Saturday, March 9, 2019

ALPHABET SOUP (16): FEATURING A RANDOM LETTER OF THE ALPHABET AND SOME SHOWS THAT BEGIN WITH THAT LETTER: "L"


ALPHABET SOUP (16):
FEATURING A RANDOM LETTER OF THE ALPHABET AND SOME SHOWS THAT BEGIN WITH THAT LETTER

L
A.R. Guerney's uber-popular play that has been done by, I suspect, practically every theatre company in the world; Eugene O'Neill's epic masterpiece performed by a cast the likes of which dreams are made of; a blissfully mindless, thoroughly entertaining musical that probably should have stayed off-Broadway where it started; an acclaimed musical that I couldn't warm up no matter how hard I tried; and finally one of the funniest musicals in existence, full stop. Let the "Ls" begin!

LOVE LETTERS – Chicago Theatre, Chicago







February, 1992. Not that it matters, but neither of the two Broadway productions of A.R. Gurney's Love Letters were smoking box office smashes. What it lacked in Broadway durability, however, it more than made up for in popularity and has resulted in the gift that keeps on giving…and giving…and giving to Mr. Gurney's estate. It literally is a money machine. And with good reason. There are only two actors. The set can be whatever you want. Limited rehearsal is required since the actors use scripts. The play itself is gentle and eager to please. No heavy-heavy-hangs-over-thy-head themes. World peace will not come out of a performance. And depending on your socioeconomic status, you may or may not relate to the antics of the two characters. In its favor, it's often funny, sometimes moving, and solidly authored, but there's just not much meat on Love Letters' bones. For this tour, which stopped off in Chicago for a brief seven-performance run, the producers hired everyone's favorite TV couple, Jennifer and Jonathan Hart. Oops. I meant Stefanie Powers and Robert Wagner. It didn't matter that the play seemed lost in the huge Chicago Theatre (3600 seats). The packed house came to see Jennifer and Jonathan in person, and that's exactly what they got. Sitting on two tall stools with backs and with music stands in front of them, Wagner and Powers, with the help of some great lighting, managed to make the theatre seem almost intimate. Surprisingly at ease on the stage, they delivered genuine star charisma. Powers was the better actor, able to handle both the comedy and drama with ease. Wagner was competent, handled the lighter stuff better than the heavier sections, and looked damn fine even from the reaches of the middle balcony, a million miles away from the stage. It was professional and polished, and we all had a great time. – at the Chicago Theatre, Chicago
Jon and Jen: Hart to Hart ran for five seasons, from 1979 to 1984. It was a favorite of Steve's and myself, and we would religiously tape and save the episodes. (Remember, these were the days before DVRs and streaming video.) Curiously, considering how much we loved the show, we never rewatched any of the episodes and the many VCR tapes languished on the shelves until I finally got rid of them prior to a move after Steve died. Jump ahead ten years or so. I'm a cabin hag for Comair. Hart to Hart had been released on DVD, available on Netflix. While on a layover, I eagerly popped in the Season 1, Disc 1 DVD and began the episode. Not even halfway through the episode, I stopped watching. What I thought was so clever, stylish, and glamorous in the early 80s, now seemed, well, none of the above. I guess I'd moved on from Jon and Jen. Ah, well.

LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT – Plymouth Theatre, New York








August, 2003. On a layover in New York on a steamy Sunday in July, I stood in the cancellations line at the Plymouth Theatre in my synthetics-are-us-so-we-don't-breathe flight attendant uniform, and was the very last person called to purchase a ticket to the multi-Tony winning revival of Eugene O'Neill's masterpiece. To say I was in theatrical bliss for four hours would be a gross understatement. To say the cast of Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Dennehy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Robert Sean Leonard was perfection would be grossly inaccurate. They were so much more than that. It wasn't what they did that was so impressive; it was what they didn't do that was extraordinary. And what they didn't do was act. Oh, trust me, they were all acting up a storm, but damned if I could spot a single false move, a single dishonest emotion, a single dip into tricks, artifice, and "acting." They were the Tyrone family and we, the audience, were the proverbial flies on the wall witnessing as they railed at each other only to beseech forgiveness in the next moment, as they shrieked in anger, fueled by alcohol and drugs, to be followed soon after by a scene of unexpected warmth. In a cast of such accomplished actors, Vanessa Redgrave's Mary Tyrone was a revelation. The subtleties she brought to her role; the frailty, the strength, the despair, the dignity she gave that troubled, tragic character. Brilliant doesn't do her justice. She truly is in a class by herself. Robert Falls directed this with sensitivity and grace. I am still in awe of this production. – at the Plymouth Theatre, New York
FUN FACTS: Tonys were won by the production itself for Best Revival, Vanessa Redgrave for Leading Actress in a Play, and Brian Dennehy for Leading Actor in a Play. Robert Sean Leonard won a Featured Actor in a Play Tony in 2001 for his role in Tom Stoppard's The Invention of Love, which I found to be a fascinating, if extraordinarily dense afternoon of theatre. The late Philip Seymour Hoffman would win a 2005 Oscar for his portrayal of Truman Capote in Capote. Like I said…a class act.

LYSISTRATA JONES – Walter Kerr Theatre, New York




December, 2011. Preview. First off, let me say no one will ever confuse Lysistrata Jones with Follies. Not a bit of angst in sight in this light, breezy frolic of a show. A musical that uses as its basis Aristophanes' anti-war comedy in which the ladies of ancient Greece, in an attempt to end the Peloponnesian War, decide to withhold all sex from the menfolk until peace is declared? Indeed, only this time the locale is a D-List college where the cheerleaders decide to withhold sex from their basketball-playing boyfriends until the BFs lose their ennui and contentment at having never won a game in decades and start upping their game. Not quite as lofty a goal perhaps, but it somehow all worked. A pleasant, energetic score by Lewis Flinn with a sensational ballad to close Act One, sold-to-the-rafters by leading lady Patti Murin, kept everything enjoyably tuneful. Nifty choreography and direction courtesy of Dan Knechtges kept the show moving. Lots of boy eye candy in various states of dress and undress was an unexpected bonus, and the fine performances by the talented cast, led by Patti Murin, Josh Segarra, Jason Tam, Lindsay Nicole Chambers, and Liz Mikel, gave the musical a satisfying professional sheen. Douglas Carter Beane's book got the job done with heart, warmth, humor, and the occasional political jab. Plus he provided me with my 2nd most favorite line: "I'm moist like a snack cake!" A perhaps ill-advised transfer from a successful summer booking off-Broadway, Lysistrata Jones, though entertaining as all get-out, didn't seem comfortably at home in the modestly-sized Walter Kerr. It was, at heart, a little musical trying to make it in the big leagues, and, despite decent-enough reviews, including pretty much a rave from the all-important New York Times, it just couldn't draw an audience willing to pay Broadway prices for this unassuming delight. Perhaps it would have played better at the smaller Helen Hayes, former home of Xanadu; perhaps it should have just transferred to an open-ended engagement off-Broadway. Whatever the case, it didn't make it and closed after 34 previews and only 30 performances. Sad. – at the Walter Kerr Theatre, New York
Cast Tidbits: Liz Mikel's only Broadway appearance to date was in Lysistrata Jones. Jason Tam will be appearing in this season's (2018-2019) Be More Chill and was a recorded voice in Dear Evan Hansen. Lindsay Nicole Chambers won my heart as Gail in the fabulous web series Submissions Only. Josh Segarra, a cool drink of water if ever there was one, played a dumb-as-rocks cop in the sadly short-lived TV series Sirens, and won praise for his long stint as Emilio Estefan in Broadway's On Your Feet! Patti Murin, so, so good in Lysistrata Jones, would effortlessly steal the show as Anna from the showier, but less substantial, part of Elsa when we saw the musical Frozen during its Denver shakedown.

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA – Vivian Beaumont Theater, New York






June, 2005. About ten days before we saw The Light in the Piazza, the musical had racked up six Tony Awards at the 2005 ceremonies, including Best Actress for Victoria Clark, Best Score for Adam Guettel, Richard Rodgers' grandson, Best Orchestrations, and swept the musical design categories. And indeed Piazza was lovely to look at. And Victoria Clark was, in a word, magnificent, and she had a slew of fine actors with her in the cast, including Kelli O'Hara and pre-Glee Matthew Morrison, but, frankly, her performance was just about the only thing that kept the show from becoming a ponderous slog that moved at a snail's pace. I found little joy in the show, and just could not get into Guettel's score. Was that a melody trying to get through? Wait. Nope. To my ears, it was unmelodic noise masquerading as an "important score." And since I couldn't get involved with the music, and since Piazza is, after all, a musical, I just couldn't become invested in the characters. It didn't help that our seats were on the far side of the Beaumont's wide thrust stage, making everything seem somewhat removed. I wasn't bored, and I didn't hate it, but I was disappointed. What didn't disappoint was the radiant Clark. She made the evening worthwhile. – at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, New York

LITTLE ME – Criterion Center Stage Right (Roundabout Theatre Company), New York


December, 1998. One of the funniest musicals ever written, Little Me is blessed with a hysterical, joke-laden book by Neil Simon, a sensational, tune-filled score by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, and based on the ridiculously funny book of the same title by Auntie Mame's Patrick Dennis. Ostensibly about the life and trials of poor-trailer-trash-turned-rich-celebrity Belle Poitrine, it's really about the opportunity to get a cast of inspired comic actors together and collectively make their audiences weak with laughter. Heading Roundabout's cast of zanies were Martin Short and Faith Prince, two actors whose comic skills are honed to a laser-like precision. Playing the men in Belle's life, Short spun the lightweight material to comic gold at every turn, almost turning the invaluable Prince into an afterthought. The operative word there was "almost." If the material didn't allow Prince the number of opportunities to shine, she made sure she made the most out of every appearance and was Short's equal in the scenery-chewing department. And look at this supporting cast: Brooks Ashmanskas, Peter Benson, Michael McGrath, Michael Park, Christine Pedi, and an especially droll and divine Ruth Williamson. The score, one snappy song after another, has one major pop hit, "I've Got Your Number," and a secondary one in "Real Live Girl." But there's also the poignant "Poor Hollywood Star," the effervescent title tune that gets things off to a grand start, the celebratory "Here's To Us," and, well, there's not a bad song in the lot. The show, newly revised, featured satiric nods to the film Titanic and the musical Chicago, and had a crisp, delightful staging by Rob Marshall. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. It's a shame Little Me isn't more well-known. – at the Criterion Center Stage Right, New York
Background Stuff: Little Me made its Broadway debut during the 1962-63 season and starred Sid Caesar (roles later played by Martin Short), Virginia Martin and Nancy Anderson (roles combined in 1998 and played by Faith Prince), and Sven Swenson, who made "I've Got Your Number" the show's true showstopper. It received mostly favorable reviews, with only one unfavorable review among four raves and two favorable ones according to Steven Suskin's Opening Night on Broadway. Yet despite the star power and the good notices, Little Me never caught on and closed after a mere 275 performances. A major revival twenty years later starring James Coco and Victor Garber, splitting the seven roles originally played by Caesar, was a critical miss and closed a few weeks after it opened. The Roundabout revival didn't exactly win over the critics, but it's reviews were good enough to ensure a healthy limited run at the 499-seat Criterion. Little Me would be the Criterion's penultimate show. It would close in 1999 to make room for the gigantic Times Square Toy R Us.
    
And on that note… Until later….
© 2019 Jeffrey Geddes

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