‘Are You Now or Have You Ever Been’ Off-Broadway review — starry cast stands and delivers in timely docudrama
Read our review of Are You Now or Have You Ever Been off Broadway, a revival of Eric Bentley's 1972 docudrama about the HUAC hearings, featuring a rotating cast.
Summary
- Are You Now or Have You Ever Been is a docudrama assembled from transcripts of the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings investigating communism in show business
- A starry cast shines as an array of Hollywood figures and the HUAC committee members
- The show is recommended for fans of documentaries and of works that explore historical and current sociopolitical issues
Politics and theatre make for strange, intriguing bedfellows. So it goes in Eric Bentley’s 1972 docudrama Are You Now or Have You Ever Been, which traces, verbatim, the House Un-American Activities Committee’s 1947-1956 investigation into show business. The potentially damning question heard throughout the hearings is right there in the play’s title: "Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?" During this era, the Red Scare raged.
Dozens were called to testify amid a climate of fear and intimidation. A group of directors, writers, and producers — the Hollywood Ten, as they collectively became known — were blacklisted and later jailed because they refused to testify about their or others' possible ties to communism. But others named names. Careers and lives were damaged or destroyed — in the land of the free and the home of the brave, no less.
Director Anna D. Shapiro’s star-stacked revival offers much to admire. It’s deftly acted across the board and handsomely designed, with dapper suits and ties (by Johanna Pan), evocative projected headlines (by Brittany Bland), and telltale clacks of an old-school typewriter (by Milbo Music) setting the period scene. And at this moment when entertainers and journalists who oppose the current political administration are under fire, you don’t have to strain your eyes to appreciate the good timing.
Still, some issues dull Are You Now’s edge. A few of the play’s 17 showbiz insiders, such as Arthur Miller, Elia Kazan, and Jerome Robbins, are household names. We instantly connect. Others, like Lionel Stander and Hollywood Ten member Ring Lardner, Jr., less so, and the impact gets muted. The fact that stakes don’t build, just remain static, also nags. And when all is said and done, Are You Now simply ends. A coda of what came next, again, could help contextualize the characters and the overall story.
Though the show left me wanting, the top-notch cast impressed, including Michael McKean, Jason Babinsky, and Adam Kantor as the HUAC committee interrogators. Frederick Weller, Brooks Ashmanskas, and Steven Boyer play multiple characters, sharply delineating each role with shifts in body language, accent, and cadence.
In solo roles, Jay O. Sanders steps up as Stander, while Andrew McCarthy lends heartache as actor Larry Parks. David Krumholtz adds a jolt of humor as wisecracking writer Abe Burrows, and Billy Eugene Jones blazes with defiance as actor and activist Paul Robeson.
Rounding out the cast is Sally Murphy as playwright Lillian Hellman, whose line in a letter to the committee about implicating others tolls loudly. “I cannot and will not,” she wrote, “cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions.” That’s when the point of Bentley’s play — one in which some people defended their integrity while others ratted out peers when asked appalling questions — crystallizes. It’s a conscience-raising exercise.
Are You Now or Have You Ever Been summary
Playwright Eric Bentley uses transcripts from the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) to explore how Hollywood and theatre figures responded under pressure from a congressional committee to expose suspected communists in the industry and confirm their loyalty to America.
The play debuted in 1972 at Yale Repertory Theater in New Haven, Connecticut, and ran on Broadway in 1979.
What to expect at Are You Now or Have You Ever Been
The cast of Shapiro’s revival will change over the course of the run, set to conclude on September 11. McKean, Kantor, Babinsky, Ashmanskas, Boyer, and Weller will perform for the run's entirety; other roles will be handled by rotating guest stars, who will include famous faces like Molly Ringwald and Bob Odenkirk later in the run.
What audiences are saying about Are You Now or Have You Ever Been
Users on the theatre tracking and review-aggregating app Mezzanine shared mixed reactions to the play and the ensemble acting.
- “Compelling material, solid performances, horrifying history–but the play itself is not very well shaped.” - Mezzanine user Geoffrey Glick
- “It was so boring and then you had David Krumholtz, Jay O. Sanders, and Billy Eugene Jones showing up and hitting it out of the park.” - Mezzanine user Alex Scotti
- “Timely. See this for the great cast performances. D. Krumholtz steals the show for me. Serious topic but had humor in it.” - Mezzanine user D T
- “Reflection of how the gov curbed freedom of speech of artists and ruining careers with unsubstantiated accusations that they’re conspiring against the country.” - Mezzanine user JKJK
Who should see Are You Now or Have You Ever Been
- Fans of documentary theatre and other works based on verbatim interviews and transcripts will appreciate Bentley’s foray into the arena.
- Fans of plays about history, social issues, and politics will be immersed in the story that reaches back eight decades but speaks to today.
- Theatregoers who follow the work of Anna D. Shapiro, known for her Tony Award-winning direction of August: Osage County, will want to see her latest production.
Learn more about Are You Now or Have You Ever Been
The past speaks to the present. Even with its flaws, Are You Now or Have You Ever Been is a docudrama that can still grab you thanks to a talented cast that stands and delivers.
Photo credit: Are You Now or Have You Ever Been off Broadway. (Photos by Marc J. Franklin)
Frequently asked questions
What is Are You Now or Have You Ever Been about?
Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been is a timely revival of a docudrama about the House Un-American Activities Committee trials.
Where is Are You Now or Have You Ever Been playing?
Are You Now or Have You Ever Been is playing at New York City Center. The theatre is located at 131 W 55th St, New York, 10019.
How much do tickets cost for Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?
Tickets for Are You Now or Have You Ever Been start at $120.
What's the age recommendation for Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?
The recommended age for Are You Now or Have You Ever Been is All Ages..
How do you book tickets for Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?
Book tickets for Are You Now or Have You Ever Been on New York Theatre Guide.
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