Okay first I have to say that I have loved Alan Rickman since the first time I saw him in Truly, Madly, Deeply. And he’s only gotten better and better and better. So the chance to see him on Broadway was a dream come true. Second off, my husband also loves Alan Rickman, but still managed to forget that we were going to the theatre, so I wound up seeing the play without him (but with my daughter which was every bit as wonderful).
And the play (as well as the man) did not disappoint. In fact, unlike several star turns I’ve seen of late, I was impressed with the quality of the entire cast. Comprised of only five people it was great fun to watch four of them spar with each other as Rickman served as instigator. Particularly wonderful was Lily Rabe, whose character pulls the audience right into the class with her. I’d seen Rabe (who is Jill Clayburgh’s daughter) in Steel Magnolias a few years back and was delighted to have the chance to see her again, but her performance definitely outshone any preconceived notions I might have had. She’s a delight.
Hamish Linklater who’s pivotal role is understated throughout was no less enjoyable to watch. He was so believable as a writer and student, I almost forgot at one point that I was watching a play. He superbly embodied both the of the fragility of writers and the idealism of students. Supporting characters played by Jerry O’Connell and Hettienne Park were also excellent and rounded out the cast nicely.
But the center of the piece obviously was Rickman. He has aged gracefully (as I fear I perhaps have not) and still has that magical voice that rivets you to your seat even when he’s speaking expletives. The dichotomy of his character was well written and even better acted. And I so enjoyed every minute he spent on the stage. Although I’ll admit to one moment where I broke from the play wanting him to say “Potter” just once.
The play, a world premiere, written by Pulitzer Prize nominee Theresa Rebeck is about four aspiring writers taking a private seminar conducted by a world renowned writer
(Rickman). It is by turns hilariously funny, vicious, sexy, witty and poignant. The story and its characters weave to a bittersweet conclusion that leaves the audience satisfied but still thinking.
Well-acted and well written, I highly recommend it. I may have gone to see Alan Rickman, but I came away loving the play.
Seminar, Golden Theatre, 252 W. 45th St. between Broadway & 8th Ave
I’m happy to annouce that the last book in my time-travel trilogy, prism winner The Promise, has now been re-issued in digital format at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords!
The mine called to Cara from deep in the San Juan Mountains, near the town of Silverthread. Surrounded by a murderous tapestry of lies, it had once been rich in ore, overflowing with wealth that could make a family’s fortune—or destroy it. But also in its labyrinthine tunnels lay the path to redemption and love, a magic that could draw a woman one hundred years into the past, into the arms of one who could make her life whole.
But crossing time was just the beginning. To right wrongs already done, to paint a new future, one brighter and full of love, Cara would have to unravel the mine’s mysteries. She would have to depend upon the rugged man who emerged from its opening and trust his vow to keep her safe and cherish her forever. Then, and only then, would she truly understand the danger—and the power—of the promise.
And don’t forget the other two books in the trilogy: Everything In Its Time and Wild Highland Rose
Just in time for the holidays; the second book in my time travel trilogy, Wild Highland Rose, has now been reissued in digital format. Check it out at Barnes and Noble, Amazon and Smashwords. iTunes and Sony versions should be available soon. Glad that Marjory and Cameron are getting a ‘second chance’! Here’s the blurb:
Trapped in a loveless marriage, Marjory Macpherson rejoices at the news of her husband’s death, only to find that he is, in fact, very much alive. Marjory has spent her life hating the Camerons, waiting for the day that she can avenge her father. Now suddenly, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to a man who is the enemy.
Cameron Even awakes on the side of a Scottish mountain trapped in another man’s body. Despite evidence supporting his fifteenth century existence, Cameron is faced with the fact that the few memories he does have clearly depict a different kind of life, one that will not exist for another five hundred years…
“Put the soundtrack to Brigadoon on and enjoy the ride. Ms. Davis has delicately crafted a beautiful story that will leave you wanting more.” — Huntress Book Reviews
Recently went to see a preview of On A Clear Day at the St. James Theatre. Starring Harry Connick, Jr., the revival is more of a redux, as the story has been reimagined slightly, with the focus now being more on Dr. Mark Bruckner than on Daisy Gamble.
Originally, a starring vehicle for Barbara Harris on Broadway and Barbra Streisand in the movie version, this time out, Connick is clearly at the center of the piece, although the ensemble cast is excellent and fills things out nicely. In this version, Daisy is now David, played with breezy ditz by David Turner (who was absolutely marvelous). And his long past self, Melinda Wells, now a singer from the 40’s, is played by Jessie Mueller. In the original, both Harris and Streisand played both parts. But in splitting David/Daisy and Melinda into two unique characters—who are able to occupy the stage at the same time, I found the story much more haunting.
By adding the gender issues involved with Mark falling in love with Melinda, through the
David Turner
physical presence of David, who in turn begins to fall in love with Mark, the show has added depth. It’s an impossible triangle, and one which I think adds resonance to what was essentially a fluff piece before. (Although, that said, I did watch the movie over and over as a kid.) To add layers to Connick’s character, the story is framed around the loss of his wife, and the grief and loneliness that result from that loss. I think it makes Mark’s somewhat callous use of David and his past more understandable.
Set in 1974, the costumes and set seemed to come more from the late sixties, but the colors were fun and provided as a provocative backdrop to the “modern” day parts of the story. David’s magical touch with flowers remains along with his romance with Warren Smith, played by the charming Drew Gehling. Added or at least not remembered by me, was a pining colleague of Mark’s, and a wonderful turn by Lori Wilner as Mark’s secretary.
Jessie Mueller
The music, some of it taken from other Lerner fare, is fabulous. Particularly when Connick and/or Mueller sing. Ms. Mueller’s voice is really strong, and the audience has no trouble at all buying her as an up and coming singer in the 1940’s; especially in her first number “Open Your Eyes.” Connick, who seems more comfortable here than he did in the Pajama Game (which was wonderful on all counts by the way), blends into the cast with remarkable ease, and at times you even forget his star power. But when he opens his mouth, particularly on the first act number, “She Isn’t for You”, and the title piece “On A Clear Day”, it is pure heaven. His voice, although aging slightly, is still remarkable. Smooth, easy and sensual all at the same time.
Turner’s “Hurry! It’s Lovely Up Here” is delightful. And his physicality throughout the musical is great fun to watch. The transformation of David into Melinda is both humorous and heart-rending as we begin to see the pain in store for both David and Mark. A moment in the middle of the play when Mark dances with Melinda (and by default also with David) brought tears to my eyes. I wanted everyone to have their happy ending. And yet I knew, it was impossible.
Overall, I thought it was a wonderful show. And I’ll be honest, based on the changes, I
Harry Connick, Jr.
wasn’t sure I was going to like David as much as I did Daisy. But the truth is, I liked him much more. Turner kept David from dropping into stereotype, instead giving the character strength as well as ditz and a charming innocence that pulls the audience in and has them rooting for his happiness. How I wish Turner could have been Jesus in Godspell, it would have been an entirely different revival.
All in all, it was a wonderful evening at the theatre. And I highly recommend it. Sometimes things change and they manage to lose their luster. Sometimes though, the changes only make everything better. On A Clear Day falls into the latter category.
On A Clear Day, St. James Theatre, 246 W. 44th Street, (212) 239-6200, www.telecharge.com
Years ago while vacationing in Scotland, Katherine St. Claire believed she’d found the love of her life. She shared a night of passion with a stranger, in a hotel castle called Duncreag. But come morning, her lover had disappeared. And she has spent the last eight years trying to convince herself it was all a dream…
Living in the 15th century, Iain Mackintosh remains haunted by the memory of his greatest love. Eight years ago, she disappeared, leaving behind a cairngorm earring as the only evidence of her existence. Iain’s family wants him to stop pining for this fantasy woman and submit to a sensible marriage. But Katherine suddenly returns to him and reveals to him where—and when she’s from…
I’m so excited to announce the re-release of my very first novel, Everything In Its Time. First published in 2000, it has been out of print for almost ten years. So whether it’s for the first time or the tenth, I hope you enjoy reading Katherine and Iain’s story! Buy it now from: Kindle, Nook, Smashwords And check out www.deedavis.com for reviews, excerpts and more.
When I was young I got the album to a new musical in New York—Godspell. At the time I about as far away from the big city lights as a girl can get. But I fell in love with the music and the message. And played that album (cassette if we want to be technical) over and over and over. And finally, got to see a performance in Oklahoma City as well as the movie version with a very young Victor Garber (who’d I’d see some thirty years later on Broadway last year in Present Laughter).
The words and music are literally etched upon my heart. So it was with great anticipation that I went to the Circle on the Square (where I fell in love with The Putnam County Spelling Bee and Jesse Tyler Ferguson) to see the newest incarnation of Godspell. And while I had a lovely evening and totally enjoyed my blast from the past, I’m afraid I can’t tell you that the new and supposedly improved version lived up to my expectations.
My love affair with Stephen Schwartz’s Godspell runs deep, so maybe I was bound to be disappointed. (However, as an aside, the first show I ever saw on Broadway was A Chorus Line, in 1977, and when I took my daughter to see the revival a few years back, it was everything I remembered it to be. Pure magic.)
Anyway, for me in many ways, Godspell, was a spiritual awakening. And I not only knew all the words to all the songs, I could perform most of them on my guitar and quite often did (I still have the sheet music in my closet). I grew up with the advent of folk masses and the initial movement of more popular music sharing space with standard (and quite beautiful) hymns and liturgical music. It was new and exciting. And the music from Godspell played a role in all of that.
Telly Leung and Lindsey Mendez
So heading out for Circle on the Square I was ready to be taken back. To a more innocent time in my life when the music and movement were fresh. And to be fair, in certain moments, I still felt the magic. But a lot of the time I felt like I’d wandered in to a Gleeified (and I’m a Gleek, or at least I was until this season) version of my show.
The opening, while definitely attuned to a modern world, seemed out of place somehow with the rest of the show. As did a lot of the modern day references (although I did laugh at several and the cast’s ability to mimic certain personalities was certainly up to Saturday Night Live standards) which seemed to overshadow the message at certain points. In fact, that would be my most overriding critique—the message was lost amidst attempts to modernize. The power, except in a few places, was diluted so that the heart of the piece was lost amidst the constantly moving patter.
Telly Leung
As I said, there were exceptions. And they were powerful. Lindsey Mendez, singing Oh Bless the Lord My Soul, was absolutely flawless. She not only has an amazing singing voice but a magnificent stage presence. And Telly Leung’s version of All Good Gifts was simply spell-binding. (One of the best moments of the night was a revival of Learn Your Lessons Well, with a little bit of Pippin thrown in for good measure, just before the beginning of the second act, with Leung on piano singing with Mendez.) Uzo Aduba gave a much more earthy delivery to By My Side, the result giving it more depth than the original (and as it’s one of my favorite songs, that actually is saying a lot).
Wallace Smith, playing both John the Baptist and Judas was more of a mixed bag. His opening Prepare Ye gave me goose bumps, his voice powerful and sure. And the setting with the baptismal “river” was wonderful. But I never really felt his indecision and pain in betraying Jesus and since that is the pivotal moment between the light-hearted beginning and the dark turn of the ending—it’s a crucial note to hit. Day by Day, sung by Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, was lost in the choreography and business of the staging. What is a moving and simple song became overrun by too many other things, although Ms. Parez de Tagle was charming. Julia Mattison, coming in as an understudy, was also good singing Turn Back Oh Man, but again I just felt as if some of the power of the piece (the dichotomy between her vamp and Parrish’s wistful singing) was lacking.
Hunter Parrish
Which leaves us with Hunter Parrish playing Jesus. To be fair, I must say that both Stephen Nathan and Victor Garber played Jesus with soft spoken words and fly-away voices. So Parrish is following in the same vein. But the difference for me lies in the fact that both of the former cast members were able to make the transition from the soft-sung folksiness of God Save the People (re-orchestrated in the new version to its detriment, I might add) to the unbridled power of Alas for You. There is anger in the latter song. And we see Jesus as he begins to transform from gentle teacher to the man who will sacrifice all. And in Parrish’s version we never saw any of that. In fact, the musicians (placed amongst the audience) overwhelmed him at times. And without the power of that song, the second act felt flat.
Costuming, by Miranda Hoffman, echoed the original (but without the clown face for Jesus), and overall it enhanced the performances rather than detracting. There was a funny bit in the opening where Parrish is choosing a shirt and rejecting, among other choices, the Superman T-shirt.
Circle in the Square is a small theatre with seats surrounding the stage. It provides an intimacy that can’t be obtained on a standard Broadway stage. And a word should be said about the innovative staging, some that worked (the baptistery river), some that did not (trampolines?). Overall, I thought it was an innovative use of space, and never once did I feel as if I was behind the action so to speak. It was constantly on the move and mostly captivating. The newly added song Beautiful City fit seamlessly although the reprise at the end was frustrating for those of us used to the original and waiting for the reintroduction of Prepare Ye into Long Live God (it was there just muted by the addition of the new song).
Overall, I think that the power of the musical was lost a little in the attempt to add modern patter and Twitteresque humor. But the cast was sparkling, with some of them out-singing, or at least equaling the originals. And I defy anyone not to feel their spirits rise as they’re reminded of the exuberance of youth and the power of believing.
So on Monday we went to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side. Spurred on by visiting friends, (isn’t that always the way), we decided to tag along with their plans, and all met up in time for the 1:45 tour.
The Museum, founded around 1988 by Ruth Abrams and Anita Jacobson, owns the now partially restored tenement at 97 Orchard Street. Built in 1863, the tenement (actually just a common word for apartment, despite negative connotations) had over 7000 occupants in the fifty years that it was open for business. After sitting idle for almost as long, the building was discovered, and the museum’s journey begun.
Helping visitors understand life in working class New York at the end of the nineteenth century is the goal of the museum. By taking museum patrons on a journey through the life of one of four different families, the tours open a specific window into lives that were difficult by modern standards, and yet surprisingly parallel to experiences some immigrants still have today.
We chose the newest tour, the Moores, a family of Irish immigrants that were part of the wave of Irish people coming to the US in the 1860’s. The Moores lived briefly at 97 Orchard Street starting in 1869. A primarily German area at the time, the Moores would have been out of place in the building, isolated because of language. But the building itself had certain amenities that would have meant a “step-up” from other more Irish neighborhoods. Certainly nothing to speak of now, the building’s underground sewage system meant that waste was carried away from outhouses located in the back “yard” of the building, and that running water in the form of a tap out back (next to the outhouses) was available.
Inside the apartments, however, there was no water and no indoor plumbing. Because there were no city health ordnances yet, there was no protection for renters. Diseae ran rampant. So much so that infant mortality was exceedingly high–as Bridget and John Moore found out when their five and a half month old passed away.
Wages at the time (if you could find a job—racism was at an all-time high—especially where immigrants were involved), were something like $20 a month. To put it in perspective, rent at 97 Orchard at that time was $10. So the Moores were paying half their income for a three room walk up on the fourth floor with five of them, including the baby, in residence at the time.
The apartment itself, had a large (for New York) living area, a smallish kitchen/workroom and a tiny bedroom. Only one room had windows, and while it might have afforded a breeze, the rest of the apartment would have been stifling in the summer and probably except for the kitchen with its iron stove, freezing in the winter. Living just below subsistence level, families were malnourished, which lead often times to disease and early death.
In addition immigrants also delt with isolation, due to in part to prejudice and in larger part to the fact that often one’s entire family had been left in the “old country”. And yet, many of these people not only survived but triumphed, their children moving up and onward, finding their place as Americans in New York.
The Museum, open every day except holidays, can be contacted through their website at http://www.tenement.org/tours.php or by phone, 866-606-7232. Tour reservations are recommended. Other tours include different decades and immigrants, so I suspect repeat visits would be equally interesting. All in all I highly recommend taking the time to get to know a little bit more about New York’s immigrant communities. There are also two walking tours of the area available.
Photographs are not allowed, so all pictures used here are from Flickr and the Tenement Museum website.
Okay first I have to say that I have loved Alan Rickman since the first time I saw him in Truly, Madly, Deeply. And he’s only gotten better and better and better. So the chance to see him on Broadway was a dream come true. Second off, my husband also loves Alan Rickman, but still managed to forget that we were going to the theatre, so I wound up seeing the play without him (but with my daughter which was every bit as wonderful).
with the quality of the entire cast. Comprised of only five people it was great fun to watch four of them spar with each other as Rickman served as instigator. Particularly wonderful was Lily Rabe, whose character pulls the audience right into the class with her. I’d seen Rabe (who is Jill Clayburgh’s daughter) in Steel Magnolias a few years back and was delighted to have the chance to see her again, but her performance definitely outshone any preconceived notions I might have had. She’s a delight.
But the center of the piece obviously was Rickman. He has aged gracefully (as I fear I perhaps have not) and still has that magical voice that rivets you to your seat even when he’s speaking expletives. The dichotomy of his character was well written and even better acted. And I so enjoyed every minute he spent on the stage. Although I’ll admit to one moment where I broke from the play wanting him to say “Potter” just once.
