A DOG STORY @ The Loft at the Davenport’s Black Box

A Dog Story, music and lyrics by Gayla D. Morgan is a new musical comedy about a career-driven lawyer and his quest to marry a woman in less than a month in order to secure a promotion. The plot left much to be desired and the character development was almost remiss throughout the show until its final moments.

The play was performed in the Loft at the Davenport’s Black Box theatre. The set was clever. Designed by Lauren Mills, it featured large white cabinets on either side of the stage whose cubbies were opened to reveal different signs to signify scene changes and storage for characters to interact with. A Dog Story was choreographed by Shannon Lewis and directed by Justin Baldridge.

Roland (David Perlman) is our career-driven lawyer that is unable to make partner at his firm. From faulty logic, Roland realizes that others have been promoted before him because of their recent marriages. The rest of Perlman’s performance was filled with his attempt to pull more depth out of an otherwise shallow character.

Roland’s best friend, Guy (Brian Ray Norris) is a womanizer that, despite being in his late thirties, acts as if he is scarcely eighteen. His lewd comments and aggressive nature toward women did not come across as endearing--his creepiness did not set well with the audience either. Norris was unable to harness many defining moments.

Guy and Roland make a trip out to the Hamptons where Guy believes Roland will find his wife, but he must “get a dog!” first. Shortly after his endeavor of obtaining his new companion, he is in pursuit of Blair (Stefanie Brown), a beautiful hedge fund manager that Roland believes is perfect for him. Brown was captivating when she was on stage.

Lastly, realizing that Blair will never love him if his dog misbehaves, Roland hires MIranda (Lindsie VanWinkle) to train his new puppy. VanWinkle is faced with a more developed character surrounded by thin ones and she does her best to compensate.

A Dog Story did what it could to win the audience with its imaginary dog and shaky premise. The cast lacked chemistry and some of their interactions came across as awkward. The show itself had some special moments, that, as a dog lover, I did appreciate.

Review By: Alex Lipari

Photos By: Jeremy Daniel

A Taste of Things to Come @ The York Theater Company

A Taste of Things to Come has enjoyed its first New York debut at The York Theatre Company at St. Peter’s. Taste is a welcome adventure through time—exploring the dichotomy of a woman’s life in the 1950’s vs. the 1960’s. The book, music and lyrics by Debra Barsha and Hollye Levin brought the pervasive experiences of women; friendship, desire, marriage, societal pressures, oppression and more—to life.

Director/choreographer Lorin Latarro utilized Steven C. Kemp’s fully stocked kitchen with moving blocks of counters mirroring the style of their respective decades. In Act I we are greeted with the 1957 kitchen, complete with a window/computer screen that accompanied the cast with television clips from the 50’s and more.

In Act II, the scene opens up to reveal the all-women band behind the counters (Gillian Berkowitz/Piano and Conductor, Ann Klein/Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Barbara Merjan/Drums and Percussion, Sue Williams/Upright and Electric Bass), a living room complete with a shag rug and other iconic 60’s pieces. Lighting Design by Nathan W. Scheuer and Costume Design by Dana Burkart was notable throughout the performance.

The play explores the lives of four women, Joan Smith, Agnes Crookshank, Dottie O’Farrell, and Connie Olsen. Each one represents different personas of the time periods. While Act I was quite whitewashed, Act II hit home with a touching exploration of the issues of women, race and status; creating a much deeper connection to the heart of the audience.

Joan Smith (Paige Faure) is the ring-leader—the organizer of the Winnetka women. Highly intelligent but limited as a woman—Faure does not struggle to personify her character’s growth into the age of feminism. It is Faure that is the glue of the performance.

One of Joan’s best friends (just don’t tell the others) is Connie Olsen (Autumn

Hurlber). Connie is blonde haired and blue eyed with the “perfect” marriage. Faced with the ultimate form of “limbo,” Hurlber explores interracial issues in the second act. Her connection with her character was as powerful as her chemistry with the cast.

Agnes Crookshank (Janet Dacal) is the forever-single woman of the group. Refusing to accept the overall zeitgeist of the 1950’s, Crookshank pushes all of the envelopes she encounters and Dacal encompasses the early dents in the glass ceiling in the form of defiance. This blossoms into success in finding her place in the world outside of Illinois and Dacal more than just “passes” in her role.

Dottie O’Farrell is the personification of feminine zeitgeist. A suburban mother of four (or was it six?), Allison Guinn hilariously pulls the proud mother almost left behind in the 1960’s to the forefront of the play. As an audience, we are reminded that motherhood is just as powerful as any other life path; and that the sexual revolution did wonders for everyone. Guinn was perfect for the role.

A Taste of Things to Come hit almost every major social and political event for women of 50’s and 60’s—from “Dear Abby” to the pill. It was an incredible journey that I was charmed to be a part of. Debra Barsha and Hollye Levin created a play that is not only reflective but inclusive.

Review By: Alex Lipari

Photos By: Carol Rosegg

Coriolanus from Man to Dragon @ Italy Time Theatre

Coriolanus from Man to Dragon adapted by Omri Kadim and presented by Shakespeare in the Square and Combative Theatre Co. is an interesting look at Shakespeare’s Ancient Rome.

The play was presented in somewhat of a thrust fashion and the audience was made to stand and be a part of the production for roughly 65% of the play. Cast members utilized the stage and space in front of it, with a ramp leading down. Members of the Fight Core frequently spoke to audience members as if they were Roman citizens, ushering them to different parts of the floor. It was an immersive dynamic experience that director Yuriy Pavlish attempted to utilize to bring a different element to Coriolanus. Also I must note that the cast was a healthy mix of genders, another new take on the play.

We begin with dozens of fight scenes, the cast in tattered togas with strips of leather to accentuate a character’s status. It seems costume designer Fan Zhang worked with a budget as best as possible. At times it was a struggle to tell which group fighting were Roman soldiers and which were the Volscians. This issue was not assuaged by the passage of time and the lessening of violence—this made the play somewhat muddled.

Members of the cast entered the scene from three different points, one at each portion of the thrust. Sounds of battle were heard behind the curtain shielding audience members from the seats they would gain access to when the performance allowed. Every avenue was used to express different portions of the play.

The combat scenes were filled with death and the scathing sound of metal on metal or metal to spear. The cast was able to utilize a host of weapons—swords, spears, hidden daggers and dirks. The theatrics were well placed, the stances and fighting style commensurate with warriors of Ancient Rome. However, most cast members found it difficult to fight at speed and many moves came across as contrived. The exception were battles between Coriolanus (Jefferson Reardon) and Aufidius (Chris Dooly)—both men were very well suited to battle at speed and it was a pleasure to watch.

Each cast member had a solid hold of the Shakespearean prose, not faltering with its heft. The play also had a healthy dose of comedic relief mostly doled out by Menenius (Felix Birdie). Other notable performances include Volumnia (Patricia Black) and Brutus (Oliver Palmer). Black was engaging and each time she entered the stage she was welcome. Palmer held many roles aside from Brutus and in each he excelled at bringing the audience in. Reardon (Coriolanus) channeled his rage and anger very well, his performance palpable.

In all, the performance was difficult to follow at times because of the similarity of costume but was a unique take on Coriolanus.

Review By: Alex Lipari

Photos By: Emilio Madrid-Kuser

Les Liasions Dangereuses @ The Booth Theater

Since its initial 1987 Broadway debut with Lindsay Duncan and Alan Rickman, Les Liasions Dangereuses has returned to the Booth Theatre starring Janet McTeer and Liev Schreiber. A performance filled with the underbelly of intrigue and sexual manipulation of ancien régime France comes from Christopher Hampton’s adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos’ 1787 novel.

Directed by Josie Rourke, Dangereuses witty lines and scintillating tales scurry across the stage in beautiful period garb designed by Tom Scutt. Scutt also designed the unit set that resembles an old art gallery—the walls peeling and gorgeous paintings lying about, waiting to be properly marveled at.

Janet McTeer plays La Marquise de Merteuil, a happily widowed aristocrat who gains her pleasure from the power she imposes on others—her success measured only by the misery and destruction that falls before her. Expertly, she hides her intentions behind her perfect mannerisms and military-like strategy. Her aim is to exercise the only power she can possibly possess as a woman and achieve its ends better than a man. Her competitor is Liev Schreiber, Le Vicomte de Valmont, serially unwed and searching for the highest conquests to earn him fame and legend (from his loins). His intentions only hidden by his quick wit and easy command of a woman’s virtue (or lack thereof).

Their major victims are a 15-year-old virgin, Cecile Valanges (Elena Kampouris), her true love Le Chevalier Danceny (Raffi Barsoumian), and a happily married and virtuous woman Madame de Tourvel (Birgitte Hjort Sorensen). La Marquise desires revenge on a former lover and tasks Valmont to deflower Cecile before her impending marriage and Valmont wishes to become an irresistible yearning of Madame de Tourvel; enough for her to drop her religious afflictions and leave her husband. A feat he views as the height of his career; so impossible that only he can achieve its end.

What ensues is Schreiber and McTeer commanding the stage and performance. Each one pulled from the audience a sense of overarching foreboding and hopelessness. Rourke was careful to include comedic relief wherever possible. The acting was without flaw and the play itself a dark undertaking where characters shed their innocence, their feelings of true love and desires for the art of the game.

Difficult as it is to bring all aspects of a novel to life, Les Liaisions Dangereuses does its best and is graced with a very capable cast. While there was a lot of comedy and talent to bridge the gaps of a thin plot and overt hideous intentions that did not always run deeper, Dangereuses opened an eye to the musical chairs of lovers and destroyers of pre-revolution France.

Review By: Alex Lipari
Photos By: Joan Marcus

You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown @ York Theatre Company

  

You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown was an uplifting adventure. The York Theatre Company, for the first time ever, assembled a cast of professional young actors to portray our Peanut friends and they took the performance into their own crafts.

Director Michael Unger sought to pay homage to Schulz’s 17,897 strips with a Peanuts stage designed by Brian Prather. Each element, from the spinning grand piano in the center that held Snoopy’s infamous doghouse to the comic-esque grass drawn on the ground was a scene set within one of Schulz’s mini stories.

Charlie Brown (Joshua Colley) was as we all remember—facing seemingly childish internal struggles that simply grow more complex as we age. Colley’s voice radiated the stage and his well-earned young talent was palpable.

Lucy (Mavis Simpson-Ernst) captivated that big, bold, pushy and psychiatrically-inclined character that resonates with anyone from any culture. Simpson-Ernst commanded the stage with professional ease.

Sally’s (Milly Shapiro) comedic timing was impeccable. Smart, sassy and always prepared with a comeback, Shapiro expertly maneuvered the stage and emulated her character right from one of Shulz’s strips.

Linus (Jeremy T. Villas) dragged his little blanket, shouted wise anecdotes and sucked his thumb in deep contemplation. Villas captured the deceptive depth of his character and graced the audience with a taste of his dancing in “My Blanket and Me.”

Schroeder (Gregory Diaz) was his usual, Beethoven-obsessed self. Diaz’s performance was riddled sarcasm and intelligence. He pulled us all into his musically enchanted world and made me remember that childlike innocence we all face when admiring the greats we one day want to be.

Lastly, Snoopy (Aidan Gemme), was the comedic tie of the show. Gemme’s performance was a cherished hilarity. With well-placed howls and barks, Gemme put his own deviant approach to Snoopy that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The York Theatre Company’s young professional approach is a welcome success. Assembling a cast of multi-cultural and highly versatile actors coupled with expert staging made for an excellent performance. If you are able, take the time to catch You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown at The Theatre at St. Peter’s.

Review By: Alex Lipari
Photos By: Sara Krulwich

A Better Place @ The Duke on 42nd Street

Calling all dreamers! A Better Place, presented by The Directors Company in association with Pascal Productions reflects issues of trust, family and overcoming the struggles of comparison, all the while looking into our own notions of grandeur as we seek our next horizon.

Director Evan Bergman has a thrust stage as her personal canvas to present the story of two families seeking a better place. Scenic Designer David L. Arsenault created two apartments for the audience to peer into—one quaint and small living room pre-war walkup and the other “better place” hi-rise apartment equipped with a sitting room, hallway and office.

We begin by looking into Les Covert’s (Bob Maitner) mind of “if only I lived across the street in that apartment, my life would be perfect.” Maitner conveys Les as the self-limited middle-aged waiter faced with his own past. His character was funny and relatable.

Covert’s lover and life partner, Sel Trevoc (John Fitzgibbon) is a philosophy professor five years into waiting for his tenure. Fitzgibbon created a mirror for Maitner’s character and offered the comic relief and introspection needed to drive his inner conflicts to fruition. The two had good chemistry and Fitzgibbon’s character was the only one philosophically at peace with his life and choices.

Across the way, the Roberts family struggles with gambling addiction, familial envy and growing into adulthood. Husband and wife Mary and John Roberts are looking to sell their hi-rise and move to Florida while their daughter, Carol, is left to find her way in New York City without them.

Mary Roberts (Judith Hawking) struggles with her suspicions that her husband may not want to sell and finally retire to a more Southern climate. She consistently harps on her daughter Carol about beginning life as an adult rather than a dependent 28-year-old and prances around the set mumbling relatable and funny anecdotes.

Her husband, John (Edward James Hyland) has a horse gambling addiction that seems to always end in winning. He ushers himself to provide for his family in ways that he can and is meticulous about the luscious upgrades he has made to the hi-rise. His love for his wife shows through in his performance. 

Their daughter Carol (Jessica DiGiovanni) holds a strange fetish. Needing to concentrate on her better place, she is only attracted to real estate brokers and will open herself to their affections only after they have described upscale apartments in ways that excite her. She is seen with many renditions of Michael Satow and their taking to the stage was always met with laughter.

The play was introspective (yet somewhat predictable) and showed the inner turmoil that many of us all face in our search for the next beginning. 

Review By: Alex Lipari

Photos By:  Jenny Anderson