Review: August: Osage County

August: Osage County is a very good play. It won both the Pulitzer Prize and a Tony, it has received great reviews, and is the rare play with a successful national tour. The tour, staring Estelle Parsons as family matriarch Violet Weston, is really top notch. The Saturday afternoon performance I attended at the Paramount Theatre was packed (to my regret, as I had a partially obstructed view) and filled with laughter. It's cliched to say, but the 3 hour play (two intermissions!) seemed to fly by. The pacing seemed nearly perfect.

In some ways there is not really anything very special about this play. The topic--a dysfunctional family, with secretes and affairs and drug problems brought together and torn apart by some tragedy--doesn't exactly break novel ground.

But, the execution is spot on. The dialogue is snappy yet realistic enough featuring angered and hurt and vulnerable characters spewing forth the lines we wished we could ourselves say. The subject matter is rather dark, with some revelations at the end appearing without support. Despite this, the play is deeply funny without seeming cheap. A real audience-pleaser

When simply diagrammed out the plot seems one step above a sitcom. Yet it is hard to imagine a better representation of the form. This treatment of the American family and the changing of generations will be read and performed and written about for many years to come.

One can already imagine the English class essays to be written by future generations of students analyzing what this play says about the Greatest Generation, of Native American's and the white middle class of the 1990s, of parents' relationships to drugs and alcohol and their children's use of the same, of the peoples perceptions about the nature of love and affairs and sex and age and childhood, and what, exactly, it means to be from the great plains of the central United States.

The problem is not that those course essays will be written, but that they will be too easy to write. The themes and symbols and references of the play are systematically laid out for all to see without nuance or real introspection.

I'll reiterate: this play doesn't break new artistic or thematic ground. It didn't even make me think deeply about anything. But, that is ok. Better than ok, really. It is an excellently crafted example of a familiar form. Perhaps a real modern-classic. If this tour happens to be nearby then definitely go see it.

Review: The Believers

The Believers, written and directed by Jim Bovino and currently playing at the ANNEX Theatre, is a flawed play. It tries to say something high-minded about the nature of our own control over our lives. In stead, is just sort of shuffles along from one unconnected scene to another. That could work, but in this case it doesn't. At times, the actors are speaking directly to the audience, but it is never made clear what is really going on. Later, some of hidden meaning are illustrated in a heavy-handed way with a literal roll of the dice.

I think this play is trying too hard. My advice: master the basics first. Then experiment.

Review: The Creation of the World and Other Business

Arthur Miller's The Creation of the World and Other Business is an imperfect play. I agree with much of Clive Barnes's original review of the show from 1972. Theater Schmeater's production, which in many ways is very good, cannot overcome the problems of the play's structure. The second act drags on. The show picks up in the middle of the third act, but the ending seems to linger a little too long. This would be fine if the final scenes offered some weighty or intriguing questions to ponder, but I left the theater with little to wonder about.

This is all a bit of a let down following the quality of the first act. The portrayal of Adam and Eve by Heather Roberts and Matthew Middleton is spot on in the first act. Their naked and unselfconscious naivete in the time before sin is absolutely convincing.

It is difficult to judge this show; it is an excellent production of a not very good play. The result is unsatisfying, but it is hard to imagine a better performance.

Review: Das Barbecü

To coincide with the Seattle Opera's production of Wagner's Ring Cycle (Der Ring des Nibelungen) ACT has staged Das Barbecü, a musical comedy based on Wagner's opera. The musical is campy and doesn't really make much sense on it's own. The action is set in Texas, and the actors adopt accents and hairdos in an ironic fashion.

The audience seemed to enjoy the production. Although there are some amusing set pieces, the show did not work for me. It isn't really a satire, the Texas setting is used as a convenient backdrop that flattens rather than textures the action, the songs are largely forgettable, and the scenes somewhat disconnected. On it's own, the musical is rather pointless. In context with the The Ring, it is a spoof without bite or insight.

Some kind of update

Lots to catch up on. Here are some pithy judgments on (selected) experiences from the past few months.

Film
Moon Wonderful science fiction movie. Go see it.
(500) Days of Summer Not worthwhile.
State of Play As expected, more or less
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 Ok
Up The beginning sequences are emotionally wrenching. Go see it.
Coraline Ok, not as great as I hoped
Star Trek XI My thoughts on time travel are already established. Nonetheless, an enjoyable film. I await the next one.
Duplicity Entertaining action/comedy send up


New York Trip
Just thinking about the 36 hours I spent in New York City brings a smile to my face.

Wicked Amazing
Billy Elliott Indescribably awe inspiring
Chicago As expected, but fun to see on stage
The Museum of Modern Art Overwhelming. There was also a special exhibit on the history of color photography which was perfectly geared for my level of knowledge and interests
The Pod Hotel Highly recommended


Additional Theater

Sunday in the Park with George. It was ok, but I don't go to the theater to see CGI.
Maria/Stuart by Jason Grote at Theatre Schmeater It was good.


Ballet

I am somewhat surprised to find that I am now a fan of the ballet. I have been to the Pacific Northwest Ballet three times. Thus far, my enjoyment has been monotonically increasing.

Broadway Festival My first ballet featuring Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Carosel (A Dance), Take Five...More or Less, and West Side Story Suite. Carosel was my favorite
Kent Stowell's Swan Lake My first exposure to the dance classic.
Directors Choice: Dances at a Gathering, After The Rain pas de deux and Symphony in C The pas de deux was breathtaking.

Books
God is Back Interesting and thought-provoking
The Secular Conscience Meh
Daniel Deronda The first half was great. The second half was not.

Review: When the Messenger is Hot

Theater Schmeater's production of When the Messenger is Hot is a very enjoyable bit of theatre. It is one of the funniest performances I have seen. The humorous insights come from the three faces of Josie. The main character is played by three different people (Marty Mukhalian, Teri Lazzara, and Julie Jamieson). They are all on stage at the same time. As the show progresses, they each take turns being the "real" Josie and playing the part of the voice of her own consciousness. This trick is pulled off superbly, leading to an effective depiction of a character's inner thoughts without resorting to soliloquy.

The 3-actors-one-character idea is balanced by Frank Lawler, who humorously portrays all of the male characters in the production, including all of Josie's different boyfriends.

In some ways the basic outline of the play is nothing special (it deals with dealing with the death of a parent), but the production moves beyond that making this a fun, enjoyable, and worthwhile piece of theatre.

Review: The Mistakes Madeline Made

Washington Ensemble Theatre's production of The Mistakes Madeline Made has been pushed hard by the Stranger. I expected the production to fall short of my sky-high expectations. Parts of the script did not ring true to me, but that was made up for by the rest of the story. Coupled with an amazing cast, this is a rewarding piece of theater.

In some ways that plot is rather straightforward and relies on symbolism that is rather simplistic. After all, a whole play about a shower as catharsis is a tad 8th grade language arts-ish. The role of the handywipes add a nicely modern touch to this though, and something that could easily have fallen into kitsch is safely executed. The entire cast works wonderfully together, but Elise Hunt's performance carries the play beyond the limitations of the script. The artistic vision of the directors and actors at WET has been amazing this season.

Two aspects of the script seem weak to me. First, the hinted romance does not ring true. I need more from Wilson before I'm willing to accept that. Second, I think the play skirts around the issue of what exactly is the dirt and guilt that is on Edna's (and our own) hands. More is hinted at but not explored. Protests to the contrary, horrible things were (and are) done in our name. As a society, our hands are not clean. A shower alone cannot cleanse the moral stain, and it seems that we must acknowledge this before we can forgive (or forget) ourselves.

Of course, Meriwether wrote this play a few years ago. Perhaps at a time when we have seen the images from Abu Ghraib, followed the causal chain from Guantanomo, and read of the treatment of Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri the need for penance is clearer before we can even dream of absolution.

The play is not perfect; its message is a little muddled. But that which is great need not be perfect. And flawed notions can definitly still leave their mark.

As for this production I agree with Mr. Schmader. Go see it.

Review: Jane Eyre

I did not plan on seeing Seattle Musical Theatre's production of Jane Eyre this weekend. The other shows I was interested in were either sold out or a bit too expensive. I have enjoyed previous shows put on by SMT (each had at least one or two compelling aspects to it), and given my ongoing exploration of Victorian novels, I thought it would be fun.

I was at a disadvntange for not having read Jane Eyre. I had trouble following the plot at times. Also, some of the supporting cast wasn't miked, and I had trouble hearing them. But, the lead, Danielle Barnum, was excellent. She is the main reason to see this show. At times the action was a bit light-hearted when more forthright social commentary may have been called for. But, that isn't really the type of play Jane Eyre is trying to be.