All in Broadway
“Escape to Margaritaville” is a reverse-engineered juke box musical fashioning the catalogue of beach bum rocker Jimmy Buffett into an abundantly sunny but soulless celebration of mindless inebriation and middling intellect where more fun is had on stage than in the audience. Opt out of this branding venture, and follow the Parrotheads to a Jimmy Buffett concert instead.
In Taylor Trensch, “Dear Evan Hansen” has welcomed a new star who not only delivers a superb and confident performance in a behemoth, marathon title part, but also reinvigorates the whole production. Mr. Trensch is, in a word: terrific.
Nearly a year into its run, “Hello, Dolly!” is buoyantly better, brighter, and tighter than on opening night. Bernadette Peters gives a stellar, steadier, and more grounded performance as Dolly Levi, alongside replacements Victor Garber, Charlie Stemp, and Molly Griggs—and Gavin Creel and Kate Baldwin, and the ensemble, are better than ever. This is the best musical comedy on Broadway. If you haven't seen it, get tickets now; if you have seen it, it's worth checking back in.
Thirty years ago tonight, on January 26, 1988, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical "The Phantom of the Opera" opened at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway; on Wednesday night, I attended the special 30th anniversary gala performance.
“John Lithgow: Stories By Heart” is actor John Lithgow’s love letter to storytelling in which he performs two short stories by Ring Lardner and P.G. Wodehouse and shares a few of his own. Mr. Lithgow is charming as ever, and gives an impressive performance, but the show itself is disappointing and long-winded. I wanted more Lithgow, and less Lardner and Wodehouse.
Mark Rylance shines as King Philippe descending into madness in “Farinelli and the King”, a light, present of a play granted a sumptuous, candlelit and music-infused production on Broadway. I recommend you catch a performance of this acclaimed and strictly limited import from Shakespeare’s Globe in London.
“The Children”, a new, dark tragicomedy by Lucy Kirkwood, offers an allegorical and humorous take on our doomed planet through the lens of the intergenerational guilt and responsibility of nuclear physicists in the wake of a disaster. An acclaimed transfer from London, the performances are pitch-perfect and the play both relevant and trenchant.
"SpongeBob SquarePants”—a bright, silly, and sweet new party of a musical—is big-hearted and big fun; director and conceiver Tina Landau has skillfully adapted the popular Nickelodeon cartoon for the stage in a buoyant and exuberant production that is both entertaining and moving for theatregoers of all ages, offering a welcomed antidote to these beleaguered times.
Thank the Gods, a gorgeous, creative, and first-rate production of the musical gem “Once On This Island” is back on Broadway, smartly re-imagined for 2017 and featuring ravishing performances and inventive staging that provide for a joyous and uplifting evening of theatre.
“The Parisian Woman” with Uma Thurman is a heavy handed and humorless political comedy that takes place now and captures everything we hate about politics, and the Trump era, in one 90-minute, 5-person play. Skip it, and watch the news instead.
“Meteor Shower”, an absurd new comedy, bears the unmistakable voice of its playwright, Steve Martin; Amy Schumer, Keegan-Michael Key, Laura Benanti, and Jeremy Shamos give hilarious performances, but the play lacks the clever and smart depth Mr. Martin usually provides. The limited run is nearly sold out anyway, so don’t feel bad if you miss this one.
John Leguizamo is back on Broadway in a hilarious and piercing take on the conquest of invisibility that plagues Latin American history; with his singular voice, he teaches some good lessons in “Latin History for Morons”, serving low-brow comedy alongside meaningful, and necessary, social commentary.
