Theater Opinions/Commentary

[mamaleh]

The team behind HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH has a new rock musical Off-Broadway at the Atlantic, so I decided to give it a try. THIS AINT NO DISCO, set in the legendary Studio 54 in its ‘70s heyday under owner Steve Rubell, has a few good songs and powerful performances, but overall it’s unfocused and needs trimming. While Rubell is a character in the show, a figure referred to only as “The Artist” is obviously modeled on Andy Warhol. I saw the second preview, so with time it may prove a winner.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

I never saw the original Broadway mounting of SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE, so I was curious to see this Off-Broadway revival. It's basically a do-wopp jukebox revue with some clever choreography and talented singers. But ultimately it's a rather forgettable plotless affair.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

I decided to try the lottery for SUMMER: THE DONNA SUMMER MUSICAL and won. I'd also learned that a few friends had won, and on their first tries, as I did. Hmmmm. After seeing it last night, I can understand why its producers offer so many lottery seats. Aside from some exciting, ably performed disco numbers, Summer's greatest hits, the show is basically insipid, dumb and full of trite dialogue that goes for platitudes rather than meaningful examination of a life. LaChanze, who plays the disco queen in her maturity, manages to overcome many of the show's negatives, but overall SUMMER comes over as an inept mess.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Because the original production of ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER opened before I was allowed to venture solo into Manhattan, I never got to see it, only listened incessantly to the original cast recording. I did see a god-awful "revisal" several years ago that's better left forgotten. Yesterday I caught the Irish Repertory Theater's Off-B'way revival of the original piece, albeit somewhat rewritten and slightly truncated. Yes, a few songs were eliminated and one added from the OK-ish 1970 movie version that starred Barbra Streisand, but the bulk of Burton Lane's gorgeous melodies remain, with witty lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. Melissa Errico and Stephen Bogardus, as respectively Daisy Gamble, who's looking to stop smoking, and her psychiatrist-hypnotist, were topnotch. It's a small-scale production, but that only adds to its charm. OK, the book is a little creaky, even with a bit of updating and editing, but oh, that score. They don't make 'em like that anymore. "What Did I Have That I Don't Have", "Come Back to Me" and of course the title tune are only a few of the show's hummable songs. And for purely lush melody, there's the gorgeous ballad "She Wasn't You," still among my all-time top ten favorite show tunes. Definitely recommended!

Ellen

[mamaleh]

I rushed PRETTY WOMAN, a new Broadway musical based on the 1990 megahit movie starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. Discounts are hard to come by, so if that's a factor, I would try for the $42 rush, and not only to save money. Also consider location, location, location: Rush is the first row of the orchestra. OK, the stage is rather high, so you do need to look upwards much of the time. But that can be somewhat mitigated by picking up a booster cushion upon entering the Nederlander Theater. I had heard mixed things about the show during its Chicago tryout, so I had iffy expectations. Instead, I was happily surprised. Samantha Barks (Eponine in the musical movie version of LES MISERABLES) is amazingly good as the prostitute who learns to value herself and falls in love with her employer for the week, played by Andy Karl, who was so wonderful in the ROCKY and GROUNDHOG DAY musicals. He does not disappoint here. The two stars are both consummate actors and singers. The supporting players, Orfeh (Mrs. Karl in real life) and Eric Anderson are delightful. Anderson, in particular, is a scene-stealer in several roles. I would not be surprised if he were nominated for a Featured Actor Tony come next June. I found the pop-, soft rock- and country-infused score by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance more melodic than some recent scores from hit shows. The direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell (KINKY BOOTS, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, HAIRSPRAY) are top notch, helping to keep at bay the nagging reality that the show necessarily downplays the seamy side of the oldest profession.

Recommended.

Ellen

[jo]

Good to hear excellent news about the stage adaptation of PRETTY WOMAN. Those who have seen the Broadway version are mostly positive about it and it seems it is able to cross the $ 1 million level on a weekly basis.

Hope it turns out to be not just a critical and commercial success but that it can also win some awards come TONY time. However, there was some rumor/early news that Sammy is going to be in a film...and may not be on a continuous run with the show.

It is pretty sure that Valjean will turn up sometime soon to see Eponine


Jo

[mamaleh]

Finally won the Today Tix rush lottery for STRAIGHT WHITE MEN, an amusing serio-comedy that puts a different spin on the familiar theme of the interaction of fathers with their adults sons. I was seated in the first row, a great location for observing the often raucous goings-on that occur over a family's Christmas holiday. I got a kick out of seeing Armie Hammer--who appears to tower over his costars including Josh Charles--jumping over coffee tables, armchairs and generally horsing around with his brothers as perennial adolescents while the play subtley explores the themes of privilege, fairness and vying for success. The cast is uniformly good. I believe the run ends the second week in September. Recommended.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Scored the Today Tix rush again, this time for HEAD OVER HEELS. The musical uses the Go-Go's 1980s bouncy pop rock songs as backdrop for a campy, LGBTQ-infused fun romp through Arcadia, fabled region of ancient Grecian mythology where the gods played tricks with mortals, even the royal family. Jeremy Kushnier and Rachel York, as Arcadia's king and queen, head a very able cast as they fumble, sing and dance through hilarious romantic entanglements while the king tries to save his kingdom from the doom prophesied by Pythio, the Oracle at Delphi. Pythio is played exuberantly by Peppermint of RuPAUL'S DRAG RACE fame. Special mention must be made of Bonnie Milligan, an absolute hoot as the elder princess with an attitude; and Andrew Durand as a shepherd caught up in sexual confusion. If you're in the mood for goofy fun that doesn't require a lot of thinking, this show fits the bill. At the Hudson Theater on W. 44th St.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Janet McTeer will likely be nominated (IMHO) for a Tony for her dynamic performance as legendary 19th century actress, the Divine Sarah (Bernhardt) in Roundabout's BERNHARDT/HAMLET at the American Airlines Theater. It's the essentially true story of the French performer, then considered the premiere female who ever trod the boards, who defied stereotypes and social convention to dare to play Hamlet in Paris. The dialogue is witty, the pacing is sharp, and there are more laughs than I had imagined. Ms. McTeer is a delight.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Recent roundup:
THE NAP nearly induced one. I was expecting hijinks akin to those abounding in playwright Richard Bean's ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS, but they are nowhere to be found in this (very) slightly comic look at the game of snooker (similar to billiards) in England. A young would-be champ must deal with a criminal who wants him to throw a championship round. Don't bother. At the Friedman Theater.

APOLOGIA stars the eminent Stockard Channing as a '60s radical whose two grown twin sons, both played by Hugh Dancy, have come to resent what they view as her neglect of them in favor of activism and her career as an art historian. Despite the heavy theme, there are numerous funny lines and situations, mostly thanks to scene-stealing John Tillinger as Channing's old partner in protest. At Roundabout's Pels Theater.

LIFESPAN OF A FACT features great performances from Daniel Radcliffe, Bobby Cannavale and Cherry Jones. Radcliffe is an overly eager fact-checker intern who is driving essayist Cannavale nuts with his nit-picking. Or is it? The play (mostly) humorously explores the world of literary non-fiction and the ever-present journalistic ethics question: Is it OK to embellish a "true" story with colorful pieces of information that may or may not be true? Does engaging the reader emotionally supersede the need for authenticity? It sounds like a dry subject but the play--at least the first two thirds, before it becomes more serious--is often very funny as Radcliffe goes to extremes on his job. At Studio 54. Established ticket prices are high, so I recommend rushing. It's a great deal for $40.

THE WAVERLY GALLERY is a revival of a Kenneth Lonergan (MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, THIS IS OUR YOUTH, GANGS OF NEW YORK) play I'd never seen. It's absolutely hilarious and yet touching in its treatment of a family dealing with the mounting eccentricities of its matriarch, played by 86-year-old Elaine May to perfection. (How she can memorize all those lines at that age is beyond amazing.). Dementia should not be a humorous subject, but somehow here it is, thanks to brilliantly natural-sounding dialogue and authentic situations and reactions to them. The performances are top notch: Lucas Hedges is the understanding grandson/narrator, Joan Allen is his stressed-out mom, noted director David Cromer returns to acting as Hedges' stepdad, and Michael Cera is a befuddled artist looking to place his paintings in a West Village gallery run by the elderly May (hence the title). Highly recommended. At the Golden Theater.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Stayed in-state to see PAMELA'S FIRST MUSICAL at the Twin River Theater in Red Bank, NJ. I had heard of this children's book but have never read it. It was conceived and written as a musical back in the '90s but its planned first production was canceled when composer Cy Coleman died suddenly of a heart attack. So the production at Twin River is actually the world premiere, with music by Coleman and lyrics by the witty David Zippel. I had been a big fan of the duo's CITY OF ANGELS back in the '90s so had high hopes for this show, especially since the cast boasted Carolee Carmello (FINDING NEVERLAND, TUCK EVERLASTING, PARADE) as an Auntie Mame-type; Howard McGilliin (long B'way's Phantom of the Opera) in twin roles as the eponymous youngster's dad and a hammy star of her first B'way experience; David Garrison (erstwhile Wizard in WICKED); and for me, most notably, Michael Mulheren, a favorite since THE BOY FROM OZ, as a theater director. Unfortunately, after a promising start, the show falls flat in its most important respects: the book and melodies--both rather blah. Many of Zippel's lyrics, however, are clever and heartfelt. But that's simply not enough to save the show.

A LOVELY SUNDAY FOR CREVE COEUR is a revival of a little-produced Tennessee Williams one-acter at the Theater at St. Clements. I'm happy to report that it's a gem, enacted by four women with varying success. Best of all is one of my favorite actresses, Kristine Nielsen, as Bodey, a middle-aged, German-American woman sharing somewhat drab quarters (it's all they can afford) during the Depression with local high school civics teacher Dottie in a rundown ethnic neighborhood in St. Louis. Bodey keeps trying desperately to fix up her unattractive, beer-guzzling brother Buddy with the younger Dottie, a Memphis native who will have none of it since she has her heart set on the dashing school principal. Unfortunately, the actress playing the pivotal role of Dottie, Jean Lichty, is probably the weakest link in the cast owing to her overly thick and too-breathy southern accent, which makes for relatively poor understandability past the first few rows. Polly McKie is a distraught upstairs neighbor, most of whose dialogue is in German but context drives home the meaning in her hysterics. Annette O'Toole, whom I will always remember as the redhead from the film SMILE, rounds out the cast as a fellow teacher with aspirations to high society. Despite its flaws, the play is nonetheless a real charmer, funny and poignant. Recommended.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

AMERICAN SON at the Booth Theatre boasts powerful performances from Kerry Washington and Steven Pasquale as estranged parents of an 18-year-old son whose whereabouts remain a mystery as they wait nervously in a Florida police station. The car the boy was driving, registered to his dad, has been involved in a police incident, but the officers can't or won't release any more information. As the parents grow more and more desperate to learn what is going on, tensions mount over race (one parents is white, one is black), class, police relations with minority communities and other social issues, building until a shattering climax. Highly recommended.

KING KONG, the new musical at the Broadway Theatre, is visually spectacular, mostly because of an amazing giant puppet. Kong is so big, with almost lifelike moving parts, that it takes 14 puppeteers to handle it at every performance. The other saving grace of this mammoth production are the set design and especially the special effects and lighting. The music is pretty much forgettable while the dancing and the acting/singing performances are just OK. The second act has a lull in which the heroine (the Ann Darrow character, just like in the '30s film) sings several redundant self-empowerment and soul-searching ballads that seemed interchangeable. If you get a hefty discount, go just to see the eye-popping effects and puppetry on a level I'd never before experienced.

TORCH SONG is a slightly pared down version of Harvey Fierstein's seminal comedy-drama about the tribulations of gay life well before the LGBTQ movement. TORCH SONG TRILOGY. In the current production at the Helen Hayes Theater, Michael Urie plays Fierstein's classic role of Arnold, a drag queen looking for true love in the 1970s and '80s. Urie 's voice, of course, is nothing like Fierstein's, so I'm wondering why they retained the line, spoken by Arnold's future lover, "Is that your natural voice or do you have a cold or something?" I remember its getting a big laugh in the early '80s production I saw, but not so much now, for obvious reasons. But it's a marvelous production, moving and often very funny. Mecedes Ruehl enters late as Arnold's mother, a steamroller of a matriarch whose social views clash with her son's. She and Urie are excellent, although Urie's physical gestures, arms flailing everywhere, are a little overdone and eventually border on cartoonish. One especially hilarious scene has a reluctant Arnold wending his way through the very dark "back room" of a gay club. That scene alone is worth the price of admission. Recommended.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Jez Butterworth's follow-up to THE RIVER is an enthralling, tension-filled and beautifully acted drama, THE FERRYMAN. I can see why it has garnered great reviews, both first in London and now on Broadway. (I have to admit I enjoyed it more than the head-scratcher THE RIVER, as it is much more linear and clear cut.). The play centers on a large Catholic family, the Carneys, in early 1980s Northern Ireland during the "Troubles," a politically violent period of conflict between Irish nationalists/republicans and Ulster unionists/loyalists. Besides bombings in town, young men have been disappearing. One who had disappeared a decade earlier was the husband of Caitlin Carney (played by Laura Donnelly of THE RIVER) who, with her son, moved in with her brother, his wife and their seven children. New information comes to light, roiling the family and questioning their loyalties. Very much recommended. Don't let the three and a quarter hours running time put you off--the time flies by. At the Jacobs Theater.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

The stage version of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD nearly didn't make it to Broadway. Reports were that the estate of Harper Lee was not on board with some of the changes playwright Aaron Sorkin made to the character of Atticus Finch. Well, the text was obviously worked out to the satisfaction of both parties. I caught a recent preview performance of the Lincoln Center production at the Shubert Theatre and am happy to report that all is well with Atticus, Scout, Jem, Dill, et. al. The only tinkering I could see was the creation of a bit more of a character arc for Atticus. It's nothing major but just enough to see how his feelings about his friends and neighbors morph over several months. Jeff Daniels is a wonderful Atticus, and the rest of the cast is equally up to snuff. Interestingly, the children--Scout, Jem, Dill--are played by youngish adults who display the body language of rambunctious kids, so it works. Plus, Scout is remembering what happened decades ago, so it's only fitting that the remembrances are those of an adult looking back. No matter how familiar you are with the novel or the Gregory Peck movie, this is a well-acted, thoughtful, often searing dramatization of the classic novel. Highly recommended.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

NETWORK with Bryan Cranston as crazed TV newsman Howard Beale—the role for which Peter Finch won a posthumous Oscar—is mesmerizing theater. The audience even becomes part of the show in this immersive, interactive production. Tony Goldwyn costars as Cranston’s longtime friend and boss, with Tatiana Maslany as the fiercely career-driven programmer who sees her fortune rising along with Cranston’s star until the latter’s eccentricities threaten her position. The staging is kinetic, constantly swirling with action simultaneously projected on a large screen. Highly recommended. At the Belasco. Note: comfy standing room affords a perfect, unobstructed view of the stage for two hours at just $40.

Ellen

[alma]

This is interesting.
I’m ambivalent, because I don’t want anyone messing with my (possibly) favorite musical, particularly Trevor Nunn’s/ HJ’s version.
The author of this article is comparing THIS version with “...the way it is usually played.” I think she is comparing it to any of a number of stagings, but it certainly doesn’t sound like she’s comparing the Curly here to Hugh’s portrayal.
Helen, you are our expert on all things Broadway (even off-Broadway, too! ). Have you seen this yet? I’m really interested in hearing your point of view.

www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/22/daniel-fishs-dark-take-on-oklahoma

Alma

P.S. Posting also on the Oklahoma! thread.

[mamaleh]

I haven’t seen that new take on OKLAHOMA!. It’s been running in Brooklyn’s DUMBO section at St. Ann’s Warehouse, an area I’m not too comfortable negotiating. But it’s going to move to Broadway, so it’s possible I may catch it there—although I have mixed feelings. I thought Trevor Nunn’s production was rather dark and authentic itself. I’m not sure I truly want to see this new production.

If curiosity wins out and I do see it, I’ll certainly post my opinions here.

Ellen

[alma]

I get you, Helen. I agree that Trevor Nunn’s version was already ‘realistic’ enough.
Why is everyone trying to spoil things by making them dark and scary? Is it just to attract attention? Possibly. Take something immensely well-known and loved, give it a dark twist, and you’ll have people talking about you. Anything to get famous. What’s up with these people?
Reminded me of when they dragged Sesame Street through the sewage of someone’s sick mind and called it ‘comedy’. That urge to turn everything into cheap garbage...
I think Oklahoma! was created as fun entertainment, though not the slapstick, pie-in-the face kind of show made for crude, easy laughs.
It touched serious matters in a classy way. And the music is lovely. It’s a masterpiece that should be respected.
Always look forward to your comments, Ellen.

Alma

[jo]

Isn't this Oklahoma! moving into CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE, whose one of its former residents was THE MAN in THE RIVER?

BWW readers have posted many pros and cons opinions on this production --

www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.php?thread=1113821&dt=61



Re the production - I am also more of a traditionalist - I don't generally like putting period pieces into modern settings.


JO

[mamaleh]

Caught THE CHER SHOW a couple of weeks ago, the bio-musical that, like BEAUTIFUL (also very good) and SUMMER (pretty much forgettable), traces the life and career of one of the biggest pop icons of the past several decades. Stephanie J. Block (who can ever forget her Liza Minnelli opposite HJ's Pete Allen?) truly shines as the superstar in her post-Sonny Bono years; two other actresses nearly as good play Cher as a youngster and during the Bono years. Loved seeing Stephanie in those fabulous, often way-out Bob Mackie creations that I remember from the pages of People and most every other popular magazine through the decades. She's in great voice, too, and sounds eerily like Cher: perfect casting. The book may be a bit silly at times, but it's an entertaining look at an improbable and amazing life. Recommended.

Ellen

[hughmanity]

Saw it a week ago, Ellen, and had very similar reaction.  Went with two other couples and all the guys enjoyed it as well.  

Jan 4, 2019 16:04:23 GMT -5 mamaleh said:

Caught THE CHER SHOW a couple of weeks ago, the bio-musical that, like BEAUTIFUL (also very good) and SUMMER (pretty much forgettable), traces the life and career of one of the biggest pop icons of the past several decades. Stephanie J. Block (who can ever forget her Liza Minnelli opposite HJ's Pete Allen?) truly shines as the superstar in her post-Sonny Bono years; two other actresses nearly as good play Cher as a youngster and during the Bono years. Loved seeing Stephanie in those fabulous, often way-out Bob Mackie creations that I remember from the pages of People and most every other popular magazine through the decades. She's in great voice, too, and sounds eerily like Cher: perfect casting. The book may be a bit silly at times, but it's an entertaining look at an improbable and amazing life. Recommended.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

My husband liked it, too. Proof positive: he didn’t fall asleep.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Caught the delightful, uplifting original (!) musical THE PROM at the Lomgacre Theater via rush. Beth Leavel, Brooks Ashmanskas and Christopher Seiber head a great cast. The story has to do with narcissistic Broadway actors seeking to upgrade their likability by championing a cause for the positive PR it will bring them. That cause turns out to be helping an ostracized lesbian high schooler in Indiana go to the prom with a same-sex date of her choosing. Needless to say, it’s the actors who get schooled. The show is alternately very funny (mostly thanks to the hilarious Ashmanskas and Leavel) and quite touching, with some tuneful songs and exuberant dancing. Recommended.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Recent excursions:

CALL ME MADAM at City Center Encores!'s was an absolute delight. Carmen Cusack, so good in BRIGHT STAR, is wonderful in the fabled Ethel Merman role of the "chosen party giver for the White House clientele" circa President Truman's administration, newly named as ambassador to the tiny fictional country of Lichtenberg. The Irving Berlin score is fresh as that proverbial daisy, even though the original show opened in 1950. There's romance, political humor and even slightly saucy lyrics deemed too much for the movie version also starring Merman. My favorite songs from the rousing score are 'Hostess with the Mostes" (so clever!), "You're Just in Love," "It's a Lovely Day Today" and "We Like Ike." Too bad Encores! shows run only seven performances.

Roundabout's Fiasco Co. revisal/revival of Sondheim's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG at the Sternberg/Pels Off-Broadway cuts out the detritus and gets right to the heart of the matter: how idealism and innocence can get corrupted over the years, and how life can wreak havoc on relationships as we "roll along." The story goes backwards in time, but this production makes clearer what's happening in what year, as we follow a trio of friends through their personal and professional lives. The score is sublime, with such beauties as "Old Friend," "Not A Day Goes By," "Franklin Shepard Inc." and "Good Thing Going." Recommended.

Even though I'd see the most recent Broadway revival of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF starring the nimble Danny Burstein, I couldn't resist the Yiddish-language (with supertitles) revival at Stage 42, formerly called the Little Shubert, Off-Broadway. I keep thinking how my grandparents would have loved to see this version. It's probably the most powerful, authentic version of the show I've ever seen. The cast is uniformly excellent. Steven Skybell, who had played Lazar Wolf the butcher in the last B'way revival, is a perfect Tevye, certainly rivaling Burstein. The only "name" in the cast is Jackie Hoffman, a personal favorite of mine from HAIRSPRAY, ON THE TOWN, "Kissing Jessica Stein" and probably best known as Mamacita in the Bette Davis-Joan Crawford miniseries "Feud." She shines without being hammy -- no ham of course in FiDDLER -- as Yente the matchmaker. The production has just been extended to September 1. Whether you know lots of or "bupkis" Yiddish, you'll understand everything.

SUPERHERO Off-B'way at Second Stage is a charming little musical starring Bryce Pinkham and Kate Baldwin. The story is touching without being cloying: Baldwin is a lonely widow with a teenage son obsessed with comic book superheroes, so much so that he creates his own comic. A new, somewhat mysterious neighbor (Pinkham) moves into their building, setting off suspicions in the teen that he is actually a superhero in disguise. The songs are rather forgettable, not quite what you'd expect from Tom Kitt (NEXT TO NORMAL, IF/THEN), but they manage to serve the sweet tale.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

The revival of KISS ME, KATE at Studio 54 features rousing choreography by HJ's favorite, Warren Carlyle. I swear some of those young dancers appeared suspended in air. How they performed the aerial leaps during the musical's showstopper, "Too Darn Hot," is beyond my comprehension. This retelling of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW set to Cole Porter's famous score stars Kelli O'Hara and Will Chase. They make dandy exes in 1948--the year the musical originally opened--who play out the battle of the sexes until the inevitable happy ending. Corbin Blu is also a standout. Definitely recommended. At the talkback after the performance I caught, musical director Paul Gemignani said originally the producers sought Patrick Vacariello, but he was busy with setting up another performer's touring schedule.

THE OTHER JOSH COHEN is a charmer of an Off-Broadway musical originally developed for the New York Musical Theater Festival (NYMF) in 2012. Best described as a rock romantic comedy, it's the tale of a guy in New York City who's perennially down on his luck, whether having his apartment robbed of everything but his doorknob or never being able to swing a second date with a woman. The cute narrative through line has Josh from a year later (played by a different actor) when things are much better, guiding and encouraging his year-younger self through the bad times. The ending really put a smile on my face. At the Westside Theater through April 7.

Ellen