It Shoulda Been You

Fasten your seat belts because David Hyde Pierce's directorial debut on Broadway is going to be a wild ride.  Prepare for hilarity, mix ups, and mayhem, in what just might be the funniest original musical on the boards right now.

Helmed by the incomparable Tyne Daly (Judy Steinberg) and the zany Harriet Harris (Georgette Howard), the show revolves around the marriage of their two children Rebecca Sternberg (Sierra Boggess) and Neil Patrick Harris' husband a.k.a David Burtka (Brian Howard).   Although below the title, the real workhorses of this show were Edward Hibbert (Albert, the wedding planner) and Lisa Howard (Jenny Steinberg) sister of the bride.

The show has a real heart and as it turns out, a real message too.  At the same time funny, and tender, Brian Hargrove's (husband of Mr. Pierce) book and lyrics bring this 105 minute, no-intermission show to a joyous celebration of life.  Barbara Anselmi's music is serviceable with a few high notes but we're not going to see any Tonys come out of this one.   But make no mistake, the comedic skills of the two leading ladies - Ms. Daly and Ms. Harris as well as those of Mr. Hibbert are most of what makes this show a smashing success.  The good looks of Ms. Boggess and Mr. Burtka are just icing on the cake.

One under-the-radar and certainly under-promoted stars on the bill is Josh Grisetti (Marty Kaufmann).  From his debut in the audience to his silky smooth voice and the emotional conclusion, Mr. Grisetti imbues a nebbish yet sexy and powerful persona in Marty.  His significance to the plot is paramount and by the end of the show you've changed your entire opinion of him.

This show has a lot of doors and a fair amount of physical comedy to which timing is the key.  It reminded me of Noises Off.  The entire cast works really hard and climbs and descends the two story set throughout the show.  I must assume they'll shave about 5-10 minutes off the show as they perfect the timing and tighten up the scene changes and the curtain call.  

Bravo Mr. Hargrove and Mr. Pierce.  You've got a top notch cast singing and acting their heart out every night to what I can only suspect will be to thunderous applause and a feel-good exit from the theatre.  Isn't that exactly how it shoulda be?  :-)

The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore

When compared with the 1968 movie staring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor (Boom!) almost anything could shine.  As a matter of fact, the play was first mounted on Broadway in 1963 (re-mounted in1964) and played a combined total of 74 performances - receiving poor reviews all around.

So why then did the Roundabout choose this little known flop to re-mount?  One word - Tennessee Williams.   His works are grand and his talent well proven.  Perhaps the secret to this run's success will be two-fold - a complete dumbing down of the unnecessarily over-the-top costumes, Hollywood-like sets, and unnecessary camp and phony glamour but, more importantly, Olympia Dukakis herself.  

The play centers around Flora Goforth (Olympia Dukakis), a wealthy, older, eccentric dying American woman who had fled to an isolated cliff side villa retreat on the Italian coast to write her memoirs and live out her final days.  She receives a very handsome young visitor who is a struggling poet known as "the angel of death" (Darren Pettie) and we are taken on a journey into the minds and hearts of two very different individuals who both deeply want and need something from this relationship.  Round out the cast with an eccentric (read gay) friend, locally known as The Witch of Capri (Edward Hibbert) and Blackie (Maggie Lacey), Mrs Goforth's tortured personal assistant and you end up with a cauldron of wit, sarcasm, humor and love that Mr. Williams serves up deliciously.

Without the baggage of being a big dramatic (or drama-filled) Hollywood star, Dukakis plays the role in her own unique and humble style - leaving out most of the camp and everything that comes along with such a background.  She uniquely slices straight to the heart of Mrs Goforth - exposing her vulnerabilities, wants and needs, all the while maintaining her vitality and and sharp tongue.  Overall, the play, in Tennessee Williams signature style, is a bit too long, but when you're enjoying the banter and emotions on the stage, sometimes that doesn't matter.

Mrs. Warren's Profession

Deception, lies, money, bribes, love, lust, an illegitimate child, prostitution... and that's just the first act!  George Bernard Shaw's world in 1893 wasn't far off from our own today.  Difference being, all he had was a pen, a stage, and actors to tell a provocative story his audience could see and hear no other way.   Shaw was a big believer in theatre that engaged the audience in the issues of the day rather than letting them escape from them - hence this stinging work he penned.

Set in four equal acts, the show depicts Vivie Warren (Sally Hawkins) as the young, well educated, pragmatic daughter of Mrs. Kitty Warren (Cherry Jones) who, in her coming of age, finds out that her entire upbringing and education was funded by her mother's secretive business endeavor - Brothels.  She briefly reconciles with her mother after coming to terms with the reasons her mother turned to such a life, but then quickly rebukes her after she realizes that the secretive business is not just a faded memory, but an ongoing operation.   Throw in a dirty older gentleman business partner (Mark Harelik) who seeks an "arrangement" to marry Vivie and keep the entire operation within the family, a dashing young suitor (Adam Driver) with no money who wants to marry Vivie for love (and her money), his father (Michael Siberry), the local vicar who strangely rejects the idea of his son's marriage to Vivie for suspicious "reasons undisclosed", and a worldly, trusted friend (Edward Hibbert).

Unfortunately, I don't think this play is going to be a Tony contender, although it surely entertained.  Jones is a powerhouse on stage, a force to be reckoned with.  However, Hawkins seemed to be screaming all the time rather than exuding her "power of the new age woman" - proud, educated, professional, independent, and ethically sound - as I believe Shaw meant the part to be - - a complete counter-weight to her mother's character.  The men on stage turned in sound performances, and certainly seemed to be enjoying their roles in this turn of the 19th century Payton Place drama.

I must say, despite some minor flaws i may have mentioned, I thoroughly enjoyed the show - I think more because of the story itself than the specific actors.  Shaw was a realist and this play contained real issues of the day (one might argue they are timeless).  At the end of the day, anything with Cherry Jones is worth seeing and almost anything at Roundabout Theater is worth seeing - a combo that, just like a steamy night at a red hot brothel, can't be passed up.

Curtains

This Kander & Ebb - Rupert Holmes musical is a gem. It may not be as flashy-dashy as Drowsy Chaperone - but it does one thing well - it entertains.

The show numbers are big and bold - lots of high kicks and toes-a-tappin' during the many rousing full cast numbers. What more would you expect from a "show within a show"? The basic plot goes something like this... A (pretty bad) show is being rehearsed and there are a few murders (yes, one might expect Jessica Fletcher to show up!). The investigation traps the entire cast, crew, producers, and director inside the theater. While the mystery unravels - the police lieutenant lives out his fantasy by "improving" the many numbers and scenes ultimately making it a success (and solves the murder mystery too!).

One can't help but also detect ever so slight references to songs and shows of days gone by... is KansasLand a spoof of OKLAHOMA!? Do we see the budding romance of the lieutenant and a cast member get played out in a fantasy dance ballet that resembles a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers number? Does Show People have it's roots in Annie Get Your Gun? Probably so - and there are probably more that this theater novice just didn't pick up on!

It's goofy and silly and fun all around. I might say that while David Hyde Pierce (the lieutenant) loves the stage and is a great comedic actor - he's not much of a singer or dancer. Debra Monk plays one of the show's producers and I have to say - You can hear a little Ethel Merman in her. She commands the stage with her character's powerful personality and biting wit. Edward Hibbert - as old as he is - simply steals the show as the stuffy, witty and cantankerous director. And you can never mistake the voice of Ernie Sabella - bellowing all the way off stage for his enterance. Yes, even the orchestra conductor has dialogue and a song to sing!
Yes, a bit campy. Yes a bit "old fashioned". Yes, not the "best" show you've ever seen - - but the supporting cast brings the house down with each company number. I did see it at its first preview so maybe they'll tighten up the show, cut some dialogue, and contain the energy. If they can keep you tapping from 8:07 to 10:15 after opening night they might have a pretty good run of it.

The Drowsy Chaperone

I think if I could ever write a Broadway show, it might come out just like this one! I must say, I went in with mixed expectations but I came out beaming from ear to ear with a smile and rave reviews for the clever and unique story!

Bob Martin wrote the book and was ever so crafty to also star as a character in the show. Now, I know what you might be thinking - I have many times before told you to beware of the guy who writes and stars in his own play! But this one is different. Trust me.

"The Drowsy Chaperone" is really a story in one man's mind about a musical called "The Drowsy Chaperone"of days gone by. The entire story is about how musicals just sweep you away and take you to a place where you're not sad or blue. All this is relayed to us by "Man in Chair", who's sitting in his living room in a not-so-fancy New York apartment on a rainy afternoon listening to his favorite record album of a Broadway musical (yes record album) to cheer him up. The clever part here is that Bob never leaves the stage. He peppers each scene (just short of interacting with the characters) with his own commentary (and comic wit) on the show. He never let's us forget we're watching what he's hearing and enjoying on his record album.

Now - onto the show - within the show - - Sutton Foster (from "Millie"), Georgia Engel (you know her from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"), Edward Hibbert (you know him as Gil Chesterton on "Frasier"), Jason Kravits (you know him as Richard Bay on The Practice") and all the others in this true "cast of characters" all entertain us!

The actual story of the Drowsy Chaperone is really musical theater fluff - which if often pointed out by Bob - which keeps us laughing even harder. At one point in a company number the record gets stuck- so the actors on the stage "get stuck" (hehehe). He goes to the bathroom at the "intermission" and tells us to listen to the entre act by the orchestra until he returns. The actors all come out on stage in completely different costumes surrounded by different scenery - (oops, he put the wrong record on the turntable (hehehe). See, it's silly funny!

Even if you're not a Broadway musical freak like me - I'm pretty sure you'll leave the theater with the same warm feeling inside. It's truly the Broadway Musical of all Musicals this season! Put your blades on and glide on over to the Marriott Marquis!

Noises Off