Last Days in NYC

On Saturday night, we saw After Miss Julie starring Sienna Miller and Johnny Lee Miller making their Broadway debuts at the Roundabout. Sienna Miller plays Miss Julie, an upper-class lady of the housewho puts the moves on chauffeur John during a rowdy celebration on the 1945 evening the Labor party took over the British government. Sienna Miller certainly has the looks and the star-power to play this difficult role, and she does have moments of greatness, but overall her performance is rather superficial and at times she struts around the stage as if she's posing for a photo shoot. As the chauffeur who eventually gives in to her advances, even though he's engaged to fellow servant Christine (the excellent Marin Ireland, who we saw recently in Reasons to be Pretty), Johnny Lee Miller is more convincing. He hits the right notes as a dedicated servant, quickly pulling on his jacket and jumping up when Miss Julie comes in the kitchen or when her father barks out an order over the house phone. When he is alone with Christine, we see his charming side and come to understand his belief that he could become a self-made man if he was just given the right circumstances.

As John gives in to Miss Julie's advances, of course, everything unravels. The scenes between the two as they struggle for the upper hand before heading off to the bedroom are powerful, and there is definite chemistry between the two. Although the first part of the play dragged a little, the last part got a little too melodramatic and key plot points got lost. When the curtain went down and the play was over, all the people in our first row of the mezannine looked at each other, a bit confused, in effect saying, "What the heck?!"

Sunday afternoon, we caught Bill Pulman and Julia Stiles in an excellent production of David Mamet's play Oleanna. The ninety minute play portrays three encounters between university professor John and student Carol. We are taken along on the ride as we see exactly what happens in each interchange, but then start to question what we saw as John and Carol come to have two wildly divergent opinions on what has actually occured. Is John simply trying to help out a struggling student or is he guilty of sexual harassment? At times, you pull for John--Pullman gives him a earnestness that makes you want to take his side, but he also seems rather cluelessness at times about the seriousness of the situation he finds himself in. Stiles is also great, and she makes us feel her frustration as a student who has made lots of sacrifices to get into an elite university and now finds herself in over her head. Just when we want to write her off as strident and delusional, we're pulled back to her side. The final scene is mesmerizing--you can't take your eyes off Pullman as John visibly fights to contain his fury, and then ultimately gives in to it.

This is one the CB's recommend highly!