It's Not Exactly 100 Years of Solitude, but...

...I wonder how many more of the books I read in college freshman honors English I can reference right about now.  I must say I can't figure out a way to use Gravity's Rainbow. I should see if I can find the syllabus in my trunk of random historical papers.  I sure hope that professor is safe and well during these crazy times.  I hope all of you reading are safe and well, too.

photo credit: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

These really are certainly crazy times, right?  It seems as if we're living a weird sci-fi dystopian film.  Every day lasts forever, but the weeks go awfully quickly.  Working from home always had a romantic sound to it - entering week five has definitely ended the romance.  It's hard to concentrate, it's hard to schedule myself, it's hard to stay motivated.  There's always fear and dread around the corner; the longer this goes on, the more paranoid I feel.  When it first started, I did have a pretty good schedule: I meditated before lunch, walked some laps at a local playground after lunch, fell asleep pretty early and slept pretty well.  I haven't meditated for a while, they closed my playground, and sleeping is coming less easily.  I'm grateful to have a job and food (and toilet paper), and I'm generally fine with my own company, but the allure of Zoom meetings has definitely lessened.  In real life, I rarely watch tv at night during the week - my life is so noisy, I like the quiet when I'm at home.  But during this isolation, I pretty much have my tv on all day, so I can have voices and companionship in my apartment.

As usual, though, I'm turning to theater to get me through.  The last thing I did before heading home for the duration was see a special filmed performance of a show I had tickets for after the closure (the theater practiced social distancing, thankfully).  I'm hoping to start a book club, only with plays, at work, so I'm reading (or trying to read; remember, it's hard to concentrate) lots of plays.  I've bought tickets to some of the streaming events and I've enjoyed them, though it's not the same as being in the room with everyone, of course.  I've especially enjoyed the live play readings the Actors Fund has been presenting on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

I guess I don't really have all that much to report - I just kind of wanted to check in.  My life feels as if I'm floating on a raft with no known destination.  I don't know where I'll end up and what I'll find when I get there.  It's tremendously disconcerting, but I know I'm still pretty fortunate.  So I'll make it through, I'm sure.  Everything will be different - how will I respond?  I have no idea.  But finally:  randomly, I just noticed that today is the ninth anniversary of the blog!  Happy blogiversary to me!  I know ordinarily I do a big number-centric post, but since I'm not in my office at the moment, it's hard to get all that data.  I'll just say that I can't believe it's been nine years.  Once all this quarantine craziness is over, maybe I'll do a stats-y post.  And a nine-years-out sort of post - when I had my replacement surgery, I was told the implants have a shelf life of ten to twenty years.  What if the magic number is ten?  Could I make myself go through another surgery for new implants?  I'm not sure.  So...I guess the uncertainly can represent more than this current pandemic.  I think I need to watch another episode of Little House on the Prairie (which is way more problematic than I remember) to clear my brain...

It's Not Exactly Love in the Time of Cholera, but...

UPDATE:  I was in the middle of writing this when our offices decided to close for the time being, now that most theaters are closed for a month.  I was supposed to see four new plays in NY and five in KY this month; I'm sad I probably won't get to see any of them (we don't have official word from KY yet).  This is definitely the right move, but I really feel for our industry.  So many theater people live day-to-day (I almost do; not quite, but almost) and so many shows either won't open or won't succeed because of outside forces.  I saw a friend's amazing play the other night that has to close early - it's heartbreaking.  There are many things to rail about (especially how that horrible orange person has been mishandling this national crisis), but I guess I'll just stay quiet for now and finish the below post.  After a week or so of no-new-theater, I may change my mind and start posting rants.  I guess we'll just have to see.  Stay safe and healthy, my friends; I hope to be back soon.



...I did travel to Minneapolis for work during the early stages of the US dealings with COVID-19.  It was a little surreal - the plane smelled like Purell (probably because I was wiping everything around me), it wasn't that full, and everything seemed to happen the way it was supposed to happen.  Maybe it was because Minnesota hadn't announced any cases until we had arrived, I don't know.  But it was a pretty uneventful travel scenario, thankfully.  Just way more Purell.

I went to Minneapolis mainly to attend a new musical written by dear friends and I was fortunate enough to be able to build a work event around the trip.  We did a class for area writers that went extremely well and I hosted a talkback conversation after the performance, which also went extremely well.  It was a grand weekend, filled with wonderful work friends, delightful theater, and terrific cocktails.  Oh, and I tried Ethiopian food for the first time - whee!

My work chum and I arrived in town last Friday night, checked into a very nice hotel, then walked about a half a block to Town Hall Brewery, which is a very nice pub/local spot with a pretty big menu and an even bigger list of alcoholic beverages.  Beer is their claim to fame, but since I haven't acquired the taste for beer yet, I went with their Towncar, which was bourbon, lemon juice, and something else I can't quite put my finger on.  It was super-delicious.  As was the Friday night special, fish and chips.  The fish was beautifully battered and fried and the chips were crispy and yummy.  It was a delicious meal to start our weekend.

Saturday was our class, which, as I said, went extremely well.  After the class was over, we walked to the corner and ate lunch at Black Dog Cafe, a very cute pub-type spot that had live music.  They had very tasty iced tea and a delicious (enormous) turkey club sandwich.  It was a very nice break and a very nice, relaxing meal.  After lunch, I took an Uber over to the Guthrie Theater, just so I could walk around and see what it looked like (I didn't have time to see a show there).  It certainly is something to see!  I was grateful that you can walk around in the building without having a ticket to see one of the shows, though there was an older volunteer at the information desk who kept asking if he could help me.  But the beautiful building, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, is wonderfully striking.  The Endless Bridge was open because it was a gloriously sunny day, so that was cool to take in.  The views are stunning and there's something to look at all around the building.  Even the gift shop is gorgeous!  Of course, I did treat myself to a couple of souvenirs - I love them already.  I'll put some photos below.

After walking back to the hotel and having a little liedown, my work chum and I went out to the Gremlin Theatre to see the Frank Theatre's production of Danai Gurira's The Convert.  This play was originally produced in 2012, though it was a new title to me.  When looking through the listings of all the offerings in Minneapolis, I immediately chose The Convert, because I loved Eclipsed and Familiar, and because I want to remind Danai Gurira to write more plays, please.  Never one to shy away from big bold subjects, this play takes on British colonialism in southern Africa, notably the use of Christianity as a tool of religious, cultural, and social disruption.  It's quite evenly balanced in its excoriation of the patriarchal traditions of the past and the horrors that could be conjured by supposed progress through religion.  I was moved and shaken several times throughout the evening.

photo credit: Tony Nelson

The acting in this production of The Convert is first-rate, though at times I did feel as if the dialect work got in the way of character development.  But that's a quibble.  Also, during some of the beautifully-written long scenes, there was very little, or very static movement, so I did feel that on occasion the direction could've been more incisive.  I realize it was a very small theater space, but the stage could've been used a little more creatively here and there.  In my opinion.  But this story is a strong and necessary one, about ancestry and belonging and appropriation and brutality.  I enjoyed seeing The Convert and hope to read it soon, so I can revel in the gorgeous language, specific characters, and exquisite construction by Danai Gurira.  I look forward to seeing more of her plays soon, please.

photo credit: Rama (on Wikipedia) - not my plate but similar

After the play, my work chum and I went back to Town Hall Brewery for another delicious cocktail and, since it was so late, I just had the pizza rolls appetizer.  WHICH WERE DELICIOUS.  Geno's pizza rolls will never do after the ones I had in Minneapolis.  Sunday, my work chum and I met with my amazing writer chums at Dilla's, an Ethiopian restaurant near our hotel.  I've never had Ethiopian food before, so I was looking forward to giving it a try.  The restaurant seems to be a popular local spot, it was full of young people enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon.  They were offering a vegetarian buffet, so we all got that.  I placed some injera on my plate (the spongy Ethiopian bread made with sourdough and teff flour), then put a spoonful of each dish on my plate.  Except the beets.  I didn't need to experience the beets.  But the lentils, split peas, and other delicious things I had on my plate were delightful.  Everything was deeply spiced, but not muddy-tasting, and rich yet light.  I really loved our meal, though I didn't eat a lot because of my 'don't eat a lot before a show' edict.  My work chum and I have decided to try an Ethiopian restaurant around the office so that we can get more of a sense of the cuisine.

photo credit: from Mixed Blood website

After lunch, we walked over to Mixed Blood Theatre to catch the matinee performance of Interstate, basically the entire reason for the trip.  Interstate is a beautiful musical about so much, I can hardly talk about it.  It's about love, intersectionality, acceptance, community, the power of art, and so much more.  I love the show (and its creators) so much it's probably pointless to go on; please, if you're in the Minneapolis area, go see Interstate.  This cast is off-the-charts brilliant!  I had seen bits and pieces of the show in earlier stages, but seeing an entire production was a glorious experience.  As was leading a talkback discussion afterwards; the audience loved the show and hearing young people ask questions and comment on how they loved seeing people like themselves reflected on stage felt so extraordinary.  Interstate has joy and pain, laughter and tears, and incredible words and music.  But mainly joy, which I need so much right now.  I hope I can see it somewhere else again soon.

The rest of the trip was pretty quiet; Sunday night was spent in my hotel room with room service and script-reading, and the flight back on Monday was uneventful.  On the plane, I watched the documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? and it was a powerful experience.  We may never see that type of selfless influence and humanity again and I was lost in thought afterwards, wondering how I could try to effect that same sort of change.  I couldn't come up with anything, but I'm glad Fred Rogers did.  What a humanitarian; I'm so glad I finally got the chance to catch the film.  It was a grand trip, filled with lots of Purell and beautiful life-affirming theater.  I'm so glad I could go.

OH, I should also mention that when I got back, I was fortunate enough to attend Women's Day on Broadway.  It was a moving and empowering day, which ended with a closing keynote from Hillary Rodham Clinton.  I may have cried when I saw her.  There were so many takeaways from the amazing day, but I think my favorite may be a quote from one of the panelists.  She said (something like), "If they think you're too much, clearly they're too little."  Whee!  As someone who has been told my entire life that I'm too much or too loud or too...something, this was a powerful phrase to hear.  I'm going to repeat it to myself frequently, as should you.

souvenir

pizza rolls

post-Interstate talkback with authors

Review - Grand Horizons

I am so tired and running in place trying to catch up that I almost let this season's only new play on Broadway written by a woman get by me.  Thankfully, I found the energy to see the next-to-last performance of Grand Horizons.  I got a discounted ticket at almost the last minute and happily I was seated in the orchestra.  However, it is FREEZING in the back of the orchestra at the Helen Hayes Theatre (which I had forgotten).  But I just wrapped my scarf around my neck and settled in.  For the most part, I enjoyed myself, though I admit to feeling that I wished for something more (and that is entirely on me and no one else)...


I saw one of the playwright's previous Off-Broadway efforts, Small Mouth Sounds, a few years ago and simply loved it.  I thought it was bold and audacious, so I was expecting something that bold and audacious in Grand Horizons.  What I got instead was a pretty old-fashioned boulevard comedy, played at high energy and high speed for big laughs.  That's ok, but it wasn't what I expected (which, again, is totally on me) and so I was vaguely dissatisfied.  The play WAS funny and terrifically acted, I just didn't see the compelling reason for putting this play on Broadway.  Though, I guess if making it a Broadway play meant we got to see Jane Alexander and James Cromwell, then maybe it was probably worth it.

photo credit: Joan Marcus

Alexander and Cromwell play Nancy and Bill, a long-married couple living in an upper middle class retirement community; at the start, we see a silent ritual we know is played out every night, where she is preparing dinner and he is helping get the table ready.  They finally sit down, after the perfectly choreographed ritual, and then Nancy, very politely, states that she wants a divorce.  After a pause, Bill says, "All right."  It's all very polite and sedate and the audience cracks up at the juxtaposition.  End of first scene.

The rest of the play is Bill and Nancy justifying their reasons for divorce to their adult sons, one of whom is married and expecting the first grandchild, the other of whom is a high school theater teacher.  Neither son can comprehend why their parents would want to split up at this stage of their lives and they're having high comic difficulty processing the news.  They also have high comic difficulty when their parents start to talk about their sexual needs.  I have to admit I vacillated over wondering if it was cliche writing to have Jane Alexander talk so graphically about sex, knowing it would make the audience laugh to see such a patrician older woman talk about naughty things.  Would it have been just as funny with a different actress?  I don't know.  There was quite a bit of that kind of vacillating happening in my mind throughout the play.  And I think there were maybe two scenes that I didn't really need, though having Priscilla Lopez on stage is always a treat (her character reminded me a bit of Anita Gillette's character in the film Moonstruck, which isn't necessarily a bad thing).

photo credit: Sara Krulwich

So, I guess now would be the place where I say that my parents' names are Nancy and Bill, so that freaked me out/cracked me up just a little, to be honest.  I'd like to think that were my parents to announce they were getting a divorce, I wouldn't lose my shit like the two kids in the play did.  I say kids - both of these gents are in their mid- to late-30s, I think.  Maybe the playwright is making a comment on how men never grow up...hmmmm, I just thought of that.  But after a while, I didn't think the guys were funny, I just thought they were annoying, immature, selfish jerks.  So there's that.

There was one plot point that made everyone in the audience laugh, except me, and it really only needed one little tweak to make it work for me, too.  Michael Urie played the high school theater teacher son and part of his shtick is that he doesn't want to disappoint any of his students, so there are 200 kids in the school production of The Crucible that he is currently directing.  I was having dinner with a playwright friend last week and she mentioned this plot point had made her see red as well, so a tip of the hat to her for giving me advance warning.  No, actually, it is not sweet to want to cast 200 kids in The Crucible, it's technically not even legal.  Arthur Miller didn't write that.  If only one other character had said, "wait, that's not legal, is it?", or "you can't do that, can you?", then I could've laughed along.  If one audience member decides to now do that because it sounded so funny, then we might have a problem.  And when I say 'we,' I mean 'me.'  Which I totally know is a complete silly overreaction.  Oh, and I had a little bit of a squeamish thought that the non-wacky people in the play who kept telling the family that they were wacky were the actors of color.  I appreciate that the cast was diverse, but the weirdo white family learning something from the characters who happened to be played by actors of color stood out for me, in a vaguely negative way.  Perhaps I'm just overthinking things (yet again).

I did laugh throughout Grand Horizons and I did appreciate the actors very much, so seeing the production was mainly an enjoyable experience.  I know the fact that my expectations were for something rather different is completely my fault, though I can't help but wonder if I either missed something or if this play exists merely to be funny.  And there's nothing wrong with that.  I can see this play having a huge life in the regions and in community theaters around the country, which is great.  But when every now and then something else, something deeper, was hinted at, like the inevitable process of women becoming invisible as they age (and the daughter-in-law's realization of it), or adult children realizing they're missing something in their life because of what they saw growing up, I felt a little twinge of sadness that I wasn't really seeing a deeper exploration of that kind of narrative thread.  Which, again, I know makes it my play and my problem and not the playwright's.

Seat neighbor story that shows what a dope I am:  I frequently confuse actors Darren Criss and Michael Urie.  Please don't ask me why.  So the fact that Darren Criss was in the audience of the show that Michael Urie was in sort made my head spin.  My head also spun a bit at the sound design of the show - at one point, characters make reference to the loud tv playing in the neighbor's apartment, but a lot of the time I couldn't tell if the sound was coming from the stage or my seat neighbors' cell phones.  I guess it didn't really matter either way, but it was a little disorienting.  All in all, I'm grateful to have seen Jane Alexander on stage again, she has long been a favorite of mine (I thought she was amazing in Albee's The Lady from Dubuque) and I always enjoy James Cromwell.  I guess I just need to recalibrate my brain and relearn to watch what I'm watching and not make things try to fit in the box I've created for them.  Clearly, it's a long process for me...

Immersing Myself

Hello, friends!  I've been lax in my theater-going lately, work has been very busy.  Well, that's not exactly true.  I went to a very early preview of a new play and a concert of a musical I've already posted about, so I didn't think a new report was necessary about either of them.  I have some shows coming up and a trip to Minneapolis that includes two productions that I'm very excited about, so keep your eyes open for more posts in the next few weeks.  Fingers crossed, of course.

I did want to do a little post about Jerry Herman - he passed away while I was home for the holidays, so I didn't do a post at the time.  After seeing Mack and Mabel last week, I've rather been on a Jerry Herman playlist listening binge.  Which has put a smile on my face.  His musicals' subject matters were disparate, though most dealt with plucky individualists overcoming obstacles to succeed.  But all of them feature toe-tapping music that just puts a big old smile on my face and I notice that "...somehow the ceiling seems a little higher...", to loosely quote one of his songs.  

When I'm in a bad mood, I either put on Barber's "Adagio for Strings" (if I want to weep), or Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" (if I want to dive into feeling pissed off), or Herman's La Cage aux Folles (if I want to start smiling).  But, really, all of his musicals make me smile, then cry, then smile some more.  It's sort of a visceral response.  If you want to read an interesting interview about Jerry Herman's process, you should check out this piece from the archives of The Dramatist magazine (I mean, you really should subscribe; there are amazing articles like this every month!): In Conversation with Jerry Herman.  I love when writers interview other writers - they just know how to guide the conversation to get the most interesting, revealing answers.

I'll just link to some of my past thoughts on musicals by Jerry Herman (some of those links are above, if you're interested).  I mentioned in my review of the recent Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly that it was one of the first musicals I can remember seeing.  One of the first professional productions I ever saw was Mame at a local dinner theater.  I remember adoring it and over the years, I've listened to the cast album probably thousands of times.  Ever since my nephew was born, I've had even more affection for it, especially the song "If He Walked Into My Life," which makes me cry every time I try to sing along.  I'm a basket case, I admit it.  And, hello, who doesn't have "We Need a Little Christmas" on their holiday playlist?!  "Bosom Buddies" is also a classic in musical theater songwriting - have you ever seen the clip of Betty White and Carol Channing sing it on an episode of Love Boat?  Get to YouTube and check it out.  But I digress.  Anyway, Mame is another show that I'd love to see in revival, though I admit a bit of it is problematic in this day and age.  Maybe it's best for an Encores! retelling...

I admit I don't know Dear World as well as I should - when the York did a brief run of it, I jumped at the chance to see it.  I also admit that I seriously considered buying a ticket to London when Betty Buckley was performing it there.  Cooler heads (and empty wallets) prevailed there.  Again, I hope to see it have another life sometime soon.  I know that Jerry Herman was hopeful that this show would get another look, so maybe there's an intrepid producer out there who wants to commemorate the loss of a man who loved the theater and what he did.  I know he brought a lot of joy to my life and I'm grateful.  He'll be missed.

Review - Mack and Mabel

photo credit: Douglas Gorenstein

I'm trying to remember the first time I heard the Mack and Mabel cast album - was it in high school?  At my college boyfriend's apartment?  I'm not sure, but I know I've been listening to that glorious Jerry Herman score for over 30 years.  I never thought I'd see a production, so I was excited to see a couple of numbers excerpted last year in an Encores! revue called Hey, Look Me Over.  Douglas Sills, as expected, was perfection as Mack and I hoped hoped hoped that a more-full production would be announced after the acclaim for the excerpts.  So I was thrilled when City Center announced it would be doing Mack and Mabel in the current Encores! season.  It's bittersweet to finally get to see it so soon after dear Jerry Herman passed away - I was fortunate to meet him a number of years ago and I wonder what he would've thought of this production.  I'm going to imagine that he loved it.  Please excuse my name-dropping-via-photo at left...

photo credit: Joan Marcus

And so, after over 30 years, I finally got to see Mack and Mabel.  And...I loved it!  Truly!  Though I can also see why it's a problematic show to produce.  But I'm ever so grateful to have seen it and I had a wonderful time.  As Mack Sennett, Douglas Sills is the quintessential leading man - he has elan in spades and a voice that thrills.  He's larger than life, yet oh so human.  I think he's an absolute STAR and I wish people would write shows just for him.  I guess I should also mention here that I've been a huge fan of his for over 30 years - I saw him in the national tour of Into the Woods when I was in grad school and have been enraptured ever since.  Moving on (he WAS great, though).

Alexandra Socha was a terrific Mabel - spunky, lovestruck, ambitious yet complacent, and easily influenced.  She also has an amazing voice and put over the big solos for Mabel beautifully, especially "Wherever He Ain't," which was a real highlight of the evening.  She also handled the comedy and pathos well.

The entire score was terrifically delivered - those bouncy Jerry Herman tunes were sparkling and those delightful lyrics were clear and crisp (I had some issues understanding Sills at the top of the show, then his mic was fixed and all was well the rest of the night).  The ensemble was diverse and wonderfully multitalented.  Everyone was in great voice and in sync with the stylistic choices of the music and story.  I will say that I thought the director/choreographer missed the mark a few times; I think this kind of pastiche show needs to be really crisply directed and there was a little looseness here and there, especially in the spatial relationships, that I noticed.  Of course, with such a short run, they also have a limited rehearsal period, so maybe a full production would snap together more strongly.

photo credit: Joan Marcus

As I said, I can see why the show is tough - it's got two vaguely morally ambiguous lead characters, who need to walk a tightrope between their unpleasant qualities and their star qualities.  They're people who can't be together yet can't be apart and that's tough to dramatize.  Plus, the second act can be a real downer, as Mabel slides into disrepute and Mack is unable to reach her.  After listening to "Tap Your Troubles Away" for so long, I had no idea it was juxtaposing a real life tragedy at the same time, so the diverting of focus was complicated (I love tap dancing and wanted to revel in it, but couldn't because of the other necessary storytelling).  The show has an unhappy ending and even though "I Promised You a Happy Ending" is a gorgeous song, the musical just kind of...ends.  Though, in the right hands (like Sills and Socha), hearing terrific singers/actors take on these roles and sing these iconic numbers is a real thrill, so...

Oh, I do have another quibble: in the original production, what we think of now as the Overture was actually the Entr'acte (before the second act).  So this production kept that convention; after intermission, we were treated to the spectacular Encores! orchestra playing that fantastic bit of music.  However, at the end, banners of dear Jerry Herman flew down for people to applaud.  Except, from my seat in the balcony, I couldn't see them.  I only knew they were Jerry Herman from reading the reviews this morning.  I never approve of something happening on stage that everyone in the audience can't see, so that irked me to no end.

Seat neighbor-wise, it was a pretty respectful bunch.  I was in the balcony, so I was surrounded by other diehard fans who were excited to see the show (I was also thrilled to run into so many handsome friends before and after the show!).  Although, there was one yutz.  Actually, three.  The first yutz came in late, after the overture was over, during the first scene.  He walked into the middle of the front row in the balcony, sloooooooowly, then he slooooooooowly took off his coat by leaning forward first to the left, then to the right.  THEN he stood up to arrange his coat on the back of his seat.  This had to have lasted two or three minutes (which can seem like forever when you can't see Douglas Sills!), then finally the woman sitting behind him leaned forward and said SIT DOWN.  She was my hero.  The other two yutzes kept putting their coats on the railing in front of them, which meant their coats were hitting the backs of the people in the row in front of them.  They just couldn't understand why someone wouldn't want another person's down jacket getting in their way of sitting back in their seat.  I tell you, people are NUTS.  

All in all, I had a fantastic time seeing a show I've long wanted to see and hearing that beautiful score played by amazing musicians.  Jerry Herman's scores make me love life a little more, even when the ending isn't happy.  Last night also made me greedy to see Mack and Mabel again and try to figure out how I could fix it (as if I could).  It's also made me greedy to want to see Douglas Sills in all the shows.  Please and thank you.

Preview Thoughts on Cambodian Rock Band

I am a big fan of playwright Lauren Yee (I know her a bit and like her a lot) and I have been looking forward to seeing her play Cambodian Rock Band for seemingly forever.  It has played in regional theaters around the country, to much acclaim, and it has finally landed in New York, at my favorite spot, Signature Theatre.  Of course, all signs pointing to my having a grand theatrical experience, and I did.  OH, I DID.  So as to not bury the lede, I say to you: GET YOUR TICKETS NOW.  This is a play you do not want to miss - its storytelling is unique and the story itself is heartbreaking and hopeful.  That kind of play doesn't come along every day.

photo credit: Joan Marcus

Since the play is still in previews, I'll only offer a few thoughts (other than GET YOUR TICKETS NOW).  Cambodian Rock Band takes place in 2008, but flashes back to 1975/1978, during the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime.  We meet a woman working on the war crimes trials and her efforts to bring perpetrators to justice, and we meet her father, who was in Cambodia during the war and is desperately trying to bring his daughter home, for reasons of his own.  The story is about fathers and daughters, about the hard choices we are sometimes forced to make, and about the power and redemptive quality of music (and art/artists).  The story is also told through music, mainly the songs of the band Dengue Fever, an L.A.-based band of Cambodian-American musicians doing covers of Cambodian music in a blend of sixties Cambodian pop and psychedelic rock.  The rock concert atmosphere is an exciting way to both celebrate the power of music and a tragic way of reminding us that so many artists were lost during the genocide in Cambodia.

photo credit: Joan Marcus

Throughout Cambodian Rock Band, Lauren Yee blends the funny, sad, powerful, moving, and horrifying into a thrilling theatrical experience that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.  This cast is simply incredible - they not only handle the complex emotions of the scenework, but they also play the fictional band Cyclos; the band figures in the story itself and they also present the Dengue Fever/Khmer music to fantastic effect.  Everyone is wonderful, most especially Francis Jue, long one of my favorite actors, who plays our narrator, of sorts, and he has a moment where he becomes part of the story and you just...gasp.  He's fabulous, as always.  As is Joe Ngo, who helped craft the play a bit and shared with Lauren some stories from his life as the child of Cambodian work camp survivors - he has such range and empathy.  Oh, well, the whole cast is great.  I don't want to say much more, since part of the joy of Cambodian Rock Band is the element of surprise; you think you're in for one kind of performance and then it becomes something totally different.  I laughed a lot, I cried A LOT and I got up to dance during the curtain call.  It was truly thrilling; I simply adored it and can't wait to go back with a co-worker later in the run.  If you want to read more about the play and background, there's a terrific piece online about Lauren, written by the wonderful Diep Tran (you can read that piece on Broadway.Com).  I highly recommend you check out that article and Cambodian Rock Band.  Tickets are going fast and it's a show you should not miss. 

Seat neighbor-wise: ugh.  The people behind me were simply hateful.  Please, please don't let me become like them when I become an old NY theatergoer.  They criticized the storytelling, they criticized the acting, they criticized the AUTHENTICITY, which just made my blood boil.  All because, I think, they took a bus tour once through Cambodia, which made them experts.  Not because they were actually Cambodian, mind you.  It was just the supercilious, condescending, crazy-privilege nonsense that I despise.  I almost yelled at them about the five-block rule, but instead I just slouched in my seat and covered my ears.  They never did get the hint.  There was one leader, who made most of the heinous remarks, and there was one follower, who kept saying "Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah" like the seagulls in Finding Nemo (in case you were wondering about the photo at left).  Unfun people.  And the ladies beside me, god love them, were also annoying as all get out.  One of them kept asking everyone in the row if the show had an intermission, even though the ushers told us and it was in the program.  I guess she just couldn't be bothered.  The other had a bad hip, which I understand can be extremely unpleasant, but you should buy yourself an aisle seat if you think you're going to have a problem sitting through a show (I was on the aisle, because I bought it for myself to stretch my bad foot).  At an important point during the first act, she got up to leave because she needed to stand up, so I missed some dialogue, which annoyed me, but I figured it wasn't her fault.  At the end of intermission, her friend apologized and said it might happen again in the second act, at which time I was assured it wouldn't and that the bad hip lady would stand the entire second act.  Well, yeah, until she decided it was time to go home, so she came over, leaned over me, to talk to her friend and say goodnight it was time to leave!  During a CRUCIAL moment in the show!  I was so mad!  There was a talkback after the performance (and it was fantastic - Francis Jue was also incredibly amazing just talking about the play as himself), and I was thisclose to asking them to please just run through their lines from that scene!  Oh my god, ordinarily, the audience at the Signature is well-behaved, but these people were off the charts.  Good thing I found the show to be completely amazing, or they might've absolutely ruined my evening.  Thankfully, once again, great theater saved me from making a bad situation worse.  Though, if I run into them again, I might not be so forgiving...

Review - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, parts one and two

Back story time - your favorite!  I didn't know anything about the Harry Potter series of books before the first movie came out in 2001.  I don't remember why, but for some reason I saw a screening of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at the old Virgin Megastore basement movie theater and was hooked.  I just found the film absolutely charming and so I quickly caught up on the books.  I gobbled the later books up as they were released and I eagerly awaited all of the films.  I never did the 'line up the night before' thing, but I did partake of everything in a timely fashion (unlike now, where I wait too long to see or read anything, but I digress) and always enjoyed myself thoroughly.

When the new script/book was released, I purposely did not buy it because I thought I wanted to maintain the purity of the original series.  When the production finally made it to New York, I was quickly priced out.  I tried, nearly every Friday, for lottery tickets, and I hopped on to the internet whenever a new batch of tickets was released.  I finally finally got one ticket, next-to-last row of the balcony, for both parts of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on a Saturday!  It would be a long, exciting, super-fun day.

I purposefully had not read reviews of the production, because I wanted to experience it with no expectations.  All I've heard from my very kind friends who didn't want to spoil things for me was that the shows were super-magical - which they are!  I should warn you all, however, that there may be spoilers in my post below.  So if you haven't seen the show, I'd close this window now.  I tried to obey the "don't look at the program if you don't want to see spoilers" notice, but at intermission of the first part, I took a look at the program insert, just to see who was playing Harry Potter.  I then saw another actor's name that made me go WHEEEEEE, and then I saw what characters that actor was playing.  SUPER SPOILER.  So that was a bit of a bummer, though, I guess, I should've known/figured things about those characters if I truly thought ahead about the plot points introduced...

...ugh, ok, if I talk about the show, there could very well be spoilers.  I will do my best not to, but sometimes I just won't be able to help it!  So please leave now if you haven't seen the show and if you plan to.  Which you absolutely should.  I had the best day ever and you will, too.  Then you can come back after you see the shows.

All right then, here we go.  Actually, first I'm going to share my posts about the show, that I made during the show, on social media, because suddenly I'm unable to find my words.  Then I'll fill in some blanks...


Part 1 Intermission report:
1. Wow;
2. Young gentleman sitting next to me may have a granny fetish because he keeps chatting me up about my favorite Potter things;
3. Should not have taken a look at that cast list insert;
4. The guy in front of me thinks he’s Chris Evans;
5. He is not;
6. Wow.


Break before Part 2 report:
1. OH.MY.GOD;
2. The young gentleman next to me consumed two bottles of wine during Part 1 (he's with two chums, but still). I just can't imagine their response to Part 2 (if they're even awake, they invited me to join them at a bar, but I declined);
3.. I wish I had extra money for some swag, it's really cool-looking;
4. I'm grateful the theater is across the street from my office, so I could just pick up a snack and sit in comfort during the break;
5. I wish I didn't have to wait over two hours for the rest!
6. Wow.

Part 2 Intermission Report:
1. Well, that was unexpected;
2. Young gentleman (and his two friends) brought ANOTHER bottle of Prosecco to this act, I don’t know how they’re even still standing;
3. The stagecraft is...off-the-charts;
4: I’ve missed magic;
5: I didn’t know one of my favorite stage actors was in this - I may not recover;
6: Squeeeeeee - what is going to happen?!?!?!

Post-show report: 
1.  GOBSMACKED! My blog post will be EPIC, I’m thinking. 
2.  Seat neighbors update: they had a fourth bottle of Prosecco in the second act. The gent next to me accidentally clinked his glass on the bottle and they all giggled (or drunkenly tried to stifle giggles) for the last 30 minutes of the show. After curtain call, they staggered out of their seats and into the balcony lobby. I asked an usher to keep an eye on them but made sure to get down the stairs ahead of them. My balance is not what it was, you know. Oh my. I hope they’re not driving anywhere...

photo credit: Matthew Murphy

Clearly, I had so many other thoughts when I was watching the show!  But my main feeling was one of delight.  I was delighted that the production lived up to my memories of the first series of books/movies; I was delighted there was so much magical magic; I was delighted with the story (for the most part; of course, being me, I had quibbles; more on them later).  I felt like I spent an entire day filled with delight, even when I was scared/horrified/moved by the story and the production.

photo credit: Sara Krulwich

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child starts almost where the final film lets out, at Kings Cross Station, with Harry and Ginny's kids going to Hogwarts.  The play is mainly a depiction of the struggle of fathers/sons, past/present, good/evil, love/duty.  There are fierce friendships, sacrifices, traumas, and guilts.  The script did a good job, I think, of telling a mature story, but maintaining the youthful energy of the original stories.  I thought the new characters added were mainly terrific (the young man playing the son of Draco Malfoy was fantastic, as was the character himself) and the different shadings of the characters we watched grow up were also fascinating.  

I gasped along with the rest of the audience at the end of the first part (ok, seriously, this was one of the most incredible [and unexpected] act breaks I've ever seen!) and was teary at the final confrontations.  Though, to be honest, I thought the script put way too much on Harry at the end; I'm not sure we needed to see that much more trauma heaped on this man/kid who already survived the worst over and over again.  There was a youngster in the balcony who was quite disturbed; I don't blame him.  At times, though I understood the struggle between fathers and sons, the gulf seemed needlessly cruel.  Quibbling on details, I also wondered why we never saw Harry's older children after a certain point in the story - once he and Ginny start back fighting evil, they never even need to say goodbye or have a conversation with them?  That was odd to me.

I loved how a time-turner became a focal point of the storytelling, though it did seem an easy way to bring back characters from the earlier books (Stephen Spinella, who is a treasure of the American theater, in my opinion, is the only actor who could play one of the characters brought back; he was magnificent).  I adored how love and friendship was again the basis of all the light in the world.  I cheered that book learning was celebrated and appreciated. I really loved the set effects when the time-turner was used; in fact, all of the stage effects and magic effects were out of this world.  From the very first transformation when students were suddenly wearing their Hogwarts robes out of thin air (and the first time characters used polyjuice potion to become other characters), I was completely enchanted.  There were high-tech magical effects and low-tech magical effects and the combination of the two worked brilliantly.  The physical production was marvelous, the choreography was inspired, and the acting company was amazing.  Even with my story quibbles, I had the most marvelous time at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.  If a ticket finally lands in your lap, I highly recommend checking it out.

It suddenly occurs to me that I've recently seen two plays that were done in two parts, where I had a wonderful all-day theatrical experience.  I'm now thinking of the other writers who I want to write multiple-part-plays - I'm dying to see an all-day Martyna Majok event, or two plays by Rajiv Joseph, or two plays by Stephen Adly Guirgis, or two musicals by Michael R Jackson, or two plays by Chisa Hutchinson, or two plays by Mike Lew.  Almost anyone, really.  Seriously, the bigger the better.  I obviously need to win the lottery so I can be the benefactor, the impresario who can make these things happen.  Excuse me while I head off to the nearest lottery ticket machine and hope for a little magic of my own...