>>>>. Nine Shows in Six Days? <<<<<

Having not been to NYC isince last January, it was time to get caught up. What is remarkable is that usually one or two shows I see are not that great and I would not recommend them. There was no such thing this trip. I would recommend seeing all of these.

GUTENBERG - Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad are hilarious in this zany irreverent outrageous musical comedy. Non-stop humor. Amazing performance by a two-man cast playing dozens of roles. Rannells and Gad were as good a team as they were in Book of Mormon. Hard to imagine how the book for this show could have been written to perfectly fit these two. The writers also wrote the excellent and funny musical adaptation of the Beetlejuice movie.

SHUCKED - Good grief. How can you have an entire show about corn? They did it and the corn (one-liners every few seconds) poured out of the fields. I can’t tell your how many times I shook my head in disbelief at the lines. Strong, strong cast. Great music with a country flavor. Incredible choreography. And even a touching love story – well at least a love quadrangle. And what a bunch of characters. Loved them all. Really enjoyed this show. Must admit I was skeptical of how much of a plot there could be about corn. There was. Great book, great songs. Don’t miss this one.

WALK ON THROUGH – The incredibly talented Gavin Creel shares paintings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and tells a story of the impact they had life and what the paintings have revealed to him. So many paintings with so much to tell. Walk on Through (the museum) also tells us to walk on through life. Great original music and songs from Gavin and his team. And Gavin’s energy in this show is electric. Yes, Walk on Through!

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG – What great leads. And yes, Danielle Radcliff can sing. Show is filled with Sondheim tunes in a way that only Sondheim could do. Many songs with many singers overlapping and telling the story. The show is selling out even with inflated ticket prices. The leads are part of that, and a Sondheim show is part of that, and probably familiarity with the songs. But I can understand why the show failed when it first opened. And led to the split of Sondheim and Harold Prince. The story begins at the end and then makes seven transitions back in time. Unless you are a little prepared for that, it would be very confusing and audience seeing it when it first opened were likely confused. But it is well done in this production and is a brilliant vehicle for telling a story. The ending number, “Our Time,” brings it all together. Perhaps a slight tear here for this song.

SWEENEY TODD – I thought I was going to this show to see Josh Groban. I soon realized that I may have been going to see Annalee Ashford as well. She is pretty zany in this show. She has made Miss Lovett into a very funny lady. The audience loved her antics. Josh Groban, of course, is great, but a little more melancholy than evil in the Sweeney role. Absolutely worth seeing. Who wouldn’t want to see a show about a murderous barber? Great cast.

SPAMLOT – Excellent revival. King Arthur was on as a substitute for only his fourth time, and Lady of the Lake for her first time. They were excellent. The direction/choreography by Josh Rhodes was brilliant. We sat with him and the casting director for the second half of the matinee. The entire cast was delightful. This is a show you cannot miss in this revival!! And since I didn’t have another show for a couple of hours, we watched the original “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

APPROPRIATE - Thanks to Bob Garrett for this recommendation. Sarah Paulson leads an excellent cast in a heartbreaking family drama. Powerful performances covering discomforting issues the family faces as they close down their father’s house in the deep South. Painful discoveries tear apart the siblings and their families. Exceptionally well written play. See it soon.

&JULIET – Shakespeare’s wife decides that Juliet should not have died in her husband’s play, so she rewrites the play for him, and Juliet lives. Then he rewrites it, then she rewrites it again.... You get the drift. The result is a witty, lively production that is non-stop. Cast is outstanding. Juliet shines!! (UMMT Grad)

HELL’S KITCHEN – A semi-autobiographical musical about Alicia Keyes growing up in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. Great performances by the leads and a great overall story. The Public Theater performance will move to Broadway early next year. Got to see good friend, Shoshana Bean, who plays Alicia’s white mother and as always, nails those high note riffs.

November 2019

 

November 2019 Trip

SEARED – Delightful show at MCC. A businessman and his chef partner disagree on whether to focus on the food or on growing the business. Four-person show. Funny and fast paced. Kudos to the “consultant” played beautifully by the understudy. Steven Schwartz was in the row in front of us.

THE SOUND INSIDE – Mary Louise Parker is an aging professor of creative writing at Yale confronted by a Freshman in her class who is writing a novel. Just the two of them in the show. Funny and moving. Filled with twists and turns. Parker is outstanding.

i Sodi - Not a show, but an outstanding restaurant in the East Village. See separate photos on Facebook.  Reservations are almost impossible for this storefront Italian (Tuscan) restaurant.  Arriving just before 5PM for a 5:30 opening allows you to get a seat at the counter (and sometimes a table).   They often have Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon!!

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS – Jonathan Groff (Seymour) and Christian Borle (Sadistic Dentist and various other characters) own this show. Borle plays multiple roles and is a rip.  Great off-Broadway production of this classic musical.

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF – IN YIDDISH – Was uncertain about this show, but it is excellent. Staging and Choreography goes back to the original production. Cast is great.  It is actually very moving to hear the show in Yiddish.

THE ROSE TATTOO – Not a great story. Well done show. Accents made parts hard to understand. 

DERREN BROWN “SECRETS”– Amazing mentalist. Stop trying to figure out how he does it and enjoy the show.

THE INHERITANCE I and II - Over 7 hours of storytelling of gay friends finding their way through life with memories of the AIDS crisis and the many lives lost. The 7 hours fly by (in two parts). This is a spectacular production with superb direction. Cannot imagine that it will not win the Tony for best play. It did win Best Play last season in London. Simple set is perfectly utilized for the many scenes. The writing is brilliant in that it is a group of actors designing the story. By far the best show of the week. By far. Went in wondering how this could be better than Angels in America. It is.

All the Way ...... with Walt .... NOT

My overwhelming reservation was that I would see Walter White and not LBJ in this excellent production.

Not so.  From his first words and your first look at Bryan Cranston - he IS LBJ.  Great to see this outstanding actor prove again that he is one of the best.  He was LBJ from his drawl to his bluster, to his gait.  An overall great portrayal of LBJ.

This was a well orchestrated reminder of a difficult period in the Civil Rights movement and LBJ's loss of the Southern Democrats.  Great portrayals of the key figures in this turbulent time.  Mention was made, but no time to develop, the infamous Gulf of Tonkin resolution.

Lots of history and politics in this show - very well portrayed.  A ton of issues is packed into this lengthy show which does not seem as long as it is.

The supporting cast is excellent as well. You will recognize many famous names in this show.  Maybe more recognizable to Baby Boomers but still a great reminder of the Kennedy LBJ era.

Again, Bryan Cranston is LBJ.  Great acting!!!

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All the Way

★★★

1/2

Threepenny Opera - a treat

Had never seen this show.  As I understand it, Kurt Weill is pretty dark and this show is no exception.

This is a very good production with a great cast.  A treat to see TV characters, Mary Beth Peil and F. Murray Abramson in singing roles. 

Cast is excellent and this small production is very well done.

Interestingly, I read on Wikipedia that Mac the Knife was not part of the original musical.  It was added when an actor playing Mac insisted that his character be introduced in the show.

Very enjoyable and a production that should be seen.

Threepenny Opera

★★

1/2

Bridges of Madison County - Fabulously Done with Exceptional Cast

OK.  So I am thinking this is going to be slow and a "Chick Flick" kind of Broadway show.  I was very very very wrong.  This is one of the best shows I have seen on Broadway.  I cannot think of a better musical adaptation of a great book and movie.  It is just a great story line portrayed beautifully.

The cast is perfect.  The leads will all be nominated for Tonys and could all win.  Kelli O'Hara shines as the perfect lead for this show.  She grabs your heart throughout the show and creates a story that is believable and real and tears at your heart.  I can't say enough about her in this show.  What great direction.  Her character is done perfectly.

Steven Pasquale is exceptional as the accidental suitor. Another great performance, perfectly carried out.  Where has this guy been?  Another best actor candidate and potential winner. 

And, one of the Broadway greats, Hunter Foster, is perfect as the unknowing husband.  Just gruff enough to help you understand Kelli's dilemma, but enough of a good man that you understand how Kelli has to do what she does.  Best supporting Tony in my book.

Great casting for the rest of the folks as well.  This is a great show.

Just a word on the set.  The simple set is perfectly moved around to change scenes including a lovely Covered Bridge that just simply is there.  Great job keeping a continuous flow to the show.

Have not seen all of the candidates, but Bridges would get my vote for the best new musical.

Overall performances, music, cast and set all combine to make this a wonderful and enjoyable Broadway show.

This is a DO NOT MISS show.

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Bridges of Madison County

★★★★

Hand to God - Avenue Q revisits Boom

I thought I would never see Puppet sex like avenue Q or a show almost as shocking as Boom.  I was wrong.  Hand to God shines as Puppetry gone mad mad mad.

Steven Boyer is nothing short of spectacular as he carries a role as the lost son and Tyrone, the puppet who DOES NOT STOP.  How does he keep these two characters straight in his lines and in his mind???   The rest of the cast is outstanding as well carrying a fast-paced and unnerving show through to the end.

As Boyer turned over the claw hammer, the audience gasped and one person even voiced, "No Don't."  Don't tell me the audience wasn't involved in this one.

And puppet sex.  Yikes.  As the puppets go at it, the two puppeteers carry on a key conversation.  Just great acting.

Off-broadway at its BEST.

Bullets over Broadway - Splashy

Bullets is another fun show.  Great adaptation of a classic Woody Allen movie.  Great all around cast and, of course, the choreography of Susan Stroman.  The characters are all well fitted to their roles.

My favorites were Nick Cordero as Cheech and Helene York as Olive.  The rest of the cast is great, but these two were the standouts for me.  Cheech is great as he rewrites the play time and time again while keeping his daytime job very active.

The story is fun and moves along quickly.  Susan Stroman choreography is great as always, but sometimes seemed to be extraneous to the story.

This will be a nominee for best new musical due to the story, the dancing, the cast and the sets - just an overall good show.

Bullets

★★★

1/2