It's Olivier Awards Weekend! Predictions, Thoughts, Rants, Jazz Handsby Randi / April 5, 2019It’s Theatre Thursday! Today’s show is Emilia, at London’s Vaudeville Theatre.
Who was the ‘dark lady’ that Shakespeare wrote sonnets about? Was she some strumpet, some rampallian? Bite your tongue, peasant! The new play Emilia follows the suggestion of editor A.L. Rowse that this mysterious figure in Billy Shakes’ sonnets was actually Emilia Bassano, one of the first female poets in England to have her works printed. And I’m all for this. Although unlikely, it’s fun to imagine that these two contemporary poets not only knew each other, but once upon a time loved each other, and that maybe Billy owes some of his most famous words to her. Maybe she was so talented that Shakey stole some of her words and made them famous, without attribution, without permission, without even thanking her. That’s the route of the new play Emilia, newly transferred to the West End from the Globe, in imagining this mysterious figure as one who, in a more reasonable time, could have been the famous playwright everyone knows.
We meet Emilia first as an older woman reading what has been written about her and scoffing at it. She’s finally reclaiming her story and telling us the truth – at least some of the truth; what we know about her real life is interspersed with the imagined interactions with Shakespeare, with some ‘mostly likely’ scenarios, such as who her patronesses were, mixed in too. To tell the story, three actresses portray Emilia at different stages in her life: first, a captivating Saffron Coomber as the vibrant young lady with all the world’s gumption; second, an affecting Adelle Leonce as the wiser and still strong woman she became; and third, back to Clare Perkins as the powerful older incarnation of the lady that wouldn’t stop fighting for her voice to be heard.
Throughout all the efforts to keep her in the ‘proper’ path – including sending her away to be raised in the court – Emilia wrote and lived on her own terms as much as possible in a society that didn’t let women do anything on their own terms. By presenting virtually her entire life and every move she made to stay true to herself and her writing, the play becomes an epic in female empowerment. It’s sometimes too focused on being seen as such, but overall it achieves the goal. With these sorts of messages, it’s easy, and common, for the creatives to hit audiences over the head with their morality lessons (and point to the modern day relevance in a too obvious ‘see what I did there!’ kind of way) when letting the work stand on its own feet would accomplish a more powerful result, yet despite falling into this common trap a few times, it doesn’t take away from the truly powerful result.
As a young lady, Emilia became the mistress of Baron Henry Carey, an arrangement that let her focus on her writing while meeting the most influential patrons of the arts. It’s in this detail that the play sees her meet fellow poet William Shakespeare, a peer who at first seems like the only one who gets her but who, like all men, disappoints as he deems her writing simply a hobby. The use of Shakespeare, and the portrayal, was brilliant. When the two poets’ relationship sours over his theft of her words, they come to a head in the extraordinary, dynamic climax of the first act, with the cast spread all over the theatre shouting and clashing. Luckily for me, Shakespeare barged into my box to do his shouting from there, and he hilariously said to me “I’m so sorry madam, you can have a free ticket for the next play”. The scene was incredibly staged and directed, with everything chaotic but organized perfectly. I wish the direction remained more like that throughout, instead of sometimes getting lost in keeping aspects modern, such as music and dance. Those attempts (I think someone dapped) read as more of a joke than a way to make any sort of commentary.
The dark turn of the second act makes complete sense and is necessary, but it almost feels surprising, which it shouldn’t considering how truthful it is. Perhaps it’s because all the girl-power messages are finally starkly shown to not mean much when you’re in a society that isn’t listening. Perhaps it’s partly because of the modern aspects used as jokes and the girl-power applause breaks that don’t work as well as the play itself. More so at the end, the morality lessons threaten to get lost in heavy-handed presentation. When big statements are made about men and women that still apply, they tend to elicit raucous applause, which is fine, if it’s warranted. Too often, there were dramatic statements that seemed present for that very reason, instead of serving the story. There’s a fine line between important and indulgent, and a few times it felt like the latter (especially when the audience erupted after one character asks a male character why he was explaining stuff she already knew to her). Maybe it’s just that audiences are too eager to be a part of things. But it all comes together at the end, with the oldest Emilia giving a fourth-wall breaking speech that was one of the most powerful things I’ve ever seen. It nearly erases any flaws of the preceding show, and serves to reinforce that overall, this is a potent, impressive work.
The cast of all women turns the Shakespearean tradition of men playing women on its head while also happily reminding me of RBG saying “when there are 9”. In defense of the all-male casts that still proliferate while all-women casts are usually nowhere to be found (or only for shows with all-female characters), I’ve heard people say “well it’s funny when men play women! Women playing men is not funny at all.” This show is like CHECK AND MATE, MUFUCKA. Shakespeare (Charity Wakefield (omg you’re more British than Shakespeare!)) was so incredibly pitch-perfect and hysterical, I was almost embarrassed at how much I was laughing. It was a hilarious character, like Shakey from Something Rotten! but less mean in his humor. Amanda Wilkin as Emilia’s goofball husband Alfonso was also nonstop hysterical with her gallivanting around the stage and ridiculous moments, especially when she played an era-appropriate song on the recorder in a baby’s face. And what made me laugh harder than anything was when one of the older ladies of the ensemble, briefly played a duke who was railing against women speaking or writing. The audience booed and hissed, which made me super mad because audiences are ridiculous here, but the actress completely made the show by shouting back, ‘excuse me this isn’t PANTO SEASON.’ It was THE BEST. And despite most of the ensemble switching in and out of various roles, they reached such emotional depth with the dramatic turns of the plot that you almost felt guilty for laughing in a previous scene. Everyone is wonderful, and even though it’s all women, the diversity of the cast was stellar. A range of ethnicities, ages, abilities, bodies, with old ladies playing young, and even one deaf actress. This is how 99% of casts should be. And if all new plays were as strong as this one, I would be thrilled.
INFORMATION
Emilia is playing the Vaudeville Theatre until June 15. It runs 2 hours 30 minutes.
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“Once: The Musical” Is Still A Triumph Away From Broadway
Steve Kazee, from the Original Broadway Cast
Many new project announcements for Broadway shows make me raise my eyebrows in doubt or surprise. No project has ever made me angry, expect when I heard that “Once”, one of my favorite movies about the music of one of my favorite bands, was getting the musical treatment. I felt personal attachment and ownership over the material, as I often do, but this time I had no hope that a stage show could capture the personal feel and beauty of the movie. I of course was wrong, because Once: The Musical is so incredibly lovely and pure. Some aspects are improved in the stage show, and the various added characters round out a superb experience of the power of beautiful music.
I was lucky to see the original production on Broadway, with Tony-winner Steve Kazee and (the Mother on “HIMYM”) Cristin Milioti. Within a few minutes, I felt with my entire being that this was a magical experience. I’m so relieved that the first national tour, which recently played Philadelphia’s Academy of Music, is equally enthralling. If you have the chance to catch the tour, go see it. Even though the space is huge, the perfectly directed show still achieves the required level of intimacy. And the wonderful tour cast fully sells every aspect of the difficult show.
I was lucky to see the original production on Broadway, with Tony-winner Steve Kazee and (the Mother on “HIMYM”) Cristin Milioti. Within a few minutes, I felt with my entire being that this was a magical experience. I’m so relieved that the first national tour, which recently played Philadelphia’s Academy of Music, is equally enthralling. If you have the chance to catch the tour, go see it. Even though the space is huge, the perfectly directed show still achieves the required level of intimacy. And the wonderful tour cast fully sells every aspect of the difficult show.
Stuart Ward, ‘Guy’ on the national tour
I say it’s a difficult show because we’ve all come to expect everything in this world, from art to politics to personal relationships, to be covered with a protective layer of cynicism, or bitterness, or at least some of kind of edge. “Once” has absolutely no edge. It has no artifice. It is a simple show presenting insanely gorgeous music for its own sake, and showing how the music affects people it touches. It’s a bold and brave move to not couch its message in anything at all but instead to nakedly display it, leaving it vulnerable to attacks of being too twee. I think a lot of the people who think the show twee or corny feel uncomfortable in dealing with such pure emotion straight on, because we’re rarely asked to do that.
The show takes place in Dublin, mainly in a bar where the area musicians meet to share their music. (Every cast member plays an instrument; they are the orchestra.) One of the best parts is that, as on Broadway, the bar set features an actual working bar, and audience members can go on stage and buy a drink before the show and during intermission. During the pre-show section, the entire cast is onstage, playing their music and encouraging each other to join in. It’s a fantastic way to highlight the talent of the cast members who don’t get solos during the actual show. This set up also allows for one of the most magical ways to open a show I’ve ever seen: As the music continues and the audience members slowly get ushered off the stage, Guy, our unnamed hero, starts playing his first song. The lights fully dim during this song, “Leave”, one of Glen Hansard’s many powerful, heart-breaking songs, and before you know it the show has officially started. It’s pretty fantastic (as long as the people around you know to shut up even though the lights are on…seriously people.)
Girl, our Czech heroine who is even more honest and open than the show, hears Guy’s song and knows that he has something special. She pushes him to keep playing even though his broken heart wants him to quit, and her faith in him brings new depth to his music. It’s one of the most romantic relationships ever, with a couple that doesn’t end up together or ever even kiss. It’s all about the music. And it’s amazing.
The Girl is a really complex role. She has to be so optimistic that she verges on chipper, and so honest and open that it veers into cartoony. The actress playing her has to keep her from getting too cartoony while also showing her maturity and intelligence. Cristin Milioti did this perfectly, somehow. The Girl on tour does a respectable job. Some of her early lines (the funniest ones) in Act I got a little hammy, but in the more serious Act II scenes, she was great. Although it’s still a bit strange to hear the unnamed Guy sing a lot of the songs, instead of the wondrous Glen Hansard, the tour’s Guy was very likable and demonstrated emotion well. However, a lot of his lyrics were swallowed. Surprisingly, one of my favorite characters on tour was Andrej, one of Girl’s roommates, whom I don’t even remember from Broadway. He has few lines and a tiny substory of about 30 seconds, but it was heartbreaking on tour. It shows what a good actor can do with very little.
My absolute favorite part of the stage show is funnily enough my least favorite part of the movie. The song “Gold”, by the Irish band Interference is sung in the movie during a ‘Sing for your supper’ kind of dinner party. In the show, Guy sings it at an open mic night at the bar, to a very cynical crowd (when he says “This is a song…that I wrote” everyone groans; it’s pretty great). But soon, every single person at the bar picks up an instrument and joins in, completely moved by his music and almost without realizing it. Here’s the cast performing it at the Tony Awards. The stomp is my favorite part of the entire show, seriously. (They changed the intro for the Tonys, so you’ll have to see the show for the hilarious lines.)
Girl, our Czech heroine who is even more honest and open than the show, hears Guy’s song and knows that he has something special. She pushes him to keep playing even though his broken heart wants him to quit, and her faith in him brings new depth to his music. It’s one of the most romantic relationships ever, with a couple that doesn’t end up together or ever even kiss. It’s all about the music. And it’s amazing.
The Girl is a really complex role. She has to be so optimistic that she verges on chipper, and so honest and open that it veers into cartoony. The actress playing her has to keep her from getting too cartoony while also showing her maturity and intelligence. Cristin Milioti did this perfectly, somehow. The Girl on tour does a respectable job. Some of her early lines (the funniest ones) in Act I got a little hammy, but in the more serious Act II scenes, she was great. Although it’s still a bit strange to hear the unnamed Guy sing a lot of the songs, instead of the wondrous Glen Hansard, the tour’s Guy was very likable and demonstrated emotion well. However, a lot of his lyrics were swallowed. Surprisingly, one of my favorite characters on tour was Andrej, one of Girl’s roommates, whom I don’t even remember from Broadway. He has few lines and a tiny substory of about 30 seconds, but it was heartbreaking on tour. It shows what a good actor can do with very little.
My absolute favorite part of the stage show is funnily enough my least favorite part of the movie. The song “Gold”, by the Irish band Interference is sung in the movie during a ‘Sing for your supper’ kind of dinner party. In the show, Guy sings it at an open mic night at the bar, to a very cynical crowd (when he says “This is a song…that I wrote” everyone groans; it’s pretty great). But soon, every single person at the bar picks up an instrument and joins in, completely moved by his music and almost without realizing it. Here’s the cast performing it at the Tony Awards. The stomp is my favorite part of the entire show, seriously. (They changed the intro for the Tonys, so you’ll have to see the show for the hilarious lines.)
I’m glad to report that the choreography is the pretty similar on the tour. However, in other parts of the show, the choppy, modern choreography is a little less “Spring Awakening” and a little more “Hail Hitler”, with strange jerky arm movements and awkward steps. It’s interesting on the whole, how the movements reflect the characters’ awkward and new emotions, but sometimes it’s just too awkward.
Overall, “Once” is really a magical show. There are a few new songs that Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova wrote for the show, like the wonderfully sad but soothing “Sleeping”, but they replace some favorites like “Lies”, “All The Way Down”, and “Once”. But the choices are smart, and the book, though different from the movie, has all the necessary charm and intelligence to successfully translate this small but powerful story to the stage. I’m so happy to have been wrong about this show.
Overall, “Once” is really a magical show. There are a few new songs that Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova wrote for the show, like the wonderfully sad but soothing “Sleeping”, but they replace some favorites like “Lies”, “All The Way Down”, and “Once”. But the choices are smart, and the book, though different from the movie, has all the necessary charm and intelligence to successfully translate this small but powerful story to the stage. I’m so happy to have been wrong about this show.
Broadway’s “Shuffle Along, Or the Longest and Most Unnecessary Title Since the Horrors of Birdman” Is Prettayy Good
Best show art of the season
In this Broadway season of beyond splendid revivals and nice enough new shows dwarfed by “Hamilton”, one important show is kind of a mix of the two. “Shuffle Along, or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed” (I know) (whose idea right) (so ridic) (but it is accurate) actually petitioned to be considered a revival, because it uses the score of the original show “Shuffle Along” from 1921. But it was wisely considered a new show because this new Shuffle is telling the story of that 1921 show, how it was made, who was involved, and how it was received. And of course all that followed.
What makes the 1921 “Shuffle Along” worth discussing? It was a groundbreaking musical revue written by four African-American men – Noble Sissle, Eubie Blake, F.E. Miller, and Aubrey Lyles. Not only was it the first musical for all four writers, it was the first major production in a long time to be created and produced entirely by African-American, like at all. That it played in New York of all places, and that it had an incredibly successful run for its time, shows how important a cultural milestone it was.
Why was it groundbreaking? It convinced the theatre community (and white producers) that a ‘black show’ could be successful, and that people of all races would pay to see an exciting, quality show like this. The black community embraced it wholeheartedly for showing the world its exuberant singing and dancing styles, and the theatre community at large embraced it too, legitimizing these new-to-them styles for the uptight people of that world. “Shuffle Along” famously had to add a midnight showing (always sold out) so that other celebrities with similar schedules – fans like Fanny Brice and Al Jolson – could catch it regularly. And not only did the show introduce a new kind of theatre to the world, it also launched the careers of luminaries like Florence Mills, Gertrude Sanders, and Josephine Baker, while showcasing already-famous stars like Lottie Gee.
So the original “Shuffle Along” stands as a vital moment in theatre history, yet so few people know about it. George C. Wolfe, legendary Broadway director, decided to bring its story back to Broadway, but not the story the original told (some forced plot about a mayoral race that no one really cared about because the score and the dancing was really what they were after). Instead, he wanted to tell the story behind the mounting of that show and how it came to be and what happened to those four creators and all those stars they made after all the success of the musical sensation of 1921. Naturally, to tell this story, you hope to gather the most incredible African-American performers there are today. You hope to get Audra McDonald, queen of everything, to play the diva Lottie Gee. You hope that Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway’s longtime beloved leading man, will join you as one of the four creators, along with other Broadway stars Billy Porter, Joshua Henry, and Brandon Victor Dixon. You even have the pipe-dream that Savion Glover, the best tap dancer in the entire world, will choreograph the whole thing and attract the most incredible dancers to the ensemble. And then that all happens! And you get “Shuffle Along 2.0 or the Show That Could Have Been Amazing But Is Really Just Very Good”.
Yeah, not joking. All those amazing parts came together, but yet you are left feeling a little unsatisfied. You expect the show to really hit you and resonate with you, but it never fully makes that emotional connection. No matter how far I put out my feelers, the ones coming from their end never made contact. “Shuffle” is wonderfully exciting to watch for the most part, but it’s more like the original than it wanted to be: The score (the same score as the 1921 one) is great, the dancing is out of this world, but the book is a bit of a mess. Such a mess that, unlike most shows, “Shuffle” wisely took advantage of its preview period, making necessary changes night after night until the show was frozen. Unfortunately, this is one show that definitely could have benefited from an out-of-town tryout so it was in even better shape before the move to Broadway. Then it could have used previews to hone and tighten rather than reimagine and rewrite as much as it did. Because of the wattage of all the stars involved, an out-of-town tryout was nigh impossible, but I wonder what could have been possible if they made it happen. As it is now, “Shuffle” has a fine story in the first act, and you pull for them to make it to New York and have success and be able to buy train tickets and stuff. It is positively magical when Audra, one of the greatest divas of our time, sings as another great diva; when BSM sings because oh my god that voice (and they didn’t make nearly enough use of it); and when the ensemble dances to Savion’s insane choreography. I say insane both in the way I describe things that are amazing, and also in the way that means actually insane. Some of the dancing is almost manic, all maniacally energetic and so fast and disjointed and trippy that you can’t believe they aren’t falling down or convulsing but somehow they are still dancing. The ensemble really deserves as much credit for doing these moves as Savion deserves for making them do it.
But then much of it feels blank. My mind wandered a little in the first act and then a lot in the second, when they tell you how important everything that happened in the first act was and how monumental the original “Shuffle” was and how it affected all their lives, but they kind of just tell you. Repeatedly, yet nothing sticks. I know some people are still confused at what Joshua Henry’s Noble Sissle talks about in a monologue about how his former military officer was killed and made Noble promise to continue what he was doing by creating opportunities for black musicians…I think. It was obviously a really important moment, but it didn’t come across very strongly. There’s a lot of talk about how these men had such an important job to do and how meaningful what they did was, and it was of course, but this show didn’t do much to make you believe it and know it for yourself. Without any background about the original “Shuffle”, it’s not easy to jump in accepting how significant it really was. It’s a difficult task this show took on, and they do a good job, but not great.
The big dance numbers are the best parts of the show, by far. My favorite featured the ensemble split into two groups, facing each other, kind of having a dance-off but using crazy tap-as-weapons that looks like their feet are falling off. It was crazy fun. I wanted more of those kinds of numbers to fill the holes in the book. Luckily, the entire cast is terrific. Of course Audra and B(d)SM are phenomenal, and it’s really special, beyond special, to see them onstage together again after starring in “Ragtime” so many years ago. One of my favorite facts is that Brandon Victor Dixon, who plays Eubie Blake (one of the few creatives who had success after “Shuffle”), said his first Broadway show was “Ragtime”, starring his now his costars (and Audra plays his love interest). I love that! Hooray for this community! I also loved Billy Porter’s big number, “Broadway Blues” (I think). He gets a big bluesy number to bring the house down, and he does. It’s tailored to his talents – overdoing it, but in a fun way. It’s the perfect opportunity for him to let loose, because it works as this huge and exaggerated number, and it’s not bad if Billy overacts, which he sometimes does but we love him for it. And Adrienne Warren, Tony nominee for this show, was really fantastic pulling double-duty as Gertrude Sanders & Florence Mills. She really performed the two characters so distinctly and was truly lovely. Sadly, I don’t remember Joshua Henry getting to really shine on any song. He’s solidly good but has the smaller role of the four men, so his beautiful voice doesn’t get enough airtime. I loved loved the train station song that had Brian lifting the spirits of the ensemble, leading to some impeccable dancing, but I wanted Brian to sing more too. That voice is just velvet and I would have been happy if he (and Audra) just started singing the phone book (or “Ragtime”). I wish I could speak specifically on each song, but weirdly, there is no song list in the Playbill. This made sense during previews when the show was changing every night, but now it’s been frozen for a while so I don’t get it. I can say of course that “I’m Just Wild About Harry” was phenomenal, as sung by Audra, because that is the most famous song Sissle & Blake wrote so I’m pretty sure it was in there. RG.
The surprising thing to me, though, is that if “Hamilton” wasn’t around this season, “Shuffle” would be winning the Best New Musical Tony Award (it has already won the lead-up awards that Ham was eligible for last year). I’m kind of like whoa about it, because the book is a mess – which makes it all the more upsetting that some pundits think it should win the Best Book Tony over Hamilton just to spread the wealth. And, without this current cast, I have some doubts about how it will hold up. Audiences will get an answer to this sooner rather than later, as Audra’s preggernancy will bring in her replacement Rhiannon Giddens. I don’t know her, and I’m sure she is wicked talented, but a lot of the magic of this show came from knowing you were watching Audra, the greatest musical theatre actress maybe ever, play another famous singer. And a lot of the magic from watching the men’s scenes came from knowing you were watching a group of beloved Tony winners and nominees shine. Without a strong second act and with the importance of the original cast, it would be a winner on the weaker side. Still, as it is now, it’s a solid show with an all-star cast that I would jump at seeing onstage together again if I could. I am so lucky I saw it before Audra got preggers. She’s leaving soon, and I’ve heard reports that in the meantime she is sometimes a bit scaled back, probably because the alien inside her is making her nauseous. And it’s the best tap dancing you’ll see maybe ever. The story they are trying to tell is one of great importance, and I wish it was told a little more clearly, a little more cleanly. But you know, it did get me interested enough in the original “Shuffle” to do my own research into it. If other audience members do the same, and if a lot more people now know about the original show and what it did for African-Americans and for theatre, then that is a big success.
AUDIENCE
I think fine. One night when I didn’t have to yell at anyone! OH important note – this is a Scott Rudin production, and he famously does not allow late seating in his shows. If you miss the very start of the show, you don’t get to come in from the lobby until Act II, no joke. This is really great to stop all the shitheads who don’t think live theatre is important enough to stop them from hanging at the bar a little longer or stuff like that, but I do worry about the very few people who will be negatively affected who don’t deserve to be for reasons out of their control (read, I worry that one day I will be late). But for the most part it’s a good idea. I did hear from a few people that ushers at his shows don’t let you bring water bottles in, but that shit should be illegal and if anyone tried to take mine away I would have starting railing about all the amendments. ALL OF THEM.
STAGE DOOR
No one came out boooooo. I wanted to ask Brian to record my outgoing voicemail. Just kidding. Not really. #velvetteddybear
