I'll admit, Harry Potter is somewhat of an unhealthy obsession in my life. I went to see How To Succeed in Business just so I could see Daniel Radcliffe in the flesh, and it's the reason I went to see Seminar, the Broadway play starring Alan Rickman, aka Professor Snape. But even if you can't tell your Philosopher's Stone from your Deathly Hallow, you would have to be seriously devoid of any sense of humor to not enjoy this play. The show's run ends in February, so get to the Golden Theatre at once!
Seminar is the story of four writers who have hired a famous writer/editor (Rickman) for 10 weekly sessions of a private writing seminar. The play opens with these four people and at first, you are hard-pressed to find anything to like about them. Douglas (Jerry O'Connell) is the pretentious nightmare, the one who uses words like"interiority" and "exteriority," expounds upon the shimmering beauty of Nature that led him to the genre of magical realism, and has decent connections in the literary world courtesy of his uncle. Kate (Lily Rabe) is quick to be offended, a somewhat militant feminist who disdains any mention of Jack Kerouac and is forever referring to her years spent in Bennington College. Izzy (Hetienne Park) is the free-spirited Asian girl who doesn't think twice about using her sexuality to get ahead. Which leaves Martin (Hamish Linklater), who hates Douglas's pretentions, knows Kate from high school, is nursing a secret crush for Izzy, and likes to expound on the importance of language and the craft of writing. This could easily become snooze-inducing stuff, but the one-liners, character eviscerations, and witty sarcasm considerably enliven the proceedings.
Once Alan Rickman swans onto the stage, the laughs don't stop coming. He is a pompous, arrogant, and brutally honest critic, who completely decimates Kate's manuscript during the first session after reading just the first 5 words on the page. He likes to give long monologues about all the things he's done, like roaming around war-torn countries and meeting HIV-ridden beggars in Rwanda. When he announces that he's leaving for a 2-week trip to Somalia, Kate declares, "I hope they shoot him!" He is thoroughly unlikable, but that's why you like him so much, which is a mind-bending feat of acting skill.
The play abounds with high-brow writerly language that is then instantly cast aside for furiously hurled expletives. Over the course of the hour and forty minutes, the characters' relationships evolve or devolve as necessary. All the relationship stuff is amusing, but the real joy of the play is to just watch these 5 people mock each other, mock other writers, mock literature, and mock the world. The playwright, Theresa Rebeck, has a real knack for being able to craft a joke out of anything. Just when you think things are getting a little too heavy, someone will make a wry declaration that elicits a chuckle and the comedy is back in full force.
Writers as a group are heartily inclined to take themselves too seriously. Seminar is a wonderful reminder that even though fine prose, poetry, and plays are great things, sometimes a hearty insult is the best manifestation of the beauty of the English language.
Seminar is the story of four writers who have hired a famous writer/editor (Rickman) for 10 weekly sessions of a private writing seminar. The play opens with these four people and at first, you are hard-pressed to find anything to like about them. Douglas (Jerry O'Connell) is the pretentious nightmare, the one who uses words like"interiority" and "exteriority," expounds upon the shimmering beauty of Nature that led him to the genre of magical realism, and has decent connections in the literary world courtesy of his uncle. Kate (Lily Rabe) is quick to be offended, a somewhat militant feminist who disdains any mention of Jack Kerouac and is forever referring to her years spent in Bennington College. Izzy (Hetienne Park) is the free-spirited Asian girl who doesn't think twice about using her sexuality to get ahead. Which leaves Martin (Hamish Linklater), who hates Douglas's pretentions, knows Kate from high school, is nursing a secret crush for Izzy, and likes to expound on the importance of language and the craft of writing. This could easily become snooze-inducing stuff, but the one-liners, character eviscerations, and witty sarcasm considerably enliven the proceedings.
Once Alan Rickman swans onto the stage, the laughs don't stop coming. He is a pompous, arrogant, and brutally honest critic, who completely decimates Kate's manuscript during the first session after reading just the first 5 words on the page. He likes to give long monologues about all the things he's done, like roaming around war-torn countries and meeting HIV-ridden beggars in Rwanda. When he announces that he's leaving for a 2-week trip to Somalia, Kate declares, "I hope they shoot him!" He is thoroughly unlikable, but that's why you like him so much, which is a mind-bending feat of acting skill.
The play abounds with high-brow writerly language that is then instantly cast aside for furiously hurled expletives. Over the course of the hour and forty minutes, the characters' relationships evolve or devolve as necessary. All the relationship stuff is amusing, but the real joy of the play is to just watch these 5 people mock each other, mock other writers, mock literature, and mock the world. The playwright, Theresa Rebeck, has a real knack for being able to craft a joke out of anything. Just when you think things are getting a little too heavy, someone will make a wry declaration that elicits a chuckle and the comedy is back in full force.
Writers as a group are heartily inclined to take themselves too seriously. Seminar is a wonderful reminder that even though fine prose, poetry, and plays are great things, sometimes a hearty insult is the best manifestation of the beauty of the English language.
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| A decidedly cheery Rickman with his Muggle co-stars |
two thumbs up!
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