WALKING IN A WEST END WONDERLAND

WALKING IN A WEST END WONDERLAND

PART 2

Today, let's return to the fabulous West End where I have spent many wonderful afternoons and evenings at the theatre. From the musical classic that ushered in the era of the modern musical to the worldwide sensation set amidst Parisian barricades to a play that celebrates in dialogue and music the life of one of the world's most evocative singers to a lesser effort by an accomplished playwright that achieved initial fame due to its somewhat unorthodox casting, there's something for everyone. 

January, 2001. Playwright and, in this case, director Richard Nelson is a Chicago native who achieved fame with his plays Some Americans Abroad, Two Shakespearean Actors, and The General from America, all initially produced by the RSC at their Stratford home. This memory play, with some "The Graduate" flavor, is not quite the slam dunk of success that the initial London reviews would lead you to believe. This is a story about a 15-year-old American student who finds himself alone in the Paris flat of one of his teachers, an attractive, single woman in her 30s. During the course of the play, they talk about art and music and literature and tumble into bed and the boy discovers sex and the next door neighbor comes in for some, actually, quite funny comic relief and it's all a bit messy and a bit creepy. The highly-regarded, and, based on her performance here, well-deserved regard, French actress Irène Jacobs, in her West End debut, played the teacher with a bracing authenticity and Madeline Potter was excellent as the neighbor. But the actor who put bums in seats was a twenty-year-old Macaulay Culkin making his stage debut as the young boy (and, framing the play on both ends, his older self). I kid you not. While I wouldn't call his performance riveting, he did a competent job and was able to hold his own on stage. I seem to remember a flash of naked Culkiness; Bob believes there was no nudity. Nudity or not, it was pleasant enough without being especially memorable. - at the Vaudeville Theatre, London

February, 1981. Australian Curly? Check. English Laurey? Check. Very English chorus? Check. How all-American can this all-American musical get? Okay, so the accents didn't exactly ring with middle America authenticity, this loving revival was wonderfully acted, beautifully sung (with one exception) and energetically danced with Agnes De Mille's groundbreaking choreography recreated by Gemze De Lappe. The one vocal exception was Rosamund Shelley's Laurey. Acting-wise she nailed the part, but it seemed, at least to my ears, that she was more mezzo than soprano and her songs didn't sound as effortless as they should have. John Diedrich was a handsome and sexy Curly (we'd see him years later as Billy Flynn in Chicago in Sydney). Featured as Ado Annie was Jillian Mack, a delightfully funny gamin who is now perhaps better known, despite a successful West End career, as Mrs. Tom Selleck. Also featured was a young Alfred Molina as Jud and a mighty fine Jud he was. Interestingly, the cast recording for this revival was recorded live during performances at the Palace Theatre. Highly theatrical. - at the Palace Theatre, London

May, 1980. Pam Gems' mesmerizing play with music about the life of Edith Piaf was, for me, one of those truly memorable evenings in the theatre. Jane Lapotaire's electrifying Piaf set the standard for all future portrayals of this complex person. (She would win the Tony for her performance when the play crossed the Pond.) Zoe Wanamaker was also memorable as Piaf's best friend, Toine. Songs were interspersed throughout the evening with a mini-concert near the end of the play. My friends and I were thrilled, along with the rest of the capacity audience. Everything was just right…the design, the direction, the music, the performances by a large and skillful cast. But in the end, it was Jane Lapotaire who flung this evening into the theatrical stratosphere. Brava, Mlle. Lapotaire, brava! - at the Piccadilly Theatre, London

March, 2006. The Donmar is one of London's most prestigious venues. An intimate space, it features top-name actors in challenging original works or stunning revivals. (The acclaimed Roundabout Theatre revival of Cabaret started here.) We didn't know anything about this play when we bought our tickets, but with Sir Ian McKellen heading the cast, what do you really need to know? As it turned out, this was a disturbing, quasi-political piece centered around a mysterious procedure called the Cut, which was presented in a way that offered multiple interpretations (I thought it was a super-lobotomy), administered against dissidents of a unnamed regime in an unnamed country and one of the leading administrators of the procedure (McKellen). Positively chilling, especially the second scene - a domestic scene between McKellen's character and his wife. Production values were spot-on perfect. Michael Grandage's direction was invisible. The acting was superlative from the entire company, but most especially from Sir Ian and Deborah Findlay as his wife. With the great divisiveness currently prevalent in the United States, this play is even more relevant than it was seven years ago. - at the Donmar Warehouse, London

October, 1987. True story. I bought the CD of the London original cast on a Thursday. One of Steve's days off was Friday. The next day he called me at work and exclaimed with great excitement, "You have to hear this!" and put the phone next to one of our stereo's speakers and played "I Dreamed a Dream," sung by the original Fantine, Patti LuPone. He then went on for the next several minutes about how wonderful the entire CD was. This may not seem like a big deal, but Steve, although he liked going to the theatre, wasn't nearly as devoted to it as I am, so this unexpected and unqualified rave was a bit out of the norm. (His other big favorite was Follies, showing his good taste.) So, when we planned our October trip to London (his first), Les Misérables and Follies were the two shows we saw. What we didn't plan on was the Great Storm of 1987 ravaging London and the surrounding area as our British Airways flight was enroute from Chicago. We were later told that our flight was one of the first to land after Heathrow Airport had been reopened. Mayfair was a mess, but the Savoy Hotel was open for business and, as everyone knows, the show must go on, so off we went to the Palace Theatre to see Fantine and her pals. Ms. LuPone had long gone, but this replacement cast was excellent, with Kathleen Rowe McAllen singing and acting the crap out of Fantine and solid performances by Craig Pinder (Valjean), Martin Smith (Marius) and Clive Carter (Javert). Steve, along with the entire audience except, apparently, me, sniffled and quietly sobbed through the more emotional moments. Unlike a lot of people, I don’t consider Les Misérables to be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it has a great theatrical score and, at least in John Napier and David Hersey's original scenic and lighting design, a wow physical production. Worth noting… Broadway has seen both the original and revival productions come and go. The original London production is still running nearly 28 years after its opening night (as of this writing in August, 2013). Obviously the creators have done lots of things very, very right. - at the Palace Theatre, London

August, 1995. Alan Ayckbourn is, for lack of a better description, the UK answer to Neil Simon, though even more prolific than Mr. Simon with nearly 80 plays to his credit. Although several of his plays have been produced on Broadway, Ayckbourn has a distinctly British sensibility that makes his works far more accessible to UK audiences than to American audiences. (Likewise, Mr. Simon's works have an American flavor to them which is why he's more popular here than across the Pond.) The somewhat convoluted storyline concerns a dominatrix, two murdered wives, a crooked businessmen, his evil henchman and communicating doors in a London hotel suite that work as a time machine. People switch decades willy-nilly changing the course of the future as they do so and it all works itself out in the end. It was often quite funny and I enjoyed it, though not as much as the rest of the audience who howled to my titters. The reason for going was to see I-will-see-her-in-anything Julia McKenzie and she did not disappoint. Smartly acted, smartly designed and smartly directed, this was an agreeable enough way to spend the afternoon. - at the Gielgud Theatre, London

May, 1980. My friend Gordon and I picked the Thursday matinee performance because, for reasons that completely escape me now, we wanted to see Stephanie Lawrence, the alternate Eva, and logically thought, at least in our minds, the alternate would play the matinees. It never occurred to us to ask at the box office when we got our seats. We were, therefore, a bit disappointed to discover that the "regular" Eva, Marti Webb would play the role that afternoon. No need to be disappointed. Ms. Webb did a thoroughly fine job as did the rest of the cast. Evita is a show I have grown to like and admire. Before this performance, I saw Patti LuPone tear up the stage at the Broadway Theatre in the original NYC production a few months after it had opened. Ms. LuPone tends to be a rather intense performer, so the entire performance was played at a fevered, though very exciting, pitch. The characters were thrillingly portrayed, but the show itself got a bit lost. In London, Ms. Webb and her cohorts were a bit more subdued than their NYC counterparts which let me focus more on the production itself and allowed me to enjoy and truly appreciate Harold Prince's and Larry Fuller's remarkable direction and staging and fully appreciate the subtlety, focus and even complexity of Tim Rice's lyrics, the best of ALW's collaborators. The recent London-then-Broadway revival was very good in its own right, but for sheer theatricality and excitement, the original can't be beat. For the record, Ms. Webb continues to perform as I write this (August, 2013) and has had a very successful career in the UK. - at the Prince Edward Theatre, London.

May, 1994. This is the only show Andrew Lloyd Webber has written to date that can truly be called a star vehicle. Steve and I saw this a few weeks after Betty Buckley took over the role of Norma Desmond from its originator, Patti LuPone. She looked great and sounded terrific, but she was a bit too perky for a faded and forgotten movie queen and not imperious enough for a screen legend used to getting her way. (She would grow in her portrayal as evidenced by a superb performance Bob and I saw in New York after she had replaced Glenn Close.) This was a big show in all respects. It was sumptuously designed, lit and costumed. It had a big orchestra to play the big score. It had a big and talented cast. Yet for all that and despite the iconic pedigree of the Billy Wilder film, the musical adaptation seemed, well, flat and one-dimensional. Spectacle won out over depth of character and that's a shame. The story is terrific, but it's really quite an intimate one and with all the bells and whistles of this production, it sometimes simply faded into the background. John Barrowman, yes that John Barrowman, played Joe Gillis and he did a damn fine job of it, too. Face it, the man's talented. The gay lads sitting next to us were positively in a frenzy over the show and as the lights came up for the interval, one of them turned to me and breathlessly asked, "Oh, my God!! Can you believe this? What do you think?" To which I replied, "The house goes up; the house goes down." - at the Adelphi Theatre, London 

August, 1995. Despite my initial, uh, restrained opinion of Sunset Boulevard, I found the show strangely irresistible and returned for a repeat visit during my "Lick My Wounds" tour. The main impetus was the chance to see the much admired and loved Elaine Paige, who, at the time, arguably was the top musical theatre star in the UK. (I say arguably because, frankly, I think Julia McKenzie is more talented.) My friend, Rob, bless her heart, couldn't for the life of her figure out why I would spend good money to see, in her words, not mine, that "shrieking suburban midget." (Not PC, I realize, but those were the words used.) But then Rob doesn't get musicals, so it was rather pointless to try to explain it to her. This time around a very handsome Alexander Hanson (we would see him years later, still handsome, in the Broadway revival of A Little Night Music with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury) played Joe Gillis in a nicely performed turn. The mechanics of the show continued to frequently dwarf the story, but it was still gorgeous to look at and listen to. As for Ms. Paige? Well, frankly, she was quite good, yet I wasn't all that impressed. She is very short and the costumes just looked far too big on her, almost like she was a little girl playing dress up. It was a bit disconcerting. She's noted for her big voice, yet I found it strangely subdued. The two main songs for Norma should have the audiences going crazy, but, though Paige got hearty applause for both and was note-perfect, she lacked an excitement. Maybe she was having an off performance. Maybe, because it was a matinee, she was saving her energy for the evening show. And it wasn't just me. The guy sitting next to me and I were chatting it up during the interval and he also felt Paige's performance was not at 100%. It happens, I guess. Over the years, Sunset has become a guilty pleasure and I would love to see what could be done with a more intimate version of the show. - at the Adelphi Theatre, London

Treat yourself to a play or musical this week!

Til later....

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE ... PLAYS (the top 10) PART 2

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE ... PLAYS (the top 10)

PART 2

In an earlier post, I highlighted my top ten plays ranked 6-10. Today, I'd like to complete the top ten list.  Let's dig right in.

# 5 - THE BOYS IN THE BAND by Matt Crowley

December, 1969. Make no mistake, this often-maligned play is a landmark in the oeuvre of gay-themed theatre. When it premiered in 1968 it boldly went where no play had gone before, to paraphrase the "Star Trek" catchphrase. Of the nine characters, eight are gay; the ninth is perhaps, but not likely, bisexual. Crowley's play is loaded with zingy one-liners, outrageous campiness, heart-breaking sadness and in the case of Harold, the birthday boy, a resigned acceptance that borders on courageous. Critics carp about the self-loathing and the stereotypes portrayed, but for many gay men of my generation, this was the first time we saw men like us on stage, portrayed for the most part, as real human beings, elevated theatrical emotions notwithstanding. It's a true classic that still holds up today. This production was the First National tour replicating the look and feel of the Off-Broadway original with a talented cast of actors. As a 19-year-old boy bordering on manhood, this was all rather exhilarating. - at the Studebaker Theatre, Chicago

 # 4 - LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! by Terrence McNally

July, 1995. I saw Terrence McNally's Tony-winning play just a few weeks after Steve died of AIDS. Quite possibly this wasn't an ideal choice, but then many of the shows I saw that summer slammed me in the gut with their emotional impact. Like Matt Crowley's The Boys in the Band, McNally's play is loaded with emotion, terrific one-liners, and acceptance that, in this case, is courageous. Some of the character types in Boys have been updated and modernized, but the struggles and triumphs of the men of both plays remain timeless. This was a stunning production, with Joe Mantello directing  a stellar cast: John Glover (simply amazing in his Tony-winning dual role as John and James), Stephen Bogardus, Anthony Heald, Randy Becker, John Benjamin Hickey, Justin Kirk and Mario Cantone in a sensational turn as Buzz. (What in God's name were they thinking when they cast Jason Alexander in the film? Really? Jason Alexander? Spare me.) In my humble opinion, this very well could be the talented Mr. McNally's masterpiece. - at the Walter Kerr Theatre, New York

# 3 - PACK OF LIES by Hugh Whitemore

Of my top ten plays, this is the only one I have never seen a production of, professionally or otherwise. I truly hope to remedy that one day. I've been after Bob to direct it for years. I discovered this wonderful play first as a featured selection of the still-lamented Fireside Theatre Book Club. Shortly after its Broadway engagement, it was made into an excellent Hallmark Hall of Fame movie starring Ellen Burstyn and, in a surprisingly multi-faceted performance, Teri Garr. On the surface, this is a nifty (and somewhat talky) British play about espionage in the Cold War era. But it's much more than that. I believe it's really a play about friendship. What constitutes it; what the betrayal of that friendship does not only to the physical friendship itself, but also to the emotional fabric of the people involved. Add in themes of patriotism, treason and keeping secrets from the people closest to you, and, well, that's quite a potent mix. Pack of Lies premiered in London in 1983 during a resurgence of the Cold War after years of détente. It was timely then and perhaps it's even timelier now post 9/11 with the Patriotism Act, the Edward Snowden affair and the general unease of secret surveillance, real or imagined…all of them raising into question the very ideas that form the core of this play. It's time for a major revival. I can picture Debra Monk and Christine Baranski kicking ass in the leading roles.

# 2 - BURNING BLUE by D.M.W. Greer

August, 1995.  FULL DISCLOSURE: I saw this play in the middle of my "Lick My Wounds" tour, the name I gave to the 6-7 week trip I took to Hawaii and the UK to pull myself together after the devastation of Steve's death two months earlier. In Hawaii, a favorite vacation spot for us, I scattered Steve's ashes in the Pacific from our favorite beach on Molokai. From there I flew to the UK to spend time with four of my dearest friends in London and Sidmouth. I will be forever grateful to them for putting up with me and letting me be the complete emotional mess that I was. Some history: in 1995, AIDS and AIDS-related deaths were, sadly, still going strong. AZT had proven to be pretty ineffective for most people and antivirals were still on the horizon. Plays with AIDS as a major theme were numerous and had evolved over the years from the political anger of pioneering works such as The Normal Heart and As Is to works that focused more on the people involved and affected by the disease rather than the politics. So, in a nutshell, this is sort of where I was at emotionally when I saw this play. Now on to the play itself…

This play was written in 1992 when witch-hunts to root out gays in the military were all too common and a year or so before the odious DADT took effect. This play about U.S. Navy aviators focuses on one such witch-hunt, but it's much more than that. It's about discovering that the world you've dreamed about and given your everything to is at odds with the person that your heart tells you you are. It's about relinquishing that life to become that person. It's about friendship and how friendships can be tested when there are secrets and a lack of honesty, no matter how well-intentioned. (A theme also explored in Pack of Lies.) And finally, it's a play that ends in hope. Admittedly, burning blue can sometimes get a bit preachy and dogmatic, but the raw honesty that is the foundation of this play would make this a top ten in any situation. What made this #1 for so long and currently #2 is a moment in Act Two when Dan, a gay F-18 pilot, clutches to his chest a boombox that belonged to Matt, a Navy pilot recently killed in a midair collision and the man Dan loves, and breaks down into raw and total grief. The scene completely took my breath away and left me so visibly shaken that my friend Rob instantly took my hand and just held on as tears ran down my face. I have rarely been so emotionally devastated by a single, understated and beautifully staged moment. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the outstanding cast that brought this marvelous play so vividly to life. Things may have changed over the years and the repeal of DADT in theory got rid of the witch-hunts, but this play still packs a powerful and emotional punch. - at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London

# 1 - NEXT FALL by Geoffrey Nauffts

February, 2010. I will agree that this is not the best play ever written. Sometimes it tries too hard to be funny; sometimes it tries too hard to make a point and with a less than terrific cast, it could easily revert into cheesy, maudlin moments. What it does have, however, is an unwavering belief in its flawed, human characters and an unwavering belief that we, the audience, will want to join them on their journey. And that unwavering belief is justified. It's a story about love and family and friendship. It's about being gay and being gay while at the same time being deeply religious. It's about not being out to your family. And, for this is not necessarily a happy play, it's about death. The characters make us angry at times, make us cry at times and make us laugh quite a lot. Writing for the stage is, for lack of a better word, theatrical normalcy, but somehow Mr. Nauffts makes his dialogue effortless and natural. Thanks to the exceptional cast of Patrick Breen, Maddie Corman, Sean Dugan, Patrick Heusinger, Connie Ray and Cotter Smith, I was deeply moved and felt a connection with each of their characters. Sheryl Kallner's direction was seamless and the production design was outstanding. Next Fall is my current top play because it is flawed and imperfect, yet it resonates with a humanity that is what great theatre is all about. - at the Helen Hayes Theatre, New York

There you have it. My top ten plays. In another post, I'll reveal my "honor roll" plays that complete my top twenty-five. So as a recap, the top ten plays:

#10 - The History Boys

#9 - The Laramie Project

#8 - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

#7 - My Night with Reg/The Day I Stood Still/Mouth to Mouth

#6 - Take Me Out

#5 - The Boys in the Band

#4 - Love! Valour! Compassion

#3 - Pack of Lies

#2 - Burning Blue

#1 - Next Fall

Until later! Don't forget to see some live theatre this week.

NOTES FROM NEW YORK CITY

NOTES FROM NEW YORK CITY

(June 6-11, 2013)

Six shows; five days. It's what Bob and I do. We love the theatre. Museums and sights are fine, but for me, nothing beats sitting in a darkened theatre and watching the magic that only occurs in live theatre. Oh sure, sometimes the shows are not very good; sometimes, in fact, they're pretty awful, but good, bad or indifferent, it's fascinating and exciting and I love it. (Sidebar: I am also mad about theatres, the buildings, as well. I'm thrilled when I have the opportunity to wander around a theatre…walk on the stage, go up to the highest balcony, poke around the backstage area. When doing that, the history of that building comes alive for me. It's as exciting as watching a show, walking on the same stage as some of our finest actors and seeing what they see as they look out from center stage.) I digress. Seeing shows on Broadway during Tony week has an extra layer of excitement to it. Actors in Tony-nominated shows seem to add a bit more spark to their performance. We saw Pippin on the afternoon of the Tonys and the cast was almost giddy with excitement. You could feel it and it made an electric performance even more electric. During this visit, all except one of the shows we saw had at least one Tony nomination to its credit (more on that later) and over the past Broadway season we saw many of the nominated shows, revivals and actors. It was a privilege to spend time with so many talented artists and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you! You all have enriched my life.

Without further ado....

June, 2013. Family. Expectations. Friendship. Loss. Betrayal. Love. A memorable evening at the theater. Flawless acting by the entire cast, but special kudos to Jessica Hecht, Jeremy Shamos and Tony-winner Judith Light for anchoring this exceptional cast with their honest, truthful performances. Gorgeous set by Santo Loquasto provided the environment for Richard Greenberg's solid, wonderful and multi-layered script that skillfully and effortlessly worked its magic. A perfect way to start the weekend. - at the Friedman Theatre, New York

 

June, 2013. When Nathan Lane is on target, he's a wonderful, nuanced actor. And he was a wonderful, nuanced actor often during the evening. When he screams, however, he's not. He screamed a lot in this play which isn't to the play's benefit. (Note: He screamed a lot in The Iceman Cometh last season at the Goodman here in Chicago and that didn't work either.) I don't know if the screaming is a Nathan Lane thing or a director's thing, but, news flash, kids, screaming is not always the best choice when expressing strong emotion. When Lane screams his way through dialogue, all subtlety disappears and he's just another loud actor. I felt there were too many burlesque routines, which were entertaining and telling in their own way, but took away from the story. I wanted to know more about Chauncey and his internal and external struggles. Solid performances by a talented cast, but I have to single out Jonny Orsini as Chancey's lover, Lewis J. Stadlen as Chauncey's boss, and an especially wonderful turn by Cady Huffman as the socialist-leaning and wise burlesque performer. From a production point of view, this was awesome (and won Tony Awards for Scenic Design (John Lee Beatty), Costumes (Ann Roth) and Sound Design (Leon Rothenberg)). A super band helped provide period atmosphere.  I felt there were missed opportunities in Douglas Carter Beane's script, but overall, I enjoyed it quite a lot and I'm glad I saw it. But, Nathan, honey, turn down the volume!! - at the Lyceum Theatre, New York

June, 2013. The critics fainted over it. This was it: the musical everyone had been waiting for. I was so looking forward to it and, sadly, so disappointed by it. Rarely have I seen a show so manufactured to such a shiny sheen. Lots and lots of money was spent on this show. And yet, for all its glitz and technical wizardry, I have seldom seen a show so almost totally devoid of heart and warmth. Low bows to Lauren Ward as the caring Miss Honey for providing what warmth there was with a nice, understated performance. Playing Matilda that afternoon was Milly Shapiro, the Matilda of opening night and the recipient of glowing reviews. Although obviously talented, she had little presence and not a whole lot of energy. I know the character is downtrodden, but, seriously, a little energy would be nice. Gabriel Ebert's Tony-winning turn as Matilda's loathsome dad was fun - cartoonish, but fun. Bertie Carvel recreated his celebrated role here in New York and it was good, but I'm not quite sure what the fuss was about. Full disclosure: there were great moments here and there throughout the show, but great moments do not make for a great show. Major, major complaint: diction pretty much sucked (exceptions: Ms. Ward, Mr. Ebert, and Lesli Margherita who played Matilda's mother), especially by the overwrought tykes who played their roles as though they were hyped up on massive doses of amphetamines. And in my book, with all the electronic aids available to boost an actor's volume these days, there is absolutely no excuse for bad diction. Except for the scenes with Ms. Ward, everything was played at the same level: loud and very intense. Tim Minchin's score was not terribly memorable with the exception of Ms. Ward's numbers, especially the really quite wonderful "My Room" (I said there were moments throughout) and "Quiet," which was nicely done by Miss Shapiro, in a rare exhibition of stage presence. I suspect I might have felt differently about the score had I been able to understand what was being sung. Production-wise it was a wow. The kids seated near us were bored out of their minds and the audience reaction was somewhat muted. The other show named after a girl is so much better. Major misfire. - at the Shubert Theatre, New York

June, 2013. A gentle, life-affirming play beautifully designed and sensitively directed and performed by a cast of talented actors who brought everything brilliantly to life. Vanessa Williams, Cuba Gooding, Jr and Condola Rashad were pitch-perfect. (FYI: Tom Wopat was out; his cover was fine.) Cicely Tyson took my breath away. Funny, dignified, determined, loving and stubborn, she effortlessly wound the audience around her talented little finger. So much so that during a scene where her character started singing a hymn, a large portion of the audience, by this time completely in the palm of Ms. Tyson's hand, started singing along with her. Not softly, mind you, but at full volume. There was even a "Amen, sister!" at the end of the hymn. And then later when Ms. Tyson's character received bad news about a childhood friend, there were gasps and groans of "Oh, no!" from the house. I'm telling you, this audience was involved. There's a reason why she's considered one of our premiere actors, folks. A theatrical treat! (Note: her Tony win as Leading Actress in a Play was well-deserved. Brava!) - at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, New York

June, 2013. Simply put...Pippin is terrific! To be truthful, this rather surprised me since up until now, I've never been a big fan of the show. The original production was performed without an intermission, which made for a very long sit, the finale went on forever and pretty much made no sense, and there was an archness to it that I found off-putting. Back in the early 70s, I found it entertaining enough and have always felt the score was one of Stephen Schwartz's two best, but never especially wanted to see another production of it. (Sidebar: the other best score is The Baker's Wife, which contains his best song ever, and one of the finest theatre songs written, "Meadowlark." Sorry, kids, but Wicked is skillful pabulum and "Defying Gravity" is a lot of over-amplified screechiness.) When I read reports of director Diane Paulus' reinvention and reinterpretation, I feared it would be a hot mess. Happily, and deliriously so, I was proven wrong. The circus motif works beautifully, adds meaning and depth to Roger O. Hirson's book and even manages to camouflage the show's weak spots (primarily in Hirson's book). The ensemble is not only gorgeous to look at, but also insanely talented who not only sing and dance, but also do acrobatics the likes of which I have never before seen on the musical stage. A deserved standing ovation mid-Act One for Tony-winning Andrea Martin after she knocked it of the park with her show-stopping number. Terrence Mann and Charlotte d'Amboise delightfully chewed the scenery (and Charlotte gave us a nifty dance as well...bonus!!). Rachel Bay Jones was both funny and touching as Catherine. Matthew James Thomas was spectacular as Pippin and, hold on to your Ben Vereen hats, Tony-winner Patina Miller was a wow as the Leading Player, seductive and dangerous, often at the same time, and with a million watt smile. FYI: Thomas & Miller's version of "On the Right Track" killed! Suitably impressive production bells and whistles. This had everything Matilda lacked. I was completely bowled over! - at the Music Box Theatre, New York

June, 2013. I have no idea what the Tony nominating committee was thinking, or more appropriately not thinking, when they failed to nominate Bette Midler for her riveting, hysterical, profanity laden, vulnerable and ultimately touching tour-de-force as agent Sue Mengers in I'll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers. She was simply sensational and reaffirmed my belief that given good material, she's an amazing actor. Everything was first-rate, especially  John Logan's solid, involving and gossipy script delivered to perfection by the Divine Miss M. A perfect end to our latest journey to theatre Nirvana. - at the Booth Theatre, New York

This was such a terrific excursion to New York. We stayed at an apartment downtown (Airbnb...highly recommeded) which made for a home-away-from-home atmosphere and saw some terrific theatre. What are you going to see this week? And I'm trying out a new format with this edition. I felt the credits page was hard to read so I decided not to combine the cover and credits on one page. Until next time..... Ciao.