BOOK REVIEW: Fun Home

A while back I reviewed a book titled FUN HOME by Alison Bechdel in a newspaper column (and, unfortunately, not on my blog). I had originally picked it up because I knew Alison’s mother, a talented and fascinating woman. To put it mildly,the book was not at all what I expected.

Sub-titled A Family Tragicomic, FUN HOME is a graphic novel (hence the “comic” in “tragicomic”) that tells the coming of age story of Alison and her rather unorthodox family. The father was an English teacher who was also the  town’s funeral director; the mother also taught English and was active in local theater.

Alison knew from an early age that she was gay but did not find out that she had this in common with her father until she was in college, shortly before his questionable death.

The book is is brilliantly done. It is hard not to get caught up in the family dynamics and the artwork is especially well done. Although the story is told in cartoon fashion drawings, one portrait of the mother is beautifully executed. I was really impressed when I read FUN HOME.

Now to the present: No matter what is on my schedule, life gets put on hold the night of the Tony Awards. I knew that FUN HOME had been made into a musical and had been nominated for an award. It was almost with personal pride that I watched the show win five awards including Best Actor in a Musical (Michael Cerveris) and, in my opinion the top prize, Best Original Musical.

FUN HOME is also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. (We could have titled this post “Local Girl Does Extremely Well”. ) Alison’s most recent book is Are You My Mother; A Comic Drama. Also a  collection of her comic strips has been published, The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For, taken from twenty five years of the popular strip.

PS. You young women may be familiar with the Bechdel Test, a test to determine how women relate through conversation in movies. Check this year’s winners and losers.

THEATER: Les Miserables

On April 4th the Bald Eagle Area High School Drama students went to New York City to see LES MISERABLES. I was lucky enough to go along.

It was a very full day, starting at the high school at 8:00 A.M. and ending back at the high school at 4:00 A.M. The bus was full (55 students and adults) and after some welcoming words from Drama Coach Eric Brinser, everyone sat back to watch the movie Frozen.

After one stop for a lunch break, we reached New York City with time to spare so the bus driver drove around the city while Mr. Brinser played tour guide. This was the first wow moment for me; the bus driver wove that big bus through the snarls of traffic as if it were a go-cart. It has been a few years since I have driven in NYC and I was very impressed.

The real action started with an improvisational workshop for the students. Jane, the instructor, was very good at getting the students to feel at ease. It must have been a little intimidating for the younger attendees  to be in New York City, on Broadway, in a professional rehearsal hall and with a stranger asking them to improvise bits of business. They were terrific. It did not take them long to get into the swing of the exercises and for them to show what a creative group they are. I wish that I had learned Jane’s last name. She was good.

The session ended with the appearance of Cathryn Basile, a member of the LES MISERABLES cast. Ms Basile is a swing in the show and not always sure that she will be going on until the last moment. After a brief sharing of her life in the theatre, she opened the floor for questions. Shortly before we left the rehearsal room,she came bursting back into the room with the news that indeed she would be in that evening’s show. This gave all of us someone that we knew to watch for.

After dinner, we finally made it to the Imperial Theatre to see the new production of LES MISERABLES. This is one of my favorite shows and having seen it several times, I was eager to see the new version. Naturally the story sticks to Victor Hugo’s original novel and the score was the same beautiful music and lyrics that we all know. The impressive sets seemed to be richer than I had seen in the past and some of the changes in directing were beyond brilliant. I especially loved Javert’s suicide scene. If you go to see the show, watch for it.

Most of the cast was new to me; quite a few were making their Broadway debut, but I expect to hear more of them. Ramin Karimloo ranks with the best Jean Valjeans that I have heard. It is worth the trip to New York and the price of a ticket to hear his “ Bring Him Home”. I also want to see more of Will Swenson who played Javert. His credits are extensive so I should be able to check out his other roles. As usual Petit Gervais, played by Gaten Matarazzo, was a big favorite of the audience.

By four o’clock in the morning, I was beat. Would I do it again with these kids? You bet! I have to admit that they really were the most impressive part of the trip. Now I have proof that there are many, many fabulous teenagers out there. The world will be in good hands.

THEATER REVIEW: Waiting For Godot (Broadway)

Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Patrick Stewart, Billy Crudup, and Shuler Hensley in Samuel Beckett’s WAITING FOR GODOT directed by Sean Mathias. That information says it all; there should be no need for an actual review. But, this blog is titled Pat’s OPINIONATED Review and that means that I get to give my opinion.

Our first born daughter told me that she would take me to New York to see a show of my choosing; this was to be my Christmas gift for the next kazillion years. There was very little choice when I saw that the Cort Theatre on 48th Street in NYC was hosting a stellar cast in WAITING FOR GODOT.

My first impression was of the theatre itself. I have a weakness for smaller, older theatres - the type that is beautiful and where the actors do not need amplification to be heard in the cheap seats. The Cort Theatre was perfect for this intimate play.

The set design flowed from the ornate proscenium to the “bare” stage so well that it was hard to tell where the arch stopped and the set began. Usually ...GODOT is done on a practically empty stage with only the tree and some random rocks. Here we were looking at a multi-level set with interesting rocks and what looked like an old cemetery to the side with open graves. The result was still that of emptiness in the middle of nowhere.

I am sure that the reason for the sold out house was partially the play itself. WAITING FOR GODOT has been described as the “ most significant play of the 20th Century”. The trouble with it is how to summarize the plot. If you are familiar with the play, you know the problem; if you have never read or seen it, there is no way I can do it justice. I heard one description that said the first act is about nothing and the second act is a repeat of the first therefor it is nothing happens- twice. Actually, it is two men waiting for Godot and while they wait we hear some theology, some philosophy, some Laurel and Hardy, and some vaudeville routines. There is both tragedy and comedy wrapped in these men.

Which takes us to the, I suspect, the main reason for the success of the evening: Sir Ian, Sir Patrick, Billy Crudup and Shuler Hensley.

To my shame, Shuler Hensley’s name was unknown to me, but I will be watching for it in the future. His stage credits are very impressive so much so that he has been awarded the Stage Performer Of the Year by New York Magazine. While on stage as Pozzo, he appears bigger than life; his physical presence and his voice take over the stage--no mean trick when you consider his co-stars.

Billy Crudup has been the receiver of a Tony as well as Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Olivier Awards. He might be best known though for his roles in movies such as  Eat, Pray, Love and Almost Famous.  He was physically unrecognizable as Lucky, the worn-out, much put upon slave. The end of his “thinking” scene was the only time the action had to stop for applause. He was very impressive.

For me to critique the argumentatively two best classical actors in modern English theatre seems pretentious on my part. If Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are only known to you through the X-Men series, The Lord of the Rings,or Star Trek,The Next Generation, you have only the smallest glimpse of their talent.Their combined careers cover almost 100 years and between them they have won almost every award available for stage and screen work. (That also includes hosting Saturday Night Live).

A true indication of their talent is that never during WAITING FOR GODOT did I ever think of either actor as anyone except Estragon and Vladimir. Sir Ian’s Estragon’s character is a down-to-earth tramp-like person while Sir Patrick played Vladimir as pretentious, but with a bit of a twinkle in his eye. During the extended curtain call, the audience had a chance to see the humor as well as the great respect and friendship between these two men.

I am extremely lucky to live in an area with exceptionally fine theatre and I take in as much as time and budget allows, but it was a dream to see Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart live. They really are “Knights to remember”.

WAITING FOR GODOT is playing in repertory with No Man's Land through March 2, 2014. Information can be found at http://www.twoplaysinrep.com/.