SOB's 8 Singular Sensations Of '08As regular readers of Steve On Broadway (SOB) know, while others use the end of the year to provide their lists of the top shows of the past year, I wait until the conclusion of the entire Theatrical Season to provide my official tally.
Instead, I'm once again devoting the end of the calendar year to celebrate SOB's Singular Sensations -- those magical live performances that have stayed with me throughout the year. While it's easy to bid "good riddance" to a year that has been fraught with economic, man-made and natural catastrophes, I took refuge in once again being truly wowed and ultimately inspired by an extraordinary display of excellent performances from some of the theatre world's best actors, singers and dancers of our time.
Before I launch into my mini-countdown, I'd like to offer a few personal observations on my own year. Without a doubt, one continuing highlight has been the enormously gratifying opportunity to meet a wide cross-section of fellow theatre bloggers.
Thanks to Esther at
Gratuitous Violins for getting the ball rolling as 11 bloggers with a predominant focus on theatre became friends and family as we joined together for a freewheeling brunch at
Angus McIndoe's -- one of the Broadway theatre district's more renowned hot spots. That list included Aaron at
‘kül That Sounds Cool, Alicia at
Things You'll Learn To Love About Me, Chris at
Everything I Know I Learned from Musicals, Jan at
Broadway & Me, Jimmy at
Third Row, Mezzanine, Kari at
Casual Heap, Mike at
The Lunar Gemini, Patrick at
Just Shows To Go You and Sarah at
Adventures in the Endless Pursuit of Entertainment.
But as the year progressed, it was a high honor meeting several other vital bloggers, including Andrew and Philip at
West End Whingers, Angel at
The Theatergoer, Eric at
Man In Chair, Gabriel at
Modern Fabulousity, Kevin at
Theatre Aficionado At Large, and, of course, the man responsible for my wonderful new photo, the incomparable Ste at
The Stephen Mosher Blog.
To all my blog friends, let me say I am proud to know you and count you among my friends.
Now, dear readers, I give you SOB's 8 Singular Sensations of 2008:
#8 - Francis Guinan - While most of the rest of the
August: Osage County ensemble headed off to London this fall to reprise their celebrated performances, one notable principal from Steppenwolf's Chicago and Broadway casts did not make the journey:
Fran Guinan.
The actor who singlehandedly delivered the tenderest performance and arguably the most heart in this year's Tony Award-winning Best Play as Charlie Aiken had a couple other projects and a whole host of characters to handle back in Chicago. Guinan enjoyed some delicious scene-stealing roles as Colonel Sanders and Johnny Walker in Steppenwolf's
Kafka On The Shore, but it was his extraordinarily touching take as Sharky in Steppenwolf's just-extended production of
The Seafarer that completely blew me away.
It's because he seems to effortlessly imbue each and every one of his wide-ranging characters with limitless shadings and nuance, I'm looking forward to seeing this sensational actor next in Steppenwolf's early 2009 mounting of
Art.
#7 - Martha Plimpton - Is there
nothing Martha Plimpton cannot do? First, as the wine-swilling pontifica-ting, pompous Pope Joan and then as an English teen,
both as part of
Caryl Churchill's
Top Girls, she was simply mindblowing.
But as Gladys Bumps in the current Broadway revival of
Pal Joey, Plimpton proves nothing short of a complete revelation. We already knew this Tony-nominated actress had the dramatic chops, but who knew she also possesses such an sensational singing voice? Her "Zip" alone is worth the price of admission. Along with her sly moves, it truly does appear that there's nothing Plimpton can't do.
Look for another Tony nod in the New Year for this sensational actress.
#6 - Lois Smith - Shame on me for missing
Horton Foote's
The Trip To Bountiful during its celebrated
Signature Theatre Company run a couple years back. Fortunately, for me (and countless others), Chicago's
Goodman Theatre chose to honor the works of the great nonagenarian with a
festival that enabled the incandescent
Lois Smith to reprise her lauded Off-Broadway turn as Carrie Watts.
Smith's astonishing luminescence burned brighter and brighter throughout her performance as she brilliantly captured Carrie's yearning to return home, one last time, to a place called Bountiful. Smith's impeccably drawn portrayal proved one transformative power.
The always sensational Lois Smith was nothing short of excellent.
#5 - Daniel Breaker - I have yet to see what he can do in
Shrek The Musical.
But
Daniel Breaker The Actor is one exception-ally gifted talent worth watching, thanks to his truly astonishing breakthrough role as Youth in my favorite new musical of the past year:
Passing Strange. Breaker has the ability to convey so much more with a simple roll of his eyes than many actors have with their entire portayals. He possesses a natural presence found far too infrequently on the stage.
His sensational Tony-nominated performance made
Passing Strange come alive, and it will be the reason I go see
Shrek.
#4 - Jim Norton - Actors from two different productions of the same outstanding play land on my list.
Back at #8 was Fran Guinan as Sharky from Steppenwolf's current run of
The Seafarer. The acting genius who originated the role of Sharky's brother Richard in London and reprised his performance again on Broadway lands at #4. The breathtaking
Jim Norton earned very well-deserved Olivier and Tony Awards for his incredible work. His superb portrayal more than convinced me he had literally drunk himself blind. I really thought, "this man truly is without sight." Of course, only at the curtain call did I realize he could see.
I'm so looking forward to seeing this sensational actor once again in
New York City Center's March mounting of
Finian's Rainbow.
#3 - Mark Rylance - For a British actor,
Mark Rylance sure has the Midwestern accents down pat (perhaps it's because, like me, he lived in
Mequon - Thiensville, Wisconsin, during part of his formative years).
Shortly before making his Broadway debut, this master Shakespearean actor returned to a Guthrie stage in Minneapolis in the title role of
Peer Gynt. This retelling of
Henrik Ibsen's play began with Rylance portraying a modern-day Minnesotan on the receiving end of a surprise party for his 50th birthday.
Soon thereafter, Rylance took Broadway by storm with his Tony-winning farcical turn as a Wisconsinite named Robert in the revival of
Boeing-Boeing. He's still keeping them laughing through Sunday at the
Longacre via his absolutely masterful turn.
Given his wide range, there's no telling where the sensational Rylance will land next.
#2 - Elena Roger - As the only artist from last year's SOB Singular Sensations lists to make a return, the marvelous
Elena Roger is a major force to be reckoned with. Her bravura performance as Eva Peron in the recent London revival of
Evita was more than enough to
land her at #4 one year ago. In the current West End production of
Piaf, this abundantly assured and captivating actress dazzles once again. Roger proves a true sensation.
Succeeding in eerily channeling
Edith Piaf, Roger soars to make for one of the year's most extraordinary and magical performances, almost in spite of the ill-conceived production around her.
I for one can't wait to see what this sensational talent does next and can only hope that Broadway is finally paying attention.
#1 - Patti LuPone - I know, I know.
Patti LuPone easily earned
the number one spot two years ago on my year-end list for her electrifying/terrifying performance as Mama Rose in
Ravinia's concert version of
Stephen Sondheim,
Jule Styne and
Arthur Laurents' best musical of all time,
Gypsy. How could I possibly give the same artist the same pole position for the same role yet again?
Easily. Laurents' current Broadway mounting of
Gypsy is no ordinary revival. Just when I thought LuPone couldn't get any better, she manages to eclipse her own jawdropping performance with a Rose who is at once sympathetic, conniving, sexy, funny, tragic and repulsive all at the same time. Brava, Patti! Brava!
I was so mesmerized by LuPone's sensational performance of a lifetime that I'll be there to cheer her on once more before
Gypsy closes on January 11.
Happy New Year!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Daniel Breaker, Elena Roger, Francis Guinan, Jim Norton, Lois Smith, Mark Rylance, Martha Plimpton, Patti LuPone, SOB's 8 Singular Sensations of 2008
Hairspray (The SOB Revisit) - Neil Simon Theatre, New York, New York***1/2 (out of ****)The last time I saw the 2003 Tony Award-winning Best Musical
Hairspray with
Harvey Fierstein, it was during its pre-Broadway tryout in Seattle.
When I learned that the Tony-winning actor would return to the role of Edna Turnblad before the show ended its six and a half year Rialto run, I immediately rushed to purchase tickets to see him one more time. Am I ever glad I did.
Just days before his Tony-winning co-star
Marissa Jaret Winokur returned to reprise her turn as Tracy Turnblad, I revisited
Marc Shaiman and
Scott Wittman's buoyant tuner. After having seen the more recent
film version, it's easy to forget that
Mark O'Donnell and
Thomas Meehan provided a slyly funny and slightly subversive book to tell the story of the coming of age, both for a wide-eyed innocent high school girl and the civil rights movement in Baltimore. Hands-down, the stage version of
Hairspray is eminently better than the watered-down (and I don't mean
John Waters) movie. And as wonderful as the dancing was in the film, you simply can't stop the beat of
Jerry Mitchell's effervescent choreography live on stage.
While I have no doubt that current audiences are now eating up every moment that the original musical's Tracy and Edna are offering (and that includes Fierstein's extraordinarily funny, ribald ad-libbing),
Marissa Perry as Tracy was exceptional. Current castmembers
Constantine Rousouli and
Tevin Campbell also rise to the dizzying heights of the material with the former providing a pitch-perfect, swoon-inducing Link Larkin, while the latter as Seaweed J. Stubbs is nothing short of a revelation.
Hairspray may soon be closing, but with one dream about to be realized just a couple weeks later via Barack Obama's inauguration, it's
Charlotte Crossley's stirring, heartfelt rendition of "I Know Where I've Been" that proves an even more moving, more poignant tribute to those who have been lost along the way than Messrs. Shaiman and Wittman could have possibly anticipated.
Like that soulful tune,
Hairspray still has the capacity to lift us up until tomorrow.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Charlotte Crossley, Constantine Rousouli, Hairspray, Harvey Fierstein, Marc Shaiman, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Marissa Perry, Musical, Scott Wittman, Tevin Campbell, The SOB Revisit
Frost/Nixon Better On Silver ScreenJust when I thought it was not possible for a film to be better than its stage precursor, along comes
Ron Howard's enthralling
big screen adaptation of
Peter Morgan’s play
Frost/Nixon.
Please don't get me wrong. Nothing can match seeing
Frank Langella as
U.S. President Richard Nixon duke it out with
Michael Sheen as British television talk show host/gadfly/womanizer
David Frost live on stage. Both were superb, and Langella was completely deserving of the Tony Award he received for his portrayal of our disgraced president.
But seeing these two exceptional actors again, now with a completely fleshed out and contextualized story line -- compliments of Morgan himself -- now ensures that Langella and Sheen's stellar performances are matched by the material itself.
Yes,
I still have an issue with the ficticious middle-of-the-night telephone call that plays such a pivotal role in this story, especially since most casual observers will believe it to be fact. But that alone should not stop anyone, including students of history, from seeing the film. Or the North American
touring stage production, for that matter.
On that note, I'll be taking in one of the early legs of the tour, just so I can compare the two versions of
Frost/Nixon once more.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, David Frost, Film, Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon, Michael Sheen, Peter Morgan, Richard Nixon, Ron Howard, Touring Production
RIP Eartha Kitt (1927 - 2008)Even as I had celebrated the joys of Christmas throughout yesterday, I went to bed last night with a heavy heart after learning that the magnificent, sultry and completely irrepressible
Eartha Kitt died of colon cancer.
This triple threat (actor, singer, dancer) who once dared speak her mind at the White House was 81 and one of a kind. Never one to shy away from speaking her mind or living life to its fullest, Ms. Kitt was simply wonderrrrrrrful.
Given how often I heard her 1954 classic "Santa Baby" on the radio this holiday season, it was sadly ironic that this two-time Tony nominee -- for 1978's
Timbuktu! and 2000's
The Wild Party -- passed away on Christmas Day.
Personally, I had two opportunities to see her perform live on stage, and I'll always cherish those memories.
The first time came in the early part of this decade when she took on the role of the Fairy Godmother as part of a color-blind cast revival that
toured with
Rodgers and
Hammerstein's
Cinderella -- the chance to see Ms. Kitt was the sole reason I went, and despite the smallish role, she did not disappoint as she sang, "Impossible."
But the second, unforgettable time came nearly two years ago on Valentine's Day 2007. Ms. Kitt was part of a poetry reading. Not just any poetry reading, mind you, but one that featured the likes of a few other actors of note you may have heard of:
Joanna Gleason,
Charles Grodin,
Philip Seymour Hoffman,
Chris Sarandon,
Joanne Woodward and the late great
Paul Newman. Eartha Kitt and these other fine actors offered their own unique, individual voices on the ecstasy and agony that arguably make love life’s ultimate affection -- all as part of a mega-bite Valentine called
Come Be My Love...Love Spoken Here, a fundraiser for Connecticut's venerable
Westport Country Playhouse. I can still vividly recall Ms. Kitt's tender, impassioned humanity and humor, thinking how extraordinarily she made every single word dance in my ears.
During a reception after the performance, The Love of My Life and I had a unique opportunity to speak with this legendary diva, and I use that term in its true best sense. Ms. Kitt could not have been more gracious. For us, it was perrrrrrfection.
As my friend Eric in Atlanta has said, may she rrrrrrrrrrrrest in peace.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Cinderella, Come Be My Love...Love Spoken Here, Eartha Kitt, In Memoriam, Musical, Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers, Santa Baby, The Wild Party, Timbuktu, Touring Production
RIP Harold Pinter (1930 - 2008)
After a long battle with cancer, British playwright and director
Harold Pinter died yesterday.
Nominated four times for the Tony Award and winning for 1967's searing, enigmatic
The Homecoming , Pinter also was named a Nobel Prize Laureate in 2005 for his body of work and his mastery of the pause. Seven of his plays were produced on Broadway, beginning with 1961's
The Caretaker -- a show that's since been revived twice on the Main Stem.
While I was completely repulsed by
The Homecoming, I admit to being shaken to my core by the play when
I finally caught the Great White Way revival earlier this year.
The Homecoming essentially haunted my thoughts and dreams for over two weeks, burrowing deep into my soul. Perhaps that's the mark of an excellent playwright.
My personal favorite Pinter work is the non-linear
Betrayal. In fact,
I thoroughly enjoyed the recent 2007
Steppenwolf revival starring an absolutely brilliant, slow-burning
Tracy Letts (yes,
that Pulitzer Prize-winning Tracy Letts) opposite a pitch-perfect
Amy Morton as married couple Robert and Emma, whose relationship is come undone thanks to her affair with his best friend Jerry (a sharp
Ian Barford).
Will there be renewed interest in resurrecting other Pinter works now that he's gone? Given the spate of recent mountings to reexamine his genius in his native United Kingdom, expect more of the same stateside. Not only will Pinter's works live on, but so will his name, which was forever immortalized in
Stephen Sondheim's lyrics to "Ladies Who Lunch" from 1970's
Company.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Amy Morton, Betrayal, Harold Pinter, Ian Barford, In Memoriam, Play, Steppenwolf, The Homecoming, Tracy Letts
Merry Christmas From IowaGreetings from
Iowa, where I'm spending this Christmas holiday in the glow of my extended
family (including
Todd Lyon, who captured the season on the photo here).
I know, it's a far cry from
where I was last year and
the year before that. But sometimes, you just have to kick back and enjoy the warmth that only your loved ones can provide with complete acceptance and without prejudice.
Please accept my personal best wishes for a very Merry Christmas. Here's wishing you and yours nothing but peace and love.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Christmas, Iowa, Special Messages
Happy Hanukkah!
To all my dear Jewish friends currently celebrating the
celebration of lights, please accept my best wishes for a very Happy Hanukkah!
Thank you for further illuminating my life with your gift of friendship.
חנוכה שמח
Chag Urim Sameach!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Hanukkah, Special Messages
Great Reason To Return To Osage County In FebruaryAccording to
Playbill, Tony Award winning actress
Elizabeth Ashley is now set to tackle the plum dramatic role of Broadway's favorite wacky Aunt Mattie Fae Aiken in
August: Osage County.
Ashley will replace
Molly Regan, the
Steppenwolf ensemble member who herself had replaced the amazing
Rondi Reed. In June, Reed won a very well-deserved Tony for her portrayal, which
London audiences are now enjoying).
While I've had two opportunities to see Ashley tread the boards of Broadway -- in 2003's
Enchanted April and in the excellent 2000 revival of
Gore Vidal's The Best Man -- my biggest regret of this year has been my inability to see Ashley perform in
Horton Foote's
Dividing The Estate.
Given how much I admire her tremendous body of work, I just may opt to see
August: Osage County for my fifth time. I can only imagine how delicious it would be to see her opposite
Estelle Parsons.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: August Osage County, Broadway, Dividing The Estate, Elizabeth Ashley, Enchanted April, Estelle Parsons, Gore Vidal's The Best Man, Molly Regan, Replacements, Rondi Reed
For NowIf you're anything like me, you've had a major concern since Election Day.
No, not on whom President-Elect
Barack Obama would appoint to his cabinet or just how soon he'd be able to heal the world.
No, it's been that pesky lyric from Broadway's
Avenue Q. You know the one in the closing number "For Now" in which
George W. Bush's name is among the many rejoinders on what's only for now. I've been wondering what they're going to do with it after the current occupant of
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue leaves office.
Now we know. Apparently the creative folks at
Avenue Q have also been contemplating the question. And instead of coming up with their own two syllable lyric, they've launched a contest to enable their fans to replace it.
According to the
Avenue Q site:
It's of the most-loved lyrics in AVENUE Q. But starting January 20th, "GEORGE BUSH IS ONLY FOR NOW" must be replaced, and WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Submit your idea for a 2-syllable replacement lyric for "GEORGE BUSH" -- and you could win a bunch of cool AVENUE Q stuff, including a revised script that includes YOUR LYRIC!
To enter, click
here. It's as easy as that.
According to
Playbill:
The winner will be announced Jan. 15, 2009, and the new lyric will be performed in Broadway's Avenue Q at the Golden Theatre beginning Jan. 20, 2009, the day Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.
Avenue Q producer Robyn Goodman said in a statement, "We thought it would be fun to find out what people today think is as expendable as George Bush. Audiences have cheered the line since the show opened and people are curious — what's next?"
Creator Robert Lopez added, "I've gotten so many unsolicited ideas from friends and strangers over the years that it seems only fitting that we solicit a few more."
The contest begins Dec. 22, 2009, and runs through Jan. 12, 2009. To enter visit http://www.avenueq.com/.
The winning entry will be selected by a panel that comprises Q creators Robert Lopez, Jeff Marx and Jeff Whitty and the show's producers. The winner will receive a prize package including an autographed program and poster from Avenue Q, a cast recording, a copy of the Avenue Q coffee table book and an autographed copy of the revised script with the contest winner's lyric included.
Good luck!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Avenue Q, Barack Obama, Contest, George W. Bush, Jeff Marx, Jeff Whitty, Robert Lopez
Relieving My DoubtWhen I saw
John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning
Doubt in March 2005,
I was in complete awe of this completely compelling drama. With the redoubtable
Brían F. O'Byrne as Father Flynn sparring with Tony-winner
Cherry Jones as Sister Aloysius, we were left debating, “Did he or didn’t he?” long after our departure from the theatre.
But upon entering the movie theatre a week ago, I have to confess that I had my doubts as to whether
Shanley's personally directed screenplay could match that live theatrical experience audiences had found so riveting just a few short years ago.
With
Philip Seymour Hoffman and
Meryl Streep now in the leads, I should have known better. Their extraordinary performances were both enthralling and pitch perfect.
My larger concern was whether the silver screen incarnation would give too much away. After all, Shanley's small play only included four principal actors. A film version would by its very nature demand greater context and additional characters, including those who had only been mentioned in the play. Again, my fears were allayed. Yes, the stage version of
Doubt forced its audience to rely entirely on hearsay, but I believe the key visuals in the movie were so expertly crafted by Shanley, that precious little is given away.
Just as the stage version offered excellent turns by
Heather Goldenhersh as Sister James and Tony Award winner
Adriane Lenox as the conflicted Mrs. Muller, the screen version offers no less compelling performances by
Amy Adams and
Viola Davis. Both are superb.
Best of all, just as with
Doubt on stage, we were still discussing whether or not he did it. Bravo to John Patrick Shanley and cast.
While I've just begun my annual holiday filmgoing spree, I can tell you that to date, "
Doubt" is the best movie I've seen all year.
UPDATE (12.21.08, 8:10 p.m. EST): Scratch that last item. I just came back from "
Slumdog Millionaire" -- a movie unlike any other. Yes, I love "Doubt," but "Slumdog Millionaire" is in a class unto itself. My advice? Go see them both!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Amy Adams, Brian F. O'Byrne, Broadway, Cherry Jones, Doubt, Film, Heather Goldenhersch, John Patrick Shanley, Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffmann, Play, Viola Davis
Pal Joey: Critics Were Bewitched, Bothered Or BewilderedLast evening, the latest revival of
Richard Rodgers and
Lorenz Hart's
Pal Joey opened at
Roundabout Theatre Company's
Studio 54. The tuner is directed by
Joe Mantello and features a new book by playwright
Richard Greenberg.
Pal Joey stars
Stockard Channing,
Martha Plimpton and
Matthew Risch, who replaced
Christian Hoff in rehearsals.
Critical response varied wildly across the board from those who were positively bewitched by the production, to those much more bothered by it all, with some bewildered reviews in between.
Praising the show as "snazzily revived by the Roundabout Theatre Company, (that) pumps much-needed fresh blood into a Broadway grown anemic," Bloomberg's
John Simon is positively bewitched: "Risch has the properly improper gigolo looks and persona of Joey, singing, dancing and acting with precarious insouciance spelled by the called-for defensive arrogance. Channing is appropriately sophisticated and cynical as Vera; if her singing seems a bit too studied, it fits in with Vera’s personality. Plimpton’s Gladys is as beautifully rounded as a hard-edged dame can be.... With splendid choreography from
Graciela Daniele, combining period with modern; scrupulously detailed staging by Joe Mantello; and
Paul Gemignani’s expert conducting of a spirited orchestra, it would take an aged-in-the-wood curmudgeon to ask for anything more."
David Rooney of
Variety is also vexed: "[W]hat makes the Roundabout revival of their 1940 show so compelling is Richard Greenberg’s trenchant adaptation of the original book by
John O’Hara. Erasing the sanitizing stamp of musical-theater coyness, Greenberg brings a fascinating melancholy grubbiness to this cynical story of sordid emotional transactions and opportunistic behavior in late-1930s Chicago. It’s a dark show for desperate times, with enough dramatic meat on its bones to work even as a nonmusical play.... The good news is that while Risch is neither a top-drawer singer nor dancer, he’s doing creditable work as louche lounge lizard Joey Evans. He has the right thuggish good looks, sleazy charisma and self-assured moves to play the unscrupulous gigolo. This is not quite a star-is-born moment, but Risch understands the role of the inveterate cad and he knows how to sell it. Likewise director Joe Mantello, choreographer Graciela Daniele and set designer
Scott Pask; their seamless collaboration makes this apparent the moment the curtain goes up."
Bewildered by Risch's "serviceable voice and none of the nuance needed to make Joey's amorous conquests remotely plausible,"
Eric Grode, who thankfully is reviewing again, now for Newark's
Star Ledger, sees the pluses in the female performers: "Greenberg has radically overhauled John O'Hara's script while remaining in sync with Richard Rodgers' shrewd riffs on supper-club pop and Lorenz Hart's shiv-sharp lyrics.... Greenberg has a sharp ear for the dimestore argot favored by just about everyone else on stage.... [I]n 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,' which Channing delivers with a knowing rendition that makes up for in world-weary style what it lacks in vocal perfection. But the real surprise is Plimpton, a fixture of Broadway's more serious recent efforts (
Shakespeare,
Tom Stoppard and
Caryl Churchill in the last two years alone), who proves to be a sparkling musical theater performer, too. Greenberg and Mantello have bolstered her role considerably, and from a barn-burning rendition of 'Zip!' to a touching glimpse of envy near the end, Plimpton rewards their efforts in full."
Lamenting that the revival "seems more like grown-ups playing dress-up than gritty and cynically delicious pulp fiction,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer comes out swinging: "There is no nice way of saying this. Matthew Risch, the understudy who stepped into the starring role when Christian Hoff reportedly was injured, is a slick and stylish hoofer, and a competent singer. But he doesn't have the wattage to make us care about Joey Evans.... Without more spark behind Joe Mantello's handsomely imagined Chicago lowlife of a production, the darkness starts to feel more dull than glittery.... Channing, as Vera, the wealthy older woman who today would be called a cougar, pulls this off with husky-voiced aristocratic earthiness, looking great in
William Ivey Long's daring gowns and talk-singing her way through the music as if it were written that way. There is more unexpected delight in Plimpton, rapidly becoming one of the theater's most invaluable adventurers. Here she is fearless in a black lace corset and garters as Gladys Bumps, a sturdy been-around thug of a stripper."
Concluding that the show "is seriously undercut by the gaping hole at its center,"
Frank Scheck at
New York Post awards just two and a half stars (out of four): "As the tough-talking, second-rate nightclub performer Gladys Bumps, Plimpton -- not exactly known for musical comedy -- is terrific, the standout attraction of the flawed revival that opened last night.... While (Risch is) a strong dancer and a fair singer, he doesn't yet have the acting chops and, more important, the charisma to make his Joey as much of a charmer as he is a heel.... Joe Mantello has provided a smooth, reasonably entertaining staging that's enhanced by the slinky, sexy choreography of Graciela Daniele.... Stockard Channing, looking impossibly young for her 64 years, is compelling as the sexually rapacious socialite Vera Simpson, even if her renditions of such classic songs as 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' are better acted than sung."
Bothered by "Mantello's low-impact staging,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News awards just two and a half (out of five) stars: "Risch ... gets an A for effort. He's a capable singer and deft dancer and gives just the kind of performance you'd expect -- solid and professional. Period.... Under Mantello's inconsistent direction, the acting styles range from realism to broad musical comedy while tuneful Rodgers and Hart songs ... land with little impression.... (Channing's) bluesy version of 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' aches with longing and resignation. The delightful surprise is Martha Plimpton as the street-smart showgirl Gladys. The actress debuts a robust and smoky singing voice and makes the novelty number 'Zip' (usually sung by another character) enormously entertaining."
Blasting it as a "joyless revival,"
The New York Times'
Ben Brantley clearly feels a bit beguiled (and not in any good sense): "[N]obody, with the qualified exception of Martha Plimpton as a floozy with a grudge, emerges from this Roundabout Theater Company production covered in stardust. In shining a harsh light on the inner rot of selfish characters ... this revival has succeeded only in turning them into zombies. When Ms. Channing, as the alcoholic society matron Vera Simpson, sings the show’s most famous song, 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,' it might as well be titled 'Benumbed, Bummed Out and Bored Silly.'... Joey, a part first played by
Gene Kelly, has to be the engine of the show, and that’s a challenge beyond Mr. Risch.... Ms. Channing, whose drollery is one of the greater natural resources of the New York theater, here pushes deadpan into deadness, talking and singing in a hushed, level voice as if in a trance.... But here it’s not easy to differentiate between a character’s distancing herself from her bad behavior and an actress’s distancing herself from a bad production."
The limited run revival of
Pal Joey is slated to close February 15, 2009. You can read my review of
Pal Joey by clicking
here (I actually liked the production).
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Joe Mantello, Lorenz Hart, Martha Plimpton, Matthew Risch, Musical, Pal Joey, Revival, Richard Greenberg, Richard Rodgers, Stockard Channing
Pal Joey (The SOB Review) - Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54, New York, NY*** (out of ****)Incredibly enough, the first time I ever heard
Richard Rodgers and
Lorenz Hart's enduring classic "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" on stage was not as part of a mounting of
Pal Joey. No, it occurred in 2006 when the enormously talented
Samuel Barnett delivered his poignant rendition as Posner in
The History Boys.Fast forward two years to
Joe Mantello's sparkling revival of
Pal Joey, when I finally had my chance to hear it as originally intended. Well sorta.
No matter that
John O'Hara's book has been substantially updated by
Richard Greenberg. With his decidedly contemporary and largely effective libretto, replete with allusions to abortion and outright depictions of closeted homosexuality -- circa 1930s -- this is certainly not your grandfather's
Pal Joey. Nevertheless, the underlying story of the ne'er-do-well ladies' song-and-dance man Joey Evans, who blithely bounces between women, remains true to the original.
It doesn't hurt that he's cavorting around the sleazy side of Chicago. In fact, with
Scott Pask's El tracks shrouded in shadows from
Paul Gallo's lighting, one can't help but wonder if a
certain disgraced governor could be found lurking here. He'd no doubt be welcome alongside Joey's lothario.
Of course, one of our anti-hero's conquests happens to be a cougar named Vera Simpson. As portrayed by
Stockard Channing, Vera has that rare opportunity to sing "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," in this case right after being bedded by Joey. But alas, unlike Barnett's earlier performance in
The History Boys, I found myself bewildered by Channing's uneven, faltering voice. Pity, since she imbues her Vera with such natural grace, style and seductiveness ... whenever the music stops.
Fortunately, the flipside of this equation is the absolutely stunning portrayal of Gladys Bumps by a bewitching
Martha Plimpton. Talk about a revelation. We already knew this Tony-nominated actress had the dramatic chops, but who knew she also possesses such an sensational singing voice? Her "Zip" alone is worth the price of admission. Along with her sly moves, courtesy of
Graciela Daniele's uniformly captivating choreography, is there nothing Plimpton can't do? Look for a Tony nod in her future.
As for being bothered, well, let's just say that given the dynamic degree to which Joey Evans is a song-and-
dance man, it's hard to imagine anyone hoofing it -- including
Christian Hoff -- quite like the magnetic
Matthew Risch. Apart from what
Michael Riedel might suggest, Risch mostly succeeds in going from chorus boy to promising lead performer.
Adding to the overall luster of Mantello's well-executed revival are Pask's dazzling set, Gallo's wondrous lighting and
William Ivey Long's elegant costume design. Ultimately in this entertaining
Pal Joey, bewitched wins out over both bothered and bewildered.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Joe Mantello, Lorenz Hart, Martha Plimpton, Matthew Risch, Musical, Pal Joey, Revival, Richard Greenberg, Richard Rodgers, Samuel Barnett, Stockard Channing, The SOB Review
Trying To Beguile Again, Pal Joey Opens On BroadwayThis evening,
Roundabout Theatre Company's retooled revival of
Richard Rodgers and
Lorenz Hart's classic
Pal Joey finally opens at
Studio 54. With
Joe Mantello at the helm, this is the final show to open on Broadway during this calendar year.
As noted above, this is not a straightforward revival as
Richard Greenberg has provided a substantial rewrite to
John O'Hara's book. This
Pal Joey stars
Stockard Channing as the stage's original
cougar, Vera Simpson, while Broadway's current straight play "it girl"
Martha Plimpton takes on Gladys Bumps -- her first musical role.
Much has happened since none other than
Hugh Jackman was first being touted for the title role.
Jersey Boys' Tony-winning
Christian Hoff was since cast as Joey Evans, only to be sidelined during previews because of "foot injury." Hoff was replaced last month by
Matthew Risch, whose most recent Broadway gig was as the reprehensible Carlos in the abysmal
Legally Blonde musical.
Will life imitate art with this former chorus boy making critics recall
42nd Street's Peggy Sawyer? Will critics be bewitched, bothered or bewildered? Find out tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule, along with my very own SOB Review.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Christian Hoff, Joe Mantello, Lorenz Hart, Martha Plimpton, Matthew Risch, Musical, Opening Night, Pal Joey, Revival, Richard Greenberg, Richard Rodgers, Stockard Channing
The Great Red Way?As noted here time and again in recent weeks, a lot of Broadway shows are shuttering in January, thanks in no small part to the truly devastating economy. After all, who wants to be swimming in red ink?
With
Sunday's news that the excellent revival of
Gypsy would expedite its scheduled March closing to January 11, you may well have heard me sadly saying, "Another one bites the dust" yet again.
The New York Times' Patrick Healy took note of the plight of the Broadway show in
one humdinger of a story yesterday that is hardly a positive harbinger of things to come. In addition to the closings, new shows are having trouble finding the financing to get on the boards. Then there are those that have simply been postponed. Or completely canceled.
I'll have more to say in this space later, but given all the pain even typical, hardworking theatre lovers from Cleveland and elsewhere are experiencing (check out
Serino Coyne Chairwoman
Nancy Coyne's ill-advised comments regarding said tourists from Cleveland in Healy's
piece), expect this winter to be particularly cruel.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Closing Notices, Closings, Gypsy, Nancy Coyne
The Seafarer (The SOB Review) - Downstairs Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago, Illinois
*** (out of ****)When I saw
Conor McPherson's chilling play
The Seafarer on Broadway earlier this year,
I deadpanned that it's so damned good, it's practically enough to put the fear of God in you. Now, that fear is being instilled via regional productions throughout the United States, including in Chicago by
Steppenwolf.
Even if
Randall Arney's direction can't match McPherson's own taut vision, or
John Mahoney's blind drunkard Richard Harkin doesn't come anywhere near the breathtaking performance offered by
Jim Norton (who earned a very well-deserved Tony for his incredible work), this is still one helluva good yarn.
Time appropriate, not only for the holidays, but also for these troubled economic times,
The Seafarer remains one of the best new tales of redemption produced this year, and it's delivered here with gusto by
Francis Guinan as Richard's brother Sharky,
Alan Wilder as Ivan,
Randall Newsome as Nicky, and
Tom Irwin as Mr. Lockhart. In fact, the brilliant Wilder somehow captures the same comedic verve as
Conleth Hill, even without the former having seen the latter's Tony-nominated performance.
If there is a performance that manages to exceed the one I saw on Broadway, it was Francis Guinan's extraordinarily touching take as Sharky. Guinan once again imbues yet another of his wide-ranging characters with limitless shadings and nuance, in this case of a man who's not only been humiliated, but who's seeking redemption for his troubled soul. Guinan's excellent portrayal lifts the entire production.
While Steppenwolf's mounting can't beat the hand dealt on Broadway, this solid production deserves a full house nonetheless.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Alan Wilder, Chicago, Conleth Hill, Conor McPherson, Francis Guinan, John Mahoney, Randall Newsome, Steppenwolf, The Seafarer, The SOB Review, Tom Irwin
Were Shrek Critics Ogres?Yesterday,
Shrek The Musical opened at the Great White Way's
Broadway Theatre. With score by
Jeanine Tesori and
David Lindsay-Abaire, who also wrote the show's book, this incarnation of
Shrek is directed by
Jason Moore and choreographed by
Josh Prince. The tuner stars
Brian d'Arcy James,
Sutton Foster and
Daniel Breaker.
Critics were mixed.
The best review came from
USA Today's
Elysa Gardner, who embraced the show with three and a half (out of four) stars: "Like other musical adaptations of hit films,
Shrek, which opened Sunday at the Broadway Theatre, leans heavily on winking satire. There are the usual nods to more fully realized shows, from
Gypsy to
A Chorus Line, and Jeanine Tesori's blandly ingratiating score doesn't feature any songs you're likely to be humming 20 years from now. But
Shrek, which draws from
William Steig's book about a lovable ogre and the
DreamWorks animated movie that it inspired, is nonetheless a triumph of comic imagination with a heart as big and warm as Santa's. It is the most ingeniously wacky, transcendently tasteless Broadway musical since
The Producers, and more family-friendly than that gag-fest."
Calling it "sweet and busy, nice and big, and, every so often, extremely lovable,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer is lukewarm: "The fact that
Shrek makes us think more about its market than its achievements, alas, says something about the shortage of real inspiration in the show itself. Director Jason Moore's production has an extraordinary cast -- including Brian d'Arcy James as a deeply endearing hulk of an ogre -- and marvelous prosthetics for the swamp-green monster with the plunger ears and Cyrano nose. But given the beloved source, not to mention a seriously bright creative team, we can be forgiven for expecting more than a paint-by-numbers fractured fairy tale from DreamWorks' first challenge to
Disney on Broadway."
Despite concluding that "
Shrek: The Musical plays it safe,"
New York Post's
Barbara Hoffman awards three out of four stars: "[I]t takes nearly all of Act 1 before
Shrek: The Musical starts to sing. And when it does, it truly comes alive.... With a soft Scottish drawl that hews close to Mike Myers' original, Brian d'Arcy James gives us a multilayered ogre -- a mix of vexation, anger, humor and woe -- made all the more amazing by the fact he's emoting through green rubber. He has a fine voice and a warm rapport with Princess Fiona (the unsinkable Sutton Foster)."
Noting how
Shrek "certainly has things to like, even if it's sometimes ungainly,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News offers a mixed assessment: "When (Foster)'s onstage singing, dancing or burping (Fiona's a princess, but not so fair), the production comes close to achieving liftoff. But by and large, it stays earthbound - fine, not great. The same goes for the score by lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire and composer Jeanine Tesori. It never soars, but the songs are pleasant and fit the story."
Branding it a "leaden fairy-tale-theme costume party,"
The New York Times'
Ben Brantley is not completely dismissive: "Aside from a few jolly sequences (nearly all featuring the hypertalented Ms. Foster), this cavalcade of storybook effigies feels like 40 blocks’ worth of a
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, accompanied by an exhaustingly jokey running commentary.
Shrek, for the record, is not bad. The maiden Broadway venture of DreamWorks Theatricals (a stage-oriented arm of the company that made the movie), in association with Neal Street Productions, it is definitely a cut above the most recent offerings from its creators’ direct competitor in cartoon-inspired musicals, Walt Disney."
Asking, "Why isn’t
Shrek the Musical great?" Bloomberg's
John Simon is every bit as tepid: "The good news is that it is done very well; the bad news is that it is done at all. When is the musical theater going to learn to let cartoons lie? Not that William Steig’s original book and its serial movie animations are bad, but they are terminally self-sufficient. A big, expensive Broadway musical needs to have grown-up as well as kiddie appeal.... Under Jason Moore’s sprightly direction, the performances are uniformly engaging. Multitalented d’Arcy James’s Shrek is as lovable as an ogre with bad breath and other odors can be, and then some. As Fiona -- even after sundown, when she turns into an unsightly ogress -- Foster is as enchanting as ever, with unbeatable comic timing and singing and dancing to match."
Given last week's dismal box office --
Shrek only attracted a capacity of just 52.3% -- producers had to be hoping for much better reviews than they received. They'll now have to pin their hopes on building buzz among Broadway audiences if they're to make it past January.
This is Steve On Broadway.
Labels: Brian d'Arcy James, Critics' Capsule, Daniel Breaker, David Lindsay-Abaire, Jason Moore, Jeanine Tesori, Josh Prince, Musical, Shrek The Musical, Sutton Foster
Fairy Tale Beginning? Shrek Opens On BroadwayAt long last, the journey from
book to
film -- well, actually three of them -- to Broadway tuner is complete as
Shrek The Musical opens Sunday.
Based on
William Steig's 32-page children's read "Shrek!" this incarnation features a score by
Jeanine Tesori and
David Lindsay-Abaire, who also wrote the show's libretto. Helmed by
Jason Moore and choreographed by
Josh Prince,
Shrek The Musical stars
Brian d'Arcy James as the eponymous ogre and
Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona.
Of course, considerable
early press focused on major casting changes since the initial Seattle tryout; both
Chester Gregory II and
Kecia Lewis-Evans are long since out, but
Daniel Breaker is now in. More recently, as
Chris Caggiano noted in his early middling review over on
Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals, a December 2 preview was canceled to allow for even more substantive changes.
Will critics respond well to the revisions? Find out tomorrow as I post my critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway.
Labels: Brian d'Arcy James, Broadway, Daniel Breaker, David Lindsay-Abaire, Film, Jason Moore, Jeanine Tesori, Musical, Opening Night, Shrek The Musical, Sutton Foster
Bloody MaryLast Saturday evening, actor
Daniel Hoevels nearly killed himself live on an Austrian stage when his dull-edged prop knife was replaced with an all too sharp one.
Hoevels, appearing at Vienna's
Burgtheater in
Friedrich Schiller's
Mary Stuart, was portraying a character trying to commit suicide when he accidentally slashed his throat with the very real blade. The audience reportedly was unaware that the blood wasn't fake until the final curtain call. By then, Hoevels had been taken to the hospital where he was stitched up. However,
one doctor said, "If Hoevels had hit an artery or cut only slightly deeper, he would have died on stage."
Speculation ran rampant that police were investigating whether this incident was intentional. No wonder the above scanned German-language headline from the
Austrian newspaper Osterreich translates to "Real Drama at the Burgtheatre."
But before you can say, "Where's
Angela Lansbury when you need her?"
Time magazine notes that Hoevels is quite the trouper, having returned to the stage the very next day for a final performance of the play. Hoevels is now in Hamburg performing in
Goethe's
Die Leiden Des Jungen Werthers (The Sorrows Of Young Werther).
Time's Adam Smith notes wryly:
In that play, the long-suffering title character winds up shooting himself in
the head. Someone might want to double-check the gun.
Here's wishing Herr Hoevels a speedy recovery.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Accident, Austria, Daniel Hoevels, Die Leiden Des Jungen Werthers, Goethe, Mary Stuart
Liza With A "D," Needs "R & R"Just one week into her triumphant return to the Great White Way,
Liza Minnelli has been ordered to sit out tonight's performance of her
Liza's At The Palace...! due to dehydration.
According to an
official statement:
Due to health reasons and doctor’s orders, Liza Minnelli will not perform Liza’s At The Palace...! this evening. Co-producer John Scher stated, “This past opening week has been a marathon run for Liza -- which unfortunately has led her to dehydration and her doctor has insisted she get some extra rest. Liza will return for the show’s next scheduled performance on Friday, Dec 12th (8PM).”
Ticket-holders can exchange their tickets for any future scheduled performance.
Fortunately for Liza fans, when one closet door closes, another opens. Shortly after this announcement was made,
Playbill confirmed that Minnelli is adding another week of performances on to her already extended Broadway show.
Liza's At The Palace...! will now run through January 4, 2009.
While I have yet to post my own SOB Review, I was in the audience Saturday evening and can tell you that I have never seen a performer give her all like this legendary icon has. She's already stated that she's lost over 30 pounds since beginning work on the show, and given the amount that I saw her sweat (exceedingly profusely) from my third row seat, I can tell you that I'm not surprised in the least that she's a wee bit dehydrated.
Here's wishing Ms. Minnelli a healthy and speedy recovery.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Liza Minnelli, Liza's At The Palace, Out Sick, Revue, Special Theatrical Event
Time Picks Billy Elliot As Year's BestCalling it a "show that that really earns its cheers and tears," even though "the cast and production don't quite measure up to the brilliant London original,"
Time magazine's theatre writer Richard Zoglin names
Billy Elliot - The Musical as the year's number one musical or play. (Meanwhile, the Associated Press'
Michael Kuchwara also included
Billy Elliot on his top ten list.)
Below are Zoglin's other picks and my running commentary:
2.
Hair -- I missed the Central Park version, but hope to catch it come February at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld.
4.
The Visit -- Hurrah!
I loved this production last Memorial Day while at the DC area's Signature Theatre. When will it finally receive a well-deserved New York City run?
5.
Black Watch -- This ranks as my biggest disappointment of the year, not because I didn't like it, but because I was unable to see it. Shame on me.
8.
Blasted -- Blasted! I missed this one, too! But it's still playing at the SoHo Rep.
10.
Farragut North -- Hey, I tried to get tickets, but the show sold out on me!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: All My Sons, Best Of Lists, Billy Elliot The Musical, Black Watch, Blasted, Farragut North, Hair, Reasons To Be Pretty, South Pacific, The Little Mermaid, The Visit, Time
Just The Tonic For Seeing Shrek For FreeThere's a cool new site out there called
Modern Tonic. It's devoted to just about everything that's pop culture-oriented. That is, with the curious exception of live theatre.
Perhaps recognizing the error of their ways, the creators of Modern Tonic
are getting into the theatrical spirit by presenting a contest giving away seats to see
Shrek The Musical. The
DreamWorks Theatricals and
Neal Street Productions tuner, of course, opens this Sunday at the Great White Way's
Broadway Theatre.
To enter the contest, which is giving away 10 pairs of tickets, click
here. And if you win, please let me know!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Contest, Modern Tonic, Musical, Shrek The Musical
Roundabout Theatre/Studio 54: Beguiled Yet AgainWhat is it with
Roundabout Theatre's
Studio 54 that makes essential parts of the theatregoing experience so needlessly unpleasant? Perhaps I mustn't kick it around, but seems I could write a book.
As
regular readers may recall, my February visit to Studio 54 had me paying full price for Row B Orchestra seats
outside of the sightlines. The ushers in their little den of iniquity could have cared less.
My latest outrage occurred just this past Sunday afternoon, when after waiting and waiting
and waiting for the line for right mezzanine seats to physically place me inside the actual theatre space (that
alone took nearly 15 minutes), I then learned that they had run out of
Playbills. Zip.
"Run out of Playbills?" I asked the befuddled usher.
"Yes, they didn't print enough for us," was her response.
Bothered and bewildered, I went downstairs at intermission. One Studio 54 hand told me I could buy a souvenir program. Right. Maybe in the United Kingdom, but not on my beloved Broadway. Yet.
In truth, no one seemed to care. Certainly nobody bothered to say, "I'm sorry."
As it turned out, I found a discarded Playbill upon exiting the theatre and scooped it up.
What do I care for a Playbill? Well, I realize times are tough on Broadway, but for a
theatre aficionado like me, Playbills are essential to the overarching experience. In this case, not only would I have been able to tell who's who in the production or the crew responsible for my enjoyment of the show itself, but I would also have been able to share a private chuckle over this month's unfortunate feature story on
Christian Hoff, who had been set to star in
Pal Joey, but has since been replaced by
Matthew Risch. Playbills are forever.
Shame on the Roundabout for not having the foresight to have a requisite number of these keepsakes on hand.
If you're attending tonight's performance, I just hope that they've received a new shipment, or else you're out of luck in figuring out the cast and crew. Talk about doing it the hard way.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Christian Hoff, Matthew Risch, Pal Joey, Playbill, Roundabout Theatre, Studio 54
Did Slava Have Critics Thinking There's No Business Like Snow Business?Yesterday, Russian clown
Slava Polunin -- known for his fluffy white stuff play -- finally had his Great White Way day. His
Slava's Snowshow opened at Broadway's
Helen Hayes Theatre under
Victor Kramer's direction. Reviews ran the gamut, with most criticism lodged against the steep ticket prices for the 90-minute show that includes an intermission.
Admitting that his "soul swooned slowly as I heard the snow falling faintly through the universe of the Helen Hayes,"
Charles Isherwood of
The New York Times was smitten: [T]he show has retained the feel of a handmade diversion, modest in its means but powerful in its ability to induce waves of giggles and sighs of pleasure.... Let’s just say if I were charged with the entertainment of children under 10 and had a Broadway budget at my disposal, this would be the show I’d favor. It does not stun children with spectacle but fires their imaginations and gives them a savory taste of the sensory pleasures of live entertainment without forcing too much unsettling clown intimacy on the adults in the audience."
Despite whispering that "some of the magic has evaporated" since it's Off-Broadway incarnation,
Variety's
Marilyn Stasio offers more than flurries of praise: "[F]or all the fun of dodging giant beachballs and pelting your neighbor with tissue paper snowflakes, something more is going on in this show, which Slava used to take into remote parts of the Soviet Union during the Cold War years. Something that has to do with the eternal power of laughter and the sheer endurance of the Everyman clown. To be sure, some of that existential humanism survives in this new, spiffed-up version of
Slava's Snowshow, often in quiet moments. Like the endearing old routine in which a lonely clown (the great Slava himself, in the signature yellow clown suit that makes him look like a big chicken) cuddles up to an empty coat hanging on a coatrack. Or the metaphysical moment of an angry clown contemplating his role on a silently spinning planet."
Calling "it an ingenious amusement" and "sure to bring out your inner child,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News nevertheless awards just three out of five stars: "It alternately makes you feel like you're in a fun house, shaken snow globe and a smooth-riding clown car.... This clutch of clowns is adorable, never scary, even when a tot with a loud laugh gets carried off.... Too bad the $111.50 price for most tickets -- twice as steep as the 80-minute show should charge -- brings out my inner Grinch."
Also complaining about the steep prices,
New York Post's
Barbara Hoffman gives the show just two out of four stars: "Back then, it seemed sort of charming. Back then, it wasn't $69 to $111 a ticket -- for less than 90 minutes, with an intermission. With apologies to Woody Allen -- the show is irritating! And so short!... Now and then, though, there are some beautiful images - fleeting, Fellini-like scenes that are at once funny and sad."
Concluding by noting how he's still asking himself, "omigod, what's going on here
?" Philadelphia Inquirer's
Howard Shapiro said this would have worked better in a Fringe Festival than Broadway: " So call me a banana-peel Neanderthal and send me to my cave (mind the peels), but while I admire the performances in
Slava's Snowshow, I found it strange and unconvincing in a Broadway house, even the smallish Helen Hayes Theatre."
A dear friend of mine, whose opinion I value, saw the show Saturday and told me that it is, "Charming, inventive, possibly unique. And funny, funny, funny."
Audiences will have to decide for themselves if the price is worthwhile, but they'll only have until January 4 to contemplate since the limited run ends then.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Revue, Slava Polunin, Slava's Snowshow, Special Theatrical Event
Road Show (The SOB Review) - The Public Theater, New York, New York
*** (out of ****)Just when you may have thought everyone either loved or hated the latest revision to
Stephen Sondheim's ever-gestating musical, currently called
Road Show, I'm here to tell you that I merely liked
John Doyle's interpretation.
But that's infinitely better than where my own personal journey began with this
Road Show. Just over five years ago, I took in the overbloated
Goodman Theatre production of the tuner's precursor of
Bounce in Chicago, which included a major love storyline barely hinted at in the streamlined
Public Theater staging.
With
John Weidman's book and Sondheim's
Assassinsesque score substantially whittled, Doyle's decidedly darker direction ironically gives
Road Show its, er, bounce. It doesn't hurt that the largely comic verve in Chicago has been replaced by a more serious, sinister examination of
Addison and
Wilson Mizner, the real-life brothers who sought fame and fortune (the former was credited with launching a "Florida Renaissance" via his architecture in Palm Beach and Boca Raton, while the latter wrote three Broadway shows staged between 1909 and 1912). Set against another troubling economic time, Doyle mines the material to maximum cautionary impact, including through his own ingenious scenic design.
In the single best performances I've yet to see from frequent Sondheim interpreters
Michael Cerveris and
Alexander Gemignani, the actors offer measured portrayals of Wilson's greedy self-destruction and Addison's yearning to rise above it, respectively. While Gemignani wrings pathos from his Addison, Cerveris' Wilson is purely and perfectly pathetic ... and highly entertaining.
Will
Road Show someday find its place among the most revered in Sondheim's canon? While it's nowhere near that, yet, it's certainly come a long way.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Alexander Gemignani, Bounce, John Doyle, John Weidman, Michael Cerveris, Musical, New York City, Off-Broadway, Public Theater, Road Show, Stephen Sondheim, The SOB Review
Liza's At The Palace...! (The SOB Review) - Palace Theatre, New York, NY*** (out of ****)Want to see an honest-to-goodness legendary trouper who feeds off her audience, not only as if it were an intimate gathering, but more importantly, as if they were always destined to be together? Then you can't afford to miss the one and only
Liza Minnelli in
Liza's At The Palace...!Sure, much has been written about how this icon doesn't quite hit all the notes the way she used to, or how she occasionally slurs her speech (today it's Liza with a zshee), or how she moves a bit wobbly (no doubt thanks to two new hips and a knee). But I can tell you that I've never seen a performer give it her all -- and then some, and then some more -- quite the way Liza Minnelli does. This
Oscar,
Tony,
Emmy and (special)
Grammy winner does it with such enormous heart and humanity, you find yourself pulling for her every step of the way.
With her second act paean to her real-life Godmother
Kay Thompson, Ms. Minnelli recreates the "
Eloise" writer's nightclub act from days long gone by. Thompson originally performed with the
Williams Brothers, but director and choreographer
Ron Lewis captures their essence with
Cortes Alexander,
Jim Caruso,
Tiger Martina and
Johnny Rodgers in rousing and gleeful, if old-fashioned, spirit. In fact,
Billy Stritch and
David Zippel's musical stylings filled my head with memories of listening to my grandmother's stereo, as well as those dated television variety shows from the earliest days of my youth. Ms. Minnelli's enthralling show captures this snapshot of another time brilliantly and enthusiastically.
Aside from her self-deprecating stories, including an ultimately bittersweet one involving three closets, there were two points during her performance that left me choked up. The first occurred near the end of the first act when she sang "Cabaret" and uttered a revised line about "going like Elsie." The second came when Ms. Minnelli performed her final encore with a holiday homage to her mother, the late
Judy Garland. While I can't give it away, it was a glorious way to send her adoring audience out onto a snowy Broadway on a cherished high note.
Supposedly, they don't do shows like this anymore. But thankfully, Liza Minnelli does.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Cabaret, Judy Garland, Kay Thompson, Liza Minnelli, Liza's At The Palace, Revue, Special Theatrical Event, The SOB Review
#2 - Elena Roger - As the only artist from last year's SOB Singular Sensations lists to make a return, the marvelous Elena Roger is a major force to be reckoned with. Her bravura performance as Eva Peron in the recent London revival of Evita was more than enough to land her at #4 one year ago. In the current West End production of Piaf, this abundantly assured and captivating actress dazzles once again. Roger proves a true sensation.
