A Dreaded Round-Up Post

I just can't get around it, I have to lump a few shows together to try to catch up on my posting.  I have three shows this week and three more next week.  I went to a seminar last week that taught us about "brain dumps," so consider this my blogging brain dump that will help clear my brain for the fun stuff that's ahead.  I'll just offer a few thoughts on various recent stops on my magical tour.

A couple of years ago, I attended a reading of Carla Ching's Nomad Motel and enjoyed it quite a lot.  So when it was announced to be part of the Atlantic Theatre's season, I was greatly looking forward to it.  And when it was announced that the amazing Christopher Larkin, who I found to be brilliant in Hansol Jung's Wolf Play, would be in it, that made it even more tempting!  So a work pal and I headed to the Atlantic's smaller space to check it out.

photo credit: Ahron R Foster

Nomad Motel deals with disenfranchised teens trying to find their way in the world, despite parental and societal obstacles.  It also talks about what makes a home and how you can find your own family, outside of genetics.  Molly Griggs is Alix, who is supporting her family because her mother is incapable of handling things herself, and Larkin is Mason, living alone in a large house because his father is working in Hong Kong.  The twists and turns of Alix and Mason's relationship, with each other and with their parents, are engaging and utterly realistic.  Their dialogue and interactions were authentic and I bought their tentative connection to each other; how they learned from each other on how to keep dreams alive was also terrifically written.  I did think the production was rather leisurely paced and would perhaps have enjoyed more directorial oomph throughout, but I found Ching's characters, dialogue and storytelling to be first rate.  I look forward to seeing more of her work.  And I'm still co-president of the Christopher Larkin fan club, he's terrific.  

photo credit: Bjorn Bolinder

One of my very favorite performers is Jeremy Lawrence - each time I see him in Street Theater, he blows me away; I've also enjoyed his one-man play about Tennessee Williams, Talking Tennessee, over the years.  He has a cabaret piece called Lavender Songs: A Queer Weimar Berlin Cabaret that he's performed around the country and I've always kicked myself that I kept missing it.  Finally, I was able to catch the performance in the cabaret space at Pangea.  And I am ever so glad I did.

Lawrence plays the role of cabaret chanteuse Tante Fritzy, a drag performer in the years during the rise of Hitler.  All of the songs Tante Fritzy performs are authentic songs from the period, written by gay and lesbian artists (many of the songs have English lyrics translated by Lawrence himself) - they are not only delightful or moving songs, but pointed commentary on the treatment of 'outsiders' in Germany in the late '20s and early '30s.  Of course, the parallel to the terrors of today is completely chilling.

Tante Fritzy is an enchanting performer, including everyone in the audience in her performance; the piece is put together brilliantly, with the spiral into fear and defiance reflected by the numbers and the vocal quality that gets more reflective and tremulous as the show descends into sadness.  I wasn't prepared to be so moved by the arc of Lavender Songs, and I was on the verge of tears many times throughout the evening.  I was also punched in the gut by the last line, which is a reminder that we need to be vigilant and make sure the mistakes of the past don't return.  If this entertaining and thought-provoking cabaret piece comes your way, definitely check it out.  

I believe I've mentioned in the past that I'm a huge fan of Donald Margulies - I love his storytelling skills, his beautifully specific dialogue for universally recognizable characters, and the worlds he creates.  I will admit that in this busy time, I almost missed his new piece, Long Lost, playing at Manhattan Theatre Club's Off-Broadway space.  Thankfully, I got a random discount ticket offer and was happy to pick up a ticket for one of the last preview performances.  

Long Lost is about estranged brothers who are unexpectedly reunited after being apart for ten years.  Lee Tergesen is Billy, the black sheep of the family - tales of his misdeeds are unspooled slowly throughout the play; he's also a fast talker, who we're never really sure is telling the truth or building a lie.  Kelly AuCoin is the younger brother, who has pulled himself up by his bootstraps and now has the picture perfect life (or so we think).  His pain is always showing on his face, even when he's trying to mollify everyone.  Annie Parisse plays his wife and Alex Wolff plays their teenaged son.  All four cast members are smart, interesting performers who create authentic characters you feel sympathy for (even Billy, although he behaves pretty badly at times).  Seeing a story of people who are broken, who long to connect but often can't, is always moving to me.  Fractured families are also of particular interest to me right now (I enjoyed how the brothers remembered their youths differently, which is completely realistic to me), so I'm glad I made the time to see Long Lost.  There were unexpected moments, lots of humor, and illustrations of the difficulty of human connection.  I can always count on Donald Margulies to shine a compassionate light on characters who need it.  And being able to count on someone is a grand thing.