At the Theater — The Golem of Havana

September 9, 2013Idiots at the Opera, Politics and Culture, Theater, Movie, Event, Misci Reviewscheap theater in NYC, Cuban Jews, The Golem of HavanaMarion

They had me at the title, The Golem of Havana. They had my better-half as well. His father’s family briefly sojourned to Cuba on their way to America.

Tickets were cheap, and it was at La Mama in the East Village, a theater I probably hadn’t set foot in in twenty years or so though I once wrote a book set in the neighborhood.

As the band began to play, the BH realized with a little trepidation that it was a musical. He doesn’t like musicals — with a few exceptions. Fortunately, this turned out to be exceptional – one of those musicals where the music and story are integrated, where there is a serious theme and the music adds to the emotional impact. At intermission he paid the show the ultimate compliment. “It’s like opera,” he said.

The mostly equity-cast all acquitted themselves so well it’s hard to find standouts, though I especially enjoyed Felipe Gorostiza as Batista. He managed to make the dictator comically sleazy while also suggesting his dangerousness and superficial charm. Liba Vaynberg in the leading role was powerful, and if the world is just, she won’t need a day job for long.

The story is the tale of a tailor’s family – Hungarian Jewish immigrants, Holocaust survivors – struggling in Havana on the brink of revolution. The golem at first exists as a Continue reading At the Theater — The Golem of Havana →

Vanya and Sasha and The Assembled Parties and The Explorer’s Club

July 31, 2013Politics and Culture, Theater, Movie, Event, Misci ReviewsThe Assembled Parties review, The Explorer's Club review, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike reviewMarion

So the better-half and I have been seeing plays this summer. (Thank you TKTS.) We have to do something while waiting for opera season.

I already wrote about Macbeth. The following week we saw Vanya and Sonya and Marsha and Spike. This before Sigourney Weaver left the cast. It was sit-com, and it wasn’t even great sit-com. David Hyde Pierce’s timing was precise. Kristine Nielsen managed to actually give a moving performance, no small feat when the script undermined her character by always going for punchline over feeling. We found Shalita Grant grating and her character bordered on some loyal servant/magical Negro stereotype. Billy Magnussen was over the top. Sigourney Weaver is greatly in need of a new action franchise. And whatshername who played whatshername was kind of forgettable.

What was most annoying was all the ways the play pandered to the audience and avoided challenging any of its expectations. First, if you get the Chekov references you get to feel smug, but if you don’t, you still get to enjoy the show as (too) much is explained. Second, there are cringy-knowing references including a line about the half-price ticket line. Third, there’s a rant about technology separating us spoken by a late middle-aged character. (It was soooo 2002) Get off Vanya’s lawn!

Our next dramatic excursion was to The Assembled Parties, which I wanted to see because of the participation of Tony award winner, Dame Judith Light, who I’ve admired since her days as doctor’s wife/belle de jour Karen Wollack. Light has made a career out of realistic portrayals of over-the-top characters including real-life husband and child poisoner, Marie Hilly in the made for TV classic, Wife, Mother, Murderer. But hers was not the stand-out performance. Jessica Hecht in the lead role was a revelation. We were surprised to read that Remy Auberjonois had only recently stepped into the role of Jeff as he not only played well with others, but seemed to own the part. Of course all the actors were upstaged by the 14-room Central Park West apartment in which the action is set. The play already closed, so if you missed it, you missed it, but if it comes back in some form, bring a hankie.

Last night we saw The Explorer’s Club at City Center. It was a very well done farce. What’s not to like? Nothing. Most critics have already written about the drinks being thrown around the stage and expertly caught. How do they do it? Who knows? Don’t go home and try it with your spouse. Don’t ask me how I know. The play wasn’t only written funny. It was played funny, and expertly. It’s hard to pick standouts when the entire cast shined. Tickets are cheap(er than Broadway), but if you go to the TKTS booth, bring CASH. Show closes August 4th.

Side note: I had never heard of David Furr before but after seeing his performance in the above, I came across his youtube series, Jersey Shore Gone Wilde, in which he and Santino Fantana recite dialogue from Jersey Shore in the style (and period costumes) of Oscar Wilde. Off-topic, but here’s a clip of that.

Next post will be on TKTS line a how-to primer, along with info on its particular annoyances and delights.

(Hey maybe you enjoyed this post. Or maybe you think I’m a snot-nosed know-it-all. In either case, the best way to say “thank you” or “screw you” would be by reading and then writing a customer review of one of my books.)

Your Saturday Book Review — The Scottish Movie

July 20, 2013book reviewsgood cheap reads, indie novel review, self-published book review, The Scottish MovieMarion

There are a gazillion “books” uploaded to Amazon by their authors every year. Ok, I just made the number up because I couldn’t find it on the interwebs, but when anyone can upload anything it’s probably at least a million. I don’t know how much of that is fiction, but let’s say there are 500,000 novels uploaded, and 2% of them are readable, not bad, or even better than not bad. On the one hand that’s still a lot of books – 10,000. More than even the most avid reader could get through in a year, unless she was running some kind of book review scam. On the other hand, readers would have to find those good ones amongst a lot of dreck. You could begin to filter by breaking it down into genres you like, but the proportion probably remains at 2%. So when you do come across one of the good ones, it’s worth giving a shout-out.

Paul Collis’s The Scottish Movie, is a nicely polished gem. It opens with a novel-within-the-novel — the story of a young aspiring actor in Elizabethan England, Henry, whose idea for a play about a murderous usurper gets pilfered by Shakespeare. Henry though powerless wants his revenge and develops a plan to get it. He and his friends will become involved in the production of the play, now called Macbeth, and do their best or worst to see that the show doesn’t go on.

I will confess that this was my favorite chapter. The well researched historical novel that begins the book was superb. (If Collis decided to write the rest of The Scottish Play the novel-within, I’d be happy to read it.) Next we jump to the present and get life-imitating-art when young aspiring actor Harry’s novel is stolen by a slimy producer (no Shakespeare he) in present-day Hollywood. Life imitates art when he overhears young Harry discuss the work with friends, mentioning that it’s uploaded to a “safe” website where it can be read by registered producer-types. Instead of optioning the novel, our villain decides that if he changes things just a wee bit, he’d be on safe legal ground and free to steal.

The concept could get tricky, especially in how closely life might imitate art, but Collis pulls it off which takes considerable skill.

While the premise goes back to the superstitions that have grown around Macbeth, you don’t have to have prior knowledge of the Scottish play or the legends surrounding it. Collis manages to tell the story in a way that makes it enjoyable to those already familiar with some of the history, and accessible to those who aren’t. He also offers a very entertaining “insider” view of the less glamorous side of Hollywood — working and struggling actors, set designers, directors, etc. While some are “types,” none are stereotypes. The pacing is good and there’s even a bit of suspense, and just enough sense of danger (Could Harry’s plans go horribly wrong?) to keep you turning the page.

Possibly another reason for the story’s appeal is that while it reminds us that plagiarism has always been an issue, it also deals with the contemporary fear that putting your ideas, writing, photos, pets’ names or anything else out in the digital world is a risky endeavor.

To be clear, this is an entertainment, not literary fiction. While some readers might have hoped for more play between the 16th century and the 21st, this is not John Fowles. (That may come as a relief to a few of you.) However, it is the type of book that if you are reading it on a plane and the flight attendant comes around to remind you to turn off your electronic reading device because you’re about to land, you might just hide the Kindle between the covers of a magazine (much to chagrin of your better-half) and keep reading.

And by the way, it’s only $2.99 on Kindle.

Angela and Rick 4-Evah!

July 16, 2013Politics and CultureDid Angela Corey blow the case? George Zimmerman trial, Rick Scott fixed Zimmerman, Why the prosecution lost ZimmermanMarion

Could I state out loud and explicitly that I not only don’t think the state of Florida brought its A-game to the prosecution of Zimmerman, I think they purposely didn’t bring their A-game because of concerns that a guilty verdict would have threatened gun laws, stand your ground, and police procedures while also leading to some angry Republican voters staying home next election if there had been a conviction? And maybe THAT’s what the DOJ should be looking into as well?

The above scenario would not require much of a conspiracy either, just a prosecutor who is made to understand by the medicaid-fraudster governor, the implications of a vigorous prosecution, but not asked explicitly to do anything.

Maybe it went something like this:

Governor Scott: Now, of course if you decide to prosecute this case, I hope it’s because you want to do the right thing and not because we don’t want the jack-booted Federales in the DOJ breathing down our necks, and energizing the Dems.

Corey: Of course, Governor. If we find enough evidence we’ll go ahead with it.

Governor: Good. And if you go ahead with it, I want to see you prosecute vigorously, even if it means making our police look like racist-idiots for not arresting the guy in the first place, or even knocking on doors to see if the kid belonged to anyone. Not to mention how it’s going to stir up more b.s. over conceal and carry, and stand your ground — both of which are supported by the Koch brothers — major contributors to our party — who would not be happy if that were to happen…

Corey: I understand completely sir. We won’t let any political considerations stop us although a victory still won’t get us votes from the African Americans, and could lose us some of our base, especially if certain issues, such as you brought up, are raised. We must do our best to get a conviction, no matter the cost.(She looks around the room as though aware of cameras and microphones, and then places a finger by her eye and winks.)

Governor:(He looks at Ms. Corey and then around the room) Ms. Corey do you have something in your eye?

Corey: Of course, Governor. What else could it be?

Governor: So have you thought about a strategy if the state goes forward?

Corey: Well, as a matter of fact, Governor, I have been thinking about. If we do prosecute, the best strategy going forward is to avoid all that race talk. And it’s not about gun laws. Guns don’t kill people after all, so bringing that into it would just be counterproductive as would disrespecting our police force in any way. I was just thinking that any defense lawyer would do everything he or she could to keep minorities off the jury, especially African Americans. I say we let them. Could you imagine how much more legitimate it would be if we got a conviction, which I’m sure we will due to our vigorous prosecution, with an all-white jury?

Governor: (Looks confused, but notices Corey seems to be nodding her head slightly) Well, I leave it to your judgement. I wouldn’t want anyone to think you were anything but independent, whatever your political ambitions in the future might be.

Corey: Thank you for your faith in me, Governor. I hope you’ll always be able to count on me… to uphold the highest standards. I’ll be working with the prosecutors very closely on this one.

Governor: I’m sure you will. Thank you, Ms. Corey.

Corey: You very welcome, Governor. And oh, do you have something in your eye?

Governor: Yes. What else could it be?

Here’s a clip of Corey looking strangely relieved after the verdict. No second guessing, here.

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