MISFILES! or WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THAT BOX? (3)
It's been a while, but today it's time to post the last
installment of misfiled theatre programs. Today's offerings will include a
classic play written during the early days of the Plague, an under-appreciated
musical treat, a regal theatrical event with a real live Dame, and a evening of
varied short plays that gave both laughs and material to ponder. Let's begin.
LIVES OF THE SAINTS –
The Duke on 42nd Street
February, 2015. Playwright
David Ives is probably best known, at least until now, for his wildly-popular play
of one-acts called All in the Timing,
done to death by high schools, colleges and amateur groups. Bob designed a
production of it at New Trier. Where I found Timing to be a very mixed bag, Lives
of the Saints proved to be a more successful venture, full of snappy
wordplay, awesome ensemble acting, and even some sincere emotional depth. Not
every one-act landed with complete success, but nothing failed and at the
interval, the audience was eager to get back into the theatre, a good sign for
any production. Did I mention the stunning ensemble? Cheers to Arnie Burton,
Carson Elrod, Rick Holmes, Kelly Hutchinson, and Liv Rooth. And bravo to the
designers and director John Rando for making everything not only look terrific,
but also flow with style. I liked it lots. – at The Duke on 42nd Street
(Primary Stages), New York
Sidebar:
The acting edition of Lives of the Saints
consists of nine one-acts. The New York production, called the "final,
definitive New York production" only used seven of the nine. David Ives is
also the playwright of Venus in Fur,
which we didn't like (see earlier post) and The
Heir Apparent, which we saw a couple of years back at the Chicago Shakes
and absolutely loved it.
THE AUDIENCE – Gerald
Schoenfeld Theatre
March, 2015. As the
song goes, "there is nothing like a dame." Exquisitely subtle with no
showiness or technique in view and loaded with humanity, nuance, and humour,
Dame Helen, is a last name really necessary?, truly delivered the goods.
Gorgeous in decor and costumes, with some pretty amazing costume changes, Peter
Morgan's well-crafted script is more than just a showcase for Her Majesty, I
mean, Ms. Mirren. His solid dialogue is given A-list delivery by the cast of
superb theatre professionals, who one and all create memorable characters, from
the oh-so-proper Royal Equerry (Geoffrey Beevers) to the Iron Lady herself,
Margaret Thatcher (Judith Ivey), in a performance that gives us the closest
this show has to a villain (Mrs.
Thatcher was, let's face it, a piece of work.), to the warm and homey Harold Wilson,
in a memorable performance by Richard McCabe, to a young Elizabeth (Elizabeth
Teeter), whose spirit will become structured and, yes, restrained, by her royal
obligations. Bob Crowley's design was regal and scrumptious. Stephen Daldry's direction was elegant and
efficiently stately, if that's not a contradiction in terms. Not a reprise of
Dame Helen's Oscar-winning performance as Elizabeth II in The Queen, but something much more vital and alive. What a thrill!
- at the Schoenfeld Theatre, New York
THE NORMAL HEART –
Kreeger Theater (Arena Stage), Washington, D.C.
July, 2012. Larry
Kramer's semi-autobiographical 1985 play, The
Normal Heart, was, at the time and remains so today, a seminal work about
the early days of the AIDS plague, and the indifferent attitudes from the
press, from the public, and, most especially, from the government about the
deadly disease that was decimating the gay community. It's a loud work. There's
lots of yelling. It's a rough work, yet, gentle. It has moments of humor,
moments of great sadness, and moments of heartbreaking courage and humanity.
It's not a perfect work, but you will not be indifferent to it. A replica of
the Tony-winning 2011 revival, Arena Stage Artistic Director made sure this
production would be A-List all the way, from director George C. Wolfe's taut
direction, to the spot-on design, to the flawless, yes, flawless, performances of the ensemble cast, with special honors to
Michael Berresse, Luke Macfarlane, Christopher J. Hanke, and especially Patrick
Breen as Ned Weeks (the character based on Larry Kramer) and Patricia Wettig as
Dr. Emma Brookner. My emotions were all over the map, yet somehow this was a
cathartic experience. At the talkback afterwards, it was clear that the cast was
very proud of their work and the importance of this play even today. Not a happy afternoon at the theatre, but, oh, so rewarding. – at the Kreeger Theater
(Arena Stage), Washington D.C.
Sidebar:
Steve died of AIDS (wasting syndrome) in June, 1995, just months before the now
life-saving protease inhibitors were approved by the FDA. He was 43 years old.
When he was first diagnosed with HIV and was in the hospital in a western
Chicago suburb for pneumonia, he was in isolation with everyone running around
with gowns and masks. Though he was treated with a cool kindness, there was a
distance and lack of compassion I found disturbing. He endured horrible
experiences with insurance companies, whose only concern was money. He became
ill from drugs, including AZT. During his last year, he spent probably
one-third of it at St. Joseph Hospital on the AIDS wing. (And low bows and
bravos to the amazing nurses and staff who worked on that floor!) So, for me, The Normal Heart was more than just a
play. It was, and is, personal.
ON THE TWENTIETH
CENTURY
– St. James Theatre, New York
The poster has a slight crease in it, so I got it for a decent price years ago at Triton, though, because this poster is somewhat rare, it wasn't especially cheap.
Sidebar:
Madeline Kahn would receive some pretty bad press during her two-month stint in
On the Twentieth Century, most, if
not all, stemming from the fact that she wanted to do only seven performances a
week, instead of the usual eight, due to the vocal demands of the show.
Director Hal Prince didn't agree with her, and, after a short tenure at the St.
James, replaced her with her standby, Judy Kaye, who did play eight performances a week. Whether or not you agree with
Kahn, the fact remains that her request wasn't so extraordinary after all. In
the mid-60s in Chicago, Paul Lipson was the matinee Tevye in Fidder on the Roof (Luther Adler played
the evening performances. Lipson even had his own Playbill and Playbill cover.)
Natalie Costa was the matinee Aldonza (Really? The part's not that exhausting.) with Carolyn Maye
playing the evenings. Costa, however, didn't rate her own Playbill. Phyllis
Newman replaced Barbara Harris in The
Apple Tree for the matinees shortly after the show had opened. Gordon
MacRae and Carol Lawrence were the matinee cast of I Do! I Do! after the show had run for a year on a
6-performance/week schedule with Mary Martin and Robert Preston. Just a year
after the Kahn brouhaha, and, with Hal Prince once again as director, Evita opened in 1979 with a matinee
Evita in place, a tradition that continues to this day. In the same year as 20th Century, Liza Minnelli was only
doing 7-performances a week with The Act,
and won a Tony for it. And the current smash revival of Hello, Dolly!, starring Bette Midler, has two-time Tony winner Donna
Murphy playing Dolly at Tuesday performances and during vacations. All things
considered, perhaps Prince should have just let Kahn do six or seven shows a
week. Trust me, she was worth it.
Fun
Fact: This was the second time I'd seen Kahn in a Broadway show. The first
time was in the 1970 Danny Kaye vehicle, Two
By Two. The costumer put her in a fur bikini outfit and composer Richard
Rodgers gave her a stunningly awful song, "The Golden Ram," but,
bless her heart, the girl gave the part and song and costume her all. I loved
her. Loathed Kaye, but loved her. A few years later, we would all love her in What's Up, Doc? and a comic legend was
born.
August, 1979. A few months after On the Twentieth Century closed at a loss after a disappointing
449-performance run, the producers decided to try to recoup some more money by
packing up the scenery, costumes, and
New York leads Judy Kaye and Imogene Coca and going out on a three-month tour.
To amp up the star wattage, they filled John Cullum's considerable shoes with
film superstar Rock Hudson. And to those who may already be scratching their
heads at this casting, let me say upfront, it was a genius move. And that's
because the producers decided to put their less-than-smash-hit show into the
ginormous Arie Crown Theatre, whose seating capacity was larger than many rural
Illinois towns. And the show on its own merits would not put bums in the
multi-thousand seats. A superstar would. And Rock Hudson delivered on the box
office goods. In previous posts, I have ranted against the Arie Crown. And with
good reason. It's a horrible place to see theatre. It's cold, inhospitable, and
just too big for its own good. In this case, the madcap charms of the musical
on display were lost. Nothing really landed. It wasn't bad necessarily; it just
seemed adrift in the vast Arie Crown sea. By this time, both Judy Kaye,
excellent as Lily, and Imogene Coca could do their roles in their sleep, and
both worked mightily for little reward. Rock Hudson looked the part, had that
superstar charisma, exhibited oodles of charm, and was competent in the role,
but I missed John Cullum. I don't remember the actor who played the Kevin Kline
role, so there's that. The Tribune
critic pretty much hated it, except for Judy Kaye. A disappointing performance
of a much-admired musical. – at Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago
Sidebar:
Though not noted for his stage work, when 20th Century steamed into Chicago, Rock Hudson had acquired some
critical success and theatrical cred by appearing in I Do! I Do! with Carol Burnett and on a tour of Camelot.
The gorgeous Her Majesty's Theatre.
(revised from an earlier post)
May, 1980. Cy Coleman's remarkable, soaring score, Comden
and Green's tart and tasty book and lyrics, Robin Wagner's wondrous scenery and
Florence Klotz's elegant period costumes seemed to be a better fit at the
smallish Her Majesty's Theatre than at New York's sizable St. James, and
certainly a far better fit than at the unspeakably awful Arie Crown. The
more-intimate house brought the story more into focus while not diminishing the
screwball comedy antics of the piece, yet, perversely, the smaller size of the
house made the one major negative I have with this show even more glaring. The
negative, as I have mentioned earlier, is that of Mrs. Primrose. Ann Beach, an
accomplished comedic actor in her own right, did what she could with the role, and did well
with material that was clearly written with someone else's specific skill set
in mind. Now on to the positive….Keith Michell's Oscar was suave and handsome
with a gorgeous baritone voice that filled the theatre. Julia McKenzie's Lily?
Well, by now you should know that I'm a major McKenzie fan, and she used all
her considerable talents to top advantage in this showcase of a part. Lovely to
look at, hysterically funny, and able to hit those very high notes with ease,
she was a wonder. Eric Delzenne lit everything with great skill, Gerald Teijelo
recreated Larry Fuller's original choreography and director Peter Coe (London
and Broadway Oliver!) made everything flow smoothly. By lucky
coincidence, thanks to a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend, etc., I
have a bootleg audio recording of a live performance of this production. It's
pretty freaking wonderful. - at the Her Majesty's Theatre, London
Sidebar:
Julia McKenzie would work with fellow castmates David Healy in Guys and
Dolls and Follies in London and Ann Beach in the TV
series Fresh Fields. Beach's entrance line in the series,
"It's only Sonia," became a catchphrase for Steve and me. I haven't
the faintest why.
– American Airlines Theatre,
New York
The revival poster.
Promo.
Looking good on the American Airlines Theatre stage.
February, 2015. Preview performance. Roundabout Theatre's
highly-anticipated revival, in its first full-production outing since the original
in 1978, was loaded with talent, scenery, costumes, lights, and good old show
biz pizzazz. Oh, sure, David Rockwell's scenery looked a bit cheesy when those
tacky wagons rolled on, but, still, it was pretty impressive for the most part.
And Andy Karl was a worthy successor to the vain insanity that Kevin Kline
brought to the role. James Moye, filling in for Peter Gallagher, who was out
for a large chunk of the preview period due to a lingering illness, was
handsome, bossy, and sang like a dream. Mark Linn-Baker and Michael McGrath
brought their years of experience to the parts of Oscar Jaffee's sidekicks.
Eighty-three-year-old Mary Louise Wilson gave her all as Mrs. Primose, though
it still remains a problematic role, and without the craziness of an inspired
comedienne, the performance felt a bit flat. I loathed, hated, despised the
reworking of the brilliant, showstopping "The Legacy" into something banal
and bland called "Because of Her," and the let's-all-wear-wedding-white-and-have-a-wedding
finale drove me to distraction. Why, I ask. Why?? Which brings us, in a
roundabout way, no pun intended, to the reason most people came to the show,
Kristin Chenoweth. A whirlwind of energy, finely honed comic timing, and that
glorious voice, Chenoweth definitely made the part her own, and yet something
was missing. Both Misses Kahn and McKenzie brought a zaniness to their
performances that was rooted in honesty and seemed both effortless and
spontaneous. Chenoweth's performance seemed a bit more calculated, a bit more
going-for-effect than the other ladies. This is the second time I've seen
Chenoweth recreate a role associated with an iconic performer. In the
Roundabout revival of The Apple Tree,
she started off strong, but then, as the material become broader and less
nuanced, her performance became less about the characters and more about
Kristin Chenoweth. Same held true in 20th
Century. At the top of the show, she was completely in character. By the
time the show progressed to "Babette" late in the second act, Lily
had morphed into Kristin with Lily enhancements. I don't think anyone in the
capacity audience noticed, or cared for that matter, but I wish Chenoweth had
trusted the material and her talents
more. Now, I feel I must make this perfectly clear. Kristin Chenowith was good, very good,
very very good in a challenging,
vocally demanding role, and I pretty much enjoyed myself enormously. It was
solid, professional, and a tonic on a winter's evening. The critics loved it
and the American Airlines Theatre box office took in lots of money. Bravo to
Roundabout for bringing this wonderful show to a new generation of
theatregoers! – at the American Airlines Theatre, New York
And on that note… Until next time.
© 2017 Jeffrey Geddes
