Master Index of Archived Threads


Broadway: 2016-2017 season

Vic Sage Oct 24 2016 03:05 PM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Oct 24 2016 03:13 PM

PARAMOUR (M/Sp) - Cirque de Soleil book musical... neither a good musical nor a good Cirque de Soleil CATS (MR) – why? oh good lord, why? OH, HELLO (P) – off-Broadway 2-man comedy by and with Nick Kroll & John Mulaney... a hilarious play about 2 old guys doing a play HEISENBERG (P) – Simon Stephens off-Broadway Brit romantic drama w/Mary-Louise Parker... the play is OK (though not about as much as it thinks it is), but Parker's over-the-top performance makes it hard to watch. upcoming: ENCOUNTER (P) - Simon McBurney’s 1-man drama about photographer meeting natives in Peru in 1959 HOLIDAY INN (M) – Irving Berlin musical adapts movie CHERRY ORCHARD (PR) – adapted by Stephen Karam, w/Diane Lane THE FRONT PAGE (PR) – classic Ben Hecht comedy w/Nathan Lane, John Goodman, Jefferson Mays, Rosemary Harris FALSETTOS (MR) – Bill Finn/James Lapine AIDS musical w/Christian Borle, Andrew Rannells LES LIASONS DANGEROUSES (PR) – Brit production, w/Liev Schrieber, Janet McTeer NATASHA, PIERRE & COMET OF 1812 (M) – off-Broadway musical w/Josh Groban A BRONX TALE (M) – musical adaptation by Alan Menken/Glen Slater/Chaz Palmentieri, DEAR EVAN HANSEN (M) – off-Broadway musical about reaction to student’s death, by Pasek & Paul IN TRANSIT (M) – a capella musical about NYC, by Kristen Anderson-Lopez THE PRESENT (P) – New Australian play based on Chekov’s Platonov, w/Cate Blanchett JITNEY (PR) – August Wilson’s 1st play SIGNIFICANT OTHER (P) – new comedy about gay relationships in NYC BURN THIS (PR) – Landford Wilson drama, w/ Jake Gyllenhaal COME FROM AWAY (M) - New Canadian musical about 9/11 THE PRICE (PR) – Miller play, w/Tony Shalhoub, John Turturro, Jessica Hecht GLASS MENAGERIE (PR) – Williams play, w/Sally Field, Joe Mantello MISS SAIGON (MR) – Brit revival of Vietnam musical PRESENT LAUGHTER (PR) – Kevin Kline in revival of Noel Coward comedy WAR PAINT (M) – musical by “Grey Gardens” team w/Patti LuPone & Christine Ebersole OSLO (P) – Israeli/PLO “Oslo Accords” d/Bart Sher, w/Jeenifer Ehle, Dan Jenkins, Jefferson Mays GROUNDHOG DAY (M) – Tim Minchin’s musical adaptation LITTLE FOXES (PR) - Hellman 1930s play, w/Laura Linney, Cynthia Nixon HELLO, DOLLY (MR) – Jerry Herman musical w/Bette Midler, David Hyde Pierce WILLY WONKA (M) – Brit production of Shaiman/Wittman musical, w/Christian Borle ANASTASIA (M) – animated musical adaptation, b/Ahrens,Flaherty,McNally A DOLL’S HOUSE, PT 2 (P) – Lucas Hnath’s sequel to Ibsen classic w/ Laurie Metcalf, Chris Cooper

themetfairy Oct 24 2016 03:07 PM Re: Broadway: 2016-2017 season

What's the advance word on Willy Wonka?

Vic Sage Oct 24 2016 03:11 PM Re: Broadway: 2016-2017 season

i haven't really heard much. They made alot of changes in London production. It's got a good team, though. And Borle seems like a great choice for Wonka.

themetfairy Oct 24 2016 04:51 PM Re: Broadway: 2016-2017 season

I adore Borle - he's the primary reason I'm interested in seeing this.

Vic Sage Nov 16 2016 03:37 PM Re: Broadway: 2016-2017 season

PARAMOUR – Cirque Du Soleil tries to create an original book musical out of one their shows and they fail miserably, with banal music and disinterested story telling constantly interrupted by acrobatics, and repetitive acrobatic routines constantly paused by a story we don’t’ care about . So it works on neither level. But I’ve actually seen worse. [D] CATS – A revival of the Webber hit of the 80s, the question is “why”? This production doesn’t feel new or different, despite some new choreography, so why? It’s as dull, meandering, repetitive and pointless as ever, with one of Webber’s least interesting scores trying to musicalize poetry not intended for musicalization. Are there really people alive who want to see this who haven’t seen it yet? [D] HEISENBERG – British playwright Simon Stephens (Curious Incident…) has created a fascinating play that is somewhat undermined by its own obscure ambitions and marred by Mary-Louise Parker’s irritating performance. Stephens’ 2-character play is about a May-December (or, in this case, a July-February) romance between a mysterious middle-aged American woman in London and the 75-year old lonely British butcher with whom she has begun an unlikely relationship. Is it what it seems, or is it about something more… or less? Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle is never actually mentioned or discussed, but presumably the title is meant to imply deeper meaning, echoed by lines like “If you watch something closely enough, you have no possible way of telling where it’s going or how fast it’s getting there.” But the 80-minute play, while engaging, is about way less than it thinks it is. Mark Brokaw's minimalist production plays on a nearly bare stage with 2 tables and 2 chairs, and puts the audience both in front and behind the characters. This staging successfully intensifies the focus on the characters and the words, but the play simply can’t bear that scrutiny. That being said, the work is still moving and thought-provoking, and the elderly butcher is wonderfully played by Denis Arndt, and I’d be more enthusiastic about it all but for Parker’s Bizarro-World performance. Her typically stylized vocalizations and physical mannerisms are either something one enjoys or they are not. As for me, I thought she was either insane or having a stroke. [B-]

Lefty Specialist Nov 16 2016 03:57 PM Re: Broadway: 2016-2017 season

Groundhog Day as a musical? Will everyone leave the theater humming 'I got you Babe'?

sharpie Nov 16 2016 05:14 PM Re: Broadway: 2016-2017 season

I saw Heisenberg. I liked it well enough and mostly agree with you. I have found Mary-Louise Parker's performances in the past a bit off-putting but thought that her style matched the character. Dennis Arndt was a revelation.

Vic Sage Nov 16 2016 08:03 PM Re: Broadway: 2016-2017 season

Lefty Specialist wrote: Groundhog Day as a musical? Will everyone leave the theater humming 'I got you Babe'? it's being musicalized by Tim Minchin, who did MATILDA, but they should totally license that song for it.