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 Audrey Plaza (Roberta) and Christopher Abbott (Danny) have electric emotional and sexual chemistry throughout this dark comedy. The two strike up reluctant conversation with each other at an empty bar, both sporting thick Bronx accents. Initially stilted dialogue gives way to powerful monologues in which deep truths of trauma and self-loathing bubble up to the surface and bring these two misfits together. The play is a riveting portrayal of an unlikely connection between two regular people dealing with their shit.
Lucille Lortel Theatre 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 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 This is an excellent choice for a New York City Center Encores! production. A classic musical with beautiful songs, and a richly layered Dickensian plot that is well known to most. For this production, the orchestra was elevated on a platform above most of the action. Especially from our seat in the balcony, this made the musicians front and center - a nice framing for the scenes happening on the stage below.
Benjamin Pajak is perfectly cast as Oliver; his voice is unbelievable, easily reaching the rafters of the cavernous theater. Everyone else is good too, but nothing compares to Pajak singing "Where is Love?" Another standout number is "Who Will Buy?" which is sung beautifully by Pajak and a few members of the Company. I'm a big fan of Lilli Cooper, and she does a great job as Nancy, but it wasn't my favorite role for her; Cooper is a big, strong woman and I imagine Nancy as sleight and fragile with a hidden inner strength. And Raúl Esparza would not have been my first choice for Fagin, but he was fine... the worst part about his performance was his makeup and hair, which was oddly matted to his forehead in streaks, and his beard, which was barely there (at least from where I was sitting). His rendition of "Reviewing The Situation" was also weak and mumbled. I found myself drawn to watching the first violinist (incredible!) for most of the number. The show feels a little like it was on fast forward, and I think they cut some of the book - definitely a portion of Dodger's plot line - but the emphasis (as usual for Encores!) is on the songs. Each scene had just enough set up for the song, and I didn't mind at all. New York City Center The best part of Camelot is the music. Of course, this is still the subpar follow-up to Lerner & Loewe's My Fair Lady. But the beautifully played overture sets the tone and the opening scene is striking, with the stage floor covered in a white sheet to evoke a snowy night. But not even a revised book by Aaron Sorkin can make the plot compelling. Especially since he took out all the magic and then somehow made the plot even more nonsensical by creating a romantic past between Arthur and the sorceress Morgan Le Fey (who in this non-magical world is now a scientist).
The saving grace is Phillipa Soo - she sings and acts the part of Guinevere flawlessly and her performance is almost magical enough to save the whole show. Soo brings personality and humor to the role, especially for "Then You May Take Me to the Fair." If only she had more songs! If only she sang all the songs! Andrew Burnap is fine as Arthur, but he really has no chance when compared to Soo. And Jordan Donica (who was an excellent Freddy in My Fair Lady a few years ago) beautifully sings one of the best songs in the show - "If Ever I Would Leave You" - but the rest of his scenes as a skulking Lancelot are underwhelming. The gratuitously long sword fighting scene was definitely unwarranted - don't they know we're all just counting the minutes between songs? And the chaotic mishmash of intersecting scenes towards the end - Arthur confronting Le Fey, the knights shouting about how they want to pillage again (with the awful song, "Fie on Goodness"), and Guinevere and Lancelot finally sleeping together - does not help either. Vivian Beaumont Theater Sweeney Todd isn't my favorite musical, but I would see anything starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford. This dynamic pair does a phenomenal job bringing both humanity and humor to their characters. The production is a refreshing reminder that this story is not meant to be a creepy Tim Burton nightmare - it's a dark comedy full of hidden motivations and desires that reveals the underbelly of human nature. As much as I love Groban (and he is amazing in the title role), Ashford is the bigger draw here. She absolutely nails the role of Mrs Lovett, conquering Sondheim's rapid fire tongue-twisting lyrics while also landing perfectly timed physical comedy. The supporting characters are great too (Jordan Fisher as Anthony Hope is a standout), and the set is very well done with the barber chair mechanism smoothly delivering bodies to a giant furnace below.
It was a lot of fun to see this up close and personal at New York Theatre Workshop before it heads to Broadway in the Fall. It's not the best Sondheim musical, but the chemistry and charisma that Lindsey Mendez, Jonathan Groff, and Daniel Radcliffe bring to the show is enough to make it good.
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