Loosely based (I presume) on the major journalism scandal of the late 1990s when Stephen Glass, writer at The New Republic, was exposed for not only embellishing quotes and facts in his stories, but for fabricating the stories entirely. This is one of the worst shows I've seen recently. I checked my watch after 40 minutes and was disheartened to see we were not yet halfway through. At 105 minutes with no intermission, you can't help but wonder if they made that choice to avoid an empty theater for Act II.
The musical numbers are actively bad and certainly not memorable. No one in the cast is great at singing, and this was compounded by sound issues throughout. The plot meanders slowly, though not much happens. Ben Levi Ross is Ethan Dobson, and his easy white male privilege is juxtaposed with Hannah Cruz's Robin Martinez, a woman of color who struggles to get published even once. But it's not enough to build an interesting story. And what is Scott Bakula doing here? He plays Conrad O'Brien, an enabler who sees himself in the young Dobson and ignores plenty of warning signs in favor of expertly written prose. In the final scene, dozens of magazine spreads from the set backdrop fall to the floor - and all I could think about was the poor person who has to hang them back up for each show. MCC Theater 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 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 A musical based loosely on Alicia Key's life growing up in Manhattan, with new arrangements of her songs and a couple of new ones - what could go wrong? Almost everything. We expected a weak plot, but we also expected amazing choreography and music. Unfortunately, the new arrangements are actively bad and the dance scenes were so chaotic that I actually found myself trying to look away each time. Maleah Joi Moon has an amazing voice and does her best as Ali; Shoshana Bean, as Jersey (Ali's mom) has a strong voice that needed less amplification.
The plot is overly simplistic and full of holes. Ali is a teenager eager to be treated like an adult, and the main conflict centers on her relationship with Knuck, an older guy who she approaches on the street. Eventually Jersey asks her cop friends to scare Knuck so he stops coming around, but Ali finds him - her persistent pursual of Knuck borders on stalking. Ali's father, Davis (Brandon Victor Dixon) is MIA - he abandoned Jersey and Ali, prioritizing his piano career over his family - but he's also readily available when Jersey reaches out for his help with teenager Ali. In the meantime, Ali wanders in on Miss Liza Jane (Kecia Lewis) and feels a strong connection to the instrument. So why is she so petulant about learning to play? And if her father didn't leave until Ali was 7 or 8, why didn't he start teaching her? After he disappoints Ali and Jersey again, why do they welcome him back with open arms when he shows up at Miss Liza Jane's funeral and makes the event about himself? And just how many different ways can Ali and Jersey hug each other in the last scene? They are reconciled. We get it. Newman Theater at The Public A new musical about the life of Graciela Daniele - though ask me about her life after seeing this show and I have next to nothing to tell you. We learn that she was brought up by a supportive trio of women: Mami (Eden Espinosa), Granmama (Mary Testa, giving Jewish Brooklyn for some reason), and Tia (Andréa Burns). Older Anuncia (Priscilla Lopez) wanders around a garden telling us stories about growing up and at times interacting with her younger self (Kalyn West). There is magical realism and the best part of the show is Tally Sessions playing a deer. But the show drags on and on and gives embarrassingly little information about Anuncia's actual achievements (Daniele is a renowned Broadway choreographer) despite the set up that she is expected at a lifetime achievement award ceremony.
Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, Lincoln Center A feel-good production based on the true story of a group of autistic teenagers preparing for a dance together. The characters, played by autistic performers making their Broadway debuts, grapple with the normal anxieties of teenagers, but they find facing the world and social situations more challenging, their anxieties heightened. Whether it's asking someone to the dance, dealing with an unforgiving manager at work, or handling the high expectations of parents, these kids struggle with the same things as any other teenagers - only they need a little extra support to thrive and succeed. We attended on the first night of previews and the energy was palpable, with lots of friends and family in the audience.
The main conflict in the plot feels overly engineered - the group's counselor, Dr. Emilio Amigo (Caesar Samayoa), agrees to speak with reporters about the dance and one publishes an offensive and condescending story earlier than agreed (dashing both trust in Amigo and confidence to attend the dance). In fact, everything to do with the Amigos - his misguided flirtation with another reporter, his daughter's (Cristina Sastre) decision to stop dancing, and her friendship with Mel (Imani Russell) - feels half-baked. The main focus is on the budding romance between Drew (Liam Pearce) and Marideth (Madison Kopec). So for all of the inclusivity the show preaches, the characters that get the most attention are the cisgender, white, heterosexual couple, providing much less depth for the transgender BIPOC characters - none of whom have a romance (or even a hint of one). But the songs are catchy, the performers are great, and overall the show is enjoyable. Belasco Theatre A gala presentation of this classic musical that underwhelmed in multiple ways... and at almost 3 hours it was too much (literally - we left at intermission). A large part of this subpar experience had to do with an inordinate amount of noise in our area of the audience (incessant rustling, zipping/unzipping a bag, etc). But an almost equally large part had to do with the production itself.
The plot setup was too fast and confusing, especially because the entire show was infused with an added layer of racial complexity - albeit without the necessary time or thought to deal with that complexity. The choreography was overly ambitious for a show that is only running for 7 performances and as a result the dancing was chaotic and felt under-rehearsed. The musical arrangements were overwrought and there were overall issues with the sound. New York City Center |
Archives
February 2024
Categories
All
|