May 2014: NYC

If/Then, Broadway

This new musical was a great way to start off the trip. I'm so glad though that I already knew about its construct, with two different story lines based on a single decision made by the main character, Elizabeth, at the start of the show, because I fear much of the audience was totally confused (even I was a little bit!). I didn't realize just how rapidly the stories would jump from one to the other (e.g. LIZ goes to bed with one guy while BETH wakes up with another in the same song). It's dizzying! Unfortunately, I liked one of the story lines more than the other and for a while the show seemed to be hammering a love-vs-career, you-can-only-have-one theme. BUT, I loved how things came together at the end with the two journeys basically becoming circular and starting over (but in a different order) with the audience realizing that nothing plot-wise was really lost. While not as great as the creators' previous effort, the brilliant Next To Normal, it's still a worthy effort and I look forward to the cast recording because there is no one right now as thrilling vocally as Idina Menzel! Brava Adele Nazeem!!!

Bullets Over Broadway, Broadway

On paper, this seemed like it would be a great movie-to-musical adaption! Unfortunately, few of the jokes land and the cast is wildly uneven with Scrubs’ Zac Braff faring the worst. His performance is so one-note manic (in a Matthew Broderick-Producers vein) from start to finish that there’s no rooting for him to succeed. Helene York comes off the best in the Jennifer Tilly role and her “I Want a Hot Dog for My Bun” number is a hoot. The score consists of “standards” though few are recognizable (“Ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do” is one exception). This one is utterly forgettable with a completely nonsensical finale that has the audience thinking WTF. Serious, WTF!

The 2014 Biennial at the Whitney Museum

This review of the current art world is hit or miss for me, but definitely has something for everyone. I was most captivated by two installations (my favorite thing these days it seems). The main stairwell was taken over by Charlemagne Palestine with creepy stuffed animals sitting atop speakers playing eerie music (see the above video). Another room turned into a demented sex den by Bjarne Melgaard was a lot of fun as well (sorry no pics). Regardless of the art, it was nice to visit the Whitney one last time in its current location on the Upper East Side (I love the lamp ceiling in the lobby shown in the pic above!) before it moves to the High Line in Chelsea.

Of Mice and Men, Broadway

While by-the-books, this production starring James Franco and Chris O'Dowd is pretty terrific, mainly because O'Dowd’s Lenny is so watchable and lovable that it’s easy to see why George looks after him. It’s not a stagey production (there's little blocking), but the actors make the most of their roles. If Steinbeck's own adaptation does little to make the material theatrical, Of Mice and Men on stage probably doesn’t get better than this.

Cabaret, Broadway

I had seen and loved the previous version of this rivisal on tour (with the outstanding Joely Fisher) and then on Broadway (with the just-okay Debbie Gibson and the decent Neil Patrick Harris), but was still blown away by Alan Cumming as the Emcee in a can't-take-your-eyes-off-him performance. Charisma to spare, Cumming makes this role as much his own as Joel Grey did (thankfully I got to see Grey as the Emcee in the Hal Prince revival that toured in the late 1980s). Unfortunately, the same praise cannot be lauded on Michelle Williams as Sally Bowles. Strung out and "lost" from the beginning, the audience never gets to see any of the spark that would make Cliff fall for her (or even put up with any of her antics for a single second). Their dynamic is really strange with Cliff coming off as a total bully no better than the club owner who throws her out on the street at the beginning. This production is Cumming's show and it's worth it for that alone!

Gaugin: Metamorphoses and Lygia Clark: The Abandonment of Art at MoMA

I had opposite expectations of these two exhibits and my satisfaction by each was totally against those expectations. The Gaugin exhibit focuses on the time he spent in the Pacific islands, but includes none of his large-scale, colorful canvases depicting the native life there. Instead, the bulk of the work is monochromatic prints, basically black and white studies for the colorful works currently on view elsewhere. A big disappointment.

Lygia Clark was a Brazilian artist I knew absolutely nothing about. Her work is rather diverse, ranging from abstract painting and sculpture to more conceptual pieces, many of which put everyday objects in a new light. Most successful are her "sensorial objects," which include masks that alter sight, smell, and sound; "books" composed of tactile objects like seashells; and even simpler items like a stone atop a partially filled plastic bag, which the viewer is intended to manipulate at will (this is a lot more enjoyable then one would think!). These tactile experiences are nicely presented by MoMA though I'm glad we saw the exhibit during a members-only preview before the public had the opportunity to spoil/soil them. Very interesting stuff.

The Threepenny Opera, Atlantic Theater Co., Off-Broadway

I'm still not sure what to make of this Kurt Weill-Bertolt Brecht "masterpiece" and this production helmed by famed director/choreographer Martha Clarke with its very talented cast (including F. Murray Abraham, Laura Osnes, Mary Beth Peil, the ageless Sally Murphy, and performance artist John Kelly) didn't help matters in the least. I'm not sure if it's the traditionally-used Marc Bliztstein adaptation or the too-serious, not-Brechtian-at-all-in-my-mind take on the story that rubs me the wrong way. I really think most of this story needs to be played more tongue-in-cheek (with at least some laughs!) in order to fit in with the almost ludicrous finale. I was hoping for something along the lines of last year's triumphant production of Brecht's Good Person Of Szechwan by The Foundry/Public Theatre, but this was just bad.

Here Lies Love, Off-Broadway, Commercial Run

Here Lies Love is back (with the same fierce cast!) and is as brilliant as ever!!! It's pretty much the same as it was last year (as far as I can remember since neither of my Playbills lists the songs) though I suspect there have been tweaks here and there. The David Byrne/Fatboy Slim soundtrack (appropriate use of the word since there's no live music) is as infectious as ever and the Anne-B Parson choreography/Alex Timbers staging is still must-see-it-to-believe-it imaginative. Who would have thought that an environmental musical about Imelda Marcos could be so much fun?!? Comparisons to Evita are inevitable, but I love, love, love this show!!! It would be interesting to see how this show would play in a proscenium theater, but this thrilling production in my mind should run forever so we'll probably never know. ;)

Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Broadway

I'm a huge fan of the movie version of Hedwig (my first exposure to the material), but not the greatest fan of the stage version (the original cast of which I've seen thanks to a professionally shot "bootleg") so I wasn't prepared for just how blown away I was by her big Broadway debut. It's easily the best musical currently on the Great White Way thanks to the fearless performance of Neil Patrick Harris (who knew he had this in him?!?). He completely owns the role and the stage, but so does Lena Hall as Yitzhak in a much different take on her character. The updates are perfect as is the set left over from the musical version of The Hurt Locker (make sure to pick up one of the discarded Playbills for this flop when you take your seat!). Wow! Just wow!!!

Italian Futurism at the Guggenheim Museum

Believe it or not this was my first visit to the Guggenheim! While the current exhibit on Italian Futurism (aka cubism with circles) has a perfect home in the Guggenheim, the futuristic museum itself is the real star here. The Frank Lloyd Wright building is a masterpiece of architecture and I spent more time investigating its nooks and crannies than I did exploring the exhibit. Unique in so many ways, the Guggenheim is breathtaking from very angle inside and out. I'll definitely be back!

A Raisin in the Sun, Broadway

So, yes, Denzel Washington is too old to play Walter Younger, but that doesn't stop this from being a red-hot revival of a great play! Not only is Denzel outstanding (and rather spry bouncing around the stage), but so are the women playing alongside him: Sophie Okonedo (wow, is she good!), Anika Noni Rose, and LaTanya Richardson Jackson (Samuel's wife and a last minute replacement for Diahann Carroll). And, seen in a minor role is actor/director David Cromer (of Our Town fame)! Bravo to director Kenny Leon for outstanding work that makes this classic feel fresh and new. Star-studded revivals don't get much better then this!!

Heathers, Off-Broadway

Imagine that, yet another movie turned into a stage musical. This time it's a cult classic and a pretty straight forward adaptation with all of the great lines from the movie repeated, mainly in the dialogue. The songs aren't bad either, but the staging is so uninteresting that it really casts a pall over the whole thing. This one should quickly find itself in theaters across the country, but hopefully in more imaginative outings.