A Terrific Show for the Entire Family
The human actors in War Horse perform wonderfully but they all must take back seats to the true stars of this spectacular multi-media production, Joey and Topthorn, two larger than life equine puppets and their creators and the several different puppeteers who manipulate them on stage. For it is Joey and Topthorn who dominate this play from beginning to end - and who are the primary reason that you should make every effort to bring your whole family to see this play. The story itself is exciting, adventurous and likely to be enjoyed by children and adults alike. But it is also much more than that. It is a story of honor and deceit, of man's humanity and inhumanity to his fellow man, of children and adults, of mothers, fathers and sons, of envy and petty rivalries, of bravery and cowardice, of the horror and futility of war in sum, of everything that makes man what he is, for better or for worse. And what makes the play so remarkably expressive is that much of this is depicted through the incredible movements of those larger-than-life equine puppets on stage. I have posted an expanded review of this play and reviews of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

War Horse on Friday, Apr 15th, 2011

RE:Bravo Laurie Metcalf! Don't Miss It!
This play is a splendidly complex work, part psychological thriller and part a depiction of the neurological breakdown of an unsuspecting and otherwise strong and competent woman. Laurie Metcalf really steals the show in her star turn as Juliana, a juicy role that gives her an opportunity to change her persona, chameleon-like, from moment to moment. She is sensitive and feeling in one scene, angry, jealous and paranoid in another, bitter, sarcastic and sardonic in yet a third; her personality and mood changes are dramatically effective and the stuff of which great theatre is made. It is worth seeing the play for her performance alone. I have posted an expanded review of this play and of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Other Place on Sunday, Apr 24th, 2011

RE:An enjoyable family-friendly Irish melodrama
Dion Boucicault was a master of melodrama and The Shaughraun, like many of his other works, is a swashbuckling romantic tale of honor, bravery, love and betrayal. To be sure the plot is formulaic and the characters stereotypical. But notwithstanding those shortcomings, the play still provides an afternoon or evening?s entertainment for the entire family, due both to the fact that swashbuckling, romantic comedy-dramas of this sort are just plain fun and to the exceptional talents of several of the cast members in this production. Patrick Fitzgerald, in particular, who played the title role which had been played to great effect by the playwright himself in the original production more than a century ago, was absolutely terrific. So, too, was Allison Jean White who, in the role of Claire Ffolliott, succeeded in expressing a whole range of emotions not only in words but through the sinuous, balletic movements of her body. I have posted an expanded review of this play and reviews of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Shaughraun on Monday, May 2nd, 2011

RE:This Sure Ain't No My Fair Lady
A Ministers Wife provides a pleasant evening?s entertainment but it sure ain?t no My Fair Lady. The book by Pendleton is satisfactory but adds nothing to Shaw?s original work. The score by Schmidt is good, more opera than musical theatre, but the lyrics by Tranen are uninspired and readily forgettable. Both the acting and singing performances are acceptable but far from outstanding and the small orchestra is more of a distraction than an enhancement. All in all, turning Candida into a musical didn?t really add to the production and I much prefer the original straight play. I have posted an expanded review of this play and of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

A Minister's Wife on Monday, May 9th, 2011

A Terrific Production of Shaw's Play
You Never Can Tell is one of George Bernard Shaw?s lesser known-works, relatively infrequently performed in the United States, which is why we owe a special debt of thanks to the exceptionally talented cast now bringing it to life at the Gloria Maddox Theatre at T. Schreiber Studio and Theatre. While the plot of the play isn?t much, Shaw uses it to full advantage in exercising his acerbic wit and that alone would make seeing this play worthwhile. In addition, however, the cast of this production is terrific across-the-board, providing the audience with a most delightful afternoon or evening?s entertainment. Ive posted an expanded review of this play and several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

You Never Can Tell on Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

RE:A Long Overdue Revival of a Wonderful Play
The Mint Theater has done a truly first rate job across-the-board with this revival ? in casting, set design, direction, costuming, performances - you name it. This is one terrific production which can be enjoyed by anyone with an appreciation of theatre but most especially by those whose tastes run more to the traditional than to the avant garde. Set in 1914 inside a Pullman sleeping car bound from New York City for the Pacific Coast, A Little Journey is an inspirational comedy focusing on the relationships that develop among ten travelers thrown together on a four day transcontinental railroad trip; the fundamental decency of human nature; the redemptive power of love, labor, and caring for others; and second chances. The play?s story line is rather predictable although there are some surprises and plot structure is not its great strength. Rather, its value resides in its allowing us to tread familiar ground so well, bringing us close to the edge of clich? but never quite pushing us over it, and providing us with an opportunity to share the play?s characters? most human experiences. This is a play with more than a dozen wonderful roles and the entire cast does an exemplary job of bringing all of them to life. I have posted an expanded review of this play and reviews of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

A Little Journey on Tuesday, Jun 7th, 2011

RE:Excellent Production of Stoppard's First Major Work
This is an extraordinary work ? a tongue-in-cheek comedy and an existential and absurdist tour-de-force all in one and it owes as much to Samuel Beckett as it does to William Shakespeare. In Shakespeare?s play, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are no more than incidental characters and what we are really meant to care about is what happens to Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius a trusted advisor to Claudius, Ophelia Polonius? daughter and the love of Hamlet?s life and Laertes Polonius? son. But in Stoppard?s play, everything is turned upside-down. Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern assume center stage; they are blissfully unaware of the dramatic events roiling about them; and it is their personal plights which are meant to concern us. And in Stoppard?s hands, the plights that confront Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are predetermined ? or not. They are inevitable ? or coincidental ? or accidental ? or random ? or fated - or a consequence of the exercise of one?s own free will ? or not. In other words, they are just the sorts of events that allow Stoppard?s imagination to take flight and permit him to explore the mathematical and physical paradoxes which so obsess him in Arcadia, Hapgood, Jumpers, and most of the other works which comprise his intellectually exhilarating oeuvre. And yet, on another level, the play could be a re-working of Beckett?s Waiting for Godot. Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern could be the very reincarnations of Estragon and Vladimir the protagonists of Beckett?s greatest work and the Player King and his acting troupe who play important roles in Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead could stand in well for Beckett?s Pozzo and Lucky. In sum, Stoppard here addresses the fact that we all must go through life with limited knowledge ? and yet we must go on. We, like Rosenkrantz and Guldenstern, don?t really know what?s going on about us, what is transpiring on the other side of the curtain, whether or not our seeming freedom of action is anything more than an illusion. And yet we must go on. The entire cast does a first rate job, but I was particularly taken with Aguirre, Gray and Weber in the principal roles. I think that Stoppard would be pleased. I have posted an expanded review of this play and several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead on Wednesday, Jun 8th, 2011

Mark Rylance 1, Jerusalem 0
I saw Jerusalem yesterday and was stunned by the standing ovation that the play received at its conclusion. Yes, Mark Rylance?s performance was brilliant. And the set was very well-designed. But the play as a whole, it seemed to me and to both of my two companions, I might add, left much to be desired. For starters, there?s not much of a plot. Rooster is a washed-up has-been of a daredevil, a drug-dealing, alcoholic, pathological liar and child predator, broken in mind and spirit, and now reduced to relying on a motley crew of mostly teenagers for adulation, companionship and financial sustenance. He lives in relative squalor in a mobile home in the English countryside. But the times they are a?changing. A new residential development is sprouting up within hailing distance of Rooster?s abode and the residents of that new community, understandably, would like to see Rooster gone. It is St. George?s Day in England and the locals are holding their annual county fair and parade. Rooster has received an eviction notice. And the rag-tag group around him are bemoaning the fact that things ain?t what they used to be and that this year?s fair won?t hold a candle to those of the old days, back when Rooster was performing his daredevil motorcycle stunts and shattering his body in the process. There are a number of subplots but they don?t really go anywhere. Rooster?s young son and the child?s mother show up for a brief visit and?nothing. One of Rooster?s hangers-on is planning to emigrate to Australia?or maybe not. A 15 year-old girl has gone missing?oh, there she is. To all of which, I can only say: ?So what.? If Rooster suffers the consequences of his actions, should we pity him? Or even empathize? Not me. So heres the bottom line: If you want to see a single bravura theatrical performance Mark Rylance as Rooster, go to this play. But if youre looking for anything more than that, skip it. Ive posted an expanded review of this play and reviews of a large number of other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Jerusalem on Monday, Jun 13th, 2011

A Delightful Revival
This revival may not be quite as good as the original play with Jerry Orbach that opened in Greenwich Village 50 years ago but it?s the next best thing. It is dated and changing sensibilities did require some politically correct modifications to some of the original show?s musical numbers: in an apparent concession to the feminist movement, ?The Rape Ballet? became the ?Abduction Ballet? although the term ?rape,? as it was used in the original production was clearly intended to convey the word?s Middle English meaning ?to seize, take or carry off by force? with no particular sexual connotation. But in a way, the fact that the play was dated only added to its charm and the bit of bowdlerization didn?t detract significantly from the play?s overall effect. The staging, direction and choreography were all excellent and several of the performances were absolutely delightful. Juliette Trafton as The Girl Luisa was lovely and refreshing and she does sing beautifully. Dan Sharkey as The Boy?s Father Hucklebee and Bill Bateman as The Girl?s Father Bellomy were as entertaining in their roles as an old Abbott and Costello duo or burlesque act. McIntyre Dickson as The Old Actor Henry was wonderful in the role originally played by Tom Jones himself who wrote the book and lyrics and directed this production. And Michael Nostrand as The Man Who Dies Mortimer is a Chaplinesque marvel to watch. I have posted an expanded version of this review and reviews of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Fantasticks on Thursday, Jun 16th, 2011

Excellent Singing Voices Wasted on Disappointing Play
The entire cast performed splendidly and their singing voices were spectacular across the board. But, unfortunately, the play itself is nothing to write home about: the book is choppy and dull while the music and lyrics are derivative, pedestrian and something of a failed attempt at cobbling together operatic renditions with tunes more typical of Broadway musicals. In sum, it was pretty much a waste of some exceptional acting and vocal talent on a theatrical vehicle not really worthy of their efforts. But that doesn?t mean that we didn?t end up having a good time anyway. We did. The costumes were lush and lovely to behold and at least a couple of the musical numbers were fun Mara Davi?s performance in ?Shimmy Like They Do in Paree? and the humorous reprise of ?Life?s a Joy? by Jay Jaski, Patricia Noonan, Joy Hermalyn and Don Stephenson were both delightful. Additionally, Alexandra Socha?s insouciant performance as Daisy and Don Stephenson?s humorous depiction of Fidele brought smiles to our faces. I have posted an expanded review of this play and several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Death Takes a Holiday on Sunday, Jul 3rd, 2011

Offensively Anti-Semitic and Otherwise Boring
I found this to be an offensively anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic play and, although the producers insist that that was not their original intention and proclaim their commitment to ?considering, in consultation with Christian and Jewish experts, various proposed revisions,? there is no evidence that any real action has been taken. But even setting aside the issues of anti-Semitism and anti-Catholicism, I didn?t think much of the play anyway. The inspirations for the play were the intriguing Gnostic Gospels of Mary and Thomas, with their suggestions that Mary Magdalene was not the repentant prostitute she had been made out to be in the Biblical Gospels, that she was one of Jesus? Apostles indeed, that she was first among them and the one he loved the most, that she was Jesus? lover and perhaps his wife, and that she bore his child. That would seem to provide lots of raw material for a satisfying play ? or novel, for that matter ? and, in the hands of a talented writer, it does. Working with much the same original material, Dan Brown produced ?The Da Vinci Code,? no work of literary genius to be sure, but a thrilling pot-boiler of a novel that kept the reader on the edge of his seat, nonetheless. Here, however, similar source material inspired nothing more than a somewhat disjointed, occasionally incoherent, and generally soporific musical. The book was slow and dull and the song lyrics forgettable. The actors were energetic and did the best they could with the material they were given but were given too little to work with. And at least one actor ? Eugene Barry-Hill as Pontius Pilate ? was badly miscast. Indeed, the only positive things I can say about this production are that 1 the musical score by James Olm was pretty good and 2 Lindsie Van Winkle, who starred in the title role of Mary Magdalene, has a rich, powerful voice, and belted out number after number to my satisfaction. I have posted an expanded version of this review and reviews of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Magdalene on Monday, Jul 4th, 2011

RE:Disappointing Execution of a Good Idea
The idea behind this trilogy of plays by Fitzgerald, Porter and Dell, combined with music from Gershwin, Kern and Berlin, was very promising but the execution was very disappointing. It was a generally leaden production. I have posted an expanded review of this play and of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Jazz Age on Sunday, Jul 31st, 2011

RE:Interesting but Bland Precursor to The Glass Menagerie
This slight 50 minutes one act precursor to The Glass Menagerie is well-acted and directed and should appeal to Tennessee Williams fans interested in tracing the evolutionary development of his work. But standing on its own, it is unlikely to prove very satisfying to the general theater-going public. I have posted an expanded review of this production and of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Pretty Trap on Saturday, Aug 6th, 2011

RE:A Pleasant Entertainment But Not Great
This cheerful but slight musical makes for an amusing 75 minutes entertainment and I left with a smile on my face. But while the score and the lyrics were serviceable, they were scarcely memorable and I didn?t find myself humming any of the tunes at the end of the show. All five of the leads Seth Blum, Diana Falzone, Tommy J.Dose, Emelise Aleandri and Madelyn Schwartz performed well but the one who came closest to stealing the show was Dose who, as a homesick and somewhat inept Eastern European hitman, was responsible for virtually all of the show?s comedic high points. If there?s any really good reason to see this show, his performance is it. The rest of the show?s cast seemed to be there more as filler than anything else and it wouldn?t have mattered much one way or the other, had they been left out. I have posted an expanded review of this show and reviews of several other shows on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Hush the Musical on Sunday, Aug 14th, 2011

RE:A Groundbreaking Fringe Production
This is a good example of what the Fringe Festival is supposed to be all about: a new playwright?s pushing the limits of his craft to produce a work that transcends traditional theatrical boundaries and breaks new ground in form and structure as a non-linear, right-brained, impressionistic exposition of the relationships among a number of tangentially related characters. All six actors were up to the tasks set before them ? especially Heather Oakley as Cynthia ? and the director, Jenna Worsham, elicited the very best from them. I have posted an expanded review of this play and of several other Fringe and non-Fringe productions on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

What the Sparrow Said on Sunday, Aug 21st, 2011

RE:A Rollickingly Good Time
This is a rollickingly good play, which ought simply be enjoyed as a fun experience, rather than being over-analyzed, over-interpreted or pondered upon. Superficially, it might appear to deal at least metaphorically with a host of ?big? issues including interracial marriage, same sex marriage, polygamy, homosexuality, nature vs. nurture, animal rights, the advantages or disadvantages of assimilation vs. the retention of one?s historic ethnic identity, speciesism, and on and on. And, assuredly, there will be some, both on the left and on the right, with such intellectual, religious, political or philosophical pretensions that they will focus all their attention on just those sorts of metaphorical allusions. But if one focuses on issues of that sort, one will run the risk of failing to see the forest for the trees. For the fact is that this really is not a very deep nor intellectual production ? and I don?t think it was ever intended to be one. None of the plays characters present any intellectually rigorous arguments in support of any religious, political or philosophical positions and I don?t see that as an oversight or shortcoming on the playwright?s part. On the contrary, I think that the playwright, Peter Michalos, just wanted to create an entertaining work and he certainly succeeded at that. Moreover, all five of the play?s actors are wonderful in their respective roles and, best of all, Melissa Sussman?s performance as Lola-Lola is alone was worth the price of admission. I have posted an expanded review of this play and of other Fringe and non-Fringe productions on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

LOLA-LOLA on Monday, Aug 22nd, 2011

RE:An existentialist, nihilistic but thought-provoking work
This play has been billed as a ?surprising black comedy? but, while it may be ?black,? there really is nothing comedic about it. Rather, it is a dark, existentialist, nihilistic work which provides few laughs. But if it is not funny, it certainly is thought-provoking and, on that score alone, it is worth seeing. But what point, exactly, is the playwright, Tariq Hanami, trying to make? Surely it?s not that an anarchic town with no rules and no laws, depicted here so distastefully, is more to be desired than a world in which laws and rules exist. But equally surely, it?s not that rules and laws imposed by force and a society suffering from religious mystical delusions is preferable to one that is based on rational considerations and individual freedom. Perhaps Hanami is simply saying ?a plague on both your houses? ? on both the libertarian dystopia that inevitably would result from a total lack of rules and laws and the totalitarian monstrosity of a state that would inevitably emerge from the forcible imposition of rules and laws on an unwilling citizenry coupled with that society?s facile acceptance of religious platitudes. Or maybe Hanami is saying that what is really needed is something in between ? a compromise suggestive of the ?Grand Bargain? that eluded Barack Obama and John Boehner. In any case, it?s worth thinking about. I?ve posted an expanded review of this and other Fringe and non-Fringe plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Town of No One on Thursday, Aug 25th, 2011

RE:A multilayered psychological thriller
This is a play that can be appreciated on many levels: as the story of an Irish-American mother reluctant to let go of her grown son; as a man?s psychological odyssey to regain his sanity; and as a spooky, supernatural thriller. It builds to a dramatic and somewhat enigmatic climax, which I did not find fully satisfying, but let?s not quibble: for a minimalist Fringe production, Banshee is well worth seeing. I have posted an expanded review of this play and of other Fringe and non-Fringe productions on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Banshee on Friday, Aug 26th, 2011

RE:A Delightful Phantasmagorical Production
Dublin by Lamplight is a theatrical delight, highly stylized and combining elements of silent movies, burlesque, slapstick, Commedia dell?Arte, and Story Theatre. Each of the six actors in the cast has a major role to play, but each also plays anywhere from another three to seven minor roles as well ? and they all perform absolutely wonderfully across the board. Moreover, this is a production that can be enjoyed and appreciated on many levels ? as a delightful phantasmagorical romp, as a metaphorical commentary on life imitating art, or on the very survival of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Indeed, the day I saw the play marked the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and one might even draw parallels between the play?s message and the indomitable spirit Americans have exhibited since that tragic day a decade ago. I have posted an expanded review of this play and of many other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Dublin By Lamplight on Thursday, Sep 15th, 2011

RE:OK But Nothing Special
The play is written, directed and acted well enough and it does have its entertaining moments. But while it succeeds in displaying the shallowness and one-dimensionality of all six characters portrayed and telegraphing its platitudinous message that love, marital fidelity, friendship, health and life itself are more important than material goods, this is not a deep play and it achieves its goals only by lapsing into the very shallowness and one-dimensionality of the characters in the play itself. I have posted an expanded review of this play and several other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Kithless in Paradise on Wednesday, Sep 21st, 2011

An Excellent Production of a Fine Play
Joel Drake Johnson has constructed an intricate, intelligent play that captures your attention at the outset and never lets go. And his ear for dialogue is first rate. Jolie Curtsinger (who is also the co-founder of InProximity Theatre Company which is presenting this New York City premiere production of The Fall to Earth) does an absolutely brilliant job in her role as Rachel. And Deborah Hedwall is just incredible in the multi-faceted role of Fay. Try not to miss this one. I have posted an expanded version of this review as well as reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Fall to Earth on Thursday, Jan 19th, 2012

Disappointing Translation, Outstanding Performances
I did not find this English translation of The Threepenny Opera by Michael Feingold to be nearly as entertaining as some earlier versions such as the Blitzstein translation which formed the basis of the very successful Broadway production of the play in 1954-61. That, of course, is not the fault of the performers who did a great job across the board. Emma Rosenthal, in particular, was outstanding in singing the role of Polly Peachum. I have posted a much expanded review of this production and reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my bog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Threepenny Opera on Wednesday, Feb 15th, 2012

A Terrific Play on Plagiarism and Human Relationships
When Edmund accuses John of plagiarism, we are led to wonder: Is there any basis to his accusation and if so, what might it be? Or is there something about Edmund that we don’t know; might he be mentally unbalanced and his charges totally groundless? If Jack Canfora (the playwright) had limited himself only to answering those questions, this still would have been an enjoyable play, if nothing more than a good mystery story. But Canfora has gone much further than that and has used the issue of plagiarism as a skeletal framework on which to layer issues of much deeper import: he explores the blurred line between plagiarism and mutual cooperation; the secrets that haunt our lives; and the relationships among husbands and wives, parents and children, and young lovers. And, as a result, Poetic License is not merely a good play but a terrific one. I have posted an expanded review of this play and of other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Poetic License on Friday, Feb 17th, 2012

Well acted but ultimately disappointing
This is a gritty play that falls short in seeking to explore the more depraved underbelly of what passes for masculinity and sexual politics. Its conceit is not an original one and it is not developed in any new, unusual or creative manner. Moreover, the playwright manages to spend two and a half hours telling a story that might easily have been told in an hour and a half. Admittedly, there are twists and turns to the plot but they are mostly anticipated and it’s doubtful that you’ll find them very surprising. The play is well acted by all four principals but nonetheless, because of the lines they have been given, they all come across more as caricatures than fully fleshed out individuals. I have posted an expanded review of this play and reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Thrill of the Chase on Wednesday, Feb 22nd, 2012

Another Hit for the Mint
Over the past 17 years, the Mint Theater Company has been incredibly successful in its self-proclaimed mission to produce “worthwhile plays from the past that have been lost or forgotten” and it has hit another bull’s-eye with its current production of Rutherford & Son. The Mint first unearthed and produced Rutherford & Son in 2001 but, unfortunately, performances for that production began on September 7, 2001 - just days before the attack on the World Trade Center – and, as a consequence, despite the fact that the play was well-received by the critics, it failed to get the attention it deserved. Which explains why the Mint Theater Company made the decision to revive the play agian on this centenary year anniversary of its London premiere. We can be very glad that they did. This is a terrific play, addressing timeless themes that are as pertinent today as they were in 2001 – or in 1912 - including the divisions which exist between generations, between the sexes, between social and economic classes, and between geographical regions as well as issues of honor, loyalty and family conflict. And the entire cast does a first rate job of bringing the play to life. The three actors who are reprising the roles that they played in the 2001 production (Robert, David Van Pelt and Dale Soules) are all wonderful in their portrayals of John Rutherford, Martin and Mrs. Henderson, respectively. Of the newcomers to the show, Sara Surrey is a particular standout in the role of Janet, John Rutherford’s daughter. I have posted an expanded review of this play and of several other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Rutherford & Son on Wednesday, Feb 29th, 2012

Provocative and enjoyable
This is a terrific revival of a provocative play dealing with a multitude of philosophical and theological questions about God’s omnipotence, omniscience and omni-beneficence and about determinism and free will. A phantasmagorical and surreal play set in a corner of Purgatory where Judas is appealing his sentence of eternal damnation for having betrayed Jesus, the play drives home its message by relying on a number of fascinating fictional and historical characters including Satan, Mother Teresa, Sigmund Freud, Pontius Pilate, Jesus, Judas, Peter, Mary Magdalene, and more. If the play were nothing more than an intelligently structured philosophical and theological work, that might be enough for some theatre-goers - but not necessarily for all. Fortunately, however, it is much more than that. Stephen Adly Guirgis has written the play in as street smart, trash talking, politically incorrect and irreverent a manner as one might imagine but, at the same time, he has created a work that resonates with a belief in God’s forgiveness and mercy and man’s ultimate redemption. To be sure, there may be some whose ultra-orthodox or very traditional religious convictions may cause them to take umbrage at some of the play’s earthy language but I’d suspect that most people – and that would include both non-believers and believers with more modern religious sentiments alike - will find this play to be not only provocative but great fun. Erica Lauren McLaughlin as Saint Monica, Morgan McGuire as Gloria, and Eliud Kauffman as Yusuf El-Fayoumy are particularly outstanding in their roles. I have posted an expanded version of this review as well as reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot on Tuesday, Mar 6th, 2012

An Intelligent Reworking of Aeschylus' Classic Tragedy
Agamemnon Home by Glyn Maxwell is based on the classic tragedy by Aeschylus but takes considerable liberties with the original work. Agamemnon (Joseph J. Menino) is not the heroic figure we’ve come to expect and, in his relationship with Cassandra (Kelli Holsopple), his concubine and war prize, once a princess of Troy and an oracle whom no one believes, he tends to confuse her with the daughter he sacrificed. As one who enjoys good revivals of the Greek classics and one who, in general, prefers not to see the classics tinkered with, I initially was sorry not to be seeing Aeschylus’ original Agamemnon rather than this updated version of the Greek tragedy. But this re-working of the Aeschylus theme by Maxwell and its production by the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble were so good that I still very much enjoyed the play. And Elise Stone as Clytemnestra was just marvelous. I have posted an expanded review of this play and reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Agamemnon Home on Monday, Mar 26th, 2012

Well written and acted but lacking dramatic impact
Given all the hoopla this play has received, I found it to be mildly disappointing. It is very much a mood piece, rather than a dramatic work and that’s not enough for me. To be sure, Amy Herzog has a wonderful ear for dialogue and she has created a terrific character in Vera Joseph (or at least recognized the theatrical potential in her own grandmother and brought her to life on the stage). And, without question, the acting, especially by Mary Louise Wilson, is absolutely delightful. But, at least for me, fine dialogue and professional acting aren’t enough. A good play requires a real story line that engages its audience as well and that, unfortunately, was what was lacking here. I have posted a longer review of this play and reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

4000 Miles on Tuesday, Apr 3rd, 2012

Excellent revival of one of Wilde's best plays
This is one of Wilde’s most epigrammatic and entertaining works, reflective of the difficulties he was encountering in his own life at the time of its creation in the 1890s and scathing in its indictment of Victorian hypocrisy. And this production – from the sets to the costumes, from the direction to the casting, and especially the performances – more than does it justice. The play’s principal actors – Aaron Gaines as Sir Robert Chilton, Whitney Kaufman as Lady Gertrude Chilton, Amanda Jones as Mrs. Cheveley, and Stuart Williams as Viscount Arthur Goring – are all perfectly cast and play their roles brilliantly. But some of the other supporting actors deserve mention as well: In particular, I would credit Peter Judd for his performance as Arthur’s father, the stuffy, hidebound Earl of Caversham; Jade Anderson for her portrayal of Mabel Chilton, Sir Robert’s more traditional sister who comes across as an amusing counterpoint to Robert’s more liberated wife, Gertrude; Emily Jon Mitchell, Rachel Niehiesel and Clemmie Evans for their wonderful Victorian caricatures of Lady Markby, Mrs. Marchmont and the Countess of Basildon, respectively; and Craig Mungavin in his perfunctory no nonsense role as Phipps, the minimalist butler. I have posted an expanded review of this and other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

An Ideal Husband on Friday, Jul 13th, 2012

Disappointing play...but an excellent cast
Nymph Errant isn’t one of Cole Porter’s better plays; in fact it isn’t much of a play at all but really more of a revue. This production, however, does allow a number of very talented actors to take star turns singing several of Cole Porter’s lesser tunes and a few of his better ones. I was particularly impressed by Jennifer Blood in the role of Evangeline, who sings beautifully and who plays the role she has been given with an infectious innocence. Aubrey Sinn as Madeline (the sexy French girl), Laura Cook as Pidge (the Italian go-getter), Amy Jo Jackson as Bertha (the German lesbian sports enthusiast), and Sara Jane Blackmore as Henrietta (the American girl next door from Yonkers) also were wonderful in their roles as Evangeline’s finishing school classmates and their voices were magnificent; in fact, I thought that the diminutive Sara Jane Blackman’s rendition of The Boyfriend Back Home was the high point of the show. Finally, mention must be made of Natalie E. Carter, the one black member of the cast who didn’t let that minor quirk of melanin prevent her from being sold into white slavery as Haidee or of portraying Evangeline’s Aunt Ermyntrude. And she sure could belt out a song! I have posted an expanded review of this play and of several other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Nymph Errant on Friday, Jul 13th, 2012

Long overdue revival of a timely play
The timing of this revival is perfect, given the economic and financial state of the world today, and this production, in particular, is terrific. The entire cast is superb but I would especially single out David Barlow as Zak Zackerberg, Tara Giordano as Scilla Todd, Alex Draper as Billy Corman, and Jeanne LaSala Taylor as Jacinta Condor for rave reviews. Try not to miss it (no matter what your politics). I posted an expanded review of this play and several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Serious Money on Tuesday, Jul 17th, 2012

Well acted but a disappointing play
The plot of Fly Me to the Moon is little more than a minor variation on a hackneyed Grade B movie theme. Although the play is well- constructed and sharply written and despite the fact that Tara Lynne O’Neill and Katie Tumelty both deliver wonderful comedic performances as two care workers looking after Davy, a wheelchair-bound octogenarian, the play never rises to the level of Marie Jones’ earlier work, Stones in His Pockets. There are no truly unanticipated surprises and so the bottom line is that despite some clever dialogue, excellent acting, and amusing moments, the play is a disappointment. I have posted an expanded review of this play and several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Fly Me to the Moon on Thursday, Sep 13th, 2012

Terrific jazz music, contrived show
As far as the music goes, this is one terrific show. Both Pete and Will Anderson are outstanding on all three of the instruments they play: saxophone, clarinet, and flute. And they are backed up by four other very talented musicians: Jon-Erik Kellso on trumpet, Ehud Asherie on piano, Devin Dorn on drums, and Clovis Nicolas on bass. But so far as everything else about this production goes – the TV and movie video-clips, the artificially created similarity between the Dorseys and the Andersons, the dialog on stage – well, not so much. Indeed, I don't think anything would have been lost had the show simply consisted of this Anderson Brothers Sextet playing a variety of Dorsey Brothers classics, without the shtick. I have posted an expanded review of this show and many other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway productions on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Anderson Twins Play the Fabulous Dorseys on Monday, Sep 17th, 2012

Outstanding Performances in Three Tennessee Williams One Act Plays
The three plays that comprise "Something Wild…" – "27 Wagons Full of Cotton," "Hello From Bertha," and "This Property Is Condemned" - share a common theme: in each, the protagonist is a woman who has been victimized, brutalized, exploited, or abused and who, as a consequence, is now mentally deranged, on the verge of death, or both. The best of the three is 27 Wagons Full of Cotton and all of the actors in that one – Samantha Steinmetz, Jack Haley, and Brian Gianci – are truly outstanding in their respective roles. Special recognition must be accorded Ms Steinmetz whose nuanced portrayal of a mentally challenged, sexually confused, and alternately submissive and manipulative woman is really extraordinary. Tess Frazier in This Property Is Condemned deserves similar praise for her exceptional rendition of the otherworldly Willie. I have posted an expanded review of this and several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Something Wild on Monday, Sep 24th, 2012

Terrific Revival of Albee's Classic Play
This latest revival of Albee's classic is as good as any we've ever seen. Amy Morton, who starred in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony winning August: Osage County and who received a well-deserved Tony nomination for her performance in that play, surely merits a similar nomination for her performance as Martha in this production. While she plays her role as George's bitter, shrewish, mentally unbalanced, and emasculating wife in a somewhat lower register than did her predecessors, we mean that as a compliment, not a criticism. It has allowed Tracy Letts, the highly regarded Chicago actor who wrote August: Osage County and who is making his Broadway debut here as George, to play his role even more dynamically that had his very talented predecessors. Carrie Coon as Honey and Madison Dirks as Nick round out the ensemble cast and do so brilliantly. When Nick and Honey arrive at George and Martha's home after 2 AM, the already have had too much to drink (as have George and Martha) but that doesn't stop any of them from imbibing even more. One thing leads to another and the sexual tensions, pent-up emotions, and long held secrets that are released are explosive. Distinctions between reality and fantasy are increasingly blurred and the inevitable crisis toward which the play has been building is…well, inevitable. I have posted an expanded version of this review and reviews of other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? on Friday, Sep 28th, 2012

Terrific Revival of Albee's Classic Play
This latest revival of Albee's classic is as good as any we've ever seen. Amy Morton, who starred in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony winning August: Osage County and who received a well-deserved Tony nomination for her performance in that play, surely merits a similar nomination for her performance as Martha in this production. While she plays her role as George's bitter, shrewish, mentally unbalanced, and emasculating wife in a somewhat lower register than did her predecessors, we mean that as a compliment, not a criticism. It has allowed Tracy Letts, the highly regarded Chicago actor who wrote August: Osage County and who is making his Broadway debut here as George, to play his role even more dynamically that had his very talented predecessors. Carrie Coon as Honey and Madison Dirks as Nick round out the ensemble cast and do so brilliantly. When Nick and Honey arrive at George and Martha's home after 2 AM, the already have had too much to drink (as have George and Martha) but that doesn't stop any of them from imbibing even more. One thing leads to another and the sexual tensions, pent-up emotions, and long held secrets that are released are explosive. Distinctions between reality and fantasy are increasingly blurred and the inevitable crisis toward which the play has been building is…well, inevitable. I have posted an expanded version of this review and reviews of other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? on Friday, Sep 28th, 2012

Amusing and well acted but little depth
This play does provide two hours of cheerful entertainment. It provides some insights into the personae of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne; there are some interesting story lines including one involving Uta Hagen's possible threat to Lunt and Fontanne's marriage and another involving Lunt's possible continued homosexual longing for his old college roommate; and there is some clever repartee between the principals. But the playwright may have bitten off more than he could chew: none of the play's many themes are fully developed and one leaves the theatre mildly disappointed that one has not seen the less intricate but more developed play that might have been written. All of the actors are to be commended for their performances but the one standout for me was Michael McCarty as Sydney Greenstreet. I have posted an expanded version of this review and reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Ten Chimneys on Monday, Oct 1st, 2012

Shallow play in first revival in 80 years
1931 – is a one-dimensional cartoonish depiction of the unemployed during the Great Depression. Given that it wasn't a very good play to begin with when it was first staged 80 years ago, ReGroup Theatre should be commended for what it has managed to pull off in its first revival. With 13 actors playing more than 65 different roles and weaving in and out onstage, the play is not so much directed as choreographed. But it is all accomplished relatively seamlessly and Allie Mulholland, the director, deserves credit for a tough job well done. I have posted an expanded review of this play and several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

1931- on Monday, Oct 15th, 2012

A terrific gospel music show!
At the performance I attended, the overwhelming majority of the members of the audience were of African-American descent and it was obvious from their response to the show that many, if not most, shared the gospel music tradition therein depicted. To that extent, they probably could derive even greater pleasure from this production than could the small minority of us there who do not share that heritage. But in a broader sense, this show has universal appeal in terms of the basic family values it espouses. White or black, Christian or Jew, Italian, Irish, Chinese or whatever – all can recognize, understand and empathize with the pain associated with a young daughter's loss of her father, with a mother's reluctance to let go of her child in a dangerous and uncertain world, and with a girl's desire to strike out on her own and follow her dreams. This show captured all that and music itself is, of course, universal. Singing was terrific across the board and Elijah Ahmad Lewis was extraordinary in his grace and dexterity. This musical is truly worth seeing. I have posted an expanded version of this review and reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Mama, I Want to Sing: The Next Generation on Sunday, Oct 21st, 2012

Entertaining with outstanding Nielsen and Hyde Pierce
This is a good, but not a great, play, providing a couple of hours of cheerful entertainment. And while a familiarity with Chekhov isn't absolutely required to enjoy the play, such a familiarity would, I think, enhance your experience. Nielsen's impersonation of Maggie Smith playing the role of the Evil Queen in Snow White is absolutely priceless and is one of the play's high points. So too is Hyde Pierce's Chaplinesque portrayal of Doc, one of Snow White's seven dwarves. But the play's finest moment occurs when Hyde Pierce goes off on a rant about how much better things used to be back in the fifties, when families gathered together in front of their black and white TV sets. Nielsen and Hyde Pierce really do steal the show although Magnussen and Angelson turn in perfectly adequate performances as Spike and Nina, respectively. I was a bit disappointed in Weaver's portrayal of Masha which struck me as rather pedestrian. But Shalita Grant, the sixth actor in the play, did a fine job as Cassandra. I have posted an expanded version of this review and reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike on Sunday, Dec 2nd, 2012

Entertaining with outstanding Nielsen and Hyde Pierce
This is a good, but not a great, play, providing a couple of hours of cheerful entertainment. And while a familiarity with Chekhov isn't absolutely required to enjoy the play, such a familiarity would, I think, enhance your experience. Nielsen's impersonation of Maggie Smith playing the role of the Evil Queen in Snow White is absolutely priceless and is one of the play's high points. So too is Hyde Pierce's Chaplinesque portrayal of Doc, one of Snow White's seven dwarves. But the play's finest moment occurs when Hyde Pierce goes off on a rant about how much better things used to be back in the fifties, when families gathered together in front of their black and white TV sets. Nielsen and Hyde Pierce really do steal the show although Magnussen and Angelson turn in perfectly adequate performances as Spike and Nina, respectively. I was a bit disappointed in Weaver's portrayal of Masha which struck me as rather pedestrian. But Shalita Grant, the sixth actor in the play, did a fine job as Cassandra. I have posted an expanded version of this review and reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike on Sunday, Dec 2nd, 2012

Entertaining with outstanding Nielsen and Hyde Pierce
This is a good, but not a great, play, providing a couple of hours of cheerful entertainment. And while a familiarity with Chekhov isn't absolutely required to enjoy the play, such a familiarity would, I think, enhance your experience. Nielsen's impersonation of Maggie Smith playing the role of the Evil Queen in Snow White is absolutely priceless and is one of the play's high points. So too is Hyde Pierce's Chaplinesque portrayal of Doc, one of Snow White's seven dwarves. But the play's finest moment occurs when Hyde Pierce goes off on a rant about how much better things used to be back in the fifties, when families gathered together in front of their black and white TV sets. Nielsen and Hyde Pierce really do steal the show although Magnussen and Angelson turn in perfectly adequate performances as Spike and Nina, respectively. I was a bit disappointed in Weaver's portrayal of Masha which struck me as rather pedestrian. But Shalita Grant, the sixth actor in the play, did a fine job as Cassandra. I have posted an expanded version of this review and reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike on Sunday, Dec 2nd, 2012

Terrific revival with outstanding Tony Shaloub
This is not a deep play and it breaks no new ground. But given the limitations of the play itself, it is highly entertaining and this production (including set design, acting and direction) is as good as it gets. Tony Shaloub in the role of Mr. Bonaparte, Joe's father, really steals the show. I have posted an expanded review of this play and several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Golden Boy on Friday, Dec 7th, 2012

Entertaining with a clever twist
The original play by Jeffrey Hatcher, on which this musical is based, is very cleverly constructed and charmingly written and, to the extent that the musical sticks to the original play, it is fun to see. Penny Fuller does a first rate job in a demanding role and Paul Greenwood brings a light hearted charm to his part as her accompanist and unconscious mind.. But, unfortunately, converting the play into a musical didn't bring anything special to the mix. The score is pleasant but derivative and the lyrics sophomoric at worst and unmemorable at best. The show is definitely worth seeing and if you go, I think you'll enjoy it, but that will be despite the music, not because of it. I have posted an expanded review of this show and several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

13 Things about Ed Carpolotti on Wednesday, Dec 12th, 2012

"You'll Rememvber the Night..."
The pleasure you'll get from this show will derive mostly from the music, rather than the story line. The life of Clara Ann Lawson/Patti Page wasn't all that dramatic, after all, and certainly wouldn't rival (in terms of interest) those of, say, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis, et al. But as for Miss Page's musical renditions? Well, those were terrific. And this show – with an eight piece orchestra on stage - doesn't stint on presenting them, coming up with more than two dozen in all, including "Mockin' Bird Hill," "Frankie and Johnny," "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree," "Detour," "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?," "Allegheny Moon," "Old Cape Cod," "You Belong to Me," and, of course, her signature song "Tennessee Waltz." If you see this show, I think "you'll remember the night." If you don't, you might never "know just how much you have lost." I have posted an expanded review of this show and of several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.  

Flipside: The Patti Page Story on Saturday, Dec 22nd, 2012

The Jewish Immigrant Experience - Set to Music
Even if you don't speak Yiddish, nisht geferlach (don't worry about it) - you'll still fully understand what's going on. The young and talented six person cast is called upon to play dozens of different roles and does so with great exuberance, belting out 49 different songs in English and Yiddish along the way. They are all wonderful but my absolute favorite was the dynamic Daniella Rabbani whose renditions of "Oy, I Like Him" and "A Khulem" ("A Dream") brought down the house. I have posted an expanded review of this musical and several other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Golden Land on Monday, Dec 24th, 2012

Wonderful music but little insight into Arlen himself
This is a good musical revue with wonderful performances of more than two dozen of Harold Arlen's greatest hits by four outstanding singers. Antoinette Henry is really terrific. Arlen is given the credit he deserves for these musical compositions and if it's just his music you're interested in, you won't be disappointed. But if you were hoping for something more – some insight into Arlen, the man himself, not just Arlen, the composer – sad to say, you won't find it here. I have posted an expanded review of this musical revue as well as reviews of other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway productions on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Wonderful Wizard of Song: The Music of Harold Arlen on Friday, Jan 11th, 2013

Cheerful But Nothing Special
The Fig Leaves Are Falling first opened on Broadway in 1969 and closed after only four performances. It is now being revived Off Off Broadway at the Connelly Theatre. But this new production isn't really a revival in the truest sense. The director has revised the original play extensively, eliminating much of its socio-political commentary, deleting some songs and adding others, patching together scenes from three different drafts of the original play, eliminating sub-plots, and focusing tightly on the main theme – the choice that Harry Stone must make between Lillian, his wife of 20 years, and Jenny, his 24 year old secretary. So for better or worse, this is a far cry from what originally appeared on Broadway 44 years ago. I never saw the original play but I can say that the current show, while by no means exceptional, is cheerfully engaging, it has its amusing moments, and its choreography is energetic and enthusiastic. Harry is played with considerable control by Jonathan Rayson, struggling to restrain his emotions in the face of Jenny's advances. Lillian is played by Natalie Venetia Belcon, whose unquestioning and loving acceptance of Harry's disturbing behavior is most endearing but requires some suspension of disbelief. And a similar suspension of disbelief is required in reacting to Morgan Weed's perky portrayal of Jenny who seamlessly evolves from an innocent girl threatening to quit her job over her boss's unwanted advances into a flirtatious seductress who upends Harry's life. I have posted an expanded version of this review as well as reviews of several other Broadway. Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Fig Leaves Are Falling on Monday, Jan 14th, 2013

A terrific rollicking two hander from Scotland
Cora Bissett (who plays Helena) and Matthew Pidgeon (who plays Bob) are absolutely terrific in this rollicking two-hander. Bob is a petty car thief with no distinctive features (which is why he's referred to as "medium Bob.") One wouldn't expect him to be a frustrated poet or to be reading Dostoevsky or to dream of being an itinerant busker – but he is and he does. Helena is an elegantly attired divorce lawyer who has just been stood up by her date (likely her married lover). One wouldn't expect these two to even meet, let alone embark on an impetuous sexual relationship – but they do. One thing leads to another. A night of sexual excess. A weekend of debauchery. Japanese bondage. Goths. Fine wines. Alcoholic blackouts. Stolen funds. Threats on Bob's life. Chase scenes. Miraculous escapes. Wedding disasters. It was all in the cards and it is very, very funny. I have posted an expanded review of this show and several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Midsummer [A Play with Songs] on Wednesday, Jan 16th, 2013

More to Like Than to Disparage
This revival is great fun. The singing is exuberant, the choreography energetically acrobatic, the acting infectiously joyous. The sets and costumes are magnificent and the general ambience of this play within a play (the premise being that the incomplete Dickens novel, here adapted for the stage, is being produced by a theatrical troupe in Victorian London) is cheerily successful. Add to that the play's interactive conceit in which it is left to the audience to determine who killed Edwin Drood, who the bearded detective Dick Datchery might be, and which of the play's many characters are destined for romance, and you've got the makings of an entertaining evening. To be sure, the show's music is more derivative than memorable and I doubt that you'll find yourself humming any of its tunes as you leave the theatre. And the audience participation conceit is a bit hokey after all. But, all things considered, the show has more to commend than to disparage. I have posted an expanded version of this review as well as reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood on Wednesday, Jan 23rd, 2013

More to Like Than to Disparage
This revival is great fun. The singing is exuberant, the choreography energetically acrobatic, the acting infectiously joyous. The sets and costumes are magnificent and the general ambience of this play within a play (the premise being that the incomplete Dickens novel, here adapted for the stage, is being produced by a theatrical troupe in Victorian London) is cheerily successful. Add to that the play's interactive conceit in which it is left to the audience to determine who killed Edwin Drood, who the bearded detective Dick Datchery might be, and which of the play's many characters are destined for romance, and you've got the makings of an entertaining evening. To be sure, the show's music is more derivative than memorable and I doubt that you'll find yourself humming any of its tunes as you leave the theatre. And the audience participation conceit is a bit hokey after all. But, all things considered, the show has more to commend than to disparage. I have posted an expanded version of this review as well as reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood on Wednesday, Jan 23rd, 2013

More to Like Than to Disparage
This revival is great fun. The singing is exuberant, the choreography energetically acrobatic, the acting infectiously joyous. The sets and costumes are magnificent and the general ambience of this play within a play (the premise being that the incomplete Dickens novel, here adapted for the stage, is being produced by a theatrical troupe in Victorian London) is cheerily successful. Add to that the play's interactive conceit in which it is left to the audience to determine who killed Edwin Drood, who the bearded detective Dick Datchery might be, and which of the play's many characters are destined for romance, and you've got the makings of an entertaining evening. To be sure, the show's music is more derivative than memorable and I doubt that you'll find yourself humming any of its tunes as you leave the theatre. And the audience participation conceit is a bit hokey after all. But, all things considered, the show has more to commend than to disparage. I have posted an expanded version of this review as well as reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood on Wednesday, Jan 23rd, 2013

Still the Worst Show in History
When it first opened on Broadway in 1983, Frank Rich referred to Moose Murders as "the worst play I've ever seen on a Broadway stage." Presumably, the play was "significantly rewritten and revised" for this production and the play's full title on the current program is Moose Murders (Shamelessly Revised) so maybe The Beautiful Soup Theater Collective had reason to believe that they were about to stage something different from the original flop. As it turns out, it clearly wasn't different enough. This play remains absolutely appalling with no redeeming social value. Brittany Velotta, who plays the part of Snooks as if she were Marisa Tomei on steroids, is the only cast member deserving of positive mention. She brings a level of enthusiasm and ebullience to the play that is otherwise lacking. I have posted an expanded version of this review and reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Moose Murders on Sunday, Feb 3rd, 2013

A Fine Production of a Terrific Play
William Laney is extraordinary in the role of Angus, whose personality shifts from that of a mathematical idiot savant to that of a mentally challenged man who cannot recall from one moment to the next to whom he is speaking, who is submissively obedient to Morgan in one instant and angrily flailing out against what he can neither remember nor comprehend in the next. Brad Fryman is equally impressive as Morgan, lovingly concerned for Angus who is as much his ward as his friend and tortured by the memories he carries within him and cannot share. And Alex Fast is splendid as Miles, serious and conscientious in his craft but at the same time bumbling and incompetent. All in all, a fine play with three wonderful performances. I have posted an expanded version of this review, together with reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Drawer Boy on Wednesday, Mar 6th, 2013

Culmination of the Greek Trilogy
In 2011, the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble embarked upon a celebration of ancient Greek drama by commencing the staging of a House of Atreus trilogy of plays over a three year period. For its first work, it revived Euripides' Iphigenia at Aulis. For its next work in 2012, it opted not to revive Aeschylus' Agamemnon, but rather to launch the world premiere production of Agamemnon Home, a play by Glyn Maxwell that was based on the original tragedy by Aeschylus but took considerable liberties with it. Now, for its third and final production in the trilogy, Phoenix has again staged a revival of an original Greek tragedy – this time Sophocles' Electra. Unfortunately (since this is the only one of the three plays still running), I found Electra to be the least satisfying of the three. Running time for the show is listed at 90 minutes but the performance I attended ran closer to 110 minutes and much of the excess I thought derived from unnecessary repetitive verbosity in the initial scenes. Amy Wagner directed all three plays and Kelli Holsopple is a truly fine actress but I think they went off the rails a bit on this one. I found Ms Holsopple's performance to be excessively histrionic; indeed, she almost literally bounces off the walls. But all things are relative and. as a whole, the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble is so professional a troupe that even this lesser production is still worth seeing. Ms. Clements, in particular, does a fine job in her portrayal of Clytemnestra and Joseph J. Menino is delightful as Pedagogus, Orestes' servant, former tutor, and traveling companion. I have posted an expanded review of this play and dozens of other Broadway, off Broadway, and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Electra on Saturday, Mar 9th, 2013

RE:Look Back in Anger Disappoints
Brandon Walker, Artistic Director of The Seeing Place Theater and the lead actor in that company?s current production of John Osborne?s Look Back in Anger, merits respect as a man of strong convictions who is not merely willing but eager to defend his unorthodox approach to the theatrical process in the face of overwhelmingly contrary conventional theatrical wisdom. Thus, in a program note, he states that: ?It is unfortunate that theater history calls this show a star vehicle for Jimmy and maybe Alison....As far as I?m concerned, this story has never been told from a group perspective. That is what we have set out to do.? And in a separate press release, describing how The Seeing Place Theater?s work differs from that of other theater groups, he writes: ?Some call us crazy. We spend a good deal of our rehearsal processes not doing the play. We remove the text completely at the beginning....We improvise our way through the situations of a play until we are telling the same story as the playwright...But once our story begins to have the same shape as the playwright had intended, we start adding the lines. It isn?t until the final week or two that our productions begin to take the shape that the audience will see.? Well, that all sounds very principled, courageous and non-conformist and I suppose it is but I am largely in disagreement with Walker?s philosophy of theater and unfortunately, much of what has been attempted in this specific instance just doesn?t work or at least it didn?t work for me. Jimmy Porter Brandon Walker is a passionate, over-educated, under-employed, working-class, angry young man in a dead-end job, married to Alison Porter Anna Marie Sell an upper-middle-class passive woman who shares none of his anger or enthusiasms. Jimmy?s good friend, Cliff Lewis Adam Reich, who is inordinately fond of Alison, shares their quarters. Alison?s childhood friend, Helena Charles Adrian Wyatt visits for an extended stay. When Alison discloses to her that she is pregnant, Helena encourages Alison?s father Colonel Redfern Rick Delaney to extricate Alison from her relationship with Jimmy and Helena becomes involved with Jimmy herself. This play can be appreciated on several levels. As an angry polemic against the class system. As a precursor to the sexual revolution. As a gritty rejoinder to the typical polished drawing room comedies that proliferate on stage. As a veiled reference to the homo-erotic bonding between male friends. And, notwithstanding Walker?s misgivings, as a ?star vehicle? for outstanding actors. Indeed, I think that Walker is wrong and theatrical history is correct in calling this show a star vehicle for Jimmy and Alison and I believe that the reason that this story has never been told from a group perspective before is because it does not lend itself to that kind of an ensemble approach. To be sure, Cliff, Helena and the Colonel all play important supporting roles but that is just what they are: supporting roles. Within the context of what The Seeing Place Theater has attempted, namely an ensemble production of Osborne?s play, all of the actors, including Walker, perform their roles competently, so it is not they who should be faulted for failing to deliver soaring performances. But if theater history is correct in seeing this show as a star vehicle for Jimmy and Alison as I think it is, then Walker?s performance, in particular, falls far short of what one might have hoped to see. Additionally, I guess you?d have to include me among those who do think it ?crazy? for a theater company to spend much of the rehearsal process not doing the play, removing the text completely at the beginning, improvising its way through the situations of a play until it?s telling the same story as the playwright, and only then adding the lines, so that it isn?t until the final week or two that a production takes the shape that the audience will see. I imagine that it is at least possible that such an approach could work for some plays, but I don?t think it can work for plays for which words and language are as important as they are for Look Back in Anger. And, unfortunately, the risks inherent in that approach struck with a vengeance in this production albeit through no fault of the company?s own. The actor originally slated to play the role of Helena became unavailable just days before the play was scheduled to open, necessitating a last minute replacement. This was accomplished: Adrian Wyatt stepped in to play the role but with insufficient time to learn her lines, she was forced to refer to the book she held throughout the opening performance. Obviously, this would be a problem for any actor coming in to assume a role at the last moment in any play, but how much more difficult must it be for that actor to perform in a production which, by design, relied on the organic evolution of an ensemble team to extract the meaning of the play ? rather than a direct understanding of what the playwright had written ? which, of course, is just the situation which obtained here. Wyatt never had the opportunity to evolve her role in concert with the other members of the company. Under the circumstances, she cannot be blamed for that and probably deserves praise for the job she did but, all told, it might have been more prudent to postpone the opening night. You can read an expanded version of this review aas well as my reviews of several other plays on my blog http://aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Look Back in Anger on Thursday, Oct 14th, 2010

RE:A Terrific Revival of Benefactors
This is a terrific off off Broadway revival of Michael Frayns Benefactors, well worth seeing. I have posted a long review of the show on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com

Benefactors on Saturday, Nov 6th, 2010

A Terrific Revival of Benefactors
This is a terrific revival of Michael Frayns Benefactors. I have posted a long review of the show on my blog at www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com

Benefactors on Saturday, Nov 6th, 2010

Mrs Warren's Profession on Broadway
A wonderful production of one of Shaws greatest plays with outstanding performances by Cherry Jones and Sally Hawkins. I have posteed a long review of this play on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com

Mrs. Warren's Profession on Saturday, Nov 6th, 2010

Disappointing 90 Minutes in Hell
Despite excellent acting and an interesting set, this was a very disappointing produjction because it is not truly a play but rather a Christian polemic. I have posted a long review of the show and of several others on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com

The Screwtape Letters on Sunday, Nov 7th, 2010

RE:A Fun Time With Marlene and Maurice
This is a charming and enjoyable show in which the principal actors do a marvelous job of recapturing the charismatic delights of Chevalier and Dietrich. I have posted a long review of this show as well as reviews of several other shows on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com

Dietrich and Chevalier - The Musical on Sunday, Nov 7th, 2010

An Intellectually Disappointing Play
Notwithstanding the generally favorable reviews this show has garnered, I found it rather simplistic and intellectually sophomoric. Freud and Lewis were considered two of the intellectual giants of their day and that just doesnt come across here. I have posted a long review of this play and several others on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com

Freud's Last Session on Sunday, Nov 7th, 2010

A Disappointing Hodgepodge
Part Restoration Comedy and part panoramic saga, A Free Man of Color doesn?t seem to know what it wants to be. Ultimately neither fish nor fowl, it proves to be a great disappointment. Originally commissioned by The Public Theater in 2002 to write an epic play on race and class in New Orleans circa 1801, Guare submitted his initial draft to George C. Wolfe, then head of the Public, in 2004. That draft ran to 250 pages and, had the play been produced as then written, it would have run for five hours. Unfortunately, the Public?s attempt to convince Guare to cut it down to size was so at odds with Guare?s own vision of the play that the Public ultimately canceled its plans to produce it and the play was picked up by Lincoln Center where it has just opened with Wolfe still involved as director. Under Wolfe?s prodding, the play has been cut back extensively so that it now runs just two and a half hours. But the price paid for that editing job has been enormous. The net result is that the play now comes across as two distinctly different plays, badly cobbled together. The play?s first act is a hodgepodge of a Restoration Comedy or perhaps a parody of a Restoration Comedy with all the rhyming couplets, ribald humor, swooning insatiable frustrated wives, cuckolded husbands and adolescent references to Jacque Cornet?s Jeffrey Wright?s superior phallic endowment that we have come to expect of that genre. But the second act, in an apparent attempt at retaining Guare?s epic vision, spans the world, transitioning abruptly from New Orleans to Washington D.C. to Sante Domingue to France and back again, centering on the events leading up to the Louisiana Purchase and its subsequent social, racial and geopolitical consequences. Worse yet, the entire olio is liberally sprinkled with satirical buffoonish appearances by virtually anyone of note at the time who might have entered Guare?s mind: Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Napoleon Bonaparte, Josephine, Tallyrand, Georges Feydeau, Meriwether Lewis, Robert Livingston, Walter Reed, King Carlos Cuarto and more indeed, the total cast comes to 33 with several actors playing more than one role. Guare?s error and by extension Wolfe?s and Lincoln Center?s, I think was to refuse to make the difficult choice between settling for a thematically much smaller and more manageable play, on the one hand, or retaining the epic sweep of Guare?s initial vision and producing the play in all its original five hours grandeur - perhaps over a period of days as a trilogy in the fashion of Tom Stoppard?s epic and very successful The Coast of Utopia. Either of those approaches just might have worked but this attempt at doing it all in one appears to have been doomed to failure. You can read my reviews of several other shows, both on and off Broadway, on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com

A Free Man of Color on Friday, Nov 19th, 2010

Thought Provoking and Fun
The Language Archive treads familiar ground in its explorations of language and the consequences of miscommunications between men and women ? but it does so in such a delightful, original manner that it makes the whole endeavor more than worthwhile. The basic story line is a simple one: George Matt Letscher is a professional linguist who speaks a dozen languagesf; yet he is unable to communicate effectively with his wife Mary Heidi Schreck. Nor is she any more able to communicate effectively with him. George is cool and abstract, grieving more over the death of a language than the death of a human being. Mary, on the other hand, bursts into tears at the slightest provocation and is taken to attempting to communicate with George through aphorisms which she writes on scraps of paper, conceals about the house, and then denies having written. It comes as no surprise to the audience when Mary walks out of the marriage. There are several sub-plots. One centers on Emma Betty Gilpin, George?s associate at the archive who has been in love with him for years, but who has been unable to communicate her feelings to him. A second relates to a suicidal baker John Horton with whom Mary swaps roles. And a third relates to Emma?s meeting with Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof John Horton, the true inventor of Esperanto. But the most important of the play?s sub-plots revolves around Alta Jayne Houdyshell and Resten John Horton, an elderly couple from some unnamed Eastern European region who are the only remaining speakers of the Elloway language left on Earth. George is eager to transcribe their conversations before they die, lest their language die with them but, having transported them from their native land to his archive, he is suddenly confronted with another communications problem: Alta and Resten are angry with one another and, when they are angry, they refuse to communicate in Elloway but only speak English. And why are they so angry with one another? For a host of reasons including the fact that Resten has refused to eat the food that Alta has so lovingly prepared for him. Apparently, in introducing this conflict over food, the playwright has focused on a traditional form of male-female interpersonal communication: women manifest their devotion by proffering food to their partners and men express theirs through their gracious acceptance of it. A bit one-sided, perhaps, but surely with a modicum of evolutionary truth to it. At one point, Altas and Restens mutual animosity rises to such a pitch that they impose irrevocable shunning spells on one another ? vowing never to communicate with each other again. If the spells are not reversed and, as it turns out, the last Elloway shaman capable of reversing such spells died years ago, they appear destined never to speak to one another again ? which would completely thwart George?s aim at preserving their language for posterity. So these are the intertwined linguistic questions requiring resolution. Will George find the words to win Mary back? Will Mary find the means to express her feelings to George in a way he will understand? Will Emma finally communicate her feelings to George? Will Alta and Resten resolve their differences and speak to one another again in their native Elloway? Ironically, you are likely to discover that the actual resolution of those issues will be less important to you than the insights you?ll derive from interpreting the play?s themes. Consider: when Mary first told John she was leaving him, she entreated him to say something ? clearly seeking an emotional, ideally tear-laden, response from him. But John, a cool, abstract, dispassionate sort, did not weep nor even avow his unconditional love for Mary; the best he could muster why to tell her not to leave. So does that mean that it was John?s fault that the marriage ended? But why should the choice of specific words be so important? And why should Mary get a pass on her idiosyncratic written messages, irrational behavior and the fact that it was, after all, she who left the marriage, not he. Finally, when John presents Mary with a mixed tape expressing ?I love you? in every language he knows, why is that not enough? So is it really Mary?s fault after all? Matt Letscher, Heidi Schreck and Betty Gilpin all performed admirably and John Horton who, in addition to playing the part of Resten took on the additional roles of L.L. Zamenhof and the suicidal baker, performed all of his roles superbly. But the highest praise must be reserved for Jayne Houdyshell who virtually stole the show in her roles as Alta and as Emma?s Esperanto teacher. Her performances alone are worth the price of admission. You can read an expanded version of this review and my reviews of several other Broadway and Off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Language Archive on Monday, Nov 22nd, 2010

RE:An Intellectual Delight
This is a remarkable tour de force - on one level, an intricate tale of foreign espionage, much in the manner of a John LeCarre spy novel. And on another, a wonderfully intellectual explication of the seemingly inexplicable nature of particle physics. And I enjoyed it immensely on both levels. Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize winning physicist, once remarked that ?Nobody understands quantum physics? and in that he was surely correct. The inherently counterintuitive and paradoxical nature of the subject is such that it cannot possibly be explained fully in words. How, after all, can light be both particle and wave, changing its very nature depending simply upon who looks at it and how? How can something be in two places at the same time? How can a particle travel from one place to another without traveling between the two? How can Schrodinger?s Cat be both alive and dead? The conundrums proliferate. And there really are no certain common-sensical answers. And yet, while it is may be impossible to fully explain particle physics in words, in Hapgood, Stoppard surely has come closer than most in clarifying the subject ? and he has done so with such linguistic and dramatic flair that even the most dyed-in-the-wool technophobe is likely to find the experience extremely enjoyable. Stoppard originally wrote Hapgood in 1988 as the Cold War was winding down and then revised it in 1994 for its debut at Lincoln Center. It is now being revived in an excellent off off Broadway production by the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble at the Wild Project. This latest production does Stoppard proud. The play?s conceit is in its use of the mechanisms of international espionage as metaphors for the imponderables of particle physics. If we cannot understand how a sub-atomic particle can be in two places at the same time and we really can?t, can we understand how a secret agent can be in two places at the same time? Might the agent we thought to be one person actually be twins or, conversely, might those we thought to be twins actually be one and the same person? If we cannot comprehend how light can appear to be both particle and wave, ostensibly changing its very nature depending solely upon how we look upon it, might the same thing be said of a Russian spy? Could he be a Russian spy as perceived by his Russian handlers and a Western double agent when confronted by his Western handlers? Must he be one or the other or might he actually be both at the same time? The entire cast does a first rate job. Elise Stone, co-founder and co-artistic director of the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble, is terrific in the title role of Hapgood, director of the Western spy agency, as is her husband in real life,Craig Smith, the Ensemble?s other co-founder and co-artistic director in his role as Blair. The other cast members were all splendid in their respective roles as well but my personal favorite was David Joseph Regelman who brought a delightful lighthearted charm to his double agent or triple agent or quadruple agent role as Russian, adroitly capturing both the ostensible and metaphorical aspects of his part. You can read my reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com

Hapgood on Tuesday, Dec 7th, 2010

RE:A Terrific Play With a Great Ensemble Cast
We?ve all seen plays of this sort before perhaps too often. Scene: A traditional family gathering. Action: Family members question their unexplained recollections, level accusations against one another, and confront their unresolved resentments. Denouement: To the relief of the actors on stage and all too often to the relief of the audience as well, important unexpected truths eventually emerge. This is such a longstanding theatrical artifice that it is, by now, a virtual clich? and, in the hands of a less capable playwright than Jon Robin Baitz, a play of this sort is often not worth wasting one?s time on. But Baitz is no ordinary playwright and in Other Desert Cities, his contribution to this genre, he has created a terrific new play which may turn out to be one of this season?s big hits. You won?t be wasting your time on this one! A brief synopsis: Lyman Wyeth Stacy Keach and his wife Polly Stockard Channing are leading members of that small endangered Hollywood species: the conservative Republican elite. He, a former movie star and U.S ambassador and she, a once successful screenwriter, are now comfortably settled in their luxurious Palm Springs home. Polly?s sister Silda Grauman Linda Lavin, who collaborated with Polly in writing the successful ?Hillary? film series, is present as well, on an extended stay at their home where she is recovering from alcoholism. Trip Wyeth Thomas Sadoski, Lyman and Polly?s seemingly carefree son and the producer of a popular if inconsequential TV courtroom show, has joined his family for Christmas dinner - as has their clinically depressed daughter Brooke Elizabeth Marvel, who has not written a book since her first novel six years ago but who now has flown in from Long Island, not only to celebrate the holidays with her family but also to present them with copies of her soon to be published new novel. As it turns out, however, Brooke?s new book is not a novel at all, but rather a family memoir, revolving around her recollections and retrospective interpretation of the circumstances surrounding the loss of Henry, her other brother and best friend, a troubled, rebellious, drug-addled, terrorist wannabee and an apparent suicide. Publishing the book will rake up all sorts of painful memories for her family and draw considerable unsought attention to their lives but it is what Brooke feels she must do. And that is what makes this play such a pleasurable experience: it doesn?t simply tell the story of what actually happened to Henry, although that?s surely an important part of it, but it deals thoughtfully and intelligently with a great many of the existential questions the story provokes as well. Does Brooke?s ?art? trump her family?s real life concerns? Does the parent-child relationship require that the responsibilities of parents to their children are never-ending to the extent that the children, just by virtue of being offspring, get a ?free pass? in life? Do mental disabilities brought about as a consequence of drug addiction, alcoholism or clinical depression relieve one of all responsibility for his or her actions? Can we ever fully remake ourselves or are important aspects of our personae largely determined by our genetic makeups and early upbringings? How reliable are our evaluations of one another based upon our stereotypical classifications? Indeed, can we ever truly know what makes another person tick? The play itself is well constructed and extremely well written and Baitz deserves much of the credit for what I fully expect to be a successful run for this production. But credit must also go to an extremely talented ensemble cast. Channing is outstanding in the role of Polly modeled at least in part on the life of Nancy Reagan, the complex, highly principled, controlling mother who is willing to abandon her Jewish roots in order to fit into mainstream Christian society and who would rather dine at her country club than prepare Christmas dinner for her family herself at home - but who is fierce in the defense of her family. Keach is equally effective as Lamar, the former actor and ambassador who attempts to use all his acting and diplomatic skills to bring about a resolution to the crisis confronting his family. Lavin is delightful in the role of Silda, the more relaxed alcoholic sister, who imbues the play with a measure of comic relief. Sadoski really plays a dual role: as Trip, he is not only Lyman and Polly?s son, Brooke and Henry?s brother, and Silda?s nephew, an important element in the familial mix, but he is also something of an observer, a narrator, almost a one-man Greek chorus, standing outside the play itself ? and he does an exemplary job in both capacities. And Marvel, in the role of Brooke, arguably the most important character in the play, captures the disparate strands of her poorly integrated personality: her confused outlook on life, her dependency coupled with her independent spirit, her rebelliousness, her sense of entitlement, her denial of reality, her self-centeredness; she is superb. The set by John Lee Beatty is perfect: a luxurious and obviously expensively furnished home but one that it bland, neutral and even, in a sense, characterless. There are no bright colors and the room lacks warmth: even the Christmas tree in the corner, decorated all in white rather than primary colors, is more of an elegant set piece than a gathering point for family and friends. It provides just the right setting for this particular family gathering. You can read my reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Other Desert Cities on Friday, Jan 14th, 2011

RE:A Zany Madcap Satire of Nun Films
Charles Busch, the immensely talented playwright - whose credits range from Vampire Lesbians of Sodom which ran for five years in the 1980s as one of the most successful plays in off Broadway history to The Tale of the Allergist?s Wife which ran on Broadway for 777 performances in 2000-2002 and received a 2001 Tony Award nomination for Best Play in the process - has scored another resounding success with The Divine Sister, his delightfully zany latest production now playing at the Soho Playhouse. This wacky send-up of Hollywood?s classic nun films from The Song of Bernadette to The Singing Nun to Agnes of God with side excursions along the way to ?girl reporter? flicks, The Da Vinci Code, and James Bond movies relates the tale of Mother Superior of St. Veronica?s school and convent played in drag with politically incorrect abandon by Charles Busch himself and her coterie of oddball denizens of that institution. The presumptive plot of the play revolves around Mother Superior?s attempt to obtain funding from Mrs. Levinson Jennifer van Dyck, a wealthy widow of Jewish descent and atheist convictions, to build a new school for the convent, but the play quickly devolves into a madcap vaudevillian romp featuring Sister Acacius Julie Halston, the convent/school?s nun/wrestling coach; Sister Walburga Alison Fraser, a visitor from the Mother House in Berlin whose behavior appears more typical of a dominatrix and assassin than a nun and whose off-the-wall feminist theology centers around the search for the remains of Joyce, Jesus? little known sister; Jeremy Jonathan Walker, who knew both Mother Superior and Sister Walburga in their earlier incarnations in the secular world before either had taken her vows; and Agnes a role usually performed by Amy Rutberg, but played by her understudy, Marcie McGuigan, at the performance I attended, the postulant who sees visions, appears to exhibit stigmata and, just possibly, performs miracles of healing. Along the way, we also meet Timothy, an effete schoolboy also played by Jennifer van Dyck; Mrs. MacDuffie also played by Alison Fraser ; and Brother Venerius also played by Jonathan Walker. And we get to sort out the relationships among generations of interrelated lovers and their illegitimate offspring. Busch is superb as the politically incorrect Mother Superior whose persona is reflected in her comment that ?we are living in a time of great social change. We must do everything in our power to stop it,? and in the very title of her new book ?The Middle Ages: So Bad?? But all of the other actors in this production are terrific as well, including Marcie McGuigan, the understudy in the role of Agnes. It is difficult for me to see how anyone could have improved on her role as she played it. This is not a deep play and if you look to deconstruct it, searching for levels of meaning, you?re likely to be sadly disappointed. Rather it is just great fun ? analogous to a day at the circus ? and if you?re just looking for 90 minutes of hysterically funny ? albeit crude and low brow - entertainment, here is where you?ll find it. You can read my reviews of other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com

The Divine Sister on Sunday, Jan 16th, 2011

My Sinatra Is a Downer
My Sinatra: A Musical About Obsession, now playing at the Triad Theatre, comes across as more of a ?work in progress? than a fully realized musical tribute to Frank Sinatra. Based upon the successful national PBS special, My Sinatra ? The Songs and the Stories, seen by more than ten million people in more than 70 cities, this updated rendition of that show attempts to explore the nature of Cary Hoffman?s fixation on Frank Sinatra by delving into Hoffman?s lower class Jewish upbringing in Long Island, the traumas he experienced from the deaths of his father and stepfather, his edgy relationship with his mother, his musical relationships with his uncles, and his Alexander Portney-ish adolescent and post-adolescent years. An attempt is made to accomplish this through Hoffman?s introspective monologues, interspersed with his renditions of some 30 classic Sinatra songs, including ?That?s Life,? ?Come Fly Away,? New York, New York,? ?The Lady Is a Tramp,? I?ve Got You Under My Skin? and ?My Way.? Unfortunately, it doesn?t quite work ? neither as an uplifting entertainment nor as an insightful psychological explanation of the nature of obsession. To be sure, Hoffman has a magnificent voice and he has, in several instances, done a superb job of capturing Sinatra?s style, timing, cadences and phrasing. But it?s just not enough. The PBS special benefited from having a big band on stage and, to paraphrase Hoffman himself as he expressed it in this show: ?It?s easy to sing Sinatra successfully with a big band behind you but it?s a lot harder with just a piano player.? That?s for sure. But unfortunately, in this show, Hoffman only has a piano player backing him up and, while the pianist, Hubert ?Tex? Arnold, is extremely talented in his own right, even he and Hoffman together are not sufficient to carry the whole thing off. Hoffman has much in his life to be proud of. He has written a hit off-Broadway show; he was a successful songwriter, producer, and personal manager; he is currently co-producing the TV show, ?Men of a Certain Age?; he is the former owner of Stand-UP NY Comedy Club; and he has performed the music of Frank Sinatra to audiences all over the world. Quite an impressive resume for a clearly talented individual. But, sadly, none of it seems to have been enough for Hoffman to have developed an integrated personality of his own nor to have become comfortable in his own skin and his obsession with Sinatra lingers as evidence of his attempt to adopt another?s persona because he is so unhappy or uncomfortable with his own. And it is that which turns this show into a downer, rather than a joyous entertainment. One leaves the theatre empathizing with Hoffman for his anguish rather than taking pleasure with him in his interpretation of Sinatra?s work. When he begins the show, he remarks that the show is not about Frank Sinatra but is about Cary Hoffman?s relationship to Sinatra and, if Hoffman had stuck to that objective, this show might have proved to be great fun since Hoffman is, after all, a very talented performer. Alternatively, if Hoffman had simply settled for being a Sinatra impersonator or interpreter, that might have worked too. But Hoffman tried to have it both ways and in doing so ended up with neither. Somewhere along the way, Hoffman lost his own way, sometimes delving into his own psyche and at other times attempting again to become Frank Sinatra himself which, of course, he is not. And he knows it: when he puts on Sinatra?s fedora late in the show, he remarks that it never did fit him. And yet, sadly, he keeps trying to make it fit. When he ends the show with Sinatra?s ?My Way,? the most poignant thing about it is that Hoffman didn?t do it ?his way?; he just kept persisting in trying to do it ?Sinatra?s way.? Hoffman?s better than that but if he doesn?t believe it himself, we won?t believe it either. I have posted my reviews of several other Broadway, off Broadway and off off Broadway plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com

My Sinatra, and How to Live With a Dream on Sunday, Jan 23rd, 2011

Starts well but ultimately disappoints
Despite being presented as a "trilogy," this production really is three separate plays cobbled together. The first of the three, Rose, is entertaining and very cleverly crafted, boasting a creative and original plot device. But the other two plays, Paraffin and Nursing, rely excessively on sex, nudity, sophomoric scatalogical humor and violence to hold the audiences interest - and it didnt work for me in either of the two. Ive posted a long comment on the whole "trilogy" on my blog and Ill be posting individual reviews of the three plays that comprise it on my blog over the next few days. You can read my posts on these and dozens of other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Hallway Trilogy on Wednesday, Feb 23rd, 2011

RE:Very Good Production of Shepard's Play
This is a very good production of of one of Sam Shepards lesser plays. Fool for Love, despite having won an Obie award as best play when it was first produced, is not really one of Shepard?s best. It mostly treads familiar ground, is hackneyed in spots, and isn?t as fully realized a work as might be expected of one of America?s premier playwrights. But even a relatively inferior Shepard play is better than most other playwrights? best, especially when the play is well produced. And here it certainly is well produced. The director and the entire cast deserve accolades. I have posted an expanded review of this play and reviews of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Fool For Love on Sunday, Feb 27th, 2011

RE:Excellent production of classic Greek play
This is an excellent production of a classic Greek play that can be enjoyed on several levels ? political, philosophical, and psychological ? with some outstanding performances. In the play, Helen, the wife of Menelaos, King of Sparta John Lenartz, has run off to Troy with Paris, a Trojan prince. All of the kings and leaders of Greece are bound by oath to join Menelaos in a war against Troy to retrieve Helen. Agamemnon, Menelaos? brother and King of Mycenae Joseph J. Menino, has been appointed commander of the combined Greek forces but they are stuck at Aulis, on the Aegean Sea, unable to set sail for Troy, because there is no wind to fill the sails of their ships. Kalchas, a soothsayer, has suggested a solution: according to Kalchas, the goddess Artemis has withheld the winds and has demanded the sacrifice of Agamemnon?s daughter Iphigenia Kelli Holsopple before she will allow Agamemnon and his troops to set sail for Troy. Initially, Menelaos decides to accept Artemis? terms and sacrifice his daughter. To achieve that end, he seeks to trick Iphigenia into joining him at Aulis by sending a message to Clytemnestra, his wife and Iphigenia?s mother Elise Stone, informing her that he has arranged for the marriage of Iphigenia to Achilles, the greatest warrior in Greece Josh Tyson. Agamemnon then changes his mind and sends a messenger to forestall Iphigenia?s arrival at Aulis, but it is too late; she has already arrived with her mother. For his part, Menelaos is just as vacillating: at first he is outraged that Agamemnon would consider sending Iphigenia back; he considers that a betrayal of Greece. But on further consideration, he avows that perhaps the retrieval of an unfaithful woman, Helen, does not justify the sacrifice of Agamemnon?s innocent daughter after all. Even Iphigenia, herself, changes her position, at first fearful and angry at the thought of being killed but ultimately looking upon it as her opportunity to do the noble thing in serving Greece. This play can be appreciated on many levels. It is, for one thing, an early pacifist work, questioning the wisdom of going to war over one woman?s infidelity. On another level, it raises a variety of philosophical questions relating to the existence or non-existence of the gods, the legitimacy of soothsaying and fortune telling, motherhood as the overriding force in a woman?s life, and the relative freedom of slaves and masters. Finally, and perhaps most interestingly, it delves into man?s psychological and behavioral ambivalences, rationalizations and hypocrisies. The entire cast does a solid job, as we?ve come to expect of the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble, but Elise Stone, as Clytemnestra, and John Lenartz as Menelaos are especially deserving of praise. Ive posted an expanded version of this review and reviews of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Iphigenia at Aulis on Friday, Mar 4th, 2011

RE:An Excellent Play, Both Dramatic and Mystical
This is an extraordinarily complex work - drawing on Jewish mysticism and folklore in its exploration of some of life?s biggest issues, among them truth, love, honesty, faith, maternity, birth and death, loyalty, gender identification, sexuality and more. It is amazing to realize that this work was written by a young woman in her mid-20s. As the play begins, Samuel Cohen William Tatlock Green is good-humoredly bantering with his law partner, Renee Watson Tia Stivala, when they are interrupted by the arrival of Eli MacLeod Andrews. There is something otherworldly about Eli and his arrival seems to portend something mysterious or even sinister. When Samuel invites him to his home to share Sabbath dinner with his wife, Ruth Olivia Rorick, and himself, the mystery deepens. Who, actually, is Eli? He appears to be something more than a man and yet, at the same time, something less. Is he a Golem? A Dybbuk? Or an Angel from Heaven, sent by God to help Ruth get the baby she so desires, much like the Angel sent down by God to Sarah and Abraham in Biblical times? Eventually, it all does get sorted out and we are provided with the answers we are seeking. ChanaPorter is a very talented writer destined to have a significant impact upon the theatre. That, at least, I think is besharet. I have posted an expanded version of this review and reviews of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Besharet on Tuesday, Mar 8th, 2011

A Wonderful Family Friendly Irish Classic
Arrah-na-Pogue Arrah of the Kiss Or, the Wicklow Wedding is a wonderfully uplifting entertainment suitable for the entire family that is too infrequently staged in America and deserves to be better known in this country. A joyous, adventurous, romantic Irish comedy-drama, it has all the ingredients one seeks in the theatre and too seldom finds: charming tales of love requited and unrequited, romance, marriage, honor, fidelity and betrayal; swashbuckling escapades; and causes and relationships that both men and women are willing to die for. It is Damon and Pythias, Robin Hood, Casablanca and King Arthur, all rolled into one, set during the time of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, expressed in the most lyrical language that the Irish seem to have such a flair for, and punctuated at just the right moments by a rollicking performance of an Irish step dance by Jennie McGuinness and a lovely rendition of a ?The Wearing of the Green? by Michelle Kafel. The play centers around Arrah Meelish Nicola Murphy, nick-named Arrah-na-Pogue Arrah of the Kiss for the kiss she once bestowed upon her sweetheart, Shaun the Post Phil Mills. Unbeknownst to him, Arrah has been providing sanctuary to Beamish Mac Coul Jonathan Blakeley, a leader of the Rebellion who is attempting to escape from Ireland with his sweetheart, Fanny Power Christine Bullen. When Michael Feeny Paul Nugent, a traitorous, disreputable process server, happens upon Beamish?s concealment by Arrah and betrays them both to the British authorities, all hell breaks loose. Beamish escapes, Arrah is questioned, Fanny misconstrues Beamish?s relationship with Arrah, Shaun rises to the occasion, and Colonel Bagenal O?Grady Ted McGuinness, who also is in love with Fanny, seeks everyone?s salvation with the assistance of the British secretary Spencer Aste. The play?s success is more a function of the script itself than anything else: it is well written, charmingly plotted albeit a bit hokey, to be sure, and just a great deal of fun. But having said that, credit must also go to the director, Peter Dobbins, who used the theatre?s space in the most imaginative fashion. The entire cast also does a terrific job, especially Murphy and Mills, as the most naive and devoted of lovers who bring not only passion but also comedy to their relationship; Bullen and Blakely, whose more realistic take on life provides a fine contrast to that of Murphy and Mills; McGuinness, whose expression of paternalistic compassion and selflessness is finely tuned; Aste, whose deftly wry depiction of the secretary is just splendid; and Joie Bauer who plays to perfection the role of Major Coffin, a cold-hearted British Officer. But the most outstanding performance of all is that provided by Nugent who plays the role of the villain, Michael Feeny as if he were a sleazy, serpentine leprechaun-ish creature. He is perfect as the character you love to hate and the production wouldn?t be nearly as much fun without him. I have posted an expanded version of this review and reviews of several other plays on my blog at www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Arrah-na-Pogue Or, the Wicklow Wedding on Friday, Mar 11th, 2011

RE:Good cast wasted on a bad play


The Killing Room on Monday, Mar 14th, 2011

Good cast wasted on a bad play
The Killing Room is more derivative and imitative of Beckett, Pinter and Ionesco than influenced by them, more a caricature of their plays than a worthy addition to the absurdist canon. And it is a fundamentally distasteful work. As a whole, the play is disgusting, bloody and gross, with inadequate literary justification for being so, and its ambiguities, particularly in regard to the play?s ending when one really has absolutely no idea of what is happening is insulting to the audience?s intelligence. Having said all that, given the play as it was written, the director, Nick Flint, did as good a job as anyone might have expected of him and the actors ? particularly Baker, Deblinger and Gousias - performed admirably in the roles written for them. But to what avail? It still all represented, in my opinion, a considerable waste of theatrical talent. One Year Lease Theater Company is an intelligent, well-intentioned, ambitious and talented troupe and I look forward to seeing their next production ? but with high hopes that the company will select a more promising vehicle through which to display its talents. I have posted an expanded version of this review and reviews of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

The Killing Room on Monday, Mar 14th, 2011

Less Than Perfect Production of Stoppard's Masterwork
This is, for the most part, a fine production of a truly great play. The play?s direction is superb, the sets and costumes are first-rate, and several of the performances are truly outstanding. Both Tom Riley as Septimus Hodge and Billy Crudup as Bernard Nightingale, in particular, deserve to be singled out for their remarkable performances. But good as the production is, it is not perfect. For one thing, the first act gets underway too slowly and really should be shortened and tightened up. My second and only other real misgiving about this production relates to the casting of Bel Powley as Thomasina Coverly. Her voice is much too shrill and off-putting, she tends to swallow her lines, and she does not really capture her character?s aristocratic nature. I have posted a greatly expanded version of this review together with reviews of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Arcadia on Friday, Mar 18th, 2011

RE:An Interesting Forerunner to Doubt
In 1984, John Patrick Shanley wrote Savage in Limbo, a play that might have been totally forgotten were it not for the fact that twenty years later, he wrote Doubt: A Parable, a far better play which took Broadway by storm But once Doubt appeared, interest was renewed in Shanley?s earlier work which explains the current revival of this work. This is not a bad play by any means: it is amusing and has some interesting things to say. And this production is well done, nicely directed, and boasts some fine performances. But the play is likely to prove of more interest as an historical relic to those theatre aficionados who enjoy tracing the evolution of a playwright?s work than as a fully realized show in its own right. I have posted an expanded review of this play and reviews of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Savage in Limbo on Sunday, Mar 20th, 2011

RE:A Boring Play Not Worthy of Marisa Tomei's Talents
The play itself is banal and boring, a one note composition focusing on the relationship between Bruce Frank Whaley, a narcissistic,thick-skinned lout and Marie Marisa Tomei, his dysfunctional, foul mouthed wife. And the play?s unrealized pretensions to existential insights are just plain embarrassing. Marisa Tomei does as well as might be expected with the role she has been given but the role itself isn?t much. Probably the best performance in the play is that turned in by Frank Whaley as Bruce, who milks his role for all its worth. Similarly, Adam Trese provides a fine performance as Marie?s and Bruce?s friend Frank, their dinner party host. But notwithstanding Tomei?s, Whaley?s and Trese?s performances, the play really wasn?t worth reviving in the first place and you won?t be missing much if you skip it. I have posted an expanded review of this play and reviews of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Marie and Bruce on Wednesday, Apr 6th, 2011

RE:A Good, But Not Great, Production of Frayn's Play
Overall, this is a clean, sharply delineated production and it provides a satisfying evening?s entertainment. All four actors turn in good performances and the director, Carl Forsman, has done a creditable job. But I was mildly disappointed. The first act drags a bit and it is not really until the second act, an hour into the production, that I truly felt engaged. I have seen other productions of this work that I have enjoyed more including, most recently, Retro Production?s Off Off Broadway revival at the Spoon Theatre last Fall which I found to be earthier, more gut-wrenching and passionate. But that ought not dissuade you from seeing this one which is still a worthwhile production in its own right. I have posted an expanded review of this play and of several other plays on my blog www.aseatontheaisle.blogspot.com.

Benefactors on Thursday, Apr 7th, 2011