The Collaboration

 B+

Paul Bettany (An Inspector Calls, “A Very British Scandal”) and Jeremy Pope (Choir Boy, Ain’t Too Proud) are giving two remarkable performances as Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, respectively, in Anthony McCarten’s (The Two Popes, A Beautiful Noise) biodrama about the two-year period in the mid-80’s during which these two artists, badgered by their dealer Bruno Bischofberger (Erik Jensen; Disgraced, Corpus Christi), worked together on a series of joint paintings for a keenly anticipated show. Warhol was already late in his career with declining interest in and prices for his works; Basquiat was the hot new discovery whose career was still in its early stages. The two men had diametrically opposed views of the role of art, but overcame their initial mutual antipathy to actually become friends. Basquiat was able to get Warhol to pick up a brush for the first time in 25 years. The first act describes the beginnings of their joint endeavor. The second act picks up two years later a few weeks before their joint show is due to open. For this play you want to stay in your seat at intermission, because black-and-white films of the two doing things together such as working out are projected on large screens on either side of the stage. I thought these projections were an integral part of the play that added significantly to the experience. Things get a bit melodramatic in the second act when we learn about Basquiat’s relationship with his girlfriend Maya (Krysta Rodriguez; First Date, In the Heights) and the police brutality incident that his close friend and fellow artist Michael Stewart endured. Unfortunately, the play breaks off before their show opens so we do not get the story of the critical reaction to the show and its effect on their friendship. The supporting actors create vivid characters. The set and costumes by Anna Fleischle (Hangmen) are evocative. The wig design by Karicean “Karen” Dick and Carol Robinson is a show all by itself. The direction by Kwame Kwei-Armah (artistic director, The Young Vic) is unfussy, although I did not see the point of having a DJ at the side of the stage before the play began and at intermission.  While the script at times seems uneven and incomplete, the performances by Bettany and Pope are reason enough to see the play. If you can't get there now, wait for the film version that is in the works. Running time: two hours 15 minutes including intermission.

 

NOTE: Dress warmly. Owing to the Samuel G. Friedman Theatre’s lack of a proper lobby to separate the auditorium from the street, the temperature in the theater drops precipitously before the show begins.

Some Like It Hot

A-

How brave the creative team of this musical adaptation of the classic Billy Wilder film were to tinker with a movie that enjoys cult status, especially since it had already been adapted as Sugar, a musical that ran on Broadway for over a year 50 years ago. Luckily for us, Mark Shaiman (music and lyrics; Hairspray), Scott Whitman (lyrics; Hairspray), Matthew Lopez (book; The Inheritance, Amber Ruffin (book), Casey Nicholaw (director/choreographer; The Prom), Scott Pask (scenic design; The Book of Mormon)) and Gregg Barnes (costume design; Mean Girls) have assembled a show that is not only relentlessly entertaining but adds a few interesting new twists to the story. The casting is superb: the ever enjoyable Christian Borle (Something Rotten!) hits all the right notes as Joe; J. Harrison Ghee (Mrs. Doubtfire) perfectly captures the duality of Jerry/Daphne; Adrianna Hicks (Six) makes the most of the less-developed role of Sugar; Kevin Del Aguila (Frozen) is hilarious in the expanded role of Osgood, and Natasha Yvette Williams (Tina) is a force of nature as Sweet Sue. The music is catchy, the choreography which includes lots of tap dancing is terrific, the deco sets are wonderful and the period costumes are splendid. By portraying Sweet Sue, Jerry/Daphne and Sugar as black, the authors have added a new dimension to the plot. By giving Osgood a back story, they strengthen the theme of identity fluidity personified by Jerry/Daphne. By not slavishly following the details of the film, they have created something that both honors the original and opens new doors. The result is a sure crowd-pleaser that should have a very long run. My only complaint is that the sound level at times became uncomfortably loud. Running time: two hours 35 minutes including intermission. 

Merrily We Roll Along

 A

My only previous experience of Sondheim and Furth’s (Company) 1981 famous flop was the extremely stripped-down version by Fiasco Theater three years ago. While that was enjoyable, it did not provide many clues why Merrily… has become a cult classic. It certainly didn’t prepare me for the exciting experience I had today at New York Theatre Workshop. This production is basically the same version that originated at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London several years ago and went on to the West End where it won the Olivier. There is so much to praise that it is hard to know where to begin. Perhaps the most important of its many strengths is the brilliant casting. The roles of Frank, Charley and Mary fit Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening), Daniel Radcliffe (Lifespan of a Fact) and Lindsay Mendez (Carousel) like gloves and they play off each other very well. The secondary roles are equally well-cast, including Krystal Joy Brown (Motown)as Gussie, Katie Rose Clarke (Miss Saigon) as Beth, and Reg Rogers (Holiday) as Joe. The songs are well-sung and well-integrated into the action. Jonathan Tunick’s orchestrations for reduced orchestra are fine, but the sound level was occasionally too loud. Soutra Gilmour’s flexible set serves the show well and her period costumes are a delight. Tim Jackson’s (Stepping Out) choreography is a treat. Finally, there is Maria Friedman’s (High Society) skillful direction, which pulls everything together brilliantly so that the gimmick of telling the story of youthful hope leading to middle-age disillusion backwards makes perfect sense. I hesitate to recommend the show too enthusiastically since the entire run is sold out. One can only hope for an extension or a move to Broadway. Running time: two hours 30 minutes including intermission.

Ohio State Murders

 B-

At the age of 91, Adrienne Kennedy is having her Broadway debut with this one-act play from the early 1990s, now at the James Earl Jones Theatre (formerly the Cort). Since I did not respond favorably to the only other work of hers that I had seen, “Funnyhouse of a Negro,” I had some misgivings about whether to attend. Since I never miss a chance to see Audra McDonald on stage, I overcame my reluctance and bought a ticket. Although my reaction was much less negative than my previous experience, I decided that her aesthetic is just not one for which I have an affinity. While the story itself is riveting, the fragmented, elliptic, impressionistic, time-bending narrative-heavy manner of the storytelling is at times confusing, frustrating and flat. Her depiction of the deep racism pervading the college experience at Ohio State in 1950 is disheartening and, in this instance, leads to violent consequences. While McDonald is fine as Suzanne Alexander, the famous author who returns to campus 40 years later to discuss the violence in her work, it is not a role that reveals her enormous range. Bryce Pinkham, known mainly for Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, makes a strong impression as her freshman English professor. The other roles are small ones. Abigail Stephenson plays her roommate, Iris Ann. Lizan Mitchell plays her landlady, her dorm manager and her aunt. Mister Fitzgerald plays her future husband and a boyfriend who pops up out of nowhere near the end of the play. Beowulf Boritt’s abstract set features an array of legal bookcases, some floating in air, and lots of snow. Dede Ayite’s costumes suit their characters well. Kenny Leon’s direction seemed flat, but that may have been in the spirit of the piece. Go if you’re an Audra McDonald completist or an Adrienne Kennedy fan. Running time: 75 minutes, no intermission.

Downstate

 A-

Once again Playwrights Horizons is presenting an important work by Pulitzer Prize winner Bruce Norris (The Pain and the Itch, Clybourne Park, The Qualms), who reminds us why he is one of our most provocative playwrights. This time out, Norris tackles a thorny issue that gets little attention – our system for isolating sex offenders who have served their time but are placed on a registry that severely limits their life options, often forever. Because of residency restrictions designed to restrict their contact with children, they often end up in group homes in areas that don’t want them with neighbors who demonstrate their opposition by harassing them in a variety of ways, some violent. We meet four such men in a church-sponsored home in downstate Illinois. Fred (Francis Guinan), a seemingly kindly man in his seventies confined to a mobility scooter, is a former piano teacher who molested two young male students. Dee (K. Todd Freeman), a former dancer, had a two-year relationship with a 14-year-old Lost Boy in a touring version of Peter Pan. The religious Felix (Eddie Torres), who molested his young daughter, avoids the others and prays a lot. Gio (Glenn Davis), a younger man whose crime was “merely” statutory rape of a girl who lied about her age, is a Level One offender, whose name will be removed from the registry in a matter of months. He resents being thrown together with Level Three offenders whose registration will be permanent. Ivy (Susanna Guzman) is the tough overworked parole officer who checks on them weekly. On the day the action takes place, Fred is visited by Andy (Tim Hopper), one of the boys he molested 30 years ago, and Andy’s wife Em (Sally Murphy). Andy is there to confront Fred and get him to sign a document listing all his crimes against Andy, including one he denies. Their visit does not yield the results he wants. Ivy has bad news for the four – the local jurisdiction has expanded their no-go zone, which will eliminate access to their supermarket and bus stop. She has worse news for Felix, who has been caught going to the library and using the internet. We also meet Effie (Gabi Samels), Gio’s young co-worker at Staples, a character whose inclusion in the play seems unwarranted to me. Andy has conveniently left his cellphone behind, which gives him an excuse to return without his wife. The second meeting between Andy and Fred becomes explosive. In addition, there is a tragic development which I thought had been telegraphed rather clumsily. The play raises many uncomfortable questions about punishment, forgiveness and victimhood that we are left to ponder. The production’s greatest strength is the high level of the acting. The entire ensemble is outstanding. Todd Rosenthal’s set is appropriately grim and Clint Ramos’s costumes are apt. Pam MacKinnon, who has directed other Norris successes, seems to have a special affinity for his work. If you seek a thought-provoking evening, look no further. Running time: two hours 30 minutes including intermission.

A Man of No Importance

 A-

John Doyle ends his six-year tenure as artistic director of CSC with an excellent revival of this modest 2002 musical with book, music and lyrics by Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens respectively. The repressed homosexual protagonist, Alfie Byrne (Jim Parsons), is a Dublin bus conductor with a crush on his handsome driver Robbie Fay (A.J. Shively). Alfie lives with his older sister Lily (the always wonderful Mare Winningham), who has put off marriage until she sees her brother wed and settled. Alfie’s main interest in life is the amateur theater group devoted to the works of Oscar Wilde that he leads at the local church. His latest project is Wilde’s Salome even though it is unlikely that the church will allow it. He recruits the reluctant Adele (Shereen Ahmed), a beautiful young woman newly arrived in Dublin to play the title role. The cast is universally excellent. The motley crew of amateur actors are played to the hilt by a fine ensemble that includes CSC alums Mary Beth Peil, Thomas Sesma, Alma Cuervo, Kara Mikula, Jessica Tyler Wright and William Youmans, as well as Da’von T. Moody, Nathaniel Stampley and Joel Waggoner. As actors in a Doyle production are wont to do, most of them also play instruments. Doyle's set is bare-bones with folding chairs prominently deployed. Flaherty’s Irish-inflected score is easy on the ears and Ahrens’s lyrics develop character and move the plot. McNally’s affecting book stumbles a bit toward the end, but not enough to diminish one’s pleasure. I know I was deeply moved. Running time: one hour 45 minutes, no intermission.

Becky Nurse of Salem

C

When a MacArthur Fellow playwright (Sarah Ruhl) and a Tony-winning director (Rebecca Taichman) return to Lincoln Center Theater, scene of two of their earlier successes (The Oldest Boy, How To Transcend a Marriage), with a new play starring Tony winner (Deirdre O’Connell), expectations are going to be high. I regret to report that at the preview I saw today Ruhl’s odd dark comedy not only did not meet my expectations, but did not even engage my interest. Becky Nurse, a descendant of Rebecca Nurse, who was hanged as a witch in 1692, is a 62-year-old woman who works as a tour guide at Salem’s Museum of Witchcraft. She is someone who goes through life shooting herself in the foot. Her failure to stick to the script for the museum tour gets her fired by the museum’s uptight director Shelby (Tina Benko). Her teen-aged granddaughter Gail (Alicia Crowder) whom she has been raising, is currently hospitalized for depression. Gail’s mother died from an opioid overdose and grandma is secretly addicted too. Becky’s only friend seems to be noble barkeep Bob (Bernard White), who had been her high school boyfriend but married someone else. Becky disapproves of Gail’s new friend Stan (Julian Sanchez), a Wiccan who introduces Becky to a modern witch (Candy Buckley) for help solving her problems. Complications arise. Becky goes to jail and has visions of the original Salem trials. Thomas Jay Ryan doubles as jailer and judge. The game actors are committed to their roles. Riccardo Hernandez's minimalist set has rolling modules that efficiently set the scene. I could have done without the jail-cell toilet. Emily Rebholz's costumes are apt.The script mixes a look at Salem’s complicated relationship to its history, a response to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, a nod to the mania of Trumpism, a superficial exploration of witchcraft and a cautionary tale about opioid addiction. The mix does not blend well. I was left wondering what the point was. On the plus side, it provides employment for a lot of talented people. Running time: two hours, five minutes including intermission.

Cost of Living

B+

After a successful run at the Williamstown Theatre Festival last summer, Martyna Majok’s (Ironbound) powerful four-character drama has arrived at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Stage I at City Center. The lead character, Eddie (Victor Williams, Luck of the Irish), begins the play with a well-written and well-performed 10-minute monologue that reveals that he is a long-distance truck driver who recently lost his wife. Next we meet Jess (Jolly Abraham, Coram Boy), an attractive woman in her twenties who is applying for a job as helper to John (Gregg Mozgala), a Harvard-educated grad student with cerebral palsy who is confined to a wheelchair. Jess works as a barmaid and needs the extra income. In a flashback, we meet Eddie’s wife Ani (Katy Sullivan) who lost her legs in an accident and is a bundle of rage. Two of the play’s most moving scenes take place in bathrooms where we see Jess shaving and showering John and Eddie giving a bath (and possibly more) to Ani. The play's strengths include  not portraying the disabled characters simplistically and in giving equal time to the needs of their caregivers. Each character is vividly sketched to the point that I wished I knew more about them. Until the final scene, each character interacts with only one other character. In that scene a new heartbreaking connection is made. I wish the author had omitted a brief manipulative reversal at the very end. The entire production is first rate: the acting, the revolving set by Wilson Chin (Aubergine, My Mañana Comes), the character-appropriate costumes by Jessica Pabst (The Ruins of Civilization) and the smooth direction by Jo Bonney (By the Way, Meet Vera Stark). I read that the author expanded this work from a two-character play and the opening monologue. The combination was not totally successful; some of the stitches show. Nevertheless, seeing it is a worthwhile, if painful, experience. Running time: one hour 45 minutes, no intermission.

The Cost of Living (Broadway)

B+

Although I was favorably impressed by Martyna Majok’s four-character drama when MTC presented it off-Broadway five years ago, I was surprised when it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2018. I suspect that its skillful treatment of marginal people in our society played a significant role in their choice. MTC has decided to revive it and move it to its Broadway venue, the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Two of the characters are marginalized by disabilities – John by cerebral palsy and Ani by the loss of her legs in an accident. Gregg Mozgala and Katy Sullivan powerfully recreate these roles. John’s situation is mitigated by having a Harvard education and sufficient economic resources to hire a private aide. The other two characters are marginalized by economic hardship. John's newest aide, Jess (Kara Young; Clyde’s), is an attractive young woman who, although she had attended Princeton, supports herself by working as a late-night barmaid. Ani’s husband Eddie (David Zayas; Jesus Hopped the A Train, “Dexter”), whom we meet in the extended monologue that opens the play, is an unemployed truck driver haunted by Ani’s recent death. The bulk of the play is a series of scenes of Eddie and Ani alternating with scenes of John and Jess. Two of the play’s most moving scenes take place in bathrooms where we see Jess shaving and showering John and Eddie giving a bath to Ani. The play's strengths include not portraying the disabled characters simplistically and in giving equal time to the needs of their caregivers. Each character is vividly sketched to the point that I wanted to know more about them. Until the final scene, each character interacts with only one other. In that scene a new heartbreaking connection is made. I wish the author had omitted a brief manipulative reversal at the very end. The entire production is first rate: the acting, the revolving set by Wilson Chin (Aubergine, My Mañana Comes), the character-appropriate costumes by Jessica Pabst (The Ruins of Civilization), the dramatic lighting by Jeff Croiter (Bandstand, Falsettos) and the smooth direction by Jo Bonney (By the Way, Meet Vera Stark). Seeing it is a worthwhile, if sometimes painful, experience. Running time: one hour 50 minutes, no intermission.

Leopoldstadt

 B

In this ambitious, overstuffed play, Tom Stoppard addresses his relationship to his long-submerged Jewish heritage while simultaneously depicting the life of a highly assimilated Jewish family in Vienna between 1899 and 1955.  With a cast of 38 (26 adults and 12 children), there are a lot of people to keep track of and little time to flesh out many of their stories.  With a few important exceptions, they come across as generic without sufficient detail to individualize them. The extended 1899 episode includes a lot of exposition that occasionally approaches presenting a history lesson. On the other hand, it has colorful scenes of the family celebrating both Christmas and Passover and sets up the play’s most vivid personal conflict in the 1900 episode. We pick up events in 1924 after WWI has impoverished and diminished Austria and in 1938 when the Jewish community faces destruction. One of the three survivors in the 1955 section is a British man representing Stoppard who must confront his repressed early childhood memories and mourn those who have been lost. Watching the fate of this family is a painful experience even though you know its outlines in advance. One of Stoppard’s main achievements is to illustrate the magnetic pull of Vienna on its Jews, irregardless of its deep-seated antisemitism. The acting is generally strong. I was especially impressed by London carry-overs Faye Castelow as Gretl and Arty Froushan as both Fritz and Leo. Newcomer David Krumholtz as Hermann also made a strong impression. Director Patrick Marber mostly succeeds in enlivening what is basically a static play. After the play’s Olivier triumph, my expectations were perhaps too high. I found it slightly confusing, a bit disappointing, but at times powerfully moving. I recommend it to all serious theatergoers. It is now in previews at the Longacre Theatre prior to an October 2 opening. Running time: two hours 15 minutes; no intermission

Epiphany

C-

Well, my recent lucky streak at the theater ended with a thud this weekend. Make that two thuds. Today’s disappointment was this Lincoln Center Theater import from Galway. Brian Watkins’ tonally wobbly homage to Joyce’s “The Dead” must have lost some key ingredient crossing the pond. For me, it completely failed as engrossing theater. On the bright side, it is providing employment for some fine actors including Marylouise Burke, Jonathan Hadary and Omar Metwally. Would that they had better material to work with. The high-strung mature hostess, Morkan (Burke), has invited a motley group of friends over to revive the celebration of Epiphany. No one is quite sure what Epiphany is and no one has read the detailed instructions their hostess had sent. The guest of honor is Gabriel, a celebrity author, whose promised attendance is the main attraction for the other guests. Morkan insists that her guests surrender their cellphones to avoid distractions from their goal, whatever that may be. They chatter inanely with little interest in what others have to say. Kelly (Heather Burns), a musician, punishes the guests with an excruciating excerpt from a contemporary piano piece. At this point it seems that the author is aiming for satire. Then there’s an extended slapstick episode involving Morkan’s oldest friend, Ames (Hadary), and a knife. Finally, Gabriel’s luminous partner Aran (Carmen Zilles) arrives with the bad news that Gabriel isn’t coming because he’s too depressed to leave the house. Aran’s charisma evokes undivided attention from the others. Sam, a psychologist (Metwally), administers an extremely personal test to Kelly. The mood darkens when Morkan reveals why her sister is not present. Most of the guests say their goodbyes, leaving Morgan and Ames sitting at the table as it begins to snow inside. That’s all, folks. Two hours have passed without intermission – or theatrical payoff. 

 

The Lucky Star

 C

 

This fact-based drama by Karen Hartman tells the story of the Hollander family, well-to-do Jews in Krakow, who refused to heed the warnings to leave Poland in August 1939 from Joseph (Danny Gavigan), their one relative who left. Excerpts from their letters to him, which form the most significant collection from the Krakow ghetto to be preserved, and the context surrounding them, are the backbone of the play. The letters Joseph sent to Poland are of course lost. The story is framed as an over-enthusiastic book tour lecture by Joseph’s son Richard, who found the letters and had them translated and published. Richard’s closing remarks are interrupted by his adult son Craig (Sky Smith), who accuses him of not telling the whole story. The second act reveals much of what Richard left out, which involves another set of letters, between Joseph and a person whose identity I won’t give away. Unfortunately, this outline is more coherent than the play. Several of the family members we meet are too generic to make much of an impression. The fact that some actors play multiple roles, sometimes of differing gender, is confusing, especially one instance early on in which the same actor plays two women of opposite temperament without even a change of costume. The family experiences, while tragic, are in no way exceptional. At least for this Jew in his 80s, there was nothing that enriched my understanding of the Holocaust. Maybe the problem lies with me. Earlier productions in Baltimore and Chicago, when the play was called “The Book of Joseph,” received raves from the critics. The quality of the acting varies. Steven Skybell, who was so wonderful as Tevye in the recent Yiddish “Fiddler,” seemed too exuberant as Richard. The always appealing Alexandra Silber is marvelous in two very different roles. The remaining actors are Skye Alyssa Friedman, Nina Hellman, Eva Kaminsky, Alexa Shae Niziak, Mike Shapiro and Dale Soules. The costumes by David Burdick are evocative. Daniel Ettinger’s scenic design is versatile and efficient. I am at a loss to evaluate Noah Himmelstein’s direction because I am unsure whether better direction could have improved the result. Running time: two hours ten minutes including intermission.

NOTE: I will admit to carrying a grudge against the management of 59e59 Theaters. Their refusal to include any biographical information on the artists in their programs except for a QR code link is disrespectful both to them and to the audience. I have commented previously that they attract the least diverse audience in Manhattan. If they have been doing any outreach since my comment, it was not evident today.

 

Romeo & Bernadette: A Musical Tale of Verona & Brooklyn

A-

If you’re looking for an evening of light Summer entertainment, you should consider Mark Salzman’s delightful musical romp now in an Amas Musical Theatre production at Theater 555. Romeo (Nikita Burshteyn), newly awakened after an overdose of Friar Laurance’s sleeping potion, arrives in 1960’s Brooklyn in search of the Juliet-look-alike he spots in Verona where she is vacationing with her family. She is actually Bernadette Penza (Anna Kostakis), spoiled daughter of mob boss Sal Penza (Carlos Lopez) and his wife Camille (Judy McLane), who never lets her spouse forget that she is Veronese while he is merely Sicilian. Bernadette is soon to be wed to Tito Titone (Zach Schanne), a mobster on the make from Yonkers. When Romeo arrives in Brooklyn, he saves the life of Dino del Canto (Michael Notardonato), son of mob boss Don del Canto (Michael Marotta), who gratefully welcomes him into their family. Of course the Penzas and the del Cantos are archenemies. As they say, complications arise. The silliness of the plot is redeemed by a sterling cast of ten who elevate the material by their commitment to their roles, a tuneful score that Salzman appropriated from Italian opera and popular song, wonderful costumes by Joseph Shrope that define their characters, and unexpected flashes of wit sprinkled through the book. There is a funny language lesson which upends Pygmalion by having Dino teaching Romeo to coarsen his language to be more like Brooklynese. The score has duets, a trio and a quartet that are almost operatic. It’s hard to single out anyone from the excellent cast, but I will mention Burshteyn for his beautiful tenor voice, Kostakis for her limber dance moves, McLane for her vivid acting, Ari Raskin for her liveliness as Bernadette’s friend Donna and Viet Vo for adding depth to the role of family bodyguard. The versatile Troy Valjean Rucker is in a category by himself – he plays six roles, male and female, with aplomb. Director/choreographer Justin Ross Cohen keeps everything moving smoothly. It all adds up to a very pleasant couple of hours. As of today (6/4) it’s on TDF. Running time: two hours ten minutes including intermission.

Fat Ham

 B+

 

James Ijames’ very free riff on Hamlet has the distinction of winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama before it was ever seen by a live audience. Because of the pandemic, it only existed as a filmed performance by Philadelphia’s Wilma Theater. Now it is in previews at the Anspacher Theater in a completely recast co-production of The Public Theater and the National Black Theatre. All the characters are contemporary Black Southerners celebrating a recent wedding at a barbecue. The Hamlet role is given to Juicy (Marcel Spears), a chubby, soft-spoken young gay man who is pursuing an online degree in human resources. The barbecue celebrates the wedding of his mother Tedra (Nikki Crawford) and her late husband’s brother Rev, only one week after Pap’s death. Pap’s ghost appears, first to Juicy’s friend Tio (as in Horatio; Chris Herbie Holland) and then to Juicy, whom he tells that Rev arranged his death, which Juicy must avenge by killing Rev. In a nice touch, the same actor (Billy Eugene Jones) plays both Rev and Pap. The other arriving guests include Rabby (Benia Kay Thomas), an old family friend, and her daughter Opal (Adrianna Mitchell) and son Larry (Calvin Leon Smith) as in Ophelia and Laertes. As the party progresses, we are treated to a sexy song by the voluptuous Tedra, a karaoke concert, a game of charades, and a lively dance number. It is hard to classify the play; I have settled on comedy with a few tragic overtones. Unlike Hamlet, the laughs are many and the body count is much lower. While there are underlying themes such as searching for one’s authentic self and living with joy rather than anger, the action is too lively to allow much time to ponder them. The production is first-rate -- the actors, scenic design by Maruti Evans, costumes by Dominique Fawn Hill, lighting by Stacey Derosier, and sound by Mikaal Sulaiman are all excellent, as is Saheem Ali’s direction. The audience was enthusiastic – at times too enthusiastic, drowning out some of the lines. My suggestion is just to sit back and enjoy the fun without worrying about verisimilitude or coherence. You won’t be bored. Running time: 100 minutes without intermission.

The Bedwetter

A-

While I had not previously thought of Atlantic Theater Company as the go-to place for creative new musicals, I have changed my mind. The two most enjoyable musicals I have seen this year – Kimberly Akimbo and now The Bedwetter – were on the stage of their Linda Gross Theater.  When Sarah Silverman’s memoir appeared several years ago, composer Adam Schlesinger approached her with the idea of turning it into a musical. Schlesinger wrote the music, the two of them collaborated on the lyrics and Silverman enlisted noted playwright Joshua Harmon to work with her on the book. David Yazbek acted as creative consultant. The long-awaited result of their collaboration is finally here in previews and it is a hit. (Tragically, Schlesinger did not live to see it; he died of COVID two years ago.) The creative team has produced a very funny, very raunchy show with juicy roles for the nine women and two men in the cast. The music and the book are extremely well-integrated, with each song contributing materially to the action. The story describes Sarah’s (Zoe Glick) experiences when she was ten, newly arrived in a small New Hampshire town after her parents’ divorce, struggling to make friends and shamed by a bedwetting problem. Her mother (Lauren Marcus, u/s for Caissie Levy) is too depressed to get out of bed, her father (Darren Goldstein) is serially unfaithful, her older sister (Emily Zimmerman) avoids her and her grandmother (the wonderful Bebe Neuwirth) is an alcoholic. We also meet two of Sarah’s doctors (both played by Rick Crom), her teacher (Ellyn Marie Marsh), three of her classmates (Charlotte Elizabeth Curtis, Charlotte Macleod, and Annabelle Wachtel [u/s for Margot Weintraub]) and Miss New Hampshire (Ashley Blanchet). While Sarah's situation hardly sounds like a barrel of laughs, Silverman can find the humor in almost anything. Laura Jellinek’s set is efficiently versatile. Kaye Voyce’s costumes, especially the schoolgirls’, are a delight. The audience was extremely receptive. If the thought of a ten-year old mouthing expletives upsets you, this is not the show for you. If that’s not a problem, go to the Atlantic website and book your tickets now! Once word is out, this will be a very hot ticket. Running time: two hours including intermission.

POTUS or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive

B

Selena Fillinger has to be one of the luckiest 28-year-olds in the history of New York theater. Her latest play has been given a world premiere at Shubert’s namesake theater without so much as a workshop or an out-of-town tryout. It has a top-drawer cast and a Tony-awarded director (Susan Stroman), scenic designer (Beowulf Boritt) and costume designer (Linda Cho). Surprisingly, the show has tiptoed onto Broadway with very little fanfare. And what kind of show is it? The show’s subtitle is almost a summary of the plot. The first word in the play is the C word and that sets the tone for all that follows. It’s a fun-filled, filthy, feminist farce with an all-female cast. We meet seven women in the president’s orbit: frosty first lady Margaret (Vanessa Williams), frazzled chief of staff Harriet (Julie White), frantic press secretary Jean (Suzy Nakamura), foolish receptionist Stephanie (Rachel Dratch), felonious sister Bernadette (Lea Delaria), fresh-faced girlfriend Dusty (Julianne Hough) and forceful Time reporter (Lilli Cooper). Each has a role to play in getting through one of the worst days in the mostly unseen POTUS’s presidency. The spectacular set revolves to display many beautifully realized White House’s rooms right down to the ladies’ room, complete with coin-operated tampon machine. The connecting doors get quite a workout as the manic plot winds its way. There are many good one-liners and lots of physical comedy. While the first act is a gem, the play starts to lose energy midway through the second act, straining our willingness to suspend disbelief. The musical ending seems to belong to a different show. Nevertheless, for most of the way, it’s great fun. The audience loved it. One line about abortion rights got thunderous applause. It’s hard to single out anyone in the uniformly strong cast, but the talented Ms. Hough was a revelation to me and Ms. Dratch’s antics threaten to steal the show. It’s on TDF so tickets are within reach. I guarantee you will have a lot of laughs. Running time: one hour 40 minutes including intermission.

How I Learned To Drive

 A

What a fascinating experience it has been to see Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer-awarded play for a second time 25 years after its premiere, with three of same actors, Mary-Louise Parker, David Morse and Johanna Day, and the same director, Mark Brokaw. Since it’s a memory play, it’s not really a problem that the actors have aged. While Morse has turned a distinguished gray, the amazing Parker seems frozen in time somewhere in early adulthood. We need no context other than her expressions and demeanor to tell what stage of Li’l Bit’s life she is recalling. In her supporting role in which she plays both Li’l Bit’s mother and her aunt, Day is very strong. The other two actors, Allysa May Gold and Chris Myers, are competent. Since the play premiered, we have become accustomed to discussion of child molestation in the public arena, so the play has lost some of its shock value. Nevertheless, it still packs a powerful punch; rarely have I witnessed such attentive silence in a Broadway audience. I had forgotten how horrid Li’l Bit’s family was to her and how much she felt her father’s absence. I also did not recall that it was she, at age 11, who suggested meeting weekly with Uncle Peck, the only one in her family who was nice to her. Nor did I remember Peck’s chilling monologue describing his fishing lesson for the unseen cousin Bobby. There are also more humorous moments than I recalled. The scenes, which move back and forth in time, are titled as if they were chapters in a driver training manual. The scene of her first “lesson” is mesmerizing. The final meeting, during which the power shifts from Peck to Li’l Bit, is gripping. The scenic design by Rachel Hauck is minimalist with only a couple of upholstered dining chairs onstage for much of the play. A series of mostly truncated upright poles is scattered across the set, possibly suggesting telephone poles one might see on a road trip. Dede Ayite’s costumes are appropriate, and Brokaw’s direction is smooth. The play is so intimate that I feared it might be lost in MTC’s Friedman theater, but that was not a problem, at least not from a seat in mid-orchestra. Even if you have seen the play before, the superb performances by Parker and Morse deserve a second visit. Running time: one hour 35 minutes; no intermission.

 

Harmony

A-

It was 1997 when Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman began work on their musical about the Comedian Harmonists, a six-man German singing group who became an international sensation during the final years of the Weimar regime. I’m not sure why it took 25 years to reach a version deemed worthy of a New York production. Fortunately, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene decided to take it on. (This is their second non-Yiddish production this year, the first being an operatic version of “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis.”) The show begins with the group’s 1933 Carnegie Hall concert, which marked the high point of their career. We then learn what happened beforehand and afterwards from “Rabbi" (Chip Zien), the group’s sole survivor, remembering events many years later in California. The most significant fact about the group was that its religious makeup was four Gentiles and two Jews or, if Hitler is the one counting, three and three. The first act has to cover a lot of exposition. With eight leading characters, there is little time to give some of them more than a cursory identifying trait. There is one lovely ballad and two delightful production numbers in the first act. One thing the show does not have is a second act problem. After intermission, the pace picks up and the quality of both the music and the book improves. One of the show’s running jokes is a nod to some of the famous people who interacted with the group including Marlene Dietrich, Richard Strauss, Albert Einstein and Josephine Baker. All except Baker are played by Zien. His Dietrich is a sight you will never be able to unsee. After some acrimonious discussion, the singers decide to return to Germany rather than to pursue a career in America. The rise of the Nazi regime leads to restrictions that make it impossible for them to perform. The second act has two more terrific production numbers, another lovely ballad, and a crushing soliloquy. Chip Zien proves once again that he is a treasure of the New York stage. The six singers – Sean Bell, Danny Kornfield, Matthew Mucha (u/s for Zol Owen), Eric Peters, Blake Roman and Steven Telsey are triple threats: they sing, dance and act wonderfully. The two female leads – Sierra Boggess and Jessie Davidson – have lovely voices. Ana Hoffman is a treat as Josephine Baker. Manilow’s music and Sussman’s lyrics and book are uneven, but at their best, admirable. Much credit belongs to Warren Carlyle for both his choreography and his direction. The costumes by Lindo Cho and Ricky Lurie are evocative of the period. The scenic design by Beowulf Borritt, the lighting by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, and the video design by batwin + robin productions all offer creative solutions for the limitations of the small stage. While it’s no rival for “Cabaret,” another musical about this same period, it offers much to enjoy. Considering the topic and the location – The Museum of Jewish Heritage, it is not surprising that the audience lacked diversity. Whether the show can appeal to a broader demography is an open question. Running time: Two hours, 30 minutes, including intermission.

 

Two suggestions for management:

Choose a better font in a larger size for your program book. The present one is unfriendly to your audience.

Install inverted-U guard rails on the aisle seats of the rear section of the theater. I saw someone take a nasty fall. 

A Case for the Existence of God

 A-

Samuel D. Hunter’s new play, currently in previews at Signature Theatre, is an auspicious beginning for his residency there. This time out, Idaho’s gift to theater is operating in intimate mode. The play has only two actors, one set and one 90-minute act. Two young single fathers in Twin Falls meet at the daycare center their toddler daughters attend. Ryan (Will Brill) is straight, white, poor and in the middle of a divorce. Keith (Kyle Beltran) is gay, black, middle class and unattached. Despite their many differences, they are united by a fear of losing their daughters, Ryan to a custody battle, Keith to a possible hitch in the proceeding to convert her status from foster child to adoptee. Ryan wants to buy some acreage that once belonged to his family in the hope that it will enhance his case for custody. He turns rather reluctantly to Keith, who is a mortgage broker. We witness a series of meetings during which their business relationship becomes increasingly mixed with friendship. The word we most often hear is “sorry” as they struggle to bridge the communications gaps linked to their difference of race, class, educational level and sexual orientation. I won’t reveal more except to point out that the play is not a comedy. Don’t be intimidated by the grandiose title: there is no theological discussion here. Perhaps the title relates to the twist at the end of the play that provides an unexpected source of satisfaction. The two actors, who were college roommates, are both excellent. The cubicle set by Arnulfo Maldonado representing Keith’s office (and, rather confusingly, other locations as well) looks a bit lost on the large stage. Perhaps it is a metaphor for the constrained nature of the characters’ lives. David Cromer directs with his customary assurance. Of the several plays by Hunter that I have seen, this was the most emotionally gratifying. Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission.

The Minutes

B-

Tracy Letts’ dark comedy caused quite a stir when it premiered at Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago in November 2017. Its Broadway production was abruptly closed down by the pandemic during previews in March 2020. After four and a half years of keen anticipation, I fear that I set myself up for inevitable disappointment. While there is much that I admired – the fine ensemble cast of 11, the wonderful set by David Zinn and Anna D. Shapiro’s assured direction, there is also much that I disliked – the banter early in the play that is often as annoying as it is amusing and the abrupt shifts of tone from satirical to didactic to horrific. The action takes place over the course of a council meeting in the small Midwestern town of Big Cherry. The central role of Mr. Peel, the pediatric dentist recently arrived from the coast who was recently elected to the town council is played by Noah Reid in a noteworthy Broadway debut. (Armie Hammer, who played the role in the 2020 previews, could hardly continue as the good guy after multiple accusations of sexual abuse.) Mayor Superba is superbly played by Letts himself, appearing for the first time in one of his own plays. The council’s two old-timers are ably portrayed by Blair Brown and Austin Pendleton. Jeff Still plays the ethically challenged Mr. Assalone, whose name is constantly mispronounced by the efficient town clerk, Ms. Johnson, smoothly portrayed by Jessie Mueller. Cliff Chamberlain nails the role of Mr. Breeding, who acts as if he has none. Danny McCarthy is fine as the well-meaning but ineffective Mr. Hanratty. Ian Barford plays Mr. Carp, whose debunking of the town’s founding myth upsets the status quo. Two roles that I thought were underwritten were Mr. Blake (played by K. Todd Freeman), an African-American with an offbeat suggestion for the town’s annual festival, and Ms. Matz (played by Sally Murphy), whose ditzy behavior seems pointless and unrelated to the action. The trouble begins when Mr. Peel asks for the minutes of the previous meeting which he missed to attend his mother’s funeral. They are somehow not ready for distribution. He is also unsuccessful in getting an explanation for Mr. Carp’s sudden disappearance from the council. To say more might spoil your experience of the play. I would like to comment though that I think those who have tried to associate the play with Trumpism are misguided. The underlying behavior existed long before Trump and will no doubt be with us long after he is gone. Running time: 95 minutes, no intermission.

Take Me Out

 A-

It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since I saw the original production of Richard Greenberg’s play at the Donmar Warehouse in London. What I remember most is that I got splashed during the shower scene. I saw it again on Broadway in 2003 with basically the same cast when it won the Tony. I probably would not have bothered to see it a third time had it not turned up on my Second Stage subscription. It would have been a great shame to have missed it. 20 years later, I would now rate it as Greenberg’s finest play. Despite a few false notes and a few easy laughs, it holds up very well. Sad to say, it remains timely as there are still no openly gay baseball players in the major leagues. I don’t know whether Greenberg has altered the text, but one line came across as so relevant to today's world that it drew applause. This production is over all a superb one. The acting, Scott Ellis’s direction, David Rockwell’s scenic design, Linda Cho’s costumes and Kenneth Posner’s lighting all serve the play well. The main roles are well cast. Jesse Williams is excellent as Darren Lemming, the enigmatic biracial star who suddenly announces he is gay. Patrick J. Adams is effective as Kippy Sunderstrom, his sardonic but well-meaning teammate who also serves as the narrator. Jesse Tyler Ferguson is a treat as Darren’s nerdy gay investment advisor Mason Marzac (the role that won Dennis O’Hare a Tony), who takes a shine to baseball and to Darren. Michael Oberholtzer is absolutely riveting as Shane Mungitt, the redneck pitcher who is brought up from the minors during a slump. Julian Cihi as Takeshi Kawabata, the team’s Japanese import who speaks very little English, makes the most of his monologue. I was slightly disappointed in Brandon J. Dirden as Davy Battle, Darren’s conspicuously upright friend from another team. The others – Hiram Delgado, Carl Lundstedt, Ken Marks, Eduardo Ramos and Tyler Lansing Weaks – are fine in their roles. The play’s merits have often been overshadowed by the notoriety of its scenes with full frontal male nudity which really are an essential part of the play and are not there to titillate. What a shame that audience members have to lock up their cellphones in special bags to prevent photography. On the plus side, that means there are no cellphones going off during the performance. My enjoyment of this revival was tinged with a bit of sadness that Greenberg has never again reached this high level. Running time: two hours 15 minutes, including intermission.

To My Girls

D+

Since I had not seen a play in almost four months, I really hoped that my return to theatergoing would be an auspicious one. Alas, it was not to be. This alleged comedy, which somehow made it to Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theater, is a dud. If JC Lee (Relevance) set out to write a "Boys in the Band" for the 2020's, he missed the mark. A group of five 30-something gay men who have not seen each other since before the pandemic have rented a home in Palm Springs for the weekend from Bernie (Bryan Batt; Forbidden Broadway), an older gay man who lives just down the street. Curtis (Jay Armstrong Johnson; On the Town) is an aging cute white boy. Castor (Maulik Pancholy; Grand Horizons) is his motormouthed South Asian friend whose love for Curtis has gone unrequited. Leo (Bretton Smith; Be More Chill) is a black friend from New York, a character who remains frustratingly underdeveloped. Jeff (Carman Lacivita; Marvin's Room) and Tom are a couple whose arrival keeps getting postponed. (Tom may be the smartest of the lot -- he never arrives.) Castor brings home Omar (Noah J. Ricketts; Frozen), a superbly built, exotic younger man he meets at a bar. Underlying tensions rise to the surface. Amidst the bitchy one-liners, a few of which are quite funny, we are subjected to monologues on generational differences, white privilege, the privilege of good looks, the corrosive influence of social media, and the effects of living through the age of MAGA. Judging from this group, despite all the changes of the last couple decades, including same-sex marriage and greater LGBT rights, the emotional life of American gay men has not improved. The final message seems to be that there's no problem a lively drag number can't fix. Under the direction of Stephen Brackett (Be More Chill), the action moves fitfully. The deliberately (I hope) hideous set by Arnulfo Maldonado (A Strange Loop) is a tribute to bad taste. The transition between scenes is marked by garish colored lights, courtesy of Jen Schriever (A Strange Loop). The costumes by Sarafina Bush (Pass Over) are appropriately over-the-top. Honesty compels me to report that much of the audience seemed to be having a very good time. To each his own. Running time: a long 90 minutes without intermission.