Boy

A true very raw and tender story penned by Anna Ziegler is being presented on stage by Keen Company at The Clurman Theater on Theater Row.  At just over 90 minutes, this show packs a powerful and real punch.

Walking into the theatre, the first thing you notice is the mirror image set hanging above the real set on the floor (Sandra Goldmark).  The mirror image, only upside down.  This is much like the life of Adam Turner (Bobby Steggert).  Mr. Steggert plays the titular boy of the play - actually born a boy but after an accident during circumcision, surgically altered to a girl and raised as such by his deeply caring (if ignorant) parents.  Nobody really talked about or acted on these things and it was a time where a doctor with a theory had some sway in the public discourse.  In his teenage years, he rejected the identity and after surgery re-emerged as a boy... (mighty easy on the eyes, i might add).

Mr. Steggert plays the dual role of Samantha (growing up age 6 thru 13) and Adam (age 23) in the current time.  Through alternating flashbacks and current scenes, we see Adam today and learn of his struggle and anguish growing up.  We learn of his parents who cared dearly for him and through this play are portrayed as nothing more than caring parents who tried to do "the right thing".

Mr. Steggert alternates between a wounded man of 23 struggling to love a girl and a tortured little girl who somehow knew she didn't fit in even though she didn't know what was wrong. Tough, tender, raw are the words that come to mind repeatedly when observing Mr. Steggert in his fine portrayal of the little boy trapped inside this little girl.  Confronting the doctor later in life is an eye opening and tough scene and one could sense his trepidation in the meeting.

Supporting Mr. Steggert  aptly are his mother and father (Heidi Armbruster, Ted Koch) and the love of his life, (Jenny) Rebecca Rittenhouse.  His doctor for these many years, (Dr. Wendel Barnes) was played earnestly by Paul Niebanck.

I cannot imagine the anguish and torture this young boy must have endured growing up.  You can't blame his parents.  You can only partially blame the doctor. Although he never admits it in the play, the accusation is made that he put experiment over patient, but that is never proved or admitted, at least not in this play.

Mothers and Sons

Investing in Broadway has one downside - I can't objectively review the shows. (After all, I want to make a profit!).  From the moment I heard about the text and substance of this play I was on board.  I do not regret it for a single moment and last night's opening performance was simply mesmerizing and a story whose time on Broadway has finally arrived.

Don't just take my word for it - see what the folks who get paid to do this sorta stuff have to say:

Reviews - Click Here

Big Fish

Norbert Leo Butz (Edward Bloom) is the very definition of a leading man in Big Fish.  His voice, his stage presence, and chemistry with the rest of his cast has a depth beyond imagination.  Bobby Steggert (Will Bloom) delights the eye and the ear with his pitch perfect voice and handsome good looks.  Kate Baldwin displays the dynamic range of her acting from teenager to wife and never failed to delight with her tunes and her "auburn" hair.  This ensemble was perfectly cast and the proof is in the proverbial pudding.

The plot follows the movie I'm told.  (I didn't see it).  It flows smoothly like the video river cleverly placed on the front skirt of the stage - back and forth from Will's childhood to present day.  There are plenty of rousing Broadway numbers (Book and Music by Andrew Lippa)- including a Rockette style kick-line!   You can really can tell these actors enjoy performing this show.  Who wouldn't?  It's fantasy and bigger than life.

For all these reasons, Big Fish, a movie-cum-musical, is bound to be a resounding success this season on Broadway.  Add in the video technology to complement the sets and smart directing choices  by Susan Stroman and an upbeat, tightly constructed score and you've got a smash hit.  The out-of-town tryout in Chicago clearly served the show well.  Mere days after its first preview, the show is hitting all the marks and running cleanly and crisply - a feat not often achieved by a show this big and technologically packed.

Big Fish is already a big hit and it's only going to get bigger!  Run.  Don't walk -  to get your ticket to see this delightfully entertaining new show on Broadway at the Neal Simon Theatre now!

Harbor

Chad Beguelin's new play is delightful.  A gay couple unexpectedly come upon a turning point in their relationship.  Which road will they choose?  It may not be the one you think.  Making it's debut at the Westport Playhouse, Mr. Beguelin's Harbor is a 4 character charmer with equal doses of reality and humor.

The uber-adorable (especially with his short off)  Bobby Steggert (Kevin) and very-easy-on-the-eyes, Paul Anthony Stewart (Ted) turn in endearing and honest performances but it's Alexis Molnar (Lottie) who steals the show (and your heart) without your even realizing it.

Look for this one to grace a New York stage very soon.

Assistance

Playwright Leslye Headland is likely good at a minimum of four things:  grammar, being an assistant, reading people, and writing plays.  Each of these traits is quite obvious from a brief, yet incredibly entertaining evening at Playwrights Horizons to take in a performance of Assistance.

Six mixed-up, shook-up, wired-up, young assistants get messed-up, chewed-up and spit-out by an un-seen, un-heard un-relenting, un-kind, president of the company.   Mr. David Weisgert, whom we never actually see or hear, is indolent, un-reasonable, demanding, and over-the-top, and drives these assistants – both literally and figuratively – crazy.

The goal in the office seems to be to get in (that’s hard) and get out  - “across the hall” as fast as you can (even harder).  Part dig on corporate America, part study of what drives people to crave these maddening jobs, and mostly just an hysterical, all-too-familiar composite of some bosses we once knew and truly hated.

Nick (Michael Esper) and Nora (Virginia Kull) work out their issues through flirting and eventually sex (in the office).  Jenny (Sue Jean Kim) gets cut while she’s still an intern, Vince (Lucas Near-Verbugghe), a bit of a creep, is the first to “make it out”.  Jenny (Amy Rosoff) brings her ice-cool British-game to the office and Justin, a.k.a Bird (Bobby Steggert) puts in his time on the road with the boss as his personal assistant, suffers the battle scars to prove it, and eventually “makes it” into the office too.  One by one they rise… and fall.

The dialogue is quick, the banter, believable and the non-stop telephone-ballet, quite impressive.  I’m not saying that any of these talented actors should ever be unemployed and working the phones – but either many of them have indeed suffered the pains of an office assistant job, or they are quick studies not only into the art, but also the emotional intensity.  Either that, or director Trip Cullman is one hell of a teacher.  

Maybe it’s a little bit of all that - so tightly wound and ready to explode each night - that makes Assistance an 80-minute romp on West 42^nd Street each and every night.

Ragtime

110 In the Shade

For those that do not know (like me), this is the musical version of the play The Rainmaker. Although a bit dated, not stale. Audra McDonald plays Lizzie Curry, the middle aged woman who is too smart, honest, and plain for the likings of most of the men in her era - 1936 in the Texas Panhandle. A con man, Starbuck, comes to town (the rainmaker) in the dead heat of the summer and promises to make it rain (Steve Kazee). But what he does instead is to stir up the emotions and passions in the town and awaken dormant love.

H.C. Curry - Lizzie's caring and doting southern father is played by the delightful John Culum. Her two brothers are played by Chris Butler (Noah) and the incredibly adorable Bobby Steggert (Jimmy).

I must say that the musical seemed a bit "forced". Music popping up here and there without an overriding consistency and cohesiveness. And visually, i was not always connecting with the idea of family given the mixed race cast. I know I was supposed to look beyond that into the story, the art and music, but it was a constant visual disconnect that I kept coming back to.

Audra also seemed to struggle with her powerhouse classical voice (it is one of the best there is!) juxtaposed against the need for a plain and poor southern accent Lizzie's character required. One of the biggest delights of the evening was indeed her amusing rendition of Raunchy.

Audra is an extremely talented young woman and certainly deserves a Tony nod for this performance, but i just don't think this show is a vehicle for her to win in 2007.