Maria Friedman: Re-arranged (The SOB Review) - Menier Chocolate Factory, London, United Kingdom
***1/2 (out of ****)Seldom during the course of a generation does a bona fide singing actress of the stage come along who's not only an exceptionally powerful and soulful interpreter of others' tunes, but also effortlessly exudes a forceful, yet plucky charm.
On this side of the Atlantic, we're currently blessed with legendary greats like
Patti LuPone and
Bernadette Peters.
However, on the other side of the pond, the British have their own national treasure in
Maria Friedman, an amazing pillar of fortitude and grace. This unusually gifted talent is also a three-time Olivier Award winner who's headlining her own triumphant show
Maria Friedman: Re-arranged at London's intimate
Menier Chocolate Factory through May 4.
Thanks to the strong recommendation from the
West End Whingers, I plucked down a mere $40 for a general admission ticket and found that it was by far the best deal to be had during my entire stay in London last week (the value of the beleaguered U.S. Dollar could not have been worse, with a single
Tube ride fetching $8).
While Broadway audiences had but one chance to see Friedman in the short-lived
Andrew Lloyd Webber musical
The Woman In White, the actress has enjoyed recurring gigs at the Big Apple's
Café Carlyle. So when I went into the Menier, I fully expected a cabaret act.
Much to my pleasant surprise, I was delighted to walk out having witnessed a series of fully-realized vignettes with Friedman masterfully telling complete stories through her expressive eyes and beautiful voice. Highlights range from
Stephen Sondheim's emotionally taxing and tearful "Sunday In The Park With Dot" and the bittersweet medley of
Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner" mixed with
Jimmie Davis and
Charles Mitchell's "You Are My Sunshine" to
Michel Legrand's rousing "Le Trombone" and
Randy Newman's irony-laced and incredibly funny "Short People."
My personal favorite moment of her performance was her frenzied wink and nod rendition of Sondheim's "The Worst Pies In London," which was immediately followed by a rather jazzy,
Pink Pantherish take on "The Ballad of
Sweeney Todd" by the fine 11-piece orchestra, under the direction of
Michael Haslam and
Chris Walker.
Sure, some of the tunes in
Re-arranged border a tad on the treacly side, but the remarkable fervent clarity with which Friedman comports herself on each and every song will leave you on an emotional high. If you live in London or happen to be there over the upcoming weekend, make
Maria Friedman: Re-arranged your destination.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life? (April 23, 2008)
Labels: Cabaret, London, Maria Friedman, Maria Friedman: Re-Arranged, Menier Chocolate Factory, Michel Legrand, Revue, The SOB Review
Dead Man's Cell Phone (The SOB Review) - Upstairs Theatre, Steppen-wolf, Chicago, IL
*** (out of ****)There's a mighty fine line between pretty lonely and awfully sad in
Sarah Ruhl's inspired, new
Dead Man's Cell Phone. If it has a familiar ring, it's because it serves as a contemporary fairy tale.
The play opened April 6 at Chicago's
Steppenwolf, just weeks after the same show (different production) made its New York debut at
Playwrights' Horizons.
Under
Jessica Thebus' smart and savvy direction,
Dead Man’s Cell Phone stylishly pays homage to realist painter
Edward Hopper’s body of work thanks to the show's evocative designs including
Scott Bradley's sophisticated set,
James F. Ingalls' subtly dim lighting and
Linda Roethke's vibrant costumes. They contribute to Ruhl's twist worthy of a modern-day Sister Grimm.
Certainly, few moments in the play actually ring true. There's an inadvertent connection made between ditzy loner Jean (a credibly kooky
Polly Noonan) and the family of the recently deceased Gordon (
Marc Grapey, who provides the best post-mortem performance I've seen in ages) after she finds him dead in a restaurant and absconds with his continually ringing cell phone. Jean then worms her way into the spoiled apple of a family.
Never one to be placed on hold, Jean stalks, stating emphatically, “I want to remember everything. Even other people’s memories.” No matter that Jean has a history of failure in connecting with others. It’s more than a little ironic that her bridge to the living is through the cell phone of the newly deceased.
Ceasing upon the moment, as well as the property, Jean possesses a scary sense of entitlement to the phone, which becomes anthropomorphized, continuing to live Gordon's life even after he is gone. Taking what does not belong to her, she creates a shadow life of her own that opens doors to love and life itself.
But like any good fairy tale, there are consequences to her deeds, as she learns. Just because you hijack someone else’s life doesn't make it your own. Also as in fairy tales, there's sweetness and light around the edges, but fiery peril at the core. Ruhl relies upon some well-placed imagery, whether it's the precariously delicate nature of Bradley's paper houses symbolic of the paper-thin security each offers or the mother of the eponymous character’s hellish experience with an open pit barbeque.
Speaking of that last character, one of the most deliciously real and flat-out funny moments in the play occurs when familiar chimes from errant hand-held devices throughout the audience begin to chirp (courtesy of
Andre Pluess' ingenious sound design) … all during Gordon’s funeral as he’s being eulogized by the wonderfully sardonic
Molly Regan portraying his mother, Mrs. Gottlieb (quite ironically, the name translates to "God’s love"). Mrs. Gottlieb offers stern admonitions to turn the cell phones off, no doubt giving voice to every stage performer who has ever had to suffer the indignities of the callous, thoughtless audience members who failed to silence their ringers.
The moral of this story appears not only to turn those pesky things off, but also to avoid taking that which does not belong to us, be it a phone or usurping others' memories. It's better than any bed time story I've enjoyed in a long time.
Performances of
Dead Man's Cell Phone run through July 27.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: Chicago, Dead Man's Cell Phone, Jessica Thebus, Marc Grapey, Molly Regan, Play, Polly Noonan, Sarah Ruhl, Steppenwolf, The SOB Review
Fishburne Marshalls In Broadway Opening Night For ThurgoodNearly 100 years after the July 2, 1908 birth of America's first African-American
Supreme Court Justice
Thurgood Marshall, celebrated actor
Laurence Fishburne brings his fresh interpretation of this great attorney-cum-jurist to life on Broadway.
Under the direction of
Leonard Foglia,
Thurgood is a one-man show written by
George Stevens, Jr. The play opens at Rialto's
Booth Theatre for a limited engagement running through July 20.
Thurgood is
described as:
...the remarkable and triumphant story of Thurgood Marshall, who rose from a childhood in the back-street of Baltimore to the Supreme Court of the United States. Along the way, Mr. Marshall overcame many adversities but through them all, remained focused and positive to maintain the great country he wanted to serve. And did. Thurgood brings to the stage the words, the wit, the tenacity and the wisdom of one of America's greatest Heroes.
Given the dramatic impact that Marshall had on 20th Century America, whether it was in successfully arguing the landmark
Brown v. Board of Education before the Supreme Court in 1954 or being appointed by
President Lyndon Johnson to the nation's highest court on June 13, 1967 where he served until his death in 1993, will a one-man show adequately portray this American giant in a compelling case?
Stay tuned tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:36 Down, 3 To Go (April 12, 2008)
Seafarer Set To Sail Out Of Broadway Berth (January 30, 2008)
Labels: Broadway, George Stevens Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Leonard Foglia, Opening Night, Play, Supreme Court, Thurgood, Thurgood Marshall
Catching Up On Reading...Since I'm just back from vacation and catching up on a mountain of work, as well as all the latest theatre news, I thought I'd use today to pause and let you know what I'm reading:
The eternally effervescent Sarah at
Adventures in the Endless Pursuit of Entertainment offers an illuminating piece on the organization responsible for the
Tony Awards:
The American Theatre Wing.
New England's finest bloggers Chris Caggiano (
Everything I Know I Learned from Musicals) and Esther (
Gratuitous Violins) tell us how
The Drowsy Chaperone is faring on its Boston tour stop. Chris comes at it from the perspective of a long-time fan, while Esther has seen it for the first time.
Broadway Undercover was fortunate to get into the actual catered affair for
A Catered Affair and snapped a few photos in the process. Meanwhile
Modern Fabulousity tells us to ignore Big Ben's take on the musical and just go see it. I will, ModFab, in about a week, and given all those Drama Desk nominations, I'm really looking forward to it.
And finally, a reminder from my new best friends Andrew and Phil of the
West End Whingers that there
really have been worse musicals than
Gone With The Wind (read:
Carrie). Last Thursday,
I spotted a story delineating the 10 worst musicals of all time as endured by London's
Telegraph.
Happy reading!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: A Catered Affair, Blogs, Carrie, Gone With The Wind, The Drowsy Chaperone, Tony Awards
How Well Did Critics Believe Country Girl Has Matured?Yesterday, the second Broadway revival of
Clifford Odets'
The Country Girl opened at the
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.
The
Mike Nichols-helmed production starring
Morgan Freeman,
Frances McDormand and
Peter Gallagher has been tabloid fodder thanks in no small part to Michael Riedel's now
infamous columns on the supposed problems ranging from deviations from the original script to Freeman's "struggling with his lines." However, despite his
third column on the topic -- this time predicting an onslaught of negative reviews -- most critiques came up favorable, with two notable exceptions.
Heralding the revival as “wonderfully on the side of the angels,” New York Post’s
Clive Barnes salutes with three and a half stars: “It is crisply and, so far as humanly possible, unsentimentally directed by Mike Nichols, who knows how to let his actors breathe, react and interact, and has a handsomely picked trio of stars in Morgan Freeman, Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher…. These three are all heart-rendingly credible -- it's among the finest acting of the season - and transcend the simplistic writing to leap into the reality at which Odets surely, and sometimes not so surely, aimed.”
Assessing the work as “surprisingly durable thanks in part to its flavorful evocation of the theater milieu,” Variety’s
David Rooney offers praise: “[I]n Morgan Freeman, Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher, Nichols finds three intelligent collaborators capable of investing those characters with their own distinctive shadings…. While the play's psychology belongs to an era before addictive personalities and parasitic relationships were regularly placed under an unforgiving dramatic microscope, its depiction of co-dependency retains veracity and complexity…. Nichols and the actors respect the exacting rhythms of Odets' writing, constructing these conflicted characterizations nuance by nuance, and frequently risking unsympathetic bluntness before whipping away veils to show a larger, more humanistic picture.”
Calling The Country Girl “a subtle, engrossing and deeply straightforward shaping of a far-from-perfect script,”
Linda Winer of Newsday is largely positive: “Nichols has directed a carefully-calibrated three-star turn, with Frances McDormand as Georgie, the disappointed wife of Frank Elgin, whose career disappeared in a bottle and a bluff. The third side of the triangle is the terrific Peter Gallagher, the most aptly cast of them all, playing the workaholic hotshot director as if channeling Jerry Orbach's dark New York way with a fast-talking dream…. Nichols keeps picking away at these people until, quietly, the relationships click into the complex ways we perceive one another and ourselves.”
Deeming this a “well-mannered mounting,” The New York Sun’s
Eric Grode is also decidedly upbeat: “The occasional hesitations and reversals at a recent press performance by Mr. Freeman (and by his co-star, the fellow Oscar winner Frances McDormand) came to feel less like nerve-racking scrambles and more like the gambits of a magician who piques the interest of his audience by inserting intentional flubs in anticipation of a final cathartic ‘ta-daaaa!’… But The Country Girl" is, in addition to a three-pronged drama about the codependencies of marriage as well as of artistic collaboration, a love letter to the art of stage acting…. The stars on display may flicker now and then, but they cast a strangely compelling -- and equally mysterious -- light on the counterintuitive and wistful energies that create art.”
Noting that “passion -- and I don’t mean just a mechanically raised voice or fist -- never makes an appearance here,”
Ben Brantley of The New York Times : “[W]hat keeps you vaguely but uncomfortably on tenterhooks is wondering whether three of the finest actors around can make you care, for a single second, about any of these questions before the play ends. Sorry to jump to the last page, folks, but the answer is no…. Each star has a few abrupt moments of simulating anger or sorrow via sharp, attention-grabbing technique. But I rarely felt prepared for these explosions; they seemed like unanchored, virtuosic exercises. And while Mr. Gallagher and Ms. McDormand bring a brisk surface energy to the proceedings, the overriding note of this production is fatigue…”
Concluding “By the time the curtain falls, you've already stopped caring,”
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York’s
Daily News also bemoans the “lackluster revival”: “Freeman is a talented actor but isn't fully convincing in this role. He captures Frank's insecurity, but his slack diction undermines his credibility as a once-great star hiding vast reserves of ‘power and majesty.’ As his beleaguered spouse, McDormand looks tired, that's for sure. But her performance is flat and lacks spontaneity. She and Freeman have little chemistry, so it's hard to buy them as a couple who have endured so much, including their child's death. The surprising and rock-solid turn comes from Gallagher, who brings enthusiasm and energy to his scenes, ingredients the show sorely needs.”
I'll be seeing the production next week and will weigh in shortly thereafter with my own SOB Review. Of course, the reviews may not matter at all given the major starpower of this limited run.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Country Girl Hits Big Apple (April 27, 2008)
Looking Forward: The SOB Top Five (January 2, 2008)
Country Girl To Return To Big City (September 28, 2008)
Labels: Broadway, Clifford Odets, Critics' Capsule, Frances McDormand, Michael Riedel, Mike Nichols, Morgan Freeman, Peter Gallagher, Play, Revival, The Country Girl
Country Girl Hits Big AppleToday, the second Rialto revival of
Clifford Odets'
The Country Girl opens at the
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre under the direction of
Mike Nichols.
Celebrated actors
Morgan Freeman and
Frances McDormand headline as Frank and Georgie Elgin, along with
Peter Gallagher,
Remy Auberjonois,
Anna Camp,
Joe Roland,
Lucas Caleb Rooney and
Chip Zien.
Odets' award-winning story is the stuff of pure Broadway, providing meaty roles about a Great White Way alcoholic actor and his wife. The
original 1950-51 production at the
Lyceum Theatre lasted 236 performances, while the
one lone revival before this one in 1972 had 62.
This latest revival is a limited run scheduled through July 30. With all its star power, as well as legendary director a the helm, will critics herald
The Country Girl yet again? Find out tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:Looking Forward: The SOB Top Five (January 2, 2008)
Country Girl To Return To Big City (September 28, 2008)
Labels: Broadway, Clifford Odets, Frances McDormand, Mike Nichols, Morgan Freeman, Opening Night, Peter Gallagher, Play, Revival, The Country Girl
Did Cry-Baby Induce Critical Cries of Joy?First off, let me apologize for being so tardy today in posting this critics' capsule. I'm currently in Paris and enjoyed my day by strolling around this beautiful city, which I'm afraid takes precedence over
this site any day.
And given what
I thought of Cry-Baby during previews, it's not exactly like I was champing at the bit to drop what I was doing to post. You get it,
Cry-Baby critics' capsule or Paris?! Well, my feet finally needed a rest so here goes.
Last evening,
Cry-Baby, the second stage adaptation of a
John Waters, opened at the
Marquis Theatre under the direction of
Mark Brokaw. Boasting a book by
Mark O'Donnell and
Thomas Meehan, the tuner features a score by
Adam Schlesinger and
David Javerbaum and a cast that includes
Harriet Harris,
James Snyder and
Elizabeth Stanley. Critics were split on the merits of the show.
Concluding that "
Cry-Baby will make you smile, and laugh, without patronizing you, or anyone else,"
Elysa Gardner of
USA Today awards three out of four stars: "The rockabilly-inspired numbers that David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger have crafted for
Cry-Baby aren't as ambitious or infectious (as
Hairspray), but the show is similarly good-hearted, and has more of a Waters edge. Javerbaum and Schlesinger's lyrics and Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan's book are both more inventively crass and less snarky than those of other contemporary musical winkfests; you get the sense that these writers share Waters' affection for his goofy subjects."
Lamenting that it "just doesn't gel as well" as
Hairspray,
Clive Barnes of
New York Post nevertheless provides a mixed review: "...book writers Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, who co-wrote the book for
Hairspray, have done a pretty nifty job with material not nearly so malleable. Decidedly less nifty are the songs by David Javerbaum and Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger. The music comes in two rocky flavors -- cheery and droopy. It's the kind of music that makes you wonder whether you've heard it before, just before you stop caring."
Labeling the show as "tasteless,"
The New York Times' Ben Brantley calls out the blandness of the production, "I meant without flavor: sweet, sour, salty, putrid or otherwise. This show in search of an identity has all the saliva-stirring properties of week-old pre-chewed gum. (Not to be tasteless.)... The songs by Mr. Javerbaum (a producer for 'The Daily Show With
Jon Stewart') and Mr. Schlesinger (of the pop group
Fountains of Wayne) include plenty of rockabilly riffs and soulful wails (for a
Little Richard-like character played by
Chester Gregory II), but they often feel stuck in a groove, repeated until they go dry."
Criticizing it as "benign, kitschy satire,"
Variety's
David Rooney also is less than positive: "There's a lot of talent, sass and sweat onstage, particularly in the dance department, plus a sprinkling of wit in the show's good-natured vulgarity. But somehow, it never quite ignites."
Commencing his review by stating, "Some musicals have high ideals and aspirations. Some even have something profound to say.
Cry-Baby isn't one of them,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News offers two out of five stars: "It hits the mark about half the time, whenever the show is dancing. The star of
Cry-Baby is choreographer
Rob Ashford, who has created some of the most inventive and athletic dancing seen on Broadway all season.... Snyder and Stanley are likable leads, but it's two featured actors who stand out -- Chester Gregory II and
Carly Jibson, as soulful sidekick and nasty knocked-up sister of
Cry-Baby. They bring big talent and oddball originality to the stage -- precisely what this baby needed more of."
So there you have it folks, it looks like the show hasn't improved much from when
I saw it a few weeks ago. Critics are hardly excited by this latest entry on the Great White Way, and there's now only
one more original musical left to open before the season is officially over and the Tonys are announced. Doesn't look like
Cry-Baby will be in contention other than for supporting roles and Mr. Ashford's pretty decent choreography.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Cry-Baby Finally Given Birth On Broadway Tonight (April 24, 2008)
Theatre Etiquette, Part Four (Or Drunken City) (April 15, 2008)
Cry-Baby (The SOB Preview) (April 2, 2008)
Looking Forward: The SOB Top Five (January 2, 2008)
John Waters: This Filthy World (The SOB Review) (November 12, 2007)
Giving Birth To Cry-Baby (September 27, 2007)
Cry-Baby To Move Forward Without Schuck (May 6, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Cry-Baby, Film, Harriet Harris, John Waters, Mark Brokaw, Mark O'Donnell, Musical, The SOB Preview, Thomas Meehan
Curse Of The Understudy - Part IVSo yesterday, I took in the savagely reviewed musical version of
Gone With The Wind in London. Although the show opened here just two nights ago, its Scarlett O'Hara
Jill Paice is already gone with "a severe throat infection."
In her place was her
Vivien Leigh-looking understudy, the appropriately named
Savannah Stevenson (pictured). The actress received a standing ovation for getting through the tough slog of a show (clocking in around 3 hours and 40 minutes) with little preparation and blessedly no prompting. Good on ya, mate.
My SOB Review of the show itself, however, will be coming soon.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Is London's GWTW Already Went With The Wind? (April 14, 2008)
GWTW Composer: Knowin' Somethin' 'Bout Birthin' Babies (September 27, 2007)
Curse Of The Understudy - Part III (July 23, 2007)
Frankly My Dears... (July 1, 2007)
Gone With The Wind The Musical? (February 22, 2007)
The Curse Of The Understudy - Part II (January 15, 2007)
The Curse Of The Understudy (October 2, 2006)
Labels: Curse of the Understudy, Gone With The Wind, Jill Paice, Savannah Stevenson, Understudy
Whinging My Way Into Second AnniversaryTwo years ago today, I picked up my mouse and began typing my very first Steve On Broadway (SOB) post. And what an enjoyable two years it's been.
To help mark the occasion, SOB whinged with the best of London last evening as I met with Andrew and Phil of the
West End Whingers over a few libations.
As you can see from this fuzzy photo, the Whingers are strictly guarded about the use of recording devices during any performance of any kind. But as you can also see from the sketch drawing Phil provided, the eyes most definitely had it.
So here's to all of you dear readers, and thank you for making SOB such a ball over the past two years. Hope to be seeing a show near you very soon.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Anniversary, Special Messages, West End Whingers
Cry-Baby Finally Given Birth On Broadway TonightAfter one of the longest preview periods in Broadway history,
Cry-Baby finally opens at the Marquis Theatre. The musical marks the second time a
John Waters film has been given the tuner treatment.
Directed by
Mark Brokaw, this one has a book by
Mark O'Donnell and
Thomas Meehan and score by first-timers
Adam Schlesinger and
David Javerbaum. The show's cast includes
Harriet Harris,
James Snyder and
Elizabeth Stanley.
Will critics be crying with delight? Find out tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Theatre Etiquette, Part Four (Or Drunken City) (April 15, 2008)
Cry-Baby (The SOB Preview) (April 2, 2008)
Looking Forward: The SOB Top Five (January 2, 2008)
John Waters: This Filthy World (The SOB Review) (November 12, 2007)
Giving Birth To Cry-Baby (September 27, 2007)
Cry-Baby To Move Forward Without Schuck (May 6, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, Cry-Baby, Film, Harriet Harris, John Waters, Mark Brokaw, Musical, Opening Night
What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?While London critics were focused last evening on savaging the first night (opening night) for the West End musical
Gone With The Wind, I was at the city's marvelously intimate little theatre known as the
Menier Chocolate Factory seeing the lovely
Maria Friedman.
During the performance, the singing actress was launching into her rendition of a
Michel Legrand tune when she spotted the prolific, three-time Academy Award-winning composer in the audience.... seated right next to me. At the interval (intermission) I had an opportunity to talk with this delightful gem of a man and even told him that one of my all-time favorite tunes remains "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life," which he seemed to appreciate.
At the close of the show, as part of her final encore, Friedman invited Legrand to the stage to sing one of his tunes. He sat down at a piano and began to sing, you guessed it, "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life." Of course, when he came back to his seat, I had to thank him for playing that tune. Talk about a perfect ending to an already wonderful, magical evening. (Look for my SOB Review of Maria Friedman's show in the days to come.)
Today, it's off to see
Gone With The Wind. But it's hard to imagine anything sweeping me off my feet the same way as last evening did.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB) in London.
Click here for tickets to Maria Friedman: Re-Arranged.Labels: Celebrity Sighting, London, Maria Friedman, Maria Friedman: Re-Arranged, Menier Chocolate Factory, Michel Legrand
London Calling, Celebrity SightingsYesterday, I left a
quick post regarding a literal run-in with musical theatre star
John Barrowman, who was nice as can possibly be.
Last evening, whilst going to see
God Of Carnage with
Ralph Fiennes and
Janet McTeer at London's lovely Gielgud Theatre, RF's brother
Joseph (pictured) was seated just a few row behind us in the front stalls, while
Elizabeth McGovern was also in the audience.
More to come on
God Of Carnage with a complete SOB Review in the days ahead. For now, let's just say, we're all fundamentally uncouth.
Tonight, it's
Maria Friedman and tomorrow,
Gone With The Wind.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB) in London.
Labels: Celebrity Sighting, Elizabeth McGovern, God Of Carnage, Gone With The Wind, Janet McTeer, John Barrowman, Joseph Fiennes, London, Play, Ralph Fiennes
Greetings From LondonSorry folks if you don't see many postings this week, but I'm in London and then Paris this week. The poor, poor value of the dollar is killing me.
But one bright moment occurred earlier today in
Harrods of all places. My friends from Atlanta, who are huge fans of the Brit television show "
Doctor Who" spotted
John Barrowman standing next to us at the candy counter just as we were purchasing some chocolate covered strawberries.
Turned out this great star of the British stage is quite a nice chap and very affable, indeed.
More to come, albeit sporadically.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Celebrity Sighting, John Barrowman, London
Did Affair Positively Cater To Critics?Last evening,
A Catered Affair -- the latest
film turned stage musical -- opened at Broadway's
Walter Kerr Theatre under
John Doyle's direction.
Written by
Harvey Fierstein and
John Bucchino, the tuner stars
Faith Prince,
Tom Wopat,
Matt Cavenaugh and
Leslie Kritzer, as well as Fierstein himself.
Even though this show was set very simply in the Bronx, the critic's reviews were practically all over the map.
Advising his readers to "hug it to your heart,"
Clive Barnes of
New York Post offer a four-star review: "Under John Doyle's expert, discreet direction, it emerges less like a musical and more like a play with music: lovely, urban chamber music.... But it's
(Paddy) Chayefsky's spirit that dominates the scene, and Fierstein has captured his 1950s, working-class milieu to perfection. This Bronx tale, with its interlocking, underlining and quietly beautiful music and lyrics by John Bucchino, skims along the edge of sentimentality to find honest sentiment in this story of a young soldier's death, a wedding and a taxi.... It's simply a musical with an honest heart, and that's enough."
Calling it a "small but satisfying drama,"
Variety's
David Rooney is largely positive: " The odds that
A Catered Affair will find mainstream acceptance may be slim, but the show commands respect by further challenging standard preconceptions of how the Broadway musical should sound, function and feel.... There are deep psychological nuances to be mined here, and Fierstein and Bucchino meticulously excavate the feelings of characters for whom suppressed emotion and sacrifice are an ineluctable part of life.... But the show resonates due to its modesty, grace, gentleness and emotional integrity -- qualities not often front and center in musicals."
Lauding the show she says is "ultimately a celebration of life,"
Elysa Gardner of
USA Today offers a glowing three-star review saying
A Catered Affair has "an emphasis on characters drawn with passion and compassion, and handled with that most quaint of virtues: dignity.... Harvey Fierstein, who co-stars as Winston, Aggie's big-hearted brother, has fashioned a witty, wise, moving script. John Bucchino's score is similarly thoughtful and heartfelt, though less accessible.... Doyle, Bucchino and Fierstein have a fine interpreter in Faith Prince, whose Aggie emerges as a sort of antithesis to
Gypsy's Mama Rose.... Prince makes Aggie's conflicting emotions palpable and haunting. And her relationships with Fierstein's wisecracking Winston, Tom Wopat's worn Tom and Leslie Kritzer's touching Janey are completely believable."
Labeling the show "a disappointment -- one so intelligently staged and performed, however, that at times you can almost believe the show is as good as its production,"
The Wall Street Journal's
Terry Teachout neatly tallies what he sees as the production's shortcomings: "Mr. Fierstein was right to think that Mr. Vidal's screenplay had the stuff of a musical in it, but he made three big mistakes in adapting it for the stage. The first was to put an anachronistically contemporary spin on his book by turning Aggie's brother, played in the film by Barry Fitzgerald, into a more or less openly gay florist, and the second was to play the part himself.... Mistake No. 3 was to invite Mr. Bucchino to write the score.... The problem is that his songs, with their pastel harmonies and introspective lyrics, have nothing in common with the working-class setting of
A Catered Affair."
Dismissing "the undramatic new musical drama of disappointed lives,"
Ben Brantley of
The New York Times is flat-out negative: "A short (90 minutes) but slow depiction of the family-fracturing pressures of planning an expensive wedding,
A Catered Affair is so low key that it often seems to sink below stage level. From Mr. Bucchino’s trickling, self-effacing score to the tight-lipped stoicism of its leading performances, from
David Gallo’s tidy tenement-scape set to
Zachary Borovay’s tentative photographic projections, this show is all pale, tasteful understatement that seems to be apologizing for asking for your attention. (Well, except for Mr. Fierstein’s character, but you could have guessed that.)... No one is given to extreme reactions in
A Catered Affair, except Uncle Winston and the gossiping chorus of tenement housewives (Ms.
(Lori) Wilner,
Heather MacRae and
Kristine Zbornik) who lean out their windows in a conceit that was stale even in the mid-1950s."
Concluding that he had dashed hopes "this would have been an
Affair to remember," Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News -- who now gives out stars on a five-point scale -- provides just two: "The show, which opened last night, seems well-intentioned but doesn't deliver enough story, substance or satisfaction. It's about poor people, yes, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't have meat on the bone and icing on the cake.... Fierstein stays close to the sources, but still manages to veer in places. Chiefly, he's made the uncle who lives with the family openly gay -- and put himself in the role. Unfortunately, the character and performance are distracting.
The music by
John Bucchino, a popular cabaret composer, fails to add much dimension, or fire many emotions."
Lamenting "How sad that the results are so glum,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer tries to be kind, but offers a critical assessment: "[T]his is a colorless little piece of '50s social realism about a Bronx family that isn't so much emotionally repressed as emotionally deficient.... Composer John Bucchino, better known for cabaret songs, has written meandering, conversational melodies baked by innocuous accompaniments.... Fierstein, the quadruple Tony Award winner and perpetual force of nature, both gives and takes away in his adaptation and his performance."
Citing how "this admirably spartan staging ultimately feels like as much of a contrivance as the standard bells-and-whistles approach,"
Eric Grode of
The New York Sun wonders aloud what he think went wrong: "It wears its virtues on its threadbare sleeve, and the vaguely medicinal taste goes a long way toward negating Mr. Fierstein's terse, insightful libretto and a pair of emotionally stripped-down performances by, as the pressured daughter and regret-steeped mother, Leslie Kritzer and an atypically somber Faith Prince. The show's missteps are understandable and often heartening in their own right, but they are missteps nonetheless.
Did these critics really all see the same show? I'll be taking in a performance of this musical in a couple weeks and will provide my SOB Review shortly thereafter.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:A Catered Opening Night (April 17, 2008)
Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)
Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Faith Prince, Harvey Fierstein, John Bucchino, John Doyle, Leslie Kritzer, Matt Cavenaugh, Musical, Tom Wopat
From Up Here (The SOB Review) - New York City Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York, NY***1/2 (out of ****)What is it about all too many American adolescents who give up hope before it even has had the chance to spring eternal? Could it be that it all has to do with the lower, earliest vantage points by which all children are literally challenged?
In this post-
Columbine era, adults have been tragically reminded time and again of the need to refortify their efforts, remaining vigilant in looking for tell-tale signs and patterns of disturbing behavior, as well as in trying to serve as favorable role models.
If nothing else, many feel compelled to demonstrate that high school life is rarely a harbinger of things to come. That's a lot of responsibility to be sure.
Coming exactly one year after the horrific
Virginia Tech Massacre and nearly 9 years to the day after Columbine,
Liz Flahive's poignant, yet darkly funny
From Up Here opened last evening under the snappy direction of
Leigh Silverman at the
Manhattan Theatre Club's space at the New York City Center.
And what an auspicious debut this budding playwright has made, particularly as Flahive instills her fully realized characters with compassion, along with a heaping healthy dose of what troubled teens need more than anything else: hope. Flahive ably underscores how hope requires elevating the teenage human spirit to a loftier place where they can see that life doesn't begin and end in the place perhaps mistakenly called "high" school.
In
From Up Here, we're never quite sure what exactly high school student Kenny Barrett (
Tobias Segal) actually did to warrant police involvement, let alone the close scrutiny from his school and family. But whatever he did, it has everyone pretty much on edge. And now that he's back in school, he's been assigned an interloper minder in the form of precocious class valedictorian Kate (
Jenni Barber), who's going to help Kenny write a public apology he is set to deliver.
At home, he struggles to communicate with his frustrated, high-strung mother (
Julie White), let alone his stepfather Daniel (
Brian Hutchison), who valiantly strives to keep it and everyone all together as the moral support he's providing everyone, including sexually promiscuous stepdaughter Lauren (
Aya Cash), goes unappreciated. Fortunately for Kenny, his transcendental Aunt Caroline (
Arija Bareikis) descends quite literally upon the family, swooping in just enough to knock this somewhat broken family back into kilter.
In one of the year's most profoundly moving male performances, Tobias Segal deftly exhibits all the knotty tableau of emotions ranging from utter dejection to glimmers of hope his tortured soul endures. Mark my words, this is one hot young actor whose name you'll want to remember.
As last year's Tony-winning Best Actress, Julie White bypasses Broadway for her Gotham follow up with a tightly wound, measured performance laced with an appropriate blend of humor and anxiety for a mother who's at the end of her rope. She's truly brilliant. As is Hutchison in his understated performance.
In fact, all of the portrayals by this uniformly fine cast, including
Will Rogers as Lauren's would-be paramour Charlie, nail the awkward coming to wits angst inherently found both among those growing up and those who must deal with fragile youth in a very honest, straightforward manner.
Special mention must be made regarding
Allen Moyer's sliding set design, accentuated by
Pat Collins' subtle lighting, that effectively straddles the reality of home with the more vague, less certain outside world.
What really struck a chord with me is that for all the awkwardess that most youth must go through,
From Up Here gives immense direction by pointing the way out via a revelatory, resonating route that makes live theatre suddenly relevant again.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: From Up Here, Julie White, Leigh Silverman, Liz Flahive, Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway, Play, The SOB Review, Tobias Segal
A Catered Opening NightFifty-two years after
Paddy Chayefsky's kitchen sink film "
The Catered Affair" starring
Bette Davis,
Ernest Borgnine,
Debbie Reynolds and
Rod Taylor first appeared, Tony winner
Harvey Fierstein hooks up with
John Bucchino to present a musical adaptation that opens on Broadway tonight.
A Catered Affair, under
John Doyle's direction, features Fierstein along with
Faith Prince,
Tom Wopat,
Matt Cavenaugh and
Leslie Kritzer in this five-handkerchief tuner.
The show received some
positive reviews during its San Diego tryout last fall. However, it took a major hit from
The Los Angeles Times, which may not have received nearly as much play had it not been for
Fierstein's fierce rebuttal.
In the best of all worlds, this might be
the musical to beat in the annual Tony derby given its pedigree. But in the year of the decidedly smaller show, will
A Catered Affair prove to be too much of a feast for the critics? Stay tuned as I present my critics' capsule tomorrow.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)
Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, Faith Prince, Film, Harvey Fierstein, John Bucchino, John Doyle, Matt Cavenaugh, Musical, Opening Night, Tom Wopat
Harvey's Turn: Everything's Coming Up NosesHow's this for serendipity?
Given the official opening for
Harvey Fierstein's latest Broadway musical
A Catered Affair is coming up roses (hopefully) tomorrow evening, coupled with the riproaring success of the revival of
Gypsy, it seems like kismet that one of my faithful readers would provide me with this delightful little nugget from "
Sesame Street."
Harvey seems to have a nose for this kind of thing. Eat your hearts out,
Sarah and
Kari!
Break a leg, Harvey!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)
Labels: A Catered Affair, Broadway, Gypsy, Harvey Fierstein, Musical, Sesame Street
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (The SOB Review) - Broadhurst Theatre, New York, NY
*** (out of ****)OK, so the jazzy saxaphone motif is a bit forced.
Sure, the exact time setting is as clear as Mississippi mud due to
Ray Klausen's ambiguous set design.
Yes, the spotlight effect offered by
William H. Grant III on each flashback soliloquy is a tad annoying and unnecessary.
And it goes without saying that by making many of the play's sacrosanct lines ... well ...
funny,
Debbie Allen takes more liberties with
Tennessee Williams' talents than a Cape Cod houseboy ever could.
But the net effect of Allen's direction lends this latest Broadway life for Williams' irascible
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof with a certain revelatory sympathetic spin, providing each of its major players with more nuance and subtle shading than I ever thought possible. Say what you will about the certain aforementioned risks Allen has made in her direction, her overall gamble has largely paid off, particularly in drawing out fine to superb performances from her quartet of celebrated lead actors.
Chief among them is
James Earl Jones' surprisingly compassionate Big Daddy, whose love for son Brick (
Terrence Howard in an initially uneven, yet ultimately moving Broadway debut) should never, ever be in question. He may not appear until the Second Act, but once he does, Jones offers the type of booming, commanding presence that makes it difficult to look anywhere else.
However, you just can't help but do just that as
Phylicia Rashad turns Big Mama into a tour de force. Her Big Mama is so much more than the blubbering simpleton she's often made out to be. When Rashad sheds real tears, she conveys both a desperate and intelligent woman who's not only grieving her husband's cancer diagnosis, but also anxiously wishing she could get back into his heart after being shunted aside for so long.
Then there's the proverbial
Cat herself. The stunningly sensual
Anika Noni Rose astounds as she digs deeply into the furthest recesses of her heart and soul. Unlike
Ashley Judd's benign turn in the role in the
2003 revival, Rose makes her sex-deprived Maggie one you can't help but empathize with in her steely determination to preserve her marriage with Brick. She has us believing her attempts are based more on her love for him than the desire to maintain her life of luxury and privilege. In Maggie, Rose is in full bloom.
Not only does Allen's unusually humane
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof offer a moving night at the theatre, it's also highly entertaining.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Is The F-Word Really Family Friendly? (April 11, 2008)
Did Cat Get Critics' Tongues Wagging? (March 7, 2008)
Opening Night: Cat Begins Fifth Life On Broadway (March 6, 2008)
The Onion: Ask The Stage Directions To Tennessee Williams' Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (February 11, 2008)
Black Cat Has More Than One Life (April 11, 2008)
Labels: Anika Noni Rose, Broadway, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Critics' Capsule, Debbie Allen, James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, Play, Revival, Terrence Howard, The SOB Review
In The Heights (The SOB Review) - Richard Rodgers Theatre
**1/2 (out of ****)First up, I'm a very sentimental man. In fact, I'm soft and gooey to the core. Some would go so far as to say I'm the epitome of a sentimental fool.
So after all that's been said about
Lin-Manuel Miranda's exuberant new tuner
In The Heights, I was prepared to be smitten from the get-go. I left thinking it was very likable, but a feeling of "Is that it?" persisted.
While Miranda & Co. deserve enormous credit for wearing their ginormous hearts on their sleeves, pants legs and virtually everything else in sight including via an impressive 11 o'clock graffiti-cum-work-of-art, I discovered even I'm capable of finding a mushy musical just a tad too treacly.
Don't get me wrong.
I was thrilled by Miranda's incredible backstory in which he began writing this fable while still in college. I admire his profile in perseverance as he shepherded the show, first through a successful Off-Broadway run and now on Broadway. And most of all, I am truly ecstatic that there is a profoundly positive depiction of New York's Latino life beyond the stereotypes that, quite incredibly and shamefully, a few too many critics thought was missing.
But -- and I'm sorry to say it's a
big but -- despite the promise of something new, including Miranda's hotter than salsa hip-hop funk,
In The Heights never quite soars, even with the ebullient energy infused through
Andy Blankenbuehler's joyous choreography (making him the odds-on favorite come Tony time). Instead, it's a hackneyed pastiche of storytelling we've seen too many times before. In other words,
Quiara Alegría Hudes' book dwells on the same old, same old technique.
With one notable exception, every major character -- and there are too many -- has his or her own moment in the spotlight, almost as if to make up for lost time and the depressing dearth of stage vehicles for the Hispanic community. If Lin-Manuel Miranda's hilariously named Usnavi serves as the heart of
In The Heights, then Sonny, portrayed by the human sparkplug known as
Robin De Jesús, is the show's very soul. So exceptional was his engaging performance, I actually felt cheated when De Jesús was denied his turn in the solo spotlight.
But ultimately, this is strictly quibbling given the absolute crowd-pleaser that is
In The Heights. Thanks to its infectious beat, some knock-out numbers like the nearly showstopping "The Club/Fireworks," and impeccable cast -- including
Mandy Gonzalez as struggling student Nina,
Olga Merediz as the neighborhood's honorary matriarch Abuela Claudia,
Andréa Burns as the saucy Daniela, and the welcome Broadway return for
Priscilla Lopez as Nina's mother Camila -- Miranda serves up an impressive, earnest freshman effort.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Is The F-Word Really Family Friendly? (April 11, 2008)
Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Glory Days Yet To Come This Broadway Season? (March 19, 2008)
Heights Opens: Did Critics Offer High Marks? (March 10, 2008)
A Chorus Line: From Priscilla To Mario Lopez (March 5, 2008)
Off-Broadway Hit Seeks Greater White Way Heights (May 23, 2007)
Labels: Broadway, In The Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Musical, The SOB Review
Theatre Etiquette, Part Four (Or Drunken City)As regular readers know, I have a
real thing or
two (or
three, and sadly even
four) to say about the complete breakdown of our civilization, due to some self-absorbed individuals' utter lack of self-awareness or respect for others while attending theatrical performances.
Now, I realize that alcohol and its impact remains a pervasive theme emanating from the stage. This Broadway season alone, we've been treated to
one show after
another after
another after another after another where alcoholism is central to the story. And Off-Broadway, there's even a new Adam Bock play called
The Drunken City.
But imagine my surprise in attending a $54 preview of
Cry-Baby when the show was upstaged by the act
in the audience.
Immediately behind me, two fairly unassuming women who looked to be in their 40s took their seats. I first knew something was up by virtue of their obsequious fussiness in getting situated. However, a tune or two into the show, the two were borderline belligerent, alternately slurping out of their adult sippy cups to conversing with each other in slurred speech.
Not long after, the two passed out. I could tell because they were both snoring. Yes, I looked back at them and the "lady" on the aisle had her head bobbing to her left with her mouth wide open, while her cohort in crime had her head tilting onto her gal pal's shoulder.
Given my concern that either one of these wretched women would suddenly lurch forward spewing whatever
a la Linda Blair, I could not help but continually keep one eye on the stage and another on them. At intermission, I approached the manager of the theatre to let him know about the two women, but he was helping another man out -- turned out he also was seated next to a complete drunk who should have never been let in to begin with. Still, I thought once I explained the circumstances, he'd take care of it. Wrong.
Unfortunately, when I returned to my seat, the two women were still there, making complete
buttocks personifieds out of themselves.
Lest there be any question to anyone wanting to know if drinking is against the norms of theatre etiquette, let me say this: anything in moderation is fine. I often enjoy a glass of champagne or two before a performance begins or at intermission. But
drinking to excess not only impairs your ability to appreciate (or even grasp) a performance, it also can ruin others' enjoyment as well.And frankly, I'm still wondering why the
Marquis management didn't collect these broken women and remove them. The shame is spread all around.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Truly Ugly Betty Behavior (November 2, 2007)
Theatre Etiquette, Part Three (Or The End Of Southern Gentility) (July 30, 2007)
Are You Cheering Yet? (July 27, 2007)
What Motivates You To See A Broadway Show? (July 5, 2007)
From Now On, I'll Just Sit On My Hands (July 1, 2007)
Talk To The Hand: Kevin Edition (June 20, 2007)
Spring Awakening Calling (June 18, 2007)
Rat Patrol: Coming To A Theatre Near You? (May 30, 2007)
Theatre Etiquette, Part Two (May 1, 2007)
Theatre Etiquette, Part One (November 30, 2007)
Labels: Alcoholism, Broadway, Cry-Baby, Special Messages, The Drunken City, Theatre Etiquette
Is London's GWTW Already Went With The Wind?It looks like there might be trouble in Tara.
This evening's preview performance of
Gone With The Wind has been canceled, after having already been in previews since April 4. The musical version of
Margaret Mitchell's epic Civil War novel is currently scheduled to open one week from tomorrow at the New London Theatre in the U.K. capital's West End.
According to
Playbill:
A production spokesperson told Playbill.com that the performance has been canceled to allow time for additional technical rehearsal. Director Trevor Nunn is also looking to reduce the running time of the musical, which is scheduled to officially open in the West End April 22.
This
Gone With The Wind features a book and score written by sociologist
Margaret Martin, who was
profiled fairly extensively by Donna Kornhaber and David Kornhaber in this past Sunday's
The New York Times. Martin describes how she passed Nunn's Volvo test, but only after first managing to win the rights for the project from author Margaret Mitchell's estate.
Rumblings about the show's exhaustive four-hour running time have already been circling the Web, necessitating a
two-
part review by the
West End Whingers.
I'm supposed to be in the audience one week from Wednesday -- the day after it opens across the pond. But one of my in-the-know theatre friends said, only half-joking, "I hope it doesn't close first."
All of which has me wondering whether this production is already "Went With The Wind." If all else fails, maybe former
Curtains star
Jill Paice, who is creating the role of Scarlett O'Hara in the London tuner, could don some drapes a la
Carol Burnett in that
fabulously funny spoof from her seventies variety show.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:GWTW Composer: Knowin' Somethin' 'Bout Birthin' Babies (September 27, 2007)
Frankly My Dears... (July 1, 2007)
Gone With The Wind The Musical? (February 22, 2007)
Labels: Film, Gone With The Wind, London, Margaret Martin, Margaret Mitchell, Musical, Trevor Nunn
36 Down, 3 To GoLast week, Chris Caggiano over at
Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals was musing about how he'd finally get inside Broadway's
Lyceum Theatre now that
[title of show] is headed there this summer. He mentioned how that would leave just three Rialto theatres in which he's never stepped foot.
His post got me to pondering whether I've been in all 39 Broadway theatres that are currently functioning, and like the geek I am, I systematically went through the
Internet Broadway Database's encyclopedic history on each venue and discovered that I've now been in all but three myself. And those three might actually surprise you.
First, the theatre housing Broadway's all-time longest running show is the
Majestic Theatre. Is it heresy for someone purporting to be "Steve On
Broadway" to admit he's never actually seen
The Phantom Of The Opera on the Great White Way? Sure, the show's been running for 20 long years, but since I first caught the London production about the time the Main Stem incarnation was first being performed, I didn't feel compelled to go to see it at the Majestic. Oh sure, I've seen it again -- thanks to freebie tickets 10 years ago in Los Angeles, and then again for kicks and giggles just last year in the truncated
Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular -- but suffice it to say that as long as
The Phantom Of The Opera is playing the Majestic, I won't be going there.
Second is the
Nederlander Theatre, home to the musical
Rent since 1996. I've seen
Jonathan Larson's landmark tuner twice, just never in New York. In fact, the first time I saw it was when the first touring company swung through Boston during the winter of 1996-97, and I saw it again in St. Paul in 2000. Unlike
Phantom, I actually enjoyed this profoundly moving show, and I had even considered (at the last minute) to get tix for the Broadway version when
Adam Pascal and
Anthony Rapp reprised their turns as Roger and Marc, respectively, just last year. But alas, the show was sold out the first time I tried and only had back row seating available the next. With the departure of
Rent from the Nederlander now imminent, coming in September, I suspect that I'll finally get into that theatre sometime in the next year.
Finally, I have never been to the
Neil Simon Theatre, host to current occupant
Hairspray since 2002. Through a little bit of serendipity, I actually saw and loved
Hairspray with its original cast, but it was when I was passing through Seattle during its tryout performances there. And I also enjoyed seeing the first touring production when it passed through Minneapolis. While its current cast is appealing, I am probably not inclined to go see it, saving my theatregoing dollars for other shows.
So which theatre have I been to the most? That distinction goes to what is arguably Broadway's worst venue: the
Booth Theatre. Always one for prestige productions, I've been going there since 1992 when the acclaimed revival of
The Most Happy Fella enjoyed a 229 performance run. Almost in spite of how lousy this theatre itself is, including some of the least desirable seating
(read: tightly crammed), some of my best Broadway memories came from this house, where visions of
Paul Newman,
Dame Edna,
Vanessa Redgrave and others still dance in my mind. And I'm absolutely looking forward to returning next month to see
Laurence Fishburne in
Thurgood. I'm just not looking forward to being uncomfortable.
Finally, my very first Broadway theatre
ever was none other than the
Winter Garden where I caught
Cats near the beginning of its 18 year run. Fortunately, as much as I disliked that show, it has not deterred me from coming back to the Great White Way for performance after performance.
I just wonder how many more years it will take for me to check the Majestic off my list....
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Broadway Venues, Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals, Hairspray, Musical, Rent, The Phantom Of The Opera, title of show
Is The F-Word Really Family Friendly?As most of my dear readers know, I love great theatre and don't shy away from much in the way of content.
In fact, my favorite show of the past year is the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by
Tracy Letts,
August: Osage County, which is not only littered with broken dreams, but sprinkled with plenty of prickly four letter words.
But I was struck a few weeks ago when watching one local New York City television critic tout the Latino-themed
In The Heights as "family friendly." My curiosity was piqued because, quite ironically, I was about to see the musical that very evening. Given this critics' ringing endorsement for the whole family, I was more than a little surprised when I heard the
F-bomb dropped during my performance.
Now, as regular readers also know, the F-word is not used on this site. I don't use it here, nor do I allow commenters to use it, because quite frankly, when it comes right down to it, I think it's ultimately a lazy word used too freely and gratuitously by poseurs afraid of being deemed unhip -- sort of analogous to teenagers who think that smoking makes them look cool. I also don't use it because I want this site to remain family-friendly, a place I wouldn't be embarrassed if my own mother checked it out (and lo and behold, after a google search, she has, all on her own).
Personally, while I have become inured to hearing this word uttered in almost every major new play or musical I've seen, as well as added to productions like the new revival of
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, I still don't believe this, ahem,
rutting word (thank you very much,
Tennessee Williams!) is exactly
family friendly.
It may come as a shock to some people in the entertainment industry that some parents would prefer to shield their children's tender young ears from the assault of the F-bomb. But those same parents would be forgiven for mistakenly thinking that a critic's declaration of "family-friendly" provides the all-clear sign, that they won't have to hear what is still ostensibly considered the English language's most vulgar word.
Within days of my seeing
In The Heights, which by the way, I actually liked, I was struck by an editorial in
USA Today on how technology has outpaced the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in its "crackdown on obscenity." I was struck by the following passage from that
March 31 editorial:
For the record, here's what started the ruckus: Cher said critics had been predicting for 40 years that she was on her way out, adding, "So f—- 'em." At the Golden Globes, Bono called his award "really, really f——— brilliant!"
Not exactly family fare, obviously, and over time viewers complained, as did assorted members of Congress and a group called the Parents Television Council, which seeks to reduce indecency in the entertainment industry.
* * *
(The FCC's crackdown on broadcasters) comes from good intentions. Network television has grown both cruder and more sexually explicit over the years, leaving many a family uncomfortably surprised.
So, dear readers, what do you think? Should critics and others be more prudent when recommending a show for the whole family? Or have we reached a point in our civilization where it no longer matters?
I'll be curious to hear what you have to say -- but please avoid any obscenities!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: August Osage County, Broadway, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, F-Bomb, In The Heights, Musical, Obscenities, Play, Tracy Letts
