Celebrity Deathmatch: Broadway Style
There’s an unseen deity hovering above Manhattan’s Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on 45th Street, home of the Tony Award-winning “God of Carnage,” directed by Matthew Warchus and written by Yasmina Reza. It’s a deity that feeds on constant energy, bacchanalistic anger, drunken rage and wild actors bickering like ancient neanderthals. It’s a deity that yearns for blood, sweat and tears. And it’s a deity that must be somewhat displeased.
I went into this play with leveled expectations. I understood the hype, awards and rave reviews and realized that if I gave into all the praise, I would most likely be disappointed. But even with the hype forced out of my mind, this production just seemed like a train rushing to an undefined point, gone just as quickly as it arrived.
The premise is simple: two couples meet to discuss their plan of action after one couple’s son hits the other couple’s son in the face with a stick, knocking two of his teeth out. The curtain rises on the two pairs — Annette and Alan (Lucy Liu and Dylan Baker) and Veronica and Michael (Janet McTeer and Jeff Daniels) — civilly discussing the matter while reading from a Magna Carta-like document that clearly states what happened between the boys. As the evening progresses, they start downing glasses of rum, throwing up, chucking pillows at each other and swearing like Atlantic sailors. Mark Thompson’s beautiful set practically gets torn apart and covered in props. This bestial banter lends itself to moments of wicked fun, but not enough collective ensemble energy to keep the carnage alive for a full 90 minutes sans intermission.
The Original Cast of “God of Carnage.”
Watching A-Listers go at each other’s throats is a rewarding experience (not talking about the cover of Star Magazine), but it only works when each actor is completely in tune with what is going on around him/her. Daniels, for one, is natural in his role, though he made the switch from playing the snobby, stock market-minded Alan, to the more loose Michael on March 2. He was part of the original cast that helped “Carnage” win its 2009 Tony Awards and his buoyant energy is only matched by the quick-witted McTeer, who commands the stage with the same vibrato and thunder seen in her recent performance in “Mary Stuart.” She carries the action of the play, with little to no help from her counterpart Liu, who is out of her element surrounded by theater veterans. This unbalanced scale of acting chops teeters from start to finish.
I was half expecting Liu to just go completely bonkers and steal the show, but didn’t see that climax in her character until the very end — at that point it felt unjustified and random. Unfortunately, she plays the role of the celebrity name wrangled in to bump up slumping box office numbers, much to the dismay of people who are looking for solid acting that don’t have student IDs for super-discounted tickets.
Then there’s that sly devil, Baker. He seeps his way into the grooves of the 90-minute tussle like a predator waiting to pounce. Well played, Baker. Well played.
I wish I could have seen the original cast that had more time to connect as an ensemble. Maybe that’s what this group needs. More time … But should I be sympathizing? At this point, it’s either go big or go home. It’s called “GOD OF CARNAGE!” The writing was there, ready for the cast to tear into it full force, but there was so much being held back and not in tandem.
Maybe if I videotape my family’s next Thanksgiving, I’ll be satisfied.
Be Back Soon!
Hello all, I’m in New York City for the National College Media Convention, so I am taking a short break from blogging while here. I will be back sooner than you think. Maybe I’ll see a show or two while I’m here and maybe you’ll see a post or two about said shows!
Cheers,
Aaron
A Weekend Of Theater!
Last night, I saw the Ithaca College Music School/Theater Dept. production of “The Little Prince,” a two-act opera based on the children’s novella of the same name by Antoine de Saint-Exúpery. Tonight, I’m heading downtown to the Kitchen Theatre to review “Speech and Debate,” a dark comedy about three teenage misfits caught in a sex scandal. Needless to say, I love the weekends that I get to fill with the theater and I encourage you to do the same.
There’s so much out there in the Ithaca community to enrich and enlighten yourself with — no need to be in New York City to see quality theater. From main stage IC shows and the Kitchen Theatre to undergrounds and Kitchen Sink special performances, you might explode when you find out how many opportunities there are. So grab a ticket, get a buddy and head down to see a show or two this weekend, or shoot me an e-mail if you need help finding out what to do.
Check The Ithacan’s Theater Review section later this week for my reviews on both shows as well! If you go to “Speech and Debate” tonight, you’ll see me, so come and say hi. I’ll be the one with a tie and a reporter pad.
Oh, Elaine Stritch.
When I first heard about Elaine Stritch, I was terrified. I was terrified and slightly confused. I was terrified, slightly confused and, all the while, enamored. Here was a woman who for all it was worth, spent the majority of her life struggling with alcoholism, but became a matriarch, if you will, of the Broadway stage. Commanding the scores of Stephen Sondheim with a vehement delicacy, Stritch became one of my favorite veteran actresses once I was introduced to Sondheim’s 1970 musical “Company,” a loose collection of vignettes centered on 35-year old Bobby, a bachelor looking for a reason to love and marry.
In “Company,” Stritch originated the role of the classy, brassy Joanne, a wine glass-wielding 50-something who is basically my personal hero. And after sporadic returns to the stage, she is yet again back to performing in New York City.
Not on Broadway this time, though.
Her one-woman biographical show “Elaine at Liberty” was a huge success in the early 2000s, incorporating Sondheim’s music into her personal story of struggle and success. Her newest endeavor puts her back in the realm of Sondheim as she is performing some of his most beloved numbers at the Café Carlyle on the Upper East Side through next week.
Oh, and lest we forget her stints on “30 Rock” as mommy dearest to Jack (Alec Baldwin). These scenes are like heaven to me. The magic begins at 1:38.
Idina…Is Coming!
Lea Michele’s tweet says it all. It’s official! “Wicked” star Idina Menzel is currently filming and will be on an episode of the hit Fox series, “Glee.”
I’m still trying to wrap my head around what she could possibly play on the show. Biological mother to Rachel? Rival Glee Club coach? Herself? ELPHABA? Maybe she’ll give Kurt some lessons on how to really hit that high note at the end of “Defying Gravity.” Even though, technically, he blew the note purposefully. Regardless, the possibilities are endless and nobody…in all of Oz…no wizard—wait. Sorry. That went in the wrong direction.
January 22, 2010 | UPDATE: Idina is playing the head coach of the rival Glee Club “Vocal Adrenaline” and is signed off for most of the episodes in the second season.
West Side Story Starlets Keep on Shining…and Snapping
Karen Olivo (purple dress) and Josefina Scaglione (blue dress) recently renewed their contracts to continue starring in the revival of “West Side Story” at the Palace Theatre in New York City.
Why, if it isn’t yet another reason for me to get my butt to NYC and see some Broadway shows, specifically the snap-tastic, mambo-minded “West Side Story” revival. Broadway World just reported that Josefina Scaglione and Karen Olivo, the actresses who play Maria and Anita, respectively, have signed off on another year with the show, keeping their names in the Playbill and their fabulous faces on the stage through summer of this year.
Olivo was honored with Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the Tony Awards last year and made her fierce mark on the Broadway stage as the original Vanessa in “In The Heights,” while Scaglione is known for her work in Argentina.
Zeta-Jones’ Broadway Review: Meh
A while back, I told you guys about Catherine Zeta-Jones’ casting in the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music.”
Well, the New York Times review is in. The verdict? She was…okay. Ben Brantley said the “arch banter” of the show didn’t come naturally to Jones and his review, though greatly written—a usual for Brantley—hints at the fact that he was trying to find good in the production aside from the star-studded cast that also includes Broadway dame Angela Lansbury.
Sectionals
My friends. Let us hold hands, look to the stars and rejoice. For a great time has come. Let us thank the cast and creators of Glee for gifting us with a season of drama, sexting, hairography and Single Ladies. For three months, we’ve enjoyed (and hated) 12 feel-everything episodes that brought us from a simple overdone song to a vast array of song covers, not to mention stellar acting, dancing and general fierceness.
The time has come for that to all end. Sectionals. The word has been on the mouths of every Gleek since September. And now, the Glee kids that entered our hearts, homes and dorms will finally compete for glory — sans slushy-in-face.
What I ask for is simple: belting. Give me notes that make me feel like a chihuahua on steroids. Let me hear every single Glee club member at their full capacity and potential. Give me something to hold me over until, dare I say it, 2010 when the show returns.
So let’s hear it for Sectionals…Gigantic stage where dreams are made of. There’s nothing you can’t do. Now you’re in Sectionals. This stage will make you feel brand new — ok I’ll just stop.
Eurydice
NYC’s Second Stage Theater production of “Eurydice” in 2007
Ever had those moments in the theater when you realize why you love it so much? I rarely have these moments, even after going to see some Broadway shows, but after seeing Ithaca College’s production of “Eurydice,” a contemporary re-telling of the Roman tale of Orpheus and Eurydice I was blessed to have several.
Here’s my review of the show. If you have a few bucks and two hours on your hands today, I highly recommend you attend.
What ‘Glee’ Really Needs
More Musicals. We’re seven episodes into the season and I’ve been watching the viewership on my best friend, Wikipedia’s site. And what I’ve noticed is that the episodes in which the show returns to its roots of Broadway and Sue Sylvester-related humor are where it does the best.
Case and point? I want more Broadway in Glee. The only memorable instances where White-Way classics took center auditorium stage were in “The Rhodes Not Taken” (with guest appearance by Kristen Chenoweth) and in the Pilot (a short homage to “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat).
But am I a sinner to say that the fan basis of this show is comprised mainly of musical theater and Broadway buffs like yours truly? It’s a big audience. Don’t underestimate it. We will belt in your face. For those of you who don’t know what that means, here’s a good resource—search “belting”…there are 16 instances of it.
So, to the creators of Glee: remember this timeless mantra: Liza, Judy, Barbra, Bette, these are names you shan’t forget.
Feed for All That Jazz
