Dave and Danielle

Faith Healer

Ralph Fiennes, Ian McDiarmid, and Cherry Jones

            Hello everyone.  I know it’s been a while since I had a post but as promised I am back.  I’ve been to two shows in as many weeks and two more are on their way.  As a reminder I will be rating the shows with a maximum of four Killean’s (see bottom for this weeks rating). 

            Last week I took my mother to see a play that had a great run in Dublin’s theatre district called “Faith Healer”.  It was a unique play that comprised of four monologues.  Faith Healer stars Ralph Fiennes, whom has a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Play. 

          The story being told takes place in northern Scotland; London, England; and Donegal, Ireland.  Actually the play takes place in an old church or school room, a living room and an office of some sort.  As previously mentioned the play is a series of long monologues where a single story is told from three different points of view.  All three stars did a fantastic job giving their own quirky twists to the story.  Although Ralph considered the lead role I believe Ian McDiarmid stole the show.  He kept the whole theatre laughing while at some points we were silent and on the verge of tears. 

            My knee jerk reaction was a bit of a disappointment but the more and more I thought about the job the cast did the more I appreciate them and the play itself.  For inexperience theatre goers this may not be the right choice as the entertainment value is low.  However the acting is tremendous and the story line is solid.  All in all I enjoyed the show, more so now than I did when it first ended. 

            I give this show a rating of two and ½ Killean’s. 

1/2

Bridge and Tunnel

I know it has been a long time since my last post but I am back with a great show to review. I definitely should have had this one out sooner; I lost Dave’s friendship because I took so long, since it is ending on March 12. 

 

Bridge and Tunnel (Helen Hayes Theatre)

 

Sarah Jones is amazing!! Throughout the play she portrays 14 different characters with varying ethnicities, socioeconomic classes and many other character traits. If she did not change into the different characters in plain view you would easily think that it is portrayed by different actors. The play has points in it where the entire theatre is hysterically laughing and moments where you can literally hear a pin drop. I had absolutely no idea what to expect going into this show and came out of it extremely impressed by the talent of Sarah Jones. This off Broadway show packs a lifetime into 90 minutes with only one actor. It was amazing. I give B&T a rating of 3 Killean’s.

 

 

Hope to see everybody on St. Patrick’s Day!!!

Talking Broadway with Tommy K

Hello All.  For those of you who don’t know me my name is Tommy Killean.  I have been asked by my good friends, Dave and Danielle, to write a guest column on their blog.  I am currently in the process of changing jobs and I have some spare time on my hands.  One day I asked Dave, “What do you do when you are bored at work?”  He responded with dozens of ideas but the one that jumped out at me was Dave and Danielle’s blog.  I never read a blog prior to that and I proceeded to catch up on the past months that I missed.  After adding several comments I was approached by them to write a guest blog column during my “free time” at the office.  I graciously accepted. 

            I thought for hours, no, days as to what I was going to write about.  Then it came to me.  Broadway and Off Broadway reviews!  I usually average between 12 and 15 shows per year.  I would like to share with everyone what I thought of the shows I attend.  There will be a rating system of 1-4 Killean’s per show with 4 Killean’s being the best and 0 Killean’s being the worst. 

            The year of 2006 has brought 3 shows for me to enjoy (1 On and 2 Off).  My first review will be on my first show of the year (1/11).  Here we go.

DOG SEES GOD:  CONFESSIOINS OF A TEENAGE BLOCKHEAD

            This was an off-Broadway show that I did not know much about at all going into it.  It was conveniently located in

Union Square

.  The theatre was smaller than the average Broadway theatre but it was expected as it was off Broadway.  The opening scene was a soliloquy by the lead character, a teenage version of Charlie Brown.  The surprise to me was the actor was Eddie Kaye Thomas (AKA: “Finch” from American Pie).  I was ecstatic as he was 5 -10 feet away from me and I remembered how much I laughed throughout the American Pie trilogy.  Other prominent actors include Eliza Dushku (“Bring it on”,  “True Lies”, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc.), whom I adore, and America Ferrara (HBO: Real Women have Curves).  This play must be seen with an open mind.  The humor is dark.  There are very serious moments throughout the play that touch such topics as death, homosexuality, drug abuse and the overall angst of growing up.  If you grew up liking the Peanuts by Charles M. Schultz you will either get a great kick out of this play or absolutely hate it.  It tears down and drags through the dirt all you knew about the peanuts.  As I mentioned earlier, Keep an Open Mind. 

Recommendations:  2 Killean’s  

Reviews to come:  Bridge and Tunnel and Forbidden Broadway