The incomparable Sutton Foster was born to be Princess Winnifred the Woebegone. I have never watched a more physically exhausting performance, and Foster nails every moment of it. With only 10 days of rehearsal behind her (and while simultaneously learning the part of Mrs. Lovett for her next gig in Sweeney Todd), Foster is truly a marvel of the theater world - and we are so lucky to be able to see her exuberant performances.
And the rest of the cast is nothing to sneeze at either. It's possible there is more talent on stage at this production than any other stage on Broadway right now. Harriet Harris is perfect as Queen Aggravain, Michael Urie is a hilarious effeminate and stunted Prince Dauntless, Nikki Renée Daniels is wonderful as Lady Larken, J. Harrison Ghee shines as the Jester, and Cheyenne Jackson plays the loyal but simpleminded Sir Harry. The list goes on, and on. The result is an evening of raucous laughter that will make your face hurt. Lear deBessonet directs the new concert adaptation by Amy Sherman-Palladino, and the energy - literal movement, and also the patter of lyrics and dialogue - on the stage is palpable. We can only hope a Broadway run is in the future for this wonderful production. Encores! at New York City Center The hilarious romp through the Middle Ages is back on Broadway! The musical improves upon the movie, of course by being a musical, but also by bringing in The Lady of the Lake as a character. Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer steals the show from the male characters (as she's meant to) and can elicit the biggest guffaws from the audience with little more than the raise of an eyebrow. This is a solid revival with a wonderful ensemble cast of knights and dead bodies, physical gags galore, and great costumes and set pieces.
St. James Theatre It's not often that a play evokes such a wide range of emotions - from laugh-out-loud funny to gasp-out-loud horrifying, this play has it all. Three siblings reunite at their childhood home in Arkansas to organize an estate sale and settle their father's affairs. Each had a different relationship with their father, but no one is prepared to reckon with the truth about the man.
The powerhouse cast, led by Sarah Paulson as Toni (the eldest sibling), is unbelievably good. Graham Campbell plays her wayward son, Corey Stoll (as Bo) and Michael Esper (as Frank) are both convincing brothers, Natalie Gold is excellent as the Jewish sister-in-law, and Elle Fanning contributes key comic relief as the hippie girlfriend/fiancé - she also plays an important role as an outsider to the family drama. The children provide another innocent perspective to the traumatic history of the family. Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Lila Neugebauer, the 2+ hour play is riveting until the last moment. Hayes Theater Stephen Sondheim's last musical before his death - arguably unfinished and not ready for production. And yet, a strong creative team (David Ives wrote the book, Joe Mantello directs) came together to get the show across the finish line for an off-Broadway run. The show is based on 2 surrealist Luis Buñuel films, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Act I) and The Exterminating Angel (Act II). Either because it was unfinished or by design, the show only has songs in the first act. As a result, the two acts almost feel like completely different shows: Act I, a surrealist musical comedy about a group of elitist friends attempting to find a spot for brunch, and Act II, a surrealist dystopian play about a group of people who, unable to leave a dinner party, descend into insanity and savagery.
The songs are full of Sondheim patter energy and the premise is funny (until it isn't anymore in Act II). The direction and choreography throughout is very clever and definitely stays true to other productions where Sondheim was involved. One memorable visual is when the group repeatedly returns to the "car" in search of another brunch option. Expert lighting, sound design, and set design create a cohesive world with minimal set pieces (especially in Act 1). An ensemble cast full of stars delivers throughout both acts - standouts include Bobby Cannavale, Rachel Bay Jones, Micaela Diamond and David Hyde Pierce. The one disappointment being that some of the great voices in the cast don't get a moment to shine (cough Amber Gray cough). The Griffin Theater at The Shed The indomitable Purlie Victorious Judson (Leslie Odom, Jr.) returns to the plantation where he and his family once were the slaves of Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee (Jay O. Sanders), and where his brother and sister-in-law (Billy Eugene Jones and Heather Alicia Simms) still live under his shadow, endlessly indebted to him. Purlie hopes to purchase Big Bethel and begin a life of preaching to the community. He has hatched a plan to claim inheritance money owed to his cousin Bee, who has passed away. In her place Purlie has brought along Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins (Kara Young), who he hopes Cotchipee will believe is Bee so they can claim the money.
For me, Lutiebelle steals the show as she tries to follow Purlie's instructions to appear as cousin Bee - especially in contrast to the last role we saw her in (Jess in The Cost of Living), Young's physicality, comedic timing, and delivery is almost unmatched on the stage. But of course Odom keeps up, delivering vigorous monologues throughout, and really so does the rest of the incredible cast. The play is outrageously funny, but also has some very dark moments. And we very clearly see why this revival is still so important in our time, why it retains the setting of "the recent past." Music Box Theatre Jena Friedman, working on a new hour of material, tells us that she was hoping to finally do a show that is not political - Friedman's mom died right before she gave birth to her first child and much of the material is about her mother, pregnancy, birth, being a new mom, and grappling with loss. But towards the end of the hour, Friedman pivots to the Israel/Hamas war (this is only weeks after the Oct 7 attack). Bold move. Friedman takes pride in tackling the difficult "not funny" topics in her comedy, and as a Jewish performer she feels compelled to find ways to talk about the conflict. She even opened up the floor for comments/discussion at some point which felt very risky - even in a small basement theater in Brooklyn. One line that I appreciated was her metaphor to try and explain why she feels using the term "anti-Zionist" is inherently anti-Semitic - it went something like, "Saying you're not anti-Semitic, but don't think Israel should exist is like saying you're not homophobic but don't think they should have anal sex." And yes, she got some laughs! The material does need more work, but I have no doubt Friedman will get there - she is whip-smart, articulate, and not afraid.
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