John Douglas Thompson - Remember that Name!!

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may remember Leslie's rave reviews of the actor John Douglas Thompson's performances in Othello and A Dreamer Examines His Pillow which she saw in Lenox this summer. When we saw that Thompson would be appearing in The Emperor Jones at the Irish Repertory Theatre in Chelsea, we rushed to get tickets. We were lucky to get seats because the show- and especially Thompson's performance- received a rave review in the New York Times on Monday and many of the performances have already sold out.

When we went to get our tickets at the box office yesterday, we saw Douglas sitting in the theatre lobby eating his lunch. With a little coaxing, Leslie told him we came from NH to see his performance because of how great he was in the shows she saw in Lenox. He couldn't have been more gracious and encouraged us to stay after the show to speak to him again.

We were both totally entranced by this amazing show. The Emperor Jones was written in 1920 by Eugene O'Neill and this short, brutal play has rarely been performed. For years it was considering 'politically incorrect' because of its use of the 'N word" and the fact that Brutus Jones is a black convict who has ruled cruelly and stolen from his subjects on a small Caribbean island. Today this story of corruption and demented leadership is one we have seen over and over again in the news.

Jones breakdown while escaping with no food and only a few vestiges of power- his uniform, his pistol and a silver bullet is amazingly told. When Emperor Jones is racing through the jungle to avoid capture, he is forced to face his inner demons represented by a series of amazing puppets and masks. It is truly terrifying to watch the Emperor face his primal fears and slowly divests all remnants of his power. This is an incredible performance by an actor who we believe is on the precipice of stardom.

After the show, he greeted us as old friends. It was a truly amazing night for two theater lovers.

Bye Bye Birdie

Saw a matinee of the new production of Bye, Bye Birdie in the newly renovated Henry Miller's Theatre yesterday.

Highlights:

• The numbers that feature the young members of the cast: especially "A Lot of Livin' to Do," "Telephone Hour," and the lovely blend of voices in "One Boy"
• Nolan Funk in the role as Conrad Birdie
• The colorful, over the top 60's pop decor, costumes, and set
• John Stamos' charming and light-footed stage presence
• Full orchestra playing great classic, musical theatre standards
• The incredible physique of Gina Gershon, emphasized by a stunning wardrobe
• A very cute curtain-call number

Problems:

• Gina Gershon was off-key for the whole show
• The casting of the adult roles--No one stands out except Bill Irwin (who the CB's normally love!) and it wasn't in a good way. He had a very strange take on the role of Kim's father that was funny at first, but quickly became annoying.
• No chemistry between Stamos and Gershon
• Nothing, except the amount of money they put into it, that made lifted it beyond the level of a good community theater production