Lonely, I'm Not (Or So I Keep Telling Myself)

By Jonathan Jones
Wednesday, May 30, 2012

It is a rare occasion when art imitates the particularities of ones life so perfectly and I was not prepared to have such a close encounter when I entered The Second Stage Theatre for a production of Paul Weitz's Lonely, I'm Not, but here it was. A gentleman has a mental breakdown and after years of not being sure how to put his life back together, meets someone who he might possibly have a relationship with, but she moves to New York and he stays away to see where things might end up and decides that getting a job as a barrista at Starbucks will be his low stress entre back into the world of the living. Not to be too transparent, but in the last few years, I have been like that girl, entwined with a man who has had the same exact experience over the last four years (breakdown, tries the relationship, decides to work at Starbucks as it will not be mentally taxing). She, however, is blind and it made me wonder if I too was metaphorically blind. Blind to what, who can be sure. But much like Topher Grace's Porter, I too might well say, "Lonely? I'm not." and it would be no less convincing. 

The Columnist: Reflections on a Time Gone By

By Jonathan Jones
Sunday, May 27, 2012

David Auburn's work has not spoken to me in the past (yes, Proof, I know - but it just didn't seem that appealing to me) so I wasn't gung-ho about seeing this play. When I learned about the subject matter, I thought it might be up my alley - and indeed it was.

Jonathan Mandell's write up of the play in Playbill Magazine describes the trajectory of Joseph Alsop's career as one in which he went from being one of the most influential players in American media on politics to being nearly forgotten by history. This to me was fascinating in our world of the 24 hour cable news world, where bloviating idiots can shape elections and entire political agendas - and Alsop was no different. Apart from the history, Mr. Auburn's play is captivating as we know that the character (if not the man) is a war mongering asshole obsessed with American exceptionalism (sound familiar?), and though we know we are to hate him, our hearts cleverly break for him. This is in part due to Mr. Auburn's exceptional writing and also to do with John Lithgow's inviting performance. 

Jonathan Haidt at the University of Virginia has just written a book about this historical dichotomy that has escaped modern American society - being able to disagree with the policy positions of the other side, but understanding that they too wanted the best for the country and were not just evil. It was a different time, and it was nice to see a concrete representation of what that time might have looked like.

The Columnist is playing at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway. Tickets can be purchased here.


You can watch an Episode of PBS' Moyer's & Company where Bill Moyers interviews Jonathan Haidt about his book here.

Potted Potter: Good for Kids, But Not for Me

By Jonathan Jones
Saturday, May 26, 2012

One hour; seven lengthy novels; two performers; minimal props. What could go wrong? In the tradition of The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged), The Complete History of America (abridged), and The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) by the Reduced Shakespeare Company, we get Potted Potter.

In defense of the creators, Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that something is definitely lost in transition in moving this work from its British home to an American audience. While Potter enthusiasts of any age may have some investment (hence my attendance), this really appeals to a juvenile mentality (which I am apparently over), and more specifically, a British juvenile mentality. There were many a joke that this American knew to be inappropriate for the largely juvenile audience (typical of British TYA) and there were a number of Brtishisms that were indecipherable to an untrained ear (having spent a lot of time in the UK, I knew the references, but I was a minority at this matinee). 

Beyond that, the piece just wasn't that good. There was a lot of running around and silliness that would have been better channeled through legitimate parody of the characters and circumstances of the books. Instead, we are treated too extended commentary on the performances and lack of production values - commentary which quickly grew stale and largely stunned an eager and willing audience into large swaths of uncomfortable silence.

Potted Potter is playing at the Little Shubert Theatre. Tickets can be purchased here.

End of the Rainbow

By Jonathan Jones
Thursday, May 24, 2012

Evita

By Jonathan Jones

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Evita is playing at the Marquis Theatre. Tickets can be purchased here.

"Venus in Fur" Is Luminous

By Jonathan Jones
Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Yes, I know. I was late to the party. But I'm so glad I got here before the party ended. Venus in Fur is a triumph, not only for its star Nina Arianda, but also for playwright David Ives.

I have experienced broad over acting a number of times during the past week, so I was a bit put off from the time that Ms. Arianda took the stage as she seems to have succumed to this unfortunate bug. However, when she launched into the role of Vanda in the play-within-a-play, I knew that each note she struck was carefully calculated, necessary, and pushed the point that she was indeed more than she seemed. I was captivated, mesmerized, and admittedly on seat edge waiting for the reveal. Reversals abound and Hugh Dancy was no slouch, ever up to each successive ploy that Ms. Arianda engaged him in. I was truly amazed.

Venus in Fur is playing at the Lyceum Theatre, now through June 17th only. Tickets are available here.

My Trip To Musical Theatre Hell

By Jonathan Jones

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Jesus Christ Superstar is awful. Now, I know that may seem extreme - but it's just my opinion. 

First released as a concept album in 1969, I'm sure the work seemed to be a theatrical revelation. Jesus cavorting with Mary Magdalene. All the accoutrements of late 60s/early 70s rock music. As the work was later developed for the stage (first as a concert, later as a fully staged theatrical work), I'm sure the revelation continued. Unfortunately, as is the case for much of Andrew Lloyd Webber's work, the score is constrained by its ties to that particular rock music from when it was first recorded. Under an insistent and inspired musical director and orchestrator, this could easily be resolved for today's stage - but it would require the commitment and permission of the Really Useful Group, and I'm not sure anyone involved is really for updating the work. So we're stuck - sitting in the theatre - listening to what may as well be an LP of the concept album recorded 43 years ago (which, I might add, I have never heard - but I have listened to enough music for that era during my lifetime to know full well what to expect - the only thing missing are the requisite pops and hisses of the turntable).

Never to shy away from reductive elements in his compositions, we hear bits of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat here and there ("Potiphar" and "Grovel, Grovel" in particular) and Evita is supremely in my consciousness thanks to the film soundtrack and some of Superstar eeked its way into that score a few years later.

Aside from the musical shortcomings, there's the subject matter. Need I say more.

Then, of course, there are the performances - which I'm sure are worthwhile to some, but I was not really moved by any of it. Listening to people do harm to their vocal chords is always uncomfortable for me.

 

  

Jesus Christ Superstar is playing at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. Tickets can be purchased here.

Cock: A Surefire Fight to the Death

By Jonathan Jones

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Originated at the Royal Court Theatre in London, this production was typical British theatre fare: bold, daring, envelope-pushing, and a well crafted piece of art. The Duke on 42nd Street is transformed into a cock-fighting ring. The main characters spar through scene after scene without interruption, pausing only for dramatic effect regardless of the passage of time or change in location. The performances were stellar, the choreography and economy of movement were tightly knit, and the production was thoroughly entertaining.

Cock is playing at The Duke on 42nd Street. Tickets can be purchased here.

The Lyons

By Jonathan Jones
Sunday, May 20, 2012

Peter and the Starcatcher

By Jonathan Jones
Saturday, May 19, 2012

Clybourne Park

By Jonathan Jones
Saturday, May 19, 2012

Nice Work If You Can Get It

By Jonathan Jones
Friday, May 18, 2012

Once: NOT a Musical

By Jonathan Jones

Thursday, May 17, 2012

The mere presence of music in a play does not make it a musical. In a musical, the songs are an integral part of the telling of the story. They express character, replace that which cannot be articulated through dialogue, and above all: further the plot. The music in Once does little of any of this, and thus, like War Horse and One Man, Two Guvnors (both of which feature just as much music), it should be categorized as a play with music.

Why is this a problem? Because the best musical of the season (Newsies) is all but being ignored why accolades are being put upon this mis-categorized show.

Having said all of that, Once  is indeed endearing. The characters of guy and girl are fully realized through considerable characterization on the part of the actors and the thorough and witty dialogue by Enda Walsh. Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti are both incredible musicians and performers and deserving of every congratulations lauded to them both.

Once is playing at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Tickets can be purchased here.

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess: Theatrical Magic

By Jonathan Jones

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Fish are jumping and the cotton is high at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Audra McDonald soars as Bess and Norm Lewis brings up the bottom in this well-rounded, full, and fun rendition of George Gershwin's classic American opera.

Trouble comes in the title - this is indeed an opera and not a musical as the production is billed, and thus, adding "The Gershwins'" to the title complicates matters as operas rarely if ever give credit to lyricists or librettists, not to mention that it leaves out the considerable original contributions of Dubose and Dorothy Heyward and the adaptation of Suzan-Lori Parks. None-the-less, director Diane Paulus leads the audience into an imaginatively realized Catfish Row, where strong characterization, harmonious music, and creative and fluid choreography come to life.

The weak link in this production is David Alan Grier, who plays Sporting Life as though he were channeling the Leading Player in Pippin. This is hugely unfortunate given that every time he comes on stage, he takes us out of the world. Like the sparse stage (walls designed to look like run down shacks that we might see littering the south today - someone should inform the designers that when these buildings were inhabited, people took great care to scrape the peeling paint and whitewash the shacks a-new as it was their home and not a relic of the past), I sat in the theatre wishing that the storm would blow him away.

Joshua Henry is every bit as brilliant as he was in The Scottsboro Boys, though he has significantly less to do here (playing Jake), but his strength and commanding performance was also a highlight.

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess is playing at The Richard Rodgers Theatre. Tickets can be purchased here.

One Man, Two Guvnors

By Jonathan Jones
Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Don't Dress for Dinner

By Jonathan Jones
Sunday, May 13, 2012

Tickets for Roundabout's Don't Dress for Dinner at The American Airlines Theatre can be purchased here. The show has a limited run through June 17th only.

Encores!: Gentleman Prefer Megan Hilty

By Jonathan Jones
Thursday, May 10, 2012

Tickets for City Center's Encores! Series can be purchased here.