‘MOTHER PLAY’: Jim Parsons & Jessica Lange. Photo: Joan Marcus.

MOTHER PLAY: A PLAY IN FIVE EVICTIONS
By Paula Vogel
Directed by Tina Landau
Second Stage at The Hayes Theater
240 West 44th St.
(212) 541-4516
https://2st.com/shows/mother-play

By Scott Harrah

A stellar cast and outstanding performances make Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions one of the year’s must-see dramas. Paula Vogel, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright best known for her masterpiece How I Learned to Drive, delves into painful recollections of her own family with shades of Tennessee Williams’ classic memory play The Glass Menagerie.

Like Amanda Wingfield in Glass Menagerie, the narrative centers on a single mother from the South and her unrealistic dreams for her kids. Jessica Lange stars as Phyllis, a strict and demanding mother who wields power over her two teenage children, Martha (Celia Keenan-Bolger) and Carl (Jim Parsons).

The plays opens in 1962 in suburb of Washington, D.C. Phyllis and her kids have just moved into a new apartment. Phyllis is a divorcée with a drinking problem. Son Carl, 14, is starting to realize he’s probably gay. Daughter Martha, 12, is also learning she might be gay too, and her mother makes her read—in a passive-aggressive demand—the lesbian classic novel The Well of Loneliness as a cautionary tale.

Jessica Lange gives one of the best performances of her career as Phyllis, a woman who keeps moving her kids into disheveled apartments infested with roaches and mice. Phyllis is not exactly a likable character. She is shrill, demanding, volatile and homophobic, but Ms. Lange gives depth to this villainess with her seamless delivery of rapid-fire dialogue and manic mannerisms. It’s hard to take our eyes off Ms. Lange whenever she’s on the stage, and that’s because her performance is so heartbreaking and engrossing.

Reportedly based on playwright Paula Vogel’s real life, Mother Play is both a dramatic confessional and a portrait of a woman with unrealistic dreams for both herself and her children. The story unfolds in five different scenes spanning the decades or “evictions” as we see the family descend into more grief and all are on the edge of madness. Each attempt by Phyllis to control her children’s lives fails, and she just becomes more domineering and despicable.

Jim Parsons as Carl and Celia Keenan-Bolger are both exceptional and demonstrate a believable brother-and-sister chemistry that truly makes the show worth seeing. They are forced to mix their mother’s drinks and find her chic outfits while they both put up with her constant criticism and disapproval.

Mother Play, performed in one act, is not an easy drama to watch despite its brevity. Ms. Vogel’s portrait of family discord is brutally real, and while the show is not always perfect, director Tina Landau gets such fine performances from the cast that the flaws don’t matter in the end. Mother Play is a trenchant American tragedy for these troubled times.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 12, 2024
Reviewed at April 30, 2024 press  performance

‘MOTHER PLAY’: Jessica Lange & Celia Keenan-Bolger. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MOTHER PLAY’: Jim Parsons & Celia Keenan-Bolger. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MOTHER PLAY’: Celia Keenan-Bolger & Jim Parsons. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MOTHER PLAY’: Jessica Lange. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MOTHER PLAY’: Jim Parsons. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MOTHER PLAY’: Jessica Lange. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’: Jeff Daniels. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
By Aaron Sorkin
Based on Harper Lee’s novel
Directed by Bartlett Sher
Shubert Theatre
225 West 44th Street
(212-239-6200), https://tokillamockingbirdbroadway.com/

By David NouNou

Everyone who has read the 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird or seen the 1962 movie version with Gregory Peck in his Oscar-winning role as Atticus Finch is going to have an opinion of this stage adaptation; and anyone who has done neither is not going to know the difference.

To Kill a Mockingbird as a play carries a heavy burden. Since the book’s release, Harper Lee’s story has come to symbolize the “Great American” novel. It has been a “must read” in almost every school’s curriculum since its inception. Aaron Sorkin, a famous and popular dramatist, TV and screenwriter, writes scripts that focus on today’s issues, whether it is the presidency (“The West Wing” or “The American President”), the media (“The Newsroom”) or American lust for power and money (Steve Jobs or Molly’s Game). Mr. Sorkin always writes about issues with a contemporary standpoint that translate to the masses. This time he has taken it upon himself to transform this masterpiece into a meandering and rambling theatrical epic.

Mr. Sorkin has kept the principal players and setting intact; it is still 1936, Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus is here but with a much saintlier glow. The three children: Tomboyish Jean Louise “Scout” Finch (Celia Keenan-Bolger), who in the book is anywhere from six to eight; her older brother, Jeremy “Jem” Finch (Will Pullen), and Dill Harris (Gideon Glick), a diminutive child who sees the world from an innocent standpoint as an outsider. He is staying with his aunt Rachel, their next-door neighbor, this particular summer. The children in the book are now played by adults and that is perfectly fine, because the parts are so complex and children that young would not comprehend the gravity of the situation on a nightly basis.

Also the crux of the story here is Tom Robinson (Gbenga Akinnagbe), a black man being accused by Bob Ewell (Frederick Weller), a white man claiming Tom raped his daughter, Mayella. Another major character is Calpurnia, the devoted Finch housekeeper who for decades was retained by Atticus’ wife’s family, and has now taken care of Jem and Scott since their mother died when the kids were young.

The play remains a Southern Gothic classic and a tale of children coming of age. It is still in the South where the Ku Klux Klan is rampant and lawlessness runs amok, especially in the black section of town and nothing can prove the innocence of a black man, in an all-white jury, even when all the evidence is there. What has changed, however, is the dialogue and Atticus Finch.

Atticus’ saintliness borders on the psychotic; he always has to prove that everyone has a good side and try to understand what leads a person to where they are today, especially in the case of Bob Ewell, a drunkard, bully and bigot. This comes in the wake of his children not coming to terms with their father’s stubbornness and trying to be a savior. This also comes in direct conflict with Calpurnia, the family caregiver, who feels betrayed by Atticus.

The dialogue is another issue. In a scene where Atticus confronts Calpurnia “why are you mad at me, what did I do wrong?” she uses the terms “passive-aggressive” and “transparent.” I really don’t think those terms were used in the rural South in 1936.

Bartlett Sher, the director, hasn’t so much directed the play and given it any focus as put the characters and scenes handed to him into motion. A lot could have been edited from certain scenes, some scenes eliminated completely, and some scenes kept intact as the novel intended.

Being that Jeff Daniels has worked with Aaron Sorkin in the TV series “The Newsroom,” he was likely Mr. Sorkin’s first choice to play Atticus Finch. Mr. Daniels is stalwart and saintly. Will Pullen as Jem is serviceable, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Scout is a perfect choice; she imbues the characteristics of a tomboyish girl full of curiosity and is effective in most of her scenes. The real treasure here is Gideon Glick as Dill. A couple of years ago he did a great turn in Significant Other. As the guileless Dill, Mr. Glick heartbreakingly conveys every nuance of an abandoned child who lives in his own rose-colored world that ultimately shatters in the face of death and bigotry.

Additionally, Gbenga Akinnagbe, as the convicted Tom Robinson, delivers a powerful performance that envelops the stage and of course there is LaTanya Richardson Jackson as Calpurnia; she is an anchor and mother courage.

Of course my take is not the definitive view; for years to come there will be the controversy of whether this novel needed to be made into a play or is it a worthy piece that lives up to the novel? Unlike most plays or musicals where reviews help or hinder a show, this play will definitely have its defenders and detractors regardless of what critics say. You the audience/viewer will ultimately be the definitive critics.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 13, 2018
Reviewed at preview performance.

‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’: LaTanya Richardson Jackson & Jeff Daniels. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’: Jeff Daniels & Obenga Akinnagbe. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

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‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: (Left to right) Kyle Beltran, Tavi Gevinson, Diane Lane & Celia Keenan-Bolger. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE CHERRY ORCHARD
By Anton Chekhov
Adaptation by Stephen Karam
Directed by Simon Godwin
Through December 4, 2016
American Airlines Theatre
227 West 42nd Street
(212) 719-1300, www.roundaboutttheatre.org

By Scott Harrah

Anton Chekhov and his famous director Konstantin Stanislavsky must be rolling over in their graves regarding this misguided, unfocused adaptation of The Cherry Orchard. This revival is so inept that three questions arise immediately. Has it been produced as a vanity vehicle for Oscar nominee Diane Lane, who stars as Madame Lyubov Ranevskaya (she played one of the children back in a 1977 Lincoln Center revival with Meryl Streep and Raul Julia)? Or was it mounted because of a new adaptation by hot young playwright Stephen Karam, on the heels of his Tony Award-winning hit The Humans? Finally, why is Simon Godwin’s direction of the cast so haphazard and scattershot, with performances that are literally all over the place?

There is an ongoing argument in academic and intellectual circles about the true intent of The Cherry Orchard. Most theatergoers consider the four-act drama to be one of the greatest tragedies ever written for the stage. When first produced at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1904, director Konstantin Stanislavsky depicted a dark, lugubrious story of an aristocratic family, deeply in debt and about to lose their beloved estate. Most revivals have been true to the original Russian production, but some contend Chekhov was dissatisfied with the heavy-handed, gloomy tone the director infused into the text and the characters. Stephen Karam must believe—as some academics have pointed out over the years—that Chekhov intended the story to be a comedy because there are many humorous touches here, such as governess Charlotta Ivanovna (Tina Benko) hamming it up in some scenes, munching suggestively on a cucumber and doing card tricks and acting like a clown during a party.

Reinterpreting a classic like this may seem outrageous, but this is hardly the first production of Chekhov’s masterpiece with “comic” aspects. In 2005, an off-Broadway production at the Atlantic Theater (starring Brooke Adams) also played up the text’s more lighthearted moments, with equally dismal results. Whether New York audiences will agree that the story and its characters are funny is highly debatable. One simply cannot deny that the core of the plot itself is more heartbreaking than humorous.

Roundabout Theatre’s revival, directed by Mr. Godwin (a Brit who has directed numerous works at the National Theatre), features a stellar cast of Broadway and Hollywood veterans.

Diane Lane is Madame Lyubov Ranevskaya, the nearly bankrupt aristocrat who travels back to Russia from Paris to deal with the sale of her family’s orchard. Yermaoli Lopakhin (Harold Perrineau.), a onetime serf from the estate who has recently become a successful businessman, offers a simple solution to the problem—sell the orchard and build summer cottages on the land. Madame Ranevskaya and her ineffectual brother Gaev (John Glover) quickly reject the plan.

The Cherry Orchard is known more for its many subplots than one simple storyline. Chekhov created a complicated tapestry of dramatic incidents, existential philosophy and everyday encounters instead of a single narrative thread. The only villain here seems to be the changing socio-economic landscape of tsarist Russia—one that is quickly disassembling all former notions, privileges and traditions of the upper classes.

The cast has some distinguished names indeed, including the great Joel Grey (as the servant Firs), and Broadway notables Celia Keenan-Bolger as Varya (Ranevskaya’s daughter) and Tavi Gevison (recently in The Crucible) as Anya.

Scott Pask creates a fine set, complete with Calder-style mobiles that represent the cherry trees, and costumes by Michael Krass are lavish indeed

Ms. Lane certainly shows off her emotional range an as actress here, but her performance, like so many in the cast, never gels with the others because director Simon Godwin doesn’t rein in any of the actors, and it’s frustrating trying to figure out the myriad acting styles on display here. Mr. Grey’s portrayal of Firs is the only one that comes close to anything moving in this otherwise confusing and forgettable evening. Blame both Stephen Karam for this head-scratching adaptation and Mr. Godwin for his puzzling direction (or lack thereof). This new “spin” on The Cherry Orchard is simply the pits.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 20, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on October 19, 2016

‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: (Left to right) Harold Perrineau, Diane Lane & John Glover. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: Diane Lane. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: (left to right) Tavi Gevinson, John Glover & Celia Keenan-Bolger. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: (left to right) John Glover, Diane Lane & Joel Grey. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: Harold Perrineau & Diane Lane. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: (left to right) John Glover, Joel Grey, Diane Lane & Chuck Cooper. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’: (Left to right) Harold Perrineau, Diane Lane, John Glover, Joel Grey & Chuck Cooper. Photo: Joan Marcus

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BLOW OUT YOUR CANDLES, LAURA: Celia Keenan-Bolger meets ‘gentleman caller’ Brian J. Smith in ‘The Glass Menagerie.’ Photo: Michael J. Lutch

THE GLASS MENAGERIE
By Tennessee Williams
Directed by John Tiffany
Booth Theatre
222 West 45th Street
(800) 447-7400, http://theglassmenageriebroadway.com/

By Scott Harrah

Note to any producers in the future, thinking about a Broadway revival of an American classic:  This is how it’s done.  Tennessee Williams’ first play is also his most delicate, and some might argue, surprisingly accessible.  This epic of a St. Louis family in the 1930s has none of the vivacity of his later plays, but its simplicity makes it particularly heartbreaking and timeless. It only works with the right cast, without gimmicks. Despite some noticeable changes only purists might argue over, this is the most authentic Tennessee Williams production (of any of his plays) on Broadway in decades.

Director John Tiffany and scenic designer Bob Crowley have made some stylistic enhancements to The Glass Menagerie, from a reflecting pool of water to a stylized set featuring a tower of fire escapes, but nothing is distracting, and Williams’ simplistic yet florid dialogue and tragic story remain intact. The production recently transferred to Broadway from the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA.

The vulnerability Cherry Jones brings to Amanda Wingfield, the domineering mother, is both refreshing and true to the character.  Whether she’s nagging her children or recalling her glory days in Dixieland, we hear the sounds of desperation in every syllable.

Zachary Quinto’s take on Tom, the protagonist and narrator, is powerful in all the right places:  Sometimes nervous, ill at ease, with hyperactive movements. Whether he is arguing with his mother or talking about the drudgery of working in a shoe factory and spending mysterious nights at the movies, he displays an impressive range of awkward longing and raw emotions.

Celia Keenan-Bolger’s Laura is perhaps the strongest asset of this production. As written, the crippled, painfully shy character can easily be seen as fragile, but not terribly interesting.  However, Ms. Keenan-Bolger adds new dimensions here and thrives as a pretty but mentally and physically damaged being, relating only to her glass animal collection and words of encouragement from her brother and mother.  There is plenty of life in Ms. Keenan-Bolger’s Laura, and she really shines as an about-to-blossom flower when the famous Gentleman Caller (Brian J. Smith) arrives. Mr. Smith is entertaining as the man Tom invites over for dinner, after Amanda insists on finding a suitor for “Sister.”

The main thing missing here (often featured in other productions) is the large portrait of Mr. Wingfield, the father who left the family years earlier. But we don’t miss it, for it’s more realistic to not see the person who hasn’t been seen for ages in this doomed household.  These subtle directorial choices by John Tiffany, combined with the exceptional acting, make this a perfectly polished Glass Menagerie we may never see again.

REVIVAL REINVENTS ‘GLASS MENAGERIE’: (left to right) Zachary Quinto, Cherry Jones & Celia Keenan-Bolger in Williams’ superb memory play. Photo: Michael J. Lutch

MOTHER & DAUGHTER DISCORD: (left to right) Celia Keenan-Bolger & Cherry Jones in ‘The Glass Menagerie.’ Photo: Michael J. Lutch

The Glass Menagerie – 7 Tony Nominations, including: Best Drama Revival, Best Dramatic Actress – Cherry Jones, Best Dramatic Supporting Actress – Celia Keenan Bolger, Best Dramatic Supporting Actor – Brian J. Smith, Best Director – John Tiffany, Best Set Design, & BEST LIGHTING DESIGN – NATASHA KATZ.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 4, 2013
Reviewed at press performance on October 2, 2013

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