Goodnight, Oscar Starring Sean Hayes Written by Doug Wright Directed by Lisa Peterson Belasco Theatre July 12, 2023 Production website 💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
Goodnight Oscar packed one hell of a punch last night. I knew going in that Sean Hayes would be able to deliver all the comic moments of the show with aplomb. He is so good at those small sarcastic comments and finding a punch line to every single moment. I knew that the comedy would be great, but I was wondering if the night was going to hold any more to it. I am so glad to say it did. The show did start off a little slow and a lot of exposition was needed to take us back in time to the late fifties. It was important to understand the Jack Paar show and its tendency to bring celebrity guests on its show and exploit them for the sake of ratings.
Alex Edelman Just for Us Written and performed by Alex Edelman Directed by Adam Brace Hudson Theatre July 11, 2023 Production website 💉💉 out of 5.
Most of the time when I go to New York to see shows, I purposely don’t do any research on the show. I like to be surprised. I like to have that experience for the first time. I held true to that in seeing Just for Us. I didn’t know a thing about the show other than it was a one-man presentation. It didn’t take me long to figure out that this was going to be stand-up comedy routine in a much, much larger space. I have seen this kind of format a few times before and it has worked – but at times the space fought the performance. This show felt to me like it was begging to be in a smaller space. I can only imagine what fun it was to see this piece when it was in various small clubs and experimental places around the world. I’m sure it had to be something to experience.
Days of Wine and Roses Book by Craig Lucas Music & Lyrics by Adam Guettel Choreography by Sergio Trujillo & Karl Puno Garcia Directed by Michael Greig Atlantic Theatre Company July 9, 2023 Production website 💉 out of 5.
Days of Wine and Roses was truly a disappointment. It is so crazy to think that with the star-studded pairing of Brian d’Arcy James and Kelli O’Hara could produce something so lame. First off, I think the story is too dated to be presented. The dynamics of addiction, and how you can’t change anyone and the advent of Alcoholics Anonymous just seems to be from old, old news – and nothing new is brought to the conversation.. What necessitate the retelling of the story? On top of that, the show had just terrible music. I always think that it’s a bad sign when you leave the theater and are not humming at least one song as you go. I can’t imagine the cast album!
Comeuppance Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Directed by Eric Ting Signature Theatre July 8, 2023 Production website 💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
Comeuppance really had me worried in the first few moments. Any play that begins with a character speaking directly to the audience and pretending to be “death” seems to be going down the wrong tedious path. I had very low expectations. Once the play moved through this monologue, however, I was very surprised as to how wonderful it was. A group of 30-somethings were gathered on the porch of the central characters house, all doing a bit of a pre-game libations before they go to the 20th high school reunion. The characters were so rich and interesting. They had the most complicated and interesting of relationships. I quickly forgot about the death character! The play then speaks of how they all survived the Columbine shootings, the war in Baghdad, 9/11 and even the January 6 march against the capital. But most importantly, how they all survived the Covid nightmare.
Grey House Written by Levi Holloway Directed by Joe Mantello Lyceum Theatre July 8, 2023 Production website 💉💉💉💉💉 out of 5.
Grey House is a terrific play. I had the most interesting first moment of a play ever. At what you presume is a realist world with a realistic set, and just as this crazy girl was crossing over to the kitchen, I saw a kitchen drawer open and close by itself. I thought was that an accident on stage because it was so small. Was I the only one who caught it? That made me curious. But the play only got more curiouser and curiouser as it went on. The premise of the play is straightforward. It involves a young couple out on the road, almost missing a deer, and needing to find shelter in a snowstorm. That part is clear. But from there, it’s anyone’s guess.
