SITE GUIDE
SEARCH
REVIEWS
REVIEW ARCHIVES
ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP
FEATURES
NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings
LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway
NYC Restaurants
BOOKS and CDs
OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
DC
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
A CurtainUp Review
Finks
| "Don't
pick on Trotsky. He was a very funny guy. Before he left town he
asked Lenin to watch Stalin. Now that's a man with a sense of
humor."—Mickey
|
Miriam Silverman andAaron Serotsky (Photo: Gerry Goodstein)
|
Although minor characters in the play keep their real names (Elia Kazan, Lee J. Cobb), Jack becomes Mickey (Aaron Serotsky) and Madeline is Natalie (Miriam Silverman). Jerome Robbins, the young choreographer who betrayed the Gilfords before the HUAC, is called Bobby (Leo Ash Evens). The play, ably directed by Giovanna Sardelli, shifts back and forth between the floor of Congress and the various places where Mickey and Natalie perform and live.
When Mickey first meets Natalie, he is working as a nightclub entertainer, and she is a radio and television actress. He is single and she is married but for some reason not very committed to her marriage. At first, Mickey hesitates to become involved with a married woman who is so dedicated to political causes. But he eventually throws caution to the winds and marries Natalie, who gets a divorce as easily as people change their clothing.
Gilford never explains why Natalie (or his mother) was unhappy in her marriage. The fact that Natalie is married contributes nothing and one suspects it is only in the play because the playwright was determined to stick to the truth, in which case he might have included that his mother also had a child by her first husband.
With husband #1 out of the way, the play progresses fairly smoothly, but the lives of the characters do not. Little by little, they become more enmeshed in political affairs and increasingly vulnerable to the anti-communist wave that swept the country in the 50s. In the end the couple has nothing left but their integrity and their new baby.
Serotsky is wonderful as a nice, moral guy who just wants to act. When he sings and cracks jokes he is not only totally believable but also thoroughly entertaining. Silverman does not seem so warm and likable, and its hard to see whether that's because of Gilfords writing or her acting. Of maybe that's just the way Gilford saw his parents.
At any rate, Natalie comes off as somewhat manipulative and conniving. Its one thing to be dedicated to a cause. Its something else to get other people involved, especially when they are not fully aware of the risks.
Most of the other actors have multiple roles. Ned Eisenberg is especially fine as Fred Lang, the actor who refuses to be compromised, goes to jail and eventually kills himself.
The stage at Ensemble Studio Theatre is a bit too small to accommodate the different scenes that happen simultaneously. In fact, Gilford, who teaches screenplay writing at NYU, has written a script that might be served much better by a film or television treatment.
Nevertheless, thanks to the great skill of the director and her talented cast, Finks surmounts most of the challenges inherent in the script. Finks is often funny, generally moving and has an ending that leaves the audience feeling satisfied and just a bit nervous.
| Finks by Joe Gilford Directed by Giovanna Sardelli Cast: Michael Cullen (Rep. Walter), Ned Eisenberg (Fred Lang), Leo Ash Evens (Bobby), Kenney M. Green (Piano Player and others) Jason Liebman (Lynch and others), Thomas Lyons (Larsen and others), Aaron Serotsky (Mickey) and Miriam Silverman (Natalie) Set Design: Jason Simms Lighting Design: Gina Scherr Costume Design: Sydney Maresca Sound Design: Jill duBoff Choreography: Greg Graham Production Stage Manager: Jillian Anderson Running Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes with one intermission Ensemble Studio Theatre 549 West 52nd Street From 3/31/13; opening 4/06/13; closing 5/05/13 Wednesday through Sunday evenings at 7:00pm with Saturday matinees at 2pm, and an early curtain Sunday at 5:00pm Tickets: $30, $20 for student/seniors. ALL MATINEES FOR THE ENTIRE RUN ARE PICK YOUR OWN PRICE. 866.811.4111 or click < www.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/134> Reviewed by Paulanne Simmons March 31, 2013 |
| REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email. . .also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. Visit Curtainup's Blog Annex For a feed to reviews and features as they are posted add http://curtainupnewlinks.blogspot.com to your reader Curtainup at Facebook . . . Curtainup at Twitter Subscribe to our FREE email updates: E-mail: esommer@curtainup.comesommer@curtainup.com put SUBSCRIBE CURTAINUP EMAIL UPDATE in the subject line and your full name and email address in the body of the message. If you can spare a minute, tell us how you came to CurtainUp and from what part of the country. |
Slings & Arrows- view 1st episode free
Anything Goes Cast RecordingOur review of the show
Book of Mormon -CDOur review of the show
