MISS MAY DOES NOT EXIST: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood’s Hidden Genius (book review)

While the subtitle of this book calls Elaine May "Hollywood's Hidden Genius," it also gives full attention to May's theatrical career, which has included writing, acting, and directing.

May first came to prominence doing comedy evenings with Mike Nichols. They practiced a form of comedy that was satirical, pointed, compassionate, and ground-breaking. They achieved a great deal of acclaim and made connections that would help them through their careers for the next many decades. 

Author Carrie Courogen discusses May's work in great detail and she shares fascinating stories and quotations from existing interviews. May herself clearly had nothing to do with the book, which is in keeping with her lifelong desire to maintain extremely private privacy.

Courogen deals with the absence of May's point of view by guessing what it might be. Too many sentences begin with "Perhaps" and similar conditionals. Did May quit job A because she didn't like her boss or didn't feel well or thought the work wasn't good enough or or or? Courogen doesn't know the answers, but that doesn't stop her from guessing.

Courogen also make the sort of mistakes that can make one wonder how accurate any of the book is. For example, she writes

What she's actually referring to is not a 50-point word but a 50-point bonus, which you get for using all seven of your tiles in a move. This is not only not "near-impossible," it is actually pretty common. Many Scrabble players, not only the best of the best, get this bonus regularly. Tournament players get these bonuses multiple times a game.

This mistake is not a huge deal in and of itself, but it is only one of many. So how careful and accurate is Courogen with May's life?

I ended up finding this book worth reading/skimming, but with a big ole' grain of salt.

Wendy Caster

Tony Predictions: How'd We Do?

It could have been worse. It could have been better. Sandra got a very respectable 18 correct. Liz and I tied with 13. It was a fun Tonys ceremony. Happy New Season!

(BTW, the √s are supposed to be checkmarks. Not sure what Blogger did to them.)

	Liz	Sandra	Wendy
New Musical: Maybe Happy Ending (MHE)	√	√	√
New Play: Purpose	Oh, Mary!	Oh, Mary!	John Proctor is the Villain
Lead Actress, Musical: Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd	√	√	Audra
Lead Actor, Darren Criss, MHE	√	√	√
Lead Actress, Play: Sarah Snook, Dorian Gray	√	√	LaTanya Richard-son Jackson
Lead Actor, Play: Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!	√	√	√
Featured Actor, Play: Francis Jue, Yellow Face	Conrad Rica-mora	√	√
Featured Actor, Musical: Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat	√	Danny Burstein	Danny Burstein
Featured Actress, Play: Kara Young, Purpose	Marjan Neshat	Jessica Hecht	Jessica Hecht
Featured Actress, Musical: Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club (BVSC)	Joy Woods	Justina Machado	Justina Machado
Revival, Musical: Sunset Blvd	Gypsy	√	√
Revival, Play: Eureka Day	Yellow Face	Romeo + Juliet	√
Direction, Play: Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary!	Kip Williams	√	√
Direction, Musical: Michael Arden, MHE	√	Jamie Lloyd	√
Choreography: Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, BVSC	Smash	√	√
Book: Will Aronson and Hue Park, MHE	Dead Outlaw	Dead Outlaw	Operation Mince-meat
Score: Will Aronson and Hue Park, MHE	√	√	√
Scenic Design, Play: Miriam Buether and 59, Stranger Things	√	√	Hills of Calif-ornia
Scenic Design, Musical: Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, MHE	√	√	√
Costume Design, a Play: Marg Horwell, Dorian Gray	Oh, Mary!	√	Oh, Mary!
Costume Design, Musical: Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her	√	√	√
Lighting Design, Play: Jon Clark, Stranger Things	Dorian Gray	√	Dorian Gray
Lighting Design, Musical: Jack Knowles, Sunset Blvd	√	√	√
Sound Design, Musical: Jonathan Deans, BVSC	MHE	√	Floyd Collins
Sound Design, Play: Paul Arditti, Stranger Things	√	√	Good Night, and Good Luck
Orchestrations: Margo Paguia, BVSC	Floyd Collins	Floyd Collins	Just in Time

The Imaginary Invalid

In the late 1970s, The Public Theater presented the Yale Rep production of Sganarelle: An Evening of Molière Farces. It was a wonderful evening. One performer was particularly good: Mark Linn Baker. His fluidity with farce, both verbal and physical, was astonishing, and he was incredibly likeable. I knew that he would "go places." Well, go places he did: dozens and dozens of shows, movies, and TV shows, in a full, impressive career. And now he's again in a Molière farce. And, again, still, his fluidity with farce, both verbal and physical, is astonishing, and he is incredibly likeable.

The Imaginary Invalid is an old warhorse of farce, elegantly structured yet full of very inelegant characters and dialogue. Its main two topics are, arguably, love and enemas. The basic story is that Argan, a wealthy hypochondriac, has remarried, and his new wife wants him to disinherit his daughter. The daughter is in love with a sweet, vacuous, good-looking guy. However, her father wants her to marry a doctor, to save on his medical bills. Various charlatans wander in and out with terrible medical advice. Argan's wry maid attempts to add some sanity to the goings-on, but often utilizes less-than-sane (and quite funny) methods. 

The solid Red Bull production currently at the New World Stages features a funny, effective adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher, which largely follows Molière's play, but slimmed down and with some contemporary language. The direction by Jesse Berger is generally good, but at the performance I saw, certain moments hadn't gelled yet. A weakness is the ostensibly madcap section of people running around and slamming doors; it lacks clarity of why they're running around and who's after who, which actually does matter, even (especially?) in a farce.

Sarah Stiles, Mark Linn-Baker
Photo: Carol Rosegg

The cast is great. As Argan, Mark Linn-Baker (he added the hyphen after some years as Mark Linn Baker) is fabulously silly while completely committing to his character's wants and needs, as absurd as they mostly are. Sarah Stiles, as the cheeky maid, relishes playing her character's sardonic-ness as much as the character relishes being sardonic. Emilie Kouatchou gives a nicely balanced performance as a young woman both self-indulgently emotional and sincerely in love. Russell Daniels manages to make his ludicrous character actually kinda likeable. The other cast members, all also really good, include Arnie Burton, Manoel Felciano, Emily Swallow, and John Yi.

I am so very grateful that Red Bull exists. It's a tough world for theatre these days--even tougher than usual--and we've lost too many theatre companies. Red Bull's contribution is unique--and excellent. Long may it thrive!

Wendy Caster

The Harlem Doll Palace

Lenon Hoyte (Aunt Len) was the founder and proprietor of Aunt Len’s Doll and Toy Museum in Harlem. She died in 1999. In the amazing Harlem Doll Palace, which just finished a run at the HERE Arts Center, Aunt Len's dolls refuse to let her die, keeping her alive by recounting their own pasts and hers. Written and starring Alva Rogers, The Harlem Doll Palace deals in a form of fantasy sometimes completely fantastical (mermaids) and sometimes heartbreakingly real (slavery and generational trauma). 

Photo: Richard Termine

The dolls are brought to life by Mecca Akbar, Thalya David, Charlotte Lily Gaspard, Marcella Murray, and Ash Winkfield, fabulous puppeteers, actors, and singers. The combination of techniques, writing, performing, staging, and music often results in sheer magic. (The songs and scoring by Bruce Monroe are fabulous.)

Segues between sections would help in terms of pacing and clarity, and maybe the show could be trimmed a bit, but these are small things compared to the wonder and emotion on view.

Wendy Caster

Maddie

Jan and Nick, a young married couple, have just moved into an apartment in the East Village. It's 1977, they're in their mid-20s, and they've been together 7 years. Their marriage is happy but starting to show some cracks. They start fixing up the apartment, and while removing wallpaper, Jan uncovers a message, written in lipstick: "MADELINE MARSH - JUNE 14th 1926. READ IT AND WEEP!" They find out from their landlord that Madeline Marsh, Maddie, was an exceptionally talented performer; the landlord and she had been a team in vaudeville; he loved her. But Maddie was tragically killed in a train accident on the way to Hollywood for a screen test before movies even had sound.

We soon find out that, in revealing the message, Jan has freed Maddie's ghost to appear. Maddie immediately starts planning to finally be a star. (Maddie is played beautifully by Kelly Maur.)

Maddie is based on "Marion's Wall," by Jack Finney, who wrote the fabulous Time and Again. (If you haven't read it, and if you possess even the slightest interest in New York City and/or time travel, you're in for a treat.) I chose to see it because of the Finney connection and the intriguing premise. Oh, and because it had been on the West End.

Joe Lewis, Kelly Maur,
Alexander Todd Torrenga
Photo: Ian McQueen Photography

Unfortunately, Maddie is weak at best. The songs are generic, and the lyrics are awkward. The book is sloppy, with unconvincing and inconsistent characters. For example, when asked about the past, the landlord has to be convinced to tell his stories. Have the book writers never met an old person--or really a person of any age? The vast majority of people are thrilled to tell their stories. And, as it happens, I lived next to an old vaudevillian, a comedian, in the late '70s, and he never missed a chance to discuss the past. I even got to hear part of his signature routine--in the elevator (he was wonderful)! More importantly, rather than being thrilled, gobsmacked, awestruck, and ecstatic at Maddie's return, the landlord is ... pleased. And he doesn't fight to keep her around; in fact, he fights for her to go. There are many other examples of the characters not behaving like people, particularly young people in 1977.

One of the biggest weaknesses is the character of Maddie herself. In the first act, she is selfish and ambitious and single-minded in reaching her goals (albeit charming and funny). In the second act, she suddenly has compassion and concern for those around her. For no particular reason, she turns into a mensch. (It also isn't clear just when she can and can't appear.)

I was surprised at that a production from the West End would be so low-rent. But research after the show revealed that Maddie was on the West End for less than two months in 1997! Saying that the show comes from the West End isn't exactly false, but it isn't exactly true either.

Maddie's biggest strength is providing the opportunity for many of the performers to make their Off-Broadway debuts. In addition to Kelly Maur, Shannon Payette and Truman Griffin were particularly good, with many of the others showing great promise.

Wendy Caster

The Fat Cat Killers

Adam Szymkowicz's entertaining The Fat Cat Killers combines an incompetent-criminals comedy with a take-down of capitalism. Rather than building on or complementing each other, the two components clash, with the whole play being less than the sum of the parts. (Though the parts are frequently excellent.)

Steve and Michael work for what seems to be a large corporation. Though "work" might be more accurate. Steve, in an interview for a promotion, announces, "... it's true I don't actually do a lot at my desk these days. I kind of put off the work and no one seems to notice so I guess that's an okay thing to do. Not that it should be, but, you know, it is."

David Carl, Philip Cruise (sitting), Christopher Lee 
Photo: Scott Fetterman

After Steve and Michael are laid off, they meet at a bar to discuss their options. With the help of many beers, they hit on a plan to kidnap the head of the company, Dave Russell. They want a share of the ten million dollars he made the previous year. 

Steve: They paid him ten million and in turn he lays people off?

Michael: That's why he laid people off. Because he wants to be paid more this year.

Somehow, stumbling along, Steve and Michael manage to kidnap Russell. While smug and obnoxious, Russell comes across as superior to Steve and Michael. (It reminded me of Hitchcock's movie Lifeboat, where the terrible villain is the only character who has a clue.)

Although tied to a chair, Russell deftly spars with Steve and Michael, playing on their idiocy and greed. But while it would seem that Russell is "having a battle of wits with unarmed opponents," Michael's gun is an effective competitor. As time goes on, the incompetent-criminals comedy becomes less and less funny, and the capitalism-stinks component becomes less and less effective.

The press release for The Fat Cat Killers says, the play "was penned long before Luigi Mangione made international headlines." While it's an obvious comparison, as the fictional Steve and Michael and the very real Mangione sought to wreak revenge on an executive they held culpable for great evils, the comparison actually weakens The Fat Cat Killers. Mangione was angry that legitimate medical insurance claims weren't being okayed, causing worsened health and even death to the insured. Steve and Michael are pissed that they were laid off from their jobs, at which at least one of them was completely useless.

All that being said, I have to repeat that The Fat Cat Killers is a very entertaining 90 minutes (although its three endings made the latter part drag). It is well-acted by Christopher Lee, David Carl, and Philip Cruise. Andrew Block's direction is imaginative and largely well-paced. 

But, having seen Szymkowicz's fabulous Hearts Like Fists and Marian Or The True Tale of Robin Hood, I did want more from this play.

Wendy Caster