#1
Posted: 12/3/06 at 10:53pm
THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED
With his latest play, Douglas Carter Beane proves that it is possible for a contemporary play to be both achingly funny and brutally touching. Most contemporary dramas to grace the Broadway stage in recent years have failed to master just one area of the spectrum, let alone both. I love this play.
The premise of this play is nothing brilliant, nothing earth-shattering, and nothing overwhelmingly new - yet it is handled with such care that the whole thing seems more urgent than it probably is. It explores not only the hush-hush aspect of Hollywood stardom, but man's inherent desire to connect with another human being.
Tom Everett Scott does a fine job here, though he's certainly not as stage-savvy as he could be, and probably will be. He perfectly embodies a Hollywood "star" who is so confused and jaded by the unfair ways of the business, yet he touches us when he shows his softer side, and his need for Alex. Julie White is everything you have heard she is. Admittedly, the shouting got a little excessive (and in turn, her words slightly muddled) but she has comic timing to die for and an absolutely brilliant mixture of sarcasm and fabulosity. She is absolutely, through and through, brilliant.
Johnny Galecki turned in a surprisingly charming and emotional performance. For as the show really centers on Mitchell and Diane, it is Alex (Galecki) who carries the heart of this play. An absolutely brilliant and flawless performance that better be remembered this spring. Ari Graynor is her usual self here. Funny enough, talented enough, but nothing overwhelmingly special. If you saw her performance in DOG SEES GOD, you can know what to expect this time around. She's a talent, for sure - I would just like to see her do something different. Though, in defense of her, the role of Ellen is a rather two-dimensional role.
Scott Ellis' direction is fine here. Excellent pacing and some really nice ideas here. By and large, I have been unimpressed with Ellis' work in the past (12 ANGRY MEN being the exception), but he's in top form here.
Allen Moyer's simple scenic design is appropriately cold and metallic, yet hip. The always reliable Donald Holder also does great work here.
This play is far from perfect - and could benefit from the shortening of some scenes - but as I said, it's ultimately a moving and worthwhile night of theatre. There are some truly amateur dialogue spots (something to the effect of "They should call me November...I get cold so quickly") yet some really fascinating ones as well. It's uneven, but the crime is forgivable.
I never expected to be touched by this play, and I certainly was. It's interesting how the majority of the play focuses on Mitchell - yet in the end, it's all about Alex. At intermission, I found myself feeling cold towards Mitchell. I didn't understand why I should care about him, and why they were focusing so much on someone so utterly uninteresting. In my view, Mitchell is basically used as a pawn by Beane to further the audience's affection for Alex. The last scene was brilliantly constructed and wonderfully touching. What Diane says is something that is so true, yet something I, myself, was never able to materialize into words. The part I am speaking of is when Alex decides to walk away from it all, and jump on a plane to anywhere. Alex opens the check to find it is made out to him, and surprisingly asks Diane how she knew to spell his name, and how she knew that he would be the one to leave. She basically says that she knew he would be fine walking away from everything, because he's had it bad before - he's not afraid to have it bad again. A couple years ago, I was in a half-similar situation (no, I am not an escort) and this line struck me on a personal chord and resonated with me long after the curtain came down. Perhaps I'm jaded, but I found the character of Alex to be expertly crafted and acted.
They seem to be struggling attendance-wise, and I hope that changes soon. It would be a terrible thing for this play to not only be a flop, but to go unseen by the masses.
With his latest play, Douglas Carter Beane proves that it is possible for a contemporary play to be both achingly funny and brutally touching. Most contemporary dramas to grace the Broadway stage in recent years have failed to master just one area of the spectrum, let alone both. I love this play.
The premise of this play is nothing brilliant, nothing earth-shattering, and nothing overwhelmingly new - yet it is handled with such care that the whole thing seems more urgent than it probably is. It explores not only the hush-hush aspect of Hollywood stardom, but man's inherent desire to connect with another human being.
Tom Everett Scott does a fine job here, though he's certainly not as stage-savvy as he could be, and probably will be. He perfectly embodies a Hollywood "star" who is so confused and jaded by the unfair ways of the business, yet he touches us when he shows his softer side, and his need for Alex. Julie White is everything you have heard she is. Admittedly, the shouting got a little excessive (and in turn, her words slightly muddled) but she has comic timing to die for and an absolutely brilliant mixture of sarcasm and fabulosity. She is absolutely, through and through, brilliant.
Johnny Galecki turned in a surprisingly charming and emotional performance. For as the show really centers on Mitchell and Diane, it is Alex (Galecki) who carries the heart of this play. An absolutely brilliant and flawless performance that better be remembered this spring. Ari Graynor is her usual self here. Funny enough, talented enough, but nothing overwhelmingly special. If you saw her performance in DOG SEES GOD, you can know what to expect this time around. She's a talent, for sure - I would just like to see her do something different. Though, in defense of her, the role of Ellen is a rather two-dimensional role.
Scott Ellis' direction is fine here. Excellent pacing and some really nice ideas here. By and large, I have been unimpressed with Ellis' work in the past (12 ANGRY MEN being the exception), but he's in top form here.
Allen Moyer's simple scenic design is appropriately cold and metallic, yet hip. The always reliable Donald Holder also does great work here.
This play is far from perfect - and could benefit from the shortening of some scenes - but as I said, it's ultimately a moving and worthwhile night of theatre. There are some truly amateur dialogue spots (something to the effect of "They should call me November...I get cold so quickly") yet some really fascinating ones as well. It's uneven, but the crime is forgivable.
I never expected to be touched by this play, and I certainly was. It's interesting how the majority of the play focuses on Mitchell - yet in the end, it's all about Alex. At intermission, I found myself feeling cold towards Mitchell. I didn't understand why I should care about him, and why they were focusing so much on someone so utterly uninteresting. In my view, Mitchell is basically used as a pawn by Beane to further the audience's affection for Alex. The last scene was brilliantly constructed and wonderfully touching. What Diane says is something that is so true, yet something I, myself, was never able to materialize into words. The part I am speaking of is when Alex decides to walk away from it all, and jump on a plane to anywhere. Alex opens the check to find it is made out to him, and surprisingly asks Diane how she knew to spell his name, and how she knew that he would be the one to leave. She basically says that she knew he would be fine walking away from everything, because he's had it bad before - he's not afraid to have it bad again. A couple years ago, I was in a half-similar situation (no, I am not an escort) and this line struck me on a personal chord and resonated with me long after the curtain came down. Perhaps I'm jaded, but I found the character of Alex to be expertly crafted and acted.
They seem to be struggling attendance-wise, and I hope that changes soon. It would be a terrible thing for this play to not only be a flop, but to go unseen by the masses.
"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy."
-Charlie Manson
