Image from www.roundabouttheatre.org

Rating: 4 out of 5 masks

A teen idol musical set in the 60s gets its first revival.

Bye Bye Birdie tells the story of the ultimate teen idol, Conrad Birdie, being drafted to the Vietnam War but not before one final goodbye to his fans and the lucky girl who gets to give him his last kiss.  That last part was planned by his agent and songwriter Albert Peterson and his secretary/girlfriend Rose Alvarez.

I was distracted throughout the show by the downstage track that went between stage left and right.  I understand that in this age of technology there is no or at least little need for stagehands to move scenery and/or large stage props, but the fact that I could actually see the track almost distracted me from the entire show.  The only theory I could come up to explain its visibility is that it seems to be the main track.  I hope they find some way to make it look like the rest of the stage before it opens.

I liked the bright bold colors used in the sets.  The McAfee’s living room and kitchen set looked very realistic, almost like a time warp.  I liked how they had actual sets for scenes that took place at the train station and the school playground.

I thought that the kids were the best part of the show, especially Allie Trimm who played Kim McAfee, the girl that got picked to kiss Conrad.  I was excited to see Trimm, who was in the musical 13 as Patrice.  The musical number “One Boy” was my favorite number in the entire show because the girls sounded so perfect it almost didn’t seem real.  I believed the teen girls who went crazy for their teen idol, from screaming in his presence to serenading him.  “The Telephone Hour”, featuring all of the kids was one of my favorite performance numbers.  You could tell that a great deal of practice that went into coordinating something that could turn out disastrous if not done right.

Image from ?

I thought Bill Irwin as Kim’s dad was the best part of the show in terms of humor.  He was really taking his role as far as he could without making it stereotypical.  Almost everytime he was onstage, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing so hard.  I’m going to make an early prediction that he’ll get a Tony nomination for this part.

I thought that John Stamos and Gina Gershon were ok.  It didn’t occur to me until the end of the show that they were sort of the main characters/storyline, which was a little confusing since the show is called Bye Bye Birdie.

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I thought Nolan Gerard Funk was sort of ok as Conrad Birdie.  He was certainly convincing when performing in front of the crowd of teenagers.  Personally I think that if the producers were going to cast the role of a teen idol, they would go for a modern teen idol such as Zac Efron.  It would certainly give kids a reason to see the show, other than at their respective schools.

I was bothered by the end of the show.  I won’t give anything away, but there were two main plot points that weren’t wrapped up.  Also, as I said before, the fact that the Conrad Birdie storyline was secondary to the Albert Peterson/Rose Alvarez storyline almost didn’t make sense.

I would recommend this show to anyone who’s a fan of the show in general, if only to relive the musical numbers.  It would be a perfect show for families as the parents get to remember what it was like to be teenagers and their kids will get to connect with their parents when it comes to worshipping teen idols.

Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes w/intermission

Image from www.bargaintheatre.com

Rating: 4 out of 5 masks

I have no idea why anyone would see this play.  I mean, it’s not like there’s someone famous in it…

For the few people not familiar with this famous play, Hamlet is about a young prince who discovers that his mother has married his uncle upon his father’s death.  Convinced by his father’s ghost, Hamlet sets a plan to expose his father’s murderer.

My first thought when I saw the play was “Oh my god, did they keep the wall from Mary Stuart (the previous occupant of the Broadhurst Theatre)?”  Of course, once you consider that both productions came courtesy of The Donmar Warehouse, it all makes sense: the lack of scenery, the use of lighting to enhance scenes and the modern dress of the characters.  But once you look past all that, as I tried to, you’ll see something really good.

Since I was acquainted with the modern dress that most of the characters wore in Mary Stuart, I was not as distracted this time around.  Strangely, I think the choice of costumes allowed me to pay more attention to the dialogue of the play.  When you think about it, it could be mildly distracting to look at period-era costumes (or any era for that matter) while concentrating on the play because it almost turns the play into a fashion show.

I liked how they depicted the difference between scenes taking place indoors and outdoors by using a wall-behind-a-wall.  The front wall would occasionally part in the middle to reveal a space that could expand on a scene taking place outdoors or add more to a scene taking place indoors.  There were also a door on either end of the wall to help with scenes that take place in a room.  I wish I could find a picture of it, though.

My favorite scene in the play was when Hamlet staged a play to catch his uncle’s guilt. While most of the stage and the characters’ costumes were in dark hues, the characters for the play-within-a-play (”play”) and their small stage were in white.   While it seems obvious to make the “play” as detached as possible from the play itself, it almost serves as a way of creating a negative of the play that is going on.

I thought that the performances were good, especially Jude Law’s.  I thought his best acting was when Hamlet was acting erractically to throw off suspicion that he was up to something.  I was also drawn in to Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s performance as Ophelia.  I could feel her sadness when Hamlet turns her away and understand her madness when she offers the other characters herbs.

Image from www.trendhunter.com

I would recommend this show to anyone who’s likes Shakespeare.  It’s most appropriate for English and Theatre students as they can discuss the elements of the show afterwards.  Of course, it’s not appropriate for people who can’t sit through a tragedy play, especially one like this, for three hours.

Running time: 3 hours, 10 minutes with one intermission

Image from www.newyorkcitytheatre.com

Rating: 5 out of 5 masks

You will never look at Hitchcock the same way again…

The 39 Steps is about a man named Richard Hannay, who goes out in search of some excitement and gets more than he bargains for.  The play stars four actors portraying over 150 roles.

Image from www.playbill.com

There’s not much of a set, which I guess makes sense for this stage adaptation of a movie.  The most consistent part of the set is the brick wall in the background, with various objects brought in by the performers or offstage.  The lighting is what really makes this play, since it makes up for the bare stage by setting the mood of certain scenes.

The costumes were pretty good and realistic.  By combining the costumes with various props and hats, the actors were able to portray many characters.  It was probably the most entertaining part of the play, to watch the performers go in and out of costume.

Image from www.playbill.com

That doesn’t mean the acting wasn’t good.  I absolutely loved it in this play.  I found myself looking forward to what character the actors will portray next.  While I thought all the actors were amazing, I thought that the actor portraying Man #1 was the best.  He had more accents and in my opinion, drew more laughs.  All the actors did an excellent job portraying their characters with drama, yet making it appear more like a comedy.

Image from www.luxechronicles.com

If you don’t know by now, I thought this show is brilliant.  There was never a moment when my mind wandered at all.  It was good to see something that’s supposed to be a drama but be (purposely) a comedy.  I’ve seen it at the Cort and recently at the Helen Hayes, and I was glad to find out that it was pretty much the same.  It’s a play that’s more suited for a smaller stage.

I would recommend this show to teens and adults, especially the Hitchcock fans.  It’s a great show to take someone who’s never seen a Broadway show, because it’s not like anything else on Broadway.  I don’t recommend counting all the roles portrayed onstage as it will take your attention away from the performance.

Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes w/intermission

Image from www.applause-tickets.com

Rating: 4 out of 5 masks

What a way to make a living…yes, I went there.

9 to 5 tells the story of 3 female office workers (Violet, Judy and Doralee) who take revenge on their “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical” male boss by holding him hostage, unbeknownst to the rest of the company.  They then decide to enact changes to the office using his name.

Image from cityguideny.com

The sets are pretty basic: the boss’ office, the general office pool, the boss’ house, etc.  There’s nothing flashy about them, which is kinda good for a musical set in the 70s.  There’s an LED backdrop, much like Guys and Dolls, except 9 to 5 uses it more for atmosphere than part of the actual set.

I thought Megan Hilty and Stephanie J. Block were amazing.  It was a little entertaining seeing former cast members of Wicked together again.  I thought Megan was really playing up her character’s “assets” and showing a side of her character the audience wouldn’t expect.  I liked that you could see Stephanie’s character’s growth from a meek new employee to a woman with confidence.

I was surprised when I first heard that Allison Janney was going to be in a musical, especially this one.  I was impressed at how she managed to keep up with her costars.  I thought her character’s storyline, getting frustrated at watching people she trained get promoted above her, was just as realistic as everyone else’s.  However, while I’ll admit she can sing, there were times when I couldn’t hear her as sometimes the ensemble and/or the orchestra would overwhelm her voice.  It was almost like she opened her mouth and no sound came out of it.  Needless to say, I was completely surprised that she got nominated and not Megan Hilty or Stephanie J. Block.

I thought Marc Kudisch was perfect as the boss.  He exuded just the right amount of creepy as his character tried to look up Doralee’s skirt.  He had great comedic timing and you have to admire someone who spends part of the show hanging in midair.

I think the biggest surprise regarding this show is how almost all the songs didn’t sound country.  It really goes to show how talented Dolly Parton is.  I thought the songs that she wrote for each scene were really good, especially Doralee’s song “Backwoods Barbie”.

Overall, I thought this show was really good.  I would recommend this show for older teens and up because of some suggestive content.  It would be perfect for those who are fans of the movie or know what it’s like to work in an office environment and/or for a boss that they would like to exact revenge on.

Running time: 2 hours 30 mins w/intermission

Image from www.newyorkology.com

Rating: 3 out of 5 masks

One of world’s greatest musicals has been revived (yet again).

West Side Story is a modern, musical retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.  It tells the story of Tony and Maria who meet and fall in love despite their respective friends being in rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks.  I won’t give the ending away, but I heard it’s considerably different from the movie and original Broadway production.

There wasn’t much of a set that actually stayed onstage.  Set pieces such as Maria’s balcony, bedroom and the dance hall, came in from offstage or above the stage.  I thought it was a little too minimalist for me, especially since this is a musical and musicals for the most part are big in every way.  The lighting and the backdrop sort of made up for the lack of a set, though, I thought the overall look should be grittier.

I thought Josefina Scaglione was excellent.  She can really sing and I bought her portrayal of her character’s innocence towards life and love.  Matt Cavenaugh was ok, but I couldn’t buy his character’s love towards Maria.  The ensemble as a whole was very good.  One of my favorite scenes was the dance scene where you saw the ensemble interact.  You can see how they felt about each other.  I also thought the staging of “America” was original even though it took me awhile to understand which number they were performing.

Image from www.broadwayworld.com

Image from www.stageandcinema.com

I realized after I left the theatre that the dancing and singing weren’t necessarily done at the same time except for the number where the Jets make fun of the police.  It was either one or the other.  I’m not sure if it’s deliberate. 

I liked the fact that part of the dialogue was spoken and sung in Spanish.  Though I haven’t studied the language, I can actually understand what the characters were singing about.  It was helpful of the producers to include the English libretto in the program, though I’m not sure if they expect people to read in the dark while the performers were singing onstage.

Overall, I thought this show was good.  It was entertaining but I wasn’t able to emotionally connect with the show.  I did like Arthur Laurent’s take on the musical that he wrote the book for years ago.  You almost wonder what else is up his sleeve at his age.

I would recommend this show for older teens and up.  I didn’t include the younger teen set (13-15 or 16) because even though it’s a musical that everyone’s familiar with, there may be parents who wouldn’t agree with the content onstage.  I don’t remember any cursing, but parents should use their own judgment about whether or not to bring their kids.

Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes w/intermission

Image from www.applause-tickets.com

Rating: 3 out of 5 masks

Where to begin…

Mary Stuart tells the story of Mary Queen of Scots who was imprisoned by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, for 17 years, fearing that Mary would attempt to take her crown.  For those not familiar with the backstory, Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII, broke away from the Catholic Church in order to marry Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth’s mother.  For most in England at the time, Mary, a Catholic, was considered the rightful heir to the English throne.  Because of this, Elizabeth had her imprisoned for years rather than put to death immediately or worse, sent back to Scotland alive and able to make a play for the throne.

While I understand some of the dramatic license taken in the play, like the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth (they never met face to face), I found the modern costumes and some of the language distracting.  If they had kept with the period language, costume and historical facts, it would be fine just like if they went the modern, not entirely historical route.  To mix it up was distracting in that I had trouble keeping up with the play.

Image from www.applause-tickets.com

The bare set allows you to imagine the Mary’s prison and the royal courtyard.  It’s sort of minimalist in a way.  The lighting helps with figuring out where each scene takes place and used quite well for dramatic purposes.  I liked Mary’s and Elizabeth’s costumes the best, probably because they were the only ones that had any color.  While I understand that the men were wearing suits, I wished there was a way to distinguish them based on class.

 

Overall, I thought this play was ok.  Maybe I got caught up in the accuracy of the material presented, but I did manage to follow the story.  What I liked most about it was that it presented another way of viewing this particular story.  I would recommend this for all audiences, from teens and up.  While I don’t remember any foul language and it does have some historical context, it does have scenes that young children shouldn’t be exposed to.

Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes w/intermission

Image from www.applause-tickets.com

Rating: 5 out of 5 masks

A must-see for all New Yorkers.

In the Heights has music and lyrics written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and is set in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan.  It tells the story of the community over the course of three days.  You met Usnavi (you have to see the show to find out how he got that name) who runs a bodega with his cousin.  Across the street, there is a car service owned by Kevin and Camila whose daughter comes home from college, who their employee, Benny, who has a crush on.   There’s Usnavi’s abuela, who buys a lottery ticket from him every day; Carla and Daniela, who work at the beauty salon with Vanessa, Usnavi’s not-so-secret crush.

I had seen this show off-Broadway at 37 Arts and was glad that it remained mostly unchanged when it transferred to Broadway.  When I found out it was being tranferred, I jumped at the chance to see it again on Broadway.

I really liked how realistic the set looked.  It’s like you’re watching the show across the street, not onstage in a theatre.  I only wish part of the set would give way to some of the scenes that took place indoors.  It was a little distracting when they would take place onstage that the following scene would have people walking around.  I liked how the backdrop changed depending on the time of day.

I liked the music and how original it was.  It’s good to go to a musical that has a fresh take on musicals in general.  I thought the musical numbers, especially “96,000″, felt organic like the characters weren’t breaking into song.  My favorite number is the one opening “In the Heights”, which introduces all the characters.

I can’t decide which is my favorite character, but it’s not a bad thing with this show.  There were no archetypes and no one you feel you should root for/against.  It was good to just enjoy the show.

I would recommend this show for teens and up.  There’s some material that may not be appropriate for teens, but I would leave it for their parents to decide.

Running time: 2 hours, 35 minutes w/intermission

Image from www.noelcoward.com

Rating: 5 out of 5 masks

One of the funniest plays I’ve ever seen.

Written by Noel Coward, Blithe Spirit tells the story of Charles Condomine who invites a psychic to his dinner party with the intention of using the experience for his next novel.  Unfortunately for him, the psychic, played by Angela Lansbury, has just resurrected the spirit of his first wife.

I liked how the set looks like a real house.  You could tell when the play is set when they have a record player and call it a gramaphone.  I liked how tasteful the house looks, nothing ostentatious about it.  I only wish the play took place in the other rooms as well.

I really liked the costumes, especially Elvira’s.  I liked how the cloth draped around her like she was ethereal and how Christine Ebersole played it up.  It wasn’t until a character died (I won’t say who) did I realize that the white was the costume designer choice to differentiate between the characters who were alive and those who were dead.

I thought the acting was great.  It was not over the top at all, which I guess is possible with a comedy.  I paid more attention to the scenes when Elvira was around to see if the other characters acknowledged her presence and was glad when they didn’t (well, some of them anyway).  I thought Angela Lansbury’s performance was one of the best I’ve seen.  I have to say that my favorite character was the maid.  I loved how she walked around in a hurry until she was reminded to go slower and her reaction to the ghost was priceless.

Overall, I thought this play was really good.  I only wish I could hear more of the words over the laughter of the audience.  But hey, that’s not a bad complaint for a show to have.

Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes w/intermission

Image from www.theaterofthestars.com

Rating: 5 out of 5 masks

This is my most succinct review to date.

Image from www.newyorkcitytheatre.com

For anyone not familiar with the show, it features performers who make sounds with normal everyday objects from trash can lids and broomsticks to newspapers and matchboxes (no joke).

The only thing more fascinating than the range of objects used to make sounds is how the various performers use them to make the sounds.  I was transfixed by the performers’ timing and movements.  You can tell that they spent significant rehearsal time on timing so that they sound right and don’t crash into each other.

I would highly recommend this show to any and everyone.  I think it’s most appropriate for families as it’s a nice alternative to other audience-friendly shows.  It gets a little loud towards the end, so it would be helpful to have some earplugs handy.

Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes (no intermission)

Image from www.onlineticketsusa.com

Rating: 5 out of 5 masks

If you liked the movie, you’ll love this show.

For the few not familiar with the show, it’s basically a Disney take on the Shakespeare play Hamlet.  It’s about a lion cub, Simba, who can’t wait to be king, which his uncle, Scar, isn’t looking forward to since he’s now second in line.   Scar then devises a plan to get rid of both his brother and nephew which doesn’t work out as planned.

I absolutely loved the opening number to this show.  I think it’s the best beginning of a show ever.  It helps bring the audience into the show, with the performers going up the aisles in the orchestra and hanging out in the mezzanine.  The other musical numbers were just as good, especially “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King”, and “Hakuna Matata”.

The set is quite minimal actually.  The stage has an a circular platform that comes up at certain points during the show.  There’s a sort of foil sun on the backdrop that changes according to the time of day.  The rest of the sets are mostly part of the performer’s costumes to indicate the plains, water and swamp.

One of the most impressive aspects of the show were the costumes.  I liked how the performers weren’t just dressed like the characters they were portraying.  Some had masks that rested on their heads that they manipulated like puppets when they spoke.  Others were looked almost exactly like the characters in the animated movie, yet when they spoke, the characters’ mouths moved.  It’s like an animated movie onstage.

I liked how most of the musical stayed true to the movie.  It’s familiar enough that you weren’t worried about what you’re seeing and a little different to make up for the fact that it’s being performed on a Broadway stage.  There were a few scenes that I wasn’t too sure about.  They were definitely not in the movie, though that wasn’t the reason that I didn’t like them.

I would recommend this show for kids and families with young kids, with a disclaimer that it’s a little scary for the younger set.  It’s also appropriate for adults to see by themselves, as it’s not only based on an animated movie but also on an adult play.  Of all the Disney shows on Broadway, I would highly recommend this one.

Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes w/intermission