Review - The Illusion and other ramblings

I’ve been so tired lately, I almost didn’t go to see Kushner's The Illusion, but friends told me I would love it, so I made the trek over to Signature.  I’m so glad I did.  It’s a lovely piece that doesn’t really resemble Kushner’s later work (this one was written in the late 80s, I believe), but does showcase his love of language and felicity of dialogue.  I found the production enchanting, if a little long.  So I guess that part DOES resemble Kushner’s later work.  J

The production design is gorgeous—the set, lights and costumes are lovely and just right for such a magical piece.  It’s beautifully staged by Michael Mayer and makes excellent use of the Peter Norton Space (what is going to happen to this wonderful theater space when Signature moves out?  I need to find out…).

I was a bit disappointed to discover, via that nasty slip of paper falling out of my Playbill, that Lois Smith was not going to be performing; I love Lois Smith.  Her performance in Trip to Bountiful at Signature is one of my very favorite NY performances ever.  She was also lovely last fall in a new play, After the Revolution.  But the gal who is Lois Smith’s understudy, Rebecca Nelson, was terrific.  She plays a sorcerer who is approached by a neglectful father who wants to know what has happened to his son.  Her monologues are lovely, especially the last speech, about the ephemeral qualities of life and how nothing is what it seems.  She uses the word ‘evanescent,’ which always makes me swoon.  It’s just one of those words I love.

The acting is quite good across the board, though the younger actors had real posture problems (and that drives me insane, especially in a period piece).  One of the younger actresses reminded me of Helen Hunt, which is sort of a kiss of death for me, but I managed to stay in the moment and not let it bother me too much.  ;)   The young gentleman looks very familiar to me, but I don’t think I’ve seen him on stage before.  Do we know him?  His name is Finn Wittrock (which sounds vaguely like a character from The Flintstones, but ok).  He’s quite handsome and a flamboyantly fun actor.  Henry Stram and David Margulies were their expectedly wonderful selves and Peter Bartlett was sort of transcendent as a vainglorious braggart, but whose last scenes were gorgeously touching.  He was a riot, but also very moving, especially in the last scene.

The production closes on the 17^th, and it didn’t look like the house was full last night, so if you’re into some gorgeous stage pictures and a gently humorous and touching valentine to theater and language, head on over to the Signature to check out The Illusion. 

I had three doctor appointments today (which took a total of four hours to complete, even though they were all follow-ups and I wasn't in with any one doctor for more than 15 minutes--ugh), but in between appointments, I made my way over to Kalustyan's, the wonderful specialty food market on Lexington and 28th.  I had originally read about the store on one of my favorite food blogs, but never made it there until January.  My, it's a fantastic store.  They have everything!  And so many different types of everything!  There is an emphasis on Indian food and condiments (I've purchased delicious tamarind and mango chutney there), but really, they have everything. 

To the left is the spice section, to the right are chutneys.  Above, you'll see some of the many many different varieties of SALT!  I bought some lentils and some garam masala, plus some tasty looking saffron rice.  I'll keep you posted on how everything is.  Hopefully, I'll find the energy to cook again soon...