Stage Review: Jim Parsons is Divine in ‘An Act of God’

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Jim Parsons as “God” and his angelic helpers Timothy Kazurinsky and Christopher Fitzgerald in ‘An Act of God’ at Studio 54 Image: Jeremy Daniel

by E. Caroll, Review Columnist

Securing tickets early in time to get a review out on Opening Night, I was able to attend ‘An Act of God‘ at Studio 54.  Studio 54 is wonderful in that no matter where you sit, you have a great view of the stage. An Act of God is a play borne out of a Twitter feed.

An Act of God is written by David Javerbaum (former head writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) , directed by four-time Tony Winner Joe Mantello (Wicked, Angles in America: Millennium Approaches, Take Me Out, Assassins), produced by Jeffrey Finn (Ton-nominated The Elephant Man, The Realistic Joneses, I’ll Eat You Last, Dead Accounts, Scandoulous, Seminar, American Idiot, A View from the Bridge, and so many more) and stars The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons with co-stars two-time Tony Nominee, Christopher Fitgerald (Finian’s Rainbow, Young Frankenstein and also was in The Merchant of Venice, Wicked, Amour, and Chicago on Broadway and in The Good Wife, Elementary, Twins, Girl Most Likely and Larry Gaye:  Renegade Male Flight Attendant) and Tim Kazurinsky (a cast member of Saturday Night Live in 1982-1984 and played Officer Sweetchuck in three Police Academy films, with stage credits including The Odd Couple, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Old Jews Telling Jokes and he has toured with the National Tour of Wicked where he played the Wizard of Oz.)

An Act of God is Parsons’ third role on Broadway (previously starring in The Normal Heart and Harvey), but this clearly is his most important role yet on stage.  While he broke hearts in The Normal Heart with his passion, and charmed audiences with the revival of Harvey, this role is completely unique and about as close to a monologue or stand-up comedy routine as you can get while playing a role on stage.

Parsons holds the entire audience while mainly sitting on a couch and talking for the full 90 minutes in which he plays the most important character of all time, “God.”  Parsons body is taken over by God so that he can communicate with mankind.  He wants to talk to the people of today’s era about many things, including updating them on “proper” interpretation of the Ten Commandments.

Javerbaum’s wish to have Parsons in the role was the right choice.  He does charm the audience with what could be some controversial and sticky issues, yet Parsons has a way to remove any possibility of offense with his humor, poise and charisma.

At the open, Parsons appears before a large staircase with the Ten Commandments atop the stairs.  Parsons is white-robed and has two Archangels (Fitzgerald as Archangel Michael and Kazurinsky as Archangel Gabriel) that never leave his side, or in this case the theater, because Parsons presence as God fills the whole theater.  He is omnipresent after all!

Jim Parsons Image by Jeremy Daniel

 

While the stage is simple, it lends itself to a perfect setting for the next 90 minutes.  It provides a sense of “heavenly” ambiance while the audience is given a “divine” intervention with the Almighty.

“God” is casual dressed in his white robes with jeans, red sneakers and a plaid shirt under his robes, making himself easily available to his creation by not trying to off-put them with being too fancy.  He is your ordinary-Joe kind of God that people can relate to and enjoy.

After explaining His reason for coming to talk to the theater-goers, Parsons’s “God” proceeds to hold the audience in the palm of his hand by use of his body language, posture, facial expressions and tone of voice.   He answers His wingmen Archangels’ questions and some questions that are brought forward after Archangel Michael goes out into the audience for some interactive participation.   While the Archangels have minimal roles, both Fitgerald and Kazurinsky play their parts well, yet in true angelic form, never distract from the Big-Guy Presence on stage.   If you are lucky enough to sit in the front row, you might actually get to shake “God’s” hand as Parsons does come down and interact briefly with some audience.

Javerbaum’s penned wit, combined with Parsons’ talent provide a winning combination.   Kudos also to the set designer and lighting team for creating the right ambiance.

The creative team included: Scenic design – Scott Pask (The Book of Mormon); Sound Design – Fitz Patton (It’s Only a Play); Costume design – David Zinn (Fun Home); Lighting design – Hugh Vanstone (Matilda The Musical); Projection design – Peter Nigrini (Here Lies Love);  with a few witty notations in the program  that Hair Design was by Delilah, God’s Executive Assistant is St. Peter and Travel Arrangements by Moses.

An Act of God delighted audience members of all ages, from teens to silver-haired 80-somethings, all who literally and truly laughed out loud to where at times one might miss the next line from all the laughter, but it was all very joyous.  And the pièce de résistance?   Parsons’ finalé is a vocal number of him singing an original song with lyrics by Javerbaum with music by Adam Schlesunger called “I Have Faith in You,” ending with a standing ovation by the enthusiastically applauding audience.

Overall the play is laugh out loud funny; Parsons is brilliant in his role; and it is not surprising that there have already been repeat audience members because it is one to see over again!

An Act of God is playing at Studio 54 located at 254 West 54th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue, New York City, New York.

fivestarsFive Stars out of Five.

Buy-Tickets-Now

 

on Instagram: #OpeningNight! #AnActofGod “Praise Be !!”- !! #JimParsons #Broadway #SetDesign photo by #SaraKrulwich #Theater

 

Reviews from Other Media, followed by summaries:

The New York Times: Review: ‘An Act of God,’ With Jim Parsons as an Almighty Comedian

Broadway .com:  Our Father, Who Art in Studio 54: An Act of God, Starring Jim Parsons, Opens on Broadway

Deadline Hollywood:  Jim Parsons Rewrites God’s Top 10 list, Dishes Noah – Broadway Review

Variety: Broadway Review: Jim Parsons in ‘An Act of God’

NBC New York: With Jim Parsons as God, Bazingas Fly From On High

The Hollywood Reporter: ‘An Act of God’: Theater Review

Newsday: ‘An Act of God’ review: Jim Parsons in irreverent yet sweet comedy

Broadway World Review: BWW Reviews: Parsons Preaches It in AN ACT OF GOD

New York Daily News: ‘An Act of God’ review: Jim Parsons divine as the Man Upstairs 

New York Post: Parsons is a mildly irreverent supreme being in ‘Act of God’

The Star-Ledger (New Jersey):  Jim Parsons stars as the Almighty in ‘An Act of God’

Time Out:  An Act of God

Theater Mania:  An Act of God

Entertainment Weekly:  Jim Parsons in An Act of God on Broadway: EW review

Huffington Post:  Jim Parsons Carries “An Act of God,” Broadway’s Latest Laugh-Out-Loud Comedy

The Toronto Star:  Jim Parsons divine in An Act of God on Broadway

Guardian:  An Act of God Review – Jim Parsons Plays The Diety

Vulture:  Theater Review: Does Jim Parsons, as God, Knock ‘Em Dead?

Bergen Record: Theater review: ‘An Act of God’

USA Today:  Parsons’ ‘God’  Charms But Doesn’t Awe

AM New York: ‘An Act of God’ theater review — 2 stars

Associated Press/Washington Times:  Review: Jim Parsons can’t save mindless ‘An Act of God’

Summaries below are reposted from Broadway World Roundup:

Charles Ishwerood, The New York Times: How funny is the guy? He’s Jon Stewart funny, plus Stephen Colbert funny. (Mr. Javerbaum has written for both.) More obviously, it might be said that Mr. Parsons as Mr. Javerbaum’s tell-it-like-it-is God is, yes, divinely funny…Verily I could quote every other line from Mr. Javerbaum’s annotation of the Scriptures and gather a chuckle, so deliriously funny is he as a sort of amateur theologian and stand-up comedy genius rolled into one…With his sly smile and his sparkly eyes, [Parsons] delivers the zingers with an easy grace, giving a nice silky consistency to shtick that, in more aggressive hands, might grow oppressive. He handles the pseudo-biblical language as if it comes as naturally to him as the nerd-speak he spouts on television, looking down upon us with an air of benevolent affection, like a really caring therapist, but one who prefers to talk about himself.

Mark Kennedy, Associated Press: Summer on Broadway is when the weakest of authors somehow find a home. This year, it’s apparently God. The play, with one strange song at the end, is a chance for the Almighty to set the record straight – like that he doesn’t hate gays and he can’t help anyone sing better – and update his 10 Commandments…Javerbaum is obviously pretty good at droll, bite-sized humor. No so much with a 90-minute play. This one seems more like a lounge act cooked up by someone who thinks his Facebook updates are totally hilarious…Parsons…is game playing a sort of overworked divine bystander with anger management issues, forever exasperated at humans and their endless stupidity…One bright spot is Fitzgerald as the Angel Gabriel, who peppers God with questions about heavenly inconsistencies and the nature of evil. Their tension is really the only thing that keeps this lame thing even slightly going. It truly needs divine intervention.

Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter: Jim Parsons would not be the first person to come to mind for the role of God. But the actor proves a surprisingly authoritative Supreme Being in David Javerbaum’s hilarious comedy An Act of God…The script by Javerbaum…is both outrageously irreverent and deeply thoughtful in its exploration of religious issues. The Book of Mormon seems almost restrained by comparison…Although Kazurinsky and Fitzgerald provide terrific deadpan comic support, this is essentially a one-person show, and Parsons runs with it. Displaying the expert comic timing and delivery that’s won him numerous television awards, the actor here delivers a tour-de-force turn in which he fully commands the stage for 90 minutes…Being a comedy sketch stretched out to feature length, An Act of God inevitably has its longueurs. But there’s no denying that this wickedly clever evening is both thought-provoking and anarchic fun.

Marilyn Stasio, Variety: Scott Pask’s celestial set, which consists of a white stairway leading up to what looks like the inside of a big blue egg cup, doesn’t have much to say for itself, and Hugh Vanstone’s lighting design is your basic white-on-white. The real source of light here is Parsons, who was most recently on Broadway in “Harvey” and seems to genuinely enjoy doing stage work, God bless him. The sheer absurdity of the situation makes the offbeat humor tailor-made for Parsons, a master of the deadpan stare and droll comic delivery…Javerbaum undeniably knows his territory. But he doesn’t strike his true vein of gold here until he allows the Lord God to introduce His all-new-and-vastly-improved Ten Commandments…Parsons is such a personable performer that he can hold the floor pretty much on his own, dazzling us with his chatty charm.

David Cote, Time Out NY: There aren’t many lies you can tell about God that organized religion hasn’t told already: He is loving; He rewards the faithful; He is a He; and the biggest crock of all — that He exists. And yet comedy writer David Javerbaum…finds new ways to make the Supreme Being his sock puppet in An Act of God, this summer’s blithely blasphemous occupant at Studio 54. In this divine visitation from the Unmoved Mover, the always charming Jim Parsons will make a disbeliever out of you…Still, Javerbaum’s radical rewrite of the Ten Commandments-the evening is structured around God’s introduction of revised laws — is clever and even refreshingly positive, insisting on the separation of church and state and encouraging us to believe in ourselves, not some elderly white guy in the sky.

Linda Winer, Newsday: If you’re going to cast the embodiment of the Almighty, the King of the Universe, the Alpha and Omega, the Omniscient and the Omnipotent, it makes awfully good — really, quite heavenly — sense to go with Jim Parsons…those not amused by light-fingered, big-hearted blasphemy may assume they will not be amused by the 90-minute summertime entertainment that officially kicked off the new Broadway season…Basically, God is on Broadway to rewrite at least some of the Ten Commandments, which now include “Thou shalt not tell others whom to fornicate.” Nobody is too holy to avoid the occasional easy target…But the material — some framed as questions from the audience — takes on a satisfying number of Big Issues, including a brilliantly skewed explanation of evolution. Parsons…has been delightfully directed by Joe Mantello…Although the performance requires a hellish amount of memorization, Parsons appears to be making all this “godding” up with his usual Texas drawl and his disarming, crooked smile.

Elysa Gardner, USA Today: …Javerbaum’s satire can become rather too obvious. There are digs at Justin Bieber, Sarah Palin and the Kardashian clan. Act’s title character is also problematic; Javerbaum’s God is a comic tyrant, albeit one who can wax earnest and tender, and who ultimately advocates humanism. The tonal shifts are, if not earth-shattering, certainly jarring. Parsons and director Joe Mantello emerge as the show’s saving graces. An affable actor and wry, nimble comedian, Parsons manages to deliver even Javerbaum’s snarkier and more self-righteous lines with minimal smugness. Under Mantello’s witty, playful direction, he establishes an easy, knowing rapport with the audience — and with Christopher Fitzgerald and Saturday Night Live alumnus Tim Kazurinsky, who respectively play Michael and the meeker Gabriel. Javerbaum provides some genuinely funny and incisive lines…Here, as in the best moments of An Act of God, the joke is at least partly on us.

Robert Kahn, NBC New York: “An Act of God” is a 90-minute diversion, as often amusing as it is trifling…Parsons’s God is like Sheldon Cooper after a few double espressos — snide and sarcastic, and now with the power to turn you into a pillar of salt…If you follow Javerbaum’s Twitter account…The material here is uniformly in keeping with that vibe. Parsons nails the material when it’s fresh (a Holocaust one-liner is the most daring thing in the play) and rises above it when it’s mediocre (a ringing cell phone gag is cringe-worthy, as is a story about “Adam and Steve”)…God is assisted by two archangels…They share a breezy chemistry with their boss, especially poor Fitzgerald, whose curiosity about the mysterious ways in which the Lord works may prove his undoing…The ending is tacked on and hokey, in spite of nifty effects. There was no easy way Javerbaum was going to tidily wrap this holy stand-up routine, and I wish he hadn’t tried. Neither heavenly nor hellish, “An Act of God” is primarily for fans of Jim Parsons. They are justifiably legion, and they will get their share of “bazingas” out of his work here.

Matt Windman, AM New York: Jim Parsons is essentially playing Sheldon Cooper…playing God. It’s a very funny, very promising concept, but not much of a play or even a stand-up routine…By offering a live version of his inimitable persona on “The Big Bang Theory,” Parsons provides Broadway audiences the same sort of kick as Larry David, who is playing a slight variation of his “Curb Your Enthusiasm” character in the hit comedy “Fish in the Dark.” Even at 90 minutes, “An Act of God” is long-winded and full of unoriginal jabs at common targets. There may be a play to be drawn out of Javerbaum’s work, but “An Act of God” is not it.

Jeremy Gerard, Deadline: Under the smooth, even convivial direction of Joe Mantello, Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) lounges on Scott Pask’s immaculate, vaguely Mount Sinai-ishe set, attended by favorite, bewinged angels Gabriel (Tim Kazurinsky) and Michael (Christopher Fitzgerald), the former given to mischief and the latter more subservient. Much of the humor seems familiar…A lot more seems phoned in…Some of it could be described as edgy, though to my mind it was merely tasteless, not to say pandering (“People say, ‘Why did you let the Holocaust happen?’ Well, no Holocaust … no Cabaret.”)…Parsons delivers all this polished patter expertly, with a dry sense of the absurd, which makes most of the show mildly entertaining. But if you want to meet the Deity on the edge…spend the money…on tickets to Fun Home or Hand To God.

Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Daily News: Put Jim Parsons behind the wheel of a Broadway star vehicle, and he’ll drive like it’s a Rolls-Royce. Even if it’s really a Ford Fusion Hybrid. So it is with the “An Act of God,” a new mixed-bag comedy about the Man Upstairs in which He cops to having “wrath-management issues.” The play by David Javerbaum has laugh-management issues. Some of it is divinely, if blasphemously, inspired. Some is sorta tired. Unevenness isn’t next to godliness. But Parsons is an ace comic act. He does deadpan and flashes the stink eye like nobody’s business, so the show is fun and entertaining…The best material is out of left field and edgy. Like when God says that “Jesus was a middle child, and acted like it. He is the second of My three children: Zach, Jesus, and Kathy.” Nobody saw that coming. But it lifted the show to cloud nine.

Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Post: If you’re going to spend an hour and a half listening to a mildly irreverent riff on the Bible, it might as well be with Jim Parsons…Parsons is the reason why this extended skit made it onto the Great White Way. God, however, is below his skill level. Parsons is charming as a supreme being who’s relaxed, cocky and at times a little testy. But this play is merely a glorified Top 10 list in which God gives us his revised Commandments — a natural format for playwright David Javerbaum…Parsons is at his best when God’s at his worst. When Michael wonders why the Almighty doesn’t always reward the good or punish the evil, the deity gets cranky: “I totally hear what you’re saying,” he says. “I just prefer mysterious ways, all right?”…At least Parsons got God out of his system. Here’s hoping he’ll apply his considerable talents again to interesting humans.

Jesse Green, Vulture: Parsons…sells the hell out of what is basically a 90-minute monologue…If you’ve followed the tweets…you’ll know the flavor: sarcastic, clever, and, miles beneath the surface, deeply serious. Parsons, whose tonal control is as fine as that of a dimmer switch, handles all this with the insouciance of a young George Burns (to name one of his God-playing predecessors), moving with complete ease between camp and dudgeon, mockery and message…The jokes keep landing — nearly one per sentence — and if they occasionally achieve a rat-a-tat quality that tends to raise smiles while suppressing laughter, they are always, at least, smart…But Javerbaum, and his director, Joe Mantello, are too theatrically savvy to leave it at that. Another note, slowly introduced among the zingers and rim shots, eventually becomes dominant, and this one, while still funny, is darker and potentially more theologically challenging than mere spoofs of Bible stories. It’s the note of divine self-criticism: God, reviewing his infinite life so far, has begun to question not just his actions…but also his very nature.

Peter Marks, The Washington Post: The advantages wielded by “An Act of God” and its astute director, Joe Mantello, are some of Javerbaum’s stinging one-liners and the winningly dry-witted Parsons, who does just fine playing a deity with an attitude. Parsons’s gift for withering contempt is ideal for the playwright’s conception of a haughty heavenly father with communion-wafer-thin patience for an assortment of human frailties…Javerbaum has some clever points regarding the narcissism of humankind and how this might have figured in God’s creation of us in his own image…There’s something about the weary vigilance Parsons projects that gives compelling freshness to this kind of standard-issue Biblical demystification.

Ronni Reich, The Star-Ledger: Directed by Joe Mantello, the show provides light entertainment suited to this point in the season. Javerbaum’s writing is clever and quirky, and Parsons shows off impressive energy and distinctive, off-kilter charm in the 90-minute piece…This is clearly a deity who created man in his image, flaws and all — but God’s are magnified to the level of his power. Parsons is more than up to the task, with an effortless, conversational tone as he takes on Javerbaum’s riffs. As with the scientist he plays on TV, complex phrases roll easily off his tongue, and he speaks with authority while maintaining an approachable quality. While the “Act” is reliably amusing, as we get to know this version of God — one who repeatedly insists that there is something really wrong with him — some jokes become predictable…some of the anecdotes become, well, preachy. The slanted take on familiar stories and the modern sensibility make an uplifting ending seem a little overly sweet.

Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star: Yea, verily, I have walked through the shadow of death in the theatre world, wondering why so many shows have tended to be hellish experiences, but with An Act of God, which officially opened at Studio 54 on Thursday night, I had a revelation. All you need is someone really divine in your cast. Someone like Jim Parsons…The slightly tricky premise, of course, is that we’re really not seeing Jim Parsons or Sheldon Cooper but God Himself, using the persona of the actor to speak to the masses…An Act of God takes no prisoners, pulls no punches and will provide you with an irreverent, hysterical, yet somehow provocative 90 minutes in the theatre. Joe Mantello has directed with a sleekly inventive hand; Christopher Fitzgerald and Tim Kazurinsky are a droll and deadpan pair of angels; and Javerbaum’s script amuses to the very last line. But it’s Parsons who makes the evening unique. It’s a joy to watch him manipulate our image of him, play to what we expect and then turn it all around 180 degrees. His timing is lethal, his looks are deadlier than a cobra’s and his comedy wins at every turn.

Robert Feldberg, Bergen Record: Much of the show’s pleasure radiates from Parsons, who goes well beyond the constraints of the geeky, socially awkward character he plays on his sitcom to give an aggressively funny performance in the manner of an in-charge stand-up comedian – with some artful acting thrown in.

Alexandra Villarreal, Huffington Post: The play is funny, for sure. Studio 54 resounds with cackles as Parsons carries his role with the acting chops that have earned him four Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. The script may be a little withheld, but for Broadway, it’s not so sterilized as Gigi or cold and isolated as last year’s Betrayal. With A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Something Rotten! now gracing stages on the Great White Way, wit seems to be making a comeback even in the live equivalent of big budget Blockbusters, and An Act of God is no exception. Jokes land, even if they feel forced, and Javerbaum’s history with Jon Stewart sets the precedent for the show’s humor.

Clark Collis, Entertainment Weekly: The problem is that, for a Broadway show, this isn’t much of a Broadway show. If God really is in the house, would it have killed the Supreme Being who whipped up the Earth and sky to produce a few dancing girls, metaphorical or otherwise? God does have a couple of helpers in the literally angelic forms of Christopher Fitzgerald’s audience-roaming Michael and Tim Kazurinsky’s Commandment-announcing Gabriel. But this is still essentially a stand-up routine-make that a sit-down one, given the amount of time God spends lounging on a sofa on the spare, all-white set. As a theatrical spectacle, An Act of God is the anti-Wicked, which is a surprise given the shows share a director in Joe Mantello. May we suggest another commandment? Thou Shalt Not Charge Broadway Ticket Prices To See Jim Parsons Tell Jokes-no matter how beloved He mightest be.B-

Alexis Soloski, Guardian: If you’ll forgive me, oh Lord of hosts, though this play is billed as a chance to ask “any questions that arise regarding the nature of existence, that I may deign to answer them and enlighten thee”, as justifying the ways of God to man go, this is not exactly Paradise Lost. The main thrust: God often goes into “ethereal-hover mode” while he lets humanity roll along and while he does have a divine plan, “I’m not afraid to riff. Go with the flow.” Which goes a long way toward making sense of the narwhal and several varieties of Haribo sweets.

 

 

And with that “God” can laugh even at the bad reviews

DreamWorks Animation Reports Increased 1Q Earnings over same quarter 2014

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Dreamworks

30 Apr 2015

Dreamworks

GLENDALE, Calif., April 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (Nasdaq: DWA) today reported revenues for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 of $166.5 million, representing an increase of 13.1% from the same period in 2014. In addition, DWA reported an adjusted(1) operating loss of ($3.4) millionand adjusted(1) net loss attributable to DWA of ($21.5) million or an adjusted(1) loss of ($0.25) per share. Adjusted financial results exclude a $31.9 million pre-tax charge associated with Company’s restructuring plan announced on January 22, 2015.

Including the impact of the restructuring plan, DWA reported an operating loss of ($35.3) million and reported net loss attributable to DWA of ($54.8) million, or($0.64) per share for the quarter ended March 31, 2015. Of the restructuring-related charges totaling $31.9 million or a loss of ($0.37) per share, $6.1 million was due to employee termination and other employee-related costs, $9.3 million was related to accelerated depreciation and amortization charges associated with the closure of our Redwood City facility, and $16.5 million was primarily related to excess staffing and other costs associated with the previously announced changes in the feature film slate.

“While 2015 is a transitional year for us, the worldwide box office performance of Home serves as early evidence that the changes we’re making in the core feature animation business are working,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer of DreamWorks Animation. “In addition, last Friday, our television series All Hail King Julien won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Animated Program.” Katzenberg added, “This recognition highlights the extraordinary talent and high quality of their work being done at the studio today and we couldn’t be prouder.”

Home released theatrically on March 27, 2015 and has reached $154 million at the domestic box office and nearly $154 million at the international box office to date.

First Quarter Review:

DWA’s first quarter revenues of $166.5 million increased 13.1% versus the prior year period due to increases across each of the Company’s operating segments.

Revenues for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 from the Feature Film Segment increased to $128.0 million, up from $110.1 million in the prior year period.  Segment gross profit also increased to $41.0 million compared to a loss of $25.4 million in the same period last year.  In the first quarter of 2014, DWA recorded an impairment charge of $57.1 million for the theatrical release of Mr. Peabody and Sherman.

Home, which was released theatrically on March 27, 2015, contributed feature film revenue of $2.9 million in the current quarter, primarily from ancillary revenues. As a result of the film’s performance in the worldwide theatrical markets, DWA currently anticipates that Fox will recoup their marketing and distribution costs and begin reporting revenue to DWA in the second quarter of 2015.

The Penguins of Madagascar contributed feature film revenue of $2.0 million in the current quarter, primarily from distribution outside of Fox territories. The film was released into the domestic home entertainment market on March 17, 2015 and through the end of the first quarter reached an estimated 2.2 million home entertainment units sold worldwide, net of actual and estimated future returns. Fox did not report any revenue to DWA in the quarter for the film as they had not yet recouped their marketing and distribution costs. DWA currently anticipates that Fox will recoup their marketing and distribution costs and begin reporting revenue to DWA in the second quarter of 2015.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 contributed feature film revenue of $41.4 million in the quarter, primarily from the domestic and international pay television windows as well as home entertainment. The film reached an estimated 8.4 million home entertainment units sold worldwide through the end of the first quarter, net of actual and estimated future returns.

Mr. Peabody and Sherman contributed feature film revenue of $31.5 million in the quarter, primarily from the domestic and international pay television windows as well as home entertainment. The film reached an estimated 3.8 million home entertainment units sold worldwide at the end of the first quarter, net of actual and estimated future returns.

Turbo contributed feature film revenue of $12.3 million in the quarter, primarily from international home entertainment. The film reached an estimated 7.1 million home entertainment units sold worldwide at the end of the first quarter, net of actual and estimated future returns.

Library titles contributed feature film revenue of $37.9 million to the quarter. Library revenues in the current quarter were driven by Rise of the Guardians, primarily from worldwide television markets, along with revenues generated in the home entertainment market by How to Train Your Dragon, which benefited from the home entertainment release of the sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2, in November 2014.  In addition, during the three months ended March 31, 2015, our Library benefitted from recoveries of $6.3 million from previously established home entertainment reserves related to sales through DWA’s former primary theatrical distributor.

Revenues for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 from the Television Series and Specials Segment were relatively in line with the prior year period at $18.0 millionand were comprised of revenues generated from the delivery of episodic series.  Segment gross profit declined to $3.5 million in the current period from $5.8 million in the same period of the prior year, primarily due to higher up-front marketing costs attributable to the initial launch of new series.

Revenues from the Consumer Products Segment increased to $15.1 million in the first quarter, compared to $12.1 million in the same period last year.  The increase was primarily driven by revenues generated in location-based entertainment initiatives as well as from increased merchandise sales. Segment gross profit increased to $6.5 million from $6.0 million in the prior year period as higher revenues were partially offset by the timing of creative development expenses and investments in new initiatives.

Revenues for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 from the Company’s New Media Segment were $4.6 million compared to $4.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2014, an increase of approximately 12% compared with the prior year period. This increase was primarily attributable to revenues generated by channels and Big Frame, which was acquired in April 2014.  Beginning in the quarter ended December 31, 2014, the Company began reporting certain advertising revenues in this segment on a “net” basis rather than on a “gross” basis.  For comparative purposes, if the New Media Segment’s revenues had been reported on a “net” basis during the quarter ended March 31, 2014, revenues for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 would reflect an increase of approximately 72% compared with the prior year period.  Segment gross profit, which is not affected by this item, increased to $2.1 million from ($0.1) million in the prior-year period primarily attributable to the incremental contribution from channels, Big Frame and the successful release of Expelled.

For the quarter ended March 31, 2015, DWA posted an adjusted(1) operating loss of ($3.4) million. The increase in revenues and segment gross profit were partially offset by an increase in general and administrative expenses largely driven by costs associated with the expansion and growth of the AwesomenessTV business and higher up-front marketing costs related to the launch of new television series. The reported operating loss for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, inclusive of restructuring-related charges was ($35.3) million.

Adjusted(1) net loss attributable to DWA for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 was ($21.5) million, or an adjusted loss of ($0.25) per share.  Adjusted net loss reflects interest expense associated with higher debt balances and a write-off of an equity method investment in the amount of $5.1 million in other expense (net). Reported net loss attributable to DWA for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 was ($54.8) million, or ($0.64) per share.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015, net cash provided by operating activities was $1.6 million, compared to net cash used in operating activities of($12.5) million in the prior year period. The main sources of cash from operating activities were How to Train Your Dragon 2’s worldwide home entertainment revenues, The Croods’ worldwide home entertainment revenues, Madagascar 3’s international television revenues, and the collection of worldwide television and home entertainment revenues from other films. Cash from operating activities was partially offset by production spending for films and television series, as well as participation and residual payments. Cash from operating activities in the quarter also included cash payments totaling $29.2 million related to the 2015 Restructuring Plan.

During the quarter ended March 31, 2015, DWA amended its $400 million revolving credit facility, increasing the size of the committed facility to $450 millionand extending the term through February 2020. Also in the quarter, DWA entered into an agreement to sell its campus located in Glendale, California for $185.0 million and concurrently leased it back from the purchaser.  Proceeds from the sale were used to repay outstanding borrowings on the Company’s revolving credit facility.  As of March 31, 2015, DWA had $370.0 million of availability on its revolving credit facility and $89.7 million of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents on hand, bringing the Company’s total available liquidity to nearly $460 million.

 

TVLand’s ‘Younger,’ an Addicting New Original Series: TV Review

by Dee
Younger airs Tuesdays on TV land.
Younger airs Tuesdays on TV Land.

Younger airs Tuesdays at 10 PM ET  on TVLand.

Three episodes have aired of Younger and if you haven’t watched, you can still catch up on TVLand to join the water cooler talk IRL (in real life). The latest from Sex In The City (SITC) creator Darren Star, this new single camera original from TVLand is fun and addictive. Younger doesn’t have the fashion glam of SITC, but the setting is contemporary New York and filled with ladies working, dating, loving and living life in the big city or borough.

The fish out of water tale of Younger is of a 40 year old newly divorced mom who reenters the workforce after a long hiatus to raise a family doesn’t sound fresh or “young”. Yet the laughs are consistent with the clever dialogue and banter between friends and generations.  Sutton Foster plays the lead role of Liza the forty year old who discovers her education and experience seem to have very little relevance in the modern job market. The solution of the moment presents itself when the youthful Liza is hit on by a young tattoo artist at a local bar, she will pretend to be 26 years old and dive into the modern world.

Liza’s life of a 20-something involves juggling co-workers, a hot new young boyfriend and a snooty over bearing boss, played by Miriam Shor, whom she is slowly winning over.  The world of social media, internet acronyms and the reigniting a sexual life lend itself to the laughs and the dilemmas of Younger and though they might be predictable it does not fail to entertain.  Kudos for the casting of the supporting group of characters and Star’s ability to quickly make each one easily relatable to the audience. Foster plays the comedic scenes with a straight face but the subtle physicality she inserts is enough to convey an honest reaction of a woman of forty and a humorous discomfort that elicits empathy and chuckles.

The always likeable Hillary Duff transitions from Disney Channel star to adult sitcom effortlessly as her character Kelsey Peters helps mentor Liza through her “younger” life. Taking advantage of her popularity and talent the series promises Kelsey her own story arc, appealing to the fans who have tuned in to catch up with a TV favorite of their teen years. Debi Mazer’s turn as Maggie, Liza’s best friend, dishes the catchy lines suitable for t-shirts and coffee mugs but compliments each scene with her supportive presence while still setting off enough sparks to make you want to learn more about her and later perhaps call her the “breakout star”.

Nico Tortorella, Hilary Duff, Miriam Shor, Sutton Foster and Debi Mazar. YOUNGER a TV Land original series.

Nico Tortorella, Hilary Duff, Miriam Shor, Sutton Foster and Debi Mazar. YOUNGER a TV Land original series.

The nine remaining episodes have a lot to unfold and viewers will think the thirty minutes of Younger each week is too short but if  “leave them wanting more” is the plan then TVLand may already have a hit. Will Liza’s lie be discovered?   Will Liza’s career advance beyond being an executive assistant? Will she be able to enjoy, without guilt, a young lover? Will she have several lovers?  Will her past life and friends interfere with her “new” life? Will her daughter discover her mother’s new life?

No, it’s not a soap opera but I planned to be glued to TVLand on Tuesday nights to see what’s next.

Box Office: DreamWorks Animation’s ‘Home’ Flying High Premiere Weekend in International Markets

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22 Mar 2015

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The much anticipated DreamWorks Animation film Home, about a group of adorable purple aliens has launched well within the partial overseas release thus far opening strong with $19.2M.   There are many markets that won’t open until later this week and then North American market opens March 27. This is encouraging news for DreamWorks Animation who has looked for a success with the film.   It is also good news leading into the upcoming North American release on Friday.

Home has a strong voice cast with Jim Parsons and Rihanna in lead roles and Steve Martin and Jennifer Lopez lending their voices to other roles as well.   Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez both are featured musically in the film as well.

Directed by Tim Johnson, Home is about an alien race invades Earth, at the helm of Captain Smek (Martin) and uses it as a hideout from their mortal enemy. When one lowly alien, Oh (Parsons) accidentally notifies the enemies of his whereabouts, he is forced to go on the run with an adolescent girl, Tip (Rihanna). The two become unlikely buddies and embark on a comical globe-trotting adventure to right his wrongs, during which our alien hero learns what it really means to be human.

Home did best in the United Kingdom where it opened number 1 with $9.3 Mil, topping debuts of The Croods and Despicable Me.

Other Box Office results saw that Divergent the Series: Insurgent and Cinderella were first and second in foreign box office this weekend as well as domestically.   Insurgent brought in $47Mil from 77 markets overseas for Lionsgate’s debut of the action feature and Disney’s most beloved fairy tale brought in $41.1 Mil from 46 markets (for a second week in overseas sales).   Fox’s Taken3 opened in China earning $18 Mil.

 

Review: DreamWorks Animation’s ‘Home’ – Jim Parsons & Rihanna Take You On A Wild & Entertaining Ride

by
TimJohnson

By Melody Star  7 Mar 2015

Tim Johnson with Oh and Smek (Image cred: BIFF1.com)

Tim Johnson with Oh and Smek (Image cred: BIFF1.com)

 

Review

had the good fortune to attend the Boulder International Film Festival’s screening of DreamWorks Animation’s Home starring Jim Parsons, Rihanna and Steve Martin. The film sold out within moments of being announced it would be available for screening. The theaters overflowed to where some stood along the walls in the theater to watch. But we all put on our 3-D glasses and went on quite an adventure. Following the screening there was a Q & A session with Tim Johnson (see below). The introduction to the film was made by Gary Sharp from RealD 3D, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer. I only wished he had joined Johnson on stage at the end for the Q&A for I would loved to have asked him some questions as well.

The story, based on the children’s book The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex, is about an alien population looking for a new Home because they continually escape who they believe is their mortal enemy Gorg. The Boov leader, Captain Smek chooses Earth as their new destination home and they set course to land. Before landing and inhabiting the planet, they remove all the humans to a new location and they take over the rest of the earth. Only they left one human behind, a little girl named Gratuity “Tip” Tucci and her cat. Separated from her mother, Tip is determined to hide from the Boov and find her mother.

Rihanna plays Tip and she brings vulnerability to the character, yet a tough-as-nails, no funny business side to her as well. She is intelligent, witty and sadly had been a social outcast before the humans were all removed to another part of the planet. As she tries to escape she stops in a convenience store, where it just so happens a Boov named Oh is also hiding. He is hiding out because he accidentally sent an invitation to everyone, meaning everyone in the universe, including Gorg, to a party, thus revealing what planet they were on to Gorg, resulting in all the Boov coming after Oh.

Tip and Oh meet in the convenience store (now abandoned since all the humans had been moved elsewhere). They make an uneasy alliance to track down Tip’s mother, or in Oh’s case, to escape other Boov. After all, running away is what Boov do best. While on the run, Oh reveals the threat of a possible invasion by Gorg to Tip which makes their journey even more timely and important, of course not without some peril involved.

The animation in this film is a wonderful escape journey. It is colorful, vivid, cheerful and creative. The Boov population are a unique representation of aliens compared to most films in that they are highly flexible, not robotic in nature and have more ability to “feel” things than normal film aliens, yet even the Transformer-like Gorg is fun as well and a nice contrast to the Boov.

Tip, the human pre-teen, was adorable and very relate-able (in artwork and in Rihanna’s interpretation.) Just everything about her look was spot on. I liked her cat Pig and most of all her car. It was such a fun and creative car. The 3-D work was well balanced, not overpowering, but was used well. It was beautifully crafted by RealD 3D which is located domestically in Beverly Hills, CA and Boulder, CO.

The alternate world they created through the Boov was delightful and I enjoyed how they changed color depending on their moods (red when angry, yellow when afraid or “chicken” about something, blue when sad and feeling blue, and green when lying.) It just added more color to the creative artwork.

The cast list was small since the number of speaking roles was small, even though there were thousands upon thousands of characters visually seen at times. Jim Parsons brought charm to Oh. From reading commentary on the trailer of the film on YouTube, while many may try to compare Oh to Sheldon Cooper of The Big Bang Theory, there were definitely distinct differences. I can say I honestly never even thought of Sheldon once while watching because of Parsons’ voiced Oh, but there was a single scene where the people placement machines put some adults in a ball pit, and because of the similar visual to Sheldon in a ball pit only did I flash Sheldon across my mind, not because of anything related to Parson’s portrayal of Oh. Rihanna’s character has been compared to Penny in The Big Bang Theory as well in trailer commentary, but again, I didn’t think of Tip at all as being “Penny.” I only mention this because I have read comments on the internet from the trailer that many felt that it was just Sheldon and Penny on the screen, but they are quite different and are clearly unique characters. Tip is an 11 year old vulnerable girl feeling alone and wanting her mother back. Oh is a vulnerable alien, completely opposite of Sheldon, who so desperately wants friends and to have social interactions. I hope everyone will walk into the theater with an open mind and realize that Parsons and Rihanna gave these characters a lot of soul and endearment that it is hard for me to imagine anyone else playing their roles.

Parsons and Rihanna appeared as if they had been given a lot of latitude in improvisation of their characters and even if they had not, there was a lose nature to the characters and the voice work that felt easy and natural and real. I know Tim Johnson spoke to and worked with both actors in their roles, and whatever he did worked for there was a total ease that came from both as a result. It is pretty stunning when you realize that Parsons and Rihanna recorded separately for almost their entire script with the exception of one day that they were able to record together for a few hours.

Steve Martin was humorous as Captain Smek and you would not have recognized it was him playing the part. He was quite amusing. Matt Jones who played “Officer” Kyle held up well against the big-name celebrity stars. His character was fun and he brought a lot of life to him. Jennifer Lopez played Tip’s mother, Lucy, who had a very small part in the film, but her character was pivotal to the overall story.

While the story may be somewhat predictable to adults (it is a children’s story after all), it still was worth watching and you didn’t even mind the predictability because of the entertaining characters and visual enjoyment you got while watching the film.

One of the things that impressed me was how well balanced the music to dialog was. Typically you sit in a theater and the music is always so loud you can barely hear the dialog, but that was not the case in this film. You were able to get a good sense of both without either overpowering the other. Kudos to the sound engineering and mixing departments.

Rihanna’s association with the film went beyond acting. It is clear she was instrumental in the overall “groove” in the film and contributed her musical talent and music to the film. The animated movements to the music was spot on, which I suspect was heavily influenced by Rihanna.

I also enjoyed how the animation included the vibration lines in the characters when they felt vibrations. It was a nice added touch, along with the multiple colors that spread through the characters as they realized they were unsure what to think about moving and dancing to the music.

I can say that as I sat in the audience when the film ended, the applauding and the cheers had feel good to Tim Johnson who was present at the screening. Children who viewed the film laughed and giggled and were totally engaged in the picture, even very young children. There was enough movement, color, delightful sounds, and music that they were totally engaged. Adults as well appreciated the cute story and by the enthusiasm in their faces as they left the theater I believe they gave it a solid two thumbs up!

Five Stars (out of 5). Film ideal for all ages and is a great positive message and feel-good film. The film is up for the “People’s Choice Award” at the Festival.

MPAA Rating: PG
Running time: 94 Min
Released by 20th Century Fox
Produced by DreamWorks Animations
Cast (voices):

Cast (voices):

Jim Parsons (Oh)
Rihanna (Gratuity ‘Tip’ Tucci)
Steve Martin (Captain Smek)
Matt Jones (Kyle)
Brian Stepanek (Brian/Gorg)
April Winchell (Toni)
Nigel W. Tierney (Child A)
Derek Blankenship (Additional voices)

Crew:

Produced by Mireille Soria, Suzanne Buirgy, Christopher Jenkins;
Directed by Tim Johnson;
Screenplay by  Tom J. Astle, Matt Ember, based on the novel “The True Meaning of Smekday” by Adam Rex.
Camera (color, 3D); RealD 3D
Head of Lighting, Betsy Nofsinger;
Editor -Nick Fletcher;
Music – Lorne Balfe, Stargate;
Production Designer – Kathy Altieri;
Supervising Sound Designer – Randy Thom;
Supervising Sound Editors – Tom Myers, Briam Chumney;
Re-recording Mixers – Gary A. Rizzo, Scott R. Lewis;
Visual Effects Supervisor – Mahesh Ramasurbramanian;
Head of Story – Todd Wilderman;
Head of Character Animation – Jason Reisig;
Head of Layout – Mark Mulgrew;
Character Designer – Takao Noguchi;
Animation Supervisors – Mark Donald, Marek Kochout, David Pate, Carlos Fernandez Puertolas;
Casting – Leslee Feldman, Christi Soper Hilt

 

DreamWorks Animation's Producer & Director Tim Johnson at 'Home' Screening at BIFF 2015

DreamWorks Animation’s Producer & Director Tim Johnson at ‘Home’ Screening at BIFF 2015

 

 

 

Q & A With Director Tim Johnson

As mentioned above, immediately following the screening, Director Tim Johnson, double Annie Award winner from DreamWorks Animation, stayed for questions and answers. While his session was short, it was informative.

Johnson did talk about how the film was based on the book by Adam Rex (see above under review) and how he had read it aloud to his children and could not put the book down himself. He found the story amazing and entertaining. Adam Rex did some original drawings, but DreamWorks Animation took a lot of liberty in creating the characters.

Johnson loves Comic-con, calling himself a geek. One year Johnson went down to Comic-Con in San Diego and just studied character design. He said he was fascinated and really got into analyzing and understanding the entire process of character design.

When asked about the legs of the Boov, he said the legs nearly drove him crazy because they are three times harder than doing two legs.

Home was the first 3D film ever to be shown at BIFF and one of the few domestic screenings of the film and the very first place where people paid to see the film.

Johnson revealed he had spent seven and a half years working on the picture. About three and a half years ago a green light was given to make the movie and different designers and animators were brought onto the project, swelling to over 400 people about two years out when the animation team came on board. Rihanna’s last line was recorded two days before the film had to be in imaging, bringing the project down to the wire, taking all night to animate after her last recording. “We were really lucky we got 5 seconds done a week, so we are very patient men,” Johnson laughed.

The host asked about editing, if it occurred throughout the animation process. Johnson said the entire process is put on pencil and paper drawings via storyboards and that the dialog is created and actors brought in to lend voices. He said the fun of being the editor is you get to be part of the creative process throughout; you get to develop the film throughout the production process as opposed to having to wait until the filming is complete. At any given time you have say 36 scenes and only a few of them are at any given time in production. “You can change scenes while other scenes are in production. We were changing the opening for about six months until now.”

Jim Parsons, Johnson called a “no brainer” for the part of “Oh”. He was the first person cast in the film and joined the production three years ago. Parsons brings an “on paper unlikeable” character in The Big Bang Theory to become a very likeable Sheldon. The character of Oh is an invader, but Johnson wanted people to like Oh. So he immediately thought Parsons fit the bill. He is able to bring likeability to someone who should be disliked because he is invading the planet.

Johnson said Parsons loves to act and looks continually for roles and is in fact finishing taping The Big Bang Theory and two days later will be beginning rehearsals for his summer play on Broadway (An Act of God) and when that wraps in late July, it ends on a Sunday and he reports back to The Big Bang Theory Monday.

Rihanna was far more comfortable coming in to record than the actors who were more used to costume, make-up, lighting and blocking. But in animation they could arrive in sweat pants and just record. Rihanna knows how to “dance with the microphone” and is so comfortable recording. The thing with her was working on having her reach in and feel deep enough, according to Johnson. “But luckily Rihanna has two younger brothers” and Johnson would just tell her “imagine yourself in a never-ending car ride with your little brothers, and she would get it immediately.”

In Adam Rex’s book, Oh’s name is J.Lo and initially they wanted to use it and Jennifer Lopez was even flattered by it. But merchandising people came in and explained about all the issues so the name was changed to “Oh”. Good decision in my opinion, because it worked well with the standing joke of how he got his name.

The host asked if he had advice for the young people in the audience on how to get in the animation business. He advised all the young people who doodle instead of doing their homework to stick with drawing, and to get their homework done of course, but never stop drawing because that was his love, drawing. His drawings became his characters and friends. Filmmaking and animation is a “just do it” thing. “Draw, write, create, paint and you might find yourself doing it for a paycheck.” Later, during the audience question time, a child showed her picture to Johnson that she created. He was so kind and encouraging to the child.

Johnson felt that reading a story to his boys about a 11-, 12-year old girl that was so strong was an inspiration to his boys. For his own young boys reading about a girl (who at the time the story was read was older than them) who was the heroine of the book was very inspiring to them. Johnson said he cheated on the boys in that he read them two chapters and then bailed on them and kept reading until 2 in the morning because he could not put the book down. But even today, his teen boys still like him to read aloud to them and create all the character voices and bring to life the characters.

When asked about the way Oh talks, if that was created by the writing team or was that originally in the book, Johnson said it came from the book, but it was direct from the book that they brought it to script. It is what makes Oh such a charming character in such a strange land.

An interesting part of the process, Johnson revealed, was that they would record things a couple of times and re-record, where Johnson would read the dialog himself. He said he would just stumble and it would come out so awkward. When Parsons came in the first time on a cold read, he completely nailed it every time.

One of the audience questions was whether Johnson had worked on How to Train Your Dragon. Johnson produced it and helped translate the adaptation. He talked about how it is tricky to turn a book into a movie and to make it beautiful and wonderful. That was his job, to help them translate the book to movie.

Another audience member asked if Oh changed colors in the book. Johnson said no he didn’t change colors in the book, but that they came up with the idea because they wanted a way for Tip to know that every time Oh lied. Originally Oh would only blush, but then they came up with the idea to have the Boov be able to change colors depending on what they were feeling, nearly killing the animators. Luckily new technology was released around the time the discussion took place that allowed them to more easily perform the task. He said they had similar problems with the animators and technical team when they wanted Tip’s hair to be different, for her to run her fingers through her hair and pull it up in to a pony tail and then to have it blow in the wind and then to move this way or that, about seven different hair styles because it is more real for long-hair to be pulled into different styles on a girl. Johnson laughed that they were all passed out at the suggestion. But the beauty of animation is you can always have new technology developed and create new things as a result. The fact that they were able to not only give Tip curly hair, but then have her hair change depending on her mood, was a really powerful part of the story telling.

An audience question came in asking what books Johnson would recommend for children today that are positive influences, complimenting him on the fact that the films from DreamWorks were great stories and not full of violence, language and sexual innuendo and she was looking for similar kinds of books. Johnson replied that he was very drawn to books where girls or young women were strong, independent and heroines. He said a lot of male protagonists beat the villain by combat, but female protagonists beat the villain by empathy, intelligence and trickery to figuring him out. The book Johnson is currently reading is The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making [by Catherynne M. Valente and Ana Juan].

Following the Q&A there was a brief time for autographs.

Note: I walked away with a poster and an “Oh” doll, but I sure would have liked to have had a “Tip” doll as well. I can well imagine she would sell well in stores if they made her up as a doll. She is adorable!

 

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Tim Johnson with Oh and Smek at BIFF 2015 Image: BIff1.com

Bronco player TJ Ward with Oh and Smek. Ward’s foundation were in full force at the screening! Image: on Twitter

 

 

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Review: Simon Helberg’s ‘We’ll Never Have Paris’

by

3 Feb 2015 9:39 PM PT

I had the pleasure of seeing We’ll Never Have Paris by Simon Helberg this evening.   The tale is based on the real life romance between Helberg and his wife, Jocelyn Towne.  Casting choices were well made with Alfred Molina playing Quinn’s father, Helberg playing Quinn, Melanie Lynskey playing Devon, Maggie Grace playing Kelsey, and Zachary Quinto playing Quinn’s best friend Jameson.  Other talented actors in the film were Jason Ritter, Judith Light, Fritz Weaver and Dana Ivey.

At the film start,  Quinn and Devon have been together for a number of years, the viewer missing the romantic history of the couple. As a viewer I feel it is important to have that romantic backfill before the challenge that comes early in the film.  Having their romantic history would help lead the viewer as to whether to root for a couple or not.  Instead, We’ll Never Have Paris opens with Quinn and Devon’s romance at the pivotal point where the two must decide where they are taking their relationship.  Do they marry or do they split up? Quinn has decided he is ready to propose to Devon, or has he?

In We’ll Never Have Paris, Helberg plays a very awkward, unsure, and self-deprecating young man who is nearing his 30’s and beginning to evaluate many things in his life.   He loves playing piano, but fears failure playing in front of others.   Quinn loves Devon with all his heart, but when a gorgeous, model-like co-worker (Kelsey), comes on to him, he begins to question whether he should have had more experiences before settling down.  In his heart he knows he wants to marry Devon and has found his soul-mate, yet there is a part of him that still feels a boy and not a man.

When Quinn is about to propose to Devon, between circumstance, nerves and self-deprecation, they instead end up breaking up.  As a viewer, because we had little history with Devon and Quinn at this point, it was confusing as to whether you wanted them to split or remain together.  Part of me was interested to see what the deal was with Kelsey.  I think this is why adding the history between Quinn and Devon would have helped guide the viewer to want them together, thus the breakup would have felt more troubling to the viewer.

Quinn decides to explore other options, hoping it will answer questions he has and help him feel less as a boy and more like a man. Between a dalliance with Kelsey and another one with a woman he knew from his past and reconnected with, Quinn cannot get over guilt and remorse before, during, and after his two encounters, neither of which help him get over Devon, nor really make him feel any different about his manhood.   Deciding Devon is the one and only for him and wishing to win her back, Quinn goes on a journey, which leads him to Paris, where  Devon has traveled to “find herself”.   Devon in the meantime has met a classic violinist, Guillaume (played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach) with whom she shares a lot of common interests, who is more mature (age 32), and who seems more sure of himself.  Devon finds herself drawn to those qualities and enjoys their shared love of music and the arts.  Guillaume is out of the area at the time Quinn arrives and Devon and he rekindle their romance enough that it leads to another night of passion.  The next day Devon says she has a dinner date with her grandparents and Quinn is not invited.

Quinn shows up unexpectedly to Devon’s grandparents home, who graciously invite him to remain and join them for dinner.  While there he meets Guillaume who is very kind and welcoming to him.   The grandparents do not speak any English but seemingly understand who Quinn is relative to Devon by the eye contact that transpires between them.   There is a lovely scene where viewers get to see Guillaume play violin, emboldening Quinn to play piano, showing off Helberg’s musical talent.  Quinn feels like he has had a breakthrough in his ability to perform before others, but also he can see that Devon responds to his performance.  However moments later, just as Quinn is about to propose in front of all of them to Devon, Kelsey shows up unexpectedly in Paris and at Devon’s grandparents home.

Kelsey’s presence adds to the already tense room.  As a viewer the moment was very amusing – to see this woman stalk such a self-deprecating man was pretty entertaining in itself, but to also throw in all the complicated relationships, well it was rather delicious.  Chaos ensues which results in quite an expensive fiasco of a “dinner party”.  As a result Quinn takes responsibility for the entire disaster, apologizes, offers to pay for damages, and makes it clear where his heart stands with Devon, then takes his leave.  He returns back to the USA.

Somewhere long the line, Devon realizes that she too cannot live without Quinn and returns where the two reunite with, as Helberg describes, “the worst proposal ever.”

We’ll Never Have Paris is entertaining, but as a viewer, I was intrigued by the friendship between Quinn and Jameson because they seemed quite a mismatch.   Ritter’s character, Kurt was Devon’s brother and the viewer could relate to Quinn and he bonding over their love and respect for Devon.  But Jameson was an odd and quirky character that was rather “out there” and made for a very strange friendship with Quinn.   How they knew each other and what made them bond was a real head-scratcher.  As a viewer I was glad Quinn had a male friend to hang out with and seek advice from, yet as written, Jameson’s character fell short; never really gave any good advice, nor did he seem overly interested in Quinn and his problems, but was more into his own interests.   Jameson also didn’t really seem experienced in how to handle the challenging issues Quinn was facing.  That was probably the weakest part of the film, even though Quinto was  great eye candy.

The cinematography seemed to be a bit grainy at times, which was a shame as there were some lovely places in Paris lost to weak cinematography.  Also, you could see common mistakes that new cinematographers make such as not paying attention to the lighting behind a subject.   Faces would be half shadowed a lot and often when more than one person was in a frame, one of them would be fuzzy compared to the other.  The montage with Quinn and Devon going around Paris was a great way for the viewer to see Paris while working well with the story, however weak cinematography lost some of how wonderful those moments could have been.

Makeup on Quinn’s brows seem to be distracting to me.   Otherwise I did not seem to have any other issue with makeup, hair or costuming.   Audio fluctuated quite a bit and was nor normalized. Some dialog would be missed if you didn’t turn up volume, only to have to turn it down in other spots.   In theaters the lower volume dialog was completely lost.   This is a common issue with new filmmakers.

Pacing was a bit off as well.  I would have rather seen more time spent on the script dialog and less time with the filler montages.  One montage would have been fine, but there were several in the film.   So many of the characters were under-developed that it would have been a better investment to have build more dialog to flush out the characters and less on the montages.

For a first film project, We’ll Never Have Paris was fairly well done, yet there are always areas for improvement, as stated above.  I think the thing that stands out in this film is how much we could relate to Helberg’s Quinn.  Many of us go through similar experiences in our lives and it was a delight to see that it really is very human to feel awkward at times, to never really feel fully adult at times,  and to question life choices along the way.

Overall  the grade I give We’ll Never Have Paris is a B+ for a first time effort.   It delivered a fun and relatable story.  All of the characters were well played and still likable, even when challenging the Quinn/Devon pairing.   Paris is always a good backdrop for any romance story.   It definitely made me laugh and lived up to its genre.  Most of all, it is a story that you would not mind watching again.

We’ll Never have Paris is available on iTunes, Amazon, and is in Theaters.  Technical Details About the Film:

Rating by MPAA:  R (Restricted)
Length:   1 hr 33 min
Color

Directed by:                   Simon Helberg & Jocelyn Towne
Written by:                    Simon Helberg
Produced by:                 Robert Ogden Barnum, Simon Helberg, Katie Mustard, Joceylyn Towne
Edited by:                      Mollie Goldstein
Cinematography:         Polly Morgan
Composers:                   Samuel Jones/Alexis Marsh
Production Design:     Alexandra Schaller
Casting:                          Kathleen Chopin

Cast:

Simon Helberg (Quinn)
Alfred Molina (Terry, Quinn’s father)
Zachary Quinto (Jameson)
Melanie Lynskey (Devon)
Maggie Grace (Kelsey)
Judith Light (Jean, Devon’s mother)
Jason Ritter (Kurt, Devon’s brother)
Dana Ivey (Francoise, Deavon’s grandmother)
Fritz Weaver (Phillipe, Devon’s grandfather)
Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Guillaume)
Meredith Hagner (Leah)
Jamil Mena (Isaac)
Lovari (Mechanic)
Geoffrey Cantor (Neighbor)
Nancy Marlow Gordon (Village Visitor)
Steve Mellor (TV Gentleman)
Lizan Mitchell (Nurse)
Richard Bird (Village Visitor – uncredited)
Zachary Mecier (Actor -uncredited)

Production Company:  Bifrost Pictures
Distributor:  Orion Pictures

The Wrap Sundance Review: Acrobatic Sex Scene Steals Opening Night From Robert Redford and John Legend in ‘The Bronze’

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23 Jan 2015
Posted by:  Steve Pond on Jan 23, 2015 at 12:43 AM PT

Melissa Rauch film 'The Bronze'

Melissa Rauch film ‘The Bronze’

Robert Redford, John Legend and Nina Simone were all part of opening-night at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, but the festival’s kickoff may end up better remembered for a deliciously raunchy and ridiculously gymnastic sex scene.

The scene came near the end of “The Bronze,” an opening-night comedy directed by Bryan Buckley, a filmmaker best known for his Super Bowl commercials. The story of a bitter gymnast trying to hang onto glory years after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics, it features an acrobatic hotel-room liason so over-the-top that it’ll no doubt give the ratings board fits, but it kept the audience at the Eccles Theater in hysterics.

Read Related on Sundance Reaction

The film is the brainchild of married couple Melissa Rauch and Winston Rauch, who wanted to write a film role that Melissa could play. In a post-screening Q&A, Winston said his wife’s 4’11” height inspired them to write her a movie about a gymnast.

The character makes an eye-opening debut in an opening scene that involves another sex act, and she goes on to display an array of disgraceful behavior – stealing from the U.S. mail, snorting allergy medication, mocking or ignoring every single person she meets – that will certainly make her one of the most delightfully awful people on display during Sundance’s opening weekend.

The film gets predictable at times, and it certainly won’t have the shelf-life of a Sundance standout like “Whiplash” or “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” but it was amusing enough, and sharply written enough, to close opening night on a lively note.

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Variety Review: Sundance: ‘The Bronze’ Offers Gymnastic Sex, Dirty Humor on Opening Night

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23 Jan 2015 12:15 AM PT

Posted by Brent Lang, Senior Film and Media Reporter/Variety

Melissa Rauch film 'The Bronze'

Melissa Rauch film ‘The Bronze’

 

See Related Article on Sundance Reaction

“The Bronze” kicked off the 2015 edition of the Sundance Film Festival on a foul-mouthed note Thursday, sticking a dagger through the concept of hometown heroes and providing one of the raunchiest sex sequences in movie history.

The scene in question, one that involves pole vaults, cartwheels and pirouettes, was a constant source of amusement during a question and answer period immediately following the film’s premiere at the Eccles Theater.

“Right after this there’s going to be an audition for the sex scene in the sequel,” joked director Bryan Buckley.

Melissa Rauch, the star of the film and its cowriter along with husband Winston Rauch, said, “As for the sex scene, you write what you know.”

Her husband added that it gave the couple a chance to “show you what we do in our bedroom.”

“The Bronze” hit Park City with some of the festival’s strongest buzz. After the screening, some potential buyers huddled together, and the audience laughed loudly at much of the outrageous humor. However, privately some executives were divided on its commercial appeal.

The film centers on a former Olympic gymnast who won a bronze medal a decade ago, but has spent the ensuing years drinking, smoking pot and shirking responsibility. The central character comes off like Tonya Harding with more of an edge and deeper vulgar streak. Sebastian Stan and Gary Cole co-star in the film.

 

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Review: ‘The Imitation Game’

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fivestars

24 Dec 2014 9:32 PM PT

Warning:  May contain spoilers!

imitationgamecast01

Allen Leech, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kiera Knightley, Matthew Beard, Matthew Goode (L-R) in ‘The Imitation Game’ Photo: theimitationgame.com

We had the good fortune to get a private screening tonight before the official opening tomorrow of ‘The Imitation Game’ in our local area.   It is everything it promised to be… superb cast with Oscar-worthy acting, a moving story; an important historical piece, with an important message.

The premise of the story is based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain’s top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II.   The twist in the story is that Turing is a homosexual man, which was considered illegal in that era.  The man (Turing)  full of secrets finally outed himself after a “sketchy” arrest was made a few years following the end of the war.

The Imitation Game stars Benedict Cumberbatch who gave a brilliant performance as Alan Turing, supported by an amazing troupe of actors.  Matthew Goode plays the brilliant, dashing and charming Hugh Alexander who gives Turing grief for a good part of the film, yet turns around to be his great ally.   Keira Knightly plays Joan Clarke, a woman with a brilliant mind who is shuffled off the the secretarial pool simply because she is a woman, yet Turing refuses to let her waste her mind so she joins the team by night, playing secretary by day.  Knightly and Cumberbatch have excellent chemistry in the film.   Mark Strong was MI6’s Stewart Menzies who kept making you wonder whether you were to trust him or like him.  He played the fence so well that he was truly someone you always wondered if he was a double agent or not.   Other supporting roles were equally well played, but one role that I have rarely seen mentioned in reviews is the Young Alan Turing played by Alex Lawther.   It was amazing to see how he mimicked Cumberbatch’s adult version of the character with stature, manners and even facial expressions at times.    Cumberbatch is so extremely talented and throws himself so much into a role that he would be very difficult to try and capture as a younger version, yet Lawther gave it his all and succeeded in having us believe himself as a young Turing.

The story starts out in 1951 and goes between 1928, 1946-1948 and 1951 throughout the film.  While you are getting flashbacks and flashfowards,  it is not hard to follow the timelines and unfolding story.   The story is told in Turing’s voice and in his point of view.   The script is fairly well written.  The two areas where further clarity would have improved the story telling included 1) explaining how they still allowed double agent John Carincross (played by Allen Leech) to continue to remain part of the Engima project when they all knew he was a double agent.   It was unclear how he would not have passed along the information that they had cracked the code.  It was not well explained and might have strengthened the story and script to include that, while not taking away from the main story; and 2) when Turing was brought into the station and questioned, Detective Robert Nock (played by Rory Kinnear) had been given the choice to judge him by Turing and he said he could not judge him.   So again, the transition from that scene to the headline that Turing had been sentenced was not well explained.   It isn’t a huge thing, but it would have been nice to understand how that unfolded since it appeared that Detective Nock had sympathy for Turing just moments before, leaving the audience feeling like he might let him go.

What we came away with from the screening was how tragic it is that Turing’s life had to end so early; tragic that he was put on chemical castration regimen because of his sexual identity, in which his body seemed to react in an adverse way;  and how much our world probably has lost because of all that he could have given it if he had lived a full life.   His gifted mind was meant to offer even more life saving breakthroughs.   It was rather devastating to think of all that was lost.

The film did a great job bringing in old analog computation equipment, showing footage of fighter planes, submarines and the destruction war leaves behind.   Costuming was appropriate as were many of the other details on sets and exterior shots for the eras covered.

Even with the weaknesses in the script, we give the film fivestars.

RogerEbert: Wish I Was Here Review

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Sheila O’Malley  July 18, 2014

People get angry about Zach Braff. First there was the backlash against the hugely popular “Garden State,” his first feature; backlash that seemed out of proportion with the film itself. And then, 10 years later, came Braff’s crowdfunding campaign for his second feature, “Wish I Was Here,” co-written by Braff and his brother Adam. Braff had been unable to find anyone willing to give him money so he turned to his fan base. In 48 hours, the film was fully funded, which speaks volumes about the love his fans have for what he does. But, again, that campaign launcRogerEbert: Wish I Was Here Reviewhed a library of worried and sometimes angry think-pieces about crowdfunding (should it be used by famous people, especially someone like Braff who is so well-paid for his television work?), the state of movie-making, and all things Braff.

While there were some good points made about the problems with Braff’s situation, the rage again seemed out of proportion (at least to this observer). If Kickstarter had been around when Cassavetes had to stop production of “Opening Night” in the middle of filming because he ran out of money and had to run around begging for more cash, it is not impossible to imagine Cassavetes going that crowdfunding route. It is also not impossible to imagine that Orson Welles would have set up a Kickstarter campaign instead of having to spend his time wining and dining “hustling semi-Armenian Russians” to give him money to complete (or even start) his projects. Not that Braff is comparable as a director to Welles or Cassavetes. But, as Braff said, in a recent interview with RogerEbert.com editor Brian Tallerico, “The system is broken.”

He wanted to make the movie he wanted to make. Kickstarter helped him do that. So what about “Wish I Was Here“? Any good?

Yes. It is good. It is sincere, funny, thoughtful and spiritual, often poignant, and with a deep strain of existential worry running underneath the whole thing. The worry is not eradicated at the end. But maybe the characters can find a life that suits them, that pleases them, in the midst of worrying about what it all means. At its best, “Wish I Was Here,” (the title alone expressing the disconnect so many of us feel about actually experiencing the minutia of our own lives) is all about that. It doesn’t break new ground, but it is a personal film, something audiences are hungry for, with Braff’s particular spin on the universe. “Wish I Was Here” is a good story with interesting characters, thoughtfully told.
Aidan Bloom (Zach Braff), is a harried and harassed father of two kids, an unemployed actor, still auditioning for bit parts on series on the SyFy channel. He could be the character in “Garden State,” only 10 years down the line. Aidan’s wife Sarah (Kate Hudson) works for the L.A. Water Department, and endures sexual harassment from her cubicle-mate, but she is the bread-winner in the family, and can’t quit. Their lives have been set up to support Aidan’s dream, a dream that is slowly dying, but Aidan can’t let go of it. And Sarah is losing patience with the entire situation.

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CBS’s ‘Criminal Minds’ up, NBC soared in crossover with ‘Law and Order:SVU’ and ‘Chicago PD’, ABC down except ‘Nashville’ which was steady

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13 Nov 2014 10:38 AM PT

NBC’s Tuesday night Chicago Fire crossover storyline with Wedneday’;s Chicago PD and Law and Order: SVU paid off.   Both shows soared 50% or greater as a result.  Law and Order: SVU was up 50% from last week in adults 18-49 (from 1.6 to 2.4) rating, while Chicago PD rose from 1.4 to 2.2, 57%.   The Voice was down 17% from 3.0 to 2.5 in the demo rating.

ABC’s The Middle was up a tenth (6%) from its most recent episode.  The Goldbergs was down a tenth (5%) from its most recent episode.  Modern Family hit a season low, falling four-tenths (11%) from its most recent episode.  Black-ish was also down two-tenths (f7%) from its most recent episode.   Nashville stayed even with its most recent episode.  All in the demo 18-49.

CBS’s Survivor was even from last week.  Criminal Minds was up two tenths (10%) and Stalker was down one tenth (7%) from last week in the demo 18-49.

FOX’s Hell’s Kitchen was up two -tenths (15%) from last week in adults 18-49 and Red Band Socity was even.

CW’s Arrow was down two tenths (18%) and The 100 up a tenth (20%) from previous week in adults 18-49.

 

Time Network Show 18-49 Rating/Share Total Viewers (millions)
8:00 CBS Survivor 2.3/7 9.38
8:00 ABC The Middle 1.9/6 8.12
8:00 NBC The Voice 2.5/8 10.61
8:00 FOX Hell’s Kitchen 1.5/5 3.71
8:00 CW Arrow 0.9/3 2.57
8:30 ABC The Goldbergs 2.1/6 7.54
9:00 ABC Modern Family 3.1/9 9.77
9:00 CBS Criminal Minds 2.3/7 10.10
9:00 NBC Law & Order: SVU – Crossover 2.4/7 10.01
9:00 FOX Red Band Society 0.9/3 2.84
9:00 CW The 100 0.6/2 1.79
9:30 ABC Black-ish 2.5/7 7.87
10:00 CBS Stalker 1.4/4 6.98
10:00 NBC Chicago PD -Crossover 2.2/7 9.47
10:00 ABC Nashville 1.4/5 5.63

 

AwardsLine: ‘Imitation Game’ Filmmakers On Quest To Exonerate Alan Turing – AwardsLine Screening Series

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7 Nov 2014 2:51 PM PT

When it came to telling the big-screen story of Alan Turing — the World War II British mathematician who cracked the Nazi’s submarine code Enigma and was later sentenced for gross indecency for being gay — the The Imitation Game was more than just a run-of-the-mill biopic for the cast led by Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley. 

People were upset that Turing wasn’t pardoned and the actors were aware of the growing discontent (in the UK) that he wasn’t given his proper due,” said Imitation Game producer Ido Ostrowsky. “His resonance was never lost on the cast.”

cumberbatch knightley imitation gameOstrowsky, along with director Morten Tyldum and producer Nora Grossman, described their uphill challenges in making the World War II drama last night during the Awardsline Screening for Imitation Game at the Sundance Sunset 5 Theater in Hollywood. Deadline Hollywood’s Dominic Patten moderated the session before the standing-room-only screening.

Ostrowsky and Grossman first sparked to the idea of Turing in 2009 while reading an article in the Telegraph in which British Prime Minister Gordon Brown publicly apologized for the treatment of Turing, who after the war was convicted of gross indecency over his gay conduct. Winston Churchill hailed Turing for making the single biggest contribution to the war effort by cracking the code, saving 14 million lives and shortening the WWII by two years.

 

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NY Times: Setting Course to Reclaim the Past Sting’s ‘The Last Ship’ Opens on Broadway

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Posted on Oct 26, 2014 by CHARLES ISHERWOOD | Reposted 27 Oct 2014 4:49 PM PT

Photo: Joan Marcus

Hard times, blighted lives and the bleak humor that occasionally lifts the fog: The universe of “The Last Ship,” the new musical with a score by Sting about a shipbuilding town in decline, lies at some distance from its peppier neighbors on Broadway, where megaphoned uplift and easy escapism tend to thrive.

For that reason alone, it’s hard not to root for this ambitious, earnest musical, which opened on Sunday night at the Neil Simon Theater. Rich in atmosphere — I half expected to see sea gulls reeling in the rafters — and buoyed by a seductive score that ranks among the best composed by a rock or pop figure for Broadway, the musical explores with grit and compassion the lives of the town’s disenfranchised citizens, left behind as the industry that gave them their livelihood set sail for foreign lands.

But along with its accomplishments, which include a host of vital performances from its ample cast under the direction of Joe Mantello, “The Last Ship” also has its share of nagging flaws. The book, by John Logan (“Red”) and Brian Yorkey (“Next to Normal”), and inspired in part by Sting’s own upbringing in the northeast England town Wallsend, where the show is set, is unfocused and diffuse. It’s hamstrung by a division between a David versus Goliath story — of the little folk fighting against the faceless forces of the global economy — and a romantic love triangle.

…

Airborne is what this musical definitely is not. While it shares a working-class milieu with popular shows like “Once,” “Kinky Boots” and “Billy Elliot,” “The Last Ship” doesn’t aim for the romantic allure or jubilant spirit of those more formulaic shows; it’s fundamentally about loss, regret and unhappy or ambiguous endings. Those are all worthy subjects of musical dramatization, as some of Stephen Sondheim’s great shows and many an opera have established. But for all the ruminative, haunting beauty of its score, this musical often feels dramatically landlocked — like a ship without a crew.

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Broadway Spotted: Review: The Last Ship

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October 26, 2014 by Broadway Spotted Staff

TheLastShipPoster

The BroadwaySpotted team got to recently go see The Last Ship, a new musical written by the 16 time Grammy Award winner Sting. The musical plot line goes as follows, with life based around everything in the ship yard, Gideon Fletcher (Michael Esper) dreams of a more exciting life that awaits him in the world. So off he goes and leaves behind Meg Dawson (Rachel Tucker) to explore the world. 15 years later he returns to find that the shipyard his father once worked at is at risk of being shut down and his love has moved on. As the story progress’s Gideon realizes he left behind more than he thought.

The Good

-Fred Applegate. The very talented Applegate did not hesitate to bring his humor to the performance and make the audience laugh out of their seats. Although the man did not have a lot of singing in this role, his dialogue was the main reason I laughed when he kept walking out on stage. I kept wanting more from his character because it was so funny to watch.

-Rachel Tucker. It’s about time this woman was brought to Broadway! Her song “If You Ever See Me Talking to a Sailor” truly brings down the house. I sat there in my seat with my jaw dropped when she held out that last note. WOW WHAT A SOUND. Truly a sound like none other and a beauty to look at as well!

-The Score. Of course with the music being written by a 16 time Grammy winner, it’s no wonder why you’ll have this score humming in your head hours after the performance is over. Days after seeing the performance I still have “The Last Ship” stuck in my head along with the rest of the score! When is the cast recording coming out?!

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NBC NY: Review: “The Last Ship” Is a High-Water Mark for Sting

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by Robert Kahn on October 26, 2014 at 9:45 PM ET

Workers unite to try and take control of their ship yard in Sting’s very Sting-like new musical, “The Last Ship,” now open at the Neil Simon Theatre. Photo: Joan Marcus

Submerged beneath an often told prodigal-son story is a haunting, gorgeously executed and involving musical that marks the debut of a new Broadway composer—Sting.

The British songwriter was inspired by his own childhood in writing “The Last Ship,” about a group of U.K. ship builders whose livelihoods are threatened by the changing global market, in a time that evokes the 1980s. The musical, directed by Joe Mantello and burnished by Steven Hoggett’s foot-stomping choreography—Hoggett’s “Once” is one of many recent musicals “The Last Ship” calls to mind—has just opened at the Neil Simon Theatre.

Sting, as so many of us know, grew up Gordon Sumner in Newcastle’s seafaring Wallsend district. In “The Last Ship,” Gideon Fletcher (Michael Esper, of “American Idiot”) abandons that same community as a young man, rather than don the ship-builder’s boots his father has in waiting.

When Gideon gets word from the town priest (a potty-mouthed Fred Applegate, getting all the best lines) that his dad is dying, he returns home, to find the Swan Hunter yard’s future in danger and his childhood love engaged to another man. It’s a familiar story that in lesser hands would quickly wobble under its weight.

As it happens, a great cast, led by Esper and Rachel Tucker (a one-time West End Elphaba, in “Wicked”) as Meg, that one-time love, prevent that from transpiring.

It’s bracing to see Esper in a more adult, even paternal role, and it’s one he pulls off with charisma. That Esper’s Gideon must somehow make peace with his past, the abusive father and so on, is a foregone conclusion, but his methods of doing so struck me as exceedingly honest.

Sting released songs for this musical on an album last year. A few—“Island of Souls,” and “All This Time,” with its refrain “I’d bury the old man/I’d bury him at sea”—are comfortingly familiar, if you own “The Soul Cages.” Esper, with winning newcomer Collin Kelly-Sordelet, as Meg’s son, have a swell duet in “The Night the Pugilist Learned How to Dance,” which has Gideon teaching the boy about similarities between sparring and dancing, all from the confines of a prison cell. (Could anyone other than Sting get away with that song title?)

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There are so many cliches and potential pitfalls in this story that I went into “The Last Ship” with low expectations: The boy trying to escape his father’s shadow. The second chance, will they-or-won’t-they romance with the girl from his past. I had every reason to think “The Last Ship” would take on water. It doesn’t. This boat floats.

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EW: The Last Ship

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Kyle Anderson on Oct 26, 2014

Rating:  B-

Cast of The Last Ship Photo: Joan Marcus

 

The biggest selling point of The Last Ship is also its greatest stumbling block: multiple Grammy winner and Tantra enthusiast Sting, who provides the music and lyrics to his first-ever Broadway show. Fans hoping for the same pop sensibility that turned ”I’ll Be Watching You” and ”Desert Rose” into hits will be left wanting, as the bulk of Ship‘s songs lack the big melodic flourishes that stick around well after the curtain drops.

Instead, the show trots out a series of dirges that lack the dynamism necessary to keep audiences fully engaged throughout the storytelling, which is sometimes hampered by a jumbled plot: After abandoning his working-class British coastal town 15 years ago, Gideon Fletcher (Michael Esper) returns to bury his father, re-kindle a relationship with his then-teenage girlfriend, Meg (Rachel Tucker), and get knee-deep in a labor battle over the closing of the local shipyard.

Despite the relative lack of variety in the music and the hole-friendly narrative, there’s a lot to like about The Last Ship: The show rides efficiently on the crisp direction of Joe Mantello (Wicked), and Steve Hoggett’s choreography squeezes a lot of kinetic juice out of sonic lemons. The cast—particularly Tucker, Colin Kelly-Soredelet as her son, and Fred Applegate as the foul-mouthed local priest—keep the pace up and manage to pull strong character moments out of otherwise uninspired tunes (like the intricately laid out second act reprise of the show-opening ”Island of Souls,” which the cast really seems to relish).

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THR: ‘The Last Ship’: Theater Review

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6:00 PM PDT 10/26/2014 by David Rooney

Rachel Tucker & Michael Esper Photo: Joan Marcus

Sting returns to his childhood home in its dying days as a shipbuilding port in this allegorical musical about hope and redemption

He may not appear onstage, but there’s no mistaking the voice of Sting in both wistful balladeer and rousing reveler modes in his stirring score for The Last Ship. Set against the demise of the shipyards in the composer’s hometown of Wallsend in North East England, this melancholy musical is without doubt a heartfelt, intensely personal project. It’s performed with vigorous commitment by an accomplished cast, robustly staged by Joe Mantello, and designed by David Zinn with a harsh beauty that seems salvaged out of the rusted hull of a once-proud sea vessel. Sadly, it’s also a bit of a yawn.

For anyone who cares about the endangered species of the original Broadway musical, that’s a regrettable shortcoming, particularly when so much love and artistry have been poured into the show. There’s genuine feeling in the songs’ exploration of the conflicted bonds between fathers and sons, and the crippling losses of men robbed of their work, thereby denied their dignity and pride.

So what’s missing? It’s easy to see the central figure of Gideon Fletcher as a romanticized alter ego of Sting (Gordon Sumner at birth). But the plodding book by John Logan and Brian Yorkey gives him too little psychological dimension to come alive. It also strands him among generic characters and clichéd situations seen in countless Brit films set in depressed industrial towns blighted by Thatcherism. What’s worse is that it falls back on that old standby of using allegory as an excuse for a plot that — sorry — simply doesn’t float.

As pretty as the songs are, this is the rare musical that needs fewer numbers and more book scenes. That’s especially the case in the shuffling second act, in which serious anthemic overload takes hold.

There are two principal narrative threads that gradually entwine. One focuses on Gideon (Collin Kelly-Sordelet), who clashes with his father Joe (Jamie Jackson) over his refusal to take an apprenticeship in the shipyards. He flees up the River Tyne, promising his sweetheart Meg (Dawn Cantwell) that he’ll come back for her.

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On a visual level, the production is impressive, and Mantello keeps things moving as best he can in a bloated show that’s at least a half-hour too long. Zinn’s set, with its corroded walls, thick ropes and industrial scaffolds and gangways, is evocative, bathed in the shadowy textures of Christopher Akerlind‘s burnished lighting. Water imagery is a frequent motif, seen to gorgeous effect across a scrim through the opening number. The choreography, by poetic movement specialist Steven Hoggett, fits the material. But all the rowdy, hyper-masculine stomping and suspended gestures grow repetitive, unfortunately calling to mind the merciless Forbidden Broadway parody of Hoggett’s work on Once.

The musical’s chief distinction is Sting’s score, which includes most of the 2013 album of the same name as well as a handful of pre-existing tracks (“All This Time,” “Island of Souls,” “When We Dance”). The artist’s fans alone may be enough to constitute an initial audience. Even if his rhymes can be a touch insistent (“Life is a dance, a romance where ye take your chances/Just don’t be left on the shores of regretful glances”), Sting’s skill with musical narrative is unquestionable. If the numbers eventually wear out their welcome that has less to do with the quality and diversity of the Celtic-flavored score than with the problematic storytelling of Logan and Yorkey’s book. The truth is that all the melodic tunes in the world can’t save a show from the crucial failing of being dull.

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AP: Review: Sting’s ‘The Last Ship’ is thrilling stuff

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Posted:  Mark Kennedy, AP Drama Writer on 10/26/2014 08:09:46 PM CDT

TheLastShipPoster

 

NEW YORK (AP) — You may be tempted upon leaving Sting’s Broadway musical “The Last Ship” to head straight to a pub to drain a pint and sing some sea shanties. Or maybe go weld something. Or do both.

Such are the foot-stomping, testosterone-filled feelings that emerge from the Neil Simon Theatre, where a blast of British working class camaraderie among steel workers has docked during these times when we only construct things from Ikea.

“The Last Ship” has some powerful performances, some outstanding songs, real heart and a creative team that uses every inch of the stage in thrilling ways. Perhaps there’s a bit of bloat and far too many sea references, but when it works, it does so brilliantly.

The show is Sting’s semi-autobiographical story about a prodigal son who returns to his northern England shipbuilding town to reclaim the girl — and a son — he abandoned when he fled 15 years before. The shipyard, meanwhile, is closing and the workers are divided over the future. The show is about loss and letting go.

Michael Esper (“American Idiot”) plays the hero, somehow making a man potentially unlikable into someone melancholy and sick at heart. Rachel Tucker is fiery and strong and superb as his love interest, both protective and vibrant. Jimmy Nail is a great as the softhearted foreman with a gruff exterior, and Fred Applegate is irrepressibly good as a profane priest.

Steven Hoggett’s special brand of choreography — unexpected dancers swaying in unison, slo-mo kicks — is particularly effective here. As he’s done in “Once,” and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” he turns the un-lithe and the downright rotund into lighter-than-air expressions of dreamlike movement.

The project began as a CD and PBS concert special before it was turned into a stage version. Sting drew on his childhood, growing up in Newcastle’s Wallsend neighborhood, near the Swan Hunter shipyards. David Zinn’s sets are not surprisingly all about steel — girders and ladders and gates and rust-stained hulls. There’s even rain and acetylene torches.

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What’s remarkable is the old tunes fit flawlessly, proof Sting’s songs have always been built of strong stuff and often reached back to his hometown. The writers also have plundered imagery from Sting’s old lyrics to build their story, particularly “Island of Souls.”

Broadway has something of a crush with the Irish and English right now. There’s “Once” and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” and “Matilda” and “Kinky Boots.” Hopefully there’s room for another, an unlikely moving musical about shipbuilders. We’ll raise a pint to that.

See Full Review

 

 

 

 

The Wrap: ‘The Last Ship’ Theater Review: Sting Takes a Cruise to Nowhere

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By Robert Hofler on October 26, 2014 @ 6:00 pm

 

At its best, Sting’s score is pre-Sondheim. But it’s good pre-Sondheim. Too bad John Logan and Brian Yorkey’s book about a boat doesn’t float

Everybody on stage in “The Last Ship” is pissed off at somebody. The young hero Gideon is angry with his father for keeping him stuck in Newgate, England, and his father is angry at Gideon for refusing to carry on the family tradition of being a ship builder, and girlfriend Meg is angry that Gideon’s leaving her to travel the world. Meanwhile, during the next 15 years (it’s a fast-moving musical), the townspeople are angry because the ship builder, Mr. Newlands, has closed shop, putting them out of work; and they flat-out reject his new job of reclaiming and repurposing industrial assets. Or as they put it, “junk and salvage.”

There’s more anger to come at the Neil Simon Theatre, where “The Last Ship” opened Sunday. Gideon never knew that Meg bore him a son, and the kid is now pissed off that his dad has been absent for the last 15 years.

In this brew of wrath and discontent, I identified most with Mr. Newlands (Eric Anderson in a cameo). He speaks the truth – shipbuilding in Newcastle isn’t ready for a comeback — and he offers people jobs recycling. Mr. Newlands is practical.

But musicals aren’t about being practical. They’re about dreams. Enter Father O’Brien (a cuddly, foul-mouth Fred Applegate), who is the only character who’s not angry even though he’s dying of cancer before the year’s out. He gives the townspeople hope: He will divert money earmarked for a church and put the cash into building one last ship. There’s no pay, but they’ll have the dignity of work. Amen.

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That’s the big surprise of Sting‘s score. At its best, it’s pre-Sondheim. But it’s good pre-Sondheim, maybe great despite a few “Stomp”-with-overtones-of “Riverdance” numbers for that heavy-stepping, hard-drinking chorus of workers and townspeople.

“The Last Ship” is a classic example of a good score being set adrift by an ill-conceived book.

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EW: It’s Only A Play Review

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Reviewed by Thom Geier on Oct 09, 2014

Rating:  B+

It’s taken more than three decades for Terrence McNally’s backstage comedy It’s Only a Play to make it to Broadway. The show was bound for the Great White Way in 1978 until a disastrous Philadelphia tryout derailed those plans. But McNally never completely abandoned the project, which is set at the posh Manhattan townhouse of a Broadway producer as the cast and creative team gather for an opening-night bash to await the reviews. In the mid-’80s, there was a successful Off Broadway revival with James Coco, Christine Baranski, and Joanna Gleason. And now it’s landed on Broadway at last in a hilarious and star-packed evening of theater in-jokes that often plays like a nonmusical version of Forbidden Broadway.

McNally has completely overhauled his original script, stuffing it with up-to-date references to everything from Lady Gaga to Kelly Ripa, and from Matilda to the upcoming revivals of A Delicate Balance and The Elephant Man. There are also plenty of way-inside punchlines for theater chatroom habitués: Bonus laughs for those who know that Moose Murders was a notorious Broadway flop or that if you have to pick a hometown for the show’s nervous playwright the natural choice is Corpus Christi.

Director Jack O’Brien’s production reteams Tony winners Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, who these days pack a bigger punch at the box office than in terms of natural onstage chemistry. The two play old friends—Lane as an actor who’s passed up the lead role in the play-within-a-play to continue his hit TV series, and Broderick as the anxious playwright whose first big hit was a star-making vehicle for Lane’s character. But while Lane commands the stage with his quippy narcissism (abetted by some of McNally’s strongest meta-jokes), Broderick continues his recent run of stiff, somnambulent, and overly mannered stage performances. The energy and pace of the show deflate whenever he opens his mouth. Worse, he’s saddled with some of the lengthiest speeches in the show, overly earnest paeans to the theater and Why It Matters. (Even his quips, like one about an imagined revival of Chekhov’s The Three Sisters starring the Kardashians, don’t so much land as disintegrate on impact.)

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