Oh, Mary!

B-

When a show receives universal praise and is the hottest ticket on Broadway, there's always a risk that I will have sky-high expectations for it and end up disappointed. That's what happened here. Cole Escola has written a wacky piece of alternate history that portrays Mary Todd Lincoln (Escola) as a former cabaret singer driven to drink by her frustration over having to give up her beloved career. Her husband (Conrad Ricamora) is fighting not only the Civil War, but also his preference for sex with men, especially his naive assistant (Tony Macht.) He has engaged Louise (Bianca Leigh) as Mary's companion to keep her out of trouble, without much success. Finally he hires a handsome acting teacher (James Scully) from a renowned family of actors for her, dangling the vague prospect of her eventual appearance onstage. When Mary accidentally learns Abe's true plans, she does not take it well. Although the play was clearly intended as a showpiece for Escola, he (I refuse to use they as a singular) has been generous to the other actors and gives each a moment to shine. The production values are higher than you would expect in an off-Broadway export. The scenic design by dots is effective, Holly Pierson's costumes are delightful and Leah J. Loukas deserves special mention for Mary's wig with "bratty curls." Sam Pinkleton's precise direction keeps the momentum up. At 80 minutes without intermission, the play still seemed overextended with too many middling stretches between the high points. I knew the humor would be coarse, but I expected it to have more wit and fewer cheap shots. Audience laughter was almost constant, but didn't sound heartfelt. Maybe I just got up on the wrong side of bed. All the critics loved it and it just extended its run again.

Soft Power

C

I had high hopes for this collaboration by two Tony winners – playwright David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, Yellow Face, Chinglish) and composer/lyricist Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Caroline or Change, Violet) – now at the Public Theater. Alas, working together does not seem to have brought out their best efforts. The concept of a musical within a play that deals with US-China relations, the state of the union, the status of Asian-Americans in our society, the colonialist subtext of The King and I, the 2016 election as seen by the loser, cultural misunderstanding and the conflict between saving face and following one’s heart is certainly ambitious. We meet Xue Xing (the impressive Conrad Ricamora; The King and I, Here Lies Love), a married Chinese film producer sent to the US to recruit DHH (Francis Jue; Wild Goose Dreams, Yellow Face), the leading Chinese-American playwright, to adapt a popular Chinese film as a musical. Alyse Alan Louis (Amelie, Disaster!) plays Xue Xing’s American girlfriend Zoe. DHH is stabbed on the street in a possible hate crime. In his fever dream after the stabbing, we meet Hillary Clinton, as played by the impressive Ms. Louis. There is an over-the-top musical number at a Hillary rally set in a luxurious McDonald’s. In another number, Hillary scarfs down pizza and ice cream while singing about her loss. Xing and Hillary discover a mutual attraction. Until intermission, things were relatively coherent. Alas, in the second act, things go off the rails. A panel of experts 50 years in the future is discussing the film that we have allegedly been watching. Our president threatens war with China and Xing attempts to avert it. The satire becomes even more heavy handed and the play loses energy. The production team is first-rate: the gold and red set by Clint Ramos (Wild Goose Dreams, Barbecue) is beautiful, the elaborate costumes by Anita Yavich (Chilglish, The Legend of Georgia McBride) are gorgeous, the wigs by Tom Watson (Wicked, My Fair Lady) are excellent. The lively choreography by Sam Pinkleton (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812) pays tribute to several genres of dance and is superbly performed by the talented ensemble of ten. The music, performed by an orchestra of over 20, is more than serviceable but less than memorable. Although there are many moments along the way to enjoy, particularly in the first act, they are eventually done in by an incoherent book. Even a fever dream needs some logic. Director Leigh Silverman (The Lifespan of a Fact, Chinglish), has not figured out how to pull it all together. It was a fascinating disappointment. Running time: two hours 20 minutes including intermission.

Machinal****

My theatergoing year got off to a very promising start with Roundabout Theatre's dazzling revival of Sophie Treadwell's expressionistic 1928 play. Helen (Rebecca Hall), a woman in her 20s who lives with and supports her unloving widowed mother (Suzanne Bertish), suffers from what used to be called neurasthenia, a kind of mental exhaustion brought on by the stresses of the impersonal, mechanistic, modern urban world. The stylized opening scene, set in the office where Helen works as a stenographer, brilliantly captures the relentless monotony and banality of the workplace. After Helen's older self-absorbed boss (Michael Cumpsty) takes a shine to her, she reluctantly marries him even though she cringes at his touch. When she visits a speakeasy with a friend, she meets a sexy young man (Morgan Spector) and begins an affair. Her powerful attraction to her lover makes her loveless marriage seem ever more intolerable. Complications ensue. Supporting the four excellent leads, 14 actors deftly handle multiple roles. A great deal of the success of the play is owed to its outstanding production design -- Es Devlin's set of beige geometrically etched panels mounted on a large turntable seems to bring us to a new location each time it revolves. It functions almost like one of the characters. When the set turns between scenes, we get fleeting vignettes choreographed by Sam Pinkleton which Jane Cox has dramatically lit by moving horizontal bands of light. The excellent sound design by Matt Tierney underscores the emotions onstage. Michael Krass has costumed the supporting cast in appropriately bleak monochromes. Director Lyndsey Turner has skillfully blended all these elements with brilliant results. Bravo to Roundabout for bringing us this rare treat. Running time: 95 minutes, no intermission.

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 ****

For a unique evening of musical entertainment and Russian cuisine, head to Kazino, the ersatz Russian nightclub in a tent under the High Line in the Meatpacking District. When you enter, you are greeted with a vodka drink and carnival entertainment while you wait to be seated. The nightclub is stunning -- the red velvet walls are covered with period paintings, the ceiling is studded with chandeliers reminiscent of those at the Met, and the long rectangular space is filled with small tables and cafe chairs, set on three different levels. Musicians playing both traditional and electronic instruments are scattered around the room. By the time you have finished your meal (crudites, black bread, borscht, chicken, salmon, couscous and pierogi) and any optional drinks you have ordered, you may have forgotten that you were there to see a musical! And then comes the main event, Dave Malloy's clever pop opera adapted from the section of War and Peace that describes Natasha's arrival in Moscow, her introduction to society at the opera, her disastrous meeting with the father and sister of her fiance Andrey who is away at war, her seduction and attempted abduction by the unscrupulous Anatole, her ensuing misery, and the spark of sympathy for her that ignites Pierre. With one dramatic exception near the end, the piece is entirely sung. The eclectic score has touches of folk, pop, rock and club music. The staging is, to put it mildly, fluid: the performers run up and down the central aisle and along platforms that encircle the room and even sit down amid the audience occasionally. Both the acting and vocal skills of the cast are strong. Phillipa Soo as Natasha, Lucas Steele as Anatole, Brittain Ashford as Natasha's cousin Sonya and playwright/composer Malloy as Pierre stand out. Rachel Chavkin's direction, Mimi Lien's scenic design, Paloma Young's costumes, Bradley King's lighting and Sam Pinkleton's choreography are all first-rate. It all added up to a very enjoyable evening. Running time: two hours, 35 minutes including intermission. However, dinner is served an hour before it begins and the play started late, so it added up to almost four hours. Note that you may be seated at a table with strangers and that the wooden seats are not cushioned.