NEW YORK THEATRE TIPS MARCH 2007

[philipchevron]

Right now, Broadway and Off-Broadway is full of good actors giving very good performances in slightly sub-par pieces of theatre. I make a few cautious exceptions here, as they are unlikely to appeal to all tastes.

Go see the MTC production of Brian Friel's Translations (Biltmore Theatre) in which the text and actors are marshalled by Garry Hynes as expertly as you would expect from her. But be prepared to share the theatre with disgruntled and bored New Yorkers, a number of whom will not survive to face the apparent ordeal of the second act. There is nothing difficult about this play, it is one of Friel's clearest works. But the simple suspension of disbelief which requires you to accept that everybody on stage is acting in English even if some of their characters are "speaking" in Irish, appears to flummox some, which will be all the more ironic to those of you who know the play.

Julianne Moore, Bill Nighy and Andrew Scott give fine performances The Vertical Hour (Music Box Theatre) but your enjoyment will depend on how highly you rate playwright David Hare. It is directed by Sam Mendes, which will entice some, though there's no compelling reason why it should in this instance.

Both major London imports, Kevin Spacey, Eve Best and Colm Meaney in Eugene O'Neill's A Moon For The Misbegotten and Peter Morgan's Frost/Nixon can be commended without reservation, but neither begins on Broadway until late March.

Of the long-running musicals, only The Drowsy Chaperone (Marquis Theatre) and The Color Purple (Broadway Theatre) are really now worth your time, but the revival of Sondheim and Furth's Company (Ethel Barrymore Theatre) continues the recent and welcome trend for productions of Sondheim's work which give full weight to the material. More interesting, however, are this season's two new musicals. Neither is an unalloyed classic, but both are well worth seeing if your idea of a good time at the theatre is to have at least some of your preconceptions challenged. Spring Awakening (Eugene O'Neill Theatre) is based on Frank Wedekind's 19th century play of sexual hypocrisy in Germany but now sports an original rock score which implicitly links with contemporary American culture wars. How you like the show will rather depend on whether you consider America's chronic reversal into infantilism worthy of your attention and you may also wonder, as I did, whether a play about sexual awakening among adolescents in which the principals all seem to be in their early twenties does more to perpetuate sexual hypocrisy than challenge it. Nevertheless, there is much to admire in the work and I am paying it another visit tomorrow to see if my hunch that it'll be even better the second time pays off.

But the surprise hit of the season, and the only show apart from the Friel that I can recommend more or less wholeheartedly, is Grey Gardens, (Walter Kerr Theatre) a new musical based upon the cult documentary film about the real-life story of society girl Edie Bouvier (aunt to Jackie Kennedy Onassis), once bethrothed to Joe Kennedy and on her way to First Lady-dom, but by then (1975) reduced to sharing a fairly squalid existence with a mutually-dependent mother and numerous feral cats. If this sounds a little too close to Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? for comfort, well, it perhaps is. But that thumbnail sketch does not take account of Christine Ebersole's extraordinary performance as both Edie and (in act one) her own mother. She has, with some justification, been unofficially crowned new Queen Of Broadway by both critics and theatregoers, but the Tony which will be hers merely for showing-up in June for the Awards will consolidate that title.

[carmens827]

thanks Philip--i do trust your judgement . as you already know--i have great music taste --but i depend on you for theatre advice .i will look into tickets later today

[redandblack78]

Hah! I like how it took 100 views before anyone responded to this thread. I am not too into theatre unless they are comedies. Then again, I've never been to a high quality play either.

[philipchevron]

Hah! I like how it took 100 views before anyone responded to this thread. I am not too into theatre unless they are comedies. Then again, I've never been to a high quality play either.

Well, it did not really require a response. I am periodically asked to recommend some shows and, just as periodically, I do.

[Cdn Steve]

Hello all

I'll have a few nights in Chicago, and only two nights are booked so far.

I'd like to see a play or two while I'm in town. Any recommendations for a first-time visitor? There are quite a few theatre companies in Chicago, including the big ones like Steppenwolf and Second City.
Philip - have you had any exposure to the theatre offerings in the Windy City?

The League of Chicago Theatres has listings searchable by date:
http://www.chicagoplays.com/links/

There are dozens to choose from, and although there are many resources for reviews, etc, I'd be happy to read any input from other Forum members

[Christine]

I've never been to the theatre in Chicago but I'd go for the Steppenwolf because of its John Malkovich connection - you probably can't go wrong with Pinter's Betrayal. I'd be curious to know what you decide on and how you enjoy it.

[philipchevron]

Hello all

I'll have a few nights in Chicago, and only two nights are booked so far.

I'd like to see a play or two while I'm in town. Any recommendations for a first-time visitor? There are quite a few theatre companies in Chicago, including the big ones like Steppenwolf and Second City.
Philip - have you had any exposure to the theatre offerings in the Windy City?

The League of Chicago Theatres has listings searchable by date:
http://www.chicagoplays.com/links/

There are dozens to choose from, and although there are many resources for reviews, etc, I'd be happy to read any input from other Forum members

I'm hoping to catch "Assassins" at Porchlight Music Theatre at the Theatre Building if it's close enough to home. I haven't checked maps yet. Or itineraries, for that matter.

[philipchevron]

Right now, Broadway and Off-Broadway is full of good actors giving very good performances in slightly sub-par pieces of theatre. I make a few cautious exceptions here, as they are unlikely to appeal to all tastes.

Go see the MTC production of Brian Friel's Translations (Biltmore Theatre) in which the text and actors are marshalled by Garry Hynes as expertly as you would expect from her. But be prepared to share the theatre with disgruntled and bored New Yorkers, a number of whom will not survive to face the apparent ordeal of the second act. There is nothing difficult about this play, it is one of Friel's clearest works. But the simple suspension of disbelief which requires you to accept that everybody on stage is acting in English even if some of their characters are "speaking" in Irish, appears to flummox some, which will be all the more ironic to those of you who know the play.

Julianne Moore, Bill Nighy and Andrew Scott give fine performances The Vertical Hour (Music Box Theatre) but your enjoyment will depend on how highly you rate playwright David Hare. It is directed by Sam Mendes, which will entice some, though there's no compelling reason why it should in this instance.

Both major London imports, Kevin Spacey, Eve Best and Colm Meaney in Eugene O'Neill's A Moon For The Misbegotten and Peter Morgan's Frost/Nixon can be commended without reservation, but neither begins on Broadway until late March.

Of the long-running musicals, only The Drowsy Chaperone (Marquis Theatre) and The Color Purple (Broadway Theatre) are really now worth your time, but the revival of Sondheim and Furth's Company (Ethel Barrymore Theatre) continues the recent and welcome trend for productions of Sondheim's work which give full weight to the material. More interesting, however, are this season's two new musicals. Neither is an unalloyed classic, but both are well worth seeing if your idea of a good time at the theatre is to have at least some of your preconceptions challenged. Spring Awakening (Eugene O'Neill Theatre) is based on Frank Wedekind's 19th century play of sexual hypocrisy in Germany but now sports an original rock score which implicitly links with contemporary American culture wars. How you like the show will rather depend on whether you consider America's chronic reversal into infantilism worthy of your attention and you may also wonder, as I did, whether a play about sexual awakening among adolescents in which the principals all seem to be in their early twenties does more to perpetuate sexual hypocrisy than challenge it. Nevertheless, there is much to admire in the work and I am paying it another visit tomorrow to see if my hunch that it'll be even better the second time pays off.

But the surprise hit of the season, and the only show apart from the Friel that I can recommend more or less wholeheartedly, is Grey Gardens, (Walter Kerr Theatre) a new musical based upon the cult documentary film about the real-life story of society girl Edie Bouvier (aunt to Jackie Kennedy Onassis), once bethrothed to Joe Kennedy and on her way to First Lady-dom, but by then (1975) reduced to sharing a fairly squalid existence with a mutually-dependent mother and numerous feral cats. If this sounds a little too close to Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? for comfort, well, it perhaps is. But that thumbnail sketch does not take account of Christine Ebersole's extraordinary performance as both Edie and (in act one) her own mother. She has, with some justification, been unofficially crowned new Queen Of Broadway by both critics and theatregoers, but the Tony which will be hers merely for showing-up in June for the Awards will consolidate that title.

It would be negligent of me not give a thumbs up to Jersey Boys, which won the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical and, though it was not even close to being the best musical of the 2005/2006 season, it is a hugely entertaining piece of rags-to-riches-to-rags hokum, sentimental as hell, with a couple of good moments which will make you tear up. This is the bio-musical of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and may appeal to New York visitors who have had their fill of um, proper Art having seen the Pogues next door [literally] at Roseland. This is not to damn it with faint praise, but these "jukebox" musicals have a poor track record and usually need to be approached with caution. It has taken me over a year to get round to seeing this show, as it was so obviously a monster hit from the moment it opened that I knew it was likely to run for years. If you are planning to see it, catch it while the original star John Lloyd Young (as Frankie Valli) is still in the cast. He quite rightly won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for an astonishing tour-de-force vocal performance which would not have disgraced Ethel Merman. Book in advance, it's a tough ticket.

I was wrong about Spring Awakening, I think. A second viewing merely reinforced the negatives of the first without any compensating new revelations in the music.

[Mark_Wafc]

Im going to watch The Producers in March featuring Peter Kay.

It's in Manchester mind, not NYC.

[MissWalshy]

Im going to watch The Producers in March featuring Peter Kay.

It's in Manchester mind, not NYC.

Spare ticket for me?

[dj_evol_eno]

I've heard nothing but good things about this one...have to agree...Though I've only had a chance to see the documentary at this point. I'd recommend it to anyone.

But the surprise hit of the season, and the only show apart from the Friel that I can recommend more or less wholeheartedly, is Grey Gardens, (Walter Kerr Theatre) a new musical based upon the cult documentary film about the real-life story of society girl Edie Bouvier (aunt to Jackie Kennedy Onassis), once bethrothed to Joe Kennedy and on her way to First Lady-dom, but by then (1975) reduced to sharing a fairly squalid existence with a mutually-dependent mother and numerous feral cats. If this sounds a little too close to Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? for comfort, well, it perhaps is. But that thumbnail sketch does not take account of Christine Ebersole's extraordinary performance as both Edie and (in act one) her own mother. She has, with some justification, been unofficially crowned new Queen Of Broadway by both critics and theatregoers, but the Tony which will be hers merely for showing-up in June for the Awards will consolidate that title.

[philipchevron]

Im going to watch The Producers in March featuring Peter Kay.

It's in Manchester mind, not NYC.

I'm trying to get my head around this one. Is he playing Bialystock or Bloom? I'm not saying he wouldn't be excellent as either, I'm just curious to know where he landed. And who is his co-star?

Athough I never saw a better Leo Bloom than Matthew Broderick, I think it's fair to say that Lee Evans (in the London production) was a more effective foil for Nathan Lane's Max Bialystock. Evans is also terrific in London's The Dumb Waiter, by the way. Evans is Norman Wisdom without the unbearable schmaltz.

[Mark_Wafc]

Im going to watch The Producers in March featuring Peter Kay.

It's in Manchester mind, not NYC.

I'm trying to get my head around this one. Is he playing Bialystock or Bloom? I'm not saying he wouldn't be excellent as either, I'm just curious to know where he landed. And who is his co-star?

Athough I never saw a better Leo Bloom than Matthew Broderick, I think it's fair to say that Lee Evans (in the London production) was a more effective foil for Nathan Lane's Max Bialystock. Evans is also terrific in London's The Dumb Waiter, by the way. Evans is Norman Wisdom without the unbearable schmaltz.

He's playing DeBris, amazingly! Not seen any publicity for co-stars as it appears to be being sold as The Producers with Peter Kay

I've never been a massive fan of Lee Evans to be honest, i think his stand up left an not to clever taste in my mouth. But i did read a review recently saying he was outstanding in the Dumb Waiter at the Whitehall Theatre (or whatever they call it these days??)

Norman Wisdom - is he still acting?!

[dublinrambler]

Philip- any thoughts on the closing of Dublins Andrews lane theatre?

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNIDAUEYEY

[philipchevron]

Im going to watch The Producers in March featuring Peter Kay.

It's in Manchester mind, not NYC.

I'm trying to get my head around this one. Is he playing Bialystock or Bloom? I'm not saying he wouldn't be excellent as either, I'm just curious to know where he landed. And who is his co-star?

Athough I never saw a better Leo Bloom than Matthew Broderick, I think it's fair to say that Lee Evans (in the London production) was a more effective foil for Nathan Lane's Max Bialystock. Evans is also terrific in London's The Dumb Waiter, by the way. Evans is Norman Wisdom without the unbearable schmaltz.

He's playing DeBris, amazingly! Not seen any publicity for co-stars as it appears to be being sold as The Producers with Peter Kay

I've never been a massive fan of Lee Evans to be honest, i think his stand up left an not to clever taste in my mouth. But i did read a review recently saying he was outstanding in the Dumb Waiter at the Whitehall Theatre (or whatever they call it these days??)

Norman Wisdom - is he still acting?!

Well, that's a first, for sure. Roger De Bris getting star billing in The Producers. Altogether now - "Roger De Bris presents/History!"