Theater Opinions/Commentary

[jo]

I've been thinking -- would THE GREATEST SHOWMAN bear some similarity to the spectacle of HELLO, DOLLY?

*It is also a period piece, probably set close to the same time period. Dolly would be turn of the 20th century while SHOWMAN happens from about 50 or so years earlier -- so costumes would bear some similarity and the look of that time in the tri-state. And the cultural look ( manners, etc) could have some striking resemblance?

*There would be the same level of spectacle via song and dance -- really big production numbers!

*There would be quite a few characters with his own little story background ( Dolly, Horace, Irene, Cornelius, Minnie, etc) -- there would be Barnum, Charity, Jenny, Philip ( Zac), Ann ( Zendaya) and The Bearded Lady.

*The musical score would be glorious and rousing...and hummable, very hummable

*But maybe the spectacle of the circus would be much grander than the Waiters Gallop at Harmonia Gardens and the Parade where Dolly sings her " Before the Parade Passes By"( did I get that song title right?)


*And... maybe SHOWMAN will have more contemporary dramatic highlights in its storyline, one of which would be the issue of inclusivity! The romance between Philip and Ann...the plight of the circus freaks... any rancor from the rumored infatuation with Jenny Lind...any family drama and triumphs... and all the difficulties and successes encountered by Barnum on his way to building the business of spectacle and entertainment called showbusiness!


If the similarities are as I hoped they would be - maybe it is also time for some original movie musicals in an old-fashioned setting with glorious music and spectacle! And that audiences would love SHOWMAN as much as they loved HD .... Plus the impact of drama could bring SHOWMAN closer to the Oscars

Jo

[jo]

On the other hand, the film adaptation of HELLO,DOLLY! was not a critical and commercial success --

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello,_Dolly!_(film)

Critical reception[edit]

The film received favorable reviews at the time of its release,[2] but some critics feel it was not a success as a musical, with Kelly and Kidd making little use of the widescreen format of the film. Critic Tom Santopietro described their approach as "shoveling more and more bodies on screen with no apparent purpose".[10] Vincent Canby in his New York Times review said that the producer and director "merely inflated the faults to elephantine proportions."[11]

In more recent years, Hello Dolly's critical reputation has cooled considerably; as of 2017, it holds a 41% "Rotten" rating on online review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10.[12] Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine said of the film: "More infamous for bringing Fox financially to its knees than for being the last major musical directed by Gene Kelly, Hello, Dolly! is one big-assed bull in a china shop. The film cost nearly as much to produce as Cleopatra and made far less at the box office, thus earning the film its reputation as one of Hollywood’s foremost turkeys."[13]



Box office[edit]


The film opened strongly and initially grossed more than The Sound of Music, but lost momentum and became a disappointment at the box office.[2] It grossed $33.2 million at the box office in the United States,[14] earning a theatrical rental (the distributor's share of the box office after deducting the exhibitor's cut)[15][16] of $15.2 million,[17][18] ranking it in the top five highest-grossing films of the 1969–1970 season.[18][19][3] In total, it earned $26 million in theatrical rentals for Fox,[14] against its $25.335 million production budget.[17] Despite performing well at the box office, it still lost its backers an estimated $10 million.[3]
The soundtrack album's sales also did not live up to expectations, and rose to only No. 49 on the Billboard chart.[2]


Awards and honors[edit]

Academy Awards

The film won three Academy Awards and was nominated for another four.[20][21]

Won
Best Art Direction - Set Decoration – John DeCuir, Jack Martin Smith, and Herman A. Blumenthal (Art Direction); Walter M. Scott, George James Hopkins, and Raphael Bretton (Set Decoration)
Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture – Lennie Hayton and Lionel Newman
Best Sound – Jack Solomon and Murray Spivack

Nominated
Best Picture – Ernest Lehman
Best Cinematography – Harry Stradling Sr. (posthumous nomination)
Best Costume Design – Irene Sharaff
Best Film Editing – William H. Reynolds

Other awards
23rd British Academy Film Awards[22]
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role – Barbra Streisand – Nomination
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role – Walter Matthau – Nomination (also for his role in The Secret Life of an American Wife)
BAFTA Award for Best Art Direction – John Decuir – Nomination
BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography – Harry Stradling – Nomination

27th Golden Globe Awards
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy Nomination
Golden Globe Award for Best Director – Gene Kelly – Nomination
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy – Barbra Streisand – Nomination
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture – Marianne McAndrew – Nomination
Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress – Marianne McAndrew – Nomination
Directors Guild of America Awards 1970

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film – Gene Kelly – Nomination
American Cinema Editors
Best Edited Feature Film – William H. Reynolds – Won
Others[edit]
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:
"Hello, Dolly!" – Nominated[23]
2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – Nominated[24]

Not sure if the comparison will be still valid -- it will likely depend on how musicals are perceived these days to be considered as winning! Has film culture taste changed? Is there more emphasis now on realism ( rather than just spectacle on a wide screen) and are characterizations as important? Les Miserables put a lot of emphasis on the characters, on the actors expressing their emotions via acting with singing only taking a complementary role.

We'll see how Gracey and company will project their cinematic and creative vision!


Jo

[mamaleh]

I remember at the time of filming DOLLY, there was much criticism of bypassing Carol Channing in favor of Hollywood's newest "funny girl," Barbra, who was really much too young to play the middle-aged widow. I like elements of the movie but on the whole it does seem bloated.

Incidentally, back in my school days, I caught the stage run of the original pretty late in the game after many cast changes, The "abominable showman" David Merrick (don't you love that name conferred on the legendary acerbic producer by critic Howard Kissel?), in a move aimed at bolstering the show's dwindling receipts, had the brilliant idea to mount what was, I think, the first all-black cast of a Broadway musical. Pearl Bailey turned things around and made it into an entirely new, fresh show.

I never really thought of SHOWMAN and DOLLY having similarities other than taking place in the 19th century and featuring a larger-than-life main character. Actually, I always thought DOLLY took place at the turn of the century, but a scrim curtain early in the revival sets the time as "1885." You're right, Jo, about the song title, "Before the Parade Passes By." In the movie, it's sung during the parade; in the show by Dolly, alone on the stage, before the parade.

Jo, what you mentioned about the weeks before the Tonys being the best time to see nominated shows was actually something discussed while on the standing room line. I had a very illuminating conversation with a person who joined the line about five minutes after I'd arrived. Turns out he's a member of the ensemble cast of PHANTOM down the block. Wednesday afternoons are the only weekday chance he has to see a show, since PHANTOM has Thursday, not Wednesday, matinees. He said one should definitely see a show, especially a star-driven vehicle, BEFORE the Tonys. Producers want Tony voters to get lots of opportunities to see the show in its best light, so absences pre-Tonys are extremely rare. Directly afterwards, however, it's a totally different ball game. You should never, he said, buy tickets for a show in the couple of weeks after the awards ceremony, as that is when everybody wants to finally "breathe." Translation: there's a good chance the star you came to see will be out. (Thankfully, Hugh never disappointed in that way.). My fellow standing room line occupant also told some eye-opening and hilarious stories.

As Mrs. J. illustrated in her short film, you really can meet interesting people on a standing room line.

Ellen

[jo]

Also, when your favorite performer is nominated and seems to have a solid chance to win, be sure to book for his/her show on the Tuesday after the TONYs. If you're lucky, your favorite could win...and it must be very exhilarating if and when she/he celebrates her/his win with the fans around

My comparison with DOLLY and SHOWMAN would be mostly on the grandeur of the bigtime musicals -- song and dance in spectacular production numbers...and a strong musical cast! I may be wrong, but I think that was maybe the main appeal of the billionaire musical ( Beauty and the Beast) -- grand sets and production numbers and of course a memorable score!

Hope the AMPAS oldtimers go for that ( hey, not for Beauty and the Beast...but for THE GREATEST SHOWMAN )



Jo

[mamaleh]

THE WHIRLIGIG is a new play by actor Hamish Linklater now running Off-Broadway at the Signature theater complex near Times Square. The staging is the first thing you notice: a young woman, sleeping in a hospital bed, rotates slowly, mesmerizingly, all around the stage for several minutes while you wonder what's going on. She turns out to be the daughter of Norbert Leo Butz and his estranged wife, played by Dolly Wells (the British TV news exec on BLUNT TALK). The stage keeps revolving as new characters--including the girl's attending physician and his brother--are introduced, each of whom is connected in some way to the her, for good or ill. When the stunning realization hits of how and why she is how she is, it packs a visceral wallop. I don't want to reveal too much more, as it's best for the audience to sort out the connections each character has to each other and especially the young woman. Norbert Leo Butz is excellent as the distraught father, and Zosia Mamet as his daughter's friend has some very effective and humorous moments. But she, as well as Dolly Wells, have audibility issues. They simply cannot project even to the tiny balcony in this small theater; I had to strain to hear some important dialogue. Even so, it's an absorbing, emotional show; definitely recommended.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

A DOLL'S HOUSE PART 2 was 90 minutes of solid theater, brilliantly entertaining. Laurie Metcalf deserves a Best Actress Tony, absolutely. And I'd love to see Jayne Houdyshell take Featured Actress. It doesn't matter whether you remember the events of Ibsen's A DOLL'S HOUSE, as the major events in that iconic and probably first-ever feminist play are covered in the beginning of this imaginative and often very funny "sequel." Nora, who famously slammed the door and left her husband and children to find an independent life, returns after 15 years because she needs a certain document from her ex. Although the play is set in an earlier century, the dialogue is all in contemporary-speak, complete with epithets that elicit lots of laughs. Ibsen fans can breathe a sigh of relief: The unexpected humor does not take anything away from the serious underlying themes. I'm rooting for this one to win the Best Play Tony.

THE GOLDEN APPLE has become a cult musical in the 63 years since its initial NY production. I'm told the rarely performed sung-through show was the first to ever transfer from Off-Broadway to Broadway--where it quickly died after a relative handful of performances. I can see why, judging from the City Center Encores! production I caught last night. The music is fabulous, but the story, such as it is, is pretty confusing as well as pretentious. It's a mashup of Homer's THE ILIAD and THE ODYSSEY with characters named Helen, Ulysses, Paris, Menelaus (sound familiar?) transposed to Mt. Olympus, Washington State, just after the Spanish-American War. Lindsay Mendez, as the flirtatious Helen, does a beautiful job on the one song from the score that became a standard: "Lazy Afternoon." There are modern takes on Scylla and Charybdis. Circe and other Homerican conventions that manifest in, by turns, operatic, vaudevillian, ragtime, hoedown, etc., numbers, one after the other, in Act II. I had never heard or seen a production of THE GOLDEN APPLE until last evening. I doubt I'll ever have the opportunity or the inclination to revisit it--except maybe a recording, just to hear the songs that deserved a better written show.

Ellen

[jo]

Andy Karl/Anderson Cooper/Hugh Jackman!

www.broadway.com/buzz/188599/groundhog-day-tony-nominee-andy-karl-i-look-like-hugh-jackman-anderson-coopers-love-child/

[mamaleh]

Hilarious anecdote. Thanks, Jo.

For some reason I'd never seen either the movie version of SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION or the original play back in the early '90s, so I was curious to see the revival. The entire cast is wonderful, especially Allison Janney as an upper middle-class denizen of Central Park West who enjoys her extravagant lifestyle but is blind to other aspects of life that could enrich her in other ways. Her art-dealer husband (the equally wonderful John Benjamin Hickey) is anxious to make a spectacular deal on a Cezanne when Paul, a young black man in his late teens, bursts into their lives, convincing them he was mugged -- hence no ID -- and is friends with the couple's son and daughter at Harvard. Plus, he says he's the son of Sidney Poitier. Now, if this play were being done today, his info could be ready checked and disproved. But because the play would end right there, it's still set in 1990. The couple believes him, and as it turns out, he's pulled the same fraud on other chi-chi couples in the area--in one case, to a tragic end. Janney's character, however, comes to see something special in Paul. It's all played out beautifully on stage at the Barrymore. Recommended.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Matthew Perry (FRIENDS) makes his NY stage debut Off-Broadway at the Lortel in THE END OF LONGING, which he also wrote. It enjoyed a healthy run in London earlier this year, and has just extended at the Lortel. I have to think that extension is due to curiosity on the part of Perry fans to see if he could write a play and also the chance to see "Chandler" in person. When a lead character (played by Perry) shouts a lot, that's a pretty clear indication of a not-so-hot evening to come. There are some good moments in this dramedy, but too much of it consists of set-up/joke, set-up/joke, set-up/joke in rapid succession. The plot was also marred by implausibilities. For example, high-class escorts would not, I think, look like Jennifer Morrison (ONCE UPON A TIME, HOUSE), nor would they immediately fall for a drunken failure (Perry's character). And the reason for Perry's lifetime of drinking is weak at best. The best performance is given by someone I hadn't heard of, Quincy Dunn-Baker, who plays Perry's dim-witted but faithful friend. He seemed the most authentic of the four characters on stage. Not really recommended unless you've always wanted to see Perry on stage. Try for a discount, if so. My title choice would have been LONGING FOR THE END.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

From the ridiculous to the sublime: INDECENT, written by Paula Vogel, deserves its Best Play Tony nomination. The exquisitely staged and acted drama with musical cabaret interludes tells the true tale of the first lesbian kiss depicted on the NY stage in a play called GOD OF VENGEANCE in 1907 and the arrests and public outrage that followed. The original play was presented in the era of a thriving Yiddish Theater on NY's Lower East Side. The ensuing uproar over the "indecent" scene was unfortunately intensified by growing antisemitic and anti-immigrant sentiment of the era. INDECENT's cast has no stars but features Katrina Lenk, so good in THE BAND'S VISIT Off-Broadway, soon to be on Broadway. Definitely recommended. At the Cort theater.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

THE ARTIFICIAL JUNGLE, a revival of the camp classic from the late Charles Ludlam's Ridiculous Theatrical Company (I was a big fan), is playing at the Clurman on 42nd Street. It's still a very funny play that pokes fun at '40s film noir tropes, although I did miss the presence of the brilliant Ludlam. His protege Everett Quinton directed the revival in the Ludlam style, so that's a plus. The actors are adept farceurs. I noted in the program that the play is being presented by Theater Breaking Through Barriers, which regularly employs actors with physical disabilities. Very commendable.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

ANASTASIA is a gorgeous, bountiful and tuneful musical that retells the well-known legend of the young amnesiac woman who may or may not have been the only surviving member of the royal Romanov family of imperial Russia. (DNA put the legend to rest decades later, but never mind.). The acting, singing, sets and costumes are all amazingly good. Christy Altomare in the title role is perfect,. It was fun to see John Bolton as a phony count chasing after former royal Caroline O'Connor; he had been The Okd Man and she the teacher who said "You'll shoot your eye out, kid" in the musical version of A CHRISTMAS STORY.

Derek Kkena is the young con man who falls for his creation and Ramin Karimloo is the communist officer who can't decide whether head or heart rules when it comes to Anya, as the would-be Anastasia is known. The Ahrens-Flaherty score is lovely and fun. Recommended.

BTW, it's not advertised, but the show offers standing room for $35. It's a great view at a bargain price. At the Broadhurst (where Hugh did his one-man show.)

Ellen

[mamaleh]

If you like Michael Urie or ultra-silly but hilarious satire and farce, I heartily recommend a new revival of Gogol's satire of corruption by government officials in small-town Russia in the 19th century. THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR, Off-Broadway at the Duke on 42nd Street, had me laughing every few seconds at either a very funny line or bit of outrageous physical comedy in the tradition of the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges, but oddly with a serious undertone poking fun at corrupt governmental systems. The very adept cast also includes Michael McGrath and Mary Testa. This is one of the best comedies I have seen in recent years, a true delight.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

NAPOLI, BROOKLYN is a drama about a lower middle-class Italian family living in Park Slope, Brooklyn, in 1960. Dad is a hothead who rules his three daughters with an iron fist--sometimes literally. The mom tries in her own way to understand her three very different offspring and make things better for them, with varying degrees of success. It's a fairly absorbing play (Off-Broadway at the Roundabout-Pels) but not what I'd call a must-see. Warning and possible spoiler: Those who are sensitive to sudden loud sounds may want to skip this one.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Another show that doesn't list standing room as an option but does offer it: the musical CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, for which I bought a $30 standing room ticket yesterday. It takes a while to get really interesting, but in Act II Christian Borle as Willy Wonka really lets 'er rip and is delightful--as in delightfully nasty to the unbearable urchins who acquire a golden ticket and tour his chocolate factory. The score is largely original, with most songs by the talented Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (HAIRSPRAY, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN), along with a few familiar ones from the Gene Wilder movie ("Candy Man," "Pure Imagination"). The Oompa Loompas are rendered by clever Basil Twist puppetry. Unfortunately, too many lyrics are sung by choruses, making a good deal of them difficult to discern. And Borle has a rapid-fire number or two for which I would love to read the lyrics if they're printed anywhere. On the whole the show is not quite so clever as I hoped it would be, but Borle and Jackie Hoffman as the ever-tippling Mrs. Teavee (Mamacita in the recent FEUD TV miniseries) and some imaginative staging are worth the price of at least a discount admission. The place was filled with kids and parents having a great time, but I managed to spot an empty orchestra seat for Act II.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

After several unsuccessful tries, I finally was able to access a Today Tix rush seat for THE LITTLE FOXES. Laura Linney and Cynthia Nixon alternate in the lead, and I definitely preferred seeing Ms. Linney as heroine/anti-heroine Regina. She did not disappoint. What a ball of fire. Yes, she's a schemer, as are her brothers, but as written by Lillian Hellman, a Southern woman in the late 19th century was invariably overlooked in her parent's will, so she had to fight for everything she attained. Beautiful performances from all involved including Richard Thomas as Regina's sickly husband. The limited engagement is running only through July 2. Hint: You have to be really fast at the fingers on your phone in the Today Tix app to score a $30 seat (plus fee). Good luck! At the Friedman theater. Definitely recommended.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

FULFILLMENT CENTER in a tiny theater at the City Center complex is an engrossing character study with truly sublime acting. The play itself doesn't really go anywhere, but that's pretty much metaphorical of the characters: a young man stuck in a high-pressure, low-paying job; his restless would-be fiancee who has traveled across the country to be with him, yet seeks out exciting male companionship on the Internet; a handyman who may be barely keeping a lid on a dangerously violent aspect of his personality; and most of all a "woman of a certain age" (as she refers to herself) who has made a career out of bad choices. Their lives intersect at a fulfillment center that distributes packages to much of the Southwest.

Also at City Center, I caught one of the handful of summer Encores! Off-Center performances of Stephen Sondheim's ASSASSINS. The stellar cast includes Steven Pasquale as John Wilkes Booth; Victoria Clark as wacky Sara Jane ("Jinky") Moore, who set out to attack President Ford; and Shuler Hensley as Leon Czolgolsz, the assassin of President McKinley. The show is an acquired taste for many, but it's a fascinating look at the lengths some unhinged people will go to gain attention and fame, even if they don't even dislike their current president. Pasquale (BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM) shines especially brightly. What a shame he decided to drop out of City Center's fall production of BRIGADOON in favor of a straight play, however good that may turn out to be. His voice is absolutely thrilling.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Decided to give a New York Musical Theater Festival show a try, part of the annual summer festival featuring new musicals that play for a handful of performances. Some have gone on to commercial runs Off Broadway and on Broadway (NEXT TO NORMAL). The one I sampled today, MY DEAR WATSON, is a so-so show about the friendship between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The lead actor didn't especially fit my image of Holmes; he looked more like a cross between Jose Ferrer and F. Murray Abraham. The music was serviceable if not particularly distinguished. I don't see any commercial possibilities for this one, but then I'm a sucker for anything involving one of my favorite fictional characters---that's why I opted. Last performance was today.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

A revival of Horton Foote's charming play THE TRAVELING LADY is soon ending its run at the Cherry Lane theater in the West Village. The comedy-drama, by the playwright of THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL and many other plays about rural people living day to day, is a sweet but not saccharine story of a young woman anxious to be reunited with her husband, newly released from prison. With her little girl in tow, whom her husband has never seen, she has traveled to his hometown to await his release. But their reunion holds surprises. The cast, including Annette O'Toole and Lynn Cohen, is uniformly excellent and ingratiating. Recommended.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

PRINCE OF BROADWAY is a sort of greatest hits (and flops) of shows that Hal Prince has worked on during his seven decades as a theatrical producer and director. The performers are all quite good, especially Tony Yazbeck, who proverbially brings down the house with the angry song/dance from FOLLIES, 'The Right Girl." Other highlights: Karen Ziemba as Mrs. Lovett telling Sweeney Todd about "The Worst Pies in London" and Chuck Cooper as the first black Tevye I've ever seen in the FIDDLER ON THE ROOF segment. Michael Xavier, recently Joe Gillis in the Broadway revival, sang a delightful "You Must Meet My Wife" (A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC), and Brandon Uranowitz (FALSETTOS, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS) made for a lovable George nervously awaiting a date in "Tonight at Eight" (SHE LOVES ME.) Other shows represented include DAMN YANKEES, WEST SIDE STORY, CABARET and COMPANY.

Side note: I felt a moment of sadness during the SHE LOVES ME segments, remembering how I'd spent countless hours as an adolescent listening to the now late Barbara Cook on the original cast album.

This one is for lovers of musicals.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Recently revisited GROUNDHOG DAY, still a lot of fun with great performances, especially by Andy Karl. Too bad it's ending this Sunday. I'm also making a second trip to BANDSTAND, another show unfortunately closing on Sunday that borders on excellent, most notably for its '40s vibes, spectacular swing choreography and very rare depiction of veterans trying to adjust to civilian life.

I got a comp to MICHAEL MOORE: THE TERMS OF MY SURRENDER, so I went. He makes some valid points, but I find him largely annoying and sanctimonious, so I was not the ideal audience for his political polemic. Parts of his show were funny--his Seinfeld-like take on the TSA, a game show with a Canadian vs. a guy from New Jersey--but way too much time was spent being, well, Moore. If you like him, you'll eat this show up with a spoon and have a great time. If you don't, let's just say 2-1/2 hours (without intermission, no less) will have you checking your watch.
At the Belasco.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

I caught the first preview of Roundabout's revival of TIME AND THE CONWAYS at the American Airlines theater. I had never heard of this 1937 play by J. B. Priestley but was curious to see Elizabeth McGovern (DOWNTON ABBEY) on stage. It's a well-constructed play that takes place in two time periods: the end of World War I and 1937. A family high on the social register looks forward to decades of continued plenty, only to see that time has a way of playing tricks. The cast is quite good, although I thought McGovern overacted a bit. But this was only the first performance, so I trust she'll be more modulated soon. For me, the big surprise was Steven Boyer, hilarious as the teen in thrall to an evil puppet in HAND TO GOD. He absolutely nails the role of a member of the lower classes who desperately wants a taste of the high life. Recommended.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

LOVELESS TEXAS finished its Off-Off Broadway run at the Sheen Center downtown over the weekend, where I caught the penultimate performance. I wasn't sure what to expect of this musical based on Shakespeare's LOVE'S LABOR'S LOST transplanted to 1929 Texas, but I had a great time. The score is full of toe-tapping country-western numbers and melodious ballads sung by very strong voices belonging to actors unknown to me. I truly hope this little gem finds a berth Off-Broadway so it can settle down for an open-ended run. Yee-hah!

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Well, who'd have thought there's be a double helping of the Bard country-western style this season? On the heels of the great time I had at LOVELESS TEXAS comes another fun evening, this time set in the Old West, at the York Theater's DESPERATE MEASURES, based on Shakespeare's MEASURE FOR MEASURE. The score is a more commercial-sounding mix of foot-stomping numbers along with traditional-style Broadway songs, all of which are engagingly performed by an expert cast of farceurs/singers. Even so, the standout for me was Lauren Molina as a good-time gal who poses as a nun to save her boyfriend. She had me in proverbial stitches. The dialogue stays true to its source, rendered almost entirely in clever, contemporary-speak rhyming couplets. The whimsical, often hilarious direction and choreography added greatly to my enjoyment. Don't miss this one; the run ends October 15.

THE CLIMBERS, at the Metropolitan Playhouse on the Lower East Side, offers a rarely revived 1901 play by Clyde Fitch, whose name I recognized only because he is referenced as being old-fashioned in ALL ABOUT EVE. But there's nothing creaky about this surprisingly relevant play about well-to-do and social climbing New Yorkers facing disgrace and ruin over financial improprieties, and the role of women in society. It's a trifle overlong, but definitely recommended.

THE LAST MATCH at the Roundabout Pels deals with the fervent rivalry between two competitors at the US Open, one a former American golden boy trying for one last victory and the other an up-and-coming Russian player. Rounding out the four-person cast are the women in their lives. I got a special kick out of the Russian girlfriend, who has all the best and funniest lines in this drama. It's not great theater but it mostly held my interest.

Ellen

[jo]

THE LAST MATCH at the Roundabout Pels deals with the fervent rivalry between two competitors at the US Open, one a former American golden boy trying for one last victory and the other an up-and-coming Russian player. Rounding out the four-person cast are the women in their lives. I got a special kick out of the Russian girlfriend, who has all the best and funniest lines in this drama. It's not great theater but it mostly held my interest.

It's the US TENNIS Open? It sounds a little similar to the theme of the musical CHESS, in that there was a match between an American and a Russian Grandmaster and involved the two women who supported them.

Back to tennis -- the recent US Open was won by Rafa Nadal. In a recent meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister, President Trump was quoted :

'Do you know who is my favourite sportsman? Rafael Nadal. I like Rafa. He is a guy who always, always wants to win. He is a winner,' added Trump, who before becoming the American President often attended US Open matches, where Nadal won his 16th Grand Slam in September 2017.

I guess sports is interesting because in a way it does mirror life to a great extent -- the determination to rise above everything else.


Jo