Review of "Philosophy for Gangsters" -- Off-Broadway

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Do you know those “Saturday Night Live” sketches that are funny and clever within their few minute time span, but then because they are funny and clever the concept is stretched into a full-length movie?  The results are usually a disaster—“MacGruber,” “It’s Pat,” and “A Night at the Roxbury” are just a few of the disappointing examples.  I bring this up because the new Off-Broadway show, Philosophy for Gangsters, a comedy with very few laughs, has the same mistaken premise—take an idea, which would be funny and clever for a 5-10 minute skit and misguidedly expand it to a 2 ¼ hour play.

Callie Rizzoli is the college-educated daughter of a Mafia family.  After her parents and brothers are gunned down during a police raid, she and some of the boys, ruminate about their demise deciding to blame it on determinism, that which guides our destiny and choices.  So, naturally, who do they hold responsible for this philosophical notion—a Professor of Philosophy, Wilfred May, from the local university.  They kidnap him and look to execute him as a representative of philosophy instructors everywhere as well as because of his personal beliefs.  But before they carry out their plans, the gangsters come up with the idea of forcing the faculty member to draft a philosophical manifesto that both rebukes determinism and provides the theoretical underpinnings for their life of crime.  The professor becomes an unwitting and, at first, unwilling pawn in their warped machinations and from there the plot spirals into tediousness and banality.

Courtney Romano as the slick talking Callie Rizzoli gives a good impression of Marisa Tomei from “My Cousin Vinny;” Tom White as the Philosophy Professor Wilfred May is bland and unsympathetic; and Bruno Iannone as The Don does a not-so-great imitation from any “Godfather” movie.  The rest of the cast is just as two-dimensional with little nuance and distinction. 

The script by Liz and Barry Peak rambles on for far too long.  This could have easily been a shorter production.  The script is somewhat convoluted that, by the end, leaves you scratching your head as to the thrust of the production.  Serving as both playwrights and directors was a disservice to them and the show.  As directors they could have asked for more judicious editing as well as a storyline with better structure.  The flow also continuously stalls from the blackouts between scenes as the action continually switches back and forth from the two side-by-side sets.

The only bright spot of the show are the video vignettes of news reports and man-in-the-street interviews that are intermittently projected above the stage.  They are humorous, creative, and well-produced.

Philosophy for Gangsters, playing through March 1^st at the Beckett Theatre Off-Broadway.

Review of "Outside Mullingar" - Broadway

A rather unconventional courtship is taking place at the Samuel J. Friedman theatre where John Patrick Shanley’s quirky, romantic comedy, Outside Mullingar, is now playing.

Debra Messing is Rosemary Muldoon, a no-nonsense woman of the land who, now that her father has just passed away, must run the family farm on her own.  Brian O’Byrne is Anthony Reilly, a melancholy loner who operates a farm adjacent to Rosemary’s spread in the Irish countryside.  The two, nearing 40 years of age, have known each other since they were little tykes.  While acquaintances, their relationship has never progressed beyond a standoffish association, much to the chagrin of Rosemary.  Their connection is thrown into flux after her father’s funeral when she and Anthony, along with her mother and his father, gather in the Reilly kitchen to reminisce, bicker, and open old wounds.  A minor land feud and talk of disinheritance then sets the plot into motion, which after the death of the aged parents, propels the show’s romance forward.

Shanley, who won the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Doubt as well as an Academy Award for the screenplay of Moonstruck, has written a somewhat screwball comedy, idiosyncratic in nature that slowly builds to its satisfying conclusion.  His two central characters—Rosemary and Anthony—are richly layered with enough foibles and eccentricities to populate all the towns folk in their quaint village.

Debra Messing’s is highly satisfying in her return to the stage.  She is decidedly unglamorous in her portrayal of Rosemary as the actress plays against type from her two most well-known roles, in the television shows, Will and Grace and Smash.  She is candid, outspoken, and straight-shooting, yet there is also a degree of vulnerability and sadness to her character.

Brian O’Byrne is marvelous as the brooding, disheartened Anthony.   He is defensive and low-key, but underneath yearning to assert his manhood and place in society.  You feel for him, a bundle of nervous uneasiness seeking his last chance at happiness.

Peter Maloney as the elder Reilly and Dearhbla Molloy as the patriarch, Aoife Muldoon, are masterful during their time on stage, whether delivering comic zingers or emotional lamentations.  Their performances form the perfect ying to their younger counterpart’s yang.

Director Doug Hughes allows the action to unfold slowly and deliberately, never pushing too hard for a quick resolution.  He gives the actors enough room to develop their character’s quirks and insecurities in an honest, matter-of-fact fashion. 

Outside Mullingar, a perfect valentine to share with that special someone, now through March 16^th.

Review of "Breakfast with Mugabe" - Off-Broadway

The premise for the Off-Broadway play, Breakfast with Mugabe, is newspaper accounts of the Zimbabwe President, depressed and haunted by a ngozi (malevolent spirit) of a fallen comrade, seeking help from a white psychiatrist.  Playwright Fraser Grace has utilized these unconfirmed reports to form the basis for the show, an intense drama set just before the Spring 2002 Presidential elections, that seeks to illuminate the political, cultural, and historical struggle of black Zimbabweans with the minority white landowners of the country.

To most Americans Robert Mugabe is viewed as a controlling and ruthless leader who has had an iron-clad grip on his nation for decades.  But what of his back story?  What are the chronicled events that have shaped his perspective and vision as well as that of his country?  Breakfast with Mugabe explores these questions through the head of state’s interaction with the psychiatrist.  Invited to the presidential palace to treat the elder leader he must also contend with the demands and pleas of his young wife, a plotting and calculating woman as well as be wary of the inscrutable intelligence officer, always nearby and listening.

The sessions of the two central protagonists, while occasionally too talkative, nonetheless are powerful, impassioned, and sometimes frightening.  Their exchanges are more like predator and prey circling one another, warily awaiting for the other to strike.  But throughout their give and take the question arises--who is the predator and who is the prey?  By the end of the 100 minute, intermissionless production the assured, but politically naïve doctor’s life is in shambles as Mugabe, reenergized and full of swagger reasserts his influence and authority across the land.

Fraser Grace has forged an impressive story that, more then not, successfully presents a sizeable swath of issues that crystallize the major racial, economic, and political conflicts in the African nation.  He slowly builds the emotion and forcefulness of the show to a powerful and painful conclusion. 

Since many theater-goers may not be familiar with the African words and historical references cited in the production the program includes a glossary, chronological timeline, and a very brief listing of major players from Mugabe’s past.

The actors are all outstanding, with the main kudos going to Ezra Barnes as the independently minded, principled psychiatrist, Andrew Peric; and Michael Rogers as the intimidating and stoic Robert Mugabe.  They add a realistic edge to their performances that both engage and fascinate.  Rosalyn Coleman as Grace, the very young second wife of the Zimbabwe President, initially comes off as a shallow and self-serving afterthought until you realize there is a shrewd cunning to her make-up.  Coleman endows the first lady with enough shading and contradictions to bamboozle even the most observant political spectator.  Che Ayende, as the solitary sentry, Gabriel, is depicted, at first, as simple window dressing until you eventually realize there is more to his silent disposition then is displayed on stage.  Ayende, endows his character with a sympathetic, all-knowing, and menacing presence especially towards the end of the production when you are graphically confronted with the consequences of dallying with the intelligence arm of an authoritarian ruler.

Director David Shookhoff has shaped a taut, well-executed production.  On the small stage the emotion and tension generated by the actors and plot can be unnerving.  As mentioned previously, the play’s momentum can be weighed down by a sometimes overly wordy script, but Shookhoff still manages to slowly ratchet up the ferment gestating within the show.

 

Breakfast with Mugabe, a thought-provoking, powerful drama at The Lion Theatre through March 2^nd.

Review of "Craving for Travel" - Off-Broadway

Pity the poor travel agent.  Always trying to please cranky customers and dealing with sometimes outlandish and preposterous travel requests.  These are just some of the problems portrayed in the mildly amusing Off-Broadway comedy, Craving for Travel.

Joanne and Gary are two formerly married travel agents now operating separate companies.  They have a friendly competitive edge, which becomes more acute as they vie for the profession’s ultimate award—the Globel Prize as top agent of the year.  Along the way, the duo handles a variety of demands, inquiries, and outright pleas from a host of eccentric, over-the-top characters, all depicted by the two actors, Michele Ragusa and Thom Sesma. 

Charlie Corcoran’s sets for the two agencies, reasonable facsimiles of everyday offices, sit side by side on the stage, which allows the show to be structured as a back and forth between the two players.  A phone is answered in one office while the actor on the other side of the stage portrays one of the agency’s many offbeat clients.  When the conversation ends the reverse occurs—the second agent’s phone rings while the first agent/actor has a dialogue as a different customer.  The show alternates in this format as one dilemma after another are presented and then, miraculously, resolved by the end of the 80 minute, intermissionless production.  

The script by Greg Edwards and Andy Sandberg will be beloved by any travel agent that makes a living handling and negotiating the whims and stipulations of their customers.  However, most jokes fall flat and are uninspired.  The goofy two-dimensional characters they have dreamed up, fun when first introduced, become somewhat tedious by the show’s end.

Michele Ragusa and Thom Sesma, both very capable actors, seem to relish the opportunity to play so many ridiculous and colorful roles.  They infuse each of their characters, through facial expressions and varied vocal inflections, with a singular, yet fetching personality.

Doubling as director, Andy Sandberg has the production running at a rapid fire pace, which is essential for the show not to become bogged down through the back and forth interactions of the two actors.  The difficulty is continually creating interesting and comedic short vignettes within the parameters of the show’s structure.  Sometimes Sandberg succeeds with the material that Sandberg (and Edwards) have provided.

Craving for Travel, a less then hoped for excursion, at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater through February 9^th.

Review of "The Underpants" at Hartford Stage

Comedian Steve Martin began his illustrious career as an Emmy Award winning writer on the 1960’s Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.  Since then, besides his stand-up comedy and acting roles, he has penned numerous screenplays, authored books, and crafted plays.  One of his most staged productions, The Underpants, a adaptation of a 1910 German farce, is a lighthearted, often funny undertaking is at Hartford Stage through February 9^th.

The story centers on Louise, the young, naïve wife of a seemingly strait-laced bureaucrat, who’s underpants have accidentally slipped off while the two are watching a parade.  This sets off a sometimes silly, occasionally hilarious, sexually tinged rollercoaster of a ride as Louise tries to placate her whining, emotionless husband and deals with the advances of two men who witnessed her wardrobe malfunction, Versati, a handsome bon vivant and Cohen, an older, balding, milquetoast gentleman.  Both vie to rent the room the couple has to let in order to be near her so they can woo and seduce her.  To complicate matters Louise approves of Versati’s advances and, aided by her upstairs neighbor, Gertrude, seeks to consummate the pairing.  There is, of course, the problem of deflecting Cohen’s intrusions and avoiding her loudmouth, civil servant husband in order to make the deed a reality.

Steve Martin shows his wild and crazy, not too subtle, side with acrobatic wordplay, well-defined characters, and more often then not some uproariously written scenes.  The Underpants does peter out towards the end, almost as if the playwright couldn’t come up with a self-satisfying ending.  Still, for audiences not afraid of provocative banter and the intermittent off-color scene the play has enough laughs and admirable performances to warrant a trip to downtown Hartford.

The cast is thoroughly appealing and a joy to watch.  Jeff McCarthy is marvelous as the pugnacious, irritating, and obtuse husband, Theo.  You just want to reach out and bop him on the head.  Jenny Leona, beautiful as the dutiful and yearning wife, Louise, amusingly exudes a repressed sexual desire.  Burke Moses seems to be thoroughly enjoying himself as the self-possessed, egotistical poet, Versati.  For someone better known in the musical theater world (he was the original Beast on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast) Moses gets an opportunity to overly emote without having to burst into song.  Steven Routman, as the mousy, jealous barber, Cohen, with his pauses and befuddled looks, gives the most consistently side-splitting performance of the show.  Didi Conn, is effervescent and bubbly as the deviously plotting neighbor, Gertrude.  The stage is aglow every time she enters a scene.

Director Gordon Edelstein keeps the action fast-paced and the comedic timing perfectly in sync.  He gives the actors room for their own schtick, without completely going beyond the structure of the play.

The Underpants, an amusing and entertaining diversion, perfect to alleviate any mid-winter blues.  Now at Hartford Stage through February 9^th.

Review of "Beautiful - the Carole King Musical"

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Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, is an entertaining blend of charm, nostalgia, and showmanship.  The show’s overall feel and musicality will resonate greatly with a generation of baby boomers (as well as younger audiences).  Jessie Mueller, who plays the pop icon, gives an impressive performance, both for her embodiment of the singer-songwriter as well as for her rousing musicianship on the piano.  The show, unlike recent jukebox musicals, has a mostly compelling book (think Jersey Boys), that traces the artist’s formative years in the music industry, from a bashful, yet assertive 17 year old, through the defining moment of her career, the release of her solo album, "Tapestry," still one of the biggest selling albums in music history with over 25 million sold.  The story of Beautiful is not always uplifting as King deals with an early marriage, divorce, single parenthood, and a crisis of confidence during these years.

King, alone and with then husband Gerry Goffin, penned dozens of hit songs, which form the basis for much of the show’s score.  They include their first number one record, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” for the Shirelles, “Some Kind of Wonderful,” “Up on the Roof,” “The Locomotion,” and a generous helping of songs from the landmark LP, Tapestry.  But while this is a musical spotlighting Carole King, book writer Douglas McGrath has smartly woven into the mix the friendly, playful, and competitive esprit de corps Goffin and King had with songwriters Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann.  This allows for a generous dollop of their hits which include “Walking in the Rain,” “On Broadway,” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” (the most played song of the 20^th century).  

While the book provides a cohesive plot and allows for a firmly developed point-counterpoint between the songwriting teams, the overall results for Beautiful are problematic, primarily, because McGrath has so much material to choose from.  The question boils down to what to include/condense/omit within the roughly twenty-year time frame of the musical.  This allows, for example, only glimpses into the creative process where, even occasionally, a more expansive exploration would have been satisfying.  The introduction of musical acts, performing some of the hits quickly referenced in the show, are well-done, but break-up the momentum of the production, especially in Act I. 

The four actors portraying the two song writing teams are engaging and appealing individually and as a group.  Jessie Mueller’s portrayal of the legendary singer is a career-making role.  She personifies King’s vulnerability, charm, and chutzpah.  Her smile, from the very first notes of the show, to its rousing finale, lights up the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.  Jake Epstein gives Gerry Goffin a brash and self-confident air, at first, but then effectively changes direction as he is consumed by insecurities and self-doubt.  Anika Larsen is self-assured and vibrant as Carolyn Weil while Jarrod Spector, who played Franki Valli in Jersey Boys for over 1,500 performances, adds a fine comic touch as the composer Barry Mann.

Director Marc Bruni adroitly guides the production, skillfully presenting the abridged version of King’s early career.    While the machinations of Act I prove somewhat unwieldly, the director regains his footing during the more straightforward narrative of Act II.  He’s at his best when working with the songwriters either in tandem or all together. 

Derek McLane’s two-story set gives one the sense of the close quartered, frenetic, and free-wheeling activity artists worked under at Aldon Music, the hit-making factory of music producer Don Kirshner, who shephered both Goffin-King’s and Weil-Mann’s early start.

Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, a highly pleasing trip down memory lane.

Review of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" at Playhouse on Park, West Hartford, CT

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Shows with just a few characters playing a variety of roles need to be concerned about timing, pacing, and inventiveness.  The gold standard is the original 1984 production of The Mystery of Irma Vep with creator Charles Ludlam and Everett Quinton.  More recently, there has been the Hitchcock send-up, The 39 Steps, and currently, Off-Broadway, the hilarious, Murder for Two.  Locally, Playhouse on Park has undertaken the three-person retelling of the Sherlock Holmes mystery, The Hounds of the Baskervilles.  While there are some humorous and creative moments the production suffers from a sluggish tempo and slapdash characterizations.

The Arthur Conan Doyle story, one of the best known in the Holmes canon, concerns a spectral hound that has, supposedly, roamed the Scottish moors for generations, targeting the Baskerville clan.  When the last surviving family member, Sir Henry, arrives from Canada to claim his family’s property Holmes and Watson are on the case to protect the new squire and solve the perplexing puzzle.

The three actors in the show are very good in their primary roles.  Rich Hollman is slightly bland, but not as pompous or grating as other portrayers of the world’s greatest detective or, as stated in the show, the second best sleuth.   Sean Harris is more a bumbling, confused Nigel Bruce type in his depiction of Dr. Watson.  Brennan Caldwell has a deft comic touch as Henry Baskerville.  All the actors are game for the physicality called upon for the show.  However, the other characters they inhabit show little imagination.  Witness Jeff Blumenkrantz in Off-Broadway’s Murder for Two who morphs into over a half dozen characters by simply altering his voice or facial expressions.  That sort of dexterity would have been more captivating then throwing scraggly on a black beard or white dress, as done in this production.

Scenes in The Hound of the Baskervilles seemed to languish much too often.  The overall tone needed more of a madcap flavor.  Director Tom Ridgely should have had the actors gone more over-the-top as displayed in the first part of Act II.  The show was not fast-paced enough to keep it from becoming wearisome instead of what could have been an outrageous, off-the-wall affair.

Thought should also have been given to trim the two hour running time (including intermission).  The show would have been more robust and entertaining at a compact 90 minutes of straight lunacy.

The Hound of the Baskervilles, playing through December 22^nd.