Theater Thursday: WITHOUT YOU

Based on his memoir of the same name, Anthony Rapp’s “one man with a band” show Without You is a tour-de-force look at grief, chronicling Rapp’s friendship with playwright/composer/lyricist Jonathan Larson, Larson’s unexpected death just as RENT was opening, and the slow decline and death from cancer of Rapp’s mother. It’s an emotional 90 minutes of theater, filled with a combination of Larson’s music and original songs written by Anthony Rapp with David Matos, Joe Pisapia, and Daniel A. Weiss, and Rapp holds nothing back emotionally. It’s clear throughout that he is still in touch with the raw emotions of the highs and lows of that period of his life, even if he has made peace with it.

The show is not all doom and gloom. There are cathartic moments of humor spread throughout, and lots of joy at the happier moments. Rapp’s warmth, and his love for his family and friends, shines through even the darkest moments, and he is a fantastic storyteller. From the start, his voice and his body language draw you in – you want to hear his story, and you want to hear it from him. Still, as a cancer survivor myself and as someone who was primary caregiver to my mother during the final three months of her battle with cancer, some moments hit hard. But those moments also allowed me to accept that grief is never-ending, to shed some of my own long-pent-up tears … and also to celebrate my mother as Rapp was celebrating his.

The set is minimal: a few chairs and rolling tables that Rapp moves around throughout the show stand in for his New York City apartment, the RENT audition/rehearsal/performance spaces, his mother’s home and hospital room, and other sundry locations. Photos are projected onto the walls of the set (which evoked memories of the RENT set) at key moments, and the lighting and sound design perfectly complement and support the story Rapp is telling without overwhelming the actor himself.

The band is on-stage throughout. For the off-Broadway run at New World Stages, which I saw in May of 2023, that band was composed of Daniel A. Weiss on keyboards, Clérida Eltimé on cello, Paul Gil on the bass, Jerry Marotta on drums, and Lee Moretti on guitar. They were terrific, very well meshed.

During the run at New World Stages, most performances concluded (after the bows) with Rapp being joined on stage by a friend or industry peer for a duet of a number from RENT. The night I saw the show, the effervescent Jessica Vosk joined Rapp for a high-energy, incredibly funny rendition of “Tango Maureen.”

Since closing off-Broadway, Anthony Rapp has been intermittently touring the show. He had some dates in Japan in March and is playing at the Wimberly Theatre in Boston through April 14th. If you can get to Boston to see the show, I highly recommend it! (I have no idea if the post-bow duets happen during the tour, but how awesome if they do!)

Side Note: I saw the evening performance of Without You at New World Stages the same day I saw the matinee performance of Oliver! at New York City Center (My review of Oliver! can be found HERE). That was quite the heavy day of theater!

I’ve always loved live theater, and in the past couple of years I’ve been making a stronger effort to see more of it. Theater Thursday is a new occasionally series where I talk about live theater, both shows I’ve seen recently and shows I’ve loved in the past.

Series Saturday: SLOW HORSES Season One

Slow Horses, Season One (2022)

Starred Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas

Produced by See-Saw Films, Flying Studio Pictures, Sony Pictures Television Studios

Originally aired on Apple TV+

I’ll start this off by admitting two things that are particularly relevant to this post, the first of which many people already know:

1.       When too many people emphatically recommend the same movie/television show/novel/comic book and repeatedly tell me how great it is and how I “have” to watch/read it … I tend to be less inclined to do so. Because what if I don’t love it as much as they did? Does that call their taste into question, or mine? This results in me “sleeping on” several shows, movies, books, and comics that I wind up enjoying, if not outright loving, eventually. Yes, Slow Horses is one of those. Three seasons have aired, a fourth and fifth are on their way, and I’ve finally just watched season one.

2.       I have not read Mick Herron’s Slough House series of novels (of which Slow Horses is the first), or anything else by the author. Yes, it’s partially because of how many people recommended the books to me even before the series started airing. Yes, it’s a deficiency in my spy literature reading. Yes, I intend to read them (I’ve already purchased the first two). Yes, it’s a large part of the reason that this is a Series Saturday post and not a Page-to-Screen post.

For those who don’t know: Slow Horses is about the agents at Slough House in London, a dumping ground for MI5 agents who have bungled their jobs badly enough to be given drudge jobs away from the real action but not badly enough to be outright fired. Yet, at least. Slough House is overseen by Jackson Lamb (played by Gary Oldman) and his quiet-but-competent secretary Catherine Standish (played by Saskia Reeves), in charge of a motley crew of mostly amiable screw-ups that include, at the start of season one, Sid Baker (Olivia Cooke), Louisa Guy (Rosalind Eleazar), Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung), Min Harper (Dustin Demri-Burns), Struan Loy (Paul Higgins), and Jed Moody (Steven Waddington). Enter River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), who should be MI5 “royalty” as the grandson of retired agent David Cartwright (Jonathan Pryce), except that he bungled a live practice terrorist scenario that, had it been real, would have resulted in hundreds of deaths.

The question at the start of season one is: did he really bungle it? Or was he set up? And if so, why?

While Cartwright ponders this, Slough House is tasked with monitoring a disgraced reporter with extreme right wing political organization ties, and possibly to the kidnapping of a Pakistani college student by a white power organization that has the nation’s attention, as well as the attention of MI5’s “Second Chair” Diana Tavener (Kristin Scott Thomas) and her trusty sidekicks Nick Duffy (Chris Reilly) and James “Spider” Webb (Freddie Fox), who was also one of Cartwright’s best friends prior to “the incident.” And this is all just the set-up. Things get far more complicated from there.

With just six episodes, season one of Slow Horses is tightly packed and fast paced. There really is no filler. There are also no “out of left field” reveals. Every revealed connection and uncovered secret regarding the disgraced reporter, the kidnapping, and what really happened during Cartwright’s test scenario, makes sense, and is seeded well before the reveals. There wasn’t any moment where I thought “where did that come from” although there were plenty of moments that surprised me – just because things are seeded well in previous episodes doesn’t mean every reveal is predictable (the difference between “I knew that would happen” and “I should have seen that coming”).

There’s a fine line between making a character unlikeable and making them unwatchable, and both Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas (as well as, to a lesser extent, Freddie Fox and Christopher Chung) walk that line expertly. Oldman’s Jackson Lamb is a slovenly, grouchy, insult-hurling functional alcoholic whose disdain for the screw-ups working under him is palpable (and nicely juxtaposed with how quick he is to jump to their rescue while making it seem like he doesn’t care at all). Before watching Slow Horses, I’d have said that Oldman’s portrayal of George Smiley in the 2011 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was his best spy role ever, but his Jackson Lamb is easily as, if not more, compelling. Diana Tavener is all bitchy cool efficiency and condescension as assayed by Kristin Scott Thomas. “Ice wouldn’t melt” is the phrase that comes to mind. Her every step is calculated, and from her first appearance you can tell just how manipulative and disregarding she is. Lamb cares about his people even as he talks down about them; Tavener cares only for herself. It’s a credit to both actors’ skills that they can make static scenes of sitting on a park bench having a conversation more fraught with tensions than any high-speed foot chase through an airport.

Not that Jack Lowden wasn’t excellent in the opening scene of the first episode, which ended with that high-speed chase. Just – the bench scene was so much tenser.

Lowden is the third name in the opening credits alongside Oldman and Scott Thomas, and River Cartwright really is the focal character for season one and probably for the whole series. Lowden’s Cartwright is disgruntled, rightfully so, but not so bitter that he’s given up the way Lamb has. Cartwright knows he didn’t screw up; knows he was given bad intel by Webb – but doesn’t know why and is still determined to do the best job he can to work his way back into the department’s good graces. Lowden plays all the emotions of Cartwright’s arc well, including his truly clear love and respect for his grandfather.

The rest of the Slow Horses range from plot-device level characterization (Moody and Loy) to characters with intriguing hints of backstory I expect will play out over future seasons (Standish) or hopefully futures (Guy and Harper). Scenes later in the season where the team must figure out what’s going on while on the run from MI5’s security detail (nicknamed “the Dogs”) really give Reeves, Chung, Eleazar, and Demri-Burns moments to shine both on the characterizational and competency levels. Yes, the Slow Horses are all screw-ups – but there are scenes that remind us that most of them were agents in good standing at one time.

The season finale wraps up the main storylines, corresponding (or so I’ve been told) with the conclusion of book one in the novel series. But there are plenty of unanswered questions, particularly about Lamb and Standish’s former boss and about David Cartwright’s history, that will clearly propel subplots in season two (which I should be posting a review of in a few weeks).

I am glad I finally gave in to all the recommendations. If you’re a fan of spy thrillers that are a bit more thought-provoking and nuanced rather than being a series of ever-escalating stunts and explosions, I think you’ll enjoy Slow Horses as well.

This is a blog series about … well, series. I love stories that continue across volumes, in whatever form: linked short stories, novels, novellas, television, movies, comics. If you liked this post, I’ve previously written about dramatic TV series such as Perry Mason Season One and Terriers both of which were also shows I “slept on” for too long.

Theater Thursday: SWEENEY TODD (2023 Revival)

With the current revival of Sweeney Todd due to close in just over a month (May 5th), I thought it was high time for me to post my thoughts about the performance I saw back in January.

Ticket sales for Sweeney, by all accounts, dropped quite a bit between the final performances of Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford and the first performances of Aaron Tveit and Sutton Foster – and that’s a shame, because the cast we saw was unequivocally fantastic. This prevailing attitude that understudies/standbys/replacements aren’t as worthy of attention as “big name” stars is sad, in my opinion.

Nicholas Christopher’s Sweeney was everything you’d want Sweeney to be: gruff, obsessed, forlorn and yet at times kind of likeable despite, you know, the whole slitting throats thing. Christopher’s rendition of “My Friends” was moving, his “Epiphany” downright frightening. His portion of the “Johanna” sequence in act two was heartbreaking. He played the arc from revenge-driven to murder-obsessed to accepting of his fate beautifully.

Jeanna de Waal’s Mrs. Lovett was equally as layered and was the highlight of the show. I have never been a fan of “By the Sea,” but she made it an enjoyable character moment for me, the eye into just how obsessed Lovett is with Sweeney that I think the song was always intended to be, imagining a future we as the audience know is unrealistic to a fault. And boy, did she sell “The Worst Pies in London,” not just with her voice but with physical humor and facial contortions that stopped short of being over-the-top. “Wait,” a song I tend to forget even exists until it starts, displayed a subtler side of how convincing Lovett could be.

And needless to say based on the preceding two paragraphs, in the hands of Christopher and de Waal “A Little Priest” was every bit the dark, disturbing comedic tour-de-force it should be. It brought down the house.

In my opinion, the Beggar Woman is one of the more thankless roles in this or any show: the character doesn’t have any huge show-stopping number to showcase an actor’s chops. She is easily written off as more plot device than character, spending half the play being vulgar and the rest practically screaming. Ruthie Ann Miles imbued the part with the right levels of mania and anguish for us to see the Beggar Woman as a real, extremely damaged, person and thus elicit pity.

“Not While I’m Around” is my personal favorite song in the show, and Daniel Marconi as Tobias Ragg delivered it sweetly and innocently. If I have any complaint about this production, though, it’s that Marconi’s Tobias felt a little too cunning/wily while enticing customers during “Pirelli’s Magical Elixir,” at odds with the simple-minded boy who sings “Not While I’m Around.” Tobias is supposed to be a slow-witted victim, both of Pirelli’s obvious emotional and physical abuse and Mrs. Lovett’s condescension and treating him like a pet (“Isn’t it a sweet boy” – it, instead of he), which makes his awareness of Sweeney’s evil that much more of a surprise. Still, Marconi’s interpretation of Tobias’ love for his “rescuer,” Mrs. Lovett, and of his mental breakdown at the end of the play, were spot on.

Rounding out the main cast, Daniel Yearwood as Anthony and Maria Bilbao as Johanna were perfectly matched – earnest, infatuated young lovers who are obsessed with each other as Sweeney is with revenge and Lovett is with Sweeney. If I have a second complaint, it’s that I felt Jamie Jackson’s Judge Turpin, obsessed with Johanna and power, lacked any real sense of menace (although he did still come across as creepy/slimy), and that John Rapson’s Beadle Bamford was almost too flamboyant (an interpretation of the character I’ve never seen before). That said, “Pretty Women” was a highlight of the show, and “Parlor Songs” was humorous.

Full credit to the great Thomas Kail for his direction. He has a fantastic sense of when to focus on the spectacle (the final sequence) and when to focus on the characters. The set design by Mimi Lein is a minimalistically steampunk aesthetic, perfectly juxtaposed with Emilio Sosa’s period-appropriate costumes. I know there’s been some negativity about Steen Hoggett’s herky-jerky, swaying choreography but I found it to be intriguing and exactly right for the mood, especially in the opening and closing “Ballad of Sweeney Todd” numbers where it was mesmerizing. This is, after all, a horror story.

So – while you can, heed the words of the Ballad. Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater through May 5. (I would gladly see it one more time if finances and time permitted.)

I’ve always loved live theater, and in the past couple of years I’ve been making a stronger effort to see more of it. Theater Thursday is a new occasional series where I talk about live theater, both shows I’ve seen recently and shows I’ve loved in the past.

Macbeth Monday: WHY?

It is no secret that Macbeth is my favorite play by Williams Shakespeare. I will see every live production I can. I have many of the filmed versions on DVD (but not all, especially if you include all the pastiches and “based loosely on…” films). I have comic book and graphic novel adaptations, and more novels and non-fiction books about both the real King Macbeth and Shakespeare’s version than I have ever managed to read.

But if I’m being honest … I have no idea when my obsession with this Shakespeare work started.

 Most of my lifelong pop culture obsessions I can trace back to my father. His love of classic black and white horror films and Abbott and Costello led to my love of all things connected to Dracula. His love of musicals (Broadway and film) and classic Disney (animated and live action) led to my love of all things Arthurian (thanks to the Broadway cast album and movie versions of Camelot and the Disney animated classic The Sword in the Stone). My wildly diverse musical taste (Barbershop Quartet to hard rock)? My love of slapstick comedy and fast-talking comedy duos? My continuing to root for the Mets and the Giants despite rarely watching sports on television anymore? All Dad’s fault.

But Macbeth? Not sure I can toss the credit/blame his way on this one. He was not a fan of Shakespeare (except when there was a musical connection, as in Kiss Me, Kate). Yes, he and his brothers were first-generation Americans of Scots descent (both of my paternal grandparents came from Scotland as adults). But he never seemed to care about his Scots heritage (possibly because of bad blood between him and my grandfather, who passed when I was young), so I doubt Macbeth would have come up in that context.

I can’t even remember when I first encountered the play. I know it was before we studied it in high school. It may have been in the 1937 leatherbound edition of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare published by Walter J. Black, given to me in middle school by my Aunt Frances (who was not from the Scots side of the family), but did middle school me really randomly flip through the book and chance upon Macbeth some 1,100 pages in? I guess it’s possible. Or maybe it was a random Saturday or Sunday viewing of Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood, his adaptation of Macbeth, on one of the local NYC television stations that filled weekend airwave hours with badly-dubbed Japanese martial arts and monster movies (another fave of my father’s, leading to my lifelong Kaiju affection) and occasionally threw in more high-brow dubbed fare.

The first live production I remember seeing was a touring company of British actors that came to Mahopac High School my senior year (or maybe it was junior). What I remember most about that production was that men played the Three Witches, something I’d previously only seen done in the comedy of Monty Python, Flip Wilson, the Carol Burnett Show, etc... In hindsight, it seems there wasn’t much memorable about the performance other than that it was the first time I saw Macbeth live. It certainly wasn’t the last.

Okay, so don’t remember my first encounter with the play, and only vaguely remember the first live production I saw. But the title of this post is “Why Macbeth?” As in, why is it my favorite?

Young me was definitely obsessed with the supernatural elements: the Witches, the visions, the ghost of Banquo! And probably a bit with the bloodshed as well. But definitely the supernatural elements. Middle school was also when I was becoming obsessed with Dracula and read Bram Stoker’s novel for the first time, and when my love of all things Arthurian was also ramping up (most of my classmates didn’t really like reading “Gawain and the Green Knight,” but man did I love it, because supernatural doings!) The more supernatural, the better!

But while those scenes remain favorites and are looked forward to every time I see the show, I’ve also come to appreciate Shakespeare’s depth of character in all the leads (Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banquo, and Macduff), and how they respond to prophecy and to plain fact. Even though The Bard was writing several hundred years before the British historian Lord Acton penned his famous phrase about power, I do think that Shakespeare was delving into the concept that “power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Macbeth starts the play as a loyal Thane, confused by why the Witches would address him with titles beyond his scope. It takes him a while to come around to the idea of murdering Duncan; he vacillates mightily before agreeing to do the deed. But it’s all downhill from there. Even having murdered his predecessor, he could still have been a good King, lived a repentant life – but once he has the power, he becomes paranoid and controlling, obsessed with the idea of a legacy the Witches promised to someone else. Corrupt. While at the same time, his wife descends into mental illness, depression, and suicide. Lady Macbeth’s move from enabler and co-conspirator to guilt-wracked sleepwalker is as moving as her husband’s shift from loyal Thane to genocidal despot. And in my mind, there is no doubt that they love each other deeply, from start to finish. I am NOT a fan of Shakespeare’s romances (Romeo & Juliet: ugh) but I think he manages to make it clear Macbeth and his Lady do love each other, which enables us to wonder: in different circumstances, what kind of power couple could they have been?

In his fantastic one-man show All the Devils Are Here, the actor Patrick Page traces Shakespeare’s development of the concept of the villain. Macbeth is of course included in the show. In a talk-back with the audience after the performance I saw in December 2023, Page said something that made me view Macbeth in yet another light. Responding to a question about how he finds his way into playing so many villainous roles, Page said that his first question is always “what does this person ultimately want?” And, he said, for Macbeth that is to overcome his fears. He’s afraid of the Three Witches, so he meets them head-on. He’s afraid of killing Duncan, so he does it. He’s afraid of losing the power he’s gained, so he has more people killed to protect it. He’s afraid of death, so when confronted with Macduff, not “of woman born,” but “ripped untimely from his mother’s womb,” Macbeth cries “Lay on, Macduff, and damned be he who first cries ‘hold, enough.’” I had never looked at the character, or the arc of the play, from that perspective before: conquering one’s fears.

I am also intrigued by the staging and costuming choices made by each new production. I’ve seen the show performed in “authentic” Scots dress of the period Macbeth takes place in (roughly 1040, when the real Macbeth reigned), in the dress of Shakespeare’s time, in Russian military uniforms of the Cold War, in modern dress, and more. Each choice brings distinct aspects of the script, and its relationship to our current day obsessions with power, wealth, destiny, and legacy, to light.

So. Why do I love Macbeth so much? There’s no one reason. I love the supernatural aspects, I love the commentary on power and motivation and guilt and paranoia, I love the power of the soliloquies. I also love that Shakespeare gave us what might have been the first written “alternate history” (because he knew darn well that his history of Duncan, Macbeth, and company was nowhere near the real history) with speculative fiction aspects – which might need to be the subject of a future Macbeth Monday post.

Do you also love Macbeth? Why or why not? And if not – what is your favorite Shakespeare play?

It is no secret that my favorite Shakespeare play is Macbeth. I’ve lost count of how many live productions of it I’ve seen, plus movie and TV versions I own in various formats, not to mention all the novels, graphic novels, and non-fiction books. Macbeth Monday is intended to be an occasional feature on the blog where I discuss whatever version or aspect of the story catches my attention at a particular moment.

There’s currently only one previous Macbeth Monday post, about Drunk Shakespeare NYC’s production. But I also posted my thoughts on Patrick Page’s All the Devils Are Here in a recent Theater Thursday post.

Theater Thursday: OLIVER! at City Center May 2023

I’ve always loved live theater, and in the past couple of years I’ve been making a stronger effort to see more of it. Theater Thursday is a new occasionally series where I talk about live theater, both shows I’ve seen recently and shows I’ve loved in the past.

I saw the City Centers Encores! production of Oliver! On May 6, 2023. Encores! productions traditionally run for only two weeks (although in 2024 they’ve increased that to three), and I managed to see the opening Saturday matinee performance, which included a cast-and-crew “talkback” after the show. With Encores! runs of Into the Woods and Parade having transferred to Broadway shortly after closing, I had hopes that this would follow suit, but we’re well into 2024 with no announcements so that’s probably not happening. A shame because this production deserved a larger audience.

The character of Fagin, and the original performances by Ron Moody and Clive Revill (we had the movie and Broadway cast albums in my house growing up, and I loved both), makes such a large impression on the audience that it is easy to forget Fagin doesn’t appear until near the end of Act One. Raul Esparza’s Fagin was equal parts gleeful and woebegone, every number a real treat (none more so than his “Reviewing the Situation,” where he interacts with the first violin as another character (all in his head, of course). I realized during the talkback that Esparza was fighting something (a head cold? The flu?) but you would not have known it from the performance he gave.

Tam Mutu’s Bill Sikes was perhaps the scariest interpretation of the character for me since Oliver Reed in the 1968 film. (Oliver Reed had a habit of scaring the pants off me as a kid – I’ve still not been able re-watch The Curse of the Werewolf. I really should…) Brad Oscar and Mary Testa provided pitch-perfect comic relief as Mister Bumble and Widow Corney (as did Thom Sesma and Rashidra Scott as the funereal Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry), not necessarily easy in a show that gets as dark as Oliver! does. Still, Oscar and Testa’s “I Shall Scream” was dysfunctional courtship at its finest, and as I am a fan of dark humor, I really enjoyed Sesma and Scott’s “That’s Your Funeral.”

But the standout among the adults, for me, was Lilli Cooper as Nancy. Her “As Long as He Needs Me” must be the new standard to strive for when performing the song. Her Nancy is strong, self-aware (she knows exactly what kind of relationship she’s in with Sikes), but also stuck in the pattern society allows for a woman of her socioeconomic status and making the best of terrible things. Her “It’s a Fine Life” and “Oom-Pah-Pah” are full of the joy of life, and her interactions with Oliver, Dodger and the boys in “I’d Do Anything” were as loving and sweet as Fagin’s during “You’ve Got To Pick A Pocket or Two” and “Be Back Soon” are self-serving and skeevy.

Speaking of the kids. Julian Lerner’s comedic timing made it easy to be charmed by his Artful Dodger, the leader of Fagin’s group of extremely energetic and talented group of boy dancer/singers (who were all wonderful, but I have to call out the incredibly acrobatic Michael Cash, whose in-place high-speed back-flips during “Who Will Buy” got a huge response from the audience when he was done. I have no idea if he can tap-dance, but if Billy Elliot comes back to Broadway before Cash gets too much older, he’s got to be a shoo-in for the lead). Benjamin Pajak’s performance as Oliver was every bit as innocent and lovable as one would want, with a crystal clear, emotive voice. His “Where Is Love” stopped the show, and everyone around me had tears in their eyes (including me). Oliver, like Annie and Matilda and Billy Elliot, is on stage for most of the show, and Pajak shouldered that responsibility with energy, poise, and genuine emotion. He more than held his own on stage with some Broadway powerhouses, and I’m sure he’ll be working consistently (as he seems to be with showcases and staged readings of various musicals featured on his Instagram).

I also really enjoyed the talkback after the Saturday matinee performance (photo below). I cannot recall the name of the City Center producer who read questions submitted in advance by audience members,  but the talkback featured director Lear DeBessonet, musical director Mary-Mitchell Campbell, most of the adult leads (Esparza, Cooper, Mutu, Oscar, and Testa), and Michael Cash representing the kids in the cast. (I assume Pajak and Lerner, being leads, had mandatory relaxation time between performances.) The cast were frank in their discussion of the darker themes of the play – misogyny, child abuse (Oliver is sold into child labor; the orphan boys are trained by Fagin to steal), domestic abuse (Sikes’ physical and emotional abuse of Nancy is not downplayed or avoided, although thankfully her death occurs off-stage), among others, and DeBessonet was open about her discussions with the cast and creative crew in how to present those sensitive issues to a modern audience. Esparza and DeBessonet also talked about how the show portrays Fagin’s Jewishness in comparison to the original novel (in which Dickens employed every horrible stereotype he knew, and usually referred to the character simply as “the Jew”), and how they worked to not make this Fagin a stereotype. Esparza’s story about being at the sitzprobe (first meeting of cast and orchestra), hearing the violin intro to “Reviewing the Situation” and saying “Oh, a Klezmer band! So we’re doing this…” got a great reaction from the audience (and as mentioned, his interactions with the first chair violin were perfect).

Oliver! is one of my favorite shows, for the music alone, and a sentimental favorite because I auditioned for (but was not cast in) a production at An Evening Dinner Theater back in the early 80s. Yes, the book has problems (Act One is almost completely songs, which is fine, but the transitions between those songs are awkward at best; and again, there’s those dark themes that aren’t explored as fully as they could have been). But I’m glad to have seen the Encores! production with this terrific cast.

Macbeth Monday: Drunk Shakespeare

It is no secret that my favorite Shakespeare play is Macbeth. I’ve lost count of how many live productions of it I’ve seen, plus movie and TV versions I own in various formats, not to mention all the novels, graphic novels, and non-fiction books. Macbeth Monday is intended to be an occasional feature on the blog where I discuss whatever version or aspect of the story catches my attention at a particular moment.

At some point, I’ll write a post about why Macbeth is my favorite Shakespeare play, and where my obsession with it started. But for this inaugural post, I want to discuss the production I just saw last night.

My niece/goddaughter Morgyn decided at least a year ago that for her 21st birthday she wanted a group of us to see a Drunk Shakespeare performance in New York City. Nine of us in total made the trip: Morgyn, her sister Alex, their mother Margaret, both of Morgyn’s godmothers and their significant other/spouse, her Uncle David, and me. (When it comes to seeing live theater in NYC, Uncle David and I are usually a package deal.) We had an excellent group dinner, and then went to the theater.

For those who may not be familiar, the conceit of Drunk Shakespeare is that five members of the Drunk Shakespeare Society have gathered to perform one of the Bard’s plays, with the firm belief that Shakespeare loved his libations and thus so should the audience and cast. One cast member is chosen to start the show downing four shots of something (last night, it was Mezcal) and attempting to perform a lead role while inebriated, and while getting increasingly drunk as the show goes on. The audience has no prior knowledge as to which play is to be performed, so it was sheer luck that we managed to pick the night they were doing Macbeth.

There are no physical playbills distributed, so my memory being what it is I only recall the first names of three of the actors: J.T. (the “lucky” one designated to drink and play Macbeth); Maya (Lady Macbeth and a witch); and Noah (Macduff, a witch, and others). The other two are identified on the show’s website: Sarah Goldstein (who served as the night’s Host/MC), and Preston Mulligan (Banquo, Malcolm, a witch, the Porter, and others). All of them were absolutely brilliant.

I was truly impressed that as drunk as he clearly was by the end of the show, J.T. managed to still imbue Macbeth’s “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” speech with all the heartbreak the speech calls for. Maya’s “out damn spot” speech (enhanced by the glow of the audience’s flashlight apps on our cell phones) was equally impressive. Sarah’s various celebrity impersonations as she broke in on the action to move the plot along (especially her Jennifer Coolidge, Moira Rose, and Gilbert Gottfried impersonations) were terrific. Noah breaking into song as Macduff (including Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now”) to motivate himself and the crowd to attack Macbeth was brilliant. And, to quote Morgyn, “I didn’t think the Porter’s speech could get any funnier, but Preston managed it!”

The show is a mix of actual Shakespeare, current topical humor, ad-libbing, and audience involvement, and the performance we saw was a near perfect balance of all of these. The humor injected into one of Shakespeare’s most notable tragedies is VERY bawdy, the reworked Porter’s Speech being the perfect example as it mixed the actual Shakespeare monologue with sexual knock-knock jokes played off an audience member.

Drunk Shakespeare runs a tight 90 minutes, and the writers and actors did a wonderful job of distilling Macbeth down to fit into that timeframe. I don’t consider any portion of the Shakespeare’s script extraneous or easily cut (with the exception of the Porter’s Speech, which while hysterical also slows the pace of the play to a crawl, except here in Drunk Shakespeare where it became one of the highlights), but the cuts and condensing done to fit in the ad-libbing and audience participation and fit the 90-minute timeframe were perfect.

I have no doubt that I’d have had fun last night regardless of the Shakespeare play being performed, this cast was just that talented. But I’m extremely glad it turned out to be Macbeth. Drunk Shakespeare also has companies in Washington DC, Houston, Chicago, and Phoenix.

READING ROUND-UP: February 2024

Here’s what I read, listened to, and watched in February 2024!

BOOKS

I read 9 books in February: 5 in print, 2 in e-book format, and 2 in audio format. They were:

1.       Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned by Alan Alda. (AUDIOBOOK, 2024 TBR CHALLENGE, NON-FICTION CHALLENGE)

2.       The History of Sketch Comedy: A Journey Through the Art and Craft of Humor by Keegan Michael Key and Elle Key (PRINT, NON-FICTION CHALLENGE)

3.       Aftermarket Afterlife (InCryptid #13) by Seanan McGuire (E-BOOK, ARC (publishes March 2024)) Read my review HERE

4.       Batman: Wayne Family Adventures #1 by CRC Payne, Starbite, Maria Li, Lan Ma and Suzie Blake. (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

5.       A Feast for Starving Stone (Chefs of the Five Gods #2) by Beth Cato. (PRINT)

6.       Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself by Alan Alda. (AUDIOBOOK, NON-FICTION CHALLENGE)

7.       Santa Claus and His Works by George P. Brewster and Thomas Nast (PRINT)

8.       New Super-Man Vol 1: Made in China by Gene Luen Yang, Victor Bognanovic, Richards Friends, David Sharpe and others. (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

9.       Korak at the Earth’s Core (Dead Moon Super-Arc #1) by Win Scott Eckert. (E-BOOK, ARC (publishes March 2024, PREORDER HERE) Read My Review HERE

STORIES

I have a goal of reading 366 short stories (1 per day, essentially, although it doesn’t always work out that way) this leap year. Here’s what I read this month and where you can find them if you’re interested in reading them too. If no source is noted, the story is from the same magazine or book as the story(ies) that precede(s) it.

1.       “Companion Animals in Maho Shojo Kira Kira Sunlight” by Stewart C. Baker, in Lightspeed Magazine #165, edited by John Joseph Adams

2.       “Scarlett” by Everdeen Mason.

3.       “The Pearl Captain” by Christopher Rowe

4.       “But From Thine Eyes My Knowledge I Derive” by Phoebe Barton

5.       “A Sojourn in the Fifth City” by P H Lee

6.       “Further Examination and Capture of Candle Skulls Associated with the Baba Yaga” by Mari Ness

7.       “What Becomes of Curious Minds” by Wen-yi Lee

8.       “An Elegy for the Former Things” by KT Bryski

9.       “Not A Drop to Drink” by Seanan McGuire, on the Author’s Patreon

10.   “Valentine's Dave” by ‘Nathan Burgoine, Candy Hearts Charity Anthology, edited by Lee Blair

11.   “Bee My Valentine” by Beck Grey

12.   “Dreaming of you in Freefall” by Seanan McGuire, novella included with the novel Aftermarket Afterlife (InCryptid #13)

13.   “The Cut Cares Not for the Flesh” by George Sandison, from Nightmare Magazine #157, edited by Wendy N. Wagner

14.   “Dusk” by Angela Slatter, from The Dark #105, edited by Sean Wallace

15.   “The Interspatial Accessibility Compact's Guidelines for Cross-Cultural Engagement” by Dane Kuttler, from the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Winter 2024, edited by Sheree Renee Thomas

16.   “Off The Map” by Dane Kuttler, from the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jan-Feb 2023, edited by Sheree Renee Thomas (REREAD)

17.   “Dawn of the Deathslayer” by Christopher Paul Carey, novella included with the novel Korak at the Earth’s Core

18.   “The Fallen: A Tale of Pellucidar” by Mercedes Lackey, from the Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. website

19.   “Jason Gridley of Earth: Across the Moons of Mars” by Geary Gravel, novella included with the novel Red Axe of Pellucidar

So that’s 19 short stories in February. Far less than “1 per day” for the month, and way off pace for the year so far. (February 29th  was the 60th  day of 2024.)

MOVIES

I somehow managed to watch zero movies in February, thanks largely to work travel taking me to cities where I had friends to hang out with and to a bit of a head-cold. However, I did manage to watch some television:

TELEVISION

·       Doctor Who Season 4, Episode 7 (1 episode, REWATCH)

·       Love, Death & Robots Season 1, episodes 1 – 18 (18 episodes)

That’s 19 episodes of television, again not quite the “1 per day” I was shooting for.

LIVE THEATER

No live theater in February, either.

Summary of Challenges:

“To Be Read” Challenge: This month: 1 read; YTD: 1 of 14 read.

366 Short Stories Challenge: This month:  19 read; YTD: 45 of 366 read.

Goodreads Challenge: This month: 9 read; YTD: 19 of 120 read.

Graphic Novels Challenge:  This month: 2 read; YTD: 6 of 52 read.

Non-Fiction Challenge: This month: 3 read; YTD: 3 of 12 read.

Read the Book / Watch the Movie Challenge: This month: 0 read/watched; YTD: 1 read/watched.

Movie Challenge: This month: 0 watched; YTD: 4 of 52 watched.

TV Shows Challenge: This month: 19 episodes watched; YTD: 40 of 366 watched

Live Theater Challenge: This month: 0 show attended; YTD: 1 of 12 attended.

Theater Thursday: ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE

I’ve always loved live theater, and in the past couple of years I’ve been making a stronger effort to see more of it. Theater Thursday is a new occasionally series where I talk about live theater, both shows I’ve seen recently and shows I’ve loved in the past.

production photo by JULIETA CERVANTES

“Hell is empty … and all the devils are here,” Patrick Page intones, tapping his chest portentously, in the Instagram ads for his one-man show tracing the history of Shakespeare’s villains. Those two lines, delivered in Page’s basso profundo growl, should be enough to get you to the DR2 Theatre in New York City before All the Devils Are Here closes on March 31st. But if the ad alone, or Page’s multiple social media appearances and online interviews about the show, haven’t convinced you, I hope this review will. Especially if you’re an actor, or a writer interested in exploring the characterizational depths of villains, or “just” a reader or theatergoer who loves Shakespeare.

I’m not the first to describe All the Devils Are Here as a Master Class in Shakespeare, and I’m sure I won’t be the last – but that’s exactly how I felt after the seeing a performance back in December (yes, I’m slow on posting reviews. If you read the blog regularly, this does not surprise you), and doubly-so since the performance I attended was followed by a “talkback” with Page where the audience got to ask him questions about performing and interpreting Shakespeare. Page packs a ton of history, biography, soliloquies, dialogue (playing both roles in the conversation), and memoir into 90 minutes of stage time. I was breathless and exhausted (in all the best ways) by the end of the performance. Page’s energy was full-on and commanding throughout, even in the quietest moments and throughout the talkback.

The play is structured mostly chronologically, following the development of Shakespeare’s villains from the early, simple “maleficent” / “deal with the devil” type characters based on the plays the Bard would have seen as a child through the more complex characterizations of characters like Shylock of The Merchant of Venice and the sociopathic Iago of Othello. Page’s thesis is that our modern fascination with villains is all Shakespeare’s fault, as the playwright worked to create antagonists who were not just one-dimensionally evil but who had depth and nuance, who had reasons (or justifications, at the least) for every evil choice they make. Along the way, Page also charts Shakespeare’s own history and how it influenced the characters he wrote and the plots he crafted. I say the play is structed “mostly chronologically,” because Page very effectively uses Macbeth to bookend the performance, opening with Lady Macbeth’s “unsex me now” speech and eventually delivering Macbeth’s “is this a dagger I see before me” soliloquy when the play turns up in true chronological order. I loved this, as Macbeth is my favorite Shakespeare play. (Like Page, I seem to gravitate to the Shakespeare plays that feature strong villains – Macbeth, Othello, Richard III.)

In between soliloquys and two-character scenes, Page’s tone turns conversational. Yes, this is a one-man show, but Page invites the audience to be a part of it by talking to us as though we were at a meet-and-greet or dinner with him instead of sitting on the other side of the footlights. Of course, this conversational tone turns into a true conversation during the post-performance talkbacks. I do not recall every question that was asked, and I’m still a little bummed that I could not think of a question I considered good enough to ask, but his response to one question has stayed with me. I’m paraphrasing, but the question was something along the lines of “how do you prepare for playing a clearly villainous role?” Page’s response focused on understanding that the villain doesn’t usually think of themselves as a villain, so the actor must figure out what it is the character wants, and he used Macbeth as an example: what Macbeth most wants is to conquer his fears: fear of the witches, fear of killing Duncan, fear of losing the power he has gained, fear of death. Page talked for several minutes about what Macbeth wants and how that leads to his ultimate end, and it gave me new insight into one of my favorite literary characters (and a role I’d love to play some day if I’m ever in a position to act again).

Page also makes effective use throughout the show of simple costume changes (the donning and doffing of a jacket, the addition of a pair of reading glasses) and a small handful of props (a staff, a goblet, an oversized leather-bound volume of Shakespeare’s works) to supplement his performance, and full credit must also be given to lighting designer Stacey Derosier and sound designer Darron L West for the way their work melds with Page’s onstage presence. It’s a shame Off-Broadway works aren’t eligible for Tony Awards, because the director, acting, and lighting and sound work are all the highest caliber. (Also, I’m not sure who decided on the pre-show playlist, but full marks on an incredibly eclectic mix of songs that feature the Devil or devils in general.)

I’m posting this on Thursday, March 7th, which gives you still a solid three weeks to catch Patrick Page’s bravura, moving, entertaining and educational show. Never mind “hie thee to a nunnery,” hie thee to the DR2 Theater!

READING ROUND-UP: January 2024

The first monthly summary of what I’ve been reading, listening to, and watching in 2024!

BOOKS

I read 10 books in January: 5 in print, 5 in e-book format, and 0 in audio format. They were:

1.       What Moves the Dead (Sworn Sword #1) by T. Kingfisher. (E-BOOK)

2.       Phantom on the Scan by Cullen Bunn, Mark Torres, David Sharpe. (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

3.       What Feasts at Night (Sworn Sword #2) by T. Kingfisher (PRINT, ARC (publishes February 2024))

4.       Highlands Book One: The Portrait of Amelia by Philipe Aymond. (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

5.       Highlands Book Two: The Survivors of Blackwater by Philipe Aymond. (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

6.       We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker. (E-BOOK)

7.       Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. (E-BOOK)

8.       Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire. (AUDIOBOOK, REREAD)

9.       The Birds & Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier. (E-BOOK)

10.   Hellstrom: Evil Origins by Gary Freidrich, Herb Trimpe, Don Perlin, Bill Mantlo, and others (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

STORIES

I have a goal of reading 366 short stories (1 per day, essentially, although it doesn’t always work out that way) this leap year. Here’s what I read this month and where you can find them if you’re interested in reading them too. If no source is noted, the story is from the same magazine or book as the story(ies) that precede(s) it.

1.       “Five Views of the Planet Tartarus” by Rachael K. Jones, in Lightspeed Magazine #164, edited by John Joseph Adams

2.       “Shadow Films” by Ben Peek.

3.       “Night Desk Duty at the Infinite Paradox Hotel” by Aimee Ogden

4.       “We Shall Not Be Bitter at the End of the World” by David Anaxagoras

5.       “A Saint Between the Teeth” by Sloane Leong

6.       “In the Tree's Hollow” by Lowry Poletti

7.       “Farewell to Faust” by Adam-Troy Castro

8.       “To Be a Happy Man” by Thomas Ha

9.       “The Silver Sea” by Seanan McGuire, on the Author’s Patreon

10.   “Ten Thousand Crawling Children” by R.A. Busby, Nightmare Magazine #136, edited by Wendy N. Wagner

11.   “The Forgetter” by Andrew Snover

12.   “The Birds” by Daphne du Maurier, from The Birds & Other Stories

13.   “Monte Verita” by Daphne du Maurier

14.   “The Apple Tree” by Daphne du Maurier

15.   “The Little Photographer” by Daphne du Maurier

16.   “Kiss Me Again, Stranger” by Daphne du Maurier

17.   “The Old Man” by Daphne du Maurier

18.   “The Carnival” by Richard Chizmar, stand-alone chapbook published by Cemetery Dance

19.   “End Game” by Martin Edwards, stand-alone chapbook published by The Mysterious Bookshop

20.   “Nothing of Value” by Aimee Ogden, from Clarkesworld #208, edited by Neil Clarke

21.   “Down the Waterfall” by Cecile Cristofari

22.   “Willow Wood” by Linda Neihoff, from Beneath Ceaseless Skies #398, edited by Scott H. Andrews

23.   “Home Bread” by R.E. Dukalsky

24.   “Miriam” by Truman Capote, Fantastic #2 (1952)

25.   “The Star Dummy” by Anthony Boucher

26.   “Most of ‘81” by ‘Nathan Burgoine, from the Author’s Website

So that’s 26 short stories in January. A bit less than “1 per day.” (January 31st was, of course, the 31st day of 2024.)

MOVIES

1.       Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), directed by James Gunn (STREAMING, Disney+)

2.       Gamera the Giant Monster (1965), directed by Noriaki Yuasa (DVD)

3.       The Birds (1963), directed by Alfred Hitchcock (DVD)

4.       Gamera vs. Barugon (1966), directed by Shigeo Tanaka and Noriaki Yuasa (DVD)

TELEVISION

·       Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1, episodes 4 – 8 (5 episodes) (SEASON REVIEW HERE)

·       What If…? Season 2, episodes 2 – 9 (8 episodes)

·       Slow Horses Season 1, episodes 1 – 6 (6 episodes)

·       Slow Horses Season 2, episode 1 (1 episode)

·       A Hero’s Journey: The Making of Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1 episode)

That’s 21 episodes of television, again not quite the “1 per day” I was shooting for.

LIVE THEATER

1.       Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, NYC)

Summary of Challenges:

“To Be Read” Challenge: This month: 0 read; YTD: 0 of 14 read.

366 Short Stories Challenge: This month:  26 read; YTD: 26 of 366 read.

Goodreads Challenge: This month: 10 read; YTD: 10 of 120 read.

Graphic Novels Challenge:  This month: 4 read; YTD: 4 of 52 read.

Non-Fiction Challenge: This month: 0 read; YTD: 0 of 12 read.

Read the Book / Watch the Movie Challenge: This month: 1  read/watched (“The Birds”); YTD: 1 read/watched.

Movie Challenge: This month: 4 watched; YTD: 4 of 52 watched.

TV Shows Challenge: This month: 21 episodes watched; YTD: 21 of 366 watched

Live Theater Challenge: This month: 1 show attended; YTD: 1 of 12 attended.

Series Saturday: PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS Season One

This is a blog series about … well, series. I love stories that continue across volumes, in whatever form: linked short stories, novels, novellas, television, movies, comics.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season One television series (2023 - 2024)

Starred: Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, Aryan Simhadri

Produced by 20th Television, Co-Lab 21, Gotham Group, Moorish Dignity Productions, Quaker Moving Pictures, and Walt Disney Studios

Originally aired on Disney+

Count me in as one of the many viewers who are far more satisfied with this television adaptation of Book One of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series than with the previous movie attempts. (To be honest: I am also one of those folks who liked the movies fine for what they were, but faithful to the novels they were not.) Disney’s eight-episode season allowed for a much more faithful (but not slavishly so) adaptation. Is it perfect? No, of course not. No adaptation from one form of media to another ever is. But it’s a damn fine eight hours of television, in this viewer’s eyes. I’m not going to spend time talking about the changes. Rick Riordan himself has commented on most of them on his social media, and while I love the books it has been over a decade since I last read The Lightning Thief. I’ll stick to my thoughts on the show we got rather than lamenting (or lambasting) the things we didn’t.

First and foremost: kudos to the casting department, especially on the three leads. I may be one of the few people on Earth who still have not seen The Adam Project, so my only awareness of Walker Scobell was when clips from that movie started to show up on social media, but what I saw in those clips definitely fit my perception of Percy. Scobell’s excellent use of snark is not the only reason he’s a great Percy, of course. He really gets the character’s struggles to fit in, to control his anger at his absentee father, to manage his ADHD; he also embodies Percy’s loyalty to those he calls friends (and his pain when those friends betray, or seem to betray, him). Leah Sava Jeffries is pretty much his perfect match as Annabeth – she too can bring the snark, but the best moments were watching her struggle with being the smartest person in the room. Aryan Simhadri brings a loveable goofiness to Grover that never tips over into broad caricature (which it could easily have done); his sense of comic timing is spot on. (Bonus points for the casting director who found Azriel Dalman to play young Percy; I believed he and Walker were playing the same kid.)

The adults are also perfectly cast. Virginia Kull is heartbreaking as Sally Jackson while also being a bastion of parental support (however imperfect at times). The gods and monsters (Lin Manuel Miranda, Toby Stephens, Megan Mulally, Timothy Omundson, Glynn Turman, Jay Duplass, Jason Mantzoukas, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Suzanne Cryer) are all excellent in their turns, but full credit especially to Adam Copeland as Ares. I do wish the late, great Lance Reddick had had more screen time as Zeus. I am also glad that on screen and even in the credits and despite their overwhelming star power, all these wonderful adults were not allowed to overshadow the three leads. They were supporting characters or antagonists (or both) but never stole focus.

My one major complaint with the season is that it should have been one episode longer. The time Percy spends at Camp Half-Blood is given only one episode and I think the Percy/Luke dynamic suffers for it. When episode two aired, I commented that I wasn’t particularly impressed with Charlie Bushnell as Luke in comparison to the other kids (including Dior Goodjohn as Clarissa). Watching the final episode, I realized I felt that way because Bushnell just wasn’t given much to work with in the earlier episode. All of his good stuff came at the end, and half of that in flashback to stuff we should have seen earlier. It was a stylistic choice on the part of Riordan and the rest of the production team and in my opinion one of the few missteps.

My only other complaint, and it is minor, is that the nighttime and Underworld scenes were all so dark I sometime couldn’t see details that I would have liked to see and I’m sure were there (because in all the other stuff shot on the Volume stage, the FX work is stunning and immersive). Yes, I’m aware that maybe it’s my television and not the production at fault.

When I originally drafted this post, I ended with a simple “So, Disney: get on with greenlighting season two already!”  And lo and behold, just a few days before this post will go live, Disney did exactly that. I hope production on season 2, adapted from The Sea of Monsters, starts up quickly and runs smoothly and that it appears on our screens sooner rather than later.

If you enjoyed this post, check out some of my previous fantasy/superhero television-related Series Saturday posts:

• Stargirl Season One

• Watchmen Season One

• Arrow (the complete series)

• Planet of the Apes tv series