Review: American Idiot

An assault on the senses.

That's my best summary for American Idiot, based on songs and book written by rock band Green Day.

A stage-to-rafters media wall is the backdrop, constantly moving with images on televisions built within it and additional graphics projected onto it. If that wasn't enough, strobe lights are used at some points. Given its dominating size, it's hard to ignore. Besides, the images and graphics give context to the story and what's happening with the actors as they perform, so you have a reason to pay attention.

Musically, it's loud and the cast blasts out the songs at full throttle.

The show was nominated for Best Musical at the 2010 Tony Awards. It won Tony's for Best Scenic Design for a Musical, and Best Lighting Design for a Musical. The cast has no stars that I knew but I was familiar with the many Green Day songs that are featured.

Here's a clip from the Tony Awards show as the cast sings the show's opening number. They are introduced by Green Day's front man Billie Joe Armstrong.



Billed as a "rock opera," American Idiot reminds me of Rent where there is no dialog — everything is sung. Also like Rent, I had a hard time following the story because the words could be difficult to understand. Add in the acting/dancing and visuals, and there's too much to comprehend. I didn't fully appreciate Rent until I saw it the second time. Perhaps that would be the same for this show, too.

The story follows three friends whose lives lead them on very divergent journeys. One becomes a father, the next a heroin addict, and the last a soldier. There's lots of symbolism going on; this isn't a story that is spoon fed to the audience.

I recommend the show if you are an enthusiastic fan of Green Day, Rent, or high-energy rock performances. Weekend ticket prices range from $49.00 to $122.00. This is currently a popular new show so availability at TKTS isn't a guarantee. I suspect that discounts are minimal even if tickets are available. If you're visiting from out of town, pay the extra and guarantee your attendance. The show ran about 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.

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American Idiot is now playing at the St. James Theatre on 44th between 7th and 8th Avenues. The theater seems small even though it has a capacity of over 1,700. For this performance, I don't think there is a bad seat in the house. We had a wonderful view from the third row in the mezzanine. I saw Barnum here way back in 1980 on a school trip!

The famous John's Pizza restaurant, fashioned in an old church, is right next door. Really good food, well priced, and the location was great being 20 steps from the theater's front doors. I had the Italiano panini sandwich (chicken breast, tomato, mozzarella, pesto) that came with a baby greens salad dressed in vinaigrette for $10. Six of us ate a combination of (two) pizzas and entrees with a split of Chianti for $100 including tip. Our waitress was efficient and personable. I'm always impressed when someone can take meal orders for a group of people, never write any of it down, and have it all arrive correctly.

Review: Hair

Here's a catch-up post about 6 months late. I gotta get these photos off my computer's desktop and be done with it since I saw this during Pride in NYC back in June!

Let, the sun shine. Let, the sunshine in. The sun, shine in.

I don't have a whole lot to say about Hair. Perhaps taking the hippie/Vietnam war era story out of its time and plunking it down in 2009 may have been what lacked in translation for me. If the audience were immersed in that part of U.S. history where Walter Cronkite was recounting the dead body tallies coming back from the war; there was a draft that terrified young men; violent protests; the increased availability of recreational drugs; and the major cultural shift of the sexual revolution brought on by the birth control pill, I can see where the first run of this show could have been transformational.

As it was, except for the opening (Aquarius) and closing (Let The Sun Shine In) numbers, I found the whole thing a bit bland. In fact, if I'd listened to those two songs for an hour I'd have been happier. Then again, I thoroughly enjoyed 9 to 5: The Musical on the same trip and that's already closed, so what do I know?

What was controversial at the time it originally hit Broadway — everyone on stage appearing nude — was a yawn. I can see nudity at any time if I'd only open half the junk email I get every day. With porn being available with a click and a few key strokes (ahem), I can see all the pimple-butted amateurs I can stomach.

If you decide to join the cast onstage at the end of the performance, make sure you take your personal things with you. All rows exit to the right directly onto the 45th St sidewalk so anything left behind will be trampled by the remainder of the audience.

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The show is playing at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, formerly the Martin Back theater, located at 8th Ave and 45th St. The theater seats 1,437 people. All seats are pretty close to the stage with minimal sight line issues only for those in seats on the far left and right aisles.

The theatre was built in 1924. It's nice and clean with easy and quick access although the lobby is small and cramped before the show.

Review: 9 to 5: The Musical

Three words: Loved. This. Show.

If you've seen the movie, then you already know the plot of 9 to 5: The Musical. The story stays pretty true, except how they tie things up at the end, and all of the most recognizable lines in the film have been preserved here in the play's dialogue.

I don't think I can say enough wonderful things about the new songs penned by Dolly Parton. The show starts off with the familiar 9 to 5, and then it is an all new score of 18 songs from there. I was a little leery, but each song was really good on its own and did a great job of sticking to the story and moving it forward. The melodies are catchy and lyrics witty.

Alison Janny, who plays the role of Violet originated by Lily Tomlin, is the headliner and star. Her singing skills are a bit lacking, more of talking in tune with the music rather than singing, but the ensemble frequently joins in and gives her ample cover.

Megan Hilty, a veteran of Wicked in the role of Glenda, plays the role originated by Dolly Parton to the hilt. She's got the southern twang down and adds her own spin that gets the audience laughing.

I'm going to call out Jeremy Davis from the ensemble. In a non-speaking role, he always looked like he was playing to the audience and having the time of his life up there performing on stage. I found myself watching him during the clever song and dance segues between scenes.

My main criticism is going to seem a bit sophomoric — Marc Kudisch, who plays the part of Mr. Hart orginated by Dabney Coleman, is extremely bow legged! I mean, distractingly bow legged. That's all I have to say about that.

I highly recommend the show for a fantastic night on the town. Ticket prices have gone up in the past year with best seats going for $127 of which I paid $78 (40% off + commission) at the TKTS booth.

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The show is playing at the Marquis Theatre on the mezzanine level of the Marriott Marquis Hotel located at Broadway and 45th. The theater is deceptively big, seating almost 1,600 patrons, but seems quite a bit smaller. All seats are pretty close to the stage with minimal sight line issues only for those in seats on the far left and right aisles.

The theatre was built in 1986. I saw The Drowsy Chaperone there in 2007 and went there in 1993 to see Broadway star Bernadette Peters and Martin Short in The Goodbye Girl. It's nice and clean with easy and quick access.

August: Osage County in May: New York City

August: Osage County is generating some serious heat on Broadway. Literally and figuratively. The title comes from the setting...it is the hot and humid month of August in Osage County, Oklahoma. After the first of three acts, the person seated next to me and I both commented that we were feeling hot and stuffy. That was from the actors conveying the oppressive heat because the theater was a nice cool temperature.

I was able to get a ticket for half price at TKTS. I thought that was pretty good considering it was a Saturday evening performance. Like Gypsy, the play is up for seven Tony Awards this year: Best Play (Tracy Letts), Play Leading Actress (Deanna Dunagan), Play Leading Actress (Amy Morton), Play Featured Actress (Rondi Reed), Play Direction, Play Scenic Design, and Play Lighting Design. That, and the fact that the couple in front of me in line at TKTS recommended it, is why I decided to go.

First things first. This is a play, not a musical. You won't leave the theater humming your favorite song. The subject matter and language is strictly for adults and not appropriate for minors. Next is that the show is 3.5 hours split into three acts with two 10 minute intermissions. Double check your tickets for the start time — I understand that it is 7:30 during the week. Except for the first 10 minutes that set up the show, the play moves quickly so the length isn't an issue.

There are a lot of laugh out loud scenes mixed in amongst the explosive fights. The play is a dark comedy built around the dysfunctional Weston family when the entire clan descends upon the homestead after the family patriarch vanishes. It's a recipe for disaster as the mom, in a fog from abusing her prescription meds, butts heads with her three daughters. They're all hiding secrets that come bursting to the fore as old family resentments, manipulations, and sibling rivalries collide with new problems within the extended family. As the story unfolds, the secrets become bigger and, frankly, more unbelievable.

The best part of the show is the acting. The only name in the cast that I recognized was Brian Kerwin. The others put in extremely strong performances (see the Tony nominees above) that are compelling and believable even if the material isn't. The plot is a stretch and I was surprised to learn it wasn't lifted from All My Children!

I thought it was pretty good but would recommend you see others before this one. Little David, on the other hand, knows a lot more about theater than I do and he loved it.

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I was explaining the show to my neighbor. She said if I paid her $50, I could witness live theater "on stage" by going over to her house around dinner time. Heck, she said she'd throw in the meal for free!

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The show is playing at the Music Box Theater. The play's stage setting never changed. It was the inside of the family's house, with a three level house at the back (providing eye level experiences for those seated in the balcony as I was), and three rooms at the front of the stage denoted by different flooring and furniture. At times, it was difficult to hear the actors — I don't know if that can be attributed to the theater, the sound design, or the actors themselves.
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Don't Be Afraid To Laugh At Gypsy

On my most recent trip to New York City, I was able to take in a performance of Gypsy starring Patty LuPone. The show is a hot ticket and I felt fortunate to get one for half price at TKTS. It's up for seven Tony Awards this year: Revival of a Musical, Musical Leading Actress (Patti LuPone), Musical Featured Actor (Boyd Gaines), Musical Featured Actress (Laura Benanti), Musical Direction, Musical Costume Design, and Musical Sound Design.

I was a bit confused on the cast. When I saw that Boyd Gaines was co-starring, I had him confused with Davis Gaines, who played the phantom in Phantom of the Opera when I saw it at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles in the early 1990s. When I was reading his credits in the Playbill, I couldn't figure out why Porky's was listed. Then I figured out it was Boyd Gaines, not Davis, and he played the young high school coach in the movie. He's the one who banged Lassie (Kim Cattrall) up in the locker room.

But I digress.

Gypsy is a story based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee. It stars Patti LuPone as Rose, a hard-driving stage mom hell bent on making her daughter June a star. Rose seems to be trying to fulfill a lifelong dream of her own through the lives of her children while making money to feed the family.

Rose puts together a stage show to highlight her oh-so-talented June. Louise, the no-talent daughter, takes a minor role in the show. As it turns out, the only thing worse than the talent exhibited by June and Louise is the show itself.

I knew nothing of the show before I entered the theater other than it is a very popular show that is revived on Broadway every couple of years. I wish I had known it was a comedy...by the time I figured it out, I was at a point that I couldn't contain my laughter and just had to blurt it out.

From the beginning, it was a case of me rooting for the underdog. The poor child actors, performing that awful skit in an awful way, just had my heart aching for them. It was embarrassing, and I just wanted those kids to do so well, yet I wanted to laugh it was just so bad. If I had known it was supposed to be bad and that I wouldn't be hurting their feelings by laughing, I could have busted a gut guilt-free. The children, in their terribleness, were quite wonderful!

Well, the "talented" daughter hits the road and the "untalented" daughter has to take over and become the star. She eventually finds her way in the biz and it is Louise that takes the stage name "Gypsy Rose Lee."

Patti LuPone turns in a great performance and belts out incredible numbers, including "Everything's Coming Up Roses."

I really enjoyed it, highly recommend it, and don't be afraid to laugh!

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The show is playing at the St. James Theater. The place is pretty old-school — medium in size, good sound, and great sight lines.

It was in the St. James that I saw my first show on Broadway. Back in 1980, we took a high school bus trip to see Barnum. As I recall, the show was lackluster, and the thing I remember about the show were these huge elephant legs that "walked" across the stage.

Review: The Drowsy Chaperone

My first choice for my Saturday matinee performance was Spring Awakening. After just sweeping the Tony's, it came as no surprise that no tickets were available at a discount. I was disappointed but, alas, such is the life of a bargain hunter.

Instead, I decided to see The Drowsy Chaperone. It won quite a few awards just a short time ago and turned out to be an excellent choice!

I had seen cast interviews, watched songs performed on television, and heard bits and pieces along the way. The show was nothing like what I expected.

Here's what I thought the show was about: A pathetically depressed shut-in who rambles through his old record collection playing parts of his favorite shows and waxing nostalgic about the good ol' days.

Here's what it's really about: A theatre buff with an extensive collection of Broadway show cast recordings has such an active imagination that he can immerse himself in the story just by listening to the music. He selects only one, a 1920's musical called The Drowsy Chaperone, and pops it on the record player. Playing an LP on a stereo vs a CD is also used to great effect. The play's name is quite inconsequential. It refers to the "drowsy chaperone" character assigned to watch over the bride so she doesn't see the groom before their wedding. Her penchant for booze makes her sleepy which is all of the time.

The show then comes to life in his small apartment while he explains the story, the characters, critiques the plot, and even gives us some background on the actors who starred in its original run. He's very animated and his delight in the hokey and otherwise forgettable The Drowsy Chaperone draws us in.

Since this show has been running quite a while, many of the leads have changed to new faces. The ones I recognized were Joanne Worley as the ditzy elderly woman who has taken over for Georgia Engel who originated the part. She didn't give us any of her trademark Laugh-In warbling. Her character is paired with a servant and they have a great scene together involving him asking her if she'd, "like some iiiiicccccceeee water?" Those who've seen the show will immediately know what I'm talking about...I won't spoil it for those that haven't.

Jason Kravitz (the spunky D.A. from TV's The Practice) appears with his real life brother Garth as the fast-talking, pun-laden, baker-disguised gangster brothers.

Of all the performances, the one that I have to give special praise to is Danny Burnstein who plays Aldolpho the latin lover. The part allows him to play it WAY over the top, and that he does, providing most of the laugh-out-loud comedic moments.

The concept of a show within a show is nothing new, but I was pleased with how this was staged. I wonder if the producers have considered a sequel? It would be very easy to develop an entirely new performance contained in the same setting with our familiar moderator. This concept could have legs!

I definitely recommend this show.

[ Here's a shot of Times Square taken from the crosswalk of 50th Street looking south on 7th Avenue. ]

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The show is playing at the Marquis Theatre on the mezzanine level of the Marriott Marquis Hotel located at Broadway and 45th. It is adjacent to the temporary TKTS booth where I purchased my ticket at a 50% discount. The theater is deceptively big, seating almost 1,600 patrons, but seems quite a bit smaller. All seats are pretty close to the stage with minimal sight line issues only for those in seats on the far left and right aisles.

The theatre was built in 1986 and I was there back in 1993 to see Broadway star Bernadette Peters and Martin Short in The Goodbye Girl. It's nice and clean with easy and quick access.

Review: Fantasia In The Color Purple

The main purpose of my getaway to New York City was to see Fantasia in The Color Purple. I love American Idol and I love me some Fantasia. Throw in Pride Weekend and it's an unbeatable combination!

I went into the play without many pre-conceived notions other than Fantasia has the ability to blow the roof off. I never read the book, and have become quickly bored and disinterested in the movie the couple of times I've started to watch it. I thought it was about slavery but it isn't — the time is set from 1909 to 1949. It's the story of perseverance against a cruel world, about being yourself, and about coming to realize that what's most important in life is being a good person and understanding that everyone is worthy of being treated with dignity and respect.

In a nutshell: Fantasia was great; the play, not so much. I was in the balcony so I'm not sure what the quality of Fantasia acting was up close, but from where I was, she did a great job and seemed to really be in character the entire performance. I was a bit disappointed that none of the songs really showcased her powerful voice. I suppose since she stepped into the role there wasn't the ability to adjust the songs very much to highlight her strength in that area. She broke loose a couple of times but I had to recalibrate my expections and remind myself that this was a Broadway musical and not a Fantasia concert.

The play takes the audience to Africa immediately after intermission. I literally fell asleep. For that reason alone I can't give the show a glowing review. I don't know if this was caused by me being really tired (I don't think so); that the number wasn't very interesting (yes); or that I'm just over the same "back to Africa" number that seems to be plopped down in the middle of any show that calls for such a plot device in the script...dancers in body paint, tom tom drums, etc. Boooorrriiinnngggg.

I'd recommend the show if you're a diehard Fantasia fan. But when I hear Oprah declare that a lot of people say they've been "profoundly effected" I think she's overselling it by quite a bit. Don't pay full price. One positive thing about it being in such a large venue is that availability is good at TKTS for 50% off the day of the performance.

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The show is playing at the Broadway Theatre located at Broadway and 53rd. The place is huge and seats almost 2,000 people. A deep and wide orchestra level and expansive balcony with upper and lower sections. I was in Row F of the upper balcony to the left of the stage. The cavernous nature of the theatre made it a bit difficult to hear the quiet dialogue and fast-paced singing of intricate lyrics.

The only other time I've been here was for a performance of Miss Saigon in the early 90's. In that case, the size of the theatre worked to the benefit of the play by allowing the final scene with the helicopter to be just incredible.
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A Chorus Line: One Singular Sensation

The premise of A Chorus Line is simple. A hodgepodge group of dancers meet and audition to be in the chorus line of an upcoming show. The set is simple: a white line that runs horizontally across the front of the stage where the dancers line up; floor to ceiling mirrors along the back; and a distracting light bulb encrusted backdrop used in the finale that reminded me of the NBC peacock, only ugly. Throughout, they practice snippets of a routine that will eventually be performed in this show's finale.

Along the way, we meet the dancers and get their back stories. Each one's life has presented them with a unique path up until this point. There are always stand-out performances at every show. Jeffrey Schecter, who plays the character of Mike, was incredible with his singing and dancing. His presence drew my eyes to him whenever he was on stage. Chryssie Whitehead plays the character of Kristine, part of the married couple, and her comedic talents steal the show!

The biggest disappointment is the dance sequence performed by Cassie, the lady in red who's built up to be "too good for the chorus." Yet her solo performance always makes me wonder if she's good enough for the chorus. I can't blame the actresses since I've had the same feeling each time I've see A Chorus Line. It's uninteresting choreography paired with lackluster music.

Overall, I love the show and this performance was very good. Beware, though, the tickets are pricey and it's too new to be available at a discount through TKTS.

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This made the fourth time I've seen this show. I've probably seen a hundred shows over the years but this is still my all-time favorite. Way back in 1981, I saw a touring company at Proctor's Theater in Schenectady, NY. It was my first experience at live musical theater and I've been hooked ever since. We were cramped in the second to last row of the top tier but the music was plenty loud. In fact, that's one of the great things I remember about the performance. Like turning up the volume listening to your favorite song and "One" was spectacular.

The characters' life stories spoke to me. They had experiences that I'd never heard anyone speak about. There were three (three!) openly gay men in the show! There were people like me in the world. Maybe not in little ol' upstate NY, but they were out there nonetheless. That was quite a revelation. Perhaps this is why the show's my favorite...a great story, great music, and a bit of self-awakening nostalgia all rolled into one.

Next was shortly after the opening of the beautiful Segerstrom Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, CA in 1989. This was a great performance but our seats weren't so hot. We were on the far left aisle in the third tier and couldn't see two of the characters. I was excited, though, just to see the show again and get a glimpse inside the new venue.

The third time was at the Terrace Theatre at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, CA in 1998. I took a friend who was not into theater at all but he was completely won over. We were in the front row center of the balcony. In this theater, the balcony is quite far from the stage but being in front made up for all the distance.

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The show is playing at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. The place has seen better days but I enjoyed its relatively small size which provided the most intimate experience I've ever had for this show.

Avenue Q Is A Bit Fuzzy

Avenue Q won the Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Book in 2004. You probably know it as the one with the puppets.

It's about love, relationships, and feelings that occur in an "outerborough" neighborhood of New York City. So far out, in fact, it's on Avenue Q...get it? The time is the present and the story is told mostly on the sidewalk in front of a bunch of row houses.

Here's the thing about the actors and the puppets (think muppets) they use to create the characters. You see, you can SEE the actors. Yes, they stand in clear view with the puppet on one hand and sticks to control the puppet's arms in the other. While the actors are all dressed in gray to fade into the background, their faces are clearly in the foreground of the performance as they use exaggerated facial expressions to convey the character's thoughts and feelings. For example, when the character is happy, both the puppet and the actor have big smiles on their faces. Here's where the play didn't work for me. I just couldn't meld the actor and the puppet into a single entity. I found myself watching the actors vocalizing the songs, speaking the dialog, and controlling the movements of the puppets rather than on the puppets themselves.

At our performance, the male lead took ill about half way through the first act. His stand-in (Howie Michael Smith who was absolutely excellent) stepped in without missing a beat or a note, seamlessly appearing on stage with the lead character's puppet incarnation on his hand. So there was a new lead actor, but there wasn't. There was 1/2 a new lead character. Confused? Yeah, I was too.

Which brings me to another oddity in all of this. The lead female puppet isn't chubby but the actress playing her was. So was the character heavy or not? Now you wouldn't think that would make a difference. And there's where you'd be wrong. More confused? Bear with me. One of her songs takes us into her feelings about being lonely and giving up on the prospects of ever finding love and a boyfriend. I, quite unintentionally, jumped to the conclusion that the puppet was finding it more difficult to find someone special because it was overweight. If a thin actress had played the part it would have been a completely different experience for me.

The acting, music (who could forget The Internet Is For Porn), and production were polished and first rate. The songs' themes carried a New York liberal point of view, similar to my own, but I didn't feel uplifted when I exited the theatre. I'd admit that my overall disappointment with the musical is directly related to my brain's inability to wrap itself around the puppet thing but it isn't up to the audience to do the work. The play's concept and execution left me, well, a bit fuzzy.

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The show is playing at the John Golden Theatre. The place is beautiful, relatively small and intimate, and provided a top notch experience.

Spelling Bee Gets An A+

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee won the Tony Award for Best Book in 2005. The name of the show is an accurate description of the story but don't let it fool you. Sure, it's about an elementary school spelling bee. But that simple plot line is quickly draped with the comedic antics of super-dysfunctional contestants.

This is a musical but the show is performance driven in the dialog rather than the songs. Each player turns in a great individual performance and the ensemble gels magnificently together. The actors are hysterically funny. Out of a stellar cast, Jesse Tyler Ferguson was the most entertaining as the character of Leaf Coneybear. [He's currently playing Richie on the television show The Class on CBS.]

Four audience members are selected in the lobby prior to each show to be active on-stage participants in the mock spelling bee. It makes each show unique and the cast members seem to feed off of this, using clever openings in the script to make witty ad lib comments about the novices in an effort to crack each other up.

All in all, this show was outstanding and far surpassed my expectations. I still laugh thinking about all of the characters' memorable idiosyncrasies.

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The show is playing at the Circle In The Square Theatre. The venue has a modified theater-in-the-round layout with the actors performing in the center of a U-shaped seating area. The slope of the rows is steep so each seat is closer than normal to the stage. The sight lines are great — not a bad seat in the house!