February 28th , 2006

RABBIT HOLE by David Lindsay-Abaire, Manhattan Theatre Club's new show now on Broadway, is a domestic drama about a couple's obsession with the death of their child, and the aberrations that can grow out of grief. The entire cast, including Tyne Daly, Mary Catherine Garrison and John Slattery, is excellent, and Cynthia Nixon in the central role is powerful, real, and riveting. Directed with deep understanding of the conflicts in the play by Daniel Sullivan with appropriate costuming by Jennifer von Mayrhauser and lighting by Christopher Akeerland on John Lee Beatty's fine set, the play raises many questions about relationships, early-on not satisfying to me, but by the end I was happy with the resolution and with the play and felt a satisfying catharsis that made me happy that I saw it. Check it out. I think you'll be glad you did. (I think I love Nixon. I know, I know- she's taken. Ah the vicissitudes of life!)

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER and
lively-arts.com

February 25th , 2006

THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE by Martin McDonagh is quite a voyage. Starting with great concern over the death of a cat, the play takes a tortuous route into the intricacies and absurdities of Irish revolutionary shenanigans in the 1990's. There is a bizarre
casualness about the skewed painful happenings on stage, and the contradictions, the incongruity, between attitude and acts provide a distorted kind of comedy. Scott Pask's set and Michael Chybowski's lighting vivify the outlandish goings-on, and director
Wilson Milam takes us to a kingdom beyond "El Topo" which makes "The Wild Bunch" look like "Mary Poppins." All of the acting is top level, with layers and layers of subtlety and not a weak link, and the lone woman in the cast, Kerry Condon is superb, especially
in her scenes with David Wilmot-- they sizzle. As the play drives on the absurdity of the clashes of these splintering Irish groups grows a kind of solidity, and is really addressing the madness of their battles, and, indeed, the lunacy and self-destructiveness of
the Irish. McDonagh is a mad motherfucker, and his comment on the struggles in his land gives us the Grandest Guignol ever seen anywhere-- not in your wildest imagination could you conjurer up the outlandish shocking images he and Milam give us. It's a magnificent piece of Theatre with a powerful self-deprecating twisted grin.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

February 22nd , 2006

THE WOODEN BREEKS by Glen Berger, now at the Lucille Lortel Theatre has some of the most imaginative costumes in town. The designer, Anita Yavich, gives us a laundress who has a washboard chest and wears laundry, a grave digger with a shovel on his back, a scholar's costume with bookshelves on it, the pub owner has faucets on her head, etc. They are cartoonish, they are fun. The rest of the show is not. It's mostly incomprehensible pretentious gobble-de-gook, played with great earnestness by most of the cast. The director, Trip Cullman, seems not to know what he had here, and the energetic realistic performances of the cast (with Scottish accents that are in and out) undercuts what might possibly be enjoyable as a man tells tales to a boy (whom he otherwise rejects). Veanne Cox's great presence is the most alive person on the stage- she cuts through the bombast. The rest of the cast is acting; she is performing, and it's what the material, which is quite obscure, needs badly. Whether or not that and heavy trimming could save this tedious piece, I can't say. There are a couple of good visuals near the end-- one right out of Edgar Allen Poe's "Buried Alive," bell and all, and a nice walk into the sunset. Beowulf Boritt's stark set is excellent and so is the lighting by Paul Whitaker. And the actors are all very good
professional actors doing their best. The play's the thing that fails to catch us. Oh yes-- breeks are pants: wooden ones are a coffin.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

SOLDIER'S WIFE by Rose Franken, a period piece written in 1943, directed by Eleanor Reissa, starts off being performed in an old-fashioned style that is a bit difficult to relate to. The play, with perfect costumes by Clint Ramos, exposing 1943 values and views of men towards women and visa-versa is about a soldier's return to his wife from combat, and her subsequent success when her letters to him are published. In Act One there are few real
conversations, little intimacy, just recitation, mostly by the bubbly over-perky wife (Angela Pierce). Judith Hawking is more solid as the sister, and the hesitant Michael Polak develops more reality as the play progresses. Happily, Act Two displays some
sophisticated wit as the plot thickens with interesting, more real (although with style) performances by Jordan Lage and Kate Levy, and we were drawn into the drama. In Act Three Miss Bubbly emerges in new clothes and a ridiculous unconvincing
walk, and then, surprisingly, she turns into a real human being, and the play is ultimately quite a satisfying piece that I would recommend not only as an antique but as a contemporary play that can touch home.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

For some good old theatrical fun, check out the current production of Neil Simon's early play BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, now on Broadway. Directed with clever action, business, and timing by Scott Elliott, chock full of good jokes by Simon, the story of a newly-wed couple's first New York apartment, the bride's mother
and an adventurous neighbor, will hold you, tickle you, totally engage you. Amanda Peet is super cute and delectable as the bride, Jill Clayburgh gives an award-level performance with brilliant comic timing as the mother and Tony Roberts shines as the neighbor- his presence fills the theatre. The set by Derek McLane fully realizes the play as does the lighting by Jason Lyons. Isaac Mizrahi's costumes well augment everything. Sure there was the movie-- but this live experience is a different joy, and, for me, much more satisfying.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

February 13th , 2006

BRIDGE & TUNNEL is a stunning achievement. I saw it off Broadway, and wrote a glowing review. Now on Broadway, enhanced by David Korins' set and Howell Binkley's lighting, it's even better. It is an extraordinary one woman show written and performed by Sarah Jones. She gives us a succession of immigrant characters, mostly living in Queens, whose lives and
personnas are explored with amazing sensitivity and skill as she, with minimal costume changes, switches from male to female, from old to young, and to accents from all over the world. Although there are many laughs in the piece as we recognize the foibles of her creations, it is basically an exploration of the hearts of the characters, and, as directed by Tony Taccone, Ms. Jones does it brilliantly. Bridge & Tunnel is funny, moving, and it makes us acutely aware of the problems, conditions and joys of today's
immigrant population. Catch it. It has a cast of about ten, all of them engaging, all played with total immersion by Ms. Jones-It's a spectacular feat, a dazzling performance.

**** Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

February 2nd , 2006

Jason Fisher is doing a one-man depiction of Lenny Bruce at The Zipper-- LENNY BRUCE In His Own Words, directed by Joan Worth and Alan Sacks. Lenny Bruce was funny. Whatever he said was funny. Nothing Fisher says is funny. With his high tenor voice and
undercurrent of anger, it's a total mismatch. Here are my notes during the performance: fifteen minutes without a laugh-maybe one chuckle. No comic timing. No relaxed intimate communication which was Lenny's mood throughout his performances. The material doesn't stand without a real comedian saying the words. Religion Incorporated: bad Southern accent. His Oral Roberts sounds like an angry Elvis. Still no laughs-- it's embarrassing to watch this unfunny man trying to be Lenny. I saw Lenny do this stuff-- every line got a laugh because of his attitude. Fisher's ethnic slur bit is offensive-- Lenny made it absurd, which was his point. A couple of the jokes come through despite the lack of timing or humor in the delivery. This act comes across as mean, vicious, angry-- Lenny was kindly, insightful, a humorous insight whispered in your ear. The Midget bit almost nears humor, and gets a few chuckles. The Hitler piece has no reality to it-- if it's not real, it's not funny. Fisher destroys the material, and there
are no laughs from the large audience- no applause at the end of the routines. The Dracula bit is so awfully amateurish I started looking for an exit, but there was no escape except right across the front of the stage. So we stayed and suffered. No laughs.
Marriage-transvestite: not much. In love with a horse- anger again. Lenny exuded love-- Fisher exudes negativity, which undercuts the irony in the material (which is the strength of what Lenny did). Barely a sprinkling of applause even when Fisher ends
the poem he does. Church: Christ and Moses-- he frantically destroys the material. Cocksucker trial transcript: interesting, but not funny. What is obscenity?-- Good material, badly executed. Busted in Chicago; Christ in jail-- by this time the audience is used to not laughing, and they don't, except for a chuckle or two as they are on the crosses. The facts of Bruce's own figurative
crucifixion are there, and the info is interesting: a Chicago obscenity trial on Ash Wednesday with judge and jury all with ashes on their foreheads. The political message at the end is a good one, but Fisher's entire presentation is annoying, with no
personal contact. When Lenny talked to an audience it was intimate, personal, he was talking just to you, it was filled with irony, and it was FUNNY.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER and
lively-arts.com

January 26th, 2006

Jeff Daniels' engrossing romantic comedy APARTMENT 3A has some of the best acting in town. Amy Landecker as a betrayed woman who moves into a new shabby apartment is a mesmerizing stage presence who plays pain, joy, sexuality, feistyness, and even complacence with a believability that is rare anywhere. As she encounters two suitors, a co-worker at a TV station (Arian Moayed) and a stranger who appears at her door Joseph Collins), both quite convincingly acted, her life turns and twists into a guessed solution that works fine. Jonathan Teague Cook, as the super of the building, gives a sparkling rendition of his trade with not a moment that isn't both real and entertaining. The play has some serious political and religious references, but mostly it's a romance. With David Newell's appropriate costumes, Lauren Helpern's simple set and Traci Klainer's apt lighting changes, the play segues from scene to scene and setting to setting rather than cutting, and Director Valentina Fratti does a great job giving it the timing, the pauses, the emotionality and the action it needs. Near the end Fratti has staged the funniest sex scene
I have ever seen for Landecker, and she's brilliant. You want to see a great actress? She's at APARTMENT 3A at the Arclight Theatre on W. 71st St. eight performances a week.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER and
lively-arts.com

January 22nd, 2006

A group of women acrobat/gymnasts called LAVA is performing their show [W]HOLE at The Flea Theatre in Tribeca, and it's a joyful experience to have these supple, charming, highly-skilled athletes share their artistry with us. Their costumes, by Liz Prince, are essentially laid-back street wear, and their manner is
relaxed and friendly as they at times break the fourth wall and relate to the audience. The show includes balancing, tumbling, hoop dives, mock fighting and three stints on a trapeze-two women at a time. The women are all strong, flexible and good-looking, and it's all perfectly timed and coordinated, and somehow
remains casual-- I felt that I was a welcome visitor in their space, and they were warm friends who were performing just for me and a few other friends. Conceived and directed by Sarah East Johnson, with music by Steve Hamilton and lighting by Chloe Z. Brown, with some spoken words by Sini Anderson and Capital B, it's a unique experience, and if you like to see dynamic bodies in artistic action, go see [W]HOLE. Thru February 19th- 212/352-3101.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER and
lively-arts.com

January 17th, 2006

Nilo Cruz's play BEAUTY OF THE FATHER, now at Manhattan Theatre Club, is about a Spanish painter who converses with the ghost of Federico Garcia Lorca, the young man he is sexually involved with, his long-lost daughter whom he deserted as a child, and the woman friend with whom he shares his house. For
me the play is a mildly interesting pretentious piece, all a bit twisted as the girl, after bedding the boy, tells him to go to bed with her father again. The dialogue is far from fascinating, and I'm not sure what the premise of the whole thing is. Perhaps director Michael Grief realized that we needed more entertainment from the play-- Act Two has some singing and dancing to suggest setting and mood, but it seemed more fun for the performers than the audience. The dramatic conflict puts the boy in the middle, and it's all a kind of mish-mash of relationships with a pretense of profundity. Mark Wendland's set, James F. Ingalls mood lighting and Miranda Hoffman's costumes were all fine. Good luck.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER and
lively-arts.com

January 14th, 2006

Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical THE WOMAN IN WHITE has the most amazing visuals I have ever seen on a stage. Designed by William Dudley (who also did the gorgeous costumes), all projected on a huge cyclorama and smaller moving cycs, it's reminiscent of the swoops of perspective in "Lord of the Rings." It's breathtaking. Paul Pyant's lighting design augments the video visuals with the (mostly dark) moods of the piece. The music is quite good, and quite Lloyd Webberish, and the voices of the performers are all top level, including the wonderful Maria Friedman (who sings her heart out), the lovely Jill Paice and
handsome love interest Adam Brazier. It seems in Act One that they are going for a Gothic mystery with love, betrayal, a mysterious figure, murder, etc., but the book by Charlotte Jones is confusing, and at intermission people near me were saying "What is this show about?" I guess the producers realized that
because they have all the words of the dialogue and lyrics on a sign at the side of the stage even though we can hear them all quite well. It doesn't clear anything up. Act Two has a comedy section that seems to be from another show, and a villainous count, played at the performance I saw by the very large Norman Large, was the most entertaining part of the show as he told how bad he was. It's the only bit of fun in this basically dreary musical. With the help of Wayne McGregor the movement director, director Trevor Nunn does as much as he can to keep it moving, but basically it's an unpleasant story and not very
entertaining. Yes, I walked out whistling the spectacular scenery.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER and
lively-arts.com

Jesse Berger has adapted and directed the four hundred year old THE REVENGER'S TRAGEDY by Thomas Middleton, and turned it into a contemporary Grande Guignol grotesque extravaganza with bizarre sexual images and electrifying music- most of it contemporary by Daniel Levy, some from old operas. It's the most immoral show in town, and has a punk "Road Warrior" conceit
with stylized movement, action and creative inter-century costumes by Clint Ramos. The twisted relationships expose the lowest in people's natures as revenge follows revenge in this basically homoerotic society with the occasional rape of a woman. The choreography by Tracy Bersley and fights by J. David
Brimmer are original and exciting, with blood spurting, eyeballs popping out, gore everywhere (as is only proper in Grande Guignol), and at this point it turns into farce. It's all highly stylized decadence- with masks by Emily Decola, makeup by Erin Kennedy Lunsford- it's debauchery at its highest (or lowest)
level. Evan O'Brient's simple flexible set becomes complex thanks to Peter West's lighting. Some of the actors, like the very strong (and good-looking) leading man Matthew Rauch, have the chops to speak the antique English words with a sense of reality; others
cannot get their tongues around the language, and seem to be merely reciting memorized text. But it's a great production, and the most fun depravity in town.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER and
lively-arts.com

January 11th, 2006

CHITA RIVERA- THE DANCER'S LIFE, written by Terrence McNally, is not only a survey of the great singer/dancer's life and adventures, it's a great story of fifty years of American Musical Theatre, and a fabulous performance by one of the most talented, liveliest stars ever to appear on Broadway. Okay, at
73 her leg doesn't kick as high. So what? Her persona is here, her charm, her radiance, even most of her voice. It's a privilege to spend a couple of hours with a star of this magnitude as she shows and tells us her fascinating life. High points are the making
of "Westside Story" and the piece about the styles and approaches of the various choreographers she worked with including Jack Cole, Bob Fosse, Peter Gennaro and Jerome Robbins. Surrounded by a cast of marvelous Broadway dancers led by the strong ultra-flexible Lloyd Culbreath, all powerfully directed and beautifully choreographed by Graciella Daniele, with
imaginative set design by Loy Arcenas enhanced by shadow work and Toni-Leslie James's costumes with lighting by Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer, it's a fascinating story and a great entertainment-- an event not to be missed.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER and
lively-arts.com

January 10th, 2006

Douglas Carter Bean is a smart writer with a really sharp wit- he's able to throw in jokes, quips, and references that ring so true we can't help laughing. Some of this shows in his play THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED, now at 2econd Stage Theatre. It's about a killer
female Hollywood agent, a confused guy who is a movie star, his new boyfriend who is a prostitute, and the prostitute's sort of girlfriend. Most of the funny lines about Hollywood, about gays, and about relationships go to the agent, played with zest, zip,
energy and perfect timing by Julie White. Her handling of the wordplay is the center of the play-- its core of humor. The writing deteriorates as problems arise, and finally reverts to good comedy at the end as a clever resolution is found. The active, flexible set by Allen Moyer is an excellent piece of contemporary
stage design, lighting by Don Holder and costumes by Jeff Mahshie well enhance the proceedings. Director Scott Ellis keeps the action flowing, the jokes emphasized, the relationships mostly believable, even though I personally would disagree with the rest of his casting. They are very good actors, but to me, the two men, although they well-portray the inner workings of their characters, lack the physical attributes that their parts call for. Sorry, guys.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER and
lively-arts.com

The Irish Repertory theatre is now presenting George Bernard Shaw's MRS. WARREN'S PROFESSION at its theatre on West 22nd St., and it's a real treat. The play is over a hundred years old, and it's as amusing and entertaining now as it was then-- the wit, the banter, the dramatic and comedic flow work as a
contemporary piece of theatre with a political point. Shaw's insights and humor shine in this play about women's life in England at that time when the only occupation wherein a young attractive girl could lift herself out of dreary, killing poverty was to become a prostitute (or a courtesan), and then, when older,
perhaps a madam. Director Charlotte Moore's sense of timing is impeccable, with the counterpoints of drama and comedy perfectly integrated. The simple, well-designed set by Dan Kuchar completely suggests the locales, and costumes by David Toser and lighting by Mary Jo Dondlinger fulfill the era and the play.
The fine ensemble cast, including Dana Ivey in the title role, clearly, convincingly elucidates Shaw's brilliance. His bitter comments ring with truth, and leavened by his humor, this is a wonderful evening of Theatre.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER and
lively-arts.com

John Cariani, the quirky actor who played Motel in the recent "Fiddler on the Roof," has written a quirky bunch of short plays taking place in snowy Maine. Much of it is gentle pieces of theatre- a very sweet look at shy people in rural America as they mate and mismate. Jumping from the surreal to the sweetly
sentimental, the first class cast of four wonderfully versatile actors, Finnerty Steeves, Todd Cerveris, Justin Hagan and Miriam Shor, all in multiple roles, gives us a pleasant, amusing evening of romance in rustic America. It's stronger in Act 2 as the emotions deepen and the actors dip into more reality of feeling. White wintery set by James Youmans, earflapped costumes by Pamela Scofield and lighting by Jeff Croiter are all just fine, and director Gabriel Barre, who hails from the north country, has a clear
understanding of these characters, and directs with fine comic timing, clear actions, and has probed for the real emotions in this odd, but fun bunch of theatrical snowflakes.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER and
lively-arts.com

January 4th, 2006

Somehow Horton Foote can take ordinary dialogue about ordinary things and make it as gripping as an adventure story. His play THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, now on West 42nd St., is a prime example of the art of Foote, who is one of America's premiere playwrights, along with August Wilson and Eugene O'Neil. This
production is blessed with two extraordinary actresses: Lois Smith as an old woman trapped in the house of her neurotic daughter-in-law and Hallie Foote as that irritating, but somehow almost compassionate, shrew. It's set in Texas, as are all of Foote's
plays. We are in a working class house in the early '40's-- we're not observing it: we are there, and the ordinariness of the dialogue never sinks into the uninteresting. It's always fascinating as Foote captures a reality in the drama of the everyday life
of these people. The director, Harris Yulin, is an actor, and it shows: there is not a weak link in the cast, not a moment that isn't a real person speaking or behaving. Somehow, set designer E. David Cosier has created a magical, flexible Broadway set in this off-Broadway theatre, and lighting by John McKernon and costumes by Martin Pakledinaz fully illuminate the play. It's a privilege to see acting of the caliber of Lois Smith, whom I have seen perform since she was a young girl, and is at the highest level of acting artistry now that she is old and playing a woman
determined to revisit her ancestral home as her final act of freedom in a trapped life. It's an awesome performance. They don't make better. As of now, it's extended through February 19th.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER and
lively-arts.com

January 3rd, 2006

Jennifer Jason Leigh is a great actress. In Mike Leigh's 1977 play ABIGAIL'S PARTY, now on Theatre Row, she is amazing as she turns artifice into reality, broad caricature in movement, voice, accent, physicality and attitude into a totally believable human character. She plays a narcissistic pretentious working class woman who believes she is some kind of princess, and Max Baker as her cringing husband brings a matching piece of work to the stage. As beautifully directed by Scott Elliott, this marvelous ensemble, including Lisa Emery, Darren Goldstein, Elizabeth
Jasicki, brings us to the edge of the top, but doesn't go over it. It starts out like an Alan Ayckbourne comedy, but keeps exposing character through banal conversation, and would be much less without the sterling performances. Costumes by Eric Becker
enhance and emphasize character, set by Derek McLane and lighting by Jason Lyons are just right. For JJ Leigh, it's a very broad tour-de-force, and she gives us the funniest sexy dance I've ever seen.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER and
lively-arts. Com

December 31st, 2005

Lord Buckley was a seminal comedian who died of old age in 1960 at age fifty-four. In 1958 I was doing my Standup Mime act in LA at The Club Renaissance, and Buckley did the late show. I watched him every night-- he looked like an English lord, talked like a black jazz musician, and did stories from Literature, from
History and from The Bible in Hip Talk. He called Jesus "The Naz" because he was from Nazareth; he had Jonah smoking grass in the belly of the whale. This was before "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Godspell," and it was outrageous. In the mid-eighties John
Sinclair and I wrote a play about Buckley: "Lord Buckley's Finest Hour," and it played successfully in London, Los Angeles, Edinburgh, and other cities. John played Buckley and I directed. In the mid-nineties, I reprised the show in New York with Tom
Calagna playing Buckley. I realized that although the material is no longer outrageous, but it is still some of the most brilliant semantics ever devised. Jake Broder's show HIS ROYAL HIPNESS at 59E59 Theatres, gives us Buckley at his most dazzling-- creating language, taking us on trips to the fargonisphere in
familiar tales. Broder is a strong, appealing actor and a fine singer, and accompanied by an excellent jazz ensemble, it's a pleasure to experience Buckley's work being appreciated and getting laughs two generations later. Broder captures Buckley's rhythms and his philosophy of love, kindness, and universality, as the stories tickle the corners of our minds and we smile at the associations and the flashing ingenuity of the language.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER and
lively-arts. Com