First of all, I am So. Freakin'. EXCITED. About. THIS. Of course I've already donated. Veronica Mars might just be my favorite TV show ever created, and you know how much TV I watch. I cannot tell you how much I adore this show (and how much I rewatch my DVDs of it since it went off the air). The fact that it's actually going to get a movie? Mind blown. Kristen Bell and Rob Thomas have been talking about this forever, but it is actually happening and I cannot contain my excitement. I think this is such a creative idea (and I wonder if it will start a trend).
I've seen a lot of shows lately that I haven't written about, so here goes.
Ann
I never would have expected Holland Taylor to write and star in a solo show about Ann Richards (onetime governor of Texas), but she did, and it's on Broadway. I love Holland Taylor. She's an Emmy-winning actress with an IMDB resume a mile long (which includes roles in Two and a Half Men, Legally Blonde, One Fine Day, Baby Mama...). I very much enjoyed Ms. Taylor's portrayal of Ann; she nailed the political figure's spitfire personality and completely inhabited the character. Writing and starring in a 2-hour show (and being the only performer onstage the whole time) is quite a task, and I was impressed with Ms. Taylor's efforts, although I feel like she's stronger as a performer than as a writer. Fun tidbit: in the play, Ann has a series of phone conversations with Bill Clinton (obviously we only hear her end of the conversation). When I saw the play last night, Bill and Hillary Clinton were in the audience. They were there with Meryl Streep. It was funny to have Bill Clinton sitting in the theatre as the character of Ann Richards had conversations with him onstage. Gabby Giffords and her husband were also in the audience.
The Wild Bride
Oh my goodness, I can't say enough good things about this. This show is absolutely brilliant. It's an imaginative retelling of the folktale "The Handless Maiden" and features gorgeous music, choreography, set design, and performances. I'm so glad I listened when Vulture Magazine said, "Absolutely, positively sell your soul to see this. It's worth it," because it really was like nothing else I've ever seen before, and in the best way possible. Watch the trailer. I could gush about this forever.
Really, Really
This seems to be a polarizing play, but I enjoyed it. The play is filled with uncertainty and tension. It's about a possible attack on a girl at a college campus, but it's really about more than that; it's a chilling portrait of a generation of entitled young people who will do anything to get what they want. The play features some talented young actors best known for TV, like Matt Lauria (Friday Night Lights! Parenthood!) and Zosia Mamet. Zosia is best known as Shoshanna on Girls, but her character in this play couldn't be more different from Shoshanna, and Zosia's performance is fabulous. She turns Leigh into a complicated, layered young woman about whom you don't know what to think
Some highlights from Ben Brantley's New York Times review (because he's better at expressing his thoughts than I am):
"'Ow.' That monosyllable may not be your idea of great dialogue. But as uttered by Zosia Mamet in Really Really, Paul Downs Colaizzo’s pitiless state-of-a-generation play at the Lucille Lortel Theater, it has my bid for one of the best lines of the season. This 'ow' is the final word, and one of the few spoken, in the opening scene of Really Really, which opened on Tuesday night in an MCC production. It’s a terrific scene, which in itself justifies the advance buzz that this play has generated...."
"[Really, Really] is a take-no-prisoners indictment of the young men and women poised to inherit the earth. They are all, it would seem, motivated by a single question, which is, according to Grace in her speech, 'What can I do to get what I want?' Morality is not a talking point here. This is Lord of the Flies with smartphones."
Talley's Folly
This is an absolutely lovely play; I walked out of the theatre and could not stop smiling. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1980, and this is a top-notch production. It's a two-character play that blends comedy, drama, and romance. Sarah Paulson and Danny Burstein are in it and they're both fabulous. I always love seeing Sarah Paulson onstage; she never disappoints. Seeing the play made me want to come home and watch my Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip DVDs (Ms. Paulson plays Harriet in the show, and she was most recently in American Horror Story). In Talley's Folly, Ms. Paulson does a great job of creating a character who is trying to maintain an emotional wall around herself while displaying miniscule cracks in that wall that grow ever so slowly. Mr. Burstein's portrayal is earnest and passionate, and the two make a perfect pair. I loved every minute of this show.
Clive
The less said about this, the better. I think it might just be the worst play I've ever seen, and I've seen 309 Broadway and off-Broadway plays (yes, I keep a running count). What on earth was Ethan Hawke thinking?
The Mnemonist of Dutchess County
This is a play about a young man with a perfect memory and synesthesia. Nic and I saw it because her friend is in it, and it was fine, but I wish it went a little deeper. It addresses a lot of issues but doesn't really explore them in depth.
Some Videos:
Holland Taylor/Ann:
Zosia Mamet being awesome on Conan:
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