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

Rocky - true to the story

This is a well done musical adaptation of the Classic movie.  It is a crowd pleaser throughout with the audience cheering Rocky on at every turn.  Andy Karl is a great Rocky, understated just enough to be the Rocky we all know, but tasked with an incredible series of fighting and running and singing tasks.  Other performers do a great job of portraying the characters we all remember from the movie.

The sets are great and instill all of the cliches from the movie onto the Broadway stage.  The fight scene is incredible including the boxing ring that comes out into the audience, the jumbotrons, the TV close-ups and the great make-up job as the fight progresses.  What an ending!!!

And a special shout-out to the sides of beef - what a cheer went up from the audience when they came down.

Not the best musical of the season, but a superb crowd-pleaser that should last for a long while.

Well worth seeing.

Rocky

★★★