​ When it comes to off off Broadway in New York City, I always try to find the hidden gems that may be out there; places like the Merchant House, East Village Playhouse, Ars Nova and many more. Over the last five years or so, off off Broadway has been tied down to more political plays, usually show case plays which have ruined a lot off the make up of the smaller theaters that occupy both the West and East Village. So when a Kurt Vonnegut, or a Gogol at The Russian Theater Company comes around, I try to see them. I not only like the writers, I more enjoy the intimate setting and what the various theater companies do with their performances... how they direct it, how they move their lighting and so on and so forth.
 At Feverdream Lounge, an intimate East Village theater, "Dead Brains", a psycosexual thriller that was written and directed by Erik Champney is both up and down throughout the ninety- minute play. I am not a big fan of writers who direct their work; the reason being that often a writer is steadfast to their body of writing. An independent director is able to see things differently and as such, can bring forth a different and often better version of the piece.

 The stories premise is a decent one, it has some twists and turns and all three actors put in a good effort. In Champney's direction we never get the full "business" of the actors. I think the facial and body expressions lacked here and made this a monotonous thing to watch. While Jon Pratt as Henry and Charity Schubert as Philly had good chemistry, their body movements were hung out to dry making the dialogue and the plot weaker.

 In a smaller venue with low ceilings the sound becomes a difficult task. Here the lighting as well as the sound takes a little off the top and it adds to the distraction of the weak body movements. The audience never gets fully focused on this play because of these hindrances and the writing itself dragged at times. 
 As a psycosexual thriller, it never rises to a good level of suspense, it never titillates the audience and it never seems believable. In a intimate theater like this I was hoping for a real no- holes- barred type play, one that was raw, sexual and mind blowing, unfortunately we never got anywhere near those levels.

​ "Days of Wine and Roses" in its movie form starring Jack Lemon and Lee Remick was more subdued and macabre than this musical version that opened at Studio 54 last night. The story is pretty much the same as the movie version, only we get a more upbeat tempo with the music and it goes anathema, unfortunately with the plot. The plot deals with alcoholism between the two main characters: Kirsten Arnesen (Kelli O'Hara) and Joe Clay (Brian D'Arcy James).

 In this musical, all the actors are very good; the two leads are excellent, but the problem lies with both the direction (Micheal Greif) and the music and lyrics by Adam Guettel; both trip up the book by Craig Lucas. The problem with the direction is that we get two people who are deeply in love with one another and even with that, the show never knows when to stop being silly and to start dealing with these two lovebirds serious problem, which is alcohol. It is not till the very end that we see what damage the booze has done to this couple, even then it never hits home with the audience as hard as it should. In the music we get songs that never really resonate nor keeps our attention for very long. While "Underneath" and "Forgiveness" are the evenings best, many of the other songs are forgettable; and this is with two of the best singers today on Broadway!
  With a pleasing scenic design (Lizzie Clachan), lighting by Ben Stanton and well appointed costumes by Dede Ayite and sound by Kai Harada all work well as does the Co choreography. What makes this musical less memorable is how the music runs in the opposite direction of the book.And even where the book stands out against the backdrop of the shows poor direction, it too fails us at parts.

 "Is This The Behavior of A Sane Person"?
 "Crime and Punishment" by Fydor Dostoevsky at the Gural Theatre and produced by Phoenix Theatre had a run in Nyack, N.Y. Theater Festival last year where it was highly praised. As a condensed version of this masterpiece, the 90 minutes for the most part goes by quickly. The superb acting by all three actors, the gothic style staging, the sound, the music makes this an excellent off Broadway night out!
 In "Crime" we get Dostoevsky at his peak; this novel always questions sanity, intellect, God, Man, and man's inhumanity towards the world in general. In this rendition we get a glimpse of just how complex Raskolnikov (Josh Tyson) is. At times he is Christ like, at other times, Plato comes to mind; we also get the darker side of him, which makes the audience think just what is on his mind. 
 In many aspects this play works so well... the traverse staging for one brings the audience up close to these fine actors. Director Karen Case Cook invites us into the lives of these characters, we see clearly their lives, their squealer and their miseries. The dialogue between the actors is exceptional and Cook is masterful with her direction. The staging, the costumes (Debbie Hobson), the sound (Ellen Mardel), the lighting (Bill Schmidt) all contribute to this well made play. 
 In the abbreviated rendition writers Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus have the daunting task of picking out which parts to put into this gem and what to omit. At the 55 minute mark till the 1:10 portion of the play it tends to drag a bit as we get a lull here. The last twenty five minutes of this play, however, picks up steam and ends with a deep, resonating body of work; we get a clearer picture as to how the detective (John Lenartz) as Porfiry, Sonia (Elise Stone) as a prostitute handle this complex Raskolnikov. As a writer, a person who has studied law, a good seminarian, he questions religion, man and ordinary people versus extraordinary ones. The audience needs to deviate which is which and where does it go from here.We are always questioning his motives, his thoughts and certainly his actions.

  Phoenix Theatre Ensemble brings forth how an off Broadway show should be done... the eerie feel, the raw energy, the up close personal feel to it and simple but relevant staging. Even though the show borders on the Bohemian feel, Cook captures the pulse of Dostoevsky in that we cannot help but feel the desperation of the characters we watch so closely for over 90 minutes.As one of the best off Broadway shows I have seen in sometime, with all its masterful stagecraft, this show is a keeper!

​ "Prayer for the French Republic" is a moving- thought provoking play by Joshua Harmon (Bad Jews). The plays premise is how safe a Jewish family is in modern day France. Harmon through his characters gives us a history lesson about how Jews have been slaughtered throughout time and what the reason is behind man's inhumanity toward men. Directed by Davis Cromer, this three hour plays moves quickly and never lets you out of the action on stage; we stay transfixed and focused in this heartfelt play.
 Cromer has a great cast to work with... Betsy Aiden is a powerhouse theatrical actor; Francis Benhamou too is a fiery actress who is rapid fire when quoting history. Molly Ranson who is a third cousin to the Benhamou's is visiting from America. A woke Gen Z who see's Israel as an aggressor draws the ire from Elodie (Benhamou). Debate and humor is at the forefront of this behemoth play, however, this play has less meaning to it than it did when it played a year ago off Broadway. Politically written plays run the risk of being dis-proven over time and "Prayer" is one of those. The October 7th attacks by Hamas has changed the realm of this play and so has the off handed remarks by former president Trump.
 What the playwright has done well, however, is bringing forth the history of French Jews and Jews around the world. We hear about how the French emancipated the Jews, the Crusades and how Jews are being attacked on the streets of France. It is when Marcelle and Charles Benhamou's son, Daniel (Aria Shahghasemi) gets beat up for the second time that Charles ponders moving to Israel.
 On a turntable stage (Takeshi Kata), we are taken from 2017 and back to World War II. We meet the Solomon's, grandparents of Marcelle who have been spared by the Nazi's during the war. The mood, the nuance of the plot is deftly supported by excellent lighting by Amith Chandrashaker (MTC always seems to have superb lighting regardless of what show you see at the Friedman Theatre). Through the windows we see the Solomon's desperation of staying indoors during the last two years of the war. Even still, the father, Adolphe (Daniel Oreskes) is hopeful that his children will return from the war unscathed, and that his piano store will flourish as it did before the war.
 The three acts are broken up efficiently and acts two and three pick up steam as the play goes on. The acting is well done much to Cromer's credit. Doubling down in the action he almost tips the scales needlessly; maybe he had to because the times have changed since last produced only one year ago.

​In" Arcadia," like Tom Stoppard's "Travesties", you really need to pay attention to what is being said. When I first saw the play back in the 1990's at Lincoln Center I walked away not to sure what I just saw ( a lot of audience members felt the same as I did). In this "Arcadia" at the Upper West Side Theatre, however, Eric Tucker as director gives us a clearer picture of the story. The plot spans from early 19th century on an English countryside estate and two centuries later at the same site.
 For three hours we see the tale of sexual liaisons, jealousy, resentment, the bantering of mathematics, physics, writing and music. In the early time period a Cambridge graduate, Septimus Hodge (Shaun Taylor- Corbett) teaches a precocious Thomasina (Caroline Grogan) about math, literature, the sciences and to some degree, life. As her frustrated mother (Lisa Birnbaum) looks after her, she is never content with her life. Birnbaum does a wonderful job in her role, particularly the "business" that she gives in her complex role. Just the right amount of resentment towards her environment and an even measure of sultriness, she gets the job done indeed.
 As the centuries go by we get three scholars who try to unravel the mysteries that have been unsolved. Lord Byron is at the forefront of much of the debate and anguish. While Zuzanna Szadkowski is excellent as Hannah, it is the modern side of the cast that falters a little. Not as deep or as solid as the core of the older actors: Caroline Grogan, Mike Labbadia, Jamie Smithson and Shaun Taylor Corbett are more interesting to watch. In the unraveling of what took place in the past; the scholars don't have us as engaged in the play. BEDLAM which usually has a very talented pool was less so in this play. There was a great deal of disparity amongst many of the actors.
 "Arcadia" had some very deft costuming by Charlotte Palmer-Lane; she captures each period well, she made the show that much more interesting with her well appointed costumes. Les Dickert too added a lot to the performance with the lighting; "Arcadia" needs to be bright and bold as it was last evening. Dickert keeps the characters front and center brilliantly.
 The play runs till December 31st. I was mostly impressed with this rendition. Even though it does not have the big names in it like the show I saw at Lincoln Center, but the cast blends well, it does the little things that make it a bigger production. Back in 1995 I thought Victor Garber, Billy Crudup and Lisa Banes did not mix well making it unpleasant to watch. Here the direction keeps the show tight and always grinding. It was very creative that we see the play from one angel in the first act, only to be turned around in the second act where we look at the actors from the seating area. Eric Tucker clearly had the vision of books, clothing and babbles passing from one century to another. Even though the seating was uncomfortable in the second act, kudos to the director for a novel way to see a play!

The Temptations have been playing music for 61 years. Last night at the Morristown Performing Arts Center the band was extraordinary. Playing under the Mo Town label, like many of the great artists back in the 60's, The Temptations played feel good song amongst the nations most turbulent times. As the Vietnam war raged and protests were almost a daily occurrence, bands like The Temptations and the Four Tops would put forth music that wasn't so much political (some songs were), but songs about love, going about everyday life and the good things that life had to offer.
Mo Town in the 60's were a brand with many artists from the Detroit area. Not only did the bands under the label sing well, they could also dance and visually entertain their audience as well as play music and sing. The Temptations were no exception and last night was proof that this band can still perform!
As they took the stage last evening, the band would be the evenings second and last act. Showing gratitude to the sold out venue, the band belted out seven songs in a row at rapid speed. I don't know of a band that have such versatile voice; from deep baritone to high soprano and everything in between. As they opened with "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" you could hear this versatility right from the jump.
Where The Temptations succeed is that the many different songs that they produced over the years: "Just My Imagination", "My Girl", "Get Ready", "Lady Soul", "Shakey Ground", their rendition of "The Band Played On" are just a few that this wonderful band has played over the years.
After the mid 70's the band did not record an awful lot of songs; they would cut some more songs in the 80's such as: "Treat Her Like a Lady", "Lady Soul", "Soul to Soul", " Standing on the Top" and even "Stay" in the late 90's. Having released an album in the mid 2000's under the production of Smokey Robinson, the band would have it's final album.
Having completed so many great songs with much notoriety, The Temptations didn't so much lose their way, but, it was more that the Mo Town sound faded away, overtaken by hard rock and disco. Like all music genres Mo Town was becoming a memory of the 60's and lost its appeal to listeners. It would be the Funk scene that would ultimately seal the fate of Mo Town's top artists. Funk had the dancing as well as some great songs that would take the mostly black listeners into another direction.
......................................................................................................................
The Four Tops.
The Four Tops are also a Mo Town sound and they too have many great songs and are also a talented song and dance band. With such great songs as "Can't Help Myself", "Reach Out", "Baby I Need Your Loving", "Ain't No Woman", "When She Was My Girl" and "Shake Me Wake Me", this great band was backed by an orchestra last evening and for over 90 minutes the band was pure gold. Like The Temptations, The Four Tops sung feel good songs about love and the reality of falling in love. Grateful too for their accomplishments, the band would reminisce throughout their time on stage how lucky they are to still be playing and how music has taken them to their dreams in life.
Listening to these two groups makes a person realize just how many talented musicians have come our way from the 1960's and beyond. It is amazing just how many great acts came out of Mo Town alone. Listening to these two bands tonight makes you remember just how many songs both groups produced. I am very happy that I got to get the chance to see such talent all in one special night!

​"Ferrari" differs from "Ford vs Ferrari" that played several years ago. This movie deals with the personal life of Enzo Ferrari and his inner conflicts. Where "Ford vs Ferrari" dealt with the competition between the two great auto makers, this movie takes us to the life of the man in Modena,Italy.
 Enzo Ferrari has had a long time mistress, Lina Lardi played by Shailene Woodling in which he has a son with her, Piero. Years before, Enzo had lost his older son (Dino) to a long illness and it has hurt him deeply; he visits his son's tomb often.
 What makes "Ferrari" work so well is several-fold: the great cinematography, excellent directing by Michael Mann and the acting that each and every actor puts into their roles. One gets a sense of the time and place of where Ferrari grew up and lived his life.
  In what maybe her best role since "Blow", Penelope Cruz hits it out of the park as Ferrari's wife, Laura Ferrari. Determined, classy, demanding and smart, Cruz is the true matriarch of this family; she takes no crap from anyone. Laura is bitter over losing her son; losing her husband as she toils with the car company that it teetering on bankruptcy.
 Ferrari himself (Adam Driver) is a calm, calculating man who is always in control of his emotions, always. He too is a demanding man who does not suffer defeat very easily. He, after all is a car company that produces cars to support his racing team which is anathema to all the other car companies in the world. Being that he makes so few cars he needs to win races for his company to survive.
 What complicates Ferrari's life is his other life, a mistress and a son that he tucks away in the countryside. Where his wife thinks that he is having multiple affairs, it his other secret life that lays bare the controversy in this movie. Only a handful of people know of Enzo's secret. Like his first child, Enzo nurtures this young boy, teaches him about engineering and even though he is young, he educates him about practical daily matters.
 What makes Ferrari most appealing is that the director deftly moves us from a nasty wife at the beginning who is unlikable to a stealthy woman that we all respect at the end. Even though her husband has not been kind to her, she stands behind him at all times. She is by no means a pushover, however, she is his fortress. Laura manages the books, delves out the salaries of the workers and is a very shrewd businesswoman.
 Another reason "Ferrari" appeals is the cars themselves and the racing scenes; lifelike and engaging, both the direction and cinematography make this movie a winner. I don't think I will ever forget the near end of the last race scene that involved fatalities; never have I ever witnessed a scene like that in all the years I have watched film!
 Even though it is billed as a work of fiction, "Ferrari" is a work about real people who experience what the film depicts. Much of the story is based on the man, his company and his life, but not all of it is factual. What is factual about the man is that he loved his cars and his racing team, he built cars like no one else could. Where Henry Ford build an assembly line, Ferrari built works of art, something that Ford's son who would later take over the business couldn't do.
 At a little over two hours, "Ferrari" for the most part moves nicely (there are some slow points), it engages the audience and keeps the characters interesting and for the most part, likeable.
 Enzo Ferrari, Penelope Cruz, Adam Driver, Michael Mann, Patrick Dempsey, Hollywood, Academy Awards, Oscars.

 Le Femme Theatre Production of " The Night of the Iguana" is the best rendition of this play that I have seen. Tennessee Williams masterpiece if not done well can be a long drawn out evening at the theater. What makes this "Iguana"  really good has to do with several reasons, the first being exquisite sound by Darron L.West, the incredible lighting by Jeff Croiter, the deft costumes by Jennifer Von Mayrhauser and the direction by Emily Mann.
 Williams, if not the best American playwright, is right up there with the Hemingway's of the American literary world. He often brings out the utter desperation in his characters. In this play we have Lawrence Shannon (Tim Daly), a drunk who has been defrocked by his Church, Maxine Faulk (Daphine Rubin-Vega), who has recently become a widow and Hannah Jelkes (Jean Lichty), a wanderer who knows and accepts her downtrodden lifestyle. What makes Williams so effective as a writer; in many of his plays he brings the characters to low depths as human beings, often these people are mentally deranged, and then he takes them to even lower depths to the point of where the audience is shocked by the squealer which is the life and the world that they live in.
 Emily Mann for the most part has the characters interesting to the audience. " The Night of the Iguana" is three hours long and in this performance there were only two lulls in the show. For a short period in the first act we had to much dialogue that went in circles between Daly and Vega, the same can be said for the second act between Daly and Lichty. Even with a bland scenic design (Beowulf Boritt), Mann keep us in this complex piece like a master.
 As much as the cast is wonderful, it is Tim Daly as the Reverend who wants to do good as he desperately fights off his inner demons; the spook as he calls it. He has a penchant for young girls and liquor. It has gotten him in trouble time and time again. Daphine Rubin- Vega (Rent) who yearns for the Reverend, Lea Delaria who is the leader for a vacationing Baptist Church woman from Texas who tortures the already mentally weak Lawrence Shannon into continuing his tour guide which has gone array.The great Austin Pendleton as Nonno, the oldest poet in America at 97 years old and Jean Lichty as his granddaughter who looks after him as they go country to country hustling her paintings and his poetry.I saw Jean Lichty a few years back in another of Williams play "A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur" at the Church at St. Clements in which she was excellent as well. It is these five core actirs that along with Emily Mann make this a worthwhile show to see!
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