyrics. He teams to write the score with Fatboy Slim, also known as Norman Cook who first rose to fame as the bassist with The Housemartins (additional music is by Tom Candey and J. Pardo). The genius behind making everything work is Director Alex Timbers who brought us that other nontraditional rock history musical, the riotously funny Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.

The part karaoke tribute (that was invented in the Philippines, we're told) and part history lesson about the couple's rise and fall is non-stop, with virtually no dialogue. Much of the action is presented through Annie-B Parson's fresh choreography. The actors make numerous costume changes (designed by Clint Ramos), some of them almost break-away to keep up with the pace (loved the printed A-line dresses).

When the jumpsuited ushers aren't directing you out of the way of the revolving center platform, the lighting by designer Justin Townsend guides you to the next bit of action. Once you leave, the contagious strains of the title song keep pulling you back to the experience.

Mostly young people, smiling and clearly enjoying the experience all the way through, comprised the crowd the night I attended. It's interactive, immersing theater with a 360-degree view and it quite possibly might change the theater experience as we know it. I'd like to think that because I managed to stand for duration and enjoyed the experience, though I normally loathe interactive theater, I can classify myself as belonging to the "young and hip" rather than to the "old and traditional" group. Or at least  the "young and hip at heart" category.

Here Lies Love is extended at the The Public, 425 Lafayette St., NYC, through June 30. Performances Tuesday through Thursday at 8:30 pm; Friday and saturday at 5 and 9:30 pm; Sunday at 6 pm. Tickets start at $89: (212) 967-7555; www.publictheater.org.

Other information:
The show lasts about 100 minutes without intermission. There is no place to sit on the floor level or anywhere to put your bag down, so be prepared and wear comfortable shoes. Wheelchairs can be accommodated on the floor level. Dancing is ncouraged. warnings for smoke, haze, gunshots and loud music.

Christians might also like to know:
--Language
--Sexual diolague and activity