A Little Night Music

photo: Joan Marcus

Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones in a transfer of an acclaimed London production of one of the greatest musicals ever written: it seemed like this first-ever Broadway revival of Sondheim's A Little Night Music couldn't miss. But miss it does, and widely. It would be easy to blame the scaled-down production values and the huge reduction of the orchestra to a few players, but the production sinks like a stone less because it's been given the (of course not musically ideal) chamber treatment and more because said chamber treatment isn't the result of any evident artistic vision. In other words, the only reason for the paltry orchestra and the one-wall set is that the show played a teeny tiny theatre in London. On a big Broadway stage and without a justifying vision, the miniaturization looks and sounds on-the-cheap. As you watch the cast twirl about the stage during the opening waltz, the music performed with so little power that it competes with the sound of scuffing shoes (and loses), you're confronted with the production's depressing carelessness which makes itself especially known in the lack of cohesion of the performances. Everyone seems to be in a different show: Hunter Ryan Herdika, as Henrik, plays as if to the rafters while Aaron Lazar as Carl-Magnus works toward naturalism. Was the cast given bum direction (by Trevor Nunn) or no direction at all? Lansbury is enjoyable as expected and Zeta-Jones, entirely stageworthy and magnetic, does alright by "Send In The Clowns" and by the role in general despite it being wholly unbelievable that her vital Desiree would long for Alexander Hanson's far too smug Frederick.

2009's Top 10

2009 was, to put it mildly, not a good year for New York theatre. More than any other year in recent memory, I found myself watching my watch, thinking about my grocery list, or even fleeing at intermission rather often. However, the lack of quality productions has made one of my tasks rather easy: of the over 100 shows I attended this calendar year, exactly and only ten received a four star rating. My top ten list wrote itself. They are, in alphabetical order:

Brighton Beach Memoirs
David Cromer's mournful deconstruction of Neil Simon's classic 1983 roman a clef revealed the layers of tragedy behind the author's one-liners and comedic situations. Sadly, the production--anchored by strong performances from Laurie Metcalf, Jessica Hecht, and brilliant newcomer Noah Robbins--closed only a week after its premiere, and it's companion piece, Broadway Bound, never made it out of the rehearsal room. (Broadway - Nederlander Theatre)

The Cherry Orchard
Of the two productions presented during The Bridge Project's inaugural season at BAM, the lion's share of raves and publicity went to their stark, arresting staging of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. However, it was Sam Mendes' rendering of Chekhov's masterpiece that stayed with me for months afterward. Featuring a fluid translation by Tom Stoppard and benchmark performances from Simon Russell Beale (Lopakhin), Sinead Cusack (Ranevskaya), and Rebecca Hall (Varya), this was the best take on any Chekhov play that New York has seen in the last decade. (Off Broadway - BAM Harvey Theatre)

Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Bartlett Sher once again proved his genius with a magical statement of the late August Wilson's greatest play, set in Pittsburgh at the turn of the last century. As presented by Lincoln Center, it featured a strong cast that included Chad Coleman, Ernie Hudson and Roger Robinson, in a spellbinding, Tony Award winning performance. (Broadway - Belasco Theatre)

Mary Stuart
Over four months after it closed, I am still at a loss for words to describe this brilliant revival of Fredrich Schiller's 1800 classic, which centers around a fictional meeting between Queen Elizabeth I and her cousin, the deposed Queen of Scotland. All I can say is that Janet McTeer (as Mary) and Harriet Walter (as Elizabeth) gave two of the greatest performances I will ever see, and that I hope to once again find a theatrical production that moved me as much as this. I won't hold my breath, though. (Broadway - Broadhurst Theatre)

The Orphans' Home Cycle
This epic production, on which Horton Foote was working at the time of his death in March, began performances in November with the first three parts of a nine-play cycle. All nine parts will open within the next few weeks, culminating in marathon performances in February and March 2010. I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to one of the greatest American dramatists of all time (and the $20 price tag cannot be beaten). (Off Broadway - The Signature Theatre Company at the Peter Norton Space)

Ragtime
Marcia Milgrom Dodge's spare new production of this classic American musical permanently raised the bar for Broadway revivals. Featuring a near-flawless cast of twenty-eight, it made me often forget the majesty of the original production. High praise indeed. (Broadway - Neil Simon Theatre)

Ruined
2009's Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama brilliantly recast Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children in a present-day Congolese brothel. Special praise goes out to Victoire Charles, who performed the conniving Mama Nadi--the Mother Courage stand-in--at the performance I attended. I cannot imagine seeing the role played any better. (Off Broadway - Manhattan Theatre Club at City Center Stage I)

A Streetcar Named Desire
Is there anything Cate Blanchett cannot do? The Oscar winning actress shed her Australian actress and all pretenses to convey Tennessee Williams' most tragic southern belle, Blanche DuBois. She was brilliant, and Liv Ullmann's Grand Guignol production complimented her performance perfectly. (Off Broadway - BAM Harvey Theatre)

Twelfth Night
Easily the best Shakespeare in the Park offering in over a decade, Daniel Sullivan's simple, beguiling production of this winning comedy announced Anne Hathaway's arrival as a serious stage presence. Add to that a cast of game stage veterans--including Audra McDonald, Jay O. Sanders, Hamish Linklater, and Julie White--and you had a perfect evening in the Central Park...that is, if you could score a ticket. (Off Broadway - Delacorte Theatre)

Wishful Drinking
We all know that Carrie Fisher is funny and fucked up, but who would have thought that listening to her make light of her neurosis would be such an engrossing evening of theatre? What could have been simply a pleasant little show managed to become the most compelling one-person show in recent memory. (Broadway - Studio 54)

Here's hoping that 2010 and its offerings prove far more satisfying.

photo: Sinead Cusack and Simon Russell Beale in The Cherry Orchard at Brooklyn Academy of Music. Credit: Joan Marcus.

Snow White

Photo: Daniel Perez

It's been a great privilege to be able to experience the arc of all three recent Company XIV dance-theater productions. Le Serpent Rouge and The Judgment of Paris are in revival through mid-January, alternating performances with Snow White. Indulge yourself and see them all, or if you're taking the kids, experience this Snow White – it's a fairy story to remember. Taking the tale straight from the Brothers Grimm, and borrowing a few costuming themes from Disney's classic animated version of the popular but creepy fairy tale, choreographer Austin McCormick and his multi-talented group conjure an extravagant feast for the eye and ear using baroque dance, ballet, and modern dance variously as the spirit calls. Read the full review.

2009: The Year In Review

Sixteen Most Outstanding Shows

Thirty Outstanding Performances

Four Outstanding Ensembles

Twelve Freshest Faces

Fault Lines

Inspired by the true story of the Polly Klaas kidnapping, this play takes us to the Northern California home of Bethany, a 32-year-old mother of twins receiving a visit from two childhood friends. Though nervous and hyper, chatty Bethany is also a distinctly West Coast type: new-agey without being self-consciously fashionable about it. Over a compact and fast-paced hour, what seems at first an innocent get-together of old girlfriends is revealed, bit by bit, to be something far more significant. As girls, the three – along with a now-absent fourth – shared a trauma that has bonded them for life. Layers of story lurking beneath the obvious methodically come to light: Jessica's political activism has had an unwanted effect on Kat's family; Bethany, in a kind of religious fervor, has been seeing ghosts and consorting with the enemy. It all cascades towards a satisfying, thought-provoking finish. Read the full review.

Race

The proximity of the recent Oleanna revival just two blocks away makes David Mamet's new play feel just a smidgen formulaic. In both, an angry young woman betrays her mentor because of a grievance for which he is culpable only in an abstract, class-informed way. The thing is, Mamet is so good at provocative audience-baiting dialogue, and Race's major characters so acutely finessed by his cast (he also directed), that it doesn't much matter that we've pretty much heard this story before. Read the full review.