The best way to watch a movie!
Guest Massamba Diop plays the Tama, a “talking drum” from Senegal and a notable addition that is mesmerizing (and more engaging than some of the CGI fight scenes) to watch. Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center St. Paul & the Broken Bones, led by Paul Janeway on vocals, puts on an excellent live show. I was introduced to the band recently, but they have been around for a little over a decade. It's hard to go wrong when the band includes trumpet, trombone, and saxophone along with the more standard keyboard, drums, guitar, and bass. Their sound is funky with soul, but what really sets this group apart is Janeway's voice. To me it sounds like a mash-up of Frankie Valli and Raphael Saadiq, but also has a unique quality that escapes comparison. The whole band is having so much fun, and that energy permeates through to the audience.
The Wellmont Theater (Montclair, NJ) Dadi Freyr is an Icelandic musician who is having the time of his life whether he's performing at Eurovision or running through the balcony at Irving Theater in NYC. His songs are catchy, his height is impressive, and his dance moves are amazing.
An original musical! I've been describing this show as more of a concert than a traditional musical, but that doesn't make it any less clever or enjoyable. A tight show with no intermission and minimal dialogue, SIX is comprised of catchy songs that you'll be singing for months after the show.
The Story SIX tells the stories of Henry VIII's ex-wives from each of their perspectives. The loose structure of the show is that the women are competing to see who had it the worst from the English monarch and in life. History gives a nice, neat framework with the order of how each wife fared: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. In the end, the wives band together in solidarity - it does not matter who had it the worst: what matters is that the women be remembered in their own right and not as simply the wives of Henry VIII. The Songs Each wife is inspired by a mashup of pop stars and the songs evoke this wonderfully. The lyrics are smart (infused with anachronistic modern references) and historically accurate (for the most part). And each song is a delightful earworm that you'll want to listen to again and again. The band - comprised of all women - plays on stage, adding to the concert-like atmosphere. The Performers All the wives are amazing performers, some better at singing and some better at dancing. A standout for me was Samantha Pauly as Katherine Howard - her song is the most heart-wrenching and she transforms with the song as it gets darker and darker. All of the women were dynamic performers and fun to watch. We saw one understudy - Keirsten Nicole Hodgens as Jane Seymour - but you would not have known without the program. She belted out her Adele-inspired ballad beautifully. The Set and Choreography Since this was a concert-style show, there was not much of a set - just the band on platforms at the back of the stage. And the choreography matched the concert energy, giving the show the feeling of a Spice Girls concert with a historical bent. Lilli Cooper has an amazing voice and is a great performer. At 8 months pregnant, she understandably signed on for just two nights at 54 Below. But keep an eye out because Cooper is a Broadway baby and probably won't be able to stay away for too long. Ever since we saw her as Sandy in Spongebob Squarepants and as Julie in Tootsie, she's been on my radar.
Since Cooper was "singing for two" at this show, she compiled a variety of songs that she hopes her son will love as much as she does. As she sang each number - Aretha, Whitney, Beyonce, Lizzo... it became clear that almost all of the songs or arrangements Cooper chose were written by or performed by Black women. She did throw in "Mack the Knife", but prefaced that she'd be performing it as Ella Fitzgerald once did (when Ella improvised the lyrics because she forgot the words mid-song). A couple of the songs were less mainstream, such as "Miles and Miles" from the 2020 Netflix movie Jingle Jangle. Only a few people in the audience cheered when Cooper asked if anyone was familiar with the movie that she described in 4 words - "Black, Christmas, Movie, Musical." But after she sang the song I wouldn't be surprised if most of the audience went home and watched the movie. We definitely did, and as much as I enjoyed Cooper's show all by itself, I'm so glad we went because we also found out about this movie. It's definitely one of the better movie musicals in recent years with an all-star cast, original songs by John Legend and Philip Lawrence, a cogent plot, decent acting (even the kids!), great choreography, and amazing visuals. I don't go to church, but I imagine that the feeling of connection and bliss that I felt at this intimate and powerful performance is similar to what a religious person feels during prayer or a meaningful sermon. André de Shields is a big personality; he has a palpable presence in a room, he knows it, and he knows how to use it too.
Each of the 3 vocalists (Kimberly Marable, Lori Tishfield, and Freida Williams) enters from a different corner of the room, donning elaborately bejeweled headpieces and colorfully patterned umbrellas. Then Mr. de Shields makes his entrance with a feather in his top hat, a long black and white kimono draped over his tuxedo, and of course, a monochromatic umbrella to match. From spoken word to an oldies mash-up to solo songs from each of the vocalists, every moment of this performance was mesmerizing. During one his monologues - inspired by a diary he kept during 2020 - Mr. de Shields declares, "We have angered the Creator". To me, this statement encapsulates the world's current crises. No matter what or who you believe in, I think it's clear that something or someone is angry. The pandemic, the wild fires, the storms, and the discord in our society are an angry response to our collective actions (or inaction). Whatever the cause, music is a powerful antidote. If it's not obvious by now, this was a show you should have seen. It's too late now! But hopefully a recording is archived somewhere for posterity (to be aired during the next pandemic lockdown), and there is a short YouTube video that captures a few minutes of the performance. Also in just a few short weeks, the incomparable André de Shields will resume his role as Hermes in Hadestown on Broadway. |
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