'The Heidi Chronicles' Returns With New Enticements to Witness

Heidi (Elisabeth Moss) and Scoop (Jason Biggs) have history in "The Heidi Chronicles." Photos by Joan Marcus.

BY TAMARA BECK

FEMINISM as a movement has evolved or perhaps devolved since the 1960s. Women of a certain age recall the allure of bra-burnings.

The younger ones tend to distance themselves from their elder sisters. Being a feminist feels like a betrayal of their sexuality.

"The Heidi Chronicles," in revival at the Music Box Theatre (recently rolled back from 9 Aug. to 3 May), is here to remind us all that liberation – both sexual and careerist – was a goal of the feminist movement. (See video below).

Wendy Wasserstein won a Pulitzer in 1989 for "The Heidi Chronicles," which also grabbed a Best Play Tony that year.

In this production of "The Heidi Chronicles," there is a well-delineated timeline for Heidi Holland (Elisabeth Moss) as she grows from awkward teen to awkward woman. EM never seems fully at home in her Heidi except in scenes where she is lecturing on art history. Heidi is a professor of art who laments the neglect of female painters.

While still in high school, she meets Peter Patrone (Bryce Pinkham) who becomes a lifelong friend. She attends the dance at which Peter and she meet with her other bestie, Susan Johnston (Ali Ahn).

In college, Heidi goes on to meet the irresistibly charming and self-centered Scoop Rosenbaum (Jason Biggs). Their encounter at a rally for Eugene McCarthy leads to an on-again off-again love affair.

Despite that their friendship survives even after Scoop marries. JB's Scoop is carelessly charismatic and flamboyant. BP is excellent as Peter to EM's Heidi. (The Swiss tale in which Peter and Heidi are prominent gets a mention in the course of the play. And, yes, one might also be put in mind of a well-known Peter and Wendy in children's lore.)

In the ensemble, AA is a standout and very funny as Susan who goes from callow teen to a deeply committed young adult and back again to a shallow and successful professional woman as she matures.

Ali Ahn, Elisabeth Moss and Elise Kibler in "The Heidi Chronicles."

Tracee Chimo is a character actress who gets to trot out and display her many talents in a variety of roles. Foremost of these is her turn as April, TV host with a fleeting attention span who interviews middle-aged Heidi, Peter and Scoop as representative boomers.

As the action slows and dulls toward the end of the second act, it looks as if this production, under Pam MacKinnon's direction, is abandoning the entertainment value of "The Heidi Chronicles" in favor of its valuable historical perspective.

Peter Negrini is responsible for the enlivening video montage that keeps the earlier scenes moving. John Lee Beatty has designed a well-appointed, yet minimalist set that also moves with the times of Heidi's story.

Tracee Chimo, Jason Biggs, Elisabeth Moss and Bryce Pinkham in "The Heidi Chronicles."

The revival of this important work mostly attracts two distinct groups. It appeals to those who lived through the times it describes. In the other camp, the draws are JB (“Orange Is the New Black,” "American Pie"), EM (“Mad Men,” “Top of the Lake”) and BP (Tony-nominated in "A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder.")

Even in an imperfect form, though, it's good to see Wendy Wasserstein's work back on a Broadway stage.

Visit http://www.theheidichroniclesonbroadway.com/ to learn more about "The Heidi Chronicles."

Making Typical Fare Fresh in 'Dinner With Friends'

Tom (Darren Pettie), Beth (Heather Burns), Karen (Marin Hinkle) and Gabe (Jeremy Shamos) were a happy foursome until an unexpected breech. Photos by Jeremy Daniel.

BY TAMARA BECK

WE never really know what happens behind closed doors, do we?

As Donald Margulies puts it in his 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning "Dinner With Friends," "we can't even tell how things are going with the couple with whom we've shared meals, vacations and pregnancies."

In 2001, the play was turned into an Emmy-nominated movie. Now, it is enjoying a revival at Roundabout Theatre Company's Laura Pels Theatre through 16 April.

"Dinner With Friends" tells a story we've all heard before: Man leaves wife for a younger, hotter woman; he lobbies their closest friends for approval, but it's too late; his wife has already easily won their sympathy. Despite their years of friendship, the couple's best friends shy away from the taint of the failed marriage.

Tom (Darren Pettie) isn't at the regular dinner in Karen (Marin Hinkle) and Gabe's (Jeremy Shamos) well-organized kitchen. In his absence, explained away as a business trip, Gabe and Karen regale Beth (Heather Burns) with adventures from their recent gastro-trip.

Allen Moyer's charmingly designed sets roll out seamlessly to reveal each mileu – from Beth's untidy bedroom to Karen and Gabe's house on Martha's Vineyard. (See opening night video below).

Before dessert is served, Beth falls apart and tells Karen that Tom has left her for a stewardess. Meanwhile, snow prevents Tom from visiting his girlfriend, forcing him to return home. He soon realizes that Beth has "spilled."

"You’ve got the advantage now!," he says.
Incredulous, Beth exclaims, "What?! I do not!"
"Of course, you do!," Tom retorts. "You got to them first!"

Tom's only recourse, late as it is, is to drive over to tell Gabe and Karen his side of the story. He explains how unhappy he's been and how much in love he is.

To Gabe, Tom's professed misery is a betrayal. Tom is not only walking out on Beth and his kids, he's also abandoning the friendship. Gabe, the domesticated, happily married man, is puzzled.

"How can he walk away? I don’t understand it. How can he just...?"

Karen echoes Gabe's sentiment, "He didn’t seem “miserable” at all," she says. "You mean to tell me we were sitting there having a wonderful time and he was not only miserable but in love with someone else?!"

Beth (Heather Burns) and Tom (Darren Pettie) are having very common marital problems in "Dinner With Friends."

DM approaches this all-too common tale as if it were all brand new. The ensemble in "Dinner With Friends," under Pam MacKinnon's well-paced direction, breathes fresh life and considerable subtlety into what could just be a cliche.

Nicely done.

Visit http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/Shows-Events/Dinner-With-Friends.aspx to learn more about "Dinner With Friends."

'Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' Is 50

Amy Morton and Tracy Letts are a very capable Martha and George in “Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Photos by Michael Brosilow.

BY TAMARA BECK

IT seems that even love can be a blood sport.

In “Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” all of that passion spills out into contentious combat. The play is in a 50th anniversary revival at the Booth Theatre through 24 Feb. 2013.

George (Tracy Letts) and Martha (Amy Morton) duke it out in a battle of words and booze over the course of one long night. Theirs is a perverse love story. (See video below of casting talking about production.)

George is an academic. “I know history,” he says mildly at one point. His wife, Martha, is the daughter of the college president. Just as they get home from one of daddy’s tiring faculty cocktail parties, Martha announces that they are expecting guests – a young couple, Nick (Madison Dirks) and Honey ( (Carrie Coon)). It’s unwelcome but not surprising news to George.

Martha tells George, convincingly, if wrongly, that Nick (Madison Dirks) is in the math department. The pride of Honey, Nick is actually the new biology professor. This seems to be a particularly poignant provocation for George, for him any information can be turned into a weapon. His milquetoast demeanor belies a rapacious wit.

Alcohol fuels the parlor games George and Martha play out in front of their bemused guests. “Humiliate the host” and “Get the guest” are not for the faint of heart. At first, it seems that the new guy in biology will not be able to rise to Martha and George’s challenge. But Nick is another one who should not be underestimated. He knows his way around academe.

Carrie Coon, Tracy Letts, Amy Morton and Madison Dirks in “Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

George and Martha fight hard and dirty; their refined bickering is a whirlwind of recrimination. The vituperative dialogue in “Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is extremely original and very funny. EA has raised invective to the level of art.

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is a timeless classic of American theater. In its inaugural production in 1962, it won the Tony Award. The revival, ably directed by Pam MacKinnon and on Broadway via Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company, is on pace to once again garner honors.

Nick (Madison Dirks) proves that he can hold his own with George and Martha (Tracy Letts and Amy Morton) in “Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Even after witnessing a number of productions of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” over the years, including multiple viewings of the 1966 film version starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal and Sandy Dennis, this reviewer still finds “Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” fresh and spunky.

TL and AM are more than in their element in portraying the sparring duo of George and Martha, but the young folks are excellent, too. This production is an event!

Visit http://www.virginiawoolfbroadway.com to learn more about “Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”