The A.R.T. is presenting the final installment of their David Mamet celebration June 11th – June 28th at the Zero Arrow Theater in Harvard Square.  This double billing, The Duck Variations and Sexual Perversity in Chicago, are two of Mamet’s celebrated short comedies.  I had the pleasure of attending on Sunday afternoon and must say that I was not disappointed.

After my rotten experience at Turtle Lane, I was less than excited when I found out this show was going to be cabaret style, but my fears were quickly assuaged. The A.R.T. really knows how to do cabaret-style seating!  The tables were the correct size to accommodate a group of four and arranged in such a way that audience members had the choice of where they would be sitting with relation to their companions.  Each table had a drink menu (complete with a discrete and polite waitress who was all but invisible during the performance) and a flickering electric candle that was very useful to those of us inclined to take a note in out program during the performance.  My faith in the cabaret has been restored, because when done right, as it was at the Zero Arrow Theater, it was absolutely charming and fun.

Done in short vignettes, The Duck Variations explores the collected wisdom and relationship idiosyncrasies of a pair of elderly men who meet at the park to watch the ducks every day. Thomas Derrah and Will LeBow  embody their characters completely.  Derrah as Emil is a perfect balance of thoughtful, proud, and opinionated, and LeBow as George is his ideal counterpart; ornery, short tempered, quick with a cheap shot, but ultimately just as kind-hearted and thoughtful as his crumb-throwing companion.  They have great comic timing and sparkling stage presence.  In their small world, where the discussions of ducks reflect their opinions on society, their fears of growing older, and their reflections of love and power, both men are sensitive and authentic.  It absolutely brought tears to my eyes when, upon discussing the ducks tendency to remain loyal to their group dynamic, Emil turns to  George and says, “life without a friend is long”.  The show is clever and at times, laugh-out-loud funny, and never have I seen so much variety in a staging which features both characters seated beside one another for the entire piece.  I was so surprised at how fast the hour flew by (pun absolutely intended).

Sexual Perversity in Chicago also explores collected wisdom and relationship idiosyncrasies, but this time, a cast of four twenty-somethings in the 1970’s are charged with sharing their opinions.  Tim Eliot and Scott Lyman play Bernard and Dan, coworkers who share their sexual exploits over drinks, at the gym, and at work, and Susannah Hoffman and Laura Parker are roommates Deborah and Joan.  As the four embark on various relationships with one another, the audience is treated to an unfortunate reality.  Bernard and Joan, both jaded and opinionated on the subject of love, have low expectations for the budding romance between Deborah and Dan, and feel comfortable sharing those opinions without remorse.  As much as the audience is rooting for Deborah and Dan to succeed, it is clear that their friends are right, their relationship really does unravel around them, partially from lack of communication but also partially from the influence of society.  Lyman is absolutely perfect as Dan.  He looks like he comes directly out of a seventy’s era GQ magazine.  His delivery is solid, in fact, he is the most convincing of the cast.  The argument scene between Dan and Deborah towards the end of the piece was as authentic and painful as peaking into a real-life bedroom. Eliot is a little young looking in his portrayal of Bernard, and I also found his delivery to be a little stiff- he sounded, at times, as if he was reading directly off of a cue card.  It wasn’t as jarring as it could be considering the “used car salesman” type personality of his character, but I think his overall character would have benefited from a little more natural timbre mixed in with the smooth-talking. Both Hoffman and Parker do well balancing the feminine need for attention with the seventy’s era tendency towards feminine independence, and both give a solid performance.

Before seeing these productions, I could not have imagined a less likely paring, but the cast and crew put together two evocative, clever reflections on society in two very different ways.  It was really thought-provoking to see the way age does and does not effect people’s opinions of love and friendship.  Overall, I would recommend seeing these shows as part of your June theatre schedule.  Mamet’s fantastic writing is served well by all parties at the A.R.T.

Thomas Derrah as Emil and Will LeBow as George. The Duck Variations. Photo: Kati Mitchell.

Turtle Lane’s intimate playing space was not at its best this past week as it ended its month long run of Mel Brooks’ The Producers.  The normally intimate 120 seat theatre was awkwardly crammed with tables and oddly placed chairs.  In this “cabaret style”, sight lines were terrible and it was impossible to get up without bumping into someone.  I was given a pair of tickets in which my companion had to sit in front of me, rather than beside me, forcing us to awkwardly constrict ourselves in order to share a word between the acts.  I found the whole thing to be rather distracting, which is a shame, because I rather enjoyed this classic production and did not welcome the disturbances and annoyance of the seating arrangement.  A quick glance around the room confirmed that everyone else was uncomfortable and awkwardly placed as well.

Thank goodness the cast and crew of The Producers put on a solid performance to distract me from the train-wreck that was “seating” for this show.  Though the opening scene was rocky (I blame that more on a poorly constructed opening song than on the performer’s themselves), Scott Giangrande as Max Bialystock quickly and deftly stole the stage in a brilliantly sung monologue (“The King of Old Broadway”) that evoked the inspiration of Nathan Lane himself.  Robert DeVivo held his own against Giangrande offering brilliant comic timing and a very pleasant singing voice.  The two gentlemen laid the foundation for a spot on cast of characters to parade across the stage leaving the audience in stitches.  Even the children in the audience, who missed the more sophisticated jokes, seemed to get a big kick out of the slapstick and spectacle that the production team put together.

In a show that gets a large part of its humor from jokes about Hitler, nothing in the production struck me as unnecessarily offensive, and that in itself, is a huge feat. Seeing Kevin Cirone’s portrayal of the Führer-obsessed Franz Liebkind was really a treat.  He was so committed that the audience could easily get caught up in his fervor.  James Fitzpatrick and Gary Ryan play perfectly against one another, as Roger DeBris and Carmen Ghia- they are believable as lovers AND as artistic partners.  Julie Lyon brought an absolutely darling Ulla to life, her dancing was fantastic, her singing was cheerful and contagious, and the Swedish accent was quite a treat!  As a cast of characters, Turtle Lane’s group was extremely strong.

The ensemble gave a stellar performance as well.  Throughout the production, I was delighted by Deb Poppel (whose portrayal of a chorus girl may have gotten the biggest laugh of the night) and Monica Stein, both were taking their smaller roles quite seriously, completely engaged with the audience at all times.  Emma Putnam (you wear a sausage with style), Rebecca Gastfriend and Mallory Jenkins were stand-outs in the dance ensemble (nice kicks, ladies!) and the entire men’s ensemble were so funny during “I Wanna be a Producer” that I was having a hard time catching my breath.  I have mentioned before my affinity for tap dancing, and these folks were stellar throughout!

The costumes and set also looked excellent- I appreciated the smooth set transitions which were very well covered by the lighting.  Granted I did get up to get a seltzer during intermission, but I was totally surprised by the “Swedish paint job” that opened act two.  It looked awesome and I actually took some time to wonder how they did it without me noticing!  I also LOVED the costume design by Richard Itczak and Kimmerie H.O. Jones, especially the coordinating ensembles of Roger’s team.  I nearly choked on my water when Shirley came out on stage in her purple flannel.  The over-the-top “Springtime for Hitler” costumes were also a riot.  Richard Danehy created a fantastic bird cage complete with moveable, ‘saluting’ doves that is worthy of noting as well.

For the strength of the production itself, I really was disappointed by the lack of thought put into seating, and a few other housekeeping notes as well.  The program was extremely busy and difficult to read, and the characters were not even properly labeled- two actors are billed for each production and there is no way of knowing which one you are seeing, there wasn’t even an announcement.  For a reviewer, giving appropriate credit is key and I didn’t think it was necessary that I should have to go out to the photo board and try to match up faces with my memory.  I was disappointed because I had a lot of good things to say about this production but I just could not let these management pieces go unnoticed.

Overall, though, way to go cast and crew of The Producers, I had a really great Thursday night and will look forward to your upcoming season!

Kevin Cirone as Franz