I am an unapologetic fan of social media. I know it comes laden with some caustic social downsides, but it is a powerful tool. A medium so powerful in fact, it can breathe a minor player of a musical back into existence with every tag, share, stream, and post. Such is the story behind Be More Chill…
Recently I had the pleasure of seeing the great Janet McTeer take on the role of the wildly eccentric Sarah Bernhardt (a celebrated French actress of the late 1800s/early 1900s) taking on the mythically proportioned role of Hamlet in her own self commissioned work…
Does growing up mean you have to stop doing the things that make you happy? Are there no happy moments to be found while “adult-ing”? Everyone remembers the things they loved to do when they were young, had no real responsibilities and lots of time to pursue whatever floated their boats, right? But are those pursuits able to translate into a career? What are the sacrifices one should and shouldn’t have to make when becoming an adult? These questions are at the heart of the show Gettin’ the Band Back Together.
I like to think of myself as a treasure trove for tips on Broadway shows. Well maybe not a treasure trove, but certainly an unkempt drawer of Playbills…
A musical featuring music from an all girl 80’s rock band, set in 16th Century Ancient Arcadia, exploring age old sexual, gender, appearance, power, and identity issues from multiple perspectives via a love hectagon using carefully and beautifully articulated prose all in one kicky, winsome, bold, intelligent, clever, topical and frothy fun show… I give you Head over Heels on Broadway…
Last night over dinner, before the Tony’s (my Super Bowl), my husband made a casual, but valid, query. He wondered out loud why this awards show receives prime time coverage when the Broadway audience is on the narrow side. I cocked my head a bit and gave some garbled answer as to the importance of bringing the theatrical arts into the living rooms of America, but I was off the mark, way off the mark, with my answer….
As an overseer of group sales for Broadway shows, I have begun to observe a pattern. On the day of the show I hear from AT LEAST 2 or 3 people that “something has come up” and they are sorry to report but they just CANNOT make the show that night….
The group on stage at the Iceman Cometh led me to contemplate what it means when I say “Grab Your Group and GO”. The characters in this Eugene O’Neill play represent the antithesis of grabbing your group and going. This is a group that gathers and stays and waits…
Regina George (aka Taylor Louderman) can sing. And rock a fat suit. And command a stage. And she can be really, really mean, which was her job as head Plastic. I loved her. I loved her honesty, her fearless nature and her confidence. And when her sound system went kaput towards the end of the show I loved her even more…
Carousel landed firmly on my radar when I learned that Jessie Mueller and Renee Fleming were headlining the show. This is the third time the theater group has gathered to see the always enchanting Jessie Mueller. We saw her first in Beautiful in February of 2015 and again in Waitress in April 2016 where she handily debuted both roles. Once Ms. Mueller was coupled with the serious singing chops of opera phenom Renee Fleming, I knew the show was a safe bet. While these outsize talents did not disappoint it is the dancing and the lighting that are my two reasons for highly recommending this show….