Diary of a Theater Queen: 2013

Sunday, November 3, 2013

A Tale of two plays

I know, I know, it's been a very long time since my last blog entry. In fairness, I hadn't been to the theater in a while! The last time I wrote was about The Nance (which I ended up seeing again WITH Nathan Lane and LOVED). Since that time I have seen Pippin (for a second time), and the two plays about which I'm writing now.

I have never written a blog entry about two shows at the same time before. The reason that I'm doing it now will hopefully be revealed by the time I'm done. The two plays in question are The Winslow Boy by British Play write Terrence Rattigan and The Snow Geese by American play write Sharr White.

Both plays take place during WWI, though at different times, and both are about well to do families who are plunged into economic despair due to one reason or another - mostly of their own doing. The difference is that Mr. Rattigan wrote his play in 1947 and Mr. White wrote his circa 2013. You'd think that Mr. White's play would be the more relevant, and you'd be wrong!

Currently having it's debut at Manhattan Theater Clubs Friedman Theater on Broadway, Sharr Whites The Snow Geese has all the makings of a wonderful play. Mr. White wrote last seasons The Other Place which I raved about in a previous blog entry. Geese also marks the Broadway return of Mary-Louise Parker who has not graced the stage since the Roundabouts ill fated revival of Hedda Gabler.It is the first time that she has appeared on Broadway in a new play since the MTC production of Proof for which she won a Tony award.

Parker plays Elizabeth, a young widow named Elizabeth who has lost her husband very suddenly and unexpectedly to what sounds like a heart attack. Elizabeth has two young sons aged 22 and 18, the oldest of which is leaving soon to fight in France. Both sons have been raised very differently, and for different purposes. Also a part of the ensemble are Broadway heavy weights (and two of my personal favorites) Victoria Clark and Danny Burstein. Ms. Clark plays Elizabeths older sister and Mr. Burstein her German husband. There is also the small (but pivotal) role of the maid Viktorya.

There are problems with the script from the very beginning. The main problem being that the story doesn't seem to present itself until almost two thirds of the way through the first act, and when it finally does it's not all that interesting a story. The idea was to present tale of a family who lived well, and then was thrown into economic crisis very suddenly and how it affected each member of the family. It's a fine idea but the execution is very poor.

The relationships between characters are not clearly defined and neither are their motivations. There are scenes in the play that are very well written, and very enjoyable to watch. When the play ends though, there is no satisfaction. Something about the entire thing seems wasted. I think that perhaps if the play had been done regionally before being presented on Broadway it might have been in a better place.

Let us now turn our attention to the older of the bunch, Terrence Rattigan's The Winslow Boy. This play is currently being revived over The American Airlines Theater by Roundabout. This is certainly an old fashioned play. It's warms up slowly, and simmers before it boils. Though when it boils, watch out, it gets quite hot!

Starring Roger Rees and Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio, I thoroughly enjoyed this play from start to finish. This play also takes place circa WWI. It concerns a young boy at the royal naval school who is expelled unfairly, and the father who launches a years long legal crusade to save his sons good reputation.

Like The Snow Geese, The Winslow Boy tells of two sons who have been raised very differently and with different purposes. It also tells of a family plunged into economic crisis and paints for us a picture of how these events affect each member of the house hold. The difference between the two is that The Winslow Boy does it with a complete picture.

The story is clear from the beginning. While things certainly do get a bit out of focus towards the end of the first act, the writing is so clear and the character relationships and motivations are all there in the writing. Each time a character says or does something it makes sense, even if we don't agree with the choice. Not to mention that the entire cast are giving fantastic performances. Admittedly, the writing style of The Winslow Boy is old fashioned, and some may even find it boring. This is where the performances of this fine company of actors elevate the material to a higher plane.

While I certainly believe that all plays should be seen, if you have to choose between the two, I'd say go for The Winslow Boy. Both plays are currently playing on Broadway through the beginning of December. I promise to write again soon! Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

The Nance, or, how I didn't see Nathan Lane twice.

William Shakespeare says in Hamlet that "The play is the thing". After my personal experiences this past weekend I can say that I both agree and disagree with the bards sentiment. Lincoln Center theater has a wonderful program for theater goers under the age of 30 called LincTix, in which patrons under 30 may purchase tickets (in advance and online) to all of Lincoln Center Theater's productions on or off-Broadway for only $30. www.linctix.org if you're interested, I highly recommend it.

Through this program I ordered my tickets to see The Nance Douglas Carter Beans new Comedy starring Nathan Lane for this past Saturday afternoon. Now, to be fair, this play is advertised as NATHAN LANE in The Nance. The show has been playing for three months now, and every person I've talked to about the play says that Nathan Lane is wonderful in the lead role. Hell, he even got a Tony nomination for his performance.

Needless to say I was a bit disappointed to arrive at the Lyceum Theater to discover that he was not appearing int the Sat. Mat. There was a long line of people exchanging tickets. We were all told that Mr. Lane WOULD be appearing in that evenings performance. I decided to try my luck and hopped in the exchange line. Sure enough I was able to change my tickets for that evenings performance. I set myself off to other destinations for the remainder of the afternoon.

Upon returning to The Lyceum for the 8 pm performance, we were again dismayed to learn that Nathan Lane would in fact NOT be appearing in that evenings performance either. We were already seated when we made this discovery, and decided that though we were disappointed we would try to enjoy the understudy, whom I had seen in other things and knew to be a fine actor in his own right.

Now, about the play. In case you were wondering, in the world of 1930's burlesque a Nance was a very popular character. The Nance was a stereotypically camp homosexual man, most times played by a straight male performer to be overtly effeminate. In his new play, Douglas Carter Beane tells the story of Chauncey Miles, a headline Nance performer in New York City's Burlesque scene, who also happens to be a real life homosexual. Integrating burlesque sketches into the drama, Beane weaves the tapestry of a gay man living and working in the secretive and dangerous world of New York in the 1930's.

The play itself is well written for the most part. The Character of Chauncey Miles has some very choice scenes and monologues, as do the supporting players. There are problems and inconsistencies in the script however, that do make some things confusing. It does raise some interesting points, though it feels too much like a period piece and lacks much of any relationship to current events. It doesn't feel as relevant as it should.

Stephen Derosa did his best (and it was quite good) in the role of Chauncey. The trouble, of course, is that the entire time I was imagining how much funnier it would have been if Nathan Lane had done whatever he did. This play was written with Nathan Lane in mind, and it shows in the text. This will make it difficult for any actor that comes after him.

Johnny Orsini is delightful as the is he or isn't he young Ned. Ned's relationship with Chauncey is one of those inconsistent moments in the script, though both actors do the best they can of selling it. Lewis J. Stadlen stands out as the top banana and "straight man" to Chauncey's Nance persona. Cady Huffman, Andrea Burns, and Jenni Barber each turn in excellent performances as a trio of burlesque strippers.

Jack O'Brien has done his usual great work directing the piece. The set and costume design by John Lee Beatty and Ann Roth, respectively, is what really makes the show feel true. They have both created a world that lives and breathes and feels like the gritty New York of the 30's. The Nance is performed with a live band who accompanies the burlesque sketches. The movement for these scenes is impeccably done by Joey Pizzi.

Overall I would recommend the play. I think that the writing is solid even if the structure is a bit off. It's also possible that the playwright will make some changes before the play is published or produced elsewhere. Douglas Carter Beane is one of my absolute favorite people writing for the American Theater today. If you get the chance to see The Nance before it closes on Sunday, August 11th, you should definitely do so - even if Nathan Lane is out.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Ann

I was doing really well for a while in writing blogs about shows before the closed. This weeks entry I'm afraid is back to my old habits. I actually saw this show in time to write about it before it closed, but for some reason...yeah.

Holland Taylor was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a play for her work in the solo show (which she also wrote) Ann about the late Gov. Ann Richards. In case you (like me) know nothing about Ann Richards, she is the second female Gov. of Texas. She is also one of the only Democrats in the past 100 years to have held the post.

There are three "acts" in this two act play. The first is that in which Ann addresses the audience directly and tells of the time before she was Governor of Texas. This includes background on her parents, her childhood, her marriage, and her first forays into politics. This is all very interesting. Truth be told, you could have had a 90-100 minute play using just this one section of the play and it would have been a fascinating evening of theater.

The second part of Ann deals with her time in office as Governor. This is where the play drags a little bit. Since this is a one woman show, we are only given one sided phone conversations and brief exchanges with Ann's off-stage personal secretary Nancy Kohler (voiced by the always effervescent Julie White). This is to show us what Ann was like as Governor, and what it was like FOR her as a female in what was considered to be a mans game (at the time).

Some of what is in this section is interesting. Unfortunately, due to the structure, after a few one sided phone calls it becomes tedious. Holland Taylor is always wonderful in the role, but the writing isn't interesting enough to hold our attention. If Nancy Kohler had been a physical presence instead of a disembodied voice it may have broken up some of the monotony of the phone calls a little better.

The third section of the play deals with Ann's life after Gov. and her eventual death. This third section is too long. In fact the play feels like it had already ended. Though I will say that her final speech at the end of the third section of the play is the most beautifully written section of the entire evening.

Ann Richards was certainly a fascinating woman, and a wonderful choice of subject for a play. I'm not sure if she is being best served in this particular one actor version. I think if perhaps the play had been edited down to be 10 minutes shorter in each act, especially the phone conversations, than it would have flowed better and been more riveting. The first and last 20-25 minutes are excellent, it's the middle that muddles things.

Ann was written by Holland Taylor and directed by Benjamin Endsley Klein. Scenic Design by Michael Fagin, Costume design by Julie Weiss, and lighting design by Matthew Richards (no relation). Ann closed on Broadway at The Vivian Beaumont Theater on June 30th, 2013 after 19 previews and 132 regular performances.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Once

When fan favorite Newsies was beat out by Once at the 2012 Tony Awards ceremony for Best Musical, I have to admit that I was one of those people crying foul. At the time, I had only seen Newsies, but based on what I'd seen from Once I could not fathom how it could have beaten out those heart rending street urchins singing and dancing their brains out every night. Just two weeks ago I saw Once for the first time, and now I can safely say that Newsies should have won Best Musical.

The above paragraph probably makes it sound as though I didn't like Once. I actually loved it. I thought that it was wonderful. The book by Enda Walsh based on the screenplay by John Carney is superb. It's filled with heart, soul, humor, and everything else you could want from a play. The music by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (who also starred in the film, and whose story this is based on) are also quite good.

So, why do I feel as though Once should not have been named Best Musical? I don't think that Once should have ever been called a musical. It's a play that is about musicians, so they sing to one another, but it's not a musical. There is not one song in the Once that is not being performed in the context of the play. There is no moment where the characters break from speech to song and sing to further the story. There is no orchestra, all of the actors also play instruments. The music is, of course, integral to the story, and I would even venture to say that it is a character unto itself. I would not classify Once as a musical though.

Now that we've gotten that bit out of the way, let's talk about the show. When you enter the Theater, you are instantly transported to an Irish Pub. There is a working bar on stage, and patrons of the theater are invited up (in small controlled groups) to make their beverage purchases and be entertained by the "pub musicians" playing old Irish standards before the show begins.

The audience is eventually herded to their seats and the play begins with the entrance of "guy". Through the course of the rest of the play, we are guided through "guys" journey of meeting "girl", and how they both teach each other to love again. It's the same story as the Academy Award winning film of the same name, so if you've seen the movie you're in the know. The music is also the same. There is only one song in the stage version that is not in the movie.

I did not have the pleasure of seeing original cast members Steve Kazee (who won a Tony) and Cristin Milioti (who is now Mom on TV's HIMYM). Replacements, Arthur Darvill (Dr. Who), and Joanna Christie were both excellent. Arthur Darvill is sweet, likable, and endearing in the role of guy. He brings a humor to the role which is good, because otherwise many of his lines would be quite depressing. There is humor already written into the role of Girl, but Joanna Christie has great comic timing. Her chemistry with Arthur Darvill is also palpable. My one gripe is that her Check accent isn't that great and her British accent often bleeds through. Both are adept at playing their instruments, though Christie is a better singer than Darvill is. Though his voice is perfectly suited to the singer/songwriter vibe of the character.

The supporting cast is absolutely brilliant. Not only are they playing their characters to near perfection, but they also play all of the music in the show. Most of them are playing two or three instruments a piece. It's quite impressive. Anne L. Nathan, David Patrick Kelley, and Paul Witty are particular standouts.

Scenic Design by Bob Crowley is simple and effective. The entire show is done in an Irish Pub, and other locations are merely suggested by the addition of a table and chairs or a desk. It is the perfect use of objects and imagination. His costume designs also complement each character. Natasha Katz lighting is as beautiful as it always is. John Tiffany's direction coupled with Steven Hoggett's movement are stunning.

Once is sure to run for quite some time. There is a national tour beginning in the fall, though I don't know how such a small and intimate story will play in huge touring houses. The London Production is also set to begin performances soon. Either way, see this show and you'll be the better for it. Once continues on Broadway at The Bernard B. Jacobs Theater.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

I'll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers

The day the Tony award nominations came out, there was a large public outcry (well, large in the theater community) about performances and shows that got snubbed. One of the first names on the list of "should have been's" was Bette Midler for her portrayal of the late Hollywood Mega agent Sue Mengers.

At the time of the nominations I had not yet seen the play, and could not fairly judge whether or not she deserved to be nominated. Now that I have seen the play, and 3 out the 5 performances that were nominated, I can safely say I agree with the dive miss M's lack of a nomination.

How can I arrive to that conclusion without having seen all of the performances that were nominated? I'll tell you. Of the three performances that I did see, I would not have replaced any of those nominations based on what I saw. In addition, there were other performances that were NOT nominated that if the performances I had NOT seen were NOT nominated that I would fill those slot's with before I would have nominated Bette Midler.

Perhaps I should have prefaced this blog entry with the fact that I LOVE BETTE MIDLER! I've seen her in concert, her Cd's were some of the first that I ever owned as a young gay. Her performance in the TV movie version of Gypsy is gold to me. Hocus Pocus changed my life. Beaches makes me teary eyed every time I see it, and I was one of the few people who knew exactly what Jennifer Lawrence was doing in her acceptance speech. I LOVE Bette!

Nor is she giving a bad performance in this play. First let's talk about John Logan's script. John Logan won a Tony award for writing Red. I thought that was a very poorly written play. John Logan writes very captivating film scripts. He wrote the screen play for SKYFALL among many other things. I"LL EAT YOU LAST is a 90 minute inside conversation. If you're a person who knows or has an interest in the Hollywood heyday of the 70's and 80's than you probably enjoyed or would enjoy this play very much. If the names and movies being mentioned to you are as unfamiliar as the period table of elements is to a 6 year old, than you're probably not having as good a time.

This is where Bette Midler shines. She makes the play accessible to all people regardless of their being in the know. She makes you feel like you're a part of it all. The play runs at 90 minutes. The wonderful thing about it is that just as it's starting to feel tedious, it's over. It knows exactly when to call it quits. Bette keeps things going at break neck speed. Occasionally pausing for dramatic affect, or rather comedic affect, or to light up a cigarette, or a joint.

The reason Bette didn't get a Tony award nomination is because she is giving the kind of performance that you expect to see from Bette Midler. She is playing a persona rather than a person. Now, there are some very interesting scenes of Sue Mengers talking about moving to the USA and learning how to speak English. Bette actually surprises here with her depth and understanding, though the depth isn't more than a few feet deep. For the most part, the performance is kept at a decibel of 7-8 out of 10.

Scott Pask has designed the set to be exactly what you might think the California living room of a Hollywood agent might look like. How accurate a depiction of Sue Mengers actual living room it is I couldn't tell you, but it works very well for the play. Ann Roth has outfitted the Davine Bette or rather, Sue, in a very hippie style caftan dress. It's long, flowing, and could double as pajamas. The lighting by Hugh Vanstone is functional, and there really isn't much going on in the way of special lighting effects.

Overall this is not a play that I would expect to see done very much regionally, and certainly not in community theaters or colleges. I would imagine that it has very little appeal outside of New York and L.A. Sue Mengers was a very interesting woman, and her story is quite rare given the time period and the fact that she was a woman. For that, the play, or at least the subject, is worth celebrating.

I'll Eat you Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers continues at The Booth Theater through Sunday June 30th. If you arrive at the theater 2 hours before the box office opens you have a very good chance of receiving a same day rush ticket for $35.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Nice Work if you can get it.

One of these days I will be able to start writing blogs about shows right after they open instead of right before they close. Today is not that day, and next *spoiler alert* next Wednesdays blog wont be either! At least today I'm writing about a show that is still open! Until Saturday June 15th that is.

Nice Work if you can get it is subtitled, "The New Gershwin Musical". Which is not really the truth. It's a new reworking of an old Gershwin musical. Nice Work is loosely based on the 1926 musical Oh, Kay! which had an original book by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse. Both of those gentlemen are given credit in the Nice Work playbill. The new book is by Joe DePietro.

The only songs from the original Oh, Kay! That is used in Nice Work if you can get it are Do, do, do, and Someone to watch over me. Every other song has been interpolated from other Gershwin musicals. Taking place in prohibition era New York, the story follows that of Jimmy Winter (Matthew Broderick) a rich long island playboy who is about to be married for the 4th time. The night before the wedding Jimmy meets a lady bootlegger named Billie Bendix (Jessie Mueller). In a drunken stupor he tells her of his swanky Long Island beach house that he hardly ever uses. Billie, being a bootlegger, thinks this would be a swell place to hide her hooch until the heat dies down. Of course, Jimmy shows up with his new bride and hi jinx ensue.

The music is Gershwin so you can't go wrong there. Each song has been (almost) perfectly worked into the book by Joe DiPietro. Things are locked into place, but you can tell some of the pieces of the puzzle don't quite belong where they are. The book is funny, but it's a particular kind of funny. If you enjoy big brash screwball comedies with corny jokes this is the show for you. There are a few genuine belly laughs in the book. Judy Kaye plays a Duchess so set on ridding the USA of "demon rum" that she has founded an organization called "The Society of Dry Women".

The sets and costumes are lavish. Derek McLane has given us the kid of sets you don't see in Broadway musicals very often anymore. They are stylistic rather than realistic, and beautiful to look at. In one of the last shows he designed before he died, Martin Paklidinaz has given us a luscious wardrobe that perfectly evokes the period, while simultaneously poking a little fun at each character. The wedding dress worn by Eileen Evergreen (Jennifer Laura Thompson) at the end of the show is "Delicious".

Kathleen Marshal is always on top of her game as a director and choreographer. She sometimes has the tendency to add dance sequences where there needn't be any. This show is no exception to that rule, but the dancing is always so good that you don't really mind. The only complaint about that is it makes the show run a bit longer than it needs to.

Matthew Broderick is back in a musical for the first time since The Producers. He has a sweet and lovely voice, and he's a fine actor, but he's miscast in this role. Everyone knows that Matthew Broderick has a youthfulness about him that doesn't seem to ever go away, but the man is over 50. While Matthew certainly doesn't look 50, he does look about 45, which is about ten years too old to sell this character. It would also have helped if he could dance a little better.

Jessie Mueller has taken over the role of Billie Bendix from Kelly O'Hara. Jessie Mueller is a joy to watch in everything she does and Nice Work is no exception. She makes a full meal out of every Gershwin tune she sings. Her characterization is perfect, her comic timing is impeccable. She is younger than Kelly, and so makes Matthew Broderick look even older by comparison, and there isn't much romantic chemistry between the two of them, which is unfortunate.

In two Tony award winning featured actor performances, Judy Kaye as Duchess Estonia Dulworth and Michael McGrath as Cookie McGee steal nearly every scene they are in. It's easy to see why the pair of them went home with the gold last year. Jennifer Laura Thompson (who was my favorite Glinda in Wicked), Robyn Hurder, and and Chris Sullivan also shine in supporting roles.

It's a shame that ticket sales for this show haven't been higher. I'm sure the producers tried without success to find a suitable replacement for Matthew Broderick. I guess John Stamos wasn't interested. If you get to see this show before it closes on Saturday, you should have a good time. If you can't see it on Broadway, I'm sure it will become a popular title among regional and community theaters. When it closes, Nice Work if you can get it will have played 27 previews and 478 regular performances at The Imperial Theater.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

The Tony Awards - who will win, and who should win.

It's finally here, Gay Christmas! Otherwise known as the Tony Awards! It's Broadway's biggest night, hosted once again by the mayor of Broadway, Neil Patrick Harris. There will be more performances than ever this year, as shows that are nominated, and shows from years past will grace the stage at Radio City Music Hall. It's sure to be an exciting night, and now what you've all been waiting for.

Should Win Wi
Will Win
Should and Will

Best Choreography

Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It On: The Musical
Peter Darling, Matilda The Musical
Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
Chet Walker, Pippin

Chet Walker has truly helped create stage magic in the revival of Pippin. Truthfully, it should be a joint nomination with Gypsy Snyder, but I digress. Making the dance style of Bob Fosse work with the circus creations of Gypsy Snyder is definitely worthy of a Tony win!

Best Direction of a Play

Pam MacKinnon, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Nicholas Martin, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Bartlett Sher, Golden Boy
George C. Wolfe, Lucky Guy

Pam MacKinnon deserves to win for her superb direction of Virginia Woolf. More than likely to win is Nicholas Martin for the well received, and well reviewed Vanya and Sonia.

Best Direction of a Musical

Scott Ellis, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
Diane Paulus, Pippin
Matthew Warchus, Matilda The Musical

This is one of only two categories in which I'm not 100% certain of my choice. I'm sure of my choice of who SHOULD win, and that is most certainly Dianne Paulus for her stunning revival of Pippin. She has taken a piece of theater that has become synonymous with one style of direction and given it new life.

Her only real competition is Matthew Warchus for Matilda. Matilda is a huge show, and a huge undertaking. It's possible that Tony voters have seen fit to reward Mr. Warchus simply for being the captain of a very large, splashy, and audience satisfying ship. I'm putting the odds slightly in Ms. Paulus' favor.

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

A Christmas Story, The Musical

Music and Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Hands on a Hardbody

Music: Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green
Lyrics: Amanda Green

Kinky Boots

Music & Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper

Matilda The Musical

Music & Lyrics: Tim Minchin

People are calling this a two horse race between Kinky Boots and Matilda (as they are most of the categories in which they share a nomination). I personally prefer the score to Kinky Boots. Truthfully, if I had to choose, I'd actually give it to Hands on a Hardbody but that shows award is it's nomination. Matilda is likely to best Kinky Boots in this category even though Kinky Boots has a more hummable and memorable score.

Best Book of a Musical

A Christmas Story, The Musical

Joseph Robinette

Kinky Boots

Harvey Fierstein

Matilda The Musical

Dennis Kelly

Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Douglas Carter Beane

In my opinion Douglas Carter Beane's new book for Cinderella is the best reworking of a Rodgers and Hammerstein book that has ever been done on Broadway. Usually when they "rework" one of these books they end up adding more problems than the fixed. Matilda is based on beloved source material, and it's unlikely that it will not win this award.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Carrie Coon, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Shalita Grant, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Judith Ivey, The Heiress
Judith Light, The Assembled Parties
Condola Rashad, The Trip to Bountiful

It's very likely that Judith Light will win back to back Tony awards for her performance in The Assembled Parties. It's a very high profile performance with a lot of buzz around it. I'd rather seen the Tony go to Condola Rashad for her fantastic turn in The Trip to Bountiful.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Danny Burstein, Golden Boy
Richard Kind, The Big Knife
Billy Magnussen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Tony Shalhoub, Golden Boy
Courtney B. Vance, Lucky Guy

Richard Kind has won other awards for this performance and he's likely to walk away with the Tony as well. He is admittedly wonderful in a roll that is not usually the type he gets to play in The Big Knife. I'd give the award to Tony Shaloub for his understated and heart breaking turn in the other Odetts revival of the season, Golden Boy.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Charl Brown, Motown The Musical
Keith Carradine, Hands on a Hardbody
Will Chase, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Gabriel Ebert, Matilda The Musical
Terrence Mann, Pippin

Most people are saying that this is a toss up between Gabriel Ebert and Terrance Mann. While I think the Tony will ultimately go home with Gabriel Ebert for Matilda, it should go home with the wonderful Will Chase for his turn in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. This was a wonderful and satisfying revival that was beloved by critics, but didn't seem to catch on with audiences, most likely because it didn't contain any stars.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots
Victoria Clark, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Andrea Martin, Pippin
Keala Settle, Hands on a Hardbody
Lauren Ward, Matilda The Musical

It will be a complete and utter shock if Andrea Martin does not win this award. This woman is giving a life changing performance in what is usually a throw away moment of Pippin. That's not to say that audiences don't always enjoy the scene and song, but this is something altogether different. Her only competition is Annaleigh Ashford for kinky Boots, who in any other year would be deserving of taking home the gold.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place
Amy Morton, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Kristine Nielsen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Holland Taylor, Ann
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful

This was one of the hardest categories to choose this year. There were so many fantastic female performances in plays this year. It's the strongest category of the night to be sure. Laurie Metcalf broke my heart into tiny little pieces in The other place. She not only broke it, she obliterated it. Cicely Tyson is returning to Broadway for the first time in 30+ years and she's in her 80's. I'll be shocked if she doesn't win. Though if she DOES lose, it will probably be to Kristine Nielsen for Vanya.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
Nathan Lane, The Nance
Tracy Letts, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
David Hyde Pierce, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Tom Sturridge, Orphans

That's right I picked two Should wins. That's because I can't choose between the two of them! It doesn't matter though because Tom Hanks is America's favorite actor and there is no way that he is not going to win for Best Actor even though there are at least two others in the category that deserve it more.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Bertie Carvel, Matilda The Musical
Santino Fontana, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Rob McClure, Chaplin
Billy Porter, Kinky Boots
Stark Sands, Kinky Boots

Everyone is talking about Billy Porter in Kinky Boots. This is one of the weakest categories this year, and the weakest performance category for certain. The only real competition is between Billy Porter and Bertie Carvel, dueling drag performances. Billy Porter brings down the house as Lola, and deserves to bring home the Tony.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Stephanie J. Block, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Carolee Carmello, Scandalous
Valisia LeKae, Motown The Musical
Patina Miller, Pippin
Laura Osnes, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

I love Laura Osnes. She is wonderful in Cinderella, but Patina Miller sings wile hula hooping for goodness sake! Not only that, but she brings something new to a character that is synonymous with the man who created it, and not just breasts.

Best Revival of a Play

Golden Boy

Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten

Orphans

Producers: Frederick Zollo, Robert Cole, The Shubert Organization, Orin Wolf, Lucky VIII, Scott M. Delman, James P. MacGilvray, StylesFour Productions

The Trip to Bountiful

Producers: Nelle Nugent, Kevin Liles, Paula Marie Black, David R. Weinreb, Stephen C. Byrd, Alia M. Jones, Kenneth Teaton, Carole L. Haber/Philip Geier, Wendy Federman/Carl Moellenberg/Ricardo Hornos, Fifty Church Street Productions/Hallie Foote/Tyson and Kimberly Chandler, Joseph Sirola, Howard and Janet Kagan/Charles Salameno, Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Raymond Gaspard/Andréa M. Price, Willette Murphy Klausner/Reginald M. Browne

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Susan Quint Gallin, Mary Lu Roffe, Kit Seidel, Amy Danis & Mark Johannes, Patty Baker, Mark S. Golub & David S. Golub, Richard Gross, Jam Theatricals, Cheryl Lachowicz, Michael Palitz, Dramatic Forces/Angelina Fiordellisi, Luigi & Rose Caiola, Ken Greiner, Kathleen K. Johnson, Kirmser Ponturo Fund, Will Trice, GFour Productions, Steppenwolf Theatre Company

To be honest, I think both revivals are deserving of the win, and as long as one of them wins I wont be upset. It really was difficult to choose. I only gave the should win to Golden Boy because it's so rare to see a revival of this play, and it'll only be another ten years until we see another George and Martha on Broadway.

Best Revival of a Musical

Annie

Producers: Arielle Tepper Madover, Roger Horchow, Sally Horchow, Roger Berlind, Roy Furman, Debbie Bisno, Stacey Mindich, James M. Nederlander, Jane Bergère/Daryl Roth, Eva Price/Christina Papagjika

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy

Pippin

Producers: Barry and Fran Weissler, Howard and Janet Kagan, Lisa Matlin, Kyodo Tokyo, A&A Gordon/Brunish Trinchero, Tom Smedes/Peter Stern, Broadway Across America, Independent Presenters Network, Norton Herrick, Allen Spivak, Rebecca Gold, Joshua Goodman, Stephen E. McManus, David Robbins/Bryan S. Weingarten, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal, Jim Kierstead/Carlos Arana/Myla Lerner, Hugh Hayes/Jamie Cesa/Jonathan Reinis, Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Ben Feldman, Square 1 Theatrics, Wendy Federman/Carl Moellenberg, Bruce Robert Harris/Jack W. Batman, Infinity Theatre Company/Michael Rubenstein, Michael A. Alden/Dale Badway/Ken Mahoney, American Repertory Theater

Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Producers: Robyn Goodman, Jill Furman, Stephen Kocis, Edward Walson, Venetian Glass Productions, The Araca Group, Luigi Caiola & Rose Caiola, Roy Furman, Walt Grossman, Peter May/Sanford Robertson, Glass Slipper Productions LLC/Eric Schmidt, Ted Liebowitz/James Spry, Blanket Fort Productions, Center Theatre Group

I absolutely loved the revival of Drood and I saw it twice. I would have seen it a third time if I'd not been out of town the entire month before it closed. That being said, the current revival of Pippin is something completely extraordinary. It's beyond words. Every aspect of the production is exactly what a revival should be, a re-examining of the original work.

Best Play

The Assembled Parties

Author: Richard Greenberg

Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove

Lucky Guy

Author: Nora Ephron

Producers: Colin Callender, Roy Furman, Arielle Tepper Madover, Roger & William Berlind, Stacey Mindich, Robert Cole & Frederick Zollo, David Mirvish, Daryl Roth, James D. Stern/Douglas L. Meyer, Scott & Brian Zeilinger, Sonia Friedman Productions, The Shubert Organization

The Testament of Mary

Author: Colm Toíbín

Producers: Scott Rudin, Stuart Thompson, Jon B. Platt, Roger Berlind, Broadway Across America, Scott M. Delman, Jean Doumanian, Roy Furman, Stephanie P. McClelland, Sonia Friedman Productions/Tulchin Bartner Productions, The Araca Group, Heni Koenigsberg, Daryl Roth, Eli Bush

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Author: Christopher Durang

Producers: Joey Parnes, Larry Hirschhorn, Joan Raffe & Jhett Tolentino, Martin Platt & David Elliott, Pat Flicker Addiss, Catherine Adler, John O’Boyle, Joshua Goodman, Jamie deRoy/Richard Winkler, Cricket Hooper Jiranek/Michael Palitz, Mark S. Golub & David S. Golub, Radio Mouse Entertainment, ShadowCatcher Entertainment, Mary Cossette/Barbara Manocherian, Megan Savage/Meredith Lynsey Schade, Hugh Hysell/Richard Jordan, Cheryl Wiesenfeld/Ron Simons, S.D. Wagner, John Johnson, McCarter Theatre Center, Lincoln Center Theater

The show that I really would have liked to pick was not nominated, and that would be Sharr Whites gripping drama The Other Place. However, of the choices available it's almost a lock for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.

Best Musical

Bring It On: The Musical

Producers: Universal Pictures Stage Productions/Glenn Ross, Beacon Communications/Armyan Bernstein & Charlie Lyons, Kristin Caskey & Mike Isaacson

A Christmas Story, The Musical

Producers: Gerald Goehring, Roy Miller, Michael F. Mitri, Pat Flicker Addiss, Peter Billingsley, Timothy Laczynski, Mariano Tolentino, Jr., Louise H. Beard, Michael Filerman, Scott Hart, Alison Eckert, Bob Bartner, Michael Jenkins, Angela Milonas, Bradford W. Smith

Kinky Boots

Producers: Daryl Roth, Hal Luftig, James L. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Independent Presenters Network, CJ E&M, Jayne Baron Sherman, Just for Laughs Theatricals/Judith Ann Abrams, Yasuhiro Kawana, Jane Bergère, Allan S. Gordon & Adam S. Gordon, Ken Davenport, Hunter Arnold, Lucy & Phil Suarez, Bryan Bantry, Ron Fierstein & Dorsey Regal, Jim Kierstead/Gregory Rae, BB Group/Christina Papagjika, Michael DeSantis/Patrick Baugh, Brian Smith/Tom & Connie Walsh, Warren Trepp, Jujamcyn Theaters

Matilda The Musical

Producers: The Royal Shakespeare Company and The Dodgers

Matilda is the big hit musical of the year and it's very unlikely that Kinky Boots will be able to best the prestige that comes along with coming from London and being produced by The Royal Shakespeare Company. That's not to say that Matilda doesn't deserve to win, but - Kinky Boots is a bigger theatrical feat, despite all of Matilda's stage effects.

And there you have it folks! Those are my picks! Tune in to the 2013 Tony Awards at 8pm on your local CBS station to see if I'm correct!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

The Testament of Mary

It has been quite a few weeks since I saw The Testament of Mary in fact, it's been almost a full month. I feel as though I'm better equipped to write about it now than I was when I first saw the play. This is rare piece of theater that requires a time to think about what you've seen and heard before you can really make your mind up about it.

This may be one of the reasons why The Testament of Mary closed on the same day that it received a Tony nomination for best play (it's only nomination). Seeing as it's a one woman show, one would think that the woman who plays Mary, the mother of Jesus, would have also gotten a nomination, but she didn't.

It's difficult to discuss the topic of the play, because it's very controversial. Though, in a sense, it's not. It tells the events of Jesus' life through the eyes of a mother. A mother wants nothing more than to protect her children, to shield them from those who would do them harm. A mother wants her children to lead long and happy lives.

Colm Toibin, who has written the play and the novel that it is based on, has set the action in present day, which is a tad confusing. When you walk into the theater - you are greeted with an open stage that has many loose objects on it. A ladder, a real live falcon, a pool of water, a table, chairs, and sitting off center, Fiona Shaw (Mary) dressed as Mary might appear in a Pieta, or a stained glass at a Catholic Church. She is in a glass box, and surrounded by dozens of lit candles. Audience members are invited up onto the state before they take their seats to examine the scene before them. They are even allowed to take pictures.

Here is one such picture if you'd like to take a look.

http://www.nyc-arts.org/events/48988/the-testament-of-mary

Five minutes before the play is to begin, audience members are asked to take their seats. The Glass box flies out, the candles and falcon are removed, and the stage is now the home that Mary now lives in. For the next nearly two hours, we are told her side of the story in a way that we never have been before.

Fiona Shaw is a formidable actress. She has superb material to work with. The first problem with the play is the theater. The Walter Kerr seats a little over 1,000 people. For such a small, intimate story the audiences feels slightly disconnected from what is happening on stage in a way that they should not. The play would have been suited in a much smaller venue. The Booth, The Hayes, or Circle in the square are the only suitable Broadway houses for this type of production.

The second problem is the direction. Rather than letting Fiona Shaw just act and say her lines, Deborah Warner has given her endless amounts of stage business to do. Washing, wood working, chopping, making snacks, it's exhausting to watch! Not to mention the endless amounts of symbolism that make very little sense practically. The text is sometimes lost because the stage action is so frenetic.

This is the first time this play has been produced anywhere. No doubt that it will resurface regionally, or perhaps in London, and be better the next time around. This production lacked focus. The set and costumes were drab in a way that brought the show down.

The text is wonderful however, and well worth reading if you have the time. If you were brought up with religion, or enjoy the study of religious iconography and belief structure than you will probably find it immensely interesting. Some might find it offensive, because of the way that it depicts the very tenets of Christianity, but it certainly will give you something to think about.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The Big Knife

Clifford Odets is one of America's greatest playwrights, and perhaps one of the most under appreciated as well. The average American has probably never even heard of Odets the way they have say, Arthur Miller or Tennessee Williams. This Broadway season we were lucky enough to have two different Odets plays produced on Broadway. Unfortunately, they were the two with almost identical plots and thematic elements.

The first of these revivals was one of Odets earliest plays, Golden Boy which you can read about in my blog post. The other is the show that I'm about to talk about, The Roundabout Theater Company revival of The Big Knife.

The Big Knife tells the store of Charlie Castle, a 1940's Humphrey Bogart style tough guy film star who's got a dirty little secret. The secret is being kept by Studio head Marcus Hoff, Castles wife Marion, and a few close confidants. When Charlie and Marion's marriage hits the skids, Charlie is left with a tough choice, leave pictures behind - or face the possibility of Hoff going public if he doesn't resign with the studio. It may seem flimsy in description, but it's really a story about the price of fame, and the choices and compromises we make along the way to achieving our dreams.

To say that The Big Knife is not one of Odets best is not fair to the author. The structure, and the written dialogue are beautiful and at times even poetic - but not to the point of being flowery. There are scenes in The Big Knife which are magnificent and breath taking to watch. It is unfortunate that the basic outline of the story and it's thematic elements are almost identical to Golden Boy, but the man is dead and the plays were written over 50 years ago, so what are you going to do about it?

Reviewers, main stem reviewers anyhow, did not much take to this particular revival of The Big Knife. Perhaps in part to the high bar set earlier this season by that other previously mentioned Odets revival. Bobby Cannavale is well cast, physically, in the lead role of Charlie Castle. Cannavale is exhibiting his usual charm and magnetism in the role, but there seems to be some what of an emotional disconnect. One could argue that he is building to the explosive end of the play, but we are getting too much aloof, and not enough of a man who trying desperately to hold everything together.

While I was in the theater, I very much adored the performance of Marin Ireland as Charlie's Long Suffering wife, Marion Castle. Upon further reflection, however, I grew more frustrated with it. If this were a modern drama, I probably wouldn't have any problem with the way the character was portrayed. But despite her spot on period costumes from the ever so talented Catherine Zuber, there is not much about Miss Ireland's portrayal of a suffering 40's era housewife that is accurate. Furthermore, she doesn't do much in the way of adding chemistry to her onstage relationship with her husband. That is not to say that there are not moments that are astounding - the final scene in the play between husband and wife is absolutely on point, but it's the performance as a whole that I'm talking about.

The worst scene in this production is that which is between Charlie Castle, and a small contract studio player who is keeping is secret. The young up and comer is played by Rachel Brosnehan, and it's everything about her performance which drags the scene down. Immediately upon entering she strikes a note of a young Lena Lemont from singing in the rain. The type of character that is portrayed in such a way as to make the audience realize through her the tone of her voice that she isn't that smart, and has loose morals. The end of the scene doesn't come fast enough.

One bright spot in this production is Richard Kind. Usually type cast into playing large comedic parts, Kind gets to show his acting chops with great bravura and force. He is playing the role of studio head Marcus Hoff. Hoff is the type of man who comes off as everybody's friend, but if you cross him, whoa to you. Kind is striking every note on the scale, rather than playing just the surface of the character. He is very likely to go home with the gold come Tony night.

The rest of the supporting cast is very good. Chip Zien perfectly nails the character of Charlie's agent Nat Danzinger. Reg Rogers is also very good as Charlie's friend and Marcus Hoff's lackey, Smiley Coy, which is a perfect name for that character. Ana Reader, Joey Slotnick, and Billy Eugene Jones also hold their weight.

The Big Knife is one of the only plays that gives us an inside look at what The Hollywood Studio system was really like. It not only shows us how it affected actors and their choices of roles, social lives, and salaries, it gives us a good picture of how it affected everyone from their family's to agents to press agents to servants. The Big Knife will close on Broadway at The American Airlines Theater on June 2, 2013 after 29 previews and 56 regular performances.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Jekyll and Hyde, or The worst production of a mediocre musical I've ever seen.

I've seen a lot of musicals. I've seen a lot of shows in general. There are plenty of people who have seen more shows than I have - but still, I've seen a lot of shows. Those who know me personally know that I usually have strong opinions, and they are also usually right on the money when it comes to what's happening on stage. This revival of Jekyll and Hyde is the worst production of a show I have ever seen.

Jekyll and Hyde has been around for a while. The flaws in the material are well known. The book is terrible and at times even laughable. The score, while powerful, doesn't sound anything like what a musical that takes place in Victorian England should sound. I have always considered Jekyll and Hyde to be a guilty pleasure.

For those who are unfamiliar, Jekyll and Hyde is an adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson story about a well intentioned Doctor who creates a potion that brings out an alternate and evil personality. The musical borrows heavily from the film adaptation and adds female characters for romantic effect, as well as a back story involving a mentally ill father in order to give a stronger justification for Dr. Jekyll's actions. The book and lyrics are by Leslie Bricusse, with music by Frank Wildhorn.

The trouble with this particular production begins with the book scenes. The book scenes have been trimmed down to get to the songs faster. The dialogue is being rushed through as quickly as possible. Everyone is doing laughable British accents. It brings to mind Waiting for Guffman. It also seems that director Jeff Calhoun as given everyone the note "That was great, try it again, but this time read the line a bit sexier". It's absolutely ridiculous.

The staging of the musical numbers is not much better. Jekyll and Hyde is one of those shows that walks a fine line between serious theater and camp. The best productions walk that line, and the worst fall over. The trouble is, no matter which side you fall over on, you end up in disaster. This production is taking itself far too seriously, and as a result looks incredibly campy, but you get the feeling that it's not on purpose.

Set and Costume designs are not helping matters. Tobin Ost has designed a set that looks like a cross between a Theme Park stunt show and a Las Vegas Spectacular. His costumes look like the type that come in a bag at Halloween time and have names like "Naughty Nurse" and "Busty Victorian debutante". The lighting design by Jeff Croiter is fine and doing it's job justly.

Now we come to the performances. Vocally speaking, the score sounds wonderful. Constantine Maroulis and Deborah Cox are displaying some fine vocal pyrotechnics. The highlight of the evening is Ms. Cox performance of A New Life. Not only is it the best sounding song in the score, but it's also the best acted and well staged. The acting is just plain awful all around. I'm not sure if perhaps so much time on the road before coming into New York made everyone complacent, or if perhaps there weren't enough (or any) brush up rehearsals before opening in New York, but the results are just plain terrible. I had the pleasure of seeing Deborah Cox in Aida and she was wonderful. Constantine was nominated for a Tony for Rock of Ages. This was just a mess.

The question that needs to be asked is, how many tens of millions of dollars to people have to lose before they stop investing in Frank Wildhorn musicals? He has had 7 musicals produced on Broadway in the past 15 years and not one of them has made any money. In fact all of them have lost money, a grand total of nearly 80 million. Attention producers, I think your money could be better spent elsewhere!

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Orphans

This seems to be the season for long awaited Broadway returns. We have a stunning revival of Pippin hitting the great white way for the first time in 30 years. There have numerous stars returning for the first time in quite a spell, among them Cicely Tyson, Bette Midler, and Al Pacino. In Lyle Kessler's 1980's drama Orphans Alex Baldwin returns to Broadway for the first time since appearing in The Roundabout Theater companies revival of The Twentieth Century in 2004.

For those who are unfamiliar, Orphans follows the story of two orphaned brothers. Treat, the older brother, supports his handicapped younger brother Phillip by going out and robbing people on the street. One night he meets an rich older man named Harold at a bar, and brings him home intent on holding him for ransom. Here is where the plot gets a little cattywampus. Harold, the rich older man, rather than being angry at being kidnapped, offers Treat a job working as his bodyguard. Harold becomes intent on becoming a father figure to these two orphaned young men.

There is some excellent writing in the play. Even if the scenario seems a bit far fetched, some of the passages of dialogue, particularly between the two brothers, and also between damaged Philip and Harold are quite moving. Alec Baldwin comes off most of the time as a bit too much of Jack Donaghy, or perhaps there was just too much of him in that role to begin with. Ben Foster is making a strong Broadway debut as Treat, but it is Tom Sturridge who steals every moment of the play as the sweet natured Phillip.

The true problem with this revival is that it lacks any real emotional teeth. Most of the audiences is laughing through the entire play instead of being truly moved by it. This is to do with Alec Baldwins hammy line delivery as well as Daniel Sullivan's sloppy direction. For the record, this is the second revival this season that Mr, Sullivan has poorly directed. Perhaps he is over extending himself?

John Lee Beaty's set design, Jess Goldsteins's costumes, and Pat Collin's lighting all do their jobs effectively, though it's difficult to tell what specific decade we're in. If not for Harold stating they are in the 20th century it could have easily taken place in present day. Hopefully Alec Baldwins next Broadway outing will allow him to shed the skin of Jack Donaghy, or at least play a role in which he can make it work for him.

Orphans will close on Broadway Sunday May 19th, at The Shoenfeld theater after 27 previews and 29 regular performances.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Lucky Guy

When it was first announced that Tom Hanks would be making his Broadway debut in a new play, I cannot deny that I was excited. How could I not be? Hollywood does not make celebrities anymore, not the way that it used to, but Tom Hanks is one of the few remaining true Hollywood stars. It's not often that I get star struck for the sake of celebrity alone, but Tom Hanks is an exception to that rule.

The time has come, and Mr. Hanks has now made his debut. I waited in line for over an hour to receive a ticket to stand in the back of the theater (the show is sold out nearly every night). Tom Hanks was as wonderful on stage as he is on screen. He is warm and charismatic, even when playing a character with few endearing qualities (as he happens to be doing in Lucky Guy).

All that being said, the entire experience was a bit disappointing. Lucky Guy is the final work of Nora Ephron, the beloved and revered film and play writer. Ms. Ephron was a fine lady, and much has been expostulated about her and her work on screen and off so I wont go into all of that here. The play is not exceptionally good. It's not bad, it's just not anything special.

The story concerns Mike McAlary (pronounced MACaLary), and his rise to fame in the New York tabloid news paper business in the 80's and 90's. McAlary was a real person who lived and breathed, and much of what we see has been reconstructed from interviews and biographies and the like. Some of it is fiction from Nora Ephron's own time spent as a journalist during that period.

More than the story of Mike McAlary, Nora Ephron is telling the story of the demise of News Paper journalism. She is using this story as a history lesson to show how new papers are no longer a relevant source of first hand news (and a little bit of why that is). It's not that this isn't an interesting subject matter, or that the play is not well written. The problem that I had with it is that it isn't much of a play at all.

Ms. Ephron has opted for long monologues that tell you what happened rather than show you what happened. A lot of the characters are under served and a lot of fine actors under utilized (Mr. Hanks included) as a result.

Courtney B. Vance comes off the best as he gets to deliver most of the monologues as Hap Hairston, McAlary's friend and sometimes boss. Maura Tierney is terribly underused as Mike McAlary's long suffering wife. There are many opportunities missed in that particular relationship.

The play covers a long expanse of time, almost 10 or 15 years to be exact, perhaps even 20. I can understand the need for some expository monologues so as to catch the audience up on what happened in the mean time. Some other people may not have minded all of the monologues but it has always been my preference to see things happen than to hear about them.

George C. Wolfe keeps things moving at a clip and has very smartly directed the piece. All of the acting performances are great - you only wish, as I said previously, that some of them had more stage time. The set and lighting design are both great, though nothing particularly wonderful.

Lucky Guy has been nominated for 6 Tony awards. It has extended it's run at The Broadhurst Theater twice. Depending on the actors filming schedules and how it does at The Tony's on June 9th, you might expect it to extend for a third and final time. The show is currently scheduled to conclude it's run on July 3rd, 2013.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Hands on a Hardbody review

Every year there are more and more musicals based on films. This season there was even a play based on a Hollywood classic. Usually these musicals are based on familiar titles of the silver screen designed to get audiences pay top dollar to see what they know from screen on stage. Hands on a Hardbody however, used a slightly different model.

It's true that the Amanda Green and Trey Anastasio tuner is based on a film, but not a Hollywood blockbuster. It instead uses an award winning documentary film of the same name. The film follows a group of 24 contestants in an endurance and sleep deprivation contest in which the last person to let go of a brand spanking new Nissan Hardbody truck wins.

With a book by Tony and Pulitzer prize winner Doug Wright, Hands on a Hardbody pares the contestants down from 24 to 10. Though the characters have been combined into more simple archetypes, the basic story remains the same. These 10 contestants must keep at least one hand on the truck at all times or they will be disqualified.

One might not think that a musical in which 10 pf the main characters are quite literally affixed to a truck would be terribly exciting. If you were under this impression you would be terribly wrong! Doug wright has taken the basic story of the film and woven it into a story that has wit, charm, and heart. The competition aspect of the story also serves to keep things exciting.

Not only is the book exceptionally good (it should have been nominated for a Tony Award) the music is also wonderful. There are very few "stand out" song or "show stoppers", however, the score perfectly fits each moment, each character, and each level of the competition. The direction by Neil Pepe is fluid and smart. The musical staging by Sergio Trujillo is clever and entertaining. The hardbody of the title becomes a character without even speaking due to the inventiveness of the staging.

In addition to the material, every role was perfectly cast. A lot of people complained that some of the vocals weren't pleasant to listen to. I would say that this is true. The creatives decided to cast people who looked and sounded like these real people probably would. Dale Soules gravelly voice is essential to her character of Janis Curtis. Tony nominated Keala Settle has the most show stopping number in the musical, and the largest voice of the bunch. It's a shame that the musical didn't get a nomination for Best Musical because now America will never be able to see the brilliance of "Joy of the Lord".

Hands on a Hardbody closed on Broadway at The Brooks Atkinson Theater after 38 previews and 38 regular performances. Unlike other flops, this show did not close because it was not of good quality. It closed because it just failed to find it's audience. Perhaps the show would have done better to do another out of town, or to open off Broadway and try to make a transfer on positive press. It's pointless to speculate what might have been. What I DO know is that this show will probably have a strong life at colleges and universities across the country because of it's small set requirements and the ensemble cast. If this show comes to a theater near you, go, and enjoy yourself!

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

2013 Tony Award Nominations - the Overlooked and the undeserved.

Well folks, it's happened again (as it does every year). The nominations have been announced and some big omissions have been made. In addition to the omissions, there are some nominations that are real head scratchers. Let's take an in depth look at a few of the major categories. Scroll all the way down to the bottom to see the complete list of nominations.

Best Featured Actor in a play:
Danny Burstein, Golden Boy
Richard Kind, The Big Knife
Billy Magnussen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Tony Shalhoub, Golden Boy
Courtney B. Vance, Lucky Guy

I'm not unhappy with this list. While The Big Knife was incredibly boring Richard Kind was a bright spot. I had a tough time choosing between Danny Burstein and Tony Shalhoub for Golden Boy. Obviously so did the Tony Nominating committee because in the end they just nominated both. Courtney B. Vance was the best part of Lucky Guy, though I think that Michael Shannon's turn in Grace was more worthy of a nomination.

Featured Actress in a play:
Carrie Coon, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Shalita Grant, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Judith Ivey, The Heiress
Judith Light, The Assembled Parties
Condola Rashad, The Trip to Bountiful

I'm the most happy with this list. The only trade I would have made is Elizabeth Marvel who gave an understated but still heart rending performance in Picnic.

Featured Actor in a Musical.
Charl Brown, Motown The Musical
Keith Carradine, Hands on a Hardbody
Will Chase, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Gabriel Ebert, Matilda The Musical
Terrence Mann, Pippin

This list doesn't drive me crazy, Motown had to get nominations in SOME category. There were a lot of featured performances that were great this year, and this is a good sampling.

Featured Actress in a musical
Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots
Victoria Clark, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Andrea Martin, Pippin
Keala Settle, Hands on a Hardbody
Lauren Ward, Matilda The Musical

I'm the second most happy with this list, to a point. It was a very controversial performance, but I really do think that Jessie Mueller gave one of the best of the year in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Though I am happy to see Keala Settle get a well deserved nomination for Hands on a hard body.

Lead Actor in a play
Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
Nathan Lane, The Nance
Tracy Letts, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
David Hyde Pierce, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Tom Sturridge, Orphans

While I'm not surprised, I am disappointed in this list. To leave out Alan Cumming for his mesmerizing work doing the Macbeth by himself was a true crime. Less murderous though just as shameful was the omission of Douglas Hodge as Cyrano de Bergerac. I would have left Tom Hanks off of this list. He's Tom Hanks, and he's a great actor, and he's "America's favorite actor" so there was no way he wasn't going to get a nomination. He may actually even win, but he doesn't deserve either one - not for this play.

Lead Actress in a play
Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place
Amy Morton, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Kristine Nielsen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Holland Taylor, Ann
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful

This list is fine. Though it is surprising to see Fiona Shaw left off for her riveting performance in The Testament of Mary. I also feel a little bad for Sigourney Weaver being the only title character not nominated in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.

Lead Actor in a Musical
Bertie Carvel, Matilda The Musical
Santino Fontana, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Rob McClure, Chaplin
Billy Porter, Kinky Boots
Stark Sands, Kinky Boots

The only surprise in this category was that the committee chose to honor Santino Fontana in Cinderella over Anthony Warlow in Annie. In fact, Annie was egregiously over looked in the following category (even more so, IMO).

Leading Actress in a musical
Stephanie J. Block, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Carolee Carmello, Scandalous
Valisia LeKae, Motown The Musical
Patina Miller, Pippin
Laura Osnes, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

It is truly shocking and a bit disappointing that Lilla Crawford did not get a nomination for playing Annie. Make no bones, the revival of Annie is not good - but her performance was pure theater magic and the stuff that stars are made of.

Revival of a play
Golden Boy
Orphans
The Trip to Bountiful
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

This list is fine - though Orphans is terrible.

Revival of a Musical
Annie
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Pippin
Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella

Annie did not deserve a nomination - but neither did Jekyll and Hyde so, it is what it is.

New Play

The Assembled Parties

Lucky Guy

The Testament of Mary

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

This category contains the most head scratchers, but then again - not really. Lucky Guy was not a great play - but it was written by a great writer who died before her work was produced. Not only was Nora Ephron a great writer, but she was beloved by all. What is strange about The Testament of Mary getting a nomination for best play is that it's a one woman show and it's lead and ONLY actress did not get a nomination. I would have much rather seen both The Other Place by Sharr White and Douglas Carter Beane's The Nance get nominated.

New Musical

Bring It On: The Musical
A Christmas Story, The Musical
Kinky Boots
Matilda The Musical

This Category has the most delightful surprises. While I loved BOTH Bring it on and Hands on a hard body. It was difficult to choose between them, and it really came down to a matter of taste. Obviously the Tony Committee chose Bring it on. I personally would have gone the other way. I name those two shows because Amanda Green was involved with both and they both closes and they were both awesome. I'm also glad to see that A Christmas Story was not discriminated against for being a limited run holiday offering.

One of the biggest surprises was the fact that Motown did not get nominated for Best Musical. Not because it's good, mind you, but because it's making a lot of people a lot of money, it's going to play for years, and it's going to tour. The Tony Awards committee seems to have finally taken a stand against this type of shoddy production and said "nope, not this time".

Shows that received not a single nomination are: Harvey, An Enemy of the People, Grace, Dead Accounts, The Anarchist, Glengarry Glen Ross, Picnic, Cat on a hot tin roof, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Jekyll and Hyde, Macbeth, and I'll Eat you Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers.

Well there it is kids. Now all we can do is sit back and wait for the awards to be dolled out on Sunday June 9th LIVE on CBS! I will post my opinions about who I think SHOULD WIN and who I think WILL WIN the day before the ceremony - so don't forget to check back!

Here is the full list of nominations.