Some of the shows were performed in costume, most likely due to proximity (Billy Elliot, In the Heights), 3pm matinees (Jersey Boys, The Fantasticks), no matinees (Chicago) and being in rehearsals (Ragtime, White Christmas, Fela!).

The audience appreciated all the shows as they were announced, especially the popular ones like Jersey Boys, which featured a performance by the “Jersey Girls” who sang “Walk Like a Man”.  I had to say, it was a nice change, though I’m sure that there were people who wanted the guys instead.

There seemed to be less people in attendance than last year, most likely due to the US Open.  At the end, when the confetti fell, you could tell that it was just tossed off the roofs of the buildings because they came down in clumps.

Hair, which opened on March 31st at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, is about a group of hippies celebrating peace and love in the shadow of the Vietnam War.  It originally premiered at the Public Theatre in Central Park last summer and was so popular that it was extended three times.  It features popular songs such as “Aquarius” and “Let the Sun Shine In”.  It’s the kind of musical that would be perfect for baby boomers nostalgic for when they were young and their children and grandchildren.  I wouldn’t recommend bringing children and caution bringing teenagers since there is nudity and adult language.

Rock of Ages, which originated off-Broadway at New World Stages, is currently in previews and will open on April 7th at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.  It tells the story of Drew, who longs to take the stage and his crush, Sherri, who’s from Kansas.  The story is told through popular 80s hits by bands such as Styx, Journey and REO Speedwagon.  From what I gather, it’s definitely a show for anyone who’s a fan of (and kind of still living in) the 80s.  There’s a seatside liquor service during the show, so I would think twice before bringing any teenagers.

The Toxic Avenger is based on the cult movie of the same name.  It tells the story of Melvin, who after being dropped in a vat of toxic waste becomes The Toxic Avenger with a mission to clean up New Jersey and win the heart of a blind librarian.  It features a score by David Bryant of Bon Jovi.  It premiered at the George Street Playhouse in New Jersey and will open at New World Stages April 6.  It’s only an hour and a half with no intermission.

Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark is about a teenager named Peter Parker who obtains all the abilities of a spider when he’s bitten by a genetically-engineered spider.  Not much is known about this show, other than that it will be directed by Julie Taymor (The Lion King) with music and lyrics written by Bono and the Edge of U2.  It will start performances at the Hilton Theatre on January 16th, 2010 and open February 18th.

Information from www.broadway.com

Closing Dec. 28

What’s That Smell?: The Music of Jacob Sterling

Closing Dec. 30

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Closing Jan 4

Grease

Young Frankenstein

Boeing Boeing

Saturn Returns

Liza’s at the Palace…

Slava’s Snowshow

13

White Christmas

Rock of Ages (transferring to Broadway)

Hairspray

Closing Jan 11

All My Sons

Gypsy

Home

Spamalot

Streamers

Closing Jan 18

Spring Awakening

Information collected from Broadway.com

Image from www.culturevulture.com

Rating: 5 out of 5 masks

No, I’m not writing reviews to shows once they announce closing.  If I haven’t written a review yet for a certain show and they just announced their closing, then I choose to write about it.  And judging from the rumor mill more of these show closing reviews will come.  Now on to the review.

Image from Photobucket

Spamalot is a musical “lovingly ripped off” from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  In fact, it also includes scenes and numbers from their TV show and previous films.  It’s basically a spoof of everything from Camelot to typical musical conventions.  Most of the cast perform more than one role in the show, probably because if they hired more people, there wouldn’t be enough dressing rooms (my theory).

I was vaguely familiar with Monty Python so I knew a few of the jokes coming in.  I’m not used to British humor, but I got most of the jokes.  Some of them were blink-and-you’ll-miss-them kind while others required some thinking which is not a good idea while watching live theatre.  Nothing against theatre that makes you think, but if you’re pondering something while the action is still going on, you’re bound to miss something else.

I really liked the sets and the lighting, especially for the first number.  I like how they weren’t trying to be 100% realistic with the background, concentrating more on the story.  Sometimes they contributed to the story, adding some of the sight gags to go along with the dialogue.

I thought that the story was good.  There were times when they would stray from the main story to highlight others, like when Lancelot valiantly goes to save a girl who turns out to be an effeminate boy.  If you didn’t read your program before the show, you might not notice the fact that some of the performers were in more than one role.  And if you did, it’s not distracting from the story.

What I liked best about the show were the numbers, like the Andrew Lloyed Webber-like “The Song That Goes Like This”,  “Diva’s Lament”, the Lady in the Lake’s lament about not being featured in the show as often as the others, the most hilarious and my absolute favorite “Where Are You” (you have to see this show to know what I’m talking about) and of course “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”.

I would recommend this show to Monty Python fans, anyone who’s not a fan of traditional musical theatre, anyone who loves spoofs and those who prefer their musical theatre on the non-depressing side.  I would not recommend this to children under 12 or so because there is some adult content.

Image from Pegasus Papers

Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes w/intermission

The stage itself was located on the island that had the NYPD station, between 42nd and 43rd Street.  It was broadcast on various screens in the area, but strangely enough, not on MTV’s 44 1/2 screen.  I think it should have been included considering the size of the crowd and how far away the stage was at that point.

While every musical was represented, the plays were mentioned as well by John Leguizamo, who’s in the upcoming American Buffalo.  It was good to give the plays a shout out, especially when John Leguizamo added his opinion and insight into each of them.  I thought that made it more interesting than just reading the list of plays and it made the audience stick around a little.

Some of the show’s performances were done in costume, some not so much.  The ones that were in full costume were Spamalot, White Christmas, and [title of show].  It was kinda obvious that considering the location of the show, Spamalot would afford to take their costumes out of the theatre for one number.  And [title of show] had normal everyday outfits as costumes, so it wasn’t much of a stretch.

I had gotten to the event kind of late, but one of my favorite performances was from the upcoming White Christmas.  First of all, the performance was done in costume.  Thick “It’s gonna snow” winter costumes.  Second and most important, there was real snow blowing on them and throughout the audience.  I’m not kidding, I caught one of the flakes and it felt like water. 

Throughout the event, the were people handing out flyers advertising various shows currently on Broadway.  Some of them came in handy, especially the fans from Disney on Broadway, considering how sunny and hot it was getting.  The security for the area was, in my opinion, more than adequate.  There was no bag check that I was aware of, but they were making sure that people entered the area from a certain point only or stayed at a hotel in the area.

The concert was two hours long and ended with the quintessential song “New York” and confetti blasted from the rooftops in the area.  It was almost like New Year’s Eve, but during the day, warmer and more low-key.

Image from New York City Theatre

Rating: 3 out of 5 masks

It came to my attention on Wednesday that Jump was closed.  Key word: was.  Apparently, the producers saw how much money they were going to rake in in the future and just decided to cut their losses right then and there.  I think this is unfair to people who may have bought tickets on Sunday,  those who saw it on Sunday not knowing it will be the last performance and of course the actors.  Since I write reviews about shows currently running on and off Broadway, I thought I would make an exception.

Jump is not exactly a play, as there is no dialogue but there is a plot.  It’s about this family of martial arts masters who spend the first half of the show showing off their moves and competing against each other.  There’s a Father, Mother, Daughter, Uncle, Grandfather and a Suitor for the Daughter.  The last part of the show depicts the family about to be robbed by two masked men who have no idea what they’re in for.

Image from Best of off Broadway

I really liked the martial arts depicted on stage.  I thought it was funny when they added some “slo-mo” moves, sort of like a nod to martial arts films that commonly depict such scenes.  It was funny to see the Suitor “change”, which seemed to mock Clark Kent/Superman.  The expressions and gestures seemed to be elaborate, which makes sense since there’s no real dialogue.

The set is a living room, with some additions that you wouldn’t find in a typical living room because they’re used for the martial arts scenes.  The production relies on its lighting and props, especially when the burglers come in.

If Jump happens to be playing in a theatre near you, I definitely suggest checking it out.  There’s some audience interaction involved, especiallly prior to the start of the show.

I thought this was one of the most entertaining years in the history of the Tony Awards.  Here’s why:

And the award for:

Best Awards Show Opening:  the opening number from The Lion King.  I was amazed how they fit the elephant down the aisles.

Best Disney shout-out:  Whoopi Goldberg coming out in a Sebastian the crab costume.  Would be funnier if they went into The Little Mermaid and all the cast members were confused by her costume.

Best Performance Intro:  John Waters for Cry Baby.  I don’t remember what he said, but I do know it was hilarious.

Closest the General Public Would Get to see a sold-out show – the Spotlight on Jersey Boys.  That show does not need any more advertisements.

Most Disturbing Flashback – LL Cool J (at least I think it’s him) and Carol Channing doing a remix of Hello Dolly.  ‘Nuff said.

Most Blatant Cry for Attention – John Lithgow talking about how great the musical revivals were even though he wasn’t cast.  Please, someone, cast him.

Most Disturbing Plug - Whoopi Goldberg in a Phantom of the Opera scene.  I actually screamed.

Best (Semi-Planned) Acceptance Speech – Lin-Manuel Miranda for Original Score.  You just know someone’s going to do that at the next Grammys.

Funniest Plug – Whoopi as Mary Poppins.  This did not scare me and was the most entertaining of all the Tony plugs.

Best (but brief) Best Play intro – Whoopi talking about the Best Play nominees against projections of the stage and scenery a la Sunday in the Park with George.  The clips should’ve been longer.

Most Unexpected Shout-Out – Anna D. Shapiro mentioning in her acceptance speech about how she managed to get The Little Mermaid tickets for her nieces and nephews.  Maybe when they’re older, she’ll get them tickets to her show.

Weirdest Plug – Whoopi “stripping” her armor for Spamalot.  I did not want to know what was under there.

Best (Planned) Acceptance Speech – Mark Rylance for Boeing Boeing.  I don’t know if he meant it to be funny, but it was, especially when they included the puzzled reaction of Mary McCormack.

How Many More of This Should We See? – Whoopi in Spring Awakening.   I’m sure that was her own hair.

What Did She Say? – Liza MInelli presenting Best Actor in a Musical.  I have no idea what she said, not because I couldn’t understand it, but because I was thinking “OMG, I can see her bra!”.  At least I hope it’s her bra.