August, Osage County, a play by Tracy Letts at the Imperial Theatre. The Steppenwolf Company, Directed by Anna D. Shapiro. For a magical three and a half hours, the Imperial Theatre stage teems with life, more specifically the life of a midwest family of a famous poet. The set, a three story house, works wonderfully in this great production of a modern masterwork. The play has been compared to works by O'Neill (some similarities to "The Glass Menagerie" and "Long Day's Journey Into Night") but we found it wholly original and absorbing in its own right. In fact if I were to compare it to a play it would be the grand three act "Awake and Sing" by Clifford Odets, which like "August, Osage County" also has a metaphoric subtext about America. Many plays start out with superb first acts only to falter in the fatal second act, when the writer has run out of ideas and momentum. Not so with Tracy Letts who has penned a second act that is a genuine coup de theatre, a white hot dinner scene that is a mini play all by itself. But then, there is the culminating third act which has a keening fade out that will stay with us for a very long time. This is a magnificent ensemble, one that will be talked about with awe for years. The performances by Amy Morton and Deanna Dunagan are likely to win numerous awards as will the director Anna D. Shapiro, and of course "August, Osage County" itself will surely win the Tony Award as Best Play. Despite the brief and unfortunate strike interruption, this is shaping up to be one of the most memorable Broadway seasons in years and will no doubt be one day known as the season of "August, Osage County." Three and a half hours flew by; it would be nice to have another three and a half with the Westons. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade. A+

Is He Dead?, a play by Mark Twain, adapted by David Ives, at the Lyceum Theatre. Starring Norbert Leo Butz, Michael McGrath, Jenn Gambatese, Tom Alan Robbins and Bridget Regan. Directed by Michael Blakemore. The excellent reviews for "Is He Dead" inspired us to "piggyback" it after a matinee and are we glad we did, we haven't had such a hilarious time in the theater since "Noises Off" (the original production) nor have we heard such unbridled laughter since "The Mystery of Irma Vep" (the original production). Yes it is that good and it's no wonder that the audience was full of celebrities (Glenn Close sat across the aisle from us and we spotted Jerry Stiller in the intermission.)
The plot of the play is ridiculously simple. An artist plays dead in order to cash in on the resulting fame, but what makes the play take off is that he stays around in disguise as his own sister, "Daisy Taillou" ("To You"). The incomparable Norbert Leo Butz runs with this fabulous comic role for all its worth and the brilliant cast more than keeps up with him. Michael McGrath is the hilarious "Chicago," Byron Jennings" is a hiss worthy villain, Bastien Andre, Patricia Conolly and Marylouise Burke could have stood toe to toe with Josephine Hull as ditsy old dames, and the young beauties Jenn Gambatese and Bridget Regan are winning and also very funny. Gambatese has a small tour de force in a comic fit of hysteria. The rest of the cast, too many to name here each contributes to make this an evening of hilarity and it goes without saying that the direction, so crucial in a farce, was timed to perfection. The sets and costumes sat beautifully in the handsome old Lyceum. Mark Twain! Who would have thought he would conquer Broadway with an unknown work? We floated home, our Bridge and Tunnel Commute hardly noticed so high were we on the happiness of "Is He Dead?" There is little doubt that as word gets out, momentum will build and the precious seats in this small jewel of a theater will be very hard to get. Our Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade for "Is He Dead?" is a resounding A+

The Homecoming, a play by Harold Pinter at the Cort Theatre. Starring Ian McShane, Raoul Esparza and Eve Best. Directed by Daniel Sullivan. This challenging play by Harold Pinter no longer has the shock value it must have had 40 years ago, but it still packs a wallop. Unfortunately, except for the superb Eve Best as Ruth, the cast generates little heat, they just don't catch fire; somehow despite their undeniable talent, they just don't inhabit their roles. Something is a little off which is of course a trademark of a Pinter play, but the necessary frisson that is necessary for a great performance of his plays isn't there. Eve Best is remarkable and fans of Ian McShane (who was so memorable on "Deadwood") will enjoy him even if he is all wrong in the part. We did not feel that "The Homecoming" was worth the commute. C+

Report From London: Othello at the Donmar Warehouse, The Country Wife at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, The Sound of Music at the London Palladium. In a longer than usual "commute" we had a whirlwind three days going to theater in London and felt a review might prove useful to any of our readers who venture across the pond. We'll start with the worst, "The Country Wife" and end up with the best ,"Othello." "The Country Wife" a 1675 Restoration classic by William Wycherly used to be the sort of play that was "money in the bank" in the London Theatre. No longer. In a high concept direction by Jonathan Kent, a director I will assiduously avoid from now on, the cast led by Toby Stephens who is simply dreadful as Mr. Horner, overacts and mugs their way through it. Sitting close, it was easy to see how bored they were by what they were doing. Sitting there was like being impaled. The night after, we went to "The Sound of Music" which has received an extravagant Andrew Lloyd Webber type mega-production. Except for the clumsy, silly, revolving mountain disc that begins and ends it, the production is for the most part excellent. So is the wonderful cast headed by the adorable Connie Fisher as Maria. Fisher, the youngest Maria I've seen, won the part in a famous national TV contest and has become beloved in the musical. And deservedly so. She is the most charming and natural Maria, certainly comparable to Julie Andrews, and though she looked a little gaunt (she has had to curtail her performances on Mondays - it can't be easy being so perky week in and week out), she was utterly delightful. The first performance we saw was the best - in fact historically so. The papers in London report that "Othello" tickets have been bringing $4000 on the Internet. No wonder because it is unlikely that any of us will ever see the like of this performance again. I've seen Othello twice before with towering Iagos: Ian McKellen and Liev Schreiber, but neither production had an Othello of equal ability. Here Ewan McGregor, an Iago who is the most implacably evil of the three, is more than matched by the phenomenal Othello of Chiwetel Ejiofor who is so very grand and yet so very human and failing. He breaks our hearts as he falls into the spell of Iago. [Ejiofor is one of the great actors in the British Theatre today and I hope New York audiences get to see him live.] The impossibly dewy Desdemona Kelly Reilly moves with such grace and loveliness that her murder seems an unfathomable crime and tragedy. The direction by Michael Grandage is sensational and the sets and costumes are just about perfect. The grades: Othello A+, Sound of Music B+, The Country Wife F.

Iphigenie en Tauride, an opera by Gluck. Metropolitan Opera House. Starring Susan Graham, Paul Groves, Placido Domingo, conducted by Louis Langree. Directed by Stephen Wadsworth. Although "Iphigenie en Tauride" is one of the great masterworks in all of opera, it is rarely performed. As hard as it is to believe, this is only the 7th performance ever given of it at the Metropolitan Opera and the first after 90 years. Well at least the Met has gotten it right. Totally. This is a magnificent production with nary any directorial gizmo's or anachronisms, with a stunning set that evokes the ancient world in burnt ochres and pastels, and what is surely the finest cast that could be assembled today. As Iphigenie, Susan Graham acts and sings the role with a searing intensity that deserves comparison to the great Iphigenies in history. Her voice easily fills the house with her plummy and rich mezzo soprano tone. As Pylade, Paul Groves sings with a well focused tone and elegance. But among the men, Placido Domingo is astonishing, taking on this difficult role for the first time and singing and acting it with his accustomed mastery, and (if his officially given age is to believed) at the ripe old age of 66! There are six more performances of this opera and it is an opportunity not to be missed, no matter how long your commute needs to be to get to it. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Grade A+.