Owner: Third Row, Mezzanine URL:http://thirdrowmezzanine.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:09:37 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: I moved to NYC in 2004 to pursue an acting career. I find, at times, that I'm attending more shows than auditions. This blog is just my two cents' worth about the shows I see. Site statistics:Click here
In Search of Neil Simon 2007-10-15 13:44:00 "A feminine ending" at Playwrights Horizons, October 12, 2007
Sarah Treem's new play has made its off-Broadway debut in the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizons. The story is somehow familiar, despite her efforts to thrust a musical concept of gender assignments over it.
Amanda (Gillian Jacobs), a composer has managed to land Jack (Alec Beard), a narcissistic rock singer on the Read more:Search
, Simon
Animal Tendencies 2007-10-21 21:04:00 "Edward Albee's Peter and Jerry" at Second Stage Theatre, October 21, 2007
Expanding on his 1958 success "The Zoo Story," Mr. Albee has written something of a prequel to provide a full view of Peter from the earlier play. "Homelife" according to Mr. Albee, "...will flesh Peter fully and make the subsequent balance better."
I think he is quite successful in this. Peter (Bill Pullman) and his Read more:Animal
That's What The Means Are For 2007-10-20 11:45:00 "The Farnsworth Invention" at the Music Box Theatre, October 18, 2007
Aaron Sorkin returns to Broadway (not just Broadway, but back to the Music Box Theatre) after nearly 20 years with his docu-drama of the birth of television. It's oddly appropriate that Mr. Sorkin pays such tribute to the medium which has brought him such well-deserved success.
He positions the story from the perspectives of Read more:Means
Minor Successes are Not the Stuff of Which History is Made 2007-10-30 16:52:00 "Frankenstein" at 37 Arts, October 27, 2007
And the challenger, weighing in at 98 lbs, with a "faithful" adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic story.
He swings.
He misses.
He swings again - and knocks himself out. The crowd is in an uproar. They shout, "Throw in the towel! Throw in the towel!"
I agree.
Miscast, melodramatically staged, weakly scored, it's a sad event. There's really not Read more:Minor
, History
Transylvanian Catskills 2007-10-30 15:47:00 "Young Frankenstein" at the Hilton Theatre, October 25, 2007
Mel Brooks returns to Broadway with another stage adaptation from his film collection. Based on James Whale's 1930s adaptation of Mary Shelley's book, the Brooks tongue almost splits the zipper in the monster's cheek.
The show is relatively faithful to the 1974 film, with a few understandable modifications for a live stage production
Auntie Mark 2007-11-10 16:47:00 "Is He Dead?" at the Lyceum Theatre, November 9, 2007
A "long lost" farce written by Mark Twain in 1898, but never performed was found in a file cabinet in a library at the University of California-Berkeley.
I'm always curious about "newly discovered" works by long-dead authors. Sadly, sometimes we discover the reason that the work was never published was because it wasn't very good, or wasn't
Утес и крен 2007-11-08 21:19:00 "Rock 'n' Roll" at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, November 7, 2007
The very prolific Tom Stoppard is back on Broadway with another transfer from London's West End of Rock 'n' Roll. In it, he tracks the downward spiral of the Soviet empire beginning with the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 until the fall of the Iron Curtain, tying it together with the growth of rock music. This staging by
Shakespeare in his "conceptual" phase 2007-11-08 20:31:00 "Cymbeline" at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center, November 6, 2007
One of Shakespeare
's last four plays, Cymbeline seems to be one where he's pulling some old tricks out of his hat, hoping to mix up something new. What we get is a convoluted opera-style plot of scheming queens (real queens, that is), magic sleeping potions, gender-bending, war, not-so-dead children, beheadings and a Read more:phase
To Tell the Truth 2007-11-08 19:32:00 "August: Osage County" presented by Steppenwolf Theatre at the Imperial Theatre, November 3, 2007
Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre is one of the best regional theatres in the US, bringing yet another excellent production to Broadway in Tracy Letts' August: Osage County. There's an air of familiarity about it, feeling much like one would expect of a William Inge play written by Beth Henley. This Read more:Truth
A Life of Bits and Scraps 2007-11-14 18:06:00 "The Glorious Ones" at the Mitzi Newhouse Theatre at Lincoln Center, November 10, 2007
From the talented Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens is a new musical that chronicles the career of Flaminio Scala based on the book of the same name by Francine Prose. Italian commedia dell'arte tradition is where the story centers.
As Flaminio, Marc Kudisch is in strong voice, mixing a bit of the Pirate King
Playwrights Horizons Discount 2007-11-16 21:12:00 PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS presents
DORIS TO DARLENE, a cautionary valentine
A new play by Jordan Harrison
Featuring
de'Adre Aziza, David Chandler, Michael Crane
Laura Heisler, Tom Nelis, and Tobias Segal
Directed by Les Waters
November 16th – December 23rd
Playwrights Horizons
Mainstage Theater
416 West 42nd Street between 9th & 10th Avenues
In the candy-colored 1960s, a biracial schoolgirl Read more:Discount
The Devil and Danny O'Webster 2007-12-04 17:18:00 "The Seafarer" at the Booth Theatre, December 2, 2007
(Photo by Joan Marcus)
Conor McPherson's latest supernatural tale of from the Emerald Isle has arrived, and for one who's been a bit tired of Irish drama lately, it's a welcome addition to the current Broadway play season. Following last year's ghost story in "Shining City" at Manhattan Theatre Club, Mr. McPherson is now taking on the Read more:Devil
, Danny
, Webster
Third Person Jimmy 2007-12-02 22:34:00 "Doris to Darlene" at Playwrights Horizons, December 1, 2007
This new play by Jordan Harrison takes an clever concept, hints at moments of interesting possibility, but doesn't really deliver in the end.
There are actually three story lines in the play. The title refers only to one of those, which is the grooming of a young bi-racial woman, Doris (De'Adre Aziza) in the 1960s into a pop star,
Do You Hear the People Sing? (One or Two, Maybe) 2007-12-19 20:52:00 "Les Miserables" at the Broadhurst Theatre, December 12, 2007
A couple of months ago, I posted my thoughts on last season's revival of "A Chorus Line" and described it as a second national tour. Having seen this third national tour of "Les Mis" I have to say that I spoke too highly before. ACL, compared to LM, is actually more of a non-equity regional production.
This production of LM, Read more:Maybe
A Dark Machine 2008-03-02 13:45:52 "Add1ng Mach1n3" at the Minetta Lane Theatre, February 29, 2008
(Photo: Carol Rosegg)
Based on Elmer Rice's 1923 play, "The Adding Machine
" has been adapted into a dark and sometimes compelling musical. Mr. Rice was a prolific writer/producer, whose first Broadway outing was his play "On Trial" from 1914. Given the excesses of the 1920s, this story is a prescient foreshadow of the darkness to
Through the Fire 2008-02-24 13:41:30 "Liberty City" at New York Theatre Workshop, February 23, 2008
NYTW, in their 25th anniversary season, presents another tale of pain and growth with "Liberty City," a one-woman show performed by April Yvette Thompson and written by Ms. Thompson and Jessica Blank.
The story is that of Ms. Thompson's early life, growing up in the Liberty City neighborhood in Miami in the 1970s and 1980s. Ms.
Arguing for Acceptance 2008-02-22 19:00:21 "Speech & Debate" presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre/ Black Box Theatre, February 20, 2008
Stephen Karam's play has enjoyed a well-deserved, extended run at the Roundabout's off-off-Broadway basement on W46th St. I believe it is the inaugural production for this space, and an auspicious start it is.
The story centers on three high Read more:Acceptance
Not That Kind of Slug 2008-02-21 14:07:47 "The Slugbearers of Kayrol Island" at the Vineyard Theatre, February 16, 2008
(photo by Carol Rosegg)
I really admire the Vineyard Theatre - one of New York's thriving off-Broadway theatres like Playwrights Horizons and Second Stages. This organization consistently pursues and presents interesting and thoughtful theatre.
Their current production, "The Slugbearers of Kayrol Island (or, the
Pinter: Putting the Fun in Dysfunction? The Irk in Quirky? 2008-02-13 22:08:37 "The Homecoming" at the Cort Theatre, February 12, 2008
I'll say first that I haven't seen many productions of Harold Pinter's plays. Actually, I think this is only my second, the first having been the Roundabout's revival of "The Caretaker" a couple of years ago.
With that said, I'm not sure I'm a Pinter fan, at least from an audience perspective.
I've heard it said that film is a director's Read more:Putting
Fasten Your Seatbelts 2008-02-11 22:25:18 "Applause" presented by Encores! at City Center, February 10, 2008
The new Encores! season has started with a relative bang. The 1970 "Applause" with book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, was quite the star vehicle for Lauren Bacall, winning four Tonys and three Drama Desk awards. Based on the classic Bette Davis film "All About Eve" from 1951
I Think She Was Married to Ernest Hemingway 2008-02-08 13:40:23 "The Maddening Truth" presented by the Keen Company at the Clurman @ Theater Row, February 7, 2008
The Keen's latest production maintains their high standard of production values with a beautiful set by Beowulf Borittt and serviceable lighting and costumes by Josh Bradford and Theresa Squire, respectively.
The play is a less successful piece by David Hay, whose writing includes an eclectic Read more:Ernest
, Hemingway
, Think She
Pointillism to Pixellism 2008-02-05 16:51:09 "Sunday in the Park with George" presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54, January 31, 2008
I'm a huge Sondheim fan, not rabid, but huge. My first personal encounter with his genius was when I performed in a production of Sweeney Todd at Workshop Theatre (SC) in 1984. (Our musical director described the score as "Puccini by Stravinsky") I've been hooked on his work ever since.
OK, I'll Play Too! 2008-02-05 13:49:03 I've seen lots of blogs post various "memes" but never found any of them particularly interesting. Naturally, that has changed with one I just saw at "Steve on Broadway."
Here's my two cents':
1. The first musical I ever saw on Broadway was (or if you haven’t seen a musical on Broadway): La Cage Aux Folles - It was late in the run with Keene Curtis as Albin and Peter Marshall as Georges. The
Crimes of the Stage 2008-01-28 16:39:45 "Crimes
of the Heart" presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company at the Laura Pels Theatre, January 26, 2008
It is a shame that such a crime has been committed. I have always considered this Pulitzer Prize winning play by Beth Henley as effectively a bullet-proof event. For me, it's in a category with shows like Gurney's The Dining Room or Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance. One Read more:Stage
Remembering Loss 2008-01-28 13:36:48 "Next to Normal" at Second Stage Theatre, January 20, 2008
"Next to Normal" is at first a tale of typical family dysfunction in the new millennium. Among the innocently named Goodmans, Gabe (Aaron Tveit) comes in very late to find his mother Diana (Alice Ripley) waiting up for him. Hearing his father Dan (Brian d'Arcy James) stirring, she quickly sends Gabe off to bed before his father enters Read more:Remembering
Perfecting Codependence 2008-01-17 17:03:28 "Come Back, Little Sheba" presented by the Manhattan Theater Club at the Biltmore Theatre, January 13, 2008
William Inge's classic play of dysfunction and longing returns for its first Broadway revival under the sensitive direction of Michael Pressman. He has assembled an admirable cast. The story centers around Lola (S. Epatha Merkerson), a faded beauty married and childless slogging into
Strange Bedfellows 2008-01-13 00:08:15 "November" at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, January 5, 2008
David Mamet's latest play "November" has begun performances with Nathan Lane playing an incumbent president on the verge of losing his re-election bid. The jokes begin early with plenty of less-than-veiled references to the current situation in US politics. (Spoiler Alert)
Taking place late in the week before election day, there's an Read more:Strange
Loverly 2008-01-05 17:55:44 "Pygmalion" presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company at the American Airlines Theatre, December 12, 2007
This classic tale of creation, as told by George Bernard Shaw has been carefully revived by the Roundabout under the wise direction of David Grindley, who so skillfully brought WWI in last season's revival of "Journey's End."
Mr. Grindley has assembled a diverse, yet talented cast
Finding Focus on a Dream 2008-03-12 19:01:55 "The Conscientious Objector" presented by the Keen Company at the Clurman Theatre, Theatre Row, March 11, 2008
Michael Murphy's play presents us with Martin Luther King, Jr. at the height of his reign as a civil rights leader. The program notes that while it "...is first and foremost a play. It is a dramatization and some liberties were taken." Personally, I can only vaguely remember when Dr. Read more:Focus
, Dream
Don't Cry for Me, Styne and Sondheim - Take 2 2008-03-20 19:39:42 "Gypsy" at the St. James Theatre, March 13, 2008
I'll hold firm to my review from last summer "out of town tryout" underwritten by at Encores!, except to say that Patti now sports a sassy red wig and I think Laura Benanti is the most amazing Louise I've ever seen.
The new question now is:
"Who's Mama Rose in the next Gypsy revival?"
My money is on Faith Prince.
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