I've only seen a few of the new LCT3 series of plays. I don't know why - I like new plays. Well, whatever the reason, I've liked the pieces that I HAVE seen, plus, now that they've moved into their new space above the Vivan Beaumont, and since I've seen and liked some of the work of Greg Pierce, I made sure to get a ticket to his play, Slowgirl. I'm also a big fan of Zeljko Ivanek and becoming a big fan of Sarah Steele. Therefore, I had quite a few reasons to see this play. :)
The new space, the Claire Tow Theater, is quite lovely. It's all wood and glass, looking out onto the grassy area LCT has installed. It was nice to have so much light in the lobby. The theater seats about 100, I guess, and it's nicely put together. However, they seriously need to rethink where they've put the seat numbers on the chairs. They're not on the top edge of the seat, but on the bottom edge. They were REALLY hard to read, especially towards the back where I was sitting. There was no light and I actually had to get my flashlight out to see what my seat number was. The ushers could probably make it a little easier by telling you what the seat numbers on each aisle are. I guess it won't be as big of a problem now that I know how the theater's layed out. But plenty of the 'matinee ladies' were completely confused about where to sit. One humorous seat neighbor note from before the play started: the gal on the other side of the gal sitting next to me asked for her pal's help. She had to write a paper on the play and wanted to go out afterwards so they could talk about the play and make her paper better. I will fill you in on how that turned out later on. :)
I give a huge thumbs up to Slowgirl. It's an intimate story about two people, trying not to connect, yet finding a connection regardless. Zeljko Ivanek is Sterling, a single gentleman of a certain age, enjoying a quiet life of seclusion in Costa Rica. Sarah Steele plays his seventeen-year-old niece, who has come to visit and to escape 'trouble' she is facing back home. How the events unravel is really first-rate. The further and further inside you get, the more and more you discover. You may be able to anticipate where the story is going, but the how is more unexpected. The dialogue is fantastic, very authentic and natural, and the pace of the storytelling and direction is also terrific. The set is amazing and the sound design, putting you in the middle of the jungle, is also great.
Zeljko Ivanek is stunning as a man who has shunned human contact for years and is forced to confront a troubled teen, and, in so doing, confronts his own demons. The way he speaks so haltingly, as if he isn't used to actually communicating aloud, is great, as is how his physical awkwardness dissipates as he decides how to handle his niece.
Sarah Steele, who I have enjoyed as totally natural both on stage and on screen, is really wonderful here. She captures the cadence of this uninhibited teenager who at first uses language just to hear her own voice, but then, as she mines deeper layers, she uses it to come to an understanding of a long absent, but beloved uncle. They achieve a wonderful chemistry, as these two wounded and unsure people warily come to some kind of understanding.
You can get a more detailed plot synopsis if you read some real reviews, but I'm going to avoid it here. I knew nothing about this play when I went in and I think it's a nice way to approach it. I highly recommend it, both for the wonderful dialogue by playwright Greg Pierce, and the fantastic performances by these two committed actors. Oh, and about my seat neighbor - I'm guessing that her friend didn't get any good discussion afterwards, because the gal sitting next to me slept through the entire performance. Start to finish. I almost asked her if she had a good nap, but I refrained. I feel bad for the lady writing the paper. I hope she got through it ok on her own. :)
I've been woefully negligent with my Summer Friday plans, but last Friday, I was determined to get to a museum somewhere. Originally, I had considered going up to the Neue Gallery, then trying a tasty dessert in their well-regarded cafe. But, as my work day went on, I started to get a craving for that tartine I had at Le Pain Quotidien a few weeks ago, with the avocado and chickpeas, so I decided to go there, satisfy the craving, then go to the Morgan Library, which was relatively close by. The Morgan is another place I've shamefully missed since I've lived in New York. 
And, yet again, I loved it. I can't believe I haven't been there before and I need to go back again soon. I was again amazed at how crowded it was. I guess I need to stop assuming that no one else enjoys a museum. AND I was again annoyed that you couldn't take photos (sigh), but I did take notes so I wouldn't forget anything. There was a couple there, maybe on a first date (I guess this because the guy was trying awfully hard to impress the gal with all his knowledge) who kept taking photos without consequence. But I didn't tempt fate or break any rules. No photos on the inside. I did, however, buy some postcards and I took pictures of them when I got home. So there will be a little art with the post. :)
My first stop was at the exhibition showing drawings from Renaissance Venice. They were beautiful, and laid out very nicely. They were grouped as landscapes, portraits, and drawings commissioned by wealthy patrons. There were also texts there with some of the drawings used as illustrations to the text. The collection, which is part of Morgan's permanent collection, is quite extensive and I think I was in this room for over an hour. Across the gallery from the drawings was a very interesting exhibit - Winston Churchill: The Power of Words. There were original speeches of Churchill's, showing his edits, along with letters both to and from dignitaries from around the world. His Nobel Prize was there, along with a certificate of honorary citizenship to the US, signed by JFK. This was the busiest exhibit room, with many interested people of a certain age, who perhaps had a more personal interest in Winston Churchill than I, so I admit to taking a little less time in here because of the crowd. But I did find the room extremely interesting and I'm glad I saw it.There are a couple of Ellsworth Kelly sculptures in the enormous lobby - you pass them on your way to the original library of Pierpont Morgan. Before you get to the library, you see his office, where he apparently spent a lot of his time. It was an amazing room, filled with art treasures, including Memling paintings and gorgeous stained glass. It had an antique wood ceiling from Florence and many beautiful objets d'art. The security guard started following me around, because I stayed in there so long, looking at every single piece of that amazing art. I don't what he thought I could steal - maybe he just wanted to make sure I didn't take any pictures. :) But I can't imagine what it must be like to be able to sit in an office like that every day.
Then, you walk through an enormous rotunda, to get to the library. The rotunda has a beautiful stucco ceiling, and gorgeously tiled floors. In the rotunda is a copy of a Gutenberg bible. Wow. It's seriously awe-inspiring. As is the library. Majorly awe-inspiring. In the library, besides the shelves and shelves of books (there are rows and rows of different editions of the Bible and the New Testament), there are display cases with amazing things: an original manuscript by Edgar Allen Poe; an early edition of Dorian Gray; writings by Coleridge and Thoreau; music scores by Mozart, Schubert and Debussy; a very interesting letter from the poet Marianne Moore to Henry Ford, hoping to name his new car. Maybe he should've went with one of her ideas rather than with Edsel. There's a beautiful jeweled book cover of a fourteenth century text. This is a gorgeous room. There's also a smaller room off the rotunda, which was an office for Morgan's librarian, which has some beautiful things, including some artifacts from Mesopotamia, a Limoges book cover depicting the crucifixion, and an Etruscan footed cistera. Clearly, I need to be rich, so I can start to collect rare texts and art and have them housed in a beautiful brownstone. Something to aspire to, I guess. But it was a lovely afternoon at the Morgan - a nice respite from the heat of the city - and I definitely want to return. There's going to be an exhibit of sixteenth century Florentine drawings in the fall...
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