GARY: A SEQUEL TO TITUS ANDRONICUS
By Taylor Mac
Directed by George C. Wolfe
Through August 4, 2019
Booth Theatre
222 West 45th Street
212-239-6200, https://garyonbroadway.com/

By Scott Harrah

One doesn’t need to be familiar with Shakespeare’s grisly tragedy Titus Andronicus to appreciate Gary, billed as a “sequel” to the epic. The show has a stellar cast and an incredible set by Santo Loquasto, and there is enough lowbrow, slapstick humor here to make the first moments of the 95 minutes pass quickly even if one hasn’t seen the show on which it is based. However, Taylor Mac’s jet-black comedy falls flat on so many levels that, despite the initial laughs, we are left scratching our heads halfway through. Other than being a star vehicle for Nathan Lane, why is Gary even on Broadway?

Set in the year 400 during the fall of the Roman Empire, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus opens with Carol (Julie White), a midwife supposedly “on the verge of death.” Shortly after she appears onstage, a mysterious liquid shoots from her hand. Is it blood? Water? Vomit? Another gross body fluid? Go figure, but it is the first of a series of repeated sight gags throughout Gary that grow increasingly tiresome.

The set is a gruesome hodgepodge featuring dead bodies and various severed limbs and other human remains all piled up. The years of bloody Roman battles are supposedly over and Gary (Nathan Lane) is a servant/clown whose job is to clean up the mess. He speaks in a cockney accent and honks a horn whenever he makes endless unfunny jokes. Helping him clean is his boss and fellow cockney Janice (Kristine Nielsen). She shows him how to insert a tube into the dead bodies to pump out the contents of the intestines and how to bend the corpses to and fro in order to release trapped gas. Of course, this is an excuse for excessive fart noises (one of the only genuinely funny moments in an otherwise dreadful evening). Gary is also hot for the corpses (he masturbates one) and in another scene, robotic soldiers, staged with “movement” created by Bill Irwin, sport metallic armor and firm erections (don’t ask). The show has fittingly creepy original music by Danny Elfman.

Gary has little to do with Titus Andronicus. Some may argue it’s a profane burlesque of the grotesque, with shades of vaudeville (hence Gary’s honking horn). Gary and Janice mostly banter and babble about power and what they would do if they ruled the world. Are they simply cleaning up the mess made from people in authority? Who knows, but one thing is certain: Taylor Mac’s narrative is dull, puerile and fails to make any real comedy out of tragedy. Like Titus Andronicus, much of Gary is written in iambic pentameter, but this is all the more confusing to anyone unfamiliar with Shakespeare’s tragedy.

Perhaps Taylor Mac is trying to make a statement about the current mess in Washington, who should clean it up and the parallels to the Rome of Titus. If so, he misses the mark. Mr. Mac has taken three minor characters from Titus Andronicus—Gary, the clown, Janice, the maid and Carol, the midwife—and attempted to create a farcical sequel to Shakespeare’s play.

 Gary is haphazardly directed by George C. Wolfe. Mr. Lane, who was absolutely brilliant last year as Roy Cohn in the Angels in America revival, is a huge disappointment as Gary. Here, Mr. Lane mostly hams it up for laughs, and he can only do so much with the paper-thin material.  Kristine Nielsen gives a far more convincing performance as Janice. Ms. Nielsen’s Janice is full of energy and she delivers dialogue with razor-sharp wit and timing. Tony Award winner Julie White has lots of spunk as midwife Carol, but her talents are mostly wasted.

With Gary, Taylor Mac attempts to mimic the absurdist sensibility of Samuel Beckett and Eugene Ionesco. However, the jokes and visual gags here seem more like “gross-out” stuff from early John Waters films, but Mr. Waters’ shameless antics were at least funny.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 21, 2019

‘GARY: A SEQUEL TO TITUS ANDRONICUS:’ Nathan Lane. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

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HILLARY AND CLINTON
Written by Lucas Hnath
Directed by Joseph Mantello
Through July 21, 2019
John Golden Theatre
252 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.hillaryandclintonbroadway.com

By David Nounou

After seeing Lucas Hnath’s 2017 A Doll’s House, Part 2, a follow-up to Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House in which Nora returns to her family after a 15-year absence (and all the drama she creates), I was intrigued to see what Mr. Hnath’s next play would be. Upon learning it was entitled Hillary and Clinton, I was giddy with anticipation over what twists he would bring to this world-renowned couple.

Starting out promisingly, we see Hillary (Laurie Metcalf) in 2008 explaining that flipping a coin five times results in one outcome, what are the chances getting the same results flipping that coin over and over again? What if another Hillary in another galaxy was doing the same toss of the coin, what would be the results there? Titillating premise for sure, but the results come up short.

Hillary is despondent that she has lost the Iowa caucus to Barack (Peter Francis James). Now, in New Hampshire, she is in third place, Barack still leading. She and her campaign manager Mark (Zac Orth) are discussing strategies, and he insists that she doesn’t call Bill (John Lithgow) for help. Everyone here is known by their first name. Mark has an offer from Barack’s team that if she drops out gracefully, Barack will pick her as his running mate, saying that it isn’t her turn now. Of course the first thing she does is call Bill for help. What ensues is bitter rancor and chastisements.

What is so frustrating is that in the 80 minutes in A Doll’s House, Part 2, so much happened, while in the same amount of time here, not much happens. After 40 minutes you hear Hillary say it is the end of Part 1, so naturally one assumes that the alternate universe would begin with what if she did run as Barack’s running mate? She wouldn’t have been secretary of state, she would not have been blamed for Benghazi and there may never have been a private server and who knows how the 2016 elections would have resulted in another galaxy? What possibilities to explore indeed. Instead we are served the blaming game and that Bill is the millstone around Hillary’s neck; she would be better off divorcing him and he would be nothing without her.

Laurie Metcalf’s riveting performance is what sustains one’s interest in the show. Without a Hillary wig, makeup or pantsuits, she is Laurie being Hillary in the most natural of ways and the performance is so luminous it could lead to an unprecedented third consecutive Tony Award for her.

John Lithgow as Bill also shines, but here he is more of a lead weight than the charismatic charmer that Bill still is. He is the man made by a strong woman standing behind him and in his shadow.

Joe Mantello as usual extracts every nuance from an otherwise lackluster show to keep it compelling. Pity he couldn’t extract or create that alternate universe. Instead, we have to be satisfied with another stunning performance from Laurie Metcalf as the heroine.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 18, 2019

‘HILLARY AND CLINTON’: John Lithgow plays Bill. Photo; Robert Zuckerman

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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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‘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 WAVERLY GALLERY’: Joan Allen & Elaine May. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

THE WAVERLY GALLERY
Written by Kenneth Lonergan
Directed by Lila Neugebauer
Through January 27, 2019
John Golden Theatre
252 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200),www.TheWaverlyGalleryOnBroadway.com

By David NouNou

Kenneth Lonergan has not so much penned a play as he has written a slice of life. Some people may call it a memory play as in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie in which Tom recalls the past and his family. Yet here Daniel Reed, played by the wonderful Lucas Hedges, doesn’t so much recall the past but explains in each successive scene his grandmother’s plight. His grandmother, Gladys Green, is radiantly played by the indomitable Elaine May.

The play opens with Gladys conversing with her grandson Daniel in her Greenwich Village art gallery about his life, his job, and things in general. She talks to him about his parents’ broken marriage and the fondness she and her deceased husband had for their son-in-law. She recalls her past and her joy of meeting new people. This is all done in a loving and nurturing but a bit repetitive manner. At first this comes across as funny because Elaine May has the knack of wringing humor from the most mundane of lines; but as the scene progresses the repetitiveness becomes more serious because Gladys isn’t so much as eccentric as she is developing the early stages of dementia.

As the story unfolds, Don Bowman (Michael Cera) enters the gallery. He is an artist who has moved from Massachusetts to New York to sell off his pitiable art and the only place that will take him in is Gladys. She believes all artists deserve a chance and enables him to showcase his art in her space, a so-called gallery.

Wednesday nights are reserved for dinner at Ellen (Joan Allen) and Howard Fine’s (David Cromer) home. Ellen is Gladys’ daughter, mother to Daniel and wife to second husband Howard. It is here where we begin to see Gladys’ deterioration. Ellen is the bastion of strength in the family, one who looks after Gladys and has to deal with the problems that begin to arise on a daily basis. She is ultimately the one who has to decide what happens to Gladys once she is informed that she is losing her gallery space and how this loss will affect Gladys when she has no place to go to fill her days.

Again, let me reiterate what we see here isn’t so much a play but actual life that Mr. Lonergan has put into words. He totally connects the dots of the start of Alzheimer’s disease, to the progression and the inevitable unreasonable demands that are unwittingly made by the patient. The effects it has on the family, when they take on the responsibility and refuse to allow the loved one go into a nursing home. Although this may sound very depressing, Mr. Lonergan has framed it with humor, which makes sitting through it a cathartic experience.

For a play of this nature, you have to start with an outstanding ensemble cast. I have to start by thanking Elaine May for bringing my late mother (who suffered from the same disease) to life and showing, with heartbreaking accuracy, what she went through those last few years of her life. Ms. May captures every nuance of so many of these patients and she does it exceptionally. One can’t imagine the toll it must take on Ms. May, but her performance is nothing short of remarkable.

Lucas Hedges is at the forefront of young actors and already has classic films under his belt. Mr. Hedges last year had his Oscar-nominated role in Manchester by the Sea and received critical raves for his work in Lady Bird and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Mr. Hedges stars in the much-anticipated, soon-to-be-released Boy Erased. He makes an auspicious Broadway debut here and hopefully he returns frequently because he is equally at ease and engaging in front of a camera as well as with a live audience.

Michael Cera, earlier seen this spring in his Tony-nominated role in Mr. Lonergan’s Lobby Hero, is almost unrecognizable, as he has shed his baby-faced looks by growing his hair and a beard, to play a hapless young artist. He is perfect as this guileless artist trying to survive in the big city.

It is great to see Joan Allen back on the New York stage inhabiting a very difficult role of trying to be a cold and disciplined daughter who has to say no and rein in her unruly, deteriorating mother, but also be caring and compassionate. David Cromer, who is a Tony-winning director, is equally adept at acting. His performance is dictated by his artistry of being an impeccable director. Lila Neugebauer directs everyone with sharp precision.

What makes The Waverly Gallery a must-see is that it is a life history lesson. It captures our past and what we were, it captures the present of what we have to cope with, and it captures the future for a preparation what may be in store for a loved one or for us.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 29, 2018
Reviewed at October 28, 2018 press performance.

‘THE WAVERLY GALLERY’: Elaine May. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

‘THE WAVERLY GALLERY’: (left to right) Lucas Hedges, Elaine May & Michael Cera. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

‘THE WAVERLY GALLERY’: Lucas Hedges & Elaine May. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

‘THE WAVERLY GALLERY’: Lucas Hedges & Elaine May. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

‘THE WAVERLY GALLERY’: Joan Allen. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

‘THE WAVERLY GALLERY’: Lucas Hedges. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

‘THE WAVERLY GALLERY’: Lucas Hedges. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

‘THE WAVERLY GALLERY’: Lucas Hedges. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

‘THE WAVERLY GALLERY’: Elaine May. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

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‘THE BOYS IN THE BAND’: (left to right) Robin de Jesus, Michael Benjamin Washington, Andrew Rannells & Jim Parsons. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE BOYS IN THE BAND
Written by Mart Crowley
Directed by Joe Mantello
Through August 11, 2018
Booth Theatre
222 West 45th Street
(212) 239-6200, http://boysintheband.com/

By Scott Harrah

My first encounter with Mart Crowley’s The Boys in the Band was back in college, decades after it was originally produced in 1968. I read the play one evening in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down because I’d never read anything that had so many gay-male characters, speaking in such crisp, rapid-fire bitchy dialogue.  As engrossing as the play was to me in my early 20s, I also found it completely offensive, particularly the lead character Michael, a reprehensible man who is full of self-loathing and makes racist and anti-Semitic comments and jokes to his friends. Seeing the show in its first-ever Broadway revival, with a stellar cast under Joe Mantello’s tight direction, has taken much of the insolent sting out of Mr. Crowley’s classic.

It’s still a flawed play, dated and inherently off-putting by 21^st century standards, but if one looks beyond the now “politically incorrect” content, the show remains a curious masterpiece, and was groundbreaking for being the first drama to show a microcosm of the gay-male subculture. Before Boys, gay men were mostly portrayed in films for comic relief as effeminate, stereotypical characters (hairdressers, florists, interior designers, etc.). As a vehicle for Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Robin de Jesus (all openly gay, by the way) and others, this ebullient revival is certainly an event. For millennials and anyone too young to remember the dark days of gay life before and after Stonewall and the horror of the AIDS pandemic, it is an historical reminder of how far gay men have progressed.

The plot revolves around Michael (Jim Parsons), an unemployed writer who somehow can afford a posh, two-level Upper East Side Manhattan apartment (David Zinn’s scenic design is gorgeous, but seems too modern for the 1960s). Michael is a high-strung, well-educated man from the South and was raised in an affluent Catholic family. As the story opens, he’s preparing to host a 32^nd birthday party for his friend Harold (Zachary Quinto), a man he derisively refers to as a “pock-marked Jew.” His friend Donald (Matt Bomer), an easygoing “underachiever,” arrives after a canceled session with his therapist and is helping Michael with party preparations. The phone rings and Michael learns his supposedly straight college roommate from Georgetown, Alan (Brian Hutchison), is in tears and desperately needs to see him. Michael hesitantly invites his old friend over.

Guests start arriving. There is Emory (Robin de Jesus), the swishy interior decorator; “Cowboy” (Charlie Carver), a mentally vapid, pretty-boy blond male hustler and Emory’s “birthday present” for Harold; Hank (Tuc Watkins), a schoolteacher in the process of divorcing his wife; Hank’s lover, Larry (Andrew Rannells), a fashion photographer with monogamy issues; and Bernard (Michael Benjamin Washington), a bookstore clerk, the only African-American in the group and the butt of many cruel, unfunny racist jokes and “n” word slurs by Michael.

The play has been referred to as an anachronistic “Auntie Tom” story for gays because it depicts gay men as victims of both society and their own self-abasement.  Granted, Boys was written in an era when most gay men had no choice but to stay in the closet, but have supposedly close friends (gay or straight) of any time period ever been so vicious to each other? Then again, the premise of friends being catty to each other is the foundation of all the puerile, sophomoric TV reality shows nowadays, so in that sense The Boys in the Band was decades ahead of its time.

As the drinks flow, the guys’ true feelings come out and one of the narrative highlights is a “truth” game and Michael insists that each guest pick up the telephone and call someone from the past or present to proclaim their love. Painful secrets and pathos are revealed with each telephone call, but discussing them further would spoil much of the story.

Joe Mantello directs the amazing ensemble of actors beautifully, but the biggest disappointment is Jim Parsons as Michael. Mr. Parsons, a TV superstar in his own right as nerdy genius Sheldon Cooper on the megahit series “The Big Bang Theory,” is no stranger to the Broadway stage, appearing in everything from winning revivals of Harvey and The Normal Heart to the lead in An Act of God. Unfortunately, Mr. Parsons is miscast as Michael, because he exudes too much charisma and likability for the despicable character of Michael. Michael is a man who says mean-spirited, repulsive things like “Oh, you really gotta figger, it’s tough to be a n****r, but it’s tougher to be a Jew” and self-deprecating zingers such as “You show me a happy homosexual and I’ll show you a gay corpse.”  However, Mr. Parsons is too charming, guileless and—dare I say it?—too much like TV’s Sheldon Cooper when he should simply be vile. As Harold himself says, “Michael doesn’t have charm. He has counter-charm.”

Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesus, Brian Hutchison, Michael Benjamin Washington and Tuc Watkins are all outstanding. This production’s biggest standout is Zachary Quinto as Harold. Mr. Quinto, first known for playing Spock in several Star Trek film sequels, is also a Broadway stage veteran, but here he gives one of his most memorable live performances ever. Although Mr. Quinto is perhaps too handsome for the role of Harold, he is nonetheless a revelation of wit and venom in his tinted glasses and outrageous mod 1960s garb, delivering his acerbic lines with zeal. However, in this case, he would have had greater impact on the show had he played the character of Michael. One can imagine how great he might have been in the role. Perhaps he might have evened out this production a bit and given Michael the hateful edge that’s necessary for the part.

Some have said that, without The Boys in the Band, there would never have been Angels in America and the countless gay-themed plays that followed, such as Terrence McNally’s Love! Valour! Compassion! Love it or dismiss it, Mart Crowley’s 50-year-old drama shows the dark, unsettling roots of LGBT life in the 1960s, and there is certainly a lot to ponder with these complicated “boys” back in town on the Broadway stage.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 31, 2018

‘THE BOYS IN THE BAND’: Jim Parsons (left) & Zachary Quinto. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE BOYS IN THE BAND’: Jim Parsons & Matt Bomer. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE BOYS IN THE BAND’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE BOYS IN THE BAND’:Zachary Quinto & Charlie Carver. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE BOYS IN THE BAND’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE BOYS IN THE BAND’: Matt Bomer (left) & Jim Parsons. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE BOYS IN THE BAND’: The cast facing Brian Hutchison. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE BOYS IN THE BAND’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE BOYS IN THE BAND’: (left to right) Tuc Watkins, Michael Benjamin Washington & Matt Bomer. Photo: Joan Marcus

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‘THE ICEMAN COMETH’: (left to right) Michael Potts, Denzel Washington & company. Julieta Cervantes

THE ICEMAN COMETH
Written by Eugene O’Neill
Directed by George C. Wolfe
Through July 1, 2018
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
242 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200),www.icemanonbroadway.com

By David NouNou

Eugene O’Neill’s classic has been and still is hailed as a classic. Clocking in at nearly four hours, you have to have the stamina of a bull elephant to sit through a repetitious, “slosh fest” babblethon of has-beens and “never weres” who sit all day and night boozing and bemoaning their pipe dreams and wallow in the lies they conjure for themselves to see life through another day.

Set in 1912 at Harry Hope’s bar in the Lower West Side of New York City, the denizens of this dive are awaiting the arrival of Theodore Hickman or “Hickey” (Denzel Washington). The audience in the theater must wait over an hour until Mr. Washington makes his entrance (so you have to endure all the wallowing as well). He is a traveling salesman, a drunkard like themselves, to come and cheer them up from their life of misery with his brand of humor and open pockets to buy the drinks. However, on this arrival Hickey doesn’t bring fun, but instead brings them sobriety to face the next day and get out and do something with their lives.

They all pull it together to go out in the world and face their fears, except for the disenchanted Socialist and resident cynic, Larry Slade (David Morse) who knows the reality of things. They all return more despondent because what they were hoping to find were only untruths and pipe dreams. Hickey’s mission wasn’t so much as to help them go out to find jobs or connect with the world; he wants to help them face their future without fear or living in pipe dreams.

Denzel Washington and David Morse provide solid performances and manage to make this ponderous evening bearable. Honestly speaking, spending eight hours at Angels in America, which deals with the advent of AIDS and Roy Cohn, is more uplifting and epic than this miserable evening of self-pitying and self-loathing, but if one is a Denzel Washington or Eugene O’Neill fan, it should not be missed.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 29, 2018

‘THE ICEMAN COMETH’: (left to right) David Morse, Denzel Washington & Colm Meaney in ‘The Iceman’. Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes

‘THE ICEMAN COMETH’: Denzel Washington. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘THE ICEMAN COMETH’: Denzel Washington & David Morse. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘THE ICEMAN COMETH’: Denzel Washington & cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘THE ICEMAN COMETH’: Denzel Washington & cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘THE ICEMAN COMETH’: The company. Photo; Julieta Cervantes

The post ‘The Iceman Cometh’: Denzel takes on O’Neill appeared first on StageZine.

‘THREE TALL WOMEN’: (left to right) Glenda Jackson, Alison Pill & Laurie Metcalf. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

THREE TALL WOMEN
Written by Edward Albee
Directed by Joseph Mantello
Through June 24, 2018
John Golden Theatre
252 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200),www.threetallwomenbroadway.com

By David NouNou

Upon seeing Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women for the second time, having originally seen it in London in 1994 with Maggie Smith, one wonders why this 1991 Pulitzer Prize winning play has never been done on Broadway? The answer is simple it was waiting for Glenda Jackson to retire from British politics and return to the stage, and what a return; she is nothing short of remarkable, giving the performance of the year.

To some degree this is Albee’s most accessible and normalized play. The characters are simply known as A, Glenda Jackson, B, Laurie Metcalf and C, Alison Pill. In the first half of the play, A is a sick, old dying woman who is rich, vain, imperious, bigoted, racist as well as homophobic. She is nursed by a middle-aged savvy B, who knows all her idiosyncrasies and knows when to calm and when to stoke her. C is young and idealistic and has been sent over by A’s attorney to take care of A’s unpaid bills. In the midst of all the idealism and cynicism, A has a stroke and blackout.

Within seconds the second part begins in a mirror image in reverse, with a body facing the back wall and the three tall women emerge in radiant lilac frocks, facing the audience, discussing the deceased.  The three women are the same at different stages of their lives: 26 idealistic, 52 bitter and cynical, and 92 content that it is all behind her now and she doesn’t have to deal with it anymore. Each one theorizes which is the best time in life.

Now back to Ms. Jackson. Leaving the stage for 25 years and being part of the British House of Commons has not dimmed her stage presence one iota. My personal favorite Glenda Jackson film is her 1973 Oscar-winning performance in A Touch Of Class. She was forceful, dominant and a force to be reckoned with; she hasn’t lost her touch and damn she is a classy lady through and through. Even when she is talking about her late husband’s genitalia, she peppers it with such frivolity that she manages to bring the house down. Here is an instance when an actor and role were made for each other, a performance for the ages.

Laurie Metcalf, who last year won a Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actress for A Doll’s House, Part II supports Ms. Jackson admirably in Part I, then glows as a red-hot ember in the second half. Her depiction of middle-aged bitterness is sublimely real. She is becoming a Broadway staple and a perennial Tony nominee, and for my money, she should return to Broadway annually.

Alison Pill, who is an accomplished actress in her own right, is in the least admirable part. Her part is the least developed and lacks much dimension. She does have a sincere moment in the second half as she retells a moment of her youth.

Broadway audiences are in for a real treat with Three Tall Women, beautifully directed by Joe Mantello. He has imbued it with so much texture and richness that the play seems timeless. Besides seeing one of Albee’s best and least revived plays, you will be experiencing a ferocious force known as Hurricane Glenda, a powerful tour de force in the best of ways.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 25, 2018
Reviewed at April 24, 2018 press performance.

‘THREE TALL WOMEN’: Alison Pill, Laurie Metcalf & Glenda Jackson. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

‘THREE TALL WOMEN’: Glenda Jackson & Laurie Metcalf

‘THREE TALL WOMEN’: Glenda Jackson. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

‘THREE TALL WOMEN’: Alison Pill, Glenda Jackson & Laurie Metcalf. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

‘THREE TALL WOMEN’: Alison Pill, Glenda Jackson & Laurie Metcalf. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

‘THREE TALL WOMEN’: Alison Pill. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

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