New York, April 2007 - Day Eleven

TODAY: "The Coast of Utopia: Salvage" "Love/Musik"

After 18 shows in 11 days, it was both a challenge and a pleasure to close with one of the most attention-demanding (but also one of the best) shows of the trip. I saw the first two installments of Tom Stoppard's massive trilogy on the birth of modern revolutionary thought back in December and blogged about them here and here.

Today, I headed back up to Lincoln Center for the final production of the troika. Although I can see how some might be disappointed in this last installment (it's a bit clunkier than the first two), taken as a whole, the production of "The Coast of Utopia" trilogy is one of the most stunning works of theater I've ever seen. The scale of the sets and staging and effects and lighting that Lincoln Center can put on never ceases to amaze me. The cast is terrific, maintaining focus and energy throughout these long works. I can hardly imagine what they must look (and feel) like on the days they perform all three plays as a marathon.

The final line of the trilogy is simple: "There is going to be a storm." The line is meant both literally and figuratively -- both in terms of the coming storm in Russian in 1917 (the play ends in 1868) and in terms of the ongoing war between tradition and modernity.

There is far more in "The Coast of Utopia" than I have the energy, the time or the intellect to fully explore here and now -- but if you have the opportunity to experience this amazing production, take it.


I'm witholding my opinion, however, on "Love/Musik," the Manhattan Theatre Club production now in previews at The Biltmore. The story of the relationship between composer Kurt Weill and his wife and muse Lotte Lenya, has a great deal to recommend it, primarily that fascinating story, two solid leading perfomers and a lot of Weill music. Unfortunately, the show is long. But it's early in previews so additional cuts could be made. What is more unfortunate, however, is that the show lacks that dark, edgy quality I get from Weill's music. The songs all seem to have been overdusted with musical Splenda, sweetened almost beyond recognition. It's the same music, but the arrangements and orchestration seem to have changed the core mood of Weill's songs. And that's a pity. On top of that, I could just never get behind the idea of Donna Murphy as the dissolute, world-weary Lotte Lenya. Michael Cerveris is eminently-believeable as Kurt Weill, but Murphy is just too healthy-looking to be Lenya.

For now, I say give it a pass, but keep an eye on it, in case they can make the major changes needed to rescue Weill's music and bring the solid book by Alfred Uhry to the fore.

TOMORROW: Home!