Broadway Bob’s

“The Receptionist” by Adam Brock at the Signature Theatre tries to bring a different view on corporate America and really never gets going with any pace that makes it interesting.

The show features two time Tony winner Kate Finneran as Beverly Wilkins. Finneran is deft as the receptionist; she gossips, tells company secrets and is very upbeat and proud of her work area. The four character cast are all good at their roles and are not the problem with this show. It is Bock’s writing and Sarah Benson’s direction.

Other things make the show a bit of wonderment: the scenic design by dot is a 70’s design of an office. The furniture, the carpeting and the wall treatments scream 70’s and yet, the office has a fax machine, they talk about the internet and use various other modern equipment. The costumes too are confusing: Enver Chakartash has Beverly (Finneran) in 70’s clothes; Lorraine (Mallori Johnson) in 80’s fashion, and the men in 90’s wardrobes.

The monologue at the beginning of the play sets the tone of confusion right from the beginning; Nael Nacer as Edward Raymond, the head of the office, talks about hunting rabbits and fly fishing. It never makes sense to the audience. Why hunting and fishing? Why that speech; why this beginning? The ending with Beverly in the same box making a similar speech was equally as weak and confusing.

“The Receptionist” is a short play, 80 minutes; and with any real action in the play starting around 40 minutes into it, it made for a slow night at the theater! Bock would have been better off starting the play at a quicker pace, show the audience punishment for non conformity and then go from there. The writer gives us the plot which is about conformity way too late and way under delivered leaving the audience wanting much more to this play.

Gina Gionfriddo writes a masterpiece in comedy with Broadway’s newest hit: “Becky Shaw” at The Hayes Theater. The laughs are abound in this two hour fifteen minute play which is directed by Trip Cullam and stars a host of great comedic actors.

Set in New York City, Boston and Providence, the action keeps taking on more comedy as the show goes on. From farce to everyday vernacular, the five actors deal with the absurd as well as problems that every audience member deals with or has dealt with. At times up is down and down is up and how the characters play it out through great direction is well worth the price of admission.

The staging was well thought out, the sets are creative (David Zinn). The play should have been on a turnstile, however. Some of the set changes were by stage hands as well as the actors and I thought it cheapened the play to some degree. Stacey Derosier’s lighting was done well. From the glam to the edgy, Derosier hits this play well and backstopped the mood excellently with the various changes given throughout the play.

In the riches to rags senerio, Susan Slater (Linda Edmond) has been left little money by her dead husband. Her adopted son, (well sort of adopted), tries to navigate her finances only to be questioned by his half sister Suzanna (Lauren Patten). Even her husband has an opinion on what should be done to salvage what the family has left. The husband, Andrew (Patrick Ball) wants to give up his job for his long reaching dream job.

It is when Becky Shaw (Madeline Brewer) comes into the play when the play takes on a whole new comedic take. Shaw is unorthodox, uncertain about herself and eager to get along with people. She has a penchant for getting under Max’s skin even though everyone else likes her, feels sorry for her. Brewer’s practical use of comedy is superb- it makes the show tick.

As the spring season wraps up, “Becky Shaw” is one of the highlights of this season! The play has a terrific plot and the laughs make it that much brighter.

When it comes to August Wilson I think more about “Fences” or “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” than I do about “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”. Not that “Joe Turner” is a bad play, it just isn’t a stand out.

August Wilson wrote 10 seminal cycle plays which cover African-American history and almost all take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Wilson’s plays tend to get violent at some point of the play; “Fences”, “The Piano Lesson”... Here in “Joe Turner”, the plot in both acts tends to get slow at certain points.

The cast in this play is very good, from: Cedric as Seth Holly, Ruben Santiago as Bynum Walker and Taraji Henson as Bertha Holly. Under good direction by Debbie Allen, the play takes us back to 1911 in a segregated time where Negros take jobs in factories, they do what they can to survive; all the while keeping their traditions alive.

David Gallo may very well win best set at the Tonys this year. The set resonated, and had the audience in awe at this brilliant design. Gallo gave us the boarding house feel and the outside of where these characters went to work as well. The dual scenery made the play more interesting visually.

In other plays by Wilson, the story tends to flow a little better at the end. With “Joe Turner”, near the ending with Herald Loomis (Joshua Boone), where he goes into this trans that makes no sense, it is “The Binder”, Byrum Walker who saves him. At the very end of the play, the long winded speech by Loomis is not that inspiring, and it falls short of what could have been said.

The play for the most part does work. Several reasons why it has been acclaimed by critics and audiences alike is the feel to the play. As I mentioned the scenic design takes you back in time, but so does the lighting by Stacy Derosier, the deft costuming by Paul Tazewell. The costumes are on the money for the era; from the suspenders on Seth, to the overcoat on Loomis, Derosier is brilliant by the way the costuming is done. The lighting with the soft blues gives an era feel to the play, almost a soulful feel to the play.

What Wilson does best is certainly prevalent here; he makes us see what the characters are going through in their lives, in that period of time. He has been consistent in his seminal plays in that he creates the mood, the melodrama well. It is in this play, however, that I think he gets carried away with the climax, as well as the falling action.

“The Rocky Horror Show” has played at least three times. I say three times because I am sure it played in 1978, 2000 and now at Studio 54. In the 2000 rendition I saw Joan Jett as Magenta, and now it is being played by Hollywood actress Juliet Lewis.

“The Rocky Horror Show” is a cult classic; made so by the West Village in New York City in the mid 70’s. Playing around most Cities around the United States at midnight, the movie was a staple up until the mid to late 80’s around the country.

Originally written as a serious piece, writer Richard O’Brien was hurt that his movie became a less than serious body of work. He was dismayed that people would show up to “Rocky” and throw things at the movie screen and yell out obscenities at the actors. . Every Friday night people would dress up, wait in line to watch Brad, Janet, Rocky and Frank-N-Furter bandy about on the big screen.

For the people attending the “Rocky HorrorShow” at the legendary Studio 54, this musical is more than a musical... It was a way of life for most, and hearing a similarity between Luke Evans and Tim Curry’s voices, it gave pause to the old days of when Curry belted out the songs on the big screen, much to the audience’s satisfaction.

Studio 54 was dressed up nicely for this timeless classic; and what better theater than 54 for a show like this one! And the show did not disappoint either! From the choreography (Ani Taj) to the costumes (David I. Reynoso) and the direction of Sam Pinkleton, these three were the driving force behind the gitchy, glam musical,

Dots would do the scenic design and it too was memorable. Dots captured the personality of this cult classic. The scenery was a huge part of this musical. Even more so, the lighting by Jane Cox was magnificent. Cox had the lighting in an almost carnival atmosphere also matching the personality of this upbeat show. Brian Ronan too with his sound design is very broad and creative.

“The Rocky Horror Show” is a fun show. The songs, the dancing and the narration will stick to you for a long time. Like the movie, this musical pokes fun at itself even if it wasn’t Mr. O’Briens Intention!