Battle Dominates Early Film Awards

Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another,
Best Picture winner for the NYFCC, NBR
and Gotham Awards.

Film award season is upon us and One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson's action epic of a former radical (Leonardo DiCaprio) rescuing his daughter from a right-wing nut job (Sean Penn), is dominating the field, winning Best Picture and several other awards from the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Board of Review and the Gotham Awards. Benicio Del Toro who plays a martial arts instructor and underground activist who aides DiCaprio's character, was named Best Supporting Actor by both the NYFCC and NBR. Rose Byrne won Best Actress from both of those groups for If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (which is also my choice for Best Title of the Decade.) 

The Gotham Awards were announced Mon., the NYFCC on Tues. and the the NBR on Wed. I have not been as excited about the movie awards this year as in past seasons. I used to obsessively keep track of all the eligible films I'd seen and where I'd seen them. Maybe I'll do that this year, but it's looking like Battle is the top film and I wasn't crazy about it. The direction was excellent, Anderson keeps the suspense tight and the action sequences were skillfully edited and shot, but the theme left me cold. Anderson appears to be condemning political extremism of all kinds. DiCaprio plays a former resistance fighter whose daughter is kidnapped by racist Army officer Sean Penn. DiCaprio's character appears to be an innocent caught between two extremes. The left-wing radical underground army he was allied with resorts to extreme violence to achieve its ends. His lover, played by Teyana Taylor, is a horrible person, abandoning their daughter and the cause when she is caught. Penn's forces are equally heinous, representing not only the current cruel immigration policies of the Trump administration, but also a cultish, deep-state powerful network of bigots called the Christmas Adventurers. 

I didn't sympathize with any of the characters except Del Toro's activist who is the only one who doesn't resort to violence to help his community. Having said that, I didn't find his performance exciting enough to warrant all these Supporting Actor prizes. I didn't really get the point of the film, except to film people getting shot and chasing each other across the desert.

Hamnet is the only other film getting major award buzz and it's not even been mentioned by these early accolade dispensers. (Still haven't seen it, but I plan to.) I did catch Wicked: For Good yesterday in 3-D and 4-DX at the Union Square theater. The seats moved while Cynthia Erivo was flying her broom, so that was fun and we were sprinkled with water during the cyclone scenes. It will probably garner a few Golden Globe nods. 

A breakdown of the winners follows:

B'way Update: Death of a Salesman

Nathan Lane, Laurie Metcalf and 
Christopher Abbott with star in
Death of a Salesman next spring.

Willy Loman is returning to Broadway. The seventh Main Stem production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman will begin previews at the Winter Garden Theater on March 6, 2026 prior to an April 9 opening. Tony winner Joe Mantello (Wicked, Little Bear Ridge Road) will direct Tony winners Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf, Christopher Abbott (James White, House of Blue Leaves) and Ben Ahlers (Jack the footman/now rich clock maker from The Gilded Age). Scott Rudin and Barry Diller will produce. The production was originally planned in 2020, but the COVID pandemic delayed it. Earlier this year, it was announced for 2026-27. Salesman opened on Broadway in 1949, starring Lee J. Cobb, Mildred Dunnock, Arthur Kennedy and Cameron Mitchell. winning the Tony, NY Drama Critics Circle Award and Pulitzer Prize. Broadway revivals have starred George C. Scott (1975), Dustin Hoffman (1984), Brian Dennehy (1999), Philip Seymour Hoffman (2012), and Wendell Pierce (2022).

In a statement, Kate Miller, Trustee of the Arthur Miller Literary and Dramatic Property Trust said, “This production promises to channel Salesman's dynamic power in a completely new way. Part of what's so exciting about Joe Mantello’s approach is that he has been immersing himself in our extensive archives and interacting with Arthur's earliest drafts of Salesman—sounding out a deeper understanding of the play's inner workings. It's been wonderful to work with someone who is successfully finding new ways into a play that's been thoroughly studied, taught, and performed by the greatest artists in the world for nearly 80 years. Mantello’s approach will bring Salesman’s impactful and ever relevant commentary on the American dream to modern audiences, and we're so eager to see it come to life."

Mantello added, "It’s been incredibly rewarding to work closely with the Arthur Miller Estate, who’ve so generously opened the archive and encouraged real exploration. Looking through Miller’s early drafts revealed insights into the play’s first impulses—including some surprising theatrical ideas that feel both deeply familiar and unexpectedly modern."

Lane revealed, “In 1995 while rehearsing a Terrence McNally play with Joe, he turned to me one afternoon out of the blue and quietly said, ‘Someday you and I are going to do Death of a Salesman.’ And true to his word, 30 years later, that day has come. I couldn’t be more thrilled and honored to follow in the footsteps of so many great actors in tackling the role of Willy Loman, especially with the brilliant Laurie Metcalf by my side and the remarkable cast Joe is assembling. It’s a privilege to do what is arguably the greatest drama of the twentieth century, and like all great plays it always seems to speak to us anew each time we see it.”

Metcalf said, “Collaboration is everything in the theatre. I am lucky to be going from one exciting project to another with Joe Mantello—and in the very same season. Joe and Nathan are longtime collaborators, and my shared history with—and deep respect for—them makes what might otherwise feel daunting feel familiar, and absolutely thrilling.”

Off-B'way Review: The Seat of Our Pants

Shuler Hensley and Micaela Diamond in
The Seat of Our Pants.
Credit: Joan Marcus

At this year’s Thanksgiving dinner, a young relative expressed her fears the world might be doomed because of AI and a certain lawless occupant of the White House. Us old folks had to reassure her that America and humankind in general has faced worst crises and we’ve come through, if only by the skin of our teeth or the seat of our pants. In similar conversations, friends have expressed the overwhelming fear that freedom and democracy are kaput in this country, that we are headed for becoming another Gilead (the fictional right-wing dystopia of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale), and where can they safely emigrate to? 

These encounters brought home the realization that this is the perfect historic moment for Ethan Lipton’s The Seat of Our Pants (at the Public), a musical adaptation of The Skin of Our Teeth, Thornton Wilder’s crazy comedy of civilization triumphing over countless disasters. Debuting on Broadway in 1942, as America had just entered the Second World War, Wilder’s Pulitzer-Prize winning existential extravaganza imagines a typical modern suburban family, the Antrobuses standing in for all of humanity as they face glaciers, floods, and devastating wars. Characters speak directly to the audience, the fourth wall is broken numerous times, dinosaurs and mammoths romp through living rooms, and Noah’s Ark, the Ice Age and World War III are recreated. It’s insane but it works. As does Lipton’s adaptation which cleverly balances Wilder’s original, slightly dated script with modern sensibility and appropriately off-kilter, satiric songs. (John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joseph Stein attempted their own musical version of Skin which went through regional productions, readings, and workshops, but never made it to New York.)

Michael Lepore, Micaela Dimaond, 
Ruthie Ann Miles, Geena Quintos, and 
David Ryan Smith in The Seat of Our Pants.
Credit: Joan Marcus

Lipton follows Wilder’s original fairly closely with a few well-placed detours into 2025 territory and his songs strike just the right note of whimsical earnestness. The Antrobus family and their maid Sabina are first seen in their New Jersey home struggling to stay warm as a sheet of ice threatens to obliterate mankind. As they gather around a diminishing fire with homeless refugees representing philosophical, religious and artistic figures, they sing “We were born out of the darkness/And should the darkness call us back/Let us pray we smell a brisket/As we slip into the black.” It’s that specific absurd image of a brisket that brings us into the Wilder mindset of bizarre comedy amidst terror. Director Leigh Silverman stages the goofy goings-on with a serious edge, allowing the comedy to subtly come through and the seriousness to slowly surface.

B'way/Off-B'way Review: Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York); Gruesome Playground Injuries

Sam Tutty and Christiani Pitts in
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).
Credit: Matthew Murphy

A pair of two-character shows with differing depictions of amorous connections have recently opened on and Off-Broadway. One is a charming rom-com musical replete with cliches and plot-holes you could drive a truck through. Despite these flaws, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is an engaging and lighthearted romp, perfect for holiday fun. Strangers arrives on Broadway after runs in London and the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass. The other Off-Broadway offering, Rajiv Joseph’s Gruesome Playground Injuries, has no songs, is much darker, complex and more honest in its portrayal of the dysfunctional relationship of two accident-prone outsiders who come in and out of each others’ lives from elementary school to young adulthood.

The elaborately titled Two Strangers takes the basic romcom trope of two previously unacquainted, dissimilar characters meeting in a tense situation, running into conflict and then into each others’ arms. There’s shopping, sightseeing, sex, heartbreak, and an ambiguous resolution. Luckily, Jim Barne and Kit Buchan’s songs and dialogue are snappy and cute enough to overcome the overly familiar story arcs. Tim Jackson’s slick and smooth direction and choreography works perfectly on Sutra Gilmour’s versatile revolving set, employing set pieces in the shape of luggage of varying sizes to suggest multiple scenes in Gotham. 

Sam Tutty and Christiani Pitts in
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).
Credit: Matthew Murphy

Sam Tutty and Christiani Pitts are bubbly, bright, and multifaceted as the mismatched pair. Tutt exudes boyish enthusiasm and gleeful hopefulness as Dougal, a lonely British bachelor in New York for the first time to attend the wedding of his estranged dad. Pitts is the somewhat depressed Robin, the sister of the bride (much younger than the groom), who has been tasked with shepherding Dougal and performing a million ceremony-related chores including transport of the titular gateau from Flatbush, Brooklyn to Manhattan. Of course, Dougal’s puppyish eagerness and excitement for the Big Apple at first grates against Robin’s cynical veneer, but they eventually wind up canoodling. Several secrets involving ruptured family relationships for the two are gradually revealed, but too many loose threads are left dangling by the end of their brief time together. 

Book Review: Crampton Hodnet

(Downloaded on my Kindle for $6): A few years ago, I read almost all of Barbara Pym's novels and they were like a long cozy tea-time. Crampton Hodnet was written in 1940 and published in 1985 after Pym's death when her work was back in favor and edited by her literary executor. A charming comedy of missed connections and frustrated loves set in the university of North Oxford. There are two main plot threads. Miss Morrow, paid companion to the elderly, domineering Miss Doggett, becomes involved in a strange relationship with curate Mr. Latimer who is boarding with the ladies. Meanwhile, Miss Doggett's nephew, Frances Cleveland, a middle-aged don, has developed an infatuation with his young student Barbara Bird. Romantic illusions give way to practicality as both Mr. Latimer and Mr. Cleveland discover amorous fantasies do not always lead to happy endings. One of my favorite lines is when Miss Morrow observes she enjoys dramatic scenes in novels and films, but they can be embarrassing and awkward in real life. There are two gay characters, a pair of mincing undergraduates who perform impromptu ballet steps in the middle of shops, who are there mainly for comic relief. Miss Doggett was a funny, bossy character given to extravagant hats and snobbish opinions. I felt badly for Miss Morrow whom everyone treats as a sexless appendage to her employer. 

B'way/Off-B'way Review: Chess; Practice

Aaron Tveit (c.) and cast in Chess.
Credit: Matthew Murphy

The big question is does the first Broadway revival of Chess solve the cult musical’s previously impossible problem of the messy book dragging down the magnificent, memorable score? The short answer is no, but it does provide powerhouse singer-actors (Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele, Nicholas Christopher, Hannah Cruz) the opportunity to display their impressive vocal chops and limning skills. Is it worth sitting through the Cuckoo-for-Coco-Puffs script to get to those compelling, stirring songs by Tim Rice and the Abba team of Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus? That’s a matter of taste. It was rough going for me for the show’s nearly three-hour running time, but when the stars opened the mouths to vocalize, I forgot the melodramatic excesses and lame jokes in Danny Strong’s new book.

Chess is one of those shows that just won’t die. It began life as a 1984 concept album like Rice’s collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. A fully-staged 1986 adaptation played London’s West End for three years, but a highly revised Broadway version closed after only two months in 1988. Ever since, the property has re-emerged in regional revivals, concerts, and recordings. The reason for Chess’s long game is the brilliant score. The sexy, catchy “One Night in Bangkok” was a Top 40 earworm. The sweet ache and passionate regret of “You and I” has always brought me to tears. “I Know Him So Well” is a tender duet expressing reflection over a failed love affair with gorgeous intertwining vocal lines. “Someone Else’s Story” is another beautiful ballad, heartbreaking in its simplicity.

Aaron Tveit and Lea Michele in Chess.
Credit: Matthew Murphy

The crazy story arc which contains these wonderful songs involves chess masters, affairs, the 1956 Soviet invasion of Hungary, the CIA, and the KGB. Plus this new version by Strong asks us to believe the fate of the entire world hangs on the chess matches—there are two of them, one for each act—with US and Soviet commanders poised to press the nuclear button depending on who emerges victorious. 

Strong has streamlined the crowded storyline (but not enough) and treats the material with a satiric, almost campy tone, with the Arbiter character transformed into a devilish narrator who constantly reminds us we’re watching “ a Cold War musical” and laying out the subtext in case we don’t get it. This narrator device removes us from the romantic-triangle aspects of the story and inserts contemporary groanworthy quips about RFK Jr. and his brainworm, Joseph Biden running for a second term, and just the mention of our current president (Tveit’s character name is Trumper, get it?). It doesn’t help that Bryce Pinkham, who has been a delight in previous musicals such as A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Holiday Inn, delivers every line like a WWF ring announcer. He’s at full volume and intensity from his first entrance and has nowhere to go but over the top. Michael Mayer’s direction does flow smoothly with David Rockwell’s sleek, ultramodern set and Kevin Adams’ flashy lighting providing for swift, cinematic transitions. Mayer and choreographer Lorin Latarro also effectively employ a top-notch chorus to move the story along and provide background.

Book Review: It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time: The Worst TV Shows in History and Other Things I Wrote

(Read on the Libby App on my phone): Bruce Vilanch's Riotously funny account of the craziest projects he's ever worked does not just cover disastrous TV specials but also movies and Broadway shows. I needed something light and hilarious after plowing through almost 600 pages of Victorian romanticism with A.S. Byatt's Possession. Vilanch was involved with some of the most disastrous turkeys to hit the airwaves--the Star Wars Holiday special, Paul Lynde's Halloween bash, the Brady Bunch Variety series, the Snow White-Rob Lowe Oscars. I cringe because I remember watching all of them like train wrecks you could not turn from. He also includes such floperoos as The Ice Pirates movie, The Village People's legendary bomb Can't Stop the Music, and the Broadway shows Platinum and Comedy Tonight. I laughed out loud many times. (I was annoyed by the numerous footnotes explaining famous show-biz figures I was familiar with such as Jack Benny, Carmen Miranda, Martha Raye, but I guess Vilanch felt they were necessary for the younguns who never heard of them.)