2014 in a nutshell

Did you miss me?  Anyway, here's a brief rundown of most of my 2014 theatre viewing.  Short and sweet.

Mothers and Sons (Bway - Golden, May 8, 7pm) - Tyne Daly can do no wrong, but I'm sure even she is sick of getting typecast in "nightmare mother" roles. The play poses interesting question of what constitutes family in these days of shifting definitions, but seems like a draft rather than a finished product.
A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder (Bway - Walter Kerr, May 14, 8pm) - Nice to see legit singing back on Broadway. Clever staging, great performances, a dry, almost British comic sensibility, site gags a-plenty. Not earth-shattering, but an enjoyable evening of theatre.
If/Then (Bway - Richard Rodgers, May 29, 8pm) - Idina Menzel is in incredible voice, sounding better than ever (including Wicked). The dual story lines, while not necessarily confusing, seem a bit contrived. Especially the whole *spoiler alert* plane crash. Weird set design that basically cuts the stage height in half, with no apparent pay-off visually. Tom Kitt knows how to write a driving pop ballad. See it for Menzel's performance.
Holler if Ya Hear Me (Bway - Palace, Jun 5, 8pm) - Unlike every legit reviewer on the planet, I actually enjoyed this show. It wasn't perfect by any means. But I found the earnest, yet wildly shifting tone - one minute hardcore street, the next minute a J-Lo music video - enough to keep me interested. Tupac's music and lyrics are worth a listen.
Lady Day (Bway - Circle in the Square, Jun 7, 2pm) - Audra is a goddess and I just needed to see the show for a third time.
Piece of My Heart (OB - Signature Center, Jun 26, 7:30p) - I had no idea that Bert Berns was behind so many hit songs of the 60s. The book is a little rough and the criminally under-used Leslie Kritzer needs more to sing, but you can't beat the score of pop hits.
Violet (Bway - AA, Jul 5, 2:00p) - Sutton Foster is just about perfect and the score is one of Tesori's best. Ensemble cast is uniformly excellent. Glad to have caught this production as a Broadway revival isn't likely again anytime soon.
This Is Our Youth (Bway - Cort, Aug 30, 2pm) - An usher randomly offered to move Trish and I to front row seats, so we got plenty of up-close time with Kieren Culkin and Michael Cera. Solid production, well-cast.
Found (OB - Atlantic Theater, Sep 21, 7pm) - Went in cold and thoroughly enjoyed this quirky musical full of unexpected wit and charm about the pitfalls of success. Always nice to see colleague Orville Mendoza on stage. The show is unique and idiosyncratic, so sadly it probably won't be a hit with the masses.
On The Town (Bway - Lyric, Sep 27, 8pm) - Huge-scale Broadway revival of the Bernstein/Comden/Green musical about sailors on shore leave in the 1940s. Cried when they played the National Anthem to open the show and everyone stood up and sang. I'm sucker for sentimentality. Athletic choreography, virtuoso dancing, huge ensemble, full orchestra, Bernstein score. What's not to like?
The Last Ship (Bway -Neil Simon, Oct 6, 8pm) - Haunting, tuneful score by pop icon Sting in a gorgeous production with a stunning final tableau. And Rachel Tucker should be a star in America (not just in her native Ireland/UK). I honestly don't understand the bad reviews.
On The Town (Bway - Lyric, Oct 23, 7pm) - With another large-scale Broadway revival highly unlikely within my lifetime, had to make a second visit.
Side Show (Bway - St. James, Oct 1, 8pm) - I'm definitely a fan of the much-maligned original production. I found this re-imagined "revisal" less affecting than the original, but appreciated the more realistic approach to the staging and make-up. And you really can't beat the score chock full of driving power ballads. What can I say? I'm a child of the 80s. It's near impossible to match the balls-to-the-wall original performances of Ripley and Skinner, but Erin Davie and Emily Padgett are worthy successors.
Fortress of Solitude (OB - Public, Nov 8, 8pm) - Wonderful score, inventive staging, the always charming Adam Chanler-Berat heading a top-notch Broadway caliber cast rocking a nostalgia-driven period pop and R&B driven score. Hope to see a move uptown in a bigger production that I think would only elevate the piece given the scope of the material.
You Can't Take It With You (Bway - Longacre, Nov 13, 7pm) - I have just three words - James Earl Jones. Annaleigh Ashford is pretty spectacular, too. Nice to see this chestnut lifted out of high-school-production purgatory and given a full-scale Broadway production.
Honeymoon in Vegas (Bway - Nederlander, Nov 20, 8pm) - Jason Robert Brown just can't catch a break. As always, a fantastic score saddled to a problematic book that maybe clung too literally to the source material. Honestly, I found my 2014 sensibilities unable to fully warm to the idea of betting your spouse in a poker game. But always great to see one of my old Grease tour castmates, Gaelen Gillilend, in yet another Broadway show (yes, I will continue to name drop!).

My review of Lady Day or "I didn't think I could possibly love Audra more"

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill

Circle in the Square

Thursday, March 27, 8PM

Warning: This is a completely biased review from an unapologetic Audra-obsessed fanboy.  Do not expect impartial criticism.

Audra and Billie

I don’t care if the nominating committee can’t decide whether Lady Day is a “musical” or a “play with music.” Just hand Audra her sixth Tony. If I had my way, I would institute a “Best Performance by Audra McDonald” category and she could win a Tony every year. We can then debate the flawlessness of each performance in whatever show she’s currently appearing.

As a confirmed Audraphile, I admit even I had my doubts. Audra’s voice is perfection, but I just couldn’t imagine Audra’s soaring legit soprano attempt to take on Billie Holiday’s iconic songs and performance style.

What Ms. McD accomplishes transcends mere mimicry. She's dampened some of the glorious bloom and lushness of her soprano voice in order to inhabit - not just imitate - Holiday’s iconic sound, style and manner.

It’s unfortunate the book scenes don’t match the quality of Audra’s performance. They are uneven and sometimes unnecessarily meandering. But Audra manages to enthrall with even mediocre writing. There is an immediacy and desperation in her performance that only heightens the tragedy of Holiday’s short, demon-filled life.

The intimate Circle in the Square is the perfect venue to see Audra up close and personal. And even as a boozed-up, heroin addict, Audra’s still radiant. Though I suspect if she ever played a homeless, scarred leper I’d still find her radiant.

Did I mention I’m obsessed with Audra?

Props to the excellent onstage jazz trio whose talents are equally responsible for the style and sound of the show.

Back-to-back “Rocky”s

Rocky the Musical
Winter Garden Theatre
Thursday, Feb 13, 8PM &
Friday, Feb 14, 8PM

I’ve never been a huge fan of the Rocky franchise but the mere thought of a new Ahrens & Flaherty score is enough to get me drooling in anticipation. That, and the fantasy of A&H writing a new Witches of Eastwick musical starring Audra (in the Cher role), Carolee Carmello (in the Sarandon role) and Kate Baldwin (in the Pfeiffer role). Never gonna’ happen, but a girl can dream.

Tonight’s performance was the first official preview since last night’s performance was canceled due to electrical issues caused by all the salt and melting snow. In a brief pre-curtain speech, director Alex Timbers explained that the two huge metal beasts humming outside the theatre on Seventh Avenue are actually industrial generators. That’s right, ConEd, a little electrical issue isn’t gonna’ stop Philly’s finest from making his Broadway debut.

Timbers also warned that the show might be stopped at any moment to ensure the actors' safety given the technical demands of the massive multiple moving set piecess. I briefly envisioned Rocky Balboa flying Spider-Man-style above the stage, whacking into the side of the proscenium and then slowly sliding down the side of the stage.

But I couldn’t luxuriate in my schadenfreude-induced fantasy for long. The houselights dimmed and the iconic trumpet fanfare (interpolated from the movie) blared through the speakers. The audience expectedly roared its approval. And truth be told, hearing that music coupled with the crowd’s reaction got my adrenaline pumping as well.

The show itself is a fairly straight forward adaptation of the movie by original writer, Sylvester Stallone (with an assist from veteran book writer, Thomas Meehan). The turtles, the raw eggs, the “Yo, Adrienne!”’s and the Art Museum steps are all there – no surprises. 

Straight adaptions usually bother me but perhaps I was feeling unusually sentimental on this pre-Valentine's Day evening, because the shared audience familiarity was oddly comforting. I mean, it’s Rocky after all, not King Lear.

Though the score lacks the sweeping power of A&F’s previous efforts, it possesses a simplicity and sweetness that seems entirely appropriate for these blue collar characters. Though I’ll admit I did find myself waiting for the evening’s “Wheels of a Dream.” Sigh. Maybe I'll get my anthem fix in their upcoming Little Dancer.

The physical design is pretty spectacular with hulking set pieces fluidly (at least at the first preview) moving around and above the ant-like cast. Even a rafter-descending rack of beef sides gets enthusiastic audience applause.

And then there's the climactic final boxing match. Possibly the most exciting 15 minutes of staging I've witnessed in the last 10 years of theatre-going. I won't spoil it, but if a real fight is anywhere near as thrilling as what happens at the Winter Garden eight times a week, count me in for ringside seats at Madison Square Garden.

Of course, I may have been slightly influenced by the unusually vocal audience that seemed made up of the cast's friends and family and comped Equity members. After the show I even ran into an old actor friend who mistook my straight twink theatre companion for my boyfriend. As if. I don't date anyone born after the first Back to the Future movie was released. A lady needs to maintain some standards.

Photo courtesy of Broadway.com

And I almost forgot. Sly himself took a bow after the curtain call to congratulate the cast in his unmistakably slurred Stallone speech. The man does look good, if a bit "pulled."

Déjà vu - Rocky, take 2

With the upcoming President's Day weekend holiday, Juan and Val planned a staycation in the city. And after my freakish raves about Rocky's final fight scene, Val immediately bought us all TDF tickets for Friday night's performance.

Of course, Val hadn't realized it was also Valentine's Day, so instead of spending a romantic evening with Juan, she had to settle for a not-so-intimate evening with me, my "date" Dylan (another voice teacher at the conservatory) and the other 1500 or so audience members at the Winter Garden.

I'm a total musical theatre dork, but even I have never seen the same Broadway show two days in a row. I guess I can now graduate to theatre Queen - with a capital "Q" - which I assume entitles me to a longer red velvet cape and at least an added be-jeweled scepter.

While yesterday's first preview was technically flawless, the second preview - not so much. Several automated pieces malfunctioned and had to be moved manually by stage hands. The actors gamely improv-ed to cover some really awkward pauses and missed scene changes - most notably a missing set of lockers that set up a running gag through the show.

The stage manager then had to stop the show mid-way through act one for about 10 minutes to reset two large moving walls that decided they liked where they were sitting.

An important prop went missing in the second act - the Christmas tree topper that was supposed to be the button of Rocky and Adrienne's big Act 2 love duet.

Oh well, the magic of live theatre!

Other then the technical issues, the show played pretty consistently based on yesterday's first preview. Though Andy Karl seemed much more vocally secure the second night (first performance seemed to suffer a bit from opening night nerves causing some minor pitch issues). The rest of the performances were solid to good.

Rocky certainly is no Ragtime or Once on this Island, but it's a solid evening of fun nostalgia for those of us who can still remember the 80s. It's also the perfect "straight" guy musical (if he can sit still through the more traditional first act). But there's no denying the real star performance in this production - the awesome set and Alex Timber's direction.

Magic Flute Tech + Tonys = Ranting and Diarrhea

Pineda Lyric's The Magic Flute

What a difference a day makes.

Judging from the Magic Flute dress rehearsals on Thursday and Friday nights, it seemed we were doomed to a very long and painful day of Saturday performances.  From the made-up blocking and dialogue, missed cues and general cluelessness displayed on stage, a few members of our teenage cast seemed to genuinely lack a sense of urgency or responsibility.  Very disconcerting for the producing team considering that in a day or so a paying audience would be witness to this mess.

Of course, I'm only talking about a few duds sprinkled amongst a mainly conscientious cast of young people.  But hey, it only takes a little spot of fuzzy green mold to ruin the whole wheel of cheese, right?

Fast forward less than 24 hours to the matinee performance and all of a sudden, voilà, we have a show!  Not that the made-up blocking was magically fixed and the dialogue learned.  That would have been a true miracle in the Biblical sense.  But the kids were finally performing, and at the very least committing strongly to their (often wrong) choices.

I'm definitely not advocating this type of preparation - or rather lack of preparation - as a viable option for a performer.  But it sure beats the agony of witnessing long stretches of uncomfortable silence between two dumbstruck actors on stage, an acting "technique" we witnessed dozens of times (not an exaggeration) during both dress rehearsals.

Sigh.

Is it awful to wish that just once, these ill prepared youngsters would crash and burn during a performance?  If these same young people always succeed with a wonderful - if inaccurate and completely improvised - performance, doesn't it just refute everything we're trying to teach them about the work and preparation required for success?  Isn't it better for them to fail now when the consequences are minimal rather than when it's their first big work/college project?  If a train chugging at 40 mph leaves Sante Fe at 4:00 PM...oh, never mind.

I guess it just rubs me the wrong way to congratulate a young person who, from the audience's perspective, has given a wonderful performance even though that performance was pretty much based on luck and improvisation.  Oh well, I guess that's what blogs are for - bitching and moaning about things you can't really change.

Speaking of bitches, did ya'll catch the Tony Awards?  I guess that's rhetorical considering my audience.  I have to say, I'm somewhat surprised that this year's Tony voters decided to base their decisions on merit rather than popularity.  How else do you explain Billy Porter's win over Bertie Carvel, Tracy Letts' win over Tom Hanks, Vanya's win over Lucky Guy, Kinky's win over Matilda...Not complaining, but it's a nice change.

That opening number was pretty damn impressive as well.  Just thinking about coordinating the rehearsals for that 7 minutes of lunacy gives me a slight case of diarrhea.  And that "Kiss LA Good-bye" parody had just enough queeny schtick for the gays while supplying enough pushed-up cleavage to appease the eight straight dudes watching.

Of course, my favorite moment was Audra's so-wrong-it's-right rendition of Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind" and then dropping her mic, gangsta' style.  That bitch crazy.  Can't wait to see how NPH tops this next year.

(More pictures of the 2013 Young Artist production of Mozart's The Magic Flute here.)

For the Love of Audra! Audra McDonald at Avery Fisher

This guy

Who’s got two thumbs and squealed like a 12-year-old girl at a Justin Bieber concert upon hearing the announcer utter the five most thrilling words in the English language:  “Please welcome Ms. Audra McDonald”? 

This guy.

Yup, if you haven’t figured it out by now, I have an unholy obsession with all things Audra.  When it was announced she was giving a concert at Avery Fisher, I went online immediately - well, after weeping uncontrollably with joy - to purchase tickets.  I haven’t missed a single one of her New York appearances (Broadway or concert) since she first won my heart as spunky Carrie Pipperidge in Lincoln Center's 1994 Carousel revival.

I know, I'm just a cult affiliation and scraggly beard short of "stalker" status.

Trish nearly gave me a coronary, though, when she called my office ten minutes to five (the concert started at 7 PM) explaining she was still in Jersey and was going to hop in her car right then and drive straight to Lincoln Center.  I wished her luck, hung up the phone, ripped open a bag of cheddar and sour cream Ruffles and started binge eating. 

Not that Trish’s situation had any bearing on my attendance.  Hell no.  But I was experiencing sympathy stress just imagining what it would be like stuck in the Lincoln Tunnel knowing Audra was emoting to my empty seat. 

These thoughts only fueled my paranoia.  There was no way I was going to be late.  I left my midtown office immediately so I'd have a reasonable two hours to make the 15 block trek uptown to Lincoln Center.  You can never be too cautious when it comes to Audra.

When I exited the subway at Lincoln Center I texted Trish for an update.  She was still stuck at the Lincoln Tunnel.  I did what any sensible super-fan would do and headed straight to the box office, left Trish's ticket and headed to my seat.  Nothing is more important than family, except Audra.  Trish would have to fend for herself. 

Because the concert was being taped live for PBS broadcast, the usher gestapo was out in full force exclaiming, “No late entry.  You cannot leave the theatre once the performance has started.  There is no intermission.”  These weren’t your typical grumpy, elderly ushers.  Oh no, for a live Audra taping you get burly, secret service types in tuxes with white, curly phone-cord earpieces.

Since the concert was also a benefit for Lincoln Center, the audience skewed into two very distinct demographics.  Seated up front with their stretched-faced wives were the wealthy elite, all tuxedos and bored expressions.  Sure, they had an idea who Audra was - "that black woman from the TV show" - but they weren't true fans.  Meanwhile, the more youthful, skinny-legged-pant-wearing, theatre nerd contingent was scattered about, delegated to the rear orchestra and balconies. 

At 7 PM on the dot, the house lights went down and the concert began.  Huh?  Lincoln Center?  Gala event?  Wealthy New Yorkers?  On time?

Trish’s unused seat mocked me with its empty stare, but once Audra uttered her first sung phrase, “I happen to like New York…” everything else became irrelevant.  By the end of Audra’s second number (her now signature version of Jason Robert Brown's “Stars and the Moon”) I resigned myself to the fact that Trish was going to miss the concert, leaving me with a super convenient place to lay out my coat and bag.

Then as if on cue, the back doors swung open during our applause and a horde of latecomers came streaming through.  According to Trish, there were so many rich, privileged old people screaming and complaining about not being permitted late entry, the house managers had no choice but to let them in.

Regarding Audra’s performance, well, what can I say?  She was, as usual, magnificent and looked gorgeous in a teal gown.  Here's the NY Times' rave.  My only disappointment was that she didn't perform much new material.  Tonight's program was largely a repeat of her 2011 Carnegie Hall concert which also happens to be the material included in her upcoming new release "Go Back Home."  Even so, Trish and I were in tears as soon as Audra started in on the 9/11-themed "I'll Be Here."  And I have a feeling in about six months casting directors all over the country will want to shoot themselves after Audra's rendition of Goldrich & Heisler's "Baltimore" makes the song an audition staple.

Unfortunately, the sound in the theatre was pitiful.  You'd think the nation's premier performing arts venue would have some idea about setting sound levels for a solo singer and orchestra, but apparently not.  There was loud microphone feedback during a couple of very dramatic musical moments.  And for most of the concert, it sounded like Audra was singing into the mouth of a very large cave - all muffled and echo-y.

Oh well, Audra is still Audra.  Hopefully, they'll be able to do some magic in the editing room before the "Live from Lincoln Center" telecast.  I'm setting my DVR right now.

Cinderella on Broadway (finally) and my other musical obsession (sorry Audra)

Cinderella
Broadway Theatre
Thursday, March 7, 7pm

I have just two words for you – Victoria Clark.  She could add class to a mud wrestling tournament at the Alabama State Fair.  But I’m getting ahead of myself. 

With all the talk about a glossy new book and a modernized, empowered Cinderella, Trish and I took our seats in the nosebleed section (thanks, TDF) expecting a hot mess.  Instead, we were happily surprised to find the charming core of R+H’s show still intact. 

For the show’s first Broadway mounting (it was originally written and produced as a TV special), the R+H estate decided to gussy up the original by tossing out the existing book and raiding their own catalogue to fill out the score. 

Okay, some of the added left-leaning rhetoric is a bit heavy-handed.  A new character, political rabble-rouser Jean-Michel, seems to have wandered onstage from a touring production of Les Mis.  Regardless, I was still charmed by the production. 

You’d think hiring the campy Douglas Carter Beane (Little Dog Laughed, Xanadu and the screenplay of To Wong Foo…) to write the new book would all but guarantee that at least one of the stepsisters be played by a drag queen snapping, “You best clean out that fire place, gurl.”  Thankfully, he’s turned downt the camp factor several notches in favor of a healthy smattering of hilarious, if anachronistic, one-liners.

Granted, Beane’s sometimes self-referential, snarky writing style isn’t exactly a perfect fit for the earnest simplicity of Hammerstein’s lyrics.  But I’m sure the only thing the producers had in mind was how to keep a new generation of audience member reared on South Park and The Simpsons, to sit still for two hours.  A prime example of this degradation of audience etiquette came during the first act finale when the woman sitting directly behind us answered her cell phone. 

“I’m at a show.  No, I’m actually in the theatre watching a Broadway show right now.   Sorry, I can’t talk because it’s distracting to the people around me.”

I shit you not.  Moving on…

The familiar plot remains essentially the same though the King and Queen have been axed in favor of an evil counselor for the prince, one stepsister is now sympathetic to Cinderella's plight and there is now a romantic sub-plot between the "good" stepsister and Jean-Michel.

As for the physical production, it's all about the costumes.  The onstage transformations are off the hook.  Torn rags somehow instantaneously morph into voluminous gowns.  The moment Prince Topher sets eyes on Ella in her first white gown (yes, Beane’s gone for a hipper shortening of both the lead characters’ names), I was practically verklempt - though not really a surprise considering I cry at the opening of a Walmart.

When the Fairy God Mother presents Ella with a pair of glittering Italian glass slippers, some crazy queen in the balcony actually gasped out loud, causing a wave of tittering across the theatre.  And no, that queen was not me.

Just hand William Ivey Long the Tony now for his costume designs.

Laura Osnes’ Cinderella is sincere, charming and refreshingly irony-free and she sings the score beautifully.  Santino Fontana (Prince Topher) may not have traditional leading man looks (though from our rear balcony seats he looked just fine), but he has a boyish, goofy charm and sense of humor that won me over.  And that voice.  Dreamy.

I already mentioned Victoria Clark, but I need to gush again because her voice is just perfection.

My ultimate fantasy?  Victoria Clark, Audra McDonald and Carolee Carmello singing “I Will Never Leave You” from Side Show as a trio.  I dare you to come up with a combination that tops that on the gay-meter.

A double dose of Porgy and Audra...um, I mean Bess, and quick thoughts on Leap of Faith

My unholy obsession with Audra McDonald continues.  Not only have I already seen the current revival of Porgy and Bess twice, but twice within three days!!  Yes, I'm practically a stalker.  I'm not even kidding.  Just ask Trish about my strange and elaborate plan for Audra's performance at my funeral.  There won't be a dry eye in St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Given this obsession, you should take anything I say in this review with a grain of salt, because I would never, ever say anything negative about the lovely Audra.  And thanks to TDF, I was able to get a double dose of that luminous voice last week.

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess
Richard Rodgers Theatre
Tuesday, May 15 @ 7pm
Thursday, May 17 @ 8pm

Given Sondheim's scathing letter to The New York Times flaming Audra and director Diane Paulus for thinking they could "improve" Gershwin's masterpiece, I had mixed feelings going into the theatre.  Besides Audra, Sondheim is the other musical theatre icon I blindly worship.  Would this little tiff cause me to make the ultimate Sophie's choice?  Thankfully, no. 

The controversy surrounding the revival has since died down.  Paulus and team dropped the most radical of the talked about changes (an added happy ending), opting instead for the less radical addition of dialogue in place of the recitative.

Originally, I was going to first-act the show Tuesday night, thinking I'd sit through the whole thing on Thursday with Trish and Chris Grimm (our Billy Bigelow in Carousel who I was taking as a graduation gift - congrats!).  But I was in tears (in a good way) after "Bess, You Is My Woman" and I couldn't bring myself to leave at intermission.

Hearing those legit voices singing that romantic Gershwin score only made me long for the days before the American Idol-ization of Broadway, when gorgeous, trained voices could impress without riffing and screeching their way through a score.

And for those who thinks classic musicals are old fashioned and quaint, well, they obviously don't have a clue.  How many shows in the past twenty years include two gruesome on-stage murders, an extended rape sequence, a main character who's a slut and a drug addict and a not-so-happy ending? 

For Broadway standards, the singing is impeccable.  It's not opera caliber, but you'll likely never hear that quality of singing on a Broadway stage ever again.  The ensemble sound is gorgeous and the harmonies are breathtaking. Thank you again, George Gershwin.

The acting is also first rate.  Which only makes me wonder why other shows can't be cast with better singers.  Usually, the argument is that the director chooses an actor who sings over a singing actor, presuming that someone with an incredibly beautiful voice probably can't act with equal proficiency.  But that didn't seem to be an issue in this case.  So what's the deal, casting directors?!

Audra, of course, is glorious and should already make room on her bookshelf for a fifth Tony.  Norm Lewis, besides being the nicest guy on Broadway (he met me once years ago and will still stop and greet me by name whenever I run into him on the street) sounds better than ever and his character's transformation from vulnerable cripple to courageous hero is impressive.

Like me, Chris and Trish were in tears throughout, as was most of the audience.  With the exception of the recent revival of The Normal Heart and the first 10 minutes of The Lion King, I have not seen anything on Broadway more moving or thrilling. 

My only complaint would be with the sound design.  Though the orchestra is large by Broadway standards, it sounds thin and tinny through the house speakers and doesn't match the lush vocals coming from the stage.  And though I'm usual fine with a minimalist esthetic when it comes to set design, I don't think this production benefits from a stripped down approach, especially in the picnic scene.  A big white, sheet and a a sad, little bush?  That's the best you could come up with?  Oh well, I guess that's two complaints.  Who cares, Audra's in it!

Leap of Faith
St. James Theatre
Thursday, April 12, 8pm performance

I must be getting less critical in my old age, because I actually liked Leap of Faith.  Yes, it opened and closed in a hot second and the reviews were unanimous pans, but I enjoyed myself.

It's not a classic by any standards, but the story was engaging, the music was fun and it had a wonderful cast.  Trust me, I've seen Dance of the Vampires, High Fidelity, Nick & Nora and Lestat - I know bad. 

I think LOF may have suffered from premature show-jaculation.  That's not a technical term, by the way, I just made it up.  Instead of taking time to really work out the kinks and fine tune the book and score after its initial out of town tryout, they decided to rush into production months early because the St. James opened up (thanks to the forgettable On A Clear Day... revival's early closing).

Though Menken's score isn't on par with his early Disney days, he knows how to write a catchy tune and how to make a power ballad land.  He understands how a show tune needs to develop and how it works dramatically within the structure of a musical.  These are skills missing from much of the current pop music crossover artists who, though I applaud their ambition, don't really care to learn the history or fundamentals of theatre composing.  By definition, innovation requires understanding of what has come before.  I'm all for change, but why repeat the mistakes of your predecessors out of ignorance?

Anyway, off my high horse. 

As has been written in many of the reviews, the story generously borrows from The Music Man and 110 in the Shade.  This didn't really bother me, because the setting and period change were enough of a twist to keep me interested. 

Raul Esparza is in his regular intense-but-tyring-not-to-seem-intense mode.  He's probably not ideal for the role (I'd have gone Brian d'Arcy James or even Eric McCormack for some star power.  Can Bradley Cooper sing?  Hmmmm?) but he's always consistently great.  As Esparza's love interest, Jessica Phillips is a great match vocally and has a sincerity and warmth that was totally missing from her performance in Priscilla (maybe her awful Australian accent was the culprit).  As Esparza's stage sister, Kendra Kassebaum adds a likability factor to a somewhat under-written character. 

If the show can overcome the stigma of its quick Broadway demise, I can see it being a staple at the regional houses.

I'd go "straight" for Audra McDonald...

Well, as long as she'd agree to an open relationship.  There are certain lines even I won't cross.  And I've crossed many - don't ask.

As expected, Ms. McDonald looked and sounded glorious at her Carnegie Hall recital Saturday night, a coming home of sorts after abandoning the East Coast for TV land.  I forgive her.  Although I would have at least be-dazzled that shoulder strap or added a big, shiny necklace to that gown.  But I'm being petty, which is what we gays do best.

Backed by a chamber orchestra and jazz trio, she performed for nearly two intermissionless hours, casually bantering between numbers and making the huge auditorium feel cozy and intimate.

She stirred the crowd into a frenzy by opening with "I Happen to Like New York", had us nodding in knowing laughter with selections from "Craigslistlieder" (and me hoping I wouldn't be assaulted by one of my own ads) and stiffling back tears with the 9/11-themed "I'll Be Here" from Adam Gwon's new musical, Ordinary Days. 

Audra should run for president of the world.  Why?  Her audience was the most diverse group I've seen anywhere - gay/straight, black/white, old/young, hip/conservative.  She could unite the world through showtunes (that might possibly be the gayest sentence I've ever typed).

I haven't been to Carnegie Hall in years and though the steep rake is wonderful for sightlines, those steps into the balcony are crazy tall.  There should at least be a warning at the top of the stairs.  I almost fell forward and rolled right down off the balcony.  I can just picture it raining little old ladies in the orchestra section.

Luckily, I'll be able to fuel my Audra obsession at least through next year with her Broadway return in Porgy and Bess this winter and at her NJPAC concert on April 20.  Buy your tickets now!

I've linked to the NY Times review which goes into more detail about her set list. 

Carnegie Hall

Saturday, October 22

8pm performance

Carolee

Many of you know about my un-holy obsession with Audra MacDonald.  But many of you may not be aware of my other, more subtle fanaticism for Broadway singer/actress Carolee Carmello.  Unlike Audra, Carolee doesn’t appear on a weekly National TV show (yet) so her adoration by the masses may not quite be so ubiquitous. 

Last Thursday as Trish and I wandered through the Bryant Park Holiday Shops (exiting the Kate Spade booth to be exact) we stumbled upon the tree lighting ceremony.  The usual cute (but awful) school groups performed as well as casts from a couple of Broadway shows.  No biggie, right?  Well, after the cast of Rock of Ages screamed through a couple of 80’s covers, the MC started the following introduction: 

MC:

Next up is a Broadway actress who’s starred in Mammia Mia, Lestat…

Me (squealing like a tweener at a Justin Bieber concert):  

CAROLEE CARMELLO! 

Yes, I know, that very well may have been the gayest moment of my life.

Regardless, Trish and I were giddy with delight as the many tourists around us surely wondered, “Who the hell is Carolee Carmello and why are these two crazy Asians flipping their shit?”  They obviously have never experienced the magic that is Carolee. 

I, of course, was hoping for her crazy high belt version of “Do You Hear What I Hear.”  (See below and listen through the end for the juicy belting.)


 
Instead, he announced “Oh, Holy Night.”  Even better.  Trish whipped out her cell phone and started filming the historic event.  You’ll have to check back soon when Trish’s figured out how to download the video so I can post.  We give a blow-by-blow complete with cut-away shots of our facial expressions.  Priceless.

Needless to say, Ms. Carmello was fabulous even though her last belted “di-VINE” was a little wonky.  But hey, it was cold outside. 

If you ever get a chance to see her in action, do not miss it.

Broadway in DC - a hot mess

The current PBS special taped at the White House is a valiant attempt to legitimize Broadway as an art form.  But I don’t think we won any converts on this one.  The show could easily have been subtitled “When bad song choices happen to good people.”  From the cheese-tastic faux jazz riffing of Brian D’Arcy James in Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” to the painful off-tune screaming of Idina Menzel in the now cliché “What I Did for Love” - bad choices abound (and I’m a fan of both).  The sole shining moments were (unsurprisingly) provided by the Goddess, Audra MacDonald.  Yes, I do worship at the shrine of Audra, but let’s face it, she performed in a plane far and above everyone else.

Stritchie could have hit it out of the park if she could remember lyrics.  Did someone blackmail her into singing “I’m Still Here”?  The woman is theater royalty, but she is ancient and known for “inconsistent” memory as of late, so why straddle her with verse after verse of tricky Sondheim lyrics?  In her defense, no one but La Stritch could blow lyric after lyric and still have the audience eating out of her hand.

And that 12 year old girl?  Hello - Barack’s black, so we have to get a little black girl to sing at his event?  We have plenty of girls at the Conservatory who can sing and act circles around her.  It’s national TV, folks, someone coach those robot arms out of her.  This is not the 8^th grade talent show.

In the theater Chad Kimball sounded magnificent, at the White House he sounded tired.  Karen Olivo needed to dial it down four notches for the TV camera.  The Hairspray number was fun, but didn’t excite like it did in the theatre. 

I know, I sound like a big ole jaded theatre queen - which I guess I am - but this is a nationally televised event.  To me, it was a missed opportunity to market the shit out of Broadway and make people think, “Hey, this Broadway thing looks interesting.  Maybe I should give it a try.”  Instead, we get an under-rehearsed, mish mash of unrealized opportunity.  Where were Patti, Bernie, Cheno & Hayes, Carolee, Murney, Stokes?   I’m sure the producers wanted to showcase new talent, but at least give them material and arrangements that excite.  How about D’Arcy James singing a real swinging tune like “Lady is a Tramp,” Olivo singing something from In The Heights or Menzel singing something subtle (does she do subtle?).

And we can’t even blame some idiot TV producer since it was produced by Broadway mega-producer Margo Lion and directed by Goerge C. Wolfe.   Oh well, the back-up combo kicked ass.

Ragtime

Having been recently inundated with enjoyable but mediocre Broadway fare - Memphis, Finian’s, et al - it was almost shocking to watch the visually stunning and dramatically engaging revival of Ragtime. I’ve always been partial to the score, filled with bombastic anthems (ironically the main complaint of the haters) and dense choral music. But the current revival successfully brings the show down to a human level without losing its grand scale. In its original run at the cavernous Hilton Theatre, all hope of character nuance was lost due to the sheer distance most of the audience sat from the stage. Facial expressions? Fuggedaboudit. The cast were merely shmata-clad ants scurrying across that massive stage. The gorgeous music and sheer scope of the piece held the audience’s interest. At the smaller Neil Simon, we can finally fully appreciate the score, performances and amazingly clear, streamlined book whittled from the dense original novel.

I ain’t gonna’ lie. I do miss the original Graziela Daniele staging of the opening number, but Marcia Milgrom Dodge’s new staging and direction have other stunning moments, namely the first tear-jerking moment in Act 1 - the culmination of "New Music" - and the wall of silhouettes in the slum scene. I excuse some other “over” directed moments (those pointless red wheels in the Henry Ford section and the way-too-literal ice skating couples in "Gliding") because overall, the production is just so damn good. Step away from the props, Marcia, leave them for Stro.

The new cast members match or surpass the iconic performances of the originals, the exception being Sarah Umoh as Sarah. While her performance is solid, she’s no Audra. Get thee to a vocal coach! There is never a need to belt every single note. And that collapse after “…buried my heard in the ground” - a bit much. I do, however, love Christiane Noll’s portrayal of Mother. Though perhaps lacking the chocolate-y thick power belt of Mazzie, her characterization is complex and moving. Watching her fall out of love with Father and in love with Tateh is equal parts heartbreak and joy. Bobbie Steggert as Younger Brother is, excuse the cliché, revelatory. I admit, the character didn’t register much for me in the original production. But here, his portrait of a troubled young man unraveling is sad and disturbing. He is now the emotional impetus that propels the rest of the story lines along. Quentin Earl Darrington is a more human and likable Coalhouse. To me, he comes off warm and approachable, unlike Stokes’ regal, almost pompous portrayal. Sure, he has a couple of flat notes, but he has a warmth and natural roundness to his sound that Stokes lacks. To me, it always sounds like Stokes is thinking about how great he sounds.

Other pluses - a full orchestra (there’s a friggin’ harp in the pit and the orchestra actually tunes before the curtain goes up) and 40 (!!) cast members. Who knows when Broadway economics will allow that to happen again?

My dream replacement cast would be Carolee Carmello as Mother and the now way-too-old John Cullum as Father. And I don’t care how old she looks, bring back Audra!

I heart Audra!

Her concert at NJPAC Saturday night was truly amazing. I honestly couldn’t stop smiling the entire evening. I was giddy like a 12 year old at a Hannah Montana concert. Two hours of solo material and two encores were just not enough for this Audra-phile. Did I mention that I LOVE Audra? Yes, I’m obsessed. Not in a John Hinckley way, but in more of an Altarholics way. It’s not like I want a lock of her hair or her toenail clippings, but I haven’t missed a NYC performance since her first magnificent (getting tired of the hyperbole? Too bad, it’s gonna’ keep on coming) performance on Broadway in Carousel. That’s actually a lie. I skipped Raisin in the Sun on principle because of the casting of Diddy/P Diddy/Puff Daddy/Puffy/Sean Combs -whatever the hell he goes by now - in the leading role. Really, how many name changes can one go through before coming off as just plain silly? Can you say identity crisis? And if you’re going to change your name, why would you choose “Puffy”? Anyway, witnessing the perfection that is Audra - did I mention that I LOVE Audra? - didn’t come without its trials. Trish and I risked life and limb to venture into downtown Newark, which resembles those old black and white pictures of seedy 42nd Street from the 70’s with all the prostitutes and crack heads. “If you got rid of those homeless people, these building would be so pretty,” was Trish’s reaction to our downtown excursion as I checked to make sure the car doors were locked.

The reason I’m obsessed with Audra is that she is such an incredible actress whose acting never interferes with the quality of her singing. She never “sacrifices” her sound for the performance, yet still manages to act circles around most other actresses and singers. She can make you cry with her performance, but if you closed your eyes, you would swear you’re listening to a studio recording. It’s not that I mind when a singer compromises some vocal quality for the sake of truthful performance, it just seems like Audra doesn’t need to. And in my lifetime of theater-going, there are scant few who have this ability (maybe Carolee Carmelo? I’m obsessed with her, too, by the way, but I’ll gush over her the next time I see her perform - if you wanna’ be blown away, see her on Youtube singing “Do You See What I See” but listen all the way through). Anyway, if you’ve never seen Audra perform or listened to a recording, go to Amazon.com and order any one of her CD’s and I’m sure you’ll be brainwashed into the Audra-cult. Don’t fight it, give in! Did I mention that I LOVE Audra? And if possessing a flawless voice and impeccable acting chops were not enough, she’s also gorgeous. I think she’s my straight crush.

As far as Saturday’s concert, she performed songs from Broadway musicals and movie musicals with a full orchestra. Although she didn’t stray far from the classics - R&H, Lerner & Loewe, Harold Arlen, Sondheim and Styne - she did veer into the realms of contemporary Broadway with selections by Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, Michael John LaChuisa and some contemporary jazz arrangements of classics (“Edelweiss”, “Over the Rainbow”). Her audience banter between songs was casual and relaxed, mainly personal stories of her career and family life, although she did seem to be pulling some of the anecdotes out of her ass. But this only added to a more intimate feeling in the cavernous 2,500 seat PAC. Next up, Broadway Musicals of 1954 at Town Hall with my other semi-obsession, Sierra Boggess aka "The Little Mermaid".