This is a public service announcement. If you were "lucky" enough to score tickets to the sold out production of Peter Sellars' "Othello," starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz at NYU (co-produced by the Public), I strongly urge you to scalp your tickets before the reviews come out. Because once word of mouth gets out, you're going to have a very expensive bookmark on your hands. The production is, as the angry woman in front of me said, "a travesty." Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz seemed to be acting in different plays: Hoffman's performance seemed to be in an over-the-top classical one, and was notable for its excessive screaming and lack of any sense of his character; Ortiz seemed to be in a third rate high school one, and listening to him recite Shakespeare made me appreciate how one of my high school English teachers insisted on playing professional recordings of Shakespeare plays for the class rather than have students attempt to recite them.
The set consists of a bed made out of television sets, showing random images, the meaning of which are known only the the director and designed. Director Sellars randomly combined characters to the point where even though I've seen both the original play (in an excellent production at BAM) and Verdi's opera version, I had only the faintest idea of what was going on onstage.
The entire play in this production apparently runs over four hours. I, along with the majority of the audience, escaped at the intermission which arrived after a grueling two hours and fifteen minutes.
I expect this production will transfer to Henry Miller's Theatre after its run downtown, as this production fits in quite nicely with the Roundabout's usual fare.
On a happier note, I was pleasantly surprised Friday night by "Broke-ology," which just began performances at the Mitzi E Newhouse. It's a bit slow, but the performances are absolutely wonderful, and the play is surprisingly heartbreaking (I was pretty close to shedding a tear of two). I can't remember the last time I saw four performers who had such beautiful chemistry together. I was especially moved by Wendell Pierce's performance as the father. He just exuded such warmth and joy. I defy you to not smile when watching him dance alone in his living room. I tell you it can't be done. For my taste, the play could definitely use some cutting, because despite the handful of scenes that are so good they make the production worthwhile, I did quite a bit of imaginary thumb twiddling. And though the staging was quite good from my seat in the center of the theatre, I couldn't help but think that the production looking like it was designed and staged for a standard proscenium stage, and the the thrust one they have at the Newhouse. Sort of like the fabulous Twelfth Night that was performed this summer as part of Shakespeare in the Park. I don't think the side seats would be considered obstructed view at all, but I did get the impression that the set was not designed just for the Newhouse - the production is a transfer from Williamstown, so I suppose that may be true - I don't know how the Nikos Theatre is set up, or what the set looked like when it was there. "Broke-ology" is by no means a must see, but you could certainly do worse (like seeing "Othello"). Oh, and they should totally sell mini versions of Stubby/Chauncey (the garden gnome from the play) in the gift shop. They would be huge sellers. So cute.
