A Time To Kill

Rupert Holmes has adapted a classic best seller and movie for the stage.  John Grisham's first book and now his first play for the stage is a remarkable work that needs just a bit more work before its ready for prime-time.

Leading the pack is the very handsome Sebastia Arcelus (Jake Brigaance).  Hi charm and good looks held my attention but there was something perhaps a bit detached or formulaic in the courtroom drama.  When staging a scene, or in this case an entire play, around a courtroom you need to have crisp, quick dialogue.  It was almost there, but some of his colleagues on stage - primarily former senator and presidential candidate Fred Dalton Thompson (Judge Omar Noose) need a bit more time in rehearsal.

Tom Skerritt (Lecien Wilbanks) exemplified the second problem with this play - I couldn't hear him.  He's not a stage actor by trade.  And when a play takes a tact to not mic the actors (i liked the idea too) you had better cast actors who can speak up!  Sadly this was not the case.  Lastly, Tonya Pinkins (Gwen Hailey) is brilliant but wasted in the small role.

These problems aside, I think there is merit in the production and there's hope for some improvement.  The stage design by James Noone is remarkably engaging with its rotating platform constantly changing perspectives in the courtroom.   I hope the rest of the play brings itself up to the brilliance of the rotating courtroom.

A Carlin Home Companion: Growing Up With George

An entrant in the All for One Theater Festival, which specializes in developing and showcasing one-person shows, Kelly Carlin shows us a behind-the-curtain look at her life growing up with her famous comedian-father, George.

Touching, poignant, and captivating, this multimedia look at her family life hit all the right notes. Part therapy for her and part saying goodbye to George for us, this cathartic 90 minutes on stage for Kelly just made you feel plain old fashioned good about the dysfunctional family.

Kelly's plan to take the show on the road to each zip code her father performed in seems like a great gesture and will allow everyone to have a proper goodbye to a rather funny man and allow her to let go a little bit more with each performance.

The Winslow Boy

Terence Rattigan's new play, The Winslow Boy, took it's second spin at Roundabout's MainStage this season after its production at the Old Vic in London.   It's a play for playgoers.  Four acts.  A real story from start to finish.  Yes, it's a bit stodgy.  It's set in England after all.

The cast, however, was outstanding.  Lead superbly by Roger Rees (Arthur Winslow) and supported stupendously by Mary Elizabeth Mastrntonio (Grace Winslow), Zachary Booth (Dickie Winslow), Michael Cumpsty (Desmond Curry), Alessandro Nivola ( Sir Robert Winslow) and making his Broadway debut, Spencer Davis Milford (Ronnie Winslow).

Acting was crisp, superb and often funny.  The set was the usual high brow, top notch visual of a Kensington living room that Roundabout is known for.  Perhaps a scoach long for my liking but the quality of the acting and the storytelling far exceeded my expectations and neatly wrapped up in about 2h:30m.

Go see what all the fuss over Ronnie Winslow is all about at the American Airlines Theater on 42nd Street.

Newsies

They are indeed the Kings of New York.  Given their tender ages one might instead use the term Prince to describe them.   Whatever you choose, there's no doubt they power through the show from start to finish with plenty of pluck and lots of heart.

I'm a bit late to the party with Newsies, but now I see what all the original fuss over Jeremy Jordan and his Tony-award winning band of newsies was all about.  At the helm today, making his Broadway debut, is the effortless talent of Corey Cott (Jack Kelly).

As a matter of fact, I was surprised to see just how many Broadway debuts there were in the cast.  Young is the understatement here.  But unbelievably talented may be the runner up for that award.  The boys gave it their all and the results were clear - a technically challenging dance-show (Christopher Gattelli) with powerful tunes and toe-tapping melodies (Alan Menkin) and an unbelievably masterful and crisp delivery of the book (Harvey Firestein).

It didn't appear that Disney's money is the real secret to the success either.  The sets were surprisingly basic.  Lighting appeared masterfully focused and sound was decent.  What put this show over the top was the energy, heart, and all-in dance effort by each and every talented member of the cast.

Broadway veteran John Dossett (Joseph Pulitzer), a master in his own right, even takes a back seat to the boys and  LaVon Fisher-Wilson (Medda Larkin) and Kara Lindsay (Katherine) both get to belt out a tune or two alongside the boys.  Nothing can match the adorable Joshua Colley (Les) - a mere 10 years-old and on stage almost as much as the elder boys.  Mild-mannered Andy Richardson (Crutchie) and charming Ben Frankhauser (Davey) aptly hold up their leading roles with aplomb.

I'm sure the Disney brand kept me away this long, but I'm sure glad I finally gave into the hype and plunked down some cash for this one.  It's worth every penny to see these Kings of New York grace every square inch of the stage at the Nederlander Theatre.  

First Date

This the tale of two reviews.  First Date was amusing.  First Date was cute.  First Date was everything a delightful, off-Broadway show for $40 a ticket should be.   Trouble is, it's on Broadway.  Tickets are up there at $100/ticket for a mere 90 minutes if you're not savvy enough to find a discount.  While it's cute, it's not all-that.  

Don't get me wrong, I giggled and even laughed out loud a few times, but the material seemed amateurish.  The music was upbeat, but not very memorable.  Tourist-formulaic come to mind.  Funny; Short enough to hold their attention; Hip enough to be cool.  The acting was OK, but it just seemed like a good off-Broadway show.  

Zachary Levy was adorable and dreamy.  Krista Rodriguez was her cold-hearted SMASH self.  These are the characters they played.  This is who they always seem to play.  Kristoffer Cusick (Reggie) stole the show with his Bailout Song - repeatedly.

I left with a smile wondering if it will last and if the tourists will keep rolling in.  Probably so.  That Zachary Levy is adorable.  No way he's really single.

Snow Geese

Headliner, Mary Louise-Parker, may be listed first in the cast due to her star-power, but this one's got a true ensemble cast - every single one of them superb actors from start to finish - including MLP.

I didn't even recognize the fantastic Danny Burstein as Max, the older German Uncle or the lovely Victoria Clark as a tightly wound religious Aunt.  But even more impressive were the two sons - newly enlisted soldier and eldest, favored son, Evan Jonigkeit (Duncan) and younger, less favored and quietly smarter son, Brian Cross (Arnold).

The chemistry between Duncan and Arnold was remarkable.  Despite their mother's lifetime of overt differing treatment, we see just how the family will survive after the death of their father, Teddy (Christopher Innvar).

Striking sets, interesting and often funny dialogue pepper the evening and at 2 hours 20 minutes (including the intermission) was timed just right.

Bravo on your Broadway debut Brian Cross! We definitely need to see more of you.

Big Fish

Norbert Leo Butz (Edward Bloom) is the very definition of a leading man in Big Fish.  His voice, his stage presence, and chemistry with the rest of his cast has a depth beyond imagination.  Bobby Steggert (Will Bloom) delights the eye and the ear with his pitch perfect voice and handsome good looks.  Kate Baldwin displays the dynamic range of her acting from teenager to wife and never failed to delight with her tunes and her "auburn" hair.  This ensemble was perfectly cast and the proof is in the proverbial pudding.

The plot follows the movie I'm told.  (I didn't see it).  It flows smoothly like the video river cleverly placed on the front skirt of the stage - back and forth from Will's childhood to present day.  There are plenty of rousing Broadway numbers (Book and Music by Andrew Lippa)- including a Rockette style kick-line!   You can really can tell these actors enjoy performing this show.  Who wouldn't?  It's fantasy and bigger than life.

For all these reasons, Big Fish, a movie-cum-musical, is bound to be a resounding success this season on Broadway.  Add in the video technology to complement the sets and smart directing choices  by Susan Stroman and an upbeat, tightly constructed score and you've got a smash hit.  The out-of-town tryout in Chicago clearly served the show well.  Mere days after its first preview, the show is hitting all the marks and running cleanly and crisply - a feat not often achieved by a show this big and technologically packed.

Big Fish is already a big hit and it's only going to get bigger!  Run.  Don't walk -  to get your ticket to see this delightfully entertaining new show on Broadway at the Neal Simon Theatre now!

Inspired

This is the first of many more evenings to come.  Musical composer and performer extraordinaire - Bobby Cronin who is cute as a button - is hosting a bi-monthly (that's every two months folks) benefit concert with a handful of his fabulously diverse peers dubbed "Inspired".

Musical theatre composers and lyricists and the like get together for the evening and perform tunes that inspired them - and share one of their own creations too.

If all of that weren't good enough - it's a benefit concert - likely revolving around animals and animal rescue.

You may or may not have heard the names but you're sure to recognize their fine works.  It's not too often you get to hear the composers show you how they intended it to be heard and  the evening is sure to delight and amaze.

Check out Inspired at the Triad on W 72nd Street!  This inaugural evening featured such great talent as:

Brad Alexander
David Are
Carner & Gregor
Drew Fornarola
Michael Holland
Rob Rokicki
Georgia Stitt
Katie Thompson
Michael Patrick Walker

Fetch Clay, Make Man

I sense a conspiracy here.  In a season that promises Rocky, The Musical, we seem to be getting a sister-preview in Fetch Clay, Make Man - the (abridged) story of Muhammad Ali.  God help us all.

Will Power's new play, previously performed at McCarter Theater Center in Princeton is certainly well acted.  Of course it is - with such leading actors such as Ray Fisher (Muhammad Ali), K. Todd Freeman (Stepin Fetchit), and Nikki M. James (Sonji).  There was also no need for microphones partially, i assume, due to the material and characters involved, and partially due to Des McAnuff's direction to scream just about every line of the play.

While, admittedly, I wasn't much interested in the material, I found the play provocative - it made me think and reflect on that time period - and to its credit, it was very well lit, uniquely staged, and extremely well acted (shouting aside).  Float like a butterfly down to New York Theatre Workshop on East 4th and get stung like a bee by this play today!

Let me Entertain You, Again

A delightful evening in the company of my theatre-loving friend, Adam.  What was equally lovely was the thoughtful and tender memoir performed by Lane Bradbury - whom I knew nothing about, but was thoroughly entertained by.

Lane was the original Dainty June in Gypsy, opposite the indomitable Ethel Merman (hence the show's title).  Lane performed on Broadway for a spell, migrated to the West in Hollywood, but has now returned to her roots on stage for this one (well, two) woman show documenting her theatrical life.

Plenty of stories, plenty of dance, song, and smiles accompany this evening and she's such an inspiration - having broken her leg and hip just a few month's ago and yet still performing this show.  Special kudos to her daughter, Elkin (who was not revealed to be her daughter till the end) for the shadow/younger Lane's song and dance routine.

Look for this show to gel some more during its development and roll into a theatre near you soon!

Pippin

Pippn emerges fresh and refreshed after a long sleep.  Director, Diane Paulus, has breathed some new life into a mid-70's classic.  It's a modern mix of part Cirque du Soleil, part Spamalot, part Edwin Drood all with a Fosse flair!  Yet it still retains its original soul and message.

Patina Miller (Leading Player) is indeed outstanding in this dazzling role of the narrator of sorts.  Charlotte d'Amboise (Fastrada) surprises with her fantastic dance routine.  Andrea Martin (Berthe) all but steals the show in her rousing and high-flying "No Time at All" number in Act I.  Terrance Mann (Charles) and Eric Altemus (Lewis) provide much of the Spamalot like comedy with the timing and facial expressions of true pros.  Last but not least, Matthew James Thomas (Pippin) is cute, sexy, and adorable all rolled up in one.

The ensemble is composed of cirque-like acrobats which only adds to the magical aspect of the show.  They round out the scenes adding just the right amount of fantasy and excitement.

The stars in this 2013 Tony award winning show may come and go but the magic and the message will remain with you forever!

Nobody Loves You

Reality TV meets Broadway... sort of.  Itmar Moses jumps into the reality TV cesspool by penning a funny, yet predictable, rom-com now playing over at Second Stage.

Heath Calvert (Byron) deadpans every line and hits the target each time as the TV series host.  Leslie Kritzer (Nina) nails the over-the-top, sun glass-wearing producer.  Rory O'Malley plays, yet again, a delicious gay character, (Evan), who steals the show.  Leads Bryan Fenkhart (Jeff) and Aleque Reid (Jenny) give top notch performances.

Now, the show won't win any Pulitzer prizes or OBies, but it's perfect for a little guilty theatre pleasure for the summer.  Just like Big Brother, go see what's on the cameras over on West 43rd Street.  I just wish the camera man got credited in the playbill!

The Assembled Parties

A top notch cast.  And Judith Light still all but stole the show.  Set over 20 years, this family drama reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly of a Jewish family who celebrates Christmas.

A tad bit long, but nonetheless thoroughly enjoyable, the parties reveal themselves bit by bit, usually through laughter and familial jabs.  Jessica Hecht leads the family as its sultry, sophisticated patriarch with aplomb.  Mark Blum and Jonathan Walker aptly embody the family secrets.

Act 1 takes place in 1980 and Act 2 takes place 20 years later in the same 14 room apartment on the Upper West Side.  A lot has changed in 20 years but still again, some things remain the same.

When the parties assemble for the holidays, nobody knows for sure what will happen, except to say, a great meal will undoubtedly be served an a vodka will be poured.

Rentboy

A delicious romp way downtown on the east side at the Richmond Shepard Theatre (huh?  where?) - yes the former Vineyard theatre space, i presume - on East 26th almost in the river!

Let's all be clear - Broadway-bound this show is not.  A delightful, naughty, and entertaining tuner, indeed it is.  Composer Andrew Sargent (a whole lotta delicious item all by himself off-stage) and the amazingly vivacious David Leddick (book, lyrics, and MC/star of the show) take full charge of the melodies along with a charming, if slightly campy (how could it not be?!) plot.

Of course all the boys are cute.  Duh.  But there's cleverly something for everyone - hot twink (Peter Krug), ripped and hung (Randall Holloway), sexy hairy Latino (Mario Castro), Israeli stud (Michael Argento), and the stand-out performer who stole the entire show - fuzzy, beefy shaved headed daddy with a flawless, classically trained operatic voice (Andrew Ryan Rix).  

Playing for just this week - grab a ticket.  grab a cab. and grab some ass down on the east side.  This one won't last here long.  But I'm sure we'll see it in pTown or some other fun gay summer spot!

The Last Five Years

A powerhouse.  Packs a punch.  Profound.  These are some of the words used to describe Jason Robert Brown's musical tour de force, The Last Five Years.

Jamie and Cathy both sing the tale of their relationship - but there's a twist.  Jamie tells it from beginning to end.  Cathy tells it from the end to the beginning.   But wait, there's another twist.  While the two performers both grace the stage together, they are essentially alone -never looking at nor speaking to each other.    Isolated.  Lonely.  In love.  Out of Love.  

It is only once at the confluence of their story in the exact middle of the story when they get married in Central Park, that they unite and proclaim their love to each other in song as they exchange vows.  And as quickly as it happens, they continue on their journeys and the story proceeds (and/or regress as it were).

Adam Kantor (Jamie) is pure delight - boyishly handsome, devilishly talented.  Betsy Wolfe (Cathy) blows the roof off the joint multiple times (and that's tough because this theater was formerly a bank!).

Two actors.  One story.  Plenty of potent song.  A mere 90 minutes on-stage.  A lifetime in your heart.

The Flick

What a dichotomy of emotions this play elicited.  Superb acting and what I suspect is superb direction in what just might be the most self-indulgent, childish, selfish play I've ever paid money to see.

So poorly written and conceived is The Flick that it was a unanimous decision of my two other stalwart heater-going friends (and many others) to leave after the painfully show and entirely uneventful 1h:40m first act (with another 1h yet to go in act two).

Matthew Maher (Sam), Aaron Clifton Moten (Avery), and Louisa Krasuse (Rose) played their characters with aplomb.  In fact, some of their acting was some of the best I've seen.  The problem here is not the acting - it's the utterly meaningless, immature, and senseless writing.  More specifically the pace and the repeated tone of hesitation and the pauses so pregnant an emergency c-section would normally be called for.   The playwright, Annie Baker, should not have been allowed within 1000 feet of a stage with even a draft of this one.  

As bad as the writing was, the concept of turning the stage into a movie theatre complete with a working film projector was brilliant.  Such a shame the high-brow concept was abused in parallel to the low-brow dialogue.  The opening scene, as I look back, set the tone for the entire play - a movie playing back to the audience in the projector with an orchestral score.  It went on... and on.... and on.... (queue much nervous laughter and the beginning of a never-ending sense of "get on with it already").

I get her point (which could have been made in about 27 minutes) and I honestly have absolutely no care or desire to know what became of her characters (even the one we hadn't yet met) in act 2.  It was that bad.

Belleville

Not a lot of 'happy' going on in this play.  Amy Herzog, a fresh, young playwright takes us on a tour of two slightly 'off' individuals currently living in Paris.  Why are they there?  What exactly is wrong with Abby?  Do we really know who Zach is?

These and many more questions are asked, explored, and answered as the evenly paced 1:40 minute play progresses from pot smoking friends to scrubbing the blood off the floor.  Maria Dizzia (Abby) and Greg Keller (Zach) weave their tale of mystery and madness with aplomb.  Actors playing crazy fits them well.

Aptly directed by Anne Kaufmann, Belleville offers intrigue, mystery, madness and a fair share of sadness.  As I left the theatre, I couldn't stop thinking about who loved who more and who loved who more?  I have my answer.  What's yours?

Ann

"Tough as nails, Funny as hell."   That just about sums it all up.  Ann, a touching, heart-felt one-woman memoir of a classy and brassy southern belle makes it debut this spring at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center.

Written and performed by Holland Taylor, the show, as you would expect, takes you on a tour of life of the grande-damme of Texas and National politics, Ann Richards.  Ms. Taylor completely embodies the former Texas governor - and on more than one occasion you find yourself blinking twice - just to remind yourself that there's an actress on the stage - not Ms. Richards herself.  Ms. Taylor nails the white hair and the drawl, but more importantly her swagger, the way Ms. Richards awkwardly placed her one hand behind her back when speaking, and of course the lipstick, the pucker and the delivery of the zingers - always with love.

Done in two acts, Ms. Taylor, who likely needed little direction by Benjamin Endsley Klein, effortlessly begins the show with a college graduation address, transitions to the tale of her upbringing, her rise in local politics to her eventual coronation as the *second* woman governor of Texas.  (You'll find out about the first woman too).

The voice of her assistant is that of Julie White.  And you may not realize it when you are in the theatre but Ms. White is not present.  The entire track is recorded which makes you stop and think about how comfortable and well rehearsed Ms. Taylor must be in her role.  To hold an entire act's telephone conversations with a recorded track takes a whole lot a' chutzpah!

We see Ms. Richards all the way to her death in what turns out to be an brilliant stroke of theatrical genius leaving everyone to exit the theatre with a whole lot of good advice and and a warm heart too.

Really Really

Paul Downs Colaizzo takes a dull pencil-to-paper with his new work, Really Really.   New take on an old issue?  Rape.   But as we come to learn, there are always three or four sides to every coin.  Perhaps it wasn't really rape.  Circumstances really do matter.

Set deep in the me generation's barely post-college genre, we get a splash of several issues du jour - lazy rich kids, gold-digging other-side-of-the-trackers, privileged kids who are damaged in some way we just can't notice at first, alcohol, sex, sexual politics and more.

The trouble with this one is that it's got that "I've seen it on Lifetime (Television for Women) about 17 years ago.  It's like a visit to Doing time on Maple Drive - the Next Generation.   Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of skin and muscles on these boys to keep even a monkey's eyes glued to the stage for hours.  


David Hull (aptly WASP-ily named, Cooper) and Matt Lauria (aptly WASP-ily named, Davis) provide plenty of jaw dropping eye-candy (too bad it wasn't just a smidge hotter in the theatre, the sweat glistening on them would have been glorious).  Evan Jonigkeit (also aptly simply named Jimmy) while plenty of eye-candy himself, provides a bit of contrast in Jimmy's looks, brains, and upbringing.  Zosia Mamet (Leigh) takes center stage as she weaves her web along with her sister, Haley (Aleque Reid).  And Kobi Libii (Johnson) weaves his geeky, smart, and nervously endearing self into your heart along the way.  Lauren Culpepper (Grace)  provides that self-deprecating comedy of her character that lightens the load several times.

I think it was the nature of the subject-matter, not necessarily the actors, that made this feel a bit amateurish.  The actors all seemed quite rehearsed and well-directed (and yes, easy on the eyes).  In the end, the story was a bit trite - with a new twist that just couldn't overcome the feeling of a weekend snowed in watching reruns on cable TV.

Water by the Spoonful

A play about addiction, redemption, hope, and family.  It's a Pulitzer prize winning work by Quiara Alegria Hudes that reminds us of the absolute fragility of sobriety.

The second in a trilogy, it continues the exploration of Elliott (Armando Riesco), his family, and his personal demons.  Liza Colon-Zayas holds court as Odessa - with all her flaws and weaknesses laid bare on the stage in a triumphant performance.  The ever-present on-line chat room community of Chutes and Ladders (Frankie Faison) and Orangutn (Sue Jean Kim) captivate and, thru some sharp audio-visual assistance, are able to deliver an on-stage performance of the otherwise invisible.  Fountainhead (Bill Heck) bottles the anger and frustration and simmers with rage and self hatred with aplomb.  

The title of the play, you will learn, has to do with the circumstances of one of the characters' childhood experiences.  Only then will you truly understand the significance.

The Great God Pan

Amy Herzog, last dazzled us with 4000 Miles at Lincoln Center Theater.  Once again, in a magical and emotional journey into memory, identity, and truth, Ms. Herzog assisted by a fine cast and delicate direction does not fail to impress.

Jamie (Jeremy Strong) is a seemingly normal young Brooklynite with a girlfriend (Sarah Goldberg) and family unremarkable to the naked eye.   But - curtain up - in walks Frank (Keith Nobbs), his childhood friend, and modern day messed up type who is back after 25 years to tell Jamie he's going to file charges against his father for molesting him.  Why is Frank telling this to Jamie?  Because allegedly Jamie was one of Frank's father's victims too.  Or so says Frank.

Slowly we realize that Jamie has no real memories of his childhood.  And perhaps, we being to ponder, this is the reason.   Jamie engages his mother  (Becky Ann Baker) and she's curt and uncharacteristically bothered by it (an odd reaction for a social worker, he points out).  His father (Peter Friedman) adds to the fire by telling Jamie about some early family and neighborhood shuffling.  His girlfriend, who through observation and innuendo also has many of her own set of "issues",  has her own take on the subject.   Jamie struggles with his lack of memory and visits his old nanny/babysitter (Joyce Van Patten) who, in her tender and forgetful old age adds even more questions than answers to the memories.

Is Frank who he seems?   Will Jamie ever remember what he needs to know?   Who is the Great God Pan and how will this all conclude?   Stop on over to Playwrights Horizons to find out.  It's well worth the price of admission to see these fine actors execute Ms. Herzog's emotional play under such fine direction.