Drag: The Musical

Ru Paul’s Drag Race has been nominated for 85 Emmy Awards over the last fifteen years and winning dozens including eight for the host. This now mainstream classic has spawned a worldwide industry of performers across many disciplines. One of the big names to come from this pedigree is now Off Broadway starring in Drag: The Musical.

I have been fortunate enough to see Alaska Thunderfuck’s solo shows in the past. Writing as Justin Andrew Honard, this uber talented queen joined forces with Tomas Costanza and Ashley Gordon to pen the book, music and lyrics to this silly, campy, sweet and dippy delight.

The plot centers around two drag clubs which sit across the street from one another. Alaska portrays Kitty Galloway, the proprietress of the Cathouse. Nick Adams (Priscilla Queen of the Desert) headlines the Fishtank as Alexis Gillmore. Get it? She just so happens to be Kitty’s ex. What happened between to two is unspoken and a running joke. Cue the soap opera histrionics!

This shiny bauble of a show takes its ideas and mixes them in the blender at all speeds: blend, chop and even frappe. Comedy (those eyebrows!) and melodrama (coming of age experiences) combine with the spasmodic energy of the television show’s Rusical concept. Sling it against the wall, ham it up and keep the pace frenetic. They’ll never see your mascara running, darling.

Oh but we do. Drag is a nicely staged production brimming with songs containing rock, pop, disco and punk influences. The camp factor is high. The thematic messaging, as on tv, is slathered on histrionics. The sets and costumes are top notch. Drag is a super fun show and a very fun time in the theater. Unfortunately it misses classic but does offer hints.

Alaska is a star. She commands the stage and there is an effortless ease by which her character is played. Of course she’s a bitch. Why would we go if she wasn’t? Her enemy ex-lover Alexis is also sharp-tongued but has more baggage to deal with in this show. Her brother is present to help with the club’s dire financial situation. He puts “the douche in fiduciary” highlights the lightly raunchy tone.

Brother Tom’s son hangs backstage and befriends his Uncle Alexis. This family conflict meets healing is basic vanilla stuff for sure. Joey McIntyre (New Kids on the Block) as the Dad and Remi Tuckman (can that stage name be real?) as his son are outstanding despite the sappiness overload. Mr. McIntyre’s big number “Straight Man” is a high point.

There are drag queens everywhere. Most are female impersonators, one is actually female (Liisi LaFontaine) and one sports a beard (Nick Laughlin as Puss Puss DuBois). Luxx Noir London edges her fellow queens for the Chante You Stay award but many familiar names get their chance to show off and chew the scenery including Jan Sport and Jujubee (a noticeable audience favorite).

Broadway veteran Eddie Korbich (The Drowsy Chaperone) kills in his Drunk Jerry persona. J. Elaine Marcos also slays in multiple zany characterizations. There is a lot of talent on this vividly imagined stage. The material, however, can be predictably preachy as in “what’s between my legs is none of your fucking business”. The seams between camp and earnestness show too readily.

Drag includes more than twenty numbers and they sound great. For Off Broadway this is a large scale production. Two hours fly by as fans of the genre revel in the sequins and lap up the schmaltz. You will have a good time. Everything is so ridiculous how could you not? You will also see a gorgeously lit scene with Alaska brooding at a table. That moment is a welcome tableau of greatness amid this gleefully stupid romp.

Drag: The Musical is running at New World Stages, just down the hall from The Gazillion Bubble Show (which supplies one of the show’s welcomely meta laughs).

www.dragthemusical.com

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About This Reviewer - October 26, 2024

Sump’n Like Wings (Mint Theater)

Should women have freedom to make their own decisions? In today’s America, that is a topic with very different points of view. A century after Sump’n Like Wings was written the Mint Theater resurrects this play which considers that question. The ramifications of that freedom, whether allowed or taken, is the most interesting and dispiriting peril addressed.

Willie Baker is a restless, petulant, uneducated sixteen year old young lady living with her mom. Swimming with boys, even in a mixed group, is a punishable offense. Mom is overworked running the dining room of the St. Francis Hotel for Ladies and Gents owned by her bachelor brother. The year is 1913, six years after Oklahoma achieved statehood. The promise of change – its enticements and its dangers – is everywhere.

Boys are trouble. That is the mantra espoused by Mrs. Baker (Julia Brothers) as she clutches her Bible. A married young man named Boy Huntington (Lukey Klein) shows some interest in Willie as they playfully flirt and tease each other. This territory is familiar and the choices made will impact where life will lead.

Uncle Jim notes “she’s got sump’n inside of her like wings, and she’ll beat off the cover, and she’ll go away.” His affection for his niece is readily apparent. And she sees things similarly. “They’s sump’n in you ‘at has to be free – like – like a bird, or you ain’t livin’.”

Playwright Lynn Riggs is most famous for 1931’s Green Grow the Lilacs which became the source material for the classic American musical Oklahoma! About half of his thirty plays take place in his home state. Claremont is his birthplace where Sump’n Like Wings is set. Mr. Riggs “wanted to give voice and a dignified existence to people who found themselves, most pitiably, without a voice, when there was so much to be cried out against”.

As a gay man existing during this period, Mr. Riggs’ plays focus on the resiliency of people who survive – and sometimes even flourish – despite the odds against them. The ending of this play doesn’t intentionally answer that survival question in any satisfying way. The “lid” referred to by the characters is akin to the glass ceiling of today. A woman feels in control of her decisions but at what cost? The ending is memorable.

There is much to chew on in this under directed production. Unfortunately the cast is all over the place. Some are far too contemporary and stand out of place. Others, like an effeminate choice for Willie’s Boy, don’t make sense given the dialogue. This never fully produced work is, unfortunately, a subpar viewing.

Mariah Lee is excellent as Willie. She’s surely a spitfire but the hesitancy of fears remain visible. Ms. Brothers portrayal of her mother is nicely representational of the period and the scariness of changing times. The two villainous men in this play are smaller roles confidently inhabited by Andrew Gombas and Mike Masters. Both of their scenes with Willie are effectively disturbing and sadly realistic.

While many technical elements in this production are fine as one would expect from the Mint, there is not enough clarity in the storytelling to elevate this lost work. Sump’n Like Wings did, however, make me hope for a revisit of some of his other works encompassing Native American stories.

Mr. Riggs was part Cherokee. The comprehensive program notes highlight that several of his plays contend with his complicated and conflicted nature existing as mixed race in a country whose policies aimed at either annihilating or assimilating Native peoples. Historical analyses of race relations, just like women’s freedoms, remain important as our nation bravely attempts to move forward despite a concerted and unending pull backwards. Or worse; to hide the history as too uncomfortable and thus purposefully forgotten.

Sump’n Like Wings is running Off Broadway at Theatre Row through November 2, 2024.

www.minttheater.org

About This Reviewer - October 24, 2024

Twelfth Night (Axis Company)

I have seen Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, or What You Will on Broadway and off many times. My most recent encounter was a college production at St. Mary’s in South Bend, Indiana. As an avid fan of Axis, I wanted to see what Director Randall Sharp developed for this ninety minute shortened version. Even the title is abbreviated to simply Twelfth Night.

Evocative yet starkly simple settings are a trademark of this theater company. When coupled with the creaking noises heard, I imagined a ship’s hull forever groaning amidst the turbulence all around. The play begins with two shipwrecked twins and their journeys, while purposefully comedic, are definitely on shaky ground.

All of the sights and sounds are additive to the mood. The entire cast is doused in dashing grays, mirroring the walls and floor. What can sometimes be a brightly hued celebration of gender misidentification coupled with the courtly intrigue of plotting and scheming is instead here only colorful on the tongue. With some excess libations of course!

The actors are all dialed into this swirling world which was originally designed as a Christmastime entertainment. This version contains nice underscoring (Paul Carbonara) and musical numbers. The elements are all there. Despite knowing the play fairly well, I found myself a little adrift at sea here. Knowing the material seems to be a prerequisite to following along.

I understand some of the goals of Marc Palmieri’s adaption were to keep the length to ninety minutes and to make the language more accessible. Much of the plotline is clear but everything moves so quickly that certain connections were fuzzy to me. That seemed more prevalent in the secondary and more comical subplots.

Britt Genelin’s Viola/Cesario duality was superb and her charismatic scenes with real or desired suitors anchored the production. When twin brother Sebastian (Eli Bridges) appears the resemblance was totally believable adding to the fun.

Jon McCormick’s Duke Orsino is in love with Olivia (Katy Frame) who in turn is in love with Cesario, a mustachioed Viola. Round and round we go for the eventual comic payoff and happy ending. Everyone in this cast was laser focused on their particular story as evidenced by wordless body language on the sidelines of the stage.

This Twelfth Night is perhaps best enjoyed by those who, at least, read a synopsis beforehand. The environment is coolly minimalistic to match the excised text. The overall impact, for me, was slightly off-kilter. The ship was listing and I couldn’t grab a guard rail to steady my senses as I witnessed the familiar cunning notions of this classic drag play.

Twelfth Night is running through October 26, 2024.

www.axiscompany.org

About This Reviewer - October 22, 2024

The Beastiary (Ars Nova)

“Medieval meets modern” in The Beastiary. Ars Nova’s company-in-residence On The Rocks Theatre takes a stab, literally, at slaying the monsters of nightmares and the evils of humankind in an apocalyptic smorgasbord of visual and aural stimuli. The overall impact is a mixed bag of admirably loony ideas confusingly presented.

The Greenwich House has been, once again, transported; this time into a silly, scary fun house. The stage is inside the mouth of a three-eyed beast with jagged, menacing teeth. Banners with coats of arms are hung around the room. The walls are dark with gold stars. You’ve seen this painting or read this depiction of the period. The setting conjures a delicious mouthful of anticipation.

An extraordinary musical score begins this production. Cornelius Loy plays the Theremin and sci-fi vibes will exquisitely set the mood. He is accompanied by Ellen Winter who adeptly plays an assortment of other instruments including a kazoo. While the show sometimes feels like a roller coaster with frequent lulls, the music is a high point from start to finish.

This pageant of the apocalypse is jam packed with ideas. The last human baby has been born into a world where beasts have reclaimed the Earth. Thirty years, nine months and six days of tribulation thereafter we travel to see the “last eight souls ever to walk this wild world”. So begins a long series of time adjustments which are part of a deadpan running joke yet also muddy the proceedings.

Puppetry is used to create the beasts referred to in the title. Giants, gryphons, demons and a lizard creature are employed to scare and also elucidate the thematic evils of mankind such as greed, elitism and the destruction of the environment. There is also a ridiculously memorable Blemmyae. That one was new to me. A headless blue giant with a man’s face on his chest sporting a large blue erection. This beastiary features a little bestiality. Is it funny or just bizarre? Probably both but you decide.

Weaving throughout this macabre goofiness is meta-like commentary like “before our stories begin their eclipse, a brief interlude is required, in which, through song and dance, a farmer learns his fate”. What follows is an inspired song about scavengers. We learn that these devils are not bad beings but truly serve an important purpose in promoting the decomposition of organic matter to save the world from decay and disease. The clever song, like other scenes in the show, hangs around a bit too long so the zaniness wanes.

The best performances chew the scenery (and other things) with relish. Special kudos for Rebecca Miller who fills the roles of the Queen’s Mum, merchant’s daughter, demon #2 and the child bride with vivid facial impressions and hilarious body language. Even her sections, however, suffer a little from the often rushed delivery of lines. Perhaps the words are not as important as the mood and visuals but you really have to concentrate to follow along.

The time changes are confounding as are some of the tonal shifts. The ending is visually memorable but shockingly serious. Who or what exactly impregnated the nun? We had many theories which made for good post-show banter. The Beastiary, as a whole, could benefit from some editing because there are stimulating and well-designed visual and aural moments which are often transporting.

The Beastiary is running downtown at the Greenwich House through November 9, 2024.

www.arsnovanyc.com

www.ontherockstheater.com

About This Reviewer - April 18, 2024

No Bones About It & A Drag is Born (NYC Fringe, Part 4)

New York City Fringe (formally the FRIGID Fringe Festival) is an open, lottery-based theater festival that gives artists an opportunity to let their ingenuity thrive in an environment that values freedom of expression and artistic determination. In true support of the Indie Theater Community, 100% of box office proceeds go directly to the artists whose work is being presented.

No Bones About It

Writer and performer Matt Storrs is obsessed with dinosaurs. As a child he sent dino themed Valentine’s Day cards. No Bones About It wraps his infatuation into a monologue beginning as a child who now looks back “to see how healthy it really was”.

One Valentine was sent to a girl he liked with a special note written to her. She ripped it up. Another later one results in a friendship that is still lasting. Mr. Storrs asks, and we want to know, “Have I been diagnosed with anything?” The answer is yes. He has been diagnosed with a love of dinosaurs.

Favorite one? Dilophosaurus. You know. The one in Jurassic Park that has those crazy head flaps and spits acid. That movie franchise has taken a few liberties in their characterizations of these beloved creatures. These falsehoods “caused a lot of problems”. There is no denying Mr. Storrs has dinosaurs on the brain.

This good natured narrator weaves a light tale recalling some of his dino related diversions and what it means to him. His particular mania gives him “something to focus on whatever is going on in his life”. Some fun facts are interspersed between bits of biographical stories.

My favorite sections were the ones that were quirky and very specific. As a child he was advocating for a carnivorous dinosaur, his favorite one, to be the state dinosaur of Arizona. A religion lesson in middle school teaches the Earth was created in 4004 BC on October 23rd at 9:00 am. How does one reconcile that with the fossil record?

Tales of celebrities trading in bones, the illegal collectors market and commentary on museum collections and their questionable provenance are the more serious topics gently discussed. A sorority party and a drug dealer further solidifies how closely he identifies with these beasts. The world, after all, is inhospitable.

No Bones About It meanders down a genial path but the impact lessens as the monologue continues. A winning smile helps Mr. Storr engage with his audience and there are some amusing asides to enjoy. Who actually collects these bones? “Rich white men with a history of relationships that failed.” he quips.

Finally, and incredibly, this is my third source in the past few weeks (and second in the festival) to reference Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville restaurant. I’m starting to wonder if there is a new obsession forming amongst comedic white men. This establishment, appropriately, is in a Jurassic themed amusement park. For Mr. Storrs that must really be a “Cheeseburger in Paradise”.

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A Drag is Born

Fanfare is played. Lights are flashing. Yet no entrance is made. The audience dutifully claps. Then a repeat. More fanfare, etc. A reluctant individual timidly walks on stage but skirts the spotlight. The microphone is approached. “Hello” precedes “can your hear me?” From this tentative beginning, A Drag is Born.

Sweats and a backpack will transform into an outfit. A “Broadway Baby” dances and twirls in a crazy red dress. The spinning reminded me exactly of the mascot Christmas tree for Stanford University. Both are insane and both embrace that insanity head on. Another morph follows and the silhouette is now Bea Arthur.

Edu Diaz is the man thrust into the spotlight for his drag debut. His characterization is clearly newbie to the scene. The show promises clowning and magical realism. A tongue-in-cheek warning also notes “with advanced age, abundant body hair and limited talents, he is an unlikely candidate”.

A Drag is Born is wordless. There are a series of costume changes and reveals. When one leg of the track suit will not cooperate, there is a funny mishap played to the hilt. Clothing no longer needed is unceremoniously flung off-stage. Early on we hear crashing noises backstage. The goofy staging ideas are the most entertaining aspect of this debutante ball.

Pacing is unhurried as exemplified by how long it takes to put on heels. That is probably commentary on the work drag requires but the length of time (after a very slow start) stretches that bit too far. At this point, however, we move into drag show performance complete with lip synching and assorted reveals. The presentation appears to be intentionally manic. The show has the rough around the edges vibe of an amateur drag show performed in a friend’s basement.

There are a few messages touched upon in this mostly mimed performance. I did hear a “Yes!” when Mr. Diaz donned a red feather headdress replete with cape during a Carnivalesque number. Nutty onstage antics were not enough to sustain my undivided interest throughout this hour long solo piece. The wings and heart pendant surely had meaning but I found it difficult to join the celebration as the show never really took flight.

The New York City Fringe runs through April 21, 2024 at three locations: The Wild Project, 14Y Theater and UNDER St. Mark’s. Most shows are also livestreamed.

www.frigid.nyc/festivals

About This Reviewer - April 10, 2024

“Oh, Mary!”

I first encountered the comedic talents of Cole Escola in the underappreciated television series At Home With Amy Sedaris (which I loved). During the isolation days of Covid I streamed and blogged about a bunch of shows including “Help, I’m Stuck!” which was a recording of a silly show they performed. “Oh, Mary!” has arrived downtown and, as they say in the biz, we are live! Time to skewer and slay.

The Mary of the title refers to Abraham Lincoln’s wife. The play opens with Abe busting into his office with his assistant. He is in a mad frenzy to find where Mary has hidden the liquor bottle. He bellows “no one is safe while my wife has access to booze!” The tone of the play is established immediately. This one’s going to be a big broad historical spoof.

Mary Todd Lincoln is reimagined as a “well known niche cabaret singer”. Hanging out in the White House with her prim chaperone is soooooo boring. She yearns to be back on the stage where people crave her “short legs and long medleys”. Abe is against the idea, to put it mildly.

Not so honest Abe cannot imagine what people will think. The Civil War is still raging. How would it look if the President’s wife was flitting around in a cabaret act? “Sensational!” she exclaims. He finally agrees to hire a teacher to give Mary acting lessons. That’s all the plot you need to know.

Cole Escola has written this extremely funny play and it’s a sturdy branch on a family tree which includes Charles Ludlum and Charles Busch. Mary is deliciously foul and nasty. And that’s before she finds the hidden bottle. Jokes are splattered everywhere. Even the portrait of George Washington is utilized for a great laugh. Think vulgar, narcissistic Lucille Ball meets Virginia Woolf.

Escola’s performance is madcap and zany but also smart and cleverly detailed. The audience roared throughout this eighty minute celebration and reincarnation of campy hilarity. Many jokes are crude, the physical comedy is classic and, as you might suspect, at least one man on stage might be a closeted homosexual. Cue the hijinks and have a blast.

The supporting cast excels. Conrad Ricamora hits the bullseye playing Mary’s beleaguered husband who has a few secrets of his own. Tony Macht is Abe’s very able assistant who knows how to play the game. Bianca Leigh is Mary’s chaperone. Mary insists she tell one of her secrets and swears she won’t tell. That will happen and it’s unforgettably ridiculous and ultimately hysterical.

Last but not least, in the tradition of all drag homages to previous camp classics, there is a hunky male character. James Scully is Mary’s acting teacher. She is extremely abusive to him. Mary wants cabaret not Shakespeare. You know this female train wreck only knows one speed and that is “me, me, me”. And we, we, we are the lucky recipients of her screamingly funny largesse.

There are ample twists and turns in this extended sketch. To describe them is to spoil the fun. Special kudos to Scenic Designer Dots who created a perfect and surprising stage for all the antics which will unfold. The torch has been successfully passed in New York’s downtown camp comedy scene. I cannot wait to see what’s next. In the meantime, pass the whiskey Mrs. Lincoln. We all want a sip too.

“Oh, Mary!” is running at the Lucille Lortel Theatre until May 12, 2024. Take a minute to gaze at the theatrical photos displayed in the lobby. Like this play, they purport to be historical.

www.lortel.org

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About This Reviewer - April 9, 2024

Little Shop of Horrors (2024)

I reviewed this production of Little Shop of Horrors in 2020 and noted that the show announced an extension through May. Other than the tiny inconvenience of a global pandemic this musical comedy gem has been eating bloody well every since. The reason to see it again? Category is: Jinkx Monsoon.

Drag superstar Jinkx is currently in residence in the role of Audrey. Since I’ve already commented on this production this review serves as a brief blog update. Jinkx is very good in the role as expected. The nod to her drag garners an extra big laugh in the song “Suddenly, Seymour”. When Seymour sings “you don’t need no makeup” her facial reaction is akin to horrified and everyone in the house erupted with knowing laughter.

This Audrey is a big galoot of a presence. The awkwardness of the kiss with Seymour is hilariously rendered, as clumsy as it is sweet. The length of the kiss might have caused overtime for the stage crew. The audience ate it up. As did Major Attaway as Audrey II in a memorably killer vocalization.

In the performance I saw understudy Jeff Sears portrayed Seymour. He was nebbishly enjoyable with a really nice voice to match the great tunes his character is blessed with. James Carpinello was a devilishly fun bad guy as well. Furthermore, Khadija Sankoh’s screeching turn as Urchin Chiffon was a howler, made even better with some highly entertaining audience ad lib.

I will say I worried a trifle at intermission as the first half seemed a little flat. Everything was fine but the energy level on stage felt muted. Perhaps I know the show too well? (I don’t usually have that issue, however. Referencing Merrily We Roll Along.) The second act, on the other hand, was high voltage from start to finish. The marvel that is the character and design of Audrey II remains remarkable with just the right amount of creepy meets campy.

Sales for this show skyrocketed when Jinkx was announced. Her turn last year in Chicago broke box office records (and she is back again this June). In New York, safe to say, it is always monsoon season. Someone (anyone!) let’s agree on a revival of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Pronto. Who else could slay as brothel owner Miss Mona?

Little Shop of Horrors is currently running at Off-Broadway’s Westside Theatre. Corbin Bleu is starring in the role of Seymour. Jinkx Monsoon will perform the role of Audrey through May before rejoining the Broadway cast of Chicago from June 27 to July 12, 2024.

www.littleshopnyc.com

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About This Reviewer - April 5, 2024April 7, 2024

Dead Outlaw (Audible Theater)

Step right up folks. There’s a freak show story come to town as a musical no less. The real life misadventures of one Elmer McCurdy has been adapted into the outrageously fun off-Broadway show Dead Outlaw. Both the history of this man born in 1880 and his “life” are hilariously macabre and delightfully bizarre.

Elmer was a low level failure of a criminal. He begins life adopted by his aunt who protected his mother from the shame of an illegitimate baby. He finds that out and alcohol becomes a salve. Departing Maine, he travels through a series of jobs including coal mine worker before descending into incompetent bandit. He winds up shot dead as telegraphed in the title.

Elmer begins his story crooning a country and western ballad around a campfire. A train whistle blows. He then proclaims “all right boys, let’s go rob that fucking train”. Off we go to the wild west. Elmer will become another insignificant dead outlaw in the canon of violent American men fueled by alcohol, racism and bitter anger. (Sound familiar?)

In this case, however, laughter will be incorporated into the mix. Elmer will sing a drunken song about killing while stumbling all over the stage. Andrew Durand (Shucked, Head Over Heels) is great both alive and dead in a performance where he unforgettably spends half the show propped up in a wooden coffin.

As it happens, we are witnessing a musical about a nobody who actually became somebody after death. After being shot, he was embalmed with arsenic as a preservative since he had no next of kin to claim him. Thus begins a series of cadaver adventures including side show attraction. He gets lost to history until a 1970’s crew member from television’s Six Million Dollar Man discovers the body hanging as a mannequin on a California theme park ride. True story.

The writing and directing team from the extraordinary musical The Band’s Visit, along with Erik Della Penna, have taken this tale and run with it. Dozens of characters are portrayed by eight actors. One of many highpoints is the coroner (Thom Sesma) belting out a Frank Sinatra-esque ode to death inconceivably referencing Sharon Tate, amongst others. That we laugh speaks to the effectiveness of this team’s grasp of, shall we say, deadpan humor.

Obviously someone pieced together Elmer’s century long adventure and he is finally buried. At that moment Arnulfo Maldonado’s functional and fascinating set provides one of the show’s biggest guffaws. A western themed band equipped with a wry narrator, a damsel not in distress, various money-obsessed charlatans and an undereducated drifter. Dead Outlaw is one for the history books.

This show is the first musical commissioned in a new series by Audible which will eventually be available for listening. David Cromer’s direction is so good that I would miss the simply effective, creatively freaky display but the tunes will likely carry Elmer’s torch to his next incarnation: musical theater icon. Dead Outlaw is a blast.

Dead Outlaw is running through April 14, 2024 at the Minetta Lane Theatre downtown in Greenwich Village.

www.deadoutlawmusical.com

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About This Reviewer - January 21, 2024

Here We Are (The Shed)

Here We Are

I have seen the majority of Stephen Sondheim’s musicals. His final show, Here We Are, has been mounted in a gleamingly sleek off-Broadway production. The show does not classify itself as one of his classics but the enjoyments are plentiful.

Book writer David Ives collaborated with Mr. Sondheim on this theatrical adaptation of two films by Luis Buñuel. The first act is based on The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie from 1972, an Oscar winning Best Foreign Language Film. The movie and this show concern themselves with people attempting to dine together despite encountering surreal roadblocks.

Boorish wealthy blowhard Leo Brink (Bobby Cannavale) and his well-meaning half-baked wife Marianne (Rachel Bay Jones) live in a palatially sleek Apple store-like home with servants (Tracie Bennett and Denis O’Hare). Four friends arrive insisting they’ve been invited to brunch. No worries! They will jump in the car and dine out. Too bad most of the venues chosen are not able to supply any food. Like the film these bizarre turn of events are taken at face value.

The group includes Paul (Jeremy Shamos) and Claudia Zimmer (Amber Gray). He is a plastic surgeon. She is an power broker agent. Raffael Santello Di Santicci (Steven Pasquale) is a lothario ambassador from the fictional Mediterranean country of Moranda. Claudia’s younger sister is a self-proclaimed revolutionary albeit uber-privileged with a trust fund. They are all insufferable and we are meant to judge them for fun.

Finding food is the goal as the group heads to the embassy of Moranda. The second act turns darker and references The Exterminating Angel from 1962. This movie tells the story of wealthy guests who find themselves unable to leave after a lavish dinner party. In the film and on the stage chaos ensues. We get to watch the high and mighty fall from grace or at least embarrass themselves immensely.

A few other guests participate including a Colonel (Francoise Battiste), his soldier (Hin Ja) and a Bishop (David Hyde Pierce). The soldier has a thing for the revolutionary. The bishop has a fondness for pumps. The Colonel is the only character that seemed lost in a maelstrom of unhinged pandemonium. Everyone else is superbly loony in this freakish dreamscape.

Calling Here We Are a musical in the traditional sense is a stretch. There are songs, particularly in Act I. In the second act there are a few numbers initially then there is simply underscoring for the increasingly absurdist action. That is not necessarily a bad thing just like turning the corner in a funhouse provides the next opportunity for wide-eyed disbelief.

Sondheim fans will certainly be pleased with the lavishly inventive staging by Director Joe Mantello. David Zinn’s scenic and costume designs are especially vivid. The cast is a who’s who of top tier Broadway talent. Nearly everyone on stage has had at least one major triumph in the past decade. Combining comedic focus, wisely controlled characterizations and deadpan line deliveries gives this material the juice it needs to eviscerate the arrogant and their parasitic wannabes.

Stand-outs in this exceptionally talented cast include the servants portrayed by Ms. Bennett and Mr. O’Hare. They are the flies on the wall through whom we see the foolish. With few lines and mostly puttering about, they excel at creating a sour mood. The lead role belongs to Marianne. Her dance and other events in Act II makes us consider that this may be her personal dream rather than a group hallucination. Rachel Bay Jones is, once again, superb in elevating this seemingly ditzy lady to something pathetically human and real.

Satire works well when it is seriously played which occurs in this cracking tribute to skewering the privileged class and their imaginary genius. “The Blob” of Merrily We Roll Along, “The Ladies Who Lunch” in Company or “Gossip” from Sunday in the Park With George evoke similar themes. Mr. Sondheim and his arch lyricism have mined this territory before. As a result, this final effort is a satisfying coda to his unparalleled repertoire.

Here We Are concludes its run at The Shed on January 21, 2024.

www.theshed.org

About This Reviewer - January 18, 2024

MOMIX (Joyce Theater)

MOMIX

I have long wanted to see the dance company MOMIX as I heard about their visually arresting shows. Artistic Director Moses Pendleton presented VIVA MOMIX as part of their three week holiday run in NYC. The experience was indeed dazzling.

This program is a celebration of the company’s 40th anniversary season. The selections included works from all six of their shows plus a world premiere. They accurately bill their style as “illusion, beauty, magic, fun and inventiveness”. The wonders are ceaseless.

VIVA MOMIX consists of sixteen dances spread over two acts. “Solar Flares” opens the show complete with something akin to pool noodles. Props are a major element in many of the dances and they are impressively incorporated. “Table Talk” was a acrobatic routine which featured, as you might expect, a table.

“Marigolds” began as flowers which converted into red dresses. “Aqua Flow” can be described as a chandelier turned whirling necklace. Literal dummies were used in the group dance and final number “If You Need Some Body”. The creativity is worth savoring.

Especially welcome are the splendid backdrops and bewitching lighting which sometimes showcases the dancers and other times plays tricks on the eyes. Shapes are revealed. Animals emerge. A fantastic example of this artistic melding occurred in the black-lit illusions of the amusing “Snow Geese”.

I (finally) recently saw the superlative Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert film. Swifties should be delighted by “Man Fan”. They will recall similar enormous undulating capes with long spines and fabric allowing for spectacular evolving imagery.

The new work premiered for this performance was “Floating”. Three couples are intertwined on a slanted mirrored platform. As they change positions and shapes they appear to be floating in their ecstatic combinations.

MOMIX can be easily enjoyed by casual dance fans, children and those who might want to sample a professional dance performance. The eye candy is unending and the smiles these staged dances illicit are deservedly earned. “Daddy Long Legs” is a cowboy number which naturally includes lengthy limbs. You’ll have to see for yourself how this effortlessly performed number ropes the audience into applause.

MOMIX tours the United States throughout the year. For 2024 they are featuring their Alice in Wonderland themed show. They also have a few dates booked for Italy in late spring.