‘DERREN BROWN: SECRET’: Derren Brown. Photo: Matthew Murphy

DERREN BROWN: SECRET
Written by Andy Nyman, Derren Brown & Andrew O’Connor
Directed by Andrew O’Connor & Andy Nyman
Through January 4, 2020
Cort Theatre
138 West 48th Street
212-239-6200; www.derrenbrownsecret.com

By David NouNou

At the beginning of Derren Brown: Secret, an announcement is made that photography is prohibited and to kindly refrain from discussing or reviewing the show online as it would spoil it for future viewers. When you are dealing with illusion⁠—or in this case, mentalism or the power of suggestion⁠—it is best not to reveal any information, because the main purpose of a show like this is to leave the audience in awe, and Derren Brown leaves the audience completely stumped and enthralled.

Unlike shows like the various incarnations of The Illusionists (with multiple acts and a few better than others, those are more family holiday-oriented shows), Mr. Brown’s Secret is a clever one-man extravaganza that has witty repartee with the audience. He’s well known in the U.K. (he has won two Olivier Awards) and in the U.S. has shows streaming on Netflix, “The Push” and “Sacrifice.” For his Broadway debut, of course the audience is his source of material/entertainment; they are chosen randomly and the rest of us are amazed at the feats that are performed. Sorry, I can’t reveal any of the mysterious acts presented.

What makes this show so enjoyable is Mr. Brown’s affability. He is a charming host with refined British dry humor that makes this sort of show go down smoothly. If mental telepathy, or mind shows and trickery are not your cup of tea, it would be best to skip this one. There are times when Secret seems over indulgent, but Mr. Brown is a superb showman, and the rapport he has with his audience keeps the show afloat.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published September 19, 2019
Reviewed at September 18, 2019 press performance.

‘DERREN BROWN; SECRET’: Derren Brown performs a trick with an audience member. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘DERREN BROWN: SECRET’: Derren Brown & audience member. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘DERREN BROWN: SECRET’: Derren Brown. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘DERREN BROWN: SECRET’: Derren Brown with audience members as part of his act. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘DERREN BROWN: SECRET’: Derren Brown. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘DERREN BROWN: SECRET’: Derren Brown. Photo: Matthew Murphy

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‘KING LEAR’: Glenda Jackson. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

KING LEAR
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Sam Gold
Original score by Philip Glass
Cort Theatre
138 West 48th Street
(212-239-6200), www.KingLearonBroadway.com

By David NouNou

Whatever happened to the adage of less is more? In this revival of King Lear, Shakespeare has been bastardized and vandalized by director Sam Gold.

Shakespeare has been presented in many ways: traditional, contemporary, and with dates shifting from Roman times to Fascist times (as was the case of Julius Caesar with Denzel Washington playing Brutus in a 2005 revival that was a mess). Well, nothing will prepare you for this reincarnation of King Lear with Glenda Jackson, a role she performed in 2016 at London’s Old Vic.

Shakespeare is convoluted enough, and listening to the Bard’s dialogue is crucial in order to comprehend the narrative. It is complicated, so attention must be paid. External distractions are unnecessary because there are enough of them here. Clocking in at three hours and 35 minutes, it’s a Herculean sit-through.

Lear (Glenda Jackson) has three daughters: Goneril, the oldest (Elizabeth Marvel), Regan, the middle (Aisling O’Sullivan); and Cordelia (Ruth Wilson), the youngest. Ms. Wilson also portrays The Fool. Lear has two too many daughters. Goneril and Regan, along with their husbands, honor Lear with their false love and devotion, while Cordelia just honors him without any false flourishes. This galls Lear’s vanity. thus banishing Cordelia from the kingdom, only too late discovering the treachery of his other two daughters. Thus, his unraveling and dissent into madness ensues.

What also ensues is the madness that takes place on stage. With no clear focus but pretentiousness by director Sam Gold, throwing everything on stage, including the proverbial kitchen sink, the viewer has to make some sense of the proceedings. Why is there a four-piece chamber orchestra consisting of two violins, a cello and viola and whose members are clad in formal attire, playing chamber music and moving about the stage, courtesy of Philip Glass? If the raison d’etre of the piece is a gender-bending role for Glenda Jackson as Lear, then why diminish and take away from her bravura performance by adding other members of the cast in gender-reversed roles like Jayne Houdyshell as the Earl of Gloucester and Ruth Wilson, doubling up as the Fool? Both diminish the returns from Ms. Jackson.

It is truly important to give everyone a chance to perform on the stage. Mr. Gold uses many African-American actors in important roles, he is giving Sean Carvajal, a Latino actor, the part of Edgar, son of Gloucester, to speak in Spanish phrases to an army for comic relief, which makes absolutely no sense and is offensive to Shakespearean devotees. He also uses Russell Harvard, a hearing-impaired actor, portraying the Duke of Cornwall, Regan’s husband, using a sign-language interpreter, the wonderful Aide to Cornwall, Michael Arden. All of these are admirable choices, but they create so much distraction that there is no cohesive flow. A viewer loses focus and concentration, because one’s attention keeps changing from one thing to another.

In the past Mr. Gold directed A Doll’s House, Part 2 beautifully and concisely but he also directed the abysmal 2017 revival of The Glass Menagerie with Sally Field, where he sucked out all the poetic brilliance of Tennessee Williams. Ann Roth is usually a meticulous costume designer and designed gorgeous costumes for Ms. Jackson in Three Tall Women, but here she is all over the place as well.

Be forewarned that, with all the noise and distractions, this is a three hour and 35-minute hollow production, so bring lots of cushions for your seats. It just might make sitting through this more bearable.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 4, 2019

‘KING LEAR’: Jane Houdyshell & Glenda Jackson. Photo: Brigitte
Lacombe

‘KING LEAR’: Glenda Jackson. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

‘KING LEAR’: Pedro Pascal & Jayne Houdyshell. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

‘KING LEAR’: Ruth Wilson. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

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‘THE NEW ONE’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE NEW ONE
Written by Mike Birbiglia
Directed by Seth Barrish
Through January 20, 2019
Cort Theatre
138 West 48th Street
New York, N.Y.
212-239-6200, www.thenewone.com

By David NouNou

The New One focuses on a hilarious rite of passage as a gentle soul regales the audience with his life ups and downs and we relate to his travails in one form or another.

The show starts with solo writer/performer Mike Birbiglia (Sleepwalk with Me) in his early 20s obtaining his first important purchase, a couch, and all the events that take place on this couch. He jokes about the diagnosis of his various ailments over the years and the comfort he got from the couch, the times he’s shared with his wife and cat on this couch, and eventually his daughter’s takeover of the couch.

Throughout this journey, Mr. Birbiglia guides us into his personal thoughts and viewpoints on his life. From the onset he warns us that he never wanted to have a child because of his weak gene pool and his dislike of children. Before he got married, he and his wife decided they would never have any kids, especially when all their friends and relatives constantly told them how kids change their life and the joy they bring is boundless. Well, as every good thing has to come to an end, their life as a duo changes when his wife announces she is pregnant.

The next stage is coming to grips with the pregnancy and the expectancy of becoming a father and all the changes it entails. Of course, there is the birth of a child, and it’s a girl. Again more changes ensue until the final resolution. This journey is a nonstop roller coaster of unbridled storytelling and Mr. Birbiglia is a consummate pro. His ease of recounting his past is consistent hilarity and his humor is never forced and in your face. He just glides, smooth as butter.

Seth Barrish, the director, has paced the evening with a smooth flow and keeps everything a constant delight. The New One is a clever, insightful look at how even guys who never wanted to can become great dads. Mike Birbiglia rules.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 15, 2018
Reviewed at November 14, 2018 press performance.

‘THE NEW ONE’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE NEW ONE’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE NEW ONE’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE NEW ONE’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE NEW ONE’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Joan Marcus

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‘M. BUTTERFLY’: Jin Ha. Photo: Matthew Murphy

M. BUTTERFLY
By David Henry Hwang
Directed by Julie Taymor
Cort Theatre
138 West 48th Street
(212-239-6200), https://mbutterflybroadway.com/

By David NouNou

Captivating, alluring, seductive and bewitching could have been adjectives used for the original 1988 version of M. Butterfly. Time hasn’t been good to Butterfly, between the tinkering and adding of layers to the already intriguing subject matter by playwright David Henry Hwang, and the dizzying, busy direction by Julie Taymor. They have taken this Butterfly so close to the sun that they have managed to singe its gossamer wings.

Butterfly deals with illusion and the longing for that ideal perception of love in the real world. It also deals with the perception the West has of the East; the West being the aggressor and the East being submissive and pliant. It was beautifully balanced in its original casting of John Lithgow as the guileless, doltish Rene Gallimard, a French diplomat stationed in Beijing, China in 1966 and his 20-year relationship with a Chinese geisha/Chinese spy, Song Liling, portrayed exquisitely and genuinely by B. D. Wong.

Gallimard has always been captivated by the Puccini opera Madame Butterfly, although he is married, he has always longed for his Butterfly and he meets her at an embassy gala performing an aria from Madame Butterfly. He falls head over heels in love with Song Liling, thinking he is a real woman. This time around it’s the casting that short circuits the illusion. Gallimard in this instance is portrayed by the wonderful Clive Owen. From the beginning, one look at Jin Ha as Butterfly and that illusion is totally shattered. This view of reality vs illusion is so unbalanced that one has to ask is Gallimard blind or totally deranged.

Due to the subject matter being so intriguing and thought-provoking and so unique for its time (it still is), that a French diplomat of such high rank could have a 20-year relationship with a man who in actuality is a Chinese spy posing as a woman, to extract confidential information and not having a clue to Butterfly’s identity, is overwhelming. At a juncture in their relationship, she even tells him she is pregnant with his child. You might ask yourself how is that possible? Didn’t they have sex? This is where the illusion has to be so strong and convincing that Butterfly is indeed a woman.

Clive Owen is brilliant as Gallimard; he conveys the longing for that perfect woman and his delusional dashed hopes are convincing but unfortunately, he falls in the abyss of emptiness. There is no Butterfly here or the illusion of one. Jin Ha has a tone of Butterfly and a certain attitude that conveys her, but the sense of a cogent feminine mystique is totally lacking visually. Any Asian contestant on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” would be more convincing in the looks department.

Butterfly is both timely and dated. Perceptions and illusions of the West and the East still exist today. In this case, Mr. Hwang should have stuck to his original script and the subtle direction of his original director, John Dexter, where less would definitely have been more.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 31 2017
Reviewed at October 30, 2017 press performance.

‘M. BUTTERFLY’: Clive Owen. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘M. BUTTERFLY’: The company. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘M. BUTTERFLY’: Jin Ha. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘M. BUTTERFLY’: (left to right) Scott Weber & Jin Ha. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘M. BUTTERFLY’: (left to right) Jin Ha, Clive Owen & company. Photo: Matthew Murphy

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‘INDECENT’: The cast. Photo: Carol Rosegg

INDECENT
By Paula Vogel
Directed by Rebecca Taichman
Cort Theatre
138 West 48th Street
212-239-6200, www.IndecentBroadway.com

By Scott Harrah

More than merely a drama about a play that shocked early 20th century audiences, Paula Vogel’s Indecent illuminates a dark period of history when anti-Semitism and anti-immigrant sentiment were rampant in America. No, the year is not 2017 but 1906 to the 1920s through 1940s. There are numerous themes and subtexts in this complex, fascinating and sometimes confusing drama, from the troubled staging of Yiddish writer Sholem Asch’s theatrical potboiler God of Vengeance to the disturbing tide of prejudice toward Jews and their culture evolving from the turn of the 20th century and onward.

This is the proverbial Brechtian epic, immediately grabbing one’s attention and posing questions about art, decency, and the boundaries of morality and faith. It’s exhausting yet riveting to watch from the opening scene, with Yiddish actors onstage speaking as ashes literally fall off their bodies. This is only the beginning of the layers upon layers of symbolism that unfold throughout the 100-minute show.

At first glance, one thinks the story is simply about Mr. Asch’s turgid Yiddish drama, a sensational tale about a brothel owner, his daughter, a prostitute, a lesbian affair and desecration of a Torah. Asch’s play was a hit on the Yiddish theater circuit in Europe, but scandalous indeed when it was translated into English and debuted in New York at the Provincetown Playhouse in 1922. Although the lesbian themes were toned down (and a Sapphic kissing scene cut) for the Broadway transfer to the Apollo Theatre in 1923, the cast and producer were arrested mid-performance for obscenity a few weeks into the run.

Indecent, however, is really less about the puritanical reaction to God of Vengeance in America and more of an homage to the death of Yiddish theater and the tragedy of Jews across the world from the early 1900s up through the Holocaust. In addition, the story shows how America, decades before feminism, could not handle not only homosexuality but anything that depicted women as something beyond wives, daughters or prostitutes.

Despite the heavy subject matter, Indecent is a visually arresting piece of theater. Seven actors portray “the troupe,” from Lemml, the stage manager of Asch’s play (Richard Topol), while others play musicians performing klezmer-style music (with original compositions by Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva). The stage features constantly changing projections of Yiddish, Hebrew and English supertitles and scene settings, from Warsaw in 1906 (when Asch first wrote the play) to Berlin, various stages and attics across Europe to New York City. The action jumps around from city to city like a TV miniseries or popular novel (a narrative technique that is always tricky on the stage).

There is a frenetic lyricism to Rebecca Taichman’s direction of the actors, many of whom play multiple roles. It is Ms. Taichman’s manic pacing of the evolving plot, musicians and actors dancing in circles–and the endless projections of the supertitles–that keeps us glued to the action but grows tiresome at times.

Indecent is a show that has quite a backstory itself, with Ms. Taichman basing the chronicle of God of Vengeance (and its obscenity trial over the first lesbian kiss in American theater) as a directing thesis at Yale. She and Paula Vogel worked over a period of seven years to develop the opus, after productions at the Yale Rep, La Jolla Playhouse and an Off-Broadway run at the Vineyard last year.

There are outstanding ensemble performances here, from Richard Topol as Lemml and Max Gordon Moore as Sholem Asch to Katrina Lenk and Adina Verson as the actresses portraying lovers. Musicians Matt Darriau, Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva add an eerie, haunting sincerity to the play with their original compositions.

Yes, the show is over-the-top, overly poetic, and perhaps too cerebral and academic for its own good. However, the overall message of Indecent is what makes it so relevant and topical today. Because, much like the political climate leading up to World War II, we also now live in age of xenophobia and prejudice about sexuality, race and religion. It is chilling when one thinks that the censorship, bigotry and fascism that were pervasive in the days of God of Vengeance (and created so much human suffering) could easily be repeated in 21st century America.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 18, 2017
Reviewed at press performance on April 15, 2017

‘INDECENT’: (left to right) Aaron Halva (with accordion), Matt Darriau (with clarinet), Lisa Gutkin (with violin) & company. Photo: Carol Rosegg

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‘INDECENT’: The cast. Photo: Carol Rosegg

‘INDECENT’: The cast. Photo: Carol Rosegg

‘INDECENT’: Max Gordon Moore & Richard Topol. Photo: Carol Rosegg

‘INDECENT’: Max Gordon Moore & Richard Topol. Photo: Carol Rosegg

‘INDECENT’: Katrina Lenk & Adina Verson. Photo: Carol Rosegg

‘INDECENT’: Max Gordon Moore & Adina Verson. Photo: Carol Rosegg

‘INDECENT’: Adina Verson & Katrina Lenk. Photo: Carol Rosegg

The post ‘Indecent’: Play about a play that shocked appeared first on StageZine.

‘BRIGHT STAR’: (left to right) Michael Pearce, Bennett Sullivan, Rob Berman & Martha McDonnell. Photo: Nick Stokes

BRIGHT STAR
Book, music & story by Steve Martin
Music, lyrics & story by Edie Brickell
Directed by Walter Bobbie
Cort Theatre
138 West 48th Street
(212-239-6200), www.BrightStarMusical.com

By Scott Harrah

With its bluegrass score and Southern gothic plot, Bright Star—the new musical by Steve Martin and pop artist Edie Brickell, based on their 2013, Grammy-winning album “Love Has Come For You”– is hardly traditional Broadway fare, but it is truly an original work in every sense. This down-home tale has a lot going for it, from energetic choreography by Josh Rhodes to a great cast directed by Walter Bobbie and a breakout performance from golden-voiced Carmen Cusack in the lead role of Alice Murphy. Despite its flaws, Bright Star has enough spunk to hold our attention with a compelling yet convoluted, sentimental story and a sincere, infectious, country-fried songbook.

If one overlooks the two things that bog down Bright Star—Ms. Brickell’s rhyming, often repetitious lyrics and the somewhat predictable plot—it’s easy to suspend disbelief and go with the saga, set in both 1920s and 1940s North Carolina. The musical opens with Ms. Cusack belting out the rousing “If You Knew My Story,” which prefaces all that is about to transpire.

In 1945, young Billy Cane (A.J. Shively) returns from the war and pursues his dream of becoming a writer. He travels to Asheville and tries to get published in the prestigious Asheville Southern Journal, but he first has to impress the discerning, editor, Alice Murphy (Ms. Cusack).

The story alternates from the mid-1940s to 1923, when, in bucolic Zebulon, North Carolina, teenaged Alice Murphy falls for Jimmy Ray Dobbs (Paul Alexander Nolan). The trouble is their fathers don’t approve of the relationship. Jimmy Ray’s dad is Mayor Josiah Dobbs (Michael Mulheren), who has lofty plans for his son, while Alice’s Daddy Murphy (Steven Lee Anderson) is a religious zealot and will not bless their union.

Without giving too much away, there’s a baby involved and a mysterious “accident.” It doesn’t take long for the tale of two decades to meet as the twist we’ve been expecting is finally revealed.

Everything unfolds via Eugene Lee’s multi-purpose set, featuring a revolving wooden cabin. We often see the musicians onstage, playing banjo, violin, piano, fiddle, etc., adding to the hillbilly spirit of the show.

Ms. Cusack emerges as the true Bright Star here because, with her lush, emotional vocals and multi-layered performance, she brings badly needed depth and veracity to the paper-thin material, portraying both young and older Alice with seamless conviction. She’s certainly going to be recognized in a few weeks come awards-nomination time in a competitive season of outstanding female musical actresses.

The songs, from “Way Back in the Day” to “Asheville,” “I Can’t Wait” and “Sun’s Gonna Shine” (the latter is the only one from the 2013 “Love Has Come for You” album) propel the story and will thrill fans of bluegrass. Although an original musical is a rarity on Broadway these days, this one, with all its rhyming songs and formulaic revelations, is solid enough for a good, healthy run.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 27, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on March 26, 2016

‘BRIGHT STAR’: Carmen Cusack & Paul Alexander Nolan. Photo: Nick Stokes

‘BRIGHT STAR’: Hannah Elless & A.J. Shively. Photo: Nick Stokes

‘BRIGHT STAR’: Carmen Cusack. Photo: Nick Stokes

The post ‘Bright Star’ a down-home delight appeared first on StageZine.

‘SYLVIA’: Annaleigh Ashford & Matthew Broderick. Photo: Joan Marcus

SYLVIA
By A. R. Gurney
Directed by Daniel Sullivan
Cort Theatre
138 West 48th Street
212-239-6200, www.sylviabroadway.com

By David NouNou

Sylvia may have seemed cute as presented by Manhattan Theatre Club back in 1995 in the small and intimate Center Stage One, but in today’s world in which social media dominates (i.e., Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to name a few, plus “dog blogs”), people post everything about their dogs from “stupid pet tricks” on YouTube and Vine videos on Instagram to dogs in Halloween costumes, among a myriad of other online pet antics. Sylvia’s paper-thin plot on a big Broadway stage has shrunk to a wisp of an idea even if you’re a fan of canine humor (and this is coming from a reviewer who is a dog lover and the owner of a golden retriever named Bagels).

The premise is simple. One day Greg (Matthew Broderick), while on a nature walk in Central Park, comes across Sylvia (Annaleigh Ashford), a dog that talks (in dog language, I assume), but is interpreted in English to enable Greg and the audience to know that they are communicating with each other. Greg is going through a mid-life crisis and Sylvia is his newfound love, bordering on mistress. He brings her home and his wife Kate (Julie White) is not happy with this arrangement. Their children are off to college, their marriage is getting routine, Greg skips work only to spend more time with Sylvia, and things get creepier and creepier. Oh, did I mention that Sylvia can be extremely foul-mouthed, gets horny at times, and loves to smell people’s crotches? This is the nature of this comedy.

I wish I could tell you more, but there really isn’t much more to say other than the constant walks to the park with Sylvia during which Greg meets a fellow dog owner, Tom (Robert Sella,) who explains to Greg the facts of life and the special bond between men and their dogs. Kate in turn runs into a friend, Phyllis (also played by Robert Sella in drag). Both Kate and Greg go to a therapist, the androgynous, Leslie (Robert Sella again); for Leslie can be either a man’s or a woman’s name, so Leslie allows the patient to pick which gender they want to speak to. Somewhere in that mix is a showdown between Kate and Sylvia.

The cast consists of formidable names. Starting with Annaleigh Ashford, who has been making quite a sensation on Broadway in the last few years; getting a Tony nomination for Kinky Boots a couple of years ago and winning one this year for You Can’t Take It With You, is delightful as usual but what with the aforementioned social media making it harder and harder these days to appreciate a feisty talking dog on stage, all is not kibbles and bits.

Julie White, who always brings such pathos to the characters she portrays, whether in her Tony-winning role in The Little Dog Laughed or in her Tony-nominated role earlier this year in Airline Highway, does her best considering the material she’s given. This woman can do everything that involves comedy or drama, but even she seems to flounder as the exasperated but valiant wife in dealing with Sylvia.

The evening’s most delightful performance is provided by Robert Sella as the geeky Tom, the haughty Phyllis and the androgynous Leslie. Mr. Sella gives us three distinct characters and three desperately needed gems.

Oy, and now to the hardest. Matthew Broderick was such an incredible talent when I first saw him in Torch Song Trilogy, followed by Brighton Beach Memoirs (for which he won his first Tony Award as Eugene Jerome). By the time he did Eugene again in Biloxi Blues, a pattern was emerging: the disengaged youth. Call it a curse or a blessing; Mr. Broderick hasn’t seemed to age a day in 32 years. At 53, he still has that boyish face, but his performances have turned from disengaged to laconic to downright somnambulant. Ever since he played Leo Bloom in 2001 in The Producers, he has been playing the same character over and over again: Last year in It’s Only a Play, three years ago in Nice Work If You Can Get It, plus The Philanthropist and The Starry Messenger, just to name a few.

Considering Sylvia’s wispy and dated plot, Mathew Broderick’s low-energy performance, and Daniel Sullivan’s flimsy direction, there is hardly any reason to sit up, pant or roll over with delight

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 30, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on October 29, 2015

‘SYLVIA’: Annaleigh Ashford. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘SYLVIA’: Julie White & Matthew Broderick. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘SYLVIA’: Julie White. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘SYLVIA’: Matthew Broderick & Annaleigh Ashford. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘SYLVIA’: Robert Sella & Matthew Broderick. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘SYLVIA’: Matthew Broderick & Annaleigh Ashford. Photo: Joan Marcus

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