December 2013: NYC

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular

There's no better way to start off a trip to New York City in December than with a visit to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular! At Radio City Music Hall!!! The show is mostly the same as when I first saw it many years ago (the first year the 3D movie elements were introduced at Radio City) and similar to, but much larger than, the version that recently toured to St. Louis. The still amazing Rockettes are the clear highlight of the show, closely followed by the ending Gifts of the Magi sequence that includes live animals. A perfect choice for David's first time being in NYC during Christmas!

The Glass Menagerie

Except for the design, this is mostly a by-the-books production of my favorite play. The smallish set is beautiful in its simplicity, floating on and completely surrounded by a pool of water (actually some kind of goo that looks like water). When viewed before the show started, it was hard to determine how the actors would actually make their entrances (answer: from discretely placed stairs that descend below the stage under the water). While Cherry Jones and Zachary Quinto make a fine Amanda and Tom, respectively, I didn't care for the other two players, but especially the gentleman caller, whose portrayal as so eccentric that it's a wonder he isn't already part of the Winfield clan. While I prefer the radical take on the play I saw this summer by the Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. in Chicago, I do appreciate that for the most part, you won't find a better Amanda than Cherry Jones, even if I didn't like everything that she did with the role. Oh to have been able to merge these two productions (even though that still wouldn't be the Glass Menagerie that I have in mind).

 

Natash, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

This year's best theatre seemed to be off-Broadway and that definitely held true on this trip, starting with this new, completely sung through, electro-pop musical based on a portion of Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace. I was expecting complete anachronism, which seems to be the norm these days, but except for some of the music, it really isn't. Detailing the downfall of Natasha, due to a man of course, but including a large cast of interesting characters (and a large band), the action plays out around the audience, seated at tables, banquettes, and bar stools in the "club" Kazino (a large tent now situated on a parking lot in the theatre district), which offers table service with a variety of Russian treats and drinks on the menu. The imaginative staging couldn't be better, even if the story does get to be a little depressive. I actually wish the story would have gone even further since the more upbeat ending about the "comet" not only feels tacked on, but is also a story ender (as opposed to a show stopper). More Natasha and Pierre (both the characters and the show) please!

This was the year of the immersive musical and as part of what I'm dubbing the "Immersive Musical Trilogy" (which also includes Here Lives Love and Murder Ballad), Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 was another must-see event!

 

Fun Home

I wasn't a fan of The Veri**n Play, the previous Jeanine Tesori/Lisa Kron collaboration (a play with a musical finale as opposed to a full-blown musical) that played the Humana Festival in 2012, so I wasn't prepared for how utterly brilliant their new musical Fun Home would be, despite the rave reviews that led me to dump my Little Miss Sunshine tickets in order to see it once it extended (and extended...and extended!). This one packs a huge emotional wallop as Alison, an adult lesbian graphic novelist, looks back on her life, specifically at her relationship with her father, who she discovers is also gay. Three (incredible) actresses play Alison at different ages (pre-teen, college, and adult) and each expertly conveys the emotion (both good and bad) that come at those times in everyone's life. Alison though has some very specific issues, rebelling against conformity as much as a confused kid can while growing up a Funeral Home, happily discovering her true identity in college, and then dealing with a father who clearly falls off the high pedestal that she (and him) have always placed him on. Whereas the splashy, big budget, Broadway musical Big Fish, which also deals with relationships with fathers, was an utter failure, Fun Home succeeds in spades! Watching it is like watching real life, albeit with fantastic songs. Bravo to the Public Theater! The best thing I've seen all year!!!

Then She Fell

Fans of Sleep No More, Manhattan's word-of-mouth hit, have now started flocking to this smaller, but in many ways better environmental theatre piece in Brooklyn. The three-story building is completely nondescript (we walked by it 3 times with the address in hand!), but the action starts as soon as you step inside and "commit" yourself to the "asylum." Unlike the crowds at Sleep No More, only 12 audience members are admitted per show. An equal number of actors allows part of the experience to be one-on-one. Whereas the audience is given free reign at Sleep No More to explore at will, the asylum's nurses or other inhabitants (a pic of the Mad Hatter is above) alternately escort each audience member through their journey, which of course is themed around Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Each audience member's experience is unlike another's and your path is based upon where you sit in the initial intake room (after being given a glass of something to drink ala Alice). While my path never took me to the tea party room, my favorite moments did involve the Mad Hatter followed by the asylum's doctor, who did an amazing card trick with me, and the crazed Red Queen. There's no escaping the playing space in Then She Fell, but who would want to? This is one up-close and personal theatrical experience!

Waiting for Godot

Performed in repertory with Harold Pinter's No Man's Land, this new production of Samuel Beckett's  absurdist classic is about as good as it gets with its stellar cast comprised of Sir Ian McKellan, Sir Patrick Stewart, Shuler Hensley, and Billy Crudup. For me, that means I never need to see it again since it's just not my cup of tea and it can't get better than this, right? Despite the two leads doing what amounts to a pretty damn good vaudeville routine, and the two second players almost stealing the show with their odd-ball antics, it's the waiting that gets in the way. Nothing happens!!! Worth seeing only for the cast.

Good Person of Szechwan

Theatre doesn't get any better than this!!! Which I never thought I would say about a Bertold Brecht play! This production at the Public, but originating farther off-Broadway at The Foundry, is not only political, but also entertaining! Starring performance artist Taylor Mac as Shen Te, a lowly prostitute struggling to be a Good Person, this low low low budget production is fun fun fun while also holding up a mirror to society and challenging all of us to be better people. Taylor Mac is a joy to watch and delivers one of the fiercest musical performances ever near the end of the first act (this adaptation is based on the two John Willett translations, but features new music by the Lisps, who also entertain pre-show and during intermission). The rest of the excellent cast is also adept at both comedy and drama (but mostly comedy!) and includes Fun Home lyricist and librettist Lisa Kron! This one was a master class of all things Brecht and I definitely made the right choice to dump my What's It All About? tickets when this extended one more week. Awesome work all around and an excellent way to close the trip!!!