Clyde's

 A-

Twice Pulitzer-awarded playwright Lynn Nottage (Ruined, Sweat) wrote this comedy with serious overtones and a touch of magic realism at the same time that she was working on Sweat. Both share a Reading, PA setting but are otherwise quite different. Clyde’s (formerly called Floyd’s when it premiered at the Guthrie Theater in 2019) is the name of the roadside sandwich shop owned by the titular character (Uzo Aduba, Godspell, “In Treatment”). All her employees have been recently released from jail. Taking full advantage of the fact that they are desperate, she treats them abominably and tries to squeeze any drop of hope out of them. We meet Letitia (Kara Young, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven), a young single mother with a chronically ill child; Rafael (Reza Salazar; Sweat, My Mañana Comes), a romantic Latino; newly hired Jason (Edmund Donovan, Greater Clements, Lewiston/Clarkson), who is covered with gang tattoos; and Montrellous (Ron Cephas Jones, “This Is Us,” “Mr. Robot”), an older man of philosophic bent who inspires the others with his quest for the perfect sandwich. We learn the backstory of each employee. As they work, they describe to each other their vision of sandwich perfection and occasionally make one for the others to try. Significantly, Clyde refuses to try any of Montrellous’s creations. The acting is universally superb. The set by Takeshi Kata (Cambodian Rock Band), lighting by Christopher Akerlind (Indecent, The Last Ship) and costumes by Jennifer Moeller (Sweat, Aubergine) contribute greatly to this Second Stage production. Kate Whoriskey, who has often demonstrated her affinity for Nottage’s work before (Ruined, Sweat, Intimate Apparel), directs with smooth precision. The ending will definitely get your attention. A word of caution: don’t attend when you are hungry — the rapturous descriptions of ideal sandwiches will have you salivating. (Running time 100 minutes, no intermission.)

What Happened?: The Michaels Abroad

B-

Have you ever been to a party where you don't know anyone but the host, where the other guests are talking about people you don't know and topics that don't resonate for you? That's how I felt watching Richard Nelson’s 12th and final installment of his Rhinebeck Panorama at Hunter College. It received almost universal praise from the critics, some of whom thought it was the best of the series. I wish I could agree. Perhaps 18 months away from the theater has dulled my critical faculties. Maybe I am entering curmudgeonhood. In any case I found the once fresh idea of watching the actors move the kitchen furniture, lay the rugs and set the table had become a bit stale. The chairs were an odd assortment, as usual, and the sink and stove were in their proper places. The main difference was that this kitchen was not in Rhinebeck, but in Angers, France. All seven characters are gathered for a tribute to Rose Michael, the illustrious modern dancer to whom each is related, either as widow (Maryann Plunkett), ex-husband (Jay O. Sanders), daughter (Charlotte Bydwell), niece (Matilda Sakamoto), former colleagues (Haviland Morris and Rita Wolf) or admirer (Yvonne Woods). Most of the play is spent mourning her recent death. She was dying of ovarian cancer, but COVID finished the job. The highlight of her tribute is to be a performance of some of her works by her daughter and niece. Luckily for us, they preview their performance for those assembled. The dances (by the late, great dancer/choreographer Dan Wagoner) are charming and well-performed. Their performance was, for me, the high point of the afternoon. The other good news is that the cozy Hunter theater with only two rows of seats on all four sides is perfect for Nelson's intimate plays. Unllke at the Public Theater, hearing is not a problem. Since it closes today, I won’t take up more of your time, except to say that I thought that even Nelson stalwarts Plunkett and Sanders did not inhabit their characters as thoroughly as usual. Maybe the play would have been more impactful if it had been performed sooner after the first Michaels play. I am sorry that I did not find it more rewarding. Running time: one hour 50 minutes without intermission.

Chicken & Biscuits

Sanctuary City

C

Over a year and a half has passed since I last set foot in a theater. My exile ended today with a visit to the Lucille Lortel Theatre for New York Theatre Festival’s production of Martyna Majok’s Sanctuary City. I felt a mixture of eagerness and anxiety when I arrived at the theater. There were two lines, one for people with tickets in hand or on their phone and the other for will-call. I showed my ID, Excelsior Pass and ticket and found my seat. Even allowing for deliberately leaving empty seats between theatergoers, the size of the audience was far from the capacity. The usher patrolled the house reminding people to keep their masks on properly.

My expectations were rather high since I had liked Majok’s Cost of Living a lot and had found her immigrant drama queens flawed but interesting. Once again she has turned to the immigrant community for her subject. This time the focus is on two Latinx “dreamers” in Newark who are 17 when the play begins shortly after 9/11. I was moderately taken aback that the two leading characters were identified only as B and G. The benefit of depriving them of first names was not apparent to me. B (Jasai Chase-Owens; The Tempest and A MIdsummer Night’s Dream at the Public) is a bright hard-working young man whose mother decides to return to her homeland, leaving him alone in Newark. G (Sharlene Cruz; Red Bull/Hunter’s Mac Beth), a friend since third grade, has a mother who has brought home a series of abusive boyfriends who sometimes have included G in their abuse. She has often “crashed” with B for safety. Their sleeping together remains chaste, which should set off alarm bells for what follows. Just before G turns 18, she becomes an American citizen by virtue of her mother’s naturalization. To save B from a bleak future, G offers to marry him so he too can become a citizen. They rehearse answering the immigration officer’s likely questions to authenticate a marriage, Without clinching the deal, G goes off to Boston on a scholarship. Up to that point, the play has been highly stylized, with sentences and even fragments of sentences being repeated either with or without variation. Short scenes are repeated out of sequence for no apparent reason. I did not feel that the stylization enhanced the material. The style of the play becomes much more naturalistic when it jumps ahead almost four years. G has returned from Boston on a school break. B is strangely hostile to her. We then meet the third character, Henry (Austin Smith; Hamilton, An Octoroon), whose presence gives us new information about B. The rest of the play is mainly a contest between G and Henry to win B’s exclusive company. I found the story more than a little implausible. Specifically, I could not believe that G could have been so blind to B’s nature. I had trouble understanding what motivated her. All three actors are attractive and do justice to their roles. The abrupt shift in style midway through the play puzzled me. Rebecca Frecknell, Associate Director of London’s Almeida Theatre, is listed as director, but Caitlin Sullivan (Hundred Days at NYTW) is credited as Remount Director. The set by Tom Scutt consists mainly of a bare elevated platform; his costumes did not draw attention. Finally, I feel that the title is a misnomer. What is commonly understood by "sanctuary city" has almost nothing to do with the play.

While it was a pleasure to be back in a theater, I am sorry that the occasion was a bit of a disappointment. Running time: 100 minutes, no intermission.

Theater Online: This Is Who I Am

I was not planning to review this, but I fear that the rather negative review in the New York Times might prevent you from enjoying a worthwhile experience. This two-character play by Amir Nizar Zuabi is a hybrid — what you are watching online at a specific time is an actual live performance. The two characters are a father (Ramsey Faragallah) in Ramallah and a son (Yousof Sultan) in New York City who are on a video call trying to recreate the recipe for fteer, a triangular pastry filled with vegetables and spices, that was a specialty of their late wife and mother. Since they both have been unsuccessful in their separate attempts, they think that they might get it right if they combine forces. The format of a video call is the perfect setup for a 70-minute conversation, deeply moving at times, that reveals deep fractures in their relationship, misunderstandings that have divided them, as well as the trauma of living under occupation. Both actors are excellent and the direction by Evren Okcikin is smooth. I am not sure why it took five theater companies — PlayCo and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in association with American Repertory Theater, Guthrie Theater and Oregon Shakespeare Festival — to produce it, but the result is very satisfying. The fteer looked delicious too. 

 For tickets, go to woollymammoth.net. Runs through January 3.

Theater News: 100th Anniversary of "The Dybbuk"

I am sharing this press release which I hope may be of interest: Dear Colleague:   This month marks the 100th anniversary of THE DYBBUK, the world’s most famous Jewish play, by S. Ansky. The Congress for Jewish Culture is celebrating this historically significant milestone with a virtual presentation of the play featuring an all-star international cast including Los Angeles-based Mike Burstyn (Barnum, The Rothschilds, Shane Baker (New York), Mendy Cahan (Tel Aviv), Refoyel Goldwasser (Buenos Aires), Daniel Kahn (Berlin), Amitai Kedar (Tel Aviv), Yelena Shmulenson (New York), Suzanne Toren (New York), and Michael Wex (Toronto). Under the direction of Allen Lewis Rickman, who also provides English narration, the online production of THE DYBBUK will premiere this evening (Monday) at 7 p.m. EST on the Congress for Jewish Culture’s YouTube channel. The production will remain on YouTube indefinitely. It will be performed in Yiddish featuring English subtitles, with a script adapted by Allen Lewis Rickman (from an adaptation by Dina Halperin, who appeared in the 1937 film version). The link, for your consideration, is www.youtube.com/channel/UCImhbhZ0JyMyEG1_KPnOXYQ.   Playwright S. Ansky wrote THE DYBBUK from late 1913 through 1915 in Russian and it was later translated into Yiddish by Ansky himself. The play had its world premiere in that language, performed by the Vilna Troupe in Warsaw on December 9, 1920, 30 days after the playwright’s death. Legendary impresario Max Reinhardt, upon seeing the Vilna production, famously declared “This is not a play, this is a religious rite!”   THE DYBBUK was subsequently translated into over 25 languages and performed thousands of times all over the world. On September 1, 1921, the play had its American premiere at the grand opening of Maurice Schwartz’ Yiddish Art Theatre in New York, starring Schwartz and Celia Adler. The play was an important artistic and commercial hit. Along with numerous Broadway productions, the film adaptation of THE DYBBUK was released in 1937 directed by Michał Waszyński. It is still being produced in countless adaptations, as well as operas, ballets and symphonic suites. The play is considered the jewel of the Jewish theatre.    Based on years of research by S. Ansky, who traveled between Jewish shtetls in Russia and Ukraine, documenting folk beliefs and stories of the Hassidic Jews, THE DYBBUK relates the story of a young bride possessed by a dybbuk – a malicious possessing spirit, believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person – on the eve of her wedding.   This virtual presentation serves as a particularly personal way to honor THE DYBBUK as two members of the company had close relationships with notable figures from the play’s initial premieres. As a young teen, Mike Burstyn appeared in three plays with Maurice Schwartz and the two families became lifelong friends. Shane Baker’s mentor, Luba Kadison, had a small role in the original production and she went on to star as Leah, a role she would reprise throughout her years onstage. Her father Leib Kadison founded the Vilna Troupe during World War I.   Best regards,   Jim Randolph     Jim Randolph Media Relations

Meet Me in St. Louis: A Holiday Special in Song and on Screen

A-

Just in time for the holidays, Irish Repertory Theatre brings us this delightful treat. It's an abridged online version of the 1989 Broadway musical based on the beloved 1944 Judy Garland film. Through the magic of technology, the actors, each filmed in a different location, have their performances blended together into the production so skillfully that, except for a couple of awkward moments during the ball scene, it is easy to forget that they are not actually performing together. Director Charlotte Moore has done an amazing joy of supporting the illusion. The musical itself, with songs by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine and a book by Hugh Wheeler, is a modest affair depicting the life of an upper-middle class St Louis family during the period leading up to the 1904 World's Fair. The best known songs are "The Trolley Song," "The Boy Next Door," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and the title song. The appealing cast includes recognizable names such as Melissa Errico as the mother and Max von Essen as the boy next door. Shereen Ahmed is lovely as Esther (the Garland role). The other members of the diverse cast -- William Bellamy, Rufus Collins, Kerry Conte, Ali Ewooldt, Kathy Fitzgerald, Ian Holcomb, Austyn Johnson,  Jay Aubrey Jones, Kylie Kuioka and Ashley Robinson -- perform well as an ensemble, even though they were never on the same set. Kudos to the creative staff -- Charlie Corcoran, scenic design; Meridith Sommers, video editing; M. Florian Staab, sound design and mix; Michael Gottlieb, lighting; Tracy Christensen, costumes; John Bell, musical direction -- for bringing off a unique experiment so successfully. It will be running until January 2. Go to irishrep.org for tickets. $25 is the suggested contribution.