Entertainment Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from HuffPost's signature lineup of contributors Michael Giltz Freelance writerGET UPDATES FROM MICHAEL GILTZ Follow Theater , Video , David Hyde Pierce , Rosie Perez , Comedy , Entertainment NewsReact Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyTheater: Close Up Space Wastes Talented David Hyde Pierce CLOSE UP SPACE * out of **** NY CITY CENTER The opening scene of Molly Smith Metzler's comedic play Close Up Space is the only good scene.</p><p> But in fairness it does briskly and efficiently introduce our main character, his perspective on the world and his troubles in this new production by Manhattan TheatreClub.</p><p> The marvelous actor David Hyde Pierce is Paul, an editor at a boutique publishing house and he's lecturing us on editing by using plaintive emails from various heads of boarding schools as samples to dissect.</p><p> Pierce deftly reduces these desperate pleas tocome pick up his rebellious daughter (who is wandering campus naked and pulling off this or thatunfortunate shenanigan) by red-lining them and eliminating the redundancies, poor grammar andrambling tone.</p><p> It's funny, tight and delivers a lot of information.</p><p> From this opening, we learn Paul is an old school publishing editor (though in the slow-to-adapt world of publishing, his use of an overhead projector might seem daringly modern).</p><p> He's precise and dedicated to his work.</p><p> He doesn't suffer fools gladly.</p><p> And his daughter is either troubled or a free spirit but definitely a handful.</p><p> Even this scene misses a joke.</p><p> When the new intern he's lecturing tries to talk about the software she can use, Pierce says it certainly didn't help her write a coherent cover letter and shows the editing it needed, a nice visual gag.</p><p> We immediately wonder why she got the job (out of 140 applicants)? If she'd asked,Pierce might have whipped out letters even more heavily red-lined or perhaps a pile of shreddeddocuments and said, "This was the competition." It hardly matters, given the confused nature ofeverything that follows.MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2 Former 'SNL' Star Makes Shocking Comments About Rape And Gay Friends Mitt Romney To Flood Victim: 'Go Home And Call 211' Paul Ryan Admits Marathon Lie WATCH: Rachel Maddow At A Loss For Words After Clint Eastwood's RNC Speech Eastwood Misfires 35 Awesome 'Simpsons' GIFs Celebs React To Eastwood's Wild SPeech Sarah Palin May Be Done At Fox News: Report Several Reported Killed In New Jersey Mall Shooting DON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS 1 of 5FOLLOW USCelebrity TV Political Hollywood Features Hollywood Buzz Videos September 1, 2012 Edition: U.S.</p><p> FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS MEDIA CELEBRITY TV COMEDY FOOD STYLE ARTS BOOKS LIVE ALL SECTIONS Dr.</p><p> Peggy Drexler Gary Hart Rep.</p><p> Dennis Kucinich Kevin MaurerHOT ON THE BLOG Like 107 Posted: 12/20/11 09:50 PM ET SHARE THIS STORY Submit this storyGet Entertainment Alerts Sign UpLike 1k Like 5k Like 4k Like 2k Like 4k Like 1k Like 201 Like 2k Recommend 3kOscars 2013 iPhone app iPad app Android phone app Android tablet app More Log in Create AccountThe intern Bailey (Jessica DiGiovanni) makes no sense on any level.</p><p> She can't speak intelligently, immediately starts pining for the chips and soda available at some other publishing house and blatherson to the house's top writer during a meeting when she was told to remain quiet. (Bailey compliments thewriter on her choice of font, when Bailey was just told the writer uses an antique typewriter, leading us to believe Bailey is a complete idiot.) Ultimately her character is so superfluous that at one point she is simply sent home for the day and never heard from again.</p><p> Even more tiresome is the "wacky" receptionist Steve (Michael Chernus) who is literally camping out in the office because his dog has shown affection for Steve's roommate.</p><p> This goof somebody's relative orfriend; he needs a job and is somehow forced on Paul.</p><p> Steve makes nutty jokes and isn't remotely believable on any level but at least he's an identifiable cliche (the oddball life-force).</p><p> Rosie Perez brings her considerable charms and distinctive voice to Vanessa Finn Adams, a high maintenance best-selling author.</p><p> She's both terribly demanding and a sweetheart who has a thing for Paul.</p><p> Adams is both streetsavvy and high falutin', sassy and Shakespeare-quotin' at the same time.</p><p> But not even she can challenge Paul's teenage daughter for sheer unlikeliness.</p><p> Harper (Colby Minifie) is an 18 year old teen who shouts out Russian at the top of her voice for endless stretches of the show because her mother committed suicide, Paul sent her away to boarding school and she feels exiled.</p><p> Hence the Russian, which she speaks so fluently that Harper translates poems into English during her spare time.</p><p> It's an idea so heavy-handed and a conceit so labored in its whimsy that Wes Anderson would avoidit.</p><p> This child terrorizes Paul, brings in a crack team of anarchists to strip his office completely of every item and refuses to speak English for far longer than you would imagine.</p><p> Oddly, Minifie is far more passionateand believable when shouting out Russian.</p><p> When she (finally) speaks in English, Minifie adapts anexceptionally deliberate, odd cadence; perhaps she's trying to make sense of the story.</p><p> The even odder touch is that the fine office set by Todd Rosenthal slides off stage after Harper had the room stripped by her unseen associates.</p><p> But it remains in the wings, a lurking presence.</p><p> One assumes itwill slide back into place at some point -- else why have it there in plain sight? But in fact it too has beenbanished and without even the decency of a divider or wall or even a curtain to shield the now abandonedset from our view.</p><p> We literally stare at it just out of the actors' reach for the rest of the play, a scenicchoice one struggles to understand.</p><p> I wouldn't judge anyone's acting in a play like this so I'll pass over most of the cast in silence.</p><p> Rosie Perez and David Hyde Pierce have a fun chemistry at moments; they're an unlikely couple it's fun to see together, however brief and confused their scenes may be.</p><p> Pierce actually holds the show together in away with his considerable skill, though by the end he is jumping around to try and shake some life intothis mess.</p><p> Even the finale is misjudged, wasting a modest visual flourish by slamming home the obviousfact that Paul and Harper will come closer together.</p><p> The poster makes no sense, by the way.</p><p> They've used an editing notation that indicates the space between the first two words in the title Close Up Space should be eliminated; according to the markings, they should be one word.</p><p> But no. "Close up" can be two words.</p><p> Close-up can be hyphenated.</p><p> But "closeup" isnonsense.</p><p> They should have placed the notation below the title and placed it between the picture of Pauland Harper , indicating that the emotional space between them should be "closed up" and they should rediscover their love, not the space between the two words which is right and proper.</p><p> They even get theediting wrong.</p><p> Dr.</p><p> Peggy Drexler Why It’s Important To Let Your Child Make Mistakes Gary Hart Welcome to the American Republic, Mr.</p><p> Eastwood TOP VIDEO PICKS 1 of 8 MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW 1 of 2 HOT ON TWITTER 1 of 2 HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES Movies Karl Rove Funny Videos Usher NCAA White HouseColin Ferguson Shows Up At LA Premiere Spencer Matthews Talks About The Bachelor Winner Khloe Sean "Diddy" Combs Shows Some Love For Lawless When Can You See The Final 'Hobbit' Film? 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Here's what to watch onTV http://t.co/Ygqtb4U6 via @HuffPostTVThe Theater Season 2011-2012 (on a four star scale) The Agony And The Ecstasy Of Steve Jobs ** 1/2 All-American ** All's Well That Ends Well/Shakespeare in the Park ** The Atmosphere Of Memory 1/2 * Bonnie & Clyde feature profile of Jeremy JordanBroadway By The Year: 1997 ** 1/2 The Cherry Orchard with Dianne Wiest ** Chinglish * 1/2 Close Up Space * Crane Story ** Cymbeline at Barrow Street Theatre *** An Evening With Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin *** Follies *** 1/2 Fragments *** Godspell ** 1/2 Hair *** Hand To God *** Hero: The Musical * 1/2 Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway *** Irving Berlin's White Christmas *** King Lear at Public with Sam Waterston ** Krapp's Last Tape with John Hurt *** Lake Water ** Love's Labor's Lost at the PublicLab ** 1/2 Lysistrata Jones * Man And Boy * 1/2 The Man Who Came To Dinner ** Maple And Vine ** Master Class w Tyne Daly ** 1/2 Measure For Measure/Shakespeare in the Park *** Milk Like Sugar *** Misterman ** 1/2 The Mountaintop ** 1/2 Newsies ** Pigpen's The Nightmare Story *** 1/2 Once *** 1/2 Olive and The Bitter Herbs ** 1/2 Chicago Crime Bill Maher Penn State MORE BIG NEWS PAGES »On A Clear Day You Can See Forever * 1/2 One Arm *** Other Desert Cities on Broadway ** 1/2 Private Lives ** Queen Of The Mist ** 1/2 Radio City Christmas Spectacular ** 1/2 Relatively Speaking * 1/2 The Select (The Sun Also Rises) ** 1/2 Seminar ** Septimus & Clarissa *** 1/2 Shlemiel The First ** 1/2 Silence! 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'The Hobbit: There And Back Again' Trilogy...available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.</p><p> Note : Michael Giltz was provided with free tickets to this show with the understanding that he would be writing a review.</p><p> Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz Read more from Huffington Post bloggers: Bill Robinson: Gotta Love Those Rockettes! (Now in 3D) Rev.</p><p> James Martin, S.J.: Don't Forget St.</p><p> Joseph This Christmas In this video, Fr.</p><p> James Martin talks about St.</p><p> Joseph, Jesus' father, as a model for the Christian devotional life.</p><p> More in Entertainment... 12:15 PM on 12/21/2011 Speaking of getting the editing wrong: you really need an editor, Michael! There are far too many grammatical errors in your review. 01:38 AM on 12/23/2011 You're quite right and thanks for the heads-up.</p><p> No editors here.</p><p> It can all be blamed on me.</p><p> Normally I post and then read it over again to catch errors.</p><p> It's easier to edit whenreading the final format rather than the backroom format we deal with.</p><p> But with family visiting I was pressed and rushed.</p><p> Plus I must confess it's no fun to write a pan when you're not mean-spirited.</p><p> It's hard to expend energy on something that everyone involves already knows doesn't work.</p><p> I've tightened it a little and caught the incorrect spelling of write/right.</p><p> So thanks. 09:58 PM on 12/20/2011 When you have two world class actors in your production (Mr.Hyde-Pierce and Ms.Perez) youshould take the trouble for coherent set design.</p><p> That's all I can say about this.Recency | Popularity HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR skylover I want my country forward! Permalink | Share it HUFFPOST BLOGGER Michael Giltz freelance writer Permalink | Share it tttomComments 4 Pending Comments 0 View FAQ Comments are closed for this entry View All Favorites 1722 Fans 127 Fans 93 Fans01:38 AM on 12/23/2011 Agreed! Advertise | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | About Our Ads | Contact Us Copyright © 2012 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.</p><p> All rights reserved.</p><p> Part of AOL-HuffPost EntertainmentPermalink | Share it HUFFPOST BLOGGER Michael Giltz freelance writer Permalink | Share it127 Fans
