Theater Comes to Life: Literally

Eugene O'Neill describes the setting for "A Long Day's Journey into Night" and suddenly dark wood panelling, a bookshelf under a portrait of William Shakespeare, a round table and chairs with three windows from which you can overlook the water surround me, not because I'm imagining the room as I read, or admiring set work while viewing the play, but because I'm sitting in the room itself, where J Ranelli directs a reading from the classic.
The room, exact in detail as described in the stage directions of the play, is in O'Neill's boyhood home and the reading is the first event in which I'm participating as a fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT.
Ranelli, one of the most skilled directors I've ever worked with, brings O'Neill's words to life as he guides the actors through selected scenes. The idea is for us critics, who review plays, to get a better understand of how a performance comes to be. I get even more than that out of the experience.
Ranelli suggests that the two actors playing Edmund and Jamie go out into the kitchen and enter the room laughing, just as described in the play's stage direction. They do, and the effect is chilling. I feel as though I'm living inside the pages of O'Neill's autobiographical work and expect to hear the melancholic foghorn. I can feel his pain, the frustration of a disfunctional family trying to make it through the day while denying, then trying to deal with the mother's drug addiction.
It's gripping and I realize that this is why I do theater: to move the people watching. To try to touch them with the material in a personal way and, in our case at Masterwork Productions, where our projects carry a message of hope, to offer them something to think about and in some cases, a solution.
The experience leaves me with a strong sense of confirmation and a bag full of directing techniques gleaned from Ranelli's years of experience in theater and television that hopefully will make me a better director, both of theatrical endeavors and of this performing arts organization. He stresses a mentoring relationship between director and actors and I realize that this type of relationship is what brought me here in the first place. Friend and Broadway critic Retta Blaney has encouraged me to pursue writing reviews of Broadway shows from a Christian perspective. A few of those reviews earned me a spot as a follow at the institute and now God has opened the door for mentoring from some of the nation's top critics.
It's amazing how many doors God can open and not surprising that he uses mentors like Retta to turn the door knob.

Learning From the Best

I have been accepted as a fellow at the 2008 O'Neill Critics Institute in Waterford, CT and will be learning from some of the best arts writers in the country during the next two weeks. The institute is held in conjunction with the National Musical Theatre and Playwrights Conference. Two weeks on the beautiful Connecticut shoreline talking and writing theater with writers, performers and directors; what's to criticize?
Because of the schedule and possible limited internet access, I'm not sure whether I'll be able to post regularly through July 22, but check back often as I'll write about the experience as soon as possible.

Review: Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy

Flying creatures, breathtaking acrobatics and delighted children come together in "Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy," an unusual Broadway offering at the Broadway Theatre.

The creation of Neil Goldberg, Cirque toured the country before landing on Broadway to the delight of all the children who were seated near me. It's an exotic encounter in the jungle, brought to vivid life by a cast of 28 aerialists, contortionists, acrobats, jugglers and musicians dressed in more than 150 of Lenora Taylor's every-color-imaginable costumes.

Less cerebral than Cirque de Soleil, Cirque Dreams has a story you can follow, lyrics in English and is specifically geared toward kids. We were treated to some spectacular jump roping, a slow crawling turtle, a juggling frog and ribbon flyers. At intermission a dad next to me wondered what else could be presented in the second act and whether his children would remain entertained during it. The answer was lots and yes.


A giraffe balancing act had the audience gasping and covering their eyes as Vladmir Dovgan and Anatoliy Yeniy added a fourth platform to their balancing tower. And cleverly, the second act is set in the jungle at night, so the millions of colors glow with a neon-like effect.

The choreography by Tara Jeanne Vallee is great, with performers in time to the music, even on the trapeze. The Broadway belt voice of Jill Diane (Mother Nature) felt a little heavy for Jill Winters' score and lyrics, but didn't distract from the fun. Jared Burnett, a classically trained violinist, stands out as the character Soultree Violinist, who serenades through the show on a six-string electric violin Viper created for Cirque.

A couple of brief attempts at humor involved some more mature movements that seemed out of place in a show geared toward the little ones. Offering the man bracing a pyramid with his head a few aspirin, for example, might have brought more laughs than more mature movements that hopefully went over the heads of the youngsters.

The limited engagement runs through Aug. 24.

Christians might like to know:
A great family fun show with characters appealing to children, minus the usually "dark" villains most children's shows feel they must include.

And the Winner is....

At this year's Tony Awards, the real winner was the awards show itself. Hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, the show, which in past years was devoid of a host and any real personality of its own, took a step toward regaining some of the fun and passion infused in days past by former host Rosie O'Donnell. In a year where most of the offerings, except in the category of Revival of a Musical, were less than exciting and made for rather predictable winners, the show really needed to exude some enthusiasm if it had any hopes of moving potential ticketbuyers to the box office.
While I would have preferred to see the producers turn Ms. Goldberg's humor loose instead of molding it into some poorly written and corny bits, the filmed segments placing her in the casts of shows at least gave reason for chuckle. Bring her back next year and let her fly!
The acceptance speeches, too often turned into political platforms at awards shows, were devoid of agendas and were diverse and interesting, from Best Leading Actor in a Play Mark Rylance's nonsensical ramblings to Best Score recipeint Lin-Manuel Miranda's rap.
Here's a list of this year's winners:

Best Play
"August: Osage County"
Author: Tracy Letts
Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Jean Doumanian, Steve Traxler, Jerry Frankel, Ostar Productions, Jennifer Manocherian, The Weinstein Company, Debra Black/Daryl Roth, Ronald & Marc Frankel/Barbara Freitag, Rick Steiner/Staton Bell Group, The Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Best Musical
"In The Heights"
Producers: Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller, Jill Furman, Sander Jacobs, Goodman/Grossman, Peter Fine, Everett/Skipper

Best Book of a Musical
"Passing Strange" - Stew

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
"In The Heights" - Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Best Revival of a Play
"Boeing-Boeing"
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Bob Boyett, Act Productions, Matthew Byam Shaw, Robert G. Bartner, The Weinstein Company, Susan Gallin/Mary Lu Roffe, Broadway Across America, Tulchin/Jenkins/DSM, The Araca Group

Best Revival of a Musical
"South Pacific"
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten, Bob Boyett

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Mark Rylance, "Boeing-Boeing"

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Deanna Dunagan, "August: Osage County"

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Paulo Szot, "South Pacific"

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Patti LuPone, "Gypsy"

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Jim Norton, "The Seafarer"

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Rondi Reed, "August: Osage County"

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Boyd Gaines, "Gypsy"

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Laura Benanti, "Gypsy"

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Todd Rosenthal, "August: Osage County"

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Michael Yeargan, "South Pacific"

Best Costume Design of a Play
Katrina Lindsay, "Les Liaisons Dangereuses"

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Catherine Zuber, "South Pacific"

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Kevin Adams, "The 39 Steps"

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Donald Holder, "South Pacific"

Best Sound Design of a Play
Mic Pool, "The 39 Steps"

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Scott Lehrer, "South Pacific"

Best Direction of a Play
Anna D. Shapiro, "August: Osage County"

Best Direction of a Musical
Bartlett Sher, South Pacific

Best Choreography
Andy Blankenbuehler, "In The Heights"

Best Orchestrations
Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman, "In The Heights"


Regional Theatre Tony Award
Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Special Tony Award
Robert Russell Bennett (1894-1981), in recognition of his historic contribution to American musical theatre in the field of orchestrations, as represented on Broadway this season by "South Pacific."
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Stephen Sondheim

Review: Inner Voices: Solo Musicals

(Jennifer Damiano Photo by Andy Criss)
One person expressing her innermost thoughts in song is the premise behind "Inner Voices: Solo Musicals" which I saw at the funky off-Broadway Zipper Factory Theater in New York. It's comprised of three commissioned pieces from composers Michael John Lachiusa (“The Wild Party,” Marie Christine”), Jenny Giering ("Songs for An Unmade Bed") and Scott Davenport Richards ("Ma Rainey's Black Bottom") in a concept developed by Artistic Director Paulette Haupt who was inspired by Alan Bennett's "Talking Heads" on PBS.
The first, "Tres Ninas" by Lachiusa featured a strong performance from Victoria Clark (most recently on Broadway in "Light in the Piazza" and "Urinetown") as she reflects on three separate incidents that shaped her life.
In the first, she and her two sisters assist a family of illegal immigrants they witness jumping off a train. "When people fall in front of you, don't we have an obligation?" she asks. They bring food anonymously, in what really is a dramatic game to the sisters, then the family vanishes in the night.
In the second vignette, Clark smuggles a young girl from Mexico into the United States to serve as a housekeeper for her and her two girls. Eventually Madelina leaves to marry and have a family of her own and Clark sings through a wide range of emotions.
The third snapshot in "Tres Ninas" has Clark as a hardened bartender who is passionate about burritos because there's not much else exciting in her life. After a night of drinking and flirting with some immigrants, she agrees to take the virginity from 18-year-old, Arturo. Drunk and afraid, she realizes that what she "saw as a lark was not for him." His friends watch and after, when she is leaving, she finds her car tires slashed. Arturo protects her and brings her home where she wonders, in librettist Ellen Fitzhugh's wonderful lyrics, "what has led to the life I've led?" and concludes that "I'm not to be trusted with myself."
This first portion of the program was by far the strongest, most polished and appealing of the three. I felt that it had potential to stand by itself in expanded form. Lachuisa's score, as always, was pleasing and challenging. Some confusion clouded the story as it wasn't clear right away whether we were seeing three tales from the same woman or one tale from each of the ninas. (Direction by Jonathan Butterell, Music Direction by Todd Almond)
The second work, Giering's "Alice Unwrapped" had a moving story about a young teen who finds herself trying to hold her family together after her father is declared missing in action and her mother, a church organist, has a breakdown. "She's checked out of our daily lives and left the rest to me," the talented Jennifer Damiano ("Spring Awakening") (pictured above)sings. She constructs an outlandish suit constructed of KELVAR™, duct tape and other materials to help her "fight my elemental fears." She eventually discovers that it is her younger sister Ellie, not she, who is the glue keeping the family together, and with her help, she begins to take the suit off one step at a time.
The storyline of this piece no doubt hit home with many, and the lyrics by Laura Harrington were thought-provoking, but I felt that the music never allowed Damiano to fully express the emotions of her character or the full range of her vocal capability. The melody seemed repetitive and only for a few moments seemed to take us deep enough to feel what Alice was feeling. (Directed by Jeremy Dobrish; Music Direction by Julia McBride)
The third component of the evening, "A Thousand Words Come to Mind" by Richards with a libretto by Michele Lowe gave us a sad, but humorous look at a mother's death through the eyes of her daughter. Barbara Walsh ("Company", "Hairspray")played the daughter who experiences a growing fascination with her mother's encounters with a long list of famous American authors. She struggles with the concept that her mother might have been important, that she might have mattered to important poeple. "Will that make her more important to me?" she wonders. What she reveals, though some top-notch acting by Walsh, is that it's she who feels unimportant and invisible. Lowe's lyrics were polished and made what would be a weak score on its own rather inconsequential to the telling of this story. (Directed by Jack Cummings, III; Musical Direction by John DiPinto)
Overall, the presentation was a worthwhile night at the theater.
Christians might be interested to know:
Contains sexually suggestive dialog
Contains offensive language
The Lord's name is taken in vain twice

Accomplished Artists Are Students

When we’re young and starting out in the arts, we acknowledge that we don’t know everything, that mentors are a godsend and that constant learning is a part of becoming the best actor, director, musician, technician, dancer or singer we can be. As skills (and accolades) increase, however, artists sometimes can lose site of those truths. We stop learning, fear competition and don't take the time to help others starting out.

I was encouraged last week at the Drama League Awards in New York to discover that some very accomplished and honored persons in the theater have not forgotten the importance of gleaning from those with whom they work.

Bartlett Sher, honored for excellence in directing (see list of winners below), spoke of a teacher who had influenced him, said that he and his cast and crew had learned a lot from each other and that “everything is passed on.” Patrick Stewart, star of Macbeth, was cited for serving as the team’s leader who poured into his fellow cast members. All the young actors in the production “want to be him and work with him again,” we were told.

Distinguished Performer winner Patti LuPone honored those who had helped make her performance possible:
•Gypsy director Arthur Laurents as a director who allowed the cast to reinvent something that “wasn’t broke”
•the producers for their boldness in restaging a musical that had just been on Broadway five years ago
•the other actors for their ensemble skills

“I’m still a student, “LuPone said, “…awed by what I see on a stage.”

Somehow I think it’s that teachable spirit that allows Ms. LuPone and others like her to reach new heights in their ability to perform. It’s when we feel we have “arrived” and that we’re the one everyone else should be looking to for inspiration that we forget who the Master teacher is and from whom the talent comes in the first place.

Make a new commitment this week to learn from all those God has placed in your circle and to pass on His wisdom to those who view you as mentor.
“You'll only hear true and right words from my mouth;
not one syllable will be twisted or skewed.
You'll recognize this as true—you with open minds;
truth-ready minds will see it at once.
Prefer my life-disciplines over chasing after money,
and God-knowledge over a lucrative career.
For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth;
nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.” (Proverbs 8:8-11 THE MESSAGE)

Winners of the Drama League Awards:
Distinguished Production of a Play
August: Osage County
Distinguished Production of a Musical
A Catered Affair
Distinguished Revival—Play
Macbeth
Distinguished Revival—MusicalSouth Pacific
Distinguished Performance Award
Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing
Bartlett Sher, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Unique Contribution to the Theatre
Ellen Stewart and LaMaMa E.T.C.
Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre
Paul Gemignani

Review: Boeing, Boeing

I went to see Broadway’s new hit comedy “Boeing, Boeing” on the basis of its star power (comedic treasure Christine Baranski and “The West Wing’s” Bradley Whitford) without having seen either Marc Camoletti’s French play or the Jerry Lewis/Tony Curtis ’60s movie based on it, so when a friend questioned why I would be interested to see a show based on a guy having silultaneous affairs with three airline stewardesses, I had to confess that it didn’t sound like the kind of show I usually would enjoy.
And while the plot doesn’t get much more complicated than that, there are some funny lines, good physical comedy and timing that has made it popular with theatregoers and which have earned it a Tony Award nomination for Best Revival of a Play.
Whitford plays Bernard, who thinks he’s living the perfect bachelor’s life in 1960s France juggling three airline “hostess” fiances. It’s all about the timetables, he tells Robert, his visiting unwordly, naïve Midwestern friend, ably played by Mark Rylance, Tony nominated for leading actor in a play for this role. Gloria, Gabriella and Gretchen, the objects of Bernard’s affection, or at least lust, are played by Kathryn Hahn, Gina Gershon and an atypically cast but Tony nominated Mary McCormack (also of “West Wing”). Christine Baranski steals the show, however, as Berthe, Bernard’s wisecracking, complaining housekeeper who tries to help him keep track of which hostess with which food preferences is in the apartment at any given time (and it’s hard to imagine Ryland and McCormack getting Tony nods over her). Predictably, timetable and weather conditions force complications for Bernard and Robert is enlisted to help keep the women from finding out about each other.
Overall, I liked Director Matthew Warchus and Scenic and Costume Designer Rob Howell’s retro, but updated look and feel for the show, although it could have been edited to 90 minutes with no intermission. Sound issues resulted in some dropped dialog. It also seemed to me that Berthe looked just like Edna E Mode, a character in Disney’s animated film “The Incredibles.” In a Playbill interview, Ms. Baranski said she helped create the look, but didn’t mention whether Edna was an influence and an inquiry to the show’s press agent went unanswered, so I give you photos of both Berthe and Edna above and you can decide for yourself.
There was humor in the show and the pleasure of Ms. Baranski’s performance, but I could never fully engage with a plot that suggested it was acceptable for Bernard to have affairs with three women while deceiving them all about the depth of his feelings. It all does work out all right in the end, and Berthe is a voice of conscience which keeps the show and Bernard reminded of values, but she’s not enough to overcome dialog and actions that suggest morals are unnecesssary.
Christians might be interested to know:
The show carries a “Mature” advisory
Contains sexually suggestive kisses, dialogue and touching
The Lord’s name is used twice: “Thank the Lord!” and “Oh, God!”