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And a little news: Next to Normal (formerly Feeling Electric) was one of my favorite OFF b'way shows from the 2007-08 season. It didn't get picked up and seemed to be "done". THEN it got a transfusion and a re-write and played November/December at the Arena Stage in DC to RAVE reviews. Such rave reviews that it just went into the recording studio to produce the Cast CD. (Hooray...my bootleg of it is sub-standard...not to mention there have been gads of changes.) AND NOW ITS COMING TO BROADWAY: THIS SEASON! Bringing the DC cast....which, with the exception/replacement of Brian D'Arcy James (Port Authority, Titanic and Shrek) was the entire off B'way cast. Alice Ripley will almost definitely receive a Tony Nomination or her work in this touching, disturbing and frightening beautiful show. Aaron Tviet (Saved, Wicked) is a joy to behold on stage, although this must mean he is dropping OUT of the new show Catch Me If You Can....USUALLY a b'way contract has an initial run of one year. Jenn Damiano (OBC Spring Awakening) and few others.
N2N is taking the Longacre Theatre, but not planning on utilizing the mezzanine to keep the show from losing it's intimate feel. Previews are late March....opening mid April so that it is eligible for Tony consideration. This just changed the entire Tony race....sorry TOS, you just lost out! But wait a few days to see a post on my PREDICTIONS for Tony Noms.
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Now for the Show reviews (in order of viewing):
The Story of My Life
I will start with the most positive things I can about this new musical. Will Chase and Malcolm Gets turn in good performances, MAYBE even very good performances. I prefer Chase's singing to his acting but that is balanced because Gets' acting is far superior to his singing.
And...
And then....
Perhaps....
Nope...I've got nothing else to say positively....except it will positively have a short life and it will practically be ignored for Tony consideration.
The music is entirely forgettable. Boring even.
The book (the story) is too episodic to ever become invested. It never takes any chances, so there are not payoffs. It hasn't even made any decisions about its own theme and what the play wants to say. Is it a buddy story? A story about creative influences? A story of what we leave in our wake? I dunno.....because THEY don't know. All the questions that are raised are never answered. And somehow that's part of their point, sort of.
There are so many shows that now play without an intermission....here the reason is clear: the audience would have left in droves given the opportunity. In all honesty, I didn't HATE it enough to have left, I would have hoped that Act II cleared up and brought everything to some sort of wholeness.
The most egregious part I found with SOML simply came from the blatant ripoffs from Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George. The set, some of the story, and even some specific LINES and the score: oh boy. If Sondheim were a fighting man, I suggest he might actually be able to sue them for their blatant use of his music.
NOTE: As of late Friday night; tickets are no longer being sold for The Story of My Life past Sunday's matinee. No official announcement has been made as to it's closing, but it is imminent. (The official reviews have not been kind, either.)
33 VariationsOnly a week into previews, this new play by Moises Kaufman (The Laramie Project) is full of splendor, art, intrigue and love. Starring Jane Fonda, the story follows terminally ill (Lou Gehrig's Disease moving at an unexpected pace), music scholar Dr. Katherine Brandt, who is obsessively trying to finish her research/book on Beethoven and his obsession to completing all the variations that exist from a simple waltz. (Basically, the publisher asked many composers of the time to respond with ONE variation so that all of them could be published together....Beethoven writes 33 over many years.) This research in Baan, Germany is seen paralleling the (fictionalized) actual events of Beethoven, his assistant and the publisher. The strained relationship she has with her daughter is also brought to light as the daughter wants desperately to take care of her.
As a director and an actor, I love doing my homework/research on any play I'm working on, but I'm not sure a play alone has ever prompted me to learn more about the subject matter I'd just seen. I've already ordered a cd of Beethoven's variations and am looking for writings about the subject. I'm intrigued to learn more, so that I can more fully appreciate the beauty unfolding on the stage at the Eugene O'Neil theatre.
The acting was truly impeccable. Jane Fonda is SEVENTY and amazing. She takes so many risks with this work that so pay off. She is incredibly powerful on stage, it's hard to describe, even sitting quietly you are moved by her silence and stillness. The three men (Don Amendolia, Erik Steele and Zach Grenier) playing the early 19th Century portions captured the life and style beautifully. (Not everyone can play period.) Samantha Mathis, Colin Hanks and Susan Kellermann round out the cast superbly.
It's hard to get excited for contemporary costuming, but the period pieces are simply beautiful.
The set design is incredibly intriguing. Walls of sheet music encompass the stage and move fluidly by HUMAN HAND! Additionally, the use of (the ever popular) projections truly add a new dimension. Things were seemingly so simply, but in reality were part of the story: as it should be.
The SOUND design is impeccable. (and I can't even believe I'm mentioning the sound design!) All alone the sound created feelings ands moods that fully encompassed the plot lines and characterization. I don't think my words could do it justice. Add this to the live pianist playing the actual variations throughout is also a visceral impact.
I HOPE to see this again, but it is only a limited engagement. My fingers are crossed.
Hedda Gabler
Review on this (both professional and word of mouth) have been HORRIFIC. I went in expecting the worst. It wasn't. Mind you, it wasn't wonderful either.
I remember more heated discussions about Hedda Gabler in my Theater History class than I do about any single play we read. It was such a woman's story....in a time where women weren't given much voice. It is among my favorites. (I'm a fan of Ibsen, anyway.)
There are rumors galore that Mary Louise Parker (Hedda) is difficult to work with. There are rumors galore that MLP and the director, Ian Rickson, didn't see eye to eye and that she invariably led a revolt which caused the director to leave early. And it shows. The blocking and use of the set was not used to any advantage, and at many times it actually got in it's own way. These are things the audience shouldn't even NOTICE. Many of the actors turn in interesting performances. One such actor is Michael Cevaris -- most recently of Road Show and Sweeny Todd. Many have said the he was miscast in the role of Jorgen Tesman, but I disagree. Instead they are missing one of the most integral aspects of theatre: that sense of the world of the play, the being a part of the whole. This cast was not cohesive, they did not connect with the audience. It was more like watching individual character studies. All interesting, but none intertwined. These are all issues that the director brings to a production.
In this show, the sound design took AWAY from the story...too many times the music/sound itself detract my attention and left me wondering: what the hell WAS that?
I'm glad I went so that I got to see it for myself. But I couldn't really recommend Hedda.
