Thoughts on Hamlet, Present Laughter and Pacific Overtures

That's a pretty wide range of titles in that headline, right?  I've been out and about lately, catching on a few things during this busy theater season.  I have a few more shows coming up, thanks to generous Tony-voter friends, and, hello, BALLET SEASON STARTS NEXT WEEK. I can feel my will to live slowly returning...

I am a big fan of Arian Moayed, I thought he was magnificent in Bengal Tiger, superb in King Lear, and I was devastated to miss him in The Humans.  When I saw that he would be doing a production of Hamlet downtown, I immediately pounced.  I was supposed to see the show last Thursday, but work beckoned.  The theater was nice enough to exchange my ticket for Saturday's matinee.  As it was only the third or fourth preview, I'll only offer a few thoughts.

This particular version is set in Persia, using Shakespeare's story to throw a light on all societies torn apart.  I thought the use of the Farsi language, in certain circumstances, was excellent.  The show is brilliantly staged - the space is very tiny, but it is used beautifully.  The designs are excellent, except for, god help me, the shoes.  I don't know why the shoes struck me so hard, but they did.  Ew.  The acting ranges from the very good to the not so very good, but I will consider that something that can be worked through during previews.  It seemed to me that some actors have an idea where their character will finish the play, and are still working through their journey.  That's ok.  Everyone mainly told the story quite well and I enjoyed myself.  I'd be happy to go back and see how things have grown over the run.  The theater only seats about 50, so I'd suggest you get your reservations set now, to make sure you can get into the theater.

photo credit: Joan Marcus

I recently returned to Present Laughter, starring the irresistible Kevin Kline.  You may recall I lucked into a ticket to the first preview and enjoyed myself, while noting that the pacing of the show was a tad slow, and the dialogue was maybe a little hard to hear. Well, last week's performance was on fire!  They were making me laugh at a great clip, and it was the perfect show to see to raise the spirits during a long long week.  Kline is so expert at physical comedy, but he also captures the ruefulness that hides under the always-onstage-veneer. His line readings are a riot, his double takes sublime and the tender moments, few though they are, are completely touching.  I found him absolutely charming, as did all of the other characters in the play.  Really, everyone just seemed to be having a grand time up there, so we in the audience did, too. I was a tad surprised that everyone has been miked, but I recall that during the preview process, a lot of people complained they were having trouble hearing (I had some issues myself).  I was also a tad surprised that our seats, originally intended to be in the last row of the mezzanine, were moved to closer to the front of the mezzanine.  I'm sorry the show isn't selling - it IS a rather long play, but they've done their level best to keep things moving, without making it seem like they all have planes to catch afterwards.  All I know is I had a grand time and I hope Kevin Kline wins all the awards.

I also caught the final preview of Pacific Overtures at Classic Stage Company.  If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that I love the entire Sondheim/Weidman oeuvre, and I especially love Pacific Overtures.  I saw the Roundabout revival several times and I've been known to binge watch the old YouTube videos of the original production.  I think it's a gorgeous show and I will see it anytime, anywhere.  I will admit that I had some trepidation about this production, because of its director.  I've also been on record on not really enjoying this particular director's aesthetic.  All I'll say is that I again didn't enjoy several aspects of the director's vision, but I loved being in the room with those wonderful performers and the performance of "Someone in a Tree" was simply sublime; it brought tears to my eyes and made the night worthwhile.  Although...

I have an annoying seat neighbor story to share.  It was so annoying that it may have affected my perception of the performance:  I've been to CSC before and I know their seats are very close together and there isn't much legroom.  Therefore, I reserved an aisle seat the day the tickets went on sale.  When I got to the theater, my seat was NOT on the aisle.  There was a chair next to my row/seat.  I asked the usher if that was my seat, and she said no, my seat number was correct on the chair next to the aisle seat.  Hmm.  I thought perhaps that actors would be using that seat, or something, so I didn't really complain. When it was close to curtain, a gentleman came up to my row and saw that his seat was in the middle of the row and asked the usher if he could have that empty seat on the aisle (the one that should've been mine, next to me).  The usher said no, it was reserved.  So he climbed over me and everyone else in the row and sat in his seat.  Then he got back up and said he needed to sit in the aisle seat, he was done being nice about it.  The usher went over to the (maybe) house manager and got the okay for the man to change seats. To MY aisle seat.  So he climbed back over all of us again and sat next to me, in my aisle seat.  THEN HE CALLED HIS WIFE OVER TO SIT NEXT TO HIM, which meant he expected me to get up out of my seat and move over.  I glared at him, the house lights started to go down, and I moved.  Not only did he think his male privilege entitled him to sit where he wanted, not where he reserved, but he also had the right to make everyone else in the row move for him.  As you can imagine, I was crabby beyond belief.  Partly my own fault, I admit, for not making the aisle seat thing known before it got so close to showtime, but still.  The nerve of some people.  Of course it took me a while to get into the performance. 

After all that, I'm happy to say that I did register a complaint with the theater and they very graciously sided with me and offered me a ticket to another performance.  I gratefully took them up on their offer, so I'll be seeing a performance the last week of the run.  I'm a big fan of good customer service, so thumbs up to CSC for responding to me with kindness.  I'll report more about the show then...

Review - Indecent

I have to admit to you that I've been struggling over this post all day.  When I saw Paula Vogel's Indecent last year, I was just stunned by it, yet I could still articulate why it stunned me.  Even though I didn't want to go into too much detail then, since I saw a preview, I think I still did a pretty good job in expressing myself about the show (remind yourself of the review HERE). For some reason, I was so moved by seeing the show for a second time, especially in that beautiful Broadway house, I'm a little tongue-tied. Speechless, even. I've lived with my love for that experience for a year, and all my expectations of the Broadway transfer were completely exceeded.  When I start to think about the parts of the play that especially moved me, I start to cry again. I've actually been pretty weepy all day.  I think this is what it is to be so profoundly touched by something that your life has shifted in some way. There's 'before' and there's 'after.' Which, I guess in a way, is what Indecent is all about.  Among other things.  So maybe I should just start there.  I guess spoilers are coming, so maybe tread lightly...

photo credit: Carol Rosegg

Indecent is just so gloriously, so lovingly put together.  It appears seamless - the script, the staging, the music, the acting, the designs.  It's all of one captivating piece, that builds in sympathy and warmth throughout into such a transcendent moment of beauty and tragedy and hope, I couldn't speak.  But even in the builds, we see the circles of life and scenes turn back into themselves. We're taken on such a journey - the tailor who so falls in love with a play, his life changes.  He spends his life as that play's champion, sharing his wonderment with audiences around the world.  And when society, and the play's author, abandon him, the pain and betrayal are so enormous, I couldn't help but be devastated along with him; the actresses who rejoice in being able to actually portray their love on stage.  This play is just so full and rich, and it shows the richness of another, nearly forgotten play as well, Sholem Asch's God of Vengeance.

photo credit: Sara Krulwich

The acting in Indecent is simply spectacular.  I am terribly disappointed that Richard Topol wasn't nominated for a Tony Award.  His portrayal of the tailor turned stage manager is so filled with meaning - so gentle and wondrous, then so wounded.  Oh, he's just wonderful. But really, everyone is.  Most of the actors play five or six different characters apiece and they're terrific at differentiating between each one.  The onstage musicians are also fantastic, and beautifully play silent characters on the periphery of the action when they're not playing their music.

Just thinking of the gorgeous images makes me long to see the show again right away. The differences in situation when the characters are standing in lines; the tableaux when finishing or beginning a new chapter in the life cycle of God of Vengeance; the subtle projections that let us know time and place, plus they give us a 'stitch in time' pause, where we can all breathe and expand and process what's happening.  And also thinking of how the horrors in this play can easily become horrors again now terrified me.  I don't know.  I really just did have a very visceral response to the piece.  I guess you never know how something is going to affect you.  I did worry, before the show started, that the play wouldn't seem as magical on a second viewing.  I was so wrong.  There were times my heart pounded in anticipation, because I knew what was coming, but I was still astounded at how the pieces fit together so movingly.  There were gasps in the audience when the pieces fell together for them, which was also moving to me.  And the thought that there was once a play that changed people's lives, that comforted people during their most traumatic and horrifying times of life, is life-affirming.  And full-circle, too, I guess.  If not now, in these times of rage and horror, then when else can theater save us?  Maybe I'm going overboard with my love for Indecent, but it's all true.  It's all there.  And even though I've rattled on, I still feel as if I can't really talk about the depths of how it affected me.  But I can't wait to get back there to see if I can find a way to share the feelings.  Please, you go, too. Help me figure it out.

Review - The Antipodes

Two of my very favorite recent(ish) theater experiences have been Annie Baker plays - John and The Flick.  So when Signature Theatre announced they would be doing Annie's latest play, The Antipodes, I pounced.  But I didn't pounce fast enough.  The only ticket I could get during the regular $30 run was for a Wednesday matinee.  My boss okayed my skipping out (on my own, this time) and off I went.

A few pre-show thoughts:  I saw one of the actors smoking outside the building before the show.  I have to admit my teeth gnash a bit when I see that.  Smoking just turns me off. Moving on.  I also had a pre-show chuckle when leaving the ladies room.  As I was drying my hands, the door opened and two ladies of a certain age walked in.  One exclaimed, "You're right, this IS nice!  This is like Bloomingdale's!'  So there you have it. Bloomingdale's is the Olympus of ladies rooms.  I would actually say that Saks has the best ladies room, but I digress.

My seat was in the balcony and the very nice usher seemed a little unsure of the seat numbers, but since I arrive at the theater so early, there was no rush to sit.  My row, however, stayed empty until very close to curtain.  I thought it was strange, since I had purchased the only ticket left for the performance.  Finally, at seconds before curtain, a group of four people climb over me to take their seats.  Four people for whom English was not their first language.  I don't know, call me silly, but I'm thinking that an Annie Baker play wouldn't be the first choice for non-English speakers. They never seemed to engage at all.  And, unfortunately, the gentleman directly next to me has perhaps never laundered the sweatshirt he was wearing.  You know the aroma I mean. Thankfully, I had worn a decorative scarf to the theater, and I had to wrap it around my head (and nose) to make it through the performance.  This wasn't easy, considering it was sweltering in the theater.

ANYWAY, after all that, may I say I enjoyed The Antipodes very much, though I admit that I didn't love it as much as I loved John (reminder of that review HERE) and The Flick (reminder of that review HERE).  With those plays, both of which were much longer in runtime, I could've stayed an additional three hours because I loved the worlds created so much.  With this play, which runs about two hours with no intermission, I enjoyed myself immensely and again appreciated the world and characters created, but I was ready for the play to be over when it ended, and I didn't feel the same impulse to wish the play were longer.  I don't think that's necessarily a criticism, just a comment on the difference in my response to this play.

photo credit: Sara Krulwich

The Antipodes takes place in a nondescript conference room and we rather quickly discover that this is some kind of writers room, either for tv or film or something.  The showrunner/head writer begins a seemingly artsy fartsy speech about about making something new and original, that encourages empathy and changes the world.  But then he ends his speech with, "...and we can make a shitload of money."  You laugh and you realize that you're probably going to be continually off-balance, that there are probably going to be two sides to every story, lots of truthtelling, lots of lies, and lots of ideas about what storytelling really is, should be, and maybe isn't. The play, as it unfolds, is a series of brainstorming sessions, where the writers are telling stories about their real lives (or are they?) in order to be inspired to write their next project.

As I've repeated a copious number of times, I'm endlessly fascinated by plays that deal with art/artists/writers, and The Antipodes is no exception.  There was so much truth and humor in the interaction between the writers - the jockeying for position, the latent (or not so latent) misogyny and racism, the egotism.  I have to say I had one of the biggest belly laughs of the season at one line about writers, it was just so unexpected, true and funny.  But there was also a tangible sense of unease in the air, as the show started to get ever more abstract and strange.  Ideas weren't coming, the showrunner kept disappearing, the stories kept getting more surreal and possibly even primal.  It was all fascinating to me.  

What are the responsibilities of the storytellers in times of turmoil?  The play never mentions current events, but of course the idea of this unsettled time needing storytellers even more is pervasive.  The stories the characters tell are truthful, quirky, sometimes a little TMI, and more than once, surprisingly devastating.  The character's story about his biggest regret, and his explanation afterward, was truly touching, as was the aftermath.

The physical production is terrific - the set is completely authentic, and put together in such a way that everyone was visible to the audience all around them throughout the performance.  The lights and sound were good, and there were some directorial touches, or maybe even special effects, that I just cannot figure out.  The play takes place over several months, and occasionally take out cartons of food would just appear.  And, without spoilers, let's just say the knitting has a spectacular conclusion.

photo credit: Joan Marcus

The cast was also spectacular, working as a unit, yet each taking their moment in the spotlight and running with it. Annie is so expert at creating realistic people with just a few brush strokes, and these actors build on those brush strokes beautifully.  I always enjoy Josh Hamilton's work, and his character was especially enigmatic to me, and he added a lot of layers.  I also enjoy Danny Mastrogiorgio and one of his personal stories was really perfectly performed.  Each actor and character contributed to the whole and created an atmosphere of humor (I laughed a lot during the show) and an atmosphere of desperation, which a lot of conference rooms, whether filled with writers or not, is built on.

I did notice that one cast member was getting a little flummoxed by two particularly crazy audience members though - there was one gal who kept dropping her metal water bottle onto the concrete floor.  I'm not sure if she was clumsy, or bored, but it was annoying.  This one cast member would swivel his head her way whenever it dropped.  On the other side of the theater was a woman who talked throughout the performance in her outdoor voice.  It was always about the play, which was good, I guess, but it was rather annoying.  No one shushed her (maybe we all had it in the back of our minds that she could be part of the play?), and she just laughed and carried on about whatever struck her fancy onstage.  This behavior also got a head-swivel by a particular cast member.  It's the first time, in a long time, that I noticed an actor getting a little rattled by outside forces. I know we're pretty close to the stage, but still.  I'm relatively sure the head swivels aren't part of his performance.  But I hope he wasn't bothered too much - I liked the play enough that I was annoyed, but not distracted by the crazy people.  Or Mr. Smelly next to me, who also did not enjoy himself at all.

I highly recommend The Antipodes and I really applaud Annie Baker for trying new things, but also knowing what she does best and sticking to it.  Those are admirable qualities.  I can't wait for her third piece at Signature and the worlds she creates next...

Happy Day Before Tony Nomination Day!

Sorry for the renewed radio silence.  I'm not scheduling myself very well lately.  I did have some terrific dinners with friends recently, and I saw two shows, one of which I didn't like as much as I wanted to, and I couldn't really find anything to say about it except that I was jealous that everyone on stage got to kiss a particular actor and I wished I could, too, which isn't a very insightful review.  The other show was the one-night only concert staged reading of Charles Busch's Red Scare on Sunset and it was SUBLIME. It brought me so much happiness, I could hardly contain myself.  As Charles always does, so I didn't want to repeat myself.  But I do think he should revive the play in a full production - if not now, when?!  I do have quite a few more shows coming up, as is ballet season, so you will probably be hearing from me more in the coming days.  I hope that's a good thing.  Moving on to today's post...

Yikes - award season madness has begun!  And tomorrow is the big daddy madness of them all, the day the Tony nominations are announced. The older I get, the quicker this time of year comes around. Every year I try to tell myself to remain calm, awards don't matter, the world will keep spinning.  But!  But! What if people I know don't get nominated?! What if shows close that should still be open?!  It's so dumb to get all worked up, but...I do.  I can only hope that all the good work that's out there is recognized, but if it isn't, I hope the creators realize that the good work has had an effect on people (namely me), which is worth more than awards.  Sort of.  

So many musicals opened this season, maybe because they waited for the Hamilton juggernaut to die down. There's no way that one show will dominate the awards the way Hamilton did.  At least I don't think there's a way.  I guess Hello, Dolly (which I haven't seen yet) could get a ton of noms, but I don't think it's quite the cultural game-changer. And it probably won't get the Best Book and Best Score Tonys onto the actual broadcast (which will definitely tick me off, of course).  Anyway, here are my completely unscientific, and wholeheartedly biased thoughts/hopes for names I hope I hear tomorrow morning:


PLAY

A Doll's House, Part 2 - by Lucas Hnath
Indecent - by Paula Vogel
Oslo - by J.T. Rogers
Sweat - by Lynn Nottage

OK, for once, I've actually seen all of these plays that I think should be nominated!  Woo hoo!  And I loved ALL OF THEM.  All would be worthy winners - they're smart and well-crafted and about important topics.  But I could be rooting ever so slightly more for one of the plays over the others.  I leave it to you to suss out which play I mean.  :)

MUSICAL

Amelie
Dear Evan Hansen
War Paint

There are ten other new musicals that opened this season (I saw one of them, but I didn't review it and I can't put it on my list - don't make me tell you which one), but these three musicals (that I did see) seem worthy nominees to me.  I hope to maybe see Anastasia, Great Comet or Groundhog Day (three possible nominees) eventually, but actually, I'm already on Team Dear Evan Hansen all the way.  We all know how much I loved that show.


REVIVAL OF A PLAY

Jitney
Present Laughter
Six Degrees of Separation

I wish I could see The Price, but it's too costly for me.  I also want to see Little Foxes, but that probably won't happen, either.  I did see Glass Menagerie, but I didn't enjoy it all that much as a production (you'll see I mention parts of the production later in my nominees hopes), so I can't include it on my Revival list.  I'm seeing Six Degrees next week, but I can't imagine a circumstance where it wouldn't be one of my top choices - it's one of my very favorite contemporary plays and I love the cast.  Oh, I also saw Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Just. No.


REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

I didn't see any of them.  Oops.  Obviously, if Sunday in the Park with George had made itself eligible, it would've been my choice, regardless if I'd seen anything else.

ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Jennifer Ehle, Oslo
Allison Janney, Six Degrees of Separation
Laurie Metcalf, A Doll's House, Part 2

I haven't actually seen Janney yet (see above), but I think she's wonderful in everything, so I went ahead and included her.  I actually think this award is Metcalf's to lose, though I hear Laura Linney is wonderful in Little Foxes.  





ACTOR IN A PLAY

Chris Cooper, A Doll's House, Part 2
Gideon Glick, Significant Other
Kevin Kline, Present Laughter
Joe Mantello, The Glass Menagerie
Jefferson Mays, Oslo

It looks like Kevin Kline is getting a lot of love for his delightful performance in Present Laughter, and I would be totally fine with his winning.  I've loved him for many many many years.  But I did think that Gideon Glick was superb in Significant Other, even if I didn't completely love the play itself.  I know I'm in the minority putting Joe Mantello here, but sue me, I liked what he did as Tom.  And Jefferson Mays is always first-rate.  I can see Mark Ruffalo making this list, maybe instead of Cooper, but I feel pretty good about my five gents.


FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Jayne Howdyshell, A Doll's House, Part 2
Madison Ferris, The Glass Menagerie
Katrina Lenk, Indecent
Kristine Nielsen, Present Laughter
Condola Rashad, A Doll's House, Part 2
Michelle Wilson, Sweat

SO many wonderful choices, I could probably double this list without problem.  I know most nomination lists have Johanna Day from Sweat instead of Michelle Wilson, but my preference would be Wilson.  My inclusion of Madison Ferris is a big f*ck you to Rex Reed (plus I thought she was terrific).  Have you read his review of Glass Menagerie?  It's an affront to humanity.  Moving on.  After all that, I do think Jayne Howdyshell will again be the one to beat...



FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY

Richard Topol, Indecent
Khris Davis, Sweat
Michael Aranov, Oslo
Anthony Azizi, Oslo
John Douglas Thompson, Jitney

Another category that could be filled easily with another slate of five.  I mean, the entire cast of Jitney could fill the category themselves!  Or the entire ensemble of Oslo!  But these are the ones I like best.  If I had seen Little Foxes, I'm sure I would've put Richard Thomas on this list - I love him.


ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Christine Ebersole, War Paint
Patti LuPone, War Paint
Philippa Soo, Amelie

I'm sure this is Bette Midler's category all the way, but I haven't seen Hello, Dolly, and I loved these performances, so they get my nod.


ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen

That's it.  He's the only name I'm writing down.  I loved him, end stop.


FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Rachel Bay Jones, Dear Evan Hansen

Same here.  She is amazing.  "So Big/So Small" makes me cry just thinking about it, let alone hearing it...


FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Mike Faist, Dear Evan Hansen
Tony Sheldon, Amelie
Douglas Sills, War Paint

I adore Douglas Sills, so I will always put him on any 'best' list, though I admit his role in War Paint could do him a little more justice.  I also adore Tony Sheldon, so...ditto.  Not many people are mentioning Mike Faist, but I think the wrong (or not good) actor in the pivotal role of Connor in Dear Evan Hansen could practically sink the show.  And he's terrific.


BEST SCORE

Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty, Anastasia
Kristin Anderson Lopez, James Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan & Sara Wordsworth, In Transit
Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, Dear Evan Hansen

Ohhhhhhhhh, these are the names I hope for most.  Please please please.  It's totally personal, I love these people and their work.  Though I did mention above I'm totally on the Dear Evan Hansen bandwagon, right??


BEST BOOK

Steven Levenson, Dear Evan Hansen
Craig Lucas, Amelie
Terrence McNally, Anastasia
Doug Wright, War Paint

These are four of my very favorite storytellers, so I hope they're all on the list.


OTHER MISC AWARD THOUGHTS

I'm not really good with picking directing or design nominees, but I will say I hope that we hear lots of names of women tomorrow, especially in the directing categories:  Rachel Chavkin, Kate MacKinnon, Rebecca Taichman, Kate Whoriskey.  And for the love of all that's holy, could Jane Greenwood finally WIN ONE OF THESE THINGS?!  I think she's been nominated 452 times and still hasn't won.  Come on!  There's so much I wish I had seen, but I have seen and enjoyed a lot of exciting work this season (especially in the new play category), so there's reason for a little optimism!  Maybe.  I'm not quite sure how I feel about Kevin Spacey hosting the show, but he's a smart guy.  He'll probably make it work. I just fervently hope that the writers' awards won't be presented off-camera again, now that the zeitgeist of Hamilton is behind us, and I fervently hope they come up with a way to feature and promote the extraordinary playwriting currently represented on Broadway. I'm probably going to be disappointed, aren't I...

Review - Oslo

I don't know why I missed the Off-Broadway production of Oslo, the new play on the Oslo Accords.  I generally try to see as many new plays as possible.  I guess I just didn't try hard enough.  I was happy, though, when a Broadway transfer was announced. We always need new American plays on Broadway.  After a nudge from a work project, I finally got a ticket and went last Friday (the day after opening).

I'm very fortunate in that my office publishes a magazine and I get to be involved, at times, in interviewing subjects.  I sat in on a conversation between the playwright of Oslo and another wonderful American playwright a couple of weeks ago.  It was very interesting to get some insights into Oslo the play - what went into the research, the construction of it, and other writer-y things - and see them put into practice while I was watching the show.

Oslo deals with the secret meetings that went on behind-the-scenes before the famous Oslo Accords.  I didn't know any of the history of the meetings or the difficulties getting the two factions to come together, though of course I know the accords didn't really last. For me, and this is a personal thing, any story that deals with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict makes me sob.  I just do. The thought of people walking around the streets, carrying automatic rifles, and killing other people, just for who they are, breaks my heart.  It was compelling to me to hear characters from both sides of the conflict clearly and cogently lay out their reasons for conflict.  And I'm always engaged by work that shows that no one person is any one thing.

photo credit: T Charles Erickson

The acting in Oslo is first-rate: Jefferson Mays, long one of my favorites, is terrific as an institute of science director who maybe gets in over his head, but can't stop himself.  He's equal parts egotist and naive optimist, who struggles to keep himself neutral at all times. But my heart raced during the scene when his neutrality was really called into question. Jennifer Ehle, another favorite, was terrific as Mays' wife - a career diplomat who is always behind the scenes, behind men who are neither smart enough or quick enough to get ahead of her, but who get ahead of her nonetheless.  I was also terribly impressed by Michael Aronov, who played an Israeli foreign ministry director, and Anthony Azizi as the PLO finance minister. The layers and levels the two of them had to play was astounding, as was the tightrope they need to walk to make sure their portrayals don't fall into stereotypes or judgments. They were truly fantastic.

But the whole cast was fantastic.  Most of the actors, except for a handful of the leads, played multiple roles and were wonderfully adept at doing so.  The physical production is also terrific - it has the spare quality you would associate with Nordic countries, but it was also very expansive in the large Vivian Beaumont Theater.  The projections were a wonderful touch, adding more of a 'you are there' quality to the 'ripped from the headlines' proceedings.  

You would think that a play dealing with such fraught politics would be heavy and serious all the time, but Oslo is also surprisingly funny throughout.  There were delightful touches that made you laugh at yourself and helped you reset your brain for what would come next. And, as always, I'm so impressed by a play that takes a real subject, on which you know the outcome, and still creates suspense and tension.  That takes real craft.  I recently read that Oslo will become a film.  I don't know - it seems perfect as a play to me.  Big ideas shown in a big way in a big space with a big audience.  I have a feeling that 'opening it up' will actually make it smaller.  Which I guess could work for the piece, making the political personal.  But I have to admit I do love a big play, much more than a big movie.  Maybe that's just me.  But I enjoyed the play Oslo a great deal and highly recommend it.

I Got Six (happy blogging anniversary to me!)

Anyone remember Schoolhouse Rock?  I loved it.  I remember sitting in front of my tv on Saturday mornings, hoping against hope that it would be a day with a new segment. Anyway, apropos of nothing, when I thought about blogging for six years, the song from Schoolhouse Rock, "I Got Six," immediately popped into my head. Maybe that's just me. 

Six years have gone by in a flash. When I started the blog, my nephew was in elementary school - now he's going to be a senior in high school.  I never thought I'd worry about him more now than I did when he was little, but hello.  I do.  But I worry about a lot of things more now than I did then.  More on that in a bit.  Blog-wise, the past year has seen a lot of the same old, same old, though I have had quite a few more "big hit" days. I even had a day where I received over 400 hits!  Again, I know this is small potatoes in the scheme of internet things, but to me, the online notice is crazy.  I've had hits from Bahrain, the Ivory Coast and Brunei.  I mean, come on?!  Someone in those countries read something I wrote?!  Oh brave new world...

Or crazy new world.  Just to be off-topic for a bit - I find myself self-editing on my blog all the time.  More than usual, I mean. I've been taking the denial and avoidance that I've referred to before a little bit too far, perhaps. I don't really talk about the fractures in my family. I don't talk about what little I've been doing to resist the crazytown that's going on in this country. If I see a show and don't really enjoy it, most of the time, I won't blog about it. There's so much hate and unhappiness all around me, I'm loath to add to it. I guess I could take the "...with a little TMI thrown in" descriptor off my blog and that would cover the fact that I'm not really sharing everything that's going down in my world. 

But part of me wants to express more.  Maybe it's due to my new therapist.  Maybe it's an extension of the original impulse I had to start this blog: the people in my life are probably tired of hearing me whine, complain and vent, so if I just write it down on the internet, I'll have gotten it out of my system and no one will really read it.  I just don't know.  It's a struggle for me.  Will I really feel better revealing extremely personal insights?  Sharing my fears and anxieties about what's happening around me?  Especially when I see that the country that has the second-most views of my blog is Russia?  How can that not make me nervous?!  Though I'm sure it's the ballet reviews and nothing more nefarious than that... I think as a test, I'll post photos at the end of this post that show where I'm coming from right now.  We'll see what happens from there.

Anyway, to get back to the blog.  In the past six years, I've written 697 posts that have been looked at 44,457 times (if I'm reading the numbers correctly, that means I did 107 blog posts that were viewed over 10,000 times since last year's anniversary).  Crazy, right?  My all-time list of most-read posts has stayed mainly the same as last year, with one interesting new entry (I think the post was linked on another, more popular, blog and that's why it got so many hits):

• ABT - Sleeping Beauty, 7/7/11, 366 views
• ABT Fall Season - GUEST BLOGGER ALERT, 11/13/13, 338 views
• Review - The Healing, 6/17/16, 289 views
• Review - The Rascals, 5/1/13, 276 views
• My 22 minutes as a cable tv/game show star, 7/6/13, 185 views

My list of most-read posts since last year's anniversary is also interesting to me; again, I think being linked by other sites has helped me out here.  I guess I need to figure out how to make that happen more often to really boost my stats:

• Review - The Healing, 6/17/16, 289 views
• GUEST BLOGGER ALERT - Pumpkinpalooza, 94 views
• Review - Sunday in the Park with George, 92 views
• Review - Small Mouth Sounds, 7/13/16, 81 views
• Review - Good, 7/28/16, 80 views

I could probably share my blog posts more often on social media.  I do get more hits when I tweet or post on Facebook.  But do I really want more hits?  I guess I need to decide if I'm just writing an online journal that a few people I know will read, or I really want to SAY something and I want LOTS of people to read it.  After six years, you'd think I'd know what I want.  But no, not really, not so much...

Brief Thoughts on A Doll's House, Part 2

Hold onto your hats, people, today is going to be a two-post day!  I have an autopost coming up later tonight (you'll see why), but I saw a show last night about which I want to share a few thoughts.  And predispositions.  But mainly thoughts.

My Tony voter boss is graciously taking me to see Lucas Hnath's A Doll's House, Part 2, a couple of weeks after it opens.  After seeing the grosses from last week, I began to worry that the show may not last that long.  I hope I'm wrong, but...I took myself to a preview last night.  Don't tell my Tony voter boss, please.  The show still has two weeks before it opens, so I won't say much, but I wanted to say...something. So those grosses will go UP!

I say:  please go see A Doll's House, Part 2.  Yes, we all know by now that I'm a big fan of Lucas Hnath. You can read all about it HERE, HERE, and HERE.  I'll just quote myself again, because I think this is what my enjoyment boils down to:  I like the way he writes. I like the way his brain works.  I like that he writes smart dialogue that sounds like the character and not just like the playwright.  I like how he lets me decide for myself how to feel about his characters and his situations, without taking sides. I like the wide range of subjects he writes about.  I just like the way he tells a story. 

And last night, for the first time in a long time, I liked one of his characters so much that I actually would want to play her.  It's been many years since I put my acting shoes away, and I rarely miss it, but good heavens, I would love to play Hnath's Nora. She's smart, funny, wry, selfish, short-sighted and totally real.  Loved her.  And I loved the play.

I loved my seat, too.  The stage/set has been set up as a thrust, so the first few rows of the orchestra are angled on either side of the thrust.  I was in the first row of the orchestra behind those angled seats, if that makes sense.  So I was terrifically close to the action, but not too close.

Taking place fifteen years after the final door slam of Ibsen's A Doll's House, this 'sequel' imagines what would happen if Nora came back for a specific reason.  It's 90 minutes of give and take, love and hate, laughter and tears.  Laurie Metcalf is first-rate, as is Jayne Howdyshell (a theatrical treasure), Condola Rashad and Chris Cooper (to be honest, he grew on me over the evening, I wasn't sure I would like his performance style at first).  As far as I could see, the audience was eating the play up; I don't know if it was an especially theater-friendly crowd, but everyone seemed to be on board with what was going on.  The shift from formal to informal, the revelations, the confessions - I heard the audience make lots of audible responses to all of these.  Maybe it was because I was so close, but I felt really engaged with the whole building, as opposed to just the actors on stage.  Again, I'm predisposed to like Lucas' plays, but still.  I would hate that such a smart and interesting play would have a tremendously short run on Broadway.  A play that deals with finding your authentic self and acknowledging that your authentic self may not be best for everyone around you.  I'm struggling with that kind of thing now - many of my sessions with my new therapist are about dealing with living with disappointing people when I stand up for what I believe in.  It's a totally new concept for me.  So to see it acted out, using an old favorite play of mine as a jumping-off point, was exactly what I needed last night.  Again, predisposition.  

But please, even if you don't share my predisposition, go see A Doll's House, Part 2!  Judge for yourself!  Show producers that we want quirky new plays on Broadway - there's room for everything!  Let's get those grosses UP!