'Prima Facie" and "Days of Wine and Roses'

Two shows in New York that I saw over Fourth of July weekend: (1) Prima Facie was a one-woman show about a barrister who knows how to defend sexual assault cases and then is assaulted herself and learns how the system treats victims. Jodie Comer starred. She won the Tony this year for Best Actress in a play and became well-known here for playing the assassin in the streaming series Killing Eve, and (2) Days of Wine and Roses is a musical based on the Playhouse 90 TV production of the 50s or 60s and the movie with Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick. Broadway musical star Kelli O'Hara leads the cast, with Brian D'Arcy James playing the male lead.

Prima Facie runs 100 minutes without intermission. It gets draggy in the last half, possibly because of the absence of a break. Comer is absolutely marvelous, doing everything on stage including moving the set pieces. She brings the barrister to life and you laugh and then feel sorry with her. Although the drama is especially appealing to lawyers, it went over well with the general audience. By showing how the system works from two sides, the play achieves more than a one-sided MeToo presentation. It's too bad that it closed over the same weekend; either Comer had been signed for a truly limited run or even winning the Tony didn't pick up box office.

Days of Wine and Roses has always been a downer because it shows a couple sinking into alcoholism. The two leads are superb--the music is all right but unmemorable. O'Hara does everything she can to put the songs across but if she can't leave you humming them, it's not her fault. James is a perfect match for her. They play very well together as they confront their demons separately for the most part and go off in different directions. The show was put on at the Atlantic Theater Company's Linda Gross Theater on West 20th St. in Chelsea. 

To me, the show still has great power in its depiction of how mid-20th Century culture encouraged alcohol addiction. All the social cues that pushed people toward booze both at work and at home come through. This show, also without an intermission, runs about 105 minutes. It also would benefit from a break. It wasn't clear whether it is bound for Broadway--the cast and production are first-class. It may well need some more work to tighten up spots and maybe even charge up the music.