All My Sons (Gerald Schoenfeld)

Dianne Wiest, John Lithgow, Katie Holmes and Patrick Wilson, the leads in All My Sons.

BOTTOM LINE: Holmes, I stand corrected.

Back in May, when the cast of All My Sons was announced and I learned that Katie Holmes would play the role of Ann Deever, I wrote about my concern for this casting choice. I was worried that All My Sons, a tremendous play by Arthur Miller, was too complex a production for Katie's acting abilities. You can read my snarky post of doubt here.

I am both pleased and humbled to tell you that Holmes did not suck hard. In fact, she didn't suck at all. She was actually really good. And acting alongside her were John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest, Patrick Wilson, and a stellar supporting cast. All My Sons is a near-perfect production. It's certainly one of the best plays I've ever seen. And Holmes deserves to be a part of it.

All My Sons is the very heavy story of the Kellers, a Midwestern family post-WWII. The Kellers are nearly destroyed themselves as a result of the war: younger son Larry went missing in combat 3 years prior and father, Joe (Lithgow), was involved in a scandal that sent his business partner to jail and contributed to the deaths of many soldiers when faulty plane parts were knowingly sent overseas. This business partner happens to be the father of Larry's girlfriend Ann (Holmes). The play opens as Ann comes back to town to visit the older Keller son, Chris (Wilson), who wants to marry Ann. The mother, Kate (Wiest) refuses to accept that Larry is dead and therefore forbids Chris from marrying Larry's girl.

It's dysfunctional, it's depressing, it's maticulously executed. Simon McBurney's direction is engaging and always appropriate. The production design leaves the audience engrossed in the acting on stage (which is really stellar on all counts). The theatrical experience is visceral and moving, and this well-crafted story is given roots to grow and challenge its audience. I loved this performance and I think it's well worth seeing for anyone who enjoys the pleasure of live theatre. Plus, the acting is as supurb as can be.

(All My Sons plays a limited engagement through January 11, 2009 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 W. 45th Street. Opening night is Thursday, October 16th. Show times are: Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday - Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday & Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are expensive: $116.50 down to $61.50. Standing room only tickets are available for $26.50 for sold out performances. And check out broadwaybox.com for discount codes. For more info visit allmysonsonbroadway.com.)

Kindness (Playwrights Horizons)

BOTTOM LINE: A moving, funny, and deeply personal play about a mother and son and the two strangers they meet while visiting NYC.

Adam Rapp’s new play Kindness opens with teenage Dennis alone in a Midtown Manhattan hotel room doing, well, what teenage boys often do when they are alone in hotel rooms. His mother walks in on him unexpectedly (something that seems to happen a lot in these situations) but is soon off to the theater; meanwhile, Dennis stays back, and while he is out getting ice, a young woman sneaks into his room. While Dennis is meeting one stranger, his mother meets another one- the cab driver whom she invites to the theater in place of her son.

Kindness is one of Rapp’s most intensely auto-biographical plays; indeed, Rapp has said that Dennis is a “younger, more honest version” of himself. Dennis and his mother are from the Midwest (Rapp too), and are in New York to see the fictional hit musical Survivin’, an amusing take-off of Rent, the real hit musical which originally starred Rapp’s brother Anthony. But more significantly, Rapp’s mother died of cancer eleven years ago, and this experience has clearly influenced the direction that Kindness takes.

Rapp has written a moving play about the complex relationship a son has with his mother. Kindness is never predictable, but is also not filled with lots of crazy plot twists, allowing the audience to focus more on the lives of the four characters. Ultimately, while Kindness could easily have become maudlin or else horrifying, I found it to be quite touching. Yet it never takes itself too seriously, and is at times quite funny. I especially liked Katherine Waterston’s performance as Frances, the strange girl who barges into Dennis’s room. Ray Anthony Thomas is also quite good in the smaller role of the cab driver. As the two strangers in the play (Rapp often writes about characters who try to connect with strangers), Waterston and Thomas give beautifully layered performances in which they open up to Dennis and his mother, but only so far.

I also enjoyed Christopher Denham’s performance as Dennis- he was terrific in Rapp’s previous play Red Light Winter, and is also quite good here. But while Denham and Annette O’Toole (Maryanne- the mother) do their best, the mother-son relationship never rang true for me. I think this was mostly due to Rapp’s writing. Many of the characters in Rapp’s other plays are in their 20s and 30s; as written, Dennis and Maryanne seem more like a 20-something man and his 30-something older sister. Plus, while the character of Dennis is supposed to be 17, Denham is clearly much older. Rapp also directed this play, and while I think overall he did a fine job, I wonder if the outside perspective of a different director, one who didn’t write this incredibly personal play, might have helped here.

I enjoyed the design- an amazingly detailed midtown Manhattan hotel room, down to the sheets on the bed and the fire-escape route sign on the door. My one complaint is that this room is much larger than any mid-priced New York City hotel room I have ever seen. While it may be that the space constraints required the set to be as large as it is, I wanted the claustrophobia that would have resulted from a more realistically sized room. But this is a minor point- all in all, I definitely recommend checking into Kindness’s hotel room for a few hours.

(Kindness plays at Playwrights Horizons’ Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 416 West 42nd Street, through November 2nd. Show times are Tues-Fri at 7:30pm, Sat at 2:00 & 7:30pm, and Sun at 2:00 & 7:00pm. For tickets, visit www.ticketcentral.com or call (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily). For more information, visit www.playwrightshorizons.org)

A Man for All Seasons (American Airlines)

BOTTOM LINE: A solid production of a great play about one man who sticks to his principals when his life is in dire straights. It should resonate well with modern audiences.

The Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons tells the timely tale of Sir Thomas More (Frank Langella, recent Tony winner for his spot-on portrayal of Richard Nixon in Frost Nixon) who is the sole opposition to Henry VIII's creation of The Church of England which would formally annul his marriage so that he can take another wife and create a male heir to assume his throne. More loses everything in his life in order to protect his integrity. The people around him compromise their moral character in order to gain acceptance from the king, by agreeing to the creation of essentially a new religion, and advance up the social ladder and gain praise and riches. Langella creates an extremely complex character that will stop at nothing to do what he believes is right. The rest is actually history. While this piece could easily feel like a lame history lesson, it's fresh and moving.

If you don't know about the history behind the formation of The Church of England, you may be a little lost. All you really need to know is this: Henry VIII wants to divorce his current wife because she cannot produce a male heir. The Catholic Church doesn't allow divorces. So he decided to create a new church, The Church of England, which will allow him to annul his marriage, take a new wife, and hopefully produce a male heir. Most everyone sides with Henry in this mildly ridiculous scheme, with the exception of one morally steadfast man, Sir Thomas More. His opposition to this new doctrine is the catalyst for the events in A Man for All Seasons which details the events that led to More's untimely end.

Director Doug Hughes (Tony winner for his work on the Pulitzer Prize winning Doubt) creates a seamless production that is extremely engaging and entertaining. The two and half hours fly by and every performance is of the highest caliber. With a cast of fifteen actors, it would have been easy for there to have a been a dud or two in the bunch, but every single character is completely flushed out and full of life. Patrick Page sheds his green fur of the title role in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas for the Kingly duds of Henry VIII. Page is absolutely amazing. He is extravagantly funny one moment and then cooly terrifying the next. Even though he is only in one scene, his presence is felt throughout the piece and his performance is a true standout in a show of grade-A performances. I know it's early in the season, but I think his work is worthy of featured actor Tony attention. Speaking of Tonys, Langella's performance in the title role is a tour de force that will also probably gain him yet another well-deserved nomination.

I cannot mention every performance in the cast of stage and screen regulars. Needless to say, I don't think you will be disappointed. If you like smart, historical drama that raises questions that are socially relevant in the political climate of today, you will flip over A Man for All Seasons. To be honest, I thought that I was going to be bored, but I was pleasantly surprised. This production breathes a fresh life into an older piece that easily could have come across as tired; instead is riveting and lively. It's a night at the theatre that any theatre lover will relish. Don't go if you're wanting a light night out, but if you're wanting to be challenged and see some great performances, don't miss this limited engagement.

(A Man For All Seasons plays at The American Airlines Theatre, 227 West 42nd Street. Performance are Tuesday - Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. For tickets call (212) 719-1300. Ticket prices are: $66.50 - $111.50. Visit www.roundabouttheatre.org for more information.)

Above photo is Frank Langella.

13 (Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre)

BOTTOM LINE: I would've really liked this musical when I was 13.

13 is one of this season's new, big-budget Broadway musicals. It's the story of 12-year-old Evan who is forced to move to small-town Indiana from Manhattan when his parents get divorced. As his Bar Mitzvah nears, he has to get the popular kids to come to his awesome party, thereby solidifying his cool-kid status through his high school years. The music and lyrics, by Jason Robert Brown (he also wrote The Last Five Years, one of my favorite scores), are energetic and sometimes funny. The book, by Dan Elish and Robert Horn, couldn't be more contrived if it were an episode of Saved by the Bell.

Luckily, the cast of 13 is quite good and all are on the track for tremendous success in adulthood. I actually spent a little too much time in my head casting them in future productions of Hairspray and Grease. And if reality is anything like my imagination, they'll grow into dynamite performers. These teenagers are well-cast; talented enough to pull off the show and awkward enough to be completely age-appropriate. They're also bursting with energy and sheer joy for the opportunity. As a result, they're fun to watch.

There are some good components to this show although ultimately, it falls flat. I laughed out loud on a number of occasions (for example, the kids attend Dan Quayle Middle School). And some of the music rocks pretty hard; the opening number, appropriately called "13/Becoming a Man", has been stuck in my head all day. Also, the band is surprisingly solid, considering they themselves are 5 teenagers. But at the end of the day, the creativity is sparse at the expense of telling a simple, obvious story with a simple, obvious resolution. It lacks the "wow" moments that make live theatre so incredibly powerful. And ultimately, that's a disservice to both the audience and the performers. The kids on stage need something deeper to play, the kids in the audience can handle a more sincere story, and the adults in the audience deserve something to grab onto.

For what it's worth, the audience around me loved this show...to the point where the father behind me was verbally acknowledging the action on stage ("ooo's" when the characters kissed and "oh no's" when a moment got confrontational). There were tweens everywhere I looked; the median age of the audience was probably around 20. And if I were 13 and seeing this show, I would've been in utter bliss. But I'm not, and I wasn't.

Which makes me wonder who this show is really for. If it's designed to pull teenagers to the theatre, make it accessible and relatable, and capture a fleeting market (usually distracted by video games, tv, and other things on screens) then it's appealing perfectly to its target. If it's also supposed to resonate with adults, reminding them of their own teenage years, it misses by a long shot. That's unfortunate because premise-wise 13 taps into a great genre.

13 is a perfect show to take your kids to. If nothing else, it has more integrity than the Disney schlock currently on Broadway and it appeals to an older kid demographic as well. I'd bet big money that kids and teens will really enjoy this show. And there are certainly some well-executed moments throughout the production; it's an entertaining 90 minutes but it's not likely to evoke much emotion in anyone over 18.

(13 plays at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 West 45th between 7th and 8th Avenues. Show times are (until Oct. 13) Tuesday through Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm and 7pm. After Oct. 13 show times are Tuesday through Thursday at 7pm, Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm and 7pm. For tickets visit telecharge.com. Visit 13themusical.com for more show info.)

Brew of the Dead (Under St. Marks)

BOTTOM LINE: What Scream did for slasher movies, Brew of the Dead does for zombie flicks.

Okay, so let me set the scene for you - you're in the East Village, next to several fine falafal establishments, at Under St. Marks, a dark, gritty little venue whose basement theater is the perfect spot for the Dysfunctional Theater Company's Brew of the Dead.

Written by Patrick Storck and directed by Justin Plowman, Brew of the Dead begins, as the title suggests, with beer accompanied by music videos featuring zombies and other various forms of decomposition projected onto a white onstage drop. Toward the end of the pre-show, there's an interview clip of a lovely little girl, who, as she herself predicts, "will not survive the zombie apocolypse." Enter the five survivors of the aforementioned apocolypse, on their quest to find the perfect fort for their last stand, a brewery.

The fast and funny script is a mocking love letter to every zombie movie made in the past 15 years, complete with a few of the character archtypes we know and love - the edgey, trigger-happy hipster, the battle-grizzled father figure, and, of course, the honorary Frat Pack dude (a hilarious Peter Schuyler) - and references to everything from The Evil Dead to this summer's Hamlet. There's even a touch of the classic silent movie experience with a few narrative title cards flashed up on screen, though I'm guessing the one's back in the '20s and '30s never asked the audience "So...What's up?"

Brew of the Dead is a cleverly written send-up of a bunch of the movies you're gonna be seeing around late October, and the immediacy of a basement blackbox theater, a genuine love of the zombie genre, and the fun that prevades this production make it an awesome way to kick off the Halloween season.

(Brew of the Dead plays at Under St. Marks, 94 St. Marks Place. Show times are Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25 and Nov. 1, all at 10:30pm. Tickets are $15 and $12 for students and seniors. To purchase tickets visit smarttix.com or call 212.868.4444. Visit horsetrade.info for more show information.)

the night Carter was Bad. (59E59 Theatre)

BOTTTOM LINE: A modern tale of twenty-something relationship neuroses that’s well worth the price of admission.

Ben Cikanek’s new play, The Night Carter Was Bad, is the simple tale of Carter (Kurt Rodeghiero), a man approaching thirty, who is searching for his soul mate. Will the solution be found in his clingy emotional train wreck of a girlfriend Annie, played by Rachel Jordan Brown, the guarded and intriguing bohemian dancer Charlie, played to perfection by Ginny Myers Lee, or some yet to be seen third party that hopefully will complete his troubled soul? Carter faces the emotional battlefield of the quarter-life quest for happiness accompanied by his fabulous roommate Nathaniel (played aptly by Tom Baran) who tries desperately to help his friend find happiness. Carter braves the pitfalls of love (like how do you know when someone is truly the one?) and must own up to the consequences of a single indiscretion one night when he was “bad.” The ultimate question becomes if this one night will cripple his current relationship or define who he is to become in the future.

I thought it was very refreshing to see a play that dealt with the issues of late twenty-somethings with such humor and brevity. Even though I think that the play could have used some serious editing, I was never bored in the brisk hour and forty intermission-less minutes. I cared about the characters and was rooting for these emotionally shattered people to find happiness. Ginny Myers Lee gives a riveting and complex betrayal of a modern woman who is struggling to find herself in her career and relationships. Tom Baran is also wonderful as the gay roommate/confidant who further complicates Charlie and Carter’s path to happiness.

The tiny space at 59E59 Theatres offers an extremely intimate night of theatre that provides some very insightful moments toward the human condition: the reason that we fear commitment is not that we are afraid of love, but that we are afraid of mediocrity. If you are looking for a fun, somewhat thought-provoking night at the theatre, go see The Night that Carter Was Bad. It’s well worth the low ticket prices and then you can stay for the two-for-one drink specials at the theatre’s bar after the show!

(The Night Carter Was Bad plays at 59E59 Theatres, 59 East 59th Street, until October 18th. Show times are Tues. through Sat. at 8:30pm and Sundays at 3:30pm. Tickets are $18 ($10 on Wednesdays) and can be purchased at www.ticketcentral.com or by calling 212.279.4200. Visit kidswithguns.com for more information.)

And...Xanadu's gone

So please disregard that previous post about Xanadu closing on the 12th! Apparently producers decided to pull the plug early (and by early I mean last weekend). Guess I haven't walked down 44th Street in a few days.

But you'll be pleased to know the Xanadu extravaganza isn't completely over: a national tour will begin in November, a six month engagement in Chicago is in the works, and a London production is also being planned.

Xanadu is closing 10/12

Sorry for the late notice, but thought you might still want to know that Xanadu, the glitzy, schmam-fest on roller skates is closing Sunday, October 12th. Based on the cheesy '80s movie of the same name, this new musical embraced the challenge of making something endearing out of something that lacked utter substance. And it was wildly successful in its endeavors. Xanadu was nominated for Best New Musical at the 2008 Tony Awards and won the Best New Musical award from the Outer Critics Circle. It was also well-received by critics and fans.

If you like sparkly musical theatre with a bit of self-aware mocking, see Xanadu while you still can. If you don't want to pay full price and you're 25 or under, take advantage of the student rush and get up to 2 tickets for $26.50, 2 hours prior to each performance, cash only. Or you can sit on stage for $41.50 no matter how old you are.

Read Theatre Is Easy's review of Xanadu here.

Woyzeck (Counting Squares Theatre)

BOTTOM LINE: intense and relevant, acutely and successfully executed.

Counting Squares Theatre is a new company whose mission involves making theatre that deals with the human condition. Their newest piece, Woyzeck, exposes the touchy subject of a soldier returning home from war and dealing with severe post-traumatic stress. It's poignant and thought-provoking, with enough of a performance-art edge to make the production unique and distinct.

Franz Woyzeck comes home to his wife and baby after some time fighting abroad (presumably in Iraq), but finds he can't reintegrate himself with society. He hears voices and begins to act on what the voices instruct. He gradually begins to self-destruct until he loses his mind completely; the voices take over and he is no longer the functioning man he used to be. He doesn't have access to adequate medical care and resources so he can't get the help he needs.

Woyzeck was written in the mid-1800s by Georg Büchner. It has been adapted many times since, and it works well in the present time because we're stuck in a war that is leaving veterans with problems both physical and mental, without appropriate options for recovery. This production is staged to be in the current time. The script translates seamlessly to the 21st century, although the text is evocative of a couple of centuries ago; it's more formal, almost poetic in its verbage. It's a more sophisticated way to hear a play and the production feels somewhat traditional because of it.

The truly impressive thing about this staging is that it's is really a play with music. The chorus performs Andrews Sisters' songs throughout, with the main trio of singers as the "voices" in Woyzeck's head. They are dressed in eerily dark makeup and tattered dresses that still seem feminine and playful. The songs performed include "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Miss Otis Regrets" and the contrast between the depressing reality of Woyzeck's downward spiral and the upbeat harmonies of these tunes makes a beautiful contradiction. The Andrews Sisters' music was popular during World War II, as an escape from the desolate realities of life during wartime. To tell this tragic story with this music as a backdrop creates a dichotomy that brings to life the pain the characters experience.

Director Joshua Chase Gold does a fine job of weaving in and out of dramatic scenes and song-and-dance breaks in which the cast turns on the charm and performs out to the audience. The structure of the play is easy to follow and kept my attention, although there isn't an intermission. It's a unique way to tell this story and with actors who are all extremely capable of executing a show like this with two faces, it's an interesting theatrical experience. Plus, Woyzeck performs at Under St. Marks which feels like an underground bunker, so the experience becomes even more visceral. I'm not sure audiences who prefer mainstream theatre will jump on board right away, but I think Woyzeck is a effective and entertaining play. I definitely recommend it for theatre fans who like avant-garde productions and unique adaptations.

(Woyzeck plays at Under St. Marks, 94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave. and Ave. A, until October 29th. Show times are Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7pm. For tickets visit horseTRADE.info or call Smarttix at 212-868-4444.)

A Tale of Two Cities (Al Hirschfeld Theatre)

The cast of A Tale of Two Cities. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

BOTTOM LINE: It's not the best of musicals, it's not the worst of musicals.

I don't want to compare A Tale of Two Cities to Les Miserables because ATOTC, in its own right, is an original musical based on the Charles Dickens novel of the same name, with book, music and lyrics by Jill Santoriello. It uses innovative lighting concepts and intricate sets and costumes to bring the story to life. Plus, all of the music is original. Technically speaking, ATOTC is an new and unique work. But since the comparison has already been made (whoops) I might as well elaborate. It's a musical about the French Revolution. It's musically traditional with a full orchestra and many ensemble songs involving boisterously elegant harmonies. The altruistic everyman stuggles to triumph above the evil bourgeoisie despite hardships and death. A sense of conquest over sorrow hangs in the air.

A brief synopsis (of this lenghty tome): a British man is wrongfully imprisoned in the French Bastille. He is finally released and reunited with his daughter, Lucie, who meets and falls in love with Charles Darney, a Frenchman who is an aristocrat though he has denounced his heritage because he disagrees with his family's abuse of power. After Lucie and Darney marry and start a family in England, the revolution begins to break out in France and Darney must go back to help a friend. He can't deny who he is and the people want him dead because of his lineage. Lucie's friend Sydney Carton (who's also in love with her) ends up the hero as he finds a way to help Darney.

ATOTC is an inherently good story, although this adaptation has a tendency to hit the audience over the head with plot points. It brings a sort of sit-back-and-relax vibe to the experience; there isn't much work involved with digesting the narrative. Sometimes passivity can be rewarding, especially if you prefer to go to the theatre for escapism and entertainment. If you prefer to be an active audience member however, you'll need to work to sink into your seat and just enjoy the show.

Also worth mentioning is the tremendously talented cast. They all command the stage and sing beautifully; all are perfectly cast in their roles. Leading the ensemble is James Barbour as Sydney Carton (Jane Eyre, Assassins), Brandi Burkhardt as Lucie Manette (Lil' Abner, Jekyll & Hyde) and Aaron Lazar as Charles Darney (Les Miserables, The Light in the Piazza). The ensemble of 38 powerful voices sounds fantastic, although the music itself is just perfunctory. I didn't have a desire to purchase the cast recording, although in the moment it was a completely adequate way to showcase the talent of the cast and orchestra.

It's easy to criticize this show because it's evocative of another, insanely successful musical; undoubtedly reviewers (and theatre snobs) will have a lot to say about this show. But there is a lot of good in ATOTC and it's certainly deserving of merit. With an intriguing story, a talented cast and a big budget for the technical stuff, this show is a theatrical experience that can be enjoyed without much intellectualizing. This production is truly a theatrical event and for many reasons it's worth seeing. And if you like grand musical theatre you'll have a wonderful time at this show.

(A Tale of Two Cities plays an open-ended run on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302 45th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. For tickets visit telecharge.com or call 212.239.6200. Theatre Is Easy will let you know when discount codes are available, please check back.)