Theater

"Mans' interest in the world is only the overflow of his interest in himself,"....my favorite line from what is arguably George Bernard Shaw's masterpiece. In it, he brings together an eccentric collection of characters and places them in a majestic home in Sussex, England in 1914. The home belongs to a crazy sea captain, whose daughters are as off-the-wall as he is. But, no matter. The story is only the framework on which Shaw hangs his ideas about socialism, religion, business, politics, etc., some of which resonate loudly even in the year 2002. The acting was excellent throughout the large cast, but fine as they were, the actors were dwarfed by the soaring sets, which were applauded by an audience that sat and watched them being changed during intermission. A long play, but an excellent night of theater.

Possibly because I'm a theater purist (snob,) I usually don't review non-equity productions of plays. However, I'm making an exception in this case, because the play was directed by my mentor and friend, Mel Howards, and because the production was excellent. When we walked into the little Opera House on Main Street in Biddeford Maine, I was surprised to see such a professional and beautifully-designed set in place on stage. This was Brick and Maggie's bedroom in that old mansion filled with Tennessee Williams dysfunctional Southern "gentility." The director pulled performances out of these non-professionals, that would not be out of place on a Broadway stage. The only bad apple in the bunch was the actor who played Big Daddy, a pivotal role. Unfortunately, he thought that he was playing William Jennings Bryan in "Inherit The Wind." Because the others were so good, especially the actors playing Brick and Maggie, it didn't mar the overall performance. So, the moral is, support your own regional theater company, and let's hear it for amateur theatricals. Bravo Mel!

I loved the film of "the Graduate" when it came out in 1967, but on a re-visit, just a year ago, I found it to be dated, and, with the exception of Anne Bancroft's Mrs. Robinson, I found the acting of everyone else (especially Dustin Hoffman,) to be embarrassingly amateurish. Therefore, I went to see this theater version of the film, with no mind-set about seeing "a classic desecrated!" What I experienced was an hilarious re-telling of a timeless tale of "the seduction of a youth." Without taking anything away from Anne Bancroft's classic portrayal, let me say that Kathleen Turner was born to play Mrs. Robinson. Everything that she says and does is right on the mark. Poor Benjamin doesn't have a chance! As Benjamin, Jason Biggs ("American Pie 1 & 2") erases all memories of Dustin Hoffman. He couldn't be better. What a gifted young comic actor he is. Because these two are SO perfect in their roles, by contrast, Alicia Silverstone as Elaine is not as good as she should be. Maybe in time she'll grow into her role, and feel as comfortable as Turner and Biggs are in their portrayal of these unforgetable characters. The acting of the two leads was not the only thing good about this play. I loved the minimalist sets; so inventive and fluid. Although the first act is much better than the second, which still needs a lot of "tightening up," taken as a whole, "The Graduate" should be a big hit when it moves on to Broadway.

If you've attended live theater on Broadway anytime during the past 50 years, then the name Elaine Stritch should mean something to you. It's not that she's been in a show every season. On the contrary, her appearances have been rare but memorable. (I've only seen her 3 times before. In Noel Coward's "Sail Away" starring Noel Coward himself, in "Goldilocks," and in the original production of Sondheim's "Company," where she stopped the show with the song "The Ladies Who Lunch.") It's just that she symbolizes everything that Broadway is about...incredible singing, dancing, and acting talent, sophistication, raunchy but intelligent humor, and the ability to reach across the footlights and pull the entire audience into the show. All of these skills are evident in her current sold-out one woman show...possibly the hottest ticket on Broadway this season. With just a simple stool as a prop, she recounts her life on the stage, in song and anecdote, and everything comes alive on that stage. It's a tour-de-force performance, one that those in the audience will never forget, like "Judy at the Palace, Sinatra at Carnegie Hall, and Streisand at the Garden." As with all of these, people in years to come will be lying about having seen the show. I'm lucky to have seen all of them!

The 1957 cult classic movie "Sweet Smell of Success," told the story of a vicious gossip columnist (Burt Lancaster,) a sleazy press agent (Tony Curtis,) and the smear campaign that they concocted to ruin a career. Not exactly the stuff of Broadway musicals (!) but composer Marvin Hamlisch ("A Chorus Line,") decided to write one anyway. He pulled together an excellent creative team. John Guare ("Six Degrees of Separation") wrote the book for the musical, and Nicholas Hytner ("The Crucible," "The Madness of King George," "The Object of my Affection,") is the director. John Lithgow plays the role of J.J. Hunsecker, the gossip columnist, and Brian D'Arcy James (from the musical "Titanic") plays the press agent. The musical's parents are all expert craftsmen. Their offspring, however, is a schizophrenic disaster. On the one hand, the book of the show is excellent, the sets and costumes are beautiful, and the acting on the part of two of the leads (John Lithgow and Kelli O'Hara) couldn't be better. On the other hand, the music is terrible; completely forgettable. Since this IS a musical, it doesn't bode well for the show. I smell the "sour smell of failure!"

The time is World War I. The place is Ulster in Northern Ireland. A group of eight young misfits, all Irish Protestant Nationalists, are about to go off and fight "in Flanders fields" in Europe, at the Battle of the Somme, the most bloody and unsuccessful Allied offensive on the Western Front. But before they do, they talk, and talk, and talk, and talk! All Irish playwrights have the gift of gab. The best of them (Shaw, Wilde, O'Neill, Synge, Friel, etc.) are universally eloquent. The others, like Frank McGuinness here, will just talk you to death! Given what they have to work with, the eight actors are all outstanding, especially Scott Wolf ( TV's "Party of Five,") and Justin Theroux ("Mulholland Drive.") With the exception of the last 10 minutes, the two-hour play is an interminable bore. Just nod off, take a nap, and dream of the places that you could have been, instead of in this theater.

I've waited two years for this award-winning British (Royal National Theatre) production of the most American of Broadway musicals, "Oklahoma." Was it worth the wait? Absolutely! Having lived in Oklahoma for four years, where this musical is practically a religion, I've seen dozens of versions of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, from the most professional, to grade-school versions. This is by far the best, far surpassing the sappy, sugary 1955 movie version. Everything about this production is sheer perfection: the expert direction of Trevor Nunn, the complex choreography by Susan Stroman, the clever sets and costumes of Anthony Ward, but especially the actors...every single one of them. I can't imagine a better Curly and Laurey than Patrick Wilson and Josefina Gabrielle, and the sociopathic but sympathetic Jud Fry of Shuler Hensley is an unforgetable performance. You hear talk about this being a darker version of the original. Let's just say that it's a more three-dimensional version. These are real people singing about meaningful things that are happening to them. With just a shift in direction, a pretty, but cheesy love song, becomes a teasing conversation between two people who are in love. There's a difference. After almost three hours, the cast started to sing the title song for the first time, and you could feel the enthusiasm and excitement in the audience as they wanted to sing along. It's a magic moment. I almost stood up and cheered. Get tickets and bring the whole family...the children will get a lot out of it, and you'll love it, as I did.

Poor Ann-Margret waited too long to make her Broadway stage debut. At age 60, although she still looks good, she's just plain tired, and it shows. This musical is also tired. It wasn't very good when it opened on Broadway 25 years ago, but then it benefited from the wild and sexy choreography of Tommy Tune. Now, those dances (and dancers) are gone, and all that's left is a stupid, old-fashioned, corny, poorly acted and badly sung story of the last whorehouse in Texas. Who cares? If possible, this revival is even worse than the dreadful film of the musical that was made 20 years ago, with Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds. That's saying something! Ann-Margret would have been better served if she had made her Broadway debut in one of her cheesy, glitzy, Las Vegas reviews. That's what she does best. This present show is what she does worst. (Or is it worse?) In any case, if she's smart, she'll keep this show "on the road" where people who just want a night away from their TV sets and screaming kids, might find some fun in it. The Broadway critics will kill it!

Everything about this current revival of the play "The Elephant Man" is first-class...the excellent acting of Billy Crudup, Rupert Graves, and Kate Burton; the original incidental music by Philip Glass; the perfect set by Santo Loquasto; and the expert direction of Sean Mathias. Everything is first class...except the play itself! The play is tiresome, wordy, and only intermittently interesting. It's the story of John Merrick, a man with elephantiasis, who became the freak/darling of the Victorian elite in London. Played straight through with no intermission (1 hour and 40 minutes,) it's sleep-inducing, in spite of Billy Crudup's painful-to-watch, brilliant performance. Maybe it's just that we've all become jaded to the freaks in our midst. As Stephen Sondheim wrote, "don't bother to send in the clowns, they're already here."

When a play has something to say and is beautifully written, often, a director will chose simply to put his actors on stage and have them "say" the words, unencumbered by sets, costumes, and fussy direction. That's what director Michael Blakemore has chosen to do with Michael Frayn's brilliant play "Copenhagen," (the winner of the 2000 Tony award.) What if two atomic physicists, one working for the Nazis and one for the Allies, had had a private meeting during WWII in the home of one of the physicists? What would they have said to one another? The actors are Len Cariou and Mariette Hartley as the Danish physicist Nils Bohr and his wife, and Hank Stratton as the German physicist Werner Heisenberg.The three of them are perfect in their roles, and the play, as a result of what they do and how it's written, is elegant, insightful, and endlessly fascinating. Even if you know nothing about Quantum Mechanics and The Uncertainty Principle (and who does??) you'll find this play to be brilliant and mind-bending.

Departing Artistic Director Robert Brustein has chosen as his final production, Aristophanes' "Lysistrata," but he's doing it as a musical! What a wise decision this was. The result is bawdy, hilarious, musically toe-tapping, and acted to perfection by the ensemble of the ART, led by one of its most famous alums, Tony-Award-winning Cherry Jones. After firing one or two composers and directors ("for artistic differences,") Brustein ended up with composer Galt MacDermot ("Hair") and director Andrei Serban. They've created a new musical based on a play that's been popular for 25 centuries, and it could easily be a hit on Broadway today. The plot still revolves around the women of Greece, who, fed up with the terrible war that's occupied their men for 20 years, stage a revolt. No more sex unless the war stops! Cherry Jones is the stand-out in the cast, but everyone is excellent. The musical score is melodic and very Broadway-sounding. The sets and costumes are clever and often hilarious (you would have to see the balloon phalluses to see what I mean!) I laughed more at the jokes and incidents in this musical (based on a play written in 411 B.C.) than I did in "The Producers," written just three years ago. That says a lot about both shows, doesn't it?

"Corny," "old-fashioned," and "silly" are words that come to mind when describing this 50-year-old musical by George Abbott (book) and Frank Loesser (music and lyrics.) Sure, it's all of these, but it's also funny, filled with unforgettable songs, and, an opportunity for singing actors to shine in showcase roles. One of the actors in this fine revival, Jessica Stone, can come out of this production as a bankable star, if some producer is smart enough to put her in the right starring role on Broadway. She's a winner. Director Nicholas Martin has directed his cast to play this musical in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, with double-takes and asides to the audience. All except the actor who plays Charley, Christopher Fitzgerald (in the Ray Bolger role.) This capable singer/dancer/actor has been allowed to run wild on stage, and it doesn't always work, especially when he's in drag as "Charley's aunt" from Brazil ("where the nuts come from!") Sometimes he's just too stupid and annoying. But when he sings and dances to "Once In Love With Amy," all is forgiven. This old musical may be too innocent for today's audience on Broadway, but when was the last time that you left a musical and couldn't stop humming the songs? I was singing "My Darling, My Darling" days after the performance.

Although the actors try to squeeze some drama out of this badly written play by Dan O'Brien (no, not the decathlon athlete!) it just goes on interminably for an hour and a half with no intermission, and very little to say. The slim-as-a-thread plot concerns the inventor Thomas Edison, and his protege, and the author hypothesizes (probably inaccurately) that Edison stole most of the ideas for his inventions from other people. Duh!

THEATER REVIEW- "HENRY V" (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company-on the Boston Common) (CLOSED)

It's hard to believe that the play that we saw last night, was the same play that was made into two of the screen's greatest film classics about war, (and how it reveals the best and the worst of humanity.) Both Lawrence Olivier and Kenneth Brannagh were about the same age as last night's star, Anthony Rapp, when they produced and starred in THEIR versions of Shakespeare's heroic play. During the past few years, the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company has given us excellent productions of "Julius Caesar," "The Tempest," and "Twelfth Night," in this beautiful outdoor setting on the Common. But last night's production was not "their finest hour." The setting (a bombed-out London underground station) could not sustain interest for 3 hours. The cast ranged from amateurish to competent, with no stand-out performances. You know something is very wrong when the highlight of a production of "Henry V" is the scene with Katherine...in which she speaks nothing but French! Anthony Rapp ("A Beautiful Mind," "Rent,") would have been perfect in the role of Prince Hal in either of the two "Henry IV" plays, but he just isn't heroic or kingly enough to play the grown-up Hal as King Henry V. Nevertheless, he recited the "St.Crispin's Day" speech beautifully. But that speech is so perfect, anyone would look good saying it. The Battle of Agincourt (the play's centerpiece) was choreographed almost like a ballet, and was effective enough, but all of the scenes with the fools Bardolph, Pistol, and Nym were boring, stupid, and intrusive...they could have been cut without doing great harm to the play. I understand that the original intent of the Company was to do a "Macbeth" this summer, but they changed their plans due to the events of "9/11." They should have stuck to their original plans!

My friend Marty Bevilacqua is producing his first "Broadway" musical, in this workshop production, and the troops gathered on opening night to support the effort. In this modern allegory, a family is stranded on the roof-top of its Missouri home as a flood deluges the town. The father, Norman, retells the story of "Noah and the Flood" to ease the tensions. The lyrics and music by Glen Roven are thoroughly professional. Songs are written in an eclectic style from rock to gospel, with side-trips to the lands of jazz and country/western. If they were played by a regular Broadway pit orchestra, they'd sound beautiful. However, on the electrified, amplified instruments used, they all sounded very much alike. Two Theater and TV veterans of the cast, Rosalind Brown ("One Mo' Time") and David Garrison (TV's "Married With Children") star respectively, as God and Norman/Noah. (The original God, Melba Moore, was fired two days before opening night for what I can only assume, was "un-God-like behavior.") Backing these two up, is an impressive gospel choir of two hundred children and adults pulled from the neighboring community, and incorporated into the production as a planned interaction between the show and whatever town in which it happens to be playing. The minimalist sets and costumes were imaginative, colorful and inventive. On this opening night, there were still some rough edges, but not enough to mar our enjoyment of this charming and delightful musical adventure. My major criticism has to do with the spoken dialogue put into the mouths of the three children. They come off as the meanest, most ungrateful, obnoxious, and rudest children that I've ever seen on stage. Hopefully the author of the book will see fit to soften some of this harshness. The young amateurs, on the other hand, were obviously enjoying the show as much as the audience was. Take the children; they'll love it.

Lanford Wilson has not written a great play in "Burn This," but rather a great part for a talented actor who can make it come alive. John Malkovich did this in the original 1987 production, and Edward Norton more than lives up to the demands of the part, in this current revival. Surrounded by a cast of solid supporting players (Catherine Keener, Ty Burrell, and Dallas Roberts,) Norton shines as the manic-depressive Pale, who seethes with energy, even when he's lying down! After the death of his closeted gay brother, Pale goes to the brother's apartment to collect his things, and is forced to confront his brother's room-mates...a female dancer (Keener) and a gay ad executive (Burrell)...as well as his own past. The clash of personalities is explosive and Norton makes the most of it, giving one of the most volatile performances seen on any stage this year. You won't be able to take your eyes of of him.

THEATER REVIEW- "TEA AT FIVE" (American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge) (CLOSED)

Kate Mulgrew IS Katherine Hepburn in this astonishing one woman tour-de-force by Matthew Lombardo, playing her at two different stages in her life. ( In case you don't know who Kate Mulgrew is, she's Captain Kathryn Janeway on "Star Trek.!".) In Act I, it's 1938 and the young Katherine Hepburn has returned to her parent's home in Connecticut, after having endured the jeers of the Hollywood press for her "six flops in a row." She looks and talks like the young Hepburn, and she regales us with stories about her love affairs, her successful films, her unfortunate return to Broadway in a bad play as a gesture to a "friend," and her hopes of getting the role of Scarlett O'Hara. But when the curtain goes up on Act II, the living room is dark, snow is falling outside the windows, and a lone woman is stoking the fire in the fireplace. When she turns to face the audience, there was an audible gasp, because the transformation to the 80-year-old Hepburn was incredible. She is in the early stages of Parkinson's complete with the shaky voice and the body tremors. Mulgrew has become Hepburn, and what she does is nothing short of mesmerizing. Whether you consider this performance an interpretation or an impersonation, it is one of the most spell-binding pieces of theater that I've seen this year. Since Kate Mulgrew is the wife of the soon-to-be next Governor of Ohio, Tim Hagan, she is doing this show only in limited runs. I hope that it comes to a theater near you!.

If you like the music of Billy Joel, and you like modern dance/ballet, then you'll love the new, and very different, musical "Movin' Out." Choreographer/director Twyla Tharp has taken 30 of Billy Joel's "greatest hits," and woven them together to create a full-length story ballet. The dancers neither sing nor speak, and the band (which is the greatest Billy Joel "cover" band in the world,) sits high above the stage singing and playing the songs, but doesn't get directly involved with the danced story below. All of the performers, especially Michael Cavanaugh, who sings the Billy Joel part in all of the songs, and the entire ensemble of dancers, are incredible. Although Tharp doesn't have a distinctive signature style, as do Bob Fosse and Susan Stroman, her dances are reminiscent of the muscular, gymnastic ballets of Michael Kidd. So, does all of this make for a successful Broadway musical? Well, yes, and no. To me, it's only a two-dimensional musical, with the third dimension...a narrative plot that's spoken and sung by the actors in the story...seriously, and very noticeably, missing. What you're left with is a danced story in the style of "Contact," "Fosse," and all story ballets. As someone who doesn't appreciate or understand the world of ballet, it left me hungry for more.

In case you haven't noticed, fat women are "in" this year...as in "My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding," "Real Women Have Curves," "The Anna Nicole Smith Show," and now, "Hairspray." Based on the 1988 John Waters cult -classic -film, starring Divine and the then-fat Ricki Lake, this brand new musical is the feel-good show of the season. It's colorful (with comic-book sets by David Rockwell,) funny, and with a terrific musical score of brand new songs that sound like they were written in the '60's. Of course, Harvey Fierstein is wonderful as the mother, but the star of the show is a fat little ball of energy called Marissa Jaret Winokur. How she can dance up such a storm carrying so much weight around, is a wonder. She must have to eat a ton of food each day, just to stay fat for the role! The book is weightier (pun intended) than it appears, with its not so tongue-in-cheek jabs at racism and sexism. It still tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, who is laughed at by all of the big-haired popular girls at Patterson Park High School in Baltimore, because she's fat, and because she's trying to integrate the all-white Dick Clark-like bandstand show on TV Station WZZT. That she succeeds AND gets the high school hunk, is a given, but how she does it makes for all the fun of this show. If you're nostalgic for the rock and roll '60's, and can handle really broad (once again, pun intended!) humor, you'll really enjoy "Hairspray."

In 1955, Ernest Borgnine won an Oscar for his portrayal of the painfully shy butcher from the Bronx, who falls in love with a mousy school-teacher from Brooklyn. Not exactly the stuff of musical comedy, but Charles Strouse and Lee Adams ("Annie," "Bye, Bye, Birdie") have accepted the challenge and written a sweet and moving musical, which is destined for Broadway. John C. Reilly ("Magnolia,""Boogie Nights," and just about every other film!) now plays the role of Marty, and, as always, he turns in a remarkable performance. Although you won't come away from the show humming the memorable tunes as you did in "Annie," the composers have created a score that is so much a part of the story and characters (a la Sondheim,) that it's not about hit songs, but rather an attempt to create a cumulative effect of beautiful melody. When Strouse writes in the minor key, and dips into his grab-bag of ethnic music (as he did when he wrote the musical "Rags", one of my favorites,) he comes up with some of his best music. In "Marty" the two best songs have this wonderful ethnic touch..."Niente Da Fare," and "Life Is Sweet." If only there were more of them.

Although this touring production of the all-dance musical "Contact," was neither better nor worse than the original production that I saw four years ago at Lincoln Center in New York, there were certain elements about seeing it at the Wang Center in Boston, that made it a less enjoyable theatrical experience. The Vivien Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center (where "Contact" premiered,) is an intimate theater with a thrust stage, putting the audience in very close contact with the performers. As I was sitting in the second row, I was practically a member of the cast, making it impossible to take my eyes off the incredible dancers. The Wang Center, on the other hand, is a cavernous, albeit beautiful, barn, with the worst sightlines of any theater in America, except the City Center in New York. Sitting in a comfortable box, I was about a mile away from the stage, and my mind was free to wander. My wandering thoughts included the following: "Contact" is still a downer of a show, in spite of some fine dancing. Fine dancing, but not creative, inventive, and original dancing as is found in some of the great musicals ("West Side Story," "Oklahoma," "Carousel," etc.) The "story," such as it is, deals with spousal abuse and attempted suicide. The music is the weakest part of the show, as none of it is original; merely pre-recordings of music from such diverse sources as Tchaikovsky and Dean Martin!

In 1986, a musical came through Boston on its way to Broadway. Its book was written by Joseph Stein ("Fiddler on the Roof,") and it starred the legendary opera star, Teresa Stratas. It completely blew me away. In fact, I saw it three times while it was still in Boston. Therefore, I was shocked that it flopped dismally on Broadway, playing only four performances. Why did it do so badly? I have no idea. Its story is the story of Jewish immigrants coming to New York in the early 1900's. I would think that it would have been a great success, especially in New York City. Audiences loved it; critics didn't. Now, the Boston Conservatory Theater has chosen to mount a full-scale production of this problematic musical. They have done themselves proud. The Conservatory students sing and act beautifully; the Conservatory orchestra plays magnificently; and the sets (using giant photographs of the Lower East Side) solve the problem of changing the many scenes easily. In a year or two, we may be seeing some of these students on Broadway...singing, acting, or playing in orchestras (if orchestras still exist then !!!) They're that good.

Antonio Banderas comes to Broadway, starring in a thoughtfully reworked revival of the 1982 musical "Nine." Based on Federico Fellini's autobiographical film classic "8 1/2," the musical, set in a Venetian spa, and in the mind of its main character, Guido Contini, takes us through the troubles encountered by a womanizing Italian film director, when his personal life clashes with his professional life. The women in his life are played by some of Broadway's most talented leading ladies, from Mary Stuart Masterson, as his patient, loving wife, to Jane Krakowski and Laura Benanti, as two of his stars/lovers, to legendary diva, Chita Rivera, as his French producer. Renowned British director David Leveaux, and composer Maury Yeston, have completely reworked the second act, emphasizing the melodramatic aspects of Contini's problems, and removing much of the stagy comedy of the original. Although more drama gives the musical more depth than it previously had, it tends to bog down during this interlude. However, it quickly recovers its momentum. All of the performers are brilliant, especially Banderas, in a breakthrough singing role. He's pitch-perfect for the part. The set, costumes, and direction are surreal, and right on the mark. The music is even better than I remembered it from the original production starring Raul Julia. A noteworthy revival; catch it if you can.

After playing to sold-out houses in its Off-Broadway run, this hit show transferred to Broadway, where it's doing the same blockbuster business. Does it deserve all of the accolades? It sure does. The last play about baseball that I can remember having seen, was the musical "Damn Yankees," in which a man sold his soul to the devil to play for the Yankees. This one is a bit more controversial. In this one, a major league star holds a press conference to announce that he's gay! To add to the controversy, star Daniel Sunjata is a clone of Derek Jeter. Controversial story line aside, this show has everything...terrific story, perfect cast, and 2 1/2 hours of laughs. It also has lots of frontal male nudity (in shower scenes.) If that offends you, stay home.

This exciting evening of theater, is a staged reading of the Oscar Wilde classic play. That means no sets and no costumes. Just actors standing, or sitting, on a bare stage, sometimes reading from hand-held scripts. But, when those actors are as great as the ones in this play, your imagination kicks in, and produces the opulent biblical costumes, as well as the Great Hall of Herod's palace in Judea. The actors are magnificent. Al Pacino, better than he's been in films in years, is Herod, who lusts after his beautiful young stepdaughter, Salome. He struts, he howls, he spits, he preens. Why can't he be this good in films anymore? Salome, the definitive "Jewish princess" comes to scary life in the form of Marisa Tomei, who is completely believable as the sexy, half-mad daughter of these demented parents. Her mother, Herodias, is brilliantly acted by Dianne Wiest (love her stylish tuxedo!) Someone give this Oscar-winner ("Bullets Over Broadway,") another screen role worthy of her talents. Jokanaan (John the Baptist,) the object of Salome's desire, is the always wonderful David Strathairn. Amongst the four of these, sparks fly, and acting doesn't get any better than this.

Some Broadway stars cast a very large shadow, even decades after their death. Ethel Merman was one of these stars. The role of Mama Rose was written for her, and it fit her like a glove. She was bold, brassy, and larger than life, and when she sang (without any microphones and amplification!) her voice boomed right up to the last row of the top balcony. Bernadette Peters does a very respectable job of playing Rose, albeit a kinder and gentler Rose. This in itself, is somewhat off-putting, since Rose was abusive to her children, and a kind, gentle, Rose doesn't really work. More troubling though, is the fact that Peters is obviously struggling with those big Mermanesque songs, in what is arguably the most difficult role ever written for a female Broadway star. All of the others in the cast are fine, especially Tammy Blanchard as Gypsy Rose Lee, John Dossett as Herbie, and those three wonderful strippers! What is most surprising, is the direction of the creative, innovative British director Sam Mendes ("Cabaret," "Chicago," and the films "American Beauty" and "Road to Perdition.") It's virtually a perfect copy of the original production! Nothing new from this genius of a director. On the other hand, it was fun listening to the lyrics that were written by a then "new-young-talent," Stephen Sondheim! I'm curious to see just how long Bernadette Peters lasts in this production (she's been out sick almost as much as she's been IN the show since it opened,) especially since she just lost the Tony award to the fat girl from "Hairspray!"

This summer's "Shakespeare on the Common" production is both strengthened and weakened by the strong directorial concept imposed upon it by director Steven Maler. Maler has set Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in the Argentina of Eva Peron, and this makes for some interesting comparisons between the Macbeths of Scotland and the Perons of Argentina. Both of these infamous couples were ruled by sex and politics, and were dominated by the overpowering presence of an ambitious wife. In the current production, this staging produces strengths in some interesting settings, music and costumes, and creates three believable religious (albeit weird) women in place of the goofy witches. The weakneses lie in the fact that "Macbeth" is so firmly rooted in Scotland that the concept often is in conflict with Shakespeare's words. Luckily, the production has two strong actors in the lead roles. Jay O. Sanders, a familiar face from TV detective shows, is a tall and powerful Macbeth, and Jennie Israel as his Lady, matches him in every way. The murders are bloody, and the battle, once again, is staged in slow-motion, but is nevertheless, quite realistic. All in all, a fine production, and a perfect way to spend a warm summer evening. (Bring a sweater; it gets chilly.)

Don't even bother to hand out Tony Award nominations next year. Just give all of the Tony Awards to this incredible show and its phenomenal star. But, I'm getting ahead of myself......................................................... Before actor Hugh Jackman was "X-Man"'s Wolverine, he was a singing star in stage musicals in both his native Australia, and in London's West End, where he was "discovered" singing Curly in "Oklahoma."(I just can't imagine a talent scout seeing someone singing "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'," and saying, "There's our Wolverine!") In any case, the rest is history, so to speak. Jackman is making his Broadway debut in the controversial role of legendary performer Peter Allen, who after a skyrocketing career, died of AIDS. Not exactly the stuff of Broadway musicals! However, to get right to the point, this is the best Broadway musical that I've seen in years, thanks in part to its star Hugh Jackman...the hottest new star on Broadway. He can sing and dance better than anyone starring on Broadway right now, AND he acts up a storm on stage. But, it's not just Jackman that makes this a great musical. The rest of the cast is perfect, especially Jarrod Emick as Greg Connell, Isabel Keating as Judy Garland, and Stephanie Block as Liza Minnelli, the three loves of Peter Allen's life. The music (consisting, mostly, of songs written by Allen,) is the best score of a non-revival Broadway musical in years. The sets by Robin Wagner and the costumes by William Ivey Long are a sight to behold. The amazing finale, "I Go To Rio," could have been created by the outrageous Allen himself; he would have loved it. One footnote: I think that this is the first time that I've ever seen a song and a star get a standing ovation before the end of the show! I suggest that you get your tickets early for this one. People will be going back to it more than once. I intend to!

I hated this play when I saw it on Broadway 31 years ago (!) although I think that I did appreciate and enjoy the performance of that great English actor Alan Bates, in the title role. When I saw the revival of the play last night, I still hated it, and I know exactly what I hate about it. The play is a phony, show-offy, tour-de-force for an actor, at the expense of any believability in its story. Simon Gray's plot deals with a bad professor of English at an unspecified "London university," who hates his students, hates himself, and spends almost three hours showing why he's so hateful. Possibly because he's so self-loathing, both his male lover and his wife have left him on the same day! I was a professor for 35 years, and I never knew anyone in Academe, who spoke, or acted, like the Butley character. A brilliant actor, like Alan Bates, can bring out the pathetic sadness underlying the comedy in this very dark comedy. Nathan Lane turns the whole thing into stand-up shtick, punching the one-liners up to the balcony, where I was unfortunate enough to be sitting (someone gave me the ticket!) The last time that I saw Nathan Lane get lost in a character was when he was playing Nathan Detroit in the brilliant Broadway revival of "Guys and Dolls" several years ago. Ever since then, when he sets foot on stage, or screen, he goes "out of role," and becomes this character that he's created...something based on a queer impersonation of Paul Lynde, (a favorite center box on the old "Hollywood Squares,") who was already a queer impersonation! He was still doing it last night, only now with a phony British accent, which he lost every time he rubbed his face and threw out one of those punch lines a la Paul Lynde. Apparently his audience loves this thing that he does, because now he's getting Tony Awards for doing it! I hate it.

(4-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW- "THE ROSE TATTOO" (at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston)

When director Nicholas Martin cast Andrea Martin as Serafina, the "earth mother," in his stage production of Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo," I thought that it was a joke. After all, she's a stand-up comic! But then again, so was Eric Bana a stand-up comic (in Australia,) and look at what a wonderful job he did portraying Hector in the film "Troy." In any case, I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Andrea Martin is a perfect Serafina. Obviously not cut from the same cloth as the ultimate earth mother, Anna Magnani, for whom the role was written, but a different, more vulnerable Serafina. She brings out the subtle, (and not so subtle) comedy, that is so much a part of this magnificent play. Serafina is a Southern widow of Italian descent, who worships her husband's memory, until the hunky truck-driver, Alvaro, comes along, and makes her feel alive again. This is the kind of production that could easily move on to Broadway, as several other of Nicholas Martin's Huntington productions have. It has great writing, of course; excellent acting; fine directing; and a beautiful, atmospheric set. Not one of Tennessee Williams' best plays, but certainly head and shoulders above a lot of the garbage that's being written today!

(4-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "THE LION KING" (at the Opera House in Boston)

When I first saw "The Lion King" several years ago on Broadway, it served as a vehicle for the newly reopened, restored New Amsterdam Theatre (restored with millions of Disney's money.) Now, the Boston production of "The Lion King," is serving as a vehicle for the reopening of the newly restored Opera House (restored with millions of Clear Channel's money!) It's still the same wonderful, creative, colorful, imaginative show, with one of the most magical opening scenes that I've ever seen on a stage. If you only know "The Lion King" from the Disney film, then you're in for a great surprise. The Julie Taymor/Elton John theatrical version is pitched much higher, aiming at adults, as well as children. The animal costumes are brilliant, not aiming to conceal the humans operating them, but rather, integrating the human and animal aspects into a new, imaginative creature. You'll have to see it to know what I mean. Elton John has written more music for the stage version to add to the already familiar songs of the movie version (e.g., "Circle of Life" etc.) The sets are wildly colorful and creative, and the actors romping in and over them are all excellent. If you'll be in Boston anytime in the next year, this one is a MUST.

(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- COMMONWEALTH SHAKESPEARE COMPANY (on the Boston Common) "MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING"

Coincidentally, the three major Eastern Shakespearean companies (New York, Boston, and Washington,) have chosen to do the same play for their summer production..."Much Ado About Nothing." Surprisingly, in spite of New York's star-filled cast, all the buzz is about the Boston production, and its hot young leading man. New Zealander Jonno Roberts, in a breakthrough performance, is stealing the show every night because of his incredible talent and looks. He did the same thing in last season's "True West," here in Boston, and in Broadway's "Take Me Out," two seasons ago. He has the acting skill of a young Kenneth Brannagh, and the looks of a young Robert Redford. Although he owns the stage whenever he's on it, Roberts is surrounded by a wonderful production of this comedy. His supporting cast is first rate. The sets and costumes, depicting a fanciful Renaissance Sicily, are colorful and fun. The incidental music is very "Italian street band" and adds to the enjoyment. Talented director Steven Maler knows how to get the most out of the play and his cast. If you're in Boston, (and why haven't you left town now that the Democratic Convention is disrupting everything?) get over to the Common, pull up a blanket or lawn chair, and enjoy this remarkable production. Hurry though...this is the last week!

(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "A CLOCKWORK ORANGE" (Company One in Boston)

Having just sat through this dreadfully amateurish production of Anthony Burgess' famous novel, I can greatly appreciate the genius of Stanley Kubrick, who managed to turn this piece of garbage into a classic film, that still holds up today. The novel (and Burgess own adaptation of his novel,) deals with the many aspects of violence, and the individual's right to chose it as a life-style. What might have been shocking back in 1962, seems hopelessly dated, and even unintentionally funny (when played by a company of such terrible "actors.") Unfortunately, in this Age of Terrorism, we've all come to take violence for granted, as much a part of life as going to work, or seeing a movie. With the shock value removed, the play becomes wordy, pompous, and boring. A clever writer or director knows that violence can be portrayed more forcefully through words, than through physical activity, especially when the physical violence is acted so badly, and unrealistically. That's the crux of the problem here. Everything about this current production is bad, from the terrible leading actor (who could barely say the tricky lines, let alone try to give them meaning, ) to the rest of the cast, which was not only incompetent, but also the most physically unattractive that I've ever seen on a stage, to the ridiculous costumes, to the music (which was credited to the Dresden Dolls, but consisted mostly of poorly-played snippets of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.) Need I go on? Was there anything good about the evening? Yes. The company of my friend who took me there as a birthday gift!

(1-Star) ...and I'm being generous!

THEATER REVIEW- "DRACULA"

If you've ever been to a musical by Frank Wildhorn ("Jekyl & Hyde," "The Scarlet Pimpernel,") you know what to expect. You'll get a "Classics Comics" version of a literary classic, with an ear-shattering pop score that is played so loudly, that it's virtually impossible to enjoy the music or understand the lyrics...all of which tend to sound the same. In the case of "Dracula," with the exception of a few beautiful songs, that just about describes it, although the decibel level has been noticeably reduced for THIS show. However, what raises this show to the level of "4-Stars," is the incredible stagecraft. The beautiful, imaginative Art Nouveau sets by Heidi Ettinger, and the other feats of stage magic (including the wonderful use of flying and disappearing people,) make this an evening of pure, enjoyable theater. It's almost worth the price of admission just to see Dracula (Tom Hewitt) fly up to the roof of the stage, turn upside down, unfurl his large cape, and turn into a bat! The large ensemble cast performs expertly in both the singing and acting departments, with Kelli O' Hara outstanding in the secondary female role of Lucy (the first one to succumb to Dracula's bite!) If you've never been to a Frank Wildhorn musical, this would be a good place to start.

(4-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "SONIA FLEW" (at the Virgina Wimberly Theatre in Boston)
The Wimberly Theatre is the first of two new theaters to open at the Calderwood Pavilion in the Atelier complex in the South End. It's a part of the Boston Center for the Arts next door, and it's the first new theater in Boston in 35 years! Having said all that, let me say that the theater is beautiful, comfortable, versatile and functional, and the excellent play that inaugurates the theater, couldn't have been a better choice. "Sonia Flew" was written by Melinda Lopez, a local playwright, and it deals, a bit autobiographically, with her flight from her native Havana to the U.S. Her parents foresaw the coming problems for Cuba, and they sent their daughter away in 1961 as part of the "Pedro Pan" program. She started a family of her own , with a Jewish husband in Minneapolis (oy, that's a couple of problems right there!) The show gives us a clear picture of what it might have been like for this "fish out of water." (Given the choice of Minneapolis or Havana, I would have probably opted for Havana!) Lopez has written a beautiful, moving, and very intelligent new play, and it's directed with great passion, by Nicholas Martin. In the first act we see the problems facing Sonia, as her son declares that he's going off to fight in Afghanistan. The second act takes place in Cuba, forty years earlier, as Sonia's parents realize that they must get their daughter out of an ever-increasingly-dangerous Cuba. The two acts compliment one another in a moving, creative and very intelligent fashion. Everything about the play is right on target, and the acting couldn't be bettered, even on Broadway. Congratulations to a new young playwright, and to a beautiful new theater.
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "BROOKLYN"
Mark Schoenfeld, who wrote the book, music, and lyrics to this new musical, was once a homeless street musician, and this old-fashioned and amateurish soap-opera of a show, can put him back out there again! What a waste of five very talented singer/actors (Kevin Anderson, Cleavant Derricks, Eden Espinosa, Ramona Keller, and Karen Olivo,) who are forced to scream/sing songs ("if-it's-loud-it-must-be-good") like the kind of garbage that those terrible contestants scream/sing on "American Idol." (Is that ridiculous show still on?) The story is trite and saccharine, but the sets and costumes are creative and highly imaginative, made out of everything from bubble wrap to garbage bags. However, the worst part of this intermission-less mess are those terrible songs, with their awful lyrics. Guess what? The audience gave it a standing ovation, and shouted and screamed after every "song." Could there have been that many friends and relatives in the audience, or has everyone simply been dumbed-down by reality TV?
(2-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "BURN THIS" (at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston)

When this play was first performed in New York in 1987, it starred John Malkovich. I saw it a few years ago, in a successful revival, starring Edward Norton. The only reason to drag out this long, not always interesting Lanford Wilson play, is if one has a talented enough male lead to play the fiery, intense role of Pale. The Huntington certainly has their Pale, in the dark, riveting actor, Michael T. Weiss. I always enjoyed watching him as Jarod, the hunted lead in TV's series "The Pretender." In that highly successful series, Weiss got to play 80 different characters, as he ran from his pursuers. In "Burn This" he only plays one, but when he's onstage, he's all energy and you can't take your eyes off of him. Upon the death of his brother, a closeted gay dancer, rough-and-tough Pale goes to the apartment that his brother shared with two room-mates...a female dancer, and a gay ad executive....in order to collect his possessions When Pale starts to interact with these two, the sparks begin to fly. Weiss captures the manic-depressive characteristics of Pale, as well as his volatility, perfectly. The theatergoer is never at ease watching Pale, because you're always aware that something explosive could happen at any minute. Keeping you off balance in this way, is the job of the actor who plays Pale, and Weiss does it to perfection. The three other actors in the cast match Weiss perfectly, forming a fine ensemble. The set was as good as the actors, and better than the play!

(3 1/2-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES"
I've been trying to think back to a revival of a hit musical that was as good as the original, and all I could come up with was "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever," with the wonderful Kristen Cheneweth. Up until now, that is. The current revival of "La Cage aux Folles" is every bit as good as the 1983 original, and I was a backer of that show! In case you've been living under a rock, the musical is based on the French play and films, that gave rise to the original musical, which then inspired the Hollywood version, "The Birdcage." The plot concerns a gay nightclub owner and his transvestite lover, who own the hottest nightclub in St. Tropez. Their life is one of family bliss, until the son of one member of the couple brings his fiancee and her ultra-conservative parents home to meet his parents for dinner. The show is at times hilarious, and at other times quite moving. In spite of the sexual preferences of the leading couple, this is the most "family-values" oriented show on Broadway today. This is a big old-fashioned musical with a perfectly cast ensemble of actors, a terrific book by Harvey Fierstein, a great score by Jerry Herman ("Helly Dolly," "Mame," "Mack and Mabel," etc.) spectacular sets, and the most outlandish, outrageous, and over-the-top costumes on Broadway. The chorus line of "Cagelles" wears them to perfection. The opening number alone is worth the price of admission. A big smash hit. Don't be afraid to take the kids.
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "THE RIVALS" (at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston)
Is there a reason why both the Huntington Theatre (In Boston,) and the Lincoln Center Theatre (in New York,) chose this season to revive this 200-year old chestnut by the top author of the Restoration period, Richard Brinsley Sheridan? It's always fun to become reacquainted with the character who gave the word "malaprop" to the English language...dear Mrs. Malaprop, who misues words ridiculously, and hilariously (e.g., "He is the very pineapple of politeness," "Men are all Bavarians," etc.) A good comic actress in this role can carry this play. The always hilarious, Mary Louise Wilson, was struggling a bit last night, using a high-pitched voice, that often obscured her misused words, but she'll be perfect when she gets the hang of it. I find Restoration comedy to be ridiculous and silly, sort of like Gilbert and Sullivan without the music. The plots revolve around handsome and wealthy young men, who often have to disguise themselves to woo their witless, buxom, virginal young sweethearts; foolish and manipulative old folks who are always outwitted by their clever and funny servants; you know...that sort of thing. If you like this brand of comedy, then this production at the Huntington is about as good as any Restoration comedy that I've ever seen. Director Nicholas Martin milks it for all of its laughs...laughs usually involving clever wordplay. As always at the Huntington, the sets are brilliantly clever and beautiful, and in this case, the costumes are Crayola-colorful and very funny. A fun way to spend a winter evening...especially if you're not paying for the tickets!
(4-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF" (at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston)
One of the reasons that I didn't rush to buy tickets for this pre-Broadway revival of Albee's 1962 play, is because I thought that it was lopsidedly miscast. I knew that Kathleen Turner would be perfect as the shrewish academic wife, Martha. But when I heard that the clown-mime Bill Irwin was going to play George, I stayed away. Just ridiculous. The young couple who complete the foursome, was cast with unknowns, so that cinched the deal. When I gave in and saw the play, I was shocked to see things reversed. Bill Irwin runs away with the show! Kathleen Turner steam-rolls her way through the whole play, while Irwin uses his comic gifts to give unique life to the male half of this truly dysfunctional family. He's the perfect straight man to his alcoholic, vulgar wife. The luckless young couple who are guests of these two wackos, are thankless parts, but Mireille Enos and David Harbour play them well enough. I don't recall the Mike Nichols film version of this play being as funny as this revival is. Maybe it's all in the direction, because the words are the same. The first act is actually very funny, before the s___ hits the fan later on. Anyway, if Turner gets her act together before the play hits New York, this could be a big hit...but that's asking a lot...and Irwin simply can't carry the whole play.
(3-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "SWEET CHARITY" (Pre-Broadway tryout in Boston)
Why revive this corny old musical? The only reason would be, is that you have a charismatic singing-dancing-actress who's willing to carry the show. When I saw the original, decades ago (in 1966,) Gwen Verdon certainly fit the bill, and Shirley MacLaine carried it off in the campy film version. Christina Applegate was starring in this revival until she "broke her foot" and was replaced by Charlotte D'Amboise who's made a career, of sorts, by taking over the roles created by other women on Broadway. Although D'Amboise is fine in the role, and Denis O'Hare is an excellent co-star, I suspect that Applegate may have tripped trying to escape from this hopeless mess. Why hopeless? Well, for one thing, the original was written by Neil Simon, and directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse who could make even Anna Nicole Smith look good! For another, stripped of the original innovative choreography, and with a dated book, the show comes across as a second-rate musical with only two good songs, "Hey, Big Spender," and "If My Friends Could See Me Now." Granted, these two are better than the entire score of some of the crappy shows on Broadway at present, but that's because the modern-day audience, raised on "American Idol," doesn't demand anything better. Based on Fellini's "Nights of Cabiria," Sweet Charity tells the story of a prostitute with a heart of gold (now that's original!), who has a hard time finding a classy guy. Well, she's not gonna find him in this show! (It's just been announced in today's New York Times, that the Broadway run of "Sweet Charity" has been cancelled, due to bad reviews in Boston, and poor ticket sales in Boston and New York...... R.I.P)
(2-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "DISNEY'S ON THE RECORD" (Pre-Broadway try-out)
Before you decide whether or not you want to see this wonderful review, you should know the following: (a) it's not a book musical, (b) it's not for children, (c) it's not about singing mice, dogs, beasts, lobsters, or any other form of animal life, (d) you must be a fan of the music of Disney's animated films. On paper it sounded like a clever idea. Not an original one, but a clever one. Take about 65 songs written for Disney movies, take them out of their original context, and using the same lyrics, present them as the score of a "new" musical with a slight excuse for a story about adults (two of whom appear to have had a relationship in the past) who come to a studio to record some songs. I've always loved most of the music in the Disney films, so I was intrigued enough to go and see what it was all about. What I saw was a magnificently creative review or cabaret, with one of the most talented casts of 8 singing/dancing actors (and an on-stage band) that I've seen on a stage in a long time. Everything about this minimal piece is flawless...the colorful set, the lighting, the staging and the placement of the songs to create a mood and, yes, a story, if you will. What these actors do with body language adds immeasurably to the lyrics of the songs. If you're of a certain age (as the French say,) each of these songs will bring back a past memory. Actually, just about everyone has grown up to these beautiful songs. Somehow, I found them to be even more beautiful out of the context of their original animated stories. By the time the music came to the finale, the audience was applauding to the beat of the songs and on its feet for the final song. It was such an uplifting show, that I could have sat through another act of 20 or 30 more songs. (By the way, I've never seen an audience filled with children who were so well behaved in a theater, even though they had no idea what these grown-ups were doing to their favorite songs!) In spite of that last comment, don't bring young children; it's not designed for their enjoyment. It's aimed at YOU!
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "CHITTY,CHITTY,BANG,BANG"
You'll come out of this silly, wonderful musical with confetti on your clothes and a smile on your face. If you don't, it's time for an attitude adjustment. This tongue-in-cheek fantasmagorical show is the best family show since "The Lion King." Everyone from 7 to 77 will enjoy it for different reasons. Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, wrote this book for his young son. The story combines elements of Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and a cast of some of Broadway's most talented people (Raul Esparza, Erin Dilly, Philip Bosco, Mark Kudisch, Chip Zien, Robert Sella, and Kevin Cahoon) has been assembled to make it come alive. In the British tradition of children's literature, it's often scary and dark, and there are unexpected explosions, so it might not be suitable for very young children and impressionable ones who scare easily. With that in mind, there are Gilbert & Sullivan-like tunes, wildly comical performances (especially Jan Maxwell as Baroness Bomburst, the funniest villainess on Broadway,) a fairy-tale story, and the most inventive and colorful sets seen on Broadway. All of this makes for 2 1/2-hours of pure escapism. Then there's that car! I would love to know what it cost to build that incredible automobile...surely the most expensive prop on Broadway today. It's beautiful to look at, and it floats on water and it flies up and over the first few rows of the audience. It even takes its own well-deserved curtain call! If you need an escape from the harsh realities of life, and are willing to be a child again for awhile, go and enjoy this fun-filled show. I loved it.
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA"

Did you ever see something that you knew was exceptional, but it just didn't do anything for you? The creators of this unusual new musical, appear to have aimed higher than the usual Broadway fare, and the degree to which they've succeeded, that's where they failed to reach me. Composer Adam Guettel has written such a beautiful, complex, elegant score that, rather than pulling the audience closer, it seems to push it away instead. It's too good! The story is a somber one that would be more at home on the operatic stage, as would the voices of the leads. An American mother (in the 1950's) has brought her 26-year-old daughter to Italy to see the sights of Florence and Rome. What she neglects to tell those Italians who are attracted to her, is that her daughter is retarded! (I found it somewhat offensive that a family of upper-class Florentines would not recognize retardation when they see it!) Victoria Clark won this year's Tony Award for her portrayal of the possessive mother. I thought that her falsetto voice was annoying! Kelli O'Hara as the daughter, plays her as someone who's awfully bright for a retardate, learning Italian, and even some Latin, in only a few weeks. So, there are things that are not very believable, and also somewhat melodramatic. about this piece. But, the acting is good, and the sets and costumes are beautiful. However, don't expect a line of chorus girls, or any production numbers built around dancing. As I said before, it's a somber piece.

(3 1/2-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS"

I guess that I'm just a low-class vulgarian, because I loved this dirty, hilarious show right from the first few notes of the upbeat overture! It's without a doubt one of the funniest musicals that I've ever seen, and it's also one of the most tunefully melodic. (I bought the CD.) Based on the two films of the same name (the first starring David Niven and Marlon Brando, and the second starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin,) this tale of three con artists who try to rip off just about everyone on the Riviera, is performed by a true ensemble of six brilliant Broadway stars...John Lithgow (at his best in this role,) Norbert Leo Butz (who just won the Tony Award for his performance,) Sherie Rene Scott, Joanna Gleason (no one does tongue-in-cheek comedy like her,) Gregory Jbara, and Sara Gettelfinger. They don't come any better. They sing, they act, they dance, and they do comedy so well, that I laughed out loud through much of the show...and I'm a tough audience. Designer David Rockwell has designed his best sets yet...colorful and magical....and the dancers kicked up their heels all over them. This one's a winner. Stop reading and just buy your ticket. You'll thank me.

(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT"

If you're a fan of the classic TV series, "Monty Python's Flying Circus," or the Monty Python films (especially "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," upon which this musical is based,) then you'll surely love this Tony Award-winning show. If you're not, you'll be confused by: the Knights of Ni, the killer rabbit, Spam, the French Taunter, the Black Knight, the catapulted cows, etc. I loved the series and the films, but I was surprised to see that I didn't fall out of my seat laughing. In fact, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is much funnier. However, the show is faithful to the mood and tone of the originals. That is to say, it's silly, irreverent, wacky, and diabolically clever. The cast is fine, especially David Hyde Pierce (formerly of "Frasier,") Tim Curry, and Sara Ramirez (as a slutty, hispanic, Lady of the Lake! She won this year's Tony Award for her over-the-top performance, and her ta-ta's aren't bad either!) The music is good, but not memorable, and the sets are right out of the mind and sketch-pad of the brilliant Terry Gilliam...even though someone else actually designed them. Parody is the name of the game here, and everything is a fair target, from the absurd singing of those "American Idol" contestants, to Broadway shows like "Fiddler on the Roof," "The Boy From Oz," and "West Side Story." Also targeted, are gays, Jews, the Clergy, History, same-sex marriages, and just about everything else. Although this year's Tony Award for Best Musical was given to "Spamalot," as I said before, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is a better show. As an avid fan of Monty Python for decades, I hope that I don't get struck down by a flying cow, or as the French Taunter might say to me, "I fart in your general direction!"

(4-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "HAMLET" (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company on the Common)
The only reason to mount a new production of "Hamlet" would be, if you have something new to say about this classic. All that's "new" in director Steven Maler's outdoor production, is a water-filled moat, and an actor, in the title role, who's in over his head! Maler has misdirected this classic, and the younger actors have followed his lead. Only the older actors playing the roles of Polonius, Gertrude, and Claudius, seem to understand that this is a tragedy, NOT an episode of "Dawson's Creek." There are many ways to play Hamlet, but a wacky frat-boy who is pissed because mommy didn't buy him a new car, is NOT one of them. Actor Jeffrey Donovan is not completely to blame for the vacuum at the center of this misguided production. Director Maler has given him bits to do, that are completely absurd (what's with the swimsuit and raft during the Rozencrantz and Guildenstern scene???) and their interpretation of the "to be or not to be" soliloquy indicates that neither the actor nor the director understands the meaning of the text. Modern dress should be a way of focusing in on the dialogue. In the case of this production, it was a way of focusing in on the nonsense used to detract from the dialogue. In Shakespeare's words there should have been "more matter with less art!" I left during the intermission.
(2- Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY" in concert

I've always loved this Cy Coleman-Betty Comden & Adolph Green musical, because of its terrific score, its clever story (based on the classic 1930's John Barrymore-Carole Lombard film,) and the fine actors in the original production (John Cullum, Madeline Kahn, Imogene Coca, and a new young actor in his first big role, Kevin Kline!) Also, it was the first Broadway show in which I invested some money, and it was very good to me! Now, it's being revived in concert form, in Boston, New York, and other cities, with the hopes that it will eventually make it back to Broadway in a fully staged production. In the concert version that we saw last night at the Majestic Theatre, the role of the maniacal and always broke producer, was played by George Dvorsky, and the shop-girl that he has transformed into a big star, was played by Alice Ripley. They were adequate...nothing more. Director Oscar Jaffe books adjoining drawing rooms on the exclusive 20th Century Limited train, with the hopes of tricking his former lover and now-famous Hollywood star, into appearing in his new show, in order to save his dying career. The beautiful music came through loud and clear, and it made me rush for my original cast CD, to hear it again. Unfortunately, the ghosts of the far more talented original cast (especially Madeline Kahn and Imogene Coca,) hung over this production like a huge black cloud, and the comedy never really came through. These second-rate performers were just not up to the job of bringing this wonderful show to life. Nevertheless, I've got my fingers crossed and my checkbook out, hoping that it comes back to Broadway sometime soon....with a cast that can do comedy, and sing and act as well!

(2-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "THE WOMAN IN WHITE"
Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical won't be everyone's cup of tea, because of its melodramatic, dark, story; its lack of a hit tune; and most importantly, its controversial, innovative, but dizzying to some, sets. (This may be the first musical where they have to provide barf bags!) In spite of all of these, or maybe because of all these, I loved it! Based on the classic gothic novel by Willkie Collins, it tells the Bronte-like story of two orphaned stepsisters, and of the villains who are trying to marry (and then kill) them, to acquire their wealth. The musical score is one of Lord Lloyd Webber's most sophisticated ones, with continuous sung-through music, in an operatic fashion. It flows, but not nearly as originally as does the scenery. Flow, that is. The stage is ringed by a large cyclorama, upon which are projected beautiful films of the English countryside, and the interior and exterior of manor houses and churches. As the actors walk, run, and dance on a whirling turntable, the films "project them" from place to place cinematically. It's tremendously effective, and in one case, so realistic, that the audience ducks so as to get out of the way. Actors Maria Friedman and Michael Ball are excellent...the latter in the role of a Sydney Greenstreet-like villain, who at times, is actually quite funny. The primary villain, Sir Percival Glyde (Ron Bohmer) is not funny...just scary. Give it a shot. Let me know what you think.
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "JANIE'S SONG" (World Premiere at Northeastern University)

Playwright (and Artist-in Residence at N.U.) Ed Bullins, has collaborated with composer Jude Gold, to rework his Obie Award-winning Off-Broadway play, "The Taking of Miss Janie," into a musical play. The result is the controversial "Janie's Song." Set in the '60's and '70's, the musical begins and ends with the rape of a young white woman, by a black man. Then, the story flashes back to when these two met as college students in the drug-filled, free-love '60's. In telling the story of these two friends, and their circle of fellow students, the musical becomes a metaphor for race conflict, sexuality, and social struggle. The music ranges from Broadway show-type tunes, to rap and hip-hop. It's a fine score, and it's done justice by the nine professionals who sing it. I really enjoyed the show, but I must say that, if a white person had written some of the lines that the black characters say, to describe black/white relationships and the decline of the gains made by blacks since the '60's, he would have been lynched!

(4-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "BAREFOOT IN THE PARK"

If I had only rented the DVD of the movie version of this play by Neil Simon, I probably never would have bought tickets to see this well-cast revival. The movie was terrible...not one laugh in it! However, the play had four of my favorite Broadway stars in it (Patrick Wilson, Amanda Peet, Jill Clayburgh and Tony Roberts) so I thought that I'd give it a shot. Bad move! Even with these four fine stars, the play sucked! Why would anyone chose to revive such a bomb??? It's hopelessly dated, and the role of the young wife is one of the most brain-dead, immature characters ever written for the stage. Stay away.

(1- Star)

THEATER REVIEW: "THE COLOR PURPLE"

Oprah Winfrey has sunk some of her money into this musical adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning book (and Steven Spielberg film,) and that should guarantee it a decent enough run on Broadway. But, even without Oprah's money, this musical deserves to stick around for a long time to come...and it probably will. It has a great story (adapted for the stage by prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman,) a fine all-black cast, and most importantly, great music. If you love the blues, gospel, and ragtime as much as I do, then you'll have all you can do to keep yourself from jumping out of your seat. Buy the CD, and see for yourself. As in the book and the movie, the musical is a family saga that tells the story of Celie, a woman who rises from the depths of hell to make something of her life. It's a triumph of goodness over adversity and evil. You're rooting for her all the way. LaChanze (stupid name, great voice,) acts rings around Whoopee Goldberg who played the role on film...and she sings too! Decades ago, I saw and loved the gospel musical, "Purlie," which made Melba Moore a star overnight. This one has all of the energy of that wonderful show, but it has much more depth, and a whole lot of soul. I loved it!

(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST" (Huntington Theatre Company)

Director Nicholas Martin has taken Shakespeare's least interesting play, and given it a beautiful production, so that it shines on the stage of Boston's wonderful Huntington Theater. Transferring the action of the play to Europe, just before World War I, gives it enough distance, and adds an element of Noel Coward-like charm to the piece, so that even Shakespeare might have been pleased by this extra layer of depth to his somewhat shallow play. The story still involves the four noblemen who are forced to undergo a series of tests, to prove that they are truly in love with the royal ladies, who subject them to these "tests." Is it love or merely infatuation? Sounds like the lyrics of a Cole Porter song, and that's the way Martin directs the actors to play it ...all about charm, sophistication, and elegance. As with other past Huntington Theatre productions, this one could have easily made the transfer to Broadway, except for one important factor. Shakespeare or not, it's a terrible play!

(2-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "THREE DAYS OF RAIN"

I admire the courage of any movie star who tries to do a play on Broadway. Being a film star doesn't guarantee success on Broadway; it's an entirely different medium, and a whole new set of skills are involved. Therefore, I commend Julia Roberts for her bravery...but what were you thinking girl when you chose this play for your Broadway debut? It's not that it's a bad play. On the contrary, it's an intriguing play. It just calls for an actress who can do a lot with very little, like its original star Patricia Clarkson ("The Station Agent.") Don't get me wrong. Contrary to what critics have said, Roberts does a fine job for a debut effort. She just doesn't have much to work with. In the first act, the three stars (Paul Rudd & Bradley Cooper, in addition to Roberts,) play two siblings. and their father's son from another liaison. In the second act, they play the father, the girlfriend, and the father's friend. It's a clever theatrical device, and it worked for me. However...Julia, with your money and clout, why didn't you just have a well-known playwright write a play for you? Or one that would show you off to your best advantage. Big deal; go back to Hollywood and make another of your wonderful films, and we'll all forget about your noble effort to go legitimate!

(3 1/2-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "LESTAT"

I was hoping that all of the critics were wrong about this one. Unfortunately, they weren't. The Elton John/ Bernie Taupin musical, "Lestat" really does SUCK. No pun intended!

(1-Star)

THEATER REVIEW: "THE PAJAMA GAME"

Back in the "Golden Age of the Broadway Musical," the '40s, '50s, and '60s, "The Pajama Game" was considered a pleasant-enough lightweight musical, compared to all of the big shows on Broadway at the time. By comparison with the garbage that's on many of the Broadway stages today, I would consider it to be the equivalent of "Oklahoma," "My Fair Lady, and "West Side Story!" Well not quite!!! It's still pretty lightweight in terms of plot, but it does have a real musical score, instead of a bunch of sound-alike tunes, that will eventually end up pouring out of the mouths of those robots on "American Idol." Labor (Kelli O'Hara) and Management (Harry Connick, Jr.) still end up fighting, then falling in love, while a strike threatens to halt production at their pajama factory. Remember pajamas? The two stars have great chemistry, and wonderful voices to boot. Somebody needs to write a NEW musical for these charismatic stars. They're fantastic together! It's so good to hear those wonderful old songs ("Hey There," "Hernando's Hideaway," "Steam Heat," etc.) sung and danced by real stars. The comic relief is provided by Michael McKean, who's always good. A fun show for the whole family.

(4 1/2-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "ROMEO AND JULIET" (at the Williamstown Theatre Festival)

Once again, this tale of the young Italian starcrossed lovers, has been brought into a contemporary setting. This time it's been set in a contemporary Verona (albeit Verona as a police state!) Interestingly though, this is the only time that I've seen an updating of the story, when the Montagues and the Capulets were not presented as opposing racial or ethnic groups (a la "West Side Story,”) but simply as two Italian families that hated each other, as Shakespeare intended! All of the teen-agers appear to be played by teenagers, and the result is as good a "Romeo and Juliet" as I've ever seen on stage. (As far as I'm concerned, the Zeffirelli film version is still the definitive "Romeo and Juliet.") Emmy Rossum ("Mystic River" and the film version of "The Phantom of the Opera,”) and Austin Lysy ("Law and Order") are perfect as Juliet and her Romeo. All of the other pieces...the actors, the beautiful evocative set, the directing, and the music...fall into place perfectly, to make for an exciting, although dark, night of Shakespearean theater.

(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "THE OPPOSITE OF SEX" (Williamstown Theatre Festival)

Back in 1998, there was a film called "The Opposite of Sex," which made a star of Christina Ricci, and established Lisa Kudrow as a serious actress. It was a kinky story about Deedee, a weirdo slut, who comes to stay with her gay half-brother, and who makes life miserable for him, and for everyone else with whom she comes in contact! Not exactly the stuff of musicals. But this one works, primarily because the acting is so good, as are the songs, and especially, the lyrics. We'll be hearing a lot more about Kerry Butler, who played the lead. She's a natural on stage. This musical would be a smash hit in a small Broadway theater. I hope that it finds its way there.

(4-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "THE TAMING OF THE SHREW" (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company on the Boston Common.)

When we walked over the lawns and paths on the Boston Common, to where the stage was set up, I was happy and pleased with the beautiful stage set for this production. Director Steven Maler was setting this play not in Shakespeare's time (and in Italy,) but in the 1950's in Boston's North End. That could work. But then the music started and the play began, and once again it was obvious that director Maler was not confident in Shakespeare's words, story, and comedy. He tried to change it to cater to the tastes of a dumbed-down modern audience. He turned the whole thing into a bad, dirty Italian joke. Every actor had a different accent, from common low-class Boston to phony stage Italian. Bits of inappropriate business were thrown in, from gangsters pissing on bushes, to crotch-grabbing, bumping and grinding, and blowjobs on rooftops! (No, I'm not kidding!) This was a sleazy, trashy, vulgar mess, from start to finish. No actor survived with his/her dignity intact. The audience loved it!!

(1- Star)

THEATER REVIEW: "THE DROWSY CHAPERONE"

Nowadays, when Broadway is filled with even more revivals, remakes of old movies, and jukebox musicals based on the songs of once-famous singers like Frankie Valli, Elvis Presley, Billy Joel, John Lennon, and Bob Dylan, it's refreshing and hopeful to see a completely original new musical based on nothing but the imagination of its creators. From what I understand, the whole idea started as a skit at a bachelor party up in Canada. If so, that must have been a hell of a bachelor party! Picture this, a man (Bob Martin) sitting in a chair in his kitchen starts to describe his favorite musical, puts on the original-cast record (yes, record) of the musical, and all of a sudden, the refrigerator door opens, the walls disappear, and the musical materializes. The musical that he conjures up ( starring the always dependable Sutton Foster,) is one of the funniest, most enjoyable evenings that I've spent in the theater in a long time. What a wonderful way to start the new theater season. It's not a great musical, but it's a complete original! Rush to see this one.

(4-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "A CHORUS LINE"

It's been thirty years since I saw this musical, and in this new revival it still comes across as innovative, imaginative, and original, with a score by Marvin Hamlisch that is filled with melodic and thought-provoking songs...some of which have become classics/standards. Since much of this show is based on mini-autobiographies of the dancers themselves, a great deal depends on how good these dancers are as actors, and the current cast couldn't be better. Led by the veteran Charlotte D'Amboise, the brilliant "new man in town" Michael Berresse, and exciting, new discoveries Deirdre Goodwin and Jeremy Schecter, this cast is easily as good as the original, if not better! They tear their hearts out in that chorus line on stage, as they share their stories of how they fought to get to be at that audition that means so much to their careers. Each one's story is told in a great song, that's either belted out, danced, or both. The in-depth look at these dancers (who are called gypsies) in the chorus lines of Broadway shows, puts to shame the shallow books of most new musicals today. All this leads up to one of the most lively, colorful, and melodic finales in Broadway history. Don't miss this wonderful revival; it's timeless, and one of the best.

(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "HIGH FIDELITY" (Pre-Broadway tryout in Boston)

Remember that 6-year old John Cusack-Jack Black film (based on a 1995 Nick Hornby novel,) about the record-store owner and his wacky clerks? Rob, the store-owner, is a 30-something case of arrested development, who, when his girlfriend leaves him because he can't make a commitment, makes up a list of his top five worst breakups. That's what he and his friends do; they make up lists. With the record-store setting, and the musical morons who inhabit Rob's store, it would seem to be the perfect story for a new rock musical. The curtain goes up on what is one of the most ingenious sets that I've ever seen...an origami, foldout, lovingly rendered exercise in towering brick...the Championship Vinyl Record Store. Then, the music begins. Although the lyrics are very clever, this musical seems to have invented a new genre..."fake rock." People who love rock will hate it, and people who hate rock will also hate it. That pretty much eliminates their potential audience. The story follows the movie pretty closely, and although the actors are very good, they pale in comparison to John Cusack, Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Tim Robbins. My advice is to save the $100 ticket price and take $5 of that to rent the DVD of the movie!

(2-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "MARY POPPINS"

When this production opened in London two years ago, the critics called it a "darker" version of the musical that we were used to from the Disney film; something more in line with the original P. L. Travers book. Now that it's opened on Broadway at Disney's magnificently restored New Amsterdam Theater, I'm not quite sure what they meant by "darker." New songs have been written, to add to the original songs of the film, and they're as sunny and as much fun as that famous tongue twister, "Supercalifragilistickexpialidocious!" The nanny herself and her charming chimneysweep friend, Bert, are almost as perfect as Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke were on film, and that's saying a lot. I suppose that the Banks family is a bit more dysfunctional than it was in the movie, but I would hardly call them "dark." Oh, who cares. Dark or light, this musical is a sheer joy, and a perfect way to usher in the holiday season. Forget "The Christmas Spectacular" at Radio City, and "The Nutcracker" at Lincoln Center, and head over to Times Square to see this wonderful new musical. By the way, don't forget the kids!

(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "THE APPLE TREE"

Kristin Cheneweth is a star in the tradition of two of the late, great stars of Broadway...Barbara Harris and Madeline Kahn...beautiful women, who act brilliantly, are very funny, and sing with operatic voices. That's a very limited category, and Cheneweth is the present reigning star. This is the first revival of the light musical, written by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick ("Fiddler on the Roof," "She Loves Me," "Fiorello," etc.) and it holds up beautifully. In fact, the one hour first act is nearly perfect. "The Apple Tree" is a three act musical, and each act is a separate musical story. The first story is "The Diary of Adam and Eve" by Mark Twain. It's beautifully melodic, funny, and poignantly sad. The three stars are the same in each of the three stories...Kristin Cheneweth, Brian D'Arcy James, and Marc Kudisch, and theyr'e absolutely perfect. The second act/story is that old piece of high school reading, "The Lady or the Tiger." and it's done as a gaudy, vulgar, Vegas-style, piece of shlock. The music is big and loud, and the performances are over the top; very funny. The third act/story is "Passionella," a 1960's retelling of the Cinderella story; sweet, funny, and beautifully sung. The three stories are so different in style that it gives the stars a chance to stretch and show their talents...and they are SO talented. This is a fun show for the whole family, with songs that get into your head, and stay there for days. I loved it.

(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER" at the Roundabout Theatre Company

The only time that I ever saw this Tennessee Williams play, was in the movie version, starring Katherine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Montgomery Clift. If you haven't seen it, rent the DVD. But, if you can get to New York, to see this powerful revival, it's certainly beautifully cast, well-acted (at least in the case of the two female leads,) and it makes for an exciting 1-1/2 hours in the theater (without intermission.) The grande dame Violet Venable (Blythe Danner,) has just lost her 30-year-old son, who was the love of her life. She traveled the world with him, living in deluxe hotels and acting as though they were "a couple." Her niece (Carla Gugino) was with him on an exotic trip when he died (Mom had just had a stroke and couldn't make it,) and tells a very different story of how he lived and died. In fact, Sebastian's death was so traumatic to this niece, that she's been living in an asylum until she recovers...if ever. Violet, on the other hand, wants to have her lobotomized! She's brought a doctor (Gale Harold) to her Garden District mansion to help to insure that this operation takes place. This play is mesmerizing (except when the actor Gale Harold is speaking. He acts at the level of a high school student in his first play!) The critics have been unkind to Blythe Danner, saying that she's miscast...not evil enough for her role. Don't listen to them. She's perfect, and so is this Roundabout production. (All except for the truly terrible Gale Harold, that is!)

(4-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "GREY GARDENS"

I loved this musical! In fact, I bought the CD in the back of the theater. On paper it sounds very depressing (and in fact, the second act is somewhat depressing,) but what a magnificent piece of musical theater this is, and in the leading role, Christine Ebersole gives one of the greatest performances that I've ever seen in a musical. Based on the Maysles brothers documentary of the same name, it tells the story of Jackie Kennedy's two eccentric aunts, Edith and Edie Beale (mother and daughter,) who lived in a dilapidated, filthy mansion in East Hampton, until their deaths. In the glorious elegant first act, socialite Edith Bouvier Beale (Christine Ebersole) is giving a grand party at the lavish mansion, Grey Gardens, to announce the engagement of her daughter, debutante Edie Beale, to Joe Kennedy, Jr. (older brother to JFK and Robert Kennedy.) The music of this act is some of the best music on Broadway today. In the second act, due to what happened at the end of Act I, the mother and daughter (Christine Ebersole is now playing the daughter) are living in cat-infested Grey Gardens, in poverty, and borderline insane! (Mary Louise Wilson plays the elder Edith Beale in this act, and she's excellent as well.) I can't say enough about Christine Ebersole's performance as the elegant, grande dame of the first act, and as her eccentric, dirty daughter in the second act. It's a theatrical tour de force. See it before the cast changes. No one can replace her!

(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "THE CHERRY ORCHARD" (Huntington Theatre Company)

Nicholas Martin, the Huntington's General Director, has once again revived a great classic, for his friend, actress Kate Burton. The last time these two came together, they created a magnificent "Hedda Gabler," which ended up on Broadway, after it played here at the Huntington. In both of these classics, Martin and Burton have brought out an element in each play, that is often neglected, and rarely emphasized. That element is humor, and it took this production into a new realm. I've never seen a funnier "Cherry Orchard!" Kate Burton, of course, is magnificent, as Madam Ranevskaya, but she's surrounded by a fine cast of first-rate actors, including Will Le Bow and Joyce Van Patten, who support her brilliantly. If you're not familiar with the story of Chekhov's last play, it concerns an aristocratic Russian woman and her family as they return to the family's estate, just before it is auctioned to pay the mortgage. While presented with options to save the estate, the family essentially does nothing and the play ends with the estate being sold, and the family leaving to the sound of its large and well known cherry orchard being cut down. Although it hardly sounds like the stuff of comedy, Chekhov said that "My play should be played as farce." In this glorious production it is. As always, the Huntington emphasizes high production values, and the sets and costumes are magnificent. I expect to see this on Broadway soon. I recommend that you see it there.

(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "LEGENDS" (Pre-Broadway tryout)

Back in the late 1980's, James Kirkwood wrote a play about two legendary divas who were vying for the same coveted comeback role on Broadway. Then, in its pre-Broadway tryout in Boston, it starred two legends of the Broadway musical theater...Mary Martin and Carol Channing. I think that I enjoyed the play then (mainly because of its two stars,) but the critics didn't, so it never made it to Broadway. Now, Kirkwood has re-written the play to suit the talents of his two new stars...two legends of the night-time TV classic mini-series, "Dynasty,"...Joan Collins and Linda Evans. Now, in the re-written plot, they're vying for the chance to play in a Broadway show opposite another legend, Paul Newman. First of all, the two actresses, who must be older than Jesus, look like they're embalmed...too many face-lifts and tucks. Collins even looks a little chubby in those fancy Nolan Miller tight pants and gowns. They're not even fun to watch, because their acting is so bad. I've seen better acting in amateur high-school productions. As far as the play goes, if it was ever funny, it isn't now. It's just downright embarrassing. The supporting cast is even worse than the leads, if that's possible. There's a fat, black maid, who makes Mammy in "Gone With The Wind" look politically correct! The less said about the idiot who plays the producer, the better. I seriously doubt if these two over-hyped mummies will ever get this show to Broadway, but if they do, stay away. It's a night when you'll feel stupid having wasted your time and money on a piece of garbage!

(0-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "LOVE MUSIK"

On paper, this sounded great. A new musical, based on the lives of composer Kurt Weill, and his volatile wife, actress/singer Lotte Lenya. The music would be Weill's, the director would be Harold Prince, and the actors were the best of Broadway...Donna Murphy and Michael Cerveris. Let me start with the actors. They're superb! The only problem is with the theater's audio system, which tends to muffle the all-important lyrics and dialogue...already hard to understand, because of the heavy German accents being used. The music is beautiful, although I would have liked to have heard more of the mainstream Weill ("Speak Low," "The Alabama Song," "Mac the Knife," and "September Song,"...all included in the show,) and fewer of his more obscure songs. Harold Prince, the master director, is still in top form, and his direction moves the story along stylishly, although it's way too long. That leaves the book by Pulitzer-prize winning Alfred Uhry. This is the problem. He's written a pretentious bore of a book, based on the lives of three (including Bertolt Brecht) of the theater's most exciting and interesting personalities. That's inexcusable. In spite of my love for all of the people involved in the project, as well as three amazing performances by the leads, I'm afraid that I can't recommend this classy snoozer.

(3-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "CHITA RIVERA: A DANCER'S LIFE" (in Boston)

I've seen almost everything that Chita Rivera has ever appeared in on Broadway, from the groundbreaking, then-shocking "West Side Story", fifty years ago (!), to "Bye, Bye Birdie" (with Dick Van Dyke,) to the original, brilliant production of "Chicago" (with Gwen Verdon,) to "The Rink" (with Liza Minnelli as her daughter,) to "Kiss of the Spider Woman," up to "Nine" (with Antonio Banderas.) In this present production, which came to Broadway briefly, then toured the country, and is planning to return to Broadway, Chita Rivera gets to relive moments from most of these landmark musicals, for herself, and for me and the rest of the audience. It's like watching your life pass before your eyes, accompanied by some of Broadway's finest music, and the incredible singing and dancing of this 75-year-old miracle woman! Don't miss it.

(5-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "CURTAINS"
I went to this musical predisposed to love it, because I've seen and loved, just about everything that this great team has ever written for Broadway..."Cabaret," "Chicago," "Zorba," "The Rink," "Woman of the Year," "Kiss of the Spider Woman," etc. This is their last musical written together, because Fred Ebb died three years ago! Although I've heard that it's not one of their better shows, I was prepared for the best. The story of the musical is about a murder that takes place backstage, during the Boston pre-Broadway tryout of a new musical. The time is 1959. The producer of the show (Debra Monk,) brings in a detective (David Hyde Pierce,) to solve the crime. Is it a hit or a miss? Well, it's a little of both. I thought that the musical score was the best this season after "Grey Gardens." It's really a toe-tapper in the true Kander & Ebb tradition. Not up there with their best scores, but really good nevertheless. The story means to be a tongue-in-cheek murder mystery/comedy, but sometimes, the tongue is not far enough "in cheek," and what comes across is sappy melodrama. But, most of the time, it's very funny...funnier than most musicals. All of the stars are excellent, especially David Hyde Pierce and Debra Monk, and Jason Danieley has one of the best singing voices on Broadway today. I guess that I really liked it.
(4-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "DEUCE"
I can't imagine why the great actress, Angela Lansbury, waited so long to return to Broadway, the scene of her greatest successes, "Mame," "Sweeney Todd, and "Dear World." She, and Broadway grande-dame, Marian Seldes, play two retired tennis stars, who once made up a championship doubles team...maybe the greatest in tennis history. Needless to say, both of these great ladies are wonderful. However, the critics were merciless in ripping Terrance McNally's play to shreds. They all said that it wasn't worthy of the talents of two great actresses who could read a menu from "Burger King" and make it sound like Shakespeare. Well, I beg to disagree. I thoroughly enjoyed this one-hour-and-forty-minute intermission-less play. I found it, in turn, moving, mesmerizing, hilarious, and sad. It has so much to say about so many things, using the world of tennis as a metaphor for the world at large. While thoroughly engrossed in the play, I was still able to try to imagine what other play suited the phenomenal talents of these two women, but I couldn't think of one. Seldes plays the "Lady" to Lansbury's more earthy woman, but both are giants, and you won't be able to take your eyes off of them, as they sit there on the sidelines, watching a championship tennis match and reminiscing about their lives and careers.
(4-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "PRESENT LAUGHTER" (Huntington Theatre Company in Boston)
This production really NEEDS to go to Broadway! Not only is it the funniest play of this theater season, in both New York and Boston, but it's also the best play of the season. Nicholas Martin directs, and Victor Garber and Tony-nominated Brooks Ashmanskas chew up the very-elaborate, gorgeous scenery, in this perfect revival of one of Noel Coward's funniest plays. Garber plays Garry Essendine (really just a stand-in for Coward himself,) a self-absorbed actor, who is surrounded by a solar system of brilliantly eccentric characters, all played beautifully by a made-to-order cast. Each and every one of them could steal the show away from a lesser actor than Garber, but the one who almost succeeds is Ashmanskas, in one of the most hilarious characterizations that I've ever seen on a stage. You wonder how much is Noel Coward and how much is Brooks Ashmanskas. This is the kind of drawing-room comedy that the British have always done so well, and finally, here's an American company that's doing it better than they could have done it. Anyway, it's worth a trip up to Boston to see this one...and if it DOES come to Broadway, don't miss it!
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "SPRING AWAKENING"
There's something about this new musical that appears to be speaking to young people, because at the performance we attended, the theater was just about filled with teen-agers. Based on an old German play by Frank Wedekind, the story tells us about a group of teen-agers in 19th Century Germany who are learning about sex, for the first time. The story is old, but the music (by Duncan Sheik) is new. It's not the loud screamings of a show like "Rent," and the singers aren't the amateurs of "American Idol." In fact, most of the music would appeal to a traditional Broadway audience. The cast is young and extremely talented. They act, sing, and dance well. In fact, movement (choreographed by Bill T. Jones,) is what propels the musical. That, and the brilliant lighting that bathes the unusual minimalist set. The story is at times very funny, and at other times, sad and even tragic. In short, it covers just about all of the emotions that teen-agers are learning to deal with. I can't say that the score is one that would prompt me to buy the CD, (as most of the teen-agers in the audience were doing,) but it is melodic, and not at all offensive. Although I enjoyed the musical very much, I have to admit that there are some things that will just appeal more to young people, than they will to me. I loved the young actor/singers, the choreography, the lighting, and some of the music. But it's just NOT "My Fair Lady,"......nor was it meant to be!

(3 1/2-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "XANADU"
No, this isn't "My Fair Lady" or "The Sound of Music," but if you're looking for a funny 90 minutes on Broadway, this might be what you're looking for. I can't imagine who got the idea of basing a new musical on one of the biggest flops in movie history..."Xanadu" starring Olivia Newton-John. Whoever's idea it was, it was helped along by inspired casting, and by spoofing the movie in a tongue-in-cheek way. Everyone is over the top, and the whole thing is high camp. The ridiculous story starts on Mount Olympus where Clio and her sister muses decide to help a mortal in a creative endeavor. His dream is to open a roller disco. Come on, it's the '70s! Clio goes down to Earth "disguised" as Kira, a mortal with an Australian accent! OK, no more exclamation points. Clio and the brain-dead meathead (redundant?) mortal are played by Kerry Butler and Cheyenne Jackson. They're both extremely talented, good-looking comedians, who can sing, dance, roller-skate, and play farce beautifully. Tony Roberts is along for the ride, as a rich entrepreneur, and also as Zeus! Oops. Two of Clio's sister muses are played by two of the most gifted comediennes on Broadway, Mary Testa and Jackie Hoffman. They steal the show. If you saw the movie (why???) you'll probably remember some of the songs (e.g. "Magic," "Evil Woman," "Have You Never Been Mellow?" etc.) Is it a great musical? Absolutely not. Is it a fun, entertaining, short musical? Definitely. The kids would love it.
(3 1/2-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S 'THE 39 STEPS" (Huntington Theatre Company)
I had such high hopes for the pre-Broadway try-out of this award-winning comedy from London. I remember seeing Alfred Hitchcock's thriller "The 39 Steps," on TV decades ago, and from the little that I remember of it, it starred Madeline Carroll and Robert Donat, and IT WAS NOT A COMEDY! Now, in this new version, with Hitchcock's name as a part of the title, we get a play that's supposed to be a send-up of the original spy film. It's a clever idea for a farce, with four stars playing all of the roles, and it should have been very, very, funny. The play won the Olivier Award in London for Best Comedy, but it certainly isn't obvious why, in this transplanted version of the same play. Once you get over the idea that four actors are going to be playing all of the roles, and doing some very quick changes of costume, the gimmick gets old very quickly. Although only one of the four members of the cast was brought over from the London original, it's obvious 10 minutes into the play, that this is NOT the Monty Python Troupe. The story involves Richard Hannay, a Canadian visitor to 1930's London. After a disturbance at a music hall, he meets Annabella Schmidt, who is on the run from foreign agents. He takes her back to his apartment, but they are followed, and later that night Annabella is murdered. Hannay goes on the run to break the spy ring and thus prove his innocence. That's the bare outline of the plot, and what the writer, director, and stars have tried to do with it, is to turn it into a slapstick spoof of the entire spy-film genre. It just doesn't work. It's stupid, silly, and I was bored to death. I almost left at the intermission. As I said before, it's opening on Broadway after it closes here this week. Be warned. It's a bomb!
(1-Star)
THEATER REVIEW: "YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN"
I loved this show! If you're a fan of the Mel Brooks classic comedy film, "Young Frankenstein," then you'll love it too, because it's a scene by scene translation of the movie into a Broadway musical. All that's been added are 17 really good songs, which enhance the story. Of course, the actors are different, and because they're all Broadway veterans, with the exception of one, they do an excellent job. The actors are Roger Bart, Megan Mullally (from "Will and Grace" on TV,) Sutton Foster, Andrea Martin, Shuler Hensley, Fred Applegate, and Christopher Fitzgerald. Andrea Martin, as Frau Blucher (horses whinnying!) steals the show. Who needs Cloris Leechman? Christopher Fitzgerald as "Igor," comes close to stealing it as well. Susan Stroman directs and choreographs the show, and the dance numbers are great, especially the famous "Puttin' on the Ritz" number, which has been expanded. The sets and special effects by Robin Wagner, are absolutely perfect and beautiful as well. Is there a scene that stood out for me? I'd have to say the scene with the blind hermit and the monster, in the hermit's cottage in the forest. I almost fell out of my seat laughing. I also loved the scene in the hay wagon, as Dr. Frankenstein, Inga and Igor are riding through the woods of Transylvania towards the castle. The trees fly by, as Inga sings "Roll in the Hay," while trying to seduce the young doctor. All of the classic lines are there (e.g. "Those are beautiful knockers. Thank you doctor," "What hump?" "Walk like this," "He vas my boyfriend," etc.) I could go on and on, but I won't. Just go see it. I might even see it again. I enjoyed it better than I enjoyed "the Producers."
(5-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "WHITE CHRISTMAS" (at the Wang Center in Boston)
Yes, we've got The Christmas Pops, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and The Nutcracker, and a Christmas Carol, but the latest Boston holiday tradition has become one of the most popular of them all at Christmas time. It's the Broadway musical (which never played on Broadway,) Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," (based on the 1954 classic movie that starred Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney.) It's so good, that it's worth a trip to Boston to see it. Why? Well, let's start with the wonderful Irving Berlin score ( "White Christmas," "Blue Skies," "How Deep Is The Ocean?" "Snow," "Happy Holiday," "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm," "Count Your Blessings," etc.) Then, there's the terrific dancing, and the colorful sets and costumes. (Yes, it snows on the audience at the end.) The cast is letter-perfect, especially Brian D'Arcy James in the Crosby role. The story is serviceable, and although it's old-fashioned and corny, it works. After leaving the Army after W.W.II, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis team up to become a top song-and-dance act. They meet a pair of sisters, who also have a song-and-dance act. When the girls travel to a Vermont lodge to perform a Christmas show, Wallace and Davis follow, only to find their former commander, General Waverly, is the lodge owner, who may lose the lodge, because it hasn't snowed in ages, and the regular customers aren't coming. You can figure out the rest. If you miss the show this year (it ends in early January,) you can, and should, catch it next year. It runs from Thanksgiving until New Years. It's a great family show, and it'll certainly put you in the Christmas mood. You'll be humming those classic songs for days afterward. I did.
(5-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND"
Andrew Lloyd Webber has written some popular and successful musicals in the past ("Jesus Christ Superstar," "Cats," "Evita," "Sunset Boulevard," and "Phantom of the Opera,") and so it's sad to see his career come to an end with a show like this one. It's really dreadful. What makes a musical bad? Well, first of all, obviously, it's the music. The music to this show is not even top draw Andrew Lloyd Webber, let alone up there with the real top draw composers, like George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Lerner & Loewe, etc. There's only one beautiful song in the whole show. The rest is easily forgotten. Then, there's the story. This story, based on a film, is truly absurd. It's set in rural Louisiana in the '50s, and tells the story of three children - 16 year old Swallow, sister Bluejay (known as Brat), and younger brother Robin (known as Poor Baby) - as they approach their first Christmas since the death of their mother. Discovering an escaped criminal hiding in their barn, they become convinced that he is Jesus, and agree to keep his location secret. The plot contrasts the innocence of the children with the fervour of the town's residents to inflict punishment on the supposed evil in their midst. I suppose that there's nothing inherently wrong with that story, but the way it plays out is stupid and unbelievable. Fault the director and the actors for that. Speaking of the actors, the three who portray the children are three of the worst that I've seen on a stage in a long time. In any case, only Jesus could help Webber get this musical to Broadway!
(1-Star)

THEATER REVIEW: "MY FAIR LADY" (at The Opera House in Boston)
"My Fair Lady" is my favorite Broadway musical of all time. Because of that, I was apprehensive about seeing this new revival, which was a smash hit in London where it originated. In order to be done right, this musical, based on George Bernard Shaw's play, Pygmalion," has to be done with class and elegance. The leading roles have to be cast with actors who can act and sing convincingly, and the sets and costumes can't be done "on the cheap." They have to be realistic and lavish. The original Broadway production with Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison set the standard 50 years ago, and the Oscar-winning movie is still one of the classiest, and most beautiful movies ever made. Having said all that, I'm happy to report that this new revival is just about perfect. Everything about it comes together to show a new generation what "My Fair Lady" is all about. The musical score by Lerner and Loewe, is still one of the best ever written, and the songs shine and glisten like expensive crystal, especially when they're sung by Dana DeLisa as Eliza Doolittle, the street bum, who's turned into an elegant lady, by the autocratic phonetics professor Henry Higgins, played by Christopher Cazenove. Both of the leads are worthy successors to the Eliza's and Higgins's that came before them. If you've never seen "My Fair Lady," this is a perfect way to introduce yourself to one of the treasures of the American Musical Theater.
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "SHE LOVES ME" (Huntington Theatre Company in Boston)
I love this musical! it's always been one of my favorites since the first time that I saw it on Broadway decades ago, and so I was very happy to hear that Nicholas Martin would be directing a revival of it , here at the Huntington, and then taking it to the Williamstown Theater Festival, and then on to New York. The revival is flawless, a perfect little gem. The book, based on an excellent play and a classic movie ("The Shop Around the Corner,") tells the story of two clerks at a Hungarian cosmetics shop in the year 1934. In the shop they just can't stand each other, but unknowingly they're both carrying on a correspondence with someone they think that they love. Of course, they're writing to each other, and don't know it. The book by Joe Masterhoff ("Cabaret") doesn't waste a word in telling their story. It's a model of book-writing for a musical. The music by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick ("Fiddler on the Roof") is one of the best ever written for a musical. As director Nicholas Martin says in the program notes, "The score is arguably the most eloquent, original, and varied ever composed." There isn't a dull song in the show; you'll come away humming the songs. The production of this revival is filled with beautiful sets and costumes, with sets that flow into one another in a cinematic way. But the biggest round of applause must go to the cast (as it did in the theater today.) They're unknowns now, but that won't be for long. The five leads are as good as anyone on Broadway now, and the two main stars Kate Baldwin and Brooks Ashmanskas will some day have musicals written for them...especially Ashmanskas. I saw him last year, in my favorite show of last season, "Present Laughter," and he stole that show. He does it again in this show. He's one of a kind. Remember his name...but then how can you forget it, if you can pronounce it? Don't miss this show, if it comes anywhere near where you live. You'll thank me.
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "SOUTH PACIFIC" at LINCOLN CENTER
In just the past few months, I've been lucky enough to see revivals of four of my favorite musicals of all time...two in concert versions, and two in excellent fully-staged productions. The four are "Camelot," "A Little Night Music," (both seen in concert versions,) and "She Loves Me," and the present show, "South Pacific." Although I was two young ( yes, too young...it was 60 years ago! ) to see the original "South Pacific" when it debuted on Broadway, with Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza, I can't imagine it being any better than this glorious, spectacular revival. Directed by the incredible Bartlett Sher, and starring two incomparable leads, Kelli O'Hara and Paulo Szot, this revival is one for the history books...an already legendary revival that is as good as the original. The plot, far ahead of its time in 1948, deals with two interracial romances on an island in the South Pacific during World War II. The young men and women stationed on this island seem like real people, although every few minutes they open their mouths to sing some of Rodgers and Hammerstein's greatest music. A word to the Rodgers and Hammerstein families (who sanctioned this revival...the first in 60 years.) Hire this complete team, form a repertory company here at Lincoln Center, and give them permission to re-create every single musical in the Rodgers and Hammerstein canon...from the rarely performed "Allegro," to the ubiquitous "The Sound of Music." I'll see all of them!
(5-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "A CATERED AFFAIR"
I can sit through a musical that's depressing and simple, if the music is so glorious, that it illuminates the miserable lifestyle of the people being portrayed, or if the characters and setting are mesmerizing. Unfortunately, "A Catered Affair" is just a downer! Harvey Fierstein wrote the book for the musical, really a play with music, based on the Paddy Chayefshy TV drama and movie of 1956 (which starred Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine and a very young Debbie Reynolds.) Jayne, the daughter of a cab driver, is planning to get married to Ralph. They want a small wedding...something that they can afford. Unfortunately, Ralph's parents are used to big weddings, and that's what they expect. Should Jayne's father give up the money that he's saved for a taxi license to finance a lavish wedding to satisfy her future in-laws, and his selfish, self-centered, miserable wife? I know what I'd tell those in-laws, and that loser of a wife!!! The cast is excellent. Tom Wopat and Faith Prince are the suffering parents of the bride, who have lived a life of hard times and sacrifice, and have very little to show for it. The young couple are Leslie Kritzer and Matt Cavenaugh. Harvey Fierstein, in a very subdued part ( for Harvey Fierstein, that is,) plays the gay live-in uncle. In the movie the uncle was not gay, but rather a twinkling Irishman (played by Barry Fitzgerald!) If you're not looking for laughs, hummable tunes, and 1 1/2 hours (no intermission) in the company of uplifting people, then this might be your cup of tea. If not, stay home and rent the movie!
(2-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "HOW SHAKESPEARE WON THE WEST" (at the Huntington Theater Company)
We're lucky enough to have two of America's most distinguished theater companies right here in Boston. One is the American Repertory Theater at Harvard, and the other is the Huntington Theatre Company. Both have sent many award-winning shows to Broadway. Because the beautiful Huntington Theatre is, literally, right around the corner from where I live, I go there fairly often. In fact, two of my favorite shows of the last two seasons (and that includes Broadway,) I saw at the Huntington..."Present Laughter" and "She Loves Me." This is the world premiere of this play by Tony-award-winning playwright Richard Nelson. Although it needs some cutting of its one hour and forty minute intermission-less length, and a rethinking of its final scene, it's still charming, clever, funny and very entertaining. The story involves a ragtag troupe of actors who get together, and head West during the Gold Rush, to seek their fortune and fame performing Shakespeare for enthusiastic '49ers. Their ambitious Candide-like cross-country adventure makes for several wonderful stories. According to the program notes, this kind of thing happened all the time, and miners often rewarded the actors with bags of gold. Some true-to-life characters like Lincoln and Buffalo Bill appear in the story, and add to the color of the piece. With a little work on the part of the author, this could be a smash hit. By the way, the actors, who play multiple roles, are all excellent.
(4-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "CARRIE FISHER: WISHFUL DRINKING" (at the Huntington Theatre Company)
If you're a part of my generation, you know Carrie Fisher as the daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher, the step-daughter of Elizabeth Taylor, and wife of singer Paul Simon. Later generations know her as Princess Leia in "Star Wars." She's widely recognized as a novelist and screenwriter. Her memoirs were turned into the movie "Postcards From The Edge," starring Meryl Streep as Ms. Fisher, and Shirley MacLaine as her mother Debbie Reynolds. In this very funny one-woman show, she manages to make such subjects as her hairdo in "Star Wars," her drug addiction and rehabilitation, her insane life in Hollywood as the daughter of highly dysfunctional parents, her bipolar disorder, being left by her second husband for another man, and having a friend die in her bed, the subject of some of the funniest stories that I've ever heard on a stage before!  The audience laughed so hard during these two hours, that I missed some of the lines. Turning tragedy, illness, and death into a night of laughs, is one way of dealing with life's hardships, I suppose. I hope that it keeps Carrie Fisher out of any more asylums in the future. Although it's nowhere near as hilarious as I thought that it was going to be, it's still a very funny show. It's going to Broadway, so you can see it there, if you miss it here in Boston.
(3 1/2-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: " A CONVERSATION WITH STEPHEN SONDHEIM"(at Northeastern's Blackman Theater)
Imagine what it would have been like to sit in a small theater to hear Chopin or Beethoven talk about how they wrote some of their greatest music, and then to hear some of that music played. Not that I'm comparing Stephen Sondheim to those classic composers, but it was thrilling to hear this modern-genius talk about some of his greatest works..."A Little Night Music," "Follies," "Sweeney Todd," "Company," etc. He's a brilliant, articulate man, and even though he appears to be uncomfortable on a stage being interviewed, he was unbelievably interesting and informative about the craft of composing, and a wonderful teller of anecdotes. Singer Kate Baldwin (the wonderful Amalia in last season's hit "She Loves Me,") was also on stage to sing some of the music from his Broadway musicals...sort of a Sondheim's Greatest Hits! If she was terrified having to perform in the company of the composer, she didn't show it. She is beautiful, and really has class. Brava! Someone write a musical for this future star. How about it, Mr. Sondheim, you're long overdue?
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "EQUUS"
Picture this. A British producer says, "let's do a revival of one of the darkest and most depressing plays ever written, 'Equus,' and put that kid from Harry Potter in the role of the very unstable stable-boy." Could you imagine anyone investing in that? Well, they should have. Because it was a big hit in London, and now it's a smash hit on Broadway. Daniel Radcliffe ("Harry Potter") made a very smart career choice when he accepted the role, thereby exposing himself (in more ways than one) to what could have been devastating reviews. Instead, the critics embraced him. It is an extremely difficult role, and one that is diametrically opposed to anything he's done in the Harry Potter films. Here he plays a very troubled stable boy, who tends a bunch of horses (played by men in stylized, very effective, costumes.) When he fails to perform, while making sexual advances on the woman he wants, he takes it out on the horses, in one of the most frightening and effective scenes on stage. Richard Griffiths (his cruel uncle in the Potter films,) plays the psychiatrist to whom the boy bares his soul. Did I mention that Radcliffe bares more than his soul, when he appears completely naked in one important scene? It's a great leap into adult roles for Daniel Radcliffe, and a very exciting evening in the theater for the rest of us.
(4-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY"
Sometimes when a play receives so much critical acclaim, so many awards, and so much hype, it often disappoints. This one doesn't. The 3 1/2-hour play by Tracy Letts, is so good, that it could have been written by William Inge, Tennessee Williams, or Eugene O' Neill. High praise indeed. In fact, the two leading characters in both this play and "Long Day's Journey Into Night," have the same unfortunate weaknesses. The mother is a drug addict and the father is an alcoholic. The Weston family of Osage County, Oklahoma is a highly dysfunctional family. They've gathered at the family home because a tragic event has taken place. During the course of a few days together, the family members open wounds and pour salt in them. They're cruel and vindictive. Everyone appears to hate everyone else. We deal with suicide, incest and addiction of all kinds. This is a true ensemble piece by the Steppenwolf Company of Chicago. They've been joined by Estelle Parsons and John Collum. I recommend it highly.
(5-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "BOEING, BOEING"
OK, the play is funny, but nowhere near as funny as I expected it to be. I wanted it to be hilarious, as the reviews said it would be, and as the audience around me, howling at everything that was said and done on stage, told me it was. But, it wasn't. I got a few good laughs out of it, but that's it...and I LOVE slapstick....and this IS slapstick humor. This French farce, written by Marc Camoletti in 1960, ran on the Paris stage for 19 years (!) and in London's West End for 7 years. It's closing in New York after only 7 months. At least we're a bit more discriminating than the French and the Brits when it comes to SOME things! The play is about Bernard (Greg Germann,) an American bachelor living in Paris, who has three mistresses, all of whom are airline stewardesses on different time schedules, until the schedules change and the shit hits the fan! The actresses who play the stewardesses are all expert at this kind of comedy. The play is stolen, however by the Shakespearean actor Mark Rylance who is absolutely hilarious as Bernard's American friend, Robert, who drops in unexpectedly, for a short stay in the apartment. He is brilliant...a combination of Buster Keaton and Jerry Lewis. (A completely miscast Christine Baranski is wasted as the French maid.) Oh, by the way, did I mention that this play was made into a movie in the '60s, starring Tony Curtis, Thelma Ritter...and Jerry Lewis?
(3-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "BILLY ELLIOTT"
If it was Elton John's idea to team up with the writer Lee Hall and the director Stephen Daldry of that charming inspirational film of a few years back "Billy Elliott," to create a musical version of the story, then it was a stroke of genius. The new Broadway musical is a brilliant masterpiece. It's easily the most creative, innovative, and yes, inspirational musical this season. The story of both the film and the musical of "Billy Elliott" takes place in 1984, in the coal area of Northern England , on the eve of the Miners Strike, which would eventually destroy the livelihoods of every man in the region. In the midst of all this, Billy Elliott, the son of one of the miners, aspires to be a ballet dancer. The obstacles in his path are many, and his triumph is all the greater because of them. This is one of Elton John's best scores, and the actors who sing, dance, and act the story, are the best that I've seen in a long time. I have to single out the young dancer/singer/actor who played Billy at the performance that I saw. His name is David Alvarez, and he is one of three young boys who share the role. He was incredible! Such talent in someone so young. This is a musical for everyone, especially those of you who have dreams of becoming something very special.
(5-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "PAL JOEY" (The Roundabout Theatre at Studio 54)
The last time that I saw "Pal Joey," was 15 years ago, when I took my nephew to see an excellent revival starring Donna Murphy, at The Huntington Theatre in Boston. It's been a long time between revivals, and I wish that I could say that this one was worth the wait. Starring Stockard Channing, Martha Plimpton, and an inexperienced newcomer Matthew Risch as Joey, it's still the same dark, cynical, mean-spirited show that it was when it was first written by Rodgers and Hart, based on the book by John O'Hara. But, unfortunately, it's also dated, old-fashioned, and boring, for long stretches of time. Joey is a 26-year-old dancer, who's down on his luck, and will stab anyone in the back to get ahead. He finally meets his match when he meets the 60-year-old boozy socialite Vera (Stockard Channing,) who takes him on as her lover. He uses everyone he can, and heads straight for the top until.... All of this is accompanied by a sophisticated, but forgettable, score, with a few classic songs like "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered," and "I Could Write a Book." It's an OK show, that really doesn't hold up well after all of these years. Aside from the beautiful costumes, and some decent acting by Stockard Channing (she can't sing, though,) the only real reason to see it is to see Martha Plimpton, who shows that she can sing and dance with the best of them. The singing and dancing is in her genes. She's the daughter of Keith Carradine after all. In any case, I wouldn't rush over to Studio 54 to see it.
(3-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "THE CORN IS GREEN" (Huntington Theatre Company in Boston)

I love the actress Kate Burton, and this classic play fits her like a glove. You'll see why in a minute. The setting is a big, beautiful house in a small mining town in 19th Century Wales. Miss Moffat, a schoolteacher, comes to town to educate the largely illiterate population of this town of miners. One of her students is a young man who works in the mines, and who she sees has great potential. She sets out to educate him so that he can receive a scholarship to go to Oxford. No small task. It was inevitable that Miss Burton chose to play this role. The play was written by her godfather, the great playwright Emlyn Williams. Her father was the brilliant British actor, Sir Richard Burton, who was born and raised in Wales. He played the role of the young man, Morgan, when he was just starting out. In this production, the role is being played by his grandson, Morgan Ritchie, Kate Burton's son. It's wonderful to see the chemistry that exists between mother and son on stage. So there you have it. This fine production is due largely to DNA and good genes! I loved it.

(5-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "TWO MEN OF FLORENCE" (Huntington Theatre Company in Boston)
Wow, here's a play for the thinking man/woman. Two men who became friends in Renaissance Venice and Florence, meet up again in Rome. One has become Pope Urban VIII; the other is Galileo Galilei. Their conflicting ideas about the world set them up as adversaries; opponents in the battle of ideas. Richard Goodwin (speechwriter for John F. Kennedy, and husband of historian Doris Kearns Goodwin,) has written a thought-provoking and very wordy play about men, friendship, intelligence and religion. To make things less straightforward and stereotypical, he presents Pope Urban as the intellectual, and Galileo as the spiritual one. It's the kind of play that would have been cast with actors like Lawrence Olivier and Anthony Quinn, or Jason Robards and Christopher Plummer had it been put on 50 years ago. I don't mean to imply that the present actors, Edward Herrmann and Jay O. Sanders aren't up to the task. They certainly are. But as I said before, the play is loaded with verbiage, to the point where it bogs down at times. I think that I nodded off once or twice! I couldn't end without making mention of the spectacular, imposing sets and costumes. They're truly inventive and very mystical. I don't think that I would recommend this play to everyone, because it's so damn talky, but it was a good way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon.
(3-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "WEST SIDE STORY"
The last time that I saw "West Side Story" on stage, was 50 years ago, on the night that the Russians put Sputnik up into Space. The launch was the talk of the theater during intermission, and it added excitement to an already exciting event. This current revival came about, because the original writer, Arthur Laurents (age 90+) wanted it to happen, and he supervised every aspect of it. He wanted to "make it more real" by having more believable singers and dancers in all of the roles (especially the three leads, who are perfect.) He even has the actors speaking and singing some of the dialogue in Spanish. In spite of these worthy goals, the big problem that I had with this revival, is that it comes across as old-fashioned, corny, and unbelievable, especially when the gang members speak or sing to one another. They sound like suburban high school kids trying to sound tough. The dialogue is trite, dated and, yes, corny! The reason that you should go to see this production is to hear the classic music by Leonard Bernstein, and to see the remarkable, outstanding dancing, in which the troupe of dancers recreates the original Jerome Robbins choreography. Other than that, try to imagine contemporary language and cursing whenever the gang members speak. Hell, I would have given anything to hear just one angry "fuck you!"
(3-Stars)
THEATER REVIEW: "BLITHE SPIRIT"
The funniest play on Broadway! With an ideal cast, this could be Noel Coward's funniest play (although I loved last season's production of "Present Laughter" up here at the Huntington. It's coming to Broadway next season.) Luckily, this revival does have a perfect cast, lead by the ageless Angela Lansbury, who steals the show, as the nutty spiritualist Madame Arcati. This wonderfully funny and clever comedy, is about a successful novelist (Rupert Everett,) who is haunted by his biggest fan...his deceased first wife (Christine Ebersole.) Needless to say, his present wife (Jayne Atkinson) is not too happy about the third "person" in their home. So, they hire a spiritualist (Lansbury) to rid the house of the unusual guest. The things that Lansbury does as Arcati have to be seen to be believed! She's a riot. Nothing is off limits for her including some dotty dancing. My God, the woman is 80!! And oh those sophisticated and witty lines written by Coward for these great characters. Only Oscar Wilde could write funnier lines when it came to British drawing-room comedy. I loved this show. Don't miss it!
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "GOD OF CARNAGE"
Yasmina Reza ("Art") has written an intelligent and brilliant comedy for four exceptionally talented actors, who can not only shine in their own spotlight on stage, but who can also support their three fellow actors, in the most extraordinary ensemble cast on Broadway this season. Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini, and Marcia Gay Harden are the four actors, all of whom have been nominated for this season's Tony award for this play. I've seen three of the actors do great work on stage in the past, but Gandolfini is the revelation. He's not just Tony Soprano anymore! Reza's play deals with two couples, one very uptown and snobbish ( Daniels and Davis,) the other very nouveau-riche and still rough around the edges (Gandolfini and Harden.) Their sons have gotten into a brawl in the schoolyard of their fancy prep school, and the parents have come together in the home of one of the couples, to resolve the problem. What ensues is hilarious, as the action escalates from civility, to a knock-down-drag-out-battle, involving fistfights and vomit! I laughed my head off for two hours.
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "9 TO 5"
Remember that 1980's movie comedy "9 to 5," with Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton? Well, now Dolly Parton has taken the song that she wrote for that movie, written 15 other songs to go with it, and she's turned the story of the movie into a Broadway musical. Easier said than done. The story is still the same. Three overworked and badly treated workers decide to exact revenge on their pig of a boss. The form of torture that they use on him is not exactly waterboarding, but it's fun to watch, even if you're male, and not a sexual predator. The three women are played by three competent actresses...Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty, and especially, the wonderful Allison Janney ("The West Wing.") The boss is Marc Kudisch who played another sexual predator on Broadway, The Phantom of the Opera! The problem with this musical version of the story rests in the music. Although Dolly Parton has written a bunch of fine songs for the show, they're generic Dolly Parton songs...good, but not Broadway caliber. Also, the choreography leaves much to be desired. It's frantic, but not necessarily fun to watch. So, what I guess I'm saying is that, this isn't a top-drawer Broadway musical by any means (what IS nowadays?) Go see something better.
(2 1/2-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW- "THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE" (Huntington Theatre Company in Boston)
Absolutely hilarious! If you're in Boston, rush to see this glorious show before it closes next weekend. I've seen several memorable productions of "Pirates of Penzance," my favorite Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. Most notable of these, until this current one, was the unforgettable 1980 production in Central Park, starring Linda Ronstadt, Kevin Kline, George Rose, Rex Smith, and Estelle Parsons. (Those of you who saw that one with me, and there were lots of you, will know what I'm talking about.) This current revival, with no known stars, is one of the best, and it does the Huntington proud. The action has been transferred from the Southern coast of England, to the Caribbean, making it a sort of Pirates of the Caribbean, minus Johnny Depp. The actor playing The Pirate King does a perfect imitation of Depp. As always with all Huntington shows, the settings and costumes are spectacular. But Gilbert and Sullivan rests on how well the singing actors can convey the comic parody of the lyrics and the music, and these "unknowns" do it as well as any stars could. They're really wonderful. Each and every one has mastered the art of "tongue-in-cheek" acting, as well as the ability to sing the satirical Gilbert & Sullivan songs. This is truly a show that everyone can enjoy.
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" (The Reagle Players of Waltham, MA)
It would appear that "La Cage" is a foolproof musical, if it can survive being performed by a cast of unfamiliar performers, in a suburban high school auditorium! It not only survived last night, but this production was outstanding in just about every way. The cast of unknowns was near-perfect, the sets and costumes were more than adequate, and the full pit orchestra played beautifully. You may be familiar with the story of the musical, if you saw the French film "La Cage aux Folles," or its American remake "The Birdcage" (with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.) A pair of aging "queens" (a middle-aged gay couple,) own and operate a seedy transvestite nightclub in the South of France. Their idyllic life is interrupted, when the son of one of the men comes home to announce that he's going to be married...to the daughter of the right-wing conservative leader of the Morality Party...and that they're all coming to dinner tomorrow night. What ensues is a night of hilarious, clean fun, all set to the glorious music of composer Jerry Herman ("Hello Dolly," "Mame," Mack and Mabel," etc.) Two additional notes: the lead actor who played the role of Albin/Zaza (David Engel,) was as good as the lead in the original Broadway cast. That's saying a lot. Also, I was one of the many backers of the original Broadway production, so I'm a bit biased in favor of this musical. Biases aside, this was a wonderful night of musical theater, in the most unlikely of places!
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "A STEADY RAIN"
Here's a play that's too small to carry the weight of its two world-famous stars...Daniel Craig ("James Bond,") and Hugh Jackman ("Wolverine.") When it was first performed, in Chicago, there were no famous names in the cast, and the emphasis was on the merits of the play itself. I can see an audience enjoying it more, when it was only trying to see two Chicago cops interacting, instead of being overwhelmed by the overpowering aura of these two megastars. Yes, the play is about two Chicago cops, best friends, whose lives start to come apart as they are tested in one tragic incident after another. One is meek, the other powerful, but both feel that they're right, and to say that their friendship is tested, is putting it mildly. It's a true tragedy in the Greek sense of the word, as the stronger of the two starts to disintegrate, as the weaker one starts to gain strength at the expense of his friend. It's a fascinating case of role reversal. Craig and Jackman are incredibly good in roles that are not usually associated with their film roles. They're both trained stage actors, and it shows. I would like to see them on stage in a play that is worthy of their fine acting skills. Perhaps "Becket?" Is there a producer out there who's smart enough to finance this???
(2-Stars) For the play, and the way that it's presented.
(5-Stars) For the two actors, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig.

THEATER REVIEW: ":A CONVERSATION WITH HAROLD PRINCE" (at Northeastern University)
Each year, the Drama Department at University University, under Del Lewis, invites a Broadway dignitary and his guest, to come to Northeastern to be interviewed on stage by Mr. Lewis, and to have his star-guests sing some of the music asociated with him on Broadway. Last year, it was composer Stephen Sondheim and his guest Kate Baldwin (starring in "Finian's Rainbow" this season on Broadway.) This year it was producer/director Harold Prince, and his guest-stars were Broadway stars Judy Kaye and Tom Wopat. Last night was a glorious night of nostalgia and great music, for anyone who loves the Broadway musical theater as much as I do. Not only did we get to hear Hal Prince reminisce about his illustrious career, but we got to hear Judy Kaye and Tom Wopat sing some of the songs from the past shows that he's directed ("Fiddler on the Roof," "Cabaret," "Company," "On The Twentieth Century," "West Side Story," "Sweeney Todd," "Phantom of the Opera," etc.) We also were extremely lucky to get a preview of his upcoming Broadway musical, "Paradise Found," starring Mandy Patinkin, John Collum, Judy Kaye, Emily Skinner, and Christine Andreas. The composer of the music for this new show is none other than Johann Strauss!!! Now THAT'S something to look forward to. The one song that was sung from this show was something called "Feeling Good," set to one of Strauss' waltzes. It was beautiful. All in all, a glorious night of music, for anyone who loves Broadway musical theater.
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "RAGTIME"
Unless my memory is playing tricks on me, this revival is even better than the original, in spite of the lack of stars. (Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald became big stars after appearing in the original.) Stripped down of the overpowering scenery of the first show, the complex story and the incredible music really stand out now. The set isn't simple; it's just stylized and quite dramatic and beautiful. In case you're not familiar with the E. L. Doctorow book, or the movie, or the original musical, it tells the story of the three groups of people who dominated the scene in New York just after the turn of the century (19th to 20th.) There were the white upper middle class, emphasis on white. Representing this group are Mother, Father, and Mother's Younger Brother. They have no names. Also, there are real people such as J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Admiral Perry, and Evelyn Nesbitt and Stanford White. Then , there are the blacks, represented by Coalhouse Walker, Jr., a piano player, and his girlfriend Sarah, who becomes the maid to Mother and Father. Also, there's Booker T. Washington and Matt Henson, polar explorer. The final group are the immigrants, represented by Tateh and his daughter. Also real-life immigrants, Emma Goldman and Harry Houdini. I could go on forever praising this show, but I won't. It's a perfect revival of an historic musical. See it, if you can.
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "FINIAN'S RAINBOW"
It's old-fashioned, corny, often silly, and it's absolutely wonderful! It's easily the most melodic musical in town. Out of the 13 musical numbers, 10 of them are classics...standards from the American Songbook (e.g. "That Old Devil Moon," "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?," "Look To The Rainbow," "If I'm Not Near The Girl I Love, I Love The Girl I'm Near," etc.) The musical was written 60 years ago, and was a big hit on Broadway in 1948. They haven't changed anything in the original story-line, so there are lots of racial references that might not pass the politically-correct police today. (A white Senator who's a bigot, is turned black!) It's the story of Finian and his daughter Sharon, who've just come from Ireland, to find the proverbial pot of gold in America, at the end of the rainbow. To cover his bets, Finian has stolen a pot of gold from a leprechaun in Glocca Morra, their home-town, in order to bury it near Ft. Knox! Og, the leprechaun, has followed them all the way to the American South, to recover his gold. The cast is absolutely perfect, especially Jim Norton (Tony-award winning Irish actor,) Kate Baldwin (who I've followed since she starred up in Boston in "She Loves Me" at the Huntington Theatre, as well as at Northeastern in "An Evening with Stephen Sondheim...with Sondheim himself,) Christopher Fitzgerald (from the Williamstown Theater productions, as well as "Wicked,") as the leprechaun, and Cheyenne Jackson. It's a grand night of musical theater for the entire family. The audience in the sold-out house loved it, as I did.
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC"
A perfect revival of one the most intelligent and melodic musicals ever written...and one of my top-ten favorites. Even in an excellent ensemble cast where 6 of the 8 stars are letter-perfect in their roles, the two stand-outs are Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. They bring new excitement to this classic Stephen Sondheim musical...a Chekhovian story based on Ingmar Bergman's film "Smiles of a Summer Night. In turn-of-the-last-century Scandinavia, eight people come together in the suburban villa of a famous courtesan, and there, unexpectedly, they explore the faces of love...all in 3/4 waltz-time. See it, if you can!
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "THE ADDAMS FAMILY"
A few of my friends had seen this new musical, and they really enjoyed it. Others, including most of the critics, have hated it. Let me weigh in. I loved it! Aside from the stars (Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth, Terrence Mann, Carolee Carmello, Kevin Chamberlin, etc.....all Broadway veterans,) the best thing about this show is the beautiful score by Andrew Lippa. The songs are clever, melodic, and memorable. I'm still humming some of them. The book is good enough, and the sets and costumes are perfect. It's a very funny show, and at times very moving. Much of it is based on the original Charles Addams cartoons, and some of it takes its humor from the TV show and movies. My God, I'm still humming one of the damn songs, and that says a lot for me, when I can't even remember one song from a recent new musical, five minutes after I've heard it. I hear that the new director/consultant, Jerry Zaks, is constantly working on the show to make it even better. Keep working Mr. Zaks, you're doing a great job!
(5-Stars)

THEATER REVIEW: "LA CAGE AUX FOLLES" (2010 revival from London)
I've seen so many productions of "La Cage aux Folles" since the original production which opened on Broadway in 1983, and I've never seen a bad one! That includes a production by the Reagle Players in Waltham near Boston, which played in a high school auditorium (!) and surprisingly, it was one of the best. I was originally introduced to the musical of "La Cage," when I invested a modest sum in the show, before it opened its tryout run in Boston, prior to its Broadway opening. I loved it from the very beginning, just as I loved the French film on which the musical is based. (If you've never seen that film, rent it. It's beyond hilarious! It was remade in English, as "The Birdcage" starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.) Then Jerry Herman added one of Broadway's best musical scores; Harvey Fierstein rewrote the book into Broadway musical form, and history was made. The original Broadway production was lavish and opulent, with a chorus line that was so beautiful that you couldn't tell the boys from the girls. All were made up to look like the gorgeous Cagelles, of the "La Cage" transvestite club in St . Tropez. The club is owned by a long-time married gay couple, and when the son of one of the two men announces his engagement to the daughter of the French Minister of Ethics and Morality, all hell breaks loose at "La Cage." In this new production imported from London (starring Kelsey Grammer and Douglas Hodge as the couple,) everything is more minimalist. The club is slightly seedy, and the scaled-back-to six chorus line looks a bit more manly than in former productions. They're not the beautiful "women" of those past productions. The recession has hit "La Cage." Well, it works, and it works big time. The emphasis is on the relationships of the main characters, and less on spectacular sets and costumes. We loved it!
(5-Stars)

Send mail to CompanyWebmaster with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2001 CompanyLongName Last modified: May 08, 2006

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Copyright © 2001 CompanyLongName
Last modified: May 08, 2006