American Idiot

It's loud, irreverent, but not pointless.  A story of teenage angst is told thru the music.  Conceived in the Bush era this show is both artistic and uncomfortable at the same time.  John Gallagher, Jr., Stark Sands and Michael Esper lead the cast in a 90 minute multi-media, alcohol, drug, and profanity laced tour de force.

Green Day may not be your favorite band and watching a group of kids come of age in different, yet predictable ways may not be the ideal night in theatre - but the "shock and awe" on stage might just win you over.   Will it last?  I think at least as long as Spring Awakening.  Longer?  Not sure.

Farragut North

Where did Beau Willimon get his inspiration and "inside info" when writing this play?  I learned after I returned home from the theatre from Roma Tore's NY1 Review that Mr. Willimon worked on the Howard Dean Presidential campaign.  The entire work now makes even more sense.

We've certainly been inundated for the past 18 months with political campaign foder.  Sadly it almost seems an empty day if we are not bombarded with some scandal, accusation, some grist from the proverbial political mill.  

Nor does it go unnoticed by this viewer that this show cleverly didn't run much past election day at the Atlantic Theatre.   We've really had enough.   But it's never quite enough until Broadway has taken it's shots too.   And what a bulls-eye this one turns out to be.  Now - this is not the dream cast (Leo DiCapprio and George Clooney) rumored last year to be doing a Broadway-bound version - but it's damn good nonetheless.   John Gallagher Jr. (Spring Awakening, Rabbit Hole) takes on the role of Stephen, the young, ambitious, cocky, rising star in the political campaign communications world (of course he's damn sexy doing it too).   Chris Noth (Sex and the City, Law and Order) tackles the role of Paul, the elder, more experienced and seasoned campaign advisor.  

The dialogue is sharp.  Kudos to director, Doug Hughes.  The humor, well placed and the acerbic and emotionally charged dialogue well delivered.  The plot, twisted and entirely (unfortunately) believable as one would expect.  The "gun" in act one gets used as one might expect.  No spoilers here.  

Possibly the most disappointing aspect of this show is the unfortunate familiarity with the subject matter that the audience brings to its seats.  Shock? Not a chance.  But I'm virtually positive that is not what the production was shooting for.  Cynicism, more likely. 

Strangely enough, at the end of the show, the "next generation" gets his first shot in front of the press and cameras (flash-flash-flash).  He reads a brief statement then looks up, as if to say "that was the script - now I'm going to tell you what it's really all about".  He looks us straight in the eye with that sincere, "we're going to change the world" face and tells the press (that's us) that the "people" is what the campaign is all about - it's the reason the candidate is running and that he will lead us into a new era.  The audience applauded exuberantly.  Hmmm... Fade to black.

Spring Awakening

Brace yourselves - This one is gonna be a hit! Broadway finally has a new, edgy Rock n' Roll musical that will stick. Grammy award winning Duncan Sheik wrote all the music - a fact that many a theater-goer might even pick up on even without reading the Playbill. And let's not forget this story must have been a true shocker when written in 1891 by Frank Wedekind who is considered one of the founders of modern drama and a real pioneer of the concept of expressionism in the theatre.

The musical today so cleverly juxtaposes the Wedekind dialogue of teenage coming of age in the 1890's with Sheik's biting and angst filled Rock n' Roll lyrics. The resulting message is clear and ageless - kids through all ages have the same problems - - suicide, abuse, growing up gay, sex, abortion, not fitting in, and of course, parental influence. All that really changes is the calendar and the costume.

The actors in this production have a deep connection to the subject matter. Most all of them are actually between 16 and 21 and have grown up with this production over the past 6 years as it made its way to Broadway from the Atlantic Theater Company off-Broadway. The talent is raw, true, and natural. It's not a bunch of 30 year old actors on stage pretending to be kids. It makes all the difference. You feel for these kids and connect with their emotions.

For many of the actors, this is their Broadway debut. While there is a true lead actor and actress (Jonathan Groff as Melchoir and Lea Michele as Wendla) - it's the ensemble that makes this one pop! We get to see the boys belt out their talents right from the beginning in "The Bitch of Living" and the entire ensemble rock the house in "Totally Fucked". It would really be a treat to see John Gallagher, Jr. (Moritz) walk up on stage next July at Radio City Music Hall to collect his Tony for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.

With an "open" stage and steps down to the first row in the audience the actors seem to flow right into your world on several occasions. There's also 4 rows of bleacher style seating on stage on each side. Be prepared if you sit there. The cast sits among you when they are not performing; they burst into song and jump to their feet and stand on the chairs when you least expect your neighbor to be doing so! The Band is also placed upstage and in a rare move joins the cast and takes a formal bow with the cast - emphasizing their importance to the show's delivery. Each of them also has an individual mention in the playbill. Just as the show is about juxtaposition - so must the lighting be. Kevin Adams, lighting designer, takes the stage from monologue to dialogue to solo and melancholy ballads to foot stomping rock and roll and back all over again flawlessly.

These kids earned the standing ovation they got... and then some! Run, don't walk.

Rabbit Hole

Well they just don't tell you on the posters just how biting this show is going to be! After about 20 minutes you come to realize that Cynthia Nixon and John Slattery have lost a child - and the drama doesn't stop there. The younger, quite irresponsible sister finds out she is pregnant - quite an inappropriate time for it, as you would imagine. Mom (Tyne Daly) doesn't help out with her meddle-some nature and insistance that the family seek help with their greif. Dad wants his son's dog back from the family they sent it to right after the accident, but wants to sell the family house and move to a new place. Throw in a visit from the young boy who actually killed the son (a car accident) - and you have one evening of high drama and tension in the family house!

In the end - it seems that the message is that everyone deals with greif in their own way and in their own time. Well - that may be true - but you'd better buy your ticket to see this show on ITS timeline - or you'll miss a true gem and an extremely talented cast!