Some Girl(s) -- Some Guy
Going to an off-Broadway play is an experience unto itself. Taking in a Broadway show is more of an “occasion” but its little brother has charms all its own. Usually in small theaters and, thus, no problems seeing or hearing with a resultant intimacy that allows for immersion in the play, rather than a big Broadway “event” that brings in other elements of size and shape (and sound). One of my best Broadway experiences this year was a play called “Well” that flopped miserably and left everybody puzzled as to why this should be. I’ll tell you why…it should have stuck with off-Broadway and I would bet nickels to donuts it would still be running. The big bucks of Broadway obviously beckoned the producers into this folly and all it got them was a huge loss of those same bucks.
AnyHOO, that’s not why we’re here today. We’re here because I saw Neil LaBute’s play “Some Girl(s)” off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel
Theatre last night. It’s still in preview but that’s not a bad thing in this case because it’s certainly ready for opening night next weekend and I feel no obligation to wait to voice an opinion. I loved it and it changed my stupid idea forever about doubting the chops of television actors to be able to walk across a stage, live, convincingly. The play is a perfect vehicle for five of ‘em to engage and impress.
Eric McCormack (of Will & Grace) is terrific. The man has charisma to burn and he knows what he’s doing on stage and conveyed the complexities of his character nicely without falling, too much, into his “Will” persona…which must have been one helluva trick to pull off since he made Will his own for so long (8 seasons). He has been cast opposite four actresses known for their television personas even though they all have long lists of stage experience (according to their bios). Rhetorical question: why do we think actors forget how to act just because they start to make a good living on television?
In alphabetical order they are Fran Drescher, who showed no trace of The Nanny; Judy Reyes (Scrubs); Brooke Smith (Grey’s Anatomy); and Maura Tierney (ER). All of these actresses are excellent, well grounded in stage-craft and perfect foils (and vice versa) for Mr. McCormack. The play revolves around Mr. McCormack’s character Guy (when this play opened in London the character was just listed as "The Man;" but "Guy" now stands for all of us guys; so that works for me!), who is career-driven and on the verge of getting married. The four scenes (without intermission) , in various hotel rooms across the country, depict his meetings with the four women in his past life that he apparently unceremoniously dumped, that he has contacted for what turns out to be more complicated reasons than we first think. Through interactions with the four women we find out some dirty secrets about Guy’s motives in both the past and the present and his eventual come-uppance at their hands. Or do we?
Don’t you love that? “Or do we?” I mean, like the ending of a SciFi movie. Well, I never said I wasn’t cliché driven. Suffice it to say (there’s another one) Guy turns out to be not a very nice guy, which is not surprising if you know anything at all about Mr. LaBute’s plays.
One thing I need to kind of whine about is that there is a "product placement" in this show; that being Evian Water. There's a nice little credit in the program (Water provided by Evian) and it is conspicuously present in all four hotel rooms (Seattle, Chicago, Boston, L.A.) and is swigged down by various members of the cast. At least Mr. LaBute has the grace to only refer to it as "that French water" but, still... I know it's been happening in movies for at least a couple of decades but I was quite put-off (and out) by this blatant commercialism.
Anyway, now the question is, will egos win out and will Some Girl(s) try for Broadway? Oh, gawd, I hope not. I’m thinking about the production of "Grey Gardens" I saw off-Broadway not too long ago. It has closed but I read recently they are gearing up for a move to the Great White Whale, er, Way. Oh, gawd.
AnyHOO, that’s not why we’re here today. We’re here because I saw Neil LaBute’s play “Some Girl(s)” off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel
Theatre last night. It’s still in preview but that’s not a bad thing in this case because it’s certainly ready for opening night next weekend and I feel no obligation to wait to voice an opinion. I loved it and it changed my stupid idea forever about doubting the chops of television actors to be able to walk across a stage, live, convincingly. The play is a perfect vehicle for five of ‘em to engage and impress.
Eric McCormack (of Will & Grace) is terrific. The man has charisma to burn and he knows what he’s doing on stage and conveyed the complexities of his character nicely without falling, too much, into his “Will” persona…which must have been one helluva trick to pull off since he made Will his own for so long (8 seasons). He has been cast opposite four actresses known for their television personas even though they all have long lists of stage experience (according to their bios). Rhetorical question: why do we think actors forget how to act just because they start to make a good living on television?
In alphabetical order they are Fran Drescher, who showed no trace of The Nanny; Judy Reyes (Scrubs); Brooke Smith (Grey’s Anatomy); and Maura Tierney (ER). All of these actresses are excellent, well grounded in stage-craft and perfect foils (and vice versa) for Mr. McCormack. The play revolves around Mr. McCormack’s character Guy (when this play opened in London the character was just listed as "The Man;" but "Guy" now stands for all of us guys; so that works for me!), who is career-driven and on the verge of getting married. The four scenes (without intermission) , in various hotel rooms across the country, depict his meetings with the four women in his past life that he apparently unceremoniously dumped, that he has contacted for what turns out to be more complicated reasons than we first think. Through interactions with the four women we find out some dirty secrets about Guy’s motives in both the past and the present and his eventual come-uppance at their hands. Or do we?
Don’t you love that? “Or do we?” I mean, like the ending of a SciFi movie. Well, I never said I wasn’t cliché driven. Suffice it to say (there’s another one) Guy turns out to be not a very nice guy, which is not surprising if you know anything at all about Mr. LaBute’s plays.
One thing I need to kind of whine about is that there is a "product placement" in this show; that being Evian Water. There's a nice little credit in the program (Water provided by Evian) and it is conspicuously present in all four hotel rooms (Seattle, Chicago, Boston, L.A.) and is swigged down by various members of the cast. At least Mr. LaBute has the grace to only refer to it as "that French water" but, still... I know it's been happening in movies for at least a couple of decades but I was quite put-off (and out) by this blatant commercialism.
Anyway, now the question is, will egos win out and will Some Girl(s) try for Broadway? Oh, gawd, I hope not. I’m thinking about the production of "Grey Gardens" I saw off-Broadway not too long ago. It has closed but I read recently they are gearing up for a move to the Great White Whale, er, Way. Oh, gawd.
posted by peebstuff | Sunday, June 04, 2006
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