La Bête

This is a tough one.  Intelligent and erudite - certainly.  Bombastic and overblown - possibly.  Funny and witty, I think so.   Roll these descriptors together and you might just find La Bête.  American playwright, David Hirson penned an entire play in iambic pentameter - Above my head at times, biting and below the belt at others - you got it.

Make sure you don't go in thinking this is a simple or light play.  I think (but don't really know) that this show may have had two acts originally.  I thought there was a decisive split between two halves of the play - although probably compressed into a nearly bearable 1 hour and 45 minutes for this Broadway run.   Three stars, David Hyde Pierce, Mark Rylance, and Joanna Lumley helm this production and turn in quite substantial performances.  The first half of the play is somewhat long and verbose (verbose may even be an understatement).  The second half, when the princess (Lumley) makes her entrance is a bit less of a verbal assault and more of a story.  It actually contains a play within a play - which at its core is where the themes of artistic purpose, the dumbing down of art for the masses, and artistic purity are explored.  From the start it pits highbrow Elomire (Pierce) against lowbrow Valere (Rylance) and the sparks (read words) fly throughout.

If words are not your thing - you may not enjoy this play so much.  The stars certainly delight, and if you calculate your price of admission by words spoken - you certainly will have gotten your money's worth.

Boeing Boeing

Take a slap-dash comedy from the 1960's and throw in a few stars and hope for the best. The show is straight off the West End where it enjoyed a rave reviews. Admittedly, I saw the show in previews - so there is some work to be done. The show is too long, for one. The entire show should have been like two short physical comedy skits as was mastered by Carol Burnett and Co. All throughout the show, I was picturing her and her cohorts on stage doing the roles. It would have been a coup to get her back on stage in the leading role.

Christine Baranski, Bradley Wittford, and Mark Rylance (transfer from the London run) take the helm supported by the 3 stereotypical 1960's air stewardesses- one Italian - Gina Gershon (Alitalia) one German - Mary McCormack (Luftansa), and one American - Kathryn Hahn (TWA). All around, the performances were top notch - it's just the run time that brought them down. We get the idea Matthew Warchus. The jokes will go over better and the laughs will get bigger. Stop reminding us over and over that the air time-tables are the key to mastering the comings and goings of Bernard's 3 - yes 3 - fiances. After about 20 minutes - we get the setup. Stop dragging it out. Keep it moving. Ms. Baranski and her "burst on stage, deliver line, exit stage" will benefit the most. Keep it snappy and under 100 minutes (two acts or one - i think it could work with both) and more people will walk out laughing instead of saying "I thought it was never going to end". You've got a captive audience who is ready (and very willing) to laugh. Maximize the result.
All around, I think this one will stay for a while. It's very funny, it's got great physical comedy, and great actors pushing the limits on stage to deliver the laughs. Just take a look at the original cast in the movie - Jerry Lewis, Tony Curtis, and Thelma Ritter.