Two hotly-anticipated new musicals opened Off-Broadway recently: Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s “Alice By Heart” at MCC Theater, and Tom Kitt and Joshua Logan’s “Superhero” at Second Stage Theater. I take a look at each.
"Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" cancels pre-Broadway tryout; "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune" books the Broadshurt; “Network” extends to June; Roundabout announces 2020 Off-Broadway season; "Oklahoma!" cast announced; Annie Golden to headline "Broadway Bounty Hunter"; Claybourne Elder and Bryce Pinkham to lead "Benny & Joon"; private reading of "The Prince of Egypt" held in London; Rob Zombie floats "House of 1,000 Corpses" musical; union controversy over musical orchestrators playing in the pit band; RIP Mark Bramble and Stanley Donen
FEATURE: Look Left – London Dispatch
On my recent trip to London, I caught six shows—a mix of musicals and plays, both new and in revival. Here I offer a roundup “look left” at “9 to 5”, “All About Eve”, “The American Clock”, “Follies”, “Six”, and “Tartuffe”.
REVIEWS: “Sea Wall / A Life”, “Mies Julie”, and “The Dance of Death”
Two duos of complementary works recently opened Off-Broadway: “Sea Wall / A Life” at the Public Theater, featuring Tom Sturridge and Jake Gyllenhaal performing monologues by Simon Stephens and Nick Payne, and Classic Stage Company’s repertory presentation of “Mies Julie” and “The Dance of Death”, two newly adapted works of August Strindberg. This is a short look at each.
Actors’ Equity and the Broadway League reached an agreement to end five week strike; "The Height of the Storm" to play MTC's Friedman Theatre on Broadway; "The Band's Visit" wins Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album; Off-Broadway's Davenport Theatre closes; Adrienne Warren to reprise her celebrated performance as Tina Turner on Broadway; "Beetlejuice" and “Hadestown” announce Broadway casts; Laura Benanti extends run in "My Fair Lady"; Krystina Alabad to replace Ashley Park in "Mean Girls"; "Wicked" movie sets December 2021 release date; RIP Albert Finney and Cy Lee
REVIEW: Loy A. Webb’s explosive and exquisite “The Light” at MCC Theater
“The Light” is an urgent and painful story of revelation, redress, and hopeful reconciliation cued at the intersection of #MeToo and Black Lives Matter. Tautly and evocatively sketched by playwright Loy A. Webb, this exquisite two-hander starts like a rom-com before embarking on tragic territory, forcing the audience to reckon with its own baked-in biases and assumptions based on race and gender, and to do and be better.
NOTES: Lerner and Loewe’s “The Day Before Spring”
York Theatre Company presents “The Day Before Spring” (1945) as the second of three forgotten musicals in this winter’s “Musicals in Mufti” series marking the centennial of librettist and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner.
NOTES: The New York Pops celebrate Nat King Cole
Last night at Carnegie Hall, the New York Pops presented “Unforgettable: Celebrating Nat King Cole and Friends”, a concert marking the centennial of iconic jazz pianist and vocalist Nat King Cole featuring guest artists Nikki Renée Daniels and Ryan Shaw.
"The Band's Visit" to close April 7th; "Anastasia" to close March 31st; Public Theater announces summer line up in the Park; "Oklahoma!" joins the Gun Neutral Initiative; Fox cancels "Hair"; USPS issues Gregory Hines stamp; buzz builds for transfer of British musical “Six”; Laura Collins-Hughes defends physical, printed programs; photos of the Mark Hellinger Theatre
REVIEW: Encores! “Call Me Madam” with Carmen Cusack
Carmen Cusack shines in Encores! revival of its 1995 landmark revival of Irving Berlin’s “Call Me Madam” (1950), originally written as a vehicle for Ethel Merman. A topical piece of light satirical fare that’s more about comedy and songs than plot, this simple but well-performed production is Encores! at its truest: a concert revival of a classic musical that would not otherwise be seen on stage again.
REVIEW: Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano in “True West”
Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano star in Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of Sam Shepard’s “True West”. Colorful, cinematic, but slow-paced and cloudy, Hawke and Dano are miscast as brothers, giving wildly different performances that match in energy much too late.
NOTES: Lerner, Lane, and Stein’s “Carmelina”
The York Theatre Company presents “Carmelina”, a forgotten Broadway flop from 1979, as the first installment of their annual “Musicals in Mufti” series of staged concerts, this year in tribute to writer/lyricist Alan Jay Lerner.