Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
Directed by Bill Buckhurst
Barrow Street Theatre
June 9, 2018 Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5.
And I will take a pie with that!Tonight I brought my group to the immersive production of Sweeney Todd, Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Barrow Street Theatre.I love the perspective of environmental theatre that puts the audience in the center of the equation; it is just to nice to be PART of the story.We began with the quite good but quite small portioned pies that were served as a pre-show event to get you in the mood for the “real meat” pies that are served in the course of the story. It was fun.It got you into the environment. Continue reading Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street→
Cyprus Avenue
Written by David Ireland
Directed by Vicky Featherstone
The Public Theatre
June 9, 2018 Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5.
The baby is going to die.Don’t treat this as a spoiler to the play.From the very first moment when the baby is handled a bit too objectively – – you KNOW it doesn’t stand a chance – – – and for ninety terrible – beautiful and outrageously acted moments – we play out the inevitable tragedy. What made this play a bit brutal from the start was how close it plays through mental illness, depression and even suicide.Just days ago we lost Kate Spade and Andrew Bourdain.The world has just become too dangerous, too private, and too painful to take personal tragedy this casually!Continue reading Cyprus Avenue→
Kinky Boots
Directed and Choreographed by Jerry Mitchell
Composer and Lyricist – Cyndi Lauper
Book by Harvey Fierstein
Al Hirchfeld Theatre
March 24, 2018 Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5
Kinky Boots lived up to everything I expected! It was fun and silly and didn’t pretend to be anything that it couldn’t deliver. I felt like a was watching a bit of Billy Elliot, Hairspray, and La Cage, Kinky Boots shared the same themes of individuality, love, and fierceness that connect all the shows above – but I did NOT get bored. Never once did I look at my watch. It kept me involved the entire time. Speaking of fierceness, Wayne Brady rocks. Continue reading Kinky Boots→
Meteor Shower
Starring Amy Schumer
Written by Steve Martin
Directed by Jerry Zaks
Booth Theatre
January 3, 2018 Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5.
Meteor Shower was 80 minutes of good sincere fun. Amy Schumer showed up and did her magic and the audience was hers for the afternoon. The lines were sincerely funny and the ensemble of the two quite contrasting couples gave lots and lots of opportunities for laughs. Watching the beautiful slick couple of Laura Benanti and Keegan-Michael Key interact with the decidedly not slick couple of Amy Schumer and Jeremy Shamos was very rich in comic moments. Even the chest wounds of a direct meteor hit – – brought the house down as it squirted blood every time there was a cough or laugh. Continue reading Meteor Shower→
Junk
Written by Ayad Akhtar
Directed by Doug Hughes
Lincoln Center Theater
Vivian Beaumont
December 31, 2017 Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5.
Usually my first criteria in looking at a play is to see if I cared for any of the characters on stage. I want to be able to identify with at least someone and follow them through some struggles. I want to see them suffer and learn/feel something from their suffering. However in Junk, I could care less about any of the character on stage – and this play had well over a dozen characters on stage. Usually that would be the end of the story for me when it comes to a play. But Junk is different – Continue reading Junk→
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
