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New York City: The Broadway Experience

In the five days I was in New York I managed to squeeze in six shows…ok, the term “squeeze in” is perhaps a bit of an understatement, one of the main reasons for going to New York was to see half-a-dozen Broadway shows. I had already seen Wicked (twice), and Legally Blonde: The Musical, so I chose a bunch of new productions (or revivals of older productions) to fill up my week.  I happened to alight on the Great White Way the week before the Tony Awards, and the buzz surrounding all the shows nominated was intoxicating.  The Tony’s have been handed out, the critics have already written their opinions, but I thought I’d throw in my two cents on these productions as well.

Sunday in the Park with George:  This musical was originally written in 1984 and won a Pulitzer in 1985.  A Pulitzer, people, that’s incredible.  This play tells the story of George Seurat and his life surrounding the completion of the masterpiece A Sunday Afternoon on the Island La Grande Jatte, the premier pointillist painting in the world.  George’s painting is scoffed at by critics and damned because no one has ever done this type of painting before.  However, his brilliance lies in the fact that his painting style was something new, different, and completely unique.  George is so obsessed with his painting he abandons his relationships; with his mother, his lover, and eventually his newborn child. In the second act it is stated that the only things anyone can leave behind are children and art.  I thought a lot about that statement, I don’t have children, and I am not a conventional artist.  But I like to think that, in my own way, my Internet scribblings are the beginning bits of my own masterpiece.  I absolutely loved this play, I would see it again in a heartbeat.  Official Site.

A Chorus Line: Headlined by Mario Lopez, whose major claim to fame is still his years on Saved by the Bell. Long recognized as The Musical for aspiring actors/actresses, I was considerably less impressed than I expected.  The dancing was incredible, the singing was fantastic, but the energy was practically non-existent and the main lead female was unremarkable to me in every way.  In fact, the monologue by the character Paul where he speaks frankly and honestly to the “audience” about his struggle to become an actor and the heart-wrenching reaction from his parents was the only redeeming part of this entire experience.  Even watching Mario Lopez dance–and goodness, can he dance!–didn’t really salvage Chorus Line for me.  Overall, very average.  Official Site.

August: Osage County: Recent winner of 5 Tony Awards including Best Play, Best Actress (Deanna Dunagan), and Best Featured Actress (Rondi Reed).  After the disappearance of their patriarch, the Weston clan gathers at the family home in Oklahoma for “support”, in quote-marks because I’m not sure if a group of dysfunctional individuals can truly offer any kind of real support to other dysfunctional people.  The dynamics of this family are shocking, spiteful, tough-loving, sometimes playful and mostly twisted.  In short, it is easy for most people to identify with some or all of these characters.  The relationships in this play are the guts that hold it together as the matriarch spirals downward, taking her family with her.  The script is brilliant, complex, unexpected and did I mention, brilliant?  I want to read this play again, because I somehow feel like I only grasped about half of the meaning.  August: Osage County ranks as my favorite play from my New York adventure.  Official Site.

Mary Poppins:  Firstly, this only partially resembles the beloved Disney movie, only about half the songs from the film made it into the play and there are several new ones that have been added.  I had kind of a love-hate relationship with this show, the parts I liked I absolutely loved (Mary Poppins herself, the special effects, the tap-dancing chimney sweeps with Bert as their leader), but the rest of it I really didn’t like much at all.  The creepy toys coming to life to teach the Banks children a lesson on being nice will probably surface in my nightmares for years to come; ditto with the Evil Nanny and her bottle of brimstone.  Shudder.  I don’t want to spoil my two favorite special effect bits for you.  Mary Poppins the Musical is far darker than the Julie Andrews classic, and I will most likely not be wanting to see this Disney show again.  Official Site.

Altar Boyz:  Funny, light-hearted and fluffy, Altar Boyz is the story of a Christian boy band from Ohio on the last night of their tour.  Matt, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham (who is actually Jewish), sing and dance their way into 90 minutes of entertainment, but I left the theatre wishing that I had seen something considerably more thought-provoking.  Shrug, win some and lose some I suppose.  Official Site.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof:  Set in the South during the 50′s and originally about a rich white family, the newest Broadway reincarnation has an all black cast with powerhouse leads James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad (hello, Mrs. Cosby).  Terrence Howard makes his Broadway debut opposite Anika Noni Rose.  The acting in this classic by Tennessee Williams (made into a movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman) was phenomenal, the story is transcending–a family coming together to support Big Daddy (Mr. Jones) and Big Mamma (Rashad) as they come to terms with the fact that he has cancer and is quickly dying.  My only problem with this play was the audience, and it was a BIG problem.  They were completely disrespectful with cell-phones going off, blue screens lighting up to read and send text messages, and full on conversations while the play was being performed.  The audience giggled like junior high school kids whenever anyone swore, or made any kind of innuendo.  During the dramatic moments of intense emotion the audience laughed like they were watching a sit-com.  I was so frustrated with this whole experience, and I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be for the actors on-stage to continue with their craft while the audience is clearly not paying attention and ruining the atmosphere.  Official Site.

Next on my New York Agenda: Central Park and BlogGirl Meet-ups

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