Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Off-Broadway openings: A spirited, zippy revival of MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION and Douglas Carter Beane’s underbaked FAIRYCAKES

• By drediman
• October 29, 2021
• No Comments

This past week, I caught a pair of Off-Broadway openings. Here are my thoughts.

MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION
Gingold Theatrical Group
1 hour, 40 minutes (without an intermission)
Through November 20

First up is Gingold Theatrical Group’s spirited revival of George Bernard Shaw’s once controversial Mrs. Warren’s Profession (RECOMMENDED), which opened at Theatre Row on Wednesday. As with most of the company’s offerings, the revival has been directed by artistic director David Staller, whose zippy production flies through the Bernard Shaw play with energizing speed and efficiency. Thankfully, this particular approach eliminates most of the stodginess and ponderous self-importance that sometimes accompanies stagings of Bernard Shaw plays, all the while bringing transparency to the playwright’s arguments and the overall arc of the three-act play play. As a result, the play unfolds with an appealing sense of clarity that I find refreshing. Admittedly, it takes the pleasantly diverse cast (which features Broadway stalwarts like Karen Ziemba and Robert Cuccioli, in addition to fresh-faced newcomers) just a little while to settle into the frantic rhythm of Mr. Staller’s staging, which eschews the two intermissions that are typically embedded within a performance of the play. But once the cast (and the audience) have adjusted and are on the same page as the director, the production kicks into high gear, and it’s a hoot to behold. The cast – led by the fabulous Karen Ziemba, who makes for a most likable Mrs. Warren – is excellent, and their broad performances throw a well-aimed jab at the warhorse that shakes off the dust that’s accumulated on it.

FAIRYCAKES
Greenwich House Theater
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through January 2

Then there’s Fairycakes (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED), the anticipated but severely underbaked and overlong new comedy in (mostly) verse by Douglas Carter Beane. The play, which recently opened at the Greenwich House Theater, mashes A Midsummer Night’s Dream with some of the Western world’s favorite fairytales (e.g., Pinocchio, Cinderella, Peter Pan), perhaps hoping for a crowd-pleasing hybrid somewhere between Shakespeare’s oft-performed comedy and Sondheim’s Into the Woods. And as far as Off-Broadway theater goes, the cast is as accomplished and enticing as they come, featuring established comedic talents likes of Julie Halston, Ann Harada, Jackie Hoffman, and Arnie Burton, as well as some exciting up-and-coming talent. Suffice to say, the show has a lot going for it. Unfortunately, Mr. Beane has a hard time translating his spry comedic sensibility to verse and most of his attempts at hilarity fall flat (he could take pointers from the verse works of David Ives), making for a long evening. Indeed, it says something about the play when the funniest moments of the play stem from an unforeseen costume mishap. Despite the spirited and valiant efforts of the cast and the staging’s handsome production values, one can’t help the feeling of being aboard a sinking ship. My primary frustration lies with the “why” of it all. At the end of the day, Fairycakes is in essence just a subpar variation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. If that’s the case, why not just perform Shakespeare’s eloquent, hilariously evergreen comedy?