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Saturday, January 25, 2014

To Believe or Disbelieve

Freud's Last Session -- Hartford TheaterWorks -- Thru Feb.23

                                            Kenneth Tigar and Jonathan Crombie.
                                           All Photos by Lanny Nagle
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Eavesdropping can have its rewards, especially if the people you are listening to have something interesting – perhaps even a bit shocking – to say. What if, for example, you’re situated so that you can both watch and hear two erudite men talk about such things as sex, religion, fantasy, pain, suffering, suicide, the existence of an afterlife, the existence of God and the meaning of life? What if these two men are Sigmund Freud, the father of psychiatry, author of “The Future of an Illusion” (the illusion being organized religion),and an avowed atheist, and C. S. Lewis, author of, among other books, “The Case for Christianity,” “Miracles” and “The Chronicles of Narnia”? Sound intriguing? Well, you don’t have to dangle off an eave or crouch down in the bushes to hear these two men have at each other, all you have to do is go to Hartford TheaterWorks, where Mark St. Germain’s “Freud’s Last Session” is running under the direction of Maxwell Williams until February 23.

The meeting St. Germain chronicles never really happened, but it’s one of the wonderful “What ifs?” of American theater (it won the 2011 Best Play Award from the Off-Broadway Alliance), for it not only offers audiences the clash of two great minds, but also the double framing devices of a looming world war and Freud facing his own demise as he struggles through the painful last stages of oral cancer.

As Germany invades Poland, Freud (Kenneth Tigar) sits in his office in London (admirably crafted in delicious detail by set designer Evan Adamson) awaiting the arrival of Lewis (Jonathan Crombie). Freud’s wife is out shopping and his beloved daughter, Anna, also a psychiatrist, is off giving a lecture. When Lewis appears, the younger man immediately begins to apologize for the caricature of Freud he included in one of his books, believing this send-up is the reason Freud has asked to see him. He’s a bit deflated when Freud admits he has never read the book. What actually interests the ailing octogenarian is Lewis’s eschewing of atheism and embracing of Christianity. How can such a learned man subscribe to such damaging, childish myths?

What follows in this 90-minute, one-act play, is a lively and sometimes heated discussion of topics (both the sacred and the profane) that interest these men, a discussion in which they give as much as they take, Lewis often exercising his wry sense of humor and Freud resting on the “proofs” offered by science and what he believes is immutable logic. Punctuating the arguments are radio broadcasts announcing the start of the war (including King George VI’s address to his subjects chronicled in “The King’s Speech”) and Freud’s growing agony exacerbated by a prosthetic device in his mouth.

                                               Jonathan Crombie as C. S. Lewis

Part of the pleasure to be derived from watching as the conversation unfolds is the excellent work done by both Crombie and Tigar. Crombie gives us a Lewis somewhat in awe of Freud who nonetheless will not allow himself to be browbeaten or overwhelmed by his interlocutor’s “logic.” Crombie often uses subtle glances, restrained gestures and the hint of a smile to punctuate his arguments. His character, challenged by Freud, maintains a surface composure broken only when he recalls his service in the First World War.

                                              Kenneth Tigar as Sigmund Freud

If Crombie gives us a Lewis in total control of his emotions (and his body language), Tigar creates a Freud whose passion for his work and confidence in his beliefs lead to minor eruptions of anger, frustration and disbelief as he questions the younger man’s belief in a God who allowed His son to be crucified and, more importantly, allows the world to plunge itself into another war. His emotions rise and fall, as do his hands, which point, clench and seem to plead the psychiatrist’s case.

The two actors give us fire and ice as their characters inch towards an understanding of sorts. Especially moving is a scene that occurs near the end of the play when Freud is almost overwhelmed by pain and allows Lewis to extract the prosthesis, something Freud has heretofore only allowed his daughter Anna to do. This intimate moment is so satisfying because it sheds the intellectuality the two characters have wrapped themselves in and exposes their shared humanity.

Director Williams deftly orchestrates this exercise in morality and mortality, utilizing all of the space allowed in Adamson’s triangular set. However, there are moments, especially early on in the play, when the two actors appear to be locked in place – it is only in these moments that the actors seem to be delivering lines at each other rather than to each other. However, this occurs rarely, for as the discussions advance (and Freud’s pain grows) dialogue and movement gel and support each other.

A minor point with Adamson’s set. He might have considered using non-reflective glass in some of the framed photographs. One photo, of Charles Darwin, sits on a table stage right – in the opening night performance the table was nudged several times such that the frame moved, thus reflecting light from one of the spots out into the audience. Somewhat distracting.

The movement of actors and props are minor points in an otherwise compelling production that will keep playgoers riveted, for we all have doubts about our beliefs, fears about our mortality. What Freud and Lewis discuss and argue about is the stuff of life, the enigmas and conundrums that taunt and tantalize the human mind.


“Freud’s Last Session” runs through Feb. 23. For tickets or more information call 860-527-7838 or go to www.theaterworkshertford.org. 

Saturday, January 18, 2014

The Corporate Jungle – Lite

"The Consultant" -- Long Wharf Theatre -- Thru Feb 9

                               Cassie Beck, Darren Goldstein and Nelson Lee. 
                               All photos by T. Charles Erickson

Did you know that in corporate-land people often feel they are working in a pressure cooker, are beset by unreasonable bosses, find release via drugs, alcohol and office romances, often get fired because the company is down-sizing and, worst of all, choke when they have to make presentations? Yes, it’s all true. Old news? Well, not for Heidi Schreck, an actress and playwright whose new play, “The Consultant,” is having its premiere at Long Wharf Theatre. Apparently, Ms. Schreck, as the press release relates, once was hired to help an executive at a pharmaceutical marketing company hone his somewhat lamentable presentation skills. It was apparently a traumatic experience and led, years later, to her penning “The Consultant.” There’s a lost of grist here – corporate chicanery; Big-Pharma machinations; Machiavellian office politics -- but unfortunately not much of it gets milled.
            
A capable cast under the steady direction of Kip Fagan does its best to make this light-as-air piece relevant and riveting, but it is a daunting task. Yes, there are dashed hopes and dreams, but there’s no Willy Loman to make you ache for the man who tragically buys into the American Dream. Yes, there is office politics, but no blood flows, as it does in “Glengarry Glen Ross.”

                                                              Clare Barron
            
The problems begin with our consultant, Amelia (a truly engaging Clare Barron), for as written she is not some high-powered, take-no-prisoners, “You-Can-Do-It” guru, but rather a grad student at NYU who thought she was signing up to help an executive, supposedly a Korean immigrant, with his English. The executive, Jun Suk (Nelson Lee) is neither an immigrant nor lacking in proficiency in the English language – he just chokes when having to make a presentation. Amelia is clueless about how to help him. There’s a huge industry thriving on the concept of envisioning your audience sitting in its underwear – but that isn’t dealt with. All the “How-ya-doin’?” hucksters and snake oil purveyors get a pass.
            
Then there’s Big Pharma, rife for pillorying. Again, there’s a free pass. About the only reference to pharmaceuticals is discussion of an ad campaign Jun Suk has created, using a picture of himself in an ad for an anti-depressant. That’s as far as it goes.
            
Then there’s office romance, as acted out by the much harried receptionist Tania (Cassie Beck) and an executive, Mark (Darren Goldstein). It amounts to a lot of talk, a fear of pregnancy and…well, that’s about it, and as for office politics, Barbara (Lynne McCollough), a former employee, makes an appearance and threatens to dish some dirt to a client.

                                                           Lynne McCoullough
            
In essence, not much happens of interest during the 90 minutes of “The Consultant,” and what does has been dealt with in more depth and greater acerbity on both the stage and television.
            
There’s a coda, of sorts, which takes place in a hospital room where Suk is recuperating from alcohol poisoning (from champagne, no less!). He is visited by Amelia and Tania, who discuss how flowers should be arranged (it’ a bonding moment) and then suggest, in so many words, that it’s always darkest before the dawn and when a door closes a…well, you get the picture.
            
The past seven or eight years have been tumultuous, as is outlined in the show’s program: recession, the housing bubble, brokerage firms collapsing, the Dow dropping to under 7,000, home foreclosures. One would think out of all this chaos and catastrophe a play dealing with these times might have some fire to it, just a bit of outrage, some humor that cuts to the bone. Alas, such is not the case. “The Consultant” has the feel of a sitcom written long before the bubble, or bubbles, burst.
           
Advice to Ms. Schreck -- re-read your Dylan Thomas: “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
            
“The Consultant” runs through Feb. 9. For tickets or more information call 203-787-4282 or go to www.longwharf.org.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

The "Best" of 2013

A Time for Lists

                    Bill Nolte and Mamie Parris star in Goodspeed's "The Most Happy Fella." 
                    Photo by Diane Sobolewski

Various members of the Connecticut Critics Circle have selected their favorite productions from the past year - their individual lists follow. If you want to read full reviews of their picks, check out “Current Reviews” and “Archived Reviews” at http://www.ctcritics.org/.

Of course, “best” is a relative term, often dictated, to a certain extent, by personal proclivities and, of course, what productions the critics got to see. However, there seems to be some agreement here. Goodspeed’s “The Most Happy Fella” made just about everyone’s list, as did Long Wharf’s “Clybourne Park.” After that? Well, I guess that’s why there’s chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream (to name just three of a multitude of flavors).

If you read the reviews of these productions, which are archived on the Connecticut Critics Circle website, you will see that what touches one critic does not move another, what irritates one intrigues another, and the reviews, by and large, explain the variances.

There are, of course, certain standards that most critics will acknowledge, but after that, well, it all depends…it’s not a science, and as much as artistic directors, directors or actors might bridle (or preen) at what they read about a play or musical they have been intimately involved with, it is, in the end, an educated opinion written to guide the reader in choosing how to spend his or her time at the theater. There will always be a certain benign friction between artist and critic and that is as it should be.

Geary Danihy

                Irene Glezos as Maria Callas in 'Master Class.' Photo by Joe Landry

About "Master Class" -- Bringing this larger-then-life woman to life is a challenge, but MTC has been fortunate enough to cast Irene Glezos in the role, and she is...¦well, spectacular. From the moment she walks onto the stage clutching her handbag she owns the audience, and she never lets go. -- Geary Danihy

Master Class (Music Theatre of CT)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (Playhouse on Park)
Fences (Long Wharf)
The Most Happy Fella (Goodspeed)
The Underpants (Long Wharf)
Time Stands Still (TheaterWorks)
Clybourne Park (Long Wharf)
Stones in his Pocket (Yale Rep)
Abundance (Hartford Stage

Rosalind Friedman

                       Phil McGlaston, Esau Pritchett, Portia, G. Alvarez Reid, and
                      Jared McNeill in 'Fences.' Photo by T. Charles Erickson


About "Fences" -- I have seen the play in many incarnations, but it is so rich in language, character and plot, each time I discover new wonderful things about it. -- Rosalind Friedman

Becoming Dr. Ruth (TheaterWorks)
Fences (Long Wharf)
Loot (Westport Playhouse)
The Most Happy Fella (Goodspeed)

Bonnie Goldberg

                              Fred Arsenault and Euan Morton in 'Stones in His Pocket.' 
                             Photo by Joan Marcus

About "Stones in His Pockets" -- Euan Morton's Charlie and Fred Arsenault's Jake are versatile with a capital V and talented with a capital T, as they play the whole village of County Kerry, Ireland, from the crotchety, whiskey loving gent to the impossible to please, dictatorial director and everyone in between. -- Bonnie Goldberg

Stones in His Pockets (Yale Rep)
Hairspray (CT Rep)
Clybourne Park (Long Wharf)
The Drowsy Chaperone (CT Rep)
Twelfth Night (Hartford Stage)
Becoming Dr. Ruth (TheaterWorks)
The Music Man (CT Rep)
Mrs. Mannerly (TheaterWorks)
Master Class (Music Theatre of CT)
Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Yale Rep)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (Playhouse on Park)
Fences (Long Wharf)

Tom Holehan


              Brenda Withers, Monique Vukovic and James Knight (background)
              in 'Abundance.' Photo: T. Charles Erickson


About "Abundance" -- [Playwirght] Henley is an acquired taste to be sure, but I admire her adventurous writing spirit and in Bess and Macon she has created two wildly different and distinctly individual characters for a pair of talented actresses to bring to life. At Hartford Stage you get that and more. Vukovic’s transformation from mousy housewife to bestselling author (yes, you read that right!) is great fun to witness and Withers is a powerhouse of raw emotion who takes charge of the situation with her very first entrance. The utter joy and fascination of watching the women then reverse roles and take on each character’s strengths and weaknesses cannot be underestimated. -- Tom Holehan

Abundance (Hartford Stage)
Becoming Dr. Ruth (TheaterWorks)
Clybourne Park (Long Wharf)
The Dining Room (Westport Playhouse)
Dreamgirls (Ivoryton Playhouse)
Fences (Long Wharf)
Hello, Dolly! (Goodspeed)
Loot (Westport Playhouse)
Macbeth (Hartford Stage)
The Most Happy Fella (Goodspeed)
Stones in His Pockets (Yale Rep
Time Stands Still (TheaterWorks)

Frank Rizzo

                   Chris Henry Coffey, Jake Robards, Jennifer Van Dyck, Charles
                   Socarides, Keira Naughton, and Heidi Armbruster in A. R. Gurney’s
                   “The Dining Room.” Photo by Carol Rosegg


About "The Dining Room" -- Much more than "eating habits of a vanishing culture," Gurney's journey into a piece of American past rates four stars. -- Frank Rizzo

From Broadway with Love: The Concert for Sandy Hook  (Palace/Waterbury)
The Most Happy Fella (Goodspeed)
The Dining Room (Westport Playhouse)
American Idiot (Bushnell)
Time Stands Still (TheaterWorks)
Kiss Me Kate, concert (Yale)
Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Yale Rep)
Cabaret (Playhouse on Park)
Macbeth (Hartford Stage)
Freewheelers (Broken Umbrella Company/International Festival of Arts & Ideas)

David Rosenberg

                                    Alice Ripley, LeRoy McClain and Melle Powers
                                    in 'Clybourne Park.' Photo by T. Charles Erickson


About "Clybourne Park"-- Norris’ play is not a simplistic table-turner. Rather, the author delves into the brutality underlying our polite world of lawyers, real estate agents and contracts. Throw in tribal, territorial and historical references and the play becomes rich with subtleties, while also rich with laughs. -- David Rosenberg

As You Like It (Shakespeare on the Sound)
Becoming Dr. Ruth (TheaterWorks)
Clybourne Park (Long Wharf)
The Dining Room (Westport Playhouse)
Fences (Long Wharf)
Freud's Last Session (Square One Theatre Company)
Loot (Westport Playhouse)
Master Class (Music Theatre of CT)
The Most Happy Fella (Goodspeed)

Karen Isaacs

                            Tim Altmeyer and Erika Rolfsrud in 'Time Stands Still.'
                           Photo by Lanny Nagler.

About "Time Stands Still" -- Time Stands Still is one of those riveting plays that you keep thinking about and finding new ways of looking at. The intimate stage at TheaterWorks that puts the audience closer to the actors makes it even more compelling. This is a play you should see. -- Karen Isaacs

Twelfth Night (Hartford Stage)
Macbeth (Hartford Stage)
Time Stands Still (TheaterWorks)
Almost, Maine (TheaterWorks)
Loot (Westport Playhouse)
Room Service (Westport Playhouse)
The Year of 13 Moons (Yale Rep)
Hello, Dolly! (Goodspeed)
The Most Happy Fella (Goodspeed)
Immigrant (Seven Angels)
A Christmas Story (Bushnell)
Billy Elliot (Bushnell)
The Drowsy Chaperone (CT Rep)