My Thoughts on Network

I saw Network back in December at the height of the holiday season. I sat dead center in the last row of the Orchestra, wedged against the Standing Room Only row, with a packed house before me and in the rafters above. I had wanted to see the show in the early part of its run but this was an error. I wish I had waited until this time of year to see it, now that the die-hards and the Breaking Bad fans have had their go and the Tonys are still months away.

It’s a wonderful time of year to see some of the longer running shows. Spring is in puberty and people are unsure if it’s safe to go outside while it goes through its growing pains. It can be annoying to go to a matinee on a beautiful spring day, knowing that that pleasant golden sun will be saying its goodbyes for the evening when you step back out. But on a rainy early April day where it oscillates between 45 and 70? The theater itself will be the sun.

Let’s get the first thing out of the way: Bryan Cranston is going to win the Tony. As well he should. Performances like this are not just impactful, they are absolute physical exhaustion. To view it is to see that he is not just riding the coat tails of his previous successes, but he is pushing himself further, evolving, growing, and ultimately enduring. The idea that he does this 6-8x a week leaves me fatigued.

When people ask me about buying tickets, most of the time they are looking to spend between $80-$100. You’re not going to get anything decent for this show under $175, and honestly, I would go for more if you can. Buying a Broadway ticket is a difficult and expensive decision. You can only do it so many times. I realize people don’t think of it this way, but it’s really a type of investment; an investment in your intellectual and cultural capital. The more you can obtain and expand your mind, the more you will be surprised at how useful the pay off will be.

All this is to say is this show is worth it. Yes others will be cheaper and more easily accessible at the TKTS corral. But it’s one of those rare seasons where the plays (as in non-musicals) on Broadway are more interesting than the ones off. Ivo Van Hove’s production alone is largely the reason that’s the case.

I’ve seen at least 10 Van Hove productions and while there are calling cards: use of media cameras and screens, audience seating on stage, a more muted palette, never does the work feel tired and overdone. When he fails, such as with Antigone some years ago, it can feel like an excruciating, exhausting form of torture. But when he succeeds, it can be like watching a spectacular volcano at a safe distance. All the needless things like costumes and pretty props, stripped away so that you only see the golden lava exploding to the sky. As with Network, and certainly with A View From the Bridge, one of my favorite shows of all time, you do everything in your power to commit that fireworks display to long-term memory. It feels like a highlight; a milestone in your own life even though you are one of many in an audience.

Network is slated to close June 8th. Get a ticket now if you intend to see it.

 

My Thoughts on the Andy Warhol Exhibit at The Whitney

The Andy Warhol exhibit is closing on Sunday and it’s going to be mobbed. I actually don’t mind crowds but there are times shows can be crowded to the point where you are questioning your life choices and this weekend is sure to be one of those times. However, there are times when certain exhibits are so luminous, so thought-provoking, you’ll be glad you did it. Is this one of those times? I think it depends.

There is an episode of Portlandia that is absolutely brilliant (stay with me). In this episode, whatever character Fred Armisen is playing decides to make a Beatles documentary. Loosely quoted, “the British invasion arrives! Then they are on the Ed Sullivan Show! Then they play Shea Stadium!” and so on. Carrie Brownstein helplessly stand there and tries to remind him that that every Beatles documentary is the same and that it’s been made countless times.

This is how I felt when I saw the Andy Warhol exhibit. And if you’ve been to a lot of museums and exhibits, you’ll feel the same way. All the important milestones, key moments, and Warholian rhythms are there: the shoe ads from his early days, the coke bottles, the soup cans, the Brillo boxes, the celebrity portraits. The screen tests, the factory, the Basquiat collaboration.

However, if you haven’t seen these works in person or don’t know a lot about Andy Warhol, then this show is going to be absolutely stunning for you. In the end, he’s one of the most important artists of the twentieth century and certainly one of the greatest American artists. Reading the very well-curated Whitney website about the show, I was shocked to learn this is the first Warhol retrospective organized by a U.S. institution since 1987. My boredom probably speaks more to the number of museums and shows I’ve been to and less to the quality of the show itself.

And to be fair, there were some things that were new to me. I don’t recall having seen the more personal drawings from the early days, including a charming erect penis wearing a neck scarf. I could see myself going to bottomless brunch with it on a warm spring Sunday.

More importantly, there’s also the tension between Warhol the privileged white man and Warhol the marginalized homosexual. His painting of a male hand branded “666” is a sober reminder of the horrible treatment and cruelty toward gay men at the height of the AIDS crisis. Yes there was actual debate in the “Public Discourse” if people with AIDS should be tattooed.

At the same time, he did a portrait Marsha P. Johnson and the audio commentary reminds us that she was kicked out of one of the shows featuring one of her own likenesses. The spaces he traveled in were not “for her.” I actually think the show could have done more to elaborate on this tension. On the one hand, Warhol is a cis white male who is famously mainstream, packaged, manufactured, reproduced, and on display “…at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am…” (ugh if I have to read this quote on a wall one more time). He is welcome in many circles and spaces that are often closed to people of color. On the other, he or so many gay men like him, could be brutally attacked at any moment or have their life-ending illness ignored.

If you miss this show, do not despair. These works are from major museums, many of which are right up the street. While I was not as scrupulous as I normally am in checking to see where the works came from, when I did check, it was mostly MOMA, or the Whitney itself. The Mao portrait hangs in Chicago, in a section of the museum that is unfortunately under-patronized (do not make this mistake when you go to the Chicago Art Institute). Sufficed to say, it’s not as if the curators had to coordinate with some tiny museum in Budapest or conduct an archeological dig to get these works (although visiting Budapest these days might be less expensive then going to Pittsburgh, where the Andy Warhol museum resides).

My Thoughts on The Ferryman

I saw The Ferryman months ago and it is still a play that I often think about. It’s a massive and interesting story that takes place in Northern Ireland in 1981. My perception of the image we have of the Irish is they’re often fearless and don’t give a fuck. Such is the case with this play.

It doesn’t apologize for being 3 hours and 15 minutes, with the second intermission only being a pause where you don’t have time to go to the bathroom or smoke a cigarette. It has a lot of characters with lots of names to remember. The story is complex. The themes will not be spoon fed to you. Neither will the plot for that matter. It’s very expensive to stage. It makes a bold statement: when something is properly done, it’s bloody worth it. And it won’t give a flying fuck if you understand it or not.

It’s a huge play. A massive cast. And the best part. The very best part. The part that warms my soul like a good sherry. The children are played by children. And there are many, many children. And they are just fantastic. Their innocence. Their anxiety. Their confusion. Their inquisitiveness. For the teenagers, especially the Corcoran boy that dances, their anger and alienation. They are all laid bare. How they do it, I don’t know. It’s so amazing to see what professional child actors are capable of.

There is so much more. There are live animals and Tom Kettle. Elders in varying degrees of health that can recall histories and raise the dead. Aunt Maggie Faraway is just a great character. Yes, that’s her name. See the play and find out why.

At the heart of the play is an anguished, good old-fashioned steamy love story. Told well. With crescendoing tension.

I am sad to say the original cast is no longer in the show. Brian d’Arcy James is currently the lead. I have only ever seen him in Shrek and Something Rotten. He originated the role of King George in Hamilton off Broadway. How did we get here? This makes me skeptical. I don’t think it should prevent you from seeing the show completely. It’s so unique to have such a fantastic and interesting play on Broadway.

That said, it’s worth keeping an eye out to see if the original leads will make an appearance when the Tony voters start to come ’round. The Tonys are in early June and the play is scheduled to run through July 7. They will look to cash in if it can pick up a few wins. I would look for casting announcements around late April.

My Thoughts on Ain’t Too Proud on Broadway

Let me start with the good news: this is a very good show. Ephraim Sykes is an absolute star as David Ruffin and he alone is worth the price of admission. The ensemble is energetic, passionate, talented and the music is butter paired with a fine bold wine. You should absolutely see it.

Before I continue, I saw this in previews, but from what I can tell it doesn’t look like the show changed from what I what I saw.

Now the bad news: first, this show is too much like Jersey Boys. It has the same director. Ok. Schindler’s List and Indiana Jones also had the same director. Granted these two musicals have more things in common than those two movies but still. You can change it up. And by the way, I did not know it was the same director when I saw this show. The comparison was just blood-curdlingly obvious.

Also, I saw Jersey Boys on Broadway in its prime. One of the best shows I’ve ever seen. You can’t top it. The storytelling was innovative. The voices were out of this world. If you haven’t seen Jersey Boys. Good. Because you will spend this entire first act thinking about how this show is not as good and I don’t want that for you.

Second, the storytelling is weak. Especially in the first act. Dominique Moriseau wrote the book for this and it was the reason I saw this show (although I do loooooove the Temptations, as anyone with a pulse should). I’ve seen three of her plays and I think she is one of the most exciting playwrights working today. Her plays are rich in beautifully layered storytelling and here I could only see shadows of it. The first act is very: and then this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened. Oh and here’s a song. Oh and here’s a song to contextualize that time period. And then this happened.

Also, the first act was a long 80 minutes. Do we need to hear Shout? A song not by The Temptations. Twice? Are the 30 others (not hyperbole) not enough?

Look, I love a good Shout but that song is so overdone. I wonder if the writers of this show have had to sit through as many overdone covers of it as I have at various concerts. The thought of it makes me want to turn on Wedding Crashers for the express purpose of fast-forwarding that montage. Ok I’m done now. I promise.

When you peel back the shiny exterior in this musical, you find some clunky parts in that engine. First, the characters in the early part of the story are supposed to be crazy young, like teenager young, but the actors are definitely not. I have such a pet peeve about kids not playing kids. I’m not talking about 19 playing 16. I’m talking about 30s playing 16. Stop doing this! It’s confusing. We can’t see your innocence. This is a visual medium. It’s so lazy. If you can’t afford young actors or a larger ensemble, then you can’t start the story there.

Speaking of being budget conscious, the women of this show played too many different characters. Critics felt their depiction of the Supremes was good. I did not feel they had the vocal versatility to play the Supremes versus their other extremely interesting characters. I’m being nit-picky here, but still, clunky.

Now the second act was fantastic. There’s conflict. Things happen. The music is great. It comes together. I have nothing bad to say about it.

The hardest part for me is I feel like I can see the calculations. This show does not have to be great to make its money. The performers have to be great, for sure. And they are. But the overall arc itself only need fill its purpose between songs. And that’s a tragedy. Because it’s a missed opportunity to not just be a really good juke box musical but something much more legendary; an untouchable artistic force such that it belongs to be counted among the greatest Broadway shows.

Overall, see this show. Stay ’til the very end. The Temptations are legendary. It deserves Tony consideration and you won’t be disappointed.

Die Walkure at The Met

On Monday night I listened to the season premiere of the Metropolitan Opera’s Die Walkure, the second and most popular opera of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. From the comfort of my home, I played it on my Mac’s speakers from 6:30-11:30pm and it sounded absolutely spectacular. There are four performances left this season and this Saturday’s matinee performance will be broadcast live in HD in movie theaters and on the radio.

I’ve seen this opera 3 times and this was by far the best performance I’ve heard. The voices were strong, full, and gorgeous. Christine Goerke’s Brunnhilde is the powerful heroine we all deserve and I think the scene where she negotiates with her father Wotan should be played at women’s salary negotiation seminars.

There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding Robert Lepage’s production, which I saw when it first premiered at the Met 2011. I personally don’t mind it and for the more casual opera goer, I think it is a fun technological spectacle. Critics complain that the singers are often uncomfortable negotiating the contraption known as “the machine” and that it distracts the performance. I personally did not notice this when I saw it. The other and I think more legitimate complaint is the production lacks a point of view and given the philosophical and psychological depths of these operas, fair point. The advantage to listening on the radio is I don’t have to think about it.

It was so beautiful, I floated for a full 24 hours afterward.

The conductor, Phillipe Jordan, is slated to become the director of the Vienna State Opera in 2020, and for good reason. The Met orchestra played with incredible energy and exuberance, so much so I thought at certain points the sound and the instruments were going to simply fly from their hands.

That being said, if you haven’t seen a lot of opera, you would probably benefit more from seeing the giant machine spectacle. It appears to play well on screen and I would recommend getting a ticket for one of the HD screenings this weekend. It starts at Noon Eastern.

If you’re concerned about length, there are two long intermissions, which will give you time to get a popcorn or take a swig of that prosecco you so intelligently smuggled in with you to the theater. I will say the first act can feel quite long (though the music and singing is still very good). The action picks up in a big way in the second and third act. The third act is the star of the show. It features that famous ride of the valkyries (which sounds 10x more powerful coming from a top notch live orchestra) and the famous salary negotiation scene I mentioned earlier.

All jokes aside, the music from that scene is so scary gorgeous. It made me believe that I would leave my body and be carried to the clouds of Valhalla.

If you would like to try your hand at listening to the opera in your own home, which is a great option, I would recommend googling “Die Walkure Libretto” and then you can follow along. The singing is in German but a simple search pulled up the German on the right and the English translation along the left. Also, here’s the link.

Again, if you’re new to this or a more casual fan, I really hope you will overcome any trepidations and take the time to listen to this performance. As much energy as it may take from you to listen, it takes way more for these incredibly talented performers to sing these gargantuan roles. Casting these operas can be extremely difficult, so when a solid one like this comes along, it should not be taken lightly.

My Thoughts on The Lehman Trilogy

Last night I went to see The Lehman Trilogy at The Park Avenue Armory. I knew this would be a sold out run and I bought the tickets the day they went on sale.

At first glance, this play may feel like a step back rather than a step forward. There are no women or people of color to be seen, only mentioned or in the case of the wives, acted out by the white men on stage.

To be fair, all three men were excellent and I don’t want to downplay the incredible work they and the rest of the team put into this huge and enormously complex production. The movement and choreography of the actors on set was something to behold. So are the visuals. The glass house set. The panoramic screen in the background. The lighting changes to mark different time periods.

This an extremely important work. It’s really about the history of finance in the United States and to a great extent, the world.

It also about immigration, identity, and the implications of moving away from the associated traditions.

After this run, the play will transfer back to London, but this time on West End at the Piccadilly theater. I hope that means a future Broadway run as well. I think this is a work that should be seen by a wider audience. It’s a shame that only those that follow theater or have financial means or the time to wait for one of those coveted rush tickets will be able to see this. Not to say you shouldn’t try if you have the time.

A lot of great things have come in the time since the financial crisis of 2008. Including, in my opinion, much better theater that has come out of giving a platform to more diverse voices. The irony to me is that not only is an entity like Lehman Brothers a thing of the past but so is this type of theater. That said, it is good to revisit and see a robust old relic once in a while and remember why it should be the exception and not the norm.

P.S. I saw this in previews, but given the fact that it played quite a bit in London before coming here, I would say it is unlikely to be working out any kinks at this point.