The Addams Family - First Broadway Preview Night!!

I know it's customary to wait until a show has opened before reviewing it. Luckily I am anything but customary!!

Kevin has been so excited to see this show, ever since he heard it was coming to Broadway. It was certainly something we would be seeing sooner or later, but one day as I was reading the Grey Lady, an advert popped up for The Addams Family and announced that previews would begin on March 8th. Wait. Today is March 8th!! Certainly there couldn't be any tickets left...
There were! And I snagged two of them.

First of all, the advance word from the show's out of town try out in Chicago was just miserable. So much so, that almost all the news of the show was about how it was being completely re-worked. Would we be seeing a show that had risen from the ashes of failure, or the next phenomenal flop along the lines of Carrie: the Musical? The show lies somewhere in between.

The audience certainly was eager. Some came dressed as their favorite Douglas Addams character, some just in gothic garb.

And as the curtain rose, it was apparent that the design of the show was spot on. The first image is a family portrait of the Addams Family in the family cemetery, under the requisite full moon. And the design continued to impress as the show progressed, including a front curtain that became a character, framing certain more intimate scenes, and a house full of movable staircases right out of the mind of M C Esher.

Nathan Lane is laudable as Gomez. Bebe Newirth is perfectly droll as Morticia, but she has about a six note singing range which meant all her duets with Lane were keyed so low as to make them painful.

Jackie Hoffman impressed as Grandma as she did in Xanadu. Seriously, I think you could ask Ms. Hoffman to play toilet paper and be wowed! Kevin Chamberlin is wonderfully endearing as Uncle Fester. And Adam Riegler is a joy as Wesley.

Now the bad news on the Family front. Krysta Rodriguez is horrible as Wednesday Addams. I think she is probably a fine actor and she does have some chops as a singer, but the role that is written for her is so very bad it's painful to watch. Within the first 10 minutes of the show, Wednesday is turned from the brooding daughter with an evil streak into a lovestruck confused teen. And she doesn't seem to care. Gone are the braids, the melancholy, and the dry wit. And the poor songs the creative team force her to sing sound as they were leftover from the first draft of Wicked. They don't fit into what should be a dark, brooding score. If this is the part they re-worked, they've done the show a disservice.

In fact, much of the score seems better suited to other shows. It's hard to pin down what the musical style of The Addams Family should be, but there is one clear moment when Fester reprises a tune that has the lilt of a Parisian Waltz, and in that moment I found myself saying, Yes! That's what this score should sound like.

The plot line centers on Wednesday's budding love with a "normal" boy, and the requisite meeting of the two families. Carolee Carmelo and Terrence Mann shine like the true Broadway veterans they are. In fact my favorite musical moments where when they actually let Ms. Carmello sing. She has some of the most Broadway-worthy singing moments. There is a son, too, but he's so forgettable as to have been played by any number of actors. Sorry. It's not you, it's the script.

My best forecast for this show? It might run like The Producers or Spamalot solely on the draw of its star appeal and familiar theme, but unless some major changes are made (mostly surrounding the Wednesday storyline and songs [ugh!]) it will never be a timeless Broadway hit. Go ahead. Prove me wrong. Full Disclosure!

Go see it so you can say you've seen it.
I give it 2 curtains up.

Brian

A Little Night Music - Catherine Shmatherine, It's got Angela Lansbury!!

Lots of folks will be going to the Walter Kerr Theater to see Catherine Zeta-Jones. That's all fine and dandy, but the real reason to attend is, of course Angela Lansbury!

Because of some scheduling problems, it had been three weeks since Kevin and I had been to the theater, so I was prepared to pay full price to see A Little Night Music. But just in case, I headed down to the South Street Seaport TKTS booth just to see...and, Baruch Ha's hem!! (sorry to the members of the tribe) Lo, and behold there it was!! Discounted tickets to the show we had so anxiously been waiting to see. I snatched them up (the ticket booth guys are now recognizing me) and texted Kevin to share the good news.

Now, it's a Tuesday night show. Would the understudies for either Ms. Zeta-Jones-Douglass or Ms. Lansbury be going on in their stead? It would be a long 3 hours waiting to find out. (I won't keep you waiting. We saw them both!)

This has long been one of my favorite Sondheim scores, but I've never seen a live production. So it was kind of nice to finally put all the songs I know so well into context. (Oh! That's what that song is about...) And let's be frank. It is a singer's show. The well trained voice is what is called for. Luckily all but one cast member fits that requirement. Care to guess who the "one"is?

Let's get the supporting players out of the way. Ramona Mallory is just as annoying as the role of Anne requires. Good! Alexander Hanson is a wonderfully charismatic Fredrik. Nice! Hunter Ryan Herdlicka is competent as Henrik (although he lacks the un-godly high notes that Stephen wrote for some sadistic reason). Aaron Lazar and Erin Davie are wonderful as the Count and Countess. Hooray! But...
but...
Leigh Ann Larkin steals the show as Petra. Her rendition of The Miller's Son is the best I've ever heard. Tony nod here. Plus she has such an ease on stage; commanding presence without stealing focus. Care to guess which of her co-stars does not share her ability?

A quick nod to the chorus which had some of the best singing moments in the show. And in the Greek chorus tradition, they move the plot along whilst commenting on the action.

Kudos to the costume design, but double kudos to the amazing, versatile set design. Look for a Tony nod here, too.

I want to end on a high note, so I'll dispense with Ms. Zeta-Jones-Douglass. First of all, I want to say that she is well cast as Desiree. And she does understand the character. And there are wonderful moments when all the forces onstage align into a nice dramatic moment (Send in the Clowns). But somehow I'm left wanting more. It's as if she just doesn't "get" the live stage medium. I mean for chrissakes, hold for laughter and applause please! And while I certainly do not advocate grotesque over-acting, some of her moments are played too small to fully register with the poor people in the cheap seats. (There is one good thing about the cheap seats. Ms. Zeta-Jones-Douglass does "flash" upstage in one scene, and the back of the set is made of mirrors, and I'm told she is actually nude, and that you get a good view of this from the rear of the balcony.) She is taking a break for a couple of weeks in March and April. Perhaps I'll get cheap tickets and see her understudy. The show itself is certainly worth it.

And lastly, Ms. Angela Lansbury as Madame Armfeldt. This was my first time seeing this venerable actress, this superstar, this legend of the Broadway stage in person, and I can easily say, I was not disappointed. It's just a shame her part isn't bigger! Go see her while she's still in it!

All in all, a most wonderful night out at the theater! I highly recommend this production. (I'm going to have to start using some sort of rating system- 4 curtains up?)

Go see it!!
Brian

Let the Sun Shine In - Hair, Again!!

What's the best way to spend your birthday morning??

Trying desperately to find out if, on the snowiest day of the year, a day that saw all city services canceled or shut down, your birthday matinee performance of your favorite show currently on Broadway is still going to happen.

Did you know that the direct box office phone lines for the Broadway theaters are listed nowhere!! The only number that's available anywhere is stupid Ticketmaster. So I spent most of the morning of my birthday trying to track down a source (computer and iPhone going simultaneously) that would tell me if the Broadway matinees were going ahead as planned. God bless the Broadway World iPhone app!! There it was at 11:00am. Yes, the show would go on!

Now, will any of the 7 friends I've invited to see Hair be able to brave the record snowfalls and get to the Al Hirschfeld theater on time? (I'm looking at you, lil Marc!) Yes! They all love me!!

Can I just say? If you haven't seen this production of the 60's tribal love musical, run-don't walk!! This was my second time seeing the show (Kevin's 4th, we'll talk about that crazy another time) and I am always amazed at the level of enthusiasm the cast brings to each performance. I firmly believe that they are having the time of their lives bringing each number to us.

Claude (Gavin Creel) is quite possibly the most talented young voice on the Broadway scene today! In his rendition of "I Got Life" he reaches down to his very toes (metaphorically) to wrench forth all the passion of youth that I have ever seen (told you I liked it!). We can talk about his abs at another time...

I have to give a big shout out to my favorite little Hippie, Kacie Shiek. She's a friend of a friend and I just love the performance she gives as Jeanie. So much fun!

I'm not sure if it was the snow, or the fact that it was a matinee, but we were privileged to see the understudy perform the role of Shelia. Jackie Burns is a dead ringer for that annoying chick from Glee, but nothing about this stellar voice is annoying. She belts out her numbers with all the conviction you'd expect from the young NYU activist. Great Job!!

Also in an understudy performance was Nicole Lewis as Dionne. This role has some of the most wailing numbers in the show, so I was a little worried (I've seen Sasha Allen in the role- perfection) but all fears were allayed as she competently handled "Aquarius" and "Walking in Space".

All in all a most enjoyable afternoon at the theater! Go see it. It's on TKTS every day.

Brian

Phantom of the Opera- 20 years later

Sometimes the offerings at the TKTS booth can be slim pickings, especially if you see as much theater as Kevin and I do. This was the case three weeks ago when I approached the booth at the South Street Seaport (insiders always go to this downtown booth. Never a line, and they open much earlier than the Times Square location.) I was dismayed to find that we had seen everything that was offered that day except Memphis (which we are saving for a really desperate week) and Fela! (which I'm not allowed to give any money to, due to an unfortunate feud with one of their hack dressers- yes, Broadway, I hold long grudges.)

So, we were either going to have to pay full price (something I rarely do) or see a show for the second time. Well, it had been two decades since I had seen The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and I do love a good spectacle, so there it was. We would be joining the hoards of Japanese tourists for tonight's 7:00 performance of Phantom.

Now, I was prepared to find it stale, unimpressive, and somewhat neglected. But surprisingly, it still stands up to current Broadway standards. Like I mentioned before, I hadn't seen the Broadway production since my first trip to NY with Doug and Julie, my freshman year at SMU (when we saw 7 shows in 5 days!), almost 20 years to the month. The first thing that struck me is how very little I remembered of the show; they'd start a song and I'd think, "oh yeah, I forgot that song was in this show."

Of course since we see our shows on Tuesday nights, the chances of catching an understudy's performance are greater. And wouldn't you know it, our title character was an understudy, Paul A Schaeffer. Great trained performance, if not somewhat young for the role. And he had all the ridiculous, cheesy phantom mannerisms down pat.

Christine was a bit of a disappointment. With a voice more suited to Belle from Beauty and the Beast and a milquetoast demeanor, I was left wanting more. Plus there were moments where I was unsure she knew the correct notes ("I remember there was mist/ swirling mist upon a dark something lake"). Yes it's part of the atonal bit of the show, but neatness counts.

Overall though, a satisfying night out, though not the best way to spend your money at the theater.