Recent Theatergoing

I’ve been to a lot of plays recently. Here are some of my reactions and impressions:

SUPERIOR DONUTS. (Broadway) Tracey Lett’s first outing on Broadway since August: Osage County. A smaller play than August, but nevertheless similarly filled with extremely well-drawn characters in quirky situations. Great performances by virtually everyone in the cast. A poorly choreographed long fight sequence near the climax of the play was the only weak element of the evening. (This was the first preview, so perhaps the fight has been perfected since then.) In the end, the whole thing didn’t amount to all that much, but I thoroughly enjoyed the play.

LET ME DOWN EASY. (Second Stage) Anna Devere Smith’s one-woman show about death and health care. I was late in discovering the incredible Anna Devere Smith--not until she appeared in Nurse Jackie on Showtime (as the very odd hospital administrator). In this play, as in her other solo pieces, she plays all the characters, which are based on real people she has interviewed at length. Some are famous; most are obscure. Her mimetic talent is extraordinary. The individual monologues run the gamut from hilarious to heart-wrenching. A perfect way to weigh-in vicariously on the health care reform debate.

THE ROYAL FAMILY. by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber. (Manhattan Theatre Club) Looking around the theater during both of the evening’s intermissions, I kept telling myself that this is my idea of heaven--attending a brilliantly acted, well-constructed play presented in a beautiful theater. My demands are simple. The cast is great. The play is a comic classic about--what else, my favorite topic--the theater. If you’re built like me, you have to see this. It’s not a choice; it’s an addiction.

TWO UNRELATED PLAYS BY DAVID MAMET. Although this is the year of Mamet (with two productions now on Broadway--after having 2 different productions on Broadway last year), this off-Broadway effort (at the wonderful Atlantic Theater Company) is fairly underwhelming. Probably the shortest evening in New York at the moment - 70 minutes. The first play (a 10-minute effort) is completely forgettable. A bit of wordplay between two characters that goes nowhere and isn’t that interesting along the way. The second one, Keep Your Pantheon, is much better, though still not great. In the spirit of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (without the music), it’s bawdy, slap-sticky Roman fare that works well much of the time. Brian Murray is great, as always. His performance alone probably makes the evening worth seeing. On the other hand, the whole thing is probably too broad for most people’s taste, and it’s uneven.

AFTER MISS JULIE. (Broadway) A re-telling of Strindberg’s Miss Julie starring Sienna Miller. I saw this twice. (I went a second time because my older daughter is a fan of Sienna Miller.) I was impressed the first time and even more impressed the second time. Fantastic performances by all three members of the cast. Sienna is gorgeous to look at, and for the first half, you think she’s getting by on her looks, easily acting the haughty, self-involved Miss Julie. But then she breaks out and does a breathtaking job as this seriously deranged woman. (My daughter says she always plays beautiful deranged women--but what do I know?) This play is meticulous in its presentation of the details. There are some stretches where nothing is spoken, but simple actions (cleaning up, cooking on a stove) are mesmerizing. (Marin Ireland gets much credit for that.)

WISHFUL DRINKING. (Studio 54 - Roundabout) by and starring Carrie Fisher. Funny, funny, funny. What a wonderful woman! Who wouldn’t want to spend an evening with this whip-smart woman and the tales of her bizarre life in and out of Hollywood? I know two guys who walked out at intermission and I just don’t get it--do we belong to the same species? My only complaint is that she doesn’t go quite deep enough in exposing the pain of her addictions and mental problems--it’s all kept on the very droll surface. But give the woman a break--she’s been through hell. (And regarding the complaint that she trashes her family--everyone trashed gave their permission and supported her efforts.)

BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS by Neil Simon. (Broadway). I’m not a big Neil Simon fan. I loved some of his early works--but I was very young then. The later ones I mostly stayed away from--including this one. But now that I’ve finally seen a production, I have to admit that it’s a very, very good play. Wonderfully acted here by Laurie Metcalf et al. Especially young Noah Robbins--remember that name. A star is born.

THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS starring Judith Ivey. (Cherry Lane Theatre) A one-woman show about Ann Landers. A bit thin as a theatrical conceit, but Judith Ivey pulls it off extremely well. She’s a great actress. I could watch her read the phone book. If you have any interest in this quasi-historical figure, this show is for you. Lots of fun (and some audience interaction). If neither Ann Landers nor Judith Ivey interest you, you can skip this.

WEST SIDE STORY. (The Palace) Finally got to see this very hot revival. New York theatergoers have nitpicked this one to death. Some hate it; some love it. I lean more toward the latter camp. You can’t go too far wrong with this material, and I don’t think this production goes very far wrong at all. My nits are minor. A few excellent performances (including Karen Olivo). The leads have beautiful voices. And that amazing Jerome Robbins choreography is still stunning. One scenic moment gave me chills--the lowering of the scenery with the highway running over the site of the rumble.

THE UNDERSTUDY by Theresa Rebeck (Roundabout - off-Broadway). Very, very inside theater story. Must-see for actors--and anyone working in theater. Others may find it a bit boring. It does wander and become repetitive. Justin Kirk (from Weeds) is great. Julie White--who is mostly great--gets a bit tiresome after a while, especially since she wanders out and around the audience (playing a stage manager) too much. Enough with the whining from the back of the theater already!

FINIAN’S RAINBOW (Broadway). The first production I’ve ever seen of this classic musical. Great, great score. That’s reason enough to see it. It’s an odd, quirky, very old-fashioned musical. Pretty strong cast. Cheyenne Jackson is hunky. Kate Baldwin sounds good but is a bit bland. I don’t know if I would recommend it to a wide audience or not. But I might go back to see it again. And again--that score! Can’t get it out of my head.

OLEANNA by David Mamet. Starring Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman. Just saw this tonight. Wow!Very intense. You will definitely have a reaction. I was fascinated and very angered by much of this tale. It’s infuriating! It makes me want to hit people. I think that means it works. (I wish I could write like this.)