Exedore visits NYC and reviews INISHMORE, BREL, and BEE

[exedore]

Posted: 7/18/06 at 2:07pm

This past weekend I had the joy of visiting NYC and taking in three shows: Saturday's Matinee of THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE, Saturday's Evening performance of JACQUES BREL, and Sunday's Matinee of SPELLING BEE.

THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE
Got student tickets, dead center center mezz. My friend and I were far enough back that we couldn't see clearly into the orchestra seating, but I know that there were two or three full empty rows behind us. There were a number of people in the blue hair crowd visiting, and I have to wonder how many were able to stay for the second act.

It was a full cast, except for David Wilmot. His understudy was good, although it took a few minutes before he settled into his accent.

The show itself was McDonagh at his bloodiest. Both my friend and I have backgrounds in history and military studies, and it was nice to see a play that we could appreciate on an extra level thanks to our studies. At the same time, we were densitized enough to violence that when the lights came up on some of the gorier moments, we found them humourous rather than cause for squeamishness.

Props must be given to Domhnall Gleeson for his portrayal of Davey, the scatterbrained geeky teenager who stumble into the perfectly right (meaning frequently wrong for his character) thing to say about the madness going on around him. Ditto to the poor stagehands who have to clean the sets on double show days.

As a pair of historians, we found the show hillarious, poignant, and timely. Since others have said so much about this piece already, I'll refrain from repeating what has already been said, as well as avoid mentioning spoilers. It pleased me greatly to hear so many people wanting to see it the next morning at the booth.


JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS

For those who haven't seen, there was a cast change recently at the Zipper Theatre. Rodney Hicks left, and was replaced by the incredibly talented Drew Sarich. Having seen Mr. Sarich while living in Austria, a visit to BREL became mandatory.

The first thing that must be mentioned is the Zipper as a venue. For a show like this, the location is perfect with its urban interior and gritty feel. While it could do with a better A/C system, the multicoloured lights and car seats provided a great deal of character before the show even began and set the tone for the evening.

And the show itself? Incredible. While the translations used can be argued about from here to eternity, the lyrics remain timely and emotional. The cast cover a wide variety of emotions and faces as their "characters" tread the music's path. I'd like to commend Mattie Ulrich's costumes for their simplicity and for joining Robert Bissinger's sets for transporting us back to the feel of the 40's of Cary Grant through the 60s of Adam West. While not nostalgic, they bring back the wistful nature of a time gone by without dating the material.

As for the cast, Gay Marshall needs a night off. Recently without an understudy during some illness, Ms. Marshall looked and sounded tired albeit technically solid. Natascia Diaz was sexy, innocent, and wounded on her character's path, and brought some energy back to the female side of the cast. Robert Cuccioli showed excellent range from wounded lover to comedic dreamer, and had to perform some of the largest choreography in the show within the constraints of a suit.

And then there's Mr. Sarich. While still settling into the show (he was a slight bit out of harmony a couple times), his distinctive tenor's voice was in fine form as he played out the fearful soldier, disgruntled vet, spurned romantic, and more. It's a pity that the material doesn't give him a chance for his more distinctive belting. Nevertheless, he is an excellent addition to a dynamic and highly talented cast. A must-see show.


THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE

I had previously seen Spelling Bee back in December with the OBC, and looked forward to revisiting it with the replacements. As a bonus, Barret Foa was on in advance of his official first performance while Jesse Tyler Ferguson was on vacation.

The material itself is still being regularly updated (a new sentence for "jihad", Marcy's line about Jesus, etc.) and kept fresh. The guest spellers at this performance were your regular mix, with the last one eliminated being a young boy who was somewhere between borderline smartarse, embarrassed, and scared. I brought my mother with me to the Bee (she hadn't come the previous time) and found it hysterical as well. On the other hand, Sarah Saltzberg's monologue (this time about the gay marriage ban) was on the weak side and failed to get the laughs that some of her other ones have.

I do wish, though, that there was a bit more for Deborah Craig to do as Marcy, as she seems to be stuck with the role of keeping the guest spellers in line until it's time for ISSL.

As for the cast, the long timers are still in top, solid form. I also enjoyed the newcomers quite a bit as well. Josh Gad plays a more toned down and sarcastic Barfee (versus Fogler's over-the-top and borderline unsympathetic version), which is a welcome change. Greg Stuhr has also settled well into his role of VP Panche and seems more comfortable than back in December.

For the Foa fans, the new Coneybear already feels right as the fish-out-of-water-and-in-above-his-head self. Another reviewer commented that Mr. Foa is a quieter Coneybear, and while I can see where they were coming from, I feel that he expressed himself more through body language than through his vocals (which were still solid) and that lent credence to his inerpretation of the role. I will confess that I wasn't thrilled with Barret's interpretation of Princeton/Rod in AVENUE Q, but he's in his prime here - perhaps because he can't fall back on looking pretty to cover anything up in this case.

Overall an excellent weekend at the theatre, although my revisit to SPELLING BEE has me a bit concerned. The show is perfect in a venue like Circle in the Square, but I feel that it may get lost inside the giant barns that are touring venues. As I have tickets for the tour in September, it will be interesting to see how it is expanded and reworked to adjust for the new setting. IMHO, the Bee should be put on the WICKED route, with multiple sitdowns being opened that can fill a small house in major cities for a long, long time.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 7/18/06 at 2:57pm

Glad you had fun.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 7/18/06 at 3:11pm

I really want to see "The Bee"

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 7/18/06 at 4:26pm

Gay Marshall is a real trouper---I don't think she's missed a performance yet.

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 7/18/06 at 4:45pm

Right on with Foa relying on his good looks in Avenue Q, but as a straight woman, I can say it pretty much worked.

[broadwaybound882]

Posted: 7/18/06 at 4:55pm

Glad you enjoyed Jacques Brel. I found the whole experience very interested a am a big fan of boht the the Brel men (Bob Cuccioli and Drew Sarich).