IT'S HAM ON WRY IN SOLO '700 SUNDAYS'.Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic STAND-UP stand·up or stand-up adj. 1. Standing erect; upright: a standup collar. 2. Taken, done, or used while standing: a standup supper; a standup bar. OR POIGNANCY? Familiar comic shtick shtick also schtick or shtik n. Slang 1. A characteristic attribute, talent, or trait that is helpful in securing recognition or attention: or the kick of a painful memory? When in doubt, figures Billy Crystal, give 'em both. A double helping. Two and a half hours after he hits the stage for the autobiographical play ``700 Sundays,'' Crystal is taking his much-deserved bows and still finding something in reserve to mambo A popular open source content management system (CMS) that is used to create and manage Web sites. Written in PHP and using the MySQL database, Mambo was released in 2001 by Peter Lamont of Miro Construct Pty Ltd., Melbourne, Australia. his way through the ending music. The man must be exhausted. ``Ready to plotz,'' as one of his ultracolorful relatives might put it. Crystal is here to tell us a story. About his family, and his place within it. About the father he lost too soon and the mother who soldiered on. Both were heroes, a term Crystal uses frequently. We also meet aunts, uncles, grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl and jazz musicians This is a list of jazz musicians on whom Wikipedia has articles. Some of the most notable jazz musicians
It's a physical impossibility to leave ``700 Sundays'' feeling that Crystal hasn't given us our money's worth (which, given the much-ballyhooed ``Sundays''' top ticket price of $95, is a mighty good thing). Still, there may also be those who find Crystal's weightier material diluted by all that funny stuff. Or, conversely, that the comedian might be better served leaning more heavily on the stand-up material. As gut-bustingly humorous as the impersonations and funny noises may be, I'm in the former camp. How much more amazing might this tale have been had Crystal buzzed and mugged less and related - with the raconteur's flair that he clearly possesses - the story of boy and his family and the loss that inevitably comes with being alive. That story is here, certainly, but Crystal takes a mighty long time to get to it and drive it home. And until he does, the comedian is his own warm-up act. Veteran Broadway director Des McAnuff Desmond McAnuff (born June 19, 1952 in Princeton, Illinois) is a Tony award-winning director of such hit Broadway musicals as Big River and The Who's Tommy. and co-writer Alan Zweibel Alan Zweibel (born 1950) is a producer and writer on such productions as Saturday Night Live, PBS' Great Performances, and It's Garry Shandling's Show. are on hand, presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. to help give ``700 Sundays'' some shape and definition. But does anybody short of an Oscars timer really edit Billy Crystal? Not much, apparently. If we're going to get one rasp and gas-passing from phlegmy phlegm n. 1. Thick, sticky, stringy mucus secreted by the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, as during a cold or other respiratory infection. 2. , flatulent flatulent characterized by flatulence; distended with gas. Grandpa Julius, then we're going to get 47. Anyone remember that sped-up silent home movie bit that Crystal has done during Oscars and Comic Relief comic relief n. A humorous or farcical interlude in a serious literary work or drama, especially a tragedy, intended to relieve the dramatic tension or heighten the emotional impact by means of contrast. telecasts? There's one in ``Sundays'' that goes on for what feels like a full three minutes "Three Minutes" is the 46th episode of Lost. It is the twenty-second episode of the second season. The episode was directed by Stephen Williams, and written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. It first aired on May 17, 2006 on ABC. . Oh, it's plenty funny, but what is it doing here? Why does an entertainer who is beloved enough to get a standing ovation before he's even begun the show need to vamp? The nephew of Commodore and Decca Records pioneer Milt Gabler, Crystal grew up around jazz musicians and saw his first movie sitting in Billie Holiday's lap. His father, Jack, worked in the Commodore Music Store and also promoted jazz concerts on the side. Great material, this, and Crystal takes us through this rather amazing and unexpected childhood with real grace. He gets a big assist from set designer David F. Weiner, who has re-created the facade of Crystal's boyhood home in Long Beach, Long Island. The three large windows serve as projection screens for Crystal family photographs and home movies (David Lee Cuthbert is the production's lighting designer). Wherever else they take us, Weiner and Crystal make sure we never really leave this home. Which, for the purpose of the story, is critical. There are also moments when Crystal's belly-laugh comedy and storytelling reach a kind of blissful convergence. Most notable is the show-stopping Aunt Sheila, who deals with a difficult bit of family joy with utter class. Aunt Sheila (whose photograph we see projected) is a bit of a sketch, certainly, but that phone conversation is real, touching and hilarious. The man can make us laugh. And induce a lump. Both will happen during ``700 Sundays.'' In spades. Evan Henerson, (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com 700 SUNDAYS - Three stars Where: Wilshire Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills When: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday (no performances Jan. 30 through Feb. 5; through Feb. 18. Tickets: $40 to $95. Call (213) 365-3500 or www.BroadwayLA.org. In a nutshell: Billy Crystal's tale of love and loss told with everything including the kitchen shtick. |
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