The Rise and Fall of Annie Hall

 
Dude, Theater J's musical The Rise and Fall of Annie Hall is just what you need to cheer up your recession blues. Director Shirley Serotsky, her designers and cast have hit a home run with this play about turning a classic film into a Broadway musical. And dude, playwright Sam Forman has crafted an edgy story about twentysomethings on the cusp of thirty, finding it's time to let go of one set of dreams and embark on another. Dude, his use of current cultural phenomenon like Twitter, Facebook and Wikipedia make it seem like he wrote the play last week. But his story line of two men trying to succeed on the Great White Way is right out of a 1930's or 40's musical. Dude, it just goes to show that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Briefly dude, the story goes like this... Rise and Fall follows the trials and tribulations of Henry, this dude who is trying to find a way to bring one of his musicals to the stage. Not off-Broadway dude, but on Broadway. Only problem is that Henry (played by this dude, Josh Lefkowitz) spends more time schmoozing and plotting to meet famous people than he does writing musicals. Meanwhile his perpetually stoned, gay, best friend -- another dude named Will (Matthew A. Anderson) -- is not helping matters by constantly reliving their college theatre days while offering lame ideas for musicals like Titusobamacus. Now Henry's girlfriend Annie (Tessa Klein) is a mildly depressed, struggling actress who hasn't had sex with Henry in four months (yeah dude that cold, but at least she keeps apologizing to him). Frustrated in more ways than one (you can imagine dude), Henry spends his time Googling his own name (yeah dude, that's lame but we all do it), watching Internet porn (like you never did that dude!), and searching the IMDB for odd tidbits of information on his favorite stars. Oh, and he keeps trying to figure out a way to meet his favorite director, Woody Allen because he wants to turn the movie Annie Hall into a musical. Which could have something to do with the fact, that his life kind of resembles the movie in certain respects. Then dude, into this mix walks the Producer's Daughter (Maureen Rohn), a 23 year old, Ivy Leaguer who's father is a successful Hollywood insider and who produced the movie Annie Hall with Woody. Seeing opportunity right in front of him, the dude Henry immediately goes to work and stalks the woman through her online presence. Yeah, Facebook, Twitter -- all of it dude. Next the Henry guy stages an accidental meeting at the Producer's Daughter's place of work (she had it on her Facebook account -- obviously dude, she's never been stalked). And then once entwined in her world, Henry meets the Tortured Genius -- this theatre icon dude who has already been given the rights to turn the movie Annie Hall into a Broadway musical. I know dude, bummer. But Henry, being a celebrity obsessed theatre-world wanna-be, isn't going to let any of this stop him in his quest to see his name in lights. Dude, Rise and Fall's director Shirley Serotsky and her designers have come up with a free flowing, easy to watch performance. From the way Henry steps out of character to address the audience (a bell rings) to the moving set, to images of Diane Keaton, to the caftan costumes favored by the Tortured Genius, dude each step of this play moves right into the next without a pause. And dude, set designer Robbie Hayes utilizes a backlit skyline of New York City with moving buildings that serve as narrow streets, loft apartments, or the ubiquitous name up in lights. The latter is used throughout the performance, as a summary of the action occurring on stage is lit up in the theatre marquee. The effect is really funny, dude. Being a play about a musical, the composer guy Gabriel Kahane provides the original music, which since it's a play about a musical keeps the Annie Hall references going and adds an interesting element to the play. And Ms. Serotsky has made a casting coup by placing Josh Lefkowitz in the role of the dude Henry. Mr. Forman's writing is so similar to Mr. Lofkowitz's one-man shows, that it is easy to think the actor has improvised the dialogue for this play as he is going along. But while he didn't do any of the writing, he certainly brings Mr. Forman's words to life in a way that makes them his own. With every smile, winsome look and line delivery, the Lefkowitz guy has the entire show in his hands. His nerdylicious looks don't hurt, since he pulls off the neurotic guy next door routine really easily. Dude, the Henry character, as written by the playwright, is the glue that holds the whole show together and this requires an actor who melds right into the role from the get go. And this Lekowitz guy makes the show a fun ride. So smooth a ride in fact, that it would be interesting, to see the show without him to compare how well it works. As the dude Will, Matthew A. Anderson provides a fun slacker who isn't taking anything seriously except his 420. Constantly apologizing for his lack of long term and short term memory, the guy delivers the character's insightful lines through a hash induced haze with a note of authenticity. His Will is just enough, the character never eclipses Henry, yet is never drowned out by Lefkowitz's fast pace. In the role of Henry's girlfriend, Tessa Klein moves from depressed twentysomething to happy thirtysomething very believably, especially considering how the character's onstage time is in a series of frequent snippets. Dude, she does funny depressed really well. Ironically dude, Maureen Rohn's Producer's Daughter comes across as the most mature person onstage. She may be confused and spoiled, but you still end up liking this jaded twenty-three year old who keeps her most intimate thoughts online and constantly wonders why she is a mess. And finally as the Tortured Genius, Alexander Strain is terrific as a kind of musical theatre idiot savant who started drinking with his dad at age nine and now spends most of his time on retreat and hiding from the phone. Dude, this is a show you gotta see, cause it just makes you smile. Just like those old musicals of the silver screen! Resources: Snippets of Annie Hall Celebrity Ghost "Tweeters" Confessions of Facebook Stalkers The word "dude" Sam Forman's musical I Sing! Show Details: The Rise and Fall of Annie Hall Written By: Sam Forman Original Music By: Gabriel Kahane Produced By: Theater J at DCJCC, 1529 16th Street, NW, Washington DC Ticket Info: Run Dates: April 15 - May 24, 2009 Showtimes: Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7.30 pm, Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 3 pm & 7.30 pm Special Performances: Thursday, April 23 performance starts at 8 pm, Wednesday, May 13matinee at 12 pm noon, free babysitting during matinees on May 3 & 17 (call ahead) Ticket Prices: $30-$55, discounts for patrons 35 and under, as well as groups Box Office: 1-800-494-TIXS or boxofficetickets.com Show Length: 2.5 hours including one 15 minute intermission Cast & Crew: Director: Shirley Serotsky Designers: Robbie Hayes (Set), Garth Dolan (Lighting), Deb Sivigny (Costume), Matt Nielson (Sound) Cast: Matthew A. Anderson, Tessa Klein, Josh Lefkowitz, Maureen Rohn and Alexander Strain April 19th performance reviewed by Rich See

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