All in Musical
“Frozen”, the new musical based on Disney’s 2013 box office bonanza animated film, is a disappointing, self-conscious, and abundantly safe two-dimensional stage version of a two-dimensional cartoon, lacking grand gestures of sweeping inspiration or genuine smiles of magic, instead feeling mostly rote and composed by committee. You’re better off letting this one go.
“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.
After a 15 year wait, “Jerry Springer—The Opera” has finally arrived in New York in a spectacular and profane production with an excellent cast headed by Terence Mann; unfortunately, the shock value is low and the vulgarity gratuitous, and mostly humorless. The show’s value lies in its role as mirror to our society, but that point remains too understated and insufficiently explored to make a lasting impact.
"Subways Are for Sleeping", Jule Styne and Comden and Green's 1961 flop musical, triumphantly closed out the York Theatre Company's 3-musical "Musicals in Mufti" celebration of lesser-works by composer Jule Styne. Bizarre, but pure musical comedy joy, "Subways" contains several gem songs.
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.
"Bar Mitzvah Boy" was the second offering in the York Theatre Company's annual "Musicals in Mufti" series dedicated to composer Jule Styne; not performed in New York since 1987, this sweet and charming musical received an excellent production using a 2016 revised book, but could benefit from some musical trimming.
Two songs from "Mack & Mabel" steal the show at Encores! 25th anniversary concert “Hey, Look Me Over!”—an original concert pulling overtures, songs, and scenes from nine different, lesser-known musicals—overshadowing middling material from the other eight musicals celebrated. A fun experiment after 25 years, hopefully Encores! sticks to full concerts of single shows at a time in the future.
Jule Styne, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green's 1968 Tony Winning Best Musical "Hallelujah, Baby!", now largely forgotten, receives an excellent concert production as part of the York Theatre Company's annual "Musicals in Mufti" series, which is dedicated to composer Jule Styne this year.
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.
“Bulldozer: The Ballad of Robert Moses”, a new rock musical about controversial urban planner Robert Moses, is confused in both tone and vision, exhaustively repetitive, woefully uninformative, and awkwardly staged. Skip this one, and attempt to read Robert Caro’s gigantic, Pulitzer Prize winning biography of Moses instead.
“Hundred Days” is a beautiful and uplifting concert musical about a musical duo’s love story and resolution to live life to the fullest; long in development, it still needs some time to germinate, but the seeds of greatness—compelling characters, a driving score, and a poignant, big idea—are all there.
