Roma Torre — Theater Critic

Smart brings the character to vivid life but she can only do so much to engage the audience when the writing falls short. [...] And yet even with Smart’s bravura acting and the extreme cruelty Izzy experiences, the playwriting never quite manages the emotional depth that the story requires.

At its best, the production, incisively directed by Kate Whoriskey, is a moving and sometimes humorous portrait of two aging midwesterners staring their mortality in the face and re-assessing their lives together. Both have deep regrets and the more we learn about them, the more we can identify with their loss and introspection.

That raucous “Conga” number never fails to disappoint as Ruth frantically tries to interview a group of Brazilian sailors who just want to dance the Conga. It’s the Act One closer and yet I couldn’t help but notice several people seated around me didn’t return for Act Two. The last Broadway revival of Wonderful Town stemmed from a highly lauded Encores! production in 2000. How, I wonder, could the same show yield such different results? Hard to say but I bet if only the creatives had decided to stage it as a concert version this time around, we’d all be singing its praises.

In the end, we’re left with the recognition that these foreign born characters represent the majority of migrants seeking refuge in this country. All they want is a decent life, free of the violence and poverty they left behind. And yet, more and more, they face challenges that make it nearly impossible to survive, let alone afford a decent life for their families. As the characters talk about feeling powerless, the audience is touched in a way that no other medium can do. The best works don’t just entertain us, they move our hearts and minds. This is the power of great theater.

In the end, we’re left with the recognition that these foreign born characters represent the majority of migrants seeking refuge in this country. All they want is a decent life, free of the violence and poverty they left behind. And yet, more and more, they face challenges that make it nearly impossible to survive, let alone afford a decent life for their families. As the characters talk about feeling powerless, the audience is touched in a way that no other medium can do. The best works don’t just entertain us, they move our hearts and minds. This is the power of great theater.

At its most chaotic, Irishtown brings to mind Noises Off, that classic farce about staging a play within a play in the British hinterland. Comedy, as they say, is hard; and it takes tremendous discipline and timing to pull it off. Under the tight direction of Nicola Murphy Dubey the company mostly meets the challenge though the humor occasionally seems forced. Still it’s quite a trip watching talented actors frantically portraying desperate actors acting badly.

It’s overstuffed with silliness like that, and Susan Stroman, who usually has some clever tricks up her sleeve, isn’t able to rein this one in. Her direction wants Smash to be a smash with lots of show-stopping numbers featuring over-amped singers fit for American Idol. But it feels more like a parody of an old-fashioned musical that loses its way with every nutty idea thrown into the mix. And that’s unfortunate considering the A-list roster of talent involved in this production.

It really would take a lot more than one case of miscasting to tank this play. That misstep aside, the production remains highly entertaining. In addition to Odenkirk, Burr and McKean’s standout performances, Donald Webber, Jr. as the stoic office manager Williamson, and John Pirruccello’s turn as Roma’s target – the indecisive schlub James Lingk – are both excellent.

This is not story theater as one might imagine. It is a wondrous merging of technical wizardry, clever stagecraft and incomparable artistry. As you enter the theater, there’s little more than a giant screen suspended on a bare stage. When it begins, we hear Snook’s voice narrating the scene set in an artist’s studio as we meet the artist Basil Hallward and his friend Lord Henry Wotton discussing Basil’s portrait of Dorian Gray, a young man they find “wonderfully handsome.” Snook appears on the giant screen as Dorian, and magically she also becomes the two older men as they all converse about “a new hedonism” that worships the beauty of youth above all else.

The performances are all in sync, never an easy task in modern productions with shortened rehearsal periods featuring actors trained in different techniques and styles. But here they’re all speaking the speech uniformly. Mastering the Iambic pentameter rhythms is always a challenge, but the cast pulls it off quite consistently; and after a while, our modern ears found the Elizabethan language less and less foreign. It’s impossible to pick up everything they say, and the lines are often spoken too quickly to decipher the full meanings but the intentions always come through loud and clear.

Mark O’Rowe does fine work, honoring the author’s intent while subtly framing the words in contemporary vernacular. Jack O’Brien helms the entire production with tremendous economy and restraint. With the exception of Japhy Weideman’s gorgeous blue-hued, rain-soaked lighting, this is not a technically showy production. The creative team wisely focused their collaborative efforts on the powerful text.

Directed by Noah Himmelstein with deceptive simplicity, it’s all richly dramatic but also loaded with laughter as the two characters spar with each other in that affectionate way mothers and sons tend to do. The individual scenes are titled with motherly expressions such as “Tell Me The Truth and I Won’t Get Mad” and “Why Can’t You Ever Meet a Nice Boy.” At one point, Maria fears that Bobby has “the AIDS” as she puts it. And when Bobby finally gets a job at The Meat Hook, a gay bar, Maria asks if it’s a delicatessen.

If you were a woman in 1970, by almost every standard, you were regarded as a second class citizen in this country. You could not get a credit card or mortgage without a responsible man to co-sign for you. Abortion was illegal across the land; no matter your education or experience, you had fewer opportunities and were likely to earn less than your male counterparts; and despite all your protests and your dogged determination to gain equal rights, true equality eluded you. That’s the backdrop for Bess Wohl’s beautifully evocative play entitled Liberation. And given recent setbacks for women in the political landscape, this timely work resonates in a deeply personal way.

The Antiquities is a most perceptive and hauntingly cautionary tale, and it owes much to the production values crafted by the entire creative team. Each of the exhibits, expertly staged by co-directors David Cromer and Caitlin Sullivan, captures just the right sense of otherworldliness, very much like a “Twilight Zone” episode. And it’s all greatly enhanced by Tyler Micoleau’s muted lighting and Paul Steinberg’s minimalist settings.

English, I’m told, is one of the hardest languages to learn. We Americans tend to take it for granted, but with its erratic pronunciations, bizarre contractions and seemingly made-up words, not to mention all the slang, it must be incredibly difficult for foreigners to master our native tongue. And yet for so many people throughout the world, a working knowledge of English is currency to a career, a better life, and even freedom. That’s the backdrop for a group of ESL students studying English in Iran; and as you’d expect, most of them are struggling. Playwright Sanaz Toossi won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for English, a keenly understated work that speaks volumes about the immense impact language has on our culture and identity.

At the performance I attended, they did manage to get all of it done in record time, but even if they had failed, I wouldn’t expect any money back. For 65 minutes their “near burnout” is pure entertainment for the rest of us. It’s packed with suspense: will they succeed? There’s humor: just watch one of the guys attempt to change into a Speedo without embarrassing himself. There’s also a satisfying catharsis. And given the added option of having a drink at the bar before or after, “burnout”, at least when others are threatened with it, is “paradise” indeed.

A Wonderful World, the biographical jukebox musical about the legendary jazz trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong, is named for Armstrong’s signature song “What A Wonderful World.” But a more apt title might be “The Four Wives of Louis Armstrong” because each of the four actors portraying Armstrong’s wives come close to stealing the show. It’s not that James Monroe Iglehart isn’t terrific in the lead role. He most certainly is…but each time the women step up to sing, they knock it out of the park. Iglehart’s role as the gravelly voiced, grinning jazz great is comparatively understated and so, impressive as he is, it’s the women who consistently dominate the spotlight every time they’re on. That’s not a criticism, just an observation, and it gives the show that much more talent to applaud. And talent is on overload in this enjoyable production.

A Wonderful World, the biographical jukebox musical about the legendary jazz trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong, is named for Armstrong’s signature song “What A Wonderful World.” But a more apt title might be “The Four Wives of Louis Armstrong” because each of the four actors portraying Armstrong’s wives come close to stealing the show. It’s not that James Monroe Iglehart isn’t terrific in the lead role. He most certainly is…but each time the women step up to sing, they knock it out of the park. Iglehart’s role as the gravelly voiced, grinning jazz great is comparatively understated and so, impressive as he is, it’s the women who consistently dominate the spotlight every time they’re on. That’s not a criticism, just an observation, and it gives the show that much more talent to applaud. And talent is on overload in this enjoyable production.

Before I get into the merits of the play and Lincoln Center’s thrilling production, something else that’s very real is the extraordinary talents of its leading man. Making his Broadway debut, Robert Downey Jr., who most of us know only through his film work, is a great stage actor. As famed novelist Jacob McNeal, an egotistical, self-acknowledged asshole, he is a fascinating creature treading the line between obnoxious and seductive. You can’t take your eyes off him…and happily, he’s on stage for the entirety of Akhtar’s 90-minute drama.

On your way into the auditorium to see MCC’s Table 17 you may notice a sign on the wall quoting the playwright, Douglas Lyons, explaining his inspiration for the work. He referred to the “Black romcom cinema” of the 90’s and 2000’s as a thrilling movement that “permeated” his childhood. Sure enough, the play features a cast of endearingly quirky characters engaged in a romantic duel with sprinklings of humor amid the pathos of love lost and found. And I must say, Lyons and his terrific company did one better than the old romcoms. Table 17 is a deliciously heartfelt study of an ex-couple that’s as funny as it is profound.

There is not a word of dialogue in Illinoise, but this hybrid production fusing dance and music accomplishes far more than mere words can express. Inspired by Sufjan Stevens’ groundbreaking concept album, Illinois, choreographer Justin Peck came up with his own theatrical concept. With Jackie Sibblies Drury as co–book writer, they crafted a narrative that translates the emotional import of Stevens songs into a unique language that can best be described as poetry in motion.

It’s been nearly nine years since Hamilton took Broadway by storm, and now comes a worthy successor. Much like Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tour de force, Suffs, short for suffragists, showcases the creative prowess of Shaina Taub, who assumes the roles of writer, composer, lyricist, and lead performer. But the comparison goes well beyond historical subject matter. Both productions seamlessly blend narrative and music while portraying determined individuals grappling with seemingly insurmountable challenges. While Hamilton chronicles Alexander Hamilton’s pivotal role in shaping the nation, Suffs sheds profound light on Alice Paul’s crusade for women’s suffrage.

Everything about this production feels original and dynamic. Directed by Danya Taymor, it’s a terrific collaboration highlighting all of the novel’s virtues while sidestepping most of the clunkier aspects. Many in the gifted cast are making their Broadway debuts; and the entire experience is enhanced by a creative team marked by youthful energy. And while you might think a story about teenagers in the 1960’s would be hopelessly dated today, it’s not. Thanks to canny stylizing and an emphasis on character development, the effect is deeply engaging and universal.

The show’s theme is that cyber culture has made us all vulnerable to stalking. And with the explosion of social media, we are all capable of being stalkers ourselves. They insist their “psychic” skills involve mental manipulation in which they are able to plant images in our heads through various associations and vice-versa. Still hard to believe when we see them reading our minds with consistent accuracy. And yet it’s hard to disbelieve them when they rely so heavily on random audience participation. Take this example: they ask a volunteer to leaf through a random book and pick out a word that only the volunteer knows. And then Ljung starts guessing the word, sounding out the letters one by one.

O’Reilly does bravura work both directing and portraying the hardened Screwballs. The veteran artist clearly knows the play all too well. Every scene, every character is crafted with a precise touch and he adds nuanced dimension in the most unexpected ways. The combined effect makes the production feel much bigger than the Irish Rep’s cramped stage might at first suggest. Kudos as well to set designer Charlie Corcoran and costumer Orla Long for capturing just the right tone in setting place and time.