33 Variations

One nice plus side to this recession is that it makes theatre tickets, even for the hottest shows affordable again. Last Sunday I had to opportunity, for thirty dollars, to see Jane Fonda in 33 Variations. 33 Variations is the new play by Moises Kaufman, famed writer of the Laramie Project. Variations boosts a fantastic cast, standouts include Ms. Fonda, as the prickly musicologist Katherine Brandt, who fights her daughter and her failing health by heading to Bonn, Germany to complete a book about Beethoven's famous 33 variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli. Other standouts include Colin Hanks, of Mad Men, as the nurse-turned-lover of Fonda's daughter who ends up travelling to Bonn and assists in the final months of Brandt's life. I also loved Susan Kellerman as Brandt's colleague and friend Dr. Gertrude Ladenburger.

The script juxtaposes Brandt's work and death with that of the original inspiration Ludwig van Beethoven, played with aplomb by Zach Grenier. And the story works. Separated by 200 years Brandt and Beethoven's connection is well concocted. The set also adds in the fluidity of the script. With panels of sheet music acting as mobile walls that travel around the stage, hiding and revealing the actors of the two time periods. Additionally the script calls for a pianist who plays throughout the work. The addition of a live musician adds exponentially to the overall experience. And some of the most moving scenes, in particular one in which Grenier, as Beethoven, describes the music he is writing as Diana Walsh, the pianist/musical director, plays.

Some elements of script are not as strong as the overall piece. And a lot of the dialogue sounds didactic, and overly expository. There are moments in the writing and directing that feel overly scripted and staged, but all in all those moments don't overshadow the piece which is compelling and fascinating to watch. Fonda, who hasn`t been on stage in nearly 50 years, had a few line flubs the afternoon I saw the show, and in talking to others it is a recurring problem. But, she has an incredible amount of lines in this piece, and as the story progresses she is suffering from Lou Gehrig’s, so it mattered less and less, and her stage presence is wonderful. She is perfectly cast. I felt Samantha Mathis, as Claire Brandt, Fonda's daughter was not as strong, but I couldn't decide if it was her acting, the direction, or the script that let her down. My only other slight criticism was that the second act dragged in comparison with the first, and while the story wraps up nicely I thought the second act could have been tighter. But if you are in New York, I wouldn't miss 33 Variations.