HERE & THERE

Now through March 11th, Brooklyn's Gallery Players is doing a lovely, simple and affecting production of VIOLET, with book & lyrics by Brian Crawley and music by Jeanine Tesori. (Tesori is the talented composer behind CAROLINE OR CHANGE and THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE). The tale of a young woman's bus journey to get a facial scar healed in the 1960's, it is really about a journey to discover the beauty inside her soul. Along the way, Violet meets two young soldiers who are enthralled by her, as well as many interesting fellow passengers on the bus and strange characters at stopovers along the route. M.R. Goodley has done a lovely and economical job staging the piece on the Gallery's small stage, and musical director Jeffrey Campos makes the most of the vocally gifted cast. It would be wrong to start singling out members of this tightly knit ensemble, but one cannot help but fall for the charming Rhyn McLemore who capably carries the show as Violet. (As her two soldier suitors, Flick & Monty, Collin Howard and Shad Olsen give able support.) This is one of those shows that Gallery does so well--small off-Broadway gems that didn't get the broader exposure one would wish them. See it during its last two weekends--who knows when you'll have the chance again?!

Further information can be found at www.galleryplayers.com. Individual tickets for each performance are $18 for Adults and $14 for Children 12 and under and Senior Citizens. Individual tickets can be purchased at www.galleryplayers.com or by calling (212) 352-3101. Performances take place Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8PM, and Sundays at 3PM.

DISCLAIMER: The author is NOT a professional reviewer, and is indeed friends with many at the Gallery Players. However, this is a blog site, comprised of opinions of the author. If I didn't like the show, I probably just wouldn't write about it. Consider this "review" as a friend passing on the word about other friends' good work.

ON BROADWAY

David Hare is one of the major playwrights working both sides of the Atlantic, with such hits as PLENTY, THE SECRET RAPTURE, STUFF HAPPENS, VIA DOLOROSA and THE BLUE ROOM, as well as the screenplay for THE HOURS. (Later this season, he'll direct Vanessa Redgrave in Joan Didion's THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING.) So one could understandably get excited about the idea of seeing Julianne More and Bill Nighy, two of our more interesting, risk-taking film actors appearing onstage in Hare's THE VERTICAL HOUR. Unfortunately, in performance, you'll be more likely to be thinking about how soon they'll let you rest horizontally. It's not the actors' fault--they give competent, committed performances--and the script is high-minded with some interesting ideas, but it feels like all the action (and passion) has happened in the past and now they all just talk about it. And talk. And talk. Deeply held secrets are ultimately unsurprising, and the dark night of the soul just somehow doesn't dig deep enough. (And if reporters are supposed to stay objective, why is being a war correspondent a profession that "helps people"?) The set and lighting is simple but effective, and the whole evening has a professional sheen, but quite frankly, it's just not all that interesting. (At the Music Box Theatre on Broadway.)