A Doll’s House Play Review

Some of the most important works of our era last because they speak to the issues in our world that we continue to struggle with.

Recently, a new revival of Henrik Ibsen‘s A Doll’s House opened on Broadway. The play stars Jessica Chastain as Nora Helmer and Arian Moayed as her husband, Torvald. Though he loves her, he does not exactly respect her.

When Torvald accepts an offer of a new job (and a larger salary), it seems that their financial troubles are in the rearview mirror. But a secret from her past and a decision she made to save his life have come back to bite her in the ass.

It is amazing to me that this play was written when modern feminism was in its infancy and by a cisgender man who could have easily created a tragic character ( a la Anna Karenina).

Instead, Nora goes on a journey of emotional discovery that is complicated, disturbing, and revealing. In Chastain’s hands, you understand her want to be loved and her eventual desperation to find herself away from the labels she was raised to believe were normal.

Written by playwright Amy Herzog and told on a bare stage with the actors wearing modern clothing and moving around a circular slow-moving stage, the emphasis is on the story. In doing so, it reminds me the audience of not only the power of this story but that it is also sadly still relevant in 2023.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

A Doll’s House is playing at the Hudson theater until June 4th, 2023. Check the websites for tickets and showtimes.

P.S. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Women’s History Month.

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Death of a Salesman Play Review

Ageism is defined as discrimination based on one’s age. In today’s world, it is usually used against those who have been around for a few years.

The new revival of Arthur Miller‘s Death of a Salesman is playing at the Hudson Theatre in New York City. Stepping into the iconic roles of Willy and Linda Loman are Wendell Pierce and Sharon D Clarke. For decades, Willy has earned a living and supported his family as a salesman. But he is not a young man anymore and it is starting to show.

Linda has been his rock. Strong, outspoken, sensible, and passionate, she is a loving wife and supportive mother of their two sons Biff (Khris Davis) and Happy (McKinley Belcher III). The narrative moves between the past and the present, telling the story of Willy’s slow downfall. This is represented by the memory (or the ghost) of his late 0lder brother Ben (André De Shields).

Though it is obvious that Willy is no longer the man he once was, he still believes that there are possibilities for a better life.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Did I say wow?

I’ve seen several adaptations of this play. This one is the most powerful yet. The specific choice of casting black actors as the Loman family amplifies the ideal of the American dream and how hard it is to reach it.

Pierce is flawless. Clarke is powerful. Backing them up, De Shields, Davis, and Belcher pull their weight in miraculous ways. They had the audience in the palm of their hands. I would not be surprised if this show did very well come award season. It is absolutely one of the best Broadway shows I have seen in a very long time.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely. Run, don’t walk to see this play. It will be an experience that will live with you forever.

Death of a Salesman is playing at the Hudson Theatre in New York City until 1/15/23. Check the website for showtimes and tickets.

The Heiress- Well Worth It

Tonight I had the pleasure of seeing the latest Broadway revival of The Heiress, a theatrical reboot of the Henry James novel, Washington Square.

The story revovles around Catherine Sloper (Jessica Chastain), her father, Dr. Austin Sloper (David Straitharn) and Morris Townsend (Dan Stevens), the man who Catherine wishes to marry against her father’s wishes.

Dr. Sloper lost his wife decades ago, but still blames Catherine for his wife’s death and constantly puts her down. He believes that Morris only loves his daughter for her fortune and openly dissaproves of their marriage.

The casting of the main three characters was impeccable. Jessica Chastain plays Catherine as an intelligent young woman, stifled by her emotionally distant and demanding father. David Straitharn as Dr. Sloper is a man who loves his daughter the best way he can.  Dan Stevens plays Morris Townsend as a man who is intelligent and charming, but may have ulterior motives.

The play was riveting, I was unsure until the end if Catherine would stay with Morris or send him packing.

See it while you can.

 

 

How Do I Love Newsies? Let Me Count The Ways

A week from this past sunday, I had the pleasure of seeing the stage musical of one of my all favorite childhood movies, the 1992 Disney movie Newises.

Newsies recounts the true story of the 1899 Newsboys strike against newspaper owners who raised the prices of the newspapers the Newsies had to sell to the public.

I memorized the movie soundtrack years ago. When I heard that it was being remade for the stage, I was a bit skeptical. Most recent Broadway productions where the original source material is a film have not lasted very long.

However, I witheld my skepticism because I do love Newsies. I was not able to make it to NJ for the off Broadway production, but when I heard it was coming to Broadway, it made me want to go see shows again.

Now to the reason for this post. The reason I love Newsies the Musical and everyone if they can see it, should.

1. Cute boys singing and dancing incredibly well.  

2. The story is completely relatable. If the Newsboys of the 1899 strike were around during the 99% movement back in the fall, they would have fit right in.

3. The new girl. The characters of Sarah and Denton from the movie were combined into Katherine Plumber, a Nelly Blye type character played by Kara Lindsay.  Kudos to the writing team and Ms. Lindsay for making an interesting, lively and believable romantic foil to Jack.

4. Any fan of the film can easily follow the story. Much of the dialogue and lyrics from the movie are intact.

5. I just loved it and I have not been a Broadway fan for quite a few years. And if the clip doesnt convince you, then you should just go see if for yourself.

6. On a personal note, Newsies reminds us all that we all have the power to change the world if we are only brave enough to step forward. I come from immigrants who worked in the sweatshops and factories for slave wages in the early part of the 20th century. On my mother’s side, I have great grandparents who were heavily invovled with the WTUL and the ILGWU, knowing that I am a descendant of them makes me a prouder fansie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5wvimJFi9s