11/25/24: The Hills of California
What: The Broadway transfer of Jez Butterworth's new play about four sisters and their strong-willed single mother. In the 1950s, we see her training the four of them to be a harmonic singing group a la The Andrews Sisters; in the 1970s, we see them as adults with disappointed dreams gathering to sit vigil as she lies dying upstairs.
And? A Jez Butterworth play is always worth my time. While this didn't steal my breath the way The Ferryman did, it still boasts a wealth of top-notch performances, including from the star of both, Laura Donnelly, who doubles here as matriarch Veronica and the grown version of her eldest, Joan. Many of the story beats are ultimately familiar for narratives like this: disappointed dreams, bitter resentments, betrayals revealed, and estrangements confronted. But it's all still very well executed by director, designers, and cast.
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| Nancy Allsop, Nicola Turner, Laura Donnelly, Lara McDonnell, and Sophia Ally as Young Gloria, Young Jill, Veronica, Young Joan, and Young Ruby. Photo by Joan Marcus. |
11/26/24: Gypsy
What: The much-anticipated revival of the Sondheim/Styne/Laurents classic about the rise of burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee, and her rocky relationship with her mother, Madame Rose; this time with living legend Audra McDonald in the lead and acclaimed director George C. Wolfe at the helm (and possibly the first major production that doesn't include the recreation of any Jerome Robbins choreography?).
And? I don't think I need to tell anyone who reads this blog that Audra always lives up to the hype, but I'm saying it anyway. I think there will probably be some that point out she's not the usual voice type for the role: not brassy or belty enough. I can't say that I or anyone else around me minded, not with that powerhouse onstage. The thing is, we all know Audra McDonald's voice is extraordinary; I think what sometimes gets forgotten is that her acting is just as extraordinary. Let us not forget that three of her record six Tony wins were for performances in plays. I've seen her do Shakespeare and Hansberry, McNally and Adrienne Kennedy. The woman's got the range. And her Rose is different than others I've seen--more tunnel-vision drive than brassiness, and a dedication to making her children stars (whether they want it or not) that has no depth too low to stoop, no height too high to scale. Her performance of "Everything's Coming Up Roses" is a terrifying scream of denial and delusion to which Herbie and Louise can only stand silent witness. But she can turn on a dime to a sweet romantic crooning whenever she sings to Herbie. And of course the aria: "Rose's Turn." No shade to Bette, Bernadette, Patti, or Imelda (or the Roses I haven't seen), but this is the first "Rose's Turn" to make me cry. The collapse is so complete: all her delusions melt away to force her to confront that her secret dream of her own stardom was never achievable. Even as we the audience see that Audra's is a talent unmatched, we have also the double-vision that Rose's dreams are for a world that doesn't exist anymore and her refusal to see that truth makes her pathetic. It's awful. It's euphoric. It's tragic. It's everything Sondheim wanted the song to be. As the audience applause fades, Rose continues to bow to a crowd only she can hear, tears streaming down her face.
I doubt I'll be the only one reviewing this production to focus most of the energy on Audra, but it's rather hard not to. I will also say that so much of the arc of Act Two depends on the strength of the actor playing Louise and her ability to track her arc of growing strength and pride. Joy Woods is wonderful in the role: terrified wide eyes desperate for her mother to see her and love her, but also the gradual growing confidence of a woman who knows her own mind. Hearing her duet with Jordan Tyson (both fresh from starring in The Notebook) is thrilling. George C. Wolfe's production isn't necessarily reinventing the wheel but it reflects his intelligence as a director, as well as his gift at nuance: he's able to layer on commentary on colorism to this production without hanging a lantern on every moment (June is noticeably lighter-skinned than Louise; and the young Black Newsboys are swapped out for strapping white Farmboys). It's also important to note that some past directors have tried so hard to reinvent the wheel with Gypsy that they put too much stuff onto it--hats on hats. Wolfe trusts the strong writing of Laurents, Sondheim, and Styne, and his performers, to speak for themselves.
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| Audra McDonald and Joy Woods as Rose and Louise. Photo by Julieta Cervantes. |
11/27/24: King Lear
What: The Shed hosts Kenneth Branagh in the Shakespeare play about the mad king.
And? Some call Madame Rose the "King Lear" of musical theater. Since I'm a musical theater nerd, should I call King Lear the "Madame Rose" of classic theater? I think I will. Anyway, this was okay but not great. Strictly middle-road Lear. It's pretty dimly lit, which is not great if you're at risk of falling asleep, and there's a bit of sameness to the performances.
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| The cast of King Lear. Photo by Marc J. Franklin. |
11/27/24: A Christmas Carol
A repeat visit to the Merchant's House Museum's annual hosting of John Kevin Jones's one-man retelling of the Dickens story. Lovely as always.
What: The brilliant Callaway sisters return to 54 Below with a love letter to New York.
And? I don't go to a lot of cabaret but this was a nice treat, to hear both of them live. They have charming banter and incredible voices.
11/29/24: Sunset Blvd.
What: The Broadway transfer of the Jamie Lloyd revival.
And? To paraphrase, for those who like what Jamie Lloyd does with revivals, this is the sort of revival they will like. For me, I have mixed feelings about it. There's something to be said for stripping away all the trappings and letting the words and music resonate on their own. Sometimes this degree of deconstruction obscures story (some of John Doyle's work, parts of the Fish Oklahoma!, parts of Jamie Lloyd's Cyrano). Here, I think things still stand on their own. So it's fine, I didn't mind it. The voices are very strong.
But did you like it, Zelda? Well, I had some issues. People are dismissing the live camera work as Ivo-lite, and there are definitely threads of that; however, when we're also dealing with Hollywood's fixation on appearance (in fact, the audience member sitting next to me, a working actor, was talking pre-show about the difference between film and stage acting, and how when the camera is that close to your face you really can't lie), the close cameras feel like an attempt to match form and content. And with Norma's narcissistic obsessions, her constant mugging at the camera also seems to fit. And the stunt with the title number (spoilers) is really effectively choreographed and timed. But. I realized I didn't hear a word of the lyrics during that sequence, so busy was I watching everything on the screen.
In general, the performers are in great voice, but for the most part their facial expressions remain fairly stoic. I think this is a Jamie Lloyd aesthetic, as I remember a similar, shall we say, subtlety to the performances in Cyrano. But while Grace Hodgett Young still manages to make Betty feel like a full person under that style, Tom Francis's Joe remains a complete cypher. Handsome, with '90s era floppy hair and a beautiful voice, but I have no idea what's going on underneath. In any event, this all throws the mugging of Nicole Scherzinger's Norma into stark relief. She's got a great vocal instrument, able to really texture every song. She has precise physicality. But her acting feels as face-y and presentational as the worst of silent film actors. tl;dr, I don't really think she has a chance of beating Audra come Tony time.
But it's hard, you know? I saw Glenn Close perform "As If We Never Said Goodbye" and it was a goddamn masterclass. How can we top that?
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| Tom Francis, center, as Joe Gillis, with the company of Sunset Blvd. Photo by Marc Brenner. |
11/30/24: Maybe Happy Ending
a repeat visit. still wonderful, actually even better now they're out of previews.
11/30/24: Cult of Love
What: Second Stage presents Leslye Headland's play (part of her sin cycle) about the annual Christmas reunion of four adult siblings and their partners at their parents' Connecticut farmhouse.
And? Leslye Headland really is such a good playwright. I love her ability to write complicated and unlikeable characters while still making their narratives compelling. This is a family raised very religious but whose members have had several breaks with the degree of that religion.
There's a conventional joke about musical theater that every problem is solved through song (true or not): Hairspray solves racism, The Sound of Music brings a grieving widower back to life, etc. What's fascinating is how this play keeps using that convention but turning it on its head: the siblings keep bickering and splintering, even threatening to leave--and then someone grabs a guitar or sits at the piano and within minutes everyone is happily harmonizing again. The thing is, though, music isn't the salve the parents wish it was. Even the most perfect harmony achieved with "Shenandoah" is one that can't last even until the final note.
Ugh I just. Love her plays.
Streaming Theater Related Content I Watched
- The Corn is Green via National Theatre at Home.
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