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Off-Broadway Revivals—Shakespeare’s “Pericles,” Sam Shepard's "Buried Child"
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Thursday, 10 March 2016 15:38
- Written by Kevin Filipski
Pericles
Written by William Shakespeare; directed by Trevor Nunn
Performances through April 10, 2016
Buried Child
Written by Sam Shepard; directed by Scott Elliott
Performances through April 3, 2016
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| Gia Crovatin and Christian Carmago in Pericles (photo: Henry Grossman) |
One of Shakespeare's most problematic plays, the rarely-performed Pericles has divided critics, audiences and performers for centuries with its knotty language, incredulous plotting, dicey characterizations and the fact that the Bard most likely wrote it with a collaborator.
But this very messiness obviously appealed to director Trevor Nunn; unlike, King Lear, for example, Pericles can survive desecration: extensive cutting, turning dialogue into song lyrics and presenting the whole thing as a dance and music pageant doesn't hurt as much as it would Shakespeare's masterpieces.
The result is still a bumpy ride, but Pericles—which shares its incoherence and flights of fancy with fellow late romances Cymbeline and The Winter's Tale—stretches its patchwork wings, and Nunn's creative staging helps smooth over arid patches, helped along by Sean Davey's pleasantly melodic songs, Stephen Strawbridge's incisive lighting, Brian Brooks's accommodating movement and Constance Hoffman's colorful but never ostentatious costumes.
As Prince Pericles—who believes he's lost both his beloved wife and young daughter, spending 16 years lost in a figurative wilderness until the ending makes everything right as a kind of humane spin on the cataclysmically tragic climax of King Lear—Christian Camargo makes little impression through the first three-quarters of the play, even garbling the lyrical poetry. But the final scene, showing the combined physical and emotional toll his losses have taken on him, he suddenly springs to life and touchingly portrays Pericles' grief turning into exultant happiness.
If Lilly Englert is a too-petulant Marina, Pericles' beloved daughter, then Gia Crovatin makes Pericles' wife Thaisa come alive winningly, and there's solid support from Will Swenson and John Keating in several roles. But the real star of Pericles is Trevor Nunn, whose resourceful directing keeps this difficult and even risible late Shakespeare romance buoyant and, finally, moving.
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| Taissa Farmiga, Nat Woolf and Ed Harris in Buried Child (photo: Monique Carboni) |
Sam Shepard's Buried Child, which won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, has not aged well, at least in Scott Elliott's disjointed new production. This blatantly symbolic exploration of the ultimate dysfunctional family was an obvious tearing off of the band-aid that covered America's festering wounds from Vietnam, Watergate and other societal ills. Now, the play's metaphorical and surreal touches seem uneasily out of an especially grotesque Harold Pinter play, as parents and children escalate their attempts at treating one another badly for three intermissionless acts of nearly two hours.
It opens with couch-bound grandfather Dodge mumbling to himself in disgust as his wife Halie yells downstairs to him. This couple's estrangement is brought into further relief once the rest of the family enters: dimwitted eldest son Tilden, his one-legged brute of a brother Bradley, Tilden's son Vince and Vince's sweetly naive girlfriend Shelly (both of whom upset the apple cart to an extent), and Reverend Dewis, who shows up with Halie after their obvious night of carousing.
As power plays are carried out and secrets are unburied among these damaged people, Shepard's cryptic dialogue strains for the non-sequiturs of Pinter: at one point Shelly seems an allusion to Ruth in Pinter’s The Homecoming, poised to become a new matriarch of sorts. That is soon snuffed out, but Vince—first unrecognized by everyone when he arrives—seems poised to take over the family farm, as Halie retreats upstairs, his father Tilden and Uncle Bradley tamed and grandfather Dodge still in front of the sofa.
Shepard's blatantly metaphorical title is obliquely explained by a family history story told haltingly by Dodge, then needlessly literalized by Tilden walking upstairs with something cradled in his arms at play's end, it's both too much and not enough. Despite estimable acting by the men, notably Ed Harris as Dodge and Nat Woolf as Vince—on the debit side, Amy Madigan is too-shrill as Halie and Taissa Farmiga too innocent as Shelly—director Elliott never finds a coherent way to frame Shepard's strident piece of rotted Norman Rockwell.
Pericles
Polonsky Shakespeare Center, 262 Ashland Place, Brooklyn, NY
tfana.org
Buried Child
The Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street, New York, NY
thenewgroup.org
March '16 Digital Week II
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Wednesday, 09 March 2016 04:23
- Written by Kevin Filipski
Blu-rays of the Week
Coming Home
(Sony Classics)
His latest collaboration with muse Gong Li finds director Zhang Yimou in a melancholic mood with a story set during China's Cultural Revolution about a family torn apart when the father is jailed: upon his return 20 years later, his wife doesn’t believe that it’s him.
Gong heartbreakingly transforms from loving wife and mother to a woman unable to process a "new" reality in a sensitive drama that comments obliquely on Mao's destructive policies. The film has a splendid hi-def transfer; extras are a director's commentary and Toronto Film Festival Q&A.
(PBS)
Author Michael Pollan, who has written several books about our dangerous eating habits and getting back to healthy basics, has branched out into television with his Netflix series Cooked and this important two-hour film about how far we've strayed from good food in order to continue giving the public cheaper if less healthful options.
As always, Pollan's pertinent points are made with both humor and a seriousness that doesn't become sanctimonious; he valiantly defends proper eating habits against both governmental and corporate villains. The hi-def transfer is first-rate.
In the Heart of the Sea
(Warner Bros)
Ron Howard has never been a director to admire—even his Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind was too gooey by half—but he deserves plaudits for his absorbing adaptation of Nathaniel Philbrick's book about a real whaling ship calamity in 1820 that was the basis of Herman Melville's classic novel Moby-Dick.
Howard admirably succeeds at showing the simultaneous majesty and horror of the unknown sea in this large-scaled, old-fashioned adventure. The film has a superb hi-def transfer; extras include several making-of featurettes and interviews, and deleted and extended scenes.
(Cineliciouspics)
French director Agnès Varda's long and varied career—her 1961 debut is the New Wave classic Cleo from 5 to 7, while her last feature, the 2008 self-portrait The Beaches of Agnès,is also among her best—includes the middling entries included here: 1987's Master, with Jane Birkin and Varda's son Mathieu, and a Birkin portrait, Jane B.
Especially coming on the heels of her masterly Vagabond, both films are indisputably slight, but it's interesting to see an artist strike out in different, if not always successful, directions. Both films have been restored and look sparkling on Blu; extras comprise new Varda interviews about both films.
Strange Brew
(Warner Bros)
Bob and Doug McKenzie were the spiritual godfathers of Wayne and Garth—it’s no surprise that Mike Myers, like Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas (who co-starred, co-directed and co-wrote this), is Canadian—but the McKenzies' fitfully amusing 1983 feature doesn’t have the silly comic gravitas of Wayne's World.
Moranis and Thomas work hard, and even manage a few good laughs, but their satirical look at their laidback homeland is more smile-inducing than gut-busting. The movie looks decent if soft on Blu; extras comprise three short featurettes.
(Drafthouse Films)
In Myroslav Slaboshpytsky's astonishingly fearless drama, there is no dialogue or subtitles to follow a group of deaf-mutes through a brutishly nasty world of passion, sex, dog-eat-dog violence and—in two unsettling, even upsettingly clinical sequences—abortion and murder.
Slaboshpytsky could be criticized for showing the worst of humanity within an insular community, but it's been directed so persuasively and enacted so fiercely by an accomplished deaf-mute cast (led by Griogriy Fesenko and Yana Novikova) that its rawness is impossible to turn away from. The film looks luminous on Blu-ray; extras are a director's commentary, Novikova interview and the director's 2010 short, Deafness.
CDs of the Week
Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here Symphonic
(Decca)
Since Pink Floyd's music already has a symphonic quality, it's unsurprising that these orchestral arrangements of the band's classic 1975 album work—to an extent: conductor/arranger Peter Scholes and the London Orion Orchestra sound best on the multi-part "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" suites.
Still, David Gilmour's peeling, powerful electric and acoustic guitar playing is missed despite the presence of two able guitarists; guest musicians include pianist Rick Wakeman and none other than Alice Cooper, who sings the title song and "Welcome to the Machine."
(Masterworks Broadway)
In this immensely entertaining 1966 musical loosely based on the classic Fellini film The Nights of Cabiria, Juliet Prowse’s endearing Charity boisterously blasts Cy Coleman's lively "If My Friends Can See Me Now" and "I'm a Brass Band," while costars Josephine Blake and Paula Kelly knock "Big Spender" out of the park.
Director-choreographer Bob Fosse's wife Gwen Verdon—who originated Charity on Broadway—isn’t entirely missed because this is audio-only: she was made for Fosse's slinky, suggestive dance moves. And happily, Prowse is a more than capable vocal replacement in this original London cast recording.
March '16 Digital Week I
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Wednesday, 02 March 2016 00:27
- Written by Kevin Filipski
Blu-rays of the Week
American Horror Project—Volume 1
(Arrow USA)
Arrow's new boxed-set series is off to an inauspicious start with a trio of forgettable flicks: 1973's Malatesta's Carnival of Blood, an inept midway-set cannibal shocker; 1976's The Witch Who Came from the Sea, a strange drama about a woman whose gruesome fantasies may just be reality; and 1976's The Premonition, a goofy thriller about a deranged woman who steals a young child claiming she's her real mother.
Except for Millie Perkins' bravura performance in Witch, there's little distinction to these films, and fewer frightening moments. There are fine hi-def transfers; intros, commentaries, featurettes, interviews and short films round out a packed extras slate that also includes a 60-page booklet and stylish collectible box.
(Eagle Rock)
The legendary career of one of the last century's notable songwriters is honored with this concert at London's Royal Albert Hall, with Bacharach himself onstage discussing his songs, and the likes of Rebecca Ferguson, the Moody Blues' Justin Hayward and Alfie Boe (recently seen in The Who's Quadrophenia concert) singing his classics "Alfie, " "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," "I Say a Little Prayer" and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"
There's a certain sameness to hearing some two dozen Bacharach songs back to back, but there's no denying their craft and polish; alongside impassioned singing is exemplary playing by Bacharach and his own band. Hi-def video and audio are first-rate; extras are three bonus songs.
Creed
(Warner Bros)
In Ryan Coogler's auspicious reboot of the Rocky Balboa/Apollo Creed franchise, Michael B. Jordan consolidates his charismatic star power as Apollo's boxing son Adonis, while Sylvester Stallone still makes an endearing Rocky, perfectly encapsulating the movie's mix of nostalgia and moving on with the story.
Although way overlong, with overdone fight sequences—especially the final bout that turns into an anti-climax—but Creed is both an old-fashioned and new-fangled crowd-pleaser. The film's grit remains on Blu; extras are featurettes and deleted scenes.
The Danish Girl
(Universal)
(Universal)
In Tom Hooper's biopic about Einer Wegener, the early 20th century Swedish painter who was among the first men to surgically transition to a woman, Eddie Redmayne is almost too spot-on in his portrayal, ending up more convincing during the wrenching physical changes near the film's end.
The chilly movie's heart, however, is the remarkable Alicia Vikander, earning huge sympathy (and an Oscar) as Einer's faithful wife and fellow painter Gerda. It is her through her eyes that we see this incredible and still-relevant story, even if Hooper's clinical direction keeps us at an emotional remove. The movie looks great on Blu; lone extra is a making-of featurette.
The Fall—Series 2
(Acorn)
After serial killer Paul Spector escapes and flees town, Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) remains on his trail, especially after he commits another heinous crime.
Along with Anderson's strong performance, Jamie Dornan's Spector is a truly scary villain, and the supporting cast—including Archie Panjabi and John Lynch as Gibson's associates—rounds out an estimable cops-and-robbers team. The hi-def transfer is excellent; extras comprise a behind-the-scenes featurette and deleted scenes.
(Alchemy)
Writer-director Bernard Rose—creator of the intriguing Immortal Beloved, about Beethoven, and the creepy Candyman—updated Mary Shelley's classic with unfortunate results: aside from extreme gore, it doesn't add much to the timeless, horrifying story.
Xavier Samuel does what he can, especially as the creature gets progressively more monstrous and horrible—and human; Carrie-Anne Moss and Danny Huston are wasted as the doctors who brought him to life and who try to defend themselves when he vengefully returns. There's a stellar hi-def transfer.
The Good Dinosaur
(Disney)
The latest Pixar entry is an uproarious comedy about Arlo the dinosaur, living in a world that he shares with humans, since the meteor that might have caused all dinosaurs to go extinct ended up missing the planet completely.
As always, the animation and the humor are clever, while the friendship between Arlo and a young boy is touching, making this another perfect Pixar pic for children and parents. The Blu-ray image is exceptionally detailed; extensive extras include filmmakers' commentary and interviews, promo clip, featurettes and deleted scenes.
The Summer of Sangaile
(Strand)
In this bracing low-key romance, Lithuanian writer-director Alanté Kavaïté follows the developing relationship between two 17-year-old young women (played with sensitivity by lead actresses Julija Steponaitytė and Aistė Diržiūtė) during summer vacation.
Refreshingly, Kavaïté presents his lesbian couple at face value, giving us a sympathetic portrait of young love at its most authentic.
Broadway Revivals—Forest Whitaker in "Hughie," Danny Burstein in "Fiddler on the Roof"
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Tuesday, 01 March 2016 15:40
- Written by Kevin Filipski
Hughie
Written by Eugene O’Neill; directed by Michael Grandage
Performances through June 12, 2016
Fiddler on the Roof
Book by Joseph Stein; music by Jerry Bock; lyrics by Sheldon Harnick; directed by Bartlett Sher
Opened December 20, 2015
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| Frank Wood and Forest Whitaker in Hughie (photo: Mark Brenner) |
Despite its brevity (55 minutes), Eugene O’Neill’s Hughie is a full-bodied character study masquerading as a monologue. On Broadway in 1996, I saw Al Pacino tackle the role of Erie Smith, a down-on-his-luck gambler returning to his fleabag hotel after a drunken five-day bender precipitated by the death of the hotel’s desk clerk Hughie.
Pacino gave a terrifically likeable performance full of vitality and not a little self-pity, which is what Forest Whitaker sometimes taps into in Michael Grandage’s sturdy but stiff staging. O’Neill composed what’s essentially a symphony for an actor who hits all the usual notes—sorrow and laughter, anger and heartbreak, resignation and defiance, all in the face of death—that the playwright returned to throughout his storied career, neatly encapsulated in his rarely-done one-acter.
Whitaker prowls Christopher Oram’s imposing set—this rundown hotel's staircase and revolving entrance doors are too grandiose, but that's what's needed on a big Broadway stage—so as not to be swallowed up in it. He also heavily relies on O’Neill’s humor; however engaging he is, however, there’s little to suggest that Erie is preoccupied with thoughts of death.
Whitaker is flawlessly complemented by Frank Wood as the clerk to whom Erie pours his heart out. While rarely speaking, Wood offers a textbook lesson in how to interact with another actor onstage. Hughie might be minor O’Neill, but even this less than ideal production provides another glimpse into his tortured mindset.
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| Danny Burstein (center) in Fiddler on the Roof (photo: Joan Marcus) |
Beloved since its 1964 Broadway premiere, Fiddler on the Roof has had its classic status consolidated by the long-winded 1971 movie starring Topol and by several ensuing revivals, of which Bartlett Sher's grandly entertaining production, with a particularly winning Danny Burstein as Tevye, is the latest.
Notwithstanding an unnecessary prologue and epilogue in which Burstein plays a parka-wearing tourist, guidebook in hand, visiting the show's fictional town of Anatevka, Sher's fleet staging, spacious but intimate, shows off his canny ability to make over-familiar musicals seem fresh and alive, like his current King and I. Sher's first-rate production team—choreographer Hofesh Shechter, costumer Catherine Zuber, set designer Michael Yeargan, soundman Scott Lehrer and lighting designer Donald Holder—again proves adept at clarifying the perfect setting of another authentically classic American musical.
Burstein’s inspired Tevye boasts many humorous touches yet unabashedly wears heartbreak on his sleeve. This could be cloying, but it's anything but: Burstein catches the nuances of this rich character while making such touchstone songs as "Tradition" and "If I Were a Rich Man" his own. Tevye's marriageable daughters are played with spunky charm by Alexandra Silber, Samantha Massell and Melanie Moore; their rendition of "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" is another highlight.
This Fiddler isn't perfect: as Tevye's wife Golde, Jessica Hecht gives the same mannered, fussy performance we’ve seen from her for years. And the final images are too on the nose referencing the current Syrian refugee crisis. But Sher's production provides further proof that, when it comes to tuneful musicals with staying power, this one by songsmith Jerry Bock, lyricist Sheldon Harnick and book writer Joseph Stein is miles ahead of anything more "modern."
Hughie
Booth Theatre, 222 West 45th Street, New York, NY
hughiebroadway.com
Fiddler on the Roof
Broadway Theatre, Broadway and 53rd Street, New York, NY
fiddlermusical.com
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