“The Inheritance”

“The Inheritance” by Matthew Lopez

Barrymore Theatre on Broadway

Score: A-

One of the most anticipated plays of the 2019/20 season opened this weekend.  Matthew Lopez’ “The Inheritance” comes to Broadway after rave reviews and multiple awards for its premiere in Britain last year.  Oddly, this very American play, set in New York City, written by an American playwright and cast with predominantly American actors found its first production at London’s Young Vic. The play unfolds in two two-and-half-hour parts and, for me, it was a sort of “Boys in the Band” circa 2019.  At last year’s Tony Awards, Mart Crowley’s controversial (and break-through) portrait of gay men in the late 1960s won the best revival award.  Of course, “The Inheritance” is deeper and more ambitious than Crowley’s depiction of repressed homosexuals on the verge of the gay-liberation movement.  But both plays try to capture the state of young gay men in their time and place. 

Many critiques of “The Inheritance” have compared it to Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America,” the searing two-part portrait of gay life in the throes of the AIDS crisis.  But Lopez dramatizes what the current generation of gay men have inherited from that period as well as from the generations before that time when being gay evoked in many the image of an incurable disease.

It is difficult for a gay man like myself to separate my identity from my response to “The Inheritance;” after all, my life as a gay man started in the 1960s and continues through the present – I have lived from “Boys in Band” to “The Inheritance.”  I have no idea how a straight man or woman would respond to this play.  It is full of very graphic descriptions of gay sex, one brief nude scene, and lots and lots of pretty boys in speedos.  Of course, the play goes way beyond its salacious attractions, and there are certainly plenty of “straight” plays that have used explicit sex as part of its zeitgeist.

Actually, sitting through almost seven hours of writer Lopez’ and director Stephen Daldry’s creation felt like binging on a complex television series in a single day.  That is not so surprising since “The Inheritance” is loosely based on E. M. Forster’s classic “Howards End” that was adapted into an ever-popular PBS/BBC series. Another E. M. Forster classic, “Maurice” - this one about repressed homosexual love - is also at the core of much of “The Inheritance.” Forster himself appears in the play as a sort of Greek chorus that advises one of the central characters, Toby Darling, who is writing a play titled “Love Boy” that becomes a Broadway hit just as Toby falls victim to his own failed sense of self-worth. Forster lived a closeted life that was the only option in a country, Britain, that jailed gay people until 1967.  He wrote “Maurice” in 1913/14, but it was not published until 1971, a few years after the author’s death.  So, while Forster’s creation was repressed, Toby’s fallacious portrait of himself becomes a Broadway hit.

The charm of “The Inheritance” is the way Lopez and Daldry have interwoven the stories of half a dozen central characters with the support of a lively cast of friends, lovers, and fuckbuddies.  While the play is full of stereotypical events in the lives of contemporary young gay men, at least gay young men who are free to express their sexual identity, it is really about more profound issues.  What is true love?  What is the relation of “need” to love?  What is the difference between the self you project and the self you actual really are? What is the role of compassion in a truthful life?  And what has the current generation of gay men inherited from their predecessors and how does that inheritance impact their lives?

These are complex issues and they are also issues that a straight audience member might find compelling in this lengthily drama. Director Daldry has chosen a minimalist style that is perhaps the best use of this stark technique I have ever experienced.  A flat white platform that rises and falls slightly is the site of all of the action.  There are occasional miniature pieces of scenery at the rear of the stage to represent a house where a compassionate gay man cared for dying victims of the AIDS epidemic.  But there is no need for scenery as the lives of this group of contemporary queers unfold.  The acting is near perfect; each actor brings life and believability to his part, large or small.  These characters are a specific subgroup. While they come from different backgrounds, all have accepted their sexual identity and live as free as gay people can live at the start of the 21^st Century.  Several of the supporting characters are people of color but the play has little to say about that aspect of gay identity.  And it is only in the second half of the play that we encounter a contemporary lost young man who can only survive through prostitution and eventually inherits the deadly, but now controllable, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. 

The compassionate epidemic care giver named Walter and his arrogant and self-centered multi-billionaire real estate developer partner, Henry, are the only “over 40s” in this gay world. Walter dies in the first half, presumably of natural causes, and Henry becomes a central figure in the exploration of love versus need in the second half.  The only female in the play is played by the always wonderful Lois Smith as the mother of a boy she rejected when he came out but suffered with him at his death in Walter’s retreat.  She is the only connection with the “straight world” and her appearance at the end of the play reminds us that these men, now and in the past, are not the only recipients of this inheritance.

The first half ends with a powerful portrayal of the AIDS epidemic with a compassion that evokes pure emotion from the audience.  Some viewers suggest that the play might have ended there – that there was no need for the additional 3.5 hours.  But this is not a play about that terrible period in our shared history.  That tragedy is only one part of our inheritance.  There are certainly times when the second half feels unnecessarily drawn out and, occasionally, repetitive.  But think about those series you have binged.  Any episode seen in isolation might have seemed unnecessary, but the sum of the series’ parts was compelling. That is the effect that “The Inheritance” has if you stick with it.  This play may not be an absolute masterpiece, but it asks questions and portrays characters struggling with issues that we all have inherited, gay and straight.

"The Michaels" at The Public Theater

The Michaels at The Public Theater

Score: C-

Playwright and director Richard Nelson has developed a well deserved reputation for writing and directing in an ultra-realistic style. During the Obama years, wrote two cycles of plays about liberal families struggling to survive in upstate New York. The charm of the first two multi-play cycles was the way Nelson wove social and political issues into the “life in the kitchen” of a collection of characters preparing a meal.  “The Michaels,” currently at the Public Theater is Nelson’s third portrayal of a family and friends in similar circumstances in a similar kitchen in a very similar ultra-realistic style.

Unfortunately, Nelson’s version of realism requires that his actors never project their speech making very difficult to hear what they are saying, particularly in theatre in the round, seemingly his favorite way to escape the seemingly unrealistic convention of a

“fourth wall.”   Last year, Nelson directed a highly acclaimed production of Chekov’s “Uncle Vanya.”  Sitting in the second row, it appeared to me that this might be a a fascinating interpretation, if only I could hear what the actors were saying (my ear doctor tells me my hearing remains normal).  In an interview, Nelson once said that its good for the audience to struggle to hear the actors - it makes them listen more carefully. 

Well, in “the Michaels,” the good news was I think I heard 75% of what the actors said.  Unfortunately, the bad news was I could hear 75% of what the actors said.  Once again we had a truly believable portrait of life (and, in this case, near-death) in the kitchen, but there was little substance.  Nelson substitutes dance for politics and social issues, focusing on a choreographer with stage 4 cancer and her family and friends.  While facing death is certainly a profound and worthwhile subject for drama, Nelson really does little more than give us an unfocused snapshot of an evening with those affected.  He seems to believe that realism is an end unto itself.  It’s like sitting in a Starbucks and listening to bits and pieces of the conversations by people at other tables. If that’s appealing to you, I’m sure you have a near-by coffee shop that’s cheaper and less demanding than two hours in a theatre.

The Santa Fe Opera Season

The Santa Fe Opera Season

For years, the Santa Fe Opera has been on our bucket list.  Each summer, this small-town state capital (with a population of just over 80,000) presents five operas at a beautiful performance site open to the summer weather in New Mexico, hot during the day but cool and breezy in the evenings. This year we finally checked this unique event off of our list with all five operas in this year’s season.

We started with a good production of one of Bizet’s more rarely produced operas, “The Pearl Fishers.”  Unfortunately, the production was marred by a weak tenor, Ilker Arcayurek.  The limitations of the Swiss tenor were amplified when he sang the opera’s most famous (and absolutely beautiful) duet with the fabulous American baritone, Anthony Clark Evans.  The opera tells the story of two men deeply in love with the same woman in a mythical version of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon. Evans has a deep and lyrically full voice.  Equally impressive was the electrifying bass, Robert Pomakov.  Soprano Corrine Winters brought a musically satisfying voice to the role of Leïla, the object of the two men’s desire. “Pearl Fishers” was written over 10 years before Bizet’s ever popular “Carmen,” and his death by heart attack at only 36, a few months after his popular opera premiered.  Watching this splendid early work by Bizet, I wonder what he might have given us had he survived his life-long illnesses.

Our next opera was a Mozart favorite, “Cosi Fan Tuttle.”  This very well sung production was an outrageous example of what opera fans call “Euro-Trash,” productions that reconceive an opera in a style that is thoroughly mismatched. It started with a promising image, America’s long-time favorite baritone Rod Gilfrey entering in a classic cowboy outfit against the breath-taking New Mexico sky at the rear of the opera’s stage.  Immediately I thought this was going to be a delightful “Old West” rethinking of Mozart’s comic opera about two pairs of lovers whose faithfulness is tested when Gilfry’s Don Alfonso bets that each woman will fall for the other “best friend” in disguise.  Then the men and women entered in tennis outfits and later the men appear in denim jumpsuits, later changing to silver jumpsuits.  If this does not make sense to you, you’re not alone.  Making a bad situation worse was a lighting design that was gloomy and ominous and made it impossible to see any of the singers.  It looked like the lighting designer thought the opera was one of the darkest of Mozart’s works, “Don Giovanni.”

But the singing in this “Cosi” was as good as it gets. Tenor Ben Bliss and baritone Jarrett Ott, well established America singers, were pleasingly matched as were Soprano Amanda Majeski and mezzo Emily D’Angelo.  Tracy Dahl, as the chamber maid, Despina, played for all humor in her role as Don Alfonso’s comic accomplice with a delightful (if not a particularly distinguished) voice. The real musical treat in this production was in the orchestra pit.  British conductor Harry Bicket specializes in baroque and early classical music and his talents sparkled.  If you closed your eyes, this would have been a wonderful evening at the opera — but you can do that with a good recording on a high-end stereo system in your living room.  There is nothing so entertaining as a new take on an old opera, but this production’s “new take” was totally off the mark.

Santa Fe has been a proving ground for new operas.  This summer’s world premiere is “The Thirteenth Child,” by the acclaimed Danish composer Poul Ruders and American librettists Becky and David Starobin. Based on a Grimm Brothers fairytale, the twelve sons of King Hjarne are exiled when their embittered cousin, Dorian, tells the king that his sons are plotting his assassination.  Eighteen years later, Hjarne’s successor, Queen Gertrude, sets her daughter, Princess Lyra, in search of her lost brothers. When Lyra meets the youngest of the twelve, Benjamin, sung beautifully by an opera apprentice Bille Bruley, he leads her to her siblings and a happy ending.

So frequently with contemporary operas, I find the sounds coming out the orchestra pit much more interesting that vocal lines written for the singers and “Thirteenth Child” is no exception.  Ruder’s orchestrations alternate between his adaptation of minimalism and rich neo-romanticism. It was fascinating how he went from an ultra-modern musical sound to sweeping melodies you might hear in a Verdi or Bizet opera.  The singers are given the usual non-lyrical ups and downs, occasionally forcing the men to jump from deep baritone to their falsetto voices and then back again. Each of the eight principals met the demands of Ruder’s score and the chorus provided a rich sound.  As contemporary operas go, this one was interesting enough to keep me in my seat for both of the short, 40-minute acts.

The crowd pleaser this season is Puccini’s “La Boheme.”  The quality of the singing for this much-loved score was mixed.  There are so many extraordinary recordings of Pucinni’s masterpiece (not to mention performances at major opera houses) that it is tough to fully appreciate performances by singers who are not at the top of their form. The singing in the Santa Fe Opera (SFO) production was generally pleasant and occasionally impressive.  In the latter category were soprano Vanessa Vasquez as Mimi and Gabriella Reyes as Musetta.  Ms. Reyes not only sings beautifully, but she also roller skated through the glorious second act cafe production number. Mario Chang, as Mimi’s passionate lover, has a decent lyrical tenor voice, but his limitations are quite evident in the initial duet as the two declare their instant endearment.  The weakest link in the portrayal of opera’s dual romances was Zachary Nelson as Musetta’s sometimes lover, Marcello. His insecure baritone is no match for any of other three artists in the Paris garret.  The standout among the four was bass Solomon Howard as Coline who shines in the famous coat aria.  Baritone Will Liverman, who is a standout in SFO’s “Jenůfa,” more than meets the demands of Schaunard.  The SFO chorus, made up of opera apprentices, was first-rate in all five operas, and particularly in the second act Christmas Eve Café Momus scene in this production. The structure of this outdoor opera stage places limitations on designers of scenery.  So special credit goes to Grace Laubacher for inventive sets that evoked the feeling of bohemia in 19^th century Pairs.

The absolute highlight of the five nights of opera was a magnificent production of Leoš Janáček’s “Jenůfa.”  This was a world-class opera production with singing that you would expect to hear at the Metropolitan or Royal Opera Houses.  Janacek’s first opera is starkly realistic and disturbingly focused on infanticide and mismatched lovers against the backdrop of oppressed village mill workers.  The SFO production made the unthinkable actions of the characters utterly believable and the cast sang with dynamic emotion and musical perfection.  As the title character, soprano Laura Wilde, a former SFO apprentice, brought strength and clarity to a very challenging role. Tenor Richard Trey Smagur was suitably repulsive as Jenůfa’s drunken would-be finance. Alexander Lewis as Jenůfa’s eventual husband has a beguiling tenor voice that gave life to a frustrated and emotionally internalized character.  Veteran soprano Patricia Racette was convincing as the stepmother who kills Jenůfa’s baby to conceal her stepdaughter’s fallen state as an unwed mother and, at 54, Racette’s voice was as strong and piercing as when she was the 1998 Richard Tucker Award winner.  The most striking voice in this production was Will Liverman as the foreman at the village mill.  This is a singer to watch as opera musical directors discover his rich baritone and his convincing acting.  Conductor Johannes Debus brought Janacek’s complex score into dramatic unity. Truly a memorable evening at the opera!

Santa Fe has many charms.  Fascinating Native American artists are featured in dozens of galleries.  Canyon Road is filled with a seemingly endless number of fine art galleries that feature both Native- and Mexican-American artists.  There are many tasty restaurants at various price levels.  And this small town has almost a dozen fascinating museums.  Our bucket list served us very well!