February 2015: NYC

The Forever Now at MoMA

This exhibit of contemporary paintings (by multiple artists) that are supposed to be “atemporal” or ahistorical didn’t impress. Stripped of context, not much remains that is as interesting as such work in the past. This viewer needs to see contemporary art reflective of the time it was produced. Lacking the filters I have when I look at previous art movements, this stuff comes up empty for me. I may feel differently over time when looking at each individual artist’s collective work, but as presented here, it didn’t add up to much.

 

On the Town

I’ve been waiting to see this musical for what seems like forever. And I feel that it will never get better than in this full-scale revival in Broadway’s largest theatre, now called the Lyric. While the show doesn’t get swallowed up in this barn, it does come off as so old-fashioned as to be completely stale. Its construction is book scene, song, ballet, repeat. It gets to be so routine that it borders on boring. Still, the all-singing, nearly all-dancing cast is terrific, lead by Tony Yazbeck in a role that he couldn’t be more perfect for.

Disgraced on Broadway 

This Pulitzer-prize winning play held more promise on paper than it did in the theater, at least in its Broadway production. While acclaimed off-Broadway with a mostly different cast, the Broadway incarnation (featuring a cast of newcomers, one holdover from off-Broadway, and two members of the London cast) came off undercooked. The theme and plot concerns the identity of Muslim-Americans with the play’s highlights being the politically charged dialogue that surrounds a dinner party attended by people from very different religious backgrounds. The plot and ending though leave a little (or lot to some) to be desired. 

Hedwig and the Angry Inch with John Cameron Mitchell Michael C. Hall!

The whole purpose of this “extra” trip to NYC was to see John Cameron Mitchell in the role that he not only created, but was born to play. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury shortly into his run and took off the week we were to attend to have surgery. Lucky for us, Michael C. Hall came back to cover the week! Hall is one of the Hedwigs (the first?) that played a traditional schedule, meaning no Saturday late night shows for us to squeeze him in back in December. While Neil Patrick Harris’s Hedwig was definitely based on the waifish John Cameron Mitchell model, Michael C. Hall’s was an entirely different, much buffer creature altogether. His Hedwig also came off much more fun, if not quite happy, with the ending being more optimistic than ever before. So glad to see an alternate take on the role!!!

Into the Woods off-Broadway

Sondheim is becoming a modern day Shakespeare with so many different approaches taken to his material ala the Bard that each new production is never the same show twice. This one by Fiasco Theater started at the McCarter Theater Center in Princeton, NJ, but came to off-Broadway thanks to the Roundabout Theater Company. This production was as about as stripped down as you could get with the smallish cast taking on multiple roles and doubling as the band. All of the cast members were on stage the entire show, jumping in and out of roles as breakneck speed. The staging was creative (to a fault?) with very imaginative use of props. While probably not the best production for newcomers, this was an excellent way to revisit a show I’ve seen multiple times.