The universally extravagant praise from across the pond for French playwright Florian Zeller’s unnerving portrait of a proud man’s descent into dementia set my expectations a bit too high. That is not to say that this Manhattan Theater Club production starring the magnificent Frank Langella is not worth seeing. Quite the contrary. I just felt that his performance was better than the material. Zeller cleverly presents things from the confused point of view of the person with dementia. Andre (Langella), a retired engineer, has once again driven away a caregiver that his daughter Anne (a fine Kathryn Erbe) has hired to help him cope with his increasingly confused state. The audience is forced to feel Andre’s disorientation as we are presented with conflicting sets of facts and even different actors playing the same roles. Anne is either divorced, married to Pierre (Brian Avers) or moving to London with her new lover. Laura (Hannah Cabell), a prospective caregiver, reminds Andre of his mysteriously absent daughter Elise whom he always favored over Anne. Charles Borland (Man) and Kathleen McNenny (Woman) round out the good cast. There’s more than a touch of Pinter lurking here. Even Scott Pask’s set reflects Andre’s confusion as objects disappear from the elegant Parisian apartment between scenes. Catherine Zuber’s costumes are fine. Doug Hughes’s direction is assured. Multiple short scenes are punctuated by flashing lights around the proscenium and loud strings, which becomes tiresome rather quickly. Go for the bravura performance by Langella and you won’t be disappointed. The audience reaction varied widely. The man next to me abruptly left midway through the play. The woman behind me was weeping softly. Running time: 90 minutes; no intermission.
Showing posts with label Kathryn Erbe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kathryn Erbe. Show all posts
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Nikolai and the Others **
(Please click on the title to see the complete review.)
Judging from his new play at Lincoln Center Theater, Richard Nelson does not believe that less is more. He gives us 18 characters to keep track of over a span of 2 hours, 40 minutes, with a ballet excerpt thrown in for good measure. 15 of the characters are Russian emigres involved in the arts, including choreographer George Balanchine (Michael Cerveris), composer Igor Stravinsky (John Glover), conductor Serge Koussevitsky (Dale Pace), actor Vladimir Sokoloff (John Procaccino), set designer Sergey Sudeikin (Alvin Epstein) and, last but not least, Nikolai Nabokov (Stephen Kunken), a minor composer who is working for the U.S. government spreading largess to win the cultural Cold War. They, their wives, ex-wives and admirers are gathered on a Spring weekend in 1948 in rustic Connecticut to celebrate the ailing Sudeikin's name day and view a rehearsal of Orpheus, Balanchine and Stravinsky's current collaboration. The remaining three characters are the dancers Maria Tallchief, Balanchine's current wife (Natalia Alonso), and Nicholas Magallenes (Michael Rosen), and an uninvited guest "Chip" Bohlen (Gareth Saxe), a U.S. diplomat who keeps an intimidating eye on important Russian emigres. The play is most successful in capturing the pathos of those cut off from their cultural heritage, nostalgic for their homeland, clinging together, insecure and fearful in their adopted country. The rehearsal scene gives some insight into the creative process and provides us with some gorgeous dancing. The ballet sequence also provides a welcome respite from the nonstop conversation, table setting and clearing and eating. The role of the wives (Blair Brown, Kathryn Erbe and Betsy Aidem) is mainly to look after their men. The dancers don't get much respect either. During the course of the weekend, Nikolai comes to regret abandoning composing for his job helping fellow emigres and feels the sting of ingratitude. The acting seemed a bit flat, but with such a large cast, there is not much opportunity to develop deep characterization. David Cromer directs with a sure hand. The shabbiness of Marsha Ginsberg's set is deliberate, I assume. Jane Greenwood's costumes seem appropriate. Even though I was predisposed to like the play because of my interest in Balanchine and Stravinsky, I found it less rewarding than I had hoped. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes including intermission.
Judging from his new play at Lincoln Center Theater, Richard Nelson does not believe that less is more. He gives us 18 characters to keep track of over a span of 2 hours, 40 minutes, with a ballet excerpt thrown in for good measure. 15 of the characters are Russian emigres involved in the arts, including choreographer George Balanchine (Michael Cerveris), composer Igor Stravinsky (John Glover), conductor Serge Koussevitsky (Dale Pace), actor Vladimir Sokoloff (John Procaccino), set designer Sergey Sudeikin (Alvin Epstein) and, last but not least, Nikolai Nabokov (Stephen Kunken), a minor composer who is working for the U.S. government spreading largess to win the cultural Cold War. They, their wives, ex-wives and admirers are gathered on a Spring weekend in 1948 in rustic Connecticut to celebrate the ailing Sudeikin's name day and view a rehearsal of Orpheus, Balanchine and Stravinsky's current collaboration. The remaining three characters are the dancers Maria Tallchief, Balanchine's current wife (Natalia Alonso), and Nicholas Magallenes (Michael Rosen), and an uninvited guest "Chip" Bohlen (Gareth Saxe), a U.S. diplomat who keeps an intimidating eye on important Russian emigres. The play is most successful in capturing the pathos of those cut off from their cultural heritage, nostalgic for their homeland, clinging together, insecure and fearful in their adopted country. The rehearsal scene gives some insight into the creative process and provides us with some gorgeous dancing. The ballet sequence also provides a welcome respite from the nonstop conversation, table setting and clearing and eating. The role of the wives (Blair Brown, Kathryn Erbe and Betsy Aidem) is mainly to look after their men. The dancers don't get much respect either. During the course of the weekend, Nikolai comes to regret abandoning composing for his job helping fellow emigres and feels the sting of ingratitude. The acting seemed a bit flat, but with such a large cast, there is not much opportunity to develop deep characterization. David Cromer directs with a sure hand. The shabbiness of Marsha Ginsberg's set is deliberate, I assume. Jane Greenwood's costumes seem appropriate. Even though I was predisposed to like the play because of my interest in Balanchine and Stravinsky, I found it less rewarding than I had hoped. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes including intermission.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Checkers ***
(Please click on the title to see the entire review.)
Douglas McGrath's new play at the Vineyard Theatre manages the not inconsiderable task of winning one's sympathy for the Nixons, especially for Pat. McGrath has taken a footnote to the 1952 campaign --- Nixon's struggle to stay on the ticket after charges of financial impropriety -- and built a play around it. For added measure, the story is told as a flashback to the moment in 1966 when Nixon decided whether to run for president again in 1968. Anthony LaPaglia does a credible Nixon and Kathryn Erbe is a superb Pat. Lewis J. Stadlen is a lively Murray Chotiner. The other principals -- Ike (Jon Ottavino), Mamie (Kelly Coffield Park), Herbert Brownell (Robert Stanton) and Sherman Adams (Kevin O'Rourke) rarely rise above the level of cartoon figures. Mark Shanahan and Joel Marsh Garland also have small roles. Neil Patel's clever set is greatly enhanced by Darrrel Maloney's excellent projections. Sarah J. Holden's costumes and Leah J. Loukas's wigs help recreate the times. Terry Kinney's direction is fluid. While the play has many entertaining moments, I could not shake the feeling that more loving attention had been lavished on it than it deserved. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes without intermission.
Douglas McGrath's new play at the Vineyard Theatre manages the not inconsiderable task of winning one's sympathy for the Nixons, especially for Pat. McGrath has taken a footnote to the 1952 campaign --- Nixon's struggle to stay on the ticket after charges of financial impropriety -- and built a play around it. For added measure, the story is told as a flashback to the moment in 1966 when Nixon decided whether to run for president again in 1968. Anthony LaPaglia does a credible Nixon and Kathryn Erbe is a superb Pat. Lewis J. Stadlen is a lively Murray Chotiner. The other principals -- Ike (Jon Ottavino), Mamie (Kelly Coffield Park), Herbert Brownell (Robert Stanton) and Sherman Adams (Kevin O'Rourke) rarely rise above the level of cartoon figures. Mark Shanahan and Joel Marsh Garland also have small roles. Neil Patel's clever set is greatly enhanced by Darrrel Maloney's excellent projections. Sarah J. Holden's costumes and Leah J. Loukas's wigs help recreate the times. Terry Kinney's direction is fluid. While the play has many entertaining moments, I could not shake the feeling that more loving attention had been lavished on it than it deserved. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes without intermission.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Yosemite *
(Please click on the title to read the full review.)
The set, by Raul Abrego, is a lovely scene of northern California woods in winter. Unfortunately, the set is the highlight of Daniel Talbott's new play at the Rattlestick Theater. The set is populated by two brothers and a sister who live nearby in a trailer. Jake (Seth Numrich), the eldest, is digging a hole in which to bury their infant brother, whose death is vaguely blamed on their troubled mother. (If you are foolish enough to attend after reading this, don't sit in the front row or you may get covered by flying dirt.) The three siblings exchange inane chatter until their mother arrives with her shotgun. After a lively exchange, she leaves and you can guess the rest. It seemed to last for hours, but it was only 70 minutes. The younger sister and brother are played by Libby Woodbridge and Noah Galvin. The usually interesting Kathryn Erbe misfires as the mother. Numrich displays a prodigious talent for shoveling; why he left a good role in War Horse for this is a mystery. Director Raul Abrego is unsuccessful in hiding the vacuity of the proceedings.
The set, by Raul Abrego, is a lovely scene of northern California woods in winter. Unfortunately, the set is the highlight of Daniel Talbott's new play at the Rattlestick Theater. The set is populated by two brothers and a sister who live nearby in a trailer. Jake (Seth Numrich), the eldest, is digging a hole in which to bury their infant brother, whose death is vaguely blamed on their troubled mother. (If you are foolish enough to attend after reading this, don't sit in the front row or you may get covered by flying dirt.) The three siblings exchange inane chatter until their mother arrives with her shotgun. After a lively exchange, she leaves and you can guess the rest. It seemed to last for hours, but it was only 70 minutes. The younger sister and brother are played by Libby Woodbridge and Noah Galvin. The usually interesting Kathryn Erbe misfires as the mother. Numrich displays a prodigious talent for shoveling; why he left a good role in War Horse for this is a mystery. Director Raul Abrego is unsuccessful in hiding the vacuity of the proceedings.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)