IF THE SHOE FITS…
(The Shoebox Files)
Part 2
More programs snugly stored away in shoeboxes. Let's
see…what's on for today?
CLOUD 9 – Theatre de
Lys (officially Lucille Lortel's Theatre de Lys)
Above and below, off-Broadway's famed Lucille Lortel Theatre, aka Theatre de Lys.
July, 1981. Caryl Churchill's landmark comedy of sexual and
societal mores in British colonial Africa in 1880 (Act One) and 1980 London
(Act Two), though only twenty-five years had passed for the characters, was
described by director Tommy Tune, in his straight play directorial debut, as a
"simple family play" or "a frank exploration of the human sexual
psyche." Call it what you will, Tommy, but your Cloud 9 was never dull, often very funny, sometimes confusing, and
ultimately absolutely fascinating, warts and all. There's sex galore in this
play from good, old-fashioned heterosexual adultery to gleeful homosexual
outings to a suggestion of incest. A marketing campaign ad might have read
"something for everyone!" Definitely not a Neil Simon romp, Cloud 9 was sophisticated, maddening,
stylish, and unlike anything I'd seen. Directed with a sure and steady hand by
Tommy Tune (is there anything this man can't
do?) and played with skill by an ensemble cast of supremely talented actors
(Don Amendolia, Veronica Casting, Željko Ivanek, Jeffrey Jones, E. Katherine
Kerr, Nicolas Surovy, and Concetta Tomei), Cloud
9 was, and remains, a fascinating combination of parody, spoof, and farce
that will have you talking about it long after the curtain comes down. – at the
Theatre de Lys, New York
Sidebar:
A few years ago, my nephew, Greg, was one of the lighting folks in a
production of Cloud 9 during his
senior year at Illinois State, so Bob and I went down to see it. Decades after
it debuted, the play holds up remarkably well and the cast of university actors did a fine job navigating the sometimes murky Churchill waters.
Casting
Tidbits: Post-Cloud 9, Jeffrey
Jones went on to cinematic fame in Ferris
Bueller’s Day Off and Beetlejuice, among others, before being
convicted in the early 2000s of possession of child pornography and soliciting
a 14-year-old boy to pose for nude photographs. A registered sex offender, he
continues to work, though infrequently. Željko Ivanek won a Drama Desk Award for Cloud
9 and has had a successful career in theatre, television, and films.
Nicolas Surovy, who in 1981 was swooningly handsome, had a famous mom, opera
star Risë Stevens. And at 78, Tommy Tune still works and has earned a crapload
of Tony Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and Outer Critics Circle Awards.
THE SISTERS
ROSENSWEIG – Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York
October, 1993. Wendy Wasserstein's The Sisters Rosensweig holds the questionable distinction of being
the only play or musical on Broadway that I have walked out on at the interval.
Ms. Wasserstein has legions of fans. I'm not among them. I found Rosensweig to be whiny, obnoxious, and,
inexcusable for a so-called comedy, just not terribly funny. And this in spite
of some appealing work by Linda Lavin (in the part originally played by
Madeline Kahn in a Tony-winning performance) and Michael Learned (in the part originally
played by Jane Alexander). For me it just sat there and I kept waiting for
things to happen. The deciding factor in the decision to leave at the earliest
possible unobtrusive moment, however, was Hal Linden's odd, very odd, performance. I couldn't tell
if he was ill or drunk or what the case was, but his performance was unfocused
and just plain sloppy. Obvious dropped lines, huge pauses in the pacing, the
performance was a mess. I couldn't wait for that first act curtain to drop.
This was a last-minute choice, picked in favor of the first Roundabout revival
of She Loves Me across the street at
the Atkinson. That was my choice, but Steve had no opinion one way or the other
and the people we were with hated the score to She Loves Me. (How was I ever friends with such
unenlightened people? It'd be like counting Trump supporters among my closest,
or even most distant, pals today.) Even today, I'm regretting I didn't drag
Steve to the Atkinson and leave the other couple to fend for themselves at the
Wasserstein thing. Sadly, the evening went downhill from there at an
angst-packed dinner. (Details escape me, but the other couple were having
relationship issues. They were always having relationship issues. Steve and I
simply had more wine.) Not the most enjoyable trip to New York, but we did see Kiss of the Spider Woman that same trip,
so there is that! – at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York
RIDE THE CYCLONE –
Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (Upstairs)
October,
2015. Who would have imagined that a musical which takes place in Uranium City,
Saskatchewan (yes, there really is a place) could be so entertaining?
Structurally, it reminded me a bit of Putnam
County Spelling Bee, but with better music and more involving characters. I
had wanted to see this since I first read about it and I wasn't disappointed. I
thought it would be rather dark and depressing, but was delighted and hugely
surprised to discover that it was often very funny, with some really lovely,
touching moments interspersed among the fine musical numbers. The gifted cast
of seven developed seven distinct characters and each stood out when it was
their turn to shine, but then stepped back and became a seamless ensemble.
Great production values, some bucks were spent here, and overall cohesive
direction and choreography by Rachel Rockwell. Thanks to the Shakes for
bringing this Canadian original to Chicago in its American premiere. It
recently had a well-received limited engagement at New York's MCC. Absolutely
terrific musical. Well done, all. - at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater
(Upstairs), Chicago
SEASCAPE – Booth
Theatre, New York
RECKLESS – Biltmore
Theatre (Manhattan Theatre Club), New York
September, 2004. I found Craig Lucas' parable about life as a series of soul-sucking disappointments and betrayals better in individual moments and performances than as a whole. Now we saw one of the first previews and the New York Times review when it opened a few weeks later was pretty laudatory, so perhaps pacing and characterizations solidified during previews. Now, don't get me wrong. Any play that stars Mary-Louise Parker and has Olga Merediz, Debra Monk, Michael O'Keefe, Rosie Perez, Thomas Sadoski, and Jeremy Shamos as a supporting cast is worth seeing, just for the sheer acting talent involved. And, yes, Reckless was often deliciously funny and sardonically wicked in its best moments. And I will go great distances to see anything Debra Monk is in. But, having said all that, and despite Ms. Parker's hard-working and finely-acted central character that anchored everything, I remember being ever so slightly bored throughout the entire evening. Reckless was first performed in 1983 and twenty years later, it seemed a bit, oh, 1980s, which was, face it, not the happiest of decades. Professional in every aspect, but it didn't send me. For the record, Bob has absolutely no recollection of seeing this. – at the Biltmore Theatre, New York
BARRICADES!
LES MISÉRABLES
I have a
love/hate relationship with Les
Misérables. On the one hand, at least in its original production, it can
soar with an operatic grandeur, minus the need for supertitles, and at times
its score has a breathtaking beauty (see "I Dreamed a Dream,"
"Stars," "Bring Him Home," "Empty Chairs at Empty
Tables," and that killer first act close, "One Day More"). On
the other hand, the parts that irritated me the first time around still
irritate me and the years following its debut in 1985 have only coarsened some
of the material. I know it's a Tony-winning part, but, frankly, Eponine has
always annoyed the crap out of me and when she starts bleating "On My
Own," I want to leap up onto the stage and slap her silly. Girl, get a
freaking grip! And the Thénardiers have lost all their darkness and have become
full-blown vaudevillian characters that now seem virtually extraneous to the
show. Other than establishing the Eponine/Cosette links, they really serve no
purpose and could be dealt with with a few lines here and there. "Master
of the House" now just seems completely extraneous. And why, why, WHY did the powers-that-be reduce
Gavroche's marvelous "Little People" to just a few lines? Totally
gutted that part. When all is said and done, however, the creators obviously
did something very right. It has run continuously in London's West End since
1985. That's a staggering thirty-two years! The original New York production
ran nearly 6700 performances and Broadway has seen two full-blown revivals, one
a "reimagined" production with new direction and design, and the show
launched at least five national touring companies, including one currently
(Fall, 2017) traipsing across the country. That's a lot of barricades!
– Auditorium Theatre, Chicago
March, 1989. The First National Tour stopped off for six
months at Chicago's stunning Auditorium Theatre and Steve and I were at one of
the first Chicago performances. An
architectural gem, National Historic Landmark, and acoustically perfect, the Auditorium
was a popular touring stop for shows for many years. With nearly 3900 seats and
an upper balcony (rarely sold) that is steep and so high up one feels oxygen
should be offered, it's, frankly, far too large for most shows. For big epic
numbers like Les Misérables, however,
it adds a grandeur to the event that adds to the show's enjoyment. (For the
record, smaller shows, i.e. the average musical, tend to get lost at the
Auditorium.) Craig Schulman and Charles Pistone played the adversarial pair of
Jean Valjean and Javert, respectively. Hollis Resnick was a sensational
Fantine. And, look! Victoria Clark as Madame Thénardier, before the part became
obnoxiously overplayed. A first rate production all around. The audience loved
it. – at the Auditorium Theatre, Chicago
– Auditorium Theatre,
Chicago
July, 1991. Cosette liked her first
Chicago visit so much, she decided to come back to the Auditorium for another
six-month stay. This time around Mark McKerracher and Richard Kinsey were
playing Valjean and Javert, Anne Runolfsson was Fantine (good, but not
Hollis!), and Chicago veteran Ray Frewen was part of the ensemble. The major
difference on this return visit was the sound. The 1989 engagement had sound by
the Broadway designer, Andrew Bruce. This engagement's sound was courtesy of
the Broadway production's associate designer, Tony Meola, and Mr. Meola, apparently,
was a big fan of echo effects and big booming sound, because both were overused
throughout the evening. I called this production the "rock concert Les Mis." I don't think the
audience noticed or, for that matter, cared, but it really, really bugged me.
– at the Auditorium Theatre, Chicago
– Cadillac Palace
Theatre, Chicago
February, 2011. Here's how this was billed: "Cameron
Mackintosh's New 25th Anniversary Production of Boubil & Schönberg's Les Misérables." How new? Same
costumes, but new lighting, new directors, and, and this is the biggie, a new
scenic design, which…GASP AND HORROR…did away with the iconic barricades.
O.M.G.! What the hell? Les Mis lite?
Answer: No. It's still Les Misérables,
just a cleaner, more streamlined one. Much was made of the fact that an
African-American actor was playing Valjean. Not sure what all the fuss
was about. Lawrence Clayton was okay in the role, if not terribly vocally impressive. (Note: Clayton was out of the tour after only four months. Message
boards state that either a) health issues were involved or b) attendance was
not his friend.) Andrew Varela played Javert and really nailed the part. In a
totally odd bit of casting, young Eponine was played by a white child actress
while the adult Act Two Eponine was played by an African-American actress. Well,
okay, then! By this time any attempt to make "On My Own" a character
song had been discarded in favor of doing a belty, loud pop version. Chasten
Harmon sang it in true pop diva form, loud and with little interpretation. To
make matters worse, she was directed to be especially whiny and needy. In this
new production, the Thénardiers seemed totally out of place and their scenes
were borderline painful to watch. Top honors for this version go to Betsy
Morgan, Bob's former student, who made Fantine's fifteen minutes memorable and gave
the show one of its few genuine moments of emotion. This production was
definitely a mixed bag. Things moved quicker without the barricades, but the
epic quality was diminished and much of the emotional honesty that made Les Misérables the monster hit it is had
been replaced with slick, deft, and professional show biz pizzazz. And it still
packs 'em in! – at the Cadillac Palace, Chicago
And remember, if the shoe fits... Until next time.
© 2017 Jeffrey Geddes
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