"Let The Right One" If You Care

I did not see either the original Swedish movie of "Let The Right One In," or the American remake retitled "Let Me In," both considered to be quite good, because I have an aversion to vampire stories.  So I surprised myself by wanting to see the National Theatre of Scotland's theatrical version of the story at St. Ann's Warehouse. 

The National Theatre of Scotland was established in 2006 and describes itself as being "a theatre without walls and building-free." This was used to great effect in their astounding production "Black Watch" about a Scottish Army regiment in Iraq which I saw at St. Ann's Warehouse in 2007.  "Black Watch" was staged in the round with the actors moving in an out among the audience, making the realities of war all the more present and horrifying.  

"Let The Right One In" is presented here in a more conventional setting.  The stage is a forest of trees. Set pieces are wheeled on and off as needed but the trees remain throughout.  The play has a dance-like quality and is beautiful choreographed. The trees, the snow (yes, there is snow), the various set pieces all make for props to be circled, climbed and hidden behind. One can see that it would be possible to stage the play "without walls," in a actual forest perhaps, but in the current staging at St. Ann's we never forget that we are the audience, on the outside looking in, distanced from the story. 

The actors are all exceptional, the ones playing multiple roles moving in an out of character with ease.  Unfortunately though, I found the story thin and predictable and even a little boring.  However, if you loved the movies and if vampire stories are your thing then this might hit the spot for you.

"An Octoroon"

I saw Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' "An Octoroon" for the second time on Friday.  My first time was April of last year at the Soho Rep in Tribeca.  That theatre is a small intimate space and if you've been reading my blog you know how I love SIS's (if not, read my previous posts about "Constellations" and "The River").  It is currently being staged in partnership with Soho Rep at Theatre for a New Audience in Brooklyn which, although not a huge space, is certainly not as intimate.  The only actors who remain from the original production are Amber Gray as the Octoroon and the (uncredited) playwright himself in a mysterious role.  

"The Octoroon," a melodrama by the Irish actor and playwright Dion Boucicault that opened at The Winter Garden in 1859,  is here adapted as a play-within-a-play by a black playwright (representing BJJ) struggling to find his muse.  We watch as BJJ and Boucicault meet and argue and begin to find themselves in character in the play-within-the-play.  At Theatre for a New Audience I felt something was missing in the loss of intimacy as they drew us into their fictional world but they took it to the mat in the fast-paced, deliriously-giddy second act.

"An Octoroon" also references, consciously or unconsciously,  the choreographer Donald Byrd's "Minstrel Show"(which I originally saw in it's incubation period at La Mama in the 80's and whose recent reincarnation was in Seattle last year) with it's black dancers in blackface confounding stereotypes.  

Here black actors are in whiteface, white actors are in blackface and "redface" and most of the actors take on muliple roles.  And they are an extraordinarily talented group. There is a scene at the end of the second act in which two characters battle each other, both played by the same actor. We forget that we are watching one actor in part due to the talent of the actor(s) but also to J. David Brimmer's impeccable fight direction. And the Rabbit... What can I say?  The Rabbit is one of the most mystical, magical, mysterious creations ever to be encountered on the stage.

As in all melodramas the intent is to entertain and amuse but "An Octoroon" is a serious play addressing race relations.  At a time in our country when racism is bubbling up all over the country, a melodrama written over 150 years ago is current and relevant.

And bravo to Soho Rep for supporting new forms of storytelling!  You will be hearing more about them in my blog in months to come.

Final Oscar Musings

The Academy Awards are approaching.  This Sunday all will be revealed.  As I said in an earlier post, I don't really care who wins but here are my thoughts on selected categories:

Best Picture:  "Selma"

"Selma" is definitely not going to win which is a crying shame because for me it was the best picture of the year, timely and timeless.  It won't win because the publicity machine has not been behind it.  I've been told by people in the business that there wasn't even much sent out in the way of screeners which was probably its death as a serious contender.

Either "Birdman" or "Boyhood" will win.  I think "Birdman" is a better film but they are both deserving despite my earlier criticisms of "Boyhood."  "The Grand Budapest Hotel" was a lot of fun.  I always love Wes Anderson (well, except for "The Life Aquatic" which had the effect of an sleeping pill on me) but I don't think it's his best film. He should have won for "Moonlight Kingdom."  I liked "The Imitation Game" but it was a little too BBC-meets-Hollywood for me. I haven't seen "Whiplash" yet and will never see "American Sniper."  I'll slit my wrists if they give it "The Theory of Everything."  Just saying...

Best Director: A silly category, in my opinion.  Just give it to the one who directed the Best Picture.  How can a film win Best Picture without the help of the Best Director?

Best Original Screenplay:  "Birdman" 

No contest.  I mean, mounting a play of Raymond Carver's short stories on Broadway?  How twisted is that?  It should win for that alone.

Best Adapted Screenplay"  I can't even get in the discussion.  If "The Theory of Everything" can even be nominated....

Best Actress:  Julianne Moore in "Alice."

I haven't even seen the film but she's always good and the rest of the field are less than impressive. While I like Felicity Jones ("The Theory of Everything") it was a supporting role and the movie was crap.  The same the Rosamund Pike in "Gone Girl."  Also a supporting role and a crap movie.  If they can be nominated for Best Actress, why wasn't Patricia Arquette?  I also didn't see Reese Witherspoon in "Wild" or Marion Cotillard in "Two Days, One Night" so maybe this isn't a category I should even be commenting on.

Best Actor:  Michael Keaton in "Birdman." 

Definitely the role of a lifetime. His performance was multi-layered, intelligent, funny and ADULT. Let's win one for the grown-ups.

Again, I didn't see "American Sniper" so can't comment on Bradley Cooper but I've never been overly impressed by his performances. He's always acting.   I also didn't see Steve Carrell in "Foxcatcher" but, from the clips I have seen, it looks like he has a strange facial prosthetic.  It's sort of like giving Nicole Kidman that nose in "The Hours."  Why was it necessary?  And I can't decide if Benedict Cumberbatch is a good actor or I just like looking at him.  Will slit my wrists if Eddie Redmayne wins(notice a theme here?).

Best Supporting Actor:  Edward Norton in "Birdman"

Edward Norton in anything.  Always.  Such a great actor.  Should be doing O'Neill on Broadway.

Ethan Hawke is my man but I don't think he trumps Edward Norton.  I didn't see "Whiplash" of course, so can't comment on J.K. Simmons but everyone is talking about his performance.  I didn't see Robert Duvall's performance in "The Judge" or Mark Ruffalo's in "Foxcatcher" either.  I'll bet they were both terrific.  This is always a hard category.

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, of course. Although she should have had a Best Actress Nomination. 

Emma Stone is terrific in "Birdman" but noone trumps Patricia this year.  Meryl Streep?  Come on.  All she has to do it be in a film and she's nominated.  It's some sort of sick Hollywood joke.  Laura Dern is always a consistantly good actress but I didn't see "Wild."  Keira Knightley in "The Imitation Game"?  Love her but, no, not for this one. 

Best Documentary:  "CitizenFour"

Is there even any question?  All the other nominated docs are probably great movies but "CitizenFour" takes it to another level.  It should actually have been nominated in the Best Picture category instead of Best Documentary.

Best Foreign Language Film:  "Ida"

If only because I saw it and loved it.  I will be seeing the others so I could change my mind but by then it will be too late.

I have a feeling though that I will be neck high in my own blood tomorrow night (promises, promises) because "The Theory of Everything" will take it home along with its star Eddie Redmayne (insufferable little twit who mugged his way through the movie) and MERYL!!!  Just shoot me.

I just finished watching yesterday's TimesTalk  with Edward Snowden, Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald moderated by the late (as of last evening) great David Carr. I think everyone should watch it so I'm posting the link here: http://timestalks.com/laura-poitras-glenn-greenwald-edward-snowden.html  If you watch to the end, which I expect you will, Poitras and Snowden both offer up specific ways to protect internet privacy. 

In my not so humble opinion, CitizenFour is the best film of last year, perhaps of the last several years. The collective intelligence and social/moral responsibility of Edward Snowden, Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald is stunning. 

I don't really care if it wins an Academy Award because I think the people who have seen it and who are going to see it will, whether it gets an official stamp from the Hollywood community or not.   Sadly, those who were not interested before are not likely to develop an interest if it wins an Oscar. But for anyone who hasn't been able to see it in a movie theatre, it's going to air on HBO on February 23rd at 9pm. 



  

More on "Iceman"

I have been thinking a lot about "The Iceman Cometh" since I posted two days ago, specifically about who would make up the ideal cast.  I keep coming back to Edward Norton who I thought of as I watched the current production.  He would be an ideal Hickey.  10 or 15 years ago he would have been perfect for Parritt but he's aged and grown as an actor.  I could see Mandy Patinkin as Larry. I'm not kidding. Rupert Friend as Parritt?  And I can come up with a whole passel of fine young actresses to the play the "tarts" among them Betty Gilpin, Heidi Schreck and Hallie Pfeiffer.  More to come...

The Iceman Cometh or has he?

So.... I saw The Iceman Cometh, one of the great plays of our time, at BAM last night.   I'm still scratching my head figuratively.  Eugene O'Neill wrote grand, magnificent tragedies.  For a play to be a tragedy it is necessary to have at its core a tragic hero. O'Neill's heroes are huge and have great effect and so their falls are devastating, heart-rending and soul-emptying.

I'm too young to have seen Jason Robards as Hickey in the original 1956 Circle in the Square production but I did find a couple of videos on YouTube.  While I was there I checked out the Hickeys of Lee Marvin and Kevin Spacey as well.  They all had the appearance of being virile and physically towering men (yes, somehow, even Spacey).   Nathan Lane does not have the stature, the grandeur if you will, for the role.  He bursts onstage in all his vaudevillian splendor.  He's a Looney Toon animation, the hawker of sideshows at Coney Island, the best friend but not the leading man.  It's impossible to see why the drunks in the Last Chance Saloon wait eagerly for his return every year, how he is able to bend them to his will or to understand the long-suffering love his wife Evelyn had for him.  And so his fall is not from a great height but a stumble off a footstool.

The young anarchist on the run and fighting with his internal demons, Don Parritt, has been portrayed by the likes of Robert Redford and Jeff Bridges.  Why choose an actor of diminutive stature and a ferrety look, Patrick Andrews, for this production?  Parritt is not the tragic hero of the play but he is conflicted and in the context of the play his life should mean more to us than it does here. He comes to Larry, played here by Brian Dennehy with great quiet stoicism, looking for safe harbour or, at the very least, an answer to the why of his very existence.  This Parritt we want to kick to the curb.

Dennehy is a large lumbering block of a man. He seems rooted to his seat for much of the play like the stump of an enormous tree. He says little but is the conscience of the play. It is he who first voices O'Neill's thematic "pipe dreams." I would have liked to see him bring more humanity to the role but the death mask that is his face in the final moments of the play is a crushing sight to behold.

Overall, I found Robert Fall's directiom to be static and flat.  The other denizens of the bar are caricatures, not living, breathing human beings, even the great John Douglas Thompson as Joe.  O'Neill wrote types but the material is there to make them real. I wanted to feel that I was really there, in this bar with people who had real lives before this moment and would continue to have them after even if their lives were only at the bottom of a shot glass.  Instead I felt like I was watching a sit-com.  Check out the YouTube videos if you want to see how it can be done.