Broadway's On Strike. And has been for almost a week.
Or more accurately, Local 1 of IATSE, the union covering stagehands in the majority of Broadway theatres have gone on strike, effectively shutting down the industry known as "Broadway." The other unions that cover people who work on Broadway are honoring the picket lines and all but eight shows (those that happen to play in theatres that are under separate contracts) are currently shuttered.
Talks between producers/theatre owners and the union are resuming this weekend and there's hope that the dark shows will resume next week.
In case you're curious, if you're interested in catching a Broadway show this weekend, here's a list of your choices:
Cymbeline (Vivian Beaumont Theatre)
Mary Poppins (New Amsterdam Theatre)
Mauritius (Biltmore Theatre)
Pygmalion (American Airlines Theatre)
The Ritz (Studio 54)
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Circle in the Square Theatre)
Xanadu (Helen Hayes Theatre)
Young Frankenstein (Hilton Theatre)
Of course, there's tons of other stuff playing off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway.
This strike hasn't really affected me in the least. I haven't even had any plans ruined because of it. It's sort of an ugly thing though and there's been a lot of acrimony. I don't really have an opinion, because I see logic on both sides. But it's really a shame this had to happen because the strike is no good for anyone. It's the busiest season of the year here in New York theatre and there are rumors that some productions may just simply not re-open if the strike continues much longer.
We're all hoping that the issues will be resolved this weekend and Broadway will be back in business next week.
Before what I've taken to calling the Electronic Rebellion, I was incredibly lucky to go see a couple of operas, one right here in the neighbourhood and the other in the Kingdom of Far Far Away, otherwise known as Brooklyn.
The one here in the neighbourhood was New York City Opera's current production of Carmen, the famous operatic warhorse with a score by Georges Bizet. Incredibly (to me, anyway), I'd never seen a production of this before, other than this opera's cameo appearence in a Looney Tunes cartoon.
As you probably already know, this is the story of a Spanish Gypsy girl who captivates every man who lays eyes on her, including the dashing soldier Don Jose and, later, the even dashinger matador Escamillo. This being opera, drama abounds, and Carmen flits among her admirers until tragedy inevitably strikes.
According to Beth Clayton's bio in the program, she's played Carmen all over the world and it's easy to see why she's in such demand. She was just about perfect in the role, not only singing it well, but also being an ideal physical type for it. It is very easy to see why no one on stage can take their eyes from this character as Clayton dominates the large State Theatre stage. Sexy Sexy Sexy!
Unfortunately, Scott Piper as Don Jose is not as ideally cast and the central romance of the plot suffered for it. Piper sang the role well enough, but didn't seem to bring much else to the part and there was little chemistry between him and Clayton. It didn't help that he wasn't exactly physically right for the role either.
But it was fine, because, as the title suggests, this was really Clayton's show and she was only rarely off-stage.
I loved this production and it really made me want to get to opera more. Although I knew how it was going to end, director Cynthia Edwards staged the final scene in such a way as to ellict shock (from me, at least). I just knew that Carmen was going to escape her fate...until the moment she didn't. Wow! This was great staging.
The other opera I attended recently was Brooklyn Repertory Opera's recent production of Beethoven's Fidelio at the Brooklyn Lyceum Theatre. I didn't know this one at all, other than the random fact bouncing around in my head that this was Beethoven's only opera, something I learned either in a college music history course or from reading Peanuts on the comics page when I was a kid.
The production was set modern in a Guantanamo Bay-like military prison where a woman named Leonore has disguised herself as a man to infiltrate the guard and look for (and hopefully rescue) her husband, a political prisoner. Along the way, she must fend off the romantic advances of Marzelline, the daughter of the prison's head guard, who is, in turn, is rejecting the advances of Jacquino, another soldier.
It was fun to to see an opera (sung in English, by the way) in a modern, minimalist setting. It really made it seem like something new, rather than something 200 years old or whatever.
The biggest problem was a rather clunky libretto that seemed to pull us out of the story whenever the singers stopped singing. Whether this is the cause of the translator or the original writer is unclear.
But it was still quite enjoyable and I was really glad for the chance to be there.
I have managed to quell the electronic rebellion that's been waged in this apartment over the past few days. This is good. So now I have even more catching up with the blog to do.
Woo!
Hey, Folks!
Computer's down at home and I'm working on getting that back up and running. Yet another unexpected thing that I don't need right this minute.
But this too shall pass.
Hopefully, I'll be up and running again soon.
Jere
Celebrity Sightings of the Day: actor Josh Charles hanging around talking to someone outside the stage door at City Center prior to his half-hour call for tonight's performance of The Receptionist, and Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club's Executive Producer, arriving at City Center through the front door for the first preview of a new play called Pump Girl.
Wow, I've just come from one of the most disconcerting plays I've ever seen. I may be having nightmares.
Adam Bock's The Receptionist takes place in the reception area of a generic office that could be any sort of company anywhere. We are introduced to Beverly, the receptionist of the title, Mr. Raymond, the boss, and Lorraine, his assistant. Into the mix comes Mr. Dart, from the "central office," who seems to have an agenda of his own.
Without giving too much away, which would spoil the play for any of you who might want to go, this work examines how dark things can lurk beneath the most benign, banal surfaces.
I think the reason this one hit home with me is that I earn most of my money as an office temp and I've worked in situations that are not only similar to the set-up of this play, but virtually identical. I could be either this receptionist or this assistant. In fact, I could play either of these parts without changing a single word of the play.
And that terrified me.
The encroaching darkness of this play is the stuff of nightmares. It's like Hitchcock on that stage. You don't see plays like this very often.
Go see this if you can. It's playing in Stage I at City Center. And, hey...it's short...only 70 minutes with no intermission.
Celebrity Sighting of the Day: composer and lyricist William Finn at New World Stages, where a new revue of Finn's work is currently in previews.
Okay, I want to try to quickly write about some of the stuff I've seen lately here in New York while I also try to organize my thoughts on the UK trip.
Pygmalion - Okay, so I caught the Roundabout's current Broadway revival of the George Bernard Shaw classic. It had gotten some bad buzz initially, but I really enjoyed this production of a fairly neglected work. This is the play on which Lerner and Loewe based their musical My Fair Lady, so you know it, even if the title doesn't exactly ring a bell. Movie star Clare Danes is making her Broadway debut as Eliza Doolittle and is doing fine job, although the role lets her down in some respects...Shaw doesn't really connect the dots of Eliza's transformation the way that Lerner and Loewe do, so there's less here for Danes to play. This play really belongs to Jefferson Mays and Boyd Gaines as Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering. Mays, especially, has a field day playing Higgins as an overgrown, petulant child, an interpretation that really works. There's also strong work from Helen Carey as Mrs. Higgins and Brenda Wehle as Mrs. Pearce. Definitely check this out, especially if you like My Fair Lady and are fascinated by being able to compare and contrast, as I was.
Cymbeline - Lincoln Center Theatre is reviving this Shakespearean comedy-drama with its usual starry cast...John Cullum is Cymbeline and Phylicia Rashad is his Queen. Martha Plimpton is Imogen and Michael Cerveris is her secret husband, Posthumus. I've always loved this particular play, which doesn't get the love reserved for the big Shakespeare titles. But it's such a perfect blend of comedy and drama that it's really almost fool-proof. In addition to the leading players above, there's excellent work from just about everyone. This is a great production of a another terrific, somewhat neglected classic play that you should really see if you have a chance.
Peter and Jerry - This is the Edward Albee piece currently runnning off-Broadway at Second Stage. The first act is a new piece called Homelife, and the second act is Albee's 1958 masterpiece The Zoo Story. Although, there's not a whole lot that actually ties the pieces together, the first act was conceived to flesh out the character of Peter, the hapless bench-sitter of The Zoo Story who doesn't get the showboating speeches of his stage-mate, Jerry. Bill Pullman is a very effective Peter, using his stock "every man" persona to make Peter a stand in for us all. During the first act, we are introduced to his very comfortable long-term marriage to Ann, a funny and real Johanna Day. These two talk about everything from dinner plans to their sex life and lots of other points large and small in between. By the time Peter heads to the park for his famous encounter wtih Jerry, you have a pretty good picture of who he is. That encounter, a play that we've all seen in one form or another through the years, is a magnificent pas de deux for Pullman and Dallas Roberts as the possibly insane random guy in the park who comes upon Peter. It's interesting to see how Albee tries to tie these two pieces, written almost 50 years apart, together. Not entirely successful, but it's worth seeing if you can. Great performances from the three cast members.
A Feminine Ending - This is a new play at Playwrights Horizons by Sarah Treem. It's about a composer who has gradually lost her artistic way in life as practical concerns (like earning money at a steady job) and her relationship with an up-and-coming rock star start to take precedence over her music. It's a story to which many an actor, writer, and artist can relate. So we watch as our leading lady, Amanda, deals with her own issues while also coming to terms with her past on a visit to her parents. Interesting work here, especially from the hard-working cast, but I felt that Treem didn't flesh out the characters as much as she could have and we cared less about them as a result. Still, interesting work from a young writer from whom I'd like to see more. Also, in case anyone cares, this was directed by actress Blair Brown, a great talent that I've always said would be an excellent director.
Die Mommie Die! - Hey, y'all...Charles Busch has revived his tribute to "women's pictures" of the 1940's and 1950's off-Broadway at New World Stages. It's a fun romp with Busch as faded singing star Angela Arden dealing with a husband, a lover, and two kids with enough melodrama to make Joan Crawford and Barbara Stanwyck proud. While Busch is brilliant as always, I thought the production was lacking a bit of oomph at times. It's difficult to pinpoint exactly, but the issues are definitely not Busch's. It's hard to turn down an opportunity to see a true New York icon at work (and play) here, so it's not like it's bad. I laughed out loud many times. I just can't quite put my finger on why it didn't seem to gel like I thought it should. Go see it, and tell me what you think.