Kowalski

By Joseph Cervelli

The title of the new play by Gregg Ostrin "Kowalski" at The Duke Theater should conjure up what you are about to see. Yes, it is that Kowalski. Stanley himself from one of America’s greatest plays  "A Streetcar Named Desire" by one of America’s greatest playwrights Tennessee Williams.  Unfortunately, the play really does not reveal all that much and becomes both talky and tedious.

While taking place at Williams' beach house in Provincetown 1947,  the play actually starts in 1977 with the playwright being interviewed by an unheard voice wanting to know about his latest play namely "Streetcar."  Now we are back to 1947 seeing Williams played much too affectatiously by Robin Lord Taylor who turns campy almost immediately.  Having seen interviews Williams liked to be grandiose but nothing like presented here. Not sure if the director Colin Hanlon's aim was to show the exaggerated humor of Williams or Taylor decided to exaggerate the character he was portraying, but it becomes annoying as the 85 minute play moves along sometimes at a snail's pace. 

We meet Margo Jones (an excellent Alison Cimmet) who is a good friend of Willams and co-directed his masterpiece 'The Glass Menagerie." Williams’ partner the volatile and inebrietated Pancho (a very good Sebastian Treviño) comes in and wants to go with Williams to pick up some sailors at a local bar. Williams is waiting for Brando to arrive to audition  him for the role of Stanley Kowalski as requested by "Streetcar's" illustrious director Elia Kazan, but he is already three days late. Pancho leaves for the bar and Margo goes to makes sure he gets in no trouble. 

While Williams is trying to get the toilet to work (there are also issues with fuses) in a rather cheap looking (terrific design by the always reliable David Gallo) beach house, Brando (Brandon Flynn) comes in and with a brash attitude starts making himself at home opening the refrigerator and acting like the house is his. Williams comes out to introduce himself and wants to know who this fellow is. For some unknown reason Brando only says that he is from New York. What was the point of playing coy? Williams thinks he is just a fan. It takes a while before Brando announces himself which makes little sense. 

The saving grace here is that Flynn not only resembles Brando but never comes on too strong or does an imitation. He is headstrong and full of arrogance but never goes too far over the top to become a caricature. He is perfectly cast for the role of Brando. Most of the play is banter between both of them. He explains why he was late in coming and talks about his acting and being on stage with the always controversial Tallulah Bankhead. Williams thinks he is too young for the role. After Williams tells him what tragically happened to his sister, Brando creates some story about a young woman he knows who also went through terrible mental treatment at a facility. However, he madehis story up for no apparent reason.d

Williams keeps asking Brando why he mumbles. The problem is that Flynn does not mumble which is something Hanlon should have paid more attention to. Flynn is so good that there is no reason I could see why he would not be able to make himself unclear as Brando sometimes did. This is brought up several times which is contrary to how Flynn sounds. 

A number of scenes are based on fact including Brando's  girlfriend who arrives with him. Only here for which gives Brando and Williams more time to blandly converse, the girlfriend is left at the bus station so comes to the house late. Ellie Ricker (Jo) is terrific as Brando's girlfriend in a thankless role which goes no where except for Williams fawning over her to make Brando angry. Why? There is a humorous moment offstage in which as Brandon Flynn calls Jo as he would yell out "Stella!" Williams looks perplexed for Brando told him he did not have the script to the play. You later find out he did.

A mistake is in not giving Flynn a few moments in reading lines from the play. Since Jones was according to what I read actually there when Brando  read it and was amazed by his delivery it would have worked beautifully here.

There is a great deal to work with but with Lord's overplaying the role of Williams even Flynn's terrific portrayal and Cimmet's equally fine performance they cannot do much to improve upon the  play which lumbers along. I doubt if Tenessee Williams would have approved. 

PHOTOS: Russ Rowland

Tickets can be purchased at The Duke on 42nd Street 229 West 42nd Street.

The play's limited engagement is scheduled to close on February 23.

Best of the First Half of the New Season

By Joseph Cervelli

Here are shows in no particular order that I felt merit the best for the first half of the new theater season. There seemed to be more shows during this first half  than I recall but nothing like what will be turning up in March and April. By then every  Broadway theater should have a show. And let's not even get to the off Broadway deluge. So, before that occurs, let me take a deep breath and here are those I felt were the best I have seen from May through December. 

"Gypsy"

For those that thought Audra McDonald's soprano voice would not fit the score of my personal favorite musical "Gypsy" think again. She combines soprano with belting. And the result is pure bliss. We are so overwhelmed with her heavenly voice that it is easy to forget what a truly fine actress she is. I shall never tire of "Rose's Turn" the penultimate 11 o'clock number, and her rendition was stunning beyond all measure. I did have some issues with George C. Wolfe's streamlined version and as much as I like Joy Woods I was disappointed with her portrayal of Louise. Yet, the moment that overture begins I was in pure delight. 

"Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical"

While "A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical" has a disappointing book with too much of an emphasis on his five wives it is vastly entertaining thanks to the music, the actors who portray his wives and the superb James Monroe Iglehart in the starring role. A big minus was not having a character play the one and only Ella Fitzgerald with whom Armstrong made some beautiful music together.   

"Swept Away"

The first half of "Swept Away" was a pulsating musical with a dynamic cast and excellent score. The shipwreck was one of the most ingenius production  numbers I have seen in a long time. But then the second half becomes a bit stagnant with the survivors of the sinking of their ship on a lifeboat. Not a lot you can do in a lifeboat to make the musical that interesting despite the fine performances of five of the actors. Even resulting to cannabilism does not perk your interest that much. Still, it did deserve to have a longer life instead of closing recently. 

"Death Becomes Her"

This new musical might be vulgar and crass but there is no doubt it is also hysterically funny. Based on the fairly entertaining film both Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard are wildly over the top and it works in every way. Also, don't want to forget the terrific Christopher Sieber who really shines in "The Plan"  what seemed like an underappreciated number by the audience I attended with. The sets and scenery were both glorious to look at. True, the score was not top notch, but it worked for the show. 

"Maybe Happy Ending"

Out of nowhere comes a charming little show with a wonderful Darren Criss as an outdated robot. The music is pleasant and the sets are quite remarkable. I was not as enthralled as others were with the show, but it still is worth seeing for Criss and his co-robot Helen  J. Shen. 

"Another Shot"

A show which should have played much longer is "Another Shot" about addiction recovery. Some found it predictable which in a way it was,  but the performances and sincerity in this show made it definitely worth seeing. One of the top shows of the season, thus far.

"Romeo and Juliet" 

This Gen Z version "Romeo & Juliet" is a fun romp before it turns serious. Sam Gold has directed with great creativity and while I was disappointed in a good but not memorable Rachel Zegler as Juliet;  Kit Connor makes a perfect Romeo. 

"Hold On To Me Darling"

Adam Driver gives an amazing performance as a country music star who returns back home for his mother's funeral in a thrilling revival of Kenneth Lonergan's "Hold On to Me Darling." Running about three hours I found it all blended together. Not one false move in this show.

"Our Town"

 If you have not yet caught the superbly moving revival of "Our Town" before it closes may I suggest you go at once. Kenny Leon has directed the show with such sentimental beauty and Jim Parsons is the most humorous Stage Manager of any previous production I have seen. A classic story about remembering the little things in our life could not be more appropriate in the current world we live in. 

"Fatherland"

"Fatherland"was a knockout of a show based on court transcripts and taped dialogue dealing with an ultra right wing instigator who supported the attack on the Capitol on January 6. Turned in to the authorities by his son, there is not one moment that was not gripping. And Ron Bottitta gives a performance for the ages. 

"Hills of California"

"Hills of California" is an unforgettable journey about four sisters who reunite in England for their dying mother. So much is going on that it is almost impossible to condense what is happening here other than the daughters are unique in their own way. Laura Donnelly gives an award winning performance portraying the mother and daughter who moved to America. 

"Someone Spectacular"

Here is an unusual play about a grief counseling center where the participants are not exactly getting along all that well with each other. So, what is going to happen when the counselor does not show up. It is an intriguing work and beautifully acted with quite a special ending. 

"Still"

Still" was one of the first shows I saw this season and a special play with two very remarkable performances Jayne  Atkinson and Tim Daly as a couple who broke up about 30 years ago and meet again at a hotel bar. The only issue was an ending that left you hanging or does it? 

"Once Upon a Mattress"

The best revival I have seen of "Once Upon a Mattress" which was at City Center has made it to Broadway. Sutton Foster is a complete joy as swamp Princess Winnifred who is a candidate to marry Prince Dauntless (a wonderful Michael Urie). Unbeknownst to her, his mother sabotages each candidate. It is just pure fun.

HONORABLE MENTION

Mia Farrow was the saving grace in the not very good "The Roommate" which so much just did not make a lot of sense. I am not into watching drag shows but heard good things about "Drag The Musical" and it was lots of fun. Runs too long and despite predictability a very enjoyable cast and tuneful score with some clever lyrics. While "A Guide For the Homesick" was a choppy play that had no real central focus the two leads McKinley Belcher III and Uly Schlesinger were excellent--especially Belcher III. While "The Beacon" had a number of issues not quite believable it boasted an award caliber performance by Kate Mulgrew. "Table 17" was entertaining if not totally successful though the two highlights were Michael Rishawn hilariously playing three roles and a very sweetly seductive performance by the always winning Kara Young. "N/A" was a not very exciting play with the two characters basically portraying Nancy Pelosi (Holland Taylor) and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (Ana Villafane.) Taylor is always a pleasure to see on stage and Villafane gave a breakout performance as Ocasio-Cortez. She looked and acted like the U.S. Representative from New York. Tory Kittles gave a standout as a Vietnam objector from the south who meets more problems as a Black  man moving up further north to North Carolina. I had some issues with the play but not the performances most especially Kittles. 

PHOTOS: 

1) Julieta Cervantes

2) Jeremy Daniel

3) Emilio Madrid

4) Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

5) Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

6) Joan Marcus

7) Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

8) Julieta Cervantes

9) Daniel Rader

10) Maria Baranova

11) Joan Marcus

12) Julieta Cervantes

13) Joey Moro

14) Joan Marcus