In Gary, Taylor Mac's singular world view intersects with Shakespeare's first tragedy, Titus Andronicus. In Mac's extraordinary new play, set during the fall of the Roman Empire, the years of bloody battles are over. The civil war has ended. The country has been stolen by madmen, and there are casualties everywhere. And two very lowly servants are charged with cleaning up the bodies. It's only 400 B.C. - but it feels like the end of the world.
...while the philosophical issues of leadership, class and art don't always land as completely as the expertly-performed wordplay and slapstick, not to mention a rousing spectacle near the finish that is best left as a surprise, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus is bound inspire further thought about those who create madness in art to inspire revolts against the madness of the world's injustices.
Mac borrows lightly from 'Waiting for Godot,' but unlike Samuel Beckett, Mac doesn't indulge in repetition to the point of tedium. Lane has played this kind of absurdist character before. Here, he even uses Harpo Marx's horn to goose a laugh; yet, despite all the gags, this clown-turned-worker-turned-Fool is ultimately very poignant in his quest to save the world. Meanwhile, the usually flighty Nielsen has never been more comically stolid. Watching Lane's gnat of a character pick away at her filth-smeared carcass is theater heaven as viewed from the sewer.
2019 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Wig and Hair Design | Campbell Young Associates |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Julie White |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Ann Roth |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | George C. Wolfe |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Jules Fisher |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Kristine Nielsen |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Julie White |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Taylor Mac |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Santo Loquasto |
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