Absurd Person Singular

Absurd Person Singular at Trinity Rep
Gratuitous Violins rating: ***1/2 out of ****

I laughed my way through Alan Ayckbourn's trilogy The Norman Conquests on Broadway. So when I saw a work by the prolific British playwright on Trinity Rep's schedule, my excitement level went sky high.

Set in the mid 1970s in London, Absurd Person Singular takes place in the kitchens of three married couples hosting Christmas Eve parties in successive years. And once again, I laughed all the way through. (If you ever get a chance to see an Ayckbourn play, take it!)

Director Brian McEleney keeps everything moving at a brisk clip and the cast really nails Ayckbourn's slapstick humor.

Sidney (Stephen Berenson) and Jane (Angela Brazil) are desperate to make a good impression so they can obtain a bank loan to expand their grocery store. Geoffrey (Fred Sullivan Jr.), married to the depressed Eva (Phyllis Kay), is a successful architect who boasts about his womanizing. Ronald (Timothy Crowe) and Marion (Anna Scurria) are the snobby banker and his wife.

Ayckbourn has a great knack for bringing out the absurdity in the most ordinary people and mundane events, making comedy out of situations that on the surface don't seem funny: alcoholism, depression, financial woes.

He paints a great portrait of the tension - beneath the surface and boiling over - that exists during these holiday get-togethers: the frantic preparations, the small talk, the silly party games and the person who always has too much to drink.

While I don't think there's any deep message in this play it is interesting to see the changes that occur over the three acts. Marriages are strained, the way the couples relate to each other changes, fortunes rise and fall.

One of the things I appreciated most about Absurd Person Singular is what it leaves to the audience's imagination.

There's a ferocious-sounding dog in Act II that we never see. And at a couple of points during Act I, the actors leave the stage. The only sound is the chatter of partygoers in the adjoining room.

When that happened it was surprising and kind of unsettling - I was staring at an empty set for a minute. Yet at the same time I found it kind of thrilling as I wondered what would happen next.

At the theatre, I don't think you can ask for anything better than that.

Three extra special 2010 Tony Awards

Awards season on Broadway is kicking into high gear and I'm thrilled with three that were announced today. Congratulations to Alan Ayckbourn and Marian Seldes, who will receive 2010 Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre and to David Hyde Pierce, this year's recipient of the Isabelle Stevenson Award.

The Isabelle Stevenson Award recognizes an individual from the theatre community who has volunteered time and effort on behalf of a charitable, humanitarian or social service organization.

I've enjoyed the work of all three on Broadway: British playwright Ayckbourn for his hilarious trilogy The Norman Conquests, Seldes as a retired tennis pro in Deuce, and Hyde Pierce in his Tony-winning performance in the musical Curtains.

I've also had a chance to meet Seldes and Hyde Pierce and they are incredibly gracious and generous with their time.

Hyde Pierce is being honored for his work in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, which claimed the lives of his father and grandfather. He's a board member of the Alzheimer's Association and has worked on the local and national level advocating for additional funding for research and care programs.

Ayckbourn, Seldes and Hyde Pierce have all been guests on the American Theatre Wing's Downstage Center program. If you'd like to learn more about their lives and their contributions to the theatre, those interviews are a great place to start.

The Norman Conquests on television

Nothing brings home the power of theatre like seeing the same play on stage and on television.

Since I loved The Norman Conquests on Broadway I figured I could re-live the experience by watching another version of Alan Ayckbourn's trilogy on the small screen with a different cast. Wrong!

I'm in the middle of the 1978 British television production. (I got the VHS tapes from the library - used copies start at $195 on Amazon.)

Wow, what a difference! These three plays that cover one weekend at a house in the country were so much better live.

Part of it is the quality. The picture on the tapes isn't exactly the sharpest. Plus, I'm watching them at home, so it's easier to get distracted.

And the six-person cast of the Broadway revival was so perfect. I really don't think anyone in this production can compare.

As Norman, Tom Conti is more low-key and annoying, whereas on stage, Stephen Mangan was endearing and a bit manic. I've liked Conti in other roles but as Norman, Mangan gave one of the best performances I've ever seen.

I realize there's a big difference between film/tv and stage acting and you can't really compare them. But there's something thrilling about having the actors right there in front of you.

And on Broadway, director Matthew Warchus ramped things up. The dialogue seemed sharper, the action more hilarious. Whereas on television, it's kind of bland and slow and not all that funny or vibrant.

Most importantly, theatre is a communal activity.

Watching the plays on television makes me realize how much my enjoyment comes from simply being in a room with hundreds of other people, joining in their gasps and laughter and exhilaration.

The best theatre of 2009

I've avoided making best-of lists the past couple of years because it's just too difficult. For me, going to the theatre, especially in New York City, is such a treat. Even if I didn't absolutely love the play or musical, there's almost always some saving grace.

So I usually settle for taking note of my favorite performances, which allows me to mention just about everything. But this year, there were a half-dozen shows that moved me so deeply, I wanted to recognize them. After careful study and much thought, these are my picks for the best of 2009. I saw five on Broadway and one off-Broadway. Two were transfers from Chicago and one came from London.

Next to Normal

Composer Tom Kitt and lyricist and book writer Brian Yorkey have accomplished something so rare for Broadway - an original musical about a complex subject. Alice Ripley as Diana, a woman in the throes of mental illness, J. Robert Spencer as her husband, Dan, and Jennifer Damiano as their daughter Natalie were heart-wrenching. The vibrant rock 'n' roll score conveys so well what each character is going through - how they feel, their fears and frustrations. As an outsider looking in, I gained a greater understanding of the devastating impact mental illness has on a family and how difficult it is to treat. Next to Normal was tough to watch at times, but I found it utterly compelling.

Hair

I've always loved Hair and I've always been interested in the 1960s. The current Broadway revival evokes the spirit of the decade without glossing over its tumultuous events. Will Swenson and Gavin Creel are terrific as the charismatic leader of a tribe of hippies and a conflicted draftee, respectively. Under the direction of Diane Paulus, the musical is exhilarating to watch. But Paulus also reminds us of the cost when we send young Americans into harm's way. And fittingly for a time in which inhibitions were cast aside, Hair ends with an invitation to become part of the tribe. As a result, I set foot on a Broadway stage for the very first time. I got to sing and dance (in my off-key, uncoordinated way) and see how things look from the other side. It was the most thrilling moment I've ever had at the theatre and one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

Our Town and Brighton Beach Memoirs

What director David Cromer did so brilliantly in Our Town off-Broadway and Brighton Beach Memoirs in its too-short Broadway run was strip them to their essence: absorbing stories of the daily lives and loves of American families.

As Our Town's high school sweethearts Emily and George, Jennifer Grace and James McMenamin embody the awkwardness of teenagers. And Cromer, as the stage manager, was incredible - so unaffected and genuine, I didn't even realize the play had begun when he started speaking. For the first time, I felt like this play about early 20th century life in small-town New Hampshire could be taking place today. Our Town runs through Jan. 31 at the Barrow Street Theatre in Greenwich Village. Cromer, who helmed the play in its premiere at Chicago's The Hypocrites, is returning to the play as the stage manager tonight through Jan. 3, so this is a perfect time to see it.

And in Brighton Beach Memoirs, Cromer served up a warm portrait of a family scraping to get by during the Great Depression. They're absolutely Jewish but you didn't have to be to appreciate their struggles, their humor and their hopes and fears. As Kate Jerome, Laurie Metcalf was simply awesome, getting to the strength behind the Jewish mother stereotype. And newcomer Noah Robbins was remarkable as the teenage Eugene, so appealing and making Neil Simon's quips sound so natural.

Superior Donuts

Superior Donuts, a transfer from Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, has Tracy Letts' razor-sharp dialogue and memorable characters, along with a great deal of tenderness and wit. And for me, it was filled with emotion. Jon Michael Hill is amazing as Franco Wicks, an engaging young black man who comes to work in the downscale Chicago donut shop run by Michael McKean's Polish-American Arthur Przbyszewski. I was laughing, hard, at their banter but when Franco pulls out of his knapsack his Great American Novel, my eyes got moist. Stories about aspiring writers always get to me. Of all the shows on Broadway this fall that dealt with race, Superior Donuts was my favorite for the way it explores how we relate to each other as a community, as individuals, as Americans. Sadly, Superior Donuts is closing Jan. 3 at Broadway's Music Box Theatre but you've still got a couple of weeks to catch it.

The Norman Conquests

At the beginning of 2009, this trilogy by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, which started at London's Old Vic Theatre, was nowhere on my radar. But then the reviews started coming in and they were so enthusiastic I thought well, it'll be an experience - a theatre marathon from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., with breaks for lunch and dinner. The Norman Conquests turned out to be one of the best and most unique theatergoing experiences I've had. The six-member cast was superb. Even after three plays totaling about 7 hours I never got tired of watching such vivid, distinct characters interact in ways that were touching and hilarious. I loved them all but Stephen Mangan as Norman was my favorite. He played a character I was prepared to dislike but Mangan made him so sympathetic - even if he was an unscrupulous cad at times. It's a performance that I'll never forget.

Drawing the curtain on my theatre season

Barring some miracle, my 2008-2009 New York City theatergoing season is complete. It was a great year as always - I saw so many terrific performances and the plays especially were great - so much absorbing and inventive storytelling.

Now it's time for some end-of-the-season thoughts.

1.) Be flexible. In January, the plays that make up Alan Ayckbourn's trilogy The Norman Conquests weren't even on the list of shows I planned to see, yet they turned out to be one of the best theatre experiences I've ever had. I've never laughed so hard, so consistently. While each of the six actors created a memorable character, in my opinion Stephen Mangan as Norman gave a performance for the ages.

2.) Go off-Broadway more. Every season it seems like there are a few Broadway shows I could have missed and a few off-Broadway I wish I'd seen. Two of the best plays I saw were Black Watch at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, and Our Town at the Barrow Street Theatre in Greenwich Village. And I'm kicking myself that I probably won't make to Ruined.

3.) Luck was with me. Broadway actors are a pretty dedicated bunch but I know sometimes people get sick, go on vacation, etc. West Side Story was apparently hit with a rash of understudies earlier this summer. So I'd like to mention that practically every performer I wanted to see when I bought my ticket was in the show the day I saw it - even some who left soon afterward.

4.) The list grows shorter. I crossed seven more theatres off my list this season, including the adorable 597-seat Helen Hayes, which is so tiny I wish I could have packed it up, put it in my suitcase and taken it home with me! I've now been in 29 of the 40 Broadway theatres - not bad when you consider that in April 2007, I hadn't been to a single one. By the end of the year, I could be down to the single digits.

5.) I saw the light. I exited the Palace after seeing West Side Story and then realized the stage door was on the other side of the building, so I walked back through the theatre. To my surprise, the ghost light had already been put out on stage. I was thrilled! I'd read about that particular theatrical tradition but never seen one. A little thing, but it was cool.

6.) TKTS prices. I used the reduced-price ticket booth in Times Square twice this year but it's not always a great bargain. At about 20 minutes before curtain time on a recent Sunday, TKTS wanted $91 for a partial-view seat at Hair. I couldn't believe it. Sorry, but as much as I wanted to see Hair a second time, that's way too much money for not being able to see the entire stage.

7.) Where's the VIP? My ticket for Our Town cost $49.50, before fees. If I'd wanted to splurge, I could have spent double that amount - and I would have been upset once I saw the size of the theatre. Barrow Street, really, how in good conscience can you charge $95 for "VIP premium" seats in a theatre that's smaller than some living rooms? And where are the premium seats anyway - in David Cromer's lap?

8.) Color me disappointed. I don't buy a lot of souvenirs when I go to New York, but I do keep all of my Playbills. Now I realize when I see shows that have been open for awhile, I'm not going to get one with a nice color cover. But if you're switching to black and white, at least make it decent. I was shocked at how washed-out my black and white 9 to 5 Playbill looked.

Happy Birthday Kevin Spacey!

Today is a very special day at Gratuitous Violins headquarters. Fifty years ago on this day, in South Orange, N.J., a baby boy was born named Kevin Matthew Fowler.

Within a few years he moved with his family to Southern California, where he grew up and where a guidance counselor would one day suggest that he direct some of his boundless energy toward the drama club.

On a school trip to the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles to see Juno and the Paycock, he met his idol, Jack Lemmon, who told him that if he wanted to be an actor, he should go to New York to study.

Eventually, he made his way there, spending two years at Juilliard, appearing in Shakespeare in the Park and working at the Public Theater until Joseph Papp saw him in an off-off-Broadway play and recognized his talent. He promptly fired him and told him to go be an actor.

Shortly thereafter, in August 1982, he made his Broadway debut at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in a revival of Ibsen's Ghosts, playing Liv Ullmann's son. And he picked up a new name - Kevin Spacey.

He would go on to win the Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Play for portraying Uncle Louie in Lost in Yonkers and two Oscars, for roles as a small-time con man in The Usual Suspects and a suburban father in the midst of a midlife crisis in American Beauty.

But the Kevin Spacey role that had the biggest impact on me was his portrayal of singer Bobby Darin in the biopic Beyond the Sea. As I've written before, I fell in love with the movie and with Kevin's singing and did something I don't normally do - I sent him a fan letter in care of The Old Vic Theatre, where he's been artistic director since 2004.

And he was gracious enough to send me a reply from London:

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to get that note in November 2005. It truly lifted my spirits at a difficult time.

The more I read about Kevin and his work at The Old Vic, the more of a theatre fan I became. My determination to see him on Broadway in A Moon for the Misbegotten set me on a path I could never have imagined.

Without Kevin Spacey I wouldn't have my trips to Broadway, my blog and most of all, so many new and dear friends in my life to treasure. Kevin, I hope your friends make this day as wonderful and unforgettable as my friends made my birthday in May.

Playbill has a great birthday interview with Kevin, where he talks about his films and stage career. I love this quote: "In my opinion, the best actors in films are the ones who came out of theatre. You cannot go wrong by learning your craft as a theatre artist."

Coincidentally, today also marks the final Broadway performance of The Norman Conquests, winner of the Tony for Best Revival of a Play and a transfer from The Old Vic. I was lucky enough to see the trilogy a week ago and it was an incredible experience.

Here are Kevin and cast member Jessica Hynes talking about the production:

In the Playbill for The Norman Conquests, Kevin writes about The Old Vic's education and outreach efforts designed to bring theatre to a wider audience and nurture young talent. It's an effort he's expanded to New York.

As he notes, "Theatre needs dedicated champions in order to flourish and grow." Well, Kevin Spacey has certainly been a dedicated champion. And for this talented actor, a man whose gesture of kindness meant so much to me, I hope that I can be one, too.

So happy birthday, Kevin - and come back to Broadway soon!

The Norman Conquests

Gratuitous Violins rating: **** out of ****

I never intended to see even one part of British playwright Alan Ayckbourn's trilogy The Norman Conquests when it transferred to Broadway from London's Old Vic Theatre.

The plot didn't particularly interest me and the thought of seeing three plays in one day was daunting. (Never mind standing in line at the ladies room for three bathroom breaks.)

But then the reviews started coming in - from my fellow bloggers and other theatergoers I respect. They were so enthusiastic, beginning with Broadway & Me, that I thought well, it'll be an experience - my first theatre marathon. I'd be at Circle in the Square from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., with breaks for lunch and dinner.

(Plus, I got to share the experience with my blogging buddy Chris, of Everything I Know I Learned from Musicals. We had a fun lunch at Vynl. Then, dinner at Pigalle with Steve On Broadway, the love of his life and some very tasty grilled yellowfin tuna. A win, win, win.)

The plays - Table Manners, Living Together and Round and Round the Garden - were written and take place in 1973. They are set at different times on the same weekend in different parts of the same house. The same six characters are in all three and I knew within the first hour that I'd love spending time with them.

I definitely related to the frazzled Annie, played by Jessica Hynes, who cares for her needy but unseen mother and desperately needs a break. Ben Miles plays Tom, Annie's possible suitor, a taciturn veterinarian who seems ill at ease around people and animals.

Annie's brother Reg is played by Paul Ritter in a self-centered way that reminded me a bit of the character Ricky Gervais portrays in the British version of The Office. Reg and his wife Sarah, a prim and somewhat bossy Amanda Root, come for the weekend so that Annie can get away.

Also on hand is Annie and Reg's sister Ruth, played by Amelia Bullmore, whose nearsightedness causes many comic moments. She's just about at the end of her rope when it comes to her lothario of a husband Norman, an assistant librarian played brilliantly by Stephen Mangan.

While the entire cast is superb, Mangan was my favorite. Bearded, unkempt, with a wild head of hair, he is such a physical, expressive actor. And he delivers a performance that I will never forget.

From the way the other characters talk about him, I was prepared to despise Norman. But Mangan makes him sympathetic and charming, totally honest, lacking in guile and quite sensitive - even if he is an unscrupulous cad at times. I could never hate Norman - only love him.

I'm a fairly easy theatergoer to satisfy - just don't bore me. It's a tribute to the wonderful ensemble - and director Matthew Warchus - that even after seven hours, I never got tired of watching these six distinct, vivid personalities interact.

There was always something unexpected, some wound to be reopened, some revelation, some argument to break out - often with hilarious consequences, some new person for Norman to seduce. The plot that I didn't think would interest me, well, I ended up being totally absorbed. It was so much fun to sit there all day and watch this story unfold.

The plays are witty and hilarious with a lot of physical humor. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard, so often, sometimes to the point of tears. But Ayckbourn also gives us some very serious moments when you truly get a sense of these characters' anxieties.

The Norman Conquests turned out to be one of the best and most unique theatergoing experiences I've had. I'm so glad I didn't miss it. Because it was in the round and because I spent so much time with them, I feel like I got to know these characters so well.

But I'm afraid that the popularity of the "trilogy days" may have led people to believe that if you can't see all three, it's not worth seeing any of them. And that's absolutely not true.

If you can only see one, I recommend Table Manners, which I think stands best on its own. Unfortunately, The Norman Conquests, which won the Tony award for Best Revival of a Play, closes on July 26. So you haven't got much more time.