Cyrano de Bergerac Written by Edmond Rostand in a new version by Martin Crimp Directed by Jamie Lloyd Jamie Lloyd Company at Brooklyn Academy of Music April 5, 2022 Production website 💉💉 out of 5.
This was a rough night in the theatre. I knew coming from London and play at BAM meant it was going to be experimental and an unorthodox treatment of Cyrano, but I had no idea how bad it would go. The set was a simple beige box – top, bottom and sides – nothing else. There were five orange classroom chairs and a few corded mics. That was it. The costumes were coveralls, jeans and other clothing you might see on the street. Minimalist – I get it – No problem. The beauty was going to be in the language – nice choice . . .I thought.
American Buffalo Written by Eugene O’Neill Directed by Ciarán O’Reilly Irish Repertory Theatre April 1, 2022 Production website 💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
It is always magical to see a David Mamet play done well. It is great to see the very specific, graphic and course language of David Mamet be delivered as street poetry and not just a string of expletives. The ugliness of the language takes on a certain beauty in gifted hands – and these hands were gifted! Laurence Fishburne as Donny and Sam Rockwell as Teach were perfect in their roles. They played a mad, intense game of tennis batting their lines and intent back and forth in perfect form. I had a little trouble with Darren Criss as Bobby – perhaps because he is so indelibly connected to this role in Glee – or perhaps it was just the character of Bobby. He just looked like he was in another play.
How I Learned to Drive Written by Paula Vogel Directed by Mark Vogel Manhattan Theatre Club March 31, 2022 Production website 💉💉 out of 5.
I just didn’t get this play. I just didn’t get it. I know that this is Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play and I know that the dream team of Mary-Louise Parker (Proof) and Tony nominee David Morse (The Iceman Cometh) were the perfect performers for the story but I just didn’t get it. I appreciated the skill of the playwright in building this sexual assault from its small simple beginning to its conclusion. The creepiness of the relationship between this adult man and girl was palpable. I appreciated the effects of a family that has no boundaries – how it abandons every member and opens the door to all kinds of demons. BUT what was the girl after?
Take Me Out Written by Richard Greenberg Directed by Scott Ellis Helen Hayes Theatre/2NDSTAGE March 30, 2022 Production website 💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
This play had everything going for it! I had seen the original cast 20 earlier but the play remained as relevant – if not more relevant today. The play has a nice organized plot with sharp character conflicts leading to a very satisfying climax. This play also had a highly complex masculinity. In fact, the play became a bit of a textbook on on being a man as it explored a most masculine, successful baseball player owning his homosexuality and seeing how it played through the various dynamics of his teammates and the sacred locker room.
To see Take Me Out – is to meet the Yondr pouches (which I’d never heard of). Basically, it’s a thick case locker for your phone that you keep with you. The phone is locked up and inaccessible to you for the duration of your time in the theater, however is still on your person. I asked why this rather extreme and time intensive solution to having cell phones going off during the production – then I was told that that was only a side benefit. The reason that they are doing it in this show is because the actors in their contract wanted it to be impossible for the audience to take pictures of them especially since they are nude a good portion of the play. Makes sense! But, boy was it funny to watch the audience do without cell phones waiting for the curtain. That Playbill program never got read as much as it got read at Take Me Out. As soon as the intermission came you could see how desperately they wanted to spend time with their cell phone. Their texting thumbs had nothing to do. Then, right after the curtain call, they raced to get their phones removed from the security pockets. Never has a reunion meant so much.
