Off-Broadway round-up

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 11:54am

Over the past two weeks I've been catching up on a few off-Broadway shows I'd let slip through the cracks. Just wanted to share some thoughts and give a little shout out to the GREAT (especially female) performances in these plays.

Candida- This revival is playing down at the Irish Rep, and stars the luminous Melissa Errico in the title role. Errico has a very naturalistic acting style, and it's a perfect fit for Shaw. The whole time I kept thinking what a wonderful Eliza Doolittle she would make. Some producer needs to get her into a revival of that stat.

The production itself started off a little slowly, but once the conflict started to build it really locked into place. Definitely worth a visit, especially with the Irish Rep's $20 tickets if you're under 35.

A Lie of the Mind- I went into this one totally blind and loved it. The three hours really flew by. The plot's a little out there, but who cares. This one's all about the performances.

Marin Ireland gives a stunning portrayal of a woman beaten by her husband and now suffering from brain damage. Although she barely uttered a coherent sentence the entire play, she managed to keep in the palm of her hand, and her speech at the end of act 1 made me a little misty.

Luckily the rest of the cast is up to the task of this bizzare tale, especially Laurie Metcalf and Keith Carradine as Ireland's off-beat parents.

Hawke's direction and use of two live musicians/sound makers was extraordinary. Using brooms, saws and other "found objects," these two guys created a film-like soundtrack for the piece.

When The Rain Stops Falling- This one takes place over several decades, and multiple actors play the same character as they age. The beginning does require you to pay a lot of attention to who's who, but the payoffs are all worth it.

For me the show was held together by the trio of performances by Victoria Clark, Mary Beth Hurt and Kate Blumberg. One particularly effective scene involved Blumberg holding a wine glass arguing with her husband in the past on one side of the stage, and Hurt (as the character's older self) desolate, drinking wine of the other. As Blumberg learned a vicious truth it was all reflected in Hurt's face as she the memories couldn't leave her mind.

(MAJOR SPOILER!!!!)
Clark's great moment where she eats her son's ashes was chilling and garnered quite the reaction from the audience.
(END SPOILER)

Blind- A modern augmentation to the Oedipus story, Blind is anchored by a dramatic performance by Veanne Cox. She gives a very brave performance, including a complete full frontal. ( I happened to be in the front row and now know her all too well!)I can't recall the name of the actor playing Oedipus, but he was able to hold his own with her.

The play was kind of "academic," and expected you to be familiar with the Oedipus story (even though it threw in a few twists of its own). There was a third character of a maid, who had a monologue at the end of the play I found a bit unnecessary. It would have worked better as a two person, but still a quick night at 80 minutes, no intermission.

The Book of Grace- A play about a young man discharged from the Army who's visiting his border patrol father and second (?) wife Grace. Grace has a hard life and is trapped in an unhappy marriage, but she refuses to see the evil in the world and keeps a book stories that make her happy.

There are many good ideas, but the script needs some editing and trimming before it truly gels. The two males actors do a good job, but Elizabeth Marvel as Grace is excellent. She really hurls herself into the role, and when she's not on stage you long for her return. As it stands the play was almost two hours without an intermission, so hopefully the preview period can be used to tighten things up a bit.

The Pride- I really liked this one! Joe Mantello redeemed himself after "Pal Joey" by directing this production with style and fluidity. The play itself is engaging, and I found myself interested and connected to both stories (one takes place in 1958 and the other in 200.

The actors do a believable job switching between the two times periods, and neither seems fake or forced. The three leads, Hugh Dancy, Ben Whishaw and Andrea Riseborough, were wonderful and I hope to see them all onstage again.

All said and done I don't regret venturing out to any of these plays, and found most of them more interesting than stuff playing on Broadway. Even if a play didn't completely float my boat, there was always a performance to make the visit worth it.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:06pm

Didn't you see Yank! also?

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:06pm

How would you compare The Pride to Yank! and Next Fall?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:17pm

I still can't really make anything of The Book of Grace. I'm trying.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:18pm

I've got CANDIDA this weekend. What was the running time?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:20pm

Yes I saw Yank! too, but had already posted about it another thread so I didn't include here.

I liked both Yank! and The Pride better than Next Fall. I'm seeing Boys in the Band next week so I guess I can throw that into the mix then.

I found The Pride especially to be leagues better than Next Fall. The direction, writing and acting were all stronger; I just believed the both sets of characters in The Pride more than I ever did in Next Fall.

I know Next Fall, as with any show, has it's ardent fans on here, but I guess I just didn't see what all the fuss was about. If you are looking for a gay-themed play, or simply a GOOD play, go see The Pride.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:37pm

I can't quite remember the Candida run time, but I'm think 2hrs 15min or thereabouts.

luvtheEmcee- The Book of Grace definitely needed more focus, and better explanation of some situations. Was the son "supposed" to be Black? Was it colorblind casting? I'm sorry if this comes off as racist, but his race was never made an issue, and it felt like it should have been.

Didn't you at least think Marvel was awesome though? I can't get enough of her. She's a total chameleon to me.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:40pm

Oh, I did. This was my first time seeing her in a full production, actually, but I've seen her in a couple of readings, too. She was great.

I know you what you mean; I did feel like you were to assume that his race was a part of the relationship between the characters, but it wasn't explored -- and it's not clear enough at this point to be implicit.

I just left feeling very much like, "What was that?" and not in an impressed way, which I can say about some of SLP's other work.

Updated On: 3/5/10 at 12:40 PM

[SNAFU]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:50pm

I would urge everyone to catch ReEntry at Urban Stages before it closes this weekend. I saw it this week and was enthralled. Based on interviews with Marines and their families it is a devastating look at how Marines, once programed for warfare, have difficulty returning to civilian life. Brilliant performances all around!

[D2]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 1:14pm

Uhm, Melissa Errico was in the 1993 revival of MY FAIR LADY as Eliza. She was so-so. Good voice, though.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 1:21pm

I was just about to post, but D2 beat me to it. Didn't she leave My Fair Lady because of vocal problems? I saw her understudy (Meg Tolin), but that didn't matter, I really didn't like the production whatsoever.

Updated On: 3/5/10 at 01:21 PM

[D2]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 1:48pm

I didn't like that production either, Dottie - just her rendition of "I Could Have Danced All Night," which was rapturous (and the only moment when the show came alive.)

[Sauja]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 2:02pm

So great to see thoughtful reviews of this diverse group of shows, a few of which I've seen.

THE PRIDE I found enormously thoughtful and sensitive without being ultimately successful. It has so much to say that I occasionally felt the stories themselves were being overwhelmed by the ideas. I agree that the three lead performers were highly credible, particularly Whishaw. But it was Adam James in a trip of minor roles who most impressed me. He is wildly funny in one scene and deeply affecting in the next. His third role is a little more in the background, but that he managed to make each small part wholly (and separately) realized kind of knocked me out.

I adored WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING though I expect reaction to be mixed. Someone behind me was asking her friend after the entire show ended whether some people were playing the same characters (she must have been VERY lost). Another couple on the way out complained that it was a series of melodramas put together in a complicated way in order to keep the audience on their toes so much that they don't realize that the material itself is weak. I mean, it was a pretty unhappy crowd. I loved it, though. It isn't flawless--some of the repetition is a bit forced, and sure it IS melodramatic. But I was enormously moved by the themes of family history and how what we pass down intentionally AND unintentionally affects not only our children, but future generations. One note about the (MAJOR SPOILER) Whizzer, it was her son's father's ashes that Clark ate. (END SPOILER).

The only show I'm really not with you on is A LIE OF THE MIND. I completely hated it (which I know isn't thoughtful commentary), but I do still agree that Marin Ireland and Laurie Metcalf are giving bruising, beautiful performances.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 2:55pm

Sauja- I'm glad you liked When the Rain Stops Falling so much. And you're right about the spoiler...I did type too quickly and stand corrected.

I don't know why I was so affected by The Pride; I wasn't crying or anything, but was completely absorbed with the characters. I actually cared what happened to them, which seems to be more of a rare occurrence these days.

D2 & Dottie- I'm sorry to hear Errico's My Fair Lady wasn't successful on the whole. Glad to hear her singing was on point though.