Our Leading Lady

One minute you're laughing - the next minute President Lincoln is shot! This play has a little of everything - perhaps to its own detriment.

Kate Mulgrew plays the powerful and accomplished Laura Keene who shows up at the Ford Theater in Washington DC to take charge of a "rag-tag" theater company with the ulterior motive of actually taking over the theater itself. She plans to earn this privilege by filling the house and bringing prestige back to the theater on the opening night. And with President and Mrs. Lincoln in attendance how could anything go wrong?! (Well, you know the rest)

Maxwell Caulfield, Barbara Bryne, and Kristine Nielsen comprise the major players in the theater troupe. Their characters all have marginal talent and are nothing "big". Throw in a young (and very cute) stage manager learning the ropes in the theater, who seems to have an inappropriately ultra religious upbringing (along with a closeted curiosity for men) and you have all the ingredients for some laughs and some serious drama.

The back story of how President and Mrs. Lincoln came to be at the theater that night is a clever idea and the use of this historic event as the fabric for the story being told is a credit to Charles Busch's overall creative talents.

With all those ingredients I didn't feel that either was done so well. The laughs were more chuckles... and the drama didn't exactly evoke tears. Overall the show was longer than it needed to be, but not uncomfortably so. On the bright side, the rotating stage proscenium was clever and the classical piano music at the scene changes was brilliant.

Talk Radio

Liev Schreiber powers through the callers with an intensity like that of a genuine late night radio shock jock. The show is basically 90 minutes of his character, Barry Champlain on the radio taking calls, telling it like he sees it, turning up the heat and asking provocative questions on the eve of a deal that will take his local Ohio radio show national. What develops is the juxtaposition of Champlain's character on the radio versus real life - and the struggle to draw a clear line between the two.

Make no mistake, the show is scripted. The callers are all off-stage and are not a variable part of the show. One of my favorite entertainers - Christine Pedi - creates many of the voices. Actually there are 5 callers and they run the gamut of voices and personalities. On stage, there is a small supporting cast, including Stephanie March (ADA Alexandra Cabott - Law and Order SVU).

There was certainly an intensity to the performance - staged as if in a studio - with working microphones, hence the "deep radio voice" is broadcast to the audience as if we were actually listening to the radio.

The show, written by Eric Bogosian (SubUrbia, Law and Order CI) 20 years ago, doesn't seem to "shock" as much as it probably did 20 years ago. Today we're all used to Howard Stren and the likes. Yet there is a timeless story buried beneath the surface - the story about how Hollywood and the Media can make a star out of a character and how that real person and life behind the character can transform - or be transformed - by the circumstances.

My mother used to tell me not to believe everything I read. I'd consider extending that to everything you hear, too.

Curtains

This Kander & Ebb - Rupert Holmes musical is a gem. It may not be as flashy-dashy as Drowsy Chaperone - but it does one thing well - it entertains.

The show numbers are big and bold - lots of high kicks and toes-a-tappin' during the many rousing full cast numbers. What more would you expect from a "show within a show"? The basic plot goes something like this... A (pretty bad) show is being rehearsed and there are a few murders (yes, one might expect Jessica Fletcher to show up!). The investigation traps the entire cast, crew, producers, and director inside the theater. While the mystery unravels - the police lieutenant lives out his fantasy by "improving" the many numbers and scenes ultimately making it a success (and solves the murder mystery too!).

One can't help but also detect ever so slight references to songs and shows of days gone by... is KansasLand a spoof of OKLAHOMA!? Do we see the budding romance of the lieutenant and a cast member get played out in a fantasy dance ballet that resembles a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers number? Does Show People have it's roots in Annie Get Your Gun? Probably so - and there are probably more that this theater novice just didn't pick up on!

It's goofy and silly and fun all around. I might say that while David Hyde Pierce (the lieutenant) loves the stage and is a great comedic actor - he's not much of a singer or dancer. Debra Monk plays one of the show's producers and I have to say - You can hear a little Ethel Merman in her. She commands the stage with her character's powerful personality and biting wit. Edward Hibbert - as old as he is - simply steals the show as the stuffy, witty and cantankerous director. And you can never mistake the voice of Ernie Sabella - bellowing all the way off stage for his enterance. Yes, even the orchestra conductor has dialogue and a song to sing!
Yes, a bit campy. Yes a bit "old fashioned". Yes, not the "best" show you've ever seen - - but the supporting cast brings the house down with each company number. I did see it at its first preview so maybe they'll tighten up the show, cut some dialogue, and contain the energy. If they can keep you tapping from 8:07 to 10:15 after opening night they might have a pretty good run of it.

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.

Follies

Encores! pulls off another Sondheim classic - Follies. As always, it's a partially staged "books-in-hand" production at the cavernous City Center for 6 shows only.

The star-studded cast lead by Victor Garber, Victoria Clark, Donna Murphy, Michael McGrath, and Christine Baranski laid all their 40 year old "dirty laundry" on stage for all to enjoy. As the story goes, these guys and gals were all show-folk for Dimitri Weismann (a rival to Ziegfeld) 40 or so years ago and are all back for a reunion at the theater they all used to perform in for one last night since the theater is being torn down to become a parking lot. The supporting cast of reunion-comers , no slouches in their own right, includes Joanne Worley (Laugh-In), Phillip Bosco (Broadway Legend), Yvonne Constant (International/French Cabaret Star), Mimi Hines (Broadway: Funny Girl, Sugar Babies, Hello Dolly, Nunsense, Pippen to name a few), Anne Rogers (Broadway: The Boyfriend, My Fair Lady, 42nd Street and more) and Robert Fitch (over 27 Broadway shows and counting).


Not to be left off the list of those who deserve rave reviews is the "dual cast" of the younger versions of each of these "old-folk". The show weaves in scenes and flashbacks from the past alongside the current dialogue to give the audience a sense of "what really happened". That young cast was powerful, talented, and energetic - much as you would assume these folks all were in the days gone by. They truly provided the "oomph" behind the tap dance numbers and the effortless grace in the dance numbers.

Christine Baranski who played Carlotta Campion sang the signature number I'm Still Here. She hit every line of dialogue with aplomb and left us laughing every time - but her vocal skills need a bit of work. Victoria Clark and Donna Murphy stole the show as the leading ladies. Both have an incredible command of the stage and flawless vocal abilities.

Victor Garber - Wow! For some reason i never expect and always enjoy the vocal powerhouse he is. And let's not forget Mimi Hines who sang the famous Broadway Baby. She knocked our socks off. And Joanne Worley - the ageless funny-gal - she powered thru Who's that Woman - and all but got a standing ovation.

It's not perfect, it's got a few flubs and scant scenery. But with a hit like this one and stars like this one and, of course, the Encores! Orchestra - how could it be anything but an entertaining evening? Sorry, I think it's mostly sold out - but for 5 more shows - it's still here!

25 Questions for a Jewish Mother

In this show, a mix of stand-up comedy and story-telling, Judy Gold tackles the subject of being a Jewish mother. Using her own mother as the oft comedic anchor, she set out to explore other Jewish mothers' experiences, lives, dreams, and regrets. She regales us with tales from her childhood all the way up to today and weaves the story of how a 6' 3" Jewish lesbian mother of two from the upper west side (yes, that's her) was equally tortured and loved by her (albeit stereotypical) mother and how that relationship was in many ways rooted in the culture of other Jewish mothers.

The story was actually more stand-up than I had expected - -but it was all good. A few belly laughs, lots of giggles - and surprisingly poignant and serious at many times. Judy morphed in and out of the voices and characters of many of the mothers she had interviewed for the show - - but none better than her own mother!

Admittedly, the show probably doesn't play well outside of New York (she took a form of it to Seattle to see how the 4 Jews there would like it). It's at the St Luke's Theater off-Broadway, so the audience is limited mostly to Jewish mothers and their friends and a few other "goim" New Yorkers who are Judy fans. And that's just fine - because if you're not one of those you'd probably sit there and wonder what the heck she was talking about all night ("Damn it Judith, it happened again - - Get the plant!).

Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris

First things first - the Zipper Theater is a bona fide dump!

Now that we have gotten that out of the way - this indeed was one of the best musical shows I have seen all year - a total surprise! Put together by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman in 1968 from the original French musical by the show's namesake - Jacques Brel - it will knock your socks off!

The show originated at a time of similar national discord - during the Vietnam War. Jacques Brel's music and lyrics speak volumes about the common man, the proletariat, love and war, and emotional loss. A theme that seems eerily relevant once again today.

There is no dialogue in this show - but there is a story. The story is artfully told through the lyrics and the emotion of each Brel song - a pastiche of sorts. Powerful and provocative, the four performers brilliantly bring this show to life. Robert Cuccioli, Constantine Maroulis (of American Idol fame), Jayne Paterson and Gay Marshall breathe a vibrant life into this gem.

Under Gordon Greenberg's direction - the actors take turns in this review - some solo, some ensemble - telling tales of joy and pain, of war and soldiers, of loves and lives lost, of happy gay times that are interrupted by war. The styles range from rock to ballad to lounge to tango to show tune and beyond. Gay Marshall sings some of the songs in French - but don't worry - you will understand and feel. The emotions are raw and powerful.

Despite the atrocious seating and dilapidated house, this play is honestly worth the value of a full price ticket. I don't say that very often -- and guess what-- you won't have to pay it - there are plenty of discounts out there - - to lure you into one of the finest off-Broadway shows you can find in 2007!

The Coast of Utopia - Salvage (Part III)

After $300, 9 hours, and cramped legs in those perennially undersized seats at the Vivian Beaumont - all Tom Stoppard left us with is:

"A storm is coming"

Are you kidding me? A few great performances (Jennifer Ehle, you and Brian O'Byrne were GREAT!) from the large cast were nothing compared to the sheer boredom of having to sit and muddle thru endless ramblings of the playwright. This, of course, is not the actors' fault. Kudos to the fine cast.

Lincoln Center Theater - all your 87 year old patrons are all going to die soon. That storm just might wipe you out at this rate. Step up your game!

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?

Translations

Playright Brian Friel shows up on Broadway once again (Faith Healer -2006). A well performed work, albeit slow and a bit boring and a bit of a dirge. A fine cast, all unknown (to me anyway), did an excellent job at staging the new work.

I mean how could a show with a stage covered in dirt, dirty looking actors, and the British army come out with a happy ending? Just a little hint. It can't. And it didn't.

The title, Translations, comes from the fact that the actors, although speaking to us in English, are really supposed to be speaking in Gaelic (Irish). It becomes most obvious when the British Army shows up and must try to communicate with the locals. They are "mapping" the small towns in Ireland. The Irish are proud to speak their own language and have their own culture on the beautiful isle, but are not very well educated and one can soon tell what the British army is bound to do. The proud are doomed to fall.

The Apple Tree

Kristin Chenoweth is certainly a (big) Broadway star. However, right now, she's a star without a big show (if that is possible). The Apple Tree is not so much a show, but rather a showcase. It certainly allows Kristen to demonstrate her versatility and her comedic talents (and there's lots!). She's a dream to listen to and our little girl has a pair of lungs for sure.

The Apple Tree is actually a series of 3 vignettes - all dealing with love, desire, fantasy, and the forbidden fruit (both literally and figuratively). The first is a version of the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden Of Eden. The second is the age old story of the choice and the equality of chance as told in the middle ages - a king, a princess, a warrior, forbidden love, and the ultimate choices they make (or do they?). The final scene is a fantasy dream sequence of an ordinary woman who becomes a star - Passionella - that takes place in the 1960's .

Brian d'Arcy James and Marc Kudisch pull through with solid supporting roles and the chorus boys are pretty darn cute.

The show is cute and fun, not great- but certainly worth seeing if you can get a discounted ticket. I think that Kristin will find that "role of a lifetime" pretty darn soon!

The Scene

Theresa Rebeck, the playwright, seems to have a few issues she'd like us to know about. And boy, did Tony Shalhoub, Patricia Heaton, Anna Camp, and Christopher Evan Welch show us what they were!

In an unusual treat of elaborate sets (not the norm for 2ndStage), the cast presented us peek into the lives of one married NYC couple (Tony and Patricia as Charlie and Stella), their NYC friend (Evan as Lewis) and an interloper from Ohio (Anna as Clea).

The scene, as it were, is supposed to represent the "social" scene. These folks seem to be in TV and movies - Charlie is an actor and Stella is a booking agent for an undisclosed, yet quite familiar afternoon or morning substance-less talk show. They talk about friends who has made it big and all the "Hollywood-esque" behavior that you would imagine might follow suit (the unseen friend, Nick, is the primary object of their angst).

Charlie and Stella are not exactly happy people - and into their lives strolls Clea, the sexy, young, blond from Ohio. She's dumb (isn't everyone the mid-west?). Tony's character is struggling both professionally and emotionally (mid-life straight male stuff). What follows suit is not a happy scene for any of them.

The 2 hour and 30 minute performance will probably get trimmed down close to 2 hours once they get the lighting queues crisper, the scenery changes quicker, and the director takes his knife to the dialogue and executes some precision cuts.

Check out "Monk" and "Debra Barone" do something totally different than what you know them from on TV. It's worth the off-Broadway ticket price of $50!

Room Service

Billed as a side-splitting, screwball comedy - this show seemed to present itself as merely silly. I'm not sure why there were so many people doubled over with belly laughter in the audience -perhaps all friends of someone in the rather large cast for such a small theater? While the plot is clever, I found the stage way to small to deliver the physical nature of the comedy (imagine the Marx brothers X 2 - crammed on a 15 foot stage!).

Plenty of "characters", lots of chuckles, but it really seemed to be a mismatch of the talent, physical size, ethnicity, and age. Kudos do go out to Sterling Coyne (Gregory Wagner) - a stand out performance! ("God Damn it!"). But even he could not rescue the sinking ship.

Spring Awakening

Brace yourselves - This one is gonna be a hit! Broadway finally has a new, edgy Rock n' Roll musical that will stick. Grammy award winning Duncan Sheik wrote all the music - a fact that many a theater-goer might even pick up on even without reading the Playbill. And let's not forget this story must have been a true shocker when written in 1891 by Frank Wedekind who is considered one of the founders of modern drama and a real pioneer of the concept of expressionism in the theatre.

The musical today so cleverly juxtaposes the Wedekind dialogue of teenage coming of age in the 1890's with Sheik's biting and angst filled Rock n' Roll lyrics. The resulting message is clear and ageless - kids through all ages have the same problems - - suicide, abuse, growing up gay, sex, abortion, not fitting in, and of course, parental influence. All that really changes is the calendar and the costume.

The actors in this production have a deep connection to the subject matter. Most all of them are actually between 16 and 21 and have grown up with this production over the past 6 years as it made its way to Broadway from the Atlantic Theater Company off-Broadway. The talent is raw, true, and natural. It's not a bunch of 30 year old actors on stage pretending to be kids. It makes all the difference. You feel for these kids and connect with their emotions.

For many of the actors, this is their Broadway debut. While there is a true lead actor and actress (Jonathan Groff as Melchoir and Lea Michele as Wendla) - it's the ensemble that makes this one pop! We get to see the boys belt out their talents right from the beginning in "The Bitch of Living" and the entire ensemble rock the house in "Totally Fucked". It would really be a treat to see John Gallagher, Jr. (Moritz) walk up on stage next July at Radio City Music Hall to collect his Tony for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.

With an "open" stage and steps down to the first row in the audience the actors seem to flow right into your world on several occasions. There's also 4 rows of bleacher style seating on stage on each side. Be prepared if you sit there. The cast sits among you when they are not performing; they burst into song and jump to their feet and stand on the chairs when you least expect your neighbor to be doing so! The Band is also placed upstage and in a rare move joins the cast and takes a formal bow with the cast - emphasizing their importance to the show's delivery. Each of them also has an individual mention in the playbill. Just as the show is about juxtaposition - so must the lighting be. Kevin Adams, lighting designer, takes the stage from monologue to dialogue to solo and melancholy ballads to foot stomping rock and roll and back all over again flawlessly.

These kids earned the standing ovation they got... and then some! Run, don't walk.

The Coast of Utopia - Shipwrecked

Quite a difference from the first (Nov 2006) installment! More engaging. Thicker plot. Less Boring. While Ethan Hawke dominated the first installment (Voyage), this time Brian F. O'Byrne took charge(Shipwreck).

Russian history seems to make just a little more sense now. Even after spending $300 on the whole saga, I'm still no expert on philosophy and intellectualism in Europe in the 1800's.

High Fidelity

I went in with low expectations and came out with a smile from ear to ear! Never read the book. Never saw the movie. But I've heard all about both. Admittedly, the target audience is men - the single, 20-something and straight kind...but I won't hold that against the show. It's definitely a hard thing to get that demographic into a theater for a musical show on Broadway, now isn't it?!

Will Chase - all American cutie boy - works his heart out weaving an interesting tale of the girlfriends (mostly the 'ex' kind) in his life. Jen Colella (last seen in "Slut") happens to be the current one. And there are plenty of interesting characters in the supporting cast (friends, record store employees, customers). And keep an eye out for Hipster - by far the best dancer - and a favorite of many o' the boyz in the audience!

There was plenty of high energy, toe tapping, foot stomping rock and roll music all of which accompanied the clever, plot (see book, movie). There's even a "guest appearance" by Bruce Springsteen!

Find a discount ticket and rock on over to the Imperial Theater for a rockin' good time!

My Name is Rachel Corrie

Naive. If I came away with one thing from this show it was that Rachel Corrie was naive.

Reluctantly, I went to the show, expecting to hear a bunch of political babble and administration bashing. This is the main reason I had stayed away so long. I'm not big on these things. I must say that despite my predisposition, I felt I saw a suburb one woman show. It was insightful, powerful, personal, and believable. I saw Kerry Bishe play Rachel. She is billed as the person who does "select performances" (I scoured the playbill and did not see anyone listed as "understudy", so take that for what it's worth).

Right off the bat, I was handed a little white card on the way in the theater. Interesting, I thought. I wonder how complex this show is going to be that they have to hand me a card to "help put the show in context"? Those really were his words. I read through it, eager to find out what it was that i had to be told. When I finished it, I quickly realized that this card was not at all associated with the show and that it was what someone might call "the other side of the coin".

First off, this show is about the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. Since this card seemed to take the Israeli point of view - I surmised that the show was going to probably take the Palestinian Point of view. Indeed it did.

I was actually once again surprised. The show was not a Bush-Bashing or specifically political work. It was rather the poignant retrospect of a young girl's life and struggles with the world around her.

So how do we get to Naive? Well, it is my interpretation that Rachel Corrie was indeed an activist. She cared deeply about people, about peace, about solving the problems of the world. But here's where I think the naive part comes in. She came of age in the time of one of the larger Israeli -Palestinian conflicts. She, as an American (Internationalist), tried to show the world the plight of the Palestinian people. She lived with them in Gaza. She seemed to take the point of view that they were the "innocents". What I find hard to believe is that she blindly believed this. What about Hamas? What about the underground tunnels where bombs and arms were smuggled in? She seemed to be so naive about it that all she saw were the innocent people caught in the middle and associated the entire conflict to be against them.

Rachel Corrie was a compassionate, peaceful, and deeply caring person. Kerry Bishe did an outstanding job of making us believe this. I'm pretty sure that she was young, impressionable, and used by the Palestinians for her beliefs and convictions. In the end, that is what killed her. She took her bravery and ideals to the grave - fighting for something she really thought was just.

More than many of us can say...

Great Expectations

90 Minutes - No Intermission - Charles Dickens on speed! The play by Bathsheba Doran seemed to be more like the play based on the Cliff's Notes of the aforementioned author's novel. All the highlights were hit. The salient facts disclosed. Not a minute wasted.

Kathleen Chalfant looked ancient and raggedly appropriate. The quick pace of the show obviated the need for opulent sets. Good thing, because the Lortel theater always seems one day away from the wrecking ball! Christian Campbell, the handsome, long haired dreamy-boy, aptly handled the role of Pip, transforming before our eyes from poor country bumpkin to a sophisticated, educated London gentleman.

Perhaps theater purists might scoff at this production. I'm torn. By liking this, am I secretly admitting that today we are all really part of the "microwave generation"?

What will be next? Les Miserables - the abridged version? Hmm...

Suddenly Last Summer

Mrs Venable and Miss Holly rule the stage in a battle of wills at the Laura Pells Theater on West 46th. Blythe Danner and Carla Gugino weave Tennessee Williams' scandalous tale originally written in the early 20th century.

Violet and Sebastian - mother and son. What dark secret does this relationship hold? Why will Violet, the very rich and protective mother, go to the extreme of sending her niece to a mental hospital for a lobotomy?

Of course the answer lies in the fact that Sebastian was gay. His mother hid the secret all his life, but let him live his life in secret at home and through their worldly travels. But when he travels with his cousin Catherine instead of his mother this past summer things unravel. He's not able to deal in the same way he would have under the protective wing of his mother and ultimately that change is the cause of his horrific death on the street while traveling. The elderly Violet refuses to let this story get out and ruin her son's (and her) reputation, but her niece is "blabbing" the story all around. Violet's remedy is to seek out (and bribe) a doctor - (played rather stiffly by Gale Harold) who has a new procedure - the Lobotomy - to shut her up.

We learn about all the characters in Act I, and in Act II, when the doctor arrives, we ultimately hear the long, dramatic story of this past summer's vacation taken by Sebastian and Catherine in a poetic, dramatic, and poignant monologue. The crescendo, highlighted perfectly by a dramatic lighting effect, is, of course, the horrible death of Sebastian.

In what could only have been a shocking ending in its day - is the doctor's simple admission that perhaps the whole story could indeed be true, that Catherine is indeed not crazy, and not a candidate for the extreme procedure. (Lights Out).

Company

Antoinette Perry - get ready for this one! Company - Best Revival of a Musical- 2007 Season!! Hands down, a top notch performance all around. Raul Esparza - Best Actor in a Musical. A classy, elegant, sophisticated and entertaining look at marital bliss (and not so bliss) through the eyes of a friend and bachelor.

John Doyle - fresh off another Sondheim piece - Sweeney Todd - has pulled off another total re-creation of a musical. Actors on stage with musical instruments - this time a shiny black grand piano center stage with all the complementing instruments carried by the cast. It's similar in concept, but different enough in delivery and content from to be fresh. Doyle didn't have to sacrifice (as he did in Sweeney) any key stage elements in this already "concert-like, ensemble piece.


Sondheim's music is fast-paced, witty, often discordant (lots of sharps and flats!) and it's wordy and full of story. Bobby's (Raul Esparza) vocal performance could not have been better. He finally blossoms at the end of the story, symbolically by taking up an instrument for the first time and singing the 11 O'clock number - "Being Alive" like no one I've ever heard before.

Just as you would suspect, it's the same music, but all done with a unique flair - never sounding like the original - just like a pop star who re-makes an old cover tune. Joanne puts a clever spin on "The Ladies Who Lunch" (by the way - i didn't mention who was actually sitting next to me in the audience - none other than Elaine Stritch, the original Joanne!). Amy flawlessly fired off "Getting Married Today" (it's sung in triple time- meaning it sounds like the disclaimer at the end of a car advertisement). Robert and the entire cast ushers in Act II with a rousing rendition of "Side by Side" - showcasing their vocal, instrumental, dancing, and acting abilities!

Despite it's 1970's origins- you'd never know it in this performance. It's relevant and current and fresh - get your running shoes on... cause this one's a "run don't walk" over at the Ethel Barrymore Theater on West 47th! I think Miss Perry is going to like this one next July!

The Big Voice: God or Merman?

Oh boy, this one really is a cocktail party story - best left to be told over 3 or 4 (or maybe more) gin and tonics.

Catholic boy from Brooklyn who thinks he should be a priest - or maybe in musical theater like his idol (Ethel Merman!) either way - he's gay - meets southern baptist boy who is not sure there are actually any other boys who feels like he does (read, gay). They meet on a cruise ship (um, yes) and move in together for 20 some odd- years.

The good times... and bad times (and there are plenty) ... but they're here... well, at least until the temple they have temporarily taken over on 47th street realizes they aren't getting an audience and hence any profits!

Mimi Le Duck

Eartha Kitt still has that razzle dazzle!! Can you believe it? She's still got the legs, the eyes - and of course that cat-woman purr- grrrrr!

This is a rather contrived story of a frustrated Mormon housewife, Miriam (later to be known as Mimi) from Ketchum, Idaho who decides she needs to see life in color rather than her current black and white (read boring) version. This is all brought about by the vision of Ernest Hemingway (Allen Fitzpatrick was a solid "old, yet dead, man). Once in Paris, she takes up residence in the same hotel that Ernest Hemingway had his visions. Well - of course what follows is a mad-cap adventure - where she meets an aging night club owner (Tom Aldridge) and gets a job as Mimi le Duck (the costume that goes along with this one is hysterical!); befriends an street cart -oyster shucker come cross dressing Miss Marple wanna-be detective (Robert DuSold); compares life stories with another "street artist" (Candy Buckley); and, of course, mixes it up with the lady of the house, herself, Madame Vallet (Eartha!).

What was supposed to be 2 hrs and 20 minutes turned out to be a little under 2. Thank God they cut some dialogue and a song or two. This is another one that should be 90 or 100 minutes - no intermission. Mr. Director - do some more tightening here. Actually, the stage and scenery was coordinated very nicely. With little room in the wings, they used every inch of the stage to block out the scenes and set changes. And last but not least, the music - I wish we could have seen the live orchestra! Not even a peak at the end... but Brian Feinstien's music was delicious and quite appropriate for the story. Kudos!

Not sure that Mimi will be a candidate for a Broadway Transfer - but certainly entertaining and worth the TDF ticket price of $25 bucks just to sit in the 2nd row and watch the legend Eartha Kitt draw that glamorous red dress up and show you her fabulous legs and purr at you!!

The American Pilot

A country torn up by a long civil war - somewhere, you are led to believe, in the middle east. A small village. The local tribe of freedom fighters. A local farmer and his family just looking to eek out a living. In crashes an American Pilot and the whole place explodes - brimming with hope, with fear, and possibilities.

The story was well told on a small intimate stage at City Center (Manhattan Theater Company). I'm not one for these political plays. You can only imagine how this one ends. The Americans rescue one of their own in the grand finale erasing all the hope and innocence that may have once existed.

The Vertical Hour

David Hare opened his new play, The Vertical Hour, directly on Broadway. That takes guts... and talent. Casting Julianne Moore and Bill Nighy sealed the deal.

The title of the play comes from the world of combat medicine and refers to the period directly after a disaster where one can be of the most help. Well, this play is certainly not a disaster. This is one of those play written by a very intelligent man. Early on, Iraq was a quagmire. Julianne Moore's character felt she could help. She went to the White House to advise President Bush. She was a liberal voice of decent, but went to try and influence the course of events - at the time she felt it would do the most good -- The Vertical Hour. Hence the theme of the play is established. And rings true in many ways in the several other relationships in the course of the play.

The play is about complex individuals. And it draws parallels to government and politics. It deals with how parents meddle in their children's lives; how a teacher gets drawn into her students' lives; and need you guess - how a government meddles in foreign affairs (i.e. Iraq).

Seems there are quite a few political play on Broadway this year. More than ever before. But you have to imagine it was bound to happen with the current world political environment.

I'm a sucker for a play with meaning, depth, and intelligence. At the same time, I know i didn't "get" probably half of what David Hare would intend me to have gotten. But that's OK - what i did get was that Julianne Moore and Bill Nighy were magical on stage. The intrigue and the tension were palpable. The dialogue, flawless. You feel the sense of attraction, of intellect and desire. I do think that Julianne needs to adjust to stage acting a bit, however. (and i did see it on the it's first preview - the world premire). With time, let's hope she moves into a more comfortable place because she does seem to fit the character quite nicely.

Kudos to David Hare for a magnificent (and intelligent) evening of theater.

Regrets Only

Christine Baranski and George Grizzard - what a delight! This one came out of left field - really it did. Not the part about the two leads being delightful - that I assumed was going to be the case. It was the part about how if all the gays in New York City went on strike - it would cripple the city!

Ok - so that might actually not happen, but the message behind the farce is that there are gay people everywhere - and of all kinds. And some of them could be your very best friends.

What could be more delightful than Christine Baranski, George Grizzard and Jackie Hoffman (you'll know her from Hairspray and Kissing Jessica Stein) in an upper-crusty comedy about Manhattan, an wedding, and the gays! Eat your heart out Cybil.

The Little Dog Laughed

One last Taboo - who's gay in Hollywood - or at least - who's willing to admit it?! This smash hit off Broadway transfer seems to be right at home on Broadway. 

Written by Douglas Carter Beane, the show is a witty, biting commentary on one of the last taboos in Hollywood today.


Julie White steals the show as the overbearing, neurotic, power-broker agent, Diane, for the not yet out of the closet actor, Mitchell - played by Thom Everett Scott. Johnny Galecki plays his hot little rent-boy (plenty of shirt off scenes and one full frontal to verify this all around!) but with a twist - he and Mitchell fall for each other - So much so that Mitchell wants to come out of the closet! But how can he do so without hurting his Hollywood acting career?! Herein lies the dilemma.

Oh yeah - another twist - the rent-boy's girlfriend gets pregnant... (girlfriend? yes!)... But here's the catch - the agent must save the day! And does she ever with her non-stop energy and drive - not to mention her omni-present cell phone!

Done in little vignettes, the action could be a bit faster - but I think that will come as they grow into their new cast members... and new home at the Cort Theater.

OK - did I say enough good things about dreamy-boy Johnny to warrant a date?! (Somehow, I doubt it.).

Heartbreak House

You have to know George Bernard Shaw, i guess. Well, I didn't. So I spent the entire act 1 and some of act 2 trying to figure out what was going on!

You really should read the following article before attending. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931831.html?categoryid=33&cs=1


After you do - you will be much more informed. As far as performances go - this was top notch! Swoozie Kurtz was a gem - sarcastic, hilarious, never missed a beat. Philliip Bosco, who sometimes is hit-and-miss, was firmly the commanding patriarch of the house.

In the Roundabout tradition, the sets and lighting were magnificant. Top notch on Broadway as usual. Just read the review first!! Be informed!