Okay, so A Streetcar Named Desire came back to Broadway with a black cast and everyone was like "Whoa!!!!!!!" but I'm really not sure why, because I didn't even notice. My family wanted to see this more than I did, so we went when they came in for my birthday/to move me back home for the summer. I have never seen the movie and I have never read the play, so I wasn't quite sure what I was in for (I know, how could I have not seen or read such an iconic piece when I was a theater major AND I'm currently getting a Masters in cinema studies? Oopsies), but it was certainly something interesting. Wood Harris was charming and I felt really bad for him/I was angry at him for not making a bigger effort with Blanche, but that has nothing to do with him and everything with the way it was written. He definitely held his own in such a strong cast and I really enjoyed watching him. Daphne Rubin-Vega was endearing as Stella and I really enjoyed her performance. I didn't like Stella, but not because of her, just because of what she does and how she acts. She had good chemistry with Blair Underwood and they clearly had a tumultuous, primal relationship. It was really great. Blair Underwood was GREAT. My mom said he wasn't as raw as Marlon Brando, but since I have nothing to compare him to, I thought he did a good job. He was annoying and terrible and despicable and it was really great. Like I said about End of the Rainbow, I like when a play leaves a complicated feeling in my stomach and this one more certainly did. Nicole Ari Parker was AMAZING. She was an absolutely brilliant and beautiful Blanche and I'm so stunned and offended that there was not more hype surrounding her and that she didn't get any nominations. She, not unlike Tracie Bennett, was stunning in such an uncomfortable and sad way, especially since they are women who are suffering from mental collapse. Blanche is so complex and Parker just absolutely blew me away. It's been months and I'm still just flabbergasted by how outstanding she was. I really cannot wait to see her on stage in something else because she was phenomenal. She was manic and disconnected and fake and static and when Stanley rapes Blanche and she comes back clearly broken, it breaks your heart. I have never felt worse at the end of a play than I did at the end of Streetcar, but in a good way that I feel was the intention. She does an excellent job of making you feel terrible for Blanche, despite the fact that Blanche is not a very good character and not admirable at all - she's kind of terrible, but a lot less so than abusive Stanley or passive Stella. I really liked the set and the jazz music that was included in this production. It gave the image of a hot, humid summer's day in the south and it really felt like it was there and happening and real. Blanche's costumes were amazing. I loved all of them. She looked so beautiful and it was so tragic to see her dressed as a perfect lady and knowing it was just a cover for this horribly broken and destroyed woman. Costume Design was the one Tony nomination that this show did receive. I give this performance an A. It was really good and it was really strong. Again, I had nothing to compare it to, but I will probably be watching the film adaptation the next time it comes on TCM. This was only a limited engagement and the show closed July 22nd, 2012, after 105 performances and 23 previews.
I. LOVE. JUDY. GARLAND. So, when I heard there was a play coming chronicling her last few performances, I had to go. I had to. I also had never seen something classified as a play on Broadway, yet, so this was exciting for me. Let's talk about the set first. It was absolutely beautiful and plush as the hotel. It was warm and extravagant just like they were during the 60s. The stage smoothly transitioned back and forth between Judy's performance spaces and this hotel and I really enjoyed that. It was beautiful and the lights were nice and romantic. The costumes were equally amazing and appropriate to the period and classy. It was plush and rich and elegant, even if Judy wasn't. Tom Pelphrey played Mickey Deans, Judy's manager and last husband. He was deliciously sleazy. I was a little sad, because initially he started off seeming like a good guy with good intentions, keeping Judy sober and making sure she was together and getting on the stage for her performances, but towards the end he just lost it and when he force feeds her pills, it was the most uncomfortable thing I witnessed on stage, maybe ever - which is good! Plays should not always be happy and sunshine, they should make an audience feel different emotions. Michael Cumpsty was absolutely charming as Anthony, Judy's gay friend and pianist. He absolutely broke my heart at the end when he was begging Judy to marry him and he could take care of her and they could live in the country. It was so tragic because he clearly cared about her and truly had her best interests at heart and he just wanted to save his friend, but she didn't want to be saved and chose Mickey instead. Cumpsty was nominated for a Tony and he was really great. His moments with Tracie Bennett were charming and sweet, especially when he gets her ready for a performance by putting on her makeup. He was poised and deliberate and it was a great performance by him. Which brings us to the star, Ms. Tracie Bennett as Judy Garland. This was a truly OUTSTANDING performance. I laughed, I cried, I felt uncomfortable, I felt sad. I didn't see any of the other women nominated for Lead Actress in a Musical, but I was irate when Tracie Bennett did not win for this performance. She truly made you forget at some points that you were not watching Judy. It was really sad to watch, because as good as she was, she was also very manic and high-energy in the way addicts typically are and it broke my heart to think of Judy Garland in this way, so close to the end of her death. Most of what she says is funny in a very sad way, because she doesn't necessarily mean it to be funny - it's just how she saw the world. She honestly blew me away and by the end of the show I was bawling. I really enjoyed the format of the play, juggling between recreating these performances and the behind-the-scenes action. It was an interesting change of pace from a typical static play and I'm intrigued to see more of this come out into Broadway, like Peter and the Starcatcher. End of the Rainbow was probably one of my favorite shows that I saw. I give this an A+. It really affects you. Unfortunately, End of the Rainbow closed on Broadway on August 19th, 2012, after just 176 performances. Fortunately, rumor has it that there will be a film adaptation starring Tracie Bennett so everyone will be able to see what a star she is. Maybe she'll even get some Oscar recognition!
Wow. How I Learned to Drive. What a show. I first read this play while I was in high school, not paying attention during an English class. It was in our anthology and I started reading it (we were talking about Julius Caesar - no, thanks) and finished it by the time the period was over and I was horrified and captivated at the same time. Since then, I've always been interested to see how it was done, so I was excited to hear that it was going to be done this year, especially with Norbert Leo Butz (even though that scared me). I love Norbert Leo Butz. I wish I had been able to see him in The Last Five Years because I love that show's music and I'm sure he was absolutely incredible. He has the voice of angels. I was nervous to see him in this because he wasn't singing and because he was Uncle Peck. Just to give you some background, this is the general synopsis of the play from Wikipedia: "The story follows the strained, sexual relationship between Li'l Bit and her aunt's husband, Uncle Peck, from her adolescence through her teenage years into college and beyond. Using the metaphor of driving and the issues ofpedophilia, incest, and misogyny, the play explores the ideas of control and manipulation." It is definitely not a show that you leave feeling okay with. I left feeling kind of uncomfortable and stunned, despite knowing what was going to happen and it gets very raw and it can be a little hard to take. I think it was acted beautifully, though I think Elizabeth Reaser was a little...dramatic. It's a dramatic show, but she played young in a very sort of stereotypical way and she was a little loud and a little static. It would've been interesting to see what the Twihards who were there thought, because there were definitely people waiting for her after with DVDs and books for her to sign. The chorus was a little strange, but I really enjoyed the end when Li'l Bit both, flips out on Uncle Peck after he asks a question when she's in college and when the audience gets to see how this all started - the first time Uncle Peck feels Li'l Bit up in the car. The whole play is a little unsettling, especially, because it's clearly not entirely all Uncle Peck, which really makes an audience member question what they know and what's right versus what's wrong. At one point, Li'l Bit's mother and aunt both confront her about what she's doing and how it is wrong - which is a little disconcerting because she is a child, but she's also old enough to know what she's doing. The stage was neat and really pretty. There wasn't too much to say, it stayed more or less the same throughout the entire show, with lighting and props playing a big part in really changing up where we are. It reminded me a lot of the productions put on at the Pittsburgh Public Theater, which made me a little soft, thinking about home. It is a very thought-provoking play and it certainly makes the audience think after - which is something I love about plays. I love musicals because they are so happy and upbeat and usually resolve neatly, but when a play is not afraid to be dark and go some place that the audience may find uncomfortable, I find that to be the best. All in all, I'd give this show a solid B. Norbert Leo Butz was really outstanding as Uncle Peck and I did feel bad for him, unfortunately Elizabeth Reaser brought it down a little bit. This show closed March 11, 2011.
