Reviews
“AHS: Delicate” Review – “Opening Night” Delivers More of the Same for the Mid-Season Premiere
‘AHS: Delicate – Part Two’ returns with more of the same, yet Anna’s perturbing pregnancy finally starts to crown towards its creepy climax.
“Down will come baby, cradle and all…”
Part Two of American Horror Story: Delicate turns the clock back just over 35 years and begins with an unsettling vignette that chronicles how Emma Roberts’ Anna Victoria Alcott was brought into the world. This is actually an effective and telling prologue that functions as a strong distillation of the season. In fact, this would have been a better way to start off AHS: Delicate as a whole, rather than its second-half. It teases the many unknown and unintentional risks that are associated with pregnancy and childbirth, even when everything plays out normally and there’s no demon baby involved. American Horror Story addresses the twisted nature of “Rock-A-Bye-Baby” and the inherently creepy nature of lullabies. It’s a larger indictment of parenthood’s magical nature and the dark underbelly that’s beneath all the joy. It’s a fairly glib lesson for AHS: Delicate to impart so late in the game, but it still provides some helpful context for Anna.
Anna’s father proves to be a malignant letdown even before he opens his mouth to belittle his wife. He can barely pull his eyes away from Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and it seems that this self-improvement text has a better chance of imprinting on him than his actual daughter. “Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be,” is one of the many quick lessons that’s preached in this guidebook. It’s hard not to think of this simplistic shortcut throughout the duration of “Opening Night” as men continually fall short of their partner’s – and society’s – expectations. It’s a constructive pillar that helps “Opening Night” build a strong foundation, yet this season continues to erect a hollow monument – like ostentatious artwork at a gallery. “Opening Night” is not a bad episode of American Horror Story. It’s just more of the same as AHS: Delicate crawls to the finish line rather than confidently taking its first steps.
“Opening Night” continues to push the idea of how much mothers need to sacrifice for their children and the happiness and peace that they lose in order to help their offspring thrive. Anna is caught at the crossroads of this concept as her life continually unravels. Dex’s (Matt Czuchry) relationship with his own father is juxtaposed against Anna’s frayed relationship with her dad in order to highlight the stark differences between their families and upbringings. Dex’s father is far from an admirable figure, but he’s a parent who’s genuinely excited to solve his child’s problems rather than ignore them and deflect. Dex is largely a background presence in this episode. However, his struggle helps tie the shaggier elements of “Opening Night” together. The installment’s final act is easily its most compelling material. It matches the intensity of the episode’s prologue so that “Opening Night” can be bookended by parental trauma and sacrifice. The tragedy that Dex walks in on with his mother is genuinely moving and another effective way in which Dex’s life mirrors Anna’s, albeit in a bizarro manner.
Bradley Buecker directs a competent episode with “Opening Night,” yet it still has difficulty breaking free from this season’s repetitive habits – almost as if they’re inappropriate pregnancy cravings. Anna’s collection of disturbing dolls continues to grow like a morbid nursery of displacement. The same is true for AHS: Delicate’s obsession with cat chaos. “Opening Night” literally scratches the surface of something interesting with the rancid raccoon claw that claws out of Anna’s stomach. It’s the best part of the episode, but it’s still pretty standard pregnancy horror iconography. There are similar feelings of ambivalence that surround Michaela Jaé Rodriguez’s Nicolette, who’s evidently been watching over Anna since she was a baby like one of the nanny Disciples of the Watch from The Omen. It’s material that remains so one-note and she’s more of a chilling cipher than an actual character, which has been a consistent concession through this season. Anna finally starts to grow suspicious of Nicolette. However, it’s all just too little, too late.
Anna also appears to accidentally kill someone in a bathroom altercation…until she doesn’t, that is. The strongest element of “Opening Night” is just how fractured Anna’s mental state has become. She increasingly doesn’t know what she can trust as her fantasies blur together with reality. That being said, it’s long overdue for this season to step on the gas and finally take all of this to the next level. This material isn’t fundamentally flawed, but it’s just unfortunate that Roberts brings so little life to the Anna role. It remains one of her least interesting contributions in the entirety of American Horror Story. As much as Sarah Paulson has been overused in the anthology series, I’d be genuinely curious to see what she’d do with this variety of detached character. Roberts at least knows how to confidently chomp down on a bone. So there’s that.
On the other side of the spectrum, Kim Kardashian’s performance as Siobhan Corbyn is somehow AHS: Delicate’s saving grace. Kardashian unironically kills it and is clearly having a ball here. The campy Hollywood satire isn’t nearly as tight or insightful as it could be, but there’s still some fun commentary in “Opening Night” on the artificial nature of awards campaigning and how PR can masquerade as grief and empathy. Siobhan confidently pulls Anna’s strings and lures her into a false sense of empowerment by making sure that she ignores the men in her life. Siobhan can’t stand the idea of Anna quitting acting just because it would be unfair to “bring a baby into a world where none of us are safe.” (Pro Tip: don’t go down on your limo driver).
Siobhan laments that Anna turning her back on her “gift” wouldn’t just be a loss for her, but for all of motherhood. On that note, it’s absolutely no coincidence that this season doesn’t have Anna pining for an Emmy, but an Oscar – an award that’s a man. Everything that Anna has painstakingly worked towards is still ultimately in service of a man’s approval and the male gaze, even if Siobhan or any number of witches dress it up to be a different form of empowerment. After all, everyone just wants to float; whether it’s in a pool or away from life’s responsibilities and burdens.
To bring it all back to Covey’s self-help book, “Start with the end in mind,” is another mantra that’s preached in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This text might be treated as toxic short-hand in “Opening Night,” but this is hopefully one lesson that’s worked its way into American Horror Story: Delicate. This season continues to bombard the audience with uncomfortable imagery and unreliable illusions as the same ideas circle round-and-round like blood down a bathtub drain. None of this means anything if it can’t stick the landing and provide satisfying closure to this morbid account of motherhood. Halley Feiffer knows where all of this is going and how Anna Victoria Alcott’s story will end. She just needs to let the audience in on the secret and follow through on its creepy contractions.
Reviews
‘Clue: A New Comedy’ Stage Play Is a Slapstick Slasher That Lovingly Adapts Hasbro’s Board Game
The national tour of ‘Clue: A New Comedy’ remixes the classic murder mystery with farcical physical comedy and impassioned old-fashioned sensibilities.
“It’s all part of the game.”
There’s a strong relationship between mischievous murder mysteries and the horror genre. Murder mysteries inherently hinge upon death – it’s baked into the name – so it’s not surprising that horror has embraced this secretive subgenre and really emphasized the murder in murder mysteries. Murder mysteries have been popular in pop culture for nearly a century. However, there’s been a recent renaissance on this front with playful films like Knives Out, A Haunting in Venice, Bodies Bodies Bodies, the Scream franchise, and the prominence of the true-crime genre and armchair detectives. That being said, an underrated and evergreen source of murder mystery hijinks that’s entertained audiences for 75 years is Hasbro and Parker Brothers’ Clue.
Clue has experienced many permutations over the years, including Jonathan Lynn’s 1985 cult classic film and several stage adaptations. In a new dawn where board game and toy IP are at an all-time high, a new stage adaptation of Clue has been put together by Sandy Rustin, with additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price, and directed by Casey Hushion. Hushion’s Clue: A New Comedy, which is in the middle of a national tour, effortlessly harkens back to vaudevillian silliness and broad laughs, while it simultaneously explores darker genre impulses and intrigue. It’s the perfect way to nostalgically celebrate the ’80s movie, but also remind audiences why Hasbro’s upcoming cinematic remake is long overdue.
Hushion’s Clue is an adaptation of Lynn’s ‘85 film, but it still brings many original ideas and revisions to the table so that this doesn’t just feel like a stripped down version of the movie. Clue: A New Comedy finds immense pleasure in how it translates the game’s rules so that it functions as a faithful adaptation of the game and the feature film, while it also becomes a fun, fresh entity that’s a living hybrid of both. In Clue: A New Comedy, blackmail functions as the story’s central mystery, just as it does in the board game and cinematic adaptation. Each color-coded houseguest has terrible secrets that they don’t want getting out, which becomes the impetus for the growing body count.
Clue is a comedic character study and this stage play presents well-defined individuals who are easy to identify and connect with, despite their one-dimensional nature. Mr. Green (John Shartzer) is the cast’s real standout, but there’s not a single weak link among Clue’s eight central players. Clue’s best moments are the ones when the whole cast gets to bounce off of each other and revel in the group’s chaotic energy. The play’s ‘50s McCarthyism setting also adds an extra layer of mistrust, paranoia, and subterfuge to the equation that still feels timely in its own way. Farcical, broad wordplay – especially from John Treacy Egan’s Colonel Mustard – are a delight and reminiscent of an old-fashioned radio play when it comes to Clue’s jokes, timing, and dialogue.
Beyond Clue’s script lies some exceptional physical comedy, particularly from Shartzer’s Mr. Green. There are broad group reactions that play out in unison for mass comic effect, as well as lighting cues that brilliantly accentuate punchlines and become a solid running gag throughout the 90-minute show. There are playful movement exercises that are expertly choreographed and verge on interpretative dance. Clue adopts a real Scooby-Doo energy to the production, especially when it comes to its scene transitions. Clue even indulges in a “multiple door chase sequence” that taps into the right energy for this degree of slapstick. To this point, there’s an absolutely brilliant slow motion sequence that’s a highlight of the show and adeptly incorporated.
Clue’s characters are its secret weapon, but stellar production elements help elevate the stage play to something truly special. There’s really powerful set design by Lee Savage that evokes a creepy, cozy Haunted Mansion aesthetic that’s the right atmosphere for this murder mystery tale. Clever design decisions result in rotating walls and rooms that economically get the most out of the stage’s environment. Clumsy execution of these elements would quickly sink Clue and ruin its crescendoing quality. They’re seamlessly handled, as are Ryan O’Gara’s evocative lighting design and Michael Holland’s jauntily creepy musical cues. All these elements work together to make sure that Clue is as visually entertaining as it is well-acted and written.
Clue: A New Comedy goes all-in on its laughs. That being said, the play’s death scenes are actually creepy and immaculately orchestrated with all the finesse of peak genre cinema. There are genuine slasher vibes present that pulse through the show’s pervasive slapstick silliness. It’s a testament to the sheer artistry of craft in Clue that both of these extremes work as well as they do. Clue also shrewdly embraces the infamous multiple ending angle that helped give Lynn’s feature film a smart extra meta layer to its storytelling. It’s fun, different, and takes advantage of the medium of theater to great effect. It’s also the satisfying culmination of a story that gets progressively manic, unhinged, and verges on collapsing in on itself by the end – but in the best way possible. Clue pushes boundaries with tone and control like an expert puppet master.
Clue: A New Comedy hits all the right notes and succeeds as a breezy piece of theater that celebrates whodunit hijinks, broad buffoonery, and wicked wit. It’s Agatha Christie meets Frasier. Clue is a show that definitely prioritizes comedy over horror and suspense, but there’s enough style in this production to properly sell the production’s more evil impulses. It’s unlikely that anyone will be genuinely frightened, yet the play will still keep audiences on the edge of their seats and eagerly anticipate who’s responsible for Boddy Mansion’s copious corpses. Clue: A New Comedy is the best way to experience the Hasbro and Parker Brothers classic before its next cinematic adaptation proves that murder and mayhem aren’t just a game anymore.
Go to Broadway.org to see if ‘Clue: A New Comedy’ will be coming to your area.
Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
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