Head Over Heels
Songs by the Go-Go’s
Based on The Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidney
Conceived & Original Book by Jeff Whitty
Adapted by James Magruder
Music Supervision, Orchestration & Arrangements by Tom Kitt
Choreographed by Spencer Liff
Directed by Michael Mayer
Hudson Theatre
November 21, 2018 Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5.
Sometimes I get the urge to be a total tourist I’m New York.I want to walk around Times Square and run into people by taking pictures of all the tall buildings. I want to do that avoidance dance as all of those poorly masked cartoon characters waddle to you to take the pictures with mandatory tips. I want to read each of the jumbo-trons and plan a meal in one of the oversized restaurants.And to this perfect tourist day, I would get tickets to see Head Over Heels.This musical, struggling at the box office, is an odd fairy tale like adventure of a kingdom held bound by a curse and threatened to “loose their beat.”For an out-of-towner this really could be the perfect show. Continue reading Head Over Heels→
What the Constitution Means to Me
Written by and starring Heidi Schreck
Directed by Oliver Butler
New York Theatre Workshop
October 26, 2018 Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5.
Great things come in the most unexpected of places.I am not sure what attracted me to spend a night in New York watching a one woman show about the U.S. Constitution – but that is how I chose to spend the night and boy, was I grateful for the choice.It is a mighty odd show to put down in simple terms.Essentially it is set in the meeting room of every American Legion in the middleof anywhere America as they are holding one of their annual oratorical contests for high school students to compete with their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution.Continue reading What the Constitution Means to Me→
The Boys in the Band
Written by Mart Crowley
Directed by Joe Mantello
BoothTheatre
August 1, 2018 Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5.
I have always had a morbid fascination with cutters.Who in their right mind would pick up a sharp object and stab themself in the arm or leg over and over?Crazy.I mean seriously crazy.As best I can tell the cutter wants to FEEL something and to be the one in charge as to why and when it will be felt.The ORIGINAL Boys in the Band that I saw decades ago felt like that.Why would gay men put themself in such places of self-hatred and why would they continue to remind themselves how ugly and unloved they are- – – or at least were in this revival of the classic from the gay theatre of the 1970’s. Continue reading The Boys in the Band→
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→
