MIRACLE OF MIRACLES

By definition, miracles don't occur very often -- and they're almost always one-time events, easily missed by the masses. It goes without saying that if a miracle is scheduled to happen regularly for several months, one would be a fool not to make plans to witness it. Broadway theatergoers now have two such opportunities.

When it was announced that Claire Danes had been cast as Eliza Doolittle in the Roundabout Theatre Company's new production of G.B. Shaw's Pygmalion, there was widespread consternation along the lines of "I can't believe they've hired a movie and TV actress with no theater credits to play a difficult role on Broadway just for marquee value." Such concern seemed well founded: It was reported not only that Danes' stage acting experience was close to zilch but also that she had never seen Pygmalion or My Fair Lady, the classic musical based on the play, on stage or screen! So I'm sure you can imagine my shock and delight at the absolute brilliance of her performance.

Her achievement is all the more mind-boggling when we consider that almost no one who had previously played this role was considered completely satisfactory. In the original production of Pygmalion, Eliza was Mrs. Patrick Campbell, adored by the British public but way too old for the part at 49. Also too old was Gertrude Lawrence when, at 47, she played Eliza on Broadway in 1945. Wendy Hiller is pretty fabulous in the 1938 film version of Pygmalion but, to be frank, she wasn't beautiful enough to be breathtaking when Miss Doolittle morphs from ugly duckling to swan.

From all reports, Julie Andrews in the original production of My Fair Lady was practically perfect as Eliza in terms of age, looks, and temperament, but it's a famous bit of theatrical folklore that she struggled mightily with the assignment. Indeed, she was almost fired during rehearsals and had to have the role "pasted on her" by director Moss Hart during a marathon, one-on-one remedial session. In the movie version of MFL, Audrey Hepburn is half-right for Liza; she's lovely in the post-transformation scenes but not fully credible as the Cockney guttersnipe. (Sorry, but no amount of dirt on her face could hide the fact that Hepburn had the delicate facial features of an aristocratic beauty.) As for Amanda Plummer, who tackled the role in the 1987 Broadway revival of Pygmalion (opposite Peter O'Toole), let's just say that her performance was controversial.

In this context, 28-year-old Claire Danes' achievement is nothing short of astonishing. First of all, although she's American -- born in Manhattan, and a product of the Dalton School and Yale University -- her dialect work in both the Cockney and Received Pronunciation scenes of Pygmalion is exemplary. More than that, she bares the soul of the young woman whose transformation under the tutelage of Professor Henry Higgins brings on an existential crisis. One of the most marvelous things about the performance is that Danes displays a certain degree of physical awkwardness after the transformation, as if Eliza doesn't feel entirely comfortable in her new persona. It's great work, and if you haven't already done so, my advice is that you get yourself to the American Airlines Theatre before this production ends its limited run on December 16.

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What's the other Broadway miracle of 2007? American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino as Celie in The Color Purple. This thrillingly talented young woman approached Celie with even less acting experience under her belt than Claire Danes brought to Eliza. Fantasia had never acted before in any medium and reportedly had never seen a play in her entire life before she was pegged to play the leading role in a big-budget Broadway musical -- a role that had won a Tony Award for LaChanze, who created it.

Many observers scoffed at this tremendously risky bit of stunt casting, but Fantasia came through with flying colors (not just purple), earning raves for her deeply moving performance. No one was surprised that she sang the role spectacularly well, but her acting was a true revelation. If anyone deserves to be called "a natural," here she is.

Just how phenomenal is she in the part? Well, a theater critic friend of mine who caught her performance before I did told me Fantasia had stopped the show with a song that he didn't even remember La Chanze singing. When I saw Fantasia for myself, I felt that all of the raves she had received were understatements.

Although The Color Purple has many wonderful moments, the show is poorly constructed, its most serious flaw being that Celie's character isn't well established through her songs. Fantasia somehow manages to overcome this obstacle, investing the role with so much personality and emotion -- even in the episodic opening scenes -- that you'll think you're seeing a real woman named Celie living her life on stage, rather than someone playing her.

Fantasia is scheduled the leave the show on January 6. After maintaining a near-perfect attendance record during the first few months of her run, she has more recently been taking off Wednesday matinees and has had a number of other, unscheduled absences. But I'm told the box office will give you your money back if she's out, so my advice is to secure a ticket on the good chance that you'll be present for a miraculous event.

MACBETH AT THE MET: NO GREAT SHAKESPEARE

One of the most amazing facts about Giuseppe Verdi is that his powers as an opera composer only increased with age. Although his talent was evident from the outset, much of Verdi's early work is pedestrian -- because he was hamstrung by the operatic conventions of the day, and also because his prowess as a musical dramatist was not yet fully developed. But over the course of his more-than-50-year career, the man just kept getting better and better at what he did, creating such immortal works as Rigoletto, La Traviata, La Forza del Destino, and Aida. His last two operas, Otello (1887) and Falstaff (1893), are universally regarded as masterpieces.

It's unfortunate that Verdi's only other work based on Shakespeare, Macbeth (or Macbetto), dates from 1847, when he wasn't ready for the challenge. Though the opera contains several passages that bear the mark of genius -- including Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking scene and the choral lament "Patria oppressa!" -- much of the music is negligible if not risible, from the bouncy ditties sung by the coven of witches who set the drama in motion to the inappropriate, tarantella-like tune that accompanies the entrance of King Duncan to the by-the numbers finales of Acts I, II, and IV. Verdi revised but, alas, did not start from scratch and completely rewrite the opera for its Paris premiere in 1865. That version, minus the ballet that was added at that point, is being presented by the Metropolitan Opera in a new production directed by Adrian Noble, former head of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Noble probably seemed a smart choice for the assignment, given his Shakespearean background, but I'm afraid not; this Macbeth is almost as dispiriting as his Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which darkened Broadway for nine months in 2005. You know you're in for a rough night as soon as the curtain (or, rather, the scrim) rises on the "weird sisters," who are weirder than ever as depicted here. In a program article, Noble is quoted as saying that the visual appearance of these witches was inspired by the work of photographer Diane Arbus, but they look more like characters from a Brecht/Weill musical or maybe Urinetown (see photo below). Swinging their purses, thrusting their pelvises, and indulging in silent-movie-style takes as they sing, they create a laughable first impression from which this production never recovers. Sue Lefton, in her Met debut, came up with the silly choreography.

The director has set Macbeth in a "non-specific, post-World War II Scotland." Such updating can sometimes illuminate a well-known work but, more often than not, it creates glaring anachronisms that only serve to take the audience out of the story. To cite only one example: Since the opera's action now takes place sometime in the mid-20th century, the soldiers in the climactic battle scene carry guns instead of swords or spears. But, presumably to avoid obscuring the music, these guns are never fired. Instead, the men fight to the death by clubbing each other with the butts of their rifles. (I'm not making this up.)

Given the essentially wrongheaded production concept, Mark Thompson's sets and costumes are far less distracting than they might have been. The set design is actually quite intriguing: It's as if everything happens in the woods, with towering tree trunks doubling as the columns of Macbeth's castle. Suitably moody lighting is provided by Jean Kalman. Yet this tale of murderous ambition has almost no sense of dread as told here -- probably because we spend so much time giggling or puzzling over Noble's direction, which careens wildly from one style to another. It's a great idea to have Lady Macbeth begin her first aria in bed, but what sense does it make for her to then stride downstage and lie on the floor? For that matter, why in her sleepwalking scene is the lady required to step gingerly along a row of chairs placed in her path by the witches?

One could go on and on detailing Noble's miscalculations, but let's move on to the singers, who acquit themselves admirably under the circumstances. Although baritone Zeljko Lucic lacks the force of personality necessary to make the central character register as a major presence in the cavernous Met, he sings beautifully and acts well enough to retain his dignity. As Lady M., soprano Maria Guleghina uses her occasionally unwieldy but enormous voice to thrilling effect and somehow manages not to appear ridiculous when navigating those damned chairs. John Relyea's Banquo is stalwart and sonorous, while Dimitri Pittas as Macduff make the most of the opera's one tenor aria, earning an ovation for his efforts. The Met orchestra plays with typical magnificence under James Levine; the chorus sings stirringly under its new master, Donald Palumbo.

Would that the stage direction were at the same level of excellence. At intermission, the woman seated next to me said her husband was so infuriated by the production that he had already departed, leaving her to experience Acts III and IV on her own. During the curtain calls, it became clear that this fellow's feelings were shared by many in the audience; Levine and the singers were cheered, but the applause thinned and more than a few boos were heard when Noble and the rest of his team took the stage. (God love opera buffs: If something makes them unhappy, they let you know it!)

The Met has been reinvigorated by Peter Gelb, who took over the reins as general manager last season. It's worth nothing that this production was given the go-ahead not by Gelb but by his predecessor, Peter Volpe. Shakespeare's Macbeth is believed to be cursed, so much so that theater people often refer to it as "the Scottish play" rather than tempt fate by speaking the title. Said curse seems to have enveloped the Met's new staging of the opera based on the play, but here's hoping that it's only a speed bump on the company's highway to ever greater glory.

"This is a play about power, love, hate, possession, desire, uncertainty, loss of possession, all sorts of things. Sure, there's plenty of sex in The Homecoming, but the play is not about naked female thighs. [Pause] Not entirely." Thus spake Harold Pinter of one of the 20th century's most provocative stage works, which he happens to have written. Billed as "an edgy and compelling tale of lust, betrayal, and seduction," The Homecoming concerns the men of a dysfunctional British family, who compete for the attentions of an estranged brother's "dangerously alluring" wife. A new production of the play is soon to open on Broadway at the Cort Theatre for a limited engagement, with performances beginning November 23 and the official opening set for December 13. The company met the press on Monday, October 22; here are some pics from that event.

Eve Best, incandescent as Josie Hogan in last season's revival of A Moon For the Misbegotten, plays Ruth -- the woman whose thighs the play is not entirely about.

Raúl Esparza, who plays Lenny, most recently triumphed on Broadway as Bobby in Company and is now getting lots of attention for his intriguing featured role on ABC-TV's Pushing Daisies.

Michael McKean, so delightful as Vernon Hines in The Pajama Game, takes on a very different sort of role as Sam in The Homecoming.

Ian McShane (Max) has not appeared on Broadway since The Promise in 1967, but has kept busy on stage in London and Los Angeles. You probably know him from HBO's Deadwood or from his work in such films as Hot Rod, Shrek the Third, We Are Marshall, and Sexy Beast.

Gareth Saxe (Joey) was last seen on Broadway in the excellent Roundabout Theatre Company production of Shaw's Heartbreak House.

James Frain, whom you may well recognize from TV's The Tudors, will make his Broadway debut in The Homecoming as Teddy.

Daniel Sullivan, one of the very best directors in the business, helms The Homecoming.

Most people would say the guy is a prick, an insufferable pretty boy who thinks he's God's gift to women and doesn't hesitate to be a home wrecker if it's necessary to get what he wants. On top of all that, he's French! Yes, the role of Dominique in the Stephen Schwartz-Joseph Stein musical The Baker's Wife has some potential pitfalls, but Max von Essen played it very well at the Paper Mill Playhouse in 2005.

A survivor of Dance of the Vampires, one of the biggest debacles in recent theater history, Max went on to appear as Woody in Finian's Rainbow at the Irish Rep and as Patrick in the excellent Kennedy Center production of Mame. His credits also include a rare staging of The Umbrellas of Cherboug at the Two River Theater Company in New Jersey. Currently, he's Enjolras in Les Miz on Broadway, but he'll soon take a break to do The Baker's Wife once again -- this time at the York Theatre as part of that company's Musicals in Mufti series, playing opposite the beautiful and talented Renée Elise Goldsberry as Geneviève. I recently spoke with him over herbal tea at his apartment in Hell's Kitchen.

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BROADWAYSTARS: It must be exciting to have a second shot at playing Dominique. Stephen Schwartz is known for revising his lyrics even after a song has been published and recorded, but I don't suppose he's made any changes to The Baker's Wife over the past two years. Or has he?

MAX VON ESSEN: I actually have no idea, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are some. Stephen is a guy who likes to stick around, so I imagine he'll be part of the process again this time. When I did the show at Paper Mill, it was like a new show to me. I didn't know the original version, I had never seen a production, and I had never even heard "Proud Lady" until I learned it for the audition -- which is amazing, because it seems like every guy has sung it at some point.

STARS: Isn't Dominique something of a departure for you?

MAX: Without a doubt. I started out playing roles like Tony in West Side Story, Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance -- the sort of younger, lovestruck, more naïve guy. What I like about Dominique is the fact that he's a ladies' man with a real macho edge, yet he still goes on some sort of a journey. He knows he can have every girl he wants in this little town in France, but he doesn't realize that he hasn't really lived yet until this woman comes along from a slightly bigger, more cosmopolitan town.

STARS: It's often said that an actor can't successfully play a character as a villain, but honestly, some of Dominique's behavior is rather loathsome. Is that a big challenge for you?

MAX: Not really. Stephen and Joe Stein, who wrote the book, realized that it's very hard for an audience to stay engaged with a show if they hate one of the characters. If you think Geneviève is an idiot to run away with this jerk, then you're going to hate both of them. So there have been some changes made to address that. In the original lyric of "Proud Lady," Dominique sang, "I've finally found the one true love of my life -- for the 23rd time." Now, that last part has been changed. Little things like that can make a huge difference.

STARS: Do you think Dominique is really in love, not just in lust, with Geneviève?

MAX: I think he thinks he's in love with her. He's had plenty of sex, but what he feels for her is on another level. He's never experienced anything like it before.

STARS: You played the title role in a musical based on The Picture of Dorian Gray in L.A. I'm guessing that was another character with dark edges.

MAX: Yeah. In the first act, he's a young guy who's just starting to experience the world, but in the second act, he gets heavily into drugs and sex and partying. That was certainly a departure for me!

STARS: For The Baker's Wife at the York, you have several people back from the Paper Mill production, including Gordon Greenberg as director and Lenny Wolpe in the role of Aimable. Paper Mill has been having some major financial problems. Do you think they're going to pull it out of the fire?

MAX: I certainly hope so. It would be horrible to lose that theater. There aren't many theaters around the country that do shows at such a high level of quality. I've been in two shows there, The Baker's Wife and My Fair Lady. In fact, I started rehearsals for Dance of the Vampires while I was doing My Fair Lady, so I was traveling back and forth between the city and New Jersey.

STARS: Speaking of Dance of the Vampires: I'm sure you've talked about it many times, but I have a specific question. Did you notice a huge change in audience reaction after the critics weighed in?

MAX: Yes -- and no. It's not like they turned on us, but as soon as the reviews came out, we went from 100% capacity to 60%. In a barn like the Minskoff, you really feel that. And there were certain things in the show, having to do with the gay subplot, that some people found insulting. A couple of times, people would hiss during my number with Asa Somers, and we got a boo here and there. That was hard for us. I understood it, but I thought, "Hey, we're the actors! We didn't write this, and we can't not do it."

STARS: Is it tremendously difficult to perform under those circumstances?

MAX: I thought we would either be loved for being this wacky, silly show, or we would be killed by the critics. My gut feeling was that we were going to be killed, so I was sort of prepared for it. But I was having so much fun being a lead, making a good salary, and hanging out with all my friends. Michael Crawford and René Auberjonois were terrific to work with. It was just a bummer that we closed so quickly. The show did develop a cult following, but it wasn't enough to keep it running.

STARS: Dance of the Vampires had been a hit in Europe but, apparently, that version was much more serious than the Broadway version.

MAX: Oh, yeah. I saw it in Vienna, when I was doing West Side Story. I actually auditioned for Alfred in that production -- in German! -- and I was offered the understudy job. I didn't take it because I felt I should get back to New York, but the show was breathtaking. It wasn't entirely serious; the townspeople and the crazy scientist and Alfred were the comic relief, but the romance and the main Gothic storyline were deadly serious. I saw Steve Barton in the lead. He was unbelievable, a massive presence on stage. When they brought the show here, they had this idea that they wanted to turn it into a musical comedy. I'm speculating, but I think part of it was because Michael Crawford didn't want to play the Phantom again. In trying to change the show and add comedy, things got off balance and it just didn't work. Maybe they'll fix it when they do it at Mufti in a few years!

STARS: I'm glad you got through it unscathed and went on to some wonderful things. I was lucky enough to see Mame in D.C.

MAX: There's nothing like a featured role where you just sit and relax for the first act, then you come on in Act II and have great stuff to do. There were moments when I would think, "Am I really on stage in the middle of a scene with Christine Baranski and Harriet Harris?" We were convinced that we were coming to New York. You hear that all the time, but rarely does a show come so close and not actually make the move. When you see people like the Weisslers and the Nederlanders backstage, you think, "Whoa!" It got to the point where they were asking me about rehearsal dates and possible conflicts. I still think about that show a lot. I would sneak out to watch the first act every night, and I would get chills. Jerry Herman was there for weeks. He didn't want to leave!

STARS: You've worked with some legendary composers and lyricists: Herman on Mame, Schwartz on The Baker's Wife, Sheldon Harnick on The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. That must be a thrill.

MAX: It's awesome. Stephen and Sheldon are the best, and working with Jerry was surreal. I would have loved to have played the son in La Cage. Maybe I could still do it -- in a big theater! It's different in film and television, but I'm glad I can still play young roles on stage, because I think I'm ready for them now. I mean, it's hard to play Tony in West Side Story if you haven't really lived.

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[The Musicals in Mufti presentation of The Baker's Wife will play October 26-28 in the Theatre at Saint Peter's on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue. For further information, visit www.yorktheatre.org or call 212-935-5820.]

CHASIN' JASON

Jason Graae (pronounced "Graah") is as funny in an interview as he is on stage -- and if you've ever seen him perform, you know that's saying a lot. An original cast member of the ubiquitous Forever Plaid, he also did a stint in Forbidden Broadway, and his Main Stem credits include A Grand Night for Singing, Falsettos, Stardust, and Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Reflect Up? Now he resides in Los Angeles with his partner, but he'll soon be headed east for a reprise of his hilarious club act Graae's Anatomy at Birdland on Sunday and Monday, October 21 and 22, at 7pm. Jason is a veritable comet of comic energy, but I pinned him down long enough for us to have a no-holds-barred phone conversation.

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BROADWAYSTARS: I love it that your show is called Graae's Anatomy. It's too bad that you used a nude photo of yourself for the cover of your CD You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile some years ago. That concept would have been even more appropriate for this show, given the title.

JASON GRAAE: I don't think anybody really needs to see a naked photo of me the way I look now. I'm glad I did that when I was in my thirties. You know, we actually used that photo in the program for Graae's Anatomy when we did it at the El Portal Theatre in L.A. We had little white arrows pointing to my funny bone and my heart. So, who knows, maybe it will make another appearance. Why the hell not!

STARS: I know that there have been some changes in the show. Can you tell me a little bit about the program for the new version at Birdland, without giving too much away?

JG: Well, there's the opening number, and then there's the second song. Then there's the one that follows that, which is really good. The fourth song is very touching and moving. And then there's the finale!

STARS: But seriously...

JG: There are songs by Jerry Herman and John Bucchino -- and I will be reprising the story of my rise and fall as Lucky the Leprechaun for Lucky Charms cereal. That's been in all of my shows for the past five years. It's sort of a safety net for me; it's cleansing and purging for me to tell it.

STARS: The first time I ever saw you perform was in an Off-Broadway musical called Olympus on My Mind.

JG: That's a fun show, but it has to be cast and directed very specifically. It's like something from the Carol Burnett sketch-comedy era. The weird thing about the show is that the hero, Jupiter, is a womanizer and kind of a jerk. The whole premise is that he comes down to earth to fuck this woman, and he pulls the wool over everyone's eyes in order to get what he wants. It can be hard for an audience to buy into that, but we made it work because it's all so slapsticky. And the cast was great.

STARS: Faith Prince and Ron Raines...

JG: ...and Lewis J. Stadlen and Peggy Hewitt. I'll never forget this: When we did the first workshop, Lewis wasn't in it. We had a guy named Roy Brocksmith. He and I were playing twins, Mercury and Socia, but then Roy quit. Harve Brosten, the producer, pulled me aside and said, "Jason, do you ever play tennis?" I said, "Yeah..." and I'm thinking, "Great, the producer wants to bring me to his club to play tennis!" Then he said, "You know how, when you play tennis with someone who's better than you, you rise to the occasion? Well, guess who we've cast as Socia? Lewis J. Stadlen! He's going to try to wipe you off that stage, and he probably can. But if you hold your ground, it's just gonna make your game better." Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck for the first month working with Lewis -- but then we had a great time.

STARS: You recently did the Jerry Herman revue Hello, Jerry! all around the country.

JG: Yes, it was an 18-city tour. And I'm also in the new documentary film about Jerry. I'm so happy there's proof that I worked with him! When he would come out on stage and sing and play "Mame," it was like a rock concert.

STARS: Who else was in the cast?

JG: It was Karen Morrow, Paige O'Hara, Don Pippin, Jerry, and myself. Karen is amazing. Her voice is like a viola; it just gets better and better.

STARS: When I saw Graae's Anatomy the last time you did it at Birdland, the audience was in stitches. I'm guessing that the time you spent in Forbidden Broadway was of great help in honing your comedic skills.

JG: Yeah! The interesting thing about that show is that it's over-the-top comedy, but it's usually done in small theaters, so you can't be too muggy. That was a challenge for me, but it helped to watch people who were great at it, like Michael McGrath, Christine Pedi, and Susanne Blakeslee. I have to tell you, doing a one-man show is so much easier than doing Forbidden Broadway. That was the hardest job I've ever had in my life! It was a lot of fun, but I was glad when it was over.

STARS: You also did Forbidden Hollywood in L.A.

JG: That was an amazing experience. It was like an industrial; everybody from the business came. We ran for close to nine months. In Los Angeles, that's huge.

STARS: So, how 's your life out there now?

JG: Well, my partner and I bought a house in the hills, and we just moved in. He's a landscape designer -- and yes, he will trim your bush anytime you ask. We've been together for eight years. Lately, it's been all about getting settled and getting rid of the ants that have been coming in through the kitchen door. Plus, my mother has moved in with us from Tulsa, Oklahoma. It's quite a time, but thank god for pills and liquor.