Preview Thoughts on Toni Stone

My schedule has been so jam-packed that I hadn't been able to find a time to get tickets to Lydia Diamond's new play Toni Stone, produced at Roundabout's smaller Off-Broadway house, the Laura Pels.  Last week, an office chum had an extra free ticket (wahoo!), so happily, I squeezed in one.more.show.  I would pay for it later in the week with a near-exhaustion collapse, but oh my, Toni Stone was worth it...

I'm a big fan of Lydia Diamond, her play Stick Fly intrigued me, plus she is just a delightful person.  I'm also a big fan of baseball AND a big fan of stories of women who never got the credit they deserved!  Oh, and since last season's Choir Boy, I'm also a fan of choreographer Camille A Brown, who put together the wonderful movement that represented the baseball in the story.  So all signs pointed toward my enjoying Toni Stone and enjoy it I did.  I went with my office chum a little early over to the theater and we treated ourselves to the special Toni Stone cocktail: it was supposed to have ginger liqueur, pear liqueur, mint and sparkling wine in it.  I'm pretty sure it was just a big plastic cup of champagne, which I guess I was ok with.  I was maybe the tiniest bit tipsy before the play even started.  It didn't matter, though, I would've loved this play regardless.

photo credit: Joan Marcus

Toni Stone is about the sadly-forgotten Marcenia Lyle Stone, also known as Toni, who was the first woman to play as a regular on a big-league professional baseball team.  She played for the Indianapolis Clowns, a team in the Negro Leagues, in 1953, but her breakthrough has been pushed aside over the years and she is barely known anymore.  In this production, the absolutely incredible April Matthis plays Toni and she makes you want to know everything about this fascinating woman who shouldn't be a footnote, but a major entry in baseball history.  Matthis' performance is simply fantastic and a real tour-de-force.

photo credit: Sara Krulwich

As played by Matthis, Toni is funny, quirky, loving, and completely obsessed with the game of baseball.  She frequently rattles off baseball stats when she doesn't know what else to say.  The play goes back and forth in time, to describe the highs and many lows in Toni's life and career.  As a groundbreaking woman of color, she had to endure so much ridicule from her family, baseball crowds, other players, and management.  The fact that she remained completely and utterly herself is a triumph. The other eight performers play both her baseball teammates, as well as other important people in Toni's life.  The cast is, across the board, superb, with special mention to Kenn E. Head as Millie, Toni's only female friend, a kindly prostitute and another societal outcast.  Their relationship was so beautifully written.

Actually, each character, and there are a lot of them portrayed in this two-act piece, is written with much detail and specificity.  You got to know everyone as an individual, but also as a part of the team/society.  I just loved the way Diamond wrote this piece that seems as regimented, and as unexpectedly loose, as a baseball game.  The play is really a lot of fun, with laughs and enjoyable lessons about someone who deserves to be celebrated.  But the end of the first act is one of the most pointed excoriations of racism I've seen in a long time, while maintaining the loose, improvisational quality of the rest of the show.  I don't want to spoil the scene or the moment, but I had to mention it because I've been talking about it since I saw the show, and I've been thinking about it even more.  It was absolutely brilliant.

Even if you don't like baseball, you should definitely see Toni Stone.  In our lifetimes, there are so many people and stories that have been silenced or pushed aside - I am so drawn to stories that open our eyes to these lives and these people who endured so much to pave the way for others to follow.  And besides the delight of the play itself, I really believe April Matthis is giving a performance that people will be talking about for a long time; she is truly spectacular.  Thumbs way up to Roundabout for putting together this story about a strong woman, led by a female production team.  Now if they could do it more frequently in their Broadway houses, I would be delighted...

ABT 2019 - Manon

I am sorry for all the delays in my posting - work has been crazy, then I was under the weather for a bit.  I will try to get out some posts this week and not combine into one big long droning report...

I haven't seen the ballet of Massenet's Manon in five years (you can remind yourself of my review of two performances HERE).  I was very much looking forward to seeing Sarah Lane and Herman Cornejo debut in the leads last week, though I have to admit I'm tired of women on stage being punished for owning their sexuality.  But I just have to look past the bothersome stories and focus on the beautiful dance being created on stage or else I'd never go to the ballet again!

There was an interesting article in the NY Times last week about Manon and its problematic storyline, but there's no denying that Kenneth MacMillan created masterful solos and pas de deux for the characters.  Plus, there's one drunk pas de deux that was amazing in its technical difficulty and humor throughout.  This ballet gives a lot of dancers the opportunity to put on glorious costumes, plus act and dance at the same time.  I can see why ABT programmed it, because many of their principal ladies at the moment are terrific actresses.

from Instagram

Manon is about a woman who goes from being an idealistic girl in love with an impoverished student to being a courtesan who enjoys her married lover's wealth (and what it can buy her) to a weak and dying woman.  It's quite a journey for a ballerina and Sarah Lane was definitely up to the challenges.  Her dancing was exquisite, all silky and self-aware when dancing with her patron, and passionate and free when dancing with her young lover, played by the divine Cornejo.  He hasn't performed at all yet this season, I don't think, so I was very grateful to get the chance to see him dance.  Apparently, he's been waiting to dance Des Grieux for a very long time.  I found him to be entirely worth the wait - his passion, especially in the last scene, was quite breathtaking.

Unfortunately, Daniil Simkin injured himself during his gravity-defying performance in Le Corsaire (thank heavens I got to see him!), so he was replaced as Manon's brother by Blaine Hoven, who I've seen quite a bit of this season.  He has always impressed me as a lovely, technically-precise dancer, but he threw down as Lescault!  He was louche, menacing, mercenary, yet still a loving brother (even while selling his sister to the highest bidder).  And his wild abandon (yet still with beautiful control) during the drunk pas de deux was a highlight of this entire season for me.  I found him to be terrific and I'm really looking forward to seeing him take on more lead roles in the future.  I was surprised to see one of my favorites, Joseph Gorak, in a very small role as one of the gentlemen in the brothel.  He stood out to me because of his beautiful carriage and easy, free movement.  I just wonder why he seems to be stuck in the back of the room at the moment (I see he is dancing the prince in Sleeping Beauty later this season, so maybe he's taking it easy or something) - I would so love to see him more often.  I have to admit that I was underwhelmed with the dancer playing the Jailer - my program said it was Roman Zhurbin, but I don't know.  When I looked at him with my binoculars, it didn't look like him to me, and he wasn't his normal fascinating self onstage.  I confess to being confused; maybe it was an off night.

The physical production is gorgeous, with stunning costumes, beautiful sets and lush music (very well-played by the orchestra).  There are times when maybe there are too many of those gorgeously-costumed dancers on stage and it's hard to know where to put focus, but on the whole, even with finding the story extremely problematic (I was describing the plot to a friend and she just grimaced at the absurdity and misogyny running rampant), I had a grand time at Manon.  Lane and Cornejo were sublime and I'm happy to have seen them dance together so beautifully.  Only two ballets left in my season - withdrawal is already starting!

Preview Thoughts on A Strange Loop

This is a really busy week; it's hard to keep up with all the wonderful stuff I've been fortunate enough to see!  Just to warn you today, once again I have to share a caveat that I know and love the creator of the new musical A Strange Loop, so it will be hard for me to be objective.  I just think he's one of the most unique and monstrously talented people I've ever met.  But I don't think objectivity factors into my opinion here because this show is OFF.THE.CHARTS amazing and brilliant!  I can't imagine how anyone would come to an opinion other than that.

Since the show is still in previews, I'll only offer a few thoughts.  Besides, I was so thoroughly undone by this musical, I'm still having trouble collecting my thoughts.  Seriously, I was wrecked.  In the best theatrical way.  I still feel on the verge of ugly sobs when I replay some of the moments in my mind.  I guess what I really want to say is that Michael R Jackson is a force who will be gracing American stages for years to come, if I have anything to say about it.  We need to lift more voices like his - the piece he wrote for the Playwrights Horizons program just illustrates how smart he is and how his thinking can move our industry forward (take a look at that piece HERE).  

photo credit: Joan Marcus

A Strange Loop is a musical about a young musical theater writer of color named Usher, who is writing a musical called A Strange Loop.  He also happens to be an usher at The Lion King (which adds much humor throughout).  The story is relatively episodic, with Usher working through his issues of writing and his issues of life.  He's surrounded by six characters known as the Thoughts - one plays Usher's 'crippling self-doubt,' another is his 'sexuality,' and so on.  Those actors also play various people in Usher's life, often at the same time.  Scenes where all of the actors play Usher's mother are particularly charming.

This musical is riotously funny, with tart insights into the theater industry, and this musical is also blisteringly raw, real, and heartbreakingly sad.  I felt Usher's pain and confusion acutely, and I'll only say that there was one number where I came close to losing complete control of myself and my emotion, it was so thrillingly and theatrically honest.  The songs are all fantastic, with melodies and lyrics that pair so perfectly for what the song is trying to achieve in the story.  The physical production is also incredible - the direction, the choreography, and the musical direction all support and lift the writing to its ultimate potential.

And the cast.  Oh my god, the cast.  Larry Owens plays Usher and I don't know when I've seen such a perfect performance.  He's onstage nearly the entire show; he sings fabulously, he is a tender and special actor, and he just destroyed me.  Really, everyone is so so so good, but he is just another level.  In my perfect world, I will see him do all the shows from now on.  After I see A Strange Loop another 70 times.  

I guess I should throw in a comment that this is a show that is frank about black queer sexuality, there's some graphic language and sexual situations that discomfited some audience members (there were a few walkouts; their loss), but when the storytelling is so bold and honest and singular, I welcome that frankness.  And you know, every time I think to myself, "I know someone who can write a musical like that," I start crying again.  Michael is so special, please, do yourself (and me) the favor of checking out A Strange Loop.  You will not see a musical like this anytime soon and I want the gatekeepers in NYC to know that this is the work we want to see right now.  This is the work we NEED to see.  Please go.

ABT 2019 - Le Corsaire

I can't believe there are only a few ballet weeks left to my season!  It all goes too quickly.  We're now entering the 'classic' story ballet portion of the season - including ballets that have ridiculous (and potentially problematic) plots but glorious dancing.  The absolute epitome of this is Le Corsaire.

I've spoken before of Le Corsaire and its sections of bravura dancing; the gold standard of that, for me, was when I saw the ballet in 2012 (remind yourself of that review HERE, if you've a mind to).  I just remember being so dazzled that night.  Well, last night was also incredibly dazzling.  The second act pas de trois was one of the most spectacular extended sequences of dance I think I've ever seen.  I gasped more than once, then I finally just started laughing at the sheer unreality of the amazing dancing.  I'll get more into it in a bit.

photo credit: Foteini Christofiolpoulou (from another production)

I had been looking forward to seeing Herman Cornejo dance with beautiful Skylar Brandt last night, but unfortunately he is still injured.  Fingers crossed he'll be better for Manon next week (it's his debut in that ballet, so maybe he's saving himself; fingers crossed).  A guest artist, Brooklyn Mack, danced in his place.  Mack had been brought in for other ballets later this season, but I gather he's danced Conrad (the lead pirate) before, so he stepped in.  The photo at left is from another company's production of Le Corsaire, and that amazing split jump is part of ABT's version, too.  I'm ever so glad to have seen him - he's very heroic and strong, with bold jumps and strong footwork.  His partnering also looked very secure and attentive.  I did think he looked a tad nervous at the beginning, his arms and hands just looked a little too relaxed, but as the evening went on, he took the stage.  Well, when Daniil Simkin wasn't stealing it.  As Conrad's slave Ali, Simkin was ON.FIRE.  As always, his characterization was spot on, he's a really good actor, but his dancing was off the charts.

photo credit: Rosalie O'Connor

In the second act pas de trois, I swear he was doing moves that the human body actually can't do.  I can't describe the way he was twisting his body in the air, and then when he landed, he actually did a sort of backbend that I have never seen before.  I honestly can't describe how thrilling it was (you can see some video footage on Instagram, if you're interested), and still part of the storytelling.  Though, if I were either Brooklyn Mack or the wonderful Skylar Brandt, I would've felt like "I can't follow THAT."  But they did a grand job.  Skylar again sparkled, her turns were so fast and musical and that smile filled the ginormous Met Opera house.  She was grand.  And she had a lovely rapport with Brooklyn Mack, he had quite a sweet lovesick expression on his face that really worked for the character.  The bedroom pas de deux was very lush and romantic, yet playful.  I think Brandt and Mack could be a wonderful pairing to follow through all the ballets.  I hope they bring him back for future seasons.

photo credit: Marty Sohl

I thought Sarah Lane was an exquisite Gulnare - just so mournful, but beautiful.  Her dancing was stunningly beautiful.  The garden dream sequence with her and Brandt was gorgeous.  I also enjoyed Melanie Hamrick, Zhong-Jing Fang, and Catherine Hurlin as the odalisques.  They were lovely separately and together.  Aaron Scott was very fiery as Birbanto, but I did miss Craig Salstein in this role.  My ABT MVP, Roman Zhurbin, was the wacky pasha and was his usual delightfully detailed self.  There is no minute when he's on stage when he's not doing something interesting.  All in all, I thought the show was terrifically danced and the orchestra played the Delibes (and others) music wonderfully.  To be honest, though, I did have a moment during the ballet where I thought, hm, is now a good time to be doing a ballet dealing with slaves and the subjugation of women?  Interestingly, ABT put a note in their program about just that topic, which I was glad to read.  I'm happy people are at least thinking of these things.  I found these sentences particularly hopeful:  "Many great classics depict the disturbing social norms of bygone eras.  In our Corsaire, ABT has chosen to adjust certain scenes in tone and character out of respect for those whose lives and status were marginalized.  There may still be images that some find offensive, but we hope our audience members will be transported to the period in which it is set, and realize that such scenes are a reflection, not a validation, of life in those times."  For me, knowing that care is being taken made enjoying this nonsensical ballet that contains moments of transcendent dancing possible.  Other people may not feel that way, but difference of opinion is what makes the world go 'round.  Or something.  

My Tony Predictions - 2019

Actually, these will be more like my hopes, because my predictions never turn out well (for example, my nomination predictions were TERRIBLE, though I did get two of the 'long-shot' guesses right, so yay me).  You may remember, however, that I've only seen one Broadway musical this season, which I didn't particularly enjoy, so I'm skipping most of the musical categories.  I did throw in one or two, since I do have some hopes in those categories.  Also, I'm hoping that the broadcast will be fun and inclusive.  I've heard a rumor that all of the awards will be presented on camera, so fingers crossed it actually happens.  You all know how ticked off I get when the actual creators of the content get relegated to commercials.  Moving on...




BEST PLAY

Choir Boy, Tarell Alvin McCraney
The Ferryman, Jez Butterworth
Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus, Taylor Mac
Ink, James Graham
What the Constitution Means to Me, Heidi Schreck

My prediction: The Ferryman
My hope: What the Constitution Means to Me

I will be fine with The Ferryman winning, I enjoyed it a great deal and Jez Butterworth is a marvel at creating real characters saying tons of fascinating dialogue.  I also loved Choir Boy, but I don't think it has a chance here.  But I just want to see Heidi Schreck on that stage - what she has done with her play, What the Constitution Means to Me, is a marvel.  She has taken years of rage and pain and turned them into a a funny, engaging, gut-wrenching history lesson about the mistakes this country has made and how women have borne the brunt of those mistakes over the years.  I just saw Constitution again the other day and it has deepened and grown; I was so moved and enlightened.  Plus, to indulge in my shallow side, I also have an acquaintance who refuses to acknowledge that Constitution is even a play, so I would have so much pleasure to rub his nose in a win for it...




BEST MUSICAL

Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Beetlejuice
Hadestown
The Prom
Tootsie

My prediction: Hadestown
My hope: Hadestown

Even though I haven't seen Hadestown, it was written by a woman and directed by a woman and it's not based on a movie or a jukebox musical (I know, The Prom isn't either, but it has a male creative team; shallow, remember).  Thank you.


BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY

All My Sons, Arthur Miller
The Boys in the Band, Mart Crowley
Burn This, Lanford Wilson
Torch Song, Harvey Fierstein
The Waverly Gallery, Kenneth Lonergan

My prediction: The Waverly Gallery
My hope: Burn This

Again, I will be perfectly fine with The Waverly Gallery winning, I enjoyed it and encouraging Kenny Lonergan to write more plays is a good thing.  Actually, I'd be ok with any of these winning (except maybe for All My Sons).  I just want to hear dear Lanford Wilson's name said on that stage and I want more people to do his plays.


BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Annette Bening, All My Sons
Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman
Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery
Janet McTeer, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Laurie Metcalf, Hillary and Clinton
Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me

My prediction:  Elaine May
My hope: Elaine May

All of these ladies were terrific (well, I didn't love Annette Bening, sue me), but Elaine May was just transcendent.  Her characterization of a woman sliding into dementia was harrowing, yet she retained humor and humanity.  Plus, hello, she's Elaine May.  Elaine May should win everything.

my boss gave me their Tony swag - whee!

BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY

Paddy Considine, The Ferryman
Bryan Cranston, Network
Jeff Daniels, To Kill a Mockingbird
Adam Driver, Burn This
Jeremy Pope, Choir Boy

My prediction: Bryan Cranston
My hope: Adam Driver

I also loved Jeremy Pope SO much, but I'm rooting for Adam Driver.  He's just so singular, I'd love to see that rewarded.








BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Fionnula Flanagan, The Ferryman
Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill a Mockingbird
Kristine Nielsen, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Julie White, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ruth Wilson, King Lear

My prediction: Celia Keenan-Bolger
My hope: Fionnula Flanagan

I've loved Celia Keenan-Bolger in many things, so I'd be happy if she won.  I have just loved Fionnula Flanagan for so many years, I'm rooting for her.


BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY

Bertie Carvel, Ink
Robin De Jesus, The Boys in the Band
Gideon Glick, To Kill a Mockingbird
Brandon Uranowitz, Burn This
Benjamin Walker, All My Sons

My prediction: Benjamin Walker
My hope: Brandon Uranowitz

Again, no problem with Benjamin Walker winning, his was actually the one performance I appreciated in All My Sons.  I'm just a huge Brandon Uranowitz fan - I've loved him each time I've seen him on stage and it would be a kick to see him win for a play, since he's basically known as a musical theater performer.


BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY

Rupert Goold, Ink
Sam Mendes, The Ferryman
Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird
Ivo van Hove, Network
George C Wolfe, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

My prediction: Bartlett Sher
My hope: George C Wolfe

I love George C Wolfe, end stop.  I always root for him.  And, just to be shallow yet again, please, for the love of all that's holy, don't let the director of Network win again.  I'm not sure I can live in a world where he's a two-time Tony winner.  Ugh.  I almost want to not even say it out loud (or on virtual paper, as it were)...


BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL

Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown
Scott Ellis, Tootsie
Daniel Fish, Oklahoma
Des McAnuff, Ain't Too Proud to Beg - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Casey Nicholaw, The Prom

My prediction: Rachel Chavkin
My hope: Rachel Chavkin

Please, please, please, let Rachel Chavkin win.  I haven't seen Hadestown, but I have seen a few of the plays she's directed and she's just so imaginative.  I want her to win so so much.


BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Camille A Brown, Choir Boy
Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me, Kate
Denis Jones, Tootsie
David Neumann, Hadestown
Sergio Trujillo, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations

My prediction: Warren Carlyle
My hope: Camille A Brown

Even though Choir Boy wasn't a musical, the choreography Camille A Brown created for the musical interludes was incredible - so musical, and completely personal to each character.  I've never really seen anything like it, and so I want her to win.  


In other categories, I really will be rooting for Dominique Morisseau (Best Book of a Musical), because she's a genius, and for Andre De Shields (Best Featured Actor in a Musical) because he is also a genius.  I've been a fan of his for decades; I once had a long phone conversation with him (equally long story) and he's just a delight.  I desperately want to hear his acceptance speech - he may be my biggest hope, actually, after Heidi Schreck.  He's so beloved in the industry, I think it could be an amazing moment in the broadcast.  Here's wishing good luck to everyone! 

Review - Proof of Love

You've already read, many times by now, how much I love Chisa Hutchinson, the writer and the person.  I'm never going to let one of her productions pass me by and I probably would be constitutionally unable to dislike it.  So, you can just take my praise for her new piece, Proof of Love, with a grain of salt, I guess.  Though I think my positive opinion is absolutely right.

Proof of Love is the first physical production from Audible's new Emerging Playwrights Commission.  From the Audible website:  "This fund enables the creation of original plays driven by language and voice, keeping with Audible’s commitment to elevating listening experiences through performance and vocal storytelling. In addition to financial support, Audible will provide the playwrights creative and logistical resources that suit the needs of each artist. The fund is also intended to support the audio production of each commission and, in some instances, a live stage component."  I've purchased one of the audio plays from this new commission, Evil Eye by Madhuri Shekar, but I haven't listened to it yet (I'm looking forward to it - I saw a reading of one of Madhuri's plays a couple of years ago and greatly enjoyed it).  I'm pretty sure Chisa's play is the first production that will then be recorded into an audio version.

You enter the Minetta Lane Theatre space and you see a large private hospital room, so already I know that the character we'll be meeting (these Audible plays are to have one or two characters) is well-off.  Constance (played by the amazing Brenda Pressley) comes in, a smartly-dressed African-American woman of a certain age.  She looks around the room - you can tell she's been here awhile and has built up feelings that need to come out.  She then speaks to someone who is behind curtains off to the side of the stage, in an hour-long monologue.  

photo credit: Joan Marcus

Throughout the monologue, we learn that the person behind the bed curtain is Constance's husband, Maurice, who was in a car accident five days ago and is not expected to survive.  You can hear the beeping of the machines and the whir of the breathing tube keeping him alive throughout the play, which adds realism to the situation.  Constance talks about learning of her husband's accident and of hearing a strange nugget of information when the police tell her of his accident.  That nugget of information, along with strange texts on her husband's phone (which the hospital presents to her in a plastic bag with his other belongings), leads to a mystery that unfolds as the monologue unfolds.  We gradually understand that Maurice has been having an affair for the past eight years and that Constance only learned about it from the phone and from the off-handed comment by the police officer about where the car accident occurred.  Since she discovered it, she's been obsessed with finding out everything she can.

Chisa beautifully constructs the mystery and learning things as Constance reveals them is part of the play's pleasures.  We hear Constance try to work through the how and why of her husband's affair, she relates how they met and how she thinks their lives together have turned out.  We feel her surprise and shame and disdain.  We learn about her background as an educated, upper class African-American, and her husband's background as a more working class African-American.  We learn about the class conflicts even within the African-American community and we're witness to the internal jealousies, yet sense of kinship, amongst women.  Ideas of status, privilege, surface judgement, and insecurity are explored - I was particularly fascinated by one of Constance's early lines that she reports was uttered to her daughter: 'there's more than one way to be black.'  Clearly, this is something that is completely unknown to me and I wanted to hear more.  But Constance's great need to know she's loved seems universal.

photo credit: Joan Marcus

I really loved how this story unfolded and I loved getting to know Constance, who could come off as elitist and snobbish (which she is), but she's also funny and open and willing to look at herself clearly.  The way she works through her feelings about her husband's mistress and how she's willing to accept her share of the blame in what might be lacking in her marriage is also so appealing and realistic.  When she tries to admit to herself that maybe she wouldn't have even given her husband a second glance had his diction been poor, we feel her self-disgust.  As always, Chisa has written her characters (even the ones we don't see) with such empathy and appeal, that you can see everyone's flaws and everyone's good qualities with clear-eyes.  I was completely invested in this story and was taken aback by the ending - ambiguous, but utterly earned and true.

I thought Proof of Love was wonderful, with real belly laughs (hearing Constance drily relate how she finally broke through her husband's locked cell phone was a riot) and real feeling (Constance's sadness over the rift with her daughter, and her feelings of loss when thinking about her husband's mistress are beautifully drawn).  I could've listened to Brenda Pressley speak Chisa's dialogue for another hour at least.  That means I think you should go see it.  Obviously.  Random side note:  when I looked at a website that gathers other reviews of the play, I found it fascinating that only white male reviewers published reviews.  Hm.  Very intriguing.  And that's all I'll say about that.  

I applaud Audible for putting their money behind a diverse group of playwrights and I look forward to seeing (and listening to) more plays about worlds I'd like to explore.  To me, Proof of Love was a great start.

ABT 2019 - Jane Eyre

Being a single woman of a certain age, of course Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre was (and is) a seminal book for me.  A story of a woman who searches for her place in the world has always had a strong hold over me, I probably re-read it once a year.  A story where the woman is finally rewarded, instead of shunned, for her stubborn defiance to be entirely herself.  The atmosphere, the mystery, the danger, the otherworldly qualities - the book has held me captive for over 40 years.  So there is no way I would miss a new ballet based on the book, especially a new ballet choreographed by a woman.  When ABT announced they would be doing Jane Eyre this season, I was tremendously excited and I have been looking forward to seeing it for months.

I went back and forth over which cast I wanted to see - I decided to go with opening night's, because I wanted to see Devon Teuscher as Jane.  I also want to see Thomas Forster as Rochester, so I guess a return visit is in my future eventually.  So as not to bury the lede any further, I mainly loved this new Jane Eyre ballet, with some quibbles, of course.  My quibbles are not the same as my seat neighbor's, as I will relate later.  I guess, if you haven't read the book, like the young girls behind me who exclaimed loudly "great, there's a synopsis!" before the ballet started (which broke my heart, but I digress), I should warn you that spoilers will abound.

Choreographer Cathy Marston has tweaked the plot the tiniest bit to make the storytelling completely clear (I'll mention a couple of the changes later).  I know I've read the book dozens of times, but I had no problem understanding what was going on.  Things have been streamlined and condensed greatly - even though I'm pretty much a purist when it comes to these iconic works, I was fine with the adjustments because I felt they served the ballet so well and they worked for me.  The ballet begins with the moment after Jane runs from Rochester following their unfinished wedding ceremony.  As Jane flees, the "D-Men" (a group of around ten male dancers) follow her and impede her progress at every turn.  At the 92nd Street Y panel discussion, Marston had mention the D-Men as tangible reminders of Jane's fears and male society's obstacles to women.  Hearing about them beforehand probably helped me accept them as physical manifestations of Jane's internal feelings.  When she finally collapses, she is discovered by St. John Rivers and taken to his home.  As she's being cared for by his sisters, Jane has nightmares that become flashbacks to her past.  I want to mention that the brief pas de deux between Jane and St. John was fantastic - the way he transports her without just literally carrying her was incredible.

We then see a Young Jane (danced wonderfully by Catherine Hurlin) at the graveside of her parents (one of the changes I referenced above, but it worked like gangbusters for me).  The preacher who is doing the service at the graveside sees Jane's Aunt Reed and has to work really hard to convince her to take Young Jane in.  That bit of dance pulls together tons of events in the book and just crystallizes how Aunt Reed has no empathy and no feeling for Jane at all.  The choreography for Young Jane is terrific, all angles and fierceness, showing the internal fire and sense of injustice already within her that gets her sent away.  Calvin Royal III as Brocklehurst was evil personified.  I loved the choreography for the girls in Lowood school, all rote and synchronized, yet they already seemed broken and defeated.  It was so perfectly evocative of the book.  And when young Helen Burns starts performing out of sequence, we see the wrath of Brocklehurst on her.  Helen and Young Jane have an amazingly tender duet that plays their entire relationship, and Helen's death, in one extended sequence.  I adored it.

photo credit: Nina Westervelt

From there, Jane grows up (and now Devon Teuscher takes over the role) and responds to a request from housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax (played with quick feet and humor by Sarah Lane) to come tutor young Adele (terrifically played by Zimmi Cokler - she was crazy bubbly and really got the feeling of otherness for Adele just right).  Her meeting with Rochester (James Whiteside) was also fascinating - he has bits of choreography, sitting in his grand chair, that just crystallize his sense of superiority and imperiousness at the beginning of their relationship.  Their pas de deux, though light on 'classical' ballet dancing, had spark and passion.  I especially enjoyed the bits where Jane was the dominant partner, balancing Rochester, instead of the other way around (I'll expound a little more about that below).  I thought Teuscher and Whiteside had a wonderful rapport and they both captured elemental characteristics of Jane and Rochester splendidly.

photo credit: Gene Schiavone

I don't want to do a complete scene-by-scene synopsis, so I'll just say that I thought the act break was perfectly placed (when Jane rescues Rochester from the fire set by Bertha) and the second act made me hold my breath throughout.  The wedding was terrifically tense, and all of the lighting to indicate the fire that finally consumed Thornfield was grand.  I thought the ending was lovely - the way the choreography mirrored the scene where Rochester asked Jane to marry him was fantastic.  Oh, and I don't want to forget mentioning the original score by Philip Feeney; it was atmospheric and gorgeous, with interpolations of pieces by Fanny Mendelssohn and Schubert that were beautiful and enhanced the choreography beautifully.  Nor can I neglect to mention the sublime Stella Abrera as Blanche Ingram, she was perfection. 

photo credit: Nina Westervelt

I very much enjoyed this incarnation of Jane Eyre; I greatly appreciated the care and detail that went into the production, but I guess I should mention my quibbles - the darkness of the lighting at times went beyond moody and into just dark; the ever-present chairs-as-the-only-set-pieces started to make me sigh by the end (oh, good, another chair to act with!); and I did have qualms about how much Jane is pushed and pulled around in the choreography.  Intellectually, I understand the need for making her break free of it, but emotionally, I got concerned with all of the aggressiveness with which her body was manipulated.  I don't know quite how to express myself here - I know that the choreographer and the dancer want to show the empowerment of Jane, but on occasion, the partnering fought against it.  Which may have been the point, I don't know.  I just know I felt uncomfortable at times.  So that's why I really appreciated the times the choreography showed the equality instead of the struggle.

So, back to that seat neighbor I referenced above:  I was seated next to an older gent who smelled of mothballs and mediocrity, who at intermission exclaimed "I DO NOT COME TO BALLET FOR STORY!  OR DRAMA!  OR EMOTION!  OR OTHER WOMAN PROBLEMS!"  Reader, I let him live.  I'm still asking myself...why I let him live.  I mean, to be serious again, I get it.  This ballet doesn't have huge extended pas de deux and it doesn't have expansive choreography that fills the entire stage, I get that.  I was grateful to have my binoculars to be able to catch the exquisite intimate details throughout.  But, seriously, dude, this ballet shouldn't even have what you're missing!  If you just want dancing, steps, and no story, go to New York City Ballet across the plaza!  Watch some Balanchine to your heart's content and have a nice life.  There's room for both, bozo.  The fact that he had to connect the dots from 'too much story and emotion' to 'woman problems' just made me want to scream.  I may, in fact, have made a noise of disgust and he may, in fact, have heard me and lowered his voice for the rest of the intermission.  Like Jane, I tire of the struggle and the obstacles placed in our way, and look forward to the day the stillness comes and I can just step forward into my light.  You will have to go see ABT's Jane Eyre to completely understand what I mean.  I plan on returning myself.