A WAR OF WORDS BETWEEN BERNSTEIN
AND VON KARAJAN… AND THE AUDIENCE LOSES
Peter Danish‘s Last Call at New World Stages imagines a high-stakes intellectual showdown between two musical titans—Leonard Bernstein and Herbert von Karajan—in Sacher Hotel’s Blaue Bar in Vienna, 1988. On paper, this has the makings of an electrifying clash: a liberal Jewish New Yorker versus an erstwhile Nazi Party member, their artistic genius set against the weight of history. Instead, what unfolds is a plodding, talk-heavy rundown of biographical bullet points (“Remember when..?”) that fails to ignite real dramatic tension.
Helen Schneider as Leonard Bernstein, Victor Petersen
as Michael, and Lucca Züchner as Herbert von Karajan.
The most baffling choice? The casting of two illustrious German stage actresses—Helen Schneider as Bernstein and Lucca Züchner as von Karajan—is an experiment that, rather than illuminating new angles on these figures, only adds another layer of disconnect. The very thing Last Call requires—an uncanny sense that we are eavesdropping on these legendary men—is precisely what it lacks. Instead, the performances can unintentionally verge on caricature, diluting the gravitas of the material. Victor Petersen, at least, lends a grounded presence as a long-suffering waiter, offering a thankless role emotional weight with his astounding vocals.
Lucca Züchner and Victor Petersen
If Freud’s Last Session—about a Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis meeting—demonstrated anything, it’s that a two-hander of this nature only works if the illusion is total, if we truly feel the presence of the historical figures before us. Here, that magic never materializes. Director Gil Mehmert struggles to create dynamically motivated movement, leaving the actors with little to do beyond fetching drinks or heading to the bathroom. Speaking of which, Chris Barreca‘s set—featuring tables and floor patterns that look like Blaue Bar—fails to capture the elegance of the locale, given the peculiar use of the stage’s expansive width, making the tiny locale appear like it’s also used as a storage room. The most visually striking moment? A rotating bar revealing a gleaming tiled bathroom stall—only for von Karajan to relieve himself in it before the whole thing wheels back into a bar. (If this were Animal Farm, someone would have peed on the script.)
Lucca Züchner and Victor Petersen
Last Call is a fascinating idea in search of a compelling execution. With its current staging, however, it’s more lecture than drama—one that ultimately drowns in its own excess of exposition.
Lucca Züchner and Helen Schneider
photos by Maria Baranova
Last Call
New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St
90 minutes no intermission
ends on May 4, 2025
for tickets ($56-$119), visit Last Call the Play
