The Kid

This seems to be the break-out season for contemporary gay-themed plays and musicals of all kinds  - The Temperamentals, The Pride, Yank, Next Fall.  Each of them is different - an almost forgotten historical gay movement, a mysteriously time shifting play comparing the 1950's and the 1980's, a musical about a military romance during the war, and a contemporary family shocked from all sides by an accident face each other in a hospital.   One way or another, they all involve important social issues of our today - family, relationships and love.  The Kid is no different.  Dan Savage, sex columnist, wrote a book about his experience of adopting a baby with his partner.  This is their story set to a wonderful score with an eclectic and magnificent ensemble cast.

Christopher Sieber (Dan) and Lucas Steele (Terry) give a tender, romantic, and honest performance  - so honest in fact, that you might think they are an off-stage couple as well (alas, they are not).   The supporting ensemble peppers them with with sage advice, warnings, a splash of humor, and of course lots of great harmonies.   Jill Eikenberry, as Dan's mother, sings a song in Act II that brought tears to my eyes about a mother watching her son grow up and letting him be who he needed to be.   The always adorable Tyler Maynard hammed it up as only he can as Chad and a few other scene stealing characters.  Susan Blackwell usually known for her sardonic wit kept things uncharacteristically serious and real as Anne, the adoption agent.   Ann Harada, as Ruth (and others) had several comedic cameos.

Not only was the musical score divine, the set had a multi-media backdrop where video blurbs and graphic animations were shown.  The final animation clip was a perfect way to end and entirely enjoyable evening of theatre. There's a lot of competition in this market segment this year - but I have a feeling that this won't be the last time we see The Kid on a New York stage.

Mary Poppins

It's a good idea to go see what a whole lotta cash can buy! Let me start off first by saying that I don't like the idea of Disney on Broadway. It's commercial and popular. Just look at the lines outside the New Amsterdam Theater - mostly tourists who are more than willing to drop $110 a ticket (discount, what's that?) for the chance to see "the show" of the season. And let's not forget that they all buy their 3 year old kids a soda in a souviner cup and a bag of chips for $20 - both of which are shockingly allowed in the theater during the performance! I spent the first 30 minutes thinking something was wrong with the sound system. No, it was just all those moron parents letting their stupid kids eat the potato chips (crinkle, crinkle crinkle x 500) during the performance!

Well, back to my original thought - It's a good idea to see what a whole lotta cash can buy. Disney has it and this show flaunts it. The sets (and there are more than I've seen in a long time) are opulent. The fly space (the space above and around the visible stage) in the New Amsterdam seems to be one of the best in the industry - allowing for huge backdrops and sets to come and go effortlessly. There's a doll house cut-away and an upstairs bedroom that alternatively raise and lower along with a rooftop and a park. The actors float around the stage, climb the proscenium, walk upside down and fly out into the audience - all effortlessly and magically.

What else can money buy? Costumes (an endless colorful supply of them); Lights (all sorts of colors and sizes); Special effects (rain, flying birds, stars); and let's not forget the magical effect of Mary and Bert flying all over the place - floating like birds and sliding up the staircase.

Disney money can buy a lot of things that many productions can't afford, but I have to admit, I was transported to #17 Cherry Tree Lane. It does work. But let's not forget - a large cast, a terrific score and the dark interpretation of the P.L Travers stories are also part of the formula of success. Ashley Brown and Gaven Lee certainly do dazzle and delight. They, along with the rest of the cast, really do seem like they are having fun from curtain to curtain. I'd believe it if they told me they all worked for free (OK, well sort of).

So, while I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and revel fondly in the memories while perusing my Showbill (what's that all about?) back at home, it does worry me that all those people who saw it (and loved it too, I'm sure) will just expect the next show they see to be bigger and better. How disappointed they will be when they go see Spring Awakening or Grey Gardens and find out there's only one set per act and people don't fly.

What is all that money buying us in the long run?

Miracle Brothers

Dear Andy Karl,

Seems that your buddy, Tyler Maynard got the better end of the stick! He, too, jumped the Alter Boyz ensemble smash hit to take the leading roll in a less-well-known off broadway production. The difference? A well written, significantly better scored new musical - with a Brazilian beat and some meat on its bones!

Make sure you read the program beforehand, unless you're Brazilian or at least a Brazilian history buff. Once you get the basic (and odd) premise down, it's all about love - in this case the love between two brothers - or half brothers, to be exact. Not a brand new concept, but its certainly unique - especially with the added twist of the Brazilian folklore.

Dolphins, Portals, Slaves, Pirates, two mothers, and two sons - both with green eyes - all in one heck of an enjoyable show in the Rain Forest. If nothing else, you'll leave Miracle Brothers having enjoyed the good looking, scantily-clad cast and tapping your your toes to the funky Brazilian beats.

Alter Boyz

Ok, so you're looking for something light, something fun, something... different?! Well - take a trip to see the Boyz... "Alter Boyz", that is. It's cleverly written and played out dripping with sex appeal (oh my!). It's not irreverent, but it's not exactly "reverent" either... It's loud, it's full of pop music and "boys who love God" lyrics like - -

"Jesus called me on my cell phone / No roaming charges were incurred / He beeped me / He faxed me / He e-mailed my soul / and said: / til the day i'm dead/ that i must spread / His glorious word"

And let's not forget the boyz - They are a Christian rock band - with one Jew too. They are tender, powerful, but mostly full of energy and dripping with sweat from all the singing, dancing and prancing around the stage...(ok, not all of them can dance but you'll know just who has it in his blood the most!) Just the assortment of boys you would expect to be cast - something for everyone - i suppose you could say.

Dodger Stages - One of New York's newest performance space is Rockin' - and the "Alter Boyz" are something worth the price of the off-Broadway ticket. Go ahead and let them convert...er entertain you!!