Blog: The Determined Dilettante

Second Stage Uptown for its emphasis on young playwrights, but sometimes the inexperience shows. There's such a clunky plot device in Anna Kerrigan's The Talls ( reviewed today) that I had to wonder if anybody brought it up to the author, and if there was any attempt to smooth things out. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

Rent is back! But really, it's as if it had never gone away, especially since the "new" production sticks to the original's spirit and MO. Just, you know, smaller — it's at New World Stages. Review here . http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

The Amoralists and Adam Rapp join forces again for HotelMotel, a site-specific double header in a room at the Gershwing Hotel. The evening grew thin but if you're an Amoralists or Rapp completist, you may want to catch this. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

Weekend in Washington, DC. Saturday featured trips to the Kennedy Center for Uncle Vanya starring Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving (my review here ) and to Ben's Chili Bowl for hot dogs and half smokes. Then the following day, we caught the drum & bugle Tour of Champions' Grand Finale at the New Meadowlands. Much to my surprise, the Cadets won , followed by the Blue Devils and the Cavaliers. I would have put the Cavaliers first, and the Phantom Regiment (a sentimental favorite) 2nd instead of 5th. But hey, what [...]

In yesterday's Post, I revisited some of NYC's longest-running shows. Can you believe The Phantom of the Opera has been on since 1988? Or that I, a huge ABBA fan, would harsh on Mamma Mia! as the weakest of the dinosaurs? http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

Brecht's 1944 parable The Caucasian Chalk Circle gets an outing at the Lion. Enter at your own risk. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

The Royal Shakespeare Company opened its fifth and last show over the weekend. I quite enjoyed Julius Caesar , especially the two hours leading to intermission. But then I do like me some swords-and-sandal action seasoned with blood and guts. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

Show No. 4 in the Royal Shakespeare Company's season at the Park Avenue Armory is the weakest one yet. This Winter's Tale is a big bore , especially if you were lucky enough to see Sam Mendes' version at BAM in 2009. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

The Druid Theatre returns to the Lincoln Center Festival with The Silver Tassie. Some nice stuff in there, but the singing gets tiresome quickly. Why does it so quickly turn into annoying folklorisms in Irish productions? http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

Lily Rabe's performance in A Doll's House is worth a trek to Williamstown. I sure am glad I did the trip last weekend. Rabe is the rare actress equally at ease in modern material and in classics. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

I'd been looking forward to Justin Bartha's return to the NY stage — I loved him in Lend Me a Tenor, and thought he'd been robbed of a Tony nomination. But Zach Braff's All New People isn't the right vehicle for him or for anybody else. Drats. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

David Greenspan plays the title role — and everybody else — in the Transport Group's revival of the 1925 comedy The Patsy. It's a bit of stunt, but it has its moments . http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

I was eagerly waiting for Maury Yeston's new musical, but unfortunately Death Takes a Holiday is rather tepid . Drats. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

The third show in the Royal Shakespeare Company's summer residency at the Park Avenue Armory is King Lear. Overall I greatly enjoyed it — it's much better than the drab production BAM presented in the spring. And it's always fun to see Goneril and Regan so relentlessly nasty! http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

My third review of Diane Paulus' Hair revival is in today's paper. Yes, third: I wasn't at the Post when it played the Delacorte, but then I weighed in on the Broadway opening and the replacement cast. Now the national tour's in town for the summer. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

The RSC's New York residency continues with Romeo and Juliet, directed by Rupert Goold. I loved the first half, but thought the energy was overwhelming in the second. Fatigue set in. Still, this is a dynamic production and worth attending for Mariah Gale's Juliet and Jonjo O'Neill's Mercutio. My review's here . http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

The Royal Shakespeare Company begins its residency at the Park Avenue Armory with As You Like It. I loved it, and if the other four plays in the run are only half as good, this will be a genuine feast not just for Bard-o-philes but for all fans of theater. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

Tyne Daly puts on the pantsuit and the carré Hermès as Maria Callas in Master Class. If you think that's a bit of a stretch, you're right. My review's here . http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

After going off the grid on vacation, I'm back and ready to rock the new season. In the meantime, here are links to a pair of reviews I'd filed ahead and which were published while I was away: Unnatural Acts at the Vineyard and Sex Lives of Our Parents at Second Stage Uptown. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping

I didn't care much for Amy Herzog's After the Revolution but her latest, 4000 Miles, is delightful. Well worth a trip to the Duke on 42nd Street, especially since tickets are only $20. You could pay three times that for the privilege of seeing Mary Louise Wilson in action. http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ ping