Kinky Boots

A great book by Harvey Fierstein, knock-out music & lyrics by Cindi Lauper and some fresh direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell will surely turn this out-of-town tryout into an instant Broadway hit.

I caught this one in Chicago after only 2 weeks of live performances and already it's showing it has legs... (it better because those boots are very tall!).   Dreamy and boyish Stark Sands and the devilishly wild and coy Billy Porter take the helm of the movie to musical re-make and left no butts in any seats by the climactic end of the show.

Part La Cage Aux Folles, part Dreamgirls, part Priscilla Queen of the Desert, with a heaping spoonful of the original movie (based on a true story) this show takes a little bit of all that and turns it into an extremely entertaining, energetic, fun, and heart-warming evening in the theatre.

Look out New York - these boots are made for walking - all the way from Chicago to the Great White Way.  All you NYC divas better get ready for some competition.  These red boots are on fire!

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.

Journey's End

At first glance, it may seem that the Belasco Theater forgot to pay the electric bill. But upon closer inspection, you realize that Hugh Dancy, Boyd Gaines, Jefferson Mays, and Stark Sands need absolutely no lighting except for the candles to make them shine on stage.

The intentionally dim stage has been transformed into an underground bunker in Quentin, France during WWI in 1918. It's a tense 3 act play that takes you deep into the topic of what war can do to a person's psyche, how friendships change, and what the words honor, bravery, and loyalty really mean.

Let's just say, this play is going no where happy. The incredible sound system in the theater provides the backdrop of war - guns, shells, and loud, very realistic explosions. No surprises here. I saw the 4th performance of this show in previews and I left in awe. The acting is outstanding and the chemistry is superb.

Run - don't walk - to this one - but when you arrive - Sit. Enjoy. Absorb.