October 21.2005
C 2004 JOAN
but this isn’-t one of them. An
amalgamation of overbaked
histrionics, tedious exposition
and limp wit, Dedication would be
utterly forgettable if it wasn’t for
the incandescent tour de force of
theatrical grande dame Marion
Seldes, who kept this excuse for a
play alive through sheer guts and
crystalline technique as an acidic
Queen Bitch.
There were also two so-so
productions of cool new scripts.
Hank Azaria (right, with Christian Borle) is initiated into gay
Martin McDonagh’s London hit
life as a butchly swish Lancelot in Spamalot.
The Pillowman was a disturbing,
blackly funny sick joke of a play,
butchly swish Lancelot and, in a class of her
and it got a fine staging here that was lacking
own, Sara Ramirez’s crackerjack timing and
in a true sense of dread—mostly because of the
jaw-dropping voice in her justifiably Tony-
cast’s earnest yet somehow safe performances.
winning turn as the Lady (or should we say
Austin Pendleton’s Orson’s Shadow —an affec
Diva) of the Lake. By the time we reached the
tionate and poignant comedy about theatrical
sing-along bows and the confetti cannons, the
legends Orson Welles, Laurence Olivier, Ken
audience had reached a unique state of musical
neth Tynan and Vivien Leigh—got a prosaic
comedy delirium—how wonderful to see such
staging in its off-Broadway premiere, lacking
happiness in a theater.
the theatricality and complexity the script
Brief mention should also be made of the
demands, despite the fine work of some of its
London import Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, not
cast.
because of its saccharine score and simplistic
Thankfully, there was John Patrick Shan
kiddie antics, but because of the show’s two star
ley’s Tony- and Pulitzer-winning Doubt to make
performances: that stylish, gleaming and
up for all this half-baked drama on this season’s
smtxrthly operating flying car and the hilarious
stages. Here was a masterful script dealing with
comic depravity of Jan Maxwell’s Marlene
powerful issues (a church abuse scandal that
Dietrich-on-crack Baroness.
may or may not have happened) in highly cre
On the Broadway musical revival scene, the
ative, thought-provoking ways. Beautifully
bizarre David Leveaux staging of Fiddler on the
directed by Doug Hughes and featuring a peer
Roof is still playing, and while it remains a
less quartet of great actors, the emotional roller
deconstructivist nightmare of a production, it
coaster of Doubt was almost reason enough to
has gained some well-needed chutzpah with its
make the trip to New York this year.
new stars—Harvey Fierstein and Rosie O’Don
Two other events made the trip worthwhile
nell. Fierstein chews every piece of scenery
this season. For 23 years, Gerald Alessandri has
available and manages to be both grotesque
been skewering the Great White Way in his
and lovable, often simultaneously, while
viciously funny revue, Forbidden Broadway.
O’Donnell makes a touching, funny and utterly
This season’s version was as merciless as ever
believable Goldie. There was also the un
and a hysterical pleasure. And over at the inti
deniable heartwarming charge to be had from
mate Café Carlyle, Broadway legend Elaine
seeing these two gay icons playing husband and
Stritch proved, at the age of 80, to be as funny,
wife in one of the most family-oriented musical
inspiring and devastating as ever in a new 90-
comedies of all time.
minute one-woman cabaret follow-up to her
Finally, off-Broadway played host to two
i already legendary one-woman show At laberty.
recent new musical hits whose charms totally
Watching Stritch work a rcxim with her sly,
escaped me. The Christian boy band show
martini-dry wit and dig into a set of powerful
Altar Boyz was a one-joke premise stretched to
songs with gut-wrenching power is to bear wit
communion-wafer thinness. Despite the
ness to why we keep going to the theater in
earnest, occasionally funny gyrations of an
first place. JH
energetically cute cast, after a few minutes the
requisite NSYNC power moves choreography,
J on K retzu is associate artistic director of Artists
bubblelicious pop songs and tired jokes wear
Repertory Theatre in Portland.
out their welcome.
The less said about The Musical of Musicals
the better. This somehow hit show was possibly
one of the worst things I’ve ever seen in New
York. Performed by a relentlessly untalented
cast, this witless set of panxlies of famous
Broadway composers (Rodgers and Hammer-
stein, Sondheim, Jerry Herman, etc. etc.)
looked and sounded like the work of gay junior
high musical comedy queens in training.
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n the realm of straight plays, things weren’t
much better. A mostly dull, loud revival of
I
- Edward Albee’s Who's Afraid of Virginia
Woolf! starring a low-voltage Kathleen Turner
was somewhat brightened by the quirky, odd
ball histrionics of co-star Bill Irwin. A hideous
revival of The Glass Menagerie, another Ameri
can masterpiece destroyed by David Leveaux
(can’t someone take away his work visa?), fea
tured the wonderful Jessica Lange giving a
stunning account of Blanche DuBois, unfortu
nately while playing Amanda Wingfield, along
with the unwatchable Christian Slater.
The most disappointing of the new pl?ys
was Terrence McNally’s hopeless muddle of a
script, Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams.
McNally has given us many wonderful plays,
SW 1 1 TH & STARK
C
Brian F. O’Byme and Cherry Jones cast Doubt
on a church abuse scandal that may or may not
have happened.
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