Ham Lake review.

**Jocasta** · 05-19-2006, 09:22 AM

Hearing you gals talk about how impressed you were with Ham Lake and Sam Rosen I decided to look for a review and found this in Variety...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ham Lake.

A Jefferson Bjoraker, Paddy Mulloy and Josh Hartnett presentation of a play in one act by Nat Bennett and Sam Rosen. Directed by Ian Morgan.

With: Sam Rosen.

The one-man show "Ham Lake" makes excellent theater out of almost nothing at all. Twentysomething thesp Sam Rosen, who co-wrote this 80-minute monologue with playwright Nat Bennett, sits under an unchanging spotlight and wears clothes he might have picked up off his bedroom floor. There are no credited designers or even a stage manager: only a torrent of words. In some ways, theater this elemental is the biggest kind of risk, since auds have no distraction from a weak performer or sloppy writing. But when storytelling connects as it does here, we're reminded how enthralling it can be just to hear someone talk.

Co-produced by thesp Josh Hartnett and staged in the cramped downstairs bar at the Soho Playhouse, the production has the intimacy of a private conversation.

Both writing and acting start small, so at first it seems Rosen's unnamed character is making idle conversation instead of crafting a story. Within the random chatter, however, there are enough intriguing details to prick up our ears: This young man was recently stranded on a wintry Minnesota highway at 3 a.m., but how, we might wonder, did he get there in the first place?

"Ham Lake" rewards our attention by slowly revealing the structure beneath its rambling veneer. The more we learn about the night the young man describes -- how his ex-girlfriend may have abandoned him on the road; how he had to rely on an emotionally distant father for help -- the clearer it becomes that this yarn has purpose.

By exhibiting control of their material, the creative team prove they deserve our trust as they ask us to listen to one character speak for so long.

Rosen's perfperf evolves as expertly as the script. At the beginning of the story, he's all misplaced braggadocio, describing his life with the ignorant swagger of a kid who prides himself on hiding his intelligence and sensitivity beneath adolescent conformity. But he's describing this particular night because it changed him, because it made him learn a hard truth about his own arrogance.

As he finally faces himself, Rosen strips off his c0cksure mask to reveal a complex, vulnerable character. His transformation gives believable impact to the script's catharsis.

Director Ian Morgan, who recently helmed the less sophisticated one-handerone-hander "A Spalding Gray Matter," shows more nuance here. He helps Rosen find a striking physical vocabulary, which involves pantomiming the actions of key verbs and phrases. Rather than distracting from the story, these gestures enhance it, playing like the natural motions of an enthusiastic speaker.

Morgan also chooses the right time for stagier elements, such as when the young man stands from his chair and crosses the stage in a fit of remorse. Such light touches of artifice clarify the play's meaning and, ironically, give more honesty to its aching observations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It sounds wonderful, so maybe it will get an extended run or move to a bigger theatre. I'm so pleased it's a success.

Intensely Deceiving · 05-20-2006, 01:23 AM

Wow. That is a VERY impressive review. This play becomes more intriguing all the time. I would really like to see it. I hate being stuck at home... *grumble grumble grumble

**Plastic Flute** · 05-20-2006, 04:07 PM

TY..for that Jocasta

**Plastic Flute** · 05-23-2006, 02:06 AM

I just checked the theater showing for Ham Lake..It shows that the play is extended from 5/30 to 6/24. Bravo for Sam and Josh!!!!! It must be doing good !!!

**Jocasta** · 05-23-2006, 02:21 AM

Bravo, indeed!

But from the great reviews I expected nothing less!

05-23-2006, 09:47 AM

This play sounds intriguing, but I have to wonder how many people go with the sole intention of seeing Josh. I know if I was in NYC I would go to see it just to get the chance to see Josh in person, even though the play really does sound interesting. And that's OK, too. If Josh's clout fills seats, hey, he should be there for every performance. It is his project, too, after all.

**Jocasta** · 05-24-2006, 04:11 AM

I confess if this production ever did come to London, the thought of maybe seeing Josh would be my main reason for buying a ticket but the play does sound well worth seeing in it's own right.

**Plastic Flute** · 05-31-2006, 12:27 AM

Another review..http://theater2.nytimes.com/2006/05/...ws/31lake.html

**Jocasta** · 05-31-2006, 02:41 PM

Thanks for the review. More good vibes for Ham and Sam! And other review here.

aloha · 05-31-2006, 02:52 PM

Haaaahhhh!

It all sounds sooooo nice! But unfortunately I can´t see it here in Germany!!

Intensely Deceiving · 06-01-2006, 03:06 AM

I wish I could go see it, but it's pretty doubtful that will happen. Anyway, thanks for the reviews! They're all so good!

mplsgirl · 06-02-2006, 09:53 PM

It's so cool to see this little play getting good press!

From today's Startribune.com...

Attaboy, Sam

Paging through the New York Times, I.W. fell upon a nice review for "Ham Lake," a one-man show at the off-Broadway SoHo Playhouse featuring a Mr. Sam Rosen. Yes, it's the same Sam who grew up in Minneapolis and worked on local stages. "Ham Lake," which also received a great review in "Variety," takes its name from the northern Twin Cities suburb, where Rosen's character spins a barroom monologue that reveals his emotional scars. The 80-minute piece was co-written with fellow Minnesota transplant Nat Bennett and produced by Josh Hartnett, a friend of both guys. "It's good, man," Rosen said by phone. "Honestly, that we got a review, and that they printed it, and it was good -- that's huge. We hope it gets us an audience." Rosen hopes to bring the show to Minnesota within the next year; meantime, he and Bennett are adapting it as a screenplay.

05-19-2006, 09:22 AM	#1 (permalink)
Jocasta Love Charlie Babbitt Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Shaftesbury Avenue Posts: 18,598 My Profile	Ham Lake review. Hearing you gals talk about how impressed you were with Ham Lake and Sam Rosen I decided to look for a review and found this in Variety... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ham Lake. A Jefferson Bjoraker, Paddy Mulloy and Josh Hartnett presentation of a play in one act by Nat Bennett and Sam Rosen. Directed by Ian Morgan. With: Sam Rosen. The one-man show "Ham Lake" makes excellent theater out of almost nothing at all. Twentysomething thesp Sam Rosen, who co-wrote this 80-minute monologue with playwright Nat Bennett, sits under an unchanging spotlight and wears clothes he might have picked up off his bedroom floor. There are no credited designers or even a stage manager: only a torrent of words. In some ways, theater this elemental is the biggest kind of risk, since auds have no distraction from a weak performer or sloppy writing. But when storytelling connects as it does here, we're reminded how enthralling it can be just to hear someone talk. Co-produced by thesp Josh Hartnett and staged in the cramped downstairs bar at the Soho Playhouse, the production has the intimacy of a private conversation. Both writing and acting start small, so at first it seems Rosen's unnamed character is making idle conversation instead of crafting a story. Within the random chatter, however, there are enough intriguing details to prick up our ears: This young man was recently stranded on a wintry Minnesota highway at 3 a.m., but how, we might wonder, did he get there in the first place? "Ham Lake" rewards our attention by slowly revealing the structure beneath its rambling veneer. The more we learn about the night the young man describes -- how his ex-girlfriend may have abandoned him on the road; how he had to rely on an emotionally distant father for help -- the clearer it becomes that this yarn has purpose. By exhibiting control of their material, the creative team prove they deserve our trust as they ask us to listen to one character speak for so long. Rosen's perfperf evolves as expertly as the script. At the beginning of the story, he's all misplaced braggadocio, describing his life with the ignorant swagger of a kid who prides himself on hiding his intelligence and sensitivity beneath adolescent conformity. But he's describing this particular night because it changed him, because it made him learn a hard truth about his own arrogance. As he finally faces himself, Rosen strips off his c0cksure mask to reveal a complex, vulnerable character. His transformation gives believable impact to the script's catharsis. Director Ian Morgan, who recently helmed the less sophisticated one-handerone-hander "A Spalding Gray Matter," shows more nuance here. He helps Rosen find a striking physical vocabulary, which involves pantomiming the actions of key verbs and phrases. Rather than distracting from the story, these gestures enhance it, playing like the natural motions of an enthusiastic speaker. Morgan also chooses the right time for stagier elements, such as when the young man stands from his chair and crosses the stage in a fit of remorse. Such light touches of artifice clarify the play's meaning and, ironically, give more honesty to its aching observations. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ It sounds wonderful, so maybe it will get an extended run or move to a bigger theatre. I'm so pleased it's a success.

05-20-2006, 01:23 AM	#2 (permalink)
Intensely Deceiving MIHO THE HARTNETT BUNNI!! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 1,584 My Profile	Wow. That is a VERY impressive review. This play becomes more intriguing all the time. I would really like to see it. I hate being stuck at home... *grumble grumble grumble

05-20-2006, 04:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
Plastic Flute ICHiBAN HoOT Join Date: May 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 13,821 My Profile	TY..for that Jocasta

05-23-2006, 02:06 AM	#4 (permalink)
Plastic Flute ICHiBAN HoOT Join Date: May 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 13,821 My Profile	I just checked the theater showing for Ham Lake..It shows that the play is extended from 5/30 to 6/24. Bravo for Sam and Josh!!!!! It must be doing good !!!

05-23-2006, 02:21 AM	#5 (permalink)
Jocasta Love Charlie Babbitt Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Shaftesbury Avenue Posts: 18,598 My Profile	Bravo, indeed! But from the great reviews I expected nothing less!

05-23-2006, 09:47 AM	#6 (permalink)
olive Posts: n/a	This play sounds intriguing, but I have to wonder how many people go with the sole intention of seeing Josh. I know if I was in NYC I would go to see it just to get the chance to see Josh in person, even though the play really does sound interesting. And that's OK, too. If Josh's clout fills seats, hey, he should be there for every performance. It is his project, too, after all.

05-24-2006, 04:11 AM	#7 (permalink)
Jocasta Love Charlie Babbitt Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Shaftesbury Avenue Posts: 18,598 My Profile	I confess if this production ever did come to London, the thought of maybe seeing Josh would be my main reason for buying a ticket but the play does sound well worth seeing in it's own right.

05-31-2006, 12:27 AM	#8 (permalink)
Plastic Flute ICHiBAN HoOT Join Date: May 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 13,821 My Profile	Another review..http://theater2.nytimes.com/2006/05/...ws/31lake.html

05-31-2006, 02:41 PM	#9 (permalink)
Jocasta Love Charlie Babbitt Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Shaftesbury Avenue Posts: 18,598 My Profile	Thanks for the review. More good vibes for Ham and Sam! And other review here.

05-31-2006, 02:52 PM	#10 (permalink)
aloha Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 18,388 My Profile	Haaaahhhh! It all sounds sooooo nice! But unfortunately I can´t see it here in Germany!!

06-01-2006, 03:06 AM	#11 (permalink)
Intensely Deceiving MIHO THE HARTNETT BUNNI!! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 1,584 My Profile	I wish I could go see it, but it's pretty doubtful that will happen. Anyway, thanks for the reviews! They're all so good!

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06-02-2006, 09:53 PM	#12 (permalink)
mplsgirl Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 222 My Profile	It's so cool to see this little play getting good press! From today's Startribune.com... Attaboy, Sam Paging through the New York Times, I.W. fell upon a nice review for "Ham Lake," a one-man show at the off-Broadway SoHo Playhouse featuring a Mr. Sam Rosen. Yes, it's the same Sam who grew up in Minneapolis and worked on local stages. "Ham Lake," which also received a great review in "Variety," takes its name from the northern Twin Cities suburb, where Rosen's character spins a barroom monologue that reveals his emotional scars. The 80-minute piece was co-written with fellow Minnesota transplant Nat Bennett and produced by Josh Hartnett, a friend of both guys. "It's good, man," Rosen said by phone. "Honestly, that we got a review, and that they printed it, and it was good -- that's huge. We hope it gets us an audience." Rosen hopes to bring the show to Minnesota within the next year; meantime, he and Bennett are adapting it as a screenplay.