Master Index of Archived Threads


Broadway 2007-2008 season

Vic Sage Nov 12 2007 08:42 AM

Another year on the great white way, and, as a Tony voter, i still have to see everything, good or bad. Before we get to the shows, just a note on the Local 1 strike currently ongoing. The union has rejected Bloomberg's offer to mediate. The following shows are still open, because they run on different contracts: Young Frankenstein," "Mary Poppins," "Xanadu" and "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." "Pygmalion," "The Ritz," "Mauritius" and "Cymbeline" Now, for this season: OLD ACQUAINTANCE - The Roundabout revival of this chestnut from playwright John Van Druten had 2 great performances by the leading ladies, a handsome production and, luckily, 2 intermissions which allowed me a second chance to escape. [C-] GREASE - If you watched the TV show about the casting of this revival, you knew what you were in for. A road-company production of a terrible show. [D] XANADU - This purposefully terrible musical adaptation of an accidentally terrible show is terrible, none the less. Just because you have your tongue in your cheek doesn't preclude you from having your head up your ass. If you like stupid gay camp with ELO songs, this is just for you! [F] THE RITZ - This Terrance McNally revival offers more gay camp (NTTAWWT), but it works better than XANADU due to the warmth and humanity injected by the author and projected by the leads. [C] PYGMALION - The Roundabout's 2nd revival this season features excellent performances by Clare Daines and Jefferson Mayes, from the creative team that mounted last year's powerful JOURNEY'S END. Shaw tends to let his plays devolve into polemical rambling before petering out, but there is alot to like about this play and this production [B] open shows to be seen: ROCK N ROLL - new play by Tom Stoppard MAURITIUS - new play by Theresa Rebeck CYRANO - revival with Kevin Kline CYMBALINE - Lincoln Center production SEAFARER - new ghost play by Conor McPherson (Shining City, The Weir) BRONX TALE - Chazz Palmienteri remounts his 1-man play YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN - Brooks' mega-musical Upcoming (listed by opening night): FARNSWORTH INVENTION – (11/14) Sorkin play AUGUST – (11/20) Tracy Letts play (from Steppenwolf) IS HE DEAD – (11/29) Twain play, adapted by David Ives LITTLE MERMAID – (12/6) Disney musical HOMECOMING – (12/13) Pinter revival Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 STEPS – (1/10) comic British adaptation NOVEMBER – (1/17) Mamet play COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA – (1/24) MTC revival SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE – (2/21) Roundabout revival (from UK) PASSING STRANGE – (2/28) new musical (from Public theater) IN THE HEIGHTS – (3/9) new musical (from off-Broadway) SOUTH PACIFIC – (4/3) Lincoln Center revival A CATERED AFFAIR – (4/17) new musical THURGOOD – (4/20) new 1-man play with Lawrence Fishburne TOP GIRLS – (5/7) MTC Churchill play LES LIASONS DANGEREUSES – (Spring 08) Roundabout revival Not yet confirmed for this season: Female of the Species – (4/28) new play Cry Baby – (April 08) new musical Country Girl – (April 08) revival Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – (07-08) revival Leap of Faith – (07-08) new musical Nerds – (Spring 08) new musical Stalag 17- (Spring 08) revival

Edgy DC Nov 12 2007 08:51 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 18 2007 01:21 PM

I realize it's almost impossible for anybody besides Hitchcock to adapt the film of The 39 Steps for stage, but what idiot decided to make a comedy out of it? That's like The Spanish Prisoner: The Musical. Convoluted espionage can be tough enough to follow when played straight.

MFS62 Nov 12 2007 08:55 AM

Can you imagine the reaction of a family that ante'd up for those $400 tickets and came to New York from far away just to see Young Frankenstein, only to find out the show was on strike? Yikes! Later

sharpie Nov 12 2007 09:27 AM

An old friend is coming to town this Saturday and had comps for The Little Mermaid on Saturday which I was going to go to with him . Not that I want to see the show, but it'll be good to see him. The strike (probably) eliminates the part of the evening that I didn't really want to do so I'm one of the few to benefit. Saw Mauritius and liked it well enough even though it is kind of a poor man's American Buffalo for stamp collectors instead of coin collectors.

Vic Sage Nov 12 2007 11:56 AM

="MFS62"]Can you imagine the reaction of a family that ante'd up for those $400 tickets and came to New York from far away just to see Young Frankenstein, only to find out the show was on strike? Yikes! Later YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is not on strike. see my notes above.

MFS62 Nov 12 2007 12:09 PM

I saw that it isn't. Considering the big price tag for some of the seats for that show, I was talking about a "what if" reaction if it had been one of the struck shows. Later

Vic Sage Nov 16 2007 08:08 AM

Mauritius - Theresa Rebeck's new play is a highly enertaining thriller of sorts, as if one of Mamet's more coherent plays had been injected with estrogen. While somewhat predictable, and nothing in it really soars to any new heights, it is a well produced, well acted production and a worthwhile evening at the theater. [B] The local 1 strike continues, but there are talks planned for this weekend.

G-Fafif Nov 18 2007 03:34 PM Re: Broadway 2007-2008 season

Vic Sage wrote: If you like stupid gay camp with ELO songs, this is just for you! [F] I never knew how much I liked stupid gay camp with ELO songs. Cheap tickets and low expectations brought my wife and me to Xanadu in July. I was pleasantly surprised. It did seem more like a cabaret revue than a Broadway production, but a good time was had. I am a sucker for the Olivia Newton-John catalogue and liked the payoff on the leg warmers gag. Plus we saw the matinee that preceded the Chip Ambres game... http://faithandfear.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2007/7/23/3112034.html ...so the show itself is remembered that much more fondly.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 18 2007 05:53 PM

My old landlord, since deceased, was a member of the stagehands union sriking now. When I was out of work for a time, he suggested that perhaps I should look in there. "It's stupid money," he said.

Vic Sage Dec 10 2007 10:34 AM Edited 8 time(s), most recently on Dec 17 2007 08:34 AM

As a result of the strike, a number of shows had to change their opening nights. So, here is the updated list of shows for this season: OLD ACQUAINTANCE (closed) - The Roundabout revival of this chestnut from playwright John Van Druten had 2 great performances by the leading ladies, a handsome production and, luckily, 2 intermissions which allowed me a second chance to escape. [C-] 7/10 - XANADU - This purposefully terrible musical adaptation of an accidentally terrible movie is terrible, none the less. Just because you have your tongue in your cheek doesn't preclude you from having your head up your ass. If you like stupid gay camp with ELO songs, this is just for you! [F] 8/19 - GREASE - If you watched the TV show about the casting of this revival, you knew what you were in for. A road-company production of a terrible show. [D] 10/11 - THE RITZ (x 12/9) - This Terrance McNally revival offers more gay camp (NTTAWWT), but it works better than XANADU due to the warmth and humanity injected by the author and projected by the leads. [C] MAURITIUS (closed) - Theresa Rebeck's new play is a highly enertaining thriller of sorts, as if one of Mamet's more coherent plays had been injected with estrogen. While somewhat predictable, and nothing in it really soars to any new heights, it is a well produced, well acted production and a worthwhile evening at the theater. 10/18 - PYGMALION (x 12/16) - The Roundabout's 2nd revival this season features excellent performances by Clare Daines and Jefferson Mayes, from the creative team that mounted last year's powerful JOURNEY'S END. Shaw tends to let his plays devolve into polemical rambling before petering out, but there is alot to like about this play and this production [ B] 11/1 – CYRANO (x 1/6) - Kevin Kline stars in this slightly dull revival of one of the greatest plays of all time. Anthony Burgess's classic adaptation is wonderfully lyrical, but the director has the cast playing it all in a naturalistic style, at odds with the play. Still, the play is the thing, and Kline is pretty good anyway [ B-] 12/6 –THE SEAFARER - another of Conor McPherson's supernatural tales of Ireland, but without the explosive oratorios and fascinating themes usually found in his work. Still, good production and solid play [B ] also open: 10/25 - BRONX TALE - revival 1-man show (x- 2/10) 11/4 - ROCK N ROLL - new Stoppard play (x-3/2) 11/8- YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN - new musical 11/9 - GRINCH - revival (x 1/6) 12/2 - CYMBALINE - LC revival 12/3 - FARNSWORTH INVENTION - Sorkin play 12/4 – AUGUST:OSAGE COUNTY - new Tracy Letts play from Steppenwolf Co (x - 3/9) 12/ 9 - IS HE DEAD – Twain/Ives play 12/ 16 - HOMECOMING – Pinter revival upcoming: 1/10 - LITTLE MERMAID – Disney musical 1/15 - Alfred Hitchcock’s THE 39 STEPS – comic British play (x- 3/16) 1/17 - NOVEMBER – Mamet play 1/24 - COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA – MTC revival 2/21 - SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE- RB Brit revival 2/28 - PASSING STRANGE – new musical 3/6 - CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF – revival 3/9 - IN THE HEIGHTS – new musical 4/3 - SOUTH PACIFIC – LC revival 4/17 - A CATERED AFFAIR – new musical 4/20 - THURGOOD – new 1-man play 4/28 - FEMALE OF THE SPECIES – new play 5/1 - LES LIASONS DANGEREUSES – RB revival 5/7 - TOP GIRLS – MTC Carol Churchill play Not yet confirmed for this season: CRY BABY – (April 08) new musical COUNTRY GIRL – (April 08) revival LEAP OF FAITH – (07-08) new musical NERDS – (Spring 08) new musical STALAG 17- (Spring 08) revival x = scheduled to close

Edgy DC Dec 10 2007 10:39 AM

So, who plays Thurgood Marshall? Is he sufficiently jowly?

Vic Sage Dec 10 2007 10:43 AM

Laurence Fishburne will be starring in the 1-man show. James Earl Jones did it originally in a developmental production, but his health prevents him from taking on a Broadway role.

Valadius Dec 10 2007 11:37 AM

Wait, what's wrong with James Earl Jones' health?

Farmer Ted Dec 10 2007 12:01 PM

A good friend's aunt stars in AUGUST:OSAGE COUNTY . Didn't have a chance to see it when the Mrs. and I stopped into NYC a few weeks ago due to the strike. If you've seen it, or heard things about it, please let me know.

Vic Sage Dec 10 2007 12:45 PM

its gotten great reviews... a LONG DAY'S JOURNEY-type epic about a dysfunctional family.

Edgy DC Dec 10 2007 12:57 PM

Lawrence Fishburne is too fit to be particularly jowly, but those wide jaws have some trememdous synthetic jowl potential. Good choice.

sharpie Dec 10 2007 01:03 PM

I got tix to see AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTRY next month.

Vic Sage Dec 18 2007 12:47 PM

Info on current shows (not yet reviewed): A BRONX TALE (10/25/07 - 2/10/08) - Chazz Palminteri portrays 18 people in this revival of his one-man show about growing up on the mean streets of the Bronx. http://www.playbill.com/events/event_detail/12995.html ROCK N ROLL (11/4/07 - 3/2/08) new drama by Tom Stoppard, directed by Trevor Nunn, with Brian Cox. Can art change the world? An examination of the recent history of Czechoslovakia from the perspectives of Prague, where a rock band represented resistance to the regime, and Cambridge, where love and death shape the lives of three generations of the family of a Marxist philosopher. http://www.playbill.com/events/event_detail/12403.html YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN - The Mel Brooks / Susan Stroman team adapt another Brooks movie. Oh, sweet mystery of life — at last I've found you! http://www.playbill.com/events/event_detail/12452.html CYMBALINE (12/2/07 - 1/6/08) - Set in ancient Britain, Cymbeline presents a kingdom consumed by betrayal, yet graced by forgiveness. Lincoln Center revives one of Shakespeare's late "romances", directed by Mark Lamos, with Michael Cerveris, John Cullum, Martha Plimpton and Phylicia Rashad. http://www.playbill.com/events/event_detail/12478.html THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION - Author Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, "The West Wing") returns to the stage with a drama about a world-changing discovery — and who takes credit for inventing it. Directed by Des McAnuff, with Hank Azaria. http://www.playbill.com/events/event_detail/12552.html AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (12/4/07 - 3/9/08) - new drama by Tracy Letts (Bug, Killer Joe). With rich insight and brilliant humor, Letts paints a vivid portrait of a Midwestern family at a turning point. This epic family saga comes to Broadway after a critically acclaimed run at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company. http://www.playbill.com/events/event_detail/13170.html IS HE DEAD? – an unpublished (and unproduced) comedy about making a buck in a not-quite-so-honest fashion, was written by Mark Twain in 1897 and lost for more than a century, before being adapted by David Ives and directed by Michael Blakemore. http://www.playbill.com/events/event_detail/12913.html THE HOMECOMING (12/16/07 - 4/13/08) – Dan Sullivan directs this 40th anniversary revival of Harold Pinter’s Tony Award-winning masterpiece, with Ian McShane (Deadwood). http://www.playbill.com/events/event_detail/12742.html

bmfc1 Dec 24 2007 07:27 PM

Sunday afternoon, my family and I saw a preview of "November." It's a new play by David Mamet and it stars Nathan Lane. In short, it's set two days before Election Day and is about a President, played by Lane, facing a certain loss in his bid for re-election. I like Mamet, love Lane, but did not like the show very much. There are laughs, mostly in the first act, so it's funny. The problem is that the laughs don't add up to much of anything. It was like a long skit that poked fun at the system and Presidents Clinton and G.W. Bush without much of a point. If Mamet was trying to point out flaws in the system, he missed because the points were obvious. If he was trying for a comedy, he just missed because the second act was not very funny. Lane was great. The other four cast members, including Laurie Metcalf, were fine, the set was very nice, but I left the theater feeling empty. For the record, here were the opinions of my family: my sons (18 and 14) liked it a lot; my wife liked it; my mother liked the second act; and my father hated it (in part because of too much use of the f word--no surprise in a Mamet show).

Valadius Dec 24 2007 11:42 PM

I went to see The Farnsworth Invention on Saturday night. It was pretty good - I'd give it a B.

sharpie Jan 16 2008 12:08 PM

On New Year's Eve afternoon I saw "The Homecoming." Last night I saw "August: Osage County." The first a devastating family drama about a monstrous father and his three sons; the second a devastating family drama about a monstrous mother and her three daughters. Loved them both. I've seen about 5 incarnations of The Homecoming. The actors who played Lenny (the pimp son) and Ruth (the wife of the academic son) were certainly the best I've ever seen. August:Osage County was by turns one of the funniest and one of the most uncomfortable shows I've seen. Might be the best new American play I've seen since...I don't know...a long time.

soupcan Jan 16 2008 12:17 PM

'RENT' will close and end its 12 year year run on June 1. At that point it will have been the 7th longest running Broadway show of all time.

Willets Point Jan 16 2008 02:11 PM

soupcan wrote: 'RENT' will close and end its 12 year year run on June 1. At that point it will have been the 7th longest running Broadway show of all time. Damn, that show must be in Arrears by now.

Vic Sage Jan 30 2008 12:25 PM

IS HE DEAD? - David Ives’ witty adaptation of this unproduced Mark Twain farce takes a while to get going, but once Norbert Leo Butz shows up in a dress pretending to be his own cousin, things get entertainingly wacky. [B]

Vic Sage Jan 30 2008 12:37 PM

Still to see -- [u:ff4bf257b3]currently open:[/u:ff4bf257b3] HOMECOMING (Cort) - Pinter revival THE 39 STEPS (American Airlines) – acclaimed Hitchcock spoof FARNSWORTH INVENTION (Music Box) - Sorkin drama ROCK N ROLL (Jacobs) – Stoppard drama YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (Hilton) - Mel Brooks musical COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA (Biltmore) – Inge revival NOVEMBER (Barrymore) - Mamet play AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (Imperial) - acclaimed new play [u:ff4bf257b3]Upcoming openings this season:[/u:ff4bf257b3] (2/21) SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (Studio 54)- Sondheim revival (2/28) PASSING STRANGE (Belasco) – new musical (3/6) CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (Broadhurst) – Williams revival (3/9) IN THE HEIGHTS (Rodgers) - new musical (3/27) GYPSY (St. James) - revival (4/3) SOUTH PACIFIC (Beaumont) - R&H revival (4/17) A CATERED AFFAIR (Kerr) - new Fierstein musical (4/20) THURGOOD (Booth) - new 1man play (4/24) CRY BABY (Marquis) - new musical (4/28) FEMALE OF THE SPECIES (tba?) - new play (5/1) LES LIASONS DANGEREUSES (AA) - revival (5/7) TOP GIRLS (Biltmore) - Caryl Churchill play

Vic Sage Mar 03 2008 12:53 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Mar 03 2008 01:25 PM

Reviews to date: 2007-08 Broadway season New Plays: FARNSWORTH INVENTION – Despite the mixed reviews, a totally engaging piece of drama, well staged and well performed, featuring Sorkin’s unique style of dialogue [B ] IS HE DEAD? - David Ives’ witty adaptation of this un-produced Mark Twain farce takes a while to get going (all of Act I, actually), but once Norbert Leo Butz shows up in a dress pretending to be his own cousin, things get entertainingly wacky. [B- ] MAURITIUS - Theresa Rebeck's new play is a highly entertaining thriller of sorts, as if one of Mamet's more coherent plays had been injected with estrogen. While somewhat predictable, and nothing in it really soars to any new heights, it is a well produced, well acted production and a worthwhile evening at the theater. [B+] ROCK N ROLL – It took me a while to warm up to this play... in fact, 2/3 of the way thru Act I, I was ready to leave at intermission. An argument over which intellectuals were the better communists in 1950s-60s Europe was not making for an engaging night of theater. But at some point, it got personal, and the great actors merged with their characters and I began to care about them. From that point through the end of Act II, i was enthtralled. All in all, not my favorite Stoppard play, but middling Stoppard is better than most things i could name. [B-] THE SEAFARER - another of Conor McPherson's supernatural tales of Ireland, but without the explosive oratorios and fascinating themes usually found in his work. Still, good production and solid play [B ] THE 39 STEPS – clever, clever, clever… too clever by half. Well directed and performed, but there is no play amongst all the spoofery here [C] [still to come -- AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY / NOVEMBER / THURGOOD] Play Revivals: BRONX TALE - Chazz Palmenteri’s 1-man autobiographical monologue is an honest tale, honestly told. Funny, moving and, despite its heavy-handed sentimentality, thoroughly engaging. [B ] COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA – A dated but profound play presented in a lovely production, but the secondary characters are poorly cast, robbing the play of some of its punch. Still, i had always dismissed Inge's plays as overheated melodramas, and they are... but that's not ALL that they are. [B-] CYRANO - Kevin Kline stars in this slightly dull revival of one of the greatest plays of all time. Anthony Burgess's classic translation is wonderfully lyrical, but the text is betrayed by a directorthat has the cast playing it all in a naturalistic style, at odds with the play. Still, the play is the thing, and Kline is pretty good anyway [B-] THE HOMECOMING – This Pinter play about a dysfunctional Irish clan is a dull, pointless, incomprehensible exercise in emotional ugliness, despite brilliant performances by Eve Best, Ian McShane, Michael McKean and Raul Esparza. I guess I'm not sufficiently cultured for Pinter. Personally, i prefer to evaluate plays based on the words included in the text, not on the ones excluded. But that's me. [D] OLD ACQUAINTANCE - The Roundabout revival of this chestnut from playwright John Van Druten had 2 great performances by the leading ladies, a handsome production and, luckily, 2 intermissions which allowed me a second chance to escape the clutches of these tedious characters. [C-] PYGMALION - The Roundabout's revival features excellent performances by Clare Danes and Jefferson Mayes, from the creative team that mounted last year's powerful JOURNEY'S END. Shaw tends to let his plays devolve into polemical rambling before petering out, but there is still alot to like about this play and this production [B ] THE RITZ - This Terrance McNally revival offers a warmed over helping of gay camp, but it works better than this season's other campfest, XANADU, due to the play's warmth and humanity, injected by the author and projected by the leads. [C] [still to come -- BOING-BOING / CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF / COUNTRY GIRL / LES LIASONS DANGEREUSES / TOP GIRLS] New Musicals: LITTLE MERMAID – This stage adaptation of the Disney musical has some solid new songs, a decent book, and some engaging performances. But the design and direction is leaden, elephantine and perversely ugly. My 10-year old daughter loved it, though. [C+] XANADU - This purposefully terrible musical adaptation of an accidentally terrible movie is terrible, none the less. Just because you have your tongue in your cheek doesn't preclude you from having your head up your ass. If you like stupidly gay camp, punched up with ELO songs, this is just for you! [F] YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN – Why were those actors singing? And why those songs? This cynical production is just “product”, with no inspiration, and little reason for it to exist beyond the possibility of Mel Brooks earnig “Producers”-type profits. Whatever entertainment value it possesses is derived 2nd hand from the movie, adding nothing new of interest and, in many instances, diminishing it, instead. Some nice stage effects keep it from an F. [D] [still to come -- A CATERED AFFAIR / IN THE HEIGHTS / PASSING STRANGE / CRY BABY] Musical Revivals: GREASE - If you watched the TV show about the casting of this revival, you knew what you were in for... a road-company production of a terrible show. [D] SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE – This Brit revival of one of Sondheim’s more cerebral works is a transcendent experience. It made me appreciate the show in a way I never have before, and not just because of its superior performances and ingenious staging (including a remarkable use of projections) Despite critical opinion that has long held the 1st Act to be superior, and Act II to be an afterthought simply to be endured, I had the reverse reaction. Act I is a beautiful artifact, but repetitive (purposely “pointillist” in its structure, adding dots to its static storytelling), with music a bit cold and distancing, and an Act I finale that is cramped by the physical space of the Studio 54 stage. On the other hand, Act 2’s “Move On”, one of the greatest songs in the history of the musical theater, provides the launching pad for an emotional catharsis unmatched so far this season. [A-] [still to come -- GYPSY / SOUTH PACIFIC]

AG/DC Mar 03 2008 01:04 PM

I like act two of SitPwG. It's just that, like Into the Woods, it has a jarringly different narrative and pacing from Act One. And it takes a bit to realize he's moved on and you have to also.

sharpie Mar 03 2008 01:20 PM

Saw Rock N Roll Friday night. Pretty much agree with Vic's assessment. While I love the music, I did feel that the way it was used too often stopped the play dead in it's tracks. Totally disagree with Vic re the Homecoming. Fun fun fun I say.

Vic Sage Mar 03 2008 01:25 PM

I think Pinter is an acquired taste that i have failed to acquire.

Vic Sage Mar 14 2008 09:05 AM

NOVEMBER - Mamet's new comedy is unusually light for him... one could almost say its "frothy". Nathan Lane hasn't been this good in years, and Laurie Metcalf is note perfect. While the 2nd Act feels abrupt and rushed, and the farce is somewhat forced throughout (forced farce?), and the themes are treated with a heavy hand, Mamet's Prez is a redeemed beast who not only makes us wince but engenders laughter, recognition and, ultimately, sympathy. They really don't produce straight comedies on Broadway much anymore... only musical comedies or imported Brit-Coms. Comedy has gone to TV. So this was a welcome, if minor, work from a master craftsman. [B ] AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY - This much lauded play is likely to win a pulitzer and a Tony, but it left me mostly cold, despite the overheated goings on. I think i'm missing the DNA that enables me to fully appreciate dysfunctional family melodrama, even when its leavened with corrosive comedy. And 3 Acts and 3.5 hours is alot of time to be stuck in a room with a family only one small step above the Mansons, in terms of their charm. To give the devil its due, Act II is hilarious, and the performances are spectacular, especially the mother and the oldest daughter. Also, the writer, Tracy Letts, is clearly working from a place of raw truth, which is to be admired. But this southern-fried (or Plains-poached, as it were) version of O'Neill lacks the tragic poetry of LONG DAY'S JOURNEY to fill in the cracks of this multi-generational family soap opera. The one character that does rise to this poetic level is killed off after the first scene of the play. And while i don't require my plays have a happy ending, i do expect some catharsis, or epiphany, at the end of such a long dark journey. But, while we're given multiple plot revelations througout, the characters are in extactly as awful a place as they were at the start, only a little more so, because they now realize it. And i just didn't care. Overall, I'm more admiring than appreciative of this play. Its not my cuppa joe [C+]

AG/DC Mar 14 2008 09:11 AM

Vic Sage wrote: I think i'm missing the DNA that enables me to fully appreciate dysfunctional family melodrama, even when its leavened with corrosive comedy. It's not you.

Valadius Mar 14 2008 09:18 AM

I'm seeing November tomorrow night with my family.

Vic Sage Mar 14 2008 09:19 AM

[u:9823febcbc]still to come this season:[/u:9823febcbc] new plays -- THURGOOD play revivals -- BOING-BOING /CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF / COUNTRY GIRL / LES LIASONS DANGEREUSES / TOP GIRLS new musicals -- A CATERED AFFAIR / IN THE HEIGHTS / PASSING STRANGE / CRY BABY musical revivals -- GYPSY / SOUTH PACIFIC]

themetfairy Mar 14 2008 09:26 AM

Patrick Stewart in Macbeth is coming to Broadway soon. My hubby and daughter have tickets to see that in April.

Vic Sage Mar 26 2008 03:14 PM

I just saw IN THE HEIGHTS and it is, far and away, the best thing I've seen on Broadway in eons. An original musical about the latin community in NYC's Washington Heights, it is funny, original, warm, energetic and brimming with life. I didn't have high expectations, because I don't really care for latin music or hip-hop, both of which infuse the show. But the music is really accessible and engaging, and is more of a beautiful Broadway score with a blood transfusion. While stronger on character and theme than plot, it will make you laugh and make you cry. Yes, it's kind of obvious and sentimental, but what... are you made of stone? [A-]

Vic Sage Mar 27 2008 11:44 AM

Passing Strange - Another original musical moving from Off-Broadway, this one is a fascinating, though not entirely successful, theatrical event. Not quite at home on the Great White Way, its thrilling rock score and narration is performed by Stew, a guitarist/poet with a unique sound and outlook. Stew tells the tale of his younger self, growing up middle class and black in L.A., but seeking "the real" amongst European artists and hipsters, while abandoning love at every turn. Stew's younger self is a repellently self-absorbed teen, which makes the show hard to cozy up to. But in the end, you realize the story is really about the expiation of the older Stew's guilt over the choices he's made in his life... at that moment of epiphany where you and he realize that the adults we are were determined by the stoned teenagers we once were. And he doesn't seem to like his younger self much, either, which makes him all the more sympathetic. The play offers little in the way of set (a bare stage with musicians that sink into holes, with a rear curtain pulled back to display a wall of lightbulbs), nor much plot (he leaves home to live in Amsterdam and Berlin), and the music is inherently UN-theatrical (using repetitive hooks of rock/r&b rather than narrative-propelling lyrics of theater music), but the poetry of the narration and lyrics, the energy of the music, the simple power of the production, and the ultimate redemption of the storyteller, is quite moving and profound. [B ]

Vic Sage Apr 11 2008 09:58 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 11 2008 10:02 AM

South Pacific - the best Rodgers & Hammerstein revival in quite a while. Its a thrilling production at Lincoln Center, where the director makes 2 smart choices: (1) to present the play, not "interpret" it, and (2) to emphasize the impact of the score. The former is demonstrated by the clean, clear simple production elements that put the story, songs and performances at the forefront, resisting the impulse to introduce any post-modern shenanigans. The result is a show as immediate and relevant as any in recent years. The latter choice is made ear-poppingly clear when, during the overture, the stage deck rolls back to reveal the full 30-piece orchestra playing the original orchestrations. You really hear what you are missing in most over-miked, over-synthed, undermanned Broadway pits these days. Kelli O'Hara is the best leading lady in musicals today and the rest of the cast is grand. The show itself has an anti-climactic 2nd Act, but that only slighly diminishes the impact of what has gone before. [A-]

Vic Sage Apr 11 2008 10:00 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 14 2008 11:17 AM

[u:7995a36027]still to come this season: [/u:7995a36027] new musicals -- A CATERED AFFAIR / CRY BABY musical revivals -- GYPSY new plays -- THURGOOD play revivals -- BOING-BOING /CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF / COUNTRY GIRL / LES LIASONS DANGEREUSES / TOP GIRLS / MACBETH

Farmer Ted Apr 11 2008 02:06 PM

August: Osage County wins a pulitzer.

Vic Sage Apr 14 2008 10:02 AM

so it has. RABBIT HOLE won last year, and i didn't much care for that one either.

Frayed Knot Apr 14 2008 10:27 AM

Not a lot of shows have better music than 'South Pacific'

themetfairy Apr 14 2008 10:56 AM

Next Sunday my husband and my daughter are seeing Patrick Stewart in Macbeth.

sharpie Apr 14 2008 11:33 AM

Seeing Les Liasions Dangereuses in a couple of weeks.

Number 6 Apr 14 2008 12:19 PM

="Vic Sage"]I just saw IN THE HEIGHTS and it is, far and away, the best thing I've seen on Broadway in eons. I went to college with the guy who conceived the show and wrote the music/lyrics, and who also plays a principal character. I actually played in the orchestra (such as it was) for an earlier show he wrote. Really just a great guy, obviously extremely talented and driven. I've been following the success of the show ever since I did a double-take at a subway ad with his face smack dab in the middle. There's nothing like seeing a very ambitious dream realized.

Vic Sage May 02 2008 10:57 AM

A CATERED AFFAIR - Harvey Fierstein wrote and co-stars in this strangely somber, intimate chamber musical. It is clearly trying to accomplish something ambitious, but misfires. It has little range, dynamism or energy, as it emotionally exhausts you with one sad, melancholy scene and song after another. There were opportunities for some essential humor, but they're botched or ignored. The physical production is similarly spare, giving the production an ascetic quality that is not satisfying. But there are moments of real, heartbreaking beauty here that makes the show hard to dismiss, even if the cumulative effect is monotonous, without a real catharsis. The music rarely coalesces into an actual song, but when it does, its effecting. Faith Prince and Tom Wopat are terrific, but Harvey's supporting role seems inflated at the cost of the narrative. [C-] CRY BABY - This was an embarrassing debacle. We left at intermission [F] GYPSY - Wow. I don't think i've ever appreciated this classic musical until now. It really is one of the best ever, and this production with Patti LuPone is a must-see. [A-] CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF - James Earl Jones is Big Daddy in Tenessee William's overheated LEAR-like southern gothic. Unlike other shows i've seen that use an all-black cast (or all-female, or all-midget, or all-whatever), this one seems to have been written this way. William's moving poetry is what separates this from AUGUST:OSAGE COUNTY or other dysfunctional family melodramas. That Tennessee.. he can use his tongue pertier than a $2 whore. [B ] LES LIASONS DANGEREUSES - Nice production of a good play, but lacking in energy or charisma. I preferred the Close/Malkovich film. [B- ]

sharpie May 02 2008 11:47 AM

I saw Les Liasions Dangereuses last Friday night. I can go along with the B- rating. The lead guy was really good, however.

Vic Sage May 02 2008 12:35 PM

u]still to come: * THURGOOD (5/2) - I'm seeing this new play with Lawrence Fishburne tonight. I have an extra ticket. Anybody want to join me? * GLORY DAYS (5/5) - new musical * TOP GIRLS (5/6) - revival * BOING-BOING (5/7 mat) - revival * COUNTRY GIRL (5/7 eve) - revival * MACBETH (5/21 mat) - revival

Vic Sage May 09 2008 02:43 PM

THURGOOD - a perfectly engaging PBS special that has been miscast as a Broadway play. Fishburne is compelling, but there is nothing inherently dramatic or theatrical in the presentation [C+] GLORY DAYS - wow. just when you think it can't get any worse, along comes GLORY DAYS. It closed right after its opening night performance, but that was too late for me. I guess it was my punishment for walking out at intermission during CRY BABY. these producers, however, were clever enough not to include an intermission, but how clever were they really, if they thought this was a Broadway musical? The story: apparently, 18-year olds are profoundly nostalgic for being 17. Who knew? And more importantly, who cares? Not, i dare see, even other 18 year olds. The music is forgettable, the lyrics are banal, the dialogue painful, the conception pointless, the performances amateurish. this show's very existance on a Broadway stage is deeply disturbing to me. [F] TOP GIRLS - Brit dramatist Caryl Churchill's play was first done here off-Broadway, in 1982. She has a reputation for being "challenging", but really that just means she doesn't stoop to actually entertain her audience, and in this intentional omissions, she succeeds with gusto. This play is a tedious, pretentious, heavy-handed, humorless, over-long, feminist vent. It has a great cast, with Martha Plimpton and Marissa Tomei doing some heavy lifting in support of a play that doesn't deserve them. In addition, there is some interesting staging and design elements. And actually, after a 1st ACT that had audiences running for the exits, the 2nd and 3rd Acts were, if comparatively mundane, of at least some moderate dramatic interest. [C] BOEING-BOEING - This vintage 60s British sex farce shouldn't be nearly as funny as it is. But it is hilarious, by virtue of a show-stealing performance by acclaimed British actor Mark Rylance, who brings a combination of Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton to the role of the innocent American abroad who stumbles into his old college buddy's bizarre domestic situation... his friend (played by West Wing's Bradley Whitfield) is affianced to 3 stewardesses, who are all about to collide in his Parisian apartment. Christine Baranski as the enabling French maid gives another great comic performance and the girls (including Gina Gershon) all hold their own. [B+] COUNTRY GIRL - A great cast of Morgan Freeman, Peter Gallagher and Frances McDormand deliver a solid ensemble performance of a decent, but not great, play by Clifford Odets. For some reason, the show doesn't crackle like it should (I prefer the movie with Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby and William Holden) but Peter Gallagher is especially good. I don't get the interracial couple aspect, since it is supposed to take place in the 1940s-50s and yet doesn't seem to raise an eyebrow, but it isn't "PC" to notice such things in the theater, i suppose. [B-]

Vic Sage May 29 2008 10:05 AM

MACBETH - Patrick Stewart is phenomenal in this UK adaptation, moving to Broadway from a successful run at BAM. Nearly everybody else, however, overacts grotesquely. And i have no idea what the director was attempting to say by placing the action in some vaguely 50s-60s era Eastern European totalitarian state, with the 3 witches popping up as nursing nuns. It was entertaining enough, i suppose, but to what purpose? [C]

Vic Sage May 29 2008 10:15 AM

and that's it for the season. Next up: my ballot for the Tony Awards.

sharpie May 29 2008 10:18 AM

Saw "Sunday in the Park With George" last Saturday. Pretty much agree wtih Vic. Saw the original production, liked this much more. Great evening at the theater. We get cheap theater tickets through TDF. Saw this for $32 and our seats were great (Orchestra Row N, on the aisle) which worried me. If the TDF seats are that good what can that mean for ticket sales as a whole?

AG/DC May 29 2008 10:20 AM

="Vic Sage"]MACBETH It was entertaining enough, i suppose, but to what purpose? [C] By re-setting, you can say you've directed. The director who re-sets his or her Shakespeare is the one who is going to get press. The thing is that they've been doing it through much of the last century, at least since World War II, and it's become the easiest of moves.

Vic Sage May 29 2008 12:18 PM

understood, but generally the re-setting has some thematic purpose. But I'm still scratching my head over this one.

AG/DC May 29 2008 12:23 PM

I think they are as likely to come up with a thematic purpose backwards after they commit to a setting. http://www.theonion.com/content/news/unconventional_director_sets

Vic Sage Jun 02 2008 12:04 PM

2008 Tony Award Nominations BEST MUSICAL In the Heights - favorite Passing Strange - likely runner-up Xanadu - hated it Cry-Baby - hated it I would have preferred to see either CATERED AFFAIR and/or LITTLE MERMAID as nominees, rather than either of these 2. I would still vote for IN THE HEIGHTS, in any event. BEST PLAY August: Osage County - clear favorite, but i won't vote for it. Rock 'n' Roll - my vote The Seafarer - worth consideration The 39 Steps - a clever staging does not a good play make. I'd rather have seen NOVEMBER in this slot. BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL Grease - yuck. Gypsy - This is the toughest category... South Pacific - ... I'd vote for any of these 3... (this one is the odds on fave) Sunday in the Park With George - but i think i'll end up voting for this one, based on the undeniable Act II epiphany unmatched by any other show this season. BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY Boeing-Boeing - my fave. The Homecoming - some like this one, but not me. Les Liaisons Dangereuses - nobody loved this one Macbeth - this one is probably the favorite, but i found it over-"interpreted". BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL Cry-Baby, Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan - crap In the Heights, Quiara Alegría Hudes - not the strongest element of the show Passing Strange, Stew - probably the best place to recognize this unique work, so it gets my vote here. Xanadu, Douglas Carter Beane - yuck. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATER Cry-Baby, Music & Lyrics: David Javerbaum & Adam Schlesinger - lyrics are clever, but music is banal In the Heights, Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda - my vote, and likely favorite. The Little Mermaid, Music: Alan Menken; Lyrics: Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater - underrated additions to solid movie score. Passing Strange, Music: Stew and Heidi Rodewald; Lyrics: Stew - erratic, and not particularly theatrical, but a great r&b sound. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY Ben Daniels, Les Liaisons Dangereuses - lacked charisma Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood - solid 1-man show Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing - absolutely stunning comic performance Rufus Sewell, Rock 'n' Roll - great perf Patrick Stewart, Macbeth - great, but dying is easy... comedy is hard. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY Eve Best, The Homecoming - ugh. Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County - ugh, the fave. Kate Fleetwood, Macbeth - overdone S. Epatha Merkerson, Come Back, Little Sheba - not great Amy Morton, August: Osage County - less grotesque performance than her castmate, so i guess i'll give her the nod, by default. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park With George - excellent Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights - appealing Stew, Passing Strange - not so much a perf as a powerful narrator Paulo Szot, South Pacific - pretty good Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair - stunted character BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL Kerry Butler, Xanadu Patti LuPone, Gypsy - a performance for the ages Kelli O'Hara, South Pacific - solid runner up. Faith Prince, A Catered Affair Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park With George BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY Bobby Cannavale, Mauritius Raul Esparza, The Homecoming - Bway baby Conleth Hill, The Seafarer Jim Norton, The Seafarer - the fave David Pittu, Is He Dead? BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY Sinead Cusack, Rock 'n' Roll - heartbeat of Stoppard's play Mary McCormack, Boeing-Boeing - over the top favorite Laurie Metcalf, November Martha Plimpton, Top Girls Rondi Reed, August: Osage County BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange Danny Burstein, South Pacific Robin De Jesus, In the Heights Christopher Fitzgerald, Young Frankenstein Boyd Gaines, Gypsy - he's not getting older, he's getting better BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL de'Adre Aziza, Passing Strange Laura Benanti, Gypsy - she's the fave, but i missed her perf Andrea Martin, Young Frankenstein Olga Merediz, In the Heights Loretta Ables Sayre, South Pacific BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY Maria Aitken, The 39 Steps Conor McPherson, The Seaferer Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County - I'll give her props Matthew Warchus, Boeing-Boeing BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL Sam Buntrock, Sunday in the Park With George Thomas Kail, In the Heights Arthur Laurents, Gypsy - great new interpretation Bartlett Sher, South Pacific - reward for giving show its due BEST CHOREOGRAPHY Rob Ashford, Cry-Baby Andy Blankenbuehler, In the Heights - it moves great Christopher Gattelli, South Pacific Dan Knechtges, Xanadu BEST ORCHESTRATIONS Jason Carr, Sunday in the Park With George Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman, In the Heights Stew and Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange - raw R&B sound really rocks Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY Peter McKintosh, The 39 Steps - clever clever Scott Pask, Les Liaisons Dangereuses - drapes and mirrors Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County - a house Anthony Ward, Macbeth - annoying annoying BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL David Farley and Timothy Bird & The Knifedge Creative Network, Sunday in the Park With Geroge Anna Louizos, In the Heights Robin Wagner, Young Frankenstein - give the devils their due Micheal Yeargan, South Pacific BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY Gregory Gale, Cyrano de Bergerac - unfairly overlooked show Rob Howell, Boeing-Boeing Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses Peter McKintosh, The 39 Steps BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL David Farley, Sunday in the Park With George Martin Pakledinaz, Gypsy Paul Tazewell, In the Heights Catherine Zuber, South Pacific - why not? BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps - still clever clever Howard Harrison, Macbeth Donald Holder, Les Liaisons Dangereuses Ann G. Wrightson, August: Osage County BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL Ken Billington, Sunday in the Park With George Howell Binkley, In the Heights Donald Holder, South Pacific Natasha Katz, The Little Mermaid - show got snubbed BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY Simon Baker, Boeing-Boeing Adam Cork, Macbeth Ian Dickson, Rock 'n' Roll - infusing music into political drama Mic Pool, The 39 Steps BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL Acme Sound Partners, In the Heights Sebastian Frost, Sunday in the Park With George Scott Lehrer, South Pacific - sounded great Dan Moses Schreier, Gypsy

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 08 2008 09:20 PM

="Vic Sage"] CRY BABY - This was an embarrassing debacle. We left at intermission [F] Yeow. I'm glad I hadn't paid much attention to this thread when I was surprised to be taken to this show this weekend. I had zero expectations -- honestly I was only vaguely aware this play existed and hadn't seen the movie and am ambivalent about Waters and Broadway in general -- but, I had a good time. Like all musicals these days, it couldn't help making fun of itself, and the story was dumb and predictable, but I liked the songs well enough, I had a few laughs, and some of the dancing was pretty spectacular. The performers played what they had for all it was worth. Anyway, if you're an ignorant non-fan of musical thee-ater you might enjoy this too.

AG/DC Jun 08 2008 09:55 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 09 2008 09:28 AM

What on earth did they dig up that has allowed Howard Ashman to qualify for "original" work specifically for the theater 17 years after he died? And even if they did add to the film score, did they really add enough to qualify this to compete against entirely orginal work?

Vic Sage Jun 09 2008 09:15 AM

AG/DC wrote: What on earth did they dig up that has allowed Howard Ashman to qualify for "original" work specifically for the theater 17 years after he died? And even if they did add to the film score, did they really add enough to qualify this to compete against entirey orginal work? lyricist glenn slater (a very talented young guy) worked with Alan menken to write new songs for LITTLE MERMAID. here's the song list: http://www.ibdb.com/ProductionSongs.aspx?ShowNo=456221&ProdNo=456222 as you'll note, there is more original Slater material than pre-existing Ashman material.