Spring Awakening

Photo: Sara Krulwich

Call me a late bloomer, I guess (pun intended), but I finally saw Spring Awakening. It hasn't been overhyped, nor has it been oversexed. Just be thankful for Duncan Sheik's vibrant rock score (often lacking for Broadway musicals), as the text (adapted by Steven Sater from Frank Wedekind's original German play) is awfully predictable. Michael Mayer makes beautiful pictures out of even the obvious, and the two love scenes--the maturation of "The Word of Your Body" and Act I consummation of "I Believe"--are tremendously staged. The set is simplistic but evolves: just like the choreography from Bill T. Jones, which is as much expressive modern dance as an frenetic series of foot-stomping, head-banging rock moves. Jonathan Groff deserves to beat Raul Esparza for the Tony; that he can go from the accusatory falsetto of "Left Behind" to the jagged cliffs of "Totally Fucked" in a span of five minutes shows a remarkable range, especially for someone so young. The only thing I'm not completely sold on is the choice to perform the play out in the open, with some audience members sitting onstage with the cast, with microphones popping out of their period costumes, and background blackboards littered with liner notes for the show. I get that they want to relate this show to the audience, but trust me: the performance is affecting enough all on its own.

Journey's End

photo: Paul Kolnik

If there is anything less than exactly right in this staggering revival of R.C. Sherriff's 1929 play concerning some of the quiet horrors of fighting war, I don't know what it is. Everything about this production - the superb ensemble, the deliberately hypnotic pace, the oppressively contained staging - seems touched by purposefulness and delivered with integrity. We watch a British infantry unit holed up in the WWI trenches over the course of three days, living through the grim absurdities of waiting for battle. While the play is, on the one hand, a hats-off to their valor under grave pressure, it is also a reminder of the futility of war: this particular duality may be what makes it so especially powerful, and resonant for audiences, right now.

Also blogged by: [Christopher] [David] [Aaron]

BFF

BFF doesn't really hold any surprises in its plot: the first time it cycles from a cheery poolside chat between friends to the grownup, present-day self of just the one of them, you know there's something tragic brewing. However, the past tense of this play is fun to watch, and Anna Ziegler's writing captures a lot of the cruelties of social relationships of the seventh circle of hell (seventh grade). The modern segments are a bit less endearing, mainly because the love interest, Seth, is too much of a plot device: we never explore his neuroses. Laura Heisler, who plays the doomed Eliza, has a remarkable presence on stage that meshes well with Sasha Eden's stony resolve; by the end of these play, both actresses have taken advantage of their key scenes and shine.

[Read on]

Journey's End

Photo: Paul Kolnik

The worst part of war is the waiting, and in the masterful revival of R.C. Sherriff's 1928 play, Journey's End, that tension is the only thing there is. Sherriff's writing is sharp and witty, but trenchant too (which is fitting for the trenches), and his characters all avoid the all-too-easy trap of stereotype. The outstanding ensemble cast contributes to that artful dodge, from the comically stoic characters like the cook, Private Mason (Jefferson Mays), and the rotundly charming 2nd Lieutenant Trotter (John Ahlin) to the the naive new officer, Raleigh (Stark Sands), and the wizened "uncle," Lieutenant Osborne (Boyd Gaines). Hugh Dancy, who has the meatiest role of the show, delivers a charismatic performance as the courageous Captain Stanhope, a man who manages to get out of bed each day only by battering his memory with a constant stream of whiskey each night. Everything about this production is perfect, from the pulse-pounding sound effects (never has an empty stage told so much story) to the unsettling dankness of the waterlogged underground set. David Grindley's direction is spot on, and I dare you to find a better curtain call than the tasteful, heart-wrenching one that he has concocted for this magnificent, powerful show.

[Read on]

Also blogged by: [Christopher] [David] [Patrick]

A Spanish Play

**1/2

Classic Stage

There were some great sentences ("If you can't say something nice then could you at least say it nicely?"), but the whole of the piece failed to draw me in- probably because I wasn't quite sure what was going on (though it must be noted that I am often amazing at not getting it.) Working on two sometimes three levels of reality (we're rehearsing a play/we're in a play/we're somewhere?/etc), disjointedness abounded and I didn't feel like I was ever fully allowed to emotionally invest in any of the stories. Still Dennis O'Hare plays a hilariously convincing drunk and I finally got to see the wonderful Zoe Caldwell in a play after apathetically missing her in Master Class ( In my defense, show glutton races were only invented a couple of years ago.)

The Voysey Inheritance

photo: Monique Carboni

****

Atlantic

Is it possible that the retarded guy in The Pillowman, the lovesick servant in Measure For Pleasure and the very worried banker in The Voysey Inheritance are all the same guy?!... (checking Playbills)... OMG! It's true! His name is Michael Stuhlbarg. Heard of him? He is one of those disappears-into-a-role actors who wins a Tony but still probably has to wait for a table at Angus McIndoes because the host doesn't recognize him. Here in this money drama about a banker trying to replenish the funds that have been looted by his family, Stuhlbarg gives a very sensitive, passionate, specific performance that kept this period piece relevant and extremely watchable. Who knew bankers were so interesting?

Also blogged by: [Patrick]