Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of Arthur Miller’s first successful play is as fine a production of a Miller play as I ever hope to see. All the elements — casting, direction, scenic design, costumes, lighting, sound design and projections —are near perfect. Tracy Letts (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf), Annette Benning (Spoils of War, Coastal Disturbances) and Benjamin Walker (American Psycho, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) all give performances that I will not soon forget. Francesca Carpanini (The Little Foxes), Hampton Fluker (Too Heavy for Your Pocket) and Michael Hayden (Judgment at Nuremberg) are solid in feature roles, as are Jenni Barber (The Nance), Monte Greene, Nehal Joshi (School of Rock) and Chinasa Ogbuagu (Her Portmanteau, Sojourners) in supporting ones. Together they convincingly portray a close-knit community. Director Jack O’Brien (Carousel, The Hard Problem) uncovers a depth and breadth in the play that I had not found in previous productions. He also knits the various subplots together with uncommon skill. Douglas W. Schmidt’s (Into the Woods, The Front Page) set depicts an idyllic Midwestern yard and house facade. Jane Greenwood’s (She Loves Me, Major Barbara) costumes capture the period well. Jeff Sugg’s (Sweat, Bring It On) projections are used sparingly but effectively. Miller’s depiction of the dark side of the American Dream sadly remains as relevant now as it was in 1947. Today it may be a group of anonymous Boeing executives who are putting unsafe planes in the air instead of an individual parts supplier, but they are motivated by the same corrosive greed. Rarely have I been in an audience that was so totally involved. It is definitely one of the dramatic highlights of the season. Running time: two hours 20 minutes including an intermission and a brief pause.
Showing posts with label Jeff Sugg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeff Sugg. Show all posts
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Thursday, April 18, 2013
The Last Five Years ***
(Please click on the title to see the complete review.)
Second Stage Theatre has revived Jason Robert Brown's popular theater piece in a production with two excellent singing actors, Adam Kantor and Betsy Wolfe, directed by the composer. I say "theater piece" rather than "musical" because the work is basically a song cycle with aspirations. The gimmick is to have the two characters alternate songs, with Jamie telling the story of their relationship from beginning to end while Kathy tells it in reverse from breakup to first meeting. They share a song only once when their chronologies meet and again, very briefly, at the end. When I saw the original production, I wasn't sure whether the gimmick enhanced or detracted from the work and I'm still not sure. What I am certain of is that the score is very good. Brown's music and lyrics and the way he integrates the vocal and instrumental lines are admirable. Kantor and Wolfe have big shoes to fill (Norbert Lee Butz and Sherie Renee Scott in the original), but succeed completely. The six fine musicians, who are arranged on individual platforms on the back wall, perform beautifully. Derek McLane's set is appropriately simple as are Emily Rebholz's costumes. Jeff Sugg's projections are used sparingly, but effectively. I still don't fully embrace the show's underlying concept, but I enjoyed the evening. The audience was notably younger and more enthusiastic than usual. Running time: 85 minutes, no intermission.
Second Stage Theatre has revived Jason Robert Brown's popular theater piece in a production with two excellent singing actors, Adam Kantor and Betsy Wolfe, directed by the composer. I say "theater piece" rather than "musical" because the work is basically a song cycle with aspirations. The gimmick is to have the two characters alternate songs, with Jamie telling the story of their relationship from beginning to end while Kathy tells it in reverse from breakup to first meeting. They share a song only once when their chronologies meet and again, very briefly, at the end. When I saw the original production, I wasn't sure whether the gimmick enhanced or detracted from the work and I'm still not sure. What I am certain of is that the score is very good. Brown's music and lyrics and the way he integrates the vocal and instrumental lines are admirable. Kantor and Wolfe have big shoes to fill (Norbert Lee Butz and Sherie Renee Scott in the original), but succeed completely. The six fine musicians, who are arranged on individual platforms on the back wall, perform beautifully. Derek McLane's set is appropriately simple as are Emily Rebholz's costumes. Jeff Sugg's projections are used sparingly, but effectively. I still don't fully embrace the show's underlying concept, but I enjoyed the evening. The audience was notably younger and more enthusiastic than usual. Running time: 85 minutes, no intermission.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Bring It On, The Musical **
(Please click on the title to see the full review.)
After last year's unsuccessful move uptown by Lysistrata Jones [reviewed 12/3/11], the last thing I expected to see on a Broadway stage this summer was another cheerleader musical. And yet here is Bring It On, "inspired by" the immensely popular five-movie series of the same name, now in previews at the St. James Theatre. Its impressive creative roster includes composers Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights), librettist Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q) and director/choreographer Andy Blankenbuehhler (In the Heights). While the hard-working cast of 35 is performing high-flying cheerleading stunts and lively dance numbers, it is great fun. The book is only fitfully entertaining and doesn't really spring fully to life until the captain of the lily-white Truman High cheerleading squad is forced to transfer to the inner-city Jackson High. The characters are little more than stereotypes -- the dumb blonde, the chubby but spunky girl, the teen-aged Eve Harrington, the tough-tender girl, the comic rapper, the sensitive boy, and even the black drag queen. The music is often engaging, but the lyrics were not always intelligible. The show would benefit from some judicious trimming: 2 hours, 25 minutes (including intermission) is too long to sustain its momentum. The simple set by David Korins makes heavy use of video projections (excellent ones by Jeff Sugg) on four large moving panels. Andrea Lauer's costumes are delightful. Lighting designer Jason Lyons is guilty of the cardinal sin of shining bright lights in the eyes of the audience not once but twice. Judging from the reaction on the night I attended, the show is critic-proof. Wild cheering began even before the show started. The audience stayed on their feet even after the standing ovation to watch projected photos of the cast in rehearsal. The crowd was slighter older than at Newsies and even more enthusiastic. If you are looking for uncomplicated summer entertainment, you could do far worse than to catch this limited run.
After last year's unsuccessful move uptown by Lysistrata Jones [reviewed 12/3/11], the last thing I expected to see on a Broadway stage this summer was another cheerleader musical. And yet here is Bring It On, "inspired by" the immensely popular five-movie series of the same name, now in previews at the St. James Theatre. Its impressive creative roster includes composers Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights), librettist Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q) and director/choreographer Andy Blankenbuehhler (In the Heights). While the hard-working cast of 35 is performing high-flying cheerleading stunts and lively dance numbers, it is great fun. The book is only fitfully entertaining and doesn't really spring fully to life until the captain of the lily-white Truman High cheerleading squad is forced to transfer to the inner-city Jackson High. The characters are little more than stereotypes -- the dumb blonde, the chubby but spunky girl, the teen-aged Eve Harrington, the tough-tender girl, the comic rapper, the sensitive boy, and even the black drag queen. The music is often engaging, but the lyrics were not always intelligible. The show would benefit from some judicious trimming: 2 hours, 25 minutes (including intermission) is too long to sustain its momentum. The simple set by David Korins makes heavy use of video projections (excellent ones by Jeff Sugg) on four large moving panels. Andrea Lauer's costumes are delightful. Lighting designer Jason Lyons is guilty of the cardinal sin of shining bright lights in the eyes of the audience not once but twice. Judging from the reaction on the night I attended, the show is critic-proof. Wild cheering began even before the show started. The audience stayed on their feet even after the standing ovation to watch projected photos of the cast in rehearsal. The crowd was slighter older than at Newsies and even more enthusiastic. If you are looking for uncomplicated summer entertainment, you could do far worse than to catch this limited run.
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