December 2011: NYC

Other Desert Cities

I was going to put off seeing this hot-ticket Lincoln Center off-Broadway transfer in order to get better seats, but given the fact that one of the original players (Thomas Sadoski) was soon leaving to film a new HBO series forced my hand and forced my ass into the second to last row of the theater. Luckily, the show is at the Booth and the second to last row is equivalent to the first row of the mezzanine in many Broadway theaters plus it cost me half the price of an orchestra seat! This Jon Robin Baitz play fits into the family-with-a-dark-secret genre that has been popular ever since Arthur Miller's All My Sons. It's very good, but not on the same level as that classic. What is great about this production is the acting and each of the players (Stockard Channing, Stacy Keach, Rachel Griffiths in her Broadway debut, and Judith Light (replacing off-Broadway's Linda Lavin) and the aforementioned Sadoski) has a chance to shine. Given the fact that this is a Lincoln Center production and money is no object, the set is absolutely ridiculous and I totally want to live in that house! Bravo to Stockard Channing for a quick return to the stage after knee surgery. And thankfully, she has resumed matinee performances, allowing me to catch another one of her incredible star turns.

The Artist

I don't usually review movies, but the chance to see this much-lauded film at the Paris Theater felt like an event for me. Unfortunately, this movie was totally over-hyped for me. Others films, including Singin' in the Rain and Sunset Boulevard, have explored the same subject (about when silent movies were overtaken by "talkies"), but this movie most heavily borrows from A Star is Born, albeit with a much happier ending. There are a few cool non-silent moments, but this is very much a silent movie, which is why I suspect this movie is gardnering so much attention: it is probably the first silent movie many audience members have ever seen. I was resistant to most of it charms, but was completely blown away by the finale, which I could watch over and over again and probably will when released for home consumption.

Venus in Fur

Wow!!! This was the unexpected suprise of the trip for me. Not only did I love the David Ives script exploring relationships, but the performances by Nina Arianda and Hugh Dancy were incredible, with both mining the comedic and dramatic moments brilliantly. The premise is a wild and crazy actress late for a theatre audition convinces the playwright, who's walking out the door, to let her read for him anyway. Definitely one of the best things-aren't-what-they-seem-to-be/people-aren't-who-they-appear-to-be plays that I've seen (another recent example of which includes The Mountaintop, also now on Broadway). Bravo!

Sleep No More (second time)

I felt like (and read that) I had missed a lot of the action the first time I saw this piece and boy was I right! By concentrating on different characters than before, I witnessed all-new scenes (included the much talked about "witches' orgy" scene) and even found all-new rooms that I didn't see the first time. My favorite moment included stumbling upon a naked, blooded young man laying on a shower floor and helping him get dressed. Welcome to the bizzarro world of Sleep No More!

The bar (the only place in the "hotel" where you don't have to wear a mask) can sometimes be as much fun as the "show" itself. Napster/Facebook billionaire (and definitely straight) Sean Parker was celebrating his birthday there that night, hanging out in the bar and yelling to every one of his friends, "Thank God you're out of there!" as they exited the playing area. Needless to say, I don't think he liked the show very much.

Elizabeth Taylor auction viewing at Christie's

Who could pass up an opportunity to view Dame Elizabeth Taylor's collection of pricey muu-muu's and gaudy baubles?!? Not me, that's for sure! This prelude to the auction was worth viewing, though the way the exhibit was laid out left much to be desired. Her clothes were crammed into way too small a space and most were not even labeled. The jewelry definitely took precedence and rightly so given its worth and blingness. I also enjoyed viewing her van Gogh, which I had never seen before, in-person or otherwise.

de Kooning retrospective at MOMA

I was only familiar with de Kooning's angry Woman paintings before seeing this outstanding retrospective. I can now fully appreciate this artist's place in the New York School, putting the expressionism (but not total abstraction) into abstract-empressionism. His late paintings made when his eyesight was failing are beautiful and more abstract than anything he had done before (and reminescent for me of Monet's late work done when he too was nearly blind). Bravo to MOMA for putting together such a great, comprehensive retrospective when they seem to be so rare these days.

Hugh Jackman Back on Broadway

It's amazing how talented this man is! This show is so winning, thanks to Jackman's magnetism, good-looks, and unbelievable voice. Seriously, this man has obviously sold his soul to the devil, but we get to benefit from it too. Highlights include a full-length and flawless version of "Soliloquy" from Carousel and a long, campy turn as Peter Allen, which was even more gay than Jackman was as Allen in The Boy From Oz. I also got to touch Whoopi Goldberg, who was blocking the return to my seat during intermission. Fun stuff!

Once at New York Theatre Workshop

I extended my trip after tickets for this hot show's Sunday night performance finally opened up. The unbelievable word of mouth for this show unfortunately turned out to be unbelievable, at least for me. Like the movie, the best thing about this musical is the songs and their treatment here is beautiful, with the dozen or so, always on-stage actors doubling as the orchestra. In fact, you actually get to hear the best song (the Oscar-winning "Falling Slowly") twice in the stage version, once in each act. The story is the same, but unfortunately little has been done to justify making a stage version of it (and why shouldn't we hold this property up to the same standards we use to judge lesser movies turned into musicals like Legally Blonde, The Wedding Singer, etc.). For me, the show dragged on needlessly (the movie's running time of <90 minutes has been stretched to 2 and 1/2 hours with intermission) and I would rather have seen a concert version of these songs just as I have in the past by seeing the original players (aka The Swell Season) on tour in St. Louis. I fear the worst for this intimate show in its annouced-before-opening move to Broadway, but hopefully you will at least still be able to buy a drink at the on-stage bar before the show and during intermission.

Shame

I couldn't pass on the chance to see the latest Michael Fassbender/Steve McQueen collaboration months before I'm sure it will reach St. Louis. My love of Michael Fassbender now also extends to his penis, which is nicely featured in this movie in more ways than one. The movie itself is rather depressing, though Fassbender and Carey Mulligan continue to prove what great actors they are. Bravo to them for taking risky roles in movies like Shame!