Theater review: 'God of Carnage' at the Ahmanson Theatre

 

Conflict has long been the soul of drama, but contemporary playwrights such as Tracy Letts and Neil LaBute (following in the footsteps of Edward Albee and David Mamet) have taken this one step further — they've made hostility the brains and guts of their operation.

Add French playwright Yasmina Reza to this combative list. “God of Carnage,” her Tony-winning battle royal, which opened Wednesday at the Ahmanson Theatre with its original Broadway dream cast, starts off all civilized and urbane. But it quickly descends into the most raucous display of primitive aggression you're likely to see among characters who undoubtedly pay full price for their clothes at Barneys and spend something in the vicinity of a fireman's yearly salary on private-school tuition.

This second encounter with the play hasn't done much to improve my initial estimation of it as essentially a one-joke comedy about the Neanderthal lurking within today's proudly progressive city-dweller. But any stage work that can bring out the bestial best in James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeff Daniels and Hope Davis is all right with me, even if it must be said that Matthew Warchus' concentrated production would have been more at home in a less cavernous environment than the Ahmanson.

Monster Mash: James Franco and Anne Hathaway try 'Grease'?; Paul McCartney at the ballet; Tom Hooper mulls 'Les Miz'

Another performance-art project or…?: Will Oscars co-hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway perform a number from “Grease” during the Academy Awards broadcast? See the video below. (YouTube via @jamesfranco)

Speaking of the Oscars: Don’t look now, but artist and Academy Awards nominee Banksy’s work has popped up again in Los Angeles. (Awards Tracker)

 Oscars, Part 3: "The King's Speech" nominee Tom Hooper is thinking about a film version of “Les Miserables” for his next project. (24 Frames)

Surprise: Violinist Itzhak Perlman abruptly steps down as artistic director of the Westchester Philharmonic. (Wall Street Journal)

Thinking outside the box: “Cargotecture” is the new thing in residential architecture. Don’t know what that is? Better click on the link. (Time)

Just in time for the Tonys: Larry Kramer’s groundbreaking “The Normal Heart” will debut on Broadway, with Joe Mantello and Ellen Barkin heading the cast and Joel Grey directing. (Playbill)

Adding to his resume: Paul McCartney tries his hand at composing for ballet. (New York Times)

Set your TiVo: On Thursday, HBO debuts "Thurgood," the Broadway play (also seen at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and L.A.'s Geffen Playhouse) starring Laurence Fishburne as the late Supreme Court justice. (HBO)

Swooning over Shakespeare: Orlando Bloom teams up with the Los Angeles Philharmonic -- tickets are tough to get, but but you can still watch it in movie theaters. (Los Angeles Times) 

A piece of history: LA Modern Auctions is selling items from arts patron Max Palevsky’s estate. (LA Modern Auctions via Curbed LA)
 
Attention St. Jimmy wannabes: “American Idiot” hits the road, and it’ll be holding auditions in L.A. (Los Angeles Times)

And in the Los Angeles Times: Art critic Christopher Knight reviews “Thomas Gainsborough and the Modern Woman” at the San Diego Museum of Art; the critics rave about Danny Boyle's "Frankenstein" in London.

-- Lisa Fung

twitter.com/lfung

Photo: "Crayon Foreclosure." Credit: John Andreas

The Spotlight: Dan Goodman in 'Next to Normal' at the Ahmanson Theatre

I was a wild twenty-five

I loved a wife so alive

But now I believe I would settle 

for one who could drive.

-- Dan Goodman singing “Who’s Crazy?” in "Next to Normal"

Dependable husband. Ardent lover. Architect. Awkward father. Enabler. Dan Goodman is many things, but the character is the undeniable anchor of “Next to Normal,” the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical about living with mental illness, now at the Ahmanson Theatre.

As his wife, Diana (Alice Ripley), cycles through mania, depression and suicide attempts, Dan (Asa Somers) is always there to pick up the pieces. To try another doctor. To forgive her one more time. To parent their daughter alone. Is he heroic, or massively codependent?

"Dan makes you feel two things at once," says Brian Yorkey, "Normal's" book writer and lyricist. "'I want someone like that' and 'Dude, get out of this relationship!'"

“I think Diana swept Dan off his feet when they first met,” says Somers. “Her wildness was what attracted him.” While acknowledging the character’s “Zen patience,” Somers tries to play Dan as “pushed to the very edge. This family is up there without a net. I think the story never comes across as false because we can all see ourselves up there in one of those roles. The issue doesn’t have to be mental illness. It can be any struggle.”

-- Charlotte Stoudt

At the Ahmanson Theatre through Jan. 2.

Photo: (l to r) Curt Hansen, Alice Ripley and Asa Somers in "Next to Normal." Credit: Craig Schwartz.

Monster Mash: Detroit Symphony Orchestra reports deficit; Renee Fleming joins Lyric Opera of Chicago

Struggling: The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, already suffering from an ongoing musicians' strike, reports an $8.8-million deficit for the fiscal year. (Detroit News)

New role: Soprano Renée Fleming takes an artistic advisory position with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. (Chicago Tribune)

Simmering over seating: The mayor of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, has resigned after allegedly getting into a fight over seating at a concert by tenor Placido Domingo. (The Independent)

Leading man: Neil Patrick Harris will star in a production of Stephen Sondheim's "Company,"  to be presented by the New York Philharmonic in April. (New York Times)

Shutting down: The Sacramento Opera has canceled the remainder of its current season and dismissed most of its staff, citing a budget shortfall. (Sacramento Bee)

Ensemble effort: The cast of the Broadway production of "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo," starring Robin Williams, has been announced. (New York Times)

Group decision: The Tony Awards Administration Committee has ruled that the recent Broadway production of "Brief Encounter" will qualify for the best play category. (Playbill)

And in the L.A. Times: Dick Van Dyke withdraws from his upcoming show at the Geffen Playhouse due to an injury; the Pasadena Playhouse said it has raised $2 million and will launch another fundraising campaign.

-- David Ng

Photo: Soprano Renée Fleming. Credit: Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times

Who should host the 2011 Tony Awards?

Yes, it’s only November and the Tony Awards are still months away. But people are already buzzing about who should host Broadway’s biggest night.

 You can thank (or blame) “Modern Family’s” Jesse Tyler Ferguson for that. The Emmy-nominated actor recently offered up his services as Tonys host via Twitter in response to a news Tweet announcing the broadcast time and date (that would be June 12 on CBS). Then, in a Q&A with the New York Post, Ferguson made his big pitch:

"I never thought I would be, but thanks to "Modern Family" I’m in a place where I might actually bring viewers to the Tony Awards that might not necessarily tune in otherwise -– which is awesome. I could use my power for good. But at my core, I’m a song and dance man. It’s what I feel most comfortable doing. That’s where my roots are, that’s my first love, it’s my home. I’ve also never been nominated for a Tony, so I think it would also fill that void of being on that stage by myself with that community of people [laughs]. Basically, everything Neil Patrick Harris does I want to do."

Ferguson, theatergoers know, is no stranger to the boards. He appeared on Broadway in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (as Leaf Coneybear, the kid with the cape) after making his Broadway debut in 1998 in a revival of “On the Town.” And last summer, Ferguson appeared in the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park production of “The Merchant of Venice” alongside Al Pacino. He even did some flash mob dancing on last week's episode of the ABC comedy.

Now, Culture Monster is without a doubt a fan of “Modern Family” and of Ferguson, but let's consider some of the other names popping up. The in-the-know chatters over at Talkin’ Broadway had other ideas, starting with Paul Ruebens, a.k.a. Pee-Wee Herman, whose “Pee-Wee Herman Show” is playing a limited run at the newly dubbed Sondheim Theatre. Other suggestions? Rosie O’Donnell, who hosted the show in 1997, 1998 and again in 2000; Ellen DeGeneres; “Glee’s” Matthew Morrison; and, of course, Neil Patrick Harris.

So who do you think should host the Tony Awards? Take the poll. And if you don’t like the choices, throw in a name or two of your own in the comments below.

--Lisa Fung

Photos: Times Square in New York/AP. "Modern Family"/Twentieth Century Fox.

 

Tony Awards ceremony moving to New York's Beacon Theatre

Thanks to a new Cirque du Soleil production that will be taking over Radio City Music Hall this summer, the organizers of the Tony Awards have spent the last several months braving the New York real estate market in search of a home for its 2011 ceremony.

After much speculation, the American Theatre Wing announced Wednesday that the June 12 ceremony will take place at the Beacon Theatre, one of the city's most beautiful theatrical venues but much smaller than Radio City.

Located on Manhattan's Upper West Side, at the corner of Broadway and 74th Street, the Beacon is a popular venue for rock events -- the Rolling Stones have performed there a number of times, including a concert featured in Martin Scorsese's "Shine a Light"  documentary. It has also served as a venue for theatrical and other stage productions.

The Beacon has close to 2,900 seats; Radio City's capacity is more than 5,900. That means that tickets to the Tony ceremony -- now in its 65th year -- will become an even rarer commodity.

The American Theatre Wing said the ceremony, as in past years, will be broadcast live on CBS with a delay for the West Coast. This is the first time that the ceremony has taken place at the Beacon.

Cirque's "Zarkana" will begin performances at Radio City on June 9. The new spectacle is expected to have a limited run through the beginning of September.

'Driving Miss Daisy' -- a revival or a new play?

The Tony Awards aren't until, June but there's already one Broadway production that appears certain to garner some major nominations. Alfred Uhry's "Driving Miss Daisy" opened this week at the John Golden Theatre to strong reviews, especially for its two stars, James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave.

"Driving Miss Daisy" isn't a new play, but it is new to Broadway. The drama opened in 1987 at the off-Broadway Playwrights Horizons, where it was an instant hit, and has since been produced at regional theaters around the country.

When it comes to old plays making their Broadway debuts, the rules for the Tony Awards are often tricky and even haphazard. In 2002, Ivan Turgenev's "Fortune's Fool" made its Broadway debut. The production, directed by the late Arthur Penn, ended up receiving a nomination for best play, not revival, despite the fact that it is a classic work well over 100 years old.

Meanwhile, last season, David Mamet's "Oleanna" was deemed a revival by Tony organizers following its Broadway debut. The production, which originated at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, represented  the first time that the 1992 play had been performed on a Broadway stage.

How will Tony organizers treat "Miss Daisy"? According to recent Tony rules, a production can qualify as a "revival" if the committee deems the work a "classic" or part of "the popular or historical repertoire" -- which is to say that it's a subjective call.

Common sense would seem to dictate that "Miss Daisy" is part of the "popular or historical repertoire" and would thus be eligible for the "revival" category. But don't be surprised if Tony organizers thwart logic once again.

-- David Ng

Photo: James Earl Jones, left, Vanessa Redgrave and Boyd Gaines take their bow after a performance of "Driving Miss Daisy" on Broadway. Credit: Jason Kempin / Getty Images

Patti LuPone: The diva strikes back with a memoir

When an actor is described as "turbulent" or "difficult," it's typically a euphemism for "a royal pain." Patti LuPone, one of the most celebrated musical theater performers of her generation, wears her anger with a difference. The role she casts herself in repeatedly in "Patti LuPone: A Memoir" is that of battling victim.

Frowned upon by snobs who don't appreciate her Italian American vibrancy, pigeonholed by critics who refuse to accept her as both a musical and dramatic force, and exploited by money-hungry producers who want to wring her dry before discarding her, she reviews her theatrical career in the feisty, score-settling spirit of someone who's been burned once too often and has made a vow with her lawyers never to let it happen again (even though, at 61, she knows it probably will).

As her pulverizing (and often polarizing) star turns might suggest, this diva doesn't suffer fools gladly. To continue reading the book review, click here.

--Charles McNulty

twitter.com/charlesmcnulty

Photo: Patti LuPone. Credit: Ari Mintz / Newsday

Monster Mash: Liberace Museum in Vegas to close; British Museum gets windfall donation

-- All that glitters: The Liberace Museum in Las Vegas has announced plans to close in October due to financial difficulties. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

-- Windfall: The British Museum in London has received a $38.6-million donation from Lord Sainsbury, a supermarket billionaire. (Daily Telegraph)

-- Staying put: CBS will broadcast the Tony Awards ceremony through at least 2013. (Playbill)

-- Painstaking work: Conservation experts unveil ancient wall paintings in the Jordanian city of Petra that have been restored. (Reuters)

-- Priceless artifact: The British Museum said it will lend Iran an ancient artifact known as the Cyrus Cylinder for a period of four months. (Bloomberg)

-- Change of pace: British stage actor Simon Russell Beale will make his ballet debut in "Alice in Wonderland" at the Royal Opera House. (Daily Telegraph)

-- Live long and prosper: An opera performed in the Klingon language from "Star Trek" debuts in the Netherlands. (MSNBC)

-- Star power: Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch are expected to star in a film version of "Killer Joe," adapted from the play by Tracy Letts, directed by William Friedkin. (Variety)

-- And in the L.A. Times: The new $578-million RFK school complex opens on the site of the old Ambassador Hotel; Placido Domingo is in talks to continue his role as general director of the L.A. Opera.

-- David Ng

Photo: The Liberace Museum in Las Vegas. Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

Monster Mash: Detroit Symphony braces for musicians' strike; Wikipedia criticized for revealing play's ending

Labor standoff: Musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra have authorized its union leaders to call a strike after management's two final contract proposals were rejected. (Detroit Free Press)

Spoiler alert: Wikipedia is under criticism for revealing the ending of the Agatha Christie play "The Mousetrap." (The Independent)

Honored: The winners of  the first Horton Foote Prizes include Lynne Nottage's "Ruined" for Outstanding New American Play and Will Eno's "Middletown" for Promising New American Play. (Playbill)

Something foul: The British Museum in London has reopened after a suspected noxious substance left visitors with irritated eyes and throats, though the cause of the disruption remains a mystery. (BBC News)

Best of the best: The Tony Awards broadcast on CBS won an Emmy Award on Sunday for outstanding writing for a variety, music or comedy special. (Theatermania)

Rising from the ashes: The Chinese-American Museum of Chicago has rebounded after suffering major damage in a fire in 2008. (Chicago Tribune)

Stickler for details: Egypt's head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities has criticized a television series about Cleopatra for being unrealistic. (Agence France-Presse)

And in the L.A. Times: Art critic Christopher Knight takes on Glenn Beck; an artist who once created propaganda for Romanian dictator Nicolas Ceausescu displays her artwork in downtown Los Angeles.

-- David Ng

Photo: Leonard Slatkin, music director of the Detroit Symphony. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times