Twelfth Night
Posted: December 11, 2013 Filed under: Broadway, Comedy, Revival, Shakespeare | Tags: allmale, billyshakes, boeingboeing, elizabethan, globe, littleredswell, macbeth, markrylance, rep, review, richardiii, shakespeare, stratforduponavon, tonyaward, twelfthnight, williamshakespeare Leave a comment
I’m honestly tempted to have this review simply state: what an effin’ blast…but I have too many other things to say.
This is how it’s done people. What a delight this production is. Brought over from Shakespeare’s Globe, Twelfth Night is in rep with Richard III through February. Both productions are being presented in the original Elizabethan style. There is on-stage seating resembling the levels of the Globe, period costumes and corsets, and most noticeably, an all-male cast. And although I haven’t seen Richard yet (review to come in January), I have a hunch that if it’s anything like Twelfth Night, neither is to be missed this Broadway season.
My good friend Courtney was my theatre pal for the evening. Oh! Would you look at that? She also happens to have a kick-ass blog! Anyway, we haven’t stopped talking about the show. The actors are excellent across the board and are a hoot to watch because it’s clear they’re having so much fun. And after sitting through Macbeth a few weeks ago listening to actors who don’t have a handle on the language, what a pleasure it is to hear Shakespeare’s words spoken the way they were meant to be spoken. Every single person up on that stage knows what they are doing, and as a result, every single word is brought to life. The poetry pours out of the lines, and there is a sense of great clarity surrounding each scene. Guys, even Ben Brantley and I agree: “They let the language lead them to the characters. Because they know what they’re saying — and where what they’re saying comes from — we do, too.” If I had to pick from his entire canon, I would say Twelfth Night is my favorite Shakespeare play. I’ve seen three different productions (including Shakespeare in the Park and the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-Upon-Avon), plus the film, and even so, I still heard lines in new ways. I got to discover the comedy and wit of this piece all over again.
And don’t even get me started on Mark Rylance. This man, I mean, I can barely talk about it. Ever since I first laid eyes on his work in the farce Boeing Boeing, for which he won a Tony Award and gave THIS brilliant acceptance speech, I have not missed a show of his in New York. He starred in Le Bête and Jerusalem (for which he won his second Tony), and now he is back for these two Shakespeare plays. I look forward to seeing his Richard in January; in Twelfth, he takes on the beautiful, somber yet sassy Olivia.
Watching Mark Rylance is the equivalent of taking an acting class (read a great Q&A here). Never have I seen an actor discover on the line more. For you non-theatre folk out there, in Shakespeare, actors are encouraged to discover/have the new thought/get the idea/change tactics as they speak (“on the line”). However, many actors react and then speak when in fact the words are there to help them. Every word that comes out of Rylance’s mouth is a true discovery. It is so clear that you can catch shifts within him from syllable to syllable. Each moment is a surprise for him and therefore us. Okay, okay, I’ll stop gushing now. Go see him.
What more is there to say really? I could bore you with details or recap the story, but I don’t think it’s necessary. What counts is that Courtney and I were equally blown away (along with everyone else I’ve talked to). The direction is effortless and the acting organic. The characters and inner-relationships are incredibly well-developed. And it may have a running time of 2 hours and 50 minutes, but it never feels like it.
Oh, and those of you out there afraid of Shakespeare plays for fear that you won’t understand, this is the one to see. Billy would be proud.
Twelfe Night, Or What You Will
Written by William Shakespeare, Directed by Tim Carroll
Belasco Theatre through February 16th
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
Pictured: Samuel Barnett and Mark Rylance
You Should Be Listening To: Frozen
Posted: December 9, 2013 Filed under: Comedy, Movie, Musical, You Should Be Listening To... | Tags: anna, avenueq, bookofmormon, disney, elsa, findingnemo, frozen, idinamenzel, jonathangroff, joshgad, kristenbell, letitgo, olaf, review, robertlopez, santinofontana, youshouldbelisteningto 3 Comments
Yes, a new feature! Huzzah! This newly-formed category entitled “You Should Be Listening To” is basically where I tell you about what cast album I’m currently obsessed with, which brings me to our first edition…
Have you seen Frozen yet? It’s the new animated Disney film featuring actual, real voice talent. Unheard of I know. Where’s Russell Crowe as Prince Hans, right? The singers get to speak the roles, too. Crazy talk! The movie broke all kinds of records over Thanksgiving. It grossed $67.4 million over the 3-day weekend, making it the largest opening for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film. It was also the second overall highest in sales for the 5-day weekend after Catching Fire.
The movie is cute and endearing, but what I’m really posting (aka obsessing) about is the music. The nine songs are written by Robert Lopez and his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez. You know Robert Lopez’s music if you’re a fan of Avenue Q or The Book of Mormon. The husband-and-wife writing team also penned Finding Nemo – The Musical (now playing at Animal Kingdom!).
So not only do you have Broadway-caliber writers, but as I said above, the characters are voiced by real Broadway talent, many of whom are Tony nominees. The cast includes Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Santino Fontana (this collection of videos is also worth your time), Idina Menzel, and Kristen Bell. I mean, come ON. And yes! Even Kristen Bell was on Broadway (like in the flop, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer)!
Now, my roommate and I are obsessed with all of the songs so go Spotify the soundtrack after you see it. The collection is great. There’s the classic “Be Our Guest”-style group number (“Fixer Upper”), the hopeful ingénue’s number (“For the First Time in Forever”), and the hilarious sidekick tune (“In Summer”). The only crime is Groff doesn’t get a full song. What is that about?
But let me highlight two of the songs. The love song is called “Love Is an Open Door” and is sung by Bell and Fontana. It’s so adorably peppy, full of clever lyrics and melodic surprises, and also manages to poke fun at the form at the same time. Then there is the big power ballad “Let It Go” sung by Menzel. The roomie and I first got a preview of this when we were down in Disney World in November. At Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in Magic Kingdom, there was this epic light show projected on Cinderella’s castle, and we got to see a 30-second preview of this song. I was particularly tickled to hear Idina’s voice ringing out across Disney. She’s come so far!
Now what I’d love to do is link all of these songs so you can hear them, but I’d rather you go check out the movie. I’ll give you one though. I leave you with Let It Go!
Little Miss Sunshine
Posted: December 6, 2013 Filed under: Comedy, Musical, Off-Broadway | Tags: intothewoods, jameslapine, littlemisssunshine, roryo'malley, secondstage, stephaniejblock, williamfinn, willswenson Leave a comment
Well, what a charming little show Little Miss Sunshine is. The evening was such a pleasant surprise. I’d heard mixed things (mostly negative), but it was a treat, plain and simple.
True, the show already has a lot going for it since it’s based on the excellent movie hit of 2006. I only saw it once in theatres, but it’s remained one of my favorites. The movie made an impression because it had a new, touching, funny screenplay with a talented cast, and now you can encounter that same great combination on stage.
You’ve got Stephanie J. Block, Will Swenson, and Rory O’Malley to name a few of the performers. Then there is music by William Finn whose work you might have heard if you’re a fan of Falsettos, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, or A New Brain, and the book and direction is by James Lapine. You know you’re in good hands if you have Lapine taking care of you (Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George). I don’t remember the last time I saw a musical with this strong of a book. Again, this may simply be because they’re working with gold. I’m not sure how many lines are taken directly from the screenplay (I think another movie viewing is in order), but the musical definitely sticks to the plot.
Why turn this particular movie into a stage show? Because it’s just so damn fun to watch them figure out the van. If you recall, the bright yellow VW bus is a key character in the movie, as the family spends many an hour riding, driving, and pushing it from New Mexico to California. In this production the bus is six chairs on wheels and boy, do they make it work. The bus transforms throughout the piece. It’s incredibly clever, and the choreography is sharp and clean. In fact, the whole show is. It’s well put together with an extremely talented cast playing well-developed characters. The supporting characters are also hilarious (I wish Wesley Taylor had more to do!).
Now it’s not perfect. The score isn’t to die for; I didn’t fall in love with it the way I did when I saw Spelling Bee on Broadway. I didn’t leave humming the songs, and a few could pack a little more punch. I wanted more from the son’s big number, and the bathroom encounter between Frank (O’Malley) and his ex left much to be desired. The opening moments of the show were also odd. It just kind of…started. It was as if it picked up in the middle of a song, and I thought I had missed something. Nonetheless, the harmonies are beautiful, and the music certainly fits the style of the piece.
Overall, it’s quirky, fun, and adorable, just like the film. It was nice to see the story again with a new twist. And you have to go simply to see that pageant at the end. After being disappointed by the musicals thus far this season, Little Miss Sunshine is a breath of a fresh air.
Little Miss Sunshine
Written by James Lapine and William Finn, Directed by James Lapine
Second Stage Theatre through December 15th
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
Pictured: Stephanie J. Block, Will Swenson, and the Cast of Little Miss Sunshine
First Date
Posted: December 4, 2013 Filed under: Broadway, Comedy, Musical | Tags: bailout, bff, chuck, firstdate, musical, review, tangled, zacharylevi Leave a comment
I had hoped I wouldn’t come out of this show echoing all of the other critics, but unfortunately there’s not much new to share. We have a musical here packed with one-dimensional characters. Everyone is the ultimate stereotype: the bad boy, nagging sister, player best friend, super gay bff, the list goes on. No character ever digs below the surface, and when the writers try to do so with the leads, it only comes off as lame and ineffective.
What my companions and I were left wondering was: does the actual idea work? Can you make an entire show based on the premise of a first date? Yes, it’s funny. People easily relate; they can look at the characters up on stage and think, “Ohh yes, I’ve been there.” With the classic highlights of the introduction, small talk banter, no-no’s of first dates, awkward pauses, picking up the check, etc., there is a lot to poke fun at, but is there enough meat to make a full musical? Perhaps if there were more vignettes of multiple couples, rather than just one date, you could find more to work with. I’m not sure, but as it stands, First Date is 90-minutes of mostly filler.
The banter is light, packed with easy jokes. My theatre pal, Matt Franzetti, called it sitcom writing, and I couldn’t agree more. Now, let me stress that I love me some quality sitcoms, but I don’t go to the theatre for that. This musical could be a 22-minute sitcom with the main storyline being the horrors of a first date, but since these characters are so over-the-top and archetypal, there’s no way to connect to them as an audience. They seem fake, so when the topics try to steer their way to real connection, I didn’t go along for the ride.
I tried. I did! There are a handful of genuinely funny moments, but the rest are forced and uncomfortable. For example, there’s the gay BFF bail-out call. It’s a somewhat funny gag; yes, girls often have a friend call just in case they want to get out of a date. But then he sings the same song THREE times. They take a gag that’s not all that great to begin with and then beat it into the ground.
As for the stars, First Date features Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez. We first heard Levi’s pipes in Tangled, and he is a king of landing awkward humor (see: Chuck). He’s just the right combination of awkward and charming to make even the lamest dialogue endearing. But it gets old quick. True, he keeps landing the jokes, but let’s give the guy some variety please. Also, I’m so over the standard stereotypes of guy meets girl: the uptight, tripping-over-his-words guy and the punk-rock, hard-shell girl who deep down is vulnerable and looking for love. And Rodriguez, whom I usually like, is just reciting her lines. It doesn’t feel organic, but can you blame her with some of the stuff she has to say?
It’s hard to be so harsh, but between that book, the primarily forgettable score, and the marketing, I just can’t get on board with this show. First Date will definitely be my last.
First Date
Written by Austin Winsberg, Alan Zachary, and Michael Weiner, Directed by Bill Berry
Longacre Theatre through January 5th
Photo Credit: Chris Owyoung
Pictured: Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez
Bad Jews
Posted: November 18, 2013 Filed under: Comedy, Off-Broadway, Play | Tags: badjews, chai, review, roundabout, shiksa Leave a comment
First, let me say that I did not care for this show. Second, I should also say right off the bat that I am most definitely in the minority. Bad Jews has received rave reviews and audiences love it. My theatre buddy that evening (and fellow Jew) was my brother’s girlfriend, Allison (of Accessories by ASH), and she loved the show, too.
So what’s wrong with me you ask? Well, let’s back up a bit. We start in a fancy New York City studio with Jonah and his first cousin, Daphna (actually named Diana, but she’s super Jewish so she’s Daphna now, don’t bring it up) after their grandfather’s funeral. They are soon to be joined by Jonah’s brother, Liam, who arrives late (missing the funeral) with his Shiksa girlfriend, Melody. Tensions are immediately high, yes due to the death in the family, but primarily because Daphna is “that cousin” who gets in your face about everything. She and Liam can’t stand each other. Jonah would prefer to stay out of the drama as much as possible. As the fighting enters into the wee hours of the morning, these four characters brawl over their feelings toward Judaism, marrying outside the faith, how to best honor their grandfather, and above all who should receive Poppy’s Chai necklace that he’s had since the Holocaust.
Now I went into this play thinking I was going to see a slapstick comedy about Jews. The play does have some good laughs (there is one bit with Molly Ranson as Melody and I could hardly breathe), but this is no farce. There are serious issues being covered, and very intense words are shared. Thoughtful questions are raised and interesting perspectives put out there, but the way in which they are approached is what put me off. I want to hear these arguments but not from these people. For example, the second Liam is introduced he is a jackass through and through with no redeeming qualities. Why do we start with him there? There isn’t anywhere for him to go if he’s already so terrible.
It’s hard to watch people fight for close to two hours. It’s hard to watch unlikable people tear each other down with cruel words. Some of what these characters say is exactly that: cruel. They are bullies, pure and simple. There are two monologues in particular that are full of hateful words directed at another person in the room. Luckily there comes a point when someone steps in, but I as an audience member didn’t see why we had to watch it. Charles Isherwood calls it savage humor, and apparently it’s just not my style. I only felt a consistent sense of unease.
Maybe the discomfort I felt during the show is part of the playwright’s intention; perhaps he wants to ruffle some feathers. But instead, I felt like Jonah – stuck in the middle and not wanting to get involved.
Bad Jews
Written by Joshua Harmon, Directed by Daniel Aukin
The Laura Pels Theatre through December 29th
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
Pictured: Tracee Chimo, Philip Ettinger, and Michael Zegen
Becca on Broadway 