There is a God, part 2

Here is proof.

Best of 2008: Theater/Shows

Broadway/Off-Broadway
Equus
Originally billed just as Harry Potter naked, live on stage, I actually really enjoyed the actual play. Daniel Radcliffe has definitely (ahem) matured as an actor and it was really exciting to see him in something so completely removed from Harry. Richard Griffiths was incredible and I liked the story way more than I thought I would. Money WELL spent.

The Seagull
Starring Peter Sarsgaard and Kristin Scott Thomas, this was another great chance to see amazing actors live on stage. An ensemble piece that deals with love, family, etc, it also starred MacKenzie Crook, better known as Gareth from the British Office or the pirate with the wooden eye in Pirates of the Caribbean. He was the one that most impressed me.

Shakespeare in the Park: Hamlet
My feelings on this have already been chronicled here.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
As have my feelings on this one.

Comedy
Asssscat (Thanks Dan)
I saw two performance of this Upright Citizens Brigade show, originally created by SNL's Amy Poehler. The first one was far funnier than the second one, mostly because Rob Riggle formerly of The Daily Show was in attendance and he could make me laugh just standing there. However, it did introduce me to my favorite new addition to SNL before he made it there: Bobby Moynihan

Stella
Although a big fan of Wet Hot American Summer I hadn't seen much Stella before this show. Until my good friend Dan had me watch some over Thanksgiving break, which I was thankful for. It was all solid, especially when Paul Rudd showed up to "stand in" for David Wain while he went to the bathroom. Hey, Paul . . . Shawnee Mission West!

Late Night With Conan O'Brien
This was a fun one, mostly because we thought it would be kind of lame since the guest was Martin Short, but he turned out to be very funny. One thing to complain was the people in charge of the line. We were directed to the wrong one and ended up way in the back. This upset me, not so much the rest of my party. Conan, however, was his usual charming and funny self. Don't go to L.A., they'll ruin you!

Other
Times Talks: Sarah Jessica Parker
See here.

Times Talks: Ellen Page, Amy Ryan and Jason Reitman
Ditto.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

To start, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof is not a comedy. Alison and I thought this was a well-known fact. Yes, there are elements of comedy in Tennessee Williams' iconic play but mostly it's about unhappiness in love and unhappiness in old age.

Someone should have told the audience that surrounded us for this production of the play.

(see below)

But first things first, the cast was worth the big bucks we ended up paying. Terrence Howard as Brick, James Earl Jones as Big Daddy (Darth Vader!), Phylicia Rashad (mom from The Cosby Show!) and Anika Noni Rose (one of the Dreamgirls, the one that sleeps with Eddie Murphy), make up the principals of the novelty of an all-black cast for this Southern plantation drama. So I dutifully spent my hard-earned money for the chance to see such a cast in my favorite Williams play. 

Despite the disappointing audience, I still enjoyed the production. Maggie was especially good. James Earl Jones played Big Daddy as a bit of a creepy old pervert, but it was funny and he was in The Sandlot so I was satisfied. 

(Angry Alison Peterson chimes in)

I like to think I have a pretty good sense of humor. In fact, if we're being honest, I'll laugh at almost anything. 

Arrested Development? Always.

A sketch on the modern-day S.N.L.? Usually.

A deteriorating marriage? Alcoholism? A man struggling with homosexual feelings? A diagnosis of a terminal condition? Lies upon lies, upon lies? Never. 

And this, unbelievably, is where I differ from the rest of the Broadway audience for Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Call me crazy, but I've always thought that this play's traditional reputation as a drama was warranted. And yet, for most of my fellow theatergoers, it had "uproariously funny" written all over it. Am I exaggerating? Probably. But the laughter was frequent and baffling. Through shouting matches, through serial confessions, through three acts. While I was hoping people might catch on to the seriousness of the subject material, it never happened. Brick, everyone's favorite tortured soul, finds the world's mendacity unbearable tot he point that it drives him to drink incessantly. It drove the people of the Broadhurst Theater, however to hysterics. For the record: When Brick clumsily tries to hurt Maggie, so enraged that he stumbles past the pain of his broken ankle, that is not an elaborate pratfall. No, that is hatred. It is serious; it is passionate. It does not require a laugh track. 

The performances were fine, despite the fact--as Lindsey pointed out--some of the lines were (inexplicably) played for laughs. Don't insult my intelligence, Broadway. When I spend money to see some Southern-fried drama, I want friction, tension and anger. Much like the anger that consumed me for nearly three hours, making this one of my least enjoyable theater experiences. 

Shakespeare in the Park: Hamlet

What an undertaking it is to get tickets to Shakespeare in the Park. Last year, I enlisted my visitor Kim to try and get us tickets, but we underestimated the Bard's New York fan base and were denied entry. So this year, Alison was taking no chances and I decided it was now or never.

So Alison and I woke at 8:00 on a Sunday morning, tired but determined. Our slightly late partner in crime was Autumn and we hunkered down for four hours of waiting in line just to get the damn tickets. It wasn't so bad until it started pouring down rain. Did Alison and bring an umbrella? Ha! That would have been smart. Luckily Autumn had come prepared with an umbrella, not to mention a towel for us to sit on, and not just any towel, a MTV Room Raiders towel. So we all huddled under the one tiny umbrella, wet and shaking. We finally made it through the rain and got tickets so it was worth it.

We returned to the Delacorte and found a beautiful evening for Shakespeare. The production's marquee names included Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under, Can't Hardly Wait) as Ophelia, Sam Waterson (Law and Order) as Polonius and Margret Colin (Gossip Girl, Independence Day!) as the Queen. The production used strange 19th century, mostly military dress and the set was constructed to look like a great hull on a ship, which doubled as a kind of prison. Denmark = Prison, in case you've forgotten your Hamlet. I thought the actor ( Michael Stuhlbarg) that played Hamlet was really good. Committed to his mania, which is how I prefer my Hamlets, he spit out each line with contempt. However, semi-raping the queen was, I felt, unnecessary.

Ambrose is his equal as Ophelia loses her mind (and her hair!). Waterson is a perfect putting old fool, going so far as to convince Alison that he flubbed a line, but according to the New York Times, that was just a calculated lapse meant to showcase Polonius' ridiculousness. The Times went on to call it the "one breathtakingly poignant moment" in the entire production. Hmm, I thought he just flubbed his line, but what do I know?

As my first Shakespeare in the Park experience ended, I realized a play like Hamlet doesn't really serve the surroundings of Central Park. Give me A Midsummer Night's Dream or a Romeo and Juliet (which they did last year) to play off the park's beauty. Hell even Twelfth Night would have been better in an outdoor setting. Hamlet just feels too stuffy for the setting, but overall Shakespeare in the Park deserves its reputation as an iconic New York experience.