We had very high expectations for this show. So much so that we actually had 2 sets of tickets. Because of a conflict on the night of our original tickets, we gave them to Jason & Danielle, who really liked the play. After all, who could resist this cast?
The Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre is actually one of the more comfortable Broadway venues; seats roomier than most.
The fabulous cast did not disappoint. Alicia Silverstone (remember her from the 1995 flick CLUELESS?) has really grown up and her acting ability has clearly grown with her. Silverstone was perfectly cast as Mandy Bloom, who learns right after giving birth that the joys of motherhood, at least for her, far outweigh her career as an event planner.
Eric Bogosian, who is one of our favorites on LAW & ORDER, was also amazing in his role as the agent/best friend and love interest, baby daddy & eventually husband of Alicia Silverstone’s character.
We adore Brian D’Arcy James, who was also perfectly cast as Laura Linney’s love interest and then husband and who proves that his talent extends well beyond his outstanding performance as the all green Shrek.
And we are totally crazy for Laura Linney. In anything from Broadway (LOVED her in LES LIASONS DANGEREUSES ) to movies to television. The only negative we can say about Linney’s performance in TIME STANDS STILL was that her wardrobe seemed at most times to not fit her well. The best line of the play, which totally personified her character, was Linney standing with a straight face and saying to Brian D’Arcy James (then her husband), “This is me, happy.”
Linney, D’Arcy James, Bogosian & Silverstone were absolutely perfectly cast and played their roles flawlessly. Yet we never got engaged and walked out feeling as though something was missing. We can’t even say that the problem was with the way Daniel Sullivan directed this powerhouse of talent. This leaves us with only one person to “blame” – the playwright himself. Donald Marguiles took a really interesting subject and brought it nowhere. We missed David Mamet every minute of the show.
Next up: COME FLY AWAY!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
THE MIRACLE WORKER WORKS!!!!
The last time we were in the Circle in the Square Theater was to spend a wonderful Saturday seeing the 3-play cycle of the NORMAN CONQUESTS. When you spend almost 10 hours in one day in a theater you become intimately acquainted with it and it starts to feel like “home”. And that is how we felt when the usher took us to our seats…right in the first row with incredible access to the stage - ready to see the revival of THE MIRACE WORKER.
We were taken with the intricacy of the set’s floor….a wooden floor hand-painted with a beautiful design that just begged one to reach out and touch it. The “stage police” (aka the usher) kept telling every single person she seated that no one was to touch the floor, put their bags on the floor, put their feet on the floor or walk on the floor. Got it?
When the show begins the set comes together from above and below . . . some of the set rises up from that incredible wooden floor and some is lowered from above on special cables. It’s minimalist but quite detailed and the perfect backdrop for this well known story of two of the world’s most iconic women – Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan. We were a little taken aback when a doorframe rose from the floor smack in front us which obstructed our otherwise perfect view. It surprised us but not as much as the cast did!
Matthew Modine was just ideal as the Captain (Helen’s father). We felt his pull between adoration for and frustration with his disabled daughter. Jennifer Morrison was wonderful too in her role as Helen’s mother. They had a special chemistry and it really played well. Amy Breslin is one of the most talented 14-year-olds we’ve seen and her interpretation of Helen was a perfect balance between emotion and physicality.
Alison Pill is clearly the star of the show. She gave a candid, humorous and forceful interpretation of Annie. She captivated us, as did the costumes. Being seated in the first row gave us the opportunity to see every button, dart, etc and the period dresses worn by Helen’s mother and aunt were truly breathtaking.
The only negative for us was the “dream” sequences with Annie’s dead brother Jamie, played by Lance Chantiles-Wertz. He acted the part perfectly and looked like a little boy suffering from consumption but every time he appeared we winced. We felt this was a poor decision by the director and rather than add to the drama it took away. Fortunately these scenes were very minimal.
There was a little lag right before the big breakthrough between Helen and Annie but the triumph we felt when Helen connects the letters being pressed into her hand with the objects she can touch and feel is great. When Helen connects the words “Mother” and “Father” you do feel the emotion. And then there is the final word of the show , “Teacher” and it hits the marks.
MIRACLE WORKER is a story we all know. There are no surprises and the only variable is the director’s creativity in how the story is presented. This version works. It’s a little miracle on 51st Street…go see it.
We were taken with the intricacy of the set’s floor….a wooden floor hand-painted with a beautiful design that just begged one to reach out and touch it. The “stage police” (aka the usher) kept telling every single person she seated that no one was to touch the floor, put their bags on the floor, put their feet on the floor or walk on the floor. Got it?
When the show begins the set comes together from above and below . . . some of the set rises up from that incredible wooden floor and some is lowered from above on special cables. It’s minimalist but quite detailed and the perfect backdrop for this well known story of two of the world’s most iconic women – Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan. We were a little taken aback when a doorframe rose from the floor smack in front us which obstructed our otherwise perfect view. It surprised us but not as much as the cast did!
Matthew Modine was just ideal as the Captain (Helen’s father). We felt his pull between adoration for and frustration with his disabled daughter. Jennifer Morrison was wonderful too in her role as Helen’s mother. They had a special chemistry and it really played well. Amy Breslin is one of the most talented 14-year-olds we’ve seen and her interpretation of Helen was a perfect balance between emotion and physicality.
Alison Pill is clearly the star of the show. She gave a candid, humorous and forceful interpretation of Annie. She captivated us, as did the costumes. Being seated in the first row gave us the opportunity to see every button, dart, etc and the period dresses worn by Helen’s mother and aunt were truly breathtaking.
The only negative for us was the “dream” sequences with Annie’s dead brother Jamie, played by Lance Chantiles-Wertz. He acted the part perfectly and looked like a little boy suffering from consumption but every time he appeared we winced. We felt this was a poor decision by the director and rather than add to the drama it took away. Fortunately these scenes were very minimal.
There was a little lag right before the big breakthrough between Helen and Annie but the triumph we felt when Helen connects the letters being pressed into her hand with the objects she can touch and feel is great. When Helen connects the words “Mother” and “Father” you do feel the emotion. And then there is the final word of the show , “Teacher” and it hits the marks.
MIRACLE WORKER is a story we all know. There are no surprises and the only variable is the director’s creativity in how the story is presented. This version works. It’s a little miracle on 51st Street…go see it.
Monday, March 8, 2010
RECIPE FOR LIFE
We were disappointed last Sunday night when we walked into the Acorn Theatre on W 42nd Street and learned that Marian Seldes had suffered an accident and was recuperating but would not be in RECIPE FOR LIFE. She was the motivator for us to see the show!
As we entered the theatre, we ran into Nancy Ploeger & Nancy Ryan, who we now really think are stalking us since this is the third time we’ve run into them at a show in the past couple of months. Seriously, it is always a pleasure to see them; we know they enjoy theatre as much as we do. We also ran into Lisa Linden and Lloyd Kaplan, who we haven’t bumped into since WAITING FOR GODOT. New York theatre really is a small universe. Maybe this is why almost everything now is staged as a “limited run”!
Jeffrey was quite surprised when we were seated, opened the Playbill and saw “In Memory of Tina Brozman” on the inside cover. Tina Brozman, who succumbed to ovarian cancer in 2007 was formerly the Chief Judge of the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York and presided over the Barricade Books/Lyle Stuart cases that consumed many years of Jeffrey’s life. This case led to a long term friendship with Lyle, who died in 2006 and Carole, who continues to run Barricade Books. Judge Brozman’s husband Andrew, who did a Q&A at the end of RECIPE FOR LIFE, founded Tina’s Wish, a foundation whose mission is to fund research for the early detection of ovarian cancer, a terrible killer because it is typically detected too late to effectively treat. RECIPE FOR LIFE was presented by Cause Célèbre and Tina’s Wish and was a beautiful tribute to a wonderful woman.
The first RECIPE FOR LIFE skit (“The Love Course” by A.R. Gurney) was performed by Maria Tucci, Harris Yulin, Miriam Silverman and Jake Robards (son of legendary actor Jason) about the last class of two college professors who are about to each go their own way after teaching a class on Love. The cast is delightful and the simple set is enhanced by the chemistry of the cast. The one act was simply delightful - enjoyable and entertaining.
“The Love Course” was followed by “Tallulah Finds Her Kitchen,” a reading by the incomparable Frances Sternhagen, written by Joseph Stein (of “Fiddler on the Roof” fame and who was in the audience at this performance) together with Danny and Neil Simon. Ms. Sternhagen brought to life the wonderful words written by Messrs. Stein and Simon; the audience never took their eyes off her for a moment and every word was delicious.
Next up was “Menu by Jessie,” a reading by Tandy Cronyn about life with her parents, Jessica Tandy & Hume Cronyn. Having lived through much of what she read about her parents, Ms. Cronyn, an accomplished actress in her own right, gave wonderful insight into what her parents were really like and although it was refreshing to find the child of an acting family describe her parents and family life as normal, her turning of the pages throughout her reading was terribly distracting. This would have been much better with a teleprompter or even memorization.
The final skit was “The Hairdresser,” with Maria Tucci (who we thought was better in “The Love Course”) and Kathleen Chalfant. This one was about an actress having her hair done as she prepares to go to the Tony Awards as a nominee. In the end she can’t get her hair done because her hair is not real, she is undergoing chemotherapy. The drama of this sketch was a perfect lead-in for Andy Brozman to talk about his wife Tina, Tina’s Wish and Cause Célèbre. The Q&A was a bittersweet surprise but the idea of tying in a cause with an evening seeing great theater is a win-win and we look forward to seeing more of this.
Next up: THE MIRACLE WORKER!
As we entered the theatre, we ran into Nancy Ploeger & Nancy Ryan, who we now really think are stalking us since this is the third time we’ve run into them at a show in the past couple of months. Seriously, it is always a pleasure to see them; we know they enjoy theatre as much as we do. We also ran into Lisa Linden and Lloyd Kaplan, who we haven’t bumped into since WAITING FOR GODOT. New York theatre really is a small universe. Maybe this is why almost everything now is staged as a “limited run”!
Jeffrey was quite surprised when we were seated, opened the Playbill and saw “In Memory of Tina Brozman” on the inside cover. Tina Brozman, who succumbed to ovarian cancer in 2007 was formerly the Chief Judge of the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York and presided over the Barricade Books/Lyle Stuart cases that consumed many years of Jeffrey’s life. This case led to a long term friendship with Lyle, who died in 2006 and Carole, who continues to run Barricade Books. Judge Brozman’s husband Andrew, who did a Q&A at the end of RECIPE FOR LIFE, founded Tina’s Wish, a foundation whose mission is to fund research for the early detection of ovarian cancer, a terrible killer because it is typically detected too late to effectively treat. RECIPE FOR LIFE was presented by Cause Célèbre and Tina’s Wish and was a beautiful tribute to a wonderful woman.
The first RECIPE FOR LIFE skit (“The Love Course” by A.R. Gurney) was performed by Maria Tucci, Harris Yulin, Miriam Silverman and Jake Robards (son of legendary actor Jason) about the last class of two college professors who are about to each go their own way after teaching a class on Love. The cast is delightful and the simple set is enhanced by the chemistry of the cast. The one act was simply delightful - enjoyable and entertaining.
“The Love Course” was followed by “Tallulah Finds Her Kitchen,” a reading by the incomparable Frances Sternhagen, written by Joseph Stein (of “Fiddler on the Roof” fame and who was in the audience at this performance) together with Danny and Neil Simon. Ms. Sternhagen brought to life the wonderful words written by Messrs. Stein and Simon; the audience never took their eyes off her for a moment and every word was delicious.
Next up was “Menu by Jessie,” a reading by Tandy Cronyn about life with her parents, Jessica Tandy & Hume Cronyn. Having lived through much of what she read about her parents, Ms. Cronyn, an accomplished actress in her own right, gave wonderful insight into what her parents were really like and although it was refreshing to find the child of an acting family describe her parents and family life as normal, her turning of the pages throughout her reading was terribly distracting. This would have been much better with a teleprompter or even memorization.
The final skit was “The Hairdresser,” with Maria Tucci (who we thought was better in “The Love Course”) and Kathleen Chalfant. This one was about an actress having her hair done as she prepares to go to the Tony Awards as a nominee. In the end she can’t get her hair done because her hair is not real, she is undergoing chemotherapy. The drama of this sketch was a perfect lead-in for Andy Brozman to talk about his wife Tina, Tina’s Wish and Cause Célèbre. The Q&A was a bittersweet surprise but the idea of tying in a cause with an evening seeing great theater is a win-win and we look forward to seeing more of this.
Next up: THE MIRACLE WORKER!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
FEELING BAD ABOUT FELA
Since we started this blog, we are usually so excited to write about what we’ve seen; we’re composing in the cab on the way home (except of course when he had food poisoning from eating at Glass House Tavern). We saw FELA last Wednesday night and decided to write this tonight, after ditching an incredibly long line at the movies and winding up with an unexpected free night. Even a little detour to the Container Store left us with plenty of time to blog.
So now here we are about to write about FELA and not only do we have difficulty pronouncing the name of the show, we really don’t even know what to say.
The minute you enter the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, you are immediately transported to Lagos, Nigeria in the 1970’s and the electricity of the show grabs your attention, with decorations unlike most other Broadway shows. The musicians, already playing on stage as you enter, transport you to the owner’s nightclub. The ushers neurotically remind everyone to keep the aisles clear, so you know that this show is going to be interactive. All of the ingredients normally needed for a successful Broadway show are in FELA; an incredibly talented cast, innovative costumes and make-up, creatively choreographed dancing, use of multi-media and an interesting soundtrack.
So what was our problem? Despite the fact that FELA “looks great on paper,” it was surprisingly slow at times, which is hard to imagine given the high energy level. Straining to understand the accents from the almost totally Nigerian cast, just took too much effort. We are struggling to write this as much as we struggled to understand the cast.
What intrigued Cathy the most was the bird’s eye view of the bunions on the dancer’s bare feet and what struck Jeff the most was the guys in the band bopped along with the cast. Pretty sad, eh? We can’t say that it was a bad experience but we can’t say that we would recommend this show either. MEMPHIS it’s not.
Up next: RECIPE FOR LIFE
So now here we are about to write about FELA and not only do we have difficulty pronouncing the name of the show, we really don’t even know what to say.
The minute you enter the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, you are immediately transported to Lagos, Nigeria in the 1970’s and the electricity of the show grabs your attention, with decorations unlike most other Broadway shows. The musicians, already playing on stage as you enter, transport you to the owner’s nightclub. The ushers neurotically remind everyone to keep the aisles clear, so you know that this show is going to be interactive. All of the ingredients normally needed for a successful Broadway show are in FELA; an incredibly talented cast, innovative costumes and make-up, creatively choreographed dancing, use of multi-media and an interesting soundtrack.
So what was our problem? Despite the fact that FELA “looks great on paper,” it was surprisingly slow at times, which is hard to imagine given the high energy level. Straining to understand the accents from the almost totally Nigerian cast, just took too much effort. We are struggling to write this as much as we struggled to understand the cast.
What intrigued Cathy the most was the bird’s eye view of the bunions on the dancer’s bare feet and what struck Jeff the most was the guys in the band bopped along with the cast. Pretty sad, eh? We can’t say that it was a bad experience but we can’t say that we would recommend this show either. MEMPHIS it’s not.
Up next: RECIPE FOR LIFE
Saturday, February 20, 2010
A VIEW FROM AFAR
We were especially excited about seeing A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE because we were going with four dear friends, Flo Feinberg & Ben Geizhals, Kristene Doyle and Mark Terjesen. The evening started out fabulously; we arrived at Glass House Tavern for our 5:30 reservation and bumped into Nancy Ploeger and Nancy Ryan, who we believe are now shadowing us not only in theatre but in dining, as well. No sooner did we exchange hugs and kisses then we spotted Richard Thomas sitting less than a foot away. We didn’t want to be rude and interrupt his obviously quiet dinner with his adorable son Montana, but we had to tell him how much we adored him in RACE (Richard – hope you take us up on our offer to do a guest HOUSE SEATS blog!).
Dinner went downhill from there. The service was horrible and the waiter rude. The food was only mediocre and little did we know the best was yet to come. We were so rushed that we barely made it to the theatre in time. Once shown to our seats we were reminded of the only negative of buying tickets for 6 rather than 2 - it is very difficult to get the seats we like. We are spoiled. We admit it. Our usual seats are rows 1-5, on the aisle, of course. We forgot there is actually a Row O! OMG, our seats were almost in the lobby! And what was that overhang making it difficult to see and hear?
Onward. The set and costumes immediately brought us to the 1950’s Brooklyn waterfront, which is the setting for Miller’s dark story of post World War 2 familial relationships. Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson were wonderful in the lead roles of Eddie Carbone and his niece Catherine. Jessica Hecht and Michael Cristofer were also truly fabulous as supporting players. Although Schreiber is a seasoned Broadway actor, this was Johansson’s Broadway debut and this role truly showcased her real talent.
Cathy thought the show was rather slow although Jeff enjoyed the tempo and found it to be typical of a good Arthur Miller play. The only negative was that the movement of the set at times disrupted the flow of the show.
As Cristofer’s character Alfieri, the lawyer, says in his narrative, you know what’s going to happen step by step before it does. So it is no secret that once Eddie “drops a dime” on his illegal immigrant visitors, he is going to die - and you can pretty well figure out that it will be at the very end of the show. The stabbing scene by the way was a bit overacted. It stopped just short of Beatrice or Catherine breaking into "There's A Place For Us" a la Maria in WEST SIDE STORY. Despite all this, one lonely woman was caught off guard and screamed “Oh My God” just as Eddie thrashed and died on the stage. This scene however; was not enough to deter from the overall power of the show and the talent of the cast.
We left the theater happy and said goodbye to our friends. Four hours later, our dinner at Glass Tavern returned to haunt us. We were both so sick for 36 hours we prayed for someone to do to us what had been done to Eddie Carbone! The food poisoning delayed this blog and despite a valiant effort, caused us to miss our next show, OUR TOWN!
Don’t miss this limited run production of A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE but do stay away from Glass House Tavern!
Next up: FELA! THE MUSICAL.
Dinner went downhill from there. The service was horrible and the waiter rude. The food was only mediocre and little did we know the best was yet to come. We were so rushed that we barely made it to the theatre in time. Once shown to our seats we were reminded of the only negative of buying tickets for 6 rather than 2 - it is very difficult to get the seats we like. We are spoiled. We admit it. Our usual seats are rows 1-5, on the aisle, of course. We forgot there is actually a Row O! OMG, our seats were almost in the lobby! And what was that overhang making it difficult to see and hear?
Onward. The set and costumes immediately brought us to the 1950’s Brooklyn waterfront, which is the setting for Miller’s dark story of post World War 2 familial relationships. Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson were wonderful in the lead roles of Eddie Carbone and his niece Catherine. Jessica Hecht and Michael Cristofer were also truly fabulous as supporting players. Although Schreiber is a seasoned Broadway actor, this was Johansson’s Broadway debut and this role truly showcased her real talent.
Cathy thought the show was rather slow although Jeff enjoyed the tempo and found it to be typical of a good Arthur Miller play. The only negative was that the movement of the set at times disrupted the flow of the show.
As Cristofer’s character Alfieri, the lawyer, says in his narrative, you know what’s going to happen step by step before it does. So it is no secret that once Eddie “drops a dime” on his illegal immigrant visitors, he is going to die - and you can pretty well figure out that it will be at the very end of the show. The stabbing scene by the way was a bit overacted. It stopped just short of Beatrice or Catherine breaking into "There's A Place For Us" a la Maria in WEST SIDE STORY. Despite all this, one lonely woman was caught off guard and screamed “Oh My God” just as Eddie thrashed and died on the stage. This scene however; was not enough to deter from the overall power of the show and the talent of the cast.
We left the theater happy and said goodbye to our friends. Four hours later, our dinner at Glass Tavern returned to haunt us. We were both so sick for 36 hours we prayed for someone to do to us what had been done to Eddie Carbone! The food poisoning delayed this blog and despite a valiant effort, caused us to miss our next show, OUR TOWN!
Don’t miss this limited run production of A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE but do stay away from Glass House Tavern!
Next up: FELA! THE MUSICAL.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
RACE WINS THE RACE
That’s if the race we are discussing is the one to the TONYS.
But let’s backtrack. We are like the US Mail. Neither rain, snow, sleet or lack of cabs could keep us from getting to the Barrymore last night to see David Mamet’s latest offering, RACE. The only negative of last night’s awful weather is that we knew the empty seats in the theater could only have been from people who could not make it into the city because of the storm. They really missed something and if they are already living outside of the city (we feel so sorry for them!) they need to get an SUV.
Turned out to be a very easy commute to the theatre, dinner in a rather full Italian restaurant and once again an audience comprised mainly of hard core New York theatre goers. What fun, including the non (or barely) English speaking couple who mistakenly took our seats (on the aisle, of course), the too tall chatty guys behind us, the water, chocolate & wine hawker who knew everything about theatre (and was quite surprised that we knew more), not to mention Concetta Tomei sitting a few rows behind us, never off her phone during intermission.
RACE is a tight, smart show. There are no wasted moments, words or gestures. The curtain opens and the audience is thrust into the midst of a discussion between four characters. And this is one of the most perfectly cast shows we’ve seen in a long time. When you see plays with very small casts, even one misstep is glaring but this was really just right. Kudos to Mamet for both the play and the taut direction. David, did you cast it yourself too?
James Spader is the current front runner in our vote for Best Actor in a Play. He understood the play and his role as if it was written for him and the interplay with also-wonderful David Alan Grier was nothing short of energy charged. It took us a little while to understand the "tightness" behind Richard Thomas's character portrayal. As soon as we understood his interpretation of the very tight-assed, formal client, we were with him 100%!. This was Kerry Washington’s Broadway debut and we welcome her with open arms and a “what took you so long to get here?”. The drained look on her face at the well-deserved standing ovation was reminiscent of the cast of BLOOD BROTHERS after every performance.
RACE is a trim hour and 40 minutes and it flew by. The topic is both timely and timeless and Mamet’s dialogue, vulgar as is his style, really kept this play moving along at a very rapid pace.
When we walked out of the theater we realized both how much and how little have changed in respect to how we view the historical issue of race relations. Seeing RACE and being in the presence of such fabulous acting was the best history lesson we’ve had in a long time.
But let’s backtrack. We are like the US Mail. Neither rain, snow, sleet or lack of cabs could keep us from getting to the Barrymore last night to see David Mamet’s latest offering, RACE. The only negative of last night’s awful weather is that we knew the empty seats in the theater could only have been from people who could not make it into the city because of the storm. They really missed something and if they are already living outside of the city (we feel so sorry for them!) they need to get an SUV.
Turned out to be a very easy commute to the theatre, dinner in a rather full Italian restaurant and once again an audience comprised mainly of hard core New York theatre goers. What fun, including the non (or barely) English speaking couple who mistakenly took our seats (on the aisle, of course), the too tall chatty guys behind us, the water, chocolate & wine hawker who knew everything about theatre (and was quite surprised that we knew more), not to mention Concetta Tomei sitting a few rows behind us, never off her phone during intermission.
RACE is a tight, smart show. There are no wasted moments, words or gestures. The curtain opens and the audience is thrust into the midst of a discussion between four characters. And this is one of the most perfectly cast shows we’ve seen in a long time. When you see plays with very small casts, even one misstep is glaring but this was really just right. Kudos to Mamet for both the play and the taut direction. David, did you cast it yourself too?
James Spader is the current front runner in our vote for Best Actor in a Play. He understood the play and his role as if it was written for him and the interplay with also-wonderful David Alan Grier was nothing short of energy charged. It took us a little while to understand the "tightness" behind Richard Thomas's character portrayal. As soon as we understood his interpretation of the very tight-assed, formal client, we were with him 100%!. This was Kerry Washington’s Broadway debut and we welcome her with open arms and a “what took you so long to get here?”. The drained look on her face at the well-deserved standing ovation was reminiscent of the cast of BLOOD BROTHERS after every performance.
RACE is a trim hour and 40 minutes and it flew by. The topic is both timely and timeless and Mamet’s dialogue, vulgar as is his style, really kept this play moving along at a very rapid pace.
When we walked out of the theater we realized both how much and how little have changed in respect to how we view the historical issue of race relations. Seeing RACE and being in the presence of such fabulous acting was the best history lesson we’ve had in a long time.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
WE DID THE MARATHON IN RECORD TIME
We are having just as much difficulty condensing yesterday’s nine hours of Horton Foote’s Marathon opus “The Orphans’ Home Cycle” into a single two paragraph blog as Foote must have had condensing his original work, consisting of nine plays, into the three we saw at the Peter Norton Space.
From the minute we walked out of the Norman Conquests marathon last season, our theater appetites were whetted for another three-plays-in-one-day-adventure. We were thrilled when we scored Seats A106 and 107 for yesterday’s Marathon, we could literally see every character breathe. The Peter Norton space is actually very intimate and surprisingly comfortable, which was critically important since we were in the same seats for nine hours.
We knew immediately that every other person there was like us, a hard core NY theatergoer. We ran into dear friend Nancy Ploeger and her friend Nancy, also avid theatre goers, whose presence evidenced our thoughts and comments about who was in the audience. The only downside to this theatre is the lack of good restaurants very close by and the bitter cold wind yesterday made walking to find the oerfect mealtough. But who really cares about eating when we were being fed such great theater.
How can we explain that while nothing really happens in terms of action during the nine hours we spent in our seats yesterday, everything happened. We were hooked from the very beginning and our attention never wavered. The story and characters so engaged us that we just hated to leave. By the time the taxi brought us home we were missing Horace and Elizabeth, not to mention Mrs. Vaughn and her son Brother and we were already wondering how they were doing.
The sets and costumes were really perfect depictions of Texas in the early 1900’s. Michael Wilson’s direction was sublime….there were moments when it was hard to decide who made the decisions on physicality – the actors or the director. It didn’t matter since they worked beautifully. We were mesmerized by James DeMarse’s portrayals of two characters, Soll Gautier, the plantation owner and Henry Vaughan, Horace’s father-in-law. His energy and compassion and total understanding of the roles made all the difference in the world. The same must be said about Bill Heck’s portrayal of Horace and Maggie Lacey’s vision of his wife Elizabeth.
It was quite interesting to keep up with actors who played different roles in the three different plays, sometimes switching roles in different acts of the same play. The only actor who principally played only one role was Heck, who brought the adult Horace to life throughout the trilogy.
And if only the playwright could have lived to see his daughter Hallie bring this magnificent work to life. She grabbed us from the moment she stepped onto the stage and never let us go, just as the entire day did. In case you think we have lost all objectivity we do have to mention that we are not really sure how each of the individual plays is viewed on its own. It is nearly impossible to have a sense of that after having seen them consecutively, in the correct order, in one day.
Kudos to an incredible cast with amazing fortitude! It was a pleasure to see their hard word recognized with a well earned robust standing ovation at the end of the day, from real New Yorkers who appreciate truly good theatre.
We would give anything to know the rest of the story. Hallie – you must know it. Be an angel and shoot us an email at houseseats@yahoo.com and fill us in.
From the minute we walked out of the Norman Conquests marathon last season, our theater appetites were whetted for another three-plays-in-one-day-adventure. We were thrilled when we scored Seats A106 and 107 for yesterday’s Marathon, we could literally see every character breathe. The Peter Norton space is actually very intimate and surprisingly comfortable, which was critically important since we were in the same seats for nine hours.
We knew immediately that every other person there was like us, a hard core NY theatergoer. We ran into dear friend Nancy Ploeger and her friend Nancy, also avid theatre goers, whose presence evidenced our thoughts and comments about who was in the audience. The only downside to this theatre is the lack of good restaurants very close by and the bitter cold wind yesterday made walking to find the oerfect mealtough. But who really cares about eating when we were being fed such great theater.
How can we explain that while nothing really happens in terms of action during the nine hours we spent in our seats yesterday, everything happened. We were hooked from the very beginning and our attention never wavered. The story and characters so engaged us that we just hated to leave. By the time the taxi brought us home we were missing Horace and Elizabeth, not to mention Mrs. Vaughn and her son Brother and we were already wondering how they were doing.
The sets and costumes were really perfect depictions of Texas in the early 1900’s. Michael Wilson’s direction was sublime….there were moments when it was hard to decide who made the decisions on physicality – the actors or the director. It didn’t matter since they worked beautifully. We were mesmerized by James DeMarse’s portrayals of two characters, Soll Gautier, the plantation owner and Henry Vaughan, Horace’s father-in-law. His energy and compassion and total understanding of the roles made all the difference in the world. The same must be said about Bill Heck’s portrayal of Horace and Maggie Lacey’s vision of his wife Elizabeth.
It was quite interesting to keep up with actors who played different roles in the three different plays, sometimes switching roles in different acts of the same play. The only actor who principally played only one role was Heck, who brought the adult Horace to life throughout the trilogy.
And if only the playwright could have lived to see his daughter Hallie bring this magnificent work to life. She grabbed us from the moment she stepped onto the stage and never let us go, just as the entire day did. In case you think we have lost all objectivity we do have to mention that we are not really sure how each of the individual plays is viewed on its own. It is nearly impossible to have a sense of that after having seen them consecutively, in the correct order, in one day.
Kudos to an incredible cast with amazing fortitude! It was a pleasure to see their hard word recognized with a well earned robust standing ovation at the end of the day, from real New Yorkers who appreciate truly good theatre.
We would give anything to know the rest of the story. Hallie – you must know it. Be an angel and shoot us an email at houseseats@yahoo.com and fill us in.
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