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.

The Boys in the Band

A-

Mart Crowley’s groundbreaking 1968 play has always evoked a variety of reactions. While many praised it for presenting the first unapologetic look at a group of gay characters onstage, others condemned it because these characters displayed so much self-loathing. I try to keep in mind that the play is set at a moment before Stonewall drastically changed gay life and provided an outlet for internalized homophobia. Crowley’s characters find refuge with each other against a hostile world. I am also saddened as I think back to the original production by the knowledge that many members of the cast later died from the as-yet unknown scourge of AIDS. The idea that a 50th anniversary production would be mounted on Broadway with a star-studded cast of out gay actors would have seemed inconceivable in 1968. And so it was with a lot of baggage that I arrived at the Booth Theatre. I had forgotten just how funny the dialogue is with its many bitchy outbursts. I had also forgotten how nasty the play turns during its final third. The cast is uniformly strong. In the crucial role of Michael, the host of the evening’s party, Jim Parsons (Harvey, The Normal Heart, "The Big Bang Theory") delivers. When he turns vicious after a few drinks, it is truly shocking. Zachary Quinto (The Glass Menagerie) delivers the goods as Harold, the self-hating pockmarked birthday boy. Matt Bomer ("White Collar," "The Normal Heart") is a sympathetic — and very buff — Donald, the underachiever who stands by Michael. Andrew Rannells (Falsettos, The Book of Mormon) is fine as Larry, whose promiscuity threatens his relationship with the uptight Hank (Tuc Watkins; White Lies), who has left a wife and two children for Larry. Robin de Jesus (In the Heights) is wonderful as the unabashedly effeminate Emory. Michael Benjamin Washington (Mamma Mia!) is quietly moving as the only African-American in the group. Charlie Carver ("Desperate Housewives") is a hoot as Cowboy, the hustler Emory has bought Harold for his birthday. Brian Hutchison (Man and Boy) plays the problematic role of Alan, Michael’s college roommate, who makes an unexpected appearance. David Zinn’s (Amelie, Fun Home) bilevel apartment set is guaranteed to elicit real estate envy. His costumes are also excellent. Director Joe Mantello (Three Tall Women, The Humans) has done his usual fine work with this fine ensemble. I still have problems with some of the play’s structure. The telephone game that fills most of the last 40 minutes seems both artificial and vicious. Michael’s attempt to manipulate Alan seems out of context. However, there is no escaping how hilarious much of the play is, which goes a long way toward forgiving its shortcomings. Running time: one hour 55 minutes, no intermission.

An Act of God ***

David Javerbaum, the winner of 13 Emmy awards for his work as head writer on The Daily Show, has adapted his book The Last Testament: A Memoir by God and his comedic twitter feed @TheTweetOfGod to create a star vehicle for Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory fame. If none of these references has awakened at least a tingle of anticipation in you, this is a show you can skip. Nor should you attend if you are arch-conservative, homophobic or anti-Semitic. Parsons portrays the Almighty as a volatile figure with wrath-management issues, who enjoys dropping one liners in profusion. Tired of the existing Ten Commandments, he has come up with a new set that he finds more suitable for our times. As he retells familiar bible stories from his unique point of view, he is assisted by the archangels Gabriel (Tim Kazurinsky), who intones an appropriate passage from his Gutenberg bible from time to time, and Michael (Christopher Fitzgerald), who roams the audience with a mic to take questions for God and asks some difficult ones of his own. Depending on your sensibility, the prevailing spirit is either hilarious irreverence or offensive blasphemy. My own response favored the former, although there were a few times that things crossed the line a bit. The production, at Studio 54, features an elegant white set by Scott Pask beautifully lit by Hugh Vanstone and enhanced by Peter Nigrini’s projections and Gregory Meeh’s special effects. David Zinn’s costumes are droll. Joe Mantello’s direction is assured and uncluttered. It’s not for everyone, but Parsons fans will leave happy. Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission.

Harvey **

(To see the complete review, please click on the title.)
I should have learned by now that I rarely respond well to theatrical whimsy. Only my curiosity to see Jim Parsons onstage in a leading role led me to buy a ticket for the Roundabout Theatre's revival of Mary Chase's 1944 comedy. Parsons acquits himself well enough as Elwood P. Dowd, but the role isn't much of a stretch from Dr. Sheldon Cooper, his TV persona. The play itself may be of sociological interest as a relic of a more innocent age, but it is about as frothy as stale beer. Most of the writing is leaden and obvious. For a few moments late in the first act, it rises to the level of farce, but it fails to offer much in the way of humor, charm or wisdom. (It is simply inconceivable that it won the Pulitzer over "The Glass Menagerie' in 1944. I can only assume that it offered a welcome respite from the anxiety of wartime.) To make matters worse, some of the casting is unfortunate. Jessica Hecht, whom I usually admire, is terribly miscast as Veta. I don't know whether anyone could humanize the stereotypical role of her daughter Myrtle Mae, but Tracie Chimo is not the one. Charles Kimbrough and Larry Bryggman, two old pros, are convincing in their roles; Morgan Spector and Rich Sommer are adequate in theirs. Carol Kane is fine in her usual role of a a ditz. David Rockwell's evocative set of the library a fusty mansion neatly splits in thirds and rotates to become the reception room of Chumley's Rest. Jane Greenwood's costumes vividly recreate the look of the '40s. Scott Ellis's direction lacks effervescence. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes including intermission.