Oscar E Moore

The curse of CARRIE continues.  Based on the Stephen King novel and revised after becoming one of Broadway’s biggest flops in 1988 (16 previews – 5 performances) by the same persistent creative team -Music by Michael Gore, Lyrics by Dean Pitchford and Book by Lawrence D. Cohen – CARRIE is still a bloody mess. 

It takes place now.  Today.  With cell phones, vulgarity, pig blood and pot mingling with the students of a certain Maine high school preparing for the prom and belittling and badgering Carrie White (Molly Ranson) – a shy and naïve girl who unexpectedly experiences her first period in the showers after a robust gym workout and dreams of one day fitting in with her peers who tease her relentlessly.

Her mother Margaret (Marin Mazzie) a crazed religious fanatic who has her own problems regarding men berates her for what has happened, drags her across the floor and locks her in a closet all the while praying and singing with a quasi operatic Lucia di Lammermoor madness.

What’s worse?  Having to deal with a mother like this at home or being bullied at school and trying to fit in with the likes of Chris the bitch (Jeanna De Waal) and her idiot boyfriend Billy (Ben Thompson) who are banished from the prom by the understanding gym instructor Ms. Gardner (excellently played by understudy Anne Tolpegin)? 

Chris the bitch then seeks revenge on poor Carrie, not knowing of the telekinetic powers possessed by Carrie who doesn’t take to bullying sitting down but takes charge, doing all that she can to make her prom evening memorable after being asked by Tommy (Derek Klena) prompted by his caring and feeling guilty girl friend Sue (Christy Altomare).

The score is full of power ballads that Ms. Mazzie and Ms. Ranson take full advantage of.  I don’t understand why they are so amplified in the intimate Lucille Lortel Theatre where MCC is producing this cut and paste revival.  They both have extremely powerful voices.

Tommy “sings” a story he has “written” to his classmates which has been singled out for excellence and it is lovely – “Dreamer in Disguise”. 

But it’s not until the last scene of the first act “I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance” that you begin to feel for mother and daughter.  And then the book ambles towards the “catastrophic event” which has been told in flashback by Sue the survivor.  Moral:  Stop bullying.  It can be hazardous to your health!

The choreography by Matt Williams is spastic and robotic making the students seem as though they are Zombies.  The lack of meaningful direction by Stafford Arima makes for a disjointed telling of a tale that is well intentioned but just doesn’t work.  The large and talented cast deserves better and so do we.

www.mcctheater.org  Extended through April 22^nd.  Photo:  Joan Marcus

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Stephen Spinella & Denis O'Hare

Who would want to see a one man version of The Iliad?  As it turns out everyone should.  The Gods of Olympus have smiled down and wholeheartedly blessed this heroic production – “An Iliad” based on Homer’s original and translated by Robert Fagles – adapted by Denis O’Hare & Lisa Peterson.

It is impeccably directed by Lisa Peterson and stars Denis O’Hare or Stephen Spinella sharing the role of The Poet (in repertory at The New York Theatre Workshop) in one of the most grueling roles ever created for the theatre.

I saw Stephen Spinella.  A stupendous Stephen Spinella.  Entering in a shaft of white light, wearing an old military coat, and carrying a small suitcase his bare feet striding on a bare stage Mr. Spinella begins to tell the tale of The Trojan War in all its gory glory in mesmerizing fashion with a simple table and a chair as his co-stars.

Moving with the grace of a young Marcel Marceau who speaks Classic Greek, becoming all the characters – Agamemnon, Hector, Achilles, Hermes (who wears “fabulous sandals”), Apollo, Patroclus, Priam, Paris and Andromeda et al – invoking them with the power of a Gladiator, Mr. Spinella confides in the audience as if we were all sharing a beer in a bar.

His listing of all wars of all ages is impossible to imagine being memorized.

When did I first become aware of the bassist (the sensational Brian Ellingsen) high up on a grid on the left side of the theatre?  I really can’t say.  So seamlessly did he become Mr. Spinela’s true co-star.

Accompanying the tale with its score imbued in his mind and fingers – without any sheet music to reference.  The two play off of each other as if they were a concerto for actor and bass.  The score by Mark Bennett is brilliant – with the use of some sort of percussion instrument the only other source of musical sound effects.

Lighting design by Scott Zielinski is equally impressive.

Hopefully this extremely moving “An Iliad” will enlighten at along last and help us to change our wasteful ways.

www.nytw.org Photo: Joan Marcus

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By the time the double portrait of her parents – Fanny and Gardner Church is finished by their long absent, bohemian looking artistic daughter “Mags” who has returned home to their Beacon Hill townhouse to help them pack up to move to a much smaller “cottage by the sea” and to paint said portrait and sort out their strained relationship – we begin to agree with Fanny that sitting (she posing and we watching) is akin to “Chinese Torture.”

This quite famous play by Tina Howe “Painting Churches” was first produced in 1983 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.  You’d never know it by the look and sounds of this production which has just opened at The Clurman on Theatre Row – produced by Keen Company, its artistic director, Carl Forsman, responsible for the odd tone, lackluster and annoying direction.

One would hope to imagine that we could care for this aging couple, who both seem to be on their way to assisted living.  Fanny (an overly eccentric Kathleen Chalfant) and her forgetful husband Gardner (an introspective and dotty John Cunningham) who no longer can bring in the bucks necessary to live in the style that they have become accustomed to as he is losing his memory and can no longer lecture and write the poetry that made their high lifestyle possible, Dubonnet cocktails (or are they martinis?) a nightly ritual.  Sad and funny, yes.  Aggravating, no.

The balance between realism and surrealism teeters precariously here and neither one is the winner, the play getting lost and the characters appearing wacky and then normal in the split of a second.

Ms. Chalfant, looking most elegant, shouts most of Act I to her off stage husband who is sorting out his papers and caring for his pet bird “Toots” who can recite poetry.  If you stick around long enough you’ll hear it. 

As will you be privy to the oh-so-sad back story of Mags (a down-trodden Kate Turnbull) and her crayons and critical mother.  In Act II Ms. Chalfant is practically inaudible in what is supposed to be a touching scene.

Mr. Cunningham fares better playing a man losing his grasp on all things and having to deal with his wife who seems annoyed at having to care for him and willing to shoot herself in the head to end it all – I wish I could have believed her speaking to herself more.

The set by Beowulf Boritt has the same conflicting elements – Real or Surreal?  No one seems to have made a definitive choice and the result is simply tiresome.

Through April 7^th  www.keencompany.org  Photo:  Carol Rosegg

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Before The Ewings – those wealthy, powerful and greedy Dallas oil and cattle barons; before The Carringtons – that wealthy, powerful and greedy Denver dynasty came The Rutherfords – specifically John Rutherford owner of a glass factory – just as wealthy, powerful and greedy from Northern England. 

Created by playwright Githa Sowerby in 1912 the Rutherford family is not as glamorous but just as devious and dysfunctional.  Focusing on power and money and tyranny, with “Geordie” vocabulary and accents to match. 

In her three act vintage soap opera that moves along at a snails pace in the cold living room of John Rutherford (Robert Hogan) the patriarch of the family who rules with an iron fist, we meet the cast of characters that seem to be quite familiar to our playwright as she grew up in a family that had a similar business – a glassworks factory.  Here’s hoping she had a vivid imagination and was not merely recording what she saw and heard at home.

John Jr. (a petulant Eli James) has discovered a new way to cut costs and save the family business – he has shared his “recipe” with Martin (David Van Pelt) the trusted and loyal “worker/slave” of daddy Rutherford.  Jr. hopes to become rich and free of his father by selling his idea to him “for a price”, wanting to escape with his wife Mary (Allison McLemore) and their young offstage son who winds up as a bargaining chip – but I’m getting far ahead of myself.  Richard (James Patrick Nelson) – the other son is of the religious cloth and quite conflicted about taking a new job while aiding his local parishioners – a Mrs. Henderson (Dale Soules) in particular.  Janet (Sara Surrey) is the spinster sister who leads a terribly lonely life and is in love with Martin.  Rounding out this ensemble is Aunt Ann (Sandra Shipley) irritable and negative in the extreme.

The Mint Theater is giving Ms. Sowerby a return engagement production of “Rutherford & Son” as its original production of the play was cut short by the tragic events of 9/11. 

The Mint, known and applauded for unearthing theatrical artifacts has remounted her saga with a set by Vicki R. Davis that bridges the modern and the old with its antique furniture and reflective transparent glass-like panels of the cold and barren landscape outside. 

But it’s indoors where all the angst and anger explodes – sometimes to operatic proportions as encouraged by director Richard Corley who has terrific credentials but seems to have not found a way to make this static and sometimes preachy piece of writing more compelling.

In a final tableau John Rutherford sits alone at the dining table after some brutal negotiations have taken place.  As the lights fade he has a look of a person suffering from acid reflux – a feeling that some may share after digesting “Rutherford & Son”.

Through April 8^th.  www.minttheater.org  866 811 4111  Photo:Richard Termine

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At the close of Loni Ackerman’s most engaging and entertaining new cabaret act – “Next to Ab-Normal” she sings James Taylor’s “The Secret O’ Life” after sharing her life and her philosophy of life with us for the past ninety minutes.  Ninety minutes that you do not want to miss. 

Beautifully scripted and directed (Barry Kleinbort) and sung to perfection you’ll discover what makes Loni tick and talk and sing with heartfelt passion and humor.  It’s an original and totally charming evening.  A class act!  And you have three more Fridays to see her.  March 2^nd, 23^rd and 30^th at The Metropolitan Room, at 7PM.

Taking a deep breath, looking lovely in her black pants and slightly sparkly top (who needs sparkles when you naturally glow) Loni Ackerman with a calm and a confidence and a giggle sings “A Shine on Your Shoes” which is a wonderful way to begin.  Sharing her optimism and openness she then takes us on a journey of her life – so far.

A life that has included growing up on Central Park West hobnobbing with the very rich and famous – Bob Fosse, Gwen Verdon, Leopold Stokowski, the Black Panthers, Bagels and Bongos, Ted Kennedy and Nureyev (she still holds on to a piece of his intimate apparel) – and her family and not so famous friends where love and home are valued above all else.

A life told seamlessly with recollections that are funny, confidential and cozy with a wide variety of songs (great arrangements) under the incredibly smooth musical direction of Paul Greenwood on piano with Jeremy Clayton (Sax, Clarinet, Flute) and Tom Hubbard on bass resulting in a fresh new sound.

Just one of the highlights is her foray into songwriting while in Paris, “Come Back, My Love”.  Another, her New York Medley (I love medleys) and her salute to Andrew Lloyd Webber (She’s starred in Cats, Evita and Sunset Boulevard).

Remembering her good life with “Sentimental Journey”/”Journey to the Past”.  Remembering her first time “Blame It on My Youth” and remembering love above all with “All TheThings You Are”/”My Romance” and a gorgeous “Toys in the Attic”.

“Next to Ab-Normal” is truly a romanticists dream come true.  Loni’s dream.  Hopefully they’ll make a live recording of the show.  Mistakenly identifying her as Loni Anderson at curtain call Loni Ackerman, trouper that she is, handled the blip with great aplomb.

Photo: Alex Hering

www.metropolitanroom.com  34 West 22^nd Street 212 206 0440

$20.00 cover/two drink minimum

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WARNING:  In Kate Fodor’s insanely comic new play Rx (which deals in equal amounts with love, lunacy and loneliness with some sharp, sarcastic barbs aimed at today’s pharmaceutical research companies) side effects may include a ticklish feeling in your funny bones, a dryness of the throat from laughing and an unusual empathy for those crazy human beings she has created in this really odd romantic comedy which is now running through March 3^rd at Primary Stages 59E59 Theatres.  Go!

In a series of quick and extremely funny scenes this satisfying new comedy sets the bar high for any other so called comedies to surpass.  This is about the best show I’ve seen this season by far.  Unexpected laughs and strange characters abound with a set design by Lee Savage supplying its own original surprises.

A nervous and confused Meena Pierotti (a droll Marin Hinkle) is the Managing Editor of Piggeries, American Cattle & Swine Magazine).  She is unhappy with her job running off to cry at the nearby BonTon ladies underwear department when necessary.   She is also a poet.  Writing prose poetry.  A volume of which has been published focusing on feet.

A wonderfully low key and charming Stephen Kunken as Dr. Phil Gray, (the primary color of the sterile, institutional set) is a Schmidt Pharma researcher working on a project to see if their new drug will help relieve “workplace depression”.   Meena is being interviewed to see if she is the right choice for the clinical study.  Will she get the real thing or the placebo?  Will she get better?  Will she fall in love with her doctor?

Allison, Phil’s boss (a bulldozing Elizabeth Rich) dressed to the hilt by Andrea Lauer in many stylish outfits with shoes to match loves her job.  Loves developing drugs for those that can afford to pay for them.  She boarders on over-the-top barely keeping her equilibrium and keeping the audiences in stitches throughout.

Simon (an understated Michael Bakkensen) is Meena’s boss and causes a dilemma with her affections when the drug seems to take effect.

Paul Niebanck plays Richard, a marketing executive.  His spiel for the marketing of the drug is terrific.  He also portrays an Einsteinish Ed, a Schmidt Pharma researcher with a drawer full of pills which he can’t quite remember clearly what they are for.

As Frances, a widow in need of new underwear, MaryLouise Burke is adorable, playful and touching as the play veers off course just a bit.  But it works.  No more information otherwise I’ll spoil the fun.

It is precisely directed by Ethan McSweeny who makes every second count.  Who makes every laugh hit its mark.  Who makes the action flow seamlessly with the magic of a witty set design and proper lighting (Matthew Richards) and entertaining original music by Lindsay Jones makes Rx the perfect tonic to lift the spirits.  Yes, laughter is the best medicine.  Even the logo for the show holds a visual surprise when seen upside down.

www.primarystages.org  Photo:  James Leyne

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“Without love life has no purpose.”  Words spoken every night by the late Zina Bethune as Charity Hope Valentine in the musical “Sweet Charity” circa 1968, Memphis Tennessee at the Front Street Theatre where I had the time of my life playing opposite this beautiful, fragile and funny performer as Oscar Lindquist.

As a memento for opening night ( a performance she missed due to illness, the role quickly taken over, rehearsed and performed that evening by Jan McElhaney, her role taken over, I believe, by Harriet All) Zina gave every cast member a small silver heart engraved with those words that Zina lived by her entire life.  A life that tragically came to an end as she was recently hit and run over by two cars in Los Angeles after stopping her car to help a wounded animal along the side of the road.

She loved animals.  She loved dancing.  And she loved Sean Feeley.  A tall, handsome and kind young actor that she met while performing “Sweet Charity.” They were married soon after and I attended their wedding in New York’s Greenwich Village.

I lost track of Zina and Sean until I read about her tragic death.  Not realizing all she had done to help animals and children with disabilities to learn to dance with her founding of the non-profit company “Infinite Dreams.”

I shined up my small silver heart this past Valentine’s Day a few days before what would have been her 67th birthday on February 17^th remembering that summer of 1968 where we played “Sweet Charity” in Kennebunkport Maine, Allentown, Pennsylvania and Memphis, Tennessee.  The summer that Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in April of that same year.  I took over the role of Oscar for the Memphis run.

It was incredibly humid when we arrived.  And I believe we stayed at the same Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was shot.  My roommate was Larry Vickers.  He was black.  But we were not at all concerned.  The show was quite successful and we all had a great time.

Maureen “Mo” Neville and I became steadfast friends despite her short sheeting my sheets every night during this time and I hope that one day we will reunite.  I have lost track of her also.  She and Larry presented me with a pull string talking Irish chimp toy with the name Oscar embroidered on his chest.  His repertoire still makes me smile.

Zina had many health problems and had a lot of pain but she rarely complained – loving every moment on stage and then leading a quiet off stage life with Sean.  They were a lovely couple and my heart goes out to him and her mother Ivy.  I am so saddened by her loss and will always remember Zina for her laughter, her generosity and her love for all things living.

Authorities are looking for a white car that left the scene of the accident.  Anyone with information is asked to contact the Los Angeles Police Department.

Tags:   Harriet All · Jan McElhaney · Larry Vickers · Maureen "Mo" Neville · Sean Feeley · Sweet Charity · Zina BethuneComments Off on REMEMBERING ZINA BETHUNE

In her new cabaret show, “Next to Ab-Normal,” ebullient Broadway veteran Loni Ackerman recalls personal stories of her unusual New York upbringing (including her childhood associations with such “family friends” as Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon,) as well as revisiting songs she sang in New York hits like “Starting Here, Starting Now” or in one of her lengthy associations with the shows of Andrew Lloyd Webber.  Directed by BarryKleinbort, with musical direction by Paul Greenwood, Ms. Ackerman’s repertoire also includes charming standards, contemporary songs, even one of her own compositions which became the theme song for a “very special” French film made during her time in Paris.  Another prime example of her life as something just “Next to Ab-Normal.”

The dates for her show NEXT TO AB-NORMAL are February 24th, March 2nd, 23rd and 30th.  All at 7pm

Twenty dollars.  Two beverage minimum  212 206 0440 The Metropolitan Room 34 West 22nd Street

www.metropolitanroom.com

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The first thing we hear is some vintage jazz played just loud enough to annoy.  Setting the proper mood for what we see on stage – a ramshackle mess of the extremely tight quarters that the Porters inhabit in this excellent, white hot revival of LOOK BACK IN ANGER by John Osborne first produced in 1956.  It’s as pertinent today as it was then.  How many women still find themselves ensnarled in an abusive relationship?

Garbage is strewn about.  Empty cans of beans and clothing litter the floor.  A filthy mattress is propped up against the bare black wall with just enough space left for the incredible team of actors to bring to life – the ugly, frustrated, cramped lives of the Porters – Jimmy (a seething Matthew Rhys) an arrogant, self absorbed, offensive and demanding “angry young man” of the lower class who wastes his intelligence – bitterly complaining about life in general and specifically his beautiful wife Alison of three years (a ravishing Sarah Goldberg) who takes his abuse all the while ironing and brewing tea while their boarder (a brutish and sexy Adam Driver) lolls around the floor reading the Sunday papers, checking for lice and openly flirting with her.

Director Sam Gold has done a masterful job in creating an “in your face” production that reeks of sweat and sex where the characters literally have their backs up against the wall.  It’s a very physical production that has Jimmy and Cliff sparing and wrestling.  Both ready to pounce.  Both ready to explode.  As is the pent-up Alison.

One wonders why she puts up with this lout who writes bad songs and goes off every once in a while to play his trumpet – brilliantly commenting and interrupting the action.

She is, after all, from a higher station in life but absolutely adores the charming and horrifying man she is married to.  He must be fantastic in the sack.

Into their world walks her seemingly good friend Helena (a shrewd Charlotte Parry) – an actress after something more than just a place to stay.  Walking around in her red high heels it’s as if she is wading through a mine field – which she is – stepping over garbage and clothing and Cliff.  Adding additional pressure to the already about to burst situation.

This up close and incisive production is aided greatly by the stark lighting (Mark Barton) which is extremely effectual.  David Zinn’s costumes add a splash of color to the stark set by Andrew Lieberman and are absolutely right on target.  Fight director Thomas Schall makes terrific use of the claustrophobic space.

Sam Gold has made some brave choices here and has given us a cast that is outstanding which makes a trip to the Porter household a truly unique and powerful experience.

www.roundabouttheatre.org Photos:  Joan Marcus

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Maya Macdonald’s new play LEAVE THE BALCONY OPEN isn’t a play in the traditional sense of the word.  It is more of a meditation – a theme with variations – dealing with death, suicide, the loss of friends and the attempt at survival which takes place at a rural college campus a few days before graduation.

The odd assortment of characters are Ms. Macdonald’s new lost generation.  A few of them are not particularly likable.  The production is a combination of the natural and the surreal directed gamely by Jessica Bauman and beautifully lit by Cat Tate Starmer.

Every short scene is a detour usually ending in talk about death and suicide.  It’s a strange, multi-media, seven actor performance piece lasting almost two hours without an intermission at the 3LD art & Technical Center (80 Greenwich Street @ Rector) which is at times confusing, poetic, indulgent and tiresome.  Yet interesting. 

It is fragmented.  Like the explosive, shattered slats of wood set by Gabriel Hanier Evansohn which looks like a modern sculpture that has been blown to bits by a tornado.  The tornado, in this case, being the many on campus deaths that have left the surviving students traumatized – especially Silent Gen (a remarkable Mary Rasmussen) who is mute throughout but conveys convincingly every thought and emotion flowing through her mind and body.  The others come knocking at her door to be made over.

Bits and pieces of information are doled out slowly about the characters – who they are and their connection and/or disconnection to one another.  There is Chrissy (Heidi Armbruster) the drama teacher who is trying to get Silent Gen to speak and act again.  Prospective (a fine and intriguing Jerzy Gwiazdowski – could he be the new Ashton Kutcher?) who is testing the waters – deciding if he will attend the college as he has “exonerated” his parents.  Julie Kline is I Almost Died Cathy/Chorus.  Jared McGuire (looking for a hug) is Badly Drawn Johnny Depp/Chorus.  Betsy Hogg is the perpetually drunk friend of June (Anna O’Donoghue) who wears a baby bump pillow.  An odd assortment of characters to say the least.

When we eventually understand what has happened and the full extent of the experiences on these people we can finally relate to them but it is very long in coming. 

The excellent sound design by Brandon Wolcott and his use of music helps tremendously to add atmosphere and interest.  Projections by Jesse Garrison while apt, distract.   

The title of the play, which doesn’t help, refers to a line of poetry from Lorca’s Freedom which also deals with death.  LEAVE THE BALCONY OPEN is produced by New Feet Productions through February 26^th.

www.leavethebalconyopen.com  Photo:  Suzi Sadler

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