Tag: Musical

Stepmother describes her daughters with the funny line, “One daughter is an imbecile, the other is half as bright”.  If everything in Bad Cinderella were over-the-top silly and ridiculous then this show might be a winner.  That would assume different songs as well.

In Belleville the townspeople brag about their shallowness.  “Beauty is our duty” is the mantra.  The world is colorful and vapid.  In walks Cinderella with her opening number “Bad Cinderella”.  There are a lot of duds and too many ballads sung from center stage in this show.  This tune is one of the flops, not ideal for setting up the lead.

The Cinderella story is well known.  Of course the update here is to make it more inclusive.  Just like practically every other new show.  That being the case, there are far better musicals currently on the boards empowering young women and celebrating gender fluidity (& Juliet).  With today’s ticket prices skyrocketing into the stratosphere, hopefully someone recognizes the grinding repetitiveness of these themes.  Not to mention the business folly of competing for the exact same audience.

Are there pleasures in Bad Cinderella?  Absolutely.  Carolee Carmello’s Stepmother and, especially, Grace McLean’s Queen are a hoot.  Their bitchy duet “I Know You” is a true highlight.  I saw an understudy play Prince Sebastian (Julio Rey) and his characterization was spot on.  The two evil daughters are embodied by Sami Gayle and Morgan Higgins.  They chew the scenery and it looks delicious.

Godmother arrives during the final scene of the first act.  Christina Acosta Robinson gorgeously sings “Beauty Has a Price”.  The staging of this number is visually arresting.  The set contains a turntable which is sometimes wildly overused.  Watch the log circle the action in multiple directions for no meaningful reason in an earlier moment.

Gabriela Tylesova’s costumes are an eyepopping feast of colors.  Nearly everyone is dressed well with the unfortunate exception of the title character.  She’s “bad” so she needs to be different.  Here her look is an odd combination of Hunger Games and Sherwood Forest with little grime.  Think squeaky clean dystopian young adult Disney television and you’ll be close.  Her ballroom gown is from an entirely different show than the rest of the cast.

The male chorus is amusingly and accurately labeled “The Hunks”.  They sing with the Queen about being a “Man’s Man”.  It’s campy and fun.  In act two when the real man’s man arrives, the show briefly shines with gleeful lunacy.  Cameron Loyal, oddly classified as ensemble, was a terrific and welcome jolt of self-aggrandizing energy.

For a musical to be good, the music needs to be.  Borrowing a little bit of a Marie melody from Sunday in the Park With George isn’t enough.  (Listen for it in Act II.)  Andrew Lloyd Weber’s fans will recognize his style in Prince Sebastian’s memorable “Only You, Lonely You”.  But the oft boring songs slow the story down.  More zaniness would be welcome for this comedy.

I had a good time watching Bad Cinderella.  “You’re a charisma vacuum” is a line worth stealing.  I hoped leading lady Linedy Genao would have commanded the stage as is required.  The role is a tad generic despite being labelled bad so the circus surrounding her gets all the attention.  This musical can be recommended for fans of Grace McLean who is most definitely a Queen.

Bad Cinderella is running at the Imperial Theatre.

www.badcinderellabroadway.com

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/&juliet

A descent into madness, mayhem and mischief in yet another revival of Hugh Wheeler and Stephen Sondheim’s brilliantly macabre musical.  I have seen many versions of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street both on and off Broadway (and the film too).  The element of surprise is long gone for me despite its still effective horror.  The book, score and lyrics, however, remain stunning.

This production is definitely not my favorite staging but there are numerous highs to savor.  Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford play the title character and Mrs. Lovett, that clever baker of meat pies.  Mr. Groban’s Sweeney is perhaps the most introspective I have seen.  Controlled anger in combination with an always burning lit fuse makes this a nicely uneasy characterization.  Of course he sings beautifully if not quite as chill inducing as others.

Romantic entanglement between the central characters have always been part of the storytelling.  This duo dials up the heat establishing sex as a major driver bonding them together in a relationship of convenience.  This Mrs. Lovett is overtly satisfying her carnal desires.

Ms. Ashford is a goofy yet calculating Mrs. Lovett.  This comedienne actress lands all of her jokes and makes her trademark faces which lighten the mood.  This revival clearly elevates the musical comedy elements.  When Mrs. Lovett pauses for a moment to consider the nightmare she has immersed herself into, however, the terror expressed is intense.  A scene where she observes the action sitting on a staircase underscores the impending dread.

How do two people make “A Little Priest” feel fresh and funny?  These fine performers ham it up nicely.  The evening I attended Ms. Ashford took a tumble off the table.  The fall, subsequent tumbling and hijinks had the two of them laughing and attempting to stay in character.  The audience was in stitches and the bit seemed cleverly executed.  A week or so later I saw her on Seth Meyers’ late show where she mentioned this unplanned mishap.  The “mistake” was hugely memorable and reminds us of the joys of live theater.

Other accolades must be given to a pitch perfect Johanna (Maria Bilbao) and her suitor Anthony (Jordan Fisher).  Their chemistry was excellent.  I saw understudy Felix Torrez-Ponce play a very fine Tobias.  Nicholas Christopher’s Pirelli was the best one I have ever seen.  Judge Turpin’s “Mea Culpa” has been cut and not missed.

So what’s holding this version from being superb?  Ruthie Ann Miles’ Beggar Woman is bizarrely aggressive in an unique but oddly maniacal portrait.  The tale fails to deliver on its melancholy as a result.

Sweeney Todd is being presented with its original full orchestra for the first time since the original.  I sat in Orchestra Row H and had to strain to hear the music and often the lyrics.  Hopefully the sound design was fixed by the end of previews.

The set is big, dark and looming.  It is also annoying.  The upper area which functions both as a bridge and the barbershop has poles.  When Sweeney is giving a close shave, he and his victim should not be blocked from view.  Why Mrs. Lovett’s lowly pie shop transforms so unbelievably for Act II is anyone’s guess.

Steven Hoggett’s choreography is recognizable.  “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” was particularly interesting.  There are other moments where bodies move around which are distractions.  The talented Thomas Kail directed.  There was an obvious effort made to return Sweeney back to a grand large scale Broadway vehicle.  Some storytelling got lost in the tinkering and a flatness in overall tone is evident.

In the final song, composer Stephen Sondheim asks us whether we “gave a nod” to this killer.  What I loved about this version were the last seconds of the show.  The fate of evil is abundantly clear.  An imperfect Sweeney is still enjoyable as a theatrical masterpiece within the Broadway canon.  There are far worse pies currently on stage right now.

www.sweeneytoddbroadway.com

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/sweeneytodd2017

Wayne Cilento has directed and staged a first ever revival of Bob Fosse’s Dancin’.  He was Tony nominated for his performance in the 1978 production.  This version is a visual feast with faithfully recreated choreography and new material.  Take your seat, open your eyes and drink it all in.  Dancin’ is athletic, seductive and bursts with color.  Mr. Cilento definitely accomplishes his mission of celebrating the legend and deservedly adding his name to the title.

Mr. Fosse mounted this musical to showcase dance on Broadway.  He noted at the time that A Chorus Line, a classic about dancers, contained very little dancing.  They frequently stand and sing about the craft.  His all-dancing spectacle was a big hit.  Certain famous numbers were recreated for the career retrospective Fosse in 1999.  That show was mounted by one of his muses, Ann Reinking (also a Tony nominee from the original Dancin’).

I saw Fosse which was satisfying like a good smorgasbord with lots of tasty bits.  This presentation, however, is far more sumptuous.  An ecstatic celebration of dance.  An opportunity to witness extremely talented individuals excelling in their art.  I was mesmerized throughout.

Changes have been made such as the addition of scenes and numbers from Fosse’s infamous 1986 flop Big Deal.  Despite being a financial failure he won a Tony for his choreography.  This turned out to be his last work as he died the following year.  For theater buffs here is a golden opportunity to see a tiny piece of history.  And Mr. Cilento was in that show so authenticity is an added bonus.

There are some vague attempts to have the dancers tell us snippets of Fosse thought but thankfully they are kept to a minimum.  We are here to worship the dance and that we will do.  The ensemble in this musical are vividly alive no matter whether they are front and center or in the back row.  Mr. Cilento has to be given credit for this abundance of professionalism.

Difficulties arise in picking out favorites so I will mostly avoid the task.  “Sing, Sing, Sing” is as fantastic as you would hope.  Kolton Krouse’s trumpet solo is awesome.  “Percussion” thrilled, especially the boxing in “Part II”.  Little nods to other Fosse shows were short-lived and fun such as the medieval costumed soldiers in “The Bookstore”.

The costume design by Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung is one of a slew of creative high points.  The clothing manages to be functional, eye popping, kaleidoscopic, sexy and even muted a dull gray when called for.  David Grill’s exceptional lighting design enhances the action in interestingly varying ways.  Signage including Peep Show and Pussycat evoke a seedier New York which is also part of Broadway history.  The dancing is unquestionably the star but the total production is dazzling.

Famous for being a Razzle Dazzle man, Fosse loved dancing and dancers.  The original Dancin’ was the first Broadway musical where every ensemble member had principal contracts and the related financial rewards.  Let’s hope that is the case once again for this uber talented and diversity inclusive group.  Watching their exquisite movements and Mr. Cilento’s glorious staging is simply a joy.  Fans of dance should pounce.

www.dancinbway.com

I missed the two month flash that was the original run of the musical Parade on Broadway in 1998.  The show won Tony Awards for book writer Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) and composer Jason Robert Brown (Bridges of Madison County, The Last Five Years).  I remembered nothing about the show prior to enjoying this accomplished revival.

Parade recounts another dark chapter of racism in our country so revisiting the topic again remains sadly relevant.  In 1913 a Jewish American was tried and imprisoned for the rape and murder of a thirteen year old girl.  She was an employee at the pencil factory where he also worked.  Leo Frank was a college educated man who relocated to Georgia from Brooklyn.  His first song asks “How Can I Call This Home?”

The plot begins momentarily with soldiers heading off to the Civil War.  Quickly the crime is committed and an investigation begins.  This leads to a trial and incarceration.  Detectives, prosecutors and politicians are outlined in broadly corrupt strokes.

Lucille Frank (Micaela Diamond) feverishly works to help prove her husband’s innocence.  She and Leo (Ben Platt) prognosticate “This Is Not Over Yet”.  While Parade is based on historical events, this section seems highly unlikely to be factually accurate.  There is basis for the turn of events portrayed but the party crashing plotline is unbelievable.

Mr. Platt and, especially, Ms. Diamond have created deeply realized period characters with exceptionally realistic chemistry.  They both sing this tuneful score beautifully.  Musical theater fans can savor the Sondheim influence on Mr. Brown in Lucille’s song “Do It Alone”.  Sunday In the Park With George is not hard to hear.

A huge talented cast lends fine support to the central couple.  Michael Arden’s staging and direction effectively convey this uncomfortable tale on a deceptively simple set featuring a raised platform.  Old photographs of these real people are projected on the back wall furthering the gravitas.  Parade is an unusual musical for sure.  This stellar and eerily dramatic production makes a very strong case that it is an important one as well.

Two groups emerged from this notorious moment in history.  The defunct Ku Klux Klan was revived as a small group in Georgia in 1915 before flourishing more broadly thereafter.  The birth of the Jewish Civil Rights organization, the Anti-Defamation League, was born.  The parade of hatred so blatantly on view in today’s America clearly points toward an unclear crossroad into our future.  Leo Frank’s case was reopened in 2019 and is still ongoing.  America’s case is similarly unresolved.

Parade is running on Broadway through August 6, 2023.

www.paradebroadway.com

The current revival of Chicago opened on Broadway on November 14, 1996.  No other American musical has lasted that long.  I saw this show months after opening before Bebe Neuwirth took home a Tony for her Velma Kelly.  I decided now was finally the time for a revisit.  Why?  Jinkx Monsoon.

Let’s begin with the pre-show energy in the theater.  I’ve been to Broadway openings.  Seen megastars in smash hits.  The Ambassador Theatre that night was in rarified air.  The atmosphere was electric and pulsating.  When the lights came down and the orchestra began “All That Jazz” the audience roared.  Literally roared.  To say it was magical would be an understatement.

So how does a warhorse like Chicago hold up?  Fred Ebb and John Kander’s score remains classic and brilliant, filled with memorable tunes.  The cynicism of this story is still relevant.  Chicago takes place in the 1920s and was first produced in the 1970s.  Manipulating the press and self-serving obfuscation is our world today.  The sarcasm in “Razzle Dazzle” is still fresh commentary.  “Give them the old flim flam flummox / Fool and fracture ’em / How can they hear the truth above the roar?”

Did I have a great time at this show?  Yes.  First, how was Jinkx?  Simply terrific as the prison Matron “Mama” Morton.  Her entrance applause was deafening.  Wasn’t it nice then to hear an expert rendition of “When You’re Good To Mama” and even higher heights achieved in the second act’s hilarious “Class”.  I’ve seen Jinkx in The Vaudevillians off Broadway, on television in RuPaul’s Drag Race and also in the fantastic drag Christmas burlesque The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show.  I knew the performance would be professional and seriously delivered, and it was.

Now for the other terrific news.  Charlotte d’Amboise’s turn as Roxie Hart was exceptionally entertaining.  Her “Roxie” number was truly a showstopper.  As lawyer Billy Flynn, James T. Lane was excellent from his “we love Billy” entrance to his razzle dazzling all of us.  R.  Lowe has been playing Mary Sunshine for fifteen years and it’s a doozy.

Over and above that, Evan Harrington’s duped loser Amos Hart was stunning.  I have never ever heard a better “Mister Cellophane”.  When he is forced to leave the stage near the end of the show without exit music someone in the audience exclaimed “that’s terrible”.  We all howled – and felt sad too.

The rest is a mixed bag with both good and mediocre sprinkled in.  All of the “in the style of Bob Fosse” numbers are executed but my eyes were laser focused on certain performers who made you notice them.  It did not help that I saw a preview of the upcoming revival of Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ the following evening.  Every one of those dancers are eye-poppingly alive (with tremendously more complicated work to do).  Routineness, unfortunately, tends to be the norm with longer runs despite their extremely high ticket prices.

Michael Scirrotto was a standout in his role as The Jury.  Jessica Ernest (Go-To-Hell Kitty) was also eye-catching.  Mary Claire King, however, stands alone as if Fosse himself discovered her.  All four of us were mesmerized by her presence and dancing.  If the whole show were at that level, this Chicago would be stratospheric.  That said, the “Cell Block Tango” was particularly fine with Velma (Lana Gordon) and “the Girls”.

Chicago remains an extraordinary musical brimming with superlative songs.  This production changes casts often, particularly the principle parts, in what is commonly referred to as stunt casting.  I am thrilled I entered its orbit when a supernova exploded and a grand Broadway evening brightly dazzled.

Chicago will likely be running long after my time here on Earth has ended.  Jinkx Monsoon will play Mama Morton until March 26, 2023 and then will be touring the universe in her upcoming extravaganza Everything At Stake beginning in June.

www.chicagothemusical.com

www,jinkxmonsoon.com/tour

Many centuries after William Shakespeare wrote Romeo & Juliet we’ve come to learn that the Bard’s wife didn’t feature the tragic ending.  Anne Hathaway wants a rewrite in which Juliet does not kill herself but instead lives to slay another day, so to speak.  From this premise the fun-loving musical & Juliet has arrived on Broadway after its West End premiere.

This show features songs written by Max Martin and “friends”.  Mr. Martin is the songwriter and/or producer behind more number one hits than any other artist this century.  The performer list goes back to 1996’s Backstreet Boys followed by Brittany Spears, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd up to Lizzo in 2022.  And many, many more.

A very large selection of massive hits are combined with a book by David West Read, an Emmy winner as writer and producer of Schitt’s Creek.  This is a jukebox musical with a lot of wit, some heart and girl empowerment messaging.  I use the term girl instead of woman as Juliet was originally written as a thirteen year old.  The book does not shy away from that awkward fact and the audience laughs.

The simple yet clever conceit has William (Stark Sands) and Anne (Betsy Wolfe) amusingly battling for control of the rewrite.  After the deceased Romeo’s previously undisclosed transgressions are aired, Juliet sets off for her next phase.  There will be a new love interest, naturally, and some side characters to help her find a happy ending.

These cohorts include her Nurse (Melanie La Barrie, excellent) and a new BFF May (Justin David Sullivan).  May is a nonbinary character played by someone who identifies as he/she/they in real life.  “I Kissed a Girl” is firmly coopted here to have even more opportunity to scare away the self-aggrandizing conservative morality police.

Other principle characters include love interest François (Phillipe Arroyo) and his codpiece wearing father Lance (Tony winner Paulo Szot).  Paloma Young’s costumes are colorful Elizabethan riffs.  Ben Jackson Walker is listed in the program as Romeo but he is dead at the top of the show.  I will not spoil his plotline only to say the performance is a memorable one.

Belting her lungs out is Lorna Courtney as Juliet,  She is delightful bundle of pop star energy.  The cast seems to be having a grand time across the board.  Special kudo to Betsy Wolfe who nails Anne Hathaway’s desire to recast women’s roles in history not to mention her own.  Recounting her relationship with Shakespeare in “That’s the Way It Is” is a spotlight standout moment.

The performance which stood out for me amidst the talented competition was that of Mr. Arroyo as the lovelorn, love stricken, slightly lost and quite enchanting François.  His journey is one of development, discovery and, ultimately, honesty and acceptance.  There are a ton of laughs to be had throughout but there is also some heartfelt, albeit musical theatery, emotions as well.

Time for a quibble or two which keeps this production from being less than spectacularly awesome which it could have been.  The choreography (Jennifer Weber) is definitely less than one might expect.  More arms than legs if memory serves me right.  The lighting design (Howard Hudson) is noticeably off with many examples of characters not lit correctly.

& Juliet could have been great.  Instead it is simply an enormously entertaining spectacle combining gleeful writing and smile inducing performers with a cavalcade of pop hits.  This one is for fun seekers and, especially, for those who need a break from reality.    I know “I Want It That Way”.

&Juliet is running on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

www.andjulietbroadway.com

Five Points was a 19th century neighborhood in lower Manhattan notorious for being a densely populated, disease-ridden, crime-infested slum.  In the middle of the century, the two predominant groups in residence were black people emancipated from slavery and Irish immigrants including those fleeing the potato famine.  Paradise Square is a fictionalized Broadway musical loosely connected to this history.

While tensions existed between these two disparate groups, Five Points is considered one of the earliest examples of willful racial integration in America.  Classic ills of urban destitution were rampant such as infant and child mortality, unemployment, prostitution and violent crime. The show does not completely ignore all these aspects but a more palatable vision is suggested.

The inspiration for Paradise Square seems to be an African American dance hall named Almack’s.  Here is where a fusion of Irish reels and jigs met the African shuffle.  Competitions between the styles on the streets spilled into the dance hall.  From this, tap dance was born followed later by other music hall genres.  This amalgamation is where this musical plants its flag.

Nelly O’Brien (Joaquina Kalukango) is the proprietor of a saloon left to her by her deceased father.  She is married to an Irishman named Willie (Matt Bogart) hence the Irish surname for a black woman.  Her brother is Reverend Samuel Jacob Lewis (Nathaniel Stampley) who is married to the white Annie Lewis.  In this Disneyesque world, integration has been completed.

There are many characters and storylines.  Some of the Irish men go off to fight in the Civil War.  An young man emigrates from Ireland to join Aunt Annie.  Corrupt and sleazy politicians rule the town.  A mysterious piano player needs a job.  Two slaves escape via the underground railroad.  Helpful lesbians are present.  In order to raise money, there will be a dance contest at the bar.  The material is not uninteresting but the unfocused book by three authors has no cohesive focus.  Plodding is an apt descriptor.

Jason Howland’s music is occasionally tuneful, often generic and occasionally bizarre.  One of the dance contest moments sounded like it was lifted directly from the 1970’s.  The lyrics are largely forgettable.  Ms. Kalukango has a huge 11:00 number called “Let It Burn”.  This actress knocks the song out of the park but don’t be surprised if you start singing “Let It Go” from Frozen on your way out the door.  Just substitute the word burn for go.  Paradise Square is that formulaic.

After an opening which sets time and place similarly to many musicals, a couple of songs and moments were attention grabbing.  “Camptown Races” begins an exploration of minstrel songs and the legacy of Stephen Foster.  White people stealing black culture for profit is one of the many underdeveloped sidelines here.  The next song was a nice ballad “Since the Day That I Met You”.  The saloon owner and her husband establish their bond.

The dancing is often exciting so Bill T. Jones’ choreography adds a positive element to sustain some level of interest but it becomes repetitive.  The movement often invokes stomping which I thought was intended to take our attention away from the dull songs.

The direction (Moisés Kaufman) of the whole production is flawed.  The ensemble is carted out frequently standing idly.  The set rotates in and out; around and around.  A fake baby is carried by various cast members in a number of scenes meant to suggest families I suppose.

The fatal flaw in Paradise Square is that the show is so very boring.  Act II is interminable.  The big solo at the end of the show does bring down the house but why is everyone on the stage staring at the audience for so long?  It looks idiotic and frankly distracts from the major highlight of this musical.

Many performances rise above the fray.  In addition to the leading lady, Chilina Kennedy’s spunky Annie is a tough gal treat who needs more to do in this crowded plot.  A.J. Shively is fine as the fresh faced Irish immigrant Owen.  Sidney DuPont also has good moments as Washington Henry, the slave on the run.

There is a scene in this show consisting of the sleazy politician Frederic Tiggens (John Dossett) and his “Uptown Men”.  There cannot be another moment in this theatrical season more cringeworthy that this one.  Both sidekicks act like cartoon villains with broad caricatures and imbecilic physicality.

Paradise Square is a very bad production about a fascinating slice of the grimy evolution of New York City and the American experiment in general.  After the riots (there are always riots prompting change) the African American community went uptown to Harlem and the racial integration moment passed.  At its end this musical proposes that for a brief moment in time this social phenomena was a grand utopia.  That is certainly debatable.  What’s not debatable is buying a ticket to other far, far better expensive entertainments in town.

Paradise Square is running on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.

www.paradisesquaremusical.com