My friend and I were commenting on Broadway and thinking how outrageous our expectations have become these days. A show like URINETOWN that garnered much praise and was the darling success at the Tonys in the year it came out should be celebrated. The fact that the show is closing, while sad, should be no surprise. There seems to be an overwhelming feeling in New York that a show is not a success if it doesn’t run for over ten years. Shows like the LION KING and THE PRODUCERS should not have ten or fifteen year runs. Congratulations to Julie Taymor and Mel Brooks if their productions succeed in the achievements that CATS and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA enjoyed. But the fact of the matter is that if we look at London’s West End Theaters, we’d notice that shows typically do not have such runs. A few do. But the measure of a successful production should not be the length of it’s run, but rather the quality of the performances.

It is precisely this need to find a financial juggernaut that will sustain itself for years on end that has led to close-mindedness in the theater world. Today it is very difficult for someone unknown to get a show started. Theater is quickly becoming Hollywood on stage. We want big lights, big stars (frequently from Hollywood films), and shows with which we’re familiar. Shows like URINETOWN, which started from a grass roots campaign and a small production at an off Broadway theater almost never get seen or produced. It’s a miracle when they do. Part of this has to do with the ticket prices in New York. Although TKTS has made it possible for many to see shows that they would otherwise not be able to afford, many people justly balk at the ticket prices of Broadway and even off Broadway productions. Maybe the center of the theater world should be moved to Nebraska where prices could be reduced. Maybe Nebraska would enjoy the influx of new talent and tourism. Fortunately for New York, I don’t think this is the answer.

What is the answer? I am not sure. I do know one thing, however. I know that Hollywood has corrupted our impressions of what theater is to be. I am every bit as guilty as the next person. I recently took a playwriting course downtown that was taught by a professor who writes and directs experimental productions for the stage. When I saw some production stills of his work I was really skeptical of what I could get out of this class. To me, good theater (or more precisely good drama) is like a good seventies film. It’s about characters. It’s about telling a story in which nothing really has to happen, yet you walk out feeling and seeing the world just a little differently. Until I took this class, I thought Albee, Shepard, and Pinter were the model. I scoffed at shows that were more avant garde in their approaches to storytelling in the same way that many laughed at the modern art of Gene Davis and Morris Lewis. Who wants to pay money for a canvas with a bunch of horizontal lines on it? I could do that. But fundamentally, I think this refusal to accept such uncelebrated formats is wrong. I think it comes from a general misunderstanding of what storytelling and art are about. To me it’s about exploring the past and finding new ways to tell stories, new ways to shake people up and force them to look at an issue. If we can embrace this thought process at least two things will happen. One, we’re going to see a lot of new talent emerge on stage. Two, Broadway will shine brighter than it ever has.

Ironically enough, I am about to lament the loss of a play that talks about Hollywood. Last night I saw Christopher Trumbo’s play TRUMBO. The play has been at the Westside Theater/Downstairs since September 4, 2003 and is closing on the 18th of January. Christopher Trumbo used the letters of his father Dalton Trumbo to tell the story of his upbringing and his father’s life. Dalton penned scripts such as SPARTACUS and ROMAN HOLIDAY and was a celebrated screenwriter until he and several other writers were called before the House for so called “Un-American Activities” and thrown into jail. He is frequently known as one of the infamous Hollywood Ten. TRUMBO, like THE EXHONERATED, has a rotating cast. Nathan Lane began the run as the screenwriter and presently Chris Cooper (film star from AMERICAN BEAUTY and ADAPTATION) performs in the play. Charles Durning will close the show’s run in about a week’s time. I did not see the play with Lane or with any other stars but I can tell you that Cooper is exceptional in his performance. Note, however, that this is a play in which the actors are stationery in a reading-like setting. Cooper sits behind a desk and reads the letters of the blacklisted author.

Although I recognize the import of a reading-style performance, frequently I feel as though the ticket price is high for this type of event. Typically these readings will have no sets and lighting will be a couple of lights and props are non-existent. In the case of TRUMBO, the protagonist sits in a set designed to look like his office. The director, Peter Askin, uses this set nicely, bringing in Dalton’s son from time to time to ask him questions and engage the protagonist in dialogue. As well, throughout the play two screens are used to show still pictures of the primary players in the story. Unlike other readings which seem stiff, the director’s staging choices create a rich performance full of life. In some aspects the production makes you feel as though you are a grandchild sitting in Trumbo’s study listening to your grandfather regale you with tales of his youth. Askin’s direction elicits intimacy in ways that other readings off Broadway never succeeded. It’s a shame the show is closing.

For those who enjoy a little comedy along with their tragedy you will appreciate this piece. Trumbo’s letters to the committee, his friends, and family are heartbreaking at times and downright hilarious at others. If you have a few hours in the next week go and check out this show before it shuts its doors.

For information on tickets visit www.telecharge.com or call at (800) 545-2559.

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