This year New York City had a wonderful and diverse set of
new shows. There were no 'dogs' or
disappointments among what we saw.
Like last year, it is actually difficult to rank order, but we will give
it a shot. I will separate the
productions that are presently 'open-runs' (i.e, should be showing for the
foreseeable future), those closing before summer's end, and those that closed
soon after we saw them (but which maybe you can catch locally at some point).
The "Open-Run" Shows We Saw, In Our Agreed Order
of Preference:
1.
"Once" (musical)
There are musicals that occasionally occur that take this
great American genre to a new and different level for others to model and
expand ("Oklahoma," "Cabaret," "Rent,"
"Avenue Q," "Spring Awakening"). Tony's Best Musical 2012
"Once" is such a show. Sitting front-row center, I both smiled
ear-to-ear and had tears dripping off my chin as I sat mesmerized by this
lovely, moving show of all-instrument-playing cast. The musical so expands the
wonderful movie of the same name by keeping the beautiful story intact of
"Guy" & "Girl" but by also filling out the secondary
characters to tell their stories, too. The change in setting to a coffeehouse
brings a sense of community and family missing from the movie. For anyone
loving musical theatre, "Once" is worth a special trip to New York
(and I suggest getting as close as you can to experience fully the music,
expressions & scene). “Once” is a stage adaptation of the 2006 Irish film
of the same name.
2. "Nice
Work If You Can Get It" (musical)
With a bang, we began our marathon of shows with this new
book and compilation of familiar classics. "Nice Work If You Can Get
It" (book by Joe DiPietro of "Memphis" fame, music/lyrics by
Gershwins) is absolutely side-splittingly funny, heart-inspiringly beautiful,
and a musical in the grand tradition of the American Musical Comedy.
Tony-winners Michael McGrath & Judy Kaye along with Matthew Broderick &
Kelli O'Hara are all perfectly cast and are perfect on stage. (Judy Kaye has
"I Love Lucy" moments never to be forgotten.) A familiar, predictable story (loosely
based on the 1926 bootlegger musical “Oh Kay!”) in no way diminishes the
absolute fun and good-feelings of this show.
3. "End of
the Rainbow" (play with music)
British actress, Tracie Bennett, provides one of this year's
knock-out, singular-type performances as she so deftly portrays Judy Garland in
Judy's final London concerts in "End of the Rainbow." I am not a fan
of actors impersonating past icons; and hundreds of men & women do Judy
everyday, so I particularly was wary of this show. But I must say, I forgot time
& again that this was live and not a film/documentary of the real Judy.
Watching Judy decompose in front of us from the years of drug & alcohol abuse
and at the same time seeing her with all her humor, capacity to love, and power
of performance (& she could still sing until the end!), the audience is
adoring & in angst. I left both exhilarated and exhausted, thrilled and
sad, silenced in awe and compelled to jabber all at the same time. The
supporting actors (her 5th and last husband-to-be and her friend/pianist) also
give electric performances. A
great afternoon I will remember a lifetime.
4. "Peter
and the Starcatcher" (play
with music)
Imagine adults acting as kids to tell a story, using
whatever they can find in the kitchen, the backyard, and the attic as props. As
now-kids, these grown-up story tellers have all the imagination and belief in
the unimaginable that we all once had as kids. 5-Tony-winner "Peter and
the Starcatcher" is told in this way by a talented cast who hold the
audience enthralled. Oh, and along the way the cast lets out 1000+ puns and
one-liners, the kind that sometimes are directed at all ages (this is truly a
family show) but many that only adults will get (and that usually have bawdy,
political &/or current reference). This prequel to "Peter Pan" is
a great adventure and totally a must-see.
The play is based on the 2006 young-adult novel by Dave Barry and Ridley
Pearson. It provides a backstory for the character Peter Pan and serves as a
prequel to J. M. Barrie's “Peter and Wendy.”
5.
"Newsies" (musical)
I can't imagine any better show to take a kid as the first
foray onto Broadway than the current Disney offering, "Newsies." (I
totally enjoyed watching a 6-year-old boy's wide eyes and total rapture as he
watched his first show.) The
musical is loosely based on the Newsboys Strike of 1899, a youth-led campaign
to force change in the way that Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst's
newspapers compensated their child labor force. The musical is loyal to the
popularly-rented DVD; the enthusiasm & talent of the (mostly really hot)
cast, over-the-top; and the dancing/choreography, as good as it gets (think
"Anything Goes"). Losing
to "Once" for Best Musical must have felt to "Newsies" like
"Wicked" felt losing to "Avenue Q." This musical is totally
enjoyable and fun. The songs are a whole range from average/unmemorable to the
type you leave humming and remember the next day. If there is a kid involved
(physically or in your psyche), then I say go, go, go.
6.
"Cock"
(Off-Broadway play)
Sitting on plywood seats in a round arena, we tonight were
literally watching a 3-way cockfight in the new play "Cock" by Mike
Bartlett. For much of the play, we the audience howled in laughter at the
one-liner jabs the love triangle 'fighters' (he loves him loves her) spear at
each other. Progressively, the dilemma of who wins and loses begins to get more
serious as we are all drawn into the arena close at hand. What makes the
experience especially interesting and powerful is that the lights never go
down, and we all watch not only the actors but our fellow audience members and
their changing reactions throughout the production. I left unsettled and
questioning how I sometimes react and respond to those I love. Ed and I talked
much of the way home about our experiences. This is also what live theater is
all about.
7. "One
Man, Two Guvnors"
(play)
The British import "One Man, Two Guvnors" is an
update of the commedia dell'arte classic "The Servant & Two Masters,'
which we recently saw on a Bay Area stage. Like all well-done members of this genre, it is a mixture of
slap-stick gone wild, some unusual music-of-the-period interludes, hilarious
audience involvement, stock characters & story, and unexpected (yet
anticipated) moments of spontaneous action and story break-down. Like most such
productions, each evening is somewhat different (given audience, actor
inclinations, etc.). We certainly
laughed much and even guffawed on occasion. At the same time, I must say this is not our favorite nor
near-the-top-of-the-list this year.
Maybe it is because we have seen a number of such productions in the
past (& I in particular am tired a bit of this Italian genre); or maybe our
particular night did not soar to the comedic stratosphere that other audiences'
evenings had. Maybe I also just could not justify the very funny, very talented
James Coburn's winning the 2012 Best Actor in a Play award as compared to the
performances we saw of John Lithgow, James Earl Jones, etc. In any case, the
evening was fun. It just was not, for me (as I know it was for friends who have
also seen the production) a peak experience.
The "Soon-to-Close" Shows We Saw, In Our Agreed
Order of Preference:
1. "Porgy
and Bess" (musical, closing
Sept. 30, 2012)
Having seen & immensely enjoyed "Porgy and
Bess" on the opera stage three times in the past, we were both skeptical
& excited to see the current Gershwins' classic on B'Way, drawn mostly to
see once again our favorite Audra McDonald. Seeing a production on a smaller-than-opera scale, with a
B'Way band rather than full orchestra, and at much closer range than in a grand
opera hall resulted in an entirely different experience and a new perspective
on the story -- both entirely positive. This is a wonderful, exhilarating,
moving telling of the Catfish Row story; and the cast to a person is fabulous.
Even without opera stars of the world (although Audra herself can claim that
stage), the opera-now-musical soars to such great heights, musically and
theatrically. Thank you, Audra, for convincing me & Ed to come; thank you,
B'Way for reviving this 2012 Tony winner.
2. "The
Best Man" (play, closing Sept.
9, 2012)
What better way to spend July 4th in an election year than
with friends like James Earl Jones, John Larroquette, Candice Bergen, Eric
McCormick, Kerry Butler & Angela Lansbury. Wow! From Row B, too!! Gore Vidal's award-winning 1960's
"The Best Man" is still as relevant to today's politics as it was 40
years ago, and in the day of self-righteous yet morally questionable
politicians, the play may even speak with louder voice. But the real delight of
this evening is to see this star-studded cast all on the stage together, giving
the story their best and interacting in a way this is often jaw-dropping. I
particularly loved John Larroquette and Candice Bergen in their roles as
presidential candidate and wife. Just extended (again) until Sept. 9, this is
one worth going out of the way to see.
3.
"Tribes"
(Off-Broadway play, closing Sept. 2, 2012)
Venturing into the Off-B'Way scene often reaps the richest
rewards as happened when we re-visited Barrow Street Theatre in the West
Village (where we saw 3 years ago the best "Our Town" I have ever
seen). The new play "Tribes" (by Nina Raine, whom I do not know yet
but want to see more of her works) is so absorbing, complex, and unsettling
that both Ed & I feel compelled to see it again as soon as some company
produces it in the Bay Area. A dysfunctional family drama placed around the
dining room table (think "August, Osage County" type of family), the
members of the 'Tribes' clan (parents, 3 adult kids, 1 fiancé) each have dreams
he/she is pursuing and secrets/demons, desperately trying to escape. Each vies
to gain the attention (and love) of the others, usually failing in the former
and never quite sure about the latter. This play keeps getting extended. Anyone
in NYC or coming soon who wants to be challenged by an outstanding cast and
director, consider a ticket and evening in the Village. (Tribes follows Billy, a deaf man
raised inside the fiercely idiosyncratic and unrepentantly politically
incorrect cocoon of his home of his parents' house. He has adapted brilliantly
to his hearing family’s unconventional ways, but they’ve never bothered to
return the favor. It’s not until he meets Sylvia, a young woman on the brink of
deafness, that he finally understands what it means to be understood.)
4.
"Harvey" (play)
How difficult it must be to put on stage a play like
"Harvey" that moved decades ago from stage to the large screen in a
movie starring one of the world's most-loved actors we all now associate with
Elwood P. Dowd? I went with images
in my head of how each part should be played and what each person should look
& sound like. But Jim Parsons
and an excellent cast soon lured me into their Elwood, Vera, Myrtle Mae, Judge Guffney,
etc. (and even Harvey himself proved he can be convincing both on stage and in
the movies). While many lines from the movie that we all can literally quote in
our sleep of the play are lifted directly from the play, there are interesting
differences here and there between the two. A fun, light-hearted production, is
this. Endearing, I guess is the word.
5. "The
Sensational Josephine Baker"
(Off-Broadway play with music, closing Sept. 9. 2012)
Written and performed by veteran actor Cheryl Howard,
"The Sensational Josephine Baker" (an off-B'Way offering) provides
wonderful insight into the famed performer's early life and career. Howard is
particularly strong in this one-woman show as she introduces us to herself as
an early teen as well as to folks in her life's journey like her grandmother,
her first manager, one of her French lovers, etc. The most compelling portrayal
is one of her early stage rivals in the woman's late years reflecting on the now-famous,
but still-disliked Baker. While a very talented actor, Howard seems past her
prime as a singer (her voice did not convince me this is Josephine and too
often warbled and went flat); and her writing barely alludes to some of the
more important pieces of this 'sensational' woman's life (e.g., her role as
French resistance fighter, her adopting 12 children & going broke trying to
bring them up in a French chateau).
But, for a hot July 4th afternoon, this journey through Baker's life was
overall worthwhile and educational.
The Now-Closed (unfortunately) Show (and One of the Very
Best, Overall)
--> "The Columnist" (play, closed)
On some special occasions, I know I have seen a theatrical
performance that is so masterful, so powerful that I will never relive that
experience again. John Lithgow in David Auburn's "The Columnist"
provides such an experience, especially when sitting 2nd-row and watching his
every smirk, twitch, and tear. Portraying Joseph Alsop -- the extremely
outspoken anti-Communist and very (well, maybe not so) closeted journalist and
political power-broker of the '30s-'70s, Lithgow delivers a man whom I once
loathed for his views but whom on this stage I got to know as a passionate,
eccentric, tortured patriot in his own right as well as an often insecure and
sometimes cruel human being. When he cried (8 feet away from me), I cried, too.
When he screamed and spayed his venom (literally), I feared him like even
Presidents of his day did. In the end, I was totally reminded once again that
history is complex, that no one is black or white bad or good, which we are all
humans wanting admiration and love from those around us, and that we may make
both very brilliant and very hurtful decisions to achieve what we need and
want. This kind of experience only comes from great, live theater.
Other Shows, Not Seen
There were shows this year that closed before we got to New
York that we wanted to see and would have, had they still been running:
"Godspell," "Venus
in Furs," "Other Desert Cities," "Death of a Salesman," and "The Lyons."
(although clearly we could not have seen all of these and all the ones we did
see).
There are several shows appearing on Broadway we chose not
to see:
--> "Clybourne Park": We saw this in a
pre-Broadway run at ACT in San Francisco. Outstanding show and won the Tony for
Best Play. Highly recommended if you have not seen it.
--> Revivals
of "Evita," "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "A Streetcar
Named Desire": We have each
seen all three many times; the new productions did not sound worth the money.
--> "Ghost: The Musical": The reviews were not that good. We bought the CD prior to the trip and
were extremely underwhelmed.
--> And finally, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the
Dark": Once again this year,
we avoided this still-best-seller.
It is an all-round panned show that everyone has loves to hate but keeps
drawing in the big audiences who come for the special effects and flying but
who seem not to care that the story and music are extremely weak.
What Else Did We Do in Our Seven Days?
Our schedule (with 6 of 7 seven days having two plays a day)
did not leave much time for any site-seeing or our normal walking tours. Our
post-show activities, however, kept us busy. They included singing showtunes at
Marie’s Crisis piano bar; playing drag queen bingo at The Stonewall Inn;
enjoying a pint with a roomful of dudes while dance tunes blaring over “Sports
Center” video screens at the gay sports bar Boxers; sipping frozen
apple-martinis and watching an amateur go-go boy contest at G Lounge; and
finally chatting with eccentric locals and dancing with foreign tourists at The
Monster Bar.
And we hope that all of you on this list get to New York
this year and that you, too, will share your reviews and views with us.
1 comment:
What an awesome blog entry! I'll definitely have to print and read when I have a little more time. :-)
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