Review of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"

The Playhouse on Park production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest appears rather tame. Even though the action takes place in a state mental institution the atmosphere is one of rollicking exuberance Instead of a more somber and grim environ.  The overall playfulness and light-heartedness of the patients belies the serious underpinnings of the subject matter.

L - R, Wayne Willinger as McMurphy, Harrison Greene as Martini, Rick Malone as Cheswick, Santos as Chief Bromden, John Ramaine as Scanlon, Adam Kee as Harding, Kataya Collazo as Nurse Flynn, Patricia Randell as Nurse Ratched.  Photo by Curt Henderson.

The dramatic arc revolves around the most recent admittee, Randle McMurphy, a boisterous, good time fellow who likes to follow his own rules.  Very soon he butts heads with head Nurse Ratched, a by-the-book, authoritarian staff member who feels empowered by her command over the patients.  She sees the new man more as a threat than someone needing psychiatric attention.

From the very beginning, McMurphy takes over the ward as the alpha male.  He cajoles, bosses, and takes charge of the other patients, an assortment of troubled individuals.  They appear at times both comfortable in their antiseptic environment and despising their setting.  His free-wheeling attitude and actions, however, run diametrically opposed to the prescribed system, which leads to his ultimate downfall.

A show centering on mental health is very timely as programs to address the crisis in the United States are woefully underfunded with both in-patient and out-patient treatment facilities lacking in resources and staffing.  But, while the clashes and conflicts of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest occur in a sanatorium, the focus is on the locking of horns between the two main protagonists.  For the most part, the mental health problems of the patients, which are brought out in the Ken Kesey novel and is the source material for Dale Wasserman’s adaptation, serve as window dressing.

 

L - R, Adam Kee as Harding, Wayne Willinger as McMurphy, Ben McLaughlin as Ruckley, Patricia Randell as Nurse Ratched.  Photo by Curt Henderson.

The acting troupe is a mixed bag of supporting players that fill out the cast and central figures within the production.  Wayne Willinger’s McMurphy has the requisite devil-may-care, flippant attitude, but his character is lacking the necessary, sustained undercurrent of menace and vulnerability.  Patricia Randell’s Nurse Ratched portrayal is more in line with an old-time librarian scolding her charges rather than a calculating woman with an Icy, imposing demeanor.  Alex Rafala, who plays Billy Bibbitt, the emotional scarred momma’s boy, gives the best performance of the show.  He convincingly portrays a troubled youth who at times is obedient, a risk-taker, and a person in crisis. The actor Santos, who plays Chief Bromden, is a bit too catatonic in the role as opposed to someone radiating an inner strength.  His internal soliloquies also lack an emotional depth.

Director Ezra Barnes successfully conveys the boredom and mind-numbing repetition of the patient’s lives.  Working with Scenic Designer David Lewis and Lighting Designer Aaron Hochheiser, he achieves the ambiance of a sterile, institutional setting with mismatched, metallic furniture and glaring fluorescent lighting.  The thrust of the production, thought, feels more like an episode from the playbook of Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters which can, at times, distract from the central thrust of the production.  The match of iron wills between McMurphy and Nurse Ratchet comes across as tepid.  The final scenes concerning Billy and McMurphy lack a dramatic edge.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, an admirable, but flawed production, playing at Playhouse on Park through November 18^th.

Review of "Thousand Pines"

The focus of the world premiere of Thousand Pines, playing at the Westport Country Playhouse through November 17^th, is a shooting at a Junior High School.  This powerful and, at times, emotionally gripping production will resonate deeply with all audience members, and especially Connecticut residents who remember the carnage at Sandy Hook.

 

6. L-R:  William Ragsdale, Katie Ailion, Joby Earle, Andrew Veenstra, Kelly McAndrew, and Anne Bates in “Thousand Pines,” written by Matthew Greene, directed by Austin Pendleton, at Westport Country Playhouse, now playing through November 17.  Photo by Carol Rosegg

Playwright Matthew Greene has crafted three vignettes that center on the life-changing episode.  Each scene takes place in the suburban neighborhood surrounding the school during Thanksgiving and approaches the consequences from a different angle.  The setting, a dining area outside the kitchen, is the same for each portion of the show.  Five of the six performers change roles during the trio of scenarios.

The first account revolves around a mother as she and other family members help her prepare for the holiday meal.  We quickly learn that her dispassionate, false façade is a coping mechanism as she cannot face up to the magnitude of the tragic event.  Her son, tormented by an unknown guilt clashes with his mother as the surreal nature of the aftermath becomes too much for him to take.

 

3. L-R: Joby Earle, Andrew Veenstra, and Kelly McAndrew in “Thousand Pines,” written by Matthew Greene, directed by Austin Pendleton, at Westport Country Playhouse, now playing through November 17.   Photo by Carol Rosegg

In the next story, litigation is the primary element as a lawyer and his ex-wife seek to coax a plaintiff-friendly deposition from a witness to the shooting.  As the details begin to unfold a shocking aspect of the event is revealed.

The final glimpse into a grieving household, once again, has a mother center stage.  As neighbors try to cheer her up and redirect her attention more information behind the shooting is disclosed.  Then, in a blink of an eye, the three seemingly unconnected vignettes coalesce into a more coherent, yet stunning, whole.

Greene has written a compelling and haunting work that does not produce any easy answers.   He presents information, sometimes delivered in a stark and detached manner, that offers insights, but nothing definitive is resolved.  Questions of blame and correct protocols are left for audience member to decide.  He rightfully focuses attention on how individuals react differently and are impacted by such an event.  The results can be devastatingly raw and absolutely heartbreaking.  Some of the characters are not fully realized or deeply drawn, which is usually an issue for such short shows.  The intermission-less production runs only 79 minutes.

 

4. L-R: Andrew Veenstra, Kelly McAndrew and Katie Ailion  in “Thousand Pines,” written by Matthew Greene, directed by Austin Pendleton, at Westport Country Playhouse, now playing through November 17.   Photo by Carol Rosegg

The six person actors – Katie Ailion, Anne Bates, Joby Earle, Kelly McAndrew, William Ragsdale, and Andrew Veenstra – play multiple roles within the three presentation and three of them standout.  Their characters are more fully developed, which allows for more nuance and shading in their portrayals.  Kelly McAndrew has the most difficult job as she embodies three different matriarchs, all at different points of the grieving process.  Anne Bates is a supporting player in two of the three scenes.  In the middle piece, however, she delivers a chilling monologue that is agonizing in its moral implications.  Andrew Veenstra, the only actor who plays the same character throughout the production, is a shattered mess as he tries to comprehend the horrific event that took place months earlier.

Director Austin Pendleton skillfully resets each tableau with precision and care.  He perceptually incorporates a good deal of quietude and reflection among the shattered family members.  Pendleton also brings a natural, sometimes infuriating, flow to the show.  Infuriating because of the wild mood swings rendered by the characters, but natural because of the honest and genuine feelings they display on stage.

Thousand Pines, a gripping and sometimes difficult piece of theater that, nonetheless, demands to be seen.

October 28, 2018 Radio Show

There are two ways to listen to my weekly radio program:
Click & Listen - You can click here to listen to this week's episode.  There are also hundreds of past episodes available on my website.

Podcasting - Each week a new program will be available by podcasting. If you have iTunes you can subscribe to the weekly "On Broadway" podcast or download it.

The podcast address is:
http://www.broadwayradioprograms.com/podcasts/Broadway.xml

TONIGHT'S THEME - Halloween, Part 2
We continue to celebrate Halloween with songs from the Off-Broadway and Broadway stage.

Name of Song

Name of Show

The Brain From Planet X

The Brain From Planet X

Bit Part Demon

Evil Dead - the Musical

A Night We'll Never Forget

Carrie

I Gotta Be Your Man

Faust

Halloween

Rent

Damn It, Janet

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

I Love a Little Town

The Witches of Eastwick

Defying Gravity

Wicked

Deep in the Darkest Night

Dracula

I Believe My Heart

The Woman in White

Skid Row (Downtown)

Little Shop of Horrors

The Hands of Time

Frankenstein

Reefer Madness

Reefer Madness

Where is the World

Phantom

October 21, 2018 Radio Show

There are two ways to listen to my weekly radio program:
Click & Listen - You can click here to listen to this week's episode.  There are also hundreds of past episodes available on my website.

Podcasting - Each week a new program will be available by podcasting. If you have iTunes you can subscribe to the weekly "On Broadway" podcast or download it.

The podcast address is:
http://www.broadwayradioprograms.com/podcasts/Broadway.xml

TONIGHT'S THEME - Halloween, Part 1
We celebrate Halloween with songs from the Off-Broadway and Broadway stage.

Name of Song

Name of Show

Home Sweet Heaven

High Spirits

Who's Got the Pain

Damn Yankees

Not a Common Man

American Psycho

Show You a Thing or Two

Bat Boy

Dangerous Game

Jekyll and Hyde

Come Look at the Freaks

Side Show

Puttin' on the Ritz

Young Frankenstein

I Want the Good Times Back

The Little Mermaid

Big Green Freak

The Toxic Avenger

I Think I Got You Beat

Shrek

Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News

The Wiz

Here Right Now

Ghost

Serious Business

Imperfect Chemistry

When You're an Addams

The Addams Family

Review of "Ordinary Days"

Ordinary days.  Ordinary lives that resonate with the pulse of New York City and how they can connect in unintended ways, is the unassuming premise behind the four-person musical, Ordinary Days, receiving a highly pleasing revival Off-Broadway through November 17^th. 

The quartet of performers--Warren (Kyle Sherman), Deb (Sarah Lynn Marion), Claire (Whitney Bashor), and Jason (Marc delaCruz)—are broken down into two separate narratives.  Warren, a lanky, quixotic dreamer and Deb, an angry, directionless, English Literature graduate student come together via a missing notebook.  Their relationship, very tentative at first, develops into one of understanding and respect.  The other account revolves around Jason, an impulsive and passionate young professional and his charming and accommodating girlfriend, Claire.  The two have just moved in together, which gives a new and potentially unpredictable landscape to their intimacy.  The foursome’s stories intersect for just a fleeting moment near the show’s conclusion, which adds both closure and a new spirit to each person’s lives. 

Adam Gwon’s score is tuneful, buoyant and full of emotion and passion.  The songs of the sung through musical cover a range of feelings from optimism to melancholy to resiliency.  Their sentiments, exhibited through witty and clever lyrics, realistically portray characters that are trying to maneuver and persevere amidst life in the big city.

The cast is entrancing and full of an enthusiastic vibrancy.  They come across with a hopeful feistiness and determination to better their lives as they all sing about the “Big Picture.”

Director Jonathan Silverstein has a firm, but light touch as he guides the production forward.  He keeps the four performers on their toes as they are in constant movement entering and exiting the small Keen Theater stage.  With just a few key props he is successfully able to convey two modest, but engaging storylines that are absorbing and appealing.

Steven C. Kemp’s Set Design is modest, encompassing three large rectangular towers wrapped in a mesh fabric, that simply, but effectively, symbolize the large, impersonal nature of New York City.

Ordinary Days, an admirable production worth seeing in a season of mostly lackluster musicals.

Review of "The Waverly Gallery"

The portrayal of a person descending into the depths of dementia is nothing new on the New York stage.  Most recently, Frank Langella won the 2016 Tony Award in The Father for depicting someone in such a state.  In The Waverly Gallery, a poignant, funny, and bittersweet examination of a family going through the throes of the syndrome, playwright Kenneth Lonergan treads through familiar territory while also adding fresh and affecting elements to a heartrendering story.

He is aided by the outstanding performance of Elaine May as Gladys, the elderly, independent woman who has become a difficult handful for her immediate family.   Ms. May anchors the production with a superb sense of timing, whether through simple observation or mile-a-minute chattering.

Gladys owns a small, not very successful art gallery on Waverly Place in Greenwich Village, a place she has run for decades.  While nominally a business it is really a place for her to spend time out of her cramped apartment.  Her immediate family, daughter Ellen (Joan Allen), her husband Howard (David Cromer) and grandson Daniel (Lucas Hedges) live on the Upper Westside of Manhattan and cope with her eccentricities and setbacks, sometimes with compassion, most often with anger and resentment.  A fifth character, Dan (Michael Cera), is also part of the mix.  An unaccomplished artist from Lynn, MA he happens upon the gallery where he ends up residing and becoming, in effect, an ex-officio member of the family and care team.  The everyday rhythm of Gladys’ days ultimately worsens, abetted by life-changing circumstances, until the inevitable end.

Kenneth Lonergan’s work plays against the usual presentations around a loved one with dementia.  Here, exasperation, irritation, and outright antagonism are front and center.  This is a loving family at wit’s end.  They have the financial means to provide for the aged Gladys, but their reserve of empathy and patience is almost exhausted.  The playwright astutely incorporates constant repetition by Gladys to demonstrate her diminishing capacities.  The circumlocutions eventually become tiresome, but what better way to dramatically portray the distressing existence felt by all those involved.  Lonerman also uses the character of Daniel to occasionally break the 4^th wall of the theater by providing exposition and illumination.  The asides do not distract from the flow of the show.  They enrich and add clarity.

The cast is terrific.  Their strength is in how they overtly and subtly react and play off Ms. May as they all go through their everyday routines, as jumbled and as maddening as they may be.

Lila Neugebauer’s staging keeps the focus on Elaine May.  The actresses’ ramblings and histrionics are skillfully rendered, making them appear natural and unforced.  The use of overlapping dialogue has a spontaneity and genuineness to the action.  The director handles Daniel’s soliloquys to the audience with aplomb.  Sometimes it seems the characters shout too much, but that is from the perspective of an outsider looking into a world he has not experienced.

Scenic Designer David Zinn has created three relatively straightforward set pieces.  Their wizardry, though, is in the quickness with which they are transformed within a very short blackout.

The Waverly Gallery, a moving portrait of an all too familiar scenario with a bravo performance by Elaine May.

Review of "The Roommate"

 Most of us have had a roommate at some point in our life, maybe as an incoming college Freshman or when looking for someone to share costs for a just attainable big city apartment.  Roommates are usually for the under 30 age group.  But what about older adults?  What would that be like?  In writer Jenn Silverman’s play, The Roommate, she takes two, early 50’s aged women and weaves together a mildly amusing comedy.

We are introduced to Sharon (Linda Powell), an Iowan homeowner, who takes into her house native New Yorker, Robyn (Tasha Lawrence).  The two divorced women could not be more different in looks, demeanor, and background.  Their tentative relationship quickly develops into a more solid rapport and, finally, friendship.  While their personalities and backgrounds are distinct, they do share some common ground, most notably an unsettled bond with their grown child.  Sharon, introverted, with few interests, becomes enamored with Robyn’s more colorful past and seeks to emulate her exploits, which ends up changing the dynamics of their relationship and, in the end, each other’s lives.

Jen Silverman’s script is mostly entertaining as the contrasts between the two characters is emphasized.  The theme has been reworked for the stage many times before, most notably with Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple.  The scenarios and camaraderie between the protagonists feel natural.  The playwright’s ambiguous ending rings true as the audience is left to come up with its own conclusions.  I do quibble with how Sharon’s reactions to Robyn’s New York City roots, sexual orientation, and former “professions” are portrayed.  While humorous, the gasps and incredulousness of Sharon come across as somewhat cliched in today’s world.

The two actresses fully embody their disparate roles.  Linda Powell imbues Sharon with an unadorned poise that, initially, is wide-eyed with a gaping disposition.  As the story develops, she effectively transforms from a somewhat reclusive, directionless persona to someone who develops into a confident woman with a devil-may-care approach to living.  Tasha Lawrence convincingly instills Robyn with an air of mystery and even danger.  The actress displays a well-spring of conflicting emotions and uncertainties, at times hardened and confused as she looks to jumpstart her life.

Director Mike Donahue adroitly keeps the interaction between the characters within the kitchen area of Dane Laffrey’s expansive, detailed set design, which encompasses a spacious, airy kitchen and dining and living rooms.  This affords him the opportunity to focus the audience’s attention on both familiar domestic life rituals, such as the drinking of morning coffee, with the more uncharacteristic conversations and activities the two characters have.  A two-person play is always difficult when it comes to pacing and variations in staging, but the director effectively mixes up the action by introducing an assortment of props and conversations on a land line telephone.

The Roommate, diverting and engaging, playing at Long Wharf through November 4^th.