Revisit the 2018 Tony Award Nominations and take a look at my predictions of who/what “should win” vs. who/what “will win” - then tune in to CBS at 8pm ET on Sunday June 10th!
Roundabout to mount Fiasco Theatre "Merrily We Roll Along" in 2019; City Center announces its 75th anniversary; Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman writing musical adaption of “Some Like It Hot”; Ben Levi Ross to lead tour of “Dear Evan Hansen”; national tour and cast album update; Drama League and Chita Rivera Awards winners; Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles loses unborn child following death of her 2 year old daughter
REVIEW: “Paradise Blue”
Dominique Morisseau completes her “Detroit Cycle” with “Paradise Blue”, a tail-end jazz-age noir tale about the cost of history and bigotry through the lens of Detroit’s racist city planning in the late 1940s. Expertly written in the vein of August Wilson and Tennessee Williams, rivetingly staged by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and finely acted by a terrific ensemble, this play is another triumphant entry by Ms. Morisseau, and a “must see” of the spring season.
REVIEW: “Dance Nation”
“Dance Nation” at Playwrights Horizons is Clare Barron’s explosive and raw look at a ragtag troupe of 11-to-13 year-old competitive dancers as they discover their bodies, their power, and their ambition amid the glorious horror of adolescence. Both messy and explicit, this hilarious and unsettling new play is refreshingly weird and thrillingly honest, featuring an excellent ensemble cast and perfect direction. Catch this one if you can.
"Children of a Lesser God" and "The Play that Goes Wrong" announce closing dates; Second Stage Theater and Theatre for a New Audience announce their 2018-2019 season; NBC cancels “Rise”; casting announced for lab presentation of the Broadway-bound revival of "The Secret Garden"
NOTES: MasterVoices’ “Orphic Moments”
Last week, MasterVoices, New York’s acclaimed 130-member chorus, presented a two concert production of “Orphic Moments” at Jazz at Lincoln Center as part of its 76th annual concert series.
REVIEW: “Unexpected Joy”
“Unexpected Joy”, a new musical at the York Theatre Company, contains several unexpected joys: a groovy, folk rock score, an intriguing original story mining contemporary themes, and a quartet of strong female vocal performances; and some unfortunate faults: a script and direction lacking dynamism, stereotypical characters and sitcom-deep dialogue, and a pat ending. The whole show feels dated and unrealistic, with an “agree to disagree” closing message about LGBT equality that I found troubling.
REVIEW: “Me and My Girl” Fizzes and Froths
“Me and My Girl” is a fizzy, frothy, and funny British musical from the 1930s, updated in the 1980s, presented with period pizzazz as part of City Center’s Encores! concert series. With a fancifully simple story and charming, if forgettable score, this show offers pure lighthearted escapism. If you’re looking to think, skip it, otherwise, serious musical theatre fans should catch this chance to see a classic.
Tony Award Nominations announced; "Angels in America" extends to July 15th; "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" releases a music video; "Spamalot" will receive a film adaptation; Chazz Palminteri joining "A Bronx Tale"; Carey Mulligan bringing "Girls & Boys" to New York; winners of the Lucille Lortel Awards, New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards, and Outer Critic's Circle Awards
REVIEWS: The Revivals Cometh – Broadway’s 2017-2018 season ends with “The Iceman Cometh”, “Saint Joan”, and “Travesties”
The 2017-2018 Broadway season comes to a close with three play revivals: an excellent, energetic production of “The Iceman Cometh” with Denzel Washington; a perfunctory and pageant-like production of “Saint Joan” starring Condola Rashad; and an absolutely ravishing London transfer of Tom Stoppard’s brilliant “Travesties”, starring Tom Hollander.
REVIEW: Marin Ireland in “Summer and Smoke”
Marin Ireland gives a ravishing performance in a first-rate revival of Tennessee Williams’ rarely seen “Summer and Smoke”, jointly produced by Classic Stage Company and Transport Group. This lyrical, low-rent Southern Gothic tragedy is stripped to its bones by director Jack Cummings, III, allowing the actors to shine uninhibited and deliver riveting and magnetic performances. This play is a highlight of the spring season in New York, and should not be missed.
REVIEW: Basil Twist's “Symphonie Fantastique”—dazzling and entrancing
“Symphonie Fantastique”, MacArthur “genius” Basil Twist’s whimsical and hallucinatory 1998 underwater puppet show, is now receiving a dazzling and entrancing limited engagement revival as part of HERE’s 25th anniversary season. If you are looking to experience something you have never seen before, I highly recommend you check it out.