Theater Opinions/Commentary

[mamaleh]

Agreed, Carol. YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU was a deliciously sweet, old-fashioned bon bon of a play. It could have been cloying or too "twee" for its own good, but happily the actors played the comedy not as self-conscious shtick but as organic elements of their characters' slightly daffy and definitely likable personalities. I had a great time, better than I thought I might. I remember reading the play in high school and not being overly impressed. But that's why plays are meant to be performed, ideally. The live aspect adds so much--in this case, laughs and charm by the bucketload. The whole cast, from James Earl Jones and Kristine (VANYA AND SONIA…) Nielsen on down, was spot on, especially Annaleigh Ashford--who IMHO was the best thing about KINKY BOOTS--as the talentless but determined would-be ballerina. And Julie Halston and Elizabeth Ashley, brief though their scenes may be, were the cherries on top of a very tasty cake. Glad I caught this one.

Before heading to the Longacre Theatre, I observed a steady stream of guys in black tie making their way down 8th Avenue and remembered that tonight was opening night for IT'S ONLY A PLAY. So I temporarily diverted to the Schoenfeld and watched Zachary Quinto and a few others being interviewed. (I was on the lookout for Hugh, but if he attended, I did not see him. Still, looked like a very glam evening.)

LATE EDIT: No photos of Hugh among the first-nighters, so I guess he did not attend the opening.

Ellen

[foxie]

Glad u liked it !!!! Hysterically funny!

[birchie]

Ellen,
Thought you might enjoy this if you haven't seen it already. It's an interesting article about the transfer of Side Show to Broadway. The part I liked best was the video. It's almost like a sneak peak/behind the scenes video so it was fun to see all the characters, costumes etc. There's a cute moment with Robert Joy who some may remember as the ME in CSI: NY. I don't know about all the other actors in the video but Robert will be part of the Broadway run too. The video is about halfway down the page:
www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/retooled-side-show-gets-a-second-chance-on-broadway/2014/10/09/d24c3ce4-4e6d-11e4-877c-335b53ffe736_story.html
Sue

[mamaleh]

Thanks, Sue. Most incoming shows have some sort of similar video promo, but I don't think I'd seen one for SIDE SHOW yet. I think I've seen Robert Joy only on film. I've seen Erin Davie on the stage a few times--most notably as the countess in the recent A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC revival and as Little Edie in GREY GARDENS. She also played "Crazy Eyes'" adoptive mother on ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK. I'll probably catch SIDE SHOW at some point--likely after Hugh's run in THE RIVER ends.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

BILLY AND RAY is an Off-Broadway comedy about the improbable pairing of odd (writing) couple Billy Wilder and mystery scribe Raymond Chandler as they set out, one of them very reluctantly. to write what would become the first American film noir, DOUBLE INDEMNITY. Vincent Kartheiser's (Pete Campbell from MAD MEN) Viennese accent as Billy is a bit wobbly at times, but he gets the laughs across with his brash optimist persona. Larry Pine is the alcoholic Chandler who'd rather do anything but write such a "scandalous" movie but is compelled by financial need. Since I like Hollywood back stories, I found it fairly entertaining. One note of interest: the boys' secretary is played by Sophie von Haselberg. She looks--and sounds--EXACTLY like her mother, Bette Midler. Almost eerie. Now I'm wondering if she sings, too. This wasn't a musical, so I don't know.

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME offers impressive stagecraft that adroitly brings to life a touching, emotionally involving story (yes, Riedel, the book was pretty good, too!) about Christopher, a math-savant teen whose autism prevents him from indulging in human contact, even a hug from a parent. Ill equipped emotionally to function in the world despite his brain power, he screams when anyone touches him. I liked the novel on which the play is based but wondered how all the boy's intricate thought processes could be rendered on stage. Answer: beautifully. An amazing, dazzling display of lights, patterns, colors and projections magically create what's going on in the boy's mind as he attempts to deal with having the proverbial rug pulled out from his otherwise comfortingly familiar existence after learning a piece of news about his family. The scenery reflects how his mind works: the stage floor looks like a sheet of graph paper, and the set pieces are spare and a bit surreal, consisting mostly of a train set and boxes, with people assuming the roles of everyday objects--and even moods. One particular scene stands out: the audience experiences Christopher's frightening first solo journey through his eyes as he desperately tries to apply the laws of physics as his guide. The play is not without flaws, though; the first act is better paced than the second. But I predict a Tony nomination for Alex Sharp as the teen and for the lighting designer. If you go, try for a center seat, the better to drink in the amazing pyrotechnics on all sides.

Ellen

[foxie]

Don't know where to put this but NPH a as host of Academies and not Hugh??Boo'

[mamaleh]

Carol, see the "Oscar Hosting" thread under "Hugh News."

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Won the ON THE TOWN lottery after numerous tries. Well worth it; got a $20 rear orch (Row O) seat, full view. Those who know the property only from the movie about three sailors looking for love on a 24-hour pass might be taken aback at the abundance of ballet in the show as well as the soaring Leonard Bernstein score that was criminally mostly absent from the Kelly-Sinatra-Munshin '49 movie version. OTT was based on "Fancy Free," a ballet choreographed by legendary balletic taskmaster Jerome Robbins, and it seems this new revival is a nod to his original concept. I did find the second act Coney Island dream ballet a little long, but that's a minor quibble. The singing is superb, too. I knew Tony Yazbeck primarily as a fantastic hoofer, but he really shows the strength of his pipes in the lovely ballad, "Lonely Town." Jackie Hoffman fans take note: She plays several over-the-top characters and is a hoot. This is a revival of a classic that deserves to be a classic itself.

Ellen

[ocjackie]

I adore "Jackie Hoffman". I got interested in her years ago because I have a friend with exactly the same name. She is fantastic. Even in Young Frankenstein, which I didn't like at all, she was the bright spot there.

[mamaleh]

Jackie, I think you mean THE ADDAMS FAMILY, in which she played Grandma. I don't believe she had anything to do with YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. (And by the way, if you did mean ADDAMS, I agree fully.) Enjoyed Hoffman and especially Nathan Lane, but even he pretty much intimated that the show was sub-par. That is one show I wish I'd seen on tour. From most reports, it was vastly improved for the Equity tour, which starred Douglas Sills.

Ellen

[ocjackie]

You are so right, Ellen. I got them confused. It doesn't take much. LOL!!! I usually do follow Nathen Lane also. I missed his last stint on boradway, but I'm looking forward to "It's Only A Play". It really has a great cast and one of my all time favorites was "The Producers". I can't wait to see what he does with this.

Jackie

[carouselkathy]

Ellen,

So glad that you saw the real version of ON THE TOWN. It's always bothered me that MGM threw out most of the Bernstein score. They did the same thing with their musical version of MY SISTER EILEEN, completely ignoring the Bernstein score for WONDERFUL TOWN.

[Jamie]

Oct 28, 2014 0:59:21 GMT -5 ocjackie said:

You are so right, Ellen. I got them confused. It doesn't take much. LOL!!! I usually do follow Nathen Lane also. I missed his last stint on boradway, but I'm looking forward to "It's Only A Play". It really has a great cast and one of my all time favorites was "The Producers". I can't wait to see what he does with this.

Jackie

Did you see the production of The Nance on PBS Live From Lincoln Center? If not it has made its way to You Tube www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sKHmzeKKNA

[ocjackie]

thanks so much, Jamie. I was supposed to go but I got sick. I was also going to ee Kinky Boots and Bette Midler's one woman show. I will get to see Kinky Boots when I come to see The River. We're coming in and seeing 5 shows. Two of them Hugh's. can't wait to see Lane and broderick again. I've sat through some pretty bad plays of Nathan's, but I still love him. He got injured in Frogs when I saw him during the first act. I'm also a Roger Bart fan. Loved him also in The Producrs. Anyway, thanks for the clip. I heard the show was freat and I was really sorry to miss it. If you ever see it on PBS, again, please message me. Again, many thanks.

Jackie

[mamaleh]

Taking advantage of an extremely deep discount for today's performance, I caught the matinee of THE LAST SHIP. As I exited, I noticed Ben Brantley also making his way out the doors. His colleague Charles Isherwood was the reviewer of record, but I wonder if Ben's going to add his two cents, too. Another sighting: Ted Chapin walking north on 8th Ave.

Sting's musical had a couple of jaunty numbers and a few haunting, wistful melodies, but they weren't quite enough to sustain my interest. The plot was too reminiscent of other works, notably FANNY, and the characters' motivations stretched credulity a bit. Always good to see and hear one of my faves, Aaron Lazar, who does a beautiful job on "What Say You, Meg." But he's underused, a shame. Michael Esper, the male lead, plays the sailor who returns to his village after 15 years to learn that he has a son. I can't remember seeing him in musicals, only plays. His singing voice is very much like Sting's, so I'm wondering whether that's natural or if he's consciously imitating him.

I have a feeling the show might not make it through the winter. But you never know.

TBFO regulars might remember Matthew Stocke, then more known as Matt. He plays one of the fired shipbuilders in the show.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

POCATELLO is a sweet-sad-funny play about a harried manager of a failing Italian chain restaurant in a small town in Idaho. T. R. Knight plays the manager who, in addition to his financial woes, feel himself more and more cut off from his mother and brother. Knight's character's employees and their families--including a rebellious teen girl who sees genocide in every restaurant meal--are going through rough patches, too. The play is by the author of THE WHALE, another touching drama (or dark comedy, depending on one's point of view). It's at Playwrights Horizons; highly recommended.

Tonight I caught a performance of THE UNDERCLASSMAN, an Off-B'way musical about the formative college years of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The composer has created a highly authentic-sounding pastiche score that sounds like it could have been written in 1915, the time of most action in the play. However, there are simply too many songs, and some lovely ones, often with witty lyrics, tend to get lost in the very crowded Act I. The dances are period-specific, too: they reminded me of sort of a blend of the Castle Walk and the "Shipoopi" dance from THE MUSIC MAN. . Penniless Princeton sophomore and Triangle Club show writer Fitzgerald is enamored of one of the day's leading debutantes, much to her mother's dismay. To her family, the son of an Irish grocer is an "underclassman" in more ways than one. Does he land or her not? Well, memories of their time together are, he says, fresh as a "Daisy," hint, hint. Yes, the show touches on the inspiration for some of Fitzgerald's most famous characters. The cast is young and very able, but the proceedings are waaaay too long, by at least 25 minutes. Recommended with reservations--and if you have nearly 3 hours to spare.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Besides a few more visits to THE RIVER, I paid a return standing-room visit to IT'S ONLY A PLAY, mostly so I could compare Stockard Channing's performance to that of Isabel Keating, who had filled in for SC early on during the latter's recuperation from knee surgery. Some of the original cast are leaving as of January 4. Channing was fine but I felt that IK was every bit her equal in terms of line delivery and comic timing. The only difference was in their facial expressions. SC, having had plastic surgery that IMHO makes her almost unrecognizable, becomes part of the joke about her character's similar surgery. And Nathan Lane, as hilarious as ever, seems to have a little more chemistry with SC. I don't know if this happens very regularly, but when SC's character imitated elderly theater audiences who keep asking, quite audibly, "What did she say?" "Who?", Nathan Lane's face turned red as he tried to stifle laughter and turned away from the audience. Others in the cast started to giggle, too. It was an infectiously funny moment, one that seemed spontaneous. At least I hope it was.

Just before the movie opened, I saw the Roundabout's revival of INTO THE WOODS. It's a clever, imaginative take that creatively employs just ten actors in multiple roles. Men holding up curtains on a rod (like the Carol Burnett bit) served as the stepsisters. A chubby guy wearing a bell around his neck enacts the role of Milky White. His occasional bursts of "Moo" were quite funny. I've never heard The Baker sung as well as in this bare-bones production by standout Ben Steinfeld. His "No More" (the song is not heard in the movie version) was a highlight. Definitely worth seeing.

I made a point to catch the SIDE SHOW revival/revisal before it closes this weekend. Many are gaga over this show, which was originally on Broadway in the '96-'97 season. This was my first time seeing the show. It tells the tale of the Hilton sisters (not Paris and Nicole), 1930s conjoined twins who were plucked from a southern side show of "freaks," as the introductory song describes the performers, to become vaudeville stars. The themes of tolerance and self-acceptance are well explored, the power ballads ("Who Will Love Me As I Am?" and "I Will Never Leave You" are strong and the performances heartfelt, but I couldn't quite love the show as its cult followers do. I liked it, but not enough for a return trip. Glad I finally saw it, though.

Ellen

[carouselkathy]

Ellen,

When I saw IT'S ONLY A PLAY, Isabelle stepped in for Megan M. I can see how she would be also suited for Stockard Channing's role. The play was hilarious!

By the way, just saw BLITHE SPIRIT here in L.A. with Angela Landsbury. The cast was wonderful, especially as the timing is so crucial in this play. The audience applauded Angela's every entrance. I saw Angela in MAME when I was a kid and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was new. It was great to see her on stage once more. She's 89 years young!

[jo]

I saw Angela in MAME when I was a kid and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was new. It was great to see her on stage once more

I saw her in that one, too -- but on Broadway. What sticks with me is the Christmas-oriented song ( WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS)...as my memories are stronger for the movie with Rosalind Russell called AUNTIE MAME ...Searching via Wiki, I have just learned that there was a Broadway staging of the book ( also with Rosalind Russell) before it became the movie that I saw. I had not discovered Broadway then


Jo

[mamaleh]

Like Jo, I saw Ms. Lansbury as Madame Arcati in the Broadway mounting of BLITHE SPIRIT several years ago. She was delightful as always.

[mamaleh]

Had the pleasure to catch the revival of ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY today. Hubby and I had seen the original back when we were practically newlyweds. Happy to report that it's better than ever, a giddy delight from start to finish. Kristin Chenoweth has ditched her cutesy-poo mannerisms to beautifully enact the role of Lily Garland, a star diva pursued by her old flame, Oscar (Peter Gallagher), the producer who discovered her. Gallagher was fine, but oh, how I would love to have seen Hugh play the overly melodramatic impresario, a role he did in the workshop of this show a couple of years ago.

But I digress. Done in mock operetta style, the show admittedly has no real "hit" songs, but the production is a winner because it's put together in such a campy-funny way that you can't help smiling throughout. Special kudos to Andy Karl, late of ROCKY, for his hilarious portrayal of Lily's preening boytoy, tagging along on her fame. His ROCKY training must have served him well in several very funny physical bits that were showstoppers. The sets and costumes are gorgeously art deco. I'd like to see this one again.

Side note: The choreography in one second-act number--I think it was "Five Zeroes"--reminded me a little of "Only an Older Woman" in TBFO (B'way production).

I definitely see Tony nominations, including Lead Actress/Musical Chenoweth and maybe supporting for Karl, as well as Best Revival of a Musical.

Ellen

[carouselkathy]

Nice to hear! I have tickets to see it during my spring break trip. THE KING AND I is the main reason for my trip. Also looking forward to FINDING NEVERLAND.

[foxie]

Ellen when were u there?I see "On the 20th Century" yesterday was not happy because I got an email Gallagher was sick but the stand in was so good I can't imagine Gallagher being any better!!It was fabulous we just loved it!!Kristin was out of this world good. It was just great and it is only a couple of weeks into previews!!!

[mamaleh]

I saw it on Feb. 14. Glad you enjoyed it--the show is a lot of fun, isn't it?

Following some medical appointments in NYC, I managed to nab a standing room spot for Larry David's FISH IN THE DARK. If you like SEINFELD and especially CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM humor (which I do), this one's more or less a winner, despite some plot points that stretch credulity a bit, at least at first. Suffice to say that Larry is Larry. He's essentially his CURB persona with a different name, as though this were a long episode of that series, and frankly, not one of the best ones (but still enjoyable). In fact, in Act II when one of Larry's speeches begins with a phrase he's very well known for on CURB, the place erupts in anticipation and appreciation. In sum, he gives the audience what it wants. Rita Wilson is good as his long-suffering wife, Jayne Houdyshell is a hoot as Larry's mother, and it was fun to see Lewis J. Stadlen and Jonny Orsini, both of whom were in THE NANCE, in very different roles as, respectively, an annoying relative and boyfriend of Larry's daughter. I was impressed by Jake Cannavale, the 19-year-old son of Bobby, making his Broadway debut. He has a scene with Houdyshell that was truly hilarious, probably the best scene in the play.

Interestingly, young Cannavale links to the show I saw in the evening. I wanted to catch one of the last performances of Turgenev's A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY. Taylor Schilling (of ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK) was amazingly good; I didn't know she had such range. Peter Dinklage was fine but a little strident and unexpectedly came off less well than Schilling. Maybe it was the role? All in all, it's a beautifully done comedy of manners. It seemed as though many in the acting community also wanted to see the play before it ends this Friday. Milling around the lobby, I recognized various non-star actors, such as Bruce Altman (who I've since learned is on BLUE BLOODS, which I've never seen) and Michael Chernus (he plays Schilling's brother on ORANGE). I found myself sitting between Eric Stoltz (I remember him largely from MASK) on one side and Bobby Cannavale (there's the link) and Rose Byrne on the other. I resolved not to annoy them with chat, but I did say to BC, as parent to parent, he should be very proud of his son's stage debut, which I had seen that afternoon. He was very appreciative and we talked about the play and his son for a minute. And then I shut up. But they kept talking over me, Cannavale to Stoltz and vice-versa. BC opened the playbill to a story about his son and showed it to Stoltz. I heard some delicious stories that I'm not going to repeat. (I guess they forgot I was sitting between them, LOL.) But I can share this one tidbit I found funny: BC refers to Peter Dinklage as P-Dinks. Stoltz, by the way, talked about producing and sometimes directing episodes of MADAM SECRETARY, which I've never seen, only seen promos that featured B'way actors such as Brian Stokes Mitchell, Patina Miller, Bebe Neuwirth and Sebastian Arcelus (Stephanie Block's hubby). I wonder if he's stopped acting.

Ellen

[jo]

and Rose Byrne on the other.

Rose, if she is the same as the film actress, is returning to her role of Moira for XMEN:Apocalyse. Maybe as the love interest of Charles Xavier, as portrayed by James McAvoy. She was in FIRST CLASS but not in DAYS OF FUTURE PAST.


Jo