I've seen a few productions of Fiddler on the Roof, but none quite like this. I saw the recent Danny Burstein Broadway production with the controversial emigrant framing method and provocative version of Matchmaker and enjoyed it. But the version currently at Stage 42 here in New York is something very special. It is performed … Continue reading Review – Fiddler on the Roof (in Yiddish)
Broadway
Review – Merrily We Roll Along
Stephen Sondheim is one of American Musical Theatre's most treasured composer and lyricist and one of my favorites. I am a huge fan of many of his works including Company, A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd. His famously "troubled" work, Merrily We Roll Along opened in 1981 and closed after only 16 performances. It … Continue reading Review – Merrily We Roll Along
Review – My Fair Lady
When I heard that director Bartlett Sher was bringing his musical hit-making formula to Lincoln Center Theater for a production of My Fair Lady, I knew I wanted to be there. My Fair Lady was one of my favorite musical from my youth when I was first learning about the musical theater oeuvre. I also … Continue reading Review – My Fair Lady
Review – The Cher Show
I am always skeptical about jukebox musicals (that mold a show from songwriters songbook or star selected song lists). Luckily for The Cher Show they have a terrific Book writer in Rick Elice (who wrote The Jersey Boys) and a compelling focus in Cher. Cher is such a rich subject that the show engages three … Continue reading Review – The Cher Show
February 2019 Broadway Preview
Whether you live here or are visiting New York you should know that February is a great time to be here. Theatre is cheaper and restaurants more available because the city is less trafficked during this month. Stop by and try it sometime. Better yet, this February has four excellent new shows starting performances you … Continue reading February 2019 Broadway Preview
RIP Michel Legrand
Got the news last night that prolific composer Michel Legrand has passed away. I loved his work, especially after seeing his film "The Umbrellas of Cherborg." One lesson you should take from my love for Michel Legrand is that you should always take my show reviews with a big fistful of salt. I gave a … Continue reading RIP Michel Legrand
Review – The Ferryman
English playwright Jez Butterworth has created an amazing tale of an Irish family in the midst of the 1980's Troubles that is full and vital and fascinating. This is not a documentary of the struggles between the IRA and the British. This is a compelling family tale the will break your heart and confirm your … Continue reading Review – The Ferryman
Review – The Waverly Gallery
Kenneth Lonergan is having quite a time lately on Broadway. Widely respected as a writer of scripts for Off-Broadway and regional theatre and recognized as an expert screenplay writer, he has had three of his back catalogue brought to the Main Stem. The Waverly Gallery (as of this writing with only one week remaining at … Continue reading Review – The Waverly Gallery
Review – Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show
Broadway theatre owners have long rented out their venues for short term attractions between major bookings. These can be for special holiday shows (like the Illusionists show I reviewed on November 29). Last year there was an absolutely terrible Broadway show (Home for the Holidays) that featured "YouTube Personalities" and I reviewed on November 22, … Continue reading Review – Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show
Review – Celebrity Autobiography on Broadway
Do you like Celebrities? To see them and hear about them? Then hurry to the Marquis Theatre for the next two Monday evenings. The show Celebrity Autobiography on Broadway would work better in a party or a bar. Current celebrities (or who are classified as such) read selections from published celebrity autobiographies. As Rachel Dratch … Continue reading Review – Celebrity Autobiography on Broadway
Review – Pretty Woman The Musical
Don't hate me. You've likely heard all the buzz about how Pretty Woman The Musical, currently playing at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway, is terribly out of date and decidedly wrong for the #metoo era. I was never a great fan of the 1990 movie it mimics completely but recognized that many people were thrilled … Continue reading Review – Pretty Woman The Musical
Review – The Illusionists: Magic of the Holidays
For the last several years an enterprising multi-magician group "The Illusionists" have parked for a limited holiday season run on Broadway and then gone out to tour America. This year it is especially themed to be a Christmas show though the dressing is rather thin and they call this one"Magic of the Holidays." I've seen … Continue reading Review – The Illusionists: Magic of the Holidays
Review – Mike Birbiglia’s The New One
Mike Birbiglia is an actor, comedian and monologuist who has had several off-Broadway shows in New York. But I had never seen one of his highly regarded performances. When his new one transferred to Broadway, I took the opportunity to see it. His "New One" is his new child. This is hilarious and Mike is … Continue reading Review – Mike Birbiglia’s The New One
Review – King Kong
I LOVE King Kong. Not the musical, mind you, but the articulated title character at the center of it. The astounding puppeteers (named the King's Company) work out in the open, making many of the creature's moves in plain sight. They jump from heights with ropes connected to pulleys to make him stand using their … Continue reading Review – King Kong
Review – Bernhardt/Hamlet
Some plays I rave at, some plays I cringe at, other plays are comfort food for my soul. Bernhardt/Hamlet is just such a play. Steeped in history, theater lore and examinations of playwrights and plays - it felt nourishing just to be in the theater to watch it. Though it strays a bit in the … Continue reading Review – Bernhardt/Hamlet
New York Theater Grab Bag
First a reminder that my short play (poster above) is at the Players Theatre NEXT weekend. If you are in New York that weekend (October 25-28) we hope to see you there. Check the poster or footnote for more information and be sure to use the discount code when ordering on line or at the … Continue reading New York Theater Grab Bag
Good Eats RELOADED
Alton Brown is one of my favorite television cooking celebrities. His goofball antics and scientific cooking explanations have always thrilled me. While I have baked all my life I only did rudimentary main course cooking after I learned from Alton. I don't much like his competition game show programs but did enjoy his Broadway Show. … Continue reading Good Eats RELOADED
Review – The Nap
THE NAP is an odd bird at the Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. The first extended and endless scene is taken up with exposition, explaining the game rules of Snooker, the family connections to come into play and the meaning of the title (The Nap of a snooker table - the patterns of … Continue reading Review – The Nap
Be More Chill heading to Broadway
You may recall my review of BE MORE CHILL on August 27. I thought it was great and was excited it was rumored to be ready to transfer to Broadway. It will start previews at the Lyceum Theater on February 23, 2019 and will open on March 10. I am excited that it was discovered … Continue reading Be More Chill heading to Broadway
Mortal Coils Recently Shuffled Off
Three theater luminaries have recently passed on, respect should be paid. Barbara Harris is someone I never saw on stage but her voice is ever present in my head, The Apple Tree musical was written for her and I listen to that album frequently. I did see here in several movies, most especially in Robert … Continue reading Mortal Coils Recently Shuffled Off
Fall Broadway Spotlight
As usual Broadway comes back to life in the fall. The shows that opened this summer have gotten pretty bad reviews so we need some good new shows. The not-for-profits on Broadway kick off early. Roundabout has Bernhardt/Hamlet (about one of histories most famed actresses taking on Shakespeare's iconic role) with previews starting September 1 … Continue reading Fall Broadway Spotlight
Review – Gettin’ The Band Back Together
Gettin' The Band Back Together is a very funny show, high energy, expertly casted, energetically directed and keeps the audience laughing the entire time. It lights up the stage of the Belasco and animates the familiar themes of middle age angst, good versus evil, redemption and being true to yourself. So that is all I … Continue reading Review – Gettin’ The Band Back Together
NYC Restaurant Week Review – Chazz Palminteri Italian Restaurant
Posting this on a bittersweet day for Chazz. His show "A Bronx Tale" is closing today after a very healthy run and where he recently stepped in to play the role that he turned from staged monologue to a movie to a Broadway Musical. Way to go Chazz. We saw the show early in the … Continue reading NYC Restaurant Week Review – Chazz Palminteri Italian Restaurant
Review – Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope
The Encores! Off-Center Series is a revival of previous and oft forgotten musicals. I got to see the final performance of their limited weekend offering of Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope. When it appeared on Broadway it featured the first time on The Great White Way that a woman had written the music and … Continue reading Review – Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope
Review – Head Over Heels
Jukebox musicals can take many forms. Maybe you just play through the catalogue with no commentary (like Smokey Joe's Cafe currently revived at Stage 42 - highly recommended). Or marry it to a plot crafted to explain the sequence of songs (like Mamma Mia!, something I still unbelievably have not seen). Maybe you put it … Continue reading Review – Head Over Heels
