This past Saturday I had a whirlwind day down to Manhattan. (From Boston, for those that don't know.) First: Another inexpensive way to get there...ta-dah! MEGAbus. Not as cool as BOLT, as there is no internet. But clean, guaranteed seating and expedient.
First off: Mandy Patinkin in William Shakespeare's The Tempest at the Classic Stage Company, a delightfully intimate theater.
Upon entering you are visually you are struck by the stage. (Designed by Jian Jung) The seating is arranged in a modified thrust setting and you see only two things: a large square of sand over which hovers a HUGE platform suspended from the ceiling at an angle. On one side is a beautiful painting of clouds; the other side is pure whit with a model ship attached to it. All four corners of the platform are attached to pulleys from which the hardworking stage hands (interns, I'm sure) adjust and manipulate the vision.
Overall, I truly enjoyed the production, but I must warn you: I am a HUGE Mandy Patinkin fan as well as a lover of Shakespeare. Add to that that Patinkin actually SANG was just icing on the cake. Did I LOVE it...no. Do I encourage/reccommend seeing it? Certainly.
As another reveiw stated: Mandy was Mandy. His big, bold and intense gruffness was fitting and he certainly commands any stage on which he enters. But I wanted MORE out of his Prospero. I wanted to see....doubt? insecurity? disbelief? concern? I only got a two dimensional Prospero, sad to say.
There were several absolute stand out performances for me. Bhavesh Patel (Boatswain/Adrian/Male Sprite) was truly riveting to watch no matter which part he was undertaking. His depth of character in addition to the contrasting choice he made BETWEEN characters was stunning. His eyes were so intense and I felt him to be 100% dedicated.
The suprise and most remarkable performance, for me, came from Elisabeth Waterston (daughter of Sam) as Miranda. First let me say her beauty is unconventional and striking. Her Miranda was so heartfelt and subtle, that you almost feel as though you are eavesdropping or spying on her private life. She could, perhaps, be the first actor that I felt compelled to watch that was sharing a stage with Patinkin. She LIVED in the moment, and Miranda's joy at seeing actual "people" was more delightful than a single moment should be. I look forward to her future career immensely.
And may I GLEEFULLY mention Fela! Playing at 37 Arts. It was recently extended and rumors are that it is looking around for a B'way house. The sign at the box office, however, said that the entire run is sold out...but it can't hurt to try! And I HIGHLY reccommend that you do. Quite the experience. Intimate, big, lively, spiritual, angry, encompassing.
Written, directed and choreographed by (Tony Award Winning) Bill T. Jones, Fela! is full of love, admiration and heartache. The production is more like a one man show with back up, as we are guided throught the life and times of activist/musician Fela Anikulapo Kuti of Nigeria. The costumes and make up are beautiful, sensual and tribal as seen on Kuti's "queens", that compose much of the dance and energy of the production.
SAHR NGAUJAH as Fela Kuti is practically mesmorizing as he commands the stage. His warmth, humor and energy permeate the entire theatre. If Ngaujah's portrayal of Kuti is even remotely accurate of the man, he is indeed someone I'd like to have dinner with. His level of comfort breaking the fourth wall as well as dealing with the sensitive language and situations is unbelievable. Here is another man who has an amazingly bright future on Broadway.
You can feel the spirit of all those involved and how much this production means to them. Very simple lines of dialogue could bring a tear to one's eye. The simplicity at times was staggering. I understand that many aspects of Kuti's life are underexamined within the book...but as an audience member that only knew of the premise of his life, I did not feel cheated. Rather I spurned on to research and learn more about the man and his music.
I find it difficult to put into words many aspects of the show as it is almost etheral. I found myself holding my breath at times from the beauty and at other times I was truly horrified at the events unfolding.
SHOULD this be a full fledged Broadway show? I am not sure...and worry that it might suffer the same result as {TOS} in a less intimate setting. WOULD I go see it again should it make its way to the Great White Way? In a heartbeat.
1 comment:
You should have seen "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Delacourt a few summers back. While Sam waterston played Leonato (this time...years back, he was an hysterical Benedick-this guy needs to do more comedy!), his daughter Elisabeth played Leonato's daughter Hero.
I'd seen this play a number of times, and each time, when Hero is left at the altar after wrongly being portrayed as the town tramp, she meekly takes the attitude of "I'm not still virginal Hero, but if everyone says I'm a slut, well, guess I better just take me off to a nunnery for the rest of my hopefully short life, so I don't embarress anyone further."
Ms Waterston was anything but meek in her portrayal of a woman lied about. She practically screamed at her father-who screamed back. I wondered at the time, if the Waterston's were thinking of their reactions to her adolescence..."Turn down that stereo!" "NO!" "What happened to the tail light on my car-its busted and you're the last person to drive it!" "I didn't break your tail light! Why am I always blamed for something wrong with your precious car!"
Lord, I hope it was acting all the way...or the Waterston household couldn't have been a peaceful one during Elisabeth's teen years!
All teasing aside...it looks as if the Waterston sisters-Katherine and Elisabeth, as well as older borther James, didn't fall too far from the tree, and that the acting gene has made it to the next generation very well indeed.
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