Merrily We Roll Along

I caught a performance of the first Encores! show of the season today when I caught Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's revived flop Merrily We Roll Along.

I greatly enjoyed the performance, and it was one of the rare times that I have found myself thinking about a production not because of the larger questions it asks, but because of its relevance to my own life. Merrily is a thoughtful piece on the power of friendship, how we select the people that we invite into our lives, and what it means to grow up and grow apart.

Encores! assembled a wonderful cast for this production, including Colin Donnell (of Anything Goes) as Franklin Shepard, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Mary Flynn, and Lin-Manuel Miranda as Charley Kringas. All three were great (especially Keenan-Bolger, who I thought brought a lot of humanity to Mary and played her backwards transition wonderfully), and I was also taken with Betsy Wolfe as Beth Shepard (her rendition of "Not a Day Goes By" was a highlight).

As always, Merrily features a wonderful score by Stephen Sondheim with some great songs. "Old Friends," "Not a Day Goes By," "Good Thing Going," and "Our Time" are some of the more popular songs that have emerged from this score, but I also really enjoyed "Franklin Shepard, Inc" and "Opening Doors" (both of which, incidentally, were featured in the 2010 Roundabout revue Sondheim on Sondheim). Paired with the Encores! Orchestra and Jonathan Tunick's new orchestrations, simply listening to this score was worth the price of admission.

Merrily's book is by George Furth, whose work on Company is perhaps my all-time favorite book of a musical. I know that this show has seen many revisions and different versions since its troubled premiere on Broadway, but I really felt that this production worked well. Despite having the production begin at a point where the characters are all unlikeable, I still was quickly drawn in. And I loved the final scene, with Mary, Franklin and Charley meeting for the first time (I learned after the performance that this was a new addition to the book; the musical had never before ended with this first encounter). I believe many of these changes were courtesy director (and frequent Sondheim collaborator) James Lapine, who did a fantastic job of breathing life into the piece.

I've only seen one Encores! show before this (2010's Anyone Can Whistle), but if these two shows are reflective of what they do every season I may need to become a subscriber. Merrily was wonderful from beginning to end, and I'm thrilled that I have been exposed to another wonderful work by Sondheim.

Porgy and Bess

2012 is off to a good start. I caught my first show of the new year today, visiting the Richard Rodgers Theatre to see a performance of the just-opened adaptation of The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.

As someone very unfamiliar with Porgy and Bess before attending this performance, I found this production to be quite satisfying. I can't comment on changes made to the script or score (though I did find Suzan-Lori Park's to be suitable for this more musical theatre-driven approach) , but I found the performances to be incredible and several of the stage pictures to be quite affecting.

This production's two stars, Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis as Bess and Porgy, respectively, are outstanding. I was thrilled to finally get the opportunity to see four-time Tony winner McDonald, and she didn't disappoint. Her Bess was a wonder to behold; her rendition of "I Loves You, Porgy" alone is enough to warrant buying a ticket to this production. But beyond that, her transformation from a Bess that is bold and brassy to gentle and loving is touching, and made her climactic decision all the more powerful. Lewis matches her every step of the way with his Porgy, embodying the role both physically (with a rather serious limp) and vocally (his "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" was another highlight).

Director Diane Paulus (a 2009 Tony nominee for Hair, has done a great job here, especially with the shows final scenes. Two moments that I thought were beautifully staged were Bess's decision to succumb to the pressures of her old life late in the second act and Porgy's decision to follow her to New York in the finale. My emotional reaction to Porgy limping off into the darkness in his hopes of finding Bess once again was a confirmation of why I love live theatre so much.

Physically, the production isn't anything outstanding. The set is rather unattractive (though much better than that of another new revival playing two blocks away), though I suppose that should be expected considering the setting is a wharf in South Carolina. I did enjoy the lighting effects when the hurricane hit Catfish Row in the second act.

Along with Follies, Porgy and Bess is one of the best performed musicals of this season. McDonald and Lewis are truly amazing, and I'm so happy that I got to experience this beautiful and heartbreaking story for the first time with them at the wheel.

Top 10 for 2011: The Shows

1.) The Normal Heart (Broadway, Golden Theatre)
An electrifying and emotional production with an outstandingly dedicated cast and brilliantly raw direction. Plays like this one remind me why I love theatre.
Best Moment: Too many to list; one that stands out now is Joe Mantello's grocery throwing scene and argument with John Benjamin Hickey's Felix.

2.) The Book of Mormon (Broadway, Eugene O’Neill Theatre)
I was determined to not get swept up in the seemingly endless Book of Mormon lovefest, but failed miserably. This new musical has it all: originality, humor, and a surprising amount of heart.
Best Moment: The hilarious exchange between Tony nominees Andrew Rannells as Elder Price and Josh Gad as Elder Cunningham in "You and Me (But Mostly Me)".

3.) War Horse (Broadway, Vivian Beaumont Theatre)
In addition to being a miracle in stagecraft and a touching story of friendship, War Horse's puppeteers are delivering some of the best performances of the year for transforming some simple puppets into living, breathing animals on the Vivian Beaumont stage.
Best Moment: Joey's transformation from young foal into adult horse.

4.) Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Vassar College, Powerhouse Theatre)
One of the most outstanding evenings of student theatre I have ever witnessed, proving that talented and truly great performances are not limited to the New York metro area or even professional productions.
Best Moment: The play's quiet final moments between George and a heartbroken Martha, made all the more powerful by the audience's proximity to the action.

5.) The Submission (Off-Broadway, Lucille Lortel Theatre)
Though it wasn't the greatest piece of writing around, it's rare that a play sticks with me as much as The Submission has. Supported by an outstanding ensemble (including tour-de-force performances by Jonathan Groff and Rutina Wesley), this play has had me asking more questions and reexamining my daily life more than any other performance this year.
Best Moment: The final, climatic argument between Danny (Groff) and Emilie (Wesley), exposing the audience to the raw prejudice that this play was challenging.

6.) Company (New York Philharmonic, Avery Fisher Hall)
Not only did 2011 bring me the opportunity to finally see one of my favorite Sondheim musicals live, it came with an all-star cast and the New York Philharmonic to boot! Neil Patrick Harris was as a good a Robert as I'll ever see, Patti LuPone's "The Ladies Who Lunch" was exhilarating, Stephen Colbert and Martha Plimpton were a riot, and I've never been happier than I was walking out of Avery Fisher Hall that April afternoon.
Best Moment: The opening number, "Company".

7.) Other Desert Cities (Broadway, Booth Theatre)
After missing it Off-Broadway, I finally got the chance to see Other Desert Cities, an exciting and original new play. At times funny and at times humorous, this family drama boasted five outstanding performances and slick direction by The Normal Heart's Joe Mantello.
Best Moment: Thomas Sadoski's impassioned monologue as the Wyeth family comes to blows over the subject of daughter Brooke's newest book.

8.) Follies (Broadway, Marquis Theatre)
This transfer of the Kennedy Center revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's musical about a Follie girl reunion is one of the saddest musicals I have ever seen on stage, chronicling the abandoned dreams, lost hopes, and fragile marriages of former showgirls Sally Durant Plummer and Phyllis Rogers Stone. But thanks to the outstanding performances of Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell and Danny Burstein, it has also been one of the most satisfying.
Best Moment: The collision between past desires and present realities, as the ghosts of the former couples coalesce with their current selves before the show's climax at "Loveland".

9.) Next to Normal (National Tour, Academy of Music)
After numerous visits to the Booth Theatre during Next to Normal's Broadway run, I seized the opportunity to catch this production two more times when the national tour hit Philadelphia this summer. Led by original star (and Tony Winner) Alice Ripley, I was as blown away by the show as I had been the very first time I saw it.
Best Moment: Henry (Preston Sadlier) and Natalie (Emma Hunton) singing "Hey #3/Perfect for You (Reprise)," which these two young talents managed by make both hopeful and heartbreaking.

10.) Anything Goes (Broadway, Stephen Sondheim Theatre)
With dance numbers galore and a knockout performance by my favorite Sutton Foster, this revival of Anything Goes was one of the most enjoyable afternoons I had all year.
Best Moment: The first-act finale "Anything Goes," featuring an eight-minute long tap break that the cast performed so wonderfully they made it look easy.

Lysistrata Jones

I snuck in one more Broadway show before 2011's end: the new musical Lysistrata Jones.

Loosely based on the Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes, this musical by Lewis Flinn (music and lyrics) and Douglas Carter Beane (book) originally premiered under the title Give It Up! in Dallas in 2010 and ran Off-Broadway earlier in 2011. It follows spunky transfer student Lysistrata Jones at the modern-day Athens University, and her mission to withhold sex from the men of the basketball team until they break their losing streak.

The best part of Lysistrata Jones was its young cast, all of whom seemed excited dedicated to performing this piece eight times a week. Patti Murin was delightfully bubbly as Lyssie J., and her belt-it-out performance of the first act finale was one of the highlights of the show. Lindsay Nicole Chambers was hilarious as activist/poet Robin, and Jason Tam was also great as Lysistrata's geeky friend (and basketball mascot) Xander.

The score was appropriately fun and upbeat, but I did feel that a lot of the songs were about the same subject (the girls refusing to give themselves up to the boys). The best numbers in the show were "You Go Your Way," "Where Am I Now?," and the finale, "Give It Up." Beane's book was a lot of fun; I was satisfied with the way he included a message about being yourself without bogging down the humor or making the musical seem too cliched.

I really liked the basketball court set, and loved the lighting during the finales of both acts. I also liked the moments in the show (the opening number and the "Right Now Operetta") when the cast used the aisles in addition to the stage. And the choreography was probably the best part of the show.

Overall, Lysistrata Jones wasn't anything to write home about, but it was a fun afternoon at the theatre with some great performances by Broadway's up-and-coming performers. Definitely worth a visit.

Other Desert Cities

After hearing many, many good things, I caught a performance of Other Desert Cities today, one of the most celebrated new plays on Broadway.

Written by Jon Robin Baitz, Other Desert Cities chronicles a rather tense Christmas for the Wyeth family in Palm Springs, as their daughter Brooke returns home with the final draft of her newest book in tow. When her staunchly Republican parents discover that the book actually unearths a dark family secret, tempers fly and even more secrets come out.

Other Desert Cities features a cast of five, and there isn't a weak performance in the bunch. My two favorites were Stockard Channing (who is delivering a disturbingly realistic performance as matriarch Polly Wyeth) and Thomas Sadoski (who is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking as son/brother Trip Wyeth), but Rachel Griffiths (as Brooke Wyeth), Stacy Keach (as Lyman Wyeth) and Judith Light (as Polly's sister Silda) more than held their own. If you ever want to see a master class in acting for the stage, make sure you see this play.

Joe Mantello, fresh off his Tony-nominated performance in The Normal Heart returns to the director's seat for this play, and has done an exemplary job. Though it runs for nearly two and a half hours, the play never once gets stale. The second act is particularly thrilling--once it picks up steam, it plows right through to the end.

Other Desert Cities was a great experience in the theatre and, though it didn't quite live up to the expectations I had, it was still wonderful. It's a great new family drama, and features some of the best performances on Broadway right now.

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever

Note: The following thoughts are based on a preview performance. This production is subject to make any changes, cuts, and additions leading up to its opening night on December 11, 2011.

After a hearty Thanksgiving feast, I caught today's matinee of Michael Mayer's re-imagined On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Unfortunately, it was decidedly less satisfying than the meal I enjoyed earlier this week.

The original 1965 Broadway launch of On a Clear Day was tepidly received, as was the 1970 film adaptation starring Barbra Streisand and Jack Nicholson. Its plot follows a young woman with ESP named Daisy Gamble, who's psychiatrist, Dr. Mark Bruckner, falls in love with a woman of her past life, Melinda. In Mayer's updated version, Daisy becomes David, a gay florist who is also a reincarnated version of Melinda. When he seeks Dr. Bruckner for help in breaking his smoking habit, Bruckner once again falls in love with the spirit of Melinda.

There are so many issues with Mayer's revisal that I don't even know where to start. I guess I'll start with the good, because that's only one thing: the score. This production incorporates a number of songs that weren't in the original production, but every number is wonderful. Some stand-outs include "On the S.S. Bernard Cohn," "Hurry! It's Lovely Up Here," "She Isn't You" and the title song. Unfortunately, though these songs may be good, their delivery is not.

Now, on to the bad. First, the cast. Harry Connick, Jr. stars as Dr. Mark Bruckner, and he was as wooden as can be. I've never been a fan of his, and I suppose his delivery of his many songs was passable, but I just couldn't get past his poor acting. He looked uncomfortably and unhappy while he was onstage, which just made for an uncomfortable and unhappy audience. David Turner, who I have enjoyed in other productions on Broadway, was too much of a caricature as David Gamble. The only time I felt connected to his character was when he discovered the audio recording of Dr. Bruckner calling him dull and uninteresting. Jessie Mueller has a wonderful voice, but her lack of experience showed in her performance as Melinda (this is her Broadway debut). The only cast member I truly enjoyed was Drew Gehling as Warren, David's boyfriend, who, unfortunately, did not receive a lot of stage time.

The design of this production was appalling. Before we were even 20 minutes into the production, the optical-illusion inspired set, the over-the-top lighting and the obnoxiously 70s style costumes were giving me a headache. I understand what they were going for with the Rorschach ink blots and bold patterns, but it simply didn't work in the long run.

Perhaps the worst part of this production was its new storyline, which just seemed awkward, clunky, and forced. I admire Mayer for taking a risk and trying to do something different with this material (and I have loved his earlier work on Spring Awakening and American Idiot), but all he proved with this production is that On a Clear Day isn't really going to work anytime, anywhere.

This production really was one of the biggest flops of the fall season for me, and I would have felt robbed if I had paid anything more than the rush price I paid for my ticket. It's a shame that so much time and effort couldn't make this production better, but sometimes things just don't work out.

Venus in Fur

On my way home for the Thanksgiving holiday, I caught a matinee of one of Broadway's newest (and sexiest) plays: David Ives' Venus in Fur.

Inspired by the 1870 novel by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Venus in Fur tells the story of a young playwright/director Thomas and the audition of young actress Vanda for his new adaptation of this classic S&M novel.

The play features only two characters, and the performances of Nina Arianda and Hugh Dancy in these roles is the sole reason to go and see this play. Arianda is an absolute tour-de-force; this is a star-making performance and I have no doubt that she will find great success as her career continues to grow. She was funny, exciting, alluring and, above all, completely natural in her performance as Vanda. It was impossible not to watch her and, even better, it was impossible to differentiate Arianda from the character she was playing throughout the play. Additionally, she had great chemistry with Dancy, who more than held his own as Thomas. As the two of them weaved in and out of the play-within-the-play's dialogue, I was amazed by the tension that built between them.

I wasn't as crazy about the actual play as I was about the performances. I was very into the play for the first 20 minutes or so, but eventually found that there was to much reading and not enough action throughout the piece. I was always excited when the characters would break out of the play-within-a-play and spend moments in the "real" world--it was much more exciting to see the tension between Thomas and Vanda as people rather than between them as characters within his play. I did enjoy the ending; the final moments where the audience realizes the true identity of Vanda was an exciting way to conclude the piece.

Though it's not outstanding,Venus in Fur is worth checking out just to see two fantastic performances. The chemistry between Arianda and Dancy is some of the strongest on Broadway right now.