Guest review by Jasper Sessalich
Published Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 10:15 AM
There is something about the combination of a well-written script, a strong ensemble and Alan Rickman that makes the Broadway show Seminar thrilling enough to be likely to be nominated for various Tony Awards. Seminar, currently playing at the John Golden Theatre ( 252 W. 45th St., between Broadway and 8th Avenue in Manhattan) is the must-see production of the season.
Seminar‘s stage design, by David Zinn, is seamless and gives the impression of a privileged, uptight Manhattan family in a high-end apartment. However, only the college student of the family, Kate (played by Lily Rabe), lives there.
Kate volunteers the space to be used as a classroom for a weekly writing seminar. She and three other writing students proceed to take classes from Leonard (played by Alan Rickman) and, one by one, their egos, stories and personal lives begin to crumble.
The play, written by Theresa Rebeck, entices the audience from the very beginning. Rebeck’s dark humor, wit, cynicism, sexuality, and honesty allow the audience to believe her slightly overdramatic plotline. Leonard states, “If you’re not honest, who gives a shit what you’re writing.” Rebeck believes in the idea of honesty and, in turn, the audience believes her story.
The actors’ performances were honest as well. Their blocking could have easily been mistaken for their living on the stage. The actors were full of life and had deep emotional backgrounds tied to their characters.
Alan Rickman was the most natural and honest of the actors. Rickman has a rich background in film and theater; his most famous film credits include the Harry Potter series, Love Actually, and Die Hard. After seeing him perform live on stage, it is almost as if Rickman does not even act. Instead, he lives.
And he lives on stage as Leonard, the sleazy, broken private writing instructor. All of his actions had reasoning behind them. Every step he took brought the audience closer to understanding the complicated workings of Leonard. It is stated in the play that “people are complicated.” Rickman understands this idea and portrays every complication of Leonard without flaw.
The second-best performance was given by Lily Rabe as Kate. Rabe mastered Kate’s balance between sarcasm and deep emotional life and, unlike the other three ensemble actors, she shined as brightly as Rickman. Rabe’s knowledge of her character spilled into her physicality without awkwardness or question. There is definite potential for a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Play for Rabe in the spring.
The humanity and comedy of Seminar are enough to leave audience members thinking and discussing the play long after the curtain is drawn. Seminar awakens a variety of senses within you, senses you forgot you were able to feel, in an hour-and-a-half’s worth of time.
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