The Transport Group: Follies in Concert:

The Transport Group's Follies in Concert had all the makings of a magical evening, but for many of us, the magic was intermittent at best. For a fascinating, multifaceted discussion of the evening, I suggest that you read this All That Chat thread, here. Beside the many incisive comments in the thread, it is also vivid proof that nothing is objectively good or bad, no matter what some critics would have us think. 

I don't want to harp on the many negatives (okay, one: the oboe player was seriously out of his depth), so here are some positives:

• A lovely "In Buddy's Eyes" by the incomparable Christine Ebersole
• Alexander Gemignani's thoughtful, moving version of "The Road You Didn't Take."
• "The Right Girl," forcefully sung and danced by the wonderful Michael Berresse
• The gorgeous "One More Kiss," performed by Harolyn Blackwell and Midaela Bennett
• The delicate "Losing My Mind" by Kate Baldwin

As you can see, it's not that long a list of highlights. I think the main problem was that, while some people (see above) were performing Follies, others were performing songs from Follies, with little attention paid to where the characters were at that point or what they were thinking. Christine Ebersole was Sally, Alexander Gemignani was Ben, and so on. Many of the others did irrelevant interpretations, or flat-out shtick, without bringing anything new or interesting to the table.

Jennifer Holliday is an exception. She was not being Carlotta from Follies but she was being a survivor with a convincing, compelling take on "I'm Still Here." I'm not a fan of hers, but she did bring something new and interesting to the table.

Despite the disappointment, I still thank Transport Group for making it happen, and with accessible ticket prices!

Wendy Caster

Three More Reasons to Love New York

New York Magazine's annual "Reasons to Love New York" issue came out at just the right time for this review. After three successive evenings experiencing amazing talent and creativity in New York theatres, I was already in a "reasons to love New York" mood. Particularly impressive is that none of these three shows was on Broadway or featured big stars or cost a ton of money to see. To switch to a sports metaphor, New York has an extraordinarily deep bench of superb artists, which is a huge reason to love New York and feel grateful to live here. New York Magazine included 37 reasons, so I'll continue from there.

Reason 38 to Love New York: The Broadway Close Up Series at Merkin Hall. This particular edition of Broadway Close Up, titled "The Writers' Room," focused on Broadway composers and lyricists who had gone through the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop. The excellent host, Sean Hartley, interviewed composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal), lyricist-composer-actor Amanda Green (High Fidelity), and lyricist Kristen Anderson-Lopez and composer Robert Lopez (together: Frozen; Robert without Kristen, Avenue Q; Kristen without Robert: In Transit). The interviews were interspersed with wonderful renditions of some of the songs being discussed. The truly amazing cast included Kate Baldwin, Kelli Barrett, Kevin Csolak, Jenn Damiano, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Rick Lyon, Solea Pfeiffer, Ciara Renee, Benjamin Levi Ross, and Margo Seibert. Musical director Cynthia Meng provided accompaniment in a fabulous array of styles.

Amanda Green

This evening was an extraordinary delight. The panelists' stories were fascinating, funny, and enlightening--and inspiring. But performances were the highlights, and the evening was practically all highlights. Kate Baldwin performed "I MIss the Mountains" gorgeously, with a full sense of characterization. Ciara Renee sang the heck out of "Let It Go." Amanda Green killed with "How Long?" from her upcoming musical Female Troubles: A Period Piece. 

The final song was "Our Time" from Merrily We Roll Along; Sondheim was not affiliated with the BMI Workshop, but he was a great mentor to many people, and, really, you don't need an excuse to sing "Our Time" from Merrily We Roll Along. To add riches to riches, "Our Time" was sung unmiked, and it's the perfect song for that treatment with its gentle, heartfelt optimism.

But, but, no one beat Kermit the Frog's guest appearance singing the wonderful "Off to Denver" from Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx's Kermit, Prince of Denmark. Many thanks to Rick Lyon for bringing us Kermit.

And many thanks to Broadway Close Up for bringing us "The Writers' Room."

Reason 39 to Love New York: The Orchestra Now. The Orchestra Now is part of the graduate music program at Bard College. The orchestra periodically performs "Sight & Sound" concerts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that complement ongoing exhibits at the museum. The charming conductor Leon Botstein introduces each piece, explaining how it fits in with its time period and with the art exhibit. 

The most recent "Sight & Sound" was "Copland, Culture & Politics in the 1930s." Keyed in with "Art for the Millions" at the museum, the concert included "Statements" and "Billy the Kid." Botstein's explanations and anecdotes were fascinating and frequently funny.  The orchestra was terrific, with a clean, full sound and top-notch soloists. With an upcoming generation of musicians of this caliber, the major orchestras of the world have much to look forward to.

Reason 40 to Love New York: The York Theatre Company. The York Theatre's apt tagline is "Where Musicals Come to Life." The York presents old musicals (in the invaluable Mufti Series and in full productions) and new musicals (workshops and full productions). Among the York's best-known shows are the brilliant The Musical of Musicals: The Musical!, as well as Souvenir and Jolson & Company. The creators and performers at the York are among the best.

That being said, I have to admit that I did not like the York's current show, The Jerusalem Syndrome. The story of people visiting Jerusalem who come to think they're biblical characters, The Jerusalem Syndrome is based on a real syndrome affecting 200 or so people a year. 

It's an odd time to do a musical comedy based in Jerusalem, a fact that is acknowledged a number of times in the program. The York chose to continue with the musical, "ultimately deciding that the show's message of hope and peace is needed now more than ever." It was the York's right to make that decision, and I respect that.

But the problem with the show is not (just?) the political timing but also that it is written in a style that is dated and shallow for the topic at hand. In fact, The Jerusalem Syndrome frequently feels like it was written in the 1960s, rather than in the 21st century, with its shtick and silliness. I'm not against shtick and silliness per se--I loved Disaster!--but there is a time and a place, and this isn't either.

But even here, there is a fabulous, large cast to enjoy. Dana Costello does a faux secret agent bit, sidling along a wall and then rolling on the floor, that had the audience laughing and then laughing again. She made an excellent God. Farah Alvin, as an ignored wife who comes to believe she is Sarah, gives a moving, well-sung performance. Josh Lamon as Dr. Zion explains the Jerusalem Syndrome in a patter song that he mines for all its humor while nailing all its meaning--and enunciating every word. The rest of the cast, also no slouches, includes Alan H. Green, Danielle Lee James, John Jellison, Garrett Long, Karen Murphy, Jeffrey Schecter, Chandler Sinks, Jennifer Smith, Pablo Francisco Torres (subbing for James D. Gish), Curtis Wiley, Lenny Wolpe, and Laura Woyasz. 

***

And when people bemoan the cost of theatre tickets, remember that two people could have seen all three of these for less than the price of one ticket to Merrily We Roll Along.

Wendy Caster

Broadway Close Up: Party at the Princes'

Last night, Broadway Close Up presented yet another lovely night of talented people singing wonderful songs. The evening was devoted to shows that Hal Prince produced and/or directed, which includes Cabaret, Company, Follies, Lovemusik, Merrily We Roll Along, The Pajama Game, Phantom of the Opera, She Loves Me, and West Side Story. (Those are just the shows represented last night; Prince's full resume also includes A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Fiorello, A Fiddler on the Roof, and Parade; the man received 21 Tonys!)

Kate Baldwin
From https://www.kate-baldwin.com/

Hosted and written by Sean Hartley, who also performed a bit (and nicely), A Party at the Princes' featured a living room-esque area with food and drink, to which the performers retired after singing. It was fun to watch them watching their friends and peers and nonpeers, and the show ended with all of them and the audience singing "Cabaret," which was great fun.

Allison Blackwell
From https://www.allisonblackwell.com/

Highlights of the evening included Nikki Renee Daniels singing "Maybe This Time" (Cabaret), Alysha Umphress singing "Married" (Cabaret), Isabel Keating singing "Broadway Baby" (Follies), the fabulous Kate Baldwin singing "Could I Leave You?" (also Follies), Sally Wilfert singing "Now You Know" (Merrily We Roll Along), Allison Blackwell singing "Speak Low" (Lovemusik), and Charlotte Maltby and Jason Robinson both spoofing and honoring Phantom of the Opera. New to me was the beautiful "Dear One" from Kiss of the Spiderwoman, sang by Gabrielle Stravelli, Kirsten Scott, Sean Hartley, and Jason Robinson.

Sally Wilfert
Photo c/o Boneau/Bryan-Brown

Someone else in the audience might have had different highlights--and one could make the case that every song was a highlight! 

Special kudos must go to Evan Rees, the music director and pianist, and the lighting designer (whose name I could not find in the program). With their support, the performances had a fullness and depth not always seen when songs from musical are sang out of context.

The last show of this series of Broadway Close Up is The Writers' Room. I'm quite looking forward to it. Here is the description from the Broadway Close Up website:

BROADWAY CLOSE UP

Hosted by Sean Hartley and featuring Tony nominees Stephanie D’Abruzzo and Kate Baldwin, Jenn Damiano (original cast, Next to Normal), Outer Critics Circle Award winner Jay Armstrong Johnson, Rick Lyon (original cast of Avenue Q) Ben Levi Ross and Drama Desk Award winner Margo Seibert (original cast, In Transit). Music directed by Cynthia Meng.

HOW THE BMI LEHMAN ENGEL MUSICAL THEATRE WORKSHOP CHANGED BROADWAY

The prestigious BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop is renowned for fostering generations of musical theater writers who have transformed Broadway, but no year was more pivotal than 1997. Hear behind-the-scenes stories about what happened when this phenomenal group of writers was in the room together, and how they went on to write smash hit musicals that have garnered numerous Tonys, Oscars, Grammys and a Pulitzer Prize and shaped our culture: Bobby Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon, Frozen), Brian Yorkey & Tom Kitt (Next to Normal, If/Then) and Amanda Green (Hands on a Hardbody, Mr. Saturday Night). They’ll share their experiences, perform songs and give you a sneak peek at what they’re working on now.

Click here for more info.

Wendy Caster

Hello Dolly

About 15 minutes into Hello Dolly, I thought, "I love this stupid show." By the end of the first act, I had eliminated "stupid." Hello Dolly has a silly plot, yes, and some of the songs come out of nowhere, yes, but, damn, it is an unstoppable joy machine. And while I don't think that musicals must have instantly hummable melodies, it is great fun when the audience comes out singing and, yes, humming the songs. There were a lot of women not letting the parade pass them by while in line for the ladies room.

Photo: Julieta Cervantes

And then there is Bernadette Peters. When I saw the show with Bette Midler, I enjoyed it immensely, but Midler didn't even make believe she was playing Dolly (link to my review here). Bernadette Peters plays Dolly, and it raises the show a whole level up. I don't think she's a great actress, but she's warm and likable, and I love her voice, and she's Bernadette Peters. (In a scrapbook I have from my early teen years, I have an interview with her from 1969. I've been a fan for nearly half a century.)

John & Jen

It is a wonderful thing that John & Jen exists. Written in the early 1990s, it was never going to be a huge hit or a big money-maker. Clearly Andrew Lippa (music and book) and Tom Greenwald (lyrics and book) simply had something to say, and a unique way to say it. The story of Jen and her brother John and then Jen and her son John, it addresses serious themes of abuse and the meaning of love, and the heavy parts outweigh the light ones. It is largely sung, and it covers nearly 40 years. Many of the songs are excellent: funny, sad, emotional, informative, silly, etc, as needed. Some are beautiful.

Kate Baldwin, Conor Ryan
Photo: Carol Rosegg

And it is a wonderful thing that Keen Company is presenting this strong revival. Kate Baldwin is lovely as Jen, and Conor Ryan does an excellent job as both Johns. All in all, this is a piece of work that should be seen.

That being said, I have to admit that I didn't much like it. I admired it tremendously, but I was never quite emotionally involved. I think this is due to the book, which I found problematical.

[here be spoilers]
The show begins with John sitting quietly. He seems to be a young adult. Jen says something along the lines of "can you forgive me?" Then we go back to their childhood, with Jen striving to protect John from their abusive father and promising to always be there for him. But when Jen goes off to college, she ignores John for years as she lives the '60s full out, and he ends up allied with their father. John joins the army, goes to Vietnam, dies.

Big Fish

Though Big Fish will be closing on December 29, I figured that it was worth a review because its feel-good quality may be the sort of diversion people are looking for during the holiday season.  

Based on the novel by Daniel Wallace (though people may be more familiar with Tim Burton’s screen adaptation), Big Fish tells the story of Edward and Will Bloom, an estranged father and son.  Edward, played by Norbert Leo Butz, has a penchant for telling autobiographical tall tales - full of mermaids, witches, and giants - that constantly aggravate his more practically minded son Will, played by Bobby Steggert.  The musical follows the grown Will as he tries to figure out the truth behind his father’s fantastical stories, while he himself is expecting his own son and Edward’s health is failing.  Despite my issues with some  aspects of the production, I shed some tears at its heartwarming conclusion.  

Norbert Leo Butz is a formidable star and his performance alone makes this production worth seeing.  His changes in physicality for Edward’s life stages and well as his magnetic stage presence carry most of Act I, though perhaps to the detriment of his costars.  Kate Baldwin, who played his wife, was overshadowed quite a bit.  At the particular performance that I attended, it also took Steggert a while to settle into character. 

The show lacked focus at its start, but tightened up towards the end of Act I and moving into Act II.  I felt that some of the production elements, namely the visual projections, hindered the show rather than helped it.  They were particularly distracting and unnecessary in the Witch’s number; Stroman’s choreography alone would have created the desired visual effect.  The story is ultimately about fathers and sons, and I felt that Big Fish fell into a common Broadway trap - just because you can do [fill-in-the-blank-with-a-fancy-expensive-stage-trick] doesn’t mean you ought to.  

It’ll be interesting to track the life of Big Fish past its Broadway closing date.  A cast album is slated for release in February, but I’m not sure how much it will help the brand as Andrew Lippa’s music and lyrics are pop/rock-y cute but not particularly memorable.  If taken on the road, Big Fish will need to tighten its first act so that it doesn’t rely so much on its lead actor.  National tours do not usually feature stars that can draw crowds like Butz,.  Also, the show needs a bit of pruning to make the musical’s narrative theme - that of familial reconciliation - stand out more.  

In spite of my nitpickings, Big Fish is a sweet musical with a lot of heart.  If you're looking for non-holiday themed, but heartwarming entertainment for this time of year, I recommend it.  

Playing at the Neil Simon Theatre, Friend-of-a-Friend Comp Ticket, Center Orchestra Row R