Lady G: Plays and Whisperings of Lady Gregory--Irish Rep Again is a Joy to Visit

      By Joseph Cervelli

When you think of famous Irish playwrights, I doubt if Lady Augusta Gregory will be one of the top contenders that comes to mind.  Shaw,  Joyce, O'Casey,  sure. Yet, she was quite a prolific playwright producing over 50 plays based on her wit and verve as you will see in the frolicsome new play based on her writings with additional material written by the iconic director in resident at the Irish Repertory Theatre (if he will permit me to call him that) Ciaran O'Reilly. O'Reilly is one special director who can turn a work dealing with a woman who for many is obscure and make her quite interesting. A large part of this is due to the simply incredibly talented cast of four. At the curtain call it was hard to imagine we were watching just four people on stage playing a number of roles.

The play starts off quite amusingly with Gregory (Una Clancy) announcing that it has been 90 years since she has returned. Jokingly she informs us that she has a contract with the Irish Rep to have her plays produced and might even star in them,

The play does have a slow start with information that might not be of much interest, such as, describing the acres of land around her house and the various dogs. However, it is O'Reilly who infuses it was some very funny lines like her speaking about its resembling "Downton Alley." There are only about two anachronistic terms but provide the right amount of laughter. I especially liked her comment about "going viral."

She introduces us to her nurse, Mary Sheridan (a beautifully nuanced Terry Donnelly) who begins by singing a sweet Irish number about the French landing on the shores to save Ireland. It is always a pleasure to see Donnelly who was in the superlative "O'Casey Cycle."

There are a smattering of other characters mentioned who really don't mean very much unless you have studied Irish history but they are kept at a minimum and don't influence the storytelling. One of the most famous Yeats and well played by a contemplative James Russell would always call her Lady Gregory once she married the well to do Sir William who was a member of the Dublin Parliament. It is evident Yeats had strong feelings for our heroine but kept them at bay. Russell is such a accomplished performer going from the mild mannered Yeats to a scene from Gregory's play which is presented later in the first act. Suddenly this actor turns into a rambunctious curmudgeon.

Gregory goes on to speak about her travels all over the world with Sir William and her affair on one of the travels. When returning back home she starts to take a great interest in the theatre, and it is informative to know how difficult it was to gain a patent in Dublin. It is hampered by the snobbishly wealthy Anne Horniman (Donnelly) whose claim to fame was her grandfather inventing the teabag. The tete a tete between the two women (loved Gregory's calling her a "shilling in a tub of electrified water") comes to an end when Gregory finally gets a patent and a number of plays are finally produced thanks to Gregory using her own money.

At the conclusion of the first act, there is a scene from one of Gregory's plays "The Workhouse Ward" about two old very feisty neighbors who find themselves side by side in a what was then called a poor house. While Rusell is one of the men, John Keating is a perfect ruse as the other one. To say they bicker is a mild understatement. A bit of a problem is that for this scene both actors adopt a heavy brogue which does not always make their dialogue quite clear but they are having a grand old time. It is a joy watching them. And one of the most classic lines is "it is better to be quarreling than to be lonesome."

The second act is livelier with Gregory's admiration and friendship for playwright John Millington Synge whose most famous play "The Playboy of the Western World" was met with shock from the Irish audiences who found it obscene. Gregory was instrumental in bringing it to America where it was met with much disapproval for the same reasons in New York. A combination of stink bombs and rosary beads were flung onto the stage. Thinking of that religious symbol used in such a fashion must have been the height of indignation for those audience members. What saved the play is her meeting Theodore Roosevelt who supported it. To think that a US President at that time in our history supported something deemed vile is quite a credit to him.

What makes Gregory such an interesting playwright is the scene from her play that ends the show "McDonough's Wife." While "Workhouse" was almost slapstick in its humor this one is solemnly serious and moving. It is played to the hilt with ravaged emotion by Keating who just found about about the death of his wife. What makes this scene even more affecting is the small downstairs theatre where the show is playing. Only a few rows separate you from the actors. The agony and despair and anger he displays towards the townspeople who considered his deceased wife an outsider shows on his grieving face and how he copes with the situation is remarkable. One of his last lines reminded me of the last line from James' Joyce's masterpiece "The Dead." If you know that brilliant  film you will remember it seeing this show.

Again, the entire cast performs beautifully. There is not one minute you don't have the feeling you might have crossed the Atlantic and sitting at a small Dublin theater. They switch from character to character with expert ease.

Charlie Corcoran has designed a cozy scene with a fireplace and off to the side of the outside of the house is a large trunk of tree with initiats of famed Irish writers.

It is always a joy visiting the Irish Rep and again my admiration for their work has not diminished.

Tickets are available at the Irish Repertory Studio Theater 132 West 22nd Street.

PHOTO CREDIT: CAROL ROSEGG

Jagged Little Pill--Powerfully Alive

       By Joseph Cervelli

The opening scene of the powerfully alive and thrilling new musical "Jagged Little Pill" based on the concept album by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard at the Broadhurst Theater has the Healy family posing for their annual Christmas letter. They are smiling but you know immediately that something is just not right. Those antlers on the mother's head, Mary Jane (a superb Elizabeth Stanley), look perfectly set but nothing can camouflage that there is an undercurrent of sadness. The workaholic father Steve (an equally excellent Sean Allan Krill) is addicted to porn according to Mary Jane which seems to take the place of having sex with his wife.


We soon learn that Mary Jane is addicted to opioids and is in a constant state of nervousness. There is one brilliantly staged scene thanks to the always inventive director Diana Paulus in which Mary Jane is squirming on the sofa and one of the young ensemble players is her inner self slithering around unable to get herself together. Another equally potent scene during the incisively ironic "Smiling" has some cast members walking past her and then suddenly as the pills take full effect walking backwards a metaphor for her own being. The inner turmoil going on in Mary Jane's mind and body is perfectly depicted in these two scenes.  Paulus who never received the recognition she deserved for the wonderful musical "Finding Neverland" which had a much too short lived life knows how to construct shows and have them relate to the storyline.

The other two family members equally have their own angst. Nick (a fine Derek Klena) is the "golden boy" who can seem to do no wrong despite the fact he is tired of trying so hard to be that perfect son his mother seems to demand. He even has gained early admittance to Harvard. Things are going fine until he attends the wrong party and is caught up in something he learns to regret. Frankie (played to perfection by Celia Rose Gooding) is their adopted black daughter who has enough to contend with. The family dynamics and her own sexuality. She states she is bisexual while having a relationship with Jo (Lauren Patten) while falling in love with Phoenix (Antonio Cipriano.) Patten has a show stopping number in the second act where she is falling to pieces knowing that Frankie has left her. I cannot even begin to convey the emotional roller coaster she goes through in this number. Trying to contain her emotions and then falling apart again and again. It is a bitter, sad and yet loving song which is filled with remorse and despair. Another compelling  performance is that of Kathryn Gallagher who portrays Bella a victim of date-rape whose “No” which  is incredibly effective.

Diablo Cody's ("Juno") book is razor-sharp throughout. It is not easy tackling so many of the problems these young people are going through and make them feel fresh and she does completely.

The inventiveness of movement director and choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is ceaseless and the very capable ensemble accomplishes these moves with deepest emotion.

Again, praise must go to Paulus who makes sure that the show which runs about 2 hours 45 minutes never lags. The staging feels so real that you come to understand the sorrow and despair that the characters are going through.

If there is one problem it is the fact that a good many of the  lyrics which are so tantamount to what is occurring in each character's life are indecipherable. It is unfortunate that the music overpowers the strong words being sung. Except for this caveat it is a show blessed with a team that makes sure all else works to perfection.

PHOTO CREDIT: MATTHEW MURPHY

Tickets are available at the Broadhurst Theater 235 West 44th Street.

Anything Can Happen in the Theater: The Musical World of Maury Yeston: A Most Fitting Tribute 

       By Joseph Cervelli

Maury Yeston is a treasure as a composer. His music is melodious and his lyrics are wonderfully clever and pertinent to whatever show he is writing for. They weave in so beautifully with the storyline. Take his scintillating score for the sumptuous "Nine" and his equally sparkling one for the dark "Grand Hotel."

A retrospect of his work is being presented in the delightful revue "Anything Can Happen in the Theater: The Musical World of Maury Yeston" by The York Theater Company at St. Peter's. There might be two mishaps along the way, but for the most part it is a very loving tribute. The young cast of five Benjamin Eakeley, Jovan E'Sean, Alex Getlin, Justin Keyes and Mamie Parris give their all to each of the numbers and do well in conveying the emotional range of each of their respective numbers. The show is conceived and directed by that whiz of the "Forbidden Broadway" series Gerard Alessandrini.


Some of the songs will be quite familiar to theater buffs of Yeston's shows. Eakely tackles the deeply emotional and difficult song to sing "Love Can't Happen" from "Grand Hotel." He gives it his all and pulls it off admirably.  He also charms with the more lighthearted number from "Nine "Only With You."

While Mamie Parris does a magnificent rendition of "Unusual Way" also from “Nine" making it feel very fresh (and I must say I have heard many renditions of this song) she is, unfortunately, caught in two less than successful numbers. "A Call From the Vatican" falls flat despite all she puts into it. One can simply not forget the original production with Anita Morris singing it in her indomitable sexy manner with that unforgettable body suit nor in the revival in which  Jane Krawkowski being lowered onto the stage upside down. So, unless Alessandrini devised it in a more creative way it becomes mundane. Also, the not very good "Cinema Italiano" which was in the lacklustre film version of "Nine" featuring both E'Sean and Keyes as back up dancers With Parris singing  goes nowhere as choreographed by Gerry McIntyre. McIntyre's choreography is much better in the  rousing "The Mardi Gras Ball" from "The Queen of Basin Street."

E'Sean sings the wistful "I Had a Dream About You" beautifully with just the right amount of melancholy. Hard to make me forget Betty Buckley version, but he comes mighty close. He also casts a graceful spell on "Mississippi Moon" a song I have never heard before.

Justin Keyes displays a keen sense of slightly wicked humor in his "Salt n' Pepper" also an unfamiliar number to me. Filled with double entendres he makes the most of it. His duo with E'Sean "You're There Too" from the lesser known "In the Beginning"  is sweetly staged.''

Alex Getlin has a gorgeous voice and sings one of my favorite Yeston compositions "Danglin" about the end of a  love affair. You can feel the heartbreak in every word as Getlin stands perfectly still drawing every emotion from it.  She does equally well on the haunting "Strange" which I have heard for the first time.

The show has a fitting ending with two beautiful numbers from his Tony Award winning musical "Titanic."

For a nice respite from some blockbuster musicals currently on the scene give this small but big hearted show a try.

Tickets are available at the York Theatre@Saint Peter's Citicorp Building 619 Lexington Avenue.

PHOTO CREDIT: THE YORK THEATRE COMPANY

Cyrano--A Less Humorous Famous Character

       By Joseph Cervelli

When I first heard Roxanne (Jasmine Cephas Jones) utter the word "Wow" at the beginning of the misguided New Group production of the musical "Cyrano" based on Rostand's novel and at the Daryl Roth Theatre I knew we were in trouble. It is not so much that I aim bothered by anachronisms, but it just set the tone for one of the worst productions of Cyrano de Bergerac I can remember. And to hear Cyrano (Peter Dinklage) and Christian (Blake Jenner) say "Whaaat?" was even too much for me.

The big problem is that the play as adapted and directed by Erica Schmidt is devoid of any humor so inherent in Cyrano's character. As played by a too serious Dinklage with a basso profoundo singing voice he wears no prosthetic nose.  Dinklage is an otherwise fine actor in all he does, yet here he is instills Cyrano with ceaseless anger. Even what should be a gorgeous moment when he meets his friend Roxanne (in the book she is his distant cousin) at the local bakery thinking she is going to confess her love for him it is played with so little emotion on his part. When he hears those fateful words of her loving Christian you should feel how it "pierces his heart" but Dinklage just remains with a scowl throughout. Cyrano always felt his greatest asset was his panache. There is no iota of that in Dinklage's portrayal.

There are just too many scenes that are unintentionally humorous. During that meeting with Roxanne,  in the background we see bakers in slow motion spreading flour all over as if they were snow showers. The battle scene in the second act is played out like a facsimile of the one in   "Les Miserables" in slow motion on a slanted platform that the soldiers slide down. And the last scene with Roxanne at the convent with the once cruel De Quiche (Ritchie Coster) is not very believable. He is supposed to now be her friend though nothing much leads up to that at this point. We don't see the transformation of his villainy to his mellowing.

The cast is adequate but never captures their roles with any type of fulfilment. Jones seems to be acting in another time period and her singing voice has a warbling character. I was also not sure why she is wearing a blue rayon dress in one scene then something more time appropriate the next. Jenner is too silly for the more capable Christian. Never felt for one moment he was the great soldier he was supposed to be.

The score by Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner is generic throughout  and the lyrics by Matt Berninger and Carin Besser is sophomoric. Take for example, "No Cyrano, I won't let you go. I'm alone Cyrano. I've nowhere to go." If you want to hear a truly memorably lush score with poetic lyrics let me direct you to "Cyrano" the majestic musical starring Christopher Plummer. One of the most gorgeous songs written for the stage "You Have Made Me Love" will bring you to tears.  Sadly, this score falls completely flat.

The near empty set is by Christine Jones and Amy Rubin and the minimal choreography is by Jeff and Rick Kuperman. Not sure why two are needed.

Too bad this version does not work more than a pale Spark Notes production which should appeal to high school students who may have just read the play. For others, I would easily pass.

Tickets are available at the Daryl Roth Theater 101 East 15th Street.

PHOTOS: Monique Carboni

Is This A Room?--More like, Is This a "Play?"

       By Joseph Cervelli

Perhaps, the question we should be asking about "Is This A Room" at the Vineyard Theatre is "is this a play?" Based on word for word FBI transcripts it tells about the interrogation of Reality Winner (Emily Davis) who was a former Air Force linguist and worked for the NSA is accused of removing classified material from the office and leaking it to the news media. The information dealt with the Russian interference in the 2016 election. You would think this would make for riveting, edge of your seat theater, but I kept thinking while watching of the famous line from the old "Dragnet" series "Just the facts, ma'am." It certainly is an interesting and sometimes fascinating work but feels like a rough draft. I kept thinking,"why isn't there a second act?"

The play is staged in a kind of static manner by Tina Satter. She has her actors speaking in a kind of staccato fashion and you keep thinking you are listening to the actual tapes. You might think this makes it more authentic thought I kept thinking then why am I sitting at the theater when they might be accessible to listen to. Pete Simpson portrays Agent Garrick who speaks like the most inexperienced agent imaginable. He stumbles in his speech (not the fault of the actor) and there were moments you almost laugh at his inept statements he makes towards Reality. He along with Agent Taylor (TL Thompson) interrogate her at her home back in 2017. Reality is a cross fit and yoga trainer and seems confounded by all of this until you gather she indeed release the documents. There is also another character known as the Unknown Male (Becca Blackwell) although not sure why that the character is listed as such when FBI is on the jacket he is wearing. I use the term "he" although "they" might be a better term because Blackwell is "existing between genders" and prefers the term "they." Davis is quite good as Winner although she tends to speak very rapidly probably keeping up with her character's nervous nature.

Satter also has directed with some  distracting touches (no need for the row of seats on other side of the platform stage designed by Parker Lutz) and having the unnamed agent roaming around her house  and removing her dog (a stuffed animal that greets you as you enter the theatre) and a stuffed black cat are unnecessary features. Also, there is little need during one interrogation scene for the lights to keep going on and off as to indicate a change time. More annoying than atmospheric.

It is such an intriguing story that you want to read about her life when you leave the theater.  Yet, as a stage play it falls completely flat far from as compelling as it should be because you are only seeing the first interrogation. It ends so abruptly that I honestly thought there might be a talkback or, perhaps, an announcement of a  sequel to the play. Having a sheet on a table when you leave the theater where you can read more about her is far from sufficient.

Tickets are available at the Vineyard Theater 108 East 15th Street.

PHOTOS: CAROL ROSEGG

The Rose Tattoo--This Much Comedy?

        By Joseph Cervelli

I have never seen a stage production of Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo" although it is hard to imagine he intended it to be presented so over the top as it is by director Trip Cullman at the American Airlines Theater.  The excellent film version starring Anna Magnani who deservedly won an Oscar was serious yet had some comedic moments thanks to the antics of Burt Lancaster who played her love interest.  The play is more lighthearted than any of Williams' other works that I can recall, yet Pullman has turned it into a laugh fest with the audience laughing heartily. There are even some slapstick moments which make no sense. The theme of the play becomes so lopsided with performances all over the place that it is very disconcerting.

Marisa Tomei gives  a strong and earthy performance as Serafina Delle Rose until the comic touches become so heavy handed that she becomes awash in such silliness that all sensitivity in her character becomes lost. Serafina is madly in love with her sight unseen truck driver husband who as the play opens is killed  as he was hauling bananas and drugs. She is unaware of his corrupt behavior and falls into a state of depression never leaving her house. The neighborhood women act as a Greek chorus and frequently break into song which never coalesces with the seriousness of the play because of presenting it almost strictly as a comedy. They also become tiresome as the play continues.

Serafina's lovely teenaged daughter Rosa (a good Ella Rubin) falls in love with Jack (Burke Swanson)  who is a sailor. Serafina spends more time praying to the cremated ashes of her husband as a kind of shrine rather than show any connection with her daughter. Here again Pullman slips up badly. There is no emphasizing the love that she really has for her daughter. They may fight and scream but her adoration of her daughter which is presented in spurts never radiates. Rosa and Jack are no more than stick figures when instead the play needs to show how much they care for each other. Actually, Swanson is made to look rather doltish which provokes laughter.

Things turn around and become even more ridiculous when the truck driver Alvaro Mangiacavallo Emun Elliott) comes to her house. They joke around to the point where the aforementioned slapstick takes over. So, when they start to have strong sexual feelings it feels forced and not believable.  Alvaro is a bit of a clown as he was represented in the film but then needs to become more sympathetic towards Serafina. Not the fault of Elliott who is a fine actor. He is just lost in this misguided production. And if you have little chemistry between both leads despite the fact both work very hard the play sinks. Even the tense scene where Alvaro unsuspecting approaches the sleeping Rosa which throws Serafina into a frenzy becomes absurdly humorous.

Tina Benko plays the casino blackjack dealer who also was Serafina's husband's lover in a white jumpsuit walking and acting like the faded movie star Alexandra Del Largo from "Sweet Bird of Youth."Constance Pullman struts around as the witch with a patch over her eye chasing the screeching neighborhood kids looking like she belongs in a "Pirates of the Carribbean" film.

Even before the play starts you are find something rather strange about Mark Wendland's set design featuring  rows of pink flamingos near the back of the stage and the never-ending rolling of waves along the back wall which you find yourself starting at during a lot of the play.

I am not sure if Cullman has ever directed a Williams' play before but after this one I shudder to think what he would do with the more popular ones. Who knows how he would interpret
"The Glass Menagerie?" I can't even begin to imagine.

Tickets are available at the American Airlines Theatre 227 West 42nd Street.

PHOTOS: JOAN MARCUS

Linda Vista--One of Letts' Best Plays

        By Joseph Cervelli

 How do you figure out a guy like 50 year old Wheeler (a winning Ian Barford) in the frequently hilarious and yet tender and touching "Linda Vista" by Tracy Letts presented by the 2ndStage at the Helen Hayes Theater. He is a miserable mess. He has moved into a beautiful new condo in San Diego and that is probably the only good thing in his life. He is in the thoes of a messy divorce; his teenage son is addicted to humiliation porn; and he has a nowhere job as a camera repairman. It does not help that Michael (Troy West) the owner of the shop is a lewd guy forever making harassment comments about his younger employee Anita (an excellent Caroline Neff). I did wonder how Wheeler who has little money and having problems paying alimony can afford a condo with a great view (the lovely set by Todd Rosenthal.)

 His best friends are the married couple Paul (Jim True-Frost) and the feisty Margaret (Sally Murphy) whom he once dated. It is easy to see why she is better matched with the laid back Paul than the complaining Wheeler. They set him up with the lovely life coach Jules (Cora Vander Broek) who has a stunning moment near the end of the play in standing her ground in dealing with Wheeler. You find out early in the play quite briefly that she has her own past romantic issues. While they don't exactly hit it off at the karaoke club in which Paul and Margaret join in for some earsplitting singing they start to have a romance. One of the funniest if not the most hilarious sex scenes I have seen on stage  occurs in Wheeler's bedroom. It is graphically but honestly and realistically  presented by director Dexter Bullard who keeps the long play running quite smoothly. I won't give anything away but will say that little is left to the imagination. What makes is far from pruient is Letts' incisive and genuine dialogue. You would swear these are people who are real people from everyday life. Part of me wondered if any of this was autobiographical it is so authentic.

 The other character who plays a pivotal role in the proceedings is the lovely twenty something pregnant Minnie (Chantal Thuy) who was living with her boyfriend in Wheeler's complex with her boyfriend who throws her out. Feeling sorry for her Wheeler takes her in even though he spends every night with the lovely Jules either at his place or hers. One of the most prophetic lines which I won't divulge is what Minnie tells Wheeler which he chooses to ignore.

The performances are all so markedly on target. Barford turns Wheeler into  a character whom you want to feel sympathy for but find yourself disliking as the play goes on. He thinks he is one of those very hip guys although his hip (sorry for the bad pun) is causing him back problems. Seeing him trying to dress as a rocker at a picnic is so ludicrously funny. Yet, as much as you will grow to find him less likable Barford still imbues him with a certain amount of sympathy. He truly is a mess both emotionally and physically. Vader Broek's emotionally touching scene with him at the restaurant  is beautifully played and I cannot imagine anyone not sometime in their life finding themselves in such a similar situation.  All the other actors play their roles strongly and sincerely.

What makes this play which under any other writer could be little more than an above average sitcom is the observant writing which makes you reflect on your own relationships and life. Next to Letts' wonderful "August: Osage County" this is his best play to date.

Tickets are available at the Helen Hayes Theater 240 West 44th Street.

PHOTOS: JOAN MARCUS