Broadway Picks - what have you seen recently?
As I've said before, I'm not much of a theater guy; I spend my entertainment dollars on live music in small clubs in NYC. I went Friday night to see SOME LIKE IT HOT on Broadway. I thought the talent of the performers was fantastic - particularly the dancing - and there's lots of dancing in this how. Such gifted performers. I was familiar with the 1959 movie, and this adaptation made a few changes including LGBTing it up a bit. The cast of the 1959 film (Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon) was all white, of course but on Broadway, both men/women end up ion interracial relationships. Very diverse cast and I appreciated that.
All that being said, I'm still not a Broadway guy - all that over-acting to reach the balconies, the very traditional tap and other dance, etc. Very stagey. (Yes, I know.)
Funny Girl was great
Neil Diamond was wonderful! - - but i suspect its best if you're a "baby-boomer" to really appreciate it. If my 30 yr old kids were to see it, they'd walk out during intermission
Rent (at papermill) was SOOOO disappointing....JMO
only a few more days left - 2 for 1 week:
https://www.nyctourism.com/broadway-week
I'm thinking The Cottage may be next on our list.
Just saw Appropriate with Sarah Paulson and Corey Stoll. Fantastic! Only a few weeks left! And I had last row in the balcony.
https://www.broadway.org/shows/appropriate
Other than that - saw Tommy a few weeks back. Some of the piece were done well, like Pinball Wizard and the chorus at the end. But overall, the story is very weak and a bit disjointed. I'd rather hear the Who perform it over seeing it as a musical.
I see A Beautiful Noise is in it's final weeks. It is a jukebox musical, but I really enjoyed it. Not sure if the new lead is as good as
Has anyone seen Beautiful at the Papermill?
Loved Patriots. Stuhlbarg as the oligarch Berezovsky and Keen as Putin are fantastic.
Oh, Mary! is a charmingly conversational parlor piece that finds inspirational courage and resilience in the overshadowed life of Mary Todd Lincoln. If you’re a fan of Annie or The Adams Chronicles, this play is for you.
Sorry, had a bit of an episode there just now. Oh, Mary! is a fire hose of sight gags, sex jokes, profanity, dopey wordplay (the best kind) and shouting. I chuckled, but the house roared. Which was almost half the fun.
Cole Escola is a whirling dervish (the best kind), and the Widow Lincoln’s turn in the cabaret spotlight at the end is alone worth seeing.
jamie said:
Other than that - saw Tommy a few weeks back. Some of the piece were done well, like Pinball Wizard and the chorus at the end. But overall, the story is very weak and a bit disjointed. I'd rather hear the Who perform it over seeing it as a musical.
In June 1970, I saw the Who perform Tommy at the Metropolitan Opera House in NYC. What a trip that was. I was a huge Who/Townsend fan at the time and it was third or fourth time I had seen the band, I never thought Tommy their best work but a fun side project. Townsend wrote some amazing songs.
Here's a gorgeous track - just Pete and a ukelele, and some subtle horns, I assume added after.
DaveSchmidt said:
Sorry, had a bit of an episode there just now. Oh, Mary! is a fire hose of sight gags, sex jokes, profanity, dopey wordplay (the best kind) and shouting. I chuckled, but the house roared. Which was almost half the fun.
Cole Escola is a whirling dervish (the best kind), and the Widow Lincoln’s turn in the cabaret spotlight at the end is alone worth seeing.
Everything DaveSchmidt says about this show is true. Caught it in July before it was extended, and we're still on the list to see it again. This is the kind of show we wish we'd put on, laughed our butts off for the whole time, and the less you know about it going in, the better. We got to see David Pasquesi doing long-form improv with TJ Jagodowski in London, so our At Home With Amy Sedaris cast collection is slowly coming together.
My Spouse has recently seen Shucked and Some Like It Hot! She loved both!