Primary Trust--A Beautifully Subtle New Play

        By Joseph Cervelli

Watching Eboni Booth's beautifully subtle and very touching new play "Primary Trust" at The Laura Pels Theater,  I was reminded of playwright Thornton Wilder. In its own way this work has the same very quiet effects of Wilder's plays most notably "Our Town." Very different certainly, but the meaning of the play creeps up on you very slowly. I kept wondering where exactly this was going but hopeful that  Booth would not disappoint us. And the playwright never does. My regret was not seeing her prior play "Paris."

When you enter the theater there is a guitar player (Luke Wygodny) on stage who also plays other instruments and marks the play's passage of time by tapping a bell. The time of the play the program states is "before cell phones." The miniature sets of a restaurant, shoe store, church, etc. are cleverly designed by Marsha Ginsberg. 

Kenneth (an unforgettable William Jackson Parker) is a genial young man in his late 30's who had a very difficult early life with his single mother dying when he was a youngster. He stayed with her body for quite a while in their home until someone came. He grew up in foster care with no friends not even in later life. 

However, he does have one friend Bert (a very good Eric Berryman.) The only issue here is Bert exists in his head. Yes, your mind will go to the show "Harvey" but this is not the same. Bert helps our hero keep it together. They have many conversations which are humorous and when Kenneth gets upset it is Bert who keeps him grounded. 

The always wonderful Jay O. Sanders as Sam (playing a variety of characters) offers Kenneth a job at his bookstore. He forms a familial relationship with Kenneth and his wife and works for him for about 20 years before Sam announces he is closing up shop and moving to Arizona for health reasons.  

Sanders also portrays Clay who works for the bank Primary Trust and  interviews Kenneth for the job. Although he has no experience Clay takes a liking to him and Kenneth becomes the shining star of the bank.

The other character is the server at the neighborhood restaurant/bar Wally's superbly played by April Matthis. In a difficult role she changes her persona from one server to the next. It is done so easily that you are taken back how adept she can do this. Even when she is a customer in the bank she switches from female to male customer. 

If all of this sounds like not much is happening you are right because what you are seeing is basically a slice of life account of a young man whose life is very uneventful. But then something occurs during the latter part of the play that turns things around. Your first thought is that our hero is going to fall in love with the server. I won't reveal if that is the way Booth is going but this is not an everyday love story. It is about the love and confidence that you first need to find in yourself. How a play that begins with such simplicity can evoke a lot of discussion at the end is the knack of a playwright who can delve into the soul of her character in which you actually wish you knew this man is a rare feat. 

But that is due primarily to Harper whose various emotions grip you from the start. Kenneth is such an amenable character that you feel his has overcome his difficult childhood and having this alter ego is a great asset. Well, we can only rely on someone real or imaginary for a while but need to find our own way in the world which he has not done until forced to. Suddenly, Kenneth displays another side of himself when he know things cannot be the same, and Harper is so believable that he makes you want to reach out and comfort his character. 

The title of the plays is a very smart one since it not only refers to the name of the bank, but something else more meaningful which if you give it some thought will discover at the conclusion of the 95 minutes. 

Directed with charm and poignancy by Knud Adams the  play is one to embrace and a performance by Harper we need to cherish. 

PHOTOS: JOAN MARCUS

Tickets are available at the Laura Pels Theatre 111 West 46th Street. As of this writing the show's limited engagement ends July 2.  

 The Fears

       By Joseph Cervelli

I don't find the need to mention the producer of shows I have reviewed but in the case of Emma Sheanshang's askew new play "The Fears," I feel I should. The superb director Steven Soderbergh ("Sex, Lies, Videotape", "Erin Brockovich," and "Traffic" among others) is listed as the producer of this play at The Pershing Square Signature Center. I doubt if he had taken over the reins of director instead of Dan Algrant it would have made much difference. It seems like the playwright is unsure what she is aiming for. 

I do have to say I was perplexed by the loud audience laughter during the early scenes. Try as I might I did not find anything that was funny--maybe, mildly amusing but that is saying a lot. Actually, the funniest part happens offstage with the foul mouthed people on the street and the jack-hammering drowning out the members' meditation. 

Not knowing much about Buddhism I heard a lot of terms which never were fully explained yet the real issue is that it was difficult to believe that those attending the meeting at a Buddhist Center in New York would act like this array of people. Meditation is one of the main ingredients in that religion yet the cast of characters seem to need more help than that. Some were definitely in need of therapy which the leader of the group Maia (Maddy Corman) could not possibly supply. 

Except for newcomer Thea (Kerry Bishe) all the other five attendees have been here a number of times. And Thea is completely confused what is being offered since she never received the email explaining things to her. 

Rosa (Natalie Woolams-Torres) has a great deal of emotional issues including leaving her young son alone who ends up in the hospital. During one of her panic attacks she states that she is "130" whatever that is referring to.  

Fiz (Mehran Khaghani) a gay man has some very humorous moments in describing his sister whom he despises and cannot understand why she has invited him to her wedding. It is a given that some of his dialogue is funny but after a while you feel for what he has been through. 

Katie (Jess Gabor)  is Goth who has more problems than anyone in this group could possibly help her with. She is a member of the cult COD (Children of Death.) 

Mark (Carl Hendrick Louis) has a relationship going with one of the other members that should have been revealed to the Maia because apparently that is a no-no along with no phones, not saying  your sorry and no asking questions of when someone is speaking. Needless to say, he has his own emotional issues involving his mother. 

Suzanne (Robyn Peterson) is an angry middle aged woman who was raped by her priest. She mellows for some moments but is filled with a great deal of anger, especially towards Fiz for reasons not really explained. 

And getting back to Thea you find that her issues were somehow intertwined with the death of her mother dying in the Pan Am 73 flight. Yet, she blames the United States for part of this. And according to her  to her one of the people that caused her emotional dishevel was Alexander the Great. That led into other invaders in history which she is quite adept at. 

Unless you are into Buddhism I am afraid that hearing "Ashland is Leidenkrantz" and "Roykritz is Plum Lotus"will leave you as bewildered as I was. 

Also, not so sure what is funny about "want some Himalayan cashews," but I did not find the humor as some audience members did.  

I would think that Maia's comment about finding forgiveness in those that were harmful by imagining them as a five year old child is based on truth although when anger erupts in one or two of them her suggestion about wanting to plant a tree should have been delved into further. 

And what does not work is the title of the play. Maia suggests that they write down their fears just "not the big one." That would have been a great start to have the play move into a direction where issues could coalesce but it falls flat. The playwright seems to be move interested in writing dialogue than actually have matters come to some semblance of fruition. And the change in Katie seems phony based on what she states made the difference. 

I cannot fault the performances at all. They are the only saving grace to this haphazard play. 

PHOTOS: Daniel Rader

Tickets are available at The Pershing Square Signature Center 480 West 42nd Street.

 Oliver!--A Truly Glorious Production 

       By Joseph Cervelli

I have to admit that I never saw a live production (not even at a community theater) of the beloved musical "Oliver!" I only saw the lavish film version. So, was thrilled to attend the Encores! presentation of it.  Encores! tends to be more scaled down in terms of production design (although David Rockwell's two tiered setting works perfectly for this show) but this is certainly an ebullient, stunning production thanks to the sublime cast.  Despite some grimmer moments this basically family musical would be a welcome edition on Broadway. It originally had a lengthy Broadway run in the ‘60’s. It is too joyous a show to have only a two week run.

I cannot imagine anyone unfamiliar with the Charles Dickens’ array of such varied characters as he created in all his novels. The downtrodden, the wealthy, the kind, the vicious. And quite important the social inequities of classes along with corruptness of the system. And this show has it all.

The moment that the simply wonderful Benjamin Pajak (this young actor is going places) takes to the stage you sit up and notice. Pajak was a delight in "The Music Man" yet here he really comes into his own. The character of Oliver while not a minor one because he is the central force here, only has one big number with comes at the beginning of the show after he leaves the workhouse where the orphans live to become an apprentice to the miserable undertaker Mr. Sowerberry (Thom Sesma) along with his equally cruel wife (Rashidra Scott). His heartrending rendition of the gorgeous "Where is Love?" is so honest and moving that it is one of the highlights of the show. Pajak not only is a confident performer but has this ability to convey sadness (watch the almost quivering look on his face while being escorted from the orphanage) to happiness which comes much later. He also has the necessary feistiness when a young employee of Mr. Sowerberry insults his deceased mother and he starts to pummel him. Physically, Pajak is thin and enhances this so he brings a waif like character to Oliver. The realism he brings to the stage at such a young age in quite an accomplishment.

As the master of the workhouse Mr. Bumble, Brad Oscar is perfectly blusterous and Mary Testa is a fine counterpart to him as the mistress of the workhouse, Mrs. Bumble. 

When Oliver escapes the Sowerberry's clutches he ends up meeting an experienced older pickpocket, The Artful Dodger (a winning Julian Lerner) who takes him to meet his fellow young thieves in the hideaway of the unforgettable character Fagin (the incomparable Raul Esparza). Fagin is a devious, though quite appealing character who has a genuine fondness for his "boys" and Esparza brings an unusual warmth in caring for them. Esparza is an experienced enough actor to know when to pull back so he does not "chew up the scenery." But he has the ability to take the stage by storm and still never overdoing it. His "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two" is fancifully and zestfully performed as he prances around showing the inexperienced Oliver how to go about doing it. There is one particularly touching moment when he gently places the sleepy Oliver on a space to sleep as he looks over him to make him as comfortable as possible lying on a wooden floor. Esparza has this ability to in a moment's notice change his character's demeanor. I will never forget extraordinary performance of Bobby in "Company." His rendition of "Being Alive" is still the best I have heard to this date.   His last number "Reviewing The Situation" when he has lost the boys and his livelihood varies from humor to sadness. He dances around the stage in a state of dilemma which never for a moment feels out of place. He is quite the eccentric character with his unkempt hair and clothing which is a pastiche of whatever he possibly found (excellent costumes by Sarafina Bush). And that last moment when realization takes place and he knows he is on his on is almost startling. He looks out knowing he is lost and must move one. He makes for an unforgettable Fagin. 

Lilli Cooper is a robust and perfectly delightful Nancy who was one of Fagin's older members of the pickpocket group. She is madly in love with the psychopathic Bill Sikes (a truly menacing Tam Mutu). Even though there is a brutal scene where Nancy meets an unfortunate end director Lear Debessonet's razor sharp direction makes sure it occurs basically offstage. I am not sure how much grittier this production is from what I have read it to be,  having not seen previous ones. But glad Debessonet kept things intact. I did wonder (again only based on this production) if Nancy might be feistier than other actors who played the part but it works here for her love for Oliver and for the insidious Sikes is her ultimate downfall.  

Besides the unsurpassed skill of the performers, the key to making this show work is the rousing score  of composer Lionel Bart. His luscious score from the snappy "Consider Yourself" to the moving "As Long as He Needs Me" is always balanced. Being the bookwriter for the original show he makes sure that  neither the comedic moments nor the dramatic ones overshadow each other. They all blend together perfectly. 

Great credit must be given to choreographer Lorin Altar for her exhilarating staging. One number that was a standout was the youngsters creating a carriage by holding white parasols as wheels  in which Nancy and Dodger driving around as wealthy members of society. Also, the Youth Ensemble which is made up of 20 public school children come out for only one number, the buoyant "Consider Yourself." It certainly was a treat. 

Everything in this vividly acted and sung production works to perfection. Let's hope some producers bring this to Broadway where it most definitely belongs.

PHOTOS: Joan Marcus 

Tickets are available at City Center 131 West 55th Street. The show runs till May 14.

 Best Shows of the Second Half of the 2022-2023 Theater Season

           By Joseph Cervelli

I had previously  listed shows which I considered the best from May of 2022 to December. Here are those I feel are the best which opened from January 2023 to April. 

Again, I am listing them in no particular order. 

It is hard to believe that Betty Smith who wrote "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" never had her radiant 1931 play "Becomes a Woman" published nor produced. A feminist story about a determined young woman with inner strength and fortitude to make something of her life. There is a bravura performance by Emma Pritzer Price who plays the leading role. Thankfully, she has been nominated for Best Lead in an Off Broadway play from the Outer Critics Circle.    

I was very moved by Anthony Rapp's "Without You." A one person musical based on his memoir he was one of the leads in the mega hit "Rent." In this show of love and loss he discusses the making of the show in a very poignant manner. The show may have first premiered off Broadway in 1996, but he speaks of it in such a loving manner that you have the feeling it only opened recently. My first thought was that the "without you" refers to a lost romantic love. Not at all. It is a wonderfully touching tribute to his mother who was the inspiration in his life.   

 

Suzan Lori-Parks brings the popular 1972 crime film "The Harder They Come" to the stage and it was a terrific show. It takes place in Kingston, Jamaica, where a young aspiring singer (an amazing Natey Jones) tries to make something of himself but has to deal with a corrupt music magnate. If a show should move from off Broadway to Broadway this is certainly on the top of my list. 

I was not a huge fan of one of my favorite composer's Jason Robert Brown's shows "Parade" when it first opened at Lincoln Center in 1999. Despite an excellent cast it just never clicked for me despite the engrossing book by Alfred Uhry. However, under Michael Arden's superlative direction this Broadway production which is based on the imprisonment and hanging of Leo Frank a Jewish man in Atlanta, Georgia, after being found guilty of the murder of a young girl who was one of his employees is first rate. The witnesses were all bamboozled into lying. Jews were not exactly welcomed down there in 1913. With the anti-Semitic attacks happening now the show resonates. While I had some issues with Ben Platt's sometimes too laid-back performance, I was most impressed by Micaela Diamond who portrays his wife. 

"Life of Pi" based on the famous book and film is a thrillingly vibrant account of a young man's months at sea on a boat with a Bengal tiger. Almost a phantasmagorical tale it combines philosophy and spirituality in a wonderous tale with lifelike puppetry and incredible staging. Hiran Abelsekara gives a monumental and exhausting performance.  

 

Bravo to Josh Groban for his surprisingly exciting performance as that demon barber of Fleet Street in the must see revival of Stephen Sondheim's brilliant "Sweeney Todd."Some have complained he was not as menacing as his predecessors who played the role. Not sure what they wanted more of because he was frightening enough. And his pure, lucious voice was perfect for this role, Gaten Matarrazzo was one of the best if not the best Toby I have seen; Jamie Jackson the best Judge Turpin; and John Rapson a very different and smarmy Beadle. As much as I do like Annaleigh Ashford I found her performance too cartoonish. No need for some of those antics. Not sure if it was the fault of director Thomas Kail or Ashford's concept for the role. It did not work for me. Everything else certainly did.   

"Shucked" is quite simply the best musical of the season. Hysterically funny with rapid fire one liners by the incomparable book writer Robert Horn (no justice if he does not win for every nomination he obtains) it is also a lovely tribute to people in a small town who just get along wonderfully. There are star turns by so many including a knockout performance by Alex Jewell. Everything in this laugh a minute show works.  

It is always a pleasure having Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht on stage and having them in the same play is a real treat. Such is the case in David Auburn's ("Proof") lovely "Summer, 1976" about a friendship between two very different women. Watching this two hander I began thinking of various friendships in my life. Those that lasted and why some never did. Notice the almost lyrical lighting design by Japhy Weideman. The play breaks the fourth wall which tends to annoy me but here the monologues they speak to the audience works beautifully. 

Sean Hayes gives a brilliant performance as the famed raconteur and classical pianist Oscar Levant in "Good Night, Oscar." He captures all the tics and emotional despair that the late Levant who was addicted to alcohol and prescription drugs went through. The play basically is one of many appearances he made on the Jack Paar talk show which was a must see during the 50's. The only fault I found was that Ben Rapporport was too animated as Paar who was more laidback as I recall. Emily Bergl was excellent as Levant's supportive wife.

 

I had mixed feelings about the musical "New York, New York" in the first act because of too many subplots, but it redeemed itself in the second. Based on the not very good film of the same title this is a vast improvement. A few of the numbers by John Kander and Fred Ebb still are in the show and Lin-Manuel Miranda has provided lyrics for the new ones. While bookwriters David Thompson and Sharon Washington are aiming for a Valentine to New York and building the dreams of those coming here  it would have been better to eliminate one or two storylines in the first act. The second act is so much better focusing on the two stars Anna Uzele and Colton Ryan who  not only have tremendous singing voices but have a wonderful charisma so their relationship works completely. And the set design by Beowulf Borritt whom I have sung the praises of for quite a few years and Susan Stroman's choreography are exemplary. 

PHOTO CREDITS IN ORDER

Todd Ceveris

Russ Rowland

Joan Marcus

Joan Marcus

Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Jeremy Daniel

Joan Marcus

Paul Kolnik