First I read the books. Somewhat reluctantly, I admit. I was worried "Wolf Hall" and it's sequal "Bring Up The Bodies" would read like pop history but to my relief they were enthralling and historically accurate. At least I think they are. In the current (the) Paris Review there is a long and engaging interview with the author of both books, Hilary Mantel in which she claims that they are indeed. The books are narrated in the first person by Thomas Cromwell. Mantel draws us in to the story the fictional story she has created within this context and the books are hard to put down.
This past week I attended both parts of The Royal Shakespeare Company's "Wolf Hall" at the Winter Garden Theatre. Ben Miles, last seen in New York in 2009 in "The Norman Conquests" but best know on this side of the pond as the handsome, not very bright womanizer in the British sitcom "Coupling," is Cromwell.
Ben Miles is remarkable. Since the books are a kind of interior monologue, as Cromwell (or as Anne calls him "Crumwheel") he commands the stage for the entirety of the plays. Historically we know that Cromwell was a common man, the son of a blacksmith, who lifted himself up through his intelligence and shrewd business dealings to become Henry VIII's confident and chief advisor. Although Miles is not an especially large man, on stage he creates the aura of being a massive presence, both physically and intellectually. His Cromwell has the magnetism, present in the books, that draws both friends and enemies to him and the thick skin necessary to survive at court. And everyone is a little in love with him, including Henry.
The performances are all pretty perfect. Nathaniel Parker is mercurial and imposing as Henry and Lydia Leonard the most devious Anne one would want to imagine. I also especially liked Leah Brotherhead's layered and complicated Jane Seymour. But the standout in Part I is John Ramm as the self-flagulating religious scholar, and eventually Lord Chancellor, Thomas More. More loses favor with Henry at the end of Part I when he refuses to accept Anne Boleyn as Henry's queen and as a result is headless in Part II. Our loss.
But it really Ben Miles' play, as it should be.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
"The Tallest Tree in the Forest"
I wish I could say that I loved "The Tallest Tree in the Forest" but I can't. I wanted to. A play about the great black actor and activist Paul Robeson, directed by Moises Kaufman, should be right up my alley. Unfortunately I do not respond well to one-man/woman shows no matter how talented the actor, in this case Daniel Beaty.
Beaty makes for a splendid Robeson. He can sing. He has a voice to match Robeson's own and the songs were pure bliss to listen to, accompanied as he is by a small group of excellent musicians on-stage throughout the two hour performance. He can act, as he proves to us as he vocally cycles through multiple characters who touched on Robeson's life. I wish he hadn't. I wish he had stuck to being Robeson and had a few other actors to play these roles. I suppose one reason for this may be that Daniel Beaty is a good deal shorter than Robeson was and, as such, this would have presented some problems in casting. But there were too many characters for him to play and it was confusing, many of them sounding too much alike.
The play is also too linear for my taste. We get the full progression of Robeson's life from boy to husband to successful actor, singer and activist and on to his old age, alone and defeated. But even with the seemingly detailed progression of his life important chunks are left out. His work with O'Neill on "All God's Chillun Got Wings" is in but not the more important "The Emperor Jones," for example.
What does work though is when he addresses Robeson's political beliefs: his journey to The Soviet Union through war-time Berlin, his appearance before the House Un-American Activities and the ambiguity of his relationship with the Soviet Union once his Jewish friends there begin to be persecuted. The moral dilemna for him is whether he can criticize the country where he, a black man, feels equal even as others are made to feel they are not. Now this is the play about Robeson I wanted to see.
Beaty makes for a splendid Robeson. He can sing. He has a voice to match Robeson's own and the songs were pure bliss to listen to, accompanied as he is by a small group of excellent musicians on-stage throughout the two hour performance. He can act, as he proves to us as he vocally cycles through multiple characters who touched on Robeson's life. I wish he hadn't. I wish he had stuck to being Robeson and had a few other actors to play these roles. I suppose one reason for this may be that Daniel Beaty is a good deal shorter than Robeson was and, as such, this would have presented some problems in casting. But there were too many characters for him to play and it was confusing, many of them sounding too much alike.
The play is also too linear for my taste. We get the full progression of Robeson's life from boy to husband to successful actor, singer and activist and on to his old age, alone and defeated. But even with the seemingly detailed progression of his life important chunks are left out. His work with O'Neill on "All God's Chillun Got Wings" is in but not the more important "The Emperor Jones," for example.
What does work though is when he addresses Robeson's political beliefs: his journey to The Soviet Union through war-time Berlin, his appearance before the House Un-American Activities and the ambiguity of his relationship with the Soviet Union once his Jewish friends there begin to be persecuted. The moral dilemna for him is whether he can criticize the country where he, a black man, feels equal even as others are made to feel they are not. Now this is the play about Robeson I wanted to see.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Muldoon's Picnic
About a week ago, on March 9th, I went to Muldoon's Picnic at the Irish Arts Center, my first event to which I was invited as a blogger! Thank you, Louise. The Picnic is the creation of Paul Muldoon, the acclaimed Irish poet who has taught at Princeton for almost three decades. He has begun staging this event several times a year at The Irish Arts Center. The upside is all the wonderful talent involved. The downside is that there is no food, kind of bad form for an event billed as a picnic!
The line-up this past Monday included the following: Paul Muldoon doing a spoken word homage to his wife's shopping habits, Muldoon's teenage son Asher and Sammy Grob performing songs from their nascent musical "Poesical the Moesical", the black poet and poetry editor of the Harvard Review Major Jackson, the band Wayside Shrines, Irish comic writer Kevin Barry, Michael Cerveris (currently appearing in the Broadway musical "Fun Home") and Loose Cattle.
The joint was packed and a rollicking time was had by all. Muldoon is a deft hand at juggling acts, including splitting the reading of Kevin Barry's comic murder mystery in 17 short chapters "Ox Mountain Death Song" into two parts, read before and after the intermission. This, for me, was the highlight of the evening. Barry is a marvelous reader and brought his odd and unusual characters to life in an audacious manner. I suggest that, in addition to seeking out his books in print("Ox Mountain Death Song" was published in the New Yorker), it would be worthwhile to hunt out podcasts because to hear him read is half the fun.
Major Jackson teaches poetry at the University of Vermont and Bennington but his poetry skips between Vermont where he teaches, Harlem where he grew up and Florida where his wife lives. His poems focus on race and sex and the human condition; his readings fluid and imbued with humor.
The songs performed from "Poesical the Moesical" were far more sophisticated than one would expect from teenagers. Asher and Sammy had a great patter going that brought to my mind the Rat Pack. They have an act that is a throwback to that time but simultaneously smart and timely.
Both bands were great fun. Ceveris and Loose Cattle have a great Cajun feel but the Princeton-based Wayside Shrines with whom Muldoon also performs are pure Hell's Kitchen Irish.
Muldoon didn't put a lot of emphasis on his own poetry, choosing to yield the spotlight to the rest of the performers more often than not but his spoken word paean to a man imprisoned in Asia for trying to satisfy his wife's designer shopping itch was hilarious.
The Irish Arts Center is west of 10th Avenue on 51st Street. The next one is scheduled for April 13th and will feature Mary Karr. Buy your tickets early. It is worth the hike.http://www.irishartscenter.org/literature/muldoons_picnic_4_13_15.html
The line-up this past Monday included the following: Paul Muldoon doing a spoken word homage to his wife's shopping habits, Muldoon's teenage son Asher and Sammy Grob performing songs from their nascent musical "Poesical the Moesical", the black poet and poetry editor of the Harvard Review Major Jackson, the band Wayside Shrines, Irish comic writer Kevin Barry, Michael Cerveris (currently appearing in the Broadway musical "Fun Home") and Loose Cattle.
The joint was packed and a rollicking time was had by all. Muldoon is a deft hand at juggling acts, including splitting the reading of Kevin Barry's comic murder mystery in 17 short chapters "Ox Mountain Death Song" into two parts, read before and after the intermission. This, for me, was the highlight of the evening. Barry is a marvelous reader and brought his odd and unusual characters to life in an audacious manner. I suggest that, in addition to seeking out his books in print("Ox Mountain Death Song" was published in the New Yorker), it would be worthwhile to hunt out podcasts because to hear him read is half the fun.
Major Jackson teaches poetry at the University of Vermont and Bennington but his poetry skips between Vermont where he teaches, Harlem where he grew up and Florida where his wife lives. His poems focus on race and sex and the human condition; his readings fluid and imbued with humor.
The songs performed from "Poesical the Moesical" were far more sophisticated than one would expect from teenagers. Asher and Sammy had a great patter going that brought to my mind the Rat Pack. They have an act that is a throwback to that time but simultaneously smart and timely.
Both bands were great fun. Ceveris and Loose Cattle have a great Cajun feel but the Princeton-based Wayside Shrines with whom Muldoon also performs are pure Hell's Kitchen Irish.
Muldoon didn't put a lot of emphasis on his own poetry, choosing to yield the spotlight to the rest of the performers more often than not but his spoken word paean to a man imprisoned in Asia for trying to satisfy his wife's designer shopping itch was hilarious.
The Irish Arts Center is west of 10th Avenue on 51st Street. The next one is scheduled for April 13th and will feature Mary Karr. Buy your tickets early. It is worth the hike.http://www.irishartscenter.org/literature/muldoons_picnic_4_13_15.html
Saturday, February 28, 2015
"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.
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.
Monday, February 23, 2015
"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.
"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.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
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.
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.
Friday, February 13, 2015
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.
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.
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