"The Ferryman," "The Ferryman," "The Ferryman"

Although I enjoyed Jez Butterworth's previous plays that made it to Broadway "Jerusalem" and  "The River" temendously,  "The Ferryman" is such a glorious evening of theatre [three and a quarter hours worth that fly by] that it surpasses anything he has done before. "Jerusalem" was such a tour-de-force for that grandstanding Anglo-American actor Mark Rylance that the other actors had almost no chance to breath their parts.  "The River" was more or less a showcase for the always amiable and attractive Hugh Jackman.  But the cast of "The Ferryman," which originated in London and is here directed by Sam Mendes, is a true ensemble, each one superb.  Paddy Considine as Quinn Carney the head of a large Irish family and Laura Donnelly as Caitlin Carney his sister-in-law lead the cast.  Fionnula Flanagan,  Dearbhla Malloy and Mark Lambert represent the older generation, all established Irish actors of some note, but even the young 'uns, many of them American and new to the cast for the Broadway production incorporate seamlessly into the mix.  Even those not familiar with the Irish "troubles" will have no problem following the story which revolves around the disappearance of Caitlin's husband 10 years prior and the events that ensue when his executed body is found in a bog. The different political leanings of the members of both the older and the younger members of this large extended family are front and center.  This devastating play, rich in language, political insight and human tragedy, is a must see. 

The Russian "Measure for Measure" at BAM Harvey comes close (Shakespeare ... hello ...) although I would have enjoyed it a tad more if it it hadn't been in Russian and the supertitles had been translated from the original English and not from the Russian translation of the English.  The cast, all from The Pushkin Theatre Moscow, are directed by Cheek by Jowl's Declan Donnellan. Anna Vardevanian as Isabella particularly stands out.  This is physical theatre. The staging is minimal and the ensemble at times appear as Greek chorus but it all comes together cohesively and times one even forgets that the actors are not speaking in English.

More or less in keeping with "Measure for Measure," "The Bacchae" also at BAM Harvey is a physical production. Anne Bogart directs the  Siti production of the Euripides play at times almost as it were a  dance.  The story of Dionysus arriving in Thebes as a human and wreaking havoc is a classic but always has the ability to catch one by surprise with it's brutality. The work of the very fine ensemble is at times humorous and at other times shocking, sending spasms of fright and fear through the body of the audience like an electric shock. Euripides would have approved.

Bedlam's "Uncle Romeo Vanya Juliet" disappoints.  I, followers of this blog know, am a huge fan of Bedlam.  They have their hits and misses and this one is in my opinion a miss, albeit a glorious one.  The idea of mashing together "Uncle Vanya" and "Romeo and Juliet" is a curious one.  I did not get it.  Call me thick.  Performances, as always, are excellent, notably Susannah Millonzi as Sonya and Edmund Lewis as Vanya and the direction by company founder Eric Tucker is mostly excellent except for another Ivo Van Hove moment of trashing the stage.  Perhaps the less said, the better.  I look forward to their next production which I hope is as awesome as their "Pygmalian" earlier this year.

The Trisha Brown Dance Company at BAM Fisher is an example of a rudderless endeavor.  Not every dance company is capable of performing up to the standards set for them by their creators after said creators are gone.  Merc Cunningham was right to say "no mas" although several of his dancers have gone on to start companies of their own where they continue to perform his choreography and this is fine.  Pina Bausch's Tanztheater Wuppertal has managed to hang on to magic of it's creator as evidenced in their recent revisiting of Cafe Muller/The Rite of Spring at BAM and even that felt like something was missing.  Not all the dancers who currently make up the TBDC are equal and it is evident in the three pieces performed at the Fisher.  I don't believe that a couple of them would have made the cut had she been alive.  "Ballet" from 1968 which opens the program and relies heavily on video screen shots of the Trisha Brown from the 60's is o.k. but Cecily Brown lacks the presence of Brown.  The second dance "Pamplona Stones" from 1974 features two dancers of mismatched ability and, although retaining some of the intended humor of the original, is awkward as a result.  The final dance of the night "Working Title" from 1985 is the most successful and the company performs it well but there are too many pauses to "move furniture" as it were and this breaks the continuity to the extent that we in the audience are in danger of losing interest.  The black and white photo of Trisha Brown in the program has more life than the entire evening.


And just for laughs see "Head over Heels." This Broadway play directed by Michael Mayer["Hedwig and the Angry Inch," "Spring Awakening"] with music by The Go-Go's about a Medieval Kingdom where everything is topsy-turvy and everyone seems to be questioning their sexuality is enchanting, engaging and fun.  Have relatives or friends coming to town? Take them!