Something Rotten!
Posted: April 22, 2015 Filed under: Becca Doodle - Happy, Broadway, Comedy, Musical | Tags: bard, bestmusical, briand'arcyjames, broadway, broadwayreview, caseynicholaw, christianborle, globe, globetheatre, hamlet, heidiblickenstaff, musicals, newmusical, nickbottom, renaissance, romeoandjuliet, shakespeare, somethingrotten, thebard, tonyawards 1 Comment
I gotta say, Something Rotten has Best Musical written all over it. Admittedly, I have yet to see most of the new musicals this season as they’re all coming out right about…now (pre-Tony time is busy, friends!). So it’s true, I might change my tune after seeing Fun Home or Finding Neverland or It Shoulda Been You. Lots of new musical potential this year (update since I wrote those last two sentences: It Shoulda and Neverland did not do too well with the critics).
But Something Rotten knows what it’s doing, and it’s got Casey Nicholaw at the helm (you can view highlights here). Now Casey and I don’t always see eye to eye. I couldn’t quite get on board with his productions of Aladdin and Elf, but then there’s the hilarious The Drowsy Chaperone and underdog The Book of Mormon. And now he’s back delivering a brand new (that’s right! NEW!), yet deliciously old-school musical full of big shtick, big comedy, and big musical numbers. And Shakespeare references!
Wait, hold up – this show is about Shakespeare? Don’t run off just yet! It’s not all uppity with super insider-y jokes (although there are plenty for the big Shakespeare fans out there). Here’s the basic premise. All the Bottom brothers, Nick (Brian D’Arcy James) and Nigel (John Cariani), want is to write a hit of their own, but they can’t get a word in edgewise because William Shakespeare (Christian Borle) is all anyone can talk about, and his new play Romeo and Juliet just premiered at the Globe. Nick will do anything to top his rival, so he goes out in search of a soothsayer (Brad Oscar) to find out what the “next big thing” might be. And what does he learn about? Why, musical theatre of course! So he dives headfirst into creating the world’s very first musical. Cut to countless hit musical references. I mean, so many you won’t catch all of them in one viewing.
Now sure, there are some easy jokes that drove me a little crazy (a woman guarantees there will be gender equality in no more than five years – get it?!), but on the whole, it’s a silly ball of fun. I don’t know the last time I laughed that hard at a musical. The score is packed with catchy tunes that you will actually leave the theatre humming. And to top it off, you have the impeccably talented cast.
Led by D’Arcy James and Borle, right off the bat, you know you’re in good hands. D’Arcy James is steadfast in everything he touches. He plays a solid straight man amidst all of the craziness but still gets his chance to cut loose. As the Bard, it’s so much fun to once again see the cockiness of Black Stache mixed with the bravado of Tony winner Borle himself. Brad Oscar is insane and hilarious, and Cariani and Kate Reinders are adorably charming and funny as the young will-they-won’t-they-couple. Oh, and Heidi Blickenstaff – I could listen to her sing all day. I wish there were more to her character, but sadly it’s not her show. This is very much about the Bottom brothers and Shakespeare, and the women unfortunately are left in the sidelines. I guess that’s what happens when a show takes place in 2015 – sorry, I mean 1595.
So. A musical chockfull of Shakespeare AND musical references? It sounds like this was made for me. How can you go wrong with a musical that’s an ode to musicals? I’m eager to see what the critics will be saying after the opening tonight, but honestly? I’m not the least bit worried about this show. Nothing’s gone rotten here.
Something Rotten! A Very New Musical
Music and Lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick, Book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, Directed by Casey Nicholaw
St. James Theatre, Open-ended
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
Pictured: Christian Borle and the cast of Something Rotten
Hand to God: A New American Play
Posted: April 7, 2015 Filed under: Becca Doodle - Happy, Broadway, Comedy, Play | Tags: broadway, broadwayreview, devil, handtogod, handtogodreview, newyorktheatre, possessed, possessedhandpuppet, robertaskins, sarahstiles, stevenboyer, tyrone 1 Comment
All I want to do is tell you everything about this play, but I won’t. I’m actually barely going to review it. I don’t want to spoil anything about this new show. Well, not so new; Hand to God has had a long journey to Broadway. First it ran at Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) in 2011 and then last year Off-Broadway at MCC Theater. I remember hearing about it both times but never made the effort to see it. Now it’s made the leap to Broadway, and I encourage you to make ALL of the efforts.
I’ll tell you a few things to whet your appetite. Hand to God takes place in the small town of Cypress, Texas. A teacher there is trying to help the kids connect to Jesus and religion through puppetry. Then we meet the soft-spoken Jason, one of the students, whose hand puppet Tyrone may or may not be possessed by the Devil. Yup.
It’s a first-rate cast: Geneva Carr, Marc Kudisch, Michael Oberholtzer, Sarah Stiles, and the mind-boggling Steven Boyer as Jason (and Tyrone). I hope he wins all the Tonys. The set is spot-on; the script fresh and laugh-out-loud hilarious. It’s a cross (ha) between The Book of Mormon and Avenue Q, but it’s not a musical. A word to the easily offended: like in Mormon, there is some outrageous humor. It can be crude, sexual, and full of cursing. But man oh man, is it funny. You won’t believe some of the stuff you’re seeing and hearing. You may just blush in your seat.
This new Broadway play will make you laugh. It’ll make you think. It might make you squirm a little bit. It’ll definitely make you appreciate good theatre. Just trust me – you’ll enjoy it. Hand to God.
Hand to God
Written by Robert Askins, Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel
Booth Theatre, Open-ended
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
Pictured: Steven Boyer
Summertime – Coming to a loft near you!
Posted: March 30, 2015 Filed under: Between Two Boroughs | Tags: betweentwoboroughs, betweentwoboroughsproductions, charlesmee, chuckmee, gowanusloft, jennhaltman, offoffbroadway, producer, producing, summertime, summertimeBK, tessa, vanderbiltrepublic Leave a comment
Summertime is not just the season we’re so eagerly awaiting (how’s Spring treating you so far?). It’s also a beautiful, unusual, dream-like play about love in all its forms, and it’s the second show I’m producing with my dear friend, Jenn Haltman. This probably isn’t news to you because we’ve been showering Facebook with word about the fundraiser. The play will be going up this May for two weeks! Jenn and I had such a good time with The Understudy last year that we decided to take on another beast of a play, by one of my favorite playwrights Chuck Mee. We’ve also given ourselves a company name: Between Two Boroughs Productions. Of course, many conversations need to be had as we discuss our hopes and plans for the company’s future, but for the moment, we decided to start with a name. And a website. And a Twitter account. And Instagram! And what’s that? A Facebook page, too?! Okay, okay, sorry about that. Promote I must! Apologies, back to the blog.
It’s a funny thing about producing. I never envisioned myself doing this. When I was younger, I figured that if I ended up behind-the-scenes, it would be as a stage manager. Perhaps because of my star turn as the Pippin stage manager when I was 16. But a producer? It turns out that I do have a particular set of skills that fits the job, but it honestly never crossed my mind until we decided to take it upon ourselves to make a show happen last year. And when you get to the heart of it, that’s all producing is: making a play happen, making something out of nothing. Obviously, it’s no easy task. You need a team of talented people just as game and driven as you are. When I’m surrounded by the people on our creative team, I feel like we can take on any obstacle. I’m excited for you to see what they can do.
Of course, at the end of the day, I’m putting in all this work so that I get the chance to act. In Summertime, I’ll be playing Tessa, a girl who’s completely closed herself off to love. The teaser video we made will give you a little taste of the goofy humor. I had so much fun filming it (just two days after I got back from Japan) with these talented guys. Josh, Hubert, and Will are only three members of our insanely talented cast. Plus we had the help of the always hilarious Christopher Scheer, because who else would you ask to play a game show host?
You’ve likely already seen the Indiegogo campaign all over Facebook, but indulge me while I share it here as well: http://igg.me/at/SummertimeBK. If you’re interested in donating, the fundraiser is live through April 8th. I know we went through this process together last year, but I promise this is going to be a fantastic show and an entirely new adventure for all of us. I truly cannot wait to start rehearsals with this amazing group of people on April Fool’s Day. No joke.
Fiasco Theater’s Into the Woods
Posted: March 10, 2015 Filed under: Becca Doodle - Happy, Comedy, Drama, Musical, Off-Broadway, Revival | Tags: bensteinfeld, brown, brownuniversity, cinderella, fiasco, fiascotheater, intothewoods, intothewoodsreview, merylstreep, newyorktheatre, noahbrody, offbroadway, rapunzel, review, revival, roundabout, roundabouttheatrecompany Leave a comment
Talk about the opposite end of the spectrum from this year’s blockbuster movie “Into the Woods.” The film, with its starry cast, lush sets, and special effects, may leave you thinking that this is the production value required of such an epic piece. But what you can witness at the Roundabout Theatre Company right now makes a strong argument for simplicity. By returning to its core – cutting the expensive costumes and even a full orchestra – we see these characters, raw and available, for all their faults, dreams, and wishes.
This is Into the Woods stripped bare. Fiasco Theater has gone back to basics with a much beloved show, throwing away the many interpretations we’ve seen over the years and starting from scratch. What do these characters want? What are they really saying/singing? The company takes the book scene by scene, lyric by lyric, and re-approaches them as if it were new material. And the hard work shows (highlights here). As someone who knows ITW very well, I heard lines in new ways, saw things I’d never noticed before, and to top it off, didn’t find myself missing the old ways. With a minimal set and only a few instruments, this small ensemble creates an entire world for us to behold, and like a fairy tale, many things are left up to the imagination. Take all the prop stand-ins: the hen is a feather duster, the cow a man (an absolute stroke of genius), the horses toy sticks, Rapunzel’s hair a yellow yarn hat, and so forth. Most of the accompaniment relies on Musical Director Matt Castle on piano, but the cast also doubles as the pit, stepping in to play cello, xylophone, bassoon. A few also play multiple roles: Rapunzel is Little Red, Jack’s Mother is Cinderella’s Stepmother, etc.
The orchestrations are unique and beautiful. In an odd way, losing the full orchestra highlighted the music even more. Who knew I’d been craving Sondheim music played only on guitar? The staging is also full of surprises. You never know what’s going to be transformed next. The set is stunning, the stage basically the inside of a piano. Up the proscenium sides are keys, along the wings are the insides of actual pianos, and the back wall is filled with strings that turn into the woods (no pun intended) themselves.
The cast is not that strong vocally (except for a few stand-outs), but it’s actually a testament to the innovation behind the production itself that this doesn’t take away from the show. Of course I missed having a certain power behind a few voices, but they make up for it. There is heart behind each and every performance. Nothing feels glib or mocked; it’s genuine and full of love for the story.
[SPOILER ALERT in this paragraph] This production also serves as a defense of what I wrote about in my movie review. Rapunzel’s death is so, so, so key to the plot, not just for the Witch’s arc, but the arc of the show in general. When that scene is done correctly, it changes the air in the room. Her death, and Jack’s Mother’s, sit in the space, the weight heavy on us, as the two actresses leave those costume pieces behind and move back into roles that live on. These deaths drive the characters, they drive the remainder of the second act, and they drive the message of the show.
It’s likely you’re not interested in seeing a show you’ve already seen or one that you can go see for $15 at a movie theatre (or on DVD soon enough), but I assure you, despite being an old favorite, this Into the Woods is brand new.
Fiasco Theater’s Into the Woods
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by James Lapine, Co-Directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld
Laura Pels Theatre, Closing April 12th
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
Pictured: The cast of Into the Woods
Japan Calls!
Posted: February 12, 2015 Filed under: Miscellaneous | Tags: biglove, hiroshima, intothewoods, japan, kyoto, montreal, musicvideo, nagano, nara, tokyo, travel, vacation 2 Comments
Friends! I have many a show to share with you, but sadly they (you?) must wait a little longer as I am leaving for Japan this afternoon. Yup, you heard right. I’m off to explore the country for two weeks. Cross your fingers for good weather today as Diana and I depart at 5pm.
I’ve managed to pack my life into a backpack and a tiny wheelie. I’m actually quite impressed with my abilities to condense. And my extra impressive ability to pack at the last minute.
Where are we going on our adventures, you wonder? Spending mucho time in Tokyo and also swinging by Nagano (snow monkeys!!), Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, and Miyajima. Music videos to come!
And don’t you fear, I plan on working on a few blogposts during the 14 hour flight. In the meantime, I’ll throw a couple recs your way. If you haven’t had your fill of Into the Woods yet, you should stop by Roundabout Theatre Company to see Fiasco Theater’s bare bones production. It’s a treat. And for something totally different, swing by Signature Theatre to see Charles Mee’s Big Love (a play very close to my heart) for only $25! More thoughts to come on those.
I shall return from the other side of the world in March! Stay warm, Broadway fans. Let me know what you see while I’m gone. Sayonara!
Photo Credit: Diana Chan
Pictured: Bee and Dee in Old Montreal
Becca on Broadway 