The Perplexed

D+

Let me begin with quotes from two previous reviews:

“No one knows how to pander to a Manhattan Theatre Club audience better than Richard Greenberg. String together some witty one-liners, throw in a Jewish matron, add a few Yiddish words, mention Great Neck at least once and, voila, MTC awaits with open arms.” (Our Mother’s Brief Affair)

“There seems to be something about Manhattan Theatre Club’s Stage I at City Center that inspires scenic designers. Some of the finest set designs I have seen in New York have been at that theater. … Unfortunately, the “magic” effect of MTC’s Stage I on set designers does not seem to apply to playwrights. I have seen too many clunkers with great sets here, including this one.” (Long Lost)

Alas, both of these observations could apply just as well to Greenberg’s latest effort, now in previews at MTC. While the mention of Great Neck may be missing this time, we get not one but two Jewish matrons. Lest he ignore any segment of the typical MTC audience, he includes a gay character as well.

Once again, Santo Loquasto is the true star of the evening. I thought his set of a grand CPW apartment for The Assembled Parties could not be topped, but this set of a library off the ballroom of a Fifth Avenue apartment comes very close. If only what took place on the set were as impressive as the set itself!

The ten characters are all attending a wedding which, for some reason, starts with a reception and dancing and concludes with vows at midnight. The apartment belongs to the unseen Berland Stahl, a much-hated real estate bigwig, and grandfather of the bride Isabelle (Tess Frazer; Mary Page Marlowe). Her parents are Joseph (Frank Wood; Side Man, Network) and Evy (Margaret Colin; Jackie, Defiance), who is a NYC councilwoman. Her brother Micah (Zane Pais; Dead Poets Society) has just been involved in a scandal. Her uncle James (Patrick Breen; The New Englanders, Next Fall) is an author whose popularity has passed. We learn that Isabelle’s family have been disinherited by Berland after some messy lawsuits.

The groom is Caleb Resnick (JD Taylor; Apologia, The Last Match), a do-gooder, whose parents Ted (Gregg Edelman; City of Angels, Passion) and Natalie (Ilana Levine; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown) had a falling-out with the Stahls 20 years ago. The officiant is Cyrus Bloom (Eric Williams Morris; King Kong, Coram Boy), a long-time family friend whose career path led from Wall Street to the rabbinate to teaching. Patricia (Anna Itty; India Pale Ale) is Berlind’s Guyanan home aide.

Different combinations of characters enter the library and talk and talk and talk. Occasionally there is a witty line to remember. What little plot there is hardly piqued my interest. While it was a pleasure to see a few actors I always enjoy (Breen, Colin and Wood), it was not pleasure enough to make the dreary proceedings more bearable. While I admire MTC director Lynne Meadows’s dogged support of Greenberg over the years even though he has never produced a hit for them, I wish she would try harder to find new talent. Much as I enjoy their excellent sets, I wish they would spend less on sets and more on play development. Running time: two hours 30 minutes including intermission.

         

Carousel

B-

Whether or not to see Carousel was a close call for me. Much as I admire the gorgeous score, I hate the book with its treatment of violence toward women. Curiosity to see whether an infusion of talent from New York City Ballet would matter and whether the book could be made more palatable for the #MeToo era tipped the balance so, when the show turned up on TDF, I decided to take the plunge. For me, the answer to the first question is a resounding yes. While choreographer Justin Peck has done a lot of fine work and NYCB soloist Brittany Pollack makes a fine Louise, the real revelation for me was NYCB principal Amar Ramasar, whose Jigger is a magnetic presence who commands attention. The sailors’ dance he leads to “Blow High, Blow Low” is one of the show’s highlights. He probably doesn’t have the voice for it, but I found myself wishing that he had been cast as Billy because he is far more charismatic than Joshua Henry (Violet, The Scotsboro Boys), whose Billy I found competent but unmemorable. As to the book, this production did nothing to make the element of domestic abuse less distasteful, at least for me. Nevertheless, there is much to admire. The glorious voices of Jessie Mueller (Waitress, Beautiful) as Julie Jordan and Renée Fleming (Living on Love) as her cousin Nettie Fowler do full justice to the wonderful songs and Ms. Fleming also exudes a welcome warmth. Lindsay Mendez (Significant Other, Dogfight) and Alexander Gemignani (Violet, Assassins) are wonderful as Carrie Pipperidge and Enoch Snow. Margaret Colin (Jackie: An American Life) is fierce as Mrs. Mullin. As the Starcatcher, John Douglas Thompson (Satchmo at the Waldorf, Jitney) has little chance to demonstrate his considerable talent; his silent appearances throughout the play seem a pointless distraction. The heavenly scene with the human gates is a bit kitschy. With an orchestra of 25, the music sounds lush, although I wish the volume had been reduced during the soliloquy. I was quite disappointed in Santo Loquasto’s (Hello, Dolly!) scenic design. A Carousel without a carousel is a letdown. One horse at the side of the stage doesn’t do it for me. Later we do get the top of a carousel that pops down from above like a huge inverted umbrella, but even that doesn’t revolve. Except for the elaborate background for the celestial scenes, the sets looked cheaper than what I would expect on Broadway. Ann Roth’s (Three Tall Women) costumes are rather bland. Director Jack O’Brien’s (The Coast of Utopia, Hairspray) concept of the play seems a bit muddled. To sum up, there are many strengths and many weaknesses in this Rodgers and Hammerstein revival. The bottom line is that, although I have many reservations about it, I am glad I didn’t miss it. Running time: two hours 40 minutes.

Taking Care of Baby**

(Please click on the title to see the complete review.)
British playwright Dennis Kelly's faux documentary is now at Manhattan Theatre Club's Studio at Stage II for its New York premiere. An initial advisory that all the dialogue has been lifted from actual transcripts is deliberately garbled a couple of times later, perhaps as a clue that it is all fiction. The play crosscuts between Donna (Kristen Bush), a mother who has been jailed for murder after the death of her two young children; her mother Lynn (Margaret Colin), a politician whose positions change as often as the wind direction; the controversial Dr. Millard (Reed Birney), who has posited a disease that causes oversensitive women to murder their children; and Martin (Francois Battiste), Donna's traumatized former husband. Peripheral characters include Mrs. Millard (Amelia Campbell), Lynn's campaign manager Jim (Ethan Phillips) and an odious, sexually addicted reporter (Michael Crane.) Talking head interviews alternate with reenactments. The acting is top-notch, especially by Bush, Colin and Birney. I wish that the rapid alteration of fragmentary scenes did not diminish the momentum so that none of the individual stories was adequately developed. Despite the fine acting, the play's concept was more interesting than the execution. Erica Schmidt's direction seemed unfocused and uninvolving. Running time: two hours, fifteen minutes including intermission.

The Columnist **

(Please click on the title to see the full review.)
It's wonderful to see John Lithgow back on Broadway in David Auburn's new biographical play about Joseph Alsop, now in previews in a Manhattan Theatre Club production. Lithgow's Alsop is arrogant, egotistical, irascible, untroubled by self-doubt, yet not without charm. Boyd Gaines ably plays his brother Stewart. Margaret Colin is less impressive in the somewhat underwritten role of Alsop's wife Susan Mary. Grace Gummer (who is the spitting image of sister Mamie) brings a welcome warmth to the role of Abigail, Alsop's stepdaughter. Stephen Kunken makes a fine David Halberstam. Brian J. Smith, despite being saddled with a thick Russian accent as Andrei, makes a good impression. Marc Bonan has a walk-on as Abigail's visiting friend Philip. The scenic design by John Lee Beatty is attractive, as are the costumes by Jess Goldstein. Daniel Sullivan's direction is unobtrusive. The weak link, alas, is playwright Auburn. The play has a certain connect-the-dots, made for television biopic quality about it. The highs aren't very high and the lows aren't very low. One of the main plot points turns out to be a red herring (or, in this case, a Red herring). Nevertheless, Lithgow's performance makes it essential viewing. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes including intermission.