February 19, 2007

Stoppard's 'moodier' 'Salvage' opens on Broadway

"Salvage," part three of Tom Stoppard's Russian trilogy, "The Coast of Utopia," opened on Broadway on Sunday night, allowing critics one more opportunity to trip all over themselves praising the lavishly intellectual production.

Although they generally call it weaker than the two earlier parts, "Voyage" and "Shipwreck," they still have almost no bad words for the final installment, which stars Brían F. O'Byrne as Alexander Herzen. Here, the Russian intelligentsia is exiled mainly in England, grappling with "dreams of overturning the tsar, at the paths taken and not, and at the Russia of their memory."

"The Coast of Utopia" plays through May 13 at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater, 150 W. 65th St., map. Individual tickets are priced from $65 to $100. There are also a handful of day-long marathons when you can see the full trilogy in one day.

The reviews:

New York Times - "I wouldn’t call it a major work of art. In literary terms I wouldn’t even rank it with Mr. Stoppard’s best (in which I include the Broadway-bound 'Rock ’n’ Roll'). But as directed by Jack O’Brien and acted and designed by a stellar team of artisans, 'Utopia' is a major work of theatrical craftsmanship, a luscious advertisement for the singular narrative seductiveness of drama. By the way, I arrived at 'Salvage' with a headache, a chill and a general reluctance to listen to the fractious chatter of difficult people with unpronounceable names. Ten minutes after the curtain rose I was as hooked as a 10-year-old with the latest 'Harry Potter.'"

Variety - "But even if the final chapter, 'Salvage,' is the weakest of the three plays, the overall achievement remains undiminished."

Newsday - "But this one's moodier, at times hallucinatory, as Stoppard hones in on Herzen, finally the main character among the many. Revealed layer by layer by Brían F. O'Byrne, the privileged intellectual brings us into the twilight of the struggle between his dream of peaceful change and the next generation of radical 'new men' who trust only in the truth of 'the ax.'"

Daily News - "O'Byrne is marvelous as an idealist searching for meaning in an imperfect world. Martha Plimpton gives a stirring performance as his lover, Natasha Ogarev. The film actress cements her status as a Broadway force. Josh Hamilton is very fine as Natasha's husband, fellow radical Nicholas Ogarev. Ethan Hawke, as rabble-rouser Michael Bakunin, and Jason Butler Harner, as Ivan Turgenev, lend sensational support."

Associated Press - "One of the themes of 'Salvage' concerns the passing of the torch — a transfer of power to a new generation of revolutionaries. It's accomplished with only a twinge of sadness. Stoppard produces a generous coda to all who have gone before. His language is simple, direct and heartbreaking, in startling contrast to many of the intellectually high-wire conversations that pepper the three plays."

Post - "Then there are those playing more than one role in the course of the trilogy, including the wonderful veteran Richard Easton, and David Barbour who, in 'Salvage,' is absolutely chilling as a mysterious nihilist, whose chance meeting with Turgenev inspires the character Bazarov in his novel 'Fathers and Sons.'"

Earlier: Stoppard's 'Rock 'n' Roll' coming to Broadway in fall

February 19, 2007 08:03 AM in Broadway

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