Six Degrees of Separation

[foxy]

A great new revival of this John Guare play is back on Broadway with a terrific cast headed by the wonderful Allison Janney. You may know her from playing CJ Cregg on West Wing, a role that awarded her 4 Emmys. I saw the original production that starred Stockard Channing who also starred in the 1993 film.

Interestingly Channing was also in West Wing as the First Lady Abbey Bartlet. So she and Janney have far less degrees of separation.

The play is based on a true story of how a young black man duped several wealthy Manhattan couples into believing he was the son of Sidney Poitier. And the running gag is that all these upscale people are hoping for a part in the (fictional) live movie version of Cats that will be directed by Poitier.

It's quite funny at times and Corey Hawkins is wonderful in the role as Paul who had everyone fooled.

Not that this is important and I'm sure no one would really care but there is an extended scene with a handsome naked hustler running all over the stage.

It's in limited run for 15 weeks and worth seeing. Did I mention the part with the handsome naked guy?

[Cooper]

Like foxy, I also enjoyed this 1 Act, 95 minute play. I was caught up in the story, thought the acting was great, and felt the leading actors made a nice connection with the audience. The college age children were quite a hoot with their reactions to the parents who were conned by Paul Poitier. I felt like I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what's next.

 

Allison Janney as Ouisa was amazing. She most recently has been seen on TV in the award winning show "Mom". And, Cory Hawkins as Paul could have even fooled me if he showed up at my door saying he was "Sidney Poitier's son.

 

As new shows seem to be opening every day on Broadway, this is one worth checking out.

 

Coop

[foxy]

http://ysd.yale.edu/showcase/showcase15/images/cusati-moyer.jpg

 

In case anyone is interested in the naked guy it's James Cusati-Moyer

[edjames]

Excellent show. Based on a true and compelling story. Great cast, and any show with gratuitous nudity gets a thumbs up (LOL).

[foxy]

Rarely do I see a show twice but I had friends visiting from England. Since they had never seen this play I thought it would be fun to take them. It was great to see this play through their eyes. It brought a whole new level to the show. So I say take a friend(s) to the theater today.

[+ WilliamM]

Rarely do I see a show twice but I had friends visiting from England. Since they had never seen this play I thought it would be fun to take them. It was great to see this play through their eyes. It brought a whole new level to the show. So I say take a friend(s) to the theater today.

 

I have mentioned before that I sat next to Daniel Radchiffe's table in a New York restaurant. He was appearing on Broadway in "How to Succeed in Business...." and explained to London friends the differences between theater in the U.S. and the U.K.

[+ oldNbusted]

I've only seen the film adaptation. It's so meaningful to me, I use it as a touchstone for gaining insight into other people, a bit of a character flaw to do that, I know. I ask them what did they take away from the movie. Some say it was a story about a grifter getting over on some clueless rich people, but a much smaller group say something like the movie asks what makes each one of us who we are as a person.

 

My opinion is the brilliance of the film is that while telling the narrative story, it is setting up the audience for Ouisa's epiphany at the end, it's so great. Is that element present in the stage version?

[+ BigRic]

So ironic.

 

While on my last visit to work NYC just a few weeks ago, I decided to finally watch the HD Amazon stream of the 1993 Fred Schepisi film since I've given up hope on it ever being released on Blu-ray. I was in NYC, staying in the (very nice) apartment of a (very handsome) fellow escort (who is a white guy). Rich.

 

Wow did I have some different reactions now than in years past. Donald (Sutherland; "Flanders") and especially Stockard ("Ouisa") and Will (Smith; "Paul") are outstanding. Will's dinner prep and discussion (after Ian McKellen and the others decide to stay in . . . "two million dollars . . . two million dollars") is wicked good stuff. Nothing new there.

 

But the kids are all overacting (hysterical that, in addition to Anthony Rapp, one of the other kids is portrayed by freakin' J.J. Abrams!). And as much as the film examines the issue of race (the final conversation in which Paul asks Ouisa "Will you help me?" and what ensues with the police is heartbreaking), there is so much left unexamined:

 

What of the role that race and class played in Anthony Michael Hall's character's ("Trent") interest in picking up Paul on "a rainy night in Boston" and his attraction to Paul compelling Trent's desire to see Paul more accepted by high society that leads to the entire messy affair? And it's noteworthy that all of the guys Paul picks up to bring into the homes of the wealthy he has insinuated himself into are white guys. ("Stop blond thief!" LOL.)

 

I'm not so much faulting the piece for not directly addressing these concerns--that's a whole 'nother play--as I am saying that there's a lot going on here and this remains an ambitious story, both then and now. Will is incredible and I'm surprised he did a gay-themed picture as his--holy crap--debut film. Two years later he was in Michael Bay's Bad Boys!

 

And what are we to make of Eric Thal's character (ironically, "Rick")

committing suicide after he admits to "Roller Girl" (his girlfriend Elizabeth is played by Heather Graham . . . LOL) that Paul topped him?!

It couldn't have been that bad to get done by Det. Lowrey! LOL.

 

Wish I had known of this staging a few weeks ago and I would have squeezed in time to go. One thing I think the stage will miss is the film's terrific Jerry Goldsmith score!

 

My opinion is the brilliance of the film is that while telling the narrative story, it is setting up the audience for Ouisa's epiphany at the end, it's so great.

 

Yes. And Ouisa's epiphany is so powerful that it's strongly intimated that

she is leaving her husband over this incident and his response to it.

That latter part especially strains credulity if the foregoing narrative was not powerfully rendered . . . and it is. But IMO it might be opening too large of another can of (unexamined) worms right before the credits role.

[foxy]

It's incredible how much can be contained in a 90 minute play. If you see it you'll be thinking and talking about it for a very long time after. And bear in mind that this is based on a true story and not a work of fiction.