The Addams Family (The SOB Review) - Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York City, New York
**1/2 (out of ****)So there I was walking down Eighth Avenue.
Much to my delight, I realized I was walking side-by-side with
Jackie Hoffman, who portrays Grandma in the new musical based on
Charles Addams' cheekily macabre
New Yorker cartoons.
Now, Hoffman doesn't know me from
Adam. Heck, for that matter, she doesn't even know me from
The Addams Family. But she was quite receptive to my chatting her up. I couldn't resist informing her I had seen the show during its Chicago tryout. With brutal honesty, I admitted
I hadn't enjoyed it much there.
But I also told her I had just seen
The Addams Family again on Broadway the very evening before our chance meeting. Without being one least bit sycophantic, I shared how much improved I believed the tuner had become since Chicago. Indeed, the show is tighter and fortunately much snappier. Even better is that
Marshall Brickman and
Rick Elice have tipped the balance more toward the eponymous brood's favor than that clan of interlopers who had me scratching my head in Chicago.
The one last thing I told Hoffman before saying goodbye was while I enjoyed her hilarious comic turn, I still wondered why she didn't have a solo number. She took that comment in stride, literally, and then graciously thanked me and asked me to spread the word about the show.
So here goes.
The critical response certainly been less than kind, often bordering on
scathing. But the truth is that the show
isn't all that bad.
The Addams Family offers geniune laughs, particularly during its first act. It also turns out to be quite a bona fide crowd pleaser with many brilliantly eccentric turns, from the king of comic-timing
Nathan Lane -- whose Gomez consistently rises above the book and
Andrew Lippa's lackluster score -- to
Kevin Chamberlin's scene-stealing Uncle Fester. As Morticia,
Bebe Neuwirth at least looks great, but as much as I've admired her acting prowess, her singing voice isn't what it once was. But she sure still has the moves.
As in Chicago, I still admire
Phelim McDermott and
Julian Crouch's evocative scenic design. Rich in dark reds and black and supplemented by
Natasha Katz’s lighting, the stage is resplendent with a creepy vibe.
The show may still not be a
complete scream, but compared with Chicago, there's at least plenty more here for people wanting to come see ‘em.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.Labels: Bebe Neuwirth, Cartoon, Jackie Hoffman, Kevin Chamberlin, Marshall Brickman, Musical, Nathan Lane, Rick Elice, The Addams Family, The SOB Review
The Addams Family (The SOB Review) - Oriental Theatre, Chicago, Illinois
** (out of ****)The pivotal clan on display in
The Addams Family musical doesn’t exactly epitomize “all together ooky,” but they most certainly turn out to be more than just a little kooky.
No, I don’t mean the eponymous brood, portrayed by some major stars from the theatrical firmament, each practically begging for their turns in the spotlight in this new tuner. Rather, I’m talking about Mal and Alice Beineke, along with their son Lucas, who’s newly engaged to Wednesday Addams.
What? Never heard of them? Neither had I.
Suffice to say, I could not have cared less about them, either. In short, they weren’t the family I was paying to see. Talk about mysterious and spooky.
Nor was I paying to see a retread of
La Cage Aux Folles. As in that work, conservative parents meet more flamboyant ones before their children marry, the child of the flamboyant parents tries and fails to rein them in, chaos ensues, everybody learns to love their inner freak, etc., etc. We’re seen this all before, but executed infinitely better. And with more verve and heart.
Therein lay the principal problems with this musical stage adaptation of
Charles Addams’ famously funny and macabre
New Yorker cartoons. What were the creative minds behind this show thinking?
Quite inexplicably,
Marshall Brickman and
Rick Elice’s book and
Andrew Lippa’s tunes have pushed the Beineke bunch forward complete with star turns for
Terrence Mann (Mal) and
Carolee Carmello (Alice). However, they come at the expense of a truly satisfying, original story, not to mention at the expense of those cast as the titular family.
Now please don’t get me wrong, I can’t blame Mann or Carmello. Both are actually pretty terrific. They imbue Wednesday’s would-be in-laws with a certain charm and ultimate giddiness that all but eludes Gomez (
Nathan Lane) and Morticia Addams (
Bebe Neuwirth). The Beinekes' very presence virtually sucks all the joy out of the two characters in whom the audience already has the most invested. And what are
The Addams Family without joy? This should be fun, right?!
Lane and Neuwirth make due as best they can with the pitiable trifle they’ve been thrown, including a sidebar story in which Morticia misconstrues Gomez’s comments on youth and beauty as an ageist indictment on her. If this musical is to be true to Charles Addams’ original vision, as it claims, would this already ghoulish character really care about being one step closer to the grave? Wouldn’t that be viewed as a welcome departure for this family?
While we’re on the topic of Addams’ concepts, the advance billing for this musical also seemed to suggest that there would be no allusions to the
television comedy and
subsequent films. Rather than dispensing with any such nod to those works at the onset of the tuner and simply move on, directors
Phelim McDermott and
Julian Crouch have inserted their impressive homage to the
TV show’s snappy theme song about a third of the way into the first act. But it needlessly diverts focus away from whatever story has already commenced.
All is not lost in this
Addams Family. No, I actually admire McDermott and Crouch’s evocative scenic design, rich in dark reds and the requisite blacks. Supplemented by
Natasha Katz’s lighting, the stage is resplendent with a creepy vibe.
Additionally, two of the Addamses are actually captured to absolute perfection.
Kevin Chamberlin ’s Uncle Fester gleefully manages to steal the show with a glorious dream sequence number in which he’s courting the moon. And as Grandma, the woefully underused
Jackie Hoffman may have found her solo tune cut on the way to opening night in favor of those star turns by Mann and Carmello, yet she manages the last laugh, almost literally, during the first act’s dinner sequence as she ad libs to hilarious effect -- during my performance, it was one incredibly funny, timely dig at
Tiger Woods.
Do I think that this
Addams Family can be salvaged? Absolutely. Not only because so much is at stake financially, but especially since it contains universally loved and established characters, a stellar cast and some exceptional design elements.
Yet in order to be Broadway ready, it will take more than just a tweak here and slight adjustment there. This demands a wholesale overhaul of focus and plot. Here’s a novel idea, why don’t Brickman and Elice give us a snappier story on how
The Addams Family got to be so eccentric in the first place? Whatever they do, they need to re-center this musical on the folks in the title.
Then maybe, just maybe, it could be a complete scream when people come to see ‘em.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. I paid my own way for The Addams Family.Labels: Bebe Neuwirth, Carolee Carmello, Cartoon, Chicago, Jackie Hoffman, Kevin Chamberlin, Marshall Brickman, Musical, Nathan Lane, Rick Elice, Terrence Mann, The Addams Family, The SOB Review, Tryout
Bebe Neuwirth Heading Back To Chicago (Not What You Think)Incredible as it may seem, according to
Playbill,
Chicago veteran
Bebe Neuwirth is heading to the Windy City for her first starring role in an original-run of a Broadway-bound show. She'll be Morticia to
Nathan Lane's Gomez in the stage musical version of
The Addams Family, inspired by late cartoonist
Charles Addams.
The fantasy-league dream casting doesn't stop with those two principals. Neuwirth and Lane will be joined by
Kevin Chamberlin as Uncle Fester and
Jackie Hoffman as Grandmama. The cast also includes
Terrence Mann,
Carolee Carmello,
Zachary James,
Adam Riegler,
Wesley Taylor and
Krysta Rodriguez.
Marshall Brickman and
Rick Elice of
Jersey Boys fame are providing the book, while
Andrew Lippa is offering the score for the tuner that will enjoy its world premiere at Chicago's Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre, which had long been home to the city's sitdown production of
Wicked.
Given that this
Addams Family creation is based more on Addams' source material than the
television series or
films of the same name, I'm pretty stoked given the spot-on casting choices. The fact that
Phelim McDermott and
Julian Crouch of the seriously macabre
Shockheaded Peter fame are offering direction may make this altogether ooky, if not a scream.
Whether those decisions make it a snap in next year's Tony derby is yet to be seen.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Andrew Lippa, Bebe Neuwirth, Broadway, Cartoon, Charles Addams, First Word On New Show, Julian Crouch, Marshall Brickman, Musical, Nathan Lane, Phelim McDermott, Rick Elice, The Addams Family
SOB's Singular Sensations Of '07 - Honorable MentionsDuring the course of 2007, I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate to have been in the audience for 82 stage productions ranging from the very small-scale play to the most elaborate of spectacles.
In my quest to see great theatre, my year began in Sydney Australia and took me to such far-flung destinations as London, Beijing, Stuttgart, Tokyo and Winnipeg. I've traversed the United States, crisscrossing from California to Massachusetts, Washington State to Georgia, Nevada to Connecticut, Colorado to Wisconsin. Then there were the three American communities that
really know how to do live theatre: Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul and of course, New York.
Throughout my travels, several outstanding plays and musicals captured my heart, thanks in no small part to the enormously talented array of actors who found a way to strike a nerve and tap into a vein like few others. They've mesmerized, wowed and inspired me with a unique turn of a phrase, fluidity of movement or sublime singing voice or a combination of all three -- all provided that rare spinetingling sensation that can only be found through a live performance.
While I’ve been singling out SOB’s 7 Singular Sensations of ’07, please allow me to add my special honor roll of outstanding performances from the past year that simply took my breath away. Although they narrowly missed making my top seven for 2007, I won't soon forget how captivating each of these singular sensations was:
Harriet Harris -
The Glass Menagerie (Guthrie, Minneapolis, MN) and
Old Acquaintance (American Airlines Theatre, New York, NY)
Saycon Sengbloh -
The Color Purple (Broadway Theatre, New York, NY)
Bebe Neuwirth – Chicago (Ambassador Theatre, New York, NY)
Chazz Palminteri – A Bronx Tale (Walter Kerr Theatre, New York, NY)
Vanessa Redgrave – The Year of Magical Thinking (Booth Theatre, New York, NY)
Frank Langella -
Frost/Nixon (Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, New York, NY)
Martha Plimpton –
Cymbeline (Lincoln Center at the Vivian Beaumont, New York, NY)
Kevin Kline –
Cyrano de Bergerac (Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York, NY)
Andrea Martin –
Young Frankenstein (Hilton Theatre, New York, NY)
Christopher Fitzgerald –
Young Frankenstein (Hilton Theatre, New York, NY)
Kerry Butler –
Xanadu (Helen Hayes Theatre, New York, NY)
David Pittu –
Is He Dead? (Lyceum Theatre, New York, NY)
Yasen Peyenkov –
The Diary Of Anne Frank (Steppenwolf, Chicago, IL)
With the addition of these thirteen, I’ve singled out twenty consummate performances that were singularly sensational. Each of these performers has my utmost respect and appreciation, and I look forward to the opportunity to see them perform another day.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #2: Christine Ebersole (December 30, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #3: Amy Morton (December 29, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #4: Elena Roger (December 28, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #5: Raúl Esparza (December 28, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #6: John Gallagher, Jr. (December 28, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #7: Jennifer Holliday (December 27, 2007)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #1: Patti LuPone (December 30, 2006)
Honorable Mentions: SOB's Singular Sensations Of '06 (December 30, 2006)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #2: Cate Blanchett (December 30, 2006)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #3: Chita Rivera (December 29, 2006)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #4: Barry Humphries (December 28, 2006)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #5: Kitty Carlisle Hart (December 28, 2006)
SOB's 6 Singular Sensations Of '06 - #6: Meryl Streep (December 26, 2006)
Labels: Andrea Martin, Bebe Neuwirth, Chazz Palminteri, Frank Langella, Harriet Harris, Kevin Kline, Martha Plimpton, Saycon Sengbloh, SOB's 7 Singular Sensations of '07, Vanessa Redgrave
2009 To 5?Among all the films currently being developed for stage musical treatment,
9 To 5 is the one that you want most to see, according to your votes in my recent SOB Poll. Now it's looking likely to bust out on Broadway in 2009.
Earlier this summer, I posed the following via my SOB Poll: "A musical version of
9 To 5 is the latest stage treatment for a popular film. Which previously announced stage adaptation of a movie would you most like to see on Broadway?"
A very strong 40.9% of you indicated that it would indeed be your top choice. That was way ahead of the second top response: "Enough already with turning films into musicals!" at 18.2%.
Already the subject of plenty of press attention,
9 To 5 has all the makings of a double-barreled hit with
Dolly Parton handling the score,
Joe Mantello at the helm and a cast that could conceivably include
Allison Janney,
Stephanie J. Block (who's about to return to
Wicked),
Megan Hilty,
Bebe Neuwirth,
Marc Kudisch and
Andy Karl -- that is, if the recent reading was any indication.
Now, according to
Playbill, the musically-endowed
2006 Kennedy Center Honoree has told listeners to
Go Country 105.1 in Los Angeles that the tuner will hit the Great White Way in 2009:
People ask if I'm gonna be in the play. I say, "No, I think I'm a bit over the age of wantin' to be a secretary. But they asked me to write all the music for it, so I have written all the music. And it's supposed to open on Broadway in the spring of 2009. I believe they're gonna be doin' a workshop out here at the Shubert in the fall of next year.
No matter that Parton most likely meant "tryout" rather than "workshop," I'm actually looking forward to see this one play out.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: 9 To 5, Andy Karl, Bebe Neuwirth, Broadway, Dolly Parton, Film, First Word On New Show, Joe Mantello, Los Angeles, Marc Kudisch, Megan Hilty, Musical, Stephanie J. Block, Tryout
Being Bebe
Now,
Broadway.com today has a
wonderful interview in which Neuwirth not only discusses how her return to this wonderful revival came to pass (it was at her own suggestion), but also how she considers herself more of a dancer than an actor.
What makes the piece all the more compelling is that Neuwirth discusses the impact of her recently completed hip surgery on her dancing -- certainly far from the easiest thing for a dancer to endure. To be honest, I'm glad I didn't know about her travails going into my performance a couple Saturdays ago, because then I would have been completely fixated on whether she was changing a step merely to compensate. But as it was, I can tell you that I was absolutely riveted by her breathtaking bravura performance, which showed no sign of weakness whatsoever.
Neuwirth's continued enthusiasm for live performances not only shines through when seeing her perform, but also in the Broadway.com interview. When asked what makes live theatre so "meaningful," the Great White Way's current Roxie Hart states:
That exchange of energy with an audience is quite satisfying. I also believe that theatre is a sort of primal need. It's the contemporary version of gathering around a fire with your tribe and telling stories; every person present is part of the communal event. That said, I don't think that I'm a ham. I don't thrive on audience response. It's not a question of showing off—performing is more of a spiritual event for me.
Amen, Bebe! So in that spirit, I once again strongly and enthusiastically urge readers to see Chicago with Bebe Neuwirth while you can!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Labels: Bebe Neuwirth, Broadway, Chicago, Musical, Revival, Stunt Casting, The SOB Revisit
Chicago (The SOB Revisit) - Ambassador Theatre, New York, NY
**** (out of ****)
If
Bebe Neuwirth could return to Broadway's current longest-running revival, I decided I could, too. So over the past weekend, I made my way back to
Chicago. What a trip!
I had no doubt that Neuwirth would make the journey worthwhile, but I truly expected the musical to show its age. Far from it. That the entire experience still rocks and excites is a huge credit to
Walter Bobbie's exquisite direction, which received a very well-deserved Tony.
It doesn't hurt that
John Lee Beatty's ingeniously spare set design is also stripped down to the bare essentials. It sharpens the focus on the performances by the nimble, agile cast, including exceptional ensemble members. Of course, with
William Ivey Long's sexy costume design, it's impossible to take your eyes off of them.
While the tuner has become infamous in recent years for practically writing the book on shameless stunt-casting, the only real novelty in the production today is that its original Velma Kelly is now portraying Roxie Hart through March 25. But there was never any doubt Neuwirth could pull it off and make it look so beautiful, funny and effortless. The question in my mind was whether the rest of the cast could keep up.
Because the current cast is now filled with solid pros -- like veteran
Brenda Braxton as Velma Kelly,
Rob Bartlett who's returned as Amos Hart,
Roz Ryan as "Mama" Morton,
R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine and
Philip Casnoff as Billy Flynn -- audiences are guaranteed an excellent show by troupers who more than hold their own opposite Neuwirth. In fact, Bartlett was perhaps the biggest surprise with his tender, nuanced turn as the nebbish Amos; mining the absolute depths of this supposedly see-through character, he brought a tear to my eye.
Suffice to say that I wouldn't hesitate to strongly recommend a return visit to anyone who has seen Chicago before -- in fact, I was half-tempted to take in the next performance.
And for anyone who has only seen the movie, you owe it to yourself to see the live stage show the way it was really meant to be performed. At least for now, you have the perfect opportunity. Go ahead, make the journey!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories: Labels: Bebe Neuwirth, Broadway, Chicago The Musical, Musical, Revival, Stunt Casting, The SOB Revisit
Revisiting Chicago
Tomorrow, I'm making a trip back to
Chicago. Not the city, mind you, but the longest-running current Broadway revival.
While I've certainly enjoyed the film version over and over, including quite recently, I haven't seen the musical live since 1998.
Now I know I've been somewhat harsh on the production over the past year, particularly as they've resorted to stunt-casting. Though some of their choices have been inspired, many simply have not reflected well on a show that in my humble estimation deserves nothing but the best.
Fortunately for the tuner, they now have it once again in
Bebe Neuwirth, who has rejoined the production through March 25. I'm revisiting
Chicago precisely to experience its glory-day razzle dazzle now that she's returned. Of course, what's truly inspired about her return is that she's now portraying the
other merry murderess, Roxie Hart. Neuwirth took home a Tony for her take on Velma Kelly back in 1997.
Neuwirth will be joined by
Chicago veteran
Brenda Braxton as Velma Kelly,
Rob Bartlett as Amos Hart,
Roz Ryan as "Mama" Morton,
R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine and
Philip Casnoff assuming the role of Billy Flynn from
Huey Lewis (Lewis had been scheduled to depart the production on Sunday, but it appears that Casnoff starting his gig two days early).
With musical pros like Neuwirth and Braxton back in the saddle, the show just has to be good. But you can bet I'll provide you with my recap once the curtain falls!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Labels: Bebe Neuwirth, Broadway, Chicago The Musical, Musical, Revival, Stunt Casting
Bebe's Back to Broadway!Forget
everything I've said about putting a knife in
Chicago. Now that it's been announced that
Bebe Neuwirth is making a three month-long return to the venerable revival, I hope I'm forgiven for my premature plea to end the show, which was based on all the stunt casting for which the show has become synonymous.
In a welcome bit of
inspired casting, Neuwirth will now take on the role of Roxie Hart. Neuwirth orginally portrayed Velma Kelly when the revival opened in 1996 and won a Tony for her efforts.
Neuwirth's return will come a couple months after the Broadway tuner officially celebrates its 10th year back on the Great White Way. She is scheduled to begin performances on December 31 and remain with the show through March 25.
Although I've had two outstanding opportunities to see Neuwirth in two Off-Broadway shows (
Woody Allen's
Writer's Block in 2003 and
Kurt Weill's
Here Lies Jenny in 2004), I completely missed out on seeing her razzle-dazzle 'em in
Chicago the first time around. You can bet I'll make a point out of seeing her triumphant return.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Will Usher Razzle Dazzle 'em? (August 22, 2006)
We Had It Coming: Chicago's Starry 10th Anniversary (July 26, 2006)
Chicago to Usher in New Billy Flynn (July 14, 2006)
Labels: Bebe Neuwirth, Broadway, Chicago The Musical, Musical, Revival
The Addams Family (The SOB Review) - Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York City, New York
