theatre review WAR HORSE, Broadway, August 8

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A "blogger's night" on Broadway provided the opportunity for us to revisit last year's Tony winner for Best Play, War Horse.  Seeing a show a second time is usually a good way to notice things you might have missed the first time around, which in the case of a show like War Horse, that has a huge cast, a giant stage and is set over many years, is a huge plus.  However, seeing a show more than a year after it opened and with an almost completely new cast can sometimes be a negative if the new cast isn't up to the same level that the original cast was.   And, considering that the plot twists of the play along with the ending are already known when you make a second visit, that alone can make the second viewing less of a rewarding experience than the first.

I won't go into a complete overview of the plot of the show, since I did that already in my original review you can read here, but I'll simply state that this play shows the horrors of war and the effect it has on numerous people.  Focusing on a teenage boy Albert and the horse he loves, Joey and how they both end up in the middle of World War I, War Horse brings to life not only the impact that war has but also through the use of imaginative puppets Joey and several other horses and animals as well.   The play won six Tony Awards including Best Play as well as one for the Handspring Puppet Company who created Joey and Topthorn, the horse Joey befriends in the war.

Andrew Durand and "Joey"

While this is an ensemble show with even many of the supporting actors playing multiple parts it really is the part of Albert that sets the tone for the show.  He is a teenage boy in love with his horse and his country, if played too over the top it could bring down the dramatic thrust of the play, and if played too melodramatic it could threaten the emotional balance of the show.  Fortunately Andrew Durand perfectly plays the part, both the emotional teenage boy in act one, who loves his horse and hates the obstacles that get in his way of being with Joey and the slightly older boy who quickly becomes a man in act two when he is fighting for his country. 

Andy Murray as Albert's father was wonderful as the broken down man who drinks too much and gambles on the wrong things and the scenes that highlight both the struggles and love he has for his wife and his son are the emotional center of the play.  While I enjoyed David Lansbury as the German officer Muller who cares for Joey and Topthorn once they come under German ownership, I didn't think he had quite the stage presence of Peter Hermann who played that part originally.  Sanjit De Silva as the English officer who buys Joey and rides him into the war had the appropriate balance of compassion and power and his scenes with Albert were touching. 

Several original cast members are still with the show including Alyssa Bresnahan as Albert's mother, David Pegram as the soldier Albert becomes friends with and Kate Pfaffl as the Song Woman.   All three are giving richer performances then they did a year ago and the play is even better because of them.  Bresnahan in particular, who as the strong wife and mother who always has to take charge of the situation could become a caricature or stereotypical character but Bresnahan has a firm control of the part and her final moments in the show are especially memorable.

The staging by Tony winners Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris is highly effective and even in the large ensemble scenes is staged appropriately so your eye is drawn to the focus of the scene.  The creative elements of the show are even more memorable on a second viewing including the extremely rich lighting design by Paule Constable, the inventive set design by Rae Smith and clear sound design by Christopher Shutt, all three won Tony Awards for their work.

While the melodramatic moments of the play are slightly more apparent on a second viewing along with the fact that some of the scenes are a little slow going while still other plot points are somewhat brushed over, the magic of the show is still alive.  I once again was completely blown away with how you believe there are horses on the stage, you still see the three puppeteers controlling Joey and Tophorn, but somehow your mind ignores them and focuses instead on the majesty of the horses in front of you. 

So, War Horse is still a powerful, moving play and a rewarding and emotional theatrical experience filled with some of the most imaginative things you'll see on a Broadway stage.

Official Show Site

Montage of scenes from the Lincoln Center production:


Behind the scenes with Stephen James Anthony, one of the original ensemble members who now plays Albert's cousin in the show:


A brief behind the scenes clip of the puppeteers who bring Joey to life:

theatre review IF THERE IS I HAVEN'T FOUND IT YET, Off Broadway, September 22

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Nick Payne's new play If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet is having it's US premiere Off Broadway in a stellar production head lined by Jake Gyllenhaal who is making his NY stage debut.  Telling the modern day story of a family at the breaking point, Payne's play is not only one that accurately and effectively speaks to current headlines but when combined with an excellent set design and direction rises to an even higher level.

The threat of both teenage bullies and global warming have been hot topics in the news for the past few years.  Payne combines both of these headline makers to tell the story of a family with an overweight fifteen year old daughter, Anna, who has been bullied at the school where her mother works.   Anna's father is an environmentalist who is so concerned about the threat to the earth that he completely misses the threat that is making his daughter feel alone and the distance that is potentially breaking up his family.  When the father's younger estranged brother shows up out of the blue, Anna finds herself with someone who she believes finally understands her but he too has own troubles.  

Annie Funke and Jake Gyllenhaal

Set in London, If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet is both an interesting story of a family in crisis as well as one that shows how our preoccupation with various things can get in the way of us not only being able to properly communicate with each other but to also miss important issues that need immediate attention.  I found the play both completely realistic in the subject matter and the way that each character spoke differently from each other but also in how it takes modern issues and shows both the comical and dramatic sides of them.

The cast is simply excellent.  As the brooding, somewhat violent and outspoken Uncle, Gyllenhaal has the appropriate blend of intensity and compassion, especially when he realizes how lost Anna is and how her parents aren't giving her the direction and attention she needs.  Annie Funke as Anna is the girl we've all seen before, the overweight teenager who gets bullied for her weight, tries to be funny to overcome the hurt but is lost and all alone inside.  Funke is the one who has to keep her emotions at a fairly consistent and high level and to not let them get too melodramatic and the scenes she has with Gyllenhaal, who she basically sees as her "white knight" are both touching and heartbreaking.  The fact that she is holding her own with this powerhouse cast says a lot. 

Brian F. O'Byrne and Michelle Gomez

Brian F. O'Byrne is the father, and at first I didn't care that much for him, but I quickly realized that was the point, as he was perfectly playing the distant, self obsessed parent who is trying to "save" the wrong thing and in doing so tries as best as he can to stay away from the real issues at home.  There is a passion and intensity in O'Byrne's portrayal that makes you understand his devotion as well as his reluctance to deal with the issues at home. Michelle Gomez as the mother is also spot on in her portrayal of a woman who grew up and doesn't really know her place in the world anymore.   The frustration she exhibits, sometimes even with just a look or by simply being silent is perfect.  With a distant husband and a lost child she thinks the only thing she can do is to tell her daughter to stay the course while she focuses on overseeing the student production of War of the Worlds, a title not lost on the overall theme of the play.  Dysfunction is clearly at the center of this story and while all of these characters aren't perfect, all four actors have you rooting for them to overcome their obstacles and succeed.

Annie Funke and Jake Gyllenhaal

The play begins with an intense rainfall coming down into a trough at the front of the stage in a continual sheet of water.   This theatrical use of water is something that director Michael Longhurst and scenic designer Beowulf Boriff will use throughout the play to its fullest extent.  Anna's father is writing a book all about reducing carbon footprints and the impact of global warming.  So, the use of water is an interesting one it that it so clearly shows both the impact of the melting ice caps as well as literally showing how this one family is drowning from the issues that they are confronted with.   Subtle it might not be, but theatrical it is, and when a torrent of rain comes down like a tsunami toward an emotional event in the latter half of the show you can literally hear gasps in the audience.  Added to the use of water is the use of set pieces.  When the play begins there is a large mound of furniture in the center of the stage.  As each scene unfolds the actors will pull the required furniture from the mound and when the scene is over they will discard the props or furniture into the trough of water at the front of the stage.  I took this to show the disposable nature of the world as well as to show the rising water that will eventually take us over, as each time something is tossed in the trough, the water line gets higher and higher.   While the use of water might seem gimmicky, I found it refreshing in many ways, including the end result of it seeming like the water cleansed the four characters and has now allowed them to move on with their lives.

So, if you're looking to see an A list Hollywood star in an exceptional play that includes some very interesting theatrical moments and four excellent performances, don't miss If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet which is playing Off Broadway through November 25th.

Official Show Site

Interviews with the cast and creative team:


Highlights from the show and opening night interviews:

theatre review BRING IT ON, Broadway, September 23

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We enjoyed the new Broadway musical Bring It On so much when we saw it back in August that we went back again with our nieces.  The show was just as enjoyable and I actually liked it even better the second time.  No need to go on and on about it since I already wrote about it in detail in my previous review, but just wanted to say that if you're looking for a fun night out that includes a score with some upbeat tunes, an energetic cast and some awesome high flying acrobatic stunts make sure not to miss Bring It On which is playing a limited run through January 20th. 

The cast recording was just released and it is great - completely captures all of the fun and humor of the show.  You can currently download it via Amazon for only $9! - check out the Amazon link below...

Official Show Site

HITCHCOCK, in theatres November 23rd and THE GIRL, premiering on HBO next week

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I'm a HUGE Alfred Hitchcock fan so I'm really looking forward to two upcoming movies. Coming up on the big screen is Hitchcock, based on the great book by Stephen Rebello Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho and starring Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock, Helen Mirren as his wife, Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, James D'Arcy as Anthony Perkins, Toni Collette as Hitchcock's assistant and Ralph Macchio as Stephen Rebello the screenwriter for Psycho.

HBO also has a movie premiering next week on Oct. 20th called The Girl with Toby Jones as Hitchcock and Sienna Miller as Tippi Hedren and all about Hitchcock and Hedren's feisty relationship during the making of The Birds and Marnie. The trailer is below .

And there is a giant boxed set of Hitchcock films coming out on Blu-Ray on Oct 30th. 

This is turning out to be a huge Fall for Hitchcock lovers!

theatre review VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE, McCarter, September 30

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I'm just gonna say this right from the start, Christopher Durang's latest play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is going to have a very long life in the commercial theatre.  While Durang has had some successes like Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, he's also had his share of misfires (Sex and Longing) or plays that while somewhat successful were very much on the odd side (The Marriage of Bette and Boo) and thus ones that don't get produced a lot.  However, while Vanya and Sonia manages to be a modern tale with likable, though still somewhat odd characters and thus completely in line with Durang's other works, it also has a huge heart at its center and it is that heart, along with Durang's smart dialogue that makes this into a warm, comical gem.  Such a gem that I believe it will be a big hit and become one of Durang's most performed plays.

Having recently ended a sold out run at the McCarter theatre in Princeton, the play now moves to Lincoln Center's Off Broadway Mitzi Newhouse theatre.  We enjoyed the play so much when we saw it at McCarter that we are going back to see it again at Lincoln Center in a few weeks.

Billy Magnussen, Sigourney Weaver and David Hyde Pierce

Durang has borrowed liberally from the plots of various Chekhov plays and by putting the plots of those plays into a pot, stirring with a spoon and setting on simmer he has come up with a takeoff on them, crafting a well written comedy set in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  The play focuses on a set of three siblings whose parents were so literally inclined that they named their three children after characters in Chekhov's plays.  Sigourney Weaver, David Hyde Pierce and Kristine Nielsen play the three siblings and I don't think you could find a better trio of actors to play Vanya, Sonia and Masha. 

Weaver, as Masha, is a successful movie actress who is always working and left her two siblings behind at the house they all grew up in to care for their aging parents.  The parents are now both gone and Masha has returned home once again to show off her new boy toy Spike, attend a costume party and drop some bad news about that house they're all connected to.    While Masha was away constantly working and making enough money to pay for the upkeep of the house and the expenses required to care for her parents, Vanya and Sonia feel like they have been left behind, trapped and now have no life outside of the house they've been stuck in to care for their patents.  They also are angry at Masha for the exciting life she has led while they've had no lives at all.  It is an interesting view into two sides of an issue that most everyone has to deal with, the care of aging parents and the toll it takes on those involved and how it can potentially pit siblings against each other.  The various themes in the play- sibling relationships, the selling off of the family house, wasted lives and even a play within a play all are drawn from Chekhov's main plays including The Seagull, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard.   But of course this is a comedy and so Durang manages to ring every possible comic bit out of these situations.

Shalita Grant, Kristine Nielsen and David Hyde Pierce

Weaver's ability to make herself not only look like an ass but one that we also root for has a lot to say about Weaver's easiness as an actress and her trust and faith in Durang, mainly due to the on-going professional relationship she has had with Durang since their days at Yale together.  While Weaver is most known as a serious actress as well as one associated with some big action movies, she is also a very funny one.  Her Masha has the right balance of drama and comedy and if the very tall Weaver in a Snow White outfit surrounded by her co stars in dwarf costumes wasn't a funny enough image, she manages to make it even more over the top with her delivery of the material and the way she moves on stage. 

Any fan of Frasier knows that David Hyde Pierce is a gifted comedian.  And while his role as Vanya is more on the subdued side, at least for the first half of the play, he gets a monologue that is triggered by Spike's texting at an inappropriate time that is so expertly delivered by Hyde Pierce that it whips the latter half of the play into a virtual comic frenzy.

While Kristine Nielsen isn't as well known as Weaver or Hyde Pierce, she pretty much gets the best material in the play including an entire sequence of her doing an impeccable Maggie Smith impression.   Nielsen has had her fair share of good parts in the past, including one in another Durang play, Miss Witherspoon, but this is one role that will elevate her even higher in the theatre world.

Genevieve Angelson, Shalita Grant and Sigourney Weaver

Also in the cast are Billy Magnussen as Spike, who has just the right combination of young foolishness, snarkiness and sex appeal to hit all the right notes of the part; Genevieve Angelson as the young woman who lives next door and Shalita Grant as the cleaning lady, who at first seems more of a throw away part, but turns out to be very connected to the actions of the play.  All three are in sync with the comic requirements as well as aren't overshadowed by the three stars. 

I especially liked the running bit with Angelson saying that Hyde Pierce reminds her of her uncle so she will call him "Uncle Vanya" as well as Grant's premonitions and use of a voodoo doll.   Those comical bits are just icing on this comical cake. And with Durang making the character of Vanya a gay man, I'm not sure if Durang is intentionally making the three siblings a pseudo take off of Three Sisters just like Chekov's play or not but if he did it was a pretty genius move.

Production elements are top notch, including an amazing set design by David Korins and character perfect costumes by Emily Kebholz including very funny ones for the costume party.  Director Nicholas Martin manages to stage the comic and dramatic moments nicely while letting his actors constantly shine.   This includes the three actors in lesser parts, who Martin always manages to not always stick in the background where they could be over shadowed by their more experienced and well known co-stars.

Get your tickets to Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike now before the Lincoln Center run is sold out.

Official Show Site

Show clips and interviews from the McCarter production:

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Broadway's Lost Treasures 1

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Video From Smudge37
Broadway's Lost Treasures 1

Culled from the archives of the first 20 years of Tony Award broadcasts, this DVD includes Joel Grey's opening "Wilkommen" number from "Cabaret" to Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera's dazzling "All That Jazz" from "Chicago" in 1984. 17 performances in all.

BROADWAY'S LOST TREASURES is an unparalleled compilation of rare original cast performances from the televised versions of some of the biggest and most beloved Broadway musicals of the 20th century. These performances--which were seen only once in their original telecasts--have been rescued from the archives and compiled with introductions by featured stars Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach, Tommy Tune, and others. See Broadway's legends sing and dance their way through 17 signature showstoppers, including Joel Grey's "Wilkommen" from CABARET and Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera's "All That Jazz" from CHICAGO. Both the VHS and DVD editions contain 5 bonus performances.

http://rapidshare.com/files/141459313/BLT.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/141459402/BLT.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/141459405/BLT.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/141459403/BLT.part4.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/141459404/BLT.part5.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/141467033/BLT.part6.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/141467068/BLT.part7.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/141467071/BLT.part8.rar
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