Venturing Into "Opinionism"

Ready or not, here goes with my opinion on some theater I’ve seen recently. As I’ve said before I don’t feel qualified to be a “critic” which, to me, implies “criticism” (and therefore a negative) even though criticism can be both positive and negative. Maybe critics should be called critique-ers or something, thereby allowing more wiggle room. (Sometimes my thinking is just too convoluted for comprehension, even for me.) Anyway, my criticisms are more in the line of “opinionisms” which covers both “ugh” and “sublime” and every adjective in between. My opinion doesn’t really matter, of course…if ever I got quoted in an ad somewhere I would probably drop down dead.

The Three Penny Opera, the 1928 ground-breaking Brecht/Weill musical, Broadway, staged by Scott Elliot with a “new translation” by Wallace Shawn for the Roundabout Theater Company at Studio 54, starring Alan Cummings, Jim Dale and Cyndi Lauper (yes, that Cyndi). You’ll not see a quote from me in any ads because I thought the damned thing pretty much sucked. Mr. Elliot and Mr. Shawn have a lot to answer for because they have brutalized and/or mutilated this classic theater piece. Isaac Mizrahi, the fashionista who designed the costumes, needs to get back to his runway and abandon theater forever. One of my buds, Richard, who had seen it the week before, told me he left at intermission and all I can say is Lucky Richard. But he did miss one of the strangest theatrical conceits I have ever seen. There was no curtain call, which left us all sitting there like idiots, hands poised. I know the theme of this play encourages alienation but why piss-off an audience even further by not letting the actors show up for applause? Those dudes and dudettes work their butts off and deserve our appreciation for doing their best, admittedly in a losing cause; but still, ya know? Very strange indeed and both Scott Elliot and the Roundabout Theater Company should be chastised royally by the theater gods, if not Actors Equity. Luckily, Studio 54 is right next to a joint called the Lizard Lounge and they serve really good mojitos. As it turned out the excellent taste of our chosen libation(s) and the bad taste left by Three Penny drove us to the TKTS booth in Times Square where we were able to score tickets for the evening performance of:

The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Broadway (a transplant from the Royal Shakespeare Company and London’s West End), by Martin McDonough, directed by Wilson Milam at the Lyceum Theater (having transferred from Off-Broadway’s Atlantic Theater Company). Lieutenant is wonderfully theatrical and bloody good. I mean really; it’s bloodily messy and physically violent but I found myself laughing very hard, albeit sometimes in sort of an “oh-jeez” kind of way; you know what I mean? Bloody good about sums it up in many ways. Hardly original on my part but there’s your quote, be my guest.

The play “Well” is a rare phenomenon in that it breaks many of the traditions of “normal” theater and, well, keeps you off balance in unusual ways (btw, I put Well in quotes because the word itself gets confusing as a title of a play). You must pay attention, which is sometimes ignored by the tourist trade. Written by and starring Lisa Kron, directed by Leigh Silverman, on Broadway at the Longacre Theater (it originated downtown at The Public), with an amazing supporting performance by Jayne Houdyshell. I loved it because it was theatrically entertaining on many levels and made me think, and I love theater that makes me think. Sadly, the show didn’t beat the odds and draw audiences like it should have and deserved. The closing notice has been posted for May 14.

Next up, Some Girl(s) by Neil LaBute, directed by Jo Bonney, Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theater starring Eric McCormack and Fran Drescher. Yes, that Fran. Is this the Will & Nanny show? Oh, jeez.