Working at the Broadway Playhouse: Highly Recommended

While I had a good idea about the broad lines of this play before attending, I was unprepared for its emotional depth. To call it a celebration of the "working man" (sic) is correct - but wholly inadequate. Through the words collected by Studs Terkel, then adapted and updated by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, we are taken into the lives, aspirations and disappointments - but never defeats - of the working class.

Mr. Terkel's positive bias for the blue collar - and against executives - is transparent and unapologetically presented. Even the staging takes up the theme, making the stage crew and musicians active parts of the production. The set itself is ingeniously tied to the lighting, rendering the industrialized rendition of Hollywood Squares into a fluid, vibrant landscape. The actors and stories rip apart the cubical walls and allow us, in their finer moments, to be touched by the real people struggling within.

And, speaking of the actors, the six individuals who portray the 26 stories are a superbly talented ensemble, particularly Ms. Emjoy Gavino, whose voice, acting and dance all come together powerfully in "Millwork" (music by James Taylor).

Many of the stories were noteworthy, and in fact the only ones that struck slightly sour notes were those where Mr. Terkel painted the executives with too broad of a caricaturist's brush. The addition of the story of a project manager and a callroom staff in India helped modernize the flavor, but that was a welcome addition rather than a necessary update. Finally, many of the stories transitioned nicely, particularly the housewife (sic) / prostitute (kudos to E. Faye Butler) and the retiree / caregivers.

However, the real treat was the fact that the language of the stories was both authentic and often deeply personal. More than once I found myself touched more deeply than I ever expected, and it was this fact that took the production from simply being a well-crafted, well-performed musical to an experience worthy of high recommendations.

Woyzeck at the Chopin Theatre: Recommended

This, I hope, is the most challenging review I will ever have to write.

Woyzeck is a play by Georg Büchner that is comprised of a set of unfinished scenes composed sometime between 1836 and 1837. I attended the energetic, avant garde and decidedly attention-grabbing production mounted by The Hypocrites company at the Chopin Theatre cold - I knew nothing about the play, the story line, or the author. This turned out to be a significant error, and yet I can recommend the production anyway.

The story line can be found briefly on Wikipedia or here (not that I endorse either of those sites). As it is presented on each site, it seems to be a compelling, linear story. As presented by The Hypocrites, it is anything but linear (unless one knows the story), and is a swirling mass of symbols, energy, blood and creativity.

The staging itself is compelling: a melange of props, each with their own deeply-rooted symbology, an elevated stage with a river running through it, and one of the more intriguing openings I have seen. Much of the sound effects are provided by the actors, often in a Greek chorus-meets-acapela percussion that is both unsettling and convincing. The lighting is dramatic, and the direction seemed quite crisp.

The actors threw themselves expertly into their roles, but (owing to my lack of knowledge) I was not always initially clear on what they were attempting to convey beyond the immediate scene. Yet slowly certain themes emerged, through clever repetition: the thumping of the heart accompanied by pulse-taking; the religious undertones, the drama of red blood on white fabric. I soon gained the compelling understanding that something deeper, richer was being communicated - I just couldn't tell you what it was.

Having skimmed the play, I can attest to its openness to such an avant-garde production as was mounted, although I suspect it could be mounted more traditionally as well. My recommendation: digest at least the story line (the play is available in English here) before seeing this excellent production. Were there more hours in the day (or days in the week), I would definitely return for a second viewing after such a reading.

On a side note, this was my first visit to the Chopin Theatre, and I am completely entranced with it overall. This is one venue I expect to be returning to many times.

Stage Kiss at the Goodman - Recommended

This is a very pleasant comedy from the pen of Sarah Ruhl, staged at the Goodman. It is full of plenty of insider theater references, has its fair share of belly laughs and truly innovative non-sequitirs ("Its like giving bacon to a starving vegetarian"), and - as expected - it shows off the considerable set design talents of the Goodman staff. Kudos to Todd Rosenthal for set design!

The plot mines all-too-familiar territory (a bad play mounted by a largely incompetent staff in a small regional theater), with some delightfully terrible plot lines for the plays-within-the-play. I only shudder to think that these "romance novels set to stage" may one day actually appear in print...

The twist that Ms. Ruhl provides is yet another well-mined issue: where is the line between what happens on stage and reality? Can an onstage romance re-kindle one abandoned many years ago? It must be said that, while the territory and twist are familiar, the play and its production are entertaining and on many occasions quite hilarious.

Most satisfying amongst the actors are, ironically, Sarah Tolan-Mee in the character of the teenage daughter, Angela, and Scott Jaeck in the role of husband - the two characters most firmly rooted in reality. In particular, Ms. Tolan-Mee's performance significantly outshines the rest of the troupe, who all put on solid if not stellar performances.

Some of the comic turns are wonderful, in particular the "false exit" routine. Others, like the repeated injuries, would do better without repetition.

The music nicely reflects the slapstick of many moments in the play, and Jenny Bacon in the lead role as "She" demonstrates a particular talent for physical comedy.

So, what keeps this from being "highly recommended?" One reason is that the writing could be tighter: at 2:15, it could easily shed 15 minutes, perhaps 30. The play never really drags, but it misses the opportunity to take off, and my sense is that some editing would help in that matter.

The second is more structural. For me, the highlight of the play was the encounter between the husband, daughter, He, She and Laurie, "His" girlfriend. Suddenly, the possibility of an encounter with real people emerges, and it is electrifying. There is a slight return to this reality at the closing of the play, but for a moment there was a glimpse beyond the farce, which Ms. Ruhl abandons. A missed opportunity, to say the least.

All in all, it is an entertaining and pleasant experience. Add the positive elements together - clever humor, fantastic set, a talented and energetic performance - and it's a night well spent at the theater.