My take: this exhibit focusing on the last 10 years of Warhol's life offers up some work that even this not-so-casual devotee had never seen before, either in person or reproduced elsewhere (the catalog was a must buy for me even though I already have about 75 books devoted to my favorite artist!). One of the reasons they probably aren't viewed often is because some of them are so laughably ginormous in size. It only runs through 9/12 (sorry, Shahrdad!). The Brooklyn Museum of Art is a nice museum otherwise and also currently features work by Abdi from Bravo's Work of Art (better in person then on TV).
Next To Normal with Marin Mazzie
My take: N2N has a new cast (4 of the 6 at least) that almost makes it feel like a different musical. While Alice Ripley's Diana came off as totally insane, Marin Mazzie's comes off as sick. While none of the replacements can match the voca...l prowess of the original players led by Ripley's intense, piercing voice, they are excellent in the musical's quieter moments. Mazzie's scene leading up to "I Dreamed a Dance" is devastating. Miraculously the new cast makes the ending feel more upbeat, with Diana (and the audience) hopeful that she's on the right path to recovery, and the last song feels much less out of place. While I cared more about the new Diana, I'm still looking forward to seeing that nut bag Alice Ripley's take one last time when she comes to STL with the tour in April!
Fuerza Bruta
My take: words can't describe this long-running Off-Broadway art piece so watch the videos (which surprisingly were allowed in the theatre). While the show is plotless, any pics/vids should be considered SPOILERS for the inventive theatrics on display.
Alice Ripley in concert
My take: a hot box of crazy (Alice Ripley) in a hot box (the Backstage Dopo Teatro)! This was one of the most bizarre cabaret shows I've ever experienced. It was the third of 3 sold-out shows and it started over an hour late ("she's not even here yet," "she's parking right now"). When she finally arrived, wearing a white, cable-knit, sweater mini-dress, it was just Alice and her guitar, singing songs ranging from Talking Heads to the Police to Beck to Bruce Springsteen to Alanis Morissette to her own compositions (I swear at one point I think she was singing about PF Chang's). The minuscule space was filled with rabid female fans, whom she all knew by name ("Achuu!" in the audience was followed by "God bless you, Jessica. How is your cold?" from Alice). It was all so very weird. At times I didn't want to be anywhere else in the world and was so glad that I was there to witness all the craziness, but at other times I wished I could light the place on fire so I could get out of there (knowing full well I would probably be stampeded in the jam-packed fire-hazard of a club). Oh well, I still can't wait to see her royal craziness again in April!
A Little Night Music
My take: the last time I saw Bernadette Peters was when the bitch sat behind me at Lincoln Center's South Pacific and talked throughout the entire overture. She has definitely redeemed herself in my book now that she has taken over for Catherine Zeta Jones as Desiree. While I loved CZJ in this back when it first opened (and before she was coked out later in the run and on the Tony Awards), Bernadette just does so much more with the role. A true musical comedienne, she makes Desiree fun and funny in addition to desperate and determined, which makes her "Send in the Clowns" all that more heartbreaking. Both Bernadette and Elaine Stritch, the other new addition to the cast, add a lot of business that isn't in the script and most of the time (but not all) it works well, especially Bernadette's in the "You Must Meet My Wife" scene. Elaine still doesn't have her lines down, which made watching her uncomfortable, but she covers really well and her "Liaisons" (and "liaisins") is musical theatre heaven. Her Madame Armfeldt also clearly loves and wants the best for her daughter, which hasn't come across for me with other actresses. While the set pieces are unnecessarily few (get them a f**king dining room table already!), this remains a beautifully staged production.
Our Town
My take: I had been resisting seeing this production since the play isn't one of my favorites, but after David Cromer returned as the Stage Manager in the run's final weeks I figured it was now or never. I'm glad I did because the staging (especially of the last act) is so brilliant. WOW!
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