The Reservoir

B

When the audience enters the auditorium of Atlantic Stage Company’s Linda Gross Theater,  a motionless man is lying sprawled out on the stage next to a suitcase. When the play actually begins, we learn that the man is Josh (Noah Galvin), an NYU student who had left school on medical leave for a rehab facility in south Florida. The location where he sprawls is a reservoir near his home town of Denver. He has no idea how he got there. When he manages to arrive home, his mother Patricia (Heidi Armbruster) is not thrilled to see him, because she had warned him that rehab was the last chance she was giving him. Nevertheless, she lets him stay, on condition that he remain sober and take a job in the bookstore where she is the longtime buyer. We next meet Josh’s four grandparents. His mother’s parents are Irene (Mary Beth Peil) and Hank (Peter Maloney), a conservative Christian couple. His father’s parents are Beverly (Caroline Aaron), a retired engineer, and Shrimpy (Chip Zien), an 83-year-old who is preparing for his second bar mitzvah. Beverly and Shrimpy are estranged for reasons we don’t learn. The grandparents act as a Greek chorus during some of Josh’s flights of fancy. We also meet Hugo (Matthew Saldivar), Josh’s boss at the bookstore. Saldivar also plays a doctor, a waiter and an attendant at the senior living facility where Irene and Hank are now living. Armbruster also plays Beverly’s perky dance exercise instructor. Josh is furious that his mother had not told him that Irene was suffering from Alzheimer’s. She had always been his favorite as a child, although she withdrew somewhat when he was in high school and came out as gay. When he visits her, he is crushed to learn that she is basically uncommunicative until, out of the blue, she breaks into a beautiful rendition of “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Meanwhile, Shrimpy, whose memory is fading, asks Josh for help learning his Torah portion. Josh reads a book about cognitive reserve that posits that the brain can build a reservoir to fight later memory loss. This inspires him to begin giving his grandparents brain exercises to build their cognitive reserve. Somehow, he thinks that by helping them, he will help himself. In Act II we learn how that works out. 

Did I mention that this is a comedy? One has to give playwright Jake Brasch credit for attempting a comedy about alcoholism and Alzheimer’s. Brasch creates vivid characters that I wanted to know more about. Each grandparent gets a chance to shine and the four actors portraying them are all marvelous. Ambruster is equally strong as Josh’s mother Patricia – and makes a terrific dancercise instructor! Saldivar makes the most of his varied roles. Galvin skillfully navigates the narrow path of a character who is basically unsympathetic but who retains the audience's hopes for him. It’s worth coming just for the wonderful cast. The simple set by Takashi Kata is serviceable, the lighting by Jiyoung Chang is evocative, and the costumes by Sara Ryung Clement are appropriate. Shelley Butler’s direction is fluid, but I thought the play could have benefited from a trim. I have mixed feelings about the play. I admire what it attempted, enjoyed the vivid characters, but thought the symmetry was too pat with one set of conservative Christian grandparents and one set of freewheeling Jewish grandparents. I thought the lack of any information about Noah’s father and the reasons for his absence was a weak spot. It seemed inconsistent that at work, Noah’s brain was too addled to be able to shelve books alphabetically, but he was still able to master a Torah portion. The significance of Noah’s gay identity is left unexplored. At times I felt manipulated: the final scene defies the audience not to shed a tear. I succumbed. Running time: two hours 15 minutes including intermission.

 

 

 

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (TWO MORE NIGHTS ONLY!)

A+

I had no intention of ever reviewing an opera, but I’m going to make an exception for this new opera that opened the Metropolitan Opera season. Knowledgeable friends raved about it so enthusiastically that I was kicking myself for not getting a ticket before its run sold out. Fortunately, it was such a hit that the Met decided to bring it back for a four-night run this week. I was afraid my expectations might be too high after all the praise, but they were not. If anything, it was even better than I expected. It’s a brilliant example of gesamtkunstwerk, a unified, all-embracing artistic experience, combining music (Mason Bates), libretto (Gene Scheer), set, lighting and video design (59 Studio), costumes (Jennifer Moeller) and choreography (Mandy Moore) into a thoroughly satisfying whole. It is based upon Michael Chabon’s novel about two cousins—Joe (Andrzej FIlonczyk), an artist/magician/escape artist from Prague and his cousin Sam (Myles Mykkanen), a copy writer for a New York toy company. After escaping from Prague in 1939, Joe moves in with Sam’s family in Brooklyn. In order for Joe to earn enough money to rescue his parents and sister Sarah (Lauren Snouffer) from Prague, the two cousins create a comic strip about an evil-fighting hero called The Escapist. It is such a success that it becomes a radio show. Sam falls for Tracy (Edward Nelson), the actor who plays the title role. Joe falls for Rosa (Sun-Ly Pierce), founder of a charity that rescues Jewish children from Europe. Let’s just say that many adventures follow, even an appearance by Salvador Dali. The leading performers were excellent and the minor roles were also well-played. The chorus was very effective. The production was ably directed by Bartlett Sher. This week’s performances are conducted by Michael Christie. Even if you are not an opera lover but just a theater lover, I urge you strongly to catch this remarkable production which only plays for two more nights, 2/20 and 2/21. Running time: three hours, five minutes, including intermission.

The Honey Trap (On Demand)

B+

Irish Rep has done something that I hope catches on. Immediately after this play closed, they made available a recording of a live performance online for two weeks at the reasonable price of $39. This gives theatergoers who wanted to see it but never got there a chance to enjoy it and provides a new revenue stream to the theater company. You can buy a ticket to watch it over any 72-hour period until the end of February. The play, which was a NYT Critic’s Pick, tells the story of an incident during the Time of Troubles in Northern Island and its repercussions decades later. When the play opens, Dave (Michael Hayden), a retired British soldier who served in Belfast, is telling his story to Emily (Rebecca Ballinger), an Irish-American graduate student who is collecting oral histories of people involved in the conflict. The young Dave (Daniel Marconi) talks his naïve fellow soldier Bobby (Harrison Tipping) into going out to a bar in a “safe” area of Belfast to pick up girls. Although both are married, they have cheated before. At the bar they meet two attractive Irish women (Doireanne MacMahon and Annabelle Zasowski) and flirt with them. They plan to go home with them, but, at the last minute Dave has twinges of guilt after a short phone conversation with his wife and decides not to go. He encourages Bobby to go without him, and it does not end well for Bobby. Sometime after his interview with Emily, Dave finds out that one of the women who entrapped Bobby is back in Belfast, quietly running a coffee shop. She is conveniently single and still attractive. Dave assumes a new identity, stops in at her coffee shop and flirts with her. They hit it off and he invites her out for dinner and, eventually, to his hotel for the climactic final scene. The actors are all excellent. My only quibble is that the young Dave and the old Dave look nothing alike. The playwright, Leo McGann, tries to be fair to both sides and does not neglect to mention that money from America, and particularly Boston, funded the IRA. The play is tautly structured with events in the past and the present occurring simultaneously onstage. I had a bit of trouble with the accents, but not enough to prevent me from following the action. If you stop to reflect on what happens in Act II, it seems implausible, but while you are watching it, it is gripping. Charlie Corcoran’s bare set morphs smoothly into a bar, a coffee shop and a hotel room. The costumes by Sarita Fellows suit the characters. Michael Gottlieb’s evocative lighting enhances the production. If you want to enjoy an off-Broadway show in the comfort of your home, buy a ticket before the end of February. Running time; two hours with intermission.

 

Operation Mincemeat

B+

The true story about British counterintelligence facilitating the invasion of Sicily during WWII by deflecting German troops to Sardinia through clever misdirection has proven to be catnip for authors, screenwriters and composers. There have been two books, two films, and three musicals. The present iteration, the musical version that has been running on Broadway to packed houses for almost a year, has attracted a cult following. The New York Times recently ran a piece about a woman who has seen the show 13 times. It started humbly with a British comedy troupe called Splitlip performing in a tiny theater and worked its way up to the West End where it won an Olivier for Best Musical. It crossed the pond with its original cast, who will be replaced by a mostly American one later this month. The five actors all play a multiplicity of roles. Their main roles are as five members of the MI5 group who created and implemented the plan of dressing up a corpse as a British officer with false papers in a briefcase chained to his wrist and depositing him off the Spanish coast where he would be retrieved and the false information about the invasion would be likely to reach German hands. The motley crew consists of Charles Cholmondeley, an awkward amateur naturalist played by David Cumming; Ewen Montagu, a proud member of the elite class with a strong sense of entitlement played by Natasha Hodgson; Hester Legatt, the unit's longtime secretary played by Jak Malone (who won an Olivier and a Tony for it); Jean Leslie, a new member of the typing pool with higher aspirations, played by Claire-Marie Hall; and Johnny Bevan, their boss, played by Amanda Jill Robinson, understudy for Zoe Roberts. Cumming, Hodgson and Roberts also wrote the music, lyrics and book, along with Felix Hagan. The book specifies that the roles of Hester Legatt and Ewen Montagu be played by members of the opposite sex. The set by Ben Stones consists of a mostly bare stage with props such as desks rolled in as needed. The grey back wall transforms to a variety of lighting patterns. Stones also created the costumes, some of which are delightfully over the top. The choreography by Tara Young adds a lot to the production, especially in a second-act number featuring tangled telephone cords and hats. Oddly, the show reminded me of Hamilton because they both utilize rapping mixed with pure music numbers. They both have characters played by unexpected kinds of actors: in the case of Hamilton, It’s the race or ethnicity of the characters that has been changed while Operation Mincemeat changes their gender. There is also a touch of Monty Python in the type of comedy. The pace of the show under Robert Hastie’s direction is brisk — one might say relentlessly so. I understand why it was so enthusiastically received by British audiences because it covers a bright spot in their history, but I am puzzled why it has become such a hit here. Perhaps in our troubled times, seeing a show about good guys in the government fighting off the tascists fulfills a longing. A line about the need to combat fascism got loud applause from the audience. Its type of humor is not my favorite and Its relentless pace eventually became a bit tiring for me. While I think it would benefit from a judicious trim, I can’t argue with success. It’s selling out almost every performance. Running time: two hours, 35 minutes.

Bug

B

The word “bug” has many meanings. As a noun, it can refer to an insect or a communicable disease. As a verb, it can mean “to annoy” or “to plant a surreptitious listening device.” All of these options apply in Tracy Letts’ 1996 shocker, now on Broadway in a powerful production imported by Manhattan Theatre Club from Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre. I saw the play when it was off-Broadway 20 years ago and remember it for its shockingness and the amazing performance by Michael Shannon, whom I had not seen before. Its deep dive into the contagiousness of paranoia and conspiracy theories hasn’t lost its ability to discomfit an audience. It’s hard to imagine a better production than this one: the cast is uniformly excellent and the direction by David Cromer is superb. I must single out Carrie Coon who, as depressed 44-year-old waitress Agnes, once again demonstrates her enormous range and whose second-act monologue is breathtaking. As AWOL serviceman Peter, Namir Smallwood builds his meltdown slowly but skillfully. As Agnes’s lesbian friend R.C., Jennifer Engstrom creates a fully fleshed-out character economically. As Agnes’s ex Jerry, Steve Key is all too believable as an abusive spouse. Randall Arney is suitably ambiguous as Dr. Sweet. Takeshi Kata’s scenic design perfectly captures the seedy motel room where Agnes lives and undergoes a speedy transformation that I still haven’t figured out. Sarah Laux’s costumes amplify the personality of each character. The lighting by Heather Gilbert is excellent, as is the sound design by Josh Schmidt. Despite all these positives, I still can’t shake my reservations about the play itself – that it delivers shock for shock's sake and trades on gratuitous references to figures like Timothy McVeigh and Ted Kaczynski. I think that attempts to tie it to current events are a stretch. Nevertheless, if you want to see exceptional acting and aren’t grossed out at the prospect of an invasion of bugs, real or imagined, I recommend it to you. Note: Because of the extensive nudity, theatergoers must place their phones in a locked pouch, which is annoying for people like me who like to check their phone before the curtain and during intermission. If you are short and sitting in the front row of the Premium Circle, request a cushion because the high railing might block your view of the front of the stage. Running time: one hour 55 minutes including intermission.

Oedipus

A-

Robert Icke’s reworking of Sophocles’ tragedy, now playing at Studio 54, is well worth seeing. The two leading performances, by Mark Strong in the title role and, especially, by Leslie Manville as Jocasta are extremely powerful. The concept of making Oedipus a reform politician running to be the leader of an unnamed country is a clever one and allows Icke to bring in some contemporary references such as questions over a birth certificate and abuse of teenage girls by powerful men. The opening video of his final campaign rally provides a very strong start. The play is set in his campaign office after polls have closed and a celebration is anticipated. We see the private man, arrogant and often behaving badly to his family and subordinates. Merope (a fine Anne Reid), his supposed mother, has arrived unexpectedly and begs him for a private conversation, but he keeps putting her off. Teiresias (Samuel Brewer), a blind homeless seer, has somehow sneaked into campaign headquarters to warn Oedipus of what is about to befall him, but is tossed out in anger after Oedipus hears his warning. There are subplots, such as Oedipus’ acceptance of his gay son that seem irrelevant and merely slow the narrative down. The juxtapositions between the ancient tale and the modern one occasionally feel awkward. Some of the allusions to events yet to be revealed are a bit clunky. The script would benefit from a short trim to eliminate some of its repetitiveness. Oedipus’ investigation into the death of Laius, the former ruler and Jocasta’s former husband, yields results that prove devastating for all. A powerful scene that is a logical end to the play is puzzlingly followed by a brief coda that detracts from rather than adds to what precedes it. The set by Hildegard Bechtler is sleekly minimal and the costumes by Woiciech Dziedzic are apt. Icke’s direction gives his actors plenty of opportunity to show their stuff. Despite the misgivings I have mentioned, I think the play is a must-see for lovers of serious theater. Running time: two hours, no intermission.

The Queen of Versailles

 C
 
There’s a fascinating show on stage at the St. James Theatre. Unfortunately, it’s not the one that lasts for over two and a half hours and recounts the story of Jackie Siegel (Kristin Chenoweth) and her husband David (F. Murray Abraham,) The Time Share King, who set out to build America’s largest private home in Orlando, Florida in the early 2000s. No, it’s the one that starts about 15 minutes before curtain time, featuring beautifully dressed and bewigged figures at the Sun King’s court going about their rounds, raising and lowering chandeliers to trim their wicks, dusting, serving tea and cakes, and parading around a lavish room in Louis XIV’s pre-Versailles Parisian palace. It's too bad that at this point 90% of the audience is busy settling in and paying no attention to what is happening on stage. After an opening song about why the king wants to build the palace at Versailles (“Because I Can”), we move to Orlando and the Siegels. Alas, it’s downhill from there.  Although Lindsey Ferrentino’s book is largely based on the hit 2012 Sundance documentary by Lauren Greenfield, it somehow does not capture the film’s impact. Perhaps the ever-increasing excesses of the .1% in recent years have numbed us to Jackie’s insatiable quest for more. With multi-award winner Kristin Chenoweth in the lead role, Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) as composer/lyricist, two-time Tony winner Michael Arden as director and a seemingly unlimited budget for the spectacular sets and costumes by Dane Laffrey and Christian Cowan respectively, it seemed that success was a sure thing. It wasn’t. Although Chenoweth works hard to bring Jackie to life, her role is disjointed and the score does not give her much chance to demonstrate her vocal prowess. The parts of the book that don’t adhere to the documentary are not improvements. The first act comes across as an extended outline of Jackie’s life. When a tragic element enters in the second act, it feels like an add-on. If there is a clear point of view, I missed it. F. Murray Abraham’s moments on stage are few and far between. Nina White, as Jackie’s firstborn child Victoria, and Tatum Grace Hopkins, as her niece Jonquil, are both fine. The many other cast members perform admirably. Would that the score and book had been more engaging. As it stands, I was left to wonder how a show with so much going for it could so badly misfire. Running time: two hours 40 minutes including intermission.