#1
Posted: 11/2/08 at 5:04pm
Scott Ellis' meandering, sanitary production of David Rabe's STREAMERS is a Roundabout transfer of the (successful?) production staged by the Huntington Theatre Company last year. There's a far-too-apparent innocence or naiveté that permeates a number of the performances, which gives this revival the feeling of "amateur night at the Laura Pels." Ironically, the biggest offender is Brad Fleischer, whose character is somewhat of an innocent, but not nearly as innocent as is played.
The central focus is the question of whether or not one soldier is just effeminate or actually homosexual; as played by Hale Appleman, there is absolutely no question raised, thereby defeating the "is he or isn't he" subtext. Stronger are J.D. Williams, Larry Clarke and John Sharian. The standout is Ato Essandoh, the member whose performance is worth watching: a master class in the art of gradually building to an explosion.
Rabe's dated script is virtually action-free until the last half of act 2 and the amateur quality of the performances do nothing to make the first hour-and-forty worthwhile. Part of the blame should fall on Ellis, who couldn't find interesting performances within his cast members. Also Ellis' fault is the cleanliness of the production - that barrack (designed by Neil Patel) is gorgeous and the costumes (by Tom Broecker) are Army chic. The middle of Act 1 finds the men mopping the floor - I couldn't help but wonder why.
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ROAD SHOW, on the other hand, is riveting theater from start to finish. I can't help but wonder whether or not Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman wrote the piece with a small-ish production such as this in mind, but John Doyle's staging at the Public Theater's Newman Space serves the material very well.
ROAD SHOW, née "Wise Guys," "Bounce" and probably some others, is an homage to the road show buddy pictures of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Michael Cerveris and Alexander Gemignani are brothers Wilson and Addison Mizner, wheeler-dealer raconteurs who strike it rich from the Alaska gold rush to the Florida development boom.
The material itself is no great shakes - Weidman's script is iffy; Sondheim plagiarizes himself with a score that could be labeled "Cut material from ASSASSINS." Just like ASSASSINS, the bulk of the score is hummable, and with Jonathan Tunick's orchestrations, the piece has that distinct Sondheim sound. Doyle's direction makes the script confusing, yet there's something so watchable about the piece that you can't look away.
Cast is very strong - Cerveris and Gemignani are a dynamic duo, with stellar chemistry. The rest of the ensemble is quite good, as well. Design is astounding - blueprint costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, Doyle's convertible junkyard set creates great stage pictures with Jane Cox's lighting. Throwing money in the air at every turn is an inspired touch.
And at that, I take a few-week theatrical break. I just need a little while to recuperate and to spend some time outside of a darkened auditorium.
The central focus is the question of whether or not one soldier is just effeminate or actually homosexual; as played by Hale Appleman, there is absolutely no question raised, thereby defeating the "is he or isn't he" subtext. Stronger are J.D. Williams, Larry Clarke and John Sharian. The standout is Ato Essandoh, the member whose performance is worth watching: a master class in the art of gradually building to an explosion.
Rabe's dated script is virtually action-free until the last half of act 2 and the amateur quality of the performances do nothing to make the first hour-and-forty worthwhile. Part of the blame should fall on Ellis, who couldn't find interesting performances within his cast members. Also Ellis' fault is the cleanliness of the production - that barrack (designed by Neil Patel) is gorgeous and the costumes (by Tom Broecker) are Army chic. The middle of Act 1 finds the men mopping the floor - I couldn't help but wonder why.
---
ROAD SHOW, on the other hand, is riveting theater from start to finish. I can't help but wonder whether or not Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman wrote the piece with a small-ish production such as this in mind, but John Doyle's staging at the Public Theater's Newman Space serves the material very well.
ROAD SHOW, née "Wise Guys," "Bounce" and probably some others, is an homage to the road show buddy pictures of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Michael Cerveris and Alexander Gemignani are brothers Wilson and Addison Mizner, wheeler-dealer raconteurs who strike it rich from the Alaska gold rush to the Florida development boom.
The material itself is no great shakes - Weidman's script is iffy; Sondheim plagiarizes himself with a score that could be labeled "Cut material from ASSASSINS." Just like ASSASSINS, the bulk of the score is hummable, and with Jonathan Tunick's orchestrations, the piece has that distinct Sondheim sound. Doyle's direction makes the script confusing, yet there's something so watchable about the piece that you can't look away.
Cast is very strong - Cerveris and Gemignani are a dynamic duo, with stellar chemistry. The rest of the ensemble is quite good, as well. Design is astounding - blueprint costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, Doyle's convertible junkyard set creates great stage pictures with Jane Cox's lighting. Throwing money in the air at every turn is an inspired touch.
And at that, I take a few-week theatrical break. I just need a little while to recuperate and to spend some time outside of a darkened auditorium.
