King Liz
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Cititour.com Review
Watching “King Liz,” Fernanda Coppel’s ambitious if hopelessly muddled play about a high-powered female sports agent, is reminiscent of being at a recent Knick game. The talent on the court – in this case Second Stage Uptown’s home, The McGinn/Cazale Theatre – is definitely there, and some of the players score shot after shot, but you know that the game is essentially a losing battle.
One certainly can’t blame 2015 Theatre World Award winner Karen Pittman (of Broadway’s “Disgraced) who turns in a fierce, completely committed performance as the title character, Liz Rico, an ice queen with a killer wardrobe (by Jessica Pabst), a taste for whiskey, and a dash of heart. It’s one that she heavily guards against anyone who tries to break into it, whether it is her “fatherly” boss Mr. Candy (played with just a slight edge of creepiness, intentionally or otherwise, by Michael Cullen) or Knicks coach Jones (Russell G. Jones), with whom Liz appears to have a thoroughly antagonistic relationship – until we abruptly discover that they’re sexually/romantically involved. (Not to mix sports terms, but that one comes out of left field!)
Only two people seem to pierce Liz’s seemingly invincible armor. There’s her long-suffering assistant Gabby (an excellent Irene Sofia Lucio), who at first seems to have stepped out of a remake of “The Devil Wears Prada,” and, above all, Freddie Luna (the thoroughly convincing Jeremie Harris), a super-talented if emotionally troubled 19-year-old Liz is convinced to take on as a client despite some initial misgivings.
She gets him to be a starter with the Knicks in his first season, but the somewhat immature Freddie, an odd combination of innocence and street-smarts, crumbles under the pressure when asked about his criminal past by the media, especially pretentious talk-show host Barbara Flowers (a spot-on Caroline Lagerfelt). When Liz is initially forced to decide between Freddie and her career (a bit of melodrama on Ms. Coppel’s part), we finally get more than a glimpse into Liz’s tortured soul, and Pittman’s work in this scene is superbly nuanced. (Indeed, no matter the material she’s handed here, Pittman goes for the three-pointer every time.)
The fine director Lisa Peterson seems to have done as much as she can with “King Liz,” but this script isn’t even really fit for a commoner, never mind the theatrical royalty she has assembled.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://2st.com/shows/current-production/king-liz
Cast
Michael Cullen, Jeremie Harris, Russell G. Jones, Caroline Lagerfelt, Irene Sofia Lucio, Karen Pittman
Open/Close Dates
Opening 7/13/2015
Closing 8/8/2015
Box Office
212-246-4422
Theatre Info
McGinn/Cazale Theatre
2162 Broadway (at 76th Street)
New York, NY 10024
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