Top Girls, a play by Caryl Churchill at the Biltmore Theatre. Starring Martha Plimpton, Elizabeth Marvel, Marisa Tomei; directed by James Macdonald. This was the first time we've had a chance to see a play by the famous British playwright, Caryl Churchill , and we were very impressed with the brilliance of her writing in this daring and provocative work which brings together five intriguing women, both historical and fictional characters, at a modern dinner party to celebrate the promotion of a female executive in Margaret Thatcher's England. When I look back on this play it will be the performance of the great Martha Plimpton as Pope Joan, a woman who, masquerading as a man, became the Pope of Rome in the 9th Century, that I will long remember. An equally sensational performance comes from Elizabeth Marvel, a wonderful actress with a top reputation Off-Broadway, whom we had not seen previously. Excellent work also from Marisa Tomei, a favorite of ours, who shows remarkable range in several roles. Splendid supporting performances from Mary Beth Hurt, Jennifer Ikeda, Anna Reeder, and Mary Catherine Garrison. All of these actresses are truly "Top Girls" and this first Broadway production of Churchill's 1982 feminist masterpiece is an event of the highest order, one that was unaccountably and unforgivably neglected in this current Awards season. Nonetheless, we enthusiastically give "Top Girls" our top grade: A+

Eurydice, a play by Sarah Ruhl at the Wilma Theater, Philadelphia. We are willing to follow Sarah Ruhl's plays to the ends of the earth and Philadelphia is thankfully hardly so very far for us. In fact the trip from Princeton is an hour. It was our first visit to the Wilma but considering the quality of the work we saw, it will not be our last.
We first saw Eurydice at the Yale Repertory Theatre with many of its original West Coast cast including Maria Dizzia and it was that production which had an acclaimed run at the Second Stage Theater. Now the Wilma in Philadelphia is presenting Eurydice in a new staging, directed by Blanka Zizka and with a fine young cast headed by Merritt Janson who if anything has even surpassed Dizzia for her dewy sweetness and poignancy. Equally heartbreaking in his portrayal of Eurydice's father is Stephen Novelli. The sad trio is completed by the excellent Benjamin Huber as Orpheus. A notable feature of this production that is quite different from the New Haven is the prominence of the incidental music composed by Toby Twining and it is a fine enhancement giving this new production added power.
Eurydice is a modern masterwork, one of the finest recent American plays we've had the privilege to experience. No father or daughter could possibly see it without experiencing a profound catharsis. This is not to be missed. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade: A+

From Up Here, a play by Liz Flahive at Manhattan Theatre Club; Good Boys And True by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa at Second Stage Theatre.
Two plays about bad boys, but very different in range and quality. The more finished of the two was the first we saw - "From Up Here" a superbly penned and extremely powerful symphony of pain and recovery by Liz Flahive. The play deals with the plight of a family and in particular a mother who must reconcile with her son who has devastated his and their lives by threatening school violence. The cast is uneven but at the core, Julie White is magnificent as Grace and the young Tobias Segal gives an award worthy performance as the troubled Kenny and Brian Hutchinson is moving as the stepfather. The problem with the play is that the short burst scenes, punctuated by a rock and roll transition, perfected by the likes of Neil LaBute, is becoming a cliche. Still, "From Up Here" is a fine work and possibly could go to Broadway with a little more tuning.
The second play we saw "Good Boys and True" appears to be influenced by the notorious Duke Lacrosse scandal, especially as it deals with the corrosive feeling of entitlement conveyed to the students of elite prep schools. The meshing themes of entitlement, rape and homosexuality are not entirely reconciled, but "Good Boys and True" is nonetheless engrossing and with some more work could be a sturdy vehicle. It's still in previews at Second Stage, having originated in Chicago at Steppenwolf. Like "From Up Here," "Good Boys and True" suffers from uneven casting. The two boys Brian J. Smith and Christopher Abbott are terrific. Abbott reminded me of a young Robert Sean Leonard and should have a fine career ahead of him. The biggest problem is the pivotal role of Elizabeth, the mother, as played by J. Smith-Cameron. Smith-Cameron has a distinguished award winning resume and is not without skills, but she seemed totally out of her depth in the role of a patrician blue blood. Living in Princeton, we meet and know many "Elizabeths" and Smith-Cameron hasn't brought this role to life. She is brittle and stiff, but brittle and stiff are not what the upper class are, they are assured, infinitely confident and poised. Perhaps she will settle into the role. I've been told that the work has changed considerably since Chicago and it would appear that more work is in order.
From Up Here B+. Good Boys and True. B-

Report From London 2: That Face by Polly Stenham at the Duke of York's Theatre, God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza at the Gielgud Theatre.
Two plays by extremely talented women: Yasmina Reza of "Art" fame, and Polly Stenham, a 21 year old wonder who has taken the British theatre world by storm. Each play deals with barely suppressed and troubled families. Yasmina Reza probably has her biggest hit since "Art" and with a cast headed by Ralph Fiennes and which includes the great Janet McTeer, Tamsin Greig (a fabulous actress whom I had not caught before), and Ken Stott who was in the original London production of "Art" it's no wonder. "God of Carnage" does not disappoint, although it rarely goes below the immediate surface. But so solid is the acting and the direction by Matthew Warchus, its smash hit status is beyond question. Briefly two families get together to discuss playground violence committed by one family's son against the other's and they then proceed to devolve into the same inane playground violence, albeit with rum instead of a stick. It was great fun. But on this day on which I also saw "That Face" by Polly Stenham who is all of 21 years old, it is the play by the young prodigy that I will remember for a long time. It's hard to believe that a 21 year old (she must have been even younger since it was staged at the Royal Court last year) could have written such wise and understanding dialog for a range of characters from a teenage girl and boy to a besotted and horrific mother superbly played by the great Lindsay Duncan, and a distant and cold father played by Julian Wadham. The play unmasks a terribly dysfunctional family beginning with the young daughter's shocking poisoning of a schoolmate. "That Face," already published, appears influenced by the work of Edward Albee, although it is more linear than his more recent work, and I would expect it will start appearing everywhere, extending beyond its 10 week run at the Duke of York, both in the UK and the US. God of Carnage B+. That Face A-

Boeing Boeing, a play by Marc Camoletti at the Longacre Theatre. Starring Christine Baranski, Mark Rylance, Bradley Whitford, Gina Gershon, Kathryn Hahn, Mary McCormack; directed by Matthew Warchus. "Boeing Boeing" is a high octane French sex farce, suitably translated for American sensibilities. Although I've seen the great Shakespeare actor Mark Rylance (probably the finest Hamlet of his generation) in such roles as Olivia in Twelfth Night, I was not prepared for his great gifts for physical and slap stick comedy. Channeling Stan Laurel, Rylance makes a long delayed Broadway debut in great style. Keeping up with his antics is Bradley Whitford (of West Wing fame) Christine Baranski hilarious as a ditsy maid and above all the hysterical trio of voluptuously sexy stewardesses (the play is set in the 1970's -- the days before political correctness when airlines could still hire stewardesses solely for their looks and sex appeal - the days when to date a stewardess was to be instantly "lucky.") Gina Gershon does a fantastic riff on Gina Lollobrigida, Mary McCormack is a Teutonic wonder as the Lufthansa girl and there is Kathryn Hahn who is a very free and horny American. The stereotypes play well into the comedy. Without a stitch of redeeming value or purpose, "Boeing Boeing" is a fast moving and always funny French farce (people are going in and out of doors the whole time) and it's brilliantly paced and staged by Matthew Warchus. We had a miserable day yesterday in New York, it was cold and rainy and the traffic was terrible. "Boeing Boeing" was the perfect cure. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade A-