➤ PORGY AND BESS, from p.30
Her engaging stage presence and
sweet tone won ovations. Alfred
Walker’s huge craggy baritone and
hulking presence make Crown a
frightening loose cannon ready
to wreak havoc at any moment.
Veteran Denyce Graves plays Maria
as a tough cookie rather than
warm earth mother — her fl inty
mezzo-contralto matches her
characterization. Frederick Ballentine’s
Sportin’ Life is a youthful
operatic lyric tenor with access to
head tones and a lithe frame. He
is not a vaudeville song and dance
showman as the role creator John
W. Bubbles, Cab Calloway, or the
1959 fi lm’s Sammy Davis Jr. were.
Cameo turns like Leah Hawkins’
showstopping Strawberry Woman
and Chauncey Packer’s Crab Man
get the hybrid style down.
The Met downplays the hybrid
popular and ethnic music elements
in Gershwin’s score. David Robertson’s
interpretation — masterfully
performed by the Metropolitan
Opera Orchestra — is solidly
➤ LINDA VISTA, from p.28
ing to fi nd himself — but we see
little discernible motivation. He
demands attention but gives very
little in return.
It doesn’t help that this is territory
that has been extensively and
chillingly explored by Neil LaBute.
Letts knows his way around a joke
and bro-speak, enlivening the
piece a bit. But scenes like when
actress Ali McGraw’s sex addiction
is discussed come off as forced
and facile, never rising above bar
banter. The graphic sex scenes,
particularly the fi rst one between
Wheeler and Jules, raise issues
never fully developed, so they become
gratuitous. Insight into who
these people are goes missing.
To be sure, the actors throw
themselves into the fray. Ian Barford
as Wheeler gives a largely solid
performance. Though his default
hangdog mode wears over time,
Barford is consistently reaching for
something, so we can see Wheeler’s
internal confl ict, even if it remains
undefi ned. Cora Vander Broek as
Jules is appealing, but her character
is more a plot device than a real
person. Similarly, Chantal Thuy
as Minnie is an interesting actress
20th century American classical
in the Aaron Copland vein with
barely a hint of jazz or Broadway.
Under his baton, “I Got Plenty of
Nuttin” doesn’t swing (especially
with Owen’s leaden rendition) and
Ballentine’s “It Ain’t Necessarily
So” lacks a sassy Broadway strut.
Also, all the performers soften or
omit Heyward’s and Ira Gershwin’s
imitation of the Gullah dialect —
“wid” becomes “with,” for example.
The Gullah dialect is accurate for
the time, place, and people depicted
here but is too reminiscent of
“Amos ‘n’ Andy” and Stepin Fetchit
for our current generation of performers
and audiences.
This opera house Catfi sh Row
looks and sounds just a little too
refi ned and cleaned up — gentrifi
cation (like political correctness)
is a wave we can’t swim against today.
This critic wanted a little more
grit and desperation — some sweat
and tears along with a little jazz
and gospel. But a sense of community
unifi ed by superb musicianship
is there in the ensemble carrying
the evening to triumph.
lost in an undeveloped character.
“Linda Vista” asks more questions
than it answers. Is this a
study of depression? Is it an indictment
of selfi sh men? Is it a meditation
on the diffi culties of relationships
in the current world? Letts
never clues us in, and director
Dexter Bullard clearly lacks a vision
for the piece. The play’s characters
are as lost as the audience,
and the theater’s exit provides the
evening’s greatest satisfaction.
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS |
Westside Theatre Upstairs, 407 W.
43rd St. | Through Jan. 19: Tue.,
Thu. at 7 p.m.; Wed., Fri.-Sat. at 8
p.m.; Wed., Sat. at 2 p.m.; Sun. at 3
p.m. | $69-$229 and up, with only
premium seats currently available
at telecharge.com or 212-239-6200
| In-person lottery 90 mins. before
curtain at $29 in cash | Two hrs.,
15 mins, with intermission
LINDA VISTA | Second Stage Theater
| Helen Hayes Theatre, 240 W.
44th St. | Through Nov. 10: Tue.,
Thu. at 7 p.m.; Wed., Fri.-Sat. at 8
p.m.; Wed., Sat. at 2 p.m.; Sun. at 3
p.m. | $79-$199 at 2st.com or 212-
541-5416 | Two hrs., 40 mins, with
intermission
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