Whenever we are seeing a show on 42nd Street it seems we find ourselves in a quandry as to where we to eat. We typically remember all too late that Chez Josephine is right there and this time we actually remembered BEFORE we ate. So we had a delicious dinner with really attentive service and then walked the 50 steps next door to see I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER.
Robert Anderson’s play is 40 years old and neither of us has ever seen it performed, nor have we seen the movie. Keir Dullea and Marsha Mason were hard to resist and Jeff was a huge Sopranos fan so he was looking forward to Matt’s Servitto’s performance. It’s an extremely male show in that it departs from the usual female range of emotions that one typically sees portrayed on stage. and This was a real change of pace. The story is really timeless and has some genuinely heartbreaking moments. Watching the on stage characters grapple with questions of familial guilt and regret was at times very difficult to watch. Cathy found she was asking herself some of the same questions the characters did.
This is a somewhat dark story and even Marsha Mason’s bright portrayal of the mother is overshadowed by the play’s darker moments. There was one line in particular that Matt Servitto’s character, the son, says: “Death ends a life, but it does not end a relationship.” How incredibly haunting.
We found Servitto’s Gene very real and compelling. You could feel this character’s sense of responsibility for his parents, as well as the confusion that surrounded this feeling and how confused he was too. Veteran actor Keir Dullea did not disappoint as Tom, the father. He was tough and soft at the same time and played his beginning dementia very well. There was a moment when his son hugged him and the stiffness with which he received the hug was impossible not to feel.
We wish Marsha Mason’s role and character were onstage more. She was a good balance to the play’s darkness and while Rose Courtney was terrific as the sister, this too is a depressing character. We both thought that perhaps the director, Jonathan Silverstein, could have played up the human humor a bit more. Anderson tackled some very serious issues - ones most of us face. We wanted to cry and fell just short of reaching that emotion. Tears or not, it’s a well done, tight show and worth seeing.
Next up: LEND ME A TENOR!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
THE BIRDCAGE
The evening started quite well with a very nice dinner at Da Marino on W. 49th St, where we were pleasantly surprised to see Chris Noth picking up dinner. An obvious tourist sitting across from us yelled out “Chris,” as he was walking out and when he turned around, snapped a picture of him. Needless to say, Mr. Noth was none too pleased with this. Guess that living in NYC has made us somewhat jaded about seeing celebs, although Cathy insists that Chris smiled at her as he was walking in and out. (He definitely winked!)
On to the Longacre Theatre, relatively small for a venue that hosts musical theatre, but somewhat comfortable nonetheless and a good choice for LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, since even those seated relatively far away were closer to the action than in some of the larger theatres usually reserved for musicals.
The literal translation of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES is “cage of madwomen,” although a loose translation can be “birdcage,” thus the Robin Williams/Nathan Lane movie of this story by that name.
Harvey Fierstein’s book is wonderful and there are some truly memorable songs by Jerry Herman, including “The Best of Times,” “Look Over There” and “I Am What I Am.” This is actually the first time in a while (other than PROMISES, PROMISES) that we can recall walking out of the theatre singing one of the songs. Perhaps we’re getting old(er) but it seems that the revivals have more memorable songs than the newer musicals.
Kelsey Grammer was perfectly cast in the role of Georges, and British import Douglas Hodge was a wonderful Albin and the chemistry between the two of them was really quite good and believable. Fred Applegate was the perfect M. Dindon and as a matter of fact, the entire cast was quite good. The La Cage drag queens were obviously just that, overemphasized if anything, which was very amusing.
The sets, costumes and choreography were all well done, which combined with the cast made for a very enjoyable two hours of musical theatre. Not the best thing we’ve seen this year but quite enjoyable.
Next up: I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER
On to the Longacre Theatre, relatively small for a venue that hosts musical theatre, but somewhat comfortable nonetheless and a good choice for LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, since even those seated relatively far away were closer to the action than in some of the larger theatres usually reserved for musicals.
The literal translation of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES is “cage of madwomen,” although a loose translation can be “birdcage,” thus the Robin Williams/Nathan Lane movie of this story by that name.
Harvey Fierstein’s book is wonderful and there are some truly memorable songs by Jerry Herman, including “The Best of Times,” “Look Over There” and “I Am What I Am.” This is actually the first time in a while (other than PROMISES, PROMISES) that we can recall walking out of the theatre singing one of the songs. Perhaps we’re getting old(er) but it seems that the revivals have more memorable songs than the newer musicals.
Kelsey Grammer was perfectly cast in the role of Georges, and British import Douglas Hodge was a wonderful Albin and the chemistry between the two of them was really quite good and believable. Fred Applegate was the perfect M. Dindon and as a matter of fact, the entire cast was quite good. The La Cage drag queens were obviously just that, overemphasized if anything, which was very amusing.
The sets, costumes and choreography were all well done, which combined with the cast made for a very enjoyable two hours of musical theatre. Not the best thing we’ve seen this year but quite enjoyable.
Next up: I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
WE SHOULD HAVE KEPT GOING NORTH…
. . . right into the Atlantic Ocean, rather than spend a Saturday night at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, inconveniently located at 37th Street and the Hudson river.
Why did we get tickets for NORTH ATLANTIC? We couldn’t resist the idea of seeing Frances McDormand and Maura Tierney. Their parts were so small and the entire show so weird that we really have no idea what was going on.
The whole evening was bizarre. The theatre is so off the beaten track that there isn’t even a redeeming restaurant nearby. There is no assigned seating so this very New York crowd lined up in the lobby and then swooped in trying to get the best possible seats (we were pretty good at that!) We still haven’t figured out how this show was sold out but it was and at the end of the play, most of the audience seemed to have enjoyed the performance, although we are completely amazed at that.
We can’t tell you what it was about; we have no idea. We can’t tell you if we liked anyone in it; we didn’t get enough of a taste of anyone’s performance to even venture a guess. We walked out and simultanously commented that James Strahs had to have been on acid when he wrote this mess.
Here’s the good news: NORTH ATLANTIC is a limited run production by the Wooster Group, which closes on April 25th so you will probably miss it. Lucky you!
NEXT UP: LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
Why did we get tickets for NORTH ATLANTIC? We couldn’t resist the idea of seeing Frances McDormand and Maura Tierney. Their parts were so small and the entire show so weird that we really have no idea what was going on.
The whole evening was bizarre. The theatre is so off the beaten track that there isn’t even a redeeming restaurant nearby. There is no assigned seating so this very New York crowd lined up in the lobby and then swooped in trying to get the best possible seats (we were pretty good at that!) We still haven’t figured out how this show was sold out but it was and at the end of the play, most of the audience seemed to have enjoyed the performance, although we are completely amazed at that.
We can’t tell you what it was about; we have no idea. We can’t tell you if we liked anyone in it; we didn’t get enough of a taste of anyone’s performance to even venture a guess. We walked out and simultanously commented that James Strahs had to have been on acid when he wrote this mess.
Here’s the good news: NORTH ATLANTIC is a limited run production by the Wooster Group, which closes on April 25th so you will probably miss it. Lucky you!
NEXT UP: LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
A PROMISE FULFILLED
Dinner at Serafina, a brief walk to the huge Broadway Theatre (perfect for big budget musicals) and the promise of an enchanting evening. We were excited
from the moment we heard that PROMISES, PROMISES was being revived with Kristen Chenoweth as Fran Kubelik, the female lead and Sean Hayes as Chuck Baxter. And we weren’t disappointed for a single moment.
Neil Simon’s book is brilliant. The story, although clearly set in the sixties, is really timeless and if you are a tried and true New Yorker (like we are) then you love it even more. The music by Burt Bacharach and lyrics by Hal David remind you why each has won so many awards and why some of the tunes in the show have haunted people for over 30 years. We can’t count how many artists have recorded I Say A Little Prayer but when Kristen sings it with her “girls” behind it you remember instantly what a wonderful song it is. And A House Is Not Aa Home is just the perfect first act closer.
But forgive us for getting distracted,with so much wonderful to say it’s difficult to stay on track. Sean Hayes is really not a singer. What he is, though, is a simply brilliant comedic actor and his self-effacing super vibrato even endears you to his less than fabulous singing. After all, it is a little difficult to have to share a song with Kristen Chenowieth. We are still trying to figure out how 80 pounds and 5’ houses a 500 pound and 10’ voice. But she does - thank God and we adore her for her talent. Chenoweth, who created the role of Glinda in the wildly successful WICKED, has quite a resume and her talent is just beyond words.
We just loved it all. The costumes. The sets. The story. The directing and choreography both by Rob Ashford are award winning. The five philandering husbands, played by (Tony Goldwyn, Brooks Ashmanskas, Peter Benson, Sean Martin Hingston and Ken Land) are all wonderful, as is the doctor, played by Dick Latessa (Jeff commented that Latessa was reminiscent of Ned Glass as “Doc” in WEST SIDE STORY – interesting comparison). Tony Goldwyn, who has been in only one other Broadway show, was terrific as JD Sheldrake, but a standing ovation was earned by Katie FInneran as Marge MacDougall, the drunken distraction, who stops the show with her body language, her “owl” capelet and her unbelievable rendition of A Fact Can Be A Beautiful Thing.
The chemistry between Chenoweth and Hayes was perfect. This revival was worth waiting for and as soon as we see everything new this season we will definitely be back again. Make yourself a promise to see PROMISES, PROMISES and keep it!
NEXT UP: NORTH ATLANTIC
from the moment we heard that PROMISES, PROMISES was being revived with Kristen Chenoweth as Fran Kubelik, the female lead and Sean Hayes as Chuck Baxter. And we weren’t disappointed for a single moment.
Neil Simon’s book is brilliant. The story, although clearly set in the sixties, is really timeless and if you are a tried and true New Yorker (like we are) then you love it even more. The music by Burt Bacharach and lyrics by Hal David remind you why each has won so many awards and why some of the tunes in the show have haunted people for over 30 years. We can’t count how many artists have recorded I Say A Little Prayer but when Kristen sings it with her “girls” behind it you remember instantly what a wonderful song it is. And A House Is Not Aa Home is just the perfect first act closer.
But forgive us for getting distracted,with so much wonderful to say it’s difficult to stay on track. Sean Hayes is really not a singer. What he is, though, is a simply brilliant comedic actor and his self-effacing super vibrato even endears you to his less than fabulous singing. After all, it is a little difficult to have to share a song with Kristen Chenowieth. We are still trying to figure out how 80 pounds and 5’ houses a 500 pound and 10’ voice. But she does - thank God and we adore her for her talent. Chenoweth, who created the role of Glinda in the wildly successful WICKED, has quite a resume and her talent is just beyond words.
We just loved it all. The costumes. The sets. The story. The directing and choreography both by Rob Ashford are award winning. The five philandering husbands, played by (Tony Goldwyn, Brooks Ashmanskas, Peter Benson, Sean Martin Hingston and Ken Land) are all wonderful, as is the doctor, played by Dick Latessa (Jeff commented that Latessa was reminiscent of Ned Glass as “Doc” in WEST SIDE STORY – interesting comparison). Tony Goldwyn, who has been in only one other Broadway show, was terrific as JD Sheldrake, but a standing ovation was earned by Katie FInneran as Marge MacDougall, the drunken distraction, who stops the show with her body language, her “owl” capelet and her unbelievable rendition of A Fact Can Be A Beautiful Thing.
The chemistry between Chenoweth and Hayes was perfect. This revival was worth waiting for and as soon as we see everything new this season we will definitely be back again. Make yourself a promise to see PROMISES, PROMISES and keep it!
NEXT UP: NORTH ATLANTIC
MISSING STORY
After a very nice dinner at Blue Fin (one of our theatre district favorites), we headed over to the Samuel J Friedman Theatre, anxious to see Linda Lavin, also a favorite, in Donald Margulies’ COLLECTED STORIES. Although we were very disappointed with our seats, Cathy didn’t hesitate to ask for the theatre manager to see if we could be moved and we ended up in the second row of this very comfortable theatre.
Donald Marguiles’ COLLECTED STORIES seemed to be missing a story! In other words . . . we really liked this play, but we wanted to love it and just couldn’t. Linda Lavin plays Ruth Steiner, a never married writer and professor, who allows student Lisa Morrison, played by Sarah Paulson, to become her assistant and protégé, although this was clearly not Ruth’s original intent. Both Lavin and Paulson are very well cast and their performances are strong and sure. We thought it took Lavin a little too long to get up to the appropriate energy level but she does eventually get there.
The costumes and set were the perfect backdrops and it was quite believable that author Ruth Steiner had lived in that apartment for over 30 years.
What wasn’t believable was Steiner’s shock at her protégé “taking” her story/life and turning it into a novel! On many levels this is the literary version of ALL ABOUT EVE as we find in the second act that Lisa has hijacked Ruth’s life story and turned it into a novel, her first. Why such shock when Ruth tells Lisa her deepest story and it becomes Lisa’s novel?
All Ruth would have had to do was tell Lisa that she wanted to share her story with her but that it was permanently off limits in terms of re-telling. Then again, I guess there would have been no show. And we would have missed that.
A two person show is always a challenge with many opportunities for lagging and boredom. COLLECTED STORIES really succeeds in engaging the audience. We just felt a tiny bit cheated at the end. Not by Lavin or Paulson but by author Marguiles. This was clearly reminiscent of our feeling after Marguiles’ TIME STOOD STILL. That too was an almost great story.
NEXT UP: PROMISES, PROMISES
Donald Marguiles’ COLLECTED STORIES seemed to be missing a story! In other words . . . we really liked this play, but we wanted to love it and just couldn’t. Linda Lavin plays Ruth Steiner, a never married writer and professor, who allows student Lisa Morrison, played by Sarah Paulson, to become her assistant and protégé, although this was clearly not Ruth’s original intent. Both Lavin and Paulson are very well cast and their performances are strong and sure. We thought it took Lavin a little too long to get up to the appropriate energy level but she does eventually get there.
The costumes and set were the perfect backdrops and it was quite believable that author Ruth Steiner had lived in that apartment for over 30 years.
What wasn’t believable was Steiner’s shock at her protégé “taking” her story/life and turning it into a novel! On many levels this is the literary version of ALL ABOUT EVE as we find in the second act that Lisa has hijacked Ruth’s life story and turned it into a novel, her first. Why such shock when Ruth tells Lisa her deepest story and it becomes Lisa’s novel?
All Ruth would have had to do was tell Lisa that she wanted to share her story with her but that it was permanently off limits in terms of re-telling. Then again, I guess there would have been no show. And we would have missed that.
A two person show is always a challenge with many opportunities for lagging and boredom. COLLECTED STORIES really succeeds in engaging the audience. We just felt a tiny bit cheated at the end. Not by Lavin or Paulson but by author Marguiles. This was clearly reminiscent of our feeling after Marguiles’ TIME STOOD STILL. That too was an almost great story.
NEXT UP: PROMISES, PROMISES
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
CAN ANYONE FIGURE THIS SHOW OUT?
We were especially excited to see the NYCity Center ENCORES production of ANYONE CAN WHISTLE after having spent such a divine evening at SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM. Sondheim is responsible for so many hits, megahits among them, that we felt it only right to see his most famous flop (the original ANYONE CAN WHISTLE ran for twelve previews and nine performances in 1964, with Angela Lansbury, Lee Remick and Harry Guardino in the headline roles).
And if we are going to be honest - we will see Raul Esparza in anything. And we mean anything! That includes an evening of listening to him read from the phone book.
The evening started out well. We had dinner at Rue 57; a welcome change from our more normal venues. Dinner was delicious and we had plenty of time for an easy walk to the theatre for a 7:30 curtain. It seemed a bit weird that the inside doors were locked at 7:15 and less weird when we found out the curtain was actually 8:00. This little “oops” however; cannot be blamed on Cathy’s recent Outlook issues! Left to mill about in the lobby (aka: killing time) we saw a flyer for a 25th Anniversary Gala in November starring Angela Lansbury, Ann Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth and Chita Rivera and we scored great seats for this November 8th special.
The theater was filled and it was a very New York crowd. Many of the theatre goers seemed to know each other, which we presume to be the case with ENCORES productions and besides, who else would go to see a well known Sondheim flop? The curtain opened on a great set with the orchestra on stage in the rear behind a scrim. Donna Murphy soon took center stage and the power of her voice and energy of her presence took our breath away. She was electric and her chemistry with Raul Esparza when he appeared worked from the first second they were together.
Sutton Foster more than held her own as did Jeff Blumenkrantz and Edward Hibbert. Minor complaint is that we can’t remember ever seeing a playbill without pictures of the cast and the lack of pictures makes it very difficult to identify those stars we are not familiar with but whom we want to credit.
The music is very Sondheim. Lots of words and then more words and then some more. What ANYONE CAN WHISTLE had in words it lacked in plot or story. There is actually a plot but it’s beyond inane and made no sense at all. The costumes were adorable; actually the right word we think. It is a little tricky trying to figure out what would have made this show work. Sondheim certainly tried, albeit without success, but then who are we to critique him?
It’s unfortunate though that the elements of story didn’t converge better because Sondheim has written two extremely strong women’s roles and very decent men’s roles. We saw some powerhouses of talent. And we can whistle, just don’t ask us to whistle any of the substantially unmemorable tunes.
Next up: COLLECTED STORIES!
And if we are going to be honest - we will see Raul Esparza in anything. And we mean anything! That includes an evening of listening to him read from the phone book.
The evening started out well. We had dinner at Rue 57; a welcome change from our more normal venues. Dinner was delicious and we had plenty of time for an easy walk to the theatre for a 7:30 curtain. It seemed a bit weird that the inside doors were locked at 7:15 and less weird when we found out the curtain was actually 8:00. This little “oops” however; cannot be blamed on Cathy’s recent Outlook issues! Left to mill about in the lobby (aka: killing time) we saw a flyer for a 25th Anniversary Gala in November starring Angela Lansbury, Ann Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth and Chita Rivera and we scored great seats for this November 8th special.
The theater was filled and it was a very New York crowd. Many of the theatre goers seemed to know each other, which we presume to be the case with ENCORES productions and besides, who else would go to see a well known Sondheim flop? The curtain opened on a great set with the orchestra on stage in the rear behind a scrim. Donna Murphy soon took center stage and the power of her voice and energy of her presence took our breath away. She was electric and her chemistry with Raul Esparza when he appeared worked from the first second they were together.
Sutton Foster more than held her own as did Jeff Blumenkrantz and Edward Hibbert. Minor complaint is that we can’t remember ever seeing a playbill without pictures of the cast and the lack of pictures makes it very difficult to identify those stars we are not familiar with but whom we want to credit.
The music is very Sondheim. Lots of words and then more words and then some more. What ANYONE CAN WHISTLE had in words it lacked in plot or story. There is actually a plot but it’s beyond inane and made no sense at all. The costumes were adorable; actually the right word we think. It is a little tricky trying to figure out what would have made this show work. Sondheim certainly tried, albeit without success, but then who are we to critique him?
It’s unfortunate though that the elements of story didn’t converge better because Sondheim has written two extremely strong women’s roles and very decent men’s roles. We saw some powerhouses of talent. And we can whistle, just don’t ask us to whistle any of the substantially unmemorable tunes.
Next up: COLLECTED STORIES!
Friday, April 9, 2010
THANK YOU MR. SONDHEIM!
Or should we say Thank You to Mr. and Mrs. Sondheim who only had one child but what a child he is! The lifelong contributions that Stephen Sondheim has made to the world of musical theater and all the countless people who have enjoyed his music are certainly too numerous for us to even begin counting.
It is difficult to know where to begin here because there is so much to say. We’re giving up the space we usually devote to where we ate and what we ate, etc. etc. and blah, blah, blah. We aren’t going to mention that Nancy Ploeger and Nancy Ryan are still semi-stalking us and were also lucky enough to be in the audience last night at SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM. They had better seats than we did so that’s all we’re saying about them!
While this exploration of highlights from the Sondheim songbook is not a typical Broadway offering, my God it belongs smack in the middle of Broadway. The staging, and lighting and direction were just as individual and unusual as Mr. Sondheim himself who has actually in the theatre audience last night. Although we missed meeting him alas, he missed meeting us as well.
A series of different sized and widely interestingly angled flat screen TV’s blend with one another to create a master kind of screen and Stephen himself appears throughout the show to talk about none other than himself. He talks about his life, how he came to write many of the musicals we all love and cherish and his thoughts on many of these shows. He even tells the audience that his mother once wrote a letter that said her only regret in life was having him. Talk about evoking a reaction of total shock!
Sondheim is disarming and truthful when he speaks (he was filmed in the present) and there are videos and stills that take us from his childhood through his life (he is now 80 years old) and even include appearances on the Merv Griffin show in the 1960’s. Sondheim talks about his sexuality and the fact that he was unable to fall in love and have a meaningful relationship until he was 60.
The show is a chronology of his music headlined by veteran Barbara Cook. Although she too is in her 80’s, Barbara has aged and it seemed as if her hip or knee was giving her an enormous amount of pain. When Barbara opens her mouth and sings you are transported back to her heyday. Actually, given the way she sang Send in The Clowns, she’s having a second heyday! There is no better Broadway actress for this role than Barbara Cook. Tom Wopat is wonderful as the male counter balance to Barbara’s strong vocals. Vanessa Williams is gorgeous and so is her voice. She is grace personified and a joy to both watch and listen to.
The supporting ensemble is absolutely fantastic. Euan Morton’s interpretation of Franklin Shepard Inc. was fabulous, as was Matthew Scott’s portrayal of Shepard. Erin Mackey is adorable and her voice is strong, and true and clear. Leslie Kritzer and Norm Lewis rounded out this ensemble, which was perfectly cast. It was especially heartwarming to witness the thoughtfulness everyone showed Barbara when as she was going and coming on and off stage, with apparent difficulty.
We simply loved every minute of the evening. We were continually nudging each other’s elbows and looking at one another at the end of each song as if to check and make sure we were equally enthralled. This is first class Broadway and you should treat yourself to this feast of Sondheim. You won’t leave the theatre full . . . you will be in that special place between satisfied yet craving more. Thank you, Mr. Sondheim for sharing your gifts with us.
Next up: ANYONE CAN WHISTLE!
It is difficult to know where to begin here because there is so much to say. We’re giving up the space we usually devote to where we ate and what we ate, etc. etc. and blah, blah, blah. We aren’t going to mention that Nancy Ploeger and Nancy Ryan are still semi-stalking us and were also lucky enough to be in the audience last night at SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM. They had better seats than we did so that’s all we’re saying about them!
While this exploration of highlights from the Sondheim songbook is not a typical Broadway offering, my God it belongs smack in the middle of Broadway. The staging, and lighting and direction were just as individual and unusual as Mr. Sondheim himself who has actually in the theatre audience last night. Although we missed meeting him alas, he missed meeting us as well.
A series of different sized and widely interestingly angled flat screen TV’s blend with one another to create a master kind of screen and Stephen himself appears throughout the show to talk about none other than himself. He talks about his life, how he came to write many of the musicals we all love and cherish and his thoughts on many of these shows. He even tells the audience that his mother once wrote a letter that said her only regret in life was having him. Talk about evoking a reaction of total shock!
Sondheim is disarming and truthful when he speaks (he was filmed in the present) and there are videos and stills that take us from his childhood through his life (he is now 80 years old) and even include appearances on the Merv Griffin show in the 1960’s. Sondheim talks about his sexuality and the fact that he was unable to fall in love and have a meaningful relationship until he was 60.
The show is a chronology of his music headlined by veteran Barbara Cook. Although she too is in her 80’s, Barbara has aged and it seemed as if her hip or knee was giving her an enormous amount of pain. When Barbara opens her mouth and sings you are transported back to her heyday. Actually, given the way she sang Send in The Clowns, she’s having a second heyday! There is no better Broadway actress for this role than Barbara Cook. Tom Wopat is wonderful as the male counter balance to Barbara’s strong vocals. Vanessa Williams is gorgeous and so is her voice. She is grace personified and a joy to both watch and listen to.
The supporting ensemble is absolutely fantastic. Euan Morton’s interpretation of Franklin Shepard Inc. was fabulous, as was Matthew Scott’s portrayal of Shepard. Erin Mackey is adorable and her voice is strong, and true and clear. Leslie Kritzer and Norm Lewis rounded out this ensemble, which was perfectly cast. It was especially heartwarming to witness the thoughtfulness everyone showed Barbara when as she was going and coming on and off stage, with apparent difficulty.
We simply loved every minute of the evening. We were continually nudging each other’s elbows and looking at one another at the end of each song as if to check and make sure we were equally enthralled. This is first class Broadway and you should treat yourself to this feast of Sondheim. You won’t leave the theatre full . . . you will be in that special place between satisfied yet craving more. Thank you, Mr. Sondheim for sharing your gifts with us.
Next up: ANYONE CAN WHISTLE!
ALL ABOUT (ARE YOU KIDDING) ME
The evening started off just a little rocky as Cathy has been having some Outlook calendar issues of late and Jeff was unaware that our dinner reservations were for 6:00 pm, rather than the usual 6:30. All was forgiven due to the wonderful company of friends Flo and Ben Geizhals and a really delicsious dinner at Steve Hanson’s Blue Fin.
Henry Miller’s Theatre (about to be renamed the Stephen Sondheim Theatre), which Roundabout rented to the company that produced ALL ABOUT ME (with disclaimers that this was NOT a Roundabout production) is actually quite nice and comfortable.
And that brings us to the conclusion of the nice part of the evening.
We have seen Michael Feinstein several times at his club FEINSTEIN’S AT THE REGENCY HOTEL. While he is not the best singer we have ever seen or heard, he is certainly a recognized expert in what he calls The Great American Song Book, which includes standards by Gershwin, Porter, etc. In the intimate atmosphere of his club, Michael is a good performer, particularly when working with chanteuses like Linda Eder or actresses like Christine Ebersole. We even saw Michael on his own one night and that was pretty good. Even better when he can stay on key.
ALL ABOUT ME starred Michael and Dame Edna Everage (aka Barry
Humphries) along with Jodi Capeless (who sang quite well), Gregory Butler & Jon-Paul Mateo who were both in ridiculously flamboyant outfits and behavior throughout the show.
There is unfortunately just nothing good to say about this production, which was vaudeville at its worst and certainly did not belong on Broadway. Rather than tear ALL ABOUT ME apart, let’s end here and all be grateful that the show closed two nights after we saw it. If only we had bought tickets for a few days later we would have gotten our money back and been spared the evening.
What was interesting was the over the top accolades by the obvious Dame Edna fans in the audience, most of whom were sitting up front and the constant references to Feinstein’s being in (or out of) the closet.
Clearly, the highlight of the evening (other than dinner with Flo & Ben) was standing next to Cynthia Nixon and her partner after the show. How sad is that? (No offense, Cynthia – we love you!)
Next Up: SONDHEIN ON SONDHEIM
Henry Miller’s Theatre (about to be renamed the Stephen Sondheim Theatre), which Roundabout rented to the company that produced ALL ABOUT ME (with disclaimers that this was NOT a Roundabout production) is actually quite nice and comfortable.
And that brings us to the conclusion of the nice part of the evening.
We have seen Michael Feinstein several times at his club FEINSTEIN’S AT THE REGENCY HOTEL. While he is not the best singer we have ever seen or heard, he is certainly a recognized expert in what he calls The Great American Song Book, which includes standards by Gershwin, Porter, etc. In the intimate atmosphere of his club, Michael is a good performer, particularly when working with chanteuses like Linda Eder or actresses like Christine Ebersole. We even saw Michael on his own one night and that was pretty good. Even better when he can stay on key.
ALL ABOUT ME starred Michael and Dame Edna Everage (aka Barry
Humphries) along with Jodi Capeless (who sang quite well), Gregory Butler & Jon-Paul Mateo who were both in ridiculously flamboyant outfits and behavior throughout the show.
There is unfortunately just nothing good to say about this production, which was vaudeville at its worst and certainly did not belong on Broadway. Rather than tear ALL ABOUT ME apart, let’s end here and all be grateful that the show closed two nights after we saw it. If only we had bought tickets for a few days later we would have gotten our money back and been spared the evening.
What was interesting was the over the top accolades by the obvious Dame Edna fans in the audience, most of whom were sitting up front and the constant references to Feinstein’s being in (or out of) the closet.
Clearly, the highlight of the evening (other than dinner with Flo & Ben) was standing next to Cynthia Nixon and her partner after the show. How sad is that? (No offense, Cynthia – we love you!)
Next Up: SONDHEIN ON SONDHEIM
Friday, April 2, 2010
DON'T BE A SCMUCK
Schmuck, a Yiddish word, has a range of meaning depending on context. In its most innocuous use, a schmuck is a person who does a stupid thing, in which case "dumb schmuck" means really, really stupid and is the appropriate expression. Some say that Schmuck is the Yiddish word for penis. We say that Schmuck is the appropriate term for anyone who actually sits through the 75 or so minutes of CIRCUMCISE ME, written and performed by Yisrael Campbell. But maybe we have to retract that - or else we are calling oursleves schmucks! We just want to save you from the same fate...
As you know by now, we see a great deal of theatre and try to write as much about the experience as we do about the show, performance, etc. and we can say without equivocation that this is the worst thing we have even seen together, worse even than the awful production of DUST that we saw two years ago. At least DUST had Richard Masur and Hunter Foster in the cast.
We have yet to figure out how or why Mr. Campbell, a convert to Orthodox Judaism from Catholicism, has his own show, albeit in an empty (except for the 23 other schmucks who also sat through this) Greenwich Village theatre, shared with a meditation studio. As a matter of fact we were asked when we walked in whteher we were there to mediatte or see the show...we should have tried the meditation!
Mr. Campbell, whose given name was Chris before he changed it to Yisrael at the time he converted, talks about everything related to his conversion, including his three circumcisions (not going to go any further on that) and making Aliyah (he currently lives in Jerusalem). Suffice it to say there is nothing terribly interesting about Mr. Campbell’s life or his conversion. The only remotely interesting parts of this diatribe are when he speaks and shows photos of friends who were killed in Israel.
Mr. Campbell is neither interesting nor a very good speaker and his story is less than noteworthy. We have yet to figure out why anyone would have invested any money at all in this project. Be smart and take a pass on CIRCUMCISE ME.
NEXT UP: MR & MRS FITCH
As you know by now, we see a great deal of theatre and try to write as much about the experience as we do about the show, performance, etc. and we can say without equivocation that this is the worst thing we have even seen together, worse even than the awful production of DUST that we saw two years ago. At least DUST had Richard Masur and Hunter Foster in the cast.
We have yet to figure out how or why Mr. Campbell, a convert to Orthodox Judaism from Catholicism, has his own show, albeit in an empty (except for the 23 other schmucks who also sat through this) Greenwich Village theatre, shared with a meditation studio. As a matter of fact we were asked when we walked in whteher we were there to mediatte or see the show...we should have tried the meditation!
Mr. Campbell, whose given name was Chris before he changed it to Yisrael at the time he converted, talks about everything related to his conversion, including his three circumcisions (not going to go any further on that) and making Aliyah (he currently lives in Jerusalem). Suffice it to say there is nothing terribly interesting about Mr. Campbell’s life or his conversion. The only remotely interesting parts of this diatribe are when he speaks and shows photos of friends who were killed in Israel.
Mr. Campbell is neither interesting nor a very good speaker and his story is less than noteworthy. We have yet to figure out why anyone would have invested any money at all in this project. Be smart and take a pass on CIRCUMCISE ME.
NEXT UP: MR & MRS FITCH
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