The Visit

Another opening.... another show.... and this one is another chosen investment.  No matter what they say, I could not be prouder of this production.  Here's what all the real critics are saying...

NEW YORK TIMES

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/theater/review-chita-rivera-stars-in-kander-and-ebbs-the-visit.html?_r=1

 

NEW YORK POST

http://nypost.com/2015/04/23/chita-rivera-gets-her-diva-broadway-return-in-the-visit/

DAILY NEWS

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/theater-arts/visit-review-chita-rivera-kander-ebb-musical-article-1.2194813

WALL STREET JOURNAL

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-visit-review-as-long-as-the-lady-is-paying-1429835402

 

NEW YORK MAGAZINE/VULTURE

http://www.vulture.com/2015/04/theater-reviews-the-visit.html

TIME OUT NEW YORK

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/the-visit-1

ASSOCIATED PRESS

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/review-visit-broadway-chillingly-good-30544373

VARIETY

http://variety.com/2015/legit/reviews/visit-review-broadway-chita-rivera-1201478480/

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/chita-rivera-visit-theater-review-791063

USA TODAY http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/theater/2015/04/23/the-visit-broadway-review/26182573/

AM NEW YORK

http://www.amny.com/entertainment/the-visit-theater-review-2-5-stars-1.10323585

HUFFINGTON POST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-suskin/aisle-view-the-final-visi_b_7132538.html

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/broadway/sc-the-visit-broadway-review-20150423-column.html

NBC NEW YORK

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/the-scene/Chita-Rivera-The-Visit-Review-300828061.html

NEWSDAY

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/theater/the-visit-review-chita-rivera-in-a-stunning-show-1.10314774

STAR-LEDGER

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/04/chita_rivera_stars_in_the_new_kander_and_ebb_music.html

DEADLINE

http://deadline.com/2015/04/the-visit-airline-highway-broadway-review-1201414889/

THE WRAP

http://www.thewrap.com/the-visit-theater-review-chita-rivera-and-roger-rees-perform-a-gripping-dance-of-death/

THE BROADWAY BLOG

http://thebroadwayblog.com/2015/04/23/12317-review-the-visit

THEATERMANIA
http://www.theatermania.com/broadway/reviews/the-visit-broadway-review_72653.html?cid=homepage_news

 

BROADWAYWORLD

http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Review-Roundup-THE-VISIT-Opens-on-Broadway-Updating-LIVE-20150423

CURTAIN UP

http://www.curtainup.com/visitbway15.html

DC METRO ARTS

http://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2015/04/23/the-visit-at-the-lyceum-in-new-york-city/

DC THEATER SCENE

http://dctheatrescene.com/2015/04/23/the-visit-broadway-review-chita-rivera-in-kander-and-ebbs-grotesque-parable-of-revenge/

CITITOURS

http://cititour.com/NYC_Broadway/The-Visit/634

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Wow!  And this was only the 13th preview performance.  That says a great deal all by itself.  What a huge risk this could be.  A new, technically and theatrically complex musical opening cold in New York - no out-of-town tryout.  Talk about a risky proposition for the producers and investors and not to mention the stars themselves - and there are a lot of them packed onto the stage at the Belasco Theatre.  Rest assured, my loyal readers, this one is going to be a great big Broadway hit!

Where to start?!  First of all, this show is based on Pedro Almodóvar's 1988 film by the same name.  By way of background, you have to know that the style is supposed to be a little cheesy.  It's a story presented in the telenovela style - colorful, over-acted, and generally bold.  Stop right there.  Translating that to the Broadway stage is a feat all in itself.  Mr. Sher (director), Mr. Gattelli (choreographer), and the entire production staff have taken on the challenge and presented those three characteristics back to us in virtually every aspect of the production - the lighting, the scenery, the video, the sets and the costumes.  That in itself is worthless with the wrong actors.  Inside those costumes, under those lights, and on the stage is a an eclectic collection of the most talented actors you might find assembled in one place today.  Patti Lupone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sherie Rene Scott, Laura Benanti, Danny Burstein, de'Adre Aziza, Justin Guarini, and Mary Beth Peil headline the massive undertaking and seem to defy the notion that there can only be one star in a show.  Each of them holds their own but together they are a powerhouse ensemble.  


Other than what was written into the script, I never felt any dueling divas on stage.  Each of them has their "moments" in the spotlight.  All of them complement each other.  Ms. Lupone has her bare stage moment in the spotlight along with a show's worth of light hearted Spanish diva moments.  Justin Guarini, in his Broadway debut,  proves he's got acting chops while getting the opportunity to showcase his amazing tenor voice.  Brian Stokes Mitchell fills the theatre with his perfectly pitched, powerfully melodic baritone vocals.  Laura Benanti might possibly be the next show stealing comedic actress of the season (ala Katie Finneran in Promises, Promises last season).  Sherie Rene Scott takes the lead as a  Brunette (most recently we saw her natural blond side in Everyday Rapture) and doesn't fail to entertain the entire show.  The entire cast works well together - constantly in motion, constantly in chaos and constantly on queue and pitch perfect.  

On a related note, I must also note that this is the first production to be staged at the Belasco Theatre after its extensive and first class renovation.  The wood paneled, marble clad and Tiffany stained glass filled theatre has been restored to its full glory and what a marvelous show to use as the vehicle to reveal the fine artistry conceived for theater impresario David Belasco in 1907. Technically speaking, I've never seen a more modern stage.  Digital lighting, video projection systems, hydraulics, extensive scenery fly-in capacity and a sound system to rival all others are among the many improvements that are clearly taken advantage of in this production.   


Does the show need some work?  Of course - no show is perfect out of the gate.  Nips and tucks needed here, choreography cleaned up there.  But at the 13th preview, this show and all its moving parts is far ahead of where most would be at this point.  Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is cleared for takeoff and we get to enjoy the in-flight entertainment.

Sunday in the Park with George

Stephen Sondheim wrote what might be his most sophisticated and eloquent music and lyrics to this James Lapine book. This presentation by Roundabout Theater Company is actually the Menier Chocolate Factory's production straight off a smash hit run on the West End in London. It's a brilliant, elegant, and magical experience. Sam Buntrock's direction and Christopher Gattelli's musical staging make the evening unfold effortlessly as the George Seurat's "new" style of painting - pointillism -comes to life "bit by bit" on a stage presented as the canvas.

The cast is mostly from England with a few "local" replacements. Daniel Evans portrays George in both acts superbly. In one of Sondheim's more memorable numbers from the show, Putting it Together, George reminds us "Art isn't easy". And neither is this production. You can tell there was a great deal of technical precision required in this show. The bare white stage is bathed in video making it appear, among many things, a full scale vision of Seurat's painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte".

Act I takes place on a series of Sundays from 1884 to 1886 both in the the park and George's studio. Act II shuttles us forward 100 years to 1984 at an American art museum and then back on the park. What's changed in these 100 years? What is art all about? How does art get made? What does art mean to the artist? What is the legacy of an artist? This story is one very clever and poignant version of the answers to these very questions.

"Having just a vision's no solution"

"Everything depends on execution"

"Putting it together, that's what counts"

Don a parasol, stoll over to Studio 54, and see some Art! Its well put-together!

Nine