i went into manhattan today because i had tickets to see clifford odets "awake and sing"
before i went, i decided to go to Macys to see the flower show. I took the 1/2 hour tour and learned more about the display and flowers than i would have known. I also went to Liz Claibourne and bought only stuff off the 75% rack and i had 15% off.. so i stayed within my budget. I walked up to St Patricks cathedral to light a candle or two but silly me.... it was the station of the cross time... how would this JEW know.. so there were no candles to light, so i meditated at the saints that i wanted to call upon... St Jude and St BRigid and Elizabeth Stanton
Elizabeth cady Stanton
i always wondered why they gave her a statue at st patricks cathedral but they did..so i cherished that
i saw and caught my breath and then walked through Rockerfeller center again and over to the Marquis Marriott for a soda and to have an apple. I met a woman who had no teeth who comes to NY weekly with her son to see theater. He used to come with his sister who died last year at age 40. i talked with this mom about the natural order of things and how parents arent supposed to bury children and how her son was quietly rearranged by his sisters death. they collected autographs of celebrities and he inherited his sister's collection. it was something that they did together and he feels his sisters loss.
waiting for the doors of the theater to open, i saw the algonquin hotel ahead of me, so i went and saw the historical markers and went in to find the famous round table-
for all the years i have lived in NY, i have never seen the algonguin or had the time to go in. now i took the time and saw the place where the NEW Yorker writers, alan campbell, dorothy parter ate and talked and had their famous interchanges.
i then went on to the theater. odets play deserves its own blog entry....
i found this play hard and stunning. i understand its role among the great american family based plays. Glass Menagerie, Little Foxes and Awake and sing. all family plays where the characters are crippled by a central character. where the central character plays out their unfulfilled wishes on the family members leaving them dysfucntional, some get out and some stay... they are not necessarily defeated but are damaged just the same.
this performance has not be reviewed yet as it is in previews and its a good one..
From the NYTIMES...
Well-Executed Revival!, April 6, 2006
Reviewer: trinityrm303
This show was much better than I expected it to be. It's well-executed, nicely blocked, briskly paced (despite three intermissions), and beautifully designed. The set is positively breathtaking. I was blown away by the very stealthy revelations of space and what a bold impression the play made on me as a result of the design. The performances are all good but none are particularly stellar. Mark Ruffalo comes the closest as Moe Axelrod but he was difficult to hear as was most of the actors' dialogue. All in all, I feel that fans of Odets will not be disappointed. If you're unfamiliar with Odets' work and/or not a Ruffalo enthusiast, you probably will not find this revival very compelling.
. . . .
What's wrong with Ben Gazarra?, April 3, 2006
Reviewer: alicew96
Saw "Awake and Sing!" at the Belasco the other night and the audience on the Mezzanine could be heard whispering,"What's wrong with Ben Gazarra?" Whatever was keeping his voice on a two tone note brought the show to its knees. The rest of the lively cast could not overcome his half dead voice as the grandfather, a pivotal character in the plot. Has he had a stroke? Hope they replace him by Opening Night or the audience will be "Dozing and Snoring!"
O'Neill with a leftist toutch, April 14, 2006
Reviewer: emilysr2
This is an extrodinary revival of Odetts' finest work. Reminds one of Eugene O'Neill with a leftist political overtone. A depression era family slowly losing their compassion and humanity under the pressures of poverty disintegrates until.... Fine acting, excellent stage sets and sensitive direction bring this 1930s masterpiece to life.
