Tag Archives: Hamish Linklater

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: CYMBELINE

Posthumus (Hamish Linklater) and Iachimo (Raúl Esparza) make a dangerous bet as Philario (Patrick Page) looks on (photo by Carol Rosegg)

Central Park
Delacorte Theater
Through August 23, free, 8:30
shakespeareinthepark.org

Cymbeline, one of Shakespeare’s later, lesser-known plays, is not easy to bring to the stage. It’s a sort of greatest-hits mash-up of previous Bard themes and plot devices, lacking in memorable lines and named after a relatively minor character. So Tony-winning Shakespeare in the Park veteran Daniel Sullivan has added a large dose of whimsy to what turns out to be a rather charming and modern romantic comedy. In fact, whereas the first folio identifies it as “The Tragedy of Cymbeline,” a framed backdrop that is visible throughout nearly all of the Public Theater presentation calls it “The Story of Cymbeline,” as tragedy becomes farce. With war threatening between Britain and Rome in ancient times, King Cymbeline (Patrick Page) has banished Posthumus Leonatus (Hamish Linklater), a commoner who is married to, and very much in love with, his daughter, Imogen (Lily Rabe), so she can instead wed the queen’s not-too-swift progeny, Cloten (Linklater). Meanwhile, in a 1950s-era Vegas-y Rome, Posthumus boasts about his wife’s virtue, leading the Italian playboy Iachimo (Raúl Esparza), after performing a glitzy Sinatra-like number, to lay a wager that he can bed Imogen and despoil her honor. The bet is overseen by Philario (Page), a sharp-dressed gangster who is Posthumus’s host. As the queen conspires to poison Imogen, both Iacomo and Cloten attempt to woo the princess, who soon sets out for Wales disguised as a boy to set things straight with her one true love. But on the way she gets lost in the woods and is taken in by an oddball anarchist family consisting of a bent-over father (Kate Burton) and his two would-be sons (David Furr and Jacob Ming-Trent). It all leads to a dizzying finale with more than two dozen revelations coming fast and furious.

The cloddish Cloten (Hamish Linklater) makes his case to marry Imogen (Lily Rabe) (photo by Carol Rosegg)

Sullivan (Proof, Twelfth Night) has a ball revealing the artifice behind the production while also taking the story to some surprising extremes. Riccardo Hernandez’s set features a pair of large gold frames and boxes and props from other Shakespeare productions (Hamlet, King Lear), reminding everyone of the machinations behind it all. There are several rows of audience members on either side of the stage who do indeed get involved in the action, while some of the actors sit at the back of the stage between their scenes. Rabe and Linklater, who are partners in real life and have previously appeared together in Seminar on Broadway and in The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing at the Delacorte, are at their best in Cymbeline, she as the strong-willed and sexy Imogen, he going back and forth between the noble-to-a-fault Posthumus and the dumb-and-dumber Cloten (complete with Jim Carrey–like wig), pausing in his line readings for maximum double-entendre effect. Page (Casa Valentina, Cyrano de Bergerac) is gallant as the king and Philario, balancing power with a conscience; Burton is nicely wicked as the queen and almost unrecognizable as Belarius; four-time Tony nominee Esparza (Company, Taboo) is appropriately smarmy as Iachimo, who spans two eras; Teagle F. Bougere (A Raisin in the Sun, Macbeth) is solid as Roman ambassador Lucius and court doctor Cornelius, particularly in the grand finale; Steven Skybell (Pal Joey, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) is engaging as Pisanio, Posthumus’s loyal servant who dedicates himself to Imogen; and Furr (As You Like It, The Importance of Being Earnest) and Ming-Trent (Hands on a Hardbody, Shrek the Musical) bring a sweet nature to their portrayals of the mountain brothers as well as the play’s narrators. Yes, it’s lesser Shakespeare, and at nearly three hours it runs too long (even with the excision of the Jupiter dream sequence), but Sullivan’s fanciful production is a whole lot more fun than Cymbeline usually is. (Don’t forget that in addition to waiting on line at the Delacorte to get free tickets, you can also enter the daily virtual ticketing lottery online here.)

POSTERITY

Artist Gustav Vigeland (Hamish Linklater) discusses his lofty goals with patron Sophus Larpent (Henry Stram) in POSTERITY (photo © Doug Hamilton)

Atlantic Theater Company
Linda Gross Theater
336 West 20th St. between Eighth & Ninth Aves.
Tuesday – Sunday through April 5, $20-$65
866-811-4111
atlantictheater.org

“I’m to entrust you to create a face that will outlive my own?” playwright Henrik Ibsen (John Noble) asks sculptor Gustav Vigeland (Hamish Linklater) in writer-director Doug Wright’s new play, Posterity. “Let you decide if I’m to be remembered as a genius or a madman, or both at once?” In Posterity, making its world premiere at the Atlantic Theater, Wright, who won a Tony for I Am My Own Wife and an Obie for Quills, examines legacy, fame, and artistic integrity as the young, ambitious Vigeland attempts to convince the old and frail Ibsen to sit for what will probably be his last portrait, a bust. At first Vigeland doesn’t want to do the commission, considering himself above mere standard portraiture — “I’m an artist,” he says. “An artist is a sculptor with an ego.” — but his prim and proper patron, Sophus Larpent (Henry Stram), tells him that if he doesn’t do it, his grand plan for a massive public fountain will never reach fruition. When Ibsen arrives, with cane and top hat, colorful medals on his fancy jacket, Vigeland’s young assistant and protégé, Anfinn Beck (Mickey Theis), and housekeeper, Greta Bergstrom (Dale Soules), flatter Norway’s most famous writer, but when Vigeland enters the studio, fireworks erupt as the two stubborn artists get involved in a battle of wits, arguing over the meaning of success, the importance of criticism, and the power of fame. Storming out, Ibsen collapses, leading to a second act that is repetitive and melodramatic, losing all of the momentum built up in the first act.

A mutton-chopped Henrik Ibsen (John Noble) considers sitting for an honorary bust in Doug Wright’s POSTERITY (photo © Doug Hamilton)

In 1901, Vigeland, who designed the Nobel Peace Prize medal, did indeed attempt to get Ibsen to sit for him. However, very little is known about the details of what happened inside Vigeland’s studio and Ibsen’s home, so most of Posterity is a creation of Wright’s, as are the characters of Beck and Mrs. Bergstrom, who were inspired by one of Vigeland’s sculptures. Shakespeare in the Park veteran Linklater (The Comedy of Errors, The School for Lies) is bold and audacious as Vigeland, his speech sharp and well defined, his movement stalwart and proud. Noble (Fringe, Sleepy Hollow) is an excellent foil, infusing Ibsen with a dark suspicion of others, more concerned about his legacy than he initially lets on. Derek McLane’s studio set features rows and rows of sculptures covered in white sheets, evoking Ibsen’s Ghosts. In the first act, Vigeland and Ibsen’s back-and-forth bantering about art teeters on the edge of pretentiousness but holds its ground, but in the second act it all falls apart like clay that’s too wet, as Wright adds several annoying plot twists and oversentimentality seeps in. No one really knows what happened when Vigeland and Ibsen met, what they said to each other; Wright has taken that situation and created a discourse on fame, ego, and longevity, but unfortunately Posterity is not one for the ages.

MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT

Magician Stanley Crawford (Colin Firth) is seeking to debunk spiritual medium Sophie Baker (Emma Stone) in Woody Allen’s MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT

MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT (Woody Allen, 2014)
In theaters now
www.sonyclassics.com

For his follow-up to Blue Jasmine, his best film in years, Woody Allen has returned to his love of prestidigitation and the possibility of a spirit world in Magic in the Moonlight, topics he has tackled before, with varying degrees of success, in Scoop, Alice, A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy, the Broadway play The Floating Light Bulb, and the short story “Examining Psychic Phenonema,” in which he wrote, “There is no question that there is an unseen world. The problem is, how far is it from midtown, and how late is it open?” Unfortunately, there is nothing nearly as sharp in Magic in the Moonlight, an ultimately lackluster and disappointing foray into the mysterious realm of spirit mediums, despite a luminous performance by Emma Stone. Allen, who used to make films almost exclusively in New York City, now ventures to the French Riviera of the 1920s after journeys to Rome, Paris, London, and Barcelona in previous recent works. Stone stars as Sophie Baker, a beautiful young woman who claims to be able to read minds and contact the dead, which distresses Stanley Crawford (Colin Firth), who performs as the famous Asian magician Wei Ling Soo and is dedicated to unmasking frauds, believing that there is nothing beyond our earthbound realm. (The premise is loosely based on the psychic-busting career of magician Harry Houdini, who was desperate to find a real connection to the dead.) Stanley is invited by his longtime friend and colleague, magician Howard Burkan (Simon McBurney), to disprove the psychic abilities of Miss Baker, who has been impressing the wealthy Catledge family, including the widowed matriarch, Grace (Jacki Weaver), and her son, Brice (Hamish Linklater), the heir and scion absolutely smitten with Sophie. However, daughter Caroline (Erica Leerhsen) and her husband, George (Jeremy Shamos), don’t trust Sophie and her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) and want Stanley to debunk them before they get their hands on the family fortune. At first Stanley is sure that they are frauds only after money, but soon enough he starts changing his tune, wondering if everything he has believed in has been wrong.

Marcia Gay Harden, Hamish Linklater, Colin Firth, and Emma Stone fail to bring magic to MOONLIGHT

Magic in the Moonlight never feels fully formed, like a magic trick that doesn’t come together to completely take in the audience. While Stone, who is beautifully lit by Darius Khondji, is charming as the possible medium, Firth struggles to develop a tangible chemistry with her, and Brice’s ukulele-laden puppy-dog courtship of Sophie is just plain silly. The film looks great — Darius Khondji’s costumes are wonderful, as is Anne Seibel’s production design, and it’s always a pleasure to see Eileen Atkins, here portraying Stanley’s bohemian aunt — but the problem really begins and ends with Allen’s flat script, as funny jokes, one-liners, and any sense of mystery disappear quicker than the elephant in the opening scene and numerous twists border on the cringeworthy, a rarity for the Woodman, even in his lesser works, of which Magic in the Moonlight is certainly one.

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Benedick (Hamish Linklater) and Beatrice (Lily Rabe) engage in a stirring battle of words in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (photo by Joan Marcus)

Central Park
Delacorte Theater
Tuesday – Sunday through July 6, free, 8:30
shakespeareinthepark.org

At the beginning of Jack O’Brien’s delightfully witty take on Much Ado About Nothing, the voice of Public Theater artistic director Oskar Eustis makes the usual announcements about rules concerning photography, cell phones, et al., mystifying members of the cast, who look around curiously, wondering where those sounds are coming from. That joke sets the stage for a playful evening that delves into the nature of love, romance, honor, and fidelity. In turn-of-the-twentieth-century Sicily, Don Pedro (Brian Stokes Mitchell) and his army stop by for a break at the home of Messina governor Leonato (John Glover). While soldier Claudio (Jack Cutmore-Scott) falls instantly in love with Leonato’s daughter, Hero (Ismenia Mendes), Leonato’s niece, Beatrice (Lily Rabe), engages in a heated battle of the sexes with soldier Benedick (Hamish Linklater), the words flying back and forth like an intimate swordfight. But when Don Pedro’s rascal of a brother, Don John (Pedro Pascal), who doesn’t believe in true love, purposely gets in the way, everyone’s loyalty is put to a severe test.

Hero (Ismenia Mendes) and Claudio (Jack Cutmore-Scott) contemplate a future together in new MUCH ADO in Central Park (photo by Joan Marcus)

Much Ado has been a Shakespeare in the Park favorite for more than forty years, previously featuring the all-star Benedick-Beatrice pairings of Sam Waterston and Kathleen Widdoes in 1972, Kevin Kline and Blythe Danner in 1988, and Jimmy Smits and Kristen Johnston in 2004. It takes a while for the heat to rise between Linklater (The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night) and Rabe (As You Like It, Steel Magnolias), who previously appeared together in Seminar and the Al Pacino-led Merchant of Venice that moved from the Delacorte to Broadway; Rabe is a firecracker from the start, but Linklater’s clownish approach didn’t start working until some brilliant ad-libbing following a second-act rain delay the night we saw the show. The production is anchored by an expert performance by Glover, mixing elegance with sly humor, along with solid support from a steadfast Stokes Mitchell, a doe-eyed Mendes, a cartoonish John Pankow as local constable Dogberry, and Zoë Winters as alluring lady-in-waiting Margaret. Original music by David Yazbek adds to the fun, as does John Lee Beatty’s set, which includes a vegetable garden, a balcony, and a magic wall; costume designer Jane Greenwood’s dresses for the women are much stronger than the more mundane clothing for the men. Three-time Tony winner O’Brien’s (The Coast of Utopia, Hairspray) Shakespeare in the Park debut is a light and frothy evening that is a whole lot more than nothing.

(In addition to waiting on line at the Delacorte to get free tickets, you can also enter the daily virtual ticketing lottery online here.)

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

The dancing starts early and keeps on coming in playful Central Park production of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS (photo by Joan Marcus)

Central Park
Delacorte Theater
Through June 30, free, 8:30
shakespeareinthepark.org

Shakespeare in the Park kicks off its 2013 season — and second half century — with a delightfully fresh and funny production of William Shakespeare’s early play, The Comedy of Errors. Inspired by the ancient Roman comedies of Plautus such as The Menaechmi and Amphitruo, the Bard created a farce built around two pairs of identical twins who are separated shortly after birth during a shipwreck. Egeon (Jonathan Hadary) brings Antipholus (Hamish Linklater) and the servant child Dromio (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) back home to Syracuse, wondering what has become of his wife and the other two boys. Many years later, his search for his family leads him to Ephesus, run by the gangster Duke (Skipp Sudduth), who has a thick Brooklyn accent, and his gun-wielding henchmen. Unbeknownst to Egeon, both sets of twins are soon also in Ephesus, getting mixed up in different pairings, with Antipholus of Ephesus confused by Dromio of Syracuse, thinking it is his Dromio, and vice versa. Meanwhile, Antipholus of Syracuse has the hots for Luciana (Heidi Schreck), the sister of Adriana (Emily Bergl), who is married to Antipholus of Ephesus. The mayhem mounts as Angelo the goldsmith (Robert Creighton) makes a necklace for Antipholus of Ephesus, who decides to give it to a local courtesan (De’Adre Aziza) when he thinks his wife is cheating on him.

Antipholus (Hamish Linklater) and Dromio (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) get all mixed up in Shakespeare in the Park production of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS (photo by Joan Marcus)

Antipholus (Hamish Linklater) and Dromio (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) get all mixed up in the Bard’s comedy of mistaken identity (photo by Joan Marcus)

It’s all great fun, set in a 1940s atmosphere with nightclubs, couples swing dancing between scenes, a movie theater (named the Lyceum) that is showing the 1933 Eddie Cantor musical Roman Scandals, and a train station that takes passengers to Ithaca, Utica, Troy, and Schenectady. Shakespeare in the Park veteran Sullivan (Orphans, Glengarry Glen Ross) turns up the slapstick as the gang makes its merry way to an immensely satisfying conclusion. The excellent cast is led by a standout performance from three-time Emmy nominee Ferguson (Modern Family), who has a ball running around as the two Dromios, along with Sudduth doing double duty as Dromio of Ephesus’s oversized wife, Linklater (Seminar, The School for Lies) playing two very different Antipholuses, and Harady telling the story of his search using a magical suitcase. The lighthearted romp, which continues at the Delacorte through June 30, also features original music by Greg Pliska, choreography by Mimi Lieber, and scenic design by John Lee Beatty; be sure to get there a little early, because the dancing starts well before showtime (8:30), setting the proper mood for the festivities. Don’t forget that in addition to waiting on line at the Delacorte to get free tickets, you can also enter the daily virtual ticketing lottery online here.

FREE SUMMER THEATER 2013

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS is first of two free Shakespeare in the Park presentations at the Delacorte this summer

Tuesday, May 28
through
Sunday, June 30
Shakespeare in the Park: The Comedy of Errors, starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jonathan Hadary, Hamish Linklater, Heidi Schreck, Skipp Sudduth, Jessica Wu, and others, directed by Daniel Sullivan, Delacorte Theater, Central Park, Tuesday – Sunday at 8:30

Thursday, May 30
through
Sunday, June 23
New York Classical Theatre: The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, translated by Jean-Claude van Itallie, directed by Stephen Burdman, Central Park, 103rd St. & Central Park West, Thursday – Sunday at 7:00

Monday, June 17
River to River Festival: Bad News!, staged reading directed by JoAnne Akalaitis, Poets House, 10 River Terrace, 6:30

Saturday, June 22
River to River Festival: Andrew Schneider, Tidal, curated by Laurie Anderson, East River Esplanade, Pier 15, 9:00

Tuesday, June 25
through
Sunday, June 30
New York Classical Theatre: The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, translated by Jean-Claude van Itallie, directed by Stephen Burdman, Prospect Park, Rustic Shelter by the Lake, 7:00

Thursday, June 27
through
Sunday, June 30
River to River Festival: Sekou Sundiata / Rhodessa Jones, blessing the boats: the remix, with Will Power, Carl Hancock Rux, and Mike Ladd, part of “Blink Your Eyes: Sekou Sundiata Revisited,” 3:00 or 8:00

Friday, June 28
through
Sunday, July 14
Shakespeare in Carroll Park: Julius Caesar, Smith Street Stage, bring your own seating, Carroll Park, 7:00

Sunday, June 30
River to River Festival: Isolde, LMCC Open Studios with New York City Players, written and directed by Richard Maxwell, starring Jim Fletcher, Brian Mendes, Victoria Vazquez, and Gary Wilmes, 1 Liberty Plaza, advance RSVP required, 3:00

Sunday, June 30
Tuesday, July 2
and
Wednesday, July 3
River to River Festival: You, My Mother: A Chamber Opera in Two Parts, by Two-Headed Calf & Yarn/Wire, directed by Brooke O’Harra, music by Brendan Connelly and Rick Burkhardt, text by Karinne Keithley-Syers and Kristen Kosmas, performed by Gelsey Bell, Beth Griffith, Laryssa Husiak, and Mike Mikos, Pier 17, South Street Seaport, advance RSVP required, 3:00 and/or 8:30

ONE from Piper Theatre Productions on Vimeo.

Friday, July 5, 12, 19
Saturday, July 6, 13, 20
and
Thursday, July 11, 18
Piper Theatre: Frankenstein, directed by John P. McEneny, with films by Jeremy Mather and original score by Lucas Syed, Old Stone House in Washington Park, 8:30

Saturday, July 6, 13, 20
and
Friday, July 12, 19
Piper Theatre: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, directed by Mollie Lief Abramson, Old Stone House in Washington Park, 7:00

Tuesday, July 9
through
Sunday, August 4
New York Classical Theatre: The Tempest by William Shakespeare, directed by Sean Hagerty, Battery Park, Tuesday – Sunday, 7:00

Wednesday, July 10
through
Saturday, July 13
River to River Festival: This Great Country by 600 Highwaymen, directed by Abigail Browde & Michael Silverstone, advance RSVP required, Pier 17 Storefront, South Street Seaport, 8:00

Thursday, July 11
through
Saturday, July 27
Shakespeare in the Parking Lot: Cymbeline, municipal parking lot, corner of Ludlow & Broome Sts.

Saturday, July 13
River to River Festival: Open Studios with Andrew Ondrejcak based on Strindberg’s A Dream Play, Building 110, LMCC’s Arts Center at Governors Island, 2:00 – 6:00

Tuesday, July 23
through
Sunday, August 18
Shakespeare in the Park: Love’s Labour’s Lost: A New Musical, songs by Michael Friedman, book adapted by Alex Timbers, directed by Alex Timbers, Delacorte Theater, Central Park, Tuesday – Sunday at 8:30

Tuesday, July 30
through
Thursday, August 1
SummerStage “This is __ Hip-Hop”: King Kong by Alfred Preisser & Randy Weiner, directed by Alfred Preisser, Herbert Von King Park, 8:00

Thursday, August 1
through
Saturday, August 17
Shakespeare in the Parking Lot: Richard III, directed by Hamilton Clancy, municipal parking lot, corner of Ludlow & Broome Sts.

Friday, August 2
and
Saturday, August 3
SummerStage Theatre: Diablo Love by Mando Alvarado, directed by Alfred Preisser, with music direction and composition by Tomás Doncker, Herbert Von King Park, 8:00

Alfred Preisser and Randy Weiner’s KING KONG is part of SummerStage season

Monday, August 5
SummerStage “This Is __ Hip-Hop”: King Kong by Alfred Preisser & Randy Weiner, directed by Alfred Preisser, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 8:00

Tuesday, August 6
Wednesday, August 7
and
Saturday, August 10
SummerStage “This Is __ Hip-Hop”: King Kong by Alfred Preisser & Randy Weiner, directed by Alfred Preisser, St. Mary’s Park, 8:00

Thursday, August 8
and
Friday, August 9
SummerStage Theatre: Diablo Love by Mando Alvarado, directed by Alfred Preisser, with music direction and composition by Tomás Doncker, St. Mary’s Park, 8:00

Tuesday, August 13
Wednesday, August 14
and
Saturday, August 17
SummerStage “This Is __ Hip-Hop”: King Kong by Alfred Preisser & Randy Weiner, directed by Alfred Preisser, Marcus Garvey Park, 8:00

Thursday, August 15
and
Friday, August 16
SummerStage Theatre: Diablo Love by Mando Alvarado, directed by Alfred Preisser, with music direction and composition by Tomás Doncker, Marcus Garvey Park, 8:00

Monday, August 19
SummerStage Theatre: Diablo Love by Mando Alvarado, directed by Alfred Preisser, with music direction and composition by Tomás Doncker, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 8:00

Tuesday, August 20
through
Thursday, August 22
SummerStage “This Is __ Hip-Hop”: King Kong by Alfred Preisser & Randy Weiner, directed by Alfred Preisser, Marcus Garvey Park, 8:00

Friday, August 23
and
Saturday, August 24
SummerStage Theatre: Diablo Love by Mando Alvarado, directed by Alfred Preisser, with music direction and composition by Tomás Doncker, East River Park, 8:00

SEMINAR

Wannabe writers get a whole lot more than they bargained for in SEMINAR

Golden Theatre
252 West 45th St. between Broadway & Eighth Ave.
Starring Alan Rickman through April 1, followed by Jeff Goldblum starting April 3, $51.50 – $121.50
www.seminaronbroadway.com

Inspired by her three years writing for David Milch on NYPD Blue, Theresa Rebeck’s Seminar is a solidly entertaining, very funny examination of competition and the creative process. Kate (Lily Rabe), Martin (Hamish Linklater), Douglas (Jerry O’Connell), and Izzy (Hettienne Park) are members of a private writing class led by the rather acerbic Leonard (Alan Rickman), a famous novelist and editor who charges the eager would-be writers five grand a piece for his services. Held in Kate’s family’s ritzy Upper West Side apartment, each class session consists of Leonard’s critique of a different student’s work. Desperate for his approval, they find out quickly that their story — as well as their life — is more likely to be shredded apart by the cynical Leonard, who rambles on about his travels to war-torn nations while debasing three of the writers; he has only kind things to say about Izzy, turned on by her erotically charged writing and sexy demeanor.

Alan Rickman will continue dishing out biting literary criticism on Broadway through April 1

Although the plot features few surprises, the dialogue by the prolific Park Slope-based Rebeck — she’s written numerous plays, several novels and screenplays, and is the creator and executive producer of the new television series Smash — is sharp and incisive, alternating between biting and laugh-out-loud funny. The part of Leonard seems tailor made for Rickman, who revels in the character’s love of language; just when it seems that Rickman is drifting off a bit, he charges back with a quiet fury that dominates the stage. The supporting cast, featuring O’Connell (Stand by Me, Jerry Maguire), Shakespearean regular Linklater (The New Adventures of Old Christine), and Park (The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures) making their Broadway debuts alongside Tony nominee Rabe (The Merchant of Venice), is strong throughout, each actor adding just the right nuance to avoid becoming caricatures. Although most of Seminar takes place in a single room, director Sam Gold gives it a swift vitality, a strength he also displays in the current production of Look Back in Anger at the Roundabout. As a bonus, the night we saw Seminar, Jeff Goldblum, who replaces Rickman in the role of Leonard on April 3, was sitting nearby, apparently seeing the show for the first time. He leaned forward through most of the ninety-five minutes, his mouth hanging open, his eyes darting from character to character, following every movement with an extended hand, studying the play almost as if he were a student preparing for the most important class of his life.