SpeakEasy's "Significant Other": 3 Weddings & No Funeral

Greg Maraio & Kathy St. George in "Significant Other"
(photo: Justin Saglio)

In his new comedy,Significant Other, in its New England premiere at SpeakEasy Stage Company, before its (unrelated) Broadway opening next year, Joshua Harmon once again shows his knack for amicably skewering the intense self-absorption of today's youth, especially the subculture of New York City millennials. It's a brisk semisweet concoction about the everyday challenges city singles face in both finding love and in letting go. His targets are, to varying degrees, neurotic, needy and narcissistic. It's to Harmon's credit that he can create such superficially off-putting characters who manage to enrage yet engage us, without losing his driving sense of humor and benign observational skills. While his overview here may not be as incisive as in his previous Bad Jews, it's a very recognizable fable of foibles. Depending on one's vintage, these may be current or distant hook-up points, but we've all more or less been there and done that, if not to such an amusing degree.

The central character, Jordan Berman (Greg Maraio), is a 29 year old, single gay man whose life has revolved for many years around his three BFFs, Kiki (Sarah Elizabeth Bedard), Laura (Jordan Clark) and Vanessa (Kris Sidberry), but anchored by his tender relationship with his aging grandmother, Helene (Kathy St. George). There is much discussion of their interactive friendship and companionship, with not a few hints of their underpinning of loneliness and fear of perpetual isolation, of never finding that titular Mister Right. Along the way, there are three weddings, each a successive loss for our hero (as he puts it, “your wedding is my funeral”), and various encounters with secondary characters played by Eddie Shields (Gideon, Evan and Roger) and Jared Troilo (Will, Conrad and Tony). Harmon synopsizes it best: “in act one...the joy of a loving, close-knit group of friends ...in act two, as that group breaks apart, we feel its loss keenly...as their lives change, the friendship changes”.

 

Harmon's ear for funny dialogue remains intact, especially as impeccably delivered by Maraio, in lines such as “hearing you say I have obsessive tendencies makes me feel like I need to go to the vet and be put down”, “I want kids so I can discipline them”, and “sweet is code for ugly”. It falls to St. George (in yet another indelible portrait by this mesmerizing actress) to provide the more sobering lines, such as her advice to her grandson: “don't die young, but don't grow old”, and “it's a long book; this is just one tough chapter”. The rest of this cast are equally memorable, especially as each wedding protocol gets wackier and more self-centered (undeniably reflecting today's reality, as one recent real marriage procession, in a church yet, included the family dog in bow-tie and vest; no editorial comment needed).

As Directed by the company's Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault, this is funnier than real life even as it mirrors it. The creative team is perfectly on point, with very versatile Scenic Design by Christopher and Justin Swader, apt Costume Design by Tyler Kinney, and fine Lighting Design by Daniel H. Jentzen and Sound Design by Lee Schuna. It moves smoothly and inevitably to its unsurprising end.

There is no cure, other than time, for our current electoral ills, but this play may help with the treatment of some of the symptoms. In the program notes, Daigneault stresses the need “during such dark and complicated times, to share a laugh and reconnect with one's humanity”. As another (unattributed) quote from the program says about finding that other who's sufficiently significant, “the odds are good but the goods are odd”. Not to worry; as Harmon opines: “Other than marrying the right person, the only thing that's truly essential is a great cake”. Meanwhile, this oft-hilarious bittersweet slice of life will do just fine. Enjoy!

ArtsEmerson's "Ouroboros": A Trilogy of Culinary Tails

"Madame White Snake"
(photo: ArtsEmerson)

The ouroboros, an ancient icon depicting a serpent eating its own tail, symbolic of eternal renewal, is now also a symbol of three grand operas, created and written by Cerise Lim Jacobs, consisting of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize-winning Madame White Snake, along with two World Premieres, Naga and Gilgamesh, presented by ArtsEmerson as The Ouroboros Trilogy. The endless cycle of life, death and rebirth, with each opera a fully realized production, features libretti by Jacobs, each set to music by one of three composers. Naga (composed by Scott Wheeler) is the story of a young Monk who renounces everything to find nirvana, but is tempted to abandon the path when he encounters Madame White Snake (composed by Zhou Long), which is the story of a demon who longs to become human in order to experience love, while Gilgamesh (composed by Paola Prestini) finds the demigod son of Madame White Snake realizing his true power while being pushed into a position where he must choose between his family and happiness. The operas will be performed on separate nights as well as in full day marathon events; each is less than two hours in length, performed in English with surtitles. Any serious opera buff would do well to secure tickets quickly,as these will be performed only twice more, all of them with Director and Production Designer Michael Counts at the helm.

Naga (referring to a semi-divine snake), as noted above, is the story of a young monk (baritone Matthew Worth) who has denied himself everything. The White Snake encounters him saying goodbye to his wife (mezzo Sandra Piques Eddy). Moved by the couple’s grief, she longs to experience such powerful emotion herself. The monk subsequently comes upon Xiao Qing (countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo), the Green Snake, who tempts him three times. The monk resists the first two attacks, but his resistance weakens during the third. The White Snake (soprano Stacey Tappan) stops him from turning back and leads him to a renowned healer, the Master (bass David Salsbery Fry), who takes him in as an apprentice. When the healing master discovers the White Snake, he recognizes her magic as the answer to his prayers for the salvation of the world. He believes that whoever eats of her will be healed. The monk, however, feels she should be free so the universe will appreciate her beauty and uniqueness. The Master orders him to hold the White Snake so he can sacrifice her. In the ensuing struggle, the monk releases the snake and the master is stabbed. The singing was uniformly excellent, including an adult choir and a children's chorus. The challenging score by Wheeler, utilizing electric guitar and a soprano sax as well as more ancient instruments, was lovely and wonderfully conducted by Carolyn Kuan.

Madame White Snake (soprano Susannah Biller) is the story of a white snake demon who longs to become human to experience love. She transforms herself into human form as a woman, encountering Xu Xian (tenor Peter Tantsits), a mortal man, and marries him. Afraid to disclose her true identity, she meets Abbot Fahai of the Golden Mountain Monastery (bass Dong-Jian Gong) who recognizes her for who she is. He sows the seeds of doubt in Xu Xian’s mind and gives him a truth potion which re-transforms Madame White back into a snake. The Abbot leads Xu Xian away but White Snake raises the waters to drown the Abbot. A great flood covers the world as she is defeated by the Abbot after giving birth to a son, rescued by the Green Snake (Michael Maniaci, one of the world's rare male sopranos). This too was sung expertly by the entire cast including two choruses, ably conducted by Lan Shui, and beautifully composed by the Pulitzer-winning Long.

Gilgamesh, or Ming (baritone Christopher Burchett), the semi-divine son of Madame White Snake (soprano Hila Plitmann), was abandoned during his mother’s epic battle with the Abbot (bass Andrew Nolen). He encounters her for the first time in her human form as she is imprisoned in the Golden Mountain Monastery. She reveals to him his birthright, the power to control the waters, begging him to use his power to save her. Ming returns home to find that his wife Ku (soprano Heather Buck) has just given birth to a white, iridescent baby girl who resembles her grandmother. Giving the baby to the green snake (Costanzo again), who had saved him when his mother was defeated, he returns to the Monastery. A robe and empty alms bowl are all that are left. Ming dons the robe, takes the alms bowl, and departs. Once again, the singers (and two more choruses) were all in great form, especially Costanzo in his difficult register. Conducted by Julian Wachner, Prestini's music was another wondrous take on this mythological world.

Just as impressive as the audio elements were the visuals created for all three operas: the striking Costume Design by Zane Pihlstrom, the dramatic Lighting Design by Yi Zhao and the absolutely stunning Video and Projections Design by S. Katy Tucker. Tucker's work was especially mesmerizing.

The crowning moment was a (well deserved) standing ovation for Jacobs, whose obvious glowing elation with the reception of this audience was unforgettable. After decades of work on her trilogy, the palpable warmth from the opera-lovers present seemed to overwhelm her, as well it might. It was a magnificent night for opera. And, if you're in the mood for even more of an opera fix, note that Odyssey Opera Boston is producing, for one night, 9/16 only, Dvorak's Dimitrij, and Boston Lyric Opera begins its season at the end of this month with several performances of Carmen. Suddenly, Boston is awash with operatic opportunities, and Ouroboros truly shouldn't be missed.

New Rep's "Regular Singing": Last Gathering of the Apple Corps

Paul Melendy, Laura Latreille, Joel Colodner, Karen MacDonald, Sarah Newhouse
& Bill Mootos
 in "Regular Singing"

Playwright Richard Nelson took on the daunting task in 2010 of creating a quartet of plays about a single family confronting national events as they impact one another. The cycle began on the eve of the midterm elections that year, with That Hopey Changey Thing, continuing in 2011 on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 in Sweet and Sad, and again on election day 2012 in Sorry. This fourth and final installment, Regular Singing, takes the family to 2013 on the fiftieth anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. On the surface, it's a linear relating of the middle class liberal Apple Family in Rhinebeck, New York (where the playwright has lived since the eighties). The author obviously has more expansive intentions, as he has referred to the family as “worried liberals of a certain generation...(what they) would be talking about at a particular point in time...through simple human talk”. This final play in the cycle is now being presented by New Rep Theatre, in association with Stoneham Theatre (which has been involved with local productions of the other plays). It fits in nicely with New Rep's seasonal theme of “What's Past Is Prologue”, as it alludes to a history of American manners and private life. Nelson has also stated: “I hope these plays are about the need to talk, the need to listen, the need for theater, the need to be in the same room together and the need to know, in small and even in some bigger ways, that we are not alone”. Thus each of the Apple Family Plays occurs around a meal. There is continuity afoot, as this production is helmed by Stoneham Theatre's Producing Artistic Director Weylin Symes, with, remarkably, the exact same cast and design team for all four locally presented plays; even the sets and props have “traveled between stages”. Most importantly, of course, is the fact that the cast is still intact, but more about that later.

As subtitled Scenes from Life in the Country, the works have been compared to Checkov's Uncle Vanya, and, in this final piece there's also an allusion to The Cherry Orchard. The influence of Chekhov can easily be seen in its cast of characters and their reactions to their very ordinary lives. The action of this work (and the three former plays as well) takes place in the home of the eldest sibling of four, Barbara (Karen MacDonald), a high school English teacher, responsible for Uncle Benjamin (Joel Colodner), a retired actor now suffering from memory loss after a heart attack and coma, and living in an assisted living facility an hour from Rhinebeck. Richard (Bill Mootos), a lawyer in the Governor's office in Albany, pays his first visit home in some time, to share the impending death of the (unseen upstairs) Adam, ex-husband of Marian, (Sarah Newhouse), a grammar school teacher. The remaining couple consists of the youngest sibling Jane (Laura Latreille), an aspiring writer, and Tim Andrews (Paul Melendy), an actor recently transplanted from New York City. They share what JFK's death means to one another, as well as their relationships with Adam, and his terminal lung disease brought on, in a former play, by his taking up smoking again after the suicide of his twenty-two-year-old daughter Evan. As the title implies, there is a healthy dose of singing of psalms in preparation for their tribute to Adam, at his request, upon his death.

There is a great deal of “normal” conversation, which is a problem in the first third of the play as the everyday dialogue takes a while to morph into more universal issues. There are some later sections that are more telling, with language such as “somewhere halfway in between”,“speech acts”, “sometimes better not to know” and “every writer is Scheherazade, telling stories to keep from dying”. This cast of six manages to bridge the gap between the mundane to the more profound fairly seamlessly, and their comfort with one another is self-evident. This family tree, at an intermission-less two hours, could use some pruning, but there's no denying its relevance, though Nelson has stated he initially expected the play cycle to be disposable. Unfortunately, this has proven to be partially true already, as real life events come so quickly and unceasingly that some of the dialogue is already dated. A good deal, however, remains pertinent enough for us to engage with this insular tribe, especially as this tightly knit ensemble gathers for the last time on the stage. Their connection, in the play as well as undoubtedly offstage, gives this production an honesty and credibility that's a rare theatrical treat.

The hardy Scenic Design by Crystal Tiala, timely Costume Design by Gail Buckley, Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg, and Sound Design by David Wilson are all fine, though the ending of this production needs a slight technical tweaking (an easy fix). The penultimate line, delivered by Tom, is, “That's it, that's the end”, followed by a swift increase of light as Barbara and then the others face the audience. The effect was to confuse members of the audience who thought the play was over and started to applaud, partially drowning out the real ending of the work.

This was a shame, for the actual final words, belong to Barbara and must be heard: “And so we live. Sometimes we come together. Something brings us together. And some days we are alone. But it's those days together, that remind us, why we live. Or maybe it is - how. How – we live...”

Lyric Stage's "Company": Singular Sensation

John Ambrosino and the Cast of "Company"
(photo: Mark S. Howard)

It's hard to believe that it has been almost a half century since the musical Company burst upon the theater scene, and it would be difficult to overstate the significance, historical importance and indelible impact of this first “concept musical”. With Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and Book by George Furth, it tried out in Boston in 1970, going on to Broadway to mixed responses, though it earned fourteen Tony Award nominations and won six of them, including Best Musical. It was subsequently revived and revised in 1995 and 2006. It covers a wide range of mid-life crises from growing up to aging, loving and hating, adoration and ridicule, fear of commitment and fear of not committing, and basic survival. It was heralded by some as a true breakthrough from typical “book musicals”, while others criticized it for a coldness, brittleness and cynicism that had a bunch of stereotypical New Yorkers revolving around a central cypher. Despite its initial controversial reception, it has endured, steadily gaining in acceptance and respect by those who recognize that at its core it's not about cynicism but irony.

Perhaps the most ironic facet of the work is that, nearly five decades later, it seems even more relevant today, as relationships have become much more complex. While the basic frame of the musical remains the same, it has taken on remarkable resonance. The core of the work is still the character of Robert (John Ambrosino), who has non-related, non-chronological encounters with five couples who are friends of his (but not, seemingly, of one another): dieter Sara (Kerri Wilson) and her supposedly on-the-wagon husband Harry (Davron S. Monroe); the older and more cynical Joanne (Leigh Barrett) and her latest long-suffering hubby, Larry (Will McGarrahan); Susan (Elise Arsenault) and Peter (Matthew Zahnzinger), going through an amicable divorce; the ultra-square Jenny (Teresa Winner Blume) and her controlling husband David (Todd Yard); and Amy (Erica Spyres), approaching and avoiding marriage to Paul (Tyler Simahk). Also orbiting are three of Robert's girlfriends: Marta (Carla Martinez), hipster lover of NYC, Kathy (Maria LaRossa), small town girl, and April (Adrianne Hick), a flight attendant. As Sondheim himself has described it, it's about “a man with no emotional commitments (who) reassesses his life on his thirty-fifth birthday by reviewing his relationships with his married acquaintances and his girlfriends; that is the entire plot”. He further notes that it “does have a story, the story of what happens inside Robert; it just doesn't have a chronological linear plot”.

What it does have are several stand-out showstoppers that excite and enthrall even as they elicit provocative thought. The most brilliant of these is the paean to the “Ladies Who Lunch” and their basically empty busy lives, never performed more effectively than here by Barrett; no one in memory has sung it more beautifully while simultaneously delivering its vodka-stinging barbs with such stunning acting chops. Then there's the hilarious (and impossibly tongue-twisting) “Getting Married Today” enacted by another local treasure, Spyres, with (unusual for this role) beautiful vocal support by Blume. There are also two terrific dance numbers, “Tick-Tock” by LaRossa, and almost the entire company in the rousing (and ringing) “Side by Side by Side”, with its audio-visual expression of Robert's aloneness. The ensemble is filled with great turns by some very familiar faces (such as those consummate professionals, McGarrahan and Zahnzinger) and some relatively new ones. But any Company rises or falls on the shoulders of its central character, and in this production, Ambrosino (very fondly remembered for his Lyric Stage roles in Avenue Q, Into the Woods, and especially On the Town) shows how much he has matured as a performer. As the role requires, his is a tightly wound bachelor who finally blossoms in the finale, Being Alive. It's a courageous choice to portray the show's central character as essentially reactive, making his eventual outburst a singular sensation.

The creative team is all-around what one would expect from this company. Superbly Directed by Spiro Veloudos, Producing Artistic Director of the company, with expert Music Direction by Catherine Stornetta and Choreography by Rachel Bertone, it boasts evocative Scenic Design by Janie E. Howland, apt Costume Design by Rafael Jaen, effective Lighting Design by Frank Meissner, Jr. and Sound Design by Andrew Duncan Will.

All this said, it's the team of Sondheim and Furth who are always the stars of Company, from the wit of Sondheim's lyrical internal rhythms (“perhaps collapse in the apse”) and thoughtful asides ('being the kid as well as the sitter”) to Furth's city-wise observations (“he's a New Yorker; nothing interests him”). At the most crucial point toward the end of the show, when Joanne offers to take care of him, Robert asks somewhat rhetorically, “but who will I take care of?”. Ah, irony.

ART's "Notes from the Field": Historic and Histrionic

Anna Deavere Smith in "Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education"
(photo: Evgenia Eliseeva)

Rarely have the historic and the histrionic combined as seamlessly as they do in the current

American Repertory Theater production of Anna Deavere Smith's Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, which begins as a monologue and segues into a dialogue. For the past three decades or more, Smith has created and nurtured a novel form of documentary theater. For this experience, she has created and written, and now performs, what is referred to as Act I, a series of monologues based on hundreds of interviews with people of extraordinarily different backgrounds (a Native American fisherman, a videographer, a protester, a pastor, and so on). After a couple of monologues that seemed hasty, Smith settled in for a very powerful, brilliant set of monologues that formed the first act. For Act II, however, she had other plans.

This is the New England premiere of the piece, after several workshops and in other venues across the country, from the West Coast to Pennsylvania to the East Coast (including Smith's hometown of Baltimore). It evolved into an interactive talk-back that was an integral part of the show itself. Based on some 250 interviews by Smith, it portrays the pervasive and abhorrent “school-to-prison pipeline” that often disproportionately impacts minorities, and the “zero tolerance” policies that lead to counterproductive suspensions of students over non-violent misconduct. It was this controversy that led to the audience being divided into groups to be led by trained facilitators, as opposed to the typical reaction that Smith refers to as “always talking about this conversation on race that we're going to have, but when do we do it? We never have it.” Following this Act II, Smith sums up the evening with a Coda that includes a quote from one of the nation's true heroes, still-serving Congressman John Lewis, from his participation in the March to Selma.

The technical elements were all simple, professional and focused, from the Set Design by Riccardo Hernandez, to the Costume Design by Ann Hould-Ward, the Lighting Design by Howell Binkley, the Sound Design by Dan Moses Schreier and especially the varied Projection Design by Elaine McCarthy. The effective Music Composition was performed live by bassist Marcus Shelby, who describes his contributions as encompassing call/response, improv, inflection and tension/release. It should also be noted that the program notes are unusually helpful, no surprise given that much is the product of the work of Dramaturg Alisa Solomon (author of last year's terrific Wonder of Wonders, a Cultural History of Fiddler on the Roof).

Director Leonard Foglia likens this work to a documentary film with “civic engagement”, more a “community gathering than as a staged work of art”. Based on audience reactions (including the “call/response” effect alluded to above, common in evangelical churches), in a sense the wrong audience was present rather than the people who haven't yet gotten the message. The reality is that this audience seemed already aware of the crises that are addressed. In the end, though the theme of life with hope and faith was reinforced, it was yet another frustrating but honest example of preaching to the saved.

2016 South Shore Critic Awards, a.k.a. The Crabbies

Play: “Arcadia” (Nora Theater)

Musical: “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” (ART)

Director (Play): Lee Mikeska Gardner, “Arcadia” (Nora Theater)

Director (Musical): Rachel Chavkin, “Natasha, Pierre, etc.” (ART)

Ensemble Acting (Play): “Arcadia” (Nora Theater)

Ensemble Acting (Musical): “Hunchback of Notre Dame” (Ogunquit Playhouse)

Lead Actress (Play): Adrianne Krstansky, “Blackberry Winter” (New Rep)

Lead Actor (Play): Maurice Emmanuel Parent, “The Convert” (Underground Railway)

Lead Actress (Musical): Jackie Burns, “If/Then” (Providence Performing Arts Center)

Lead Actor (Musical): F. Michael Haynie, “Hunchback” (Ogunquit Playhouse)

Solo Performance: Phil Tayler, “ Buyer & Cellar” (Lyric)

Supp. Actress (Play): Anne Gottlieb, “Broken Glass” (New Rep)

Supp. Actor (Play): Will McGarrahan, “Casa Valentina” (SpeakEasy)

Supp. Actress (Musical): McCaela Donovan, “Little Night Music” (Huntington)

Supp. Actor (Musical): Bradley Dean, “Hunchback” (Ogunquit Playhouse)

Musical Direction: Dave Malloy, “Natasha, Pierre, etc.” (ART)

Choreography: Patricia Wilcox, “Bye Bye Birdie” (Goodspeed)

Scenic Design: Mimi Lien, “Natasha, Pierre, etc.” (ART)

Costume Design: Paloma Young, “Natasha, Pierre, etc.” (ART)

Lighting Design: Bradley King, “Natasha, Pierre, etc.” (ART)

Sound Design: Kevin Heard, “Hunchback” (Ogunquit Playhouse)

Cooperstown, NY: Basses Loaded

 

Opera Crossing from the parking lot to Glimmerglass Festival
(photo: JM Rothblatt)
 

Cooperstown, a bucolic destination merely two hours west of the Massachusetts border, is of course home to the Baseball Hall of Fame; its lesser known claim to fame: the annual Glimmerglass Festival of operas where the basses are always loaded (with talent, that is, as are the sopranos, tenors and baritones). This year's offerings ran the gamut from Rossini's seldom-heard Thieving Magpie to Puccini's popular and beloved La Boheme (inspiration for the musical Rent) to the relatively modern The Crucible (based on the Arthur Miller play) to the Sondheim work, Sweeney Todd.  All four can be seen over the same weekend, making for a true opera buffet.  And all four were beautiful to hear and see, with the exception of visuals of theTodd, with sets and costumes that almost detracted from the finest Anthony (Harry Greenleaf) and Joanna (Emily Pogorelc) ever.  The most memorable opera of the quartet was arguably The Crucible, which featured Jay Hunter Morris, whom Boston audiences were privileged to enjoy in Odyssey Opera's production of Die Tode Stadt last season.  Next summer's roster will include Oklahoma!, Xerxes, The Siege of Calais and Porgy and Bess. But sports fans and opera buffs have another treat in store in town, one they may easily share, a world-class museum.

The Fenimore Art Museum
(photo: JM Rothblatt)

That would be the Fenimore Art Museum (yes, that Fenimore, namely James Fenimore Cooper), an astonishingly unexpected treasure trove. In a single morning's visit, one could see several terrific temporary exhibitions as well as featured items from their incredible permanent holdings, most notably the Thaw collection of American Indian Art. The current temporary exhibitions include early works by famed photographer Ansel Adams, Shakespeare Theater Posters by Scott McKowen, an extensive display of Toulouse-Lautrec works, art by Lowell's own James Abbott McNeill Whistler, portraits of Native America Now, and New York Country Landscapes by Robert Schneider. There are historical displays including items pertaining to the Coopers, and a temporary exhibit of objects relating to Hamilton in the last days before his infamous end (of particular interest given the current Broadway show). All are beautifully displayed and organized in stunning galleries. The museum is complemented by its sister museum, run by the same folks, just across the street, The Farmers Museum, consisting of dozens of buildings brought to Cooperstown from towns all over New York State, including a working farm and a New York State inspired carousel.

A Lakota Painted War Hide, c.1880, Fenimore Art Museum
(photo: JM Rothblatt)

Thus it's plain to see that one could spend a fruitful long weekend in this charming town where it's easy to touch all the relevant bases.