A Streetcar Named Desire

In early September, I was privileged enough to witness Rachel Weisz take on the fading Southern belle known as Blanche DuBois in a West End version of this Williams' production. Located in London, the Donmar Warehouse, which housed the production, is structured in the round, which allowed the staging of Streetcar to become more creative. Taking a surrealist approach by having actors double as fatal memories from Blanche's past (all non-speaking roles), it added a darkness to the work of Williams I had yet to see anywhere else. Topping the beautiful set design and the new approach, was Ms. Weisz.

The last time the London stage was graced with Ms. Weisz's presence was in Neil Labute's tragicomedy "A Shape of Things." Here, in Streetcar, you witness a transformation that only few can achieve. Some say the mark of a good actress, nae a great actress, is for you to be able to forget their fame when appearing on stage or screen. It is near impossible to take your eyes off of Ms. Weisz for a fraction of a second, dreading you will miss a simple bat of an eyelash or the crossing of her legs that she will use to empower her next line. The tragic beauty in a dark red robe, making her way and claiming her femininity throughout the two and half hour production, not only affirms the talent of a young woman, but confirms her appreciation and knowledge for stage versus screen acting. Though the London production had its pitfalls (an unintelligible lead actor), upon leaving, clarity washes over you that this was a once in a lifetime event that nothing can come ever close to.

Then, on October 28, 2009 inside the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Harvey Theatre on Fulton Street, the lights begin to dim on the production of the same title, only this time the fading heroine being portrayed by veteran screen actress Cate Blanchett.

Immediately, we become transported to New Orleans with Mr. Myers set design. Naturalistic in its structure, yet layers of symbolism and texture rising from the floor. As the lights fade up, Ms. Blanchett sits in solitude at stage left while the action at Elysian fields begins with a roar. Ms. Blanchett slowly makes her way, crossing imaginary stage lines, and speaks with a tone filled with years of repression, solitude and hardship. Her body remains stiff throughout the introduction, finding herself to be a pearl lost inside a decrepit oyster.

As Williams' poetic tale plays out, we are introduced to Stella Kowalski, played with remarkable sensuality, sensitivity and enthusiasm by Robin McLeavy. Ms. McLeavy shows us a Stella that is not just Stanley's wife, not just a caring sister, but a woman nonetheless. She brings her sexual desires to the forefront and is neither ashamed or embarrassed to let this be known. Watch closely for her stern demeanor mixed with helplessness in a scene where, due to a brilliant choice on Ms. Ullman's part, Stella is hit by Stanley and comes back with a black eye.

Joel Edgerton brings a typical Stanley to the stage, but through this shines brilliance. Mr. Edgerton never goes overboard with his choices, his dialect is near perfection and his love for Stella is always apparent. His desire to please his wife, and to have all right in the Kowalski house actually sentimentalizes the character, credit due mostly to Mr. Edgerton's physicality. Credit is due to both Mr. Edgerton and Ms. Ullmann in a dinner scene where Stanley abruptly spits food across the table to confirm once and for all that he is king of his castle.

Playing the final straw in Blanche's breakdown is Tim Richards as Mitch, a poker buddy of Stanley's who forms an immediate desire for Blanche. In one of the most comedic performances of the play, Mr. Richards plays him with a delicate yet goofy nature that makes our heart shatter every time he utters a phrase about his mother or his love for Blanche. His ultimate breakdown upon Ms. Blanchett's final exit further clarifies that realism that Williams instilled in his writing.

Let's cut to the chase. Ms. Blanchett gives a tour de force performance here. She opens the play with a spotlight on her, letting us into her despair. She then closes the play in the same spotlight, completely broken as she dares to stare into the distance, leaving us hopeful her imagination will remain with her through the dark times ahead. Ms. Blanchett is a beautiful woman, there isn't much debate on this. The only fact more certain about Ms. Blanchett is that she is our generations Katharine Hepburn. I mean, hell, she won an Academy Award for playing the icon in "The Aviator." As Blanche, Ms. Blanchett offers us a very calm performance, very rarely letting her outbursts occur when people are present. Streetcar is typically looked upon as a drama, as well it should. The monologues in the play, the poetic dialogue, nowadays can read melodramatic. The wonderful part of Ms. Blanchett's performance is that she breathes the words in a way only a southern belle would and they land beautifully. She uses simple gestures and adds humor to lines to achieve the perfect balance. In all, Ms. Blanchett's performance is a perfect concerto. It begins as it should, slow, steady and beautifully lyrical. We are taken through the piece, watching the beautiful notes increase with intensity and are on the edge of our seats during the final climactic scene. This final scene, ladies and gentlemen, is the one that Ms. Blanchett will forever be known for on stage. A few simple words and a monologue delivered with perfected emotion that it brings tears to your eyes knowing what lies ahead for our heroine. Her slow descent into final madness, which Ms. Ullman achieves through a solitude walk around the stage, is heartbreaking, leaving us breathless and ashamed that we are viewing such a private moment.

Liv Ullmann is mostly known as an actress who had frequently worked with filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, and became famous for her film work as well as her directing work. In Streetcar, Ms. Ullmann truly achieves a perfect revival. With a stellar ensemble, a beautiful set and lighting and sound to only increase the play's intensity, Ms. Ullmann knew the type of revival she wanted to show and tell and succeeded. Through physical business and incorporating a blocking system that only adds to the play's theme of illusion, it's difficult to tell where the genius of Mr. Williams' ends and Ms. Ullmann begins. In a brilliant moment, Ms. Ullmann brings the lights back up after the infamous rape scene occurs and we see a brief glimpse of a naked Stanley (lying on his stomach), and the back of Blanche, adjusting herself, in her beautiful blue robe. Ms. Ullmann also chose to omit the final line by the poker players "The game is seven card stud", another brilliant choice to affirm this production was about Ms. DuBois. These and many other simple yet effective choices made the direction by Ms. Ullmann concise and original. I, for one, never felt I was anywhere else except in New Orleans with Ms. DuBois, the Kowalski's and their friends.

The lighting design by Mr. Schlieper elicited the perfect amount of blue in addition to a blend of natural light. He managed to acquire just the perfect amount of lighting between scenes for us to see Ms. Blanchett sweeping from end to end, and letting us view the arrival of the infamous "treasure chest" that belonged to Blanche. Mr. Charlier's sound design started slowly and came to an operatic end. Hearing the streetcar get louder and louder as the play progressed filled the scenes with an extra pound of emotion and subtext, something Williams was highly regarded for mastering.

The only fitting way to sum up Ms. Ullmann's revival is by quoting Mr. Williams' himself. "I don't want realism, I want magic." It truly was magic, we received.

BAM's version of A Streetcar Named Desire, presented by the Sydney Theatre Company runs until December 20, 2009 at the Harvey Theatre. Tickets are currently sold out for the run, but partial view seats are available to those who are BAM members.

BAM Harvey Theater
190min with intermission
Tickets: Tue—Thu: $30, 65, 95; Fri—Sun: $40, 80, 120

*Nov 27 & 28, Dec 1, 2, 4, 5, 8—12, 15—19 at 7:30pm
Nov 28, Dec 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, & 19 at 2pm
Nov 29, Dec 6, 13, 20 at 3pm
Dec 3 at 8pm (Belle Rêve Gala)

Cate Blanchett as Blanche DuBois
Joel Edgarton as Stanley Kowalski
Robin McLeavy as Stella Kowalski
Tim Richards as Mitch

Playwright: Tennessee Williams
Director: Liv Ullmann
Set design by Ralph Myers
Costume design by Tess Schofield
Lighting design by Nick Schlieper
Sound design by Paul Charlier

After Miss Julie

Lately, it's becoming a familiar feeling that when seeing a play at Roundabout, you shall leave disappointed in one regard. This was true for February's premiere engagement of "Hedda Gabler" with Ms. Parker, "The Philanthropist" with Mr. Broderick (let's not start on him) and now once again under Mr. Brokaw's direction with "After Miss Julie."

The story is a re imagination of Strindberg's classic. Ms. Miller plays the title role, a wealthy young woman who brings out a long lasting desire from one of her slaves, John played by Mr. Miller. Caught between them is Christine, John's fiancee and Julie's maid, played to perfection by Ms. Ireland. Mr. Marber who is known very well for his quick witted, profanity-filled dialogue ("Closer") did not disappoint here. A few slips in keeping with the original text that didn't ring true to this rendition but other than this, Mr. Marber left us with a play filled with punches, differing dynamics, wonderful dialogue and a new side to Ms. Julie.

Mr. Miller's performance will bring you in, moment by moment. His words as if falling from the mouth of Strindberg, add authenticity to the air. His virile figure in comparison to both women makes his meltdown more powerful. A performance one is likely not to forget, and yet so easily forgettable due to the realistic approach. Through beads of sweat, you feel his love for Ms. Julie. From sideway smiles you catch the glimpse of his love for Christine. A truly wonderful interpretation of the original and Marber's John.

Ms. Ireland earned a well deserved Tony nomination earlier this year for "Reasons To Be Pretty", surrendering only to the Goddess of Carnage herself Marcia Gay Harden. Here in AMJ, she plays Christine with fire and subtly. It's through this subtly that the play holds itself together for its mere (but too long) ninety minute run. Moments of silence are executed perfectly when she unknowingly falls asleep upon John's entrance. In this version, Christine is the audience's character. Some flaws are mentioned through Marber's exposition, but Ms. Ireland does not let us stray from knowing who is good. Beautiful comic timing and letting the audience come to their own conclusions about Christine are just a couple of Ms. Ireland's wonderful choices for a truly perfected performance.

Ms. Miller. Yes. Well, Ms. Miller is an extraordinarily talented actress on film and despite popular belief, I don't believe she has no stage presence. Her beauty speaks volumes on stage. She commands herself to be taken seriously and yet allows us the glimpse of innocence. However, Ms. Miller seemed to be thinking too much. Her body was quite stiff, and there wasn't much passion between her and Mr. Miller that didn't feel forced. The moment they share the "first" kiss seemed extremely rushed and only there did we begin to lose the true value of the story that Miss Julie tells. It was, and is always a pleasure watching Ms. Miller find her way around the stage, using different props and dress to accentuate her Miss Julie. A casting choice that seemed to be based solely upon the blonde haired nymphomaniac Miss Julie is described as, it truly almost was a wonderful performance. She is beautiful. She is talented. She should be on stage. Pushing the three together with a powerful female role like Miss Julie made us hear the crash before Ms. Ireland's character slammed the door.

Mr. Moyer completed a wonderfully realistic set. Beautifully conceptual lighting design by Mr. McCullough. Mr. Brokaw (who directed Ms. Nixon in Distracted earlier this year) had a gigantic weight of working with a star in this type of role. I tend to think the role of Miss Julie is almost always going to get paid back in full when played by an unknown. At ninety minutes with no intermission and too many silences, I don't think I'd see Miss Julie again. However, for the writing and for Ms. Ireland, I would force myself.

After Miss Julie plays at the American Airlines Theatre on 42nd Street until December 6, 2009.

Sienna Miller
Jonny Lee Miller
Marin Ireland

Direction: Mark Brokaw
Writer: Patrick Marber
Set: Allen Moyer
Light: Mark McCullogh

God Of Carnage

In 2009, there are four nominated plays competing for top honors at the Tony Awards. Two comedies and two dramas. Reasons To Be Pretty, which leans more towards a comedy than the dramatic event, is Neil LaBute's first Tony nomination as well as his Broadway debut. The other two dramas, 33 Variations and Dividing The Estate, had strong leading ladies, large ensambles but tend to lack the depth needed for working modern drama. The last nominee, a play adapted by Christopher Hampton from a French tex by Yasmina Reza, is God of Carnage. It was originally staged in Zurich in December of 2006, and has been honored with the Olivier award this year for Best Play.

GOC, as it will thus forward be noted as, has an all star cast featuring Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Harden, James Gandolfini, and Hope Davis. The four give equally compelling performances though Harden stands out. The story focuses around two couples being brought together in hope of reconciling the relationship of their children. Daniels and Davis vs. Harden and Gandolfini match wits in a 90 minute confrontation that oftens finds each character siding with either their opponent or their opponents partner. The characters rarely exhibit forms of cliches and stereotypes are avoided completely. The music that opens and closes the play adds a feeling of savagery to a work that at its center focuses on just that.

There are gags in this play that tickle the audience, such as Hope Davis vomiting over Harden's coffee table filled with priceless art and photography books. However, the real laughs, as they should, come from the silence. Gandolfini has showed a complete turn from his Sopranos role on HBO and exhibits a calm, almost Zen-like character. His silence and digression towards his wife speaks volumes than when dialogue is uttered. The poetry that Reza writes with cannot be denied. However, the intelligence levels on some of the characters doesn't seem to match their vocabularies.

As the fighting comes to an end, or what we feel is somewhat of an end, the conflict still remains in the air. This, however, is not a play where are invited on a journey that will resolved by the end of the night. Reza and Hampton invite us to look at the human condition, to see it for what it is. The dramatization of bringing us into a "Virginia Woolf" type of night works for most of the evening. However, unlike the impact of Albee's work, we are left here to only laugh at ourselves in the end. We can conclude that we are children our entire lives fighting battles that we, in the end, have no desire to win. The direction is impressive, as well as the vibrant red and other worldly set. Of the few comedies that advertise themselves as comedies, and not the next best American drama, GOC delights. You will laugh, and laugh hard. In an age where we scream at the author for allowing others to bicker on stage and call it conflict, Reza shouts back at us. She lets us know that a screaming match with rising conflict can work. As is the view of Sarah Ruhl, why not play the subtext? Let us, the audience, hear exactly what you feel. Maybe we don't know why you feel it, but the fact that you feel it is reason enough. In GOC, we have the characters we hate and the characters we love. The enlightening experience is, at one time or another, we love and hate them all.

Exit The King

Upon leaving Mr. Armfield's revival of "Exit The King," an elderly woman who stood to my left uttered "Not the play for me. I assumed it would be a comedy." Mr. Ionesco's story about a 400 year old king (Mr. Rush) who is condemned to die in order that his country survive is pure comic genius. Ionesco, having come out of the Theatre of the Absurd, gives us text from which to draw our own conclusions. When Juliette (Ms. Martin) rushes on stage at the top of the play with house lights still ablaze, she totes a double-sided sign warning us against the use of cell phones and texting. The lights go down, and the Guard (Mr. Hutchinson) introduces each character. Beginning with the King, then progressing to Queen Marguerite, First Wife to the King (Ms. Sarandon), moving along to Queen Marie, Second Wife to the King (Ms. Ambrose) and followed lastly by the Doctor (Mr. Sadler.) And we're off.

Unlike "The Bald Soprano," Ionesco's first play which gained popularity from its use of non-sequiturs, ETK is as conventional a plot to come from the Parisian playwright. Queen Marguerite and Queen Marie can't seem to agree that the King must die, Marguerite being the executioner. As the doctor enters and informs everyone that King Berenger will die, the battle of death begins. Juliette, a maid, rushes around performing whatever duties are required of her. There is a beautiful bit in the beginning between Juliette and the Guard that reeks of sexual tension, and is never touched upon again. Brilliant. As the audience takes in the relationships of the First Wife to the Second Wife (Ms. Ambrose plays her extreme emotions to perfection), we learn that the world outside has crumbled. The population is practically non existent, women have stopped reproducing, wars have been fought and won and re-fought and lost. The sun has stopped shining. The clouds no longer listen to the King when he tells them to stop raining. As the action steers ahead, the King has no power over anything. Marguerite, in the laugh line of the whole play, tells the King "You're going to die in an hour and a half. You're going to die at the end of the play." The most fantastical part of doing an Ionesco production is that you're asked, as the audience, to buy into believing a 400 year old King has the power to decide when he will die, the power to stop planets from colliding, yet we are always reminded we are in a theatrical setting. Mr. Rush, in a great piece of roundabout blocking, comes into the audience and embraces us with his larger than life presence. Mr. Sadler's character oversees all this. In a world gone to shambles, not completely invisible to our world today, the inherent theme that is softly laid into us through beautiful poetry and refined soliloquies is death. The insane nature of how and where this story takes place would mean nothing if this theme didn't pour throughout every sentence.

Mr. Rush adapted Ionesco's text alongside Mr. Armfield. How then, do you add an intermission to a piece that didn't have one without rewriting too much? Simple: one character exclaims "What happens now?" The Guard replies "Intermission." Lights up. How, if there was no intermission, would you open the second act? Well, with a beautifully staged dance sequence to Mozart, of course. Did I mention, as the lights come up, all actors are in the exact same position as when the curtain fell? Comic genius. Yet, through the wonderful scenic and costume design by Mr. Ferguson, the comically efficient lighting design (including a strobe) by Mr. Copper and the intoxicating trumpets by Mr. Endsley and Mr. Harrell, it all would seemingly have never have attracted the vastness of this audience without these wonderful thespians.

Mr. Sadler has perfect comic timing as The Doctor, Court Surgeon, Bacteriologist, Executioner and Astrologist. The character interacts the least with most of the cast members but his presence gives the production an added boost.
FAVORITE LINE: (in response to being an assistant to euthanasia with the King many years ago) "I was only obeying orders. I was a mere instrument, just an executor, not an executioner."

Mr. Hutchinson's performance of The Guard is impeccable. In a role that can easily annoy any theatre-goer, he goes full steam ahead and never rushes the comedy. His monologue towards the end of the play, as absurd as it gets, never becomes too real or melodramatic. In addition to his many utterances of "Long Live The King," you could almost count on your fingers the number of lines he has that are not repeated. The trick, then, is never making it feel repetitive. It, of course, never does.
FAVORITE LINE: (in recognition of the King's achievements) "He wrote comedies and tragedies under the name of Shakespeare."

Ms. Martin shined last season in "Young Frankenstein." In ETK, playing Juliette, her star has become the Big Dipper. She, by far, gives the most comedic performance in the production. Her physical comedy abilities are wonderful, but her reactions takes the cake. Nothing compares to her humorous leaps while walking and her frantic characterization of a woman trying to do everything she's told.
FAVORITE LINE: (speaking of the grocer) "He's enourmous. Hideously fat! So ugly he frightened the birds and the cats away.

Ms. Ambrose, a beautiful red-headed goddess, encompasses the role of Queen Marie with a gripping vivacity. An emotional wreck from start to finish, she brings us in and lets us feel her love for Berenger. At times needy and whiny, Ms. Ambrose plays with such complexity that her performance borders on perfection. Some will come knowing her from "Six Feet Under" where she played a daughter faced with the stuggles of losing a parent, being present around death constantly (her family owned a funeral parlor) and finding her artistic ability in a world gone haywire. Between ETK and her stint as Juliet in Shakespeare In The Park last year, this confirms her vast range as a dramatic actress. Her emotional, intimate scene with Mr. Rush is romanticized and beautiful. Her opposition with Ms. Sarandon gives her moments to shine with her comedic confidence. She also had a great bit of physical comedy as she goes from one side of the stage to the other, ending in a sexual position with Mr. Rush. For me, Ms. Ambrose's performance was the most rewarding. I felt, heart to heart, that she was about to lose someone she loved and was blind as to what ramifications awaited her.
FAVORITE LINE: (telling the King to call her over to him) I smell beautiful!

As Queen Marguerite, Ms. Sarandon (Academy Award winner for "Dead Man Walking,") has a very commanding presence returning to Broadway for the first time since 1972. Ms. Sarandon's character has the jokes of the play. Until the last seven minutes of the play, she seems to only be there to acquire laughter from the audience. She even addresses the audiences at times, directly and indirectly. I will not speak too negatively about Ms. Sarandon, because she is a beautiful woman with a talent beyond which many people will ever achieve. HOWEVER, her performance felt too defined. Her voice is full of authority, her figure demands attention, but yet I felt a little empty. She has, I think to her credit, separated stage and film acting. She knows what is meant for the stage, and she uses it to her advantage. Physically, Ms. Sarandon embodied Queen Marguerite perfectly. However, her approach felt like a recreation of her role in "Ever After" where she played an evil queen as well. The performance seemed to play too much into the cliche and left us feeling unfulfilled from Her Majesty Queen Marguerite.
FAVORITE LINE: (in response to the King's demise, and the play's end) "We've got thirty-two minutes and thirty seconds left."

All Hail, Mr. Rush! As King Berenger, I have never seen a finer performance onstage. Mr. Rush (Academy Award winner for Shine), having adapted the play as well, brings us Ionesco with contemporary language that blends perfectly to its environment. Profane language, references to national security and updated cultural innuendos made this revival more than just a great production: it made it the perfect production. Enough about the fantastic adaptation, Mr. Rush gives a PERFECT performance. Whether it be through coming into the audience, flailing about on stage, or calling Ms. Sarandon "a bitch" through mime, it's all beautiful to watch. In heavy make up, perfectly lined pajamas and a scepter used for more than just walking around, Mr. Rush owns everything. All the positive praise in the world, in the universe even, cannot begin to describe the magic elicited from this master performer. His humor, always at the forefront, never gives way to his large sentimentality about losing his life and everything around him. I have to stop because I will go on forever praising the performance of the genius that is Mr. Rush.
FAVORITE LINE: (after a bewildering strobe light effect of the entire cast moving around the stage) What the fuck was that?

And so, we come back to the elderly woman who "did not" see a comedy. Well, the play isn't for everyone, I'll give you that. However, a close acting friend of mine has said that absurdist theatre enlightens us more. It requires us to think and investigate the mysteries of life through these situations. ETK is no "Boeing, Boeing" but its stellar performances give even the contemporary audience more than they bargained for. See this. See this before it closes and open yourself up to the theatre of the absurd from the master Mr. Ionesco himself, completely channeled through Mr. Rush. If nothing else, at the end of the play, you can always say you agreed with the elderly woman. We'll call her Hannah. If you don't like it, you can say you agreed with Hannah.

EXIT THE KING is playing a limited engagement at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre until June 14, 2009.

www.exitthekingonbroadway.com

Geoffrey Rush
Susan Sarandon
Lauren Ambrose
Andrea Martin
Brian Hutchinson
William Sadler

Directed by: Neil Armfield

Reasons To Be Pretty

"REASONS TO BE PRETTY"
Lyceum Theatre
149 West 45th Street
(Between 6th and 7th Avenue)

CLOSING JUNE 14TH 2009

WRITTEN BY: NEIL LABUTE
DIRECTED BY: TERRY KINNEY
LIGHTING DESIGN: DAVID WEINER
SCENIC DESIGN: DAVID GALLO
SOUND AND MUSIC DESIGN: ROB MILBURN & MICHAEL BODEEN

MARIN IRELAND as STEPH
THOMAS SADOWSKI as GREG
STEVEN PASQUALE as KENT
PIPER PERABO as CARLY

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE OPINIONS OFFERED BELOW CONTAIN SPOILERS TO THE SHOW!!!!

In the much anticipated Broadway debut of Mr. LaBute, RTBP brings us abruptly into a world where words are lethal. Mr. LaBute finishes his "self image" series with this poignant comedy that keeps us laughing while presenting us with an issue that has been apparent in his work since the opening of "The Shape Of Things." Each play, "Fat Pig" being the second in the series, has incorporated a type of message regarding society's belief in beauty as self worth. However, not only is this the final chapter, this is also a stand alone coming of age story which Mr. LaBute quotes as "the story he had to tell."

The play is also not without its history. It originally premiered Off-Broadway with Allison Pill in the role of Steph. It achieved great success and opened many people up to the writing of Mr. LaBute. Differing from the Off-Broadway version, the Broadway version did not split the play into four sequences. Originally, each character uttered a monologue, with Greg's speech closing the play. The change was a wise choice. In breaking the fourth wall, the production could have suffered. However, with the omission of the monologues, a new ending was required. The new ending, which I shall spoil later on due to the premature closing of this show, felt contrived.

The scenes are quickly paced with overlapping dialogue (Mr. LaBute's signature style) and are completed with a blackout followed by rock music. The point of attack happens mid-fight when Steph (Ms. Ireland) is trying to acquire the truth from her boyfriend Greg (Mr. Sadowski) in reference to a word or phrase he uttered to her dismay. As the play progresses, Steph's temper is performed on a comedic level but this later proves to show a good deal of contrast to the "silent" temper which Greg owns throughout the play until his final "battle." The action between Steph and Greg comes to a conclusion when he confirms he remarked that her face was "regular" compared to another woman at work, but he meant it as a compliment. Greg tries to make light of the situation, all the while not grasping why Steph's best friend Carly, (Ms. Perabo) who overheard this, would cause this mayhem. 

At work, Greg works alongside his best friend Kent (Mr. Pasquale) and Carly, both of whom are a couple. Carly is head security guard in the evening at a warehouse while Greg and Kent are night laborers. Carly is said to represent the "beauty." She has the looks, the mind, the "everything." Kent is in all senses: a womanizer. He adores Carly, finds every part of her sexy, but has an affair with Krystal, a woman whose "face" caused the controversy for the two couples. In the background of the emotional Picasso-esque moments, Mr. LaBute works in the subplot of a softball game that Kent and Greg are a part of due to their employment. As the plot progresses, we find that Carly is pregnant, Steph has moved on and Kent is still cheating. When Greg confronts him, they have an altercation that leads to a physical and humiliating fight. In the only chance Greg has to one-up his friend, now that Kent has moved to days so he could sleep with Carly before she goes to work and sleep with Krystal when Carly leaves, Greg walks off the team, forcing Kent to bear the burden of losing for once in his life. Once back at work, Greg takes a heroic step when a meeting with Carly proves that Kent is still cheating. In one of my favorite parts of the play Greg simply asks Carly if she has any sick days left. She responds affirmatively and Greg proceeds to tell her to take the day off and go home to Kent. Not later, not tomorrow, not in an hour but RIGHT NOW. She simply nods and cries as she walks off. 

And, then there was Steph and Greg. After a few incidents involving a vicious letter-reading moment at a mall and an awkward moment in a lounge where Steph meets her future fiancee, Steph shows up at Greg's job. After talking and confessing, the scene draws to a close. This final scene is the only bit in the play I had a hard time getting past. It went over to the melodramatic side and as I said earlier, it felt contrived. It ends with a final kiss between the two: their goodbye as Steph goes off to start her life. The problem was not the acting, nor was it the writing. The ending just didn't feel right for the theatre. When Greg makes his final sob and his ultimate fuck you to his job, it had a wonderful coming of age feel about it. Greg has made the transformation we had wished he possessed prior to this instance. Yet, the emotion between the two characters felt like we were ending a TV movie instead of a play. To be honest, I feel the ending could be satisfactory for some audiences and leave others groaning. "Reasons To Be Pretty" ended optimistically which is no easy task when the relationship at the center did not resurface. The final kiss, though sweet, also felt dishonest. Steph, whom we have viewed as moral, has accepted her fiancees' proposal but then initiates a kiss. The overall problem, and there are two ways to view this, is there was too much closure. If you look at this as a stand alone play, the ending felt contrived and too "neat." However, if you look at this as a LaBute trilogy and this being the final chapter, the ending is completely respectable since trilogies such as Lanford Wilson's "Talley's" and John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt," are expected to offer us closure which this infact does.

Mr. LaBute's writing is wonderfully enjoyable. There are no flashy monologues, or classical approaches. His writing is down to earth, fresh and hilarious. His gift is his ability to blend both comedy and pathos. I agree with members of the press and Mr. LaBute himself that this is his most "grown up" piece of work. The theme is present through every word. The "supporting" characters sometimes carry more of the theme and premise than the leads which proves nothing more than the fact that Mr. LaBute cares about every character he imagines. He is a favorite among critics, college-goers, and with his work now being widespread on Broadway, I feel that his work will finally be acknowledged for what is always has been: hidden genius. After all, his Broadway debut landed him a Tony nomination (and if it was any other season, a probable win) for Best Play.

With the exception of the rock music, Mr. Kinney's production was flawless. With a certain ease, he brings us into this suburban world and begs us to understand the relationships of man vs. woman, woman vs. man, work vs. play and beauty vs. self worth. All elements, especially Mr. Weiner's lighting is perfectly mended for an exact fitting in this puzzle. Mr. Gallo's naturalistic scenic design complete with a vending machine and microwave worked perfectly with the production and heightened the blue collar environment that beautifully served as the backdrop for this story. Mr. Milburn and Mr. Bodeen's sound and music design were also appropriate. However, the transition of scenes with rock music did not seem aligned for me.

Mr. Pasquale gives a delightful performance as Kent. He owns the masculinity and obtuseness of the role and hangs onto it until his last fighting breath. Mr. Pasquale reminds us why Greg has been Kent's friend all these years, and though he represents a quotient of men who are easily judged, he shows us that his thought process for cheating isn't to hurt Carly, which is a true character defining moment, but only for his self gratification.

FAVORITE LINE: (referencing Greg eating a Power Bar) "You can't eat one if you just had a meal. It's a supplement. It's not dessert."

Ms. Perabo is wonderful in the role of Carly. I would say she is the character with the least amount of "laugh lines" but Ms. Perabo makes this a performance of quality. Her stride, her manner and her voice are perfected of a woman who has been handed everything because of her looks. It's even suggested this is how she achieved her position as head security guard. Carly's arc goes from being a woman of authority to a woman of desperation. Ms. Perabo pulls this off beautifully. In one of the most touching scenes of the play, she all but begs Greg to inform her of the truth so she can live a happy life. Most notably known for her role in "Coyote Ugly," Ms. Perabo stripped everything away and gave us a fantastically raw performance for her Broadway debut.

FAVORITE LINE: (responding after Greg answers her question on how he is enjoying Poe, to which he responded: "It's dark."): "Yeah, it's night."

Mr. Sadowski's performance can never be criticized for a lack of energy. Greg is determined to prove his love and his humanity. Mr. Sadowski highlights Greg as a regular guy who has made a regular mistake. At times, we feel more empathy for him than we do for Steph. He matches wits with perfection to Ms. Ireland. The relationship between Mr. Sadowski and Mr. Pasquale is intentionally childish and Mr. Sadowski milks this wonderfully. For as passive as Greg is, it's in those passive silences that Mr. Sadowski lets us gain true character insight. Greg comes full circle from start to finish and does so with an elegance that lets us hope that he will one day get over Steph.

FAVORITE LINE: (in response to Steph walking out of the mall during a fight) "Fine. Leave. Go. You and your stupid face."


Ms. Ireland makes her Broadway debut in Mr. LaBute's play but has been around since the opening of Adam Rapp's "Nocturne" in 2002. In taking a phrase from bloggers when speaking of Alice Ripley, (2009 Tony winner for "Next To Normal") Ms. Ireland is fierce. From the onset of the argument, to the physicality that Steph exudes, and ending with such profound emotional depth, Ms. Ireland encompasses Steph to a degree of hilarity and perfection. She is a beautiful young woman who is uniquely talented and uses her range extremely well here. Ms. Ireland finds the humor in Steph's abrasive attitude, but always evokes our compassion. She is a woman scorned, whether it be intentionally or not. Ms. Ireland melded herself into this role and the final product is a performance that makes you tingle, laugh and think. At the risk of being repetitive, her chemistry with Mr. Sadowski could make or break the performance of this production. Not only do they work beautifully off of each other but they bring out the worst and best in every possible area. Ms. Ireland is a shining star. She's the reason to see this production if you are not a LaBute junkie.

FAVORITE LINE: (in response to Greg complaining about her vulgarity): "Fuck off. Fucker. Fuck."

Reasons To Be Pretty is closing on Sunday June 14th. The play, though financially not as successful as the backers would have liked, was a hit with critics. It's a wonderfully constructed spectacle of theatre that, if all else failed, gave "older" theatre-goers an honest view of adolescent relationships. I would advise you to catch the final performances. If you miss it, get the script. It's the Off-Broadway version but it will bring you into this world. RTBP was more than enjoyable. It was a perfect end to a meaningful trilogy.

A Fine Frenzy - October 28, 2009

Tonight, at approximately 9:30 p.m., Alison Sudol of A Fine Frenzy took the stage at the Blender Theater in Gramercy Park, NYC. Having seen Ms. Sudol before on her "One Cell" tour, the anticipation of her new album "Bomb in a Birdcage" and her appearance have been boiling up until this moment. The first thing you notice about Ms. Sudol is her hair. No, I don't mean when she is on stage. As she waits in the wings to come on, you catch a glimpse of her beautiful red hair and you smile, knowing the wait is over and that maybe, you were the only one to have that quick glimpse.

Ms. Sudol appeared on the stage, starting the night off with her new album's first song "What I Wouldn't Do." In a bit of a country style, the song is a perfect opening and crowd pleaser. Sudo, entranced,l had the right amount of fun with it.

One of the great things about A Fine Frenzy, is the way the set list is arranged. They take us from one song to the next, only stopping for Ms. Sudol's sultry, adorable and sincere "Thank you." There are people who have seen such legends as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, just to name a few, that I am certain would agree with the comparison that Ms. Sudol is one of those performers, you simply cannot take your eyes off of. Putting physical beauty aside, her rhythm, emotion, sincerity, and out right love for everyone in the audience takes us into a place of peace. A place outside the economic downturn, away from the careers we struggle to keep and instead show us the sunlight that lies deep down inside of us; that we are all good people with beautiful souls who hurt, but find the strength to move on. Ms. Sudol shows us where to look for beauty, whether in "The Minnow and the Trout", a beautiful ballad which on the surface is about nature but underneath is about the human capacity to accept differences and unite.

Sudol also has a wonderful sense of humor Whether it be from the moments she takes to remove the hair from her mouth or her pleasant technique of weaving stories in between songs, her personality is on full display. Being in New York, she shyly and coyly commented on her image and used "fuck" in a sentence, sighting "It's New York." She commented on how quiet the crowd was for a New York show and she was right. You could hear a pin drop in between her songs, the audience matching Ms. Sudol's old fashioned manners of politeness, courtesy and respect. She took a moment to explain to us about the High School Musical cup she was drinking from, commenting on characters and pop culture. In a final bit of comedy from the end of the show, Sudol, after a powerful number, had mangled the microphone. Upon noticing this, she acknowledged the event by stating "That's part of rock and roll, I guess."

The set was beautifully blended with ballads and rock songs. One of the first ballads of the evening, "Last of Days". amounted to becoming more powerful than even the lyrics allow because of Sudol's body language and clear personal regard for the song. The same was true in a slower version of her hit single "Almost Lover." The power of Sudol's smile, the clutching of her right arm upon lyrics that she has no doubt lived through and the way her body moves to the music (sometimes as if moving on its own in accordance with her emotions) can only solidify what a rare gift Alison Sudol, at only twenty four years old, possesses.

On her last tour, she covered "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Deathcab for Cutie and "Across The Universe" by The Beatles. "Dark", a beautiful haunting soft ballad and "Universe", a song spanning generations were infact so enchanting to see, it could almost take us away from the fact that they were covers, but rather newly interpreted versions of already perfected songs. This evening, Ms. Sudol chose Blondie's "Heart of Glass" to cover, which became one of the most powerful moments of the night. Blondie fan or no Blondie fan, Beatles fan or no Beatles fan, originality is present in every song, note and even gesture Sudol allows us to witness.

Upon her final return to the stage, Sudol closed the night with "I'll Follow The Sun" by The Beatles. A perfected soprano rendition of this song ended the night in an inevitable way: leaving us hoping the concert would not end, but moreso instilling our anticipation of what she will put on the shelves in the next few years. Before finally leaving the stage, she took time to thank the audience for purchasing tickets in this economy, for being at the theater, for buying her albums and most of all for supporting music that's a little different.

Watching her stride off the stage after taking her final solo bow, you can't help but wonder if this is what it was like to see one of the greats early on in their career. Someone who's talent cannot be denied, someone we can count on to take us out of the day to day moments of stress and above all, someone who is grateful and appreciative for her talent and being able to do what she loves most.

Poetic, original and unforgettable. Ringo Starr was once quoted in an interview saying "I'd like to end up...sort of...unforgettable." Those who do what they love, stand up passionately for what they believe and then find the means to share that with the world, these are heroic, unforgettable people. Alison Sudol is unforgettable.