Linda Lavin plays a Long Island Jewish mother of three gay children in
‘Pride and Joy,’ one of four shorts in ‘The New Century.’ Photo:
Charles Erickson.
This second-annual festival nurtures playwrights and raises funds for the local Harvey Milk High School.
Broadway’s ‘Cry-Baby’ is absolutely rollicking fun—with an emphasis on the abs. Plus: a rare Tennessee Williams treat.
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By Jonathan Warman
Friday, April 25, 2008
THE NEW CENTURY
Paul Rudnick is reliably one of the most wickedly funny playwrights crafting gay theater. His Lincoln Center debut (far uptown from his usual venues) “The New Century” certainly doesn’t disappoint.
“The New Century” is composed of four short plays—three tour de force monologues and a multi-character finale. The first play “Pride and Joy,” probably the strongest, follows Helene, a natty, barely controlled Long Island Jewish mother of three gay children. It features one of the best performance I think I’ve ever seen from Linda Lavin—the part fits her like a brand new Coach glove.
I’ve seen the second play, “Mr. Charles, Currently of Palm Beach,” before, and absolutely loved it. Rudnick tailor-made this elegantly enraged nelly outburst for Peter Bartlett, and he plays this over-the-top queen with relish as always.
Somehow, though, it doesn’t tickle me as much as it did before. I puzzled over this for a long time until I realized that when I originally saw it, the “straight-acting” gym rat was still the oppressive gay standard.
In 2008, when go-go boys are giggly twinks and super-girly Christian Siriano serves you three-quarter profile in the back pages of practically every HX, the idea of somebody being exiled from New York for being “too gay” is no longer as funny or biting as it once was. That said, Mr. Charles is one of Rudnick’s more original creations, and in Bartlett’s hands he’s still good for a giggle.
Jayne Houdyshell shows why she’s everybody’s favorite character actress in the touching “Crafty.” She plays skilled Midwestern crafter Barbara, who lost her son to AIDS. Rudnick’s underlying, disco-bright utopianism blossoms more than it ever has in the finale also named “The New Century.” All of the characters come together, and Mr. Charles’s “ward” (the sizzling hot Mike Doyle) plays the gay idiot savant, predicting the future will be a more beautiful place if we can find a way to all dance together.
“The New Century,” 8 p.m. Tue.–Sat., 2 p.m. Wed. & Sat. and 3 p.m. Sun. at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, 150 W. 65th St., $70–$75, 212-239-6200, lct.org.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
Oscar Wilde wrote this, his last and most beloved and sparkling comedy, at the end of a decidedly less queer century (the 19th), less than a year before homophobic persecution would destroy his career and hasten his early demise. In it, Messrs. Jack Worthington and Algernon Moncrieff lead busy double lives in high style: creating false identities, wooing well-bred young ladies, visiting imaginary invalids and (equally imaginary) wayward brothers.
The Pearl Theatre Company is particularly known for its revivals of classic comedies, and this “Earnest” is no exception. A terrific cast, led by Sean McNall as Algie and Bradford Cover as Jack, plays Wilde’s witty words with great energy and an entirely appropriate brittleness. Joanne Camp is a particular treat as the dotty tutor Miss Prism.
It’s not quite as flawless as some the Pearl’s work; it feels as if director J. R. Sullivan hasn’t fully grasped the crazy, anarchic drive and vigor that lies just under the surface of Wilde’s elegant prose. Still, this is a gem of a production, and highly recommended.
“The Importance of Being Earnest,” 7 p.m. Tue., 3 p.m. Wed., 8 p.m. Thu.–Sat. and 2 p.m. Sat. & Sun. at the Pearl Theatre Company, 80 St. Marks Place @ First Ave, $40-$50, 212-598-9802, pearltheatre.org.
SUNDAY IN NEW YORK
People only familiar with the fabulous Christine Ebersole from her Tony-winning turns in
“42nd Street” and “Grey Gardens” may not be aware that she’s also an astonishingly good cabaret performer, who can sing jazz with the same elegant power she brings to musical theater. On “Sunday in New York,” her jazzy new vocal album produced by Grammy Award winner Russ Titelman, Christine and pianist-vocalist Billy Stritch—her favorite partner in supper club crime—truly outdo themselves.
The collection was culled from the pair’s recent sold-out run at The Metropolitan Room. I was lucky enough to see that run, and was particularly moved by her passionate take on Irving Berlin’s “What’ll I Do.” That’s here, not as passionate as I remember, but just as gorgeously and sensitively sung.
The big showstopper is her breathtaking version of “Will You” one of her big ballads from “Grey Gardens.” It’s a complete reinvention: She intensifies all of this towering ballad’s contrasting colors, effortlessly displaying more interpretive power than just about any other singer I can bring to mind. Wow. (Ghostlight Records)
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