New Comedy Shines On Broadway

Review by Christopher Moore, Broadway Magazine

The unusually quirky and surprisingly successful new comedy “Elling” opened tonight at the venerable Ethel Barrymore Theatre. For anyone who thought the people of Norway lacked a sense of humor, let the record stand corrected. Based on the Norwegian novels of Ingvar Ambjornsen, and adapted from the Academy Award nominated foreign film; the vision conjured up by Simon Bent and director Doug Hughes of “Elling” on Broadway is inspired in its dry subtly and subversive in its world view.

Set in a modern Oslo, two former inmates of a mental hospital take an apartment together as they attempt to live a ‘normal’ life and fit into society. As the friends Elling and Kjell Bjarne (that is the correct spelling, I swear) begin their ‘normal’ life, they encounter an ordinary world that is just as eccentric and wonderful as they are. While the play begins as a cross between Samuel Beckett and Joe Orton, it ends up being something entirely different. The terse wit of Beckett is there throughout, but there is a narrative that unfolds and characters that develop in a singular way that is wonderfully pleasing.

The word “rare” is invoked at several points in the story by Elling to describe his orangutan of a friend Kjell; it is a moniker that applies to this entire production. With heartening twists, “Elling” could be the oddest feel-good hit in recent Broadway history.

In addition to the singular creation of Ambjornsen’s novel and vision of director Hughes and company, the success of the production owes a great deal to one of the most eclectic and effective ensembles now on Broadway.

Denis O’Hare takes the title role of Elling, a closet poet (literally). O’Hare instantly captivates the audience with his flawless combination of wit, intellect and unapologetic “mommie’s boy” insecurity. O’Hare finds more dimensions in the simple eccentricity and world-view of Elling than one might expect. As his friend, Brendan Fraser is not afraid to look unglamorous nor to act unglamorously; it is an enjoyable performance, and both Mr. O’Hare and Mr. Fraser appear to be in perfect harmony. Added to this are Richard Easton as a great poet who has lost his muse and Jennifer Coolidge as a neighbor who befriends the pair. Both Mr. Easton and Ms. Coolidge are strong in their roles and balance the fragility of their characters with a solid dose of joy.

As the play unfolds, this group forms an eclectic and eccentric community where even the most dysfunctional, drunken or depressed soul can both find and bring joy and happiness to the others. Ultimately there is a quite hopeful message that glows beneath the humor of the play; it is the idea that even the most damaged among us can be a vehicle for hope and inspiration. Unlike other recent off-beat new plays like “A Behanding In Spokane” or “God of Carnage” there is a heart that goes along with the smiles. The world can be a difficult place, but for a too-brief two hours on Broadway, Elling reminds us that courage takes many forms and facing our fears is not such a bad idea, at least in Oslo.

TAGS: Broadway, Elling, Brendan Fraser, Denis O’Hare, Norway, Opening Night, Review

Review by Christopher Moore, Broadway Magazine

“The Scottsboro Boys” is the new musical from Broadway legends John Kander and the late Fred Ebb, featuring an inspired book by David Thompson. As with past musicals by Kander and Ebb such as Cabaret and Chicago, The Scottsboro Boys appropriates a historical theatrical style relevant to its subject matter and then subverts that style to create a unforgettably powerful contemporary message.

The sass of the musical Chicago’s take on celebrity justice is achieved through the style of a vaudeville show, or the dawn of the Nazis rise to power lurks in the cabaret shadows of Cabaret.

However, with The Scottsboro Boys, the theatrical style of choice is nothing less provocative than the Minstrel Show, and the subject matter is based on actual events that are both complicated and unsettling. The end result is a Broadway musical that successfully pushes the conventions of the American musical form to address the always relevant American themes of Racism and Justice. Through the true story of the Scottsboro Boys of the 1930s, Kander and Ebb have found a subject that indirectly addresses contemporary issues of race through an appropriately complicated lens.

Wrongfully accused of raping two white women in 1931, nine African American young men in Alabama underwent hardship and miscarriages of justice. Their story became a celebrated cause for both the Communist Party in the north and organizations like the NAACP. Rallies were held on behalf of the men, some of the freed “Boys” were featured on Vaudeville; their trials form part of the foundation of the Civil Rights movement of the 50s and 60s.

Through multiple trials, the nine young men experienced ups and downs as a justice system itself struggled with constitutional issues that directly applied to Civil Rights. Again, David Thompson’s book for the musical structures key points of the factual story in such a way that the epic history of the subject does not overwhelm the individual stories of the “Boys” themselves.

With absolutely flawless performances and inspired direction by Susan Stroman, the musical tap dances and shuffles its way joyously into the uncomfortable subjects of Racism with unapologetic and disconcerting pizzazz. Racism is painful, and though the script does not invoke the most incendiary racial epitaphs, a little taste the racism of the 1930s goes a long way. Kander and Ebb do not limit the racism to the African American subjects of the musical, also including the attacks on the Jewish lawyers who defended the “Boys” after their first disastrous trial.

There are moments in this production that directly present ugly aspects of America’s complex racial and sometimes racist history. These moments are staged tastefully and artfully and with the best of intentions; but they will make you squirm all the same. Again, Kander and Ebb at their best use the polish of Broadway to reflect the darker side of History’s past and by extension our own complex present. With The Scottsboro Boys, the pair are at their provocative best.

Joshua Henry as Haywood Patterson provides the anchor to the story of the actual Scottsboro Boys, and his performance is memorable for its combination of strength and vulnerability. You will not forget him, nor any of the other performances. With John Cullum serving as the Interlocutor, the head of the minstrel group, offering a performance that is profound in its ease and deep in its understanding of the issues of race and racism.

Perhaps the greatest challenge of the evening falls on the shoulders of Colman Domingo and Forrest McClendon who are asked to embody the full Minstrel Show regalia as Mr. Bones and Mr. Tambo. In their roles, they also play many of the other white characters in the story. Each actor is worthy of praise and recognition for both their ability to perform in the style of the Minstrel Show and for resisting the temptation to insert a comment on that form itself. They trust in the unsettling power of the material, and when the final “Minstrel March” plays out on stage the entire production is at its disturbing best. It is the most unforgettable end to a musical that you will ever see, and to discuss it more is to rob the production of some of its power.

With The Scottsboro Boys, Broadway is reminded that the past is never so far away as it seems; that justice in America is not so easily obtained; and that the musical theatre itself can illuminate and challenge and awe. In lesser hands, the subject might’ve been a lesser musical; but this is Kander and Ebb at their best (and that is saying something).

There will be inevitable debate about this production, rightfully so. However, there can be little question that complicated struggle of the wrongfully accused young men in Scottsboro is worthy of attention and contains messages that remain relevant (and complicated) today. The Scottsboro Boys is a landmark Broadway musical. When you see it, you will not forget it.

Review by Christopher Moore, Broadway Magazine

Football is a tough sport, and the new Broadway production of Lombardi is a tough play. With nominal sponsorship from the NFL, the production seeks to offer both an honest portrait of a complex leader while maintaining the sheen on the winning Lombardi legend. For those of you not in Osh Kosh, Vincent Lombardi was the legendary football coach of the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s. He led the team to victories in the first two Super Bowls, and the trophy given to modern winners of the Super Bowl is named for Coach Lombardi.

Now, in a new Broadway play, writer Eric Simonson delivers a portrait of Lombardi by focusing on one particular week in the champion’s life. Simonson invents the character of a young New York sports writer who is in Green Bay to cover Lombardi. The reporter asks questions and helps move the story forward. In the play, the coach has recently been the victim of a hatchet job by a writer from Esquire that has incensed the Coach and everyone around him. The new writer is there to set the record straight. It is unclear if the Esquire article is fact or fiction, but it may have made for a more compelling play if Simonson had turned his attention to that encounter rather than this one featuring a reporter who worships the coach.

As the play stands, the writer from Look magazine is a life-long Lombardi fan who can spout statistics and even becomes one with the team, though in the end struggles to find some objectivity we are told. The writer-character sums up Lombardi as the most imperfect “perfect” man he had ever known. One wishes there had been less ‘perfect’ and more’ imperfect.’

The success of Lombardi the play is in its ability to subtly touch on the darker side of the winning story. We learn that Lombardi showed the back of his hand to his estranged son quite often, the coach and his wife drink quite a bit, and it is suggested that Lombardi may not even have had the best interest of his players at heart when it came to the business side of the sport (the coach was also the General Manager). Nothing is more uninteresting than perfection, and the faint hints to a darker side of this heroic portrait are fascinating. Simonson errs on the side of hero worship in his script, but he does suggest fuller dimensions to the story in a crafty way.

Another pleasure of the production is that the show captures a time when the NFL was not the enterprise it has become—it seems almost quaint. Players and fans and coaches were all fairly accessible, coaches could work at a bank in the off-season, and the idea of having an agent negotiate a contract on behalf of a player could be considered outrageous. In the lobby of the Circle-In-The-Square theatre, among the giant portraits of the legends there are real jerseys from the actual 1960s players and even the genuine players’ bench from Lombardi’s last game. Looking at those items, and seeing the raw footage of actual games played in the freezing gray of winter, one is reminded of the human scale of the sport that has become gargantuan.

Simonson may have delivered the playbook, but it is they players on the stage who make this show one of the winningest sports plays ever produced. Dan Lauria as Vincent Lombardi is almost too good as the coach. He barks, he purrs, he drinks, he coaches; Lauria gives Vincent Lombardi a Shakespearean dimension, the coach is genuinely a man haunted and obsessed. Though the actor mutes the violence that is inherent in the story, for the most part it is an uncanny portrayal that fascinates. While it would be a better play if Lombardi were a less likeable character, Lauria does his level best to give a balance rendering of an imbalanced mercurial figure.

Perhaps the richest performance of the evening belongs to Judith Light as Mrs. Lombardi. With a steady flow of cocktails, Ms. Light is unswerving in her ability to capture a conflicted woman who has made sacrifices and reaped rewards. A football widow, Ms. Light finds the human pulse and passion of this woman and never hits a false note. Together with Lauria, they are a natural couple, and their performances are exceptional. The rest of the cast does a solid job, but the characters never get beyond uncomplicated stereotypes: the earnest reporter, the bad boy athlete, the bumpkin. The actors do a remarkable job, but the script doesn’t give them much of an arc to travel.

That said, the subject of Lombardi is Lombardi, and the production delivers an intriguing look inside the life and mind of a tenacious spirit who only wanted to win…and managed to win a lot. Pick your favorite sports cliché and insert it here—Lombardi on Broadway is a winner.

Feast of Fools

Review by Ellen Anthony, Broadway Magazine

No one will ever  forget,

The first half hour of “La Bête.”

David Hirson’s 1990 play “La Bête” is a rare rhyming and intellectually innovative work. A contemporary play inspired by the works of Moliere, it is a resized post-modern version of a seventeenth-century comedy of manners (but minus a love plot, be warned). The play is both innovative and classic. The premise is this: Elomire (David Hyde Pierce), the theatrical director of the court troupe is forced by his Royal patron, the Princess (Joanna Lumley) to add Valere (Mark Rylance), a vulgar street clown, to his company. To say that Valere is grotesque would be to put it kindly —he is a self-infatuated, self-inflated, self-promoting low comedian who joyfully and artfully insults his learned hosts on everything from their choice of food to their taste in art. By the second half of the play, he is asked to stage for the Princess his own work using Elomire’s players in an effort to determine if he and Valere can go forward as collaborators.

The beginning of the play is the funniest: Rylance, in his opening monologue, which contains several disgusting acts—I wont spoil them for you—is at his best giving us a smooth talking, brilliantly conceived rogue who obliviously spits and farts his way through what feels like an entire act. Language, art, fashion, books, food, no subject is omitted, and by the end we are well acquainted with the views of a man we would rather not know. It is hilarious.

The second half of the story is more serious. Valere puts on his play within the play, and we see, as he performs in front of a large, red velvet sign on which he has crudely scratched the word TRUTH, how artificial he really is; with no real coherent vision, or learning, or even talent, he stumbles through his comedy. But the Princess, determined to find new forms, sees meaning in its freshness, even if it is nonsense, and ultimately forces Elomire to choose: learn to collaborate, or lose your position at court.

The ultimate problem with the play is the ending. Hirson’s Valere can hardly be taken as a credible champion for a populist theatre (let alone anything else), as he himself is an insufferable snob in beggar’s clothes, and Elomire’s purist notions about art are delivered by David Hyde Pierce’s Elomire who is acted as a kind of Frasieresque prig. Frankly, by the end, I did not want to attend a play penned or acted by either character and we are left wondering why the Princess doesn’t throw them both out. Is there really no other option?

Ultimately, the play ends up being a kind of state of the union address on theatre and takes a slightly too didactic tone. Still, Mark Rylance delivers an incredible performance together with Joanna Lumley, who is also quite good. As the patron-in-chief, she plays a demanding self-centered audience member who doesn’t know what she wants, but she wants something different. Stamping her foot and exclaiming something along the lines of, “My point of view is the only one that matters,” we are reminded of the twentieth-century problem that theatre is now a commercial art.

Flaws aside, Hirson’s play is an incredibly funny and creative work that artfully (in verse no less) recycles the most memorable characters of the Sun King’s court for a modern audience: Valere is a beautiful marriage of Tartuffe and Trissotin, hilariously reenacting the most obnoxious manners of the seventeenth-century French stage. Directed by Matthew Warchus and designed by Mark Thompson, this is a beautifully produced production that injects a healthy dose of inventiveness and ingenuity into the current Broadway theatre season.

Review by Christopher Moore, Broadway Magazine

The new Broadway musical “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” offers a modern look at the life and times of one of the most controversial American presidents of all time. Mixing a coarse frontier spirit with a smooth contemporary insight into the world of politics (both personal and professional), the musical will remind Broadway viewers of angst-filled rock productions like American Idiot and Spring Awakening. However, when this production wears its heart on its sleeve, it also has its tongue firmly in its cheek.

There is a rough-edged cynicism that blends agreeably with a political savvy that makes the production a thoughtful success. It is far more sass than sincerity, but the end result is impressively thought provoking. Highlighting that celebrity and politics have always been bed fellows, elections have often been corrupt, and that fear has always been a motivating force in an election year, the incidents in the show seem remarkably prescient. If “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” reminds us that history repeats itself, it does so in an inventively theatrical way that feels animated and wholly original.

Invoking a 21^st century spin on a 19^th century theatrical performance style, the history in “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” is written in ALL CAPS and four-letter words. The over-the-top use of profanity, sensuality, and even stage blood enhances rather than detracts from the major themes of the show. In a post-Obama election year, the show does more than poke fun at the hypocritical element of politics and the shallowness of the electorate—it also makes comically clear the dire consequences of the flaws in our political system. With the insightful and the inciting moments playing side by side with the silly and the sublime, there is a dizzying pace and electric pulse about the entire performance that keeps one on the edge of their seat.

Do you want the American people running America? It is a central question that comes up time and time again in the musical as the “populist” president tries to literally put the American people in charge of their government. The outcome feels inevitable, but the question refuses to go away. Rather than a liberal or conservative perspective, “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” embraces an outsider’s perspective on the political system that suggests the problem with Washington in 1824 is very much the same as in 2010. The ultimate out-lier is envisioned in this production as President Jackson—he’s a modern hero who does what he feels to be the right thing for the right reasons, only to find himself on the wrong side of history.

As the title character, Benjamin Walker does an outstanding job of being both petulant rock star and genuinely conflicted leader who pledges himself to be the people’s president even if that means not listening to the people at all. Walker leads the charge, and the entire production marches in step. The whole ensemble brings an energy and polish to the story that never strays too far into silliness or looks too deep into the dark. The questions raised by Alex Timbers and Michael Friedman’s strutting-gem of a musical are not answered, nor could they be. What satisfies most about this production is its ability to inspire reflection on the current state of politics and come away smiling…even in an election year.

You may hate him, you may love him, but you will never forget this President Andrew Jackson.

Sing along with us on Twitter for all the best Broadway can give.

Review by Ellen Anthony, Broadway Magazine

Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of Donald Margulies newest play, “Time Stands Still,” is a smart, moving and, at times, funny story about both intimacy and estrangement. What is so surprising about this recent play is that it is able to successfully prove that all contemporary plays do not have to have the verbal fireworks of Neil LaBute, the cleverness of David Mamet, or even the hyper-intellectualism of a Woody Allen film to be engaging. Though the play is a bit reminiscent of a work by Allen, Mamet, or LaBute, it is better—there is an authenticity to the characters that makes Margulies’ take on the “relationship” play unique and fresh.

It is not surprising that Margulies, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright himself, can write sensitive characters and intelligent dialogue, but this play is perhaps better than his well known “Dinner With Friends” because of its sheer simplicity. It beautifully resurrects the familiar genre of naturalism and does so with such ease and grace that we wonder why plays like this aren’t on Broadway all the time.

The story begins by introducing us to a photojournalist named Sarah (Laura Linney) and her long time partner James (Brian d’Arcy James) as they arrive home from Germany where she was being treated after surviving a roadside bomb attack in Iraq. On crutches, arm in a sling, and with visible wounds on her face, Sarah’s struggles, both physically and emotionally, are at the heart of this story. An experienced and at times hardened photographer she is both a serious yet somewhat detached observer of the world’s atrocities, using her camera to chronicle violence and inhumanity. Upon returning home and meeting with her editor, she is suddenly (and hilariously) thrown together with his seemingly moronic girlfriend, Mandy (an outstanding Christina Ricci) who chit chats her way though much of the first act.

Sarah’s long time partner James, who was originally with her in Iraq but returned several weeks before after an emotional breakdown, now looks forward to resuming a more normal life. Longing to get married and start a family, he is envious of the simplicity of Richard’s (Eric Bogosian) and Mandy’s new relationship. Though the scene in which the two couples initially meet is extremely funny, it also sets the stage for an exploration of more serious issues. At one point, Sarah begins to show her photographs and Mandy recoils in horror and disgust, naively but rather poignantly questioning why Sarah doesn’t actually try to help these people, in particular a young child who has been badly burned. Her naiveté is what makes it possible for her to ask certain questions.

In the end, however, the play is more about love than politics and the story of Sarah and James is what is most interesting. Laura Linney and Brian d’Arcy James have a natural chemistry, all the time making you forget you are in a theatre at all.

This production is expertly directed by Daniel Sullivan, primarily because it does not feel directed. His minimalism suits a Margulies’ work perfectly. The set and costumes are equally unobtrusive, saying much about the casual hipness of a Brooklyn flat by not saying much at all. It is a production that is both entertaining and insightful, combining powerful performances and a perceptive eye for contemporary issues and complications.

By Christopher Moore, Broadway Magazine

It is not an exaggeration to say that there is no other performance on Broadway more brilliantly imagined than Cherry Jones in Mrs. Warren’s Profession. Her performance is transcendently brilliant. To catalog her achievements would be to rob you of the experience. See this performance, if you do nothing else in the next 150 years.

In the current Broadway production of “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” at the American Airlines Theatre, Ms. Jones brings to life one of George Bernard Shaw’s most memorable non-conformists. A 19^th Century working woman, who succeeded in one of the few lines of business that permitted female success in that age –prostitution. Not simply a practitioner, Shaw’s Mrs. Warren is a true entrepreneur who has achieved a Trump-like success in the oldest profession running a string of houses across the capitals of Europe.

In Ms. Jones’ performance, Mrs. Warren is both a true Shavian capitalist (”I love making money”) and a woman of the world. An authentically original performance, Ms. Jones’ achievement is not in re-imagining the character in a new way. Rather it is her amazing fidelity to the spirit of Shaw’s creation that makes the performance so memorable. Part Mae West and part Eliza Dolittle, Ms. Jones has so artfully rendered her character that you forget Mrs. Warren is a character at all.

While some Shaw plays may be word-heavy and dramatically-light, that is not the case with “Mrs. Warren’s Profession.” The playwright’s concern with issues of class and the oppression of women retains an Ibsen-like intensity; but with this play Shaw’s insight into human nature is equally vibrant. At the center of the play is Vivie Warren, the daughter of Mrs. Warren, who has been given a privileged upbringing completely unaware of the source of her mother’s wealth. Once the truth comes to light, the daughter faces a conflict between morality and economic reality. It is an inspired play in any context, and as refreshingly modern as any play written in the last twenty years.

The production from the Roundabout Theatre benefits greatly from an accomplished cast who, for the most part, have an unaffected ease with Shaw’s language and ideas. Both the humor and the insight of Shaw are on full display, and across the board the cast deserves praise. As Vivie, Sally Hawkins imbues her character with both the requisite awkwardness of a mathematical genius and the fiery soul of a Shavian heroine. Mark Harelik, like Ms. Jones, brings rich texture and dimension to the character of Sir George Crofts. Michael Siberry and Adam Driver as father and son equally and effortlessly deliver performances that are nuanced too. Representing the voice of the artist in the production, Edward Hibbert does not overly embellish his character with an Oscar Wilde-like flair. Mr. Hibbert is wholly grounded in his performance and subtle in his interpretation. It is a strong ensemble without a weak link.

Where the production seems to get off-base slightly is in Act IV of the play. While Ms. Hawkins’ performance as Vivie benefits early on from frenetic mannerisms and a sometimes-rushed and sometimes-halting delivery; however, she fails to find the certitude of Vivie in the last act. This makes the final act (and the production itself) less of a success. Shaw peppers his stage directions for Vivie in the final act with words like “calmly,” “steadfastly,” “quietly,” “kindly,” and “matter-of-factly.” However, in the production Ms. Hawkins’ Vivie seems still quite conflicted and extremely volatile. This undermines the final scene of the play as it becomes a bit of a shouting match with furniture being slapped about and characters screeching at one another over a desk. Always accomplished at creating unsympathetic parental characters, in Mrs. Warren Shaw has crafted a masterpiece. Ms. Jones makes us love Mrs. Warren, but that doesn’t mean she is necessarily a good mother, as Shaw reveals. The tone of the final act feels discordant with the play Shaw wrote. Ms. Hawkins’ Vivie’s instability denies a counterpoint to Ms. Jones’ desperation in the final act. That is a minor disappointment.

Very minor. The truth is that if there is only one right way to play Shaw on Broadway, this production would be it. Impeccably produced and well-acted, this is Shaw at is joyous best. The Roundabout production of Mrs. Warren’s Profession is a rare chance to experience Shaw on stage in a production that lets the playwright’s voice be heard. More than this, you will believe that it is quite possible that when George Bernard Shaw wrote this play so long ago, he was actually writing it for Cherry Jones.

Photos by Joan Marcus.

TAGS: Broadway, Opening Night, Review, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Cherry Jones, Broadway Magazine, Broadway.tv, George Bernard Shaw, Sally Hawkins

Review by Christopher Moore, Broadway Magazine

Lee Hall’s new play “The Pitmen Painters” tells a true story about a group of miners in Northern England during the 1930s. The miners pool together their resources to hire a teacher to instruct them in art appreciation. However, when their teacher arrives, he encourages the group to create their own works of art, rather than study old masters. The resulting works by this group eventually impress critics and wealthy patrons. The artwork of the miners becomes known as The Ashington School, which may not be as famous as the school of Impressionism, but holds a certain fascination all the same.

“Inspired” by a book by William Feaver, Lee Hall (”Billy Elliot”) crafts a script that mirrors the art of the Pitmen. It is a straight-forward play told in a straight-forward way, at times lacking passion for its subject, but never lacking an affection for the subject it depicts. Hall is deft when it comes to crafting clever dialogue, and he is eager to mine the many themes which the play’s subject raises: classism and art; the role of art and commerce; the responsibility of the artist; the nature of art itself; and a few others too. Hall’s script and the story of the painters raise some interesting questions and some un-interesting ones too.

At times, the play’s conversations about art, politics, patronage and class struggle feel a bit pat. Occasionally the Marxist rhetoric and issues relating to the nationalization of the mining industry lack an authentic dramatic thrust. The best questions Hall doesn’t and couldn’t answer, those relating to the decisions of the miners to continue practicing their painting, or even the reasons why each of the individual painters seem from the very on-set to be quite a genuinely talented visual artist. The first effort of each painter more closely resembles Rockwell Kent’s engravings than any work you might expect from a true first-time artist rendering.

While the art may never rise to the level of a masterpiece, it never sinks to the level of bad; which creates its own problem. Even the initial exercises were exceptional. There are no uncertain lines and even the mistakes are inspired. One wonders how random it was that the group of miners would request an art teacher in the first place. Regardless, the journey of these men is compelling and Hall does his level best to fit a large story on a small canvas.

The real charm of the production is the gifted ensemble of actors who bring the story to life. Christopher Connel is exceptional as Oliver Kilbourn, one of the more talented of the talented pitmen painters. Connel is entirely believable as an uneducated miner with greater aspirations, and his authenticity grounds the entire production in an earnestness that gives the play its emotional impact. Given the choice between a life in the mines and a life as an artist, Connel’s portrayal of Kilbroun’s struggle is muted and powerful. There is not a false note in it, and Connel’s performance makes Kilbourn a fascinating focal point for the dramatic action of the play. The rest of the ensemble is praise worthly too, with ian Kelly as the teacher Robert Lyon giving a nuanced performance at the sanctimonious art instructor with ambiguous motives. Michael Hodgson, Brian Lonsdale, Deka Walmsley and David Whitaker also offer strong performances. It is an ensemble that is in perfect sync and entirely natural.

As a play, The Pitmen Painters is entertaining and engaging. Though not perfect, Hall’s celebration of the artists of the mines is worthy of praise and adulation. While mining may not be a way of life in modern-day Ashington, there are plenty of other mines and miners literally and figuratively all over the world. Hall’s tribute to the redemptive power of engaging in the creative process is a reminder to all of the living Pitmen of this world now and in the future.

 For The Love of Love

By Christopher Moore, Broadway Magazine

There is no experience like love at first sight. The breathtakingly beautiful and artfully cheeky new Broadway musical “Brief Encounter” will undoubtedly invoke comparisons to other productions (Broadway’s “The 39 Steps”) or “Brief Encounter”’s original source material (Noel Coward’s play and screenplay for David Lean’s film). Do not be deceived—”Brief Encounter” is a wholly singular Broadway creation and one of the most delightfully insightful and pleasurably moving productions in recent memory. For the record, the show is superior to the aforementioned comparisons and likely to most other comparisons that might be made. Adapted and directed by Emma Rice and staged by Britain’s Kneehigh Theatre, “Brief Encounter” is pure magic.

The story of an illicit affair in England between two ordinary people in 1938, the plot is relatively simple. The romance between Alec and Laura plays out over a relatively short amount of time, primarily in a London train station. Rich with crashing waves, swelling music, rushing locomotives, roses, and row boats on lakes, the show embraces the Romantic nomenclature with unashamed zeal as the central characters meet and fall in love.

With outstanding performances by Hannah Yelland and Tristan Sturrock as the romantic leads, the entire production remains grounded in a genuine truth, showing a deep understanding of both the exhilaration and complication of the characters’ predicament. With stiff upper lips but trembling lower ones, they engage in a brief romance that takes both away from their ordinary lives and up to the stars as they drink champagne and swing from the chandeliers (literally). While the outcome of the affair is known to anyone familiar with the film, I won’t disclose the ending here.

Incorporating the songs of Noel Coward into this adaption of his one-act and screenplay, Emma Rice has revealed Noel Coward’s perceptive gift for understanding romance in all its variations. With brilliant musical arrangements by Stu Barker recalling the Gypsy jazz feel of Django Reinhardt, Coward’s lyrics in this production feel remarkably fresh. Like the entire production itself, the arrangements remove the enduring gadfly façade Noel Coward cultivated to reveal Coward as an artist with a true poet’s insight when it comes to matters of the heart. This is the first Coward production on Broadway where the quaint presence of Noel Coward The Man does not hover and smother the work of Noel Coward The Artist.

Weaving his songs craftily into the narrative, Broadway’s “Brief Encounter” also echoes the experience of watching the television films of Dennis Potter—where everyday characters burst out into musical production numbers. However, this new musical (and it is indeed a musical and unarguably new), balances it’s interludes of song and story perfectly. The music hall setting, lush projections, innovative production, and perfect characterizations from a gifted ensemble all combine to create an evening of extraordinary theatre. Comedy and tragedy harmonize perfectly throughout the production.

“Brief Encounter” is more Berthold Brecht than Oscar Wilde. On one level the production seems to embrace the principle’s of the Aesthetic Movement offering bright colors with some cheeky fun; but ultimately the show achieves the impact of Brecht’s alienation effect. The stage mechanics are exposed (sometimes for fun, sometimes not) and the projection design by Jon Driscoll and Gemma Carrington is inspired. In fact, theatre fans are sure to delight in the production’s ability to show the virtue of live performance versus the flat two-dimensions of the movie screen in real time. It is the movies that are void of love and life, not the stage.

The theatrical flair of the production may delight and awe the audience, but the distancing merely serves to bring us closer to the varied themes explored in Coward’s deceptively simple story. The show will take your breath away and make your pulse race; but you’ll think about it after the tears dry and your smile fades. Simply put, Emma Rice has given Noel Coward a new theatrical triumph.

Review by Linda Hodges, Broadway Magazine

Broadway San Jose’s BURN THE FLOOR not only lit the floor on fire, it shook the walls and brought the house down. A heady mix of primal beats, intoxicating rhythms and dazzling choreography, BURN THE FLOOR electrified the audience from start to finish.

Coming directly from Broadway, the tour features “So You Think You Can Dance” celeb Mary Murphy as well as dance stars Anya Garnis, Pasha Kovalev, Ashleigh Di Lello, Ryan Di Lello, Robbie Kmetoni, Janette Manrara and Karen Hauer. So, yes, you’ve seen them before, but even stalwart fans of the show will miss something spectacular if they don’t catch the live performance of this dynamic ensemble in action.

Billed as “Ballroom Reinvented,” the tagline really doesn’t capture the smooth, expert and supple sensuousness that emanates from the stage. These lithe, athletic dancers (from all over the world) exacted precise and pin-point-perfect movements that put them head and shoulders (literally) above others that grace the stage in other shows, connecting with the audience in a visceral way.

Costume designer Janet Hine’s minimalist approach to dressing the men was quite effective (to say the least). Black pants and skin-tight black shirts provided the initial palette from which Hine added or removed various pieces of clothing (for example, shirts) as Cha Cha’s and Sambas undulated toward Tangos, waltzes and Rumbas (not to mention Salsas, Swings and Quicksteps). Hine allowed her imagination to swing in the other direction when it came to the women. As the music boomed, female dancers took the stage with their male counterparts creating an intoxicating visual feast of flashing sequins, frenetic fringe and flowing frills. ( I’m not sure how their feet survived the night dancing in stunning stiletto heels but I only hope that foot rubs are included in their contracts.)

Rick Belzer’s lighting design added tremendously to the effectiveness of the show. As swirling couples dropped into a daring dips they were freeze-framed; captured in white hot spotlights only to be plunged dramatically into darkness as your eye was emphatically drawn to the next dancing delight. Jeweled lighting from the wings seemed to imbue the dancers with their own personal glow and helped to separate the dance numbers in this “hot tamale train” of an event.

Director and choreographer Jason Gilkison succeeds in providing a cohesive show even without a story arc or plotline. The 10 scintillating styles of dance at the heart of international ballroom competition were the only story thread needed in this mesmerizing mix of champion, off-the-charts dancers, costumes and thrilling percussion (Joseph Malone and Henry Soriano). BURN THE FLOOR is not to be missed.

Broadway San Jose
A Nederlander Presentation
September 21-26, 2010
San Jose Center for the Perf. Arts

www.BroadwaySanJose.com

Season tickets ($120-$405)

Single tickets ($20-$69)