The Odd Couple

Two great actors. Too much hype.

Neil Simon's play is funny, but as stale as week old bread.

Somehow think this show with any other actors would flop.

Any show staring these two actors is going to be a smash hit.

This is all disspointing and unfortunate.

Show People

Picture this - Tom (Ty Burrell) apparently has a lot of money - a huge house in Montauk (awesome set), a Mercedes in the driveway, and a successful computer company - so think what you may... He hires two washed up Broadway actors to play "his parents". You soon find out it's to impress his girlfriend to whom he is going to propose this weekend. He's trying for the "perfect family" look this weekend. Sounds harmless - right?

After all the characters meet and he's briefly out of the room - The fiancee blurts out that she can't go on lying to such sweet parents - - he's gay and she's been hired to play his girlfriend for his parent's visit this weekend. Seems harmless right?

But wait a minute - They quickly realize they are all actors. What do they all do with this information? They all know... But he doesn't know they know. Why are they here? What kind of creepy guy is he? What crazy plan does he have for them all?

Well - we eventually find out at the (very) end of Act 2 - and let me tell you it was the stupidest ending I could have imagined! All that time invested (with these pretty fine actors) and all for this?? I enjoyed the eternally caustic Marnie (Debra Monk) and her ever dramatic husband Jerry (Larry Pressman). The "fiance", Natalie (Judy Greer), aptly rounds out the comic trio. Debra Monk really made the show worth the price. All things considered - she's a gem! I really thought Tom yelled too much and seemed like too much of a psycho - even though I guess he was supposed to be playing one - I just didn't enjoy his demeanor.

This play, written by Paul Weitz, went to a place a bit too dark for this audience, I must say. How far will people go for the "performance of a lifetime"? What is "pure acting" and a "great performance"?.

Well - I found out and let me tell you - Funny, Funny, Funny, yet Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!

Tryst

Just when you think it's a non-musical version of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels(off broadway, of course), the plot changes - it's a love story. But wait - is it? Can George Love (Max Caulfield) complete his caper? Is Adelaide Pinchin (Amelia Campbell) really as naive and innocent as she seems? A pinch of phychological drama always makes the evening electrifying.

The drama set in 1910 in London keeps you guessing right unitl the very end. (I won't give it away, don't worry).

Both Max and Amelia ruled the stage together and held your attention the whole way thru this tale. Adelaide's transformation in Act II is both ying and yang. It makes her stronger - able to stand on her own - stand up to George - but what does it ultimately get her?

Swing on over to the Promenade Theater on 76th and Broadway. Even if it's just for a chance to see Max (you might remember him better as Miles Colby from Dynasty) with his shirt off - it's worth it!

Awake and Sing!

You may find yourself wishing you were able to do either of the two key title words during the show! Seems strangely appropriate that this would be a Lincoln Center Theater production. Not sure if this one would be able to stand on its own as an independent production.

Unfortunately the cast was a dichotomy - either very talented - Zoe Wanamaker (the mother) or a series of "Broadway debuts". And believe me, you could see the difference. While it was nice to see Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) on stage I didn't get that same "she's deep" feeling as I get when seeing her on "screen". The brother (Pablo Schreiber) seemed slightly over-acted (perhaps that had something to do with the dated and stale plot). It was a treat to see Ben Gazzara - but I was not sure if his speech impediment was acting or the result of a recent stroke. Sad, but true.

Act I seemed to crawl. Act II picked up a bit - and I must say that I truly loved the use of the disappearing walls in the apartment to symbolize the "freeing" of the characters from their "emotional prisons" as time passed in the play. I think that WAS the best element of the show for me. The show progresses to the "obvious" end (most seemed to know where Grandpa was going and what he was going to do). I just didn't think the play had the necessary ingredients to keep an audience interested over 2 hours and 30 minutes.

One other note - it seems that production had to have a special white sheet of paper inserted into the Playbill (like those "Is your Cell Phone off?" pages) to tell you that there would be an additional 2 minute pause between two scenes (in addition to the TWO intermissions!). Apparently, people have been getting up and leaving thinking the show was over at the wrong time. I wonder why?!

Or perhaps they simply took the opportunity to flee under cover of darkness!

[title of show] - off Broadway

Witty, sarcastic, young, full of energy, and what you would think would be the most boring topic in the world instead sizzles at the Vineyard Theater! Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell present a new musical written by them, about them, and for them. They are cute, they are funny, and they are on stage acting out a play for a musical theater festival about two cute and funny boys writing a play about two cute and funny boys trying to write a new musical... Ok - you get it? Art imitating life... Life imitating art?

Clever dialogue, catchy lyrics and music - they even gave the piano player a few lines in the show ("It's ok, we cleared it with the union", they exclaim!). They obviously rail against the establishment (but I'm sure that either of them would take the lead role in Beauty and the Beast if the price was right)!

It's out there - for sure. Struggling artists, wacky friends, zany circumstances abound. I liked the comedy around some of the scenes just "ending" to black. Someone clever must have written the lighting queues too! Quite a few of the songs were catchy - including "Nine People's Favorite Thing" (I'd like to be nine people's favorite thing rather than 100 people's ninth favorite thing), "Monkeys and Playbills" (a very clever use of old flop musical titles - one after the another strung together in a whole song and scene), and Montage/Photo Shoot" (change it, don't change it).

It's been extended - and there's a good reason - you'll laugh and you'll enjoy! Wander down to the Vineyard Theater on E.15th and catch these crazy boys and girls while it lasts.

70, Girls, 70

This was a Sunday evening TREAT! The show is about old people - and the cast of "old timers" was like the billing at a "Best of" award show. Encores! at City Center outdid themselves with this cast.

If you know anything about Encores - they put on rarely produced musicals. This one, by Kander and Ebb, appeared in 1971 just after Cabaret and just before Chicago but just didn't make it big.

This show is literally a show within a show - it was an attempt to give "older" folks a place in the spotlight as well as a role in the play on stage. So clever. Despite this fact, unfortunately, it seems that Follies (another show about old people) just opened on Broadway before this one - and the word on the street is that this one just couldn't compete. Oh well - that's how things work out sometime. It only ran for 35 performances.

Check Out this Cast:

Olympia Dukakis (Moonstruck)
Charlotte Rae (Facts of Life)
Mary Jo Calett (Pearl, Different Strokes)
Carole Cook (Hello Dolly)
Bob Dishy (Broadway/TV/Film)
Tina Fabrique (Broadway Legend)
George S. Irving (Long Broadway Career)
Anita Gillette (Broadway/TV legend)
and a company of "not so old", old timers!

Everyone was supurb. Encores only runs for a week, so all the performances are staged with the actors using their libretos. It's informal, yet still effective. And with this cast of characters you barely even noticed.

From the very top of the show - it was "all out" fun on stage. I hope I get to do this show when I'm 70!

We'll just have to see who else makes it along with me!

Festen

Oh Boy - this one is a bolt of lightning! Ouch! If any of you reading this think that going to plays is all about music, laughter and an occasional teardrop - think again! Festen (the Danish word for Celebration) bites to the core. Some of you may have seen the movie version (named "Celebration" for it's USA release). I hear it is just as dark and bitter.

This is the tale of a rich (and twisted) family in Denmark. The father is turning 60 and the whole family returns to the family house (more like estate) for a dinner celebration. Right from the beginning you meet the characters - all dark - all seem to have something to hide, something "odd" about them, something brewing beneath the surface. You come to learn that one of the children committed suicide last year which makes the tension thicker. It is right from this point that you hear an eerie tone (like you'd hear in a horror movie) start to resonate. Additionally, the sounds of running water and the voice of a small child echo in the background. It's creepy!! (check out the website and you will hear it - http://www.festenonbroadway.com )

Juliana Margulies (ER), Jeremy Sisto (Six Feet Under - Billy Chenowith) are among the faces of the children. Speaking of Six Feet Under, it actually felt a bit like that show. (If you watch, you'd know what i mean). The mother is played by Ali MacGraw - her return to Broadway after many years.

Being a film/play made in the Danish Dogme style (i think i referred to that correctly) - the lighting was all white - no colors. The stage was stark (but that's just like those Danes - think Danish Modern Furniture!). It was all about the art, the story, and the message - not any Glitz and Glamour. That, essentially, is the Dogme Style of film/play making.

Well... If that's what they set out to do - they certainly succeeded. You come to learn at dinner that the father molested his son (and dead daughter). One of the other sons is nutz- of course most aptly played by Billy Chenowith...er... Jeremy Sisto... The mother knew about all this for years and shut it out - playing the ever silent matriarch of the family.

Act II degrades even further into the family swamp. Family members fighting family members, father trying to molest the young granddaughter, other son tries to kill father, mother sobs - and all the while they sing very eerie family songs (they all seem to know the words like they were raised singing them) and dance through the house drunk on the evening's wine.

The use concurrent use of space on the stage by 2 or 3 different sets of characters was amazing. Without having 5 or 6 rooms to play the scenes in, they often all used the same space rapidly alternating the dialogue and lighting all the while seeming to be alone in the space without interfering with the others. Not easy to block out - and not at all easy to perform. The effect only added to the eerie tension of the evening.

Tension, along with an eerie horror movie sound/tone permeated the theater from the minute they walked on stage, to the last word was uttered. I tell you - it was twisted! I hope there's a tall glass bourbon waiting for all of them every night they walk off stage! I know I certainly needed one!

Entertaining Mr. Sloane

It seems that the season of plays at the Roundabout (and beyond!) are all about slightly crazy people. No exception here.

A crazy 41 year old woman who has a sick father and slightly closeted homo brother all seem to revolve around a young, mysterious stranger. Ok, the woman wants him to call her Mom - and at the same time to have sex with him (on both, she succeeds). The father knows the boy killed someone in his past. But he's old and feeble - so who could he tell? The boy would just kill him too. The brother (Alec Baldwin) is a dweeby, British aristocrat (with two cars) and all the same a closet case! There was much innuendo and double entendre in all the dialogue... Ok - so the young mysterious boy emerges with his shirt off (um, yes, he's gorgeous and built!) and you find yourself wishing you were on stage instead.

A bit too "British" for me - but all the while well acted and funny. I just have one question - where exactly was the crossover from Act II to Act III?

Based on a Totally True Story

This really is ... Based on a Totally True Story.... it seems that the Playwright, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, has written a play about his own life - a play in which his lead character writes a comic book and plays and gets his "big break" but all around him his life is falling apart....

Unusually conversational - the characters are actually telling you a story - more than ocassionally break the 4th wall to converse with you and explain what is going on (in real life) about this play which is unfolding in front of us. I'm once again reminded that my friend Dennis Larkin could probably explain all the theatrical tricks and gimicks that all probably have technical names to them (e.g. compression and other terms that elude me). What I was left with was a feeling of satisfaction and emotional connection with the characters.

The main character, Ethan Keene (Carson Elrod) and his boyfriend, Michael Sullivan (Pedro Pascal), are the center of the drama. The chemistry between them was palpable. I believed them. I enjoyed them. The Hollywood agent, MaryEllen (Kristine Nielsen), was supurb - truly an "over the top" Hollywood character! I enjoyed her. Ethan's dad was none other than Michael Tucker (you remember LA Law, right?). He was endearing. I enjoyed him.

The pace was quick. Dialogue - snappy - funny - in a word - enjoyable. The two hours really flew. A true-grit New Yorker or die-hard LA resident would surely appreciate the subtle references and the "oh how true it is" references.

I haven't seen a play this funny, this emotionally deep, and thoroughly enjoyable in a quite a while.

This one is, like all other MTC productions, is a limited run... and speaking of run - - you'd better get your sneakers on. This one is worth a sprint!

Confessions of a Mormon Boy

Confessions of a Mormon Boy - (alternate title: "I Need Therapy but Can't Afford it because I Spent All My Money on a Hairpeice - so I Wrote a Show Instead). Steven Fales - what a character!

True - he does have that "Mormon smile". You know - that wholesome look, perfect teeth, high cheek bones, and high school jock body... Well - after about 15 minutes you realize it's all about him (who else would it be about, right?). What this play amounts to is another self-patronizing gab fest - "I had the perfect life on the outside but was messed up on the inside - - - my life spiraled out of control - - but I'm back on track now and I'm gonna be better than ever!!" - - - you know - - - just a different twist on Elaine Stritch, Liza Minnelli, or Judy Garland (at least it didn't end like Judy)!

Right in the playbill, you read that all of his story is true. A few names have been changed and perhaps a little "flair" has been added - but on par this thing is true. What was most disappointing was the whole religious thing. Growing up gay and Mormon - - Hello?! - oxymoron!! Somehow he clings to family and the church - even after he is ex-communicated, his father cuts him off and his wife divorces him (I don't think I could even make this up!). Even after the Mormon church tries to brainwash him (let's just say about 10 years worth) he still has a strong connection to it. He seems smart enough to recognize what has happened - but I for one am simply not a believer. What I see on-stage is one of those people who delights in drama and isn't happy unless he's got 3 problems and conflicts running concurrently. A true Queen!!

As you can see from the picture - he's pretty easy on the eyes (and changing his clothes on stage let's you know that attribute applies from head to toe). I just felt robbed in the end when he took off his hairpeice! Ok - it was one of those - "and I don't need this to be who I am" moments... but c'mon - while perhaps necessary to the drama of his whole life and his "recovery" - - It just made me feel like I was robbed.... He really is 36 years old and has a the body of a 26 year old. You believe every word of his rather successful stint as an escort - who wouldn't - he's gorgeous! - - But then all of a sudden he takes his hair off and the whole persona just crumbles - -

Honestly, without the hair I don't think I would have believed a word of the play! While talking on stage every night about your pathetic life might make you feel good - I think he might just need a bit more work one-on-one with a real shrink!!

Keep us out of it next time, Steven. I'd rather just admire your pictures in the back of HX.

Well

A mere 4 shows ago - i warned you - beware when the person who WROTE the show actually STARS IN the show too... Here we go again! "Well" is not your standard Broadway play. I'm really not sure what Lisa Korn is trying to convey either. Some mish-mash about how some people are perpetually "sick" and others get "well". (get it? - well, as in healthy).

The play meanders in and out of her "real life" and "stage life". She's one minute putting on a play (scene by scene) and the next chatting with her mother (yes, this is the woman who was asleep in her chair on stage while you are arriving into the theater). I really did like the mother's character - she was the funny one (Jayne Houdyshell). Periodically she applies a theatrical "trick" of switching the stage lights off and speaking to the audience under a focused spot light to confess to us something she doesn't want her monther to hear. (my friend Dennis Larkin will tell me what the name of that theatrical trick is, i'm sure). Low and behold, she then pulls the joke of having her mother tell her - "I can hear you, you know"! Oh brother - how trite!!

She seems to focus on "sick" people - and all i could tell is that she is trying to say the some people need attention, need to create "drama" about something - and in this case it's the "allergies" excuse. "Everything wrong with your health is due to allergies" seems to be what her mother subscribes to - Aches, Pains, Fatigue, and everything else. That was somehow juxtaposed against her mother's desire to live in a racially integrated neighborhood in Detroit in the 1960's. Her mother was somehow able to lead the neighborhood and make it "well" (healing racial devides), but yet she was otherwise a "sick" older lady. (Huh?!! What's the connection?!!)

What's the point? I mean really - we all walked out of the theater wondering what she was really trying to tell us. (remember, she really was speaking to us - breaking the 4th wall and all)....

I have a better perscription for you - stay home in bed and eat some chicken soup - it's only $3.99 at Fairway. Far cheaper than a ticket to "Well".

Phenomenon

Something off-beat and different. Mixed-Media of sorts. A little dialogue, song, and sprinkled with dance. It's a play, it's a musical, it's ballet?! Well, mostly a play. It's a show about nothing, and at the same time, something. Set in Toutle, Washington (the small town just outside Mt. St. Helens) the play takes place the day BEFORE the infamous erruption of the sleeping giant (May 17th 1980). Of course, you don't get to see an actual erruption (wouldn't that make a mess on stage!?). But you do get to see a "slice of life" play. You get to see a how circumstances around us really do influence our relationships, our desires, and our lives.

Part history lesson, part fantasy - the show entertained. Definately artistic, definately off-beat.

Here (the theater company) is a sort of "artist in residence program" of sorts. I don't pretend to remember all the details, but this show was a long time in the making to bring it to the public.

Visit HERE and you'll be supporting the ARTS, for sure!

Bernarda Alba

The work of Federico Garcia Lorca - this dark tale of a stern mother and her 5 very dissimilar daughters is simply put - raw. The music varies from light hearted - to mostly dark and sad. Bernarda Alba - a hard, stern, and bitter woman attempts to keep her 5 daughters locked away from the "outside world" after her husband dies. This would be to keep them them pure and innocent. Just like all catholic school girls we know - you can only imagine how that isn't going to work. And boy, it surely doesn't.

The story is an alegory - I suppose to represent the political climate in Spain at the time - the King repressing the people and keeping the country "closed". The sets, music and costumes all fit the story and even the placement of the orchestra atop the stage in one straight line seemed to be part of painting the backdrop for the performance.

An interesting cast - lead by Felicia Rachad, failed to resemble a family. The daughters were too different, too dis-similar. While I like the music and the story - i just didn't feel the depth of the emotion that I think I should have when i left.

I did go for a drink afterwards - who wouldn't! This one is not for those looking for a laugh! Trust me - order a double at the bar ahead of time!

The Wooden Breeks

You know you have to worry when 3/4 of the audience gets up and leaves at the intermission. Well - I did not. I moved right up to the front row for Act II (and I'm glad I did - it was much better than Act I). Granted - that Lucille Lortel theater is a dump and the seats are uncomfortable - but somehow i think people will stay if the story keeps them there. I have to admit - it's a story you have to concentrate on if you're going to follow it (i also admit i did not do so well!). It's a story - truly a "storybook" story - made up - - a dream - - illogical things happen - - and the people wear strange clothes and costumes. It takes place in Wales or Scotland or someplace they speak really funny English - not your normal British English - but the kind even a Brit can't understand so well!

Act I needs a lot of work. I know it's the "setup", but it was too long and too "what-the-heck-is-going-on-here" feeling. Act II really brought it all together, but by then they lost (literally) most of the audience.

Veanne Cox - terriffic (yes, from A Mother a Daughter, and a Gun). Actually I thought all the actors were top notch - it's just the darn story is so twisted and strange! There's a kid who's about 15 years old - and he was so good. I hope I DO see them all sometime again soon!

I guess all I can say in conclusion is that, once again, after you see "all kinds" of shows you start to appreciate how diverse and wonderful the theater can be to all kinds of people. At least I can say, these guys worked HARD on stage and deserved my applause at the end. And they got it too.

Clean Alternatives

Although they didn't mention recycling or composting - (i could swear they advertised that!), this play was one thing for sure - preachy. You always have to be on guard when you see the playwright also staring in it! At least there's no doubting who Brian Dykstra voted for - (hint, it wasn't Bush). No doubting his convictions and beliefs - gotta give him credit for that.

Held in a very intimate black box theater (theater C at 59E59) the show hammered away at the current political administration, global warming, corporate and personl greed, apathy, and the evil dollar - - hammered, hammered, hammered... (get my point).

I actually didn't hate it, although at times he really did seem to be shoving too many facts down my throat. The play centered around a female, environmentally conscious, concerned citizen who takes money from the evil empire (the corporations) and

tries to use it against them by running for office and delivering her message in Slam Poerty style. Two evil and super intelligent lawyers (oh, they are the scum of the earth) really put the screws to her too!

The story could be shorter, but the message was well delivered. Humorous at times (Mark Boyett was supurb), preachy at others - it's certainly worth the small price for the 2+ hours.

Nobody said theater was all the same - it takes all types to make the world go 'round...

The Right Kind of People

Who are the right kind of people? Well according to Charles Grodin, they are the old-money, rich, white men and women on the Coop board of the buildings of upper 5th avenue.

The stinging social commentary played out on the Theater A stage at 59E59 Theaters. A cast of well groomed NYC socialites delivered the message that racism and discrimination is indeed alive and well in 2006. Wealth and priviledge may not promote it overtly, but behind closed doors, it's clearly the unspoken rather than the spoken that keeps it alive - Defending their kind.

The emsemble cast (with a favorite of mine - Doris Belack) did a remarkable job of using the space and lighting effects to deliver story via a series of short conversations and group interactions.


Not that I live on 5th Avenue - but this show has got to make anyone who saw it think twice about how they actually got past the Coop board to get into their building... According to Charles Groden - it's even possible to be too wealthy!

Grab this one while it lasts... well worth a trip off the couch in your Coop to go see it. I'm sure they'll let you back in the building when you return.

Angry Young Women in Low Rise Jean with High Class Issues

You can only see so much "Broadway" before you realize that the talent has to come from somewhere! Where, you ask? Well - one place is Off-Broadway (you know, those cheap shows with low budgets downtown)
This week, my work world and my non-work world collided in a good way. At work we have a small project going on where we have hired a small temporary staff. One of those folks is Nicholas J. Colemen and this show is his latest project. I mention his name and put in his picture in here to prove my point - talent comes from somewhere - it doesn't just "appear" on Broadway ("I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Demille").
 
If all you see are "big ol'" Broadway productions, you are truly missing some of the best talent out there - developing their art and honing their skills. Now, I'm sure Nick would love to be a regular on "One Life to Live" or "As the World Turns" (yes, he has been featured) but downtown in a small theater on East 4th Street - you can really see an actor with the freedom to create, the hunger to entertain, and the power to make you laugh. And Nick is just one of several.
This show is a mix of stand up, sit-com, and a bunch of over-the-top women with a message to tell you about society, sex and men! Performed in 5 vignettes, the 90 minute show leaves you wondering exactly how much fun the performers must have on stage when performing.

Angry Young Women in Low Rise Jeans with High Class Issues - a gem in the East Villlage! And keep an eye out - You'll see Nick (and his other cast members again real soon!).

Defiance

John Patrick Shanley strikes again. This, the second work in his yet unfinished trilogy (it started with "Doubt"), is destined for a great public reception. It's now showing at MTC City Center on Stage I.

The story of power, lust, and loyalty - and of course, Defiance. Set at Camp Lejune (The Marines) in 1970, it deals with the struggles of racism in the military, belief in God, doing the "right thing" and the casualties guaranteed to fall out in these struggles. The characters - a black captain, a white colonial (25 yrs), the southern educated wife of the colonial, and the base Chaplin. The 100 minutes that ensue are a tour de force - with conflict, a dash of humor, cut with raw emotion. The ensemble cast highlighted individual talent without putting anyone performer up on a pedestal.

I never saw "Doubt" before the transfer to Broadway - but I'm going to guess that this smaller, more intimate environment gave it the fuel it needed to "blast" onto Broadway.

Kiss and Cry

A diamond in the ruff. I think this play ranks up there as a recent favorite! Not exactly on Broadway, Theater 1010 is located in the basement of a Church on 84th and Park. Low budget - but certainly not low talent. This was a top notch cast with lots of energy, talent, and extreme good looks ( pssst - hey there, reed prescott my phone number is 917-273... oh sorry back to my review).

Ok, so the story deals with love, stardom, the stigma of being gay, being out, the hollywood spin cycle, the press and the papparazzi... but most of all, true love and friendship. Ironically, i saw the play on it's first performance - a story about figure skaters - on the opening night of the Winter Olympics!

Sweet, entertaining, easy on the eyes and slightly social and political, but heck - we got Brokeback Mountain this year, and frankly, i'd rather have seen this one on the big screen!

Lately, I've been more impressed with the quality of work off broadway and this one is no exception. Run, don't walk to this one. It's a limited run. Someone is going to scoop up these talented folks real soon!

Barefoot in the Park

Barefoot in the Park - Neil Simon's 1960's classic comedy - back on Broadway in 2006! Well even if the acting is top notch- the story is stale and dated. In this day and age - who hasn't lived on their own and/or lived with their spouse before they were "official". Hardly believable and barely plausible today. There were quite a few funny lines - and the physical comedy made you chuckle. I just couldn't get over the feeling that I was sitting in front of a big "Nick at Nite" stage watching a re-run. A few times i turned to look around the theater to see if Patty Duke was there with me.


Jill Clayburgh and Tony Roberts turned in stand-up performances. Patrick Wilson was crisp and Amanda Peet was ravishing in her Broadway Debut. It's a shame the ensemble cast didn't have some updated material to work with - this group could have brought the house down!! I'm not sure this one will be out there for very long... Despite all the talent on stage.

Bridge and Tunnel

Sarah Jones has many people in her head and now they're on stage with her too. She magically transforms the Helen Hayes theater into the performance space for I.A.M.A.P.O.E.T.T.O.O (ok, i forget what the whole thing it stands for, but it was funny!).

Laced with social commentary and political undertones - the 90 minute show was a romp! One after another she transforms herself into one immigrant character after another each one with a story to tell.

From a Russian man, to a Chinese mother of a lesbian, to an elderly Jewish woman from Long Island, to a Vietnamese Slam-Poet, to the Hatian woman, to the Dominican school teacher to the wheelchar bound Mexican - the stories abound - one after another about the plight of the immigrant - yet in all cases she manages to display a ray of hope and light for each of them. She returns each time to the MC of the evening - a light-hearted Pakistani man with no easy life himself. She glides effortlessly from one character to antoher. If you close your eyes, all those people really were there!

Despite the laughter, you are continually reminded that the life of an immigrant to this country is tough. Discrimination is omni-present and the cycle never ends, no matter who is "next" to call this country home.

Kudos to Sarah and all her friends - each and every one of them are the even expanding fabric that makes this country great.

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!

Chita Rivera - The Dancer's Life

The Incomparable Chita Rivera. A legend on two legs. And boy, those legs still look good at 72! As a matter of fact, she looks like a million bucks from head to toe! And man, she's got class - paying homage almost immediately to a few of the "ladies" who very recently came before her on Broadway - Elaine Stritch, Bea Arthur, and Barbara Cook. She's kept the "talk about the other legends in my opening act" tradition going.

As far as the one-woman shows goes -this one is tops. It truly is the story of "a dancer's life" - the ups and downs; highs and lows; co-stars, choreographers and directors; loves, losses, and many other funny stories. You don't get that "I'm a star and I'm telling you my story" feeling from this classy broad. It's more like "Let's chat about this little thing called a career I've had and how much fun it has been". As Boris Kachka recently said in a review - "It's not the triumph-and-tragedy one woman gab fest we've come to expect..."

Chita still has "it". Well - ok - the voice is a little "rough around the edges", the kicks aren't quite so high - but let me tell you - at 18, I don't think I had as much energy as she has on stage. I mean - c'mon - some people her age can't walk to the bathroom without resting... but she struts her stuff all over the stage 8 times a week and looks like she enjoys each and every minute of it!

Far from a "black box" theater production too. The lighting, the orchestra - and let's not forget the silhouette scenes and the vibrant colors bring this story to life. Her backup dancers fill in the blanks and simply drip with energy and sexuality.

For people of all ages, it's a trip down "memory lane". Anyone alive and breathing will recall something they've seen her in or know her for. Aside from the obvious - West Side Story and Chicago - Chita has really had a rich life on (and off) stage. All this and we didn't hear a single "hazy" story about booze or dope... 'cause we all know Broadway doesn't go for that. Chita is 100% Broadway.

Living legends are not to be missed. This one is no exception!

A Touch of the Poet

Gabriel Byrne and his cast members gave us an outstanding evening of theater at Studio 54. A classic straight play with a talented supporting cast aptly directed by Doug Hughs brilliantly entertained us for the entire 2 hours and 40 minutes. (Kudos cousin Cindy!)

The story is set in colonial Boston - July 1828 - and focuses on the Maloy family, lead with great pride by Gabriel Byrne (MAJOR Cornelious Maloy). It becomes aparant that he used to be a gentleman of great stature living on an estate in Ireland in days gone by. However, since his transplantation to America - we learn that he seems to have slipped a few notches down to the status of inn-keeper. What keeps him going is the memory of his days in the army - fighting in Spain for England. Seemingly unaware that he is not a "real" gentleman any longer - he fights his family and his inner self as they all struggle with what love and honor really means to each of them.

Irish Family and Booze - all classic O'Neill - but not at all one of his trademark durges - The play, however, does close with a familiar note of "in the end, nobody really wins".

Beauty of the Father

The sultry sounds of Spanish music softly transformed Theater II at MTC into the Costa del Sol last Thursday evening. A cast as talented as they were good looking supurbly performed the latest work by award winning Nilo Cruz. You couldn't ask for more.

The story unfolds in a cottage on the Spanish coast as we learn about a small family and their rich and unique relationships. Throw in a poor, handsome, young moroccan boy and it all heats up. The play is cleverly narrated by a character we soon learn is the ghost of Federico Garcia Lorca, the Spanish poet.

This play has layers... and lots of 'em. Truly a tale which makes you question if there really is only one true definition of family, sexuality, love, and sacrafice. What would you do and how far would you go for true love?

Check out Beauty of the Father and then give me your answer.

BINGO!

One Part Trailer Park Musical (B), One Part Golden Girls (I), One Part Alice (N), One Part Roseane (G), and One Part Steel Magnolias (O)!

Boy oh Boy - can it get any better. You get to play BINGO (and they pay out the winners too!) and join in all the melodrama and fun with the gals from Florida who regail you with their game playing and slightly trashy, yet always funny and endearing lives!

You'll be rolling in the aisles as these gals belt out the songs in the basement of St. Luke's Church on 46th Street (could there be a better set?!). If you're like me you could close your eyes and see the stage filled with the likes of Bette Midler, Dolly Parton, Christine Baransky, and Estelle Geddy filling the room with song and laughter! A working BINGO setup - big working lite board and all! You even get your own genuine ink dabber and game cards as you enter!

If you get the chance - bring your lucky rabbit's foot and hit the basement of St. Lukes - just don't sit in the front row, if you know what's good for you!

Five Course Love

Billed as "A lip-smacking musical comedy". I say - Smack Me for going! Oh boy - A clever idea, yes. Pretty talented actors, yes. Idea transformed into quality entertainment - NOT!
Five vignettes - each revolving around love in a restaurant. The problem, however, is the lack of comedy. It's dumb. Cliche after cliche. Bad puns and double entendres one after another. Each scene also had one too many musical numbers. I wanted to cry out "OK - we GET your stupid humor already!". (i refrained, however).
Honestly - the best part of the whole show - the barbershop quartet like opening announcment about turning off your cell phones and enjoying the show. Really - it was the best number. It was all a downhill trainwreck after that!