Tag: Musical

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The Drowsy Chaperone (54 Below)

Quite clearly the Best Musical of 2006 (the Tony went to Jersey Boys) and one of my all-time favorites, The Drowsy Chaperone celebrated its tenth anniversary with a two show reunion at 54 Below.  The evening was narrated by the original Man In Chair and book author Bob Martin.  Many of the original cast members were present including Tony winner Beth Leavel who, as the title character, keeps her “eyeball on the highball” in her hand.  For fans of this show, this concert version was great fun.

The Drowsy Chaperone is a musical parody of 1920s Broadway which began life as a stag party skit created for the real life marriage of Bob Martin and Janet van de Graaf in 1997.   As Man in Chair, the character of Bob Martin plays his record album of the (imaginary) 1928 hit The Drowsy Chaperone, described as “mix-ups, mayhem and a gay wedding.”  As Man in Chair wryly observes, “of course gay wedding has a different meaning nowadays… back then it just meant FUN!”  From the Toronto Fringe Festival, the show evolved and hit the big time in 2006.  Nominated for thirteen Tonys, it won six of them.  As a bonus during this concert, Lisa Lambert, the show’s co-composer and original Drowsy Chaperone, performed that character’s long since abandoned song about being “drowsy” which was later replaced by the show’s anthem, “As We Stumble Along.”

From a 2015 Broadwayworld.com review of a production in Massachusetts:  “The Drowsy Chaperone is one of those shows that is inherently comical in its nature: it is literally laugh-out-loud funny, portraying the lives and actions of each of its characters as almost too absurd to be believed.…The Drowsy Chaperone is really a beautiful show that is saturated with singing, dancing, some very odd characters and an almost too-simple plot that makes this show awesome.”  To be honest, it’s even better than that.  Bucket list this one next time it comes to town.  In the meantime, check out the vast array of talent that performs at 54 Below, Broadway’s Supper Club in New York. 

Special note to our friends in St. Louis:  Beth Leavel is coming to the Muni this summer as Mama Rose in Gypsy.

www.54below.com

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Once On This Island

Staged in the near perfectly suited Circle in the Square Theater, Once On This Island is back on Broadway.  Fair disclosures:  I saw the original world premiere Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizon in 1990 and then attended its opening night on Broadway later that year.  My great childhood friend, Gerry McIntyre, was in the cast.  I know the show, love the show and was looking forward to its new incarnation.

This revival of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s first Broadway musical (Ragtime, Seussical) was widely praised.  I attended the show with David and Sara who both LOVED it.  To be honest, I am firmly in the LIKED it category.  The setting was fantastic.  A sandy beach, ocean water and the islanders greet us on arrival.  A thunderstorm rolls in and “One Small Girl” is frightened.  As a distraction, the storytellers tell her about Ti Moune (Hailey Kilgore, excellent).  She is a dark skinned islander who falls for Daniel (Isaac Powell), a lighter skinned boy from the wealthier class.  With exceptional music and lyrics, the whole fable is magical.  Special kudos to Kenita R. Miller (Mama Euralie) and Alex Newell (Asaka) who were both terrific and fun to watch.

So why the LIKED it category?  I found the direction and pacing here slightly frenetic, especially in the beginning.  The staging in the round forces the cast to occasionally have their back to you and, as a result, I found the lyrics to get lost (or swallowed by the sound design which was odd given I was centrally seated in the third row).  I was reminded of the 2012 Godspell revival in the same theater in which songs also seemed aggressively “amped up” and lyrics sadly sacrificed.  Once On This Island is a beautiful show and this is a very good version.  I wished I loved it as much as my fellow theatergoers.  Perhaps I am overly familiar with the material?  In this case, I really don’t think so.

www.onceonthisisland.com

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Hundred Days (New York Theater Workshop)

Perhaps Hundred Days is best described as an ethereal, fragile, therapeutic, ultimately joyous musical autobiography.  Staged as a concert with intermittent dialogue, this show was created by and stars the Bengson’s with Sarah Gancher who also contributed to the book.  Shaun Bengson is a soft-spoken musician probably best described as an introvert.  Abagail Bengson is also a musician who had some major unexplained family implosion when she was a teenager.  While a much bigger personality than her husband, she is also the more fragile; a worrisome type.  The two meet in their early twenties and get married in three weeks.  Ten years later, they tell us their very intimate and quite moving story in song.

The title refers to a philosophical question: what would you do if you knew the love of your life only had one hundred days left to live?   That’s the kind of tension in Abagail’s mind.  How could she go on?  The music is sort of indie-rock meets folk pop and is performed by six talented people, including the Bengson’s.  All of them sing, play instruments and are used effectively without getting in the way of our central couple.  The staging by Anne Kauffman is beautifully austere, complementary to the story and has almost dreamlike imagery.  Movement is credited to Sonya Tayeh.

Mrs. Bengson’s singing voice is a combination of so many things that it is hard to describe – rocker, banshee, yodeler, folk singer and siren.  Given the character she plays is herself, the whole effect is somewhat unforgettable.  Very intimate reenacted conversations where the Bengson’s discuss life, dreams and fears rounds this concert to a fully satisfying piece of storytelling.  At the end, we are told that the last song of this memorable show is actually the first song they wrote together.  Based on what came before, we completely understand why it was written.

www.nytw.org

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Desperate Measures (York Theater Company)

A “bed trick” borrowed from Shakespeare’s Measure to Measure.  A western setting.  In jail, a murderer with less than a full deck is introduced in “The Ballad of Johnny Blood.”  It’s the 1800s, “somewhere out west.”  Some ladies see themselves best suited for the convent.  Others feel the draw of the saloon and the oldest profession.  Add in a drunken priest losing his religion.  The Sheriff is handsome and a great guy, we reckon.  Governor von Richterhenkenpflichgetruber (Nick Wyman, terrific) is in charge and possibly corrupt.  So far so good !

A pile of fun songs nicely sung by talented cast.  A book, however, which can’t quite nail the Shakesperean rhyming thing.  Though you will hear Nietzsche rhymed with peachy.  A missed opportunity for greatness but plenty to enjoy.  I’ll pretend not to notice the elderly ladies who find a darkened theater the most natural place to go purse diving slowly and thoroughly, only to crinkle their wrappers and smackingly enjoy their treats more wetly and louder than you’d supposed was even remotely decorous.  Seriously, it was annoying.

Back to our western, the “let’s put on a show” Desperate Measures.  This new musical is almost unbelievably old school.  Circa 1945, perhaps.  She’s a nun-to-be, he’s a kind hearted Sheriff.   Unfortunately we fall a touch short on chemistry (or possibly direction).  If these roles had been played by Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster,  there might be musical comedy heaven created with this material.

Conor Ryan is dimwitted Johnny Blood and also a gifted comedic actor and outstanding singer, notably in “Good to be Alive.”  Lauren Molina (Sweeney Todd, Rock of Ages) strips to “It’s Getting Hot in Here” and generally plays it big and Shirley Temple-flavored Mae West brassy.  These two knock the show’s best number “Just for You” out of the park.  At that moment Desperate Measures, the timeless (old?) musical, shines.

www.yorktheater.org

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SpongeBob SquarePants

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?  I remember the first episode which aired in 1999.  Initially it was hard to believe this simplistic and bizarre tomfoolery was going to become an enormous hit.  (The episode I remember most fondly was “ripped pants.”)  It is even harder to imagine SpongeBob SquarePants as a Broadway musical.  Put down your flying carpet Aladdin with your in-your-face entertainment, there’s a new watery wonderland in town.  If you have ever desired to see a cartoon completely transformed into a spectacular visual treat, then this show is for you.

Since SpongeBob has been assembled by earnestly embracing its tone and thematic sensibility, there could be difficulty for some people who don’t know the source material.  Unfamiliarity with the TV show probably hurts one’s ability to see how phenomenally these characters have been rendered on stage.  Ethan Slater has the title role.  He is an eternally optimistic, quite bendable sponge.  A powerhouse who holds the whole show together, he is superb.  No bulky sponge costume needed, just this actor with plaid paints, a shirt and a tie.  I repeat, he is superb, nailing every moment (or is that better described as fully absorbed?)  Danny Skinner plays his BFF Patrick, the starfish with intellectual shortcomings yet a heart of gold.  His casting is also ideal.  (The males are stronger presences and performers in this show overall, as in the series.)

The show is not without a few shortcomings.  The music is sort of a jukebox collection by artists as diverse as Cyndi Lauper, Aerosmith, John Legend, Lady Antebellum and They Might Be Giants.  The staging and choreography, however, are so fantastic, so inventive, so smile-inducing,  it doesn’t really matter which songs are the better ones.  Tina Landau directed this psychedelic masterpiece which is amazingly one hundred percent faithful to the spirit and tone of the series.  Christopher Gatelli brilliantly turned the whiny Squidward (Gavin Lee, awesome) into a tap dancing, show stopping octopus.  The costumes and set design by David Zinn are creative,  colorful and effortlessly cheeky. Pool noodles as undersea fauna! 

What’s the best part of this aquatic dreamscape?  I’d have to see it again to figure that out, there are so many choices to consider.    As said before, and worth repeating, the visuals are stunning.  Adding to the fun is a noise supplying sound board as part of the orchestra.  SpongeBob SquarePants is a fully realized cartoon brought magnificently to three dimensional life.  If cartoons and fun are not your cup of tea, too bad for you.  For the rest of us, it is time for “Bikini Bottom Day.”  A truly unforgettable spectacle.

www.spongebobbroadway.com

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Spamilton

In 1982, Forbidden Broadway started skewering musicals; their songs, their plots and, most famously, their stars.  Lord knows we still laugh when Carol Channing is Channeled.  The current incarnation has a very specific target, the immense Hamilton.  And its superstar creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda.  The show is big enough and good enough to poke a little fun at.  Yes, some of the targets are obvious, like Daveed Diggs’ big hair.  Others are more clever, and slightly insider.  If, when those two big egos, Sondheim and Miranda, get together to talk about rapping and word count, our actress starts singing, “and another hundred words just came out of my mouth.”  If that is funny to you, this short, entertaining little Off-Broadway show is sure to please.

Spamilton covers a large portion of the musical and its most famous numbers.  Early on we learn that Mr. Miranda is not going to throw away his shot … to fix the Broadway musical forever.  The variation here:  “I’m not going to let Broadway rot.”    For those who enjoy word play and very, very gentle and respectful roasting, there is a lot to like.  Even Barbra Streisand pops by because she “wants to be in the film when it happens.”  And when Eliza sings about the orphanage she is opening, well, I’m sure you can figure out our next guest appearance.

The entire show is fun, if a bit uneven.  (The mash ups of current shows were more hilarious in concept.)  The talented and hard working cast impresses, notably for strong singing and inspired clowning.  Dan Rosales as Lin/Hamilton was excellent.  The staging and the choreography was clever and quick moving.   This show moves fast and is a solid addition to the Forbidden Broadway franchise.  Spamilton is still running in New York and Los Angeles.

www.spamilton.com

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The Mad Ones (Prospect Theater, 59E59)

An original musical, The Mad Ones is oddly titled.  There is a song with that name but that does not really capture what this show is attempting to do.  Sam (Krystina Alabado) is a senior in high school.  A smart girl with a best friend (Emma Hunton, excellent) who is a little wilder then she.  Think Bonnie Raitt in high school – a rock ‘n roller who is ultimately a sweetheart.  Her mother (Leah Hocking) is a practical, yet wisecracking statistician who has Ivy League dreams for her daughter.  The boyfriend (Jay Armstrong Johnson, perfect) is your simple, average, lovable guy who lives above his parent’s garage and will join the father’s tire business after graduation.

This four character piece is firmly rooted in teenage angst.  A major trauma occurs early on and is the catalyst for what follows.  All of the standard bases are covered:  sex, college, driving tests, freedom to choose one’s future and tacos.  The result is a well-intended story that gets trapped in its repetitiveness.  Perhaps there are too few people which inhabit their world.  More likely, the central character is a bit too bland with three outstanding performers circling her and stealing the songs and scenes.

The music was enjoyable and it was a treat to hear a small off-Broadway orchestra extensively playing a harp.  The lyrics, on the other hand, were fairly generic.  This musical is a small and intimate tale which too frequently relies on big belting vocals from its talented cast.  Two outstanding songs in the show, “Freedom” and “Run Away With Me” are largely sung by Sam’s best friend and the boyfriend.  Leah Hocking gets the best song in the show, “Miles to Go,” a feminist anthem about women and progress.  The song should be recorded given the current news cycle.  Women do still have “miles to go.”  It’s the peak moment in The Mad Ones.  As our lead character anguishes over which road to take in life, the other characters prove the more interesting parts of the journey.

www.59e59.org

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The Band’s Visit

Based on a 2007 film of the same name, The Band’s Visit was first produced by the Atlantic Theater Company last season.  Although I had already seen (and loved) this musical, I decided to revisit its uptown transfer to Broadway.  A band from Eqypt has been invited to play a concert in Israel but manages to get lost.  As a result, they wind up in Bet Hatikva instead of Petah Tikvah.  What’s the difference?  Upon arrival, they hear the song, “Welcome to Nowhere.”

From this point, the band and its members interact with the locals.  Rather than being an overtly political musical, The Band’s Visit is more interested in life and relationships from multiple perspectives.  The young and the not so young.  The practical and the hopelessly romantic.  And, especially, those who can hear and savor the music of life.  Like its not so distant cousin, the Tony Award winning musical Once, music is the connective tissue to drive the plot and develop characterizations in very intimate scenes.  This is a slow, quiet, funny, sad, realistic, magical, musical tour of a very ordinary town awakened by visitors.   They bring something new to cherish, if only for a moment.

Director David Cromer (The Treasurer, Tribes, Our Town, Adding Machine) sets a melancholy but beautiful mood and tempo to deliver the welcome Middle Eastern influenced music and lyrics of David Yazbek (The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels).  As the band’s leader, Tony Shalhoub (Act One) is near perfect, as usual, with the right combination of dignified and human.  Golden voiced Ari’el Stachel has one of the peak moments, singing the melodious song “Haled’s Song About Love” with Papi, one of the locals, played by Etai Benson.  However, The Band’s Visit belongs first and foremost to Katrina Lenk (Indecent) as Dina, the proprietor of the café who first greets the band.  Effortlessly sexy and seductive, bored and world-weary yet still dreaming, Ms. Lenk’s performance is equally luminous and grounded.

An excerpt from the Playbill bio from George Abud (Camal, a band member):  “I hope young Arabic kids … know there there is starting to be a place for their expression, their stories and their faces.  The Arab voice, rich in history and beautiful music, is vital in American theater.”  Indeed.

www.thebandsvisitmusical.com

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Hamilton (Chicago)

My first visit to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton was on Broadway during the first month of the run.  The hype was enormous.  The show was even better than its blaze of publicity.  I remember leaving the theater commenting that I would pay to see it again just for the lighting.  Hamilton is the rare theatrical experience where every creative element is spectacular, from the direction to the choreography to the performances.  The storytelling through the book and lyrics is perhaps even at a higher standard.  Characters are written with music and words which match their personality and stature.  Hamliton is a riveting, dense history lesson told in a wildly entertaining fashion.

After experiencing the original company and enjoying the fantastic cast album, how does Hamilton hold up?  I decided to take in a performance from the Chicago company.  Here I define “decided” as “lucky enough to score a great orchestra seat.”  The show remains brilliant.  A second viewing (and greater familiarity with the score) allows the opportunity to really take in different elements.  At one point in the second Act, I just looked at the audience.  Staring at the stage.  Focused.  There is a lot going on and much story to be told.  Hamilton demands your attention.

Another highlight for me was the chance to see different performers tackle this now iconic show.  As an example, in the performance I caught George Washington was played by Colby Lewis, a standby for the role.  A tall man, physically he loomed large over the cast around him.  Mr. Lewis’ presence and vocal abilities made George seem a bigger character than when I first saw the show (where Christopher  Jackson was a Tony nominee).  “One Last Time,” the moment our first president decides to retire and not run for reelection, was an emotionally intense highlight.  Powerful themes about democracy, immigrants, politics, war, family and sacrifice are scattered throughout this musical.

Hamilton is this generation’s West Side Story.  Similarly, the cast album has permeated our culture far beyond the Broadway diehards.  Another tale of immigrants and an analysis of their American experience and our country’s founding.  Given our painful current political maelstrom, Hamilton is essential viewing.  As the cast sings early on, “history is happening…”  Do not miss this historic piece of theatrical bliss anywhere you can.

www.hamiltonbroadway.com

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Bewildered (Hell in a Handbag Productions, Chicago)

Halloween night.  Visiting Chicago.  What to do?  How about Bewildered? The  show is described as “a bewitching new musical?”  Some readers may (fondly) remember the television sitcom Bewitched.  Essential plot data:  Samatha Stevens is a witch married to Darren, a mortal, who works in advertising and does not want his wife to use her magical skills in suburbia.  Toss in a slew of memorable, oddball characters and let the nose twitching begin.

One of the great mothers-in-law of all time was Endora.  Here she is (naturally) played in drag by Hell in a Handbag’s Artistic Director David Cerda.  The premise of Bewildered is to consider the Bewitched experience through the eyes of the Stevens’ noisy neighbor Gladys Kravitz (Caitlin Jackson, excellent).  As musical spoofs and high camp require, there is plenty of material to work with:  Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur, the two different actors who played Darren, daughter Tabitha and her not often seen younger brother Adam.  Each of these were funny bits but overused.

Conceptually the show is a great idea but the jokes (and characters) wear thin.  So much more material could have and should have been skewered here.  Samantha was nicely played by Elizabeth Morgan but she was not given enough to do.  The evil twin sister Serena perhaps?  Two actresses won supporting Emmy Awards for Bewitched, one was Alice Pearce, as Gladys Kravitz.  The other was Marion Lorne, unforgettable as Aunt Clara, mistakenly not included here.  (Interesting fact:  both of these actresses won their Emmy posthumously.  A camp moment?)  Darren’s boss, Mr. Tate, was represented and his wife Louise (Robert Williams) was hilariously portrayed as an alcoholic, vodka chugging Louise Jefferson.

And on Halloween, shouldn’t we have had a little Alice Ghostley?  Esmerelda was a bumbling incompetent witch who may have added needed goofiness.  Overall I’d describe Bewildered as an underdeveloped sketch with so-so music.  (The bar for drag entertainment is significantly higher these days.)  Kudos to Roger Wykes for the effective scenic design on a budget.  The office, the house, the backyard, and the kitchen all were cleverly executed by the ensemble, simply called “Magic Stage Hands.”

In 2005, Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell attempted a movie remake which the New York Times called “an unmitigated disaster.”  With Bewitched, there is so much ripe material.   With Bewildered, there is so much opportunity missed.

www.handbagproductions.org