Sunday, May 19, 2024
Jukebox musicals stand or fall on the strength of the songs and the ability of the performers to deliver on them. Plot and character often feel bolted on. In the case of “Breaking up is Hard to Do,” the music of Neil Sedaka forms the reason for the show, and the Centre Stage cast in Greenville, SC, deliver. I rather wish the book by Erik Jackson and Ben H. Winters gave the performers more scope for their talents. I feel that way about a lot of jukebox musicals. The plot is “Dirty Dancing” meets “Grease.” Set at a Catskills resort in
Author: Jeff Myhre
Being a Latina Comic in Long Island, NY
By Cristina Arroyo (and NOT by Jeff Myhre, despite what Wordpress says -- we're working on it). Follow any LI comic or club on Instagram, and count the number of women or comics of color in the photos; you’d be hard pressed to get past single digits. The Long Island comedy scene in New York is very male and very White–I’m not trying to be controversial, just factual. Lack of diversity (race, gender, and even comedic style) is a glaring issue that, if continued to be pushed aside, will render LI comedy obsolete. Many seasoned comics and show producers and bookers dismiss
Sidra Bell Dance New York at New York Live Arts
If your idea of dance is the Rockettes or a big Broadway show-stopper, Sidra Bell Dance New York is probably not for you. The choreographer, composer and company seem comfortable just on the other side of the cutting edge. The performances at New York Live Arts of “Friction” and “garment” (lower case in the title) illustrated this nicely. To begin with, the company is diversity itself. Sebastaian Abarbanell is a former Berliner, Tushrik Fredricks is from Johannesburg, Drew Lewis learned to dance in Chicago, Misa Kinno Lucyshyn is from Eugene, Oregon by way of Vancouver, Madison Wada is a Californian, and
Othello at the Delacorte Theater, Shakespeare in the Park
The story of Othello has always bothered me. Simply put, Othello has to be country-bumpkin gullible to fall victim to Iago's plotting – smitten and jealous or not. Chukwudi Iwuji, in the title role in the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park, turned in such a performance that I could almost believe Othello is that naïve. I have seen Othello more times than I can honestly remember. This production, though, is beyond memorable, especially but not exclusively because of Iwuji's performance. Much of the play hinges on the performance of Iago, and Corey Stoll delivers the goods. He is both
Tony Awards Dominated by A Band’s Visit, Harry Potter
The American Theater Wing and its partner The Broadway League held their 72nd Annual Tony Awards on June 10, in New York City. The Band's Visit came away with 10 awards from its 11 nominations (including Best Musical), and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II scored six Tonys from its 10 nominations (including Best Play). Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Play Andrew Garfield, Angels in America Best Leading Actress in a Play Glenda Jackson, Three Tall Women Best Featured Actress in a Play Laurie Metcalf, Three Tall Women Best Featured Actor in a Play Nathan Lane, Angels in America Best Direction of
Tony Award Nominees Announced for 2018
The American Theatre Wing has announced the nominees for this year's Tony Awards. The ceremony will be televised on CBS on Sunday June 10, beginning at 8 pm Eastern Daylight Time. For a complete list of nominees, please visit the Tonys website. Tony Nominations by Production Mean Girls - 12 SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical - 12 Angels in America - 11 The Band's Visit - 11 Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel - 11 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two - 10 My Fair Lady - 10 Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh - 8 Once On This Island - 8 Edward Albee's Three Tall Women - 6 Farinelli and The
Drama Desk Award Nominees for 2018 Announced
Award season is approaching, and the Drama Desk Award nominees for 2018 have been announced. The organization say "The Awards are bestowed annually in May in numerous categories. Nominations are made by the Drama Desk Nominating Committee, the members of which may change each season. The entire active membership then votes on those nominations." It adds, "Professional productions in Manhattan that have a minimum of 21 public performances may be eligible for Drama Desk Award consideration. Our awards season begins immediately following our awards show (check our website for the announcement of our spring awards ceremony) and continue into the following
“Saint Joan” at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
Three-time Tony nominee Condola Rashad stars in the title role of Saint Joan at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Her performance all but guarantees a fourth, and I expect her to win this time. She is, simply, a brilliant actor. In addition to her talents, the Manhattan Theatre Club has assembled a cast with chemistry and expert craftsmanship under the direction of Daniel Sullivan. When the weak link is George Bernard Shaw's rather long script, you have the makings of theatre at its best. The story is set in 15th century France during the Hundred Years' War, and the English are
A Walk in the Woods: The Barrow Group Mainstage
A play about nuclear arms negotiations in the 1980s should be a dated piece of interest only to historians of theatre, and perhaps, of nuclear strategy. Lee Blessing’s “A Walk in the Woods” is as relevant today as it was when it was written almost 30 years ago, though. For one thing, our world hasn’t grown out of nuclear threats, a disappointment felt heavily by those of us who thought the end of the Cold War might mean something better. More importantly, though, Blessing’s script isn’t about throw-weights, megadeaths, SLCMs, ICBMs, Pershing IIs and SS-20s (I’ll spare you the definitions,
The Accidental Club at The Cell
“The Accidental Club” has some rather impressive members: Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, Amy Winehouse and Prince. All were unique singers, and all battled against addiction in one form or another. And all lost the fight. Sherrie Scott has pulled these artists together into a one-woman musical-comedy-tragedy that addresses addiction without preaching. It had its workshop performances at the Cell in Chelsea as January became February. She tells the stories of each artist – the joy, the pain and the desire to fill up the emptiness with something they never could find. Today's headlines call it an opiod epidemic, but that