(From left) Christina Wellford Scott, Tony Isbell, Kell Christie and Jarron Robinson in A.R. Gurney’s Buffalo Gal at Theatre Memphis Next Stage.
Among the writers that often inspire homage from contemporary playwrights, Anton Chekhov is at the top of the list. His plays may be as rare on local stages as Greek tragedy, but they’re read enough in college lit classes that everyone (yes, you!) should know this about his female characters: they are frustrated, dissatisfied and disillusioned.
(From left) Christina Wellford Scott, Tony Isbell, Kell Christie and Jarron Robinson in A.R. Gurney’s Buffalo Gal at Theatre Memphis Next Stage.
Like Tennessee Williams’ Blanche DuBois, Chekhov’s Madame Ranevskaya from “The Cherry Orchard,” is a character one remembers in terms of a grand gesture. And that gesture is staring wistfully off into the vast illusion of her life.
She is aristocratic, self-absorbed, and in a way, in need of a good shaking. Someone, please, snap her out of it.
A similar ego queen is at the center of “Buffalo Gal,” a play that could also use a good shaking, by the prolific A.R. Gurney (“Love Letters,” “Sylvia”) now running on the Theatre Memphis Next Stage.
Christina Wellford Scott, an old hand at playing divas such as Maria Callas in “Master Class” and Madame DuBois in “Streetcar,” offers more of the same as Amanda, an unhappy, aging Hollywood actress who returns to her hometown regional theater in Buffalo to star in a new production of “The Cherry Orchard.”
Amanda, we learn, has Academy Award nominations under her belt and an extensive resume. But the roles aren’t coming like they used to. Heaven forbid she takes the part of a grandmother in a sitcom pilot. And so, to possibly push start her career, as Kathryn Hepburn once did during a movie lull, Amanda re-embraces the world of “The Thee-ah-TAH.”
It’s anyone’s guess whether Wellford Scott’s wistful gazes into the audience whenever she contemplates life in the theater are the sappy direction of Jerry Chipman or an eye-rolling tribute to Norma Desmond. But far too much of it causes the audience to gaze wistfully at the exit sign over the theater door.
As the tough, lesbian director hoping to get a Broadway hit, actress Kell Christie provides the only incisive performance in this tiresome script. The expression on her face every time she talks to Amanda is always slightly amused, and slightly frustrated. We get that.
Critics have debated whether “The Cherry Orchard” is a comedy or a tragedy. But no such conversations have erupted over “Buffalo Gal.” It’s a comedy. At least, it’s supposed to be.
“Buffalo Gal”
The play continues at 7:30 Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through March 14 at Theatre Memphis, 630 Perkins Ext. Tickets are $23 adults, $15 students. Call 682-8323.
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Comments » 14
the_real_moriarty writes:
Christopher Blank's lack of insight, misunderstanding of themes and ideas, total inability to appreciate artistic quality and general unfitness to be a theatre reviewer never ceases to amaze me. He seems to lack the simplest, most basic understanding of anything to do with the world of theatre. His so-called "review" of BUFFALO GAL is a perfect example. His obvious inability to understand this delicate, touching, funny and poignant play leads one to question whether English is his native tongue.
The following is the review of the SAME play on the Arts Memphis website:
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Event Name: Buffalo Gal
"Review by Bob Arnold - ArtsMemphis Rants & Raver from Memphis, TN, Feb 27, 2010
Time and again, Theatre Memphis has proven that they can handle hugely ambitious shows on a very large scale.
So it's to the organization's credit that their Next Stage continues to focus on intimate, offbeat productions, which are typically delivered with the same quality and attention to detail as a mainstage show.
This production of A.R. Gurney's "Buffalo Gal" is no exception. Performed in an uninterrupted 90 minutes, "Buffalo Gal" follows Amanda, a fading film star, as she tries to return to her roots by taking to the stage in her hometown of Buffalo, NY.
Despite the pampering of the theater's artistic crew, the insecure Amanda finds herself pulled by a web of conflicting forces, including a former lover, her unhappy agent, her grandmother's crumbling estate, the authenticity of the theater, and the lure of fame.
The all-star cast is uniformly excellent here, led by Christina Wellford Scott as a mercurial, richly imagined, utterly believable Amanda.
Director Jerry Chipman is on sure footing throughout the play, which comes across like a backstage scene that the audience just happens to overhear.
Funny, poignant, clever, and complex in all the right amounts, "Buffalo Gal" is a show that might be easy to miss while you're waiting for the next mainstage hit. Make sure that doesn't happen.
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The truly interesting thing about comparing these two views of the same play is that they are almost diametrically opposed. All the negatives of Mr. Blank's "review" are positives in Mr. Arnold's: the acting, the directing, the script itself. I suggest you see the show yourself. I suspect you will find far more to agree with in Mr. Arnold's than in Mr. Blank's.
the_real_moriarty writes:
Christopher Blank's lack of insight, misunderstanding of themes and ideas, total inability to appreciate artistic quality and general unfitness to be a theatre reviewer never ceases to amaze me. He seems to lack the simplest, most basic understanding of anything to do with the world of theatre. His so-called "review" of BUFFALO GAL is a perfect example. His obvious inability to understand this delicate, touching, funny and poignant play leads one to question whether English is his native tongue.
ekerr#216805 writes:
So a positive review is a sign of literary genius, while a negative review denotes incompetence on the part of the reviewer? It's almost amusing how out-of-sorts some people get when they get a bad review. Some people will like the show; some people will not. Get over it. What's the point of having a critic for the CA if all he does is fluffy little cheerleading pieces for everything?
the_real_moriarty writes:
The issue is not whether a review is "positive" or "negative". A "bad" review that is based on some kind of reasoning, some insight into the actual production, is completely valid and acceptable.
The problem is when a reviewer reveals that he basically has no understanding of what he has just seen and therefore it must be "bad". Mr Blank's writing, at times, comes perilously close to implying that he has never even seen a play before in his life.
It's sometimes as if he's dropped in from another dimension and has no understanding as to what he's seeing.
Mr Blank also seems to struggle to set forth even the simplest of ideas in a coherent, understandable manner. He's definitely not a "literary genius".
This doesn't just go for his "bad" reviews. His "good" reviews generally make little sense, either. He almost invariably misses the point of what he has seen. This makes all his opinions suspect.
So I'm not saying all reviews should be "good"...just that they make SOME kind of sense in relation to the work under consideration.
As far as this statement: "Some people will like the show; some people will not. Get over it.", suppose we substitute the word 'review'--"Some people will like the REVIEW; some people will not. Get over it."
So why shouldn't we be allowed to make our points about the review? The show I saw had no resemblance to the parody he describes. Mr Arnold's glowing notice was more on the mark, but it probably went too far in the other direction. This show ain't the Second Coming. It has flaws.
Ah well.
Chacun a son gout.
irvuss writes:
"It’s anyone’s guess whether Wellford Scott’s wistful gazes into the audience whenever she contemplates life in the theater are the sappy direction of Jerry Chipman or an eye-rolling tribute to Norma Desmond. But far too much of it causes the audience to gaze wistfully at the exit sign over the theater door."
DANG, them's fighting words. Isn't this town too small for the theater critic to really throw down a zinger like this? I hope not. The theater crowd is a small enough group that they better take their lumps and inspire a paragraph of such passion in praise of the work that those outside of the family want in.
This is just another piece of theater that 99% of this town won't see.
irvuss writes:
"It’s anyone’s guess whether Wellford Scott’s wistful gazes into the audience whenever she contemplates life in the theater are the sappy direction of Jerry Chipman or an eye-rolling tribute to Norma Desmond. But far too much of it causes the audience to gaze wistfully at the exit sign over the theater door."
DANG, them's fighting words. Isn't this town too small for the theater critic to really throw down a zinger like this? I hope not. The theater crowd is a small enough group that they better take their lumps and inspire a paragraph of such passion in praise of the work that those outside of the family want in.
This is just another piece of theater that 99% of this town won't see.
beeswax writes:
I have to agree with moriarity on two counts. First, the performance that I saw was terrific theatre, and nothing at all similar to the disparaging words that Mr. Blank used in his description. Second, I too find that Mr. Blank's reviews are most frequently off the mark. In fact, they are so frequently off the mark that one has to wonder if Mr. Blank actually even sees the plays he reviews. I talked with one of the cast members of Buffalo Gal this weekend, and discovered that Mr. Blank reviewed a dress rehearsal of the play prior to its opening. That doesn't seem fair to the company, the theatre or the theatre going public. Aren't the actors, directors, and behind-the-scenes people still making adjustments to the play during a dress rehearsal?
beeswax writes:
I have to agree with moriarity on two counts. First, the performance that I saw was terrific theatre, and nothing at all similar to the disparaging words that Mr. Blank used in his description. Second, I too find that Mr. Blank's reviews are most frequently off the mark. In fact, they are so frequently off the mark that one has to wonder if Mr. Blank actually even sees the plays he reviews. I talked with one of the cast members of Buffalo Gal this weekend, and discovered that Mr. Blank reviewed a dress rehearsal of the play prior to its opening. That doesn't seem fair to the company, the theatre or the theatre going public. Aren't the actors, directors, and behind-the-scenes people still making adjustments to the play during a dress rehearsal?
the_real_moriarty writes:
The only thing wrong with this statement is the math. Though I couldn't prove it, my instinct tells me that even the best attended shows at any local theatre (not counting the Orpheum) are probably seen by far less than even -1%- of the population. .02 percent is probably closer to it.
C_Blank writes:
Mr. or Ms. Moriarty,
My competence hasn't been so strongly contested since I declared Chris Allen better than Adam Lambert at the American Idol concert. You only left out the classic line: "Never has a critic's last name so aptly described what is in his head."
Seriously, when it comes to disagreement, bring it on. Please continue to post your objections in this space. Also, now is a great time for aficionados like yourself to try your hand at theater criticism. ArtsMemphis is inviting people to post reviews, like Bob's, on its website. I think they'll even give you tickets to the show. I am always interested in reading other people's thoughts, as Memphis isn't exactly rife with critical voices.
I was extremely disappointed in "Buffalo Gal," which I don't need to go on about. Another show, "The Miracle Worker" at Circuit Playhouse got a similar drubbing from me.
One note to "beeswax", however: I do often review shows on the final dress rehearsal, especially when there are numerous shows opening on the same weekend. The theaters have not discouraged me from doing so, and I do take into account that it may not run as smoothly as do shows later in the run. However, as theaters do sell tickets to these "preview" performances, I see no reason why I can't be in the audience.
Finally, a bit of shameless self-promotion. I run a little club for people who like to critique/discuss theater and dance. We are attending two more shows this season as a group, and if you've ever wondered how critics come up with these crazy reviews, then you'll enjoy sharing your thoughts with me (and the group) at our post-show discussions. It's free to join. More info at wknofm.org.
Cheers,
Christopher Blank
beeswax writes:
Mr. Blank, thank you for your reply to the comments about your review. I had no idea that our local theatres sell tickets to dress rehearsals. Do you know if they are full-price tickets, or are they discounted?
I prefer to see plays during their run, and with full, enthusiasic audiences. For me, part of the theatre-going experience includes the audience. I would think that critics would understand this and want to see and review plays with full audiences. Apparently, you and I do not share the same approach to theatre-going.
I feel bad for you that you didn't like Buffalo Gal. It was an excellent play, and it was beautifully performed. And I also feel bad for you that you didn't like The Miracle Worker. I can't wait to see that play; I have been told that it is excellent also.
Mr. Blank, you often seem depressed and glum after visiting the theatre. Perhaps another vocation would better suit you.
jerry.chipman#224916 writes:
Correction, Chris, Theatre Memphis does NOT sell tickets to preview/dress rehearsals and I don't think Playhouse/Circuit does either. The final tech/dress usually has a handful of friends or family invited in for a warm up to opening night. And, believe me, neither an actor nor director wants a reviewer in the house that night - especially if the show is a comedy dependent on audience response for pace and timing. All of that was there on opening night as opposed to the rehearsal you joined 5 other people to watch. Judging a show under those circumstances is as much of a disservice to you as it is to the production.
C_Blank writes:
Thank you, Jerry, for the correction. Playhouse and Circuit sell discounted preview night tickets at $15 a piece. Theatre Memphis does not. However, Theatre Memphis DOES sell dress rehearsals to sponsors, and by the time opening night arrives, the actors have already performed in front of an audience either on the Tuesday or Wednesday before. I believe Buffalo Gal had a good-sized house the night before I saw it, or am I mistaken?
That said, I appreciate that many shows mature over time, and that flubbed lines or technical flaws shouldn't be held against a production the first weekend. I have loved many of your shows, Jerry. I didn't like Buffalo Gal for the reasons I stated and several others that were edited out for space.
My goal is always to attend opening night. However, when more than one show opens on a weekend (and there were three last weekend), I have to make a choice.
Beeswax: do I know you? Please introduce yourself the next time you see my glum visage at a show. Or join my club. Would love for you to share your approach to theater going!
As far as attendance goes, if a critic or an actor had to wait for a "full, enthusiastic audience" as we'd both prefer, there would be a lot fewer reviews. I'd like you to read this recent review and pick out the influence of the audience.
http://www.gomemphis.com/news/2010/ja...
Here's a hint: Two people came to see the show. Me and a friend. Given Mr. Braxton's courageous decision to still go on, face to face with the theater critic front row center, I hope I gave him a fair shake.
--CB
beeswax writes:
Mr. Blank, I don't possibly see how we could know one another, since we have never met. I have seen your picture, and I thought I saw you once at a social event. But then I realized the person I thought was you was really that lawyer Corey B. Trotz.
Thank you for the invitation to your club. I may take you up on that sometime.
I've never personally seen your glum visage. I've just inferred it from your writing.
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