Friday, September 20, 2024

Reverend's Reviews: A Critic's Life


Film, literary, TV and/or theatre critics such as yours truly have long been the butt of jokes aimed at us and our profession. These haven't necessarily been undeserved, but I've never seen a serious depiction of a truly unethical, possibly evil critic until I watched Anand Tucker's new film The Critic. Now in theatrical release in the US, it demands attention for multiple reasons but especially for 85-year-old Ian McKellen's delectable performance in the title role.


The out and proud McKellen plays Jimmy Erskine, whose increasingly caustic opinions have held sway over the London stage — and those artists inhabiting it — for more than 40 years. When we meet Erskine in 1934, he is revered and feared in equal measure. A negative review from him can close a show and destroy careers. Erskine clearly enjoys his power and the perks that come with it. These perks include a degree of needed social-legal protection, since he is a closeted gay man during a time when homosexuality was criminalized.

When the longtime owner of the newspaper to which Erskine has long contributed suddenly dies, the critic soon finds himself at odds with new owner David Brooke (played with nice subtlety by Mark Strong). Brooke disdains Erskine's influence, attitude and sexuality, and tells his chief critic to be "more beauty, less beast" when it comes to his writing. Erskine, feeling his job and status threatened, concocts a plan involving an ambitious actress to bring Brooke down. Things quickly get out of hand, with more than one life lost along the way.

The Critic, adapted by Oscar nominee Patrick Marber (Closer, Notes on a Scandal) from Anthony Quinn's novel Curtain Call, is well worth seeing for McKellen's darker-than-usual turn alone. However, additional strong performances are given by Alfred Enoch (well-remembered from TV's How to Get Away with Murder) as Erskine's longtime assistant/"lodger," Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia, The King's Man) as the unfortunate actress manipulated by Erskine, and Oscar nominee Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread) as the actress' mother. The film also boasts lovely period art direction, costumes and cinematography.

At the film's opening, Erskine correctly informs viewers that the word critic is derived from the Greek and Latin words for "judge." Elsewhere he declares, "Theatre is eternal and matters more than politics." With this in mind, this consistently-published critic of 28 years — who has long striven to be ethical and is definitely not evil (depending on who you talk to, lol)—turns to judging two of the hottest, politically-related tickets currently on Broadway!

Oh, Mary! is a much-ballyhooed transfer from Off-Broadway that was both written by and stars queer performer Cole Escola. Escola has been recognizable in LGBTQ circles for a while now, thanks to their appearances on TV's Search Party, Mozart in the Jungle, Difficult People and numerous YouTube sketches. But the success of Oh, Mary! — which has just been extended at NYC's Lyceum Theatre through January 19th, 2025 — has elevated Escola to a whole new level. Reverend was thrilled to attend a performance last month.

Their outrageous gay-leaning farce presents a knowingly, lovingly contrary image of the historical Mary Todd Lincoln. Despite serving as First Lady to then-President Abraham Lincoln, she was — according to Escola alone — a frustrated, unhappily married, alcoholic, wannabe cabaret star. Escola plays all this to the hilt, and then some. Their Mary hides liquor bottles throughout the Oval Office, verbally and emotionally abuses her servant-chaperone, and challenges her barely closeted gay husband (reincarnated by out actor Conrad Ricamora) at every turn. She also happens to be completely clueless about the civil war ravaging the USA during her husband's administration. Mary eventually falls for the hunky theatre coach (James Scully) "Honest Abe" hires for her, though her husband's ulterior motives become decidedly apparent.

Everyone's destiny collides at Washington DC's infamous Ford Theater the fateful evening of April 15th, 1865. Yet Escola's one act play climaxes with Mary's ultimate cabaret performance that absolutely brings down the house. It's no wonder Oh, Mary! won numerous Off-Broadway awards last season including several from GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, of which Reverend is a member. Watch for it to potentially dominate this season's Tony Awards following its transfer to Broadway. Escola and their radical revisionist-history comedy are fully deserving of all the accolades they are receiving.

Once Upon a Mattress is back on Broadway in a delightful revival starring two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster. The original 1959 production of this comedic adaptation of The Princess and the Pea famously made a star of Carol Burnett. Additional tours, revivals and TV versions have been headlined by the likes of Dody Goodman, Imogene Coca, Sarah Jessica Parker and Tracey Ullman, not to mention thousands of high school ingenues.

If Foster wasn't already a star of stage and screen, this current production would surely make her one. Her singing and dancing as the hapless Princess Winnifred are as impressive as ever; it's her Lucille Ball-rivaling comedic skills on display here that are a guffaw-inducing revelation. They begin at Foster's entrance. Covered in filth, garlands of moss and even leeches (which she ends up hurling into the audience), she immediately establishes herself as the dirtiest, rowdiest Winnifred to date. Foster's hilarious antics continue through the finale and include stuffing her mouth with grapes, exuberantly dancing the punishing "Spanish Panic," and contorting herself repeatedly on the musical's titular pile of bedding. Her performance could assure her another Tony Award next year, although Audra McDonald's upcoming turn as Mama Rose in Gypsy will likely offer stiff competition.

Shamelessly aiding and abetting these shenanigans are out co-star Michael Urie (known for TV's Ugly Betty and Younger as well as his numerous, award-winning stage credits) as Prince Dauntless, Winnifred's royal intended; Saturday Night Live and Wicked veteran Ana Gasteyer as the conniving Queen Aggravain; and previous Tony Award nominees Brooks Ashmanskas, Daniel Breaker and Will Chase. Lear Debessonet (who was just appointed the new director of Lincoln Center Theatre) directs with winning playfulness, and Lorin Latarro provided the energetic choreography.

Also adding to the frivolity are Foster's longtime collaborator Amy Sherman-Palladino, who smartly updated the musical's rather creaky book. Untouched, however, is the classic score composed by the late Mary Rodgers (Richard's daughter) and Marshall Barer. This Once Upon a Mattress can be enjoyed by all ages, as the giggles of numerous young children seated near me testified. Get thee to NYC's Hudson Theatre asap!

As Reverend recently said to my hospice chaplain day job supervisor: If you would have told me when I was a teenager or young adult in Arizona that I would one day be living adjacent to New York City and regularly attending/reviewing Broadway shows, I would have said "That will never happen." This critic stands humbly, gratefully corrected.

Reverend's Ratings:
The Critic (Film): A-
Oh, Mary! (Broadway): A
Once Upon a Mattress (Broadway): A-

Reviews by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film and stage critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.

Friday, August 16, 2024

Reverend's Reviews: Back to the Future?


44 years ago, Reverend was an innocent yet nubile 14-year-old who was nonetheless following the movie industry closely as a budding young filmmaker. I was reading rumblings in mainstream newspapers and magazines — remember those? — about Caligula, a historical epic inspired by the life of the notoriously vicious Roman emperor.

Caligula, initially released in the US in 1980, was the most expensive independent film in cinema history at the time but had a tumultuous journey to the screen. Written by the esteemed Gore Vidal and headed by the then-stellar cast of Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole and Sir John Gielgud, it was meant to be an epic showcase of the generation's finest talent while addressing the corrupting influence of power amid the rampant sexuality of the Roman court. However, producer Bob Guccione — who at the time also published the 18+ Penthouse magazine — seized control of the negative and randomly inserted graphic scenes of unsimulated sex and gratuitous violence. The cast and film team disavowed what had become a blatant desecration of Vidal's themes. Vidal himself successfully sued to have his name removed from the project. Extensive coverage of such behind-the-scenes notoriety had an unexpected effect: the film became an international box office success.

Jump ahead to 2024 and enter Caligula: The Ultimate Cut. A complete reconstruction of one of cinema’s most lavish-yet-notorious productions, it is being released by Drafthouse Films in select US theaters beginning today prior to a 4K Ultra High-Definition home video release. This new presentation made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, introducing both new generations of movie audiences and classic filmgoers. Its significant reconstruction uses alternate takes and camera angles, and features — for the first time ever — the complete film narrative.

This new release aligns more closely to Vidal's original script, especially with the addition of a prologue that illustrates one of Vidal's missing scenes created by noted graphic artist Dave McKean. Nearly 100 hours of footage was discovered by the film's dedicated reconstructionist, Thomas Negovan. It showcases underrated performances from the film’s cast and fully realizes McDowell's complex, charismatic Caligula. McDowell himself has recently stated he is happy to have his full performance in the film finally available. The new edition also resurrects eventual Oscar winner Mirren's more layered character arc, which now cements the film's final hour.

All in all, Caligula: The Ultimate Cut adds about 30 minutes to the original, unedited version's run time of 2 ½ hours. It retains much of the graphic sex and violence of the prior edition while eliminating its more "ejaculatory" moments. Thankfully, there is even more gay/poly content in the new version, which would no doubt please the outspokenly gay Vidal. Danilo Donati's minimalist costumes but extravagant sets are even more stunning in 4K.

Alas, the continuing deficit to Caligula in its various iterations is that the title character remains almost inexcusably evil. While The Ultimate Cut provides a bit more backstory in its first 30 minutes as to why Caligula turns out the way he does, he remains blissfully unrepentant in the end. But, for all its excesses, perhaps that's why this woebegone epic remains resonant today. What are Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Nicolas Maduro and Xi Jinping but modern-day Caligulas, eager to retain power no matter what the human cost?

Upon a recent re-viewing, Reverend was struck by how Francis Ford Coppola's 1986 fantasy Peggy Sue Got Married has grown in thematic significance. The film was conceived and/or perceived as the antithesis to 1985's Steven Spielberg-produced Back to the Future. Coppola's take on time travel —thoughtfully scripted by Jerry Leichtling and Arlene Sarner — was more feminist, more philosophical, less dependent on visual effects and, ultimately, more divisive than its blockbuster predecessor.

An Oscar-nominated, then-superstar Kathleen Turner headlines as the titular character, who finds herself mysteriously transported from middle-age to her senior year of high school 30 years earlier. She is subsequently presented with the unique opportunity to re-evaluate her life choices, including her troubled marriage to high-school sweetheart Charlie (an oft-criticized but endurably offbeat performance by Coppola's nephew, Nicolas Cage). In addition to Cage, Helen Hunt, Joan Allen, Catherine Hicks, and some guy named Jim Carrey make significant early-career appearances in the film. Veteran actors Barbara Harris, Leon Ames, Maureen O'Sullivan and John Carradine are also on hand.

Perhaps because I'm celebrating my 57th birthday but remembering when I first watched Peggy Sue Got Married at the theater in which I served as an assistant manager back in 1986, the movie was even more resonant this time around. I also became unexpectedly emotional with the appearances of Peggy Sue's mother and maternal grandmother in the film, since my own mother and maternal grandmother have both passed away in more recent years.

Coppola helmed this more cost-efficient production following his big-budget flops One From the Heart and The Cotton Club. I dare say it is one of his very best films, right up there after The Godfathers and Apocalypse Now. It has even gotten better with age. You owe it to yourself to watch or re-watch Peggy Sue Got Married asap.

Reverend's Ratings:
Caligula: The Ultimate Cut- B-
Peggy Sue Got Married- A-

Reviews by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film and stage critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.

Monday, August 12, 2024

And the 2024 Dorian TV Awards Go To...


GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics announced today the winners for the 2024 Dorian TV Awards, honoring the best in television and streaming networks. In the 16th go-around of GALECA’s TV honors, Hacks leads with four wins, including Best TV Comedy.


BEST TV DRAMA
⭐️ Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (AMC)

BEST TV COMEDY
⭐️ Hacks (Max)

BEST LGBTQ TV SHOW
⭐️ Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (AMC)

BEST TV MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
⭐️ Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

BEST UNSUNG TV SHOW
⭐️ Reservation Dogs (FX/Hulu)

BEST WRITTEN TV SHOW (new category)
⭐️ Hacks (Max)

BEST NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE TV SHOW

⭐️ Shōgun (FX/Hulu)

BEST LGBTQ NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE TV SHOW (new category)
⭐️ Young Royals (Netflix)

BEST TV PERFORMANCE—DRAMA
⭐️ Matt Bomer, Fellow Travelers (Showtime/Paramount+)

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE—DRAMA
⭐️ Jonathan Bailey, Fellow Travelers (Showtime/Paramount+)

BEST TV PERFORMANCE—COMEDY
⭐️ Jean Smart, Hacks (Max)

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE—COMEDY
⭐️ Hannah Einbinder, Hacks (Max)

BEST TV MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
⭐️ Ryan Gosling, “I’m Just Ken,” 96th Academy Awards (ABC)

BEST TV DOCUMENTARY OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
⭐️ Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (Investigation Discovery)

BEST LGBTQ TV DOCUMENTARY OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
⭐️ Last Call: When A Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (HBO)

BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS SHOW
⭐️ Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

BEST REALITY SHOW
⭐️ The Traitors (Peacock)

BEST GENRE TV SHOW (new category)
⭐️ Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (AMC)

BEST ANIMATED SHOW
⭐️ X-Men '97 (Disney+)

MOST VISUALLY STRIKING TV SHOW
⭐️ Ripley (Netflix)

CAMPIEST TV SHOW
⭐️ Chucky (SyFy / USA)

WILDE WIT AWARD
—To a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse
⭐️ Julio Torres

GALECA TV Icon Award
—To a uniquely talented star we adore
⭐️ Carol Burnett

GALECA LGBTQIA+ TV Trailblazer Award
⭐️ Alan Cumming

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Reverend's Reviews: From Screen to Stage

Several new musicals, now having their world premieres in various Northeast locations, draw their inspiration from movies to greater or lesser degree. The most direct adaptation is The Queen of Versailles, based on a 2012 documentary of the same name and its more recent reality series sequel The Queen of Versailles Reigns Again. Reuniting Tony Award winner Kristen Chenoweth with Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz, it is making its pre-Broadway debut at Boston's historic Emerson Colonial Theatre. Reverend was privileged to attend a preview performance on July 27th.


Chenoweth is fantastic as Jackie Siegel, the real-life wife of billionaire David Siegel. In the wake of their European honeymoon 24 years ago, Jackie became inspired to build a replica of the French palace of Versailles in their home state of Florida. With unlimited financial resources, at least at the time, the couple broke ground on what would become one of the largest private homes in the US. However, the 2008 recession and David's related financial losses temporarily halted construction. The house remains unfinished to this day.

Schwartz, playwright Lindsey Ferrentino and Tony-winning director Michael Arden have envisioned the Siegels' story as a Faustian tale of what one can lose in gaining excessive wealth and/or pursuing "the American dream." Their musical's first act is engaging as it introduces us to Jackie, David (played by Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham), their first daughter Victoria, Jackie's adorable dog Bear, and the various characters in their employ. Though currently a tad overlong, it is important to note The Queen of Versailles is a work in progress and will likely continue to be revised. Schwartz's generally upbeat Act One songs convey Jackie's joie de vivre well, and Chenoweth delivers them with gusto.

The plot becomes decidedly more serious post-intermission, and the shift in tone is jarring. The current Act Two songs also aren't as good, save a powerhouse finale song spectacularly performed by Chenoweth as she scales a massive staircase. (Song titles were not provided in the program, likely because they are still subject to change.) Abraham's limited singing ability is also a deficit that becomes more apparent the longer the show goes on. On the plus side, Act Two currently offers some pointed and very timely political commentary.

Despite its current liabilities, The Queen of Versailles has much to recommend it including very impressive costumes, scenic and video design, and orchestrations. But the main asset is undeniably Chenoweth. A Tony award for Best Lead Actress may well be in her future once the show — with or without further revisions — transfers to NYC next season as planned.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic 1925 novel The Great Gatsby recently entered the public domain. As such, it is now available for theatrical, cinematic and television adaptation by anyone who wants to take a stab at it. Many have tried over the decades but few have been successful at capturing the book's philosophical blend of romance, social critique and Jazz Age opulence. The best to date is arguably Baz Luhrmann's 2013 movie.

One new stage musical of The Great Gatsby is already playing on Broadway while another Broadway-bound version, simply titled Gatsby, just celebrated its world premiere run at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On entering the theater, one is instantly struck by scenic designer Mimi Lien's set. Dominated by car wrecks to evoke the mechanic George Wilson's junkyard and also foreshadow the tragic death of his wife, Myrtle, it communicates to audience members that this will not be as pretty a production as we may be used to. It turns out to be accurate, even with a handful of lavish dance numbers set in the title character's fairly minimalist mansion.

This Gatsby (subtitled An American Myth in publicity materials) better balances the overlapping stories of Jay Gatsby's undying love for the married Daisy Buchanan and the difficult marriage between Myrtle (who is having an affair with Daisy's husband) and George. This brings the social-economic disparities between them into sharper focus. Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok wrote the book for the musical. The songs were co-written by Florence Welch, longtime headliner of Florence + the Machine, and Thomas Bartlett. They are tuneful and serviceable if not particularly memorable. They were also frequently over-amplified during the performance Reverend attended, making it hard to distinguish the lyrics at times.

The cast was strong, even with swings/understudies in the roles of Myrtle and Nick. Notably, this production makes Nick Carraway's long hinted-at homosexuality or bisexuality explicit, which I definitely appreciated after seeing so many adaptations tiptoe around this.

Ask for the Moon, a self-proclaimed "mischievous new musical," features some enjoyable cinematic connections/allusions. With a book and lyrics by Tony winner Darko Tresnjak (who also directs) and music by Oran Eldor, it is playing at Goodspeed's Terris Theatre in Chester, Connecticut through August 11th.

With plentiful references to classic Hollywood melodramas like Now, Voyager (from which the show draws its title) and The Poseidon Adventure, audiences set sail on the Jewel of the Sea ocean liner with a scheming widow, a vengeful lawyer, and a volatile nurse. There are also a pair of squabbling Carpathian twins; Persimmon De Vol, stylist par excellence; and even a pet piranha with digestive issues!

Running a brisk 2 hours including intermission, Ask for the Moon is something few new musicals are nowadays: fun! This is largely due to hard-working cast members Luba Mason, Ali Ewoldt and Jamison Stern. Stern works a little too hard playing multiple roles (including the aforementioned twins) and goes over the top at times, but this is ultimately a minor criticism. And what's not to love about a show that boasts a dance number titled "The Skankey Meringue"?

New York City's iconic Empire State Building has been spotlighted in hundreds of movies since its construction way back in 1931. An Affair to Remember, multiple versions of King Kong, and Independence Day come to mind, among many others. While the new stage musical Empire is not adapted from a film, it certainly evokes many of these classic cinematic sequences.

Now being performed at Off-Broadway's New World Stages through September 22nd, Empire relates the historical drama behind the skyscraper's development while naturally adding song and dance. With book, music and lyrics by Caroline Sherman and Robert Hull, the show incorporates both real-life and fictional characters. Significantly, it tends to focus on the women whose work on the building has long gone unrecognized. This is admirable but the writers also add a 1970's-set framing device that proves excessive. The fact that one of the latter-day characters is able to time travel back to the 1930's definitely strains credibility.

Tony-winning actress and director Cady Huffman helmed this technically impressive production, with scenic design by Walt Spangler. Lorna Ventura's energetic choreography makes the best of sometimes limited space. The cast is good and their vocal arrangements are sometimes striking, especially when the men sing together. I definitely found Empire enlightening and sporadically entertaining but it could benefit from some further work.

Reverend's Ratings:
The Queen of Versailles: B
Gatsby: B-
Ask for the Moon: B+
Empire: C+

Reviews by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film and stage critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.