News & Reviews from New York
   
April 26th, 2014

CASA VALENTINA, written by Harvey Fierstein and directed with energy and scope by Joe Mantello, is quite an intriguing exploration of cross dressing by heterosexual (or possibly bisexual) men who, in the 60’s, vacation at a special resort in the Catskills where these married men, who like to dress in women’s clothes, can express their internal feminine enjoyment of wearing female clothing. The argument goes that they are not gay, and should be accepted as they are, differentiated from homosexuals, and left alone to pursue their pleasures without a label. Clothes don’t necessarily express sexuality. That’s what this show is about. (I wear mismatched sox. Am I a schizophrenic?) One of the most interesting roles I played as an actor was on a“Kojak” episode in which I played a transvestite kidnaper. I didn’t play it feminine— I was myself in women’s clothes, and the terrific, top level actors in this play do the same. There is no mincing, no caricaturing of women. They all give rich, full performances. Act 1 is filled with great Fierstein jokes. Not Act 2. It becomes a polemic, decrying those who don’t get where they are at and arguing for acceptance— serious arguments with little humor. But it does stay engaging. Set by Scott Pask and lighting by Justin Townsend and costumes by Rita Ryack are merely superb. It’s a well done Theatrical event-- worth spending time with its masterful cast.

Richmond Shepard—

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com.

   
April 26th, 2014

Kids in the audience of THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN by Martin McDonagh get what they came for: to see Harry Potter live and in person on the stage. Daniel Radcliffe plays Billy, and there he is. He’s quite a good actor and a pretty fair limper, and is absolutely adorable in this play about an Irish family in hard times. Director Michael Grandage has cast the show with fine actors, Christopher Oram’s ramshackle set is just right and so is lighting by Paule Constable. It’s a very long play, not greatly constructed, with puzzling questions unanswered, and it’s spoken in a dialect that can be hard to understand, so I don’t think it’s for kids. In the play, Cripple Billy’s favorite pastime is to look at cows. If you want to spend two and a half hours looking at Mr Radcliffe, he’s there for you.

Richmond Shepard—

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com.

   
April 11th, 2014

I went to see Tim Ruddy’s play THE INTRNATIONAL without knowing or reading anything about it except that I was told it had won awards and had international scope. I thought maybe I was going to hear the Communist song “The International” interpreted by different viewpoints. Nope. It’s a series of monologues by three actors with no interaction about a conflict in a not clearly defined country. A woman in a Muslim headscarf (Carey van Driest) and an unbroken smile, laughingly starts to tell of painful experiences in her country. A Dutch man (Timothy Carver) joins the army. There is mention of a tank coming at him. My companion, Barbara Horn, former head of the Theater Dept. at St. John’s University and author of eight published books on Theatre, and I both thought we were listening to a World War II account. We realized later that “The International Force” was the ineffective United Nations Peacekeeping force. An American “good ole boy” with money problems (Ted Schneider in a totally believable portrayal) and home focus is introduced- he needs money to take his kids to Disneyland.

It is rather confusing as to dates, country (the drink Raki is mentioned, and I thought we were in Turkey). There is no mention of Bosnia in the program. Enemy forces attacking refugees wear blue shirts. Cynical Americans learn about the conflict by watching the suffering of the refugees on TV, and ultimately begin to bet on which side will win-- like watching a football game. The Dutchman, part of the UN peacekeeping force, notes that at a time of particular brutality, UN jets fly over, but do nothing. As we near the end, the woman’s recounting of the terrible brutality towards men, women and children shifts into sobbing delivery that obscures words, and the Dutchman rises to an overwrought, over-the-top outcry. Whether it be the fault of director Christopher Randolph or of the actors themselves, at times during their monologues the actors look directly into the eyes of audience members as if talking to them personally. That is always disconcerting. The set by James Maloff is a series of large paintings with billowing brownish clouds with splashes of red, perhaps symbolizing the Earth with blood on it. Lighting by Derek Van Heel is just fine. So what did we learn? There is great suffering as displaced people are shuffled about; the UN is ineffective; Americans are indifferent, unfeeling, selfish bastards.

Richmond Shepard—

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com.

   
April 08th, 2014

I have the strange idea that performers in a musical should be able to sing. IF/THEN, music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, fulfills that hope in spades, ALL members of this cast, leads and chorus, are well-trained, strong, talented, fine singers, and lead Idina Menzel is a killer of a vocal acrobat. So all of the quite engaging, bouncy songs are performed well, and, on their own, make for an enjoyable concert by terrific singers, including the adorable LaChanze and the very strong Adam Rapp, James Snyder and Jerry Dixon. Menzel plays a woman who reaches a fork in the road in her life, both romantically and careerwise, and we see both forks. Her rendition of “What the Fuck?!” brings down the house. There are unanswered questions ongoing, which can be puzzling, and from the beginning, set designer Mark Wendland’s over-innovative, over-adventurous active set, with the dancers and actors reflected in a mirror high over the upstage area, distracts our focus from the action. The set is in competition with the play. Great idea— good revolving center-- it doesn’t work. The story becomes confusing, but the total effect of the evening is that we sure heard some good singing. Congratulations to director Michael Grief for great casting and some interesting stage pictures.

Richmond Shepard—

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com.

   
April 03rd, 2014

Disney’s new musical ALADDIN, music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, book and additional lyrics by Chad Beguelin, begins with an overblown song and dance number with the tone and feeling of 1940’s Swing Music, extravagantly well-costumed by Gregg Barnes, and continues giving us a kitch-dazzle cartoon. Eventually the story of a good-looking poor boy and petty thief (Adam Jacobs)in love with the beautiful daughter (Courtney Reed) of the Calif unfolds among spectacular special effects that one might expect from Disney including the best ending of any show on Broadway (Illusion Designer Jim Steinmeyer), scenic design by the best in the world— Bob Crowley, and lighted by the super Natasha Katz. The most spectacular thing in the show is James Monroe Iglehart as the overweight, marvelously flexible singer/dancer/cavorter Genie. He’s a sure Tony nominee (and probable winner) who gives spirit and joy to the whole production. Full of anachronistic jokes, humor abounds. The music becomes, at times, Be-bop, and there are some memorable songs like “Diamond in the Rough” and “Somebody’s Got Your Back”. There is more Performing than Acting in the show, and it can be off-putting early on, leaving us to be merely spectators rather than participants, but in time it gets to be fun. Director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw seems to be filled with the ghost of Ziegfield with dance numbers a combination of Rockettes and Las Vegas show, with pageantry and fantasy costumes. Some of his choreography is innovative; most is derivative. ALL of the large cast are fine singers and terrific dancers who well fill the stylized caricatures they play. As the house lights came up, the audience leaving the theatre was happy and smiling.

Richmond Shepard—

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com.

   
April 02nd, 2014

The new musical HEATHERS, book, music and lyrics by Kevin Murphy and Lawrence O’Keefe, based on Daniel Waters’ film, snappily directed by Andy Fickman, is a musical that could bring hoards of young people to live theatre. It’s a brash, bold, irreverent take on high school kids, and has the flavor of terrible teenage conflict, sprinkled with death, that brought cheers from the audience. With strong performances, in song, dance and acting, by the entire young cast, including Barrett Wilbert Weed as the lead, Jessica Keenan Wynn and Katie Ladner, as they sing the quirky, lively songs whose music resonated with the absurd humor of a skewed teenage reality. Dance numbers by choreographer Marguerite Derricks are sparkly, zippy, racy, fresh and original. Good set by Timothy R. Mackabee, fine lighting by Jason Lyons and great costumes by Amy Clark, help make HEATHERS one of the funnest shows in town.

Richmond Shepard—

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com.

   
March 20th, 2014

Bryan Cranston had an enthusiastic audience of his TV fans in Robert Schenkkan’s play ALL THE WAY- about Lyndon Johnson’s fight, in his first year in office, to get America’s first civil rights bill through congress. With a large, excellent cast, many of them familiar on Broadway, including Michael McKean as Hoover, John McMartin as Senator Richard Russell, and Brandon J. Dirden as Martin Luther King, and a multi-flexible cast, each playing multiple roles- congresspeople, Washington officials, black activists, Cranston is a powerful Johnson, commanding the stage with his voice and persona as Johnson is smart, crude, crafty, and powerful. It’s a three hour play as the intricacies of political gamesmanship and compromise are played out between Southerners (except Johnson) who want to kill the bill and liberals who want this landmark bill, set in motion by Kennedy, to pass. Director Bill Rauch stages it all beautifully on Christopher Acebo’s imaginative set, with Jane Cox’s superb lighting. I felt that the play could be trimmed without losing anything, and that too much of the acting was declaiming, even in conversation, but as an Event, it holds you: History!—dreamers and schemers running things in Washington at a time of great change.

Richmond Shepard—

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com.

   
March 12th, 2014

THE RED DRESS, performed by China Ningbo Performance & Arts Group in their first foray out of China, is a visual feast as the principals and the chorus of graceful, lyrical dancers present a flowing visual panorama in this tale of love found, love lost, and guess what? Surprisingly, the physical techniques performed are mostly ballet and Modern Dance based, and the leading man, Zeng Ming reminds me of Baryshnikov with his great leaps and twirls. It’s quite charming as the synchronized movements, the stage patterns, directed by Wang Xiaoying and choreographed by Yin Mei, with exciting adagios, unfold. Lighting, area and full, by Xing Xin is super. Composer Lan Tian gives us a sound mixture that includes (mostly) full orchestra, drumming in a universal rhythm, and just a tad of classical Chinese yowling and chittering that I expected. The colorful costumes by Dai Yannian are both lovely and practical. As the two hours unfolded, the ongoing story wasn’t always clear to me but the spectacle, the fluidity, grace and emotion caught me. It has a lively pace, and it is fun to enjoy this rare treat.

Richmond Shepard—

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com.

   
March 07th, 2014

RIDING THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS with BILLY HAYES gives us the man himself telling the dramatic tale of his hashish smuggling, his capture in Turkey, his five years in a Turkish prison, and his remarkable escape. It’s an enthralling theatrical experience- and with Billy himself telling (and acting) the story, displaying his inner life as the adventure unfolds, it is gripping. He’s a vivid personality, and a top notch story-teller, and director John Gould Rubin gives it perfect timing. For me, the live performance goes beyond the movie because here he is- live- still cookin’ after all these years. I felt totally captured by the performance. This piece should be seen by every high school and college student in the country-- the lesson is clear, and the performance is vivid. Don't miss "Riding the Midnight Express."

Richmond Shepard—

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com.

   
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