Gregory G. Allen's Blog, page 5

Steve Martin Showers Broadway with Absurd Comedy

I love theater that is different and odd. I was a huge fan of 2014's The Realistic Joneses and 2105 Constellations. Both non-linear, not-for-everyone-theater. I can also enjoy theater of the absurd where you throw your notions of what is real out the window and just go with it. That's the category for the new Steve Martin play Meteor Shower opening on Broadway at the Booth Theatre next week. I realize I saw it during previews (though ticket prices for this 90 minute show are anything BUT preview prices), but what I witnessed was a well-oiled machine completely ready for reviewers to chew it up.
I loved it! I believe I laughed through the entire show. Jerry Zaks is a master comic director and keeps the show in constant motion (aided by the set design of Beowulf Boritt, lighting by Natasha Katz, and sound by Fitz Patton). Many people know Steve Martin as an actor, but also an author, playwright, musician....the list goes on and on. At times, you can actually SEE him through the words he has written and could envision him on stage playing these roles. 
Instead, we are treated to four amazing performers - two of which making Broadway debuts. Amy Schumer is the name getting people in the doors and causing great advanced sales. She is absolutely adorable in the role of Corky, who along with her husband Norm (played by Broadway's Jeremy Shamos - and I man I love in everything he does) have invited another couple to their home to watch a meteor shower. Schumer delivers her lines as we have come to love from her stand-up and films...and it works perfectly in this quirky, every-changing play. Keegan-Michael Key (known for Key and Peele) is also making his Broadway debut and shows a vast range of character as Gerald who arrives with wife Laura (the effervescent and incredibly funny Laura Benanti) to shake things up and test boundaries. Key should have vast range - he said in an interview that he never thought of doing comedy as he was classically trained and appeared recently as Horatio in Hamlet at the Public. 
All four actors get to show off their comic and acting skills a lot during this one act. From the way its constructed, it must not be an easy play to memorize, but this team was flawless on Saturday night. The comic timing of all of them is a beautiful illustration of the importance of an ensemble leaning on each other. Each get moments to shine and to support and none of them appear to be attempting to outshine the other. I also love when shows give actors a chance to switch midstream and show a different side of themselves by playing against what you've been witnessing....I realize this may seem like an odd statement, but if you see it - you'll get what I mean. All four get to play varied aspects of the same character and I find that very enjoyable. 
Hopefully reviewers will stay away from giving away much of the story when they write about it next week. You will read Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? written in many reviews. I say it's more Christopher Durang who made a career from writing absurd comedies in the 80s and 90s and had a huge renewal in 2013 with his award-winning play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. We'll wait to see if Tony voters remember this show later in the season (since it's a limited run). 
I went in knowing absolutely nothing about it, and glad that I didn't. The show is set in 1993 (not sure why, but I just went with it). And going with it is what this play is all about. We're living in the brilliant mind of Steve Martin for 90 minutes and we're just lucky to be taking residence there. While the show is absurd, there are true themes underlying it all. Listen closely and you might hear some ah-ha moments about relationships. Oh...and watch out for those who attempt to unravel your own relationships. Those unhappy people do exist, just waiting to see if they can chip away at what you've built. This play sends us away asking questions about ourselves and our own relationships. 

The show is only running a few months and closes late January. Tickets will be hard to get, but if you can manage...grab one and be swept away in the lunacy and utter joy that is the crazy play.

Steve Martins Showers Broadway with Absurd Comedy

I love theater that is different and odd. I was a huge fan of 2014's The Realistic Joneses and 2105 Constellations. Both non-linear, not-for-everyone-theater. I can also enjoy theater of the absurd where you throw your notions of what is real out the window and just go with it. That's the category for the new Steve Martin play Meteor Shower opening on Broadway at the Booth Theatre next week. I realize I saw it during previews (though ticket prices for this 90 minute show are anything BUT preview prices), but what I witnessed was a well-oiled machine completely ready for reviewers to chew it up.
I loved it! I believe I laughed through the entire show. Jerry Zaks is a master comic director and keeps the show in constant motion (aided by the set design of Beowulf Boritt, lighting by Natasha Katz, and sound by Fitz Patton). Many people know Steve Martin as an actor, but also an author, playwright, musician....the list goes on and on. At times, you can actually SEE him through the words he has written and could envision him on stage playing these roles. 
Instead, we are treated to four amazing performers - two of which making Broadway debuts. Amy Schumer is the name getting people in the doors and causing great advanced sales. She is absolutely adorable in the role of Corky, who along with her husband Norm (played by Broadway's Jeremy Shamos - and I man I love in everything he does) have invited another couple to their home to watch a meteor shower. Schumer delivers her lines as we have come to love from her stand-up and films...and it works perfectly in this quirky, every-changing play. Keegan-Michael Key (known for Key and Peele) is also making his Broadway debut and shows a vast range of character as Gerald who arrives with wife Laura (the effervescent and incredibly funny Laura Benanti) to shake things up and test boundaries. Key should have vast range - he said in an interview that he never thought of doing comedy as he was classically trained and appeared recently as Horatio in Hamlet at the Public. 
All four actors get to show off their comic and acting skills a lot during this one act. From the way its constructed, it must not be an easy play to memorize, but this team was flawless on Saturday night. The comic timing of all of them is a beautiful illustration of the importance of an ensemble leaning on each other. Each get moments to shine and to support and none of them appear to be attempting to outshine the other. I also love when shows give actors a chance to switch midstream and show a different side of themselves by playing against what you've been witnessing....I realize this may seem like an odd statement, but if you see it - you'll get what I mean. All four get to play varied aspects of the same character and I find that very enjoyable. 
Hopefully reviewers will stay away from giving away much of the story when they write about it next week. You will read Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? written in many reviews. I say it's more Christopher Durang who made a career from writing absurd comedies in the 80s and 90s and had a huge renewal in 2013 with his award-winning play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. We'll wait to see if Tony voters remember this show later in the season (since it's a limited run). 
I went in knowing absolutely nothing about it, and glad that I didn't. The show is set in 1993 (not sure why, but I just went with it). And going with it is what this play is all about. We're living in the brilliant mind of Steve Martin for 90 minutes and we're just lucky to be taking residence there. While the show is absurd, there are true themes underlying it all. Listen closely and you might hear some ah-ha moments about relationships. Oh...and watch out for those who attempt to unravel your own relationships. Those unhappy people do exist, just waiting to see if they can chip away at what you've built. This play sends us away asking questions about ourselves and our own relationships. 

The show is only running a few months and closes late January. Tickets will be hard to get, but if you can manage...grab one and be swept away in the lunacy and utter joy that is the crazy play.

A Magical Village on 55th Street

I'm not sure how I managed to make it to 48 years old as a theater-lover and have never seen a production of Brigadoon. That curse was finally broken by NY City Center's Encore production. The opening night was simply spectacular...it started as you turned onto 55th street and heard the sound of bagpipes on the street. Sure, I've heard "Almost Like Being in Love" a 100 times, but never in the context of the show sung by such brilliant singers. The 1947 musical has been produced at City Center a few times through the decades, but this old-fashioned musical about a village in Scotland that only appears every 100 years was definitely what we needed in 2017. Before Lerner and Loewe gave us Camelot and My Fair Lady, they took audiences on this adventure of two men from New York stumbling upon this quaint village and love blossoms. Yes, the olden days when a musical couple could fall in love during one song. When the female lead was always a soprano and the comic relief was the alto. It's all there on the stage at City Center and the singers and the orchestra are lush and beautiful. Christoper Wheeldon (who brought us An American in Paris) has directed and choreographed this production stunningly.
I originally got tickets because Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale were reuniting after Bridges of Madison County to do this show. Once Pasquale left to another Broadway show, they brought in Patrick Wilson....and what a great choice. The man has a voice like silk...perfect for these old standards. He should be singing all the time. O'Hara is flawless as she soars to high notes that seem humanly impossible. The two make for a great leading couple as Tommy and Fiona. Stephanie J. Block fills the role of feisty Meg wonderfully bringing her comic chops to play opposite Aasif   Mandvi (The Daily Show) as Jeff. 
Video Still of FairchildI fell in love with Robert Fairchild when I saw him in An American in Paris (which I luckily got to see both in Paris and NYC). Playing the brooding, rebellious Harry in this production, Fairchild shows what a master he is at dance. It was superb! ALL of the dancers are absolutely stunning in this production. There are other Broadway names that make up other roles, but I must call out Ross Lekites (who will be in the upcoming Frozen) for his angelic tenor voice. I hope to be seeing more and more of him onstage.
I truly have nothing but praise for this production. It was a pleasure to escape into this world of fantasy and old-time fun. Everything about it felt like a treasure given to us by theater greats of the past while those in the present put their own flare on it in this revival. Thank you to the Encores Series for offering up these gems from time to time. The show only runs through Sunday...IF you can grab a ticket, to it!

Torch Song Sings Back into New York

Back in 1982, a show hit Broadway that turned its lead actor/playwright into a star. He became the household name for the lovable, sassy, gay man that middle America could be comfortable with long before Modern Family. The man was Harvey Fierstein. The play was Torch Song Trilogy. Second Stage Theater has mounted a revival of the play, cut it down from 4 hours to 2.45, removed an intermission, dropped the word "trilogy" and Moisés Kaufman has directed a wonderful interpretation of the piece. Before I say anything more...a huge shout-out to the designers of this show: scenic design by David Zinn, costume design by Clint Ramos, lighting design by David Lander, sound design by Fitz Patton, hair design by Charles G. LaPointe, and makeup design by Joe Dulude II.
Finding a lead actor for a role that is so identified with Fierstein...who everyone knows from that gravelly voice - was a challenge in it's own. Michael Urie (who was born the year before the show originally appeared) met that challenge head on. Second Stage has already extended the run twice and can't extend again as Mr. Urie is scheduled to play Hamlet in Washington - yes..you read that correctly. The same man playing a drag queen who is a hopeless romantic will show his versatility and tackle Shakespeare next.
I never saw the original play (as I moved to NYC in '87), but did see the film. I had no idea it was three separate one-acts each told in a very different way. A set of monologues, a farcical foursome scene where characters constantly switch locations and who they are talking to, and then a "standard" living room comedy. 
Arnold Beckoff is a neurotic, lovable, Jewish man who is a drag queen and torch song singer in NYC in the 70s. The play takes us from 1971-1980 at different points of his life. He longs for love, monogamy, a family - everything his parents had. The play is his quest. Only we learn that family is what we make it to be. A bisexual man who marries a woman, but stays in Arnold's life those ten years; a gay teen in the foster care system in need of a parent; a 20 year old hustler who falls in love with Arnold; and a mother. A mother who doesn't understand her son's gay life, tries to be a caring mom, but ends up saying everything she believes is wrong with that son and the "homosexual lifestyle." The gay story written in the early 80s isn't that much different from 2017 and this play holds up that mirror to the world quite beautifully with wonderful actors, an incredible set, and lots of laughs...one-liners that Fierstein has written in many shows ever since.
Michael Urie is giving an exceptional performance in a role that he knew people would make comparisons to his predecessor. I love the acting choices he makes. He's charming, adorable, loving and very neurotic. Fierstein was in his late 20s doing the show and Urie is in his late 30s which instantly makes the character his own simply from those ten years, My one complaint is his voice. No, he's not copying Harvey. But he is doing an odd Brooklyn accent that comes off sounding like a mix of Ed Norton an Yogi Bear. I only wish he had been told to just use his own voice. Some of the lines are left in from the original that Arnold is an unattractive man and this simply isn't true. Even cute skinny men can have a tough time finding love - if the show moves to Broadway, perhaps they can alter those lines for this actor and a new audience who never saw the original.
Mercedes Ruehl is a knock-out as the mother. She's doting, she doesn't hold back, her delivery is brilliant yet there is so much going on underneath. She has created a very layered character that is the center of Act 2. The two of them are great sparring partners and have taken on aspects of each other that we see the son is exactly like the mother. 
Ward Horton as the bisexual Ed looks like he walked right out of the 70s and is convincing as the man torn between Arnold and his girlfriend played comically by Roxanna Hope Radja. Michael Rosen rounds out that foursome during the second part of Act I as the young lover that Arnold takes to visit his ex and girlfriend. Rosen is very believable as the young man Arnold decides to settle down with. Jack DiFalco rounds out the cast as the 15 year old that Arnold takes in to raise. I loved his take on a teenager that was very different from the ways most are portrayed on stage. My biggest issue was he simply looked too old (as I'm sure the actor is) which added an odd and somewhat uncomfortable layer to this production since we already saw Arnold with a younger man. 
If you can get a ticket - go see this show. I applaud Second Stage for bringing this back to New York. I can't help but notice in the current climate we're in where the LGBT is under scrutiny by the current administration, the arts in New York are answering by bringing back stories of our past to show we've struggled before and we'll continue to fight. Coming soon: Angels in America and Boys in the Band.

Does This Butterfly Soar?

I saw M. Butterfly the first time it was on Broadway almost 30 years ago and had to return to see what changes the playwright did in this revival. Of course after seeing it, I couldn't really recall 30 years ago to know the difference. I've read there were many rewrites to put more of the real story it's based on into this script and yet there were other changes I noticed in David Henry Hwang's (first Asian-American playwright on Broadway back in '88) Tony award-winning script. If you do not know the premise of this play, perhaps you should stop reading as I will be sharing some secrets as I write.
I remember loving this play about espionage and culture differences and deception. I was 19 and wide-eyed back then. Audiences were shocked by the big reveal, much as we were when watching the film The Crying Game. That's one of the problems with a show that has a big reveal: audiences find out before going in. So this time around, we already know what's coming. In 2017, transgender is in the news all the time and we know more about men living as women. So the fact that a French embassy official living in Beijing in the 60s and falls for a beautiful 'woman' while she's performing on stage is still a lovely premise in 2017, it's just that the audience is in on the secret before the lead character finds out.
Speaking of lead character, Clive Owen plays the geeky, nerdy, some-what shy Rene Gallimard. I recall being blown away by John Lithgow in the original production. Mr. Owen brings his own to the role - holding his arms awkwardly and twitching his hands to convey nerves and playing "least likely kid to be invited to a party". However, Mr. Owen is sexy and handsome and one would never believe he's had issues with women in the past and married an older woman out of convenience. I love him in almost every film he does and he's fine in this role. I just couldn't get past how wrong he looked for it. I found him doing more of the seducing than Song Liling. While the power of the man is important to the story, the fact that Liling as the frail butterfly is totally in control is much more interesting and should drive the story.
Jin Ha (and NYU grad) was plucked from the Chicago Hamilton cast (where he was the first non-white person to play the King) to play the role of Song Liling which made BD Wong a star in the late 80s. Mr. Ha transforms beautifully into a woman, has the high singing voice of a bird, and portrays the cunning and deceitful nature of his character very well. (I believe this was where some of the rewrites happened as I don't recall getting so much of this character in the 'now' portions: as the two leads are conveying this entire story to the audience as a flashback. We also get explicit details about how he faked having sex with Gallimard-something left out of the original.) 
I enjoyed this revival and I'm glad that I saw it, but for some reason the overall production didn't wow me as it had before. Some of that rest in the hands of director Julie Taymor: a goddess at creating pictures and images on stage that will stay with you. In this case, some of that (constant moving screens to show different scenes while reminding us we're always in China, opera/dance 'movements' that go on too long, allowing all actors to speak in their native tongue giving us a Brit and an Aussie sharing childhood stories where audiences are concentrating on their opposing accents) works against the beautiful story that Hwang has written. Sometimes less is more.
If you've never seen the show (as my friend who saw it with me hadn't and was completely pulled in), give it a try. The show speaks volumes to masculine oppression which is very timely today as more and more people come out about sexual harassment by men in power positions. You'll be entertained, you'll be enthralled, and perhaps you won't mind that Clive Owen is a sexy beast wanting you to believe he's not adept at the art of intimacy. 
I had to share this photo of the original couple the play is based on (seen here at their trial in 1986). Bernard Boursicot was a low-level French foreign service worker who fell for Shi Pei Pu - an actor who worked as a woman on stage. Shi Pei Pu passed away, but Boursicot is still alive and was interviewed by a director just this past summer.

Learning More Than Expected in a Commercial Workshop

Last month I completed a four week run of a play which really got me thinking about getting out there again to see if I could give acting a try. I know. Crazy right? It’s been YEARS since I was pounding the pavement in Manhattan and I know much has changed in 30 years since I started in the business. Doing that play made me long for it again…wondering if I had ‘missed out’ on something by giving up so soon. As my fellow actors were all discussing their next projects, an ad popped up in my Facebook news-feed (proving those work) for a commercial workshop offered at New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts. I’ve never taken a class there, but I have a long history with them from previously running the rental space for their shows, to directing Beth Baur (one of the co-directors of the school) in my short film, to many other connections. The class was taught by actor Mick Gyure and Marisa Cucuzza of Beth Melsky Casting would conduct a mock camera audition.
I’m very glad I took the four-week workshop.
Some of it was a reminder of what I used to do when I was actively pursuing a career in acting (yes- these are early head-shots here) and other parts taught me what all has changed. (It’s not the late 80s anymore and commercial actors aren’t acting as spokespeople for a product. Now – they just want real people...hello! I'm real!) Mick was great because he’s out there working in the business and he was very helpful to our group which had people aging from 16 up to the coolest woman EVER in her 80s! A few of us have a theater background and Mick patiently pointed out the camera is very different from performing for that last row in a theater. Marisa didn’t hold back anything when giving us feedback on our audition and having us try other takes. (This was particular different for me as I have acted ON stage with Marisa almost 10 years ago!) All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the class and so glad I took it.
Will I run out and start auditioning for commercials? Who knows. It did prepare me for that choice, but it also did something that was much more important. If you read this blog – you know weight has always been a huge issue for me. Basically, I stay around the same weight going up and down 5-10 pounds all the time. But this is me. However, I’m my own worst critic and I’ve actually talked myself out of auditioning for certain shows because of my weight.
Commercials are about real people. This….this is me. I’m not trying to be someone different on camera – just Greg who lives in THIS body. During the four weeks, we would film audition spots and then watch ourselves while Mick would critique us. I didn’t do what I usually do when watching a performance on video or seeing a photo posted that I had no control over. I just accepted it as me. This was a HUGE win for me and and I'm actually very proud I got to this point...even if the doubt comes back, I know what it feels like now to accept yourself.  
Thank you to Beth, Bob, Mick and Marisa for doing what you do for actors in NJ as well as offering me a lesson you had NO idea you were offering.

BTW – I TOTALLY still said I want to be the “before shot” of a lipo commercial. Come on. I still need to be able to laugh at myself. (And I'd love if this gut could make me a few bucks!) 

The Band's Visit Moves to Broadway

When a show runs off-Broadway and then moves, usually it's already a well-oiled machine and previews are just as good as seeing it after it opens. That's exactly how I felt watching The Band's Visit playing now at The Barrymore Theatre.  I missed the show when it was at The Atlantic Theater Company, but knew it won numerous off-Broadway awards. I went into the show knowing absolutely nothing. When I saw the "Turn off Cell Phones" message written in two other languages, I figured I was in for 90 minutes of a serious history lesson. Not at all. It starts off with a huge laugh from the audience and pulls us in for this small story all night.
Based on a 2007 Israeli film (which was denied submission for an Oscar as 1/2 of it was in English), the musical has a book by Itamar Moses and a score by Davis Yazbek.  Yes, the same man that wrote the score to The Full Monty and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels....and you'd never recognize it came from the same mind. This score is rich in Egyptian and Israeli culture. It soars, it makes you laugh, it has it all. It breaks all 'norms' of what Broadway is. Even the show structure does with small characters given solos. And I loved it all! Bravo to director David Cromer for his deft hand on this gem of a piece.
Sometimes you just want to go in to a show, be entertained, and yes have an underlying story of how much we are ALL really alike...no matter where we come from. The characters in this show are all unique while showing a universality and I felt I got to know them in such a short time. Premise: An Egyptian band is chosen to perform in a small town in Israel, but ends up in the wrong town. Lives intertwine in one night and music soothes the soul and brings people together. Simple, yet beautiful.
I didn't know much of the cast, but they are all amazing and many paying great homage to their cultures and family history. Tony Shalhoub is the conductor of the band and the male lead of this tiny musical (where the male lead only sings one song....told you it breaks all conventions)! He is grounded and wonderful in this role. I don't believe I've ever seen Katrina Lenk on stage before - but shame on me. I loved everything she did. Every choice she made in her stance, how she would sit - the actress embodies this character of a woman running a small restaurant and longing for something in life. I loved seeing John Cariani on stage again after seeing him in Something Rotten. He is adorable in this show. And Adam Kantor - I could listen to that man sing anything! I also really enjoyed seeing new faces who bring so much to this incredible show: Ari'el Stachel, George Abud, Etai Benson, and Andrew Polk. The "Band" consist of 3 actor/musicians and 4 other musicians and there is an ensemble of actors that create this community.  
Broadway is seeing the return of the small musical with Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, Fun Home, and we can add The Band's Visit to that list. Do yourself a favor and check out this band and the people who inhabit this small desert town. 

Contemplating My Platform of Adversity and Diversity

Photo by Joe GigliI've hit another crossroad in my life. I can feel it...bubbling within me. It's not that I haven't already been working towards it, towards something. Those that follow my blog know I can't simply stick in one area of the arts; I'm constantly bouncing around from writing, to directing, to acting. Recently I had the pleasure of returning to the stage in a 4 weekend run of the amazing play "Mothers and Sons" by Terrence McNally at the Barn Theatre in New Jersey and it made me miss performing greatly. I also had an epiphany that I tend to only want to do shows that have a higher purpose of some sort - with stories that demand to be told. (I'm not bashing shows that are there for pure entertainment value, I just tend to be drawn to the others: often leaning towards the dramatic side.)
A few years ago, I started using Adversity & Diversity on much of what I was writing (even this blog) as I believe I was already wanting to tell stories that cover diverse topics and show how someone overcomes an adverse situation. I actually started that when I was 14 and wrote a musical about monsters that were sad they could only come out at Halloween because they were so different. I've been talking about diversity my whole life...I continue even today when I travel to schools talking about autism awareness and 'okay to be different' - it's just part of who I am.
I've often wished that I could stay in that POV whenever I put myself out there in the public. I marvel at people on twitter who can stick to their platform and never talk about other things. I find them inspirational in their approach. However, that's just not me. Especially the past year when I feel I'm constantly needing to raise my voice against the current administration, the very one attempting to take my rights away. Turn us back to the 1950s. Remove all signs of diversity in our great country. Sometimes my voice is heated and angry as that's where I am in my mind. So I guess in a way, I do stay in that same lane as it's still about adversity and diversity...even when my delivery takes on an attacking tone.
This past week, I thought so much about my platform, the issues I consider big in my life, and the way I try and address them through artistic expression. It all made its way into my application for the Obama Foundation Fellowship. Something in my gut told me I needed to apply for this inaugural fellow for his foundation. They will be bringing people together for two years to work on civic issues and how people/communities can address them. I have no idea if my platform and the way I address them will make me a candidate, but it felt amazing to fill out the application and make an intro video. If nothing else, it helped me to wrap my brain around what I've been doing the past 30 years with my career and just maybe...deciding what that next project will be.

Spoiler Alert: Read This Book!

Like most people, I hear about cancer all the time. It looms over us. My mom had it. My husband works in it daily as a radiation therapist. His mom passed from it. It’s just always there. (I even had my second basal cell removed today so as to keep skin cancer as far away from me as possible!) So I don’t usually seek out books to read about the Big C.
Spoiler Alert.
I had no idea what Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies was about when I bought it. I saw Andy Cohen holding the book on Instagram four days ago, I pre-ordered it on Amazon and it downloaded to my kindle the day it came out. I started reading it last night around 5pm and only stopped because I had to go to a brush-up rehearsal for a show I’m in. 
I hadn’t read anything about the book. As I started, I realized I loved the writing style. It wasn’t until the character said his name was Mike that it dawned on me it actually WAS a memoir and that wasn't just some cute sub-title decision. This may come as a shock to Mr. Ausiello’s ego (and i mean nothing bad by this)…but I didn’t know much about him prior and the guy has been in the entertainment industry as long as I have and WAY more visible. Sorry, Michael….I should have known you sooner. Because trust me, we would have been best friends. I can tell. The author's word choices, his turn of a phrase - I was engulfed in his storytelling and stayed up until 1am reading more than 1/2 of the book & devoured the rest today all under 24 hours! (PS: Reading it on the kindle app on an iPhone 7Plus….so kudos to the apple battery life!)
The book is all about love and loss. It is heartbreaking. It is funny. It is powerful. Yes, the title really does say it all. Michael’s partner Kit of 13 years is diagnosed with cancer and this is their journey during that last year. But we get to see snippets all through their relationship. I LOVE that he doesn’t sugarcoat it and turn it into a fairy tale. It’s real. It’s hard. Relationships are hard. And THAT makes it beautiful. (Friends would call me today to check to see how my procedure went & I would answer the phone in tears as I was at the end of another chapter. Basically everyone that called got a dissertation on this book and heard very little about the stitches on my upper back.)
I’ve been with my husband 17 years. We too have had our share of ups and downs. Being with anyone for that long isn’t easy. You go through slumps. You try and navigate your way and make a relationship/marriage into what works for you. All couples must do it. 
The biggest compliment I can the author is that I fell in love with my husband all over again reading this book. I thought of us through so much of it. The good, the bad, the ugly. But it made me appreciate every single moment I’ve had with Anthony and i wouldn’t trade those for the world. 
Michael Ausiello & Kit CowanI’m sorry for Mr. Ausiello’s loss, but I celebrate his love. I celebrate Kit’s life. If your goal was to make sure Christopher “Kit” Cowan is remembered….you succeeded, Michael. He is in my mind and my heart today as I finished the final chapter. Much love to you as well. (You can also donate to a Kit Cowan Scholarship Fund which I did right away.) 

Read this book. Memoirs are meant to shed light on someone’s life in the hope it will touch someone else. I think this book could be in the relationship guide section of a bookstore, because it could strengthen many relationships simply from reading it.

Nora Back On Broadway

When A Doll's House, Part 2 opened on Broadway this season, I didn't have a desire to see it. Like some others, I made the assumption it was going to be a period drama continuing the story of Ibsen's A Doll's House about what happened to Nora after she closed that door. The original story was written in the late 1800s and I was busy trying to get to too many shows on Broadway this season that I looked right over this one.
Big mistake. HUGE! 
After seeing more stories about it as it got closer to the Tony Awards, I was intrigued. Then I knew I needed to get tickets after Laurie Metcalf (who I loved in The Other Place and Misery previously on Broadway) won the Tony Award, but early summer events got in the way. The moment the show was extended and the original cast end date was set - we HAD to get tickets.
So glad that I did. All four of these performers are AMAZING. Lucas Hnath has written a delicious play about marriage and relationships and yes...tells us what happened to Nora after she closed that door. I love how modern it feels while still only being 15 years after Nora walked out on here husband and children - something unheard of for a woman to do in the late 1800s. Hnath takes opposing looks at marriage through each character when all three get a chance to speak to Nora about the consequences of her choices. It makes audiences think about their own relationships - no matter what point they may be: newlyweds, married forever, or even divorced. The author's words are delivered with power from this incredible ensemble. 
Laurie Metcalf is a goddess! I was happy when she won the Tony because of her previous work, but seeing her in this - she deserved it. Every choice she makes as an actress feels natural and fresh, no matter how long she's been doing the show. Her comic timing is impeccable. I've always loved Chris Cooper in films, but it's a pleasure to see him live. He gives Torvald depth and layers in such a compact evening. Jayne Houdyshell is Broadway's treasure and we're just lucky to be in the same room with her while she shares her craft. She is fantastic. Condola Rashad has a way of delivering lines in this show that takes your breath away...because it's rapid fire! I loved her in The Trip to Bountiful and her beauty and joyous expression mixed with biting dialogue is a real treat in this show.
The design of the show is simple with the door being a prominent character. That simplicity allows these four performers to shine and Sam Gold's direction of Hnath's words to soar. The show has been extended so do yourself a favor and add this show to your list. Don't be a fool like I was thinking it wasn't for me. 
It is.