Theater Reviews

Susan Granger’s review of “Conversations with Mother” (Theatre 555 – Off-Broadway)

 

Immediately evocative of Harvey Fierstein’s “Torch Song Trilogy,” Matthew Lombardo’s new, Off-Broadway semi-autobiographical comedy – “Conversations with Mother” – chronicles the troubled relationship over six decades between a gay man and his now-76 year-old mother.

Free-spirited, insecure Bobby Collavechio (Matt Doyle) and his feisty Irish Catholic mother Maria (Caroline Aaron) are perpetually at odds with one another. Aware of her ypungest son’s homosexuality since he was a youngster, protective Maria stands by him through an abusive sexual relationship, alcoholism and addiction to crystal meth.

“I have been bailing you kids out for years. My girls? No problems at all. My boys? They knock down the 10 Commandments as if they were bowling pins.”

When Bobby escapes from Connecticut to pursue a playwriting career in New York during the height of the AIDS crisis, he takes a job in a gay bar called the Meat Hook, which Maria thinks it’s a delicatessen. And so it goes…

The engaging chemistry between the two talented leads adroitly propels the familiar, occasionally uneven script. Best known as Shirley Maisel, the domineering Jewish mother-in-law in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Caroline Aaron displays her splendid comedic timing, while Mark Doyle, Tony Award-winning star of the recent Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company,” exudes charming boyishness.

Adeptly directed by Noah Himmelstein, the two-hander – divided into 11 scenes with a prologue and epilogue – runs the emotional gamut.

Each vignette is demarcated by Caite Hevner’s projections on the back wall, like replicating photos from the Collavechio family album with labels like “Tell Me the Truth and I won’t Get Mad,” If Everyone Jumped Off a Bridge, Would You?” and “Why Can’t You Ever Meet a Nice Boy?”

They’re aptly augmented by Wilson Chen’s minimal scenic design, Elizabeth Harper’s effective lighting, Ryan Peck’s costumes, Tom Watson’s wig/hair design, and sound by John Gromada.

Running 85 minutes with no intermission, “Conversations with Mother” plays through May 11 at Theatre 555 on 42^nd Street at 11th Avenue. For tickets and information: conversationsplay.com

Susan Granger’s review of “The Picture of Dorian Gray” on Broadway

 

Sarah Snook is an acting phenomenon – unique in the Broadway theater – delivering a sensational performance, playing all 26 characters in “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
Based on Oscar Wilde’s gothic horror novel, published in 1891, the satirical story revolves around a vain, selfish, outrageously handsome young man whose exquisite portrait is painted by infatuated artist Basil Hallward.
Through bumbling Basil, Dorian meets aristocratic, amoral Lord Henry Wotton and becomes determined to explore every sensual, hedonistic indulgence.
Realizing his beauty will fade with time, Callow Dorian sells his soul in a Faustian bargain, agreeing that his image in the portrait, rather than himself, will become decayed, disfigured and distorted with age: “The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but one is young.”
The majority of the adapted plot then delves into Dorian’s libertine lifestyle, yet barely acknowledging the obvious fact that he, Basil and Henry are avowed homosexuals in the Victorian era when that masculine ‘perversion’ was forbidden.
(Many scholars assert that Oscar Wilde chose the protagonist’s name Dorian in reference to the Dorians of ancient Greece, noted for their male same-sex initiation rituals chronicled in Greek cultural history.)
Renowned for her Emmy-winning role as power-hungry Shiv Roy on HBO’s “Succession,” Australian actress Sarah Snook dazzles in Kip Williams’ Sydney Theatre Company’s exhilarating, tech-propelled production, appearing on five huge, high-definition video screens both in simulcast and pre-recorded segments.
Dutifully photographed by black-clad camera-operators, accompanied by dressers and crew, Snook demonstrates astonishing versatility and timing, donning and ripping off different costumes &elaborate wigs/whiskers/moustaches while juggling myriad props. No wonder she won London’s prestigious Olivier Award. She’s gorgeously grotesque!
And a playful puppet-show scene, in which she plays a bizarrely miscast Juliet – while lip-syncing to “Gorgeous” from “The Apple Tree, is hilarious.
Admirable tech credits include scenic/costumer Marg Horwell, lighting designer Nick Schlieper, composer/sound designer Clemence Williams, and videographer David Bergman.
FYI: The M.G.M. 1945 film stars Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray with George Sanders as Lord Henry with Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed and Peter Lawford in supporting roles; it’s still available on Max, Apple, and YouTube.
Running a full two hours without an intermission, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre, currently booking through June 15.

Susan Granger’s review of “As Time Goes By” (Off-Broadway)

 

Admittedly, the play’s title “As Time Goes By” intrigued me, since “Casablanca” is one of my favorite movies. What I didn’t realize was that – in this case – it refers to what’s advertised as a “rom-com’ about two gay Jewish men.
The premise, which bears a close resemblance to “Frankie and Johnny in the Claire De Lune,” involves graphic sex talk, yet what the two lonely protagonists seem to be yearning for is genuine emotional intimacy. And that’s not the same thing.
As playwright Danny Brown’s drama begins, jaded 33 year-old Adam (Ephraim Birney) and optimistic 24 year-old David (Joel Myers) have already culminated their casual coitus hookup that was arranged on Grindr.
When David departs, he realizes that it’s beginning to snow and a blizzard is expected. So he asks if he can stay awhile longer in Adam’s Upper West Side studio apartment. The inclement weather is obviously just an excuse to prolong their encounter, although David cites the fact that he has neither cash nor credit card to pay an Uber/Lyft driver to transport him. MetroCard? No.
What follows is an awkwardly extended conversation that’s obviously written by a gay man – filled with poignant grievances – and aimed at a gay audience. Those of us who don’t check those descriptive columns are simply eavesdropping voyeurs, trapped and unable to move for 90 minutes – with no intermission.
Under Noah Eisenberg’s somewhat stagnant direction, actors Ephraim Birney and Joel Myers clomp around Baron E. Pugh’s realistically cramped set and do the best they can with the dialogue they’re been given and, yes, “Casablanca” is mentioned since Adam owns a vinyl recording of “As Time Goes By.”
“As Time Goes By” can be seen at Out of the Box Theatrics at 134 Christopher Street through Sunday, March 30. For tickets, visit OOTB Theatrics or Ovationtix.com.

Susan Granger’s review of “Tammy Faye” (Palace Theater on Broadway)

 

Was it ghoulish to accept an invitation to review Elton John’s ill-fated “Tammy Faye” Broadway musical when its closing notices were posted for December 8, having opened on November 14? I don’t think so.

I was curious just how bad it was. How did it compare with “Carrie” (1988), which shut after five performances, or Bono’s “Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark” (2011) that ran for three years but never recouped its $75 million investment?

What about Jimmy Buffett’s “Escape to Margaritaville” (2017), which I actually enjoyed, or “King Kong” (2018) with its often-malfunctioning puppet, or “Diana: The Musical” (2021) about Diana, the Princess of Wales?

Not unlike Jessica Chastain’s movie “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (2001), Elton John’s biographical musical chronicles how Tammy Faye Messner (Katie Braynen) and her ambitious husband Jim Bakker (Christian Borle) went from small-town anonymity to become big-time televangelists with their Praise the Lord (PTL) satellite network.

By fleecing their flock, the Bakkers financed a lavish lifestyle and were ultimately brought to justice after Jim was convicted of committing fraud in the late 1980s.

Problem is: at no point are either of the protagonists even remotely likeable – what with her drug addiction and his adulterous philandering. Even Tammy Faye’s saintly compassion for gay men, unusual during this time period when AIDS was considered divine punishment, fails to engender empathy.

And it’s difficult to relate to sneering, sinister Jerry Falwell (Michael Cerveris) the Bakkers’ primary adversary.

Curiously, the creators of this particularly American ‘rise-and-fall redemptive’ saga are British. Elton John, of course, along with book writer James Graham, director Rupert Goold, choreographer Lynne Page, and – making her Broadway debut – Katie Brayben, who won an Olivier Award when this show ran on London’s West End.

On the other hand, lyricist Jake Shears, the Scissor Sisters frontman, was a Southern Baptist who grew up with revivalists and Christian television, and Bunny Christie’s towering TV cube-filled set evokes memories of the “Hollywood Squares” and the intro to “The Brady Bunch.”

Bottom line: Perhaps today’s audiences just don’t find politicized religion and hypocritical fundamentalism funny anymore.

More than anything, I feel sorry for the investors who learned, once again, that financing a Broadway musical is risky business.

Susan Granger’s review of “The Roommate” (Booth Theater on Broadway)

 

There’s ‘star power’ a-plenty when the curtain goes up on “The Roommate” – so much that Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone slyly take brief applause-acknowledging bows even before their comedic/drama begins.

“I didn’t realize Mia’s that tall,” whispered the man behind me. “She isn’t,” said his companion. “She’s 5’3” but Patti’s barely 5’2”.”  “Well she looks taller!”

That having been clarified, their odd-couple two-hander begins as Robyn (LuPone) moves into the spare bedroom in the sprawling Iowa City farmhouse belonging to Sharon (Farrow).

Tough-talking, chain-smoking, black-leather-clad, restless Robyn’s an outspoken vegetarian from the Bronx, while chatty, naïve Sharon’s only contact with New York comes through her adult, clothing-designer son who lives in Park Slope. (Voiced on the phone by uncredited Ronan Farrow.)

So for the first half of Jen Silverman’s play, Sharon’s guileless, recently-divorced country-mouse seems constantly surprised, confused and intrigued by lesbian/grifter Robyn’s city-mouse behavior, including requiring almond milk in her coffee, swindling money out of people (particularly senior citizens), and growing marijuana plants.

“Please don’t call them ‘drugs,’ they’re ‘medicinal herbs,’” Robyn defensively explains. “Herbs only become drugs when a capitalist economy gets involved.”

Make no mistake: this is a star vehicle, ostensibly chronicling the unexpected, life-changing friendship between two seeming disparate, older women – both troubled by their identity, mortality and the prospect of re-invention.

Directed by Jack O’Brien, Mia Farrow oozes screwball vulnerability, claiming she learned from the Harvard Business Review that “Expansion is progress,” while formidable Patti LuPone wryly sneers: “Sustaining and expanding are two different activities.”

Yes, it’s predictably far-fetched. Its pop-culture references are dated – not to mention repetitive – and there’s no intermission in which to escape.

Bob Crowley designed the kitchen-centric, wood-framed set and character-driven costumes, augmented by Natasha Katz’ lighting design, Mikaal Sulaiman’s sound, David Yazbek’s music, with wigs/hair/make-up by Robert Pickens & Katie Gill.

After numerous regional productions, “The Roommate” is scheduled to run on Broadway at the Booth Theatre through December 12. For tickets and information: theroommatebway.com

Susan Granger’s review of “Left on Tenth” (Broadway review)

All her life, genial Delia Ephron has lived in the shadow of her more famous older sister: writer/director Nora Ephron. As romantic comedy writers, they often collaborated (“You’ve Got Mail”) and shared a genetic predisposition for leukemia.

But that revelation comes mid-way through Delia’s 2022 memoir-adaptation “Left on Tenth” that just opened on Broadway.

Set on a lefty street in Greenwich Village, her story, as related by Delia (Julianna Margulies), begins with seemingly endless calls to Verizon. A while ago when her husband died and she had his phone disconnected, Verizon also deleted her internet connection – a frustrating situation she’s been unable to remedy.

After the New York Times published her amusing essay about this dilemma – which Verizon eventully rectified –  Delia is e-mailed by charming widower Peter Rutter (Peter Gallagher), a Jungian psychiatrist in Northern California, who recalls they were introduced by Nora and actually went on a couple of dates many years ago. None of which Delia remembers.

Their long-distance relationship predictably evolves into real-life romance. “I began to believe I was falling into my own romantic comedy,” she notes, revealing she’s been obsessed with love since she first watched the 1954 movie musical “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.”

Running one hour, 40 minutes without an intermission, it grows increasingly tedious as Delia bravely battles agonizing chemotherapy with stalwart, solicitous, stoic, saintly Peter at her side. (Apparently, he slept on a cot in her hospital room.)  

Problem is: the superficial script suffers from awkwardly interminable affability. There’s too little character development and even less friction or tension. What you see is what you get, including the inevitable ‘happily-ever-after’ ending.

Directed by Susan Stroman with various supporting roles played by Peter Francis James and Kate MacCluggage, it’s enhanced by Beowulf Boritt’s elegantly book-lined set design, Jeff Mahshie’s costumes, lighting by Ken Billington & Itohan Edoloyi, sound by Jill BC Du Boff, projections by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, wigs by Michael Buonincontro and the obedient dogs are credited to Theatrical Animals Inc.

“Left on Tenth” is at the James Earl Jones Theater at 138 East 48^th Street.

Susan Granger’s review of “That Parenting Musical” (Off-Broadway)

 

“While in the trenches of parenting two young kiddos, we learned very quickly that our experiences – as ridiculous, hilarious, heartwarming and gross as they could be – were shared by so many others out there as to be near-universal,” say Graham and Kristina Fuller, creators of “That Parenting Musical” on 42^nd Street’s Theatre Row in Theatre 3.

“Those parents were longing for a night out, particularly a comedic experience shared by other parents experiencing a similar life stage,” they go on. “It was out of this inspiration and relatability that ‘That Parenting Musical’ was born.”

The set (designed by Tim Mackabee) depicts a cozy nursery, adorned with preschooler’s larger-than-life stick drawings. There are shelves filled with books and toys, many of which become props as the congenial show commences.

Cleverly utilizing a cast of six, there’s no formal plot, per se, as this cheerful yet somewhat sophomoric celebration/lamentation of motherhood and fatherhood unfolds under the aegis of director/choreographer Jen Wineman.

Basically, two sleep-deprived parents are attempting to navigate living – in a constant state of exhaustion – with a newborn and a toddler. Max Crumm stars as Child #1 with Vidushi Goyal as Child #2. McKenna Ogrodnik is Mom; Dwayne Washington is Dad – with Natalie Bourgeois as a sarcastic Single Friend and Brian Owen as Narrator/boyfriend Todd.

As the vignettes unfold – from the first ‘discovery’ of pregnancy to doctor’s visits to labor and childbirth-  it’s obviously predictable what with yoga pants dominating Mom’s wardrobe, along with Dad’s cargo shorts.

Memorable musical numbers in what becomes a song cycle include “Toddler Travel Travesty,” “The Most Dangerous Things in the Room,” “Glide,” “Behind,” “Second Child Blues,” and “A Little Bit of Space,” rockin’ with authenticity under the direction of Dan Graeber, who also did the orchestrations.

Kudos to costume designer Tina McCartney, lighting supervisor Alan C. Edwards, sound by Jessica Paz and props from Brendan McCann.

Previously titled “The Trenches,” this revue was developed in 2019 at Louiseville Colorado’s CenterStage Theater Company and Denver, Colorado’s Elaine Wolfe Theatre. It’s aimed at a very specific audience which will inevitably limit the length of its run.

For ticket information, go to ThatParentingMusical.com.

 

 

 

Susan Granger’s review of “Someone Spectacular” (Off-Broadway/Romulus Linney Theatre/Pershing Square Signature Center on 42^nd Street)

 

“To start or not to start: that is the question” confronting the six members of a weekly grief-counseling session when Beth, their therapist, doesn’t show up.

That’s also the beginning of “Someone Spectacular,” the world premiere of a new play by Domenica Feraud, who is obviously a big proponent of group therapy yet curious enough to wonder what might happen if the therapist wasn’t there to maintain boundaries and keep everyone in check.

The six bereaved participants are on-stage when the audience enters the theater, each taking chair from the stack and silently arranging themselves in a circle. They’re obviously waiting for their counselor Beth, who has not yet shown up.

They’ve been meeting once a week for three months, each nurturing his/her chaotic cocoon of grief. Ten minutes passes, then 20.

Julien (Shakur Tolliver), who is lamenting his aunt’s death, suggests they start doing breathing exercises while up-tight Nellie (Alison Cimmet), who is grieving the passing of her ‘good’ sister, proposes they vote for a mediator – a ‘replacement Beth’ – or disperse.

“No one here is qualified to lead a session,” counters Jude (Delia Cunningham), who is mourning a miscarriage. Certainly not bitter Lily (Ana Cruz Kayne), a ‘retired’ 30 year-old actress – prone to panic attacks – traumatized by the belief that she’s killed her beloved cancer-stricken mother who died at age 50.

Not sensitive, kindly Evelyn (Gamze Ceylan), mourning the loss of her elderly mother, nor heartbroken widower Thom (Damian Young), who keeps suggesting that they play “Fuck, Marry, Kill.”

Obviously Beth’s rules – which carefully avoided comparing their levels of suffering – have been abandoned. “I think Beth’s dead,” concludes Lily. So what’s to become of these hapless souls whose pervasive fear of abandonment is realized?

And how many audience members will feel moved enough to write the name of their ‘someone spectacular’ – someone they’ve loved and lost – on scraps of paper on a little corkboard outside the theater?

Disarmingly directed by Tatiana Pandiani, each character in this ensemble has his/her ‘memorable moment’ of survivor’s guilt – and their traumatic 90-minute dialogue exchanges are often peppered with humor.

Credit dots for the realistic set design, Siena Zoe Allen’s costumes, aptly lit by Oona Curley’s fluorescents with appropriate sound design by Mikaal Sulaiman. Visit someonespectacular.com for more information.

“Someone Spectacular” will run through September 7 – Off-Broadway at the Romulus Linney Theatre at the Pershing Square Signature Center on 42^nd Street.

Susan Granger’s review of “The Wiz” (Marquis Theater)

 

After a 13-city national tour, “The Wiz” is back on Broadway – almost 50 years after it began. This fast-paced, reimagined revival, directed by Schele Williams with an updated book by Amber Ruffin, aims to be the Blackest of all Oz adaptations.

Sad and bullied by her classmates, plaintive Dorothy (Nichelle Lewis) is a city girl who has moved to Kansas to live with her kindly Aunt Em (Melody A. Betts, also doubling as the Wicked Witch Evillene). This opening scene takes its grayscale cue from the classic Judy Garland film.

Then, suddenly, swept away by a tornado, Dorothy finds herself in a flashy, fantastical, CGI-augmented land, where she’s greeted by gold-clad Glinda (Deborah Cox) and befriends the Scarecrow (Avery Wilson), who’s in need of a brain; Tin Man (Phillip Johnson Richardson), who yearns for a heart, warbling “What I Would Do If I Could Feel”; and Lion (Kyle Ramar Freeman), seeking courage – as she eases on down the Yellow Brick Road – exuberantly choreographed by JaQuel Knight.

Dorothy’s dog Toto has been jettisoned but comedian Amber Ruffin’s narrative adds more background information about her companions than we’ve had before, although much of it either doesn’t really make sense or its meaning is drowned out by the excessive amplification of Charles Smalls’ score.

As for the titular Great & Powerful Wiz (suave Wayne Brady), he’s dancin’ through hip-hop Emerald City, along with the rest of the funky, Afro-futuristic candy-color clad cast – courtesy of costumer Sharen Davis.

Problem is: while earnest 24 year-old Nichelle Lewis has a sweetly delicate voice, eventually belting out “Home” in front of a star-studded night sky, she lacks ‘star quality’/emotional depth. As a result, this flimsy, underwhelming production still looks, feels and sounds like a family-friendly, second-rate road-show which, given the exorbitant price of Broadway tickets, is disappointing.

For far more fun, setting a Black spin on L. Frank Baum’s beloved fairy tale, search out Sidney Lumet’s “Wiz” film, starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

Susan Granger’s review of “Enemy of the People” (Circle in the Square)

 

The idiom “Everything old is new again…” reverberates throughout Sam Gold’s revival of Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 classic drama “An Enemy of the People,” since it seems to reverberate with contemporary allusions to truth being discarded in favor of ‘alternative facts’ and conveniently advantageous interpretations.

Set in a small town in late 19^th century Norway, it revolves around earnest, recently widowed physician Dr. Thomas Stockmann (Jeremy Strong), who has discovered dangerous bacterial contamination in the popular public baths of the local spa resort.

Now, university lab reports have confirmed the scientist’s suspicious that the newly opened spa has been poisoned by industrial pollutants emanating from a tannery owned by his father-in-law, Morten Kiiil (David Patrick Kelly).

His revelation that the runoff is “a buffet of poison” and “public health risk” evokes memories of the Flint, Michigan, 2016 water crisis, along with the initial denial of the COVID pandemic. Thomas is guilelessly arrogant and naively abrasive, bristling with righteous indignation – but he’s right.

Vehement opposition erupts from Thomas’s brother Peter Stockmann (Michael Imperioli), the town’s pragmatic Mayor, who accuses his sibling of irresponsibility in threatening to go public at a town meeting with these findings which inevitably close the spa for three years or more, probably causing their tourist-driven economy to crash.

Gold’s wife Amy Herzog (“A Doll House”) has adroitly condensed this adaptation for a contemporary American audience, emphasizing the cynicism about science by people who have been manipulated by those in power, the precarious position of being a whistleblower, the perennial conflict between environmental vs. economic interests, and trial by public opinion.

While Ibsen’s moral indignation still abounds, Herzog and Gold change his concluding speech. Instead, seafaring Captain Horster (Alan Trong), Thomas’ only loyal friend, notes: “There’s something to be said for…being at the very bottom. You know where the ground is.”

Both Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli deliver passionate performances, along with the ensemble, consisting of Thomas Jay Ryan as the self-righteous printer Aalaksen, Caleb Eberhardt as the opportunistic editor Hovstad, and Victoria Pedretti as Thomas’s schoolteacher daughter Petra.

Scenic design by collective known as “dots” utilize the staging-in-the-round to develop the Scandinavian concept with weathered white wood, real candles and oil lamps, enhanced by Isabella Byrd’s lighting and David Zinn’s authentic period costumes.

At one point, described as a ‘pause,’ a full bar is lowered from the ceiling and theatergoers in the first few rows are welcomed to enjoy free Linie aquavit; some are even invited to stay on the set for the pivotal scenes to follow.

Running about two hours with no intermission, “An Enemy of the People” plays at the Circle-in-the-Square (235 West 50^th Street) through June 16.