AmericanTheaterWeb Original News & Reviews

Wouldn't it be great to have a president willing to accept responsibility for his actions? One who was willing to say things like "manure" about policies, colleagues and situations that he didn't like? Well, while it's doubtful that we will find such a leader in the Oval Office any time soon, we can turn back the clock to the late 1940s and early 1950s, and revel in one such leader, President Harry S. Truman, thanks to the revival of Samuel Gallu's Give Em Hell Harry!, which just opened at St. Luke's Theatre in midtown.

Bix Barnaba in Give Em Hell Harry!
Photo: Doug Engalla

Starring in Gallu's comic drama – which of course was a major hit for James Whitmore in the 1970s – is Bix Barnaba, who brings the thirty-third president to life with an amiable feistiness that one can't help but wishing were more prevalent among elected leaders today. During the course of Gallu's drama, Truman offers up memories about his tenure in the Oval Office and in the political arena before "accidentally" arriving at the role of commander-in-chief. At times, Gallu's construction for these memories can feel ungainly or even curiously terse. Truman's decision to use the bomb to end the war with Japan is handled in a matter of moments.

But in other sections of the play, such as when Truman describes the extended conflict in Korea and his ongoing feud with General MacArthur, Gallu’s play is leisurely and provides in-depth historical information and Truman’s personal perspectives on the nature of war. Not only does the play come to life vividly here, so too does Barnaba’s performance. And, for contemporary audiences, this mid-20th century history has uncomfortable resonance as parallels to the war in Iraq become apparent.

Perhaps most illuminating are the moments when Truman shifts his thoughts back to his early political life. During these moments, he offers a truly frightening picture of the bigotry that he confronted in his home state of Missouri during the 1920s and 1930s, when the Ku Klux Klan held such sway that his stance on rights for African-Americans and Jews cost him an election. It's fascinating history that delivers true insight into Truman not only as a politician but also a member of the human race.

Unfortunately, director Stan Mazin's staging of the play – which shifts rapidly from anecdote to anecdote – feels unnervingly jagged. Uncredited lighting design shifts disconcertingly throughout, sometimes creating a glare that washes out the performer and the stage (which recreates, in a barebones manner, the Oval Office). But though the physical production may distract, it's difficult to not enjoy revisiting a time when leaders said what they meant and meant what they said, and didn't formulate their policies or opinions based on polls or the media's need for soundbites.

---- Andy Propst

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Give Em Hell Harry! plays at St. Luke's Theatre (308 West 46th Street). Performances are Tuesday at7pm; Wednesday at 2pm and Saturday at 5:30pm. Tickets are $31.50 and $56.50 and can be purchased by calling 212-239-6200 or by visiting www.telecharge.com. Further information is available online at: www.stlukestheatre.com

The Midtown International Theatre Festival continues this week in full-swing and next week with one final production in the Festival's newly created "commercial division." So far, I've done only a sampling of shows in MITF this year, taking in just about 7 offerings in total, spanning the spectrum of solo work, new musicals and a comedy. It's been a mixed bag. As with all shows in such Festival situations, there's a lot of promise to be found, but only one show seems as if it is truly ready for audiences, and might be even ready for a transfer.

Let me start with some of the promising offerings. On my first day at the Festival, I took in the musical Cleopatra: A Life Unparalleled. Cheryl E. Kemeny has not only written the book, lyrics and music for the show, she also co-directs with Char Fromentin, who has provided the choreography. It may seem foolhardy for Kemeny to take on the triple challenge of writing a musical, but in many instances, she succeeds admirably, particularly in her lyrics which are carefully and often cleverly constructed.

Unfortunately, Kemeny's book and music both leave something to be desired. In "Cleopatra," Kemeny chronicles the legendary Egyptian queen's childhood, and her affairs with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. That's a lot of ground to cover in any one piece – it took both Shakespeare and Shaw a play each to explore just one of Cleopatra's romances. On film, her biography is the subject of several epics. In contrast, Kemeny's "Cleopatra," lasts only 90 minutes, leaving audiences with the sense of having watched a Cliff Notes version – although well-conceived - of this ancient history.

The fleetness of the book is undermined by the hodgepodge of musical styles that Kemeny employs in the score. There's some rock, some traditional Broadway, country-western, etc. It's a grab-bag that makes the extraordinary events seem somehow less epic or regal. We tend to forget this when Melissa Labbadia, playing the title role, is center stage: her gait and presence are truly regal and exotic, but at other times, a sense of the mundane pervades this musical exploration of "a life unparalleled." Perhaps with the assistance of a dramaturg and additional collaborators, this piece with its impressive lyrics and always intriguing story, might find its way.

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Gorilla Rep will return to free Shakespeare in the park this August, with Hamlet, to be performed on the lawn at The Cloisters, running August 7 through August 31.

The production, which was workshopped indoors last year, is directed by Gorilla Rep Founding Artistic Director, Christopher Carter Sanderson & marks the 16th season for the highly respected theatre company.

Featured in this AEA Showcase Production are Ed Banas, Bruce Barton*, Michael Bradley Cohen, Ellen DiStasi*, Christopher Gottschalk*, Tom Lawson*, Michael Jennings Mahoney*, Chelsea O’Connor, Greg Petroff*, Oh Rhyne*, Christopher Salazar, Frances You Sanderson, Kurt Uy*, Colleen Wallnau* & Laurence Weeks.

In addition to this production of Hamlet, Sanderson in also directing KNB – the Musical as part of the 2008 New York International Fringe Festival. "KNB," which Sanderson also wrote, is an old fashioned romance about a group of Navy men & women stationed in Kuwait, who stage a musical. The show is set in a Naval Reserve unit much like the one Sanderson served in for the past year.

Hamlet will play at The Cloisters Thursday -Sunday at 8pm. Admission is free. There will be no intermission, but audiences will be able to leave & rejoin the performance in progress. For further information visit: www.gorillarep.org

Primary Stages will honor Tony Award-winning actress Patti LuPone and The Baruch-Routh-Frankel-Viertel Group at this year’s Primary Stages 24th Anniversary Gala Benefit to be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel (109 East 42nd Street) on Monday, October 27, 2008.

"Our Gala is a night to honor people who have made significant contributions to the theater. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to honor Patti LuPone and The Baruch-Routh-Frankel-Viertel Group. Patti is a phenomenal actor who consistently brings excitement and life to the productions she works on," stated Primary Stages Artistic Director Andrew Leynse. "And, The Baruch-Routh-Frankel-Viertel team, continue to champion and support new works both on and off-Broadway and throughout the world."

Past Primary Stages honorees have included Daryl Roth and Jack O’Brien (2007), Julie Harris (2006), Susan Stroman (2005), Horton Foote and Primary Stages Founder and Executive Producer Casey Childs (2004), Harvey Fierstein (2003), A.R. Gurney (2001), John Guare (2000), Betty Comden and Adolph Green (1998), Stephen Sondheim (1997), Wendy Wasserstein (1996) and Terrence McNally (1995).

For additional information, tickets and sponsorships contact Sue Breger at 212-840-9705.

The world premiere of The Invitation by Brian Parks will begin performances on September 5 at The Ohio Theater in SoHo. This new "revenge comedy" will be directed by Obie Award winner John Clancy.

Black humor is the main course in "Invitation," set in an elite city apartment. Here, a birthday-dinner celebration among a group of highly successful friends takes an abrupt, peculiar turn in a play that veers maniacally and sardonically through the worlds of politics, art...and revenge.

The Invitation will feature David Calvitto, Leslie Farrell, Katie Honacker, Paul Urcioli, and Eva von Dok with set and costumes by Rose A.C. Howard and lighting by Eric Southern.

Clancy is an Obie Award-winning director and the co-founder of FringeNYC. He works for Clancy Productions, an international touring and production company specializing in new American theater and serves as the Executive Director of the League of Independent Theater, the advocacy organization for 99-seat theaters in New York City. His directing credits include Parks' Americana Absurdum, Don Nigro's Cincinnati, his own play Fatboy and the UK premiere of Midnight Cowboy. He was awarded The New York Magazine Award in 1997 for "creativity, enterprise and vision".

Parks is also the author of Americana Absurdum, which won the Best Writing Award at the 1997 New York International Fringe Festival, a Fringe First Award at the 2000 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and was performed in 2004 at London's Menier Chocolate Factory Theatre, among other productions. His plays, which include Goner and Suspicious Package, have been performed in New York, Ireland, Scotland, Dallas, San Jose and San Francisco.

"Invitation" will be produced by Wordmonger, a New York City-based theater company, whose previous productions include Americana Absurdum, Goner and Suspicious Package.

The Invitation runs September 5 - 27, Weds. - Sat. with additional performances September 7 & 8 at 8pm at The Ohio Theater (66 Wooster Street). Tickets are $18, available at 212-868-4444 or www.SmartTix.com.