Tuck Everlasting

The producers (and there are many) of this show have assembled perhaps the finest creatives available on Broadway and have made the best casting decisions possible.  Book writers Claudia Shear and Tim Federle brought their "A" game on this effort after many years of work on the story.  The music and lyrics by Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen are a perfect blend of Broadway and Folk with rousing ensemble production numbers, tender ballads, and entertaining character solos.  Although he is the last one mentioned on the marquis page, Casey Nicholaw is at the top of his game with the show's inventive and dynamic choreography with hints of ballet and not a single kick line.  His directorial choices aren't obvious, and that's what makes the show sail along as smoothly and easily as it did.

The story is adapted from the novel of the same name by Natalie Babbitt - and for the record I've neither seen the movie nor read the book.  The charming and heart-warming story goes something like this - young girl whose father died last year wanders into the forest, meets young boy from a family that has discovered a fountain of youth in the wood and has lived forever for generations without aging.  They take her home overnight and eventually return her home the next day where she has to make a decision  - drink some of the water (in 6 years when she's old enough) or live her life in the here and now as intended.

The young girl, Winnie, is played by newcomer Sarah Charles Lewis.  In what will for sure be considered her star-making debut on Broadway, this young girl will most assuredly be on the short list for a Tony nom.  Surrounding her is a cast like no other and might be the most perfect casting for this show.  Of the Tucks, Broadway veteran and vocal powerhouse Carolee Carmello (Mae Tuck) plays the Mother, Broadway veteran and great stage actor Michael Park (Angus Tuck) plays the father, Handsome and talented Robert Lenzi (Miles Tuck) plays the older brother, and last, but not least, the undeniably adorable and supremely talented singing, dancing, and acting star Andrew Keenan-Bolger plays the title character Jesse Tuck.  But the casting bulls-eyes don't end here.  Broadway stalwart Terrence Mann plays with aplomb the Man in the Yellow Suit.  He's got a devilishly devious part and perhaps leads one of the best numbers (there are many) of the show - Everything's Golden.  And in case you didn't think that was enough - the Indomitable Fred Applegate perfectly plays older Constable Joe along with his young sidekick (and son) Michael Wartella (Hugo) to the delight of the entire audience - especially since the creatives smartly gave them a number at the end of the show that almost got a standing ovation -Story of the Man in the Yellow Suit.  The reprise of Join the Parade in Act I brought the entire company on stage with Mr. Keenan-Bolger joining the male dance ensemble to bring the crowd to its feet in a rousing company number.  It deserved an encore (as cheesy as those are).

To be critical, Act II was better than Act I in terms of story and pace but I suppose a bit more exposition (the drag) is needed in Act I.  What I think the creative team did brilliantly was to engage the audience throughout.  All those Broadway numbers for the secondary characters, the talented Tuck family casting, ensemble dance routines, the introduction of young star and finally the epilogue - which for some will evoke potent emotional memories of the ending of Six Feet Under - it was perfectly choreographed with ballet inspired dance and staged and without a single word the audience understood exactly what was transpiring.

Tuck Everlasting will tug at your heartstrings and bring you to your feet at the end.  Live for now and run over to the Broadhurst Theatre and catch a performance of a show that aims to live forever!

The Last Ship

In its pre-Broadway try-out at the Bank of America Theater in Chicago, Sting's new musical, The Last Ship, is working out the kinks and honing its message for the masses of New York City this fall.

Sting has penned a surprisingly remarkable score fit for Broadway.  It's lush.   It provides a rich backdrop to the entire production and lifts the actors to amazing heights on the stage.  I'm the first to admit, I was impressed (I mean my expectations were set low after that Bono-Spider debacle).

The spunky and powerful Rachel Tucker (Meg Dawson) and smooth, throaty, and devilishly handsome Michael Esper (Gideon  Fletcher) with a voice like Sting's aptly helm the cast with support from such greats as Fred Applegate (Father O'Brien) and the always amazing Aaron Lazar (Arthur Millburn).

Now, to be honest, the story is not the happiest.  It's not exactly the most riveting or interesting.  It's a love story as many are.  It's set in an English shipbuilding town in North East England and has, as you would expect, the requisite love, rejection, acceptance, and key character death, general conflict, and will certainly entertain some.

I suspect it will not have mass-appeal as is required by a Broadway show these days, but Sting and his music will likely sell enough tickets to warrant the large investment to mount a Broadway show these days before the story's downside will overtake the music's upside.

I love checking out shows out of town and this one was no exception.  If you love Sting and want to see him showcase his musical talents in an entirely new way - get your ticket to the New York production today!

Sister Act

If you're in the mood for a night of good, clean, innocent fun - Sister Act at the Broadway Theatre has just what you've been looking for.  By the way, don't run out and rent the movie.  Cheri and Bill Steinkellner along with Douglas Carter Beane have adapted the original TouchTone motion picture quite a bit for the stage.

So - what's the result?  Fun, frivolity, glitz, glamour along with dancing, singing, high-kicking, sequin wearing nuns!  How could you go wrong?!  The stained glass sets on the cavernous stage are magnificently grand (kudos Klara Zieglerova) and the colorful and sharp lighting is equally sublime (kudos Natash Katz).

In the staring role, Patina Miller (Deloris Van Cartier) and Victoria Clark (Mother Superior) never fail to delight.  Ms. Miller gives it all she's got and Ms. Clark never fails to entertain with her quick wit and sublime vocals.   Surrounding these two fine actors is an equally fine cast of nuns, gangsters, and police officers.   The two nuns you'd most likely recognize are Sister Mary Patrick (Sara Bolt) and Sister Mary Robert (Marla Mindelle) - literally channeling the identical side-kick characters in the film, Kathy Najimy and Wendy Makkena.

Filling in the supporting roles, Fred Applegate does a magnificent deadpan with Monsignor O'Hara and Audrie Neenan takes on the aging Sister Mary Lazarus with chutzpa.  Relative newcomer, Chester Gregory (Eddie Souther) has a few surprises up his sleeves (and pant legs), oozes that awkward, charming sensitivity, and and never fails to delight - especially when those surprises are revealed.

This show lives up to its bold expectations.  You'll leave the theatre with a big, old-fashioned smile on your face.  After seeing nuns in glitzy habits singing and dancing all night long - the only thing that could top it is the star coming out at the end in the fabulous dress she always wanted.

La Cage Aux Folles

Yet another revival of this Jerry Herman classic.  It seems only yesterday I saw this one (twice even) at the Marriott Marquis.  (For the record it was 2004).   For a show that had its original run in 1983, this one has done quite well in both New York and London.

This time around, however, is different - less glitz, glamor, sequins and stardust - and more family, love, and character.  This time around we have Kelsey Grammer and Douglas Hodge as Georges and Albin.  Les Cagelles, as they always are, put on a hot, dazzling  performance - emphasis on HOT .  Anyone sitting up close can see the bulging muscles these "ladies" clearly spend time working on (oh my!).   An interesting choice this time around is for Jared De Jesus to play the role of the Jacob, the houseboy.  He's certainly adorable, but I thought maybe he was a bit over the top - too much - trying to hard - more like a Saturday night live skit than a Broadway show.  This, of course, is not his fault, and probably falls squarely on the director, Terry Johnson.

Overall, I think most people agree, the story is timeless - love and family take many forms and shapes - a message that still has a long journey ahead.

Young Frankenstein

This is a review of the out-of-town “try-out” of an upcoming Broadway Show. Make no bones about it – this show is coming to Broadway. There’s not a chance in hell that Mel Brooks and his producer buddies will “pull the plug” on this $15 Million dollar investment!

But nobody ever said that putting on any Broadway show was easy. But putting on a brand new $15 Million dollar show that all the critics expect to be “perfect” and all the audiences expect to be “the best they’ve ever seen” is a feat that can only be undertaken with advance planning, rehearsal, skill, and sheer chutzpah. And if anyone can tackle that task – it’s the 81 year old Brooks.

Even though Mel Brooks co- wrote the screenplay – there is still a lot of effort required to translate that work from screen to stage while adding appropriate music. Putting on a flawless Broadway show that will “knock your socks off” is like proof-reading an important paper you wrote - over and over again. You check, recheck, edit and re-edit the story. A Broadway show is no different. With a mere 30 performances to understand audience reactions to the jokes, remove one here, add a zinger there, hold for the laughs here, or cut a number there – it really does require a bit of juggling. The actors are often given new lines. Songs changed. Lighting queues adjusted. Scenic movements adjusted. Lines changed again… and again! Doing all this out of the glare of the Broadway spotlight is critical. Big budget shows of today also have lots of technology – computer controlled sets, lights, sound and more. They don’t perfect themselves overnight. The actors and the technology have to meld. The folks who run the technology have to plug it in, try it out, change the dials, and adjust the volume. All this is necessary so that everyone feels it’s ready for “prime time” on the great white way. After all – once you are there and charging $250 a ticket, it better be perfect!

When all that rehearsing is complete (they don’t sell the show in Seattle as a “rehearsal”, but that’s what it really is) the show literally packs up everything into 18 wheelers and moves across the country to New York. Then they have to unpack everything and set it up all over again - - thus the need for “previews” in New York. Shows can be changed while on the “tryout” and still more in previews. Once previews are over, it’s pencils down. A joke that got a belly laugh in Seattle might get nothing more than a snicker from a more sophisticated New York audience. Sometimes it works the other way around - things people never laughed at out of town stop the show in New York (a joke by the Yiddish shoe shine man at the Transylvania Heights railroad station seemed to elicit nothing more than a few chuckles from the Seattle audience – but I’m sure that once the New York audience hears it applause and laughter will fill the theater). Sometimes you just can’t be sure what changes when the show moves to Broadway. One thing, however, is for sure – this show is has all the ingredients to be a smash hit - from the writing to the direction and choreography (ala Susan Stroman) to the technical staging (scenery design, sound design, lighting design and special effects). Fifteen million dollars goes a long way to buy that – but it doesn’t go all the way. The talent on stage is what takes it across the finish line.

The Cast: The cast of Young Frankenstein is a remarkably talented group - Roger Bart as the zany Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder in the movie); Megan Mullally as his socialite fiancé, Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn’s role in the movie); Andrea Martin as the dubious Frau Blucher *insert sound effect* (Cloris Leachman’s role in the movie); Christopher Fitzgerald as the dutiful humpbacked Igor (Marty Feldman in the movie) and Sutton Foster as Inga, Dr. Frankenstein’s bodacious assistant (Teri Garr’s role in the movie); and Shuler Hensley as the monster (Peter Boyle’s movie role).

The show: Run Time - 2 minutes shy of 3 hours mostly due to the fact that Mr. Brooks and Ms Stroman stick to the entire plot of the movie – cutting nothing just yet, but I would image a few things will be trimmed here and there and we’ll get it down to 2:45 or 2:40 by the time it gets to NYC.

The Story: Well – what would you expect? It’s just like the movie – silly, chock full of Shtick, and hysterically predictable. The jokes and one-liners roll on and on and would you really expect anything less from Brooks?

The Music: The Orchestration is appropriately grand with a full overture, Ent’re Act and Finale. It’s schmaltzy, upbeat and a true Broadway composition. Kudos to Doug Besterman. There are plenty of chorus number and knock ‘em dead, show tapping show tunes. Honestly, mostly all un-memorable once you leave the theater, but all fun and silly toe-tapping schmaltz non-the-less. Even the ballads are comical – most notably Frau Blucher’s rendition in the laboratory of “He was Vas my Boyfriend”. I think that Irving Berlin might possibly turn over in his grave (laughing, of course) when he hears what they did to “Puttin’ on the Ritz”.

If I had one production note to give Mr. Brooks and Ms. Stroman- -improve the sound. (the sound, not the sound effects, which were remarkable.) I know the Seattle Paramount Theater is huge – radio city huge – but you can’t let the poor chorus go un-comprehended. At times I felt like the show was on stage next door and we were piping in the sound onto our stage. I truly hope this is just a function of the venue and is not the intended result at the Hilton Theater.

I’m sure there will be fans of the movie who will say “it pales in comparison”. I’m sure there will be folks who “hate it” because it’s just a movie remade and the jokes are stale. Yet others will flock to it just because it has Megan Mullally in it! Some will just go because it’s a Mel Brooks blockbuster on Broadway. And after the hit, The Producers, it’s a safe bet they’ll flock. Whatever your reason for attending - I am going out on a limb to say that this one might just be silly enough, packed with enough talent and technically dazzling enough to be worth the utterly criminal price of $250 - $400 per ticket they have the gall to charge in New York for it (but that’s the subject of a whole other blog).

Young Frankenstein - Coming alive to the Hilton Theater this October!