Lowering the curtain on 2009

Here are a few final thoughts before I bid farewell to 2009, my third year of theatergoing:

• I'm sad that Finian's Rainbow is closing Jan. 17, despite some great reviews. It seems like on Broadway, they hardly give shows a chance anymore. Yes, the musical's story was kind of silly and a bit of a hodgepodge but in the end I was charmed, especially by the lovely Kate Baldwin and the spritely Christopher Fitzgerald. Also, Finian's Rainbow had one of the most attractive posters I've seen.
  

• Speaking of posters, not that it matters but A Steady Rain had one of the worst designs I've ever seen. How can you take two handsome men like Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman and make them almost painful to look at? I guess it was designed to symbolize their friendship, the merging of their lives. But it made them look like a two-headed Cyclops.
  

• Of my favorite lines in 2009 none was more shocking than one from Mary Stuart. I could not believe it when Janet McTeer as the imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots taunted Queen Elizabeth I (Harriet Walter) with: "The throne of England is desecrated by a bastard." Not a wise thing to say to the woman who holds the keys to your jail and the warrant for your execution!

• Spoiler alert: I never realized that watching someone vomit on stage could be so entertaining but Hope Davis was superb at, er, "erupting" in God of Carnage. And watching the other three actors scurry around, trying to help her and cleaning up the mess, was hilarious. This is a scene that I knew was coming but it was executed in a way that still managed to surprise me.
  

• reasons to be pretty had an ending that made me laugh and cheer. Thomas Sadoski's character makes an obscene gesture after he's quit his job in the warehouse of a Costco-like chain. It was a beautiful moment and symbolized the way Sadoski's Greg became his own man. I hadn't planned on seeing this play but I ended up enjoying it so much, in large part due to Sadoski's engaging performance. Despite the ever-increasing appearance of celebrities on Broadway stages, it's most often the actors who aren't household names who end up making the biggest impression on me.
  

• On the downside, I've noticed more theatergoers arriving late and is it my imagination or have candy wrappers become more crinkly and noisy in the past year?
  

• Speaking of noise, I heard The Marvelous Wonderettes thumping above my head when I saw Love, Loss, and What I Wore at the Westside Theatre and I heard the rumbling of the subway trains beneath my feet during Waiting for Godot at Studio 54. Grrr.
  

• I'd been dreading 2009 long before January but thanks to my theatre-loving friends, it turned out to be a wonderful year, better than I could possibly have imagined. They made sure I had the best birthday ever. I am so grateful to them for that and for so much more.
  

• To everyone who read my blog, left a comment, followed me on Twitter, friended me on Facebook, sent me an e-mail, joined me for lunch, brunch dinner or a show, thank-you for the gift of your time and your friendship. Here's to a happy, healthy and adventure-filled 2010!
  

• Finally, out of everything I've read about theatre in 2009, this description by playwright Adam Szymkowicz of the plays that excite him resonated with me the most:
  
  "I want to have a good time. I want to laugh, I want to be engaged, I want to care. I like plays about things. I like crazy off the wall experiments and I like naturalism, too. Most importantly, I like narrative. If you're not telling me a story, I get bored and I hate your play. I don't want to hate your play. I want you to show me something new. I get excited by something I haven't seen before."

Always something new to do in New York

Okay, I don't actually spend every moment of my New York City trips in Broadway theatres. It's an immensely walkable city with more things to see and do than probably any other city I've ever been in. So here's a rundown on my Memorial Day weekend:

Breaking the curse of the Jacobs Theatre stage door

On my two previous outings to the Jacobs, to see Frost/Nixon and The Country Girl, I was spectacularly unsuccessful in getting my Playbill signed. So I wasn't getting my hopes up for God of Carnage. But surprise - James Gandolfini came out pretty quickly, followed by Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden. They were all very gracious. Gandolfini was quiet but laughed when someone asked about a Sopranos movie. ("I don't think so.") Sadly, I missed out on the Holy Grail of stage-dooring, getting everyone in the original Broadway cast of a show to sign my Playbill. Jeff Daniels made a hasty exit. Hope Davis said he had out-of-town guests. Well, okay. Three out of four is 75 percent.

Sampling eclectic cuisine

Ninth Avenue (aka Hell's Kitchen) is my favorite street for eating in New York. Just a couple streets over from the bustle of Times Square, it's like another world. The sidewalks aren't nearly as packed with tourists and it's more like a regular neighborhood. It also has dozens of tiny and not-so-tiny restaurants serving up every type of food you could possibly imagine. I've eaten at half a dozen different ones and they've all been great. This time, I went with my friend Chris and his entourage to the Zen Palate - my very first Asian vegan restaurant, where I had some delicious whole wheat noodles with stir-fry vegetables. And no one looked at me funny when I asked for a fork - because I am chopstick-impaired.

Walking to Brooklyn

Sarah and Kari invited me to join them on a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge on a beautiful, sunny Memorial Day. Now I can say I've done it in both directions. It was very crowded and you've got to watch out for bicyclists and I should have put on some sunscreen. But it's such a fun walk with great views. As I remarked to Kari, what a photogenic bridge! Look at her pictures and see if you don't agree. That day, we rode the subway, walked, took the water taxi and a land taxi. Just about every mode of transportation except a helicopter ride over Manhattan. Okay, not sure I'm up for that but someday I would like to take one of those horse-drawn carriages around Central Park.

Witnessing literary history

I'm not a huge fan of short stories but I do love two that I remember reading in middle school or high school - The Ransom of Red Chief and The Gift of the Magi. When Sarah led us to lunch at Pete's Tavern, little did I know that I'd be stepping into literary history. New York City's oldest continuously operating bar and restaurant is the very spot where Mr. William Sydney Porter, better known as O. Henry, wrote The Gift of the Magi in 1905. His booth is set up as a little shrine. Made me want to buy a pocket watch and grow my hair long so I can get some fancy combs! Pete's Tavern, on East 18th Street near Gramercy Park, has been opened since 1864 and it stayed open during Prohibition disguised as a flower shop. If you go, I highly recommend the grilled chicken salad.

Relaxing in a lawn chair in Times Square

I got to New York on Sunday of the holiday weekend, the first day of the city's experiment closing Times Square to traffic. And it was pretty neat to be able to walk down the middle of Broadway. But I had to laugh when I came back from my excursion on Monday and saw people sprawled out on lawn chairs and chaise lounges that had been set up in the street. It looked like a massive installation of performance art. How incongruous! A little bit of suburbia in the heart of the city. I saw a sign inviting other chair manufacturers to display their furniture. I'm hoping when I go back this week, there'll be Barcaloungers.

Not all seats are created equal

The higher up and farther back you go in a Broadway theatre, the cheaper the seats get. So what about if you're off to the side?

I sat in the right orchestra for all three shows I saw last weekend: God of Carnage, Hair and Rock of Ages. Most Broadway houses have a fairly cozy orchestra section so it's usually not a problem if I'm not in the dead center. But this time, I definitely felt like I was at a disadvantage.

For God of Carnage, at the Jacobs Theatre, I was fairly close but a few seats from end. There were a few moments where I couldn't see everything that was happening with James Gandolfini's character on the far right side of the stage. It was just outside of my sightline.

Same thing for Rock of Ages, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. I was farther back, three seats from the end. My view of the video projections on the back wall was partially blocked by the set.

I was about six rows from the stage for Hair, at the Hirschfeld Theatre, but one seat from the end. I don't remember missing any of the action onstage, although I wish I'd had a better view of the band.

Now, I'm not too steamed because I don't feel like where I was sitting interfered with how I felt about the shows. It was just frustrating not to be able to see everything. And I paid full price for my tickets to God of Carnage and Hair.

I know producer Ken Davenport has written about variable pricing for Broadway shows. And Steve on Broadway has written about poor sightlines in the orchestra at Studio 54.

Isn't time to admit that not all seats in the same row are created equal and offer a discount for the last two or three on the end?

God of Carnage

Gratuitous Violins rating: ***1/2 out of ****

Seeing God of Carnage reminded me of the narrator's line at the beginning of the MTV series The Real World: "Find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real."

The play start off politely enough. Alan and Annette, an affluent New York City couple played by Jeff Daniels and Hope Davis, are in the home of another affluent New York City couple, Michael and Veronica, played by James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden.

The four of them have come together because Alan and Annette's son has hit Michael and Veronica's son in the mouth with a stick, breaking two of his teeth. (I think both kids are around 11.) Michael and Alan have a much more "boys will be boys" attitude while Veronica and Annette find it much more upsetting.

Alan is a high-powered lawyer annoyed at being taken away from work; Annette, a wealth manager, is kind of meek and very apologetic. Veronica, a writer, is justifiably angry; and Michael, an importer, is low key and seems a little embarrassed by the fuss his wife is making.

As you can probably guess, things don't stay polite for very long. The characters undergo some surprising personality changes and by the end, it's the adults who need a timeout. I don't think it's a coincidence that set designer Mark Thompson has painted the walls of the Jacobs Theatre stage a fire-engine red. No warm, soothing tones here.

What I found so enthralling to watch is the way events unfold, which I think is a testament to the skill of director Matthew Warchus and this terrific ensemble cast. (Yasmina Reza's 90-minute play has been translated from the original French by Christopher Hampton.)

There's a lot of physical and verbal sparring and it would be easy to let things get out of control. But the actors make such a seamless transition from civility to acrimony that by the end, I couldn't quite remember when things began to go wrong. It all just seemed so inevitable.

And it was so great to see four actors I've loved from movies and television tackle meaty roles onstage, making them so memorable in the process. Harden's meltdown is especially amazing to watch.

It's not terribly difficult to make me cry but making me laugh is another matter. God of Carnage, which had a 2008 run in London with a different cast, is hysterical. At one point, Davis' Annette erupts in a way that you wouldn't think would be funny but all four actors working in concert make it one of the most hilarious moments I've seen on stage.

I'm a big fan of The Soporanos, so I was especially thrilled to see Gandolfini. A few moments, like when he's talking on the phone to his mother, gave me some "Tony" flashbacks. But Michael is a much quieter, less thuggish character and Gandolfini mostly made me forget his larger-than-life tv role.

And Daniels, whom I've loved since Terms of Endearment and The Purple Rose of Cairo - what a treat. He has wonderful body language and facial expressions that show you just how impatient and annoyed he is at having to be at this get-together.

There were parts of Reza's play that didn't work quite as well for me. The subplot involving one of Alan's clients seemed like too much of a coincidence. Still, she makes some good points about humanity's propensity for violence, how adults sometimes act like children. (And we wonder where the kids get it from!)

As civil and well-mannered as most of try to be in our daily lives, we all have our buttons waiting to be pushed. While Reza's characters move to the extreme end on the scale of human emotions, what she does so well in God of Carnage is make us think about how close we are to that breaking point.

Back to Broadway

All right, soon I'll be off for my first trip to New York City of 2009. And to coincide with my visit, the city is closing Times Square to traffic. Boy, do I feel special!

Today, it's God of Carnage and Hair. I loved The Sopranos so I'm especially excited about seeing James Gandolfini on stage.

Hair has always been at the top of my list for 2009. I've loved the score for as long as I can remember and I've been interested (obsessed with) the history and culture of the 1960s for as long as I can remember.

On Monday night, I have a ticket for Rock of Ages, which I thought was funny and sweet when I saw the cast on Live with Regis and Kelly, and heard them on the Playbill Radio podcast. Now, I'm not sure.

But love it or hate it, I'll definitely have an opinion on it.

Fun and games on Broadway

In preparation for my upcoming trips to New York I've been scouring Broadway show Web sites:

Coolest download: Virtual Zippo lighter app for your iPhone at Rock of Ages. (Because you can never be too ready for a power ballad.)

Dumbest game: "Shoot your boss," at 9 to 5. I know it fits with the plot and all but isn't it a tad in poor taste?

Best use of video: Vblog entries from the cast of Hair are fun. The Easter Bonnet competition featuring the cast of 33 Variations doesn't tell you much about the show but it's very witty. Shrek's 10-part online video series on bringing the musical to Broadway is the most interesting and provides reasons to keep coming back to the site.

Best marketing slogan playing off a line from a song: Hair - We got merch, brother!

Best e-cards: Shrek, with their funny takeoffs on other Broadway shows.

Most unfortunate video trend: Watching scenes from plays without the sound. You can see a montage from God of Carnage, you just can't hear the actors. Instead, they play some background music. What's the point? At least Exit the King gives you a few lines of dialog before the montage.

Best blog: It's hard to beat Jane Fonda at 33 Variations. Although, strangely, I couldn't find a link to it on the show's site.

But I wish the two queens from Mary Stuart had kept up their blogging. Here's a sample from Mary, Queen of Scots: "I am in rehearsals for my upcoming trial. I am training hard as I suspect it will all be physically hard to endure. I have discovered protein shakes and they are helping me."

For your reading and viewing pleasure

I'm not usually into mob stories but I loved The Sopranos. It's so hard for me to separate James Gandolfini from Tony Soprano that I can't imagine what it would be like to see him on stage.

Gandolfini is currently starring on Broadway in God of Carnage and there's a good, short interview with him by John Heilpern in Vanity Fair. Part of the interview is conducted in Gandolfini's Toyota hybrid SUV, as the pair drive around Manhattan looking for a quiet spot for lunch on a Saturday.

In 1995, Gandolfini appeared on Broadway in a very short-lived production of On the Waterfront. He tells Heilpern that he was fired for "being too mouthy." In 1992, he was an understudy in A Streetcar Named Desire that also featured his Sopranos sister, Aida Turturro.

But he says he's had a lot of experience playing small roles in small theatres. “Standing in public in other people’s clothes, pretending to be someone else. It’s a strange way for a grown man to make a living.”

Then in Variety, Gordon Cox wonders whether nonmusicals can give Broadway a boost. I like this quote from Geoffrey Rush, who's starring in Eugene Ionesco's absurdist drama Exit the King, which Cox says some theatergoers might consider a "gloomy existentialist downer."

The youngest theatergoers might be the ones with the fewest preconceptions, Rush theorizes. "Anyone under 25 has no problem with Ionesco," he says. "They all grew up with Ren and Stimpy and SpongeBob SquarePants."

Okay, I never connected Ionesco with those two television shows but maybe I should check them out.

And finally, Sheila O'Malley, at The House Next Door, writes a very moving tribute to Natasha Richardson. She remembers what it was like to see her on Broadway in 1998 as Sally Bowles in Cabaret. "It was one of the most exciting nights of theater of my life."

It was really interesting to read how Richardson took a role that had been so inextricably linked to one actress - Liza Minnelli - and made it her own. O'Malley gives you a great sense of what it was like to see that memorable, Tony-winning performance.

Also, while she was doing Cabaret, Richardson took part in an American Theatre Wing Working in the Theatre panel discussion, which you can watch here. She also participated in an ATW panel in 2005 on interpreting Tennessee Williams and in a 1993 program on Anna Christie, with her soon-to-be husband, Liam Neeson, among others.