Herringbone BD Wong--first preview

The musical Herringbone starring BD Wong had it's first preview performance last night at The La Jolla Playhouse.

It was an inspired creative achievement difficult to describe for the simple reason that BD Wong pushes the envelope in so many ways.

Herringbone is an extremely complex dark comedy/drama which tells us the story of young George Herringbone, his family, mentors, and a couple others and how he came to be a famous performer at the age of 8 in 1929. Complicating young George's life we also come to know Lou, a wisecracking, unrepentant 37 year old midget hoofer who takes possession of George's body and is both the inspiration for his talent and the cause of his mental destruction.

In this production, BD Wong plays all eleven characters, performs 14 songs, and dances up a storm. But it's not the gigantic effort that makes this production so special.

Herringbone has been on Wongs mind and in his heart for two decades. Together with director Roger Rees. Wong has made the characters his own creation-probably far more complex and interesting than the playwright Tom Cone ever imagined.

Wong moves from character to character with uncanny ease. He has astounding control of his voice and his expressions. But above all he can command control of his body beyond anything I have ever seen. There are many times when the characters change with each line of dialogue. One moment Wong is young George or his father and in the next he is the grandmother and in that instant he appears almost more wrinkled with hands that are slightly arthritic.

There is great fun but also sometimes frightening and disturbing events as our host takes our shy young man on his journey to fame, mental illness and back again.

It' a remarkable production and a joy to behold.

Updated On: 8/3/09 at 02:12 AM

WHAT AN ODD LITTLE PLAY!

I saw it in Princeton last year, and I was delighted by the weird twists and turns but most of all by Wongs winning personality and intimate bravada performance! Princeton is a great place to see shows, and I had the opportunity to meet him beforehand, and was impressed over his relationship with his son, who is growing so fast!

I'm resurrecting this thread...

If you are in Southern California and haven't seen this production - in a word -- GO!

BD Wong is giving an extraordinary performance in this show. I was mesmerized for the entire 2 hours - unbelievable. His control, precision, and connection with the piece are amazing. Never once was I confused as to who was speaking, and many times there are three (or more) characters holding conversations in "scenes". It is truly a virtuoso performance that should be experienced by anyone who loves theatre.

The show itself is strange and quirky, but I really enjoyed it, as well. It is rare for me to see a show and think, "There is nothing that I could critique or nothing that I would improve." This is such a production -- from the set, simple with a few props and a doorway on a couple of turntables, to the lighting and the sound effects - all excellent. The supporting musical trio (with Dan Lipton giving stellar support on the piano) are terrific. I can not see how this piece could get a better production.

This production goes on to the list of my all time favorite theatrical experiences.

Updated On: 8/19/09 at 10:42 AM

There was a talk back after the show last night, and BD Wong said they have made quite a few changes since Williamstown. The staging has been changed some, and new lighting for this production. And, of course, they have had more time to work on the piece, so he felt since most of the technical aspects had been set, he has been able to bring more depth to the characterations this go round. Specially, to focus on the Narrator (Herringbone) and the mother (Louise) characters.

They even went back to the book author (Tom Cone) and asked that he change the ending to give a more complete resolution to the piece. Mr. Cone was willing to do this, and this is the first production that has had the new ending.