Liars and Saints

 Joshua Henry's impending Tony win has me thinking about "Violet"--the one and only show to place Henry next to Sutton Foster. In "Violet," Henry plays Flick, a somewhat conflicted young sergeant traveling through North Carolina on a Greyhound bus. It's the 1960s; several people on the bus are praying. One hopes for domestic harmony; another wants a "successful" visit to a faith healer. By contrast, Flick *argues* with God. Too bad we don't see eye to eye, Lord-- We could pass the time of day. Flick befriends the titular character, who claims that her faith healer will repair her damaged face. (Violet has suffered a terrible accident involving an axe.) Flick--having grown up impoverished and Black in the 1950s--immediately understands Violet's anger. He offers advice (and we suspect that, on some level, he is really advising himself): My family never had too much-- Made the best of every day. Ate what's on our plate, you know-- Never th...

 I find deep pleasure in disliking something I'm "supposed to" like -- and that's how I feel about the current revival of "Ragtime." Everything about this effort seems misguided. It's a resuscitation of a mediocre show that does not need to be resuscitated. Also, the "bold vision" seems to be this: "We've taken everything from the original production and made it  slightly worse !" It's like the 1990s "Ragtime" -- but without a set. It's like the 1990s "Ragtime" -- but without Audra McDonald. It's like the 1990s "Ragtime" -- but without an effective publicity team. (It seemed especially unfortunate that the production announced a "first choice" Sarah, only to lose her. The team then announced a "second choice" Sarah, only to lose her. "Grab your wallet and come on out for.... our *third* choice !") "Why look for answers where none occur?" The earnest,...

  The highlight of "Ragtime" is a tiny moment in the song "Gliding." In this song, a man wants his little daughter to close her eyes and daydream. He orders her literally four times to close her eyes. Four times! I always assumed this was lazy writing, but Brandon Uranowitz (at long last) makes the line work. The fourth time Uranowitz (a gay man) says the line, he puts a startling kind of sassy topspin on the command: "Girl?  Close your friggin' eyes ."  Uranowitz is Tateh, an overwhelmed dad. Life hands him many shitty days. The gospel of musical theater writing says that your protagonist should have earth-shaking ambitions, and certainly, Tateh has these ambitions. He is penniless, mourning the loss of his wife, fighting off Lower East Side strangers who want to purchase his little girl for sex. Tateh wants to attain "a normal life," but also he wants to make use of his artistic talent (between the various street brawls that arise, the alte...