The Divine Sister

How fortunate I felt to have gotten to spend the evening of New Year's Day watching one of the funniest shows I've seen in a long time by one of my favorite playwrights!  That show, of course, is The Divine Sister written by and starring Charles Busch and is a play I've looked forward to seeing since I'd first read it was going to be opening in New York.

The sisters of St.Veronica, led by the Mother Superior (Mr. Busch) have recently been joined by Sister Walburga (Alison Fraser) from Germany who is in to check up on the financially strapped school/convent.  At the same time, a reporter (Jonathan Walker) is in town to get the scoop on a new postulant (Amy Rutberg) at the order who claims to have visions and the ability to heal people. All the while, Mother Superior and her best friend and second in command, Sister Acacious (Julie Halston) try to appeal to the local atheist widow (Jennifer Van Dyck) for a sizable donation. When all these characters cross paths, everyone's secrets start to come out in a hugely funny fashion.

I've always been a fan of Mr. Busch ever since I stumbled across Psycho Beach Party on HBO one day, way back when.  I've also always had a taste for humor which doesn't always make sense or is in the best of taste.  This show is a perfect example of that and I laughed from start to finish!

Besides being a genius writer, Mr. Busch always has the knack of getting only top notch people to bring his scripts to life.  And this show, may be the best yet.  I won't single any of them out because there are far too many examples I could use for each actor.  They all have their own wonderful moments apart, be it just a look or a perfectly timed quip but, are even greater as an ensemble.  And thanks to Carl Andress' direction, everything moves a rapid "blink and you might miss the joke" pace.

Ok so, enough.  I've gone on far too much about how great I think the show is and it's time to stop.  But if you happen to be in NYC or you live here and haven't gotten down there yet, get to the Soho Playhouse and see this show.  You can also check out more about the show here.  It's too funny not to see!  And if you don't like, then I'm afraid you were born with no sense of humor.  For me, it was a great way to start my theatre viewing for 2011!

Until next time...

Devil Boys After the Revolution

The past two days I've had the pleasure of seeing two plays that are total opposites.  The first, dealt with family secrets coming to the surface in Amy Herzog's After the Revolution.  The second, was the campy alien invasion piece Devil Boys From Beyond written by Buddy Thomas and Kenneth Elliot.

I had no idea what to expect when I went in to see After the Revolution at Playwrights Horizons.  The only thing I new about the play was that it had Mare Winningham.  So, I was a little surprised that it was a tense family drama about secrets exposed.

You see Emma, played by Katharine Powell, grew up believing that her grandfather was always fighting for the little man.  The types of people who are always being pushed around for not fitting the status quo.

Well, he did that but fifty years before, he was also a spy for the Soviet Union.  Her whole world is turned upside down to learn this and deals with the new knowledge of the man she's always known to be one thing, who now turns out to be someone else.

Overall, it was certainly a show to make you think.  What your hero turns out to be not quite so heroic?  How would you react?  It's easily the kind of play that could head straight down a boring path but, is kept on the interesting side thanks to an overall excellent cast.  My biggest problem was really that we didn't get to see more of the lovely ladies, Mare Winninham and Lois Smith.  The show could have used more of both of them.

On Friday, I got to see something that was the polar opposite of After the Revolution.  That, of course would be Devil Boys From Beyond.  A funny, campy play now playing at New World Stages.

Devil Boys follows newspaper reporter Mattie Van Buren (Paul Pecorino) and her photographer and former husband Gregory Graham (Robert Berliner) as they travel to Lizard Lake, Florida to investigate news of a possible alien invasion and abduction.  Along the way, Mattie is trying to keep the alcoholic Gregory away from booze while not having her story "scooped" by her bitter rival, Lucinda Marsh (Chris Dell'Armo).

This play is high camp of the first order.  In fact, it reminded me of a Charles Busch play and Pecorino's Mattie, reminded me a lot of one of Busch's trademark characters.  That's a true compliment from me, being a big Charles Busch fan.  Everything is played so over the top you can't help but laugh at the situation, no matter how ridiculous it may seem.

Overall, I'd say that both plays were definitely worth a viewing.  They're also a good way to see some diversity in theatre because they are so different from each other.  From the serious realistic nature of After the Revolution, to the over the top camp of Devil Boys.  I'd say depending on what you're feeling, they're both worth it.

After the Revolution runs through November 28th at Playwrights Horizons and Devil Boys From Beyond is at New World Stages for only 36 performances which began Nov. 3rd.

Until next time...