Broadway Banter, May and Summer 2013 edition
 

Well, it is only May but it is starting to feel like summer. Tony nominations are out, and Broadway is buzzing. Some good discounts on Broadwaybox.com, but most of them are expiring some time this month.

Kinky Boots is $57 - 89 through May 17. I saw it last week with the discount, knew very little about it beforehand, and thought it was fantastic, upbeat but also not afraid to tug at our heart strings, good themes, great music, and phenomenal acting. I have already gotten tickets to see it again in early August. I am hoping hard that Billy Porter is still playing Lala/Simon at that time as he gave a performance of a lifetime last week. He breaks stereotypes and plays Lala as a real person, and a force to be reckoned with, but with a heart also. Starks Sands was also very good, but if one of them wins the Tony, I think it should be Billy Porter. The rest of the cast were also spectacular. This was a 10 for us.

My son saw Macbeth and liked it very much, thought it was haunting and very creatively done. This is my son who spent some time in a psych hospital recently, so I wasn't sure how this would be for him (the play takes place in a psych hospital). But his jaw is still dropping a week later whenever he talks about Alan Cumming's performance.

We saw Once, which is old news to many of you, I am sure. The music was very good, but this is one of those "good music, little plot" musicals, IMO. Love at first sight, complicated by other relationships, but not much of a story.

I saw Motown and absolutely hated it. I kept hoping the music would be enough, but it wasn't and I left at intermission. The acting was not good, the story was not well-developed, it jumped all over the place, and the whole thing was a mess, IMO.

Had some great after theater drinks at Rum Bar and also the Glass House Tavern, also on 47th St. ( and which was new on this trip). The later has very good food, you can order from the regular menu at the very large and nice bar on the main level, and they have great special cocktails and nice bartenders and servers. I have decided that the Edison Hotel is the best place to stay if we are seeing a Broadway show every night. All the shows we saw were either right out the front door or the back door of the hotel.

Sup with everyone else? Planning to see shows this summer? Thoughts on the Tony nominations?

<i>Back from my weekend in NY. Here are my thoughts on the three shows I saw.</i>

<b>Matilda:</b> Loved it! Starting with the set which is magical and creative -- on to Bertie Carvel as Miss Trunchbull who is delightfully evil in an oh-so-sad sort of way. Then there are the Wormwoods, just the kind of parents you love to hate. Gabriel Ebert as Mr. Wormwood is especially hysterical. I was delighted with our pick of the litter, Matilda, Miss Oona Laurence. She was extremely professional and utterly charming. Although at times it is a bit difficult to understand all the words in group songs, the lyrics are worth the little extra effort to catch. They are very smart. This was by far, my favorite. Highly recommend for children or adults of all ages. I had an aisle seat at the very back of the orchestra and it was still quite good.

<b>Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike:</b> (sadly, I think this is closing soon) Hysterically funny! David Hyde Pierce is superbly droll, but it is Kristine Nielsen as his sister, Sonia that really steals the show. Her slightly menopausal rage is charmingly crazy. Sigourney Weaver has her hands full. At times she seems in over her head, but she steps up with a brilliant "I-don't-take-myself-seriously" performance. Her "boy-toy", Spike is nothing short of wildly stupid....and I mean that as a compliment to the actor, Billy Magnussen. If you are over the age of 50, you won't be able to stop laughing during Vanya's over the top rant on today's culture. Highly recommend this one. I had a center-orchestra seat which was great for picking up all the little nuiances between characters.

<b>The Nance:</b> My least favorite. This one needed much more time to develope the subject material before opening. The story never comes together. Its as if the playwrite (who's previous work has been some of my favorite) just couldn't decide what story he wanted to tell. By trying to hold on to three or four major themes, all are lost. Unfortunately the title character is so thinly drawn that it is impossible to understand his motivation for anything rendering Chauncey completely unlikable. I think that even the best directors have a hard time reeling in Nathan Lane and without a meaty script as guidance, he is adrift the entire evening trying too hard to make something of nothing. It didn't work for me. I had a front row mezz seat -- A 101...its has a nasty squeak and there is no leg room, but the sight lines were great.

Continuing the update on what's worth seeing (and not seeing), I again mention three non-musicals on limited runs that are definitely worth seeing before they: Talley's Folly, The Assembled Parties and Uncle Vanya, etc...
I just got discount tickets for $50 each for The Assembled Parties. Like the theater where Talley's Folly (whick I also saw with discounted tickets) is playing, the house is small and you have good sightlines no matter where you sit.
After a very, very weak first half of the season, things have really picked up, quality wise, the second half with these three shows, along with The Nance

Enjoying your reviews. We will be in NYC for one weeknight in September on our way to Europe, and the prices I have checked look outrageous. Our current plan is just to go to TKTS the day we arrive and pick something.

I do watch Broadway Box; how far in advance are these offers?

mcheryl, the discount offers are usually available on broadwaybox.com and playbill.com around 2-3 months before the dates of the offering.
So, in your case, I'd start looking in early July.

This will be very helpful. I'm doing a Broadway week in August and am compiling a list of things I want to see. I hope to use as many broadwaybox.com discounts as possible.

Friends saw Pippen this week and did not really like it. They said it was okay but not great and more circus than musical. Hmmm... the order of my list is changing...

Bookmarking for ideas...

starrs, alco check playbill.com. Sometimes it will have a different or better offer than available on broadwabox.com and vice versa.

Just read the May posts on the last Broadway thread - WOW!

Starrs - Don't miss Ann and Vanya et al!

As far as Kinky and Matilda - enjoyed them both, but definitely did have trouble with some lyrics and acoustics in Matilda. Kinky was crystal clear. I would not recommend Matilda for very young children.

Saw I'll Eat You Last yesterday and Bette did a fantastic job as Sue Mengers. I was actually able to forget it was Bette most of the time. Too bad she didn't get a Tony nomination.

Out of the one-woman plays I saw this season (including Testament of Mary and Jackie), I most enjoyed Ann (even more than I'll Eat You Last).

One more comment - if you're seeing Trip to Bountiful, try to get seats fairly close to the stage. Like Virginia Wolf, the intimacy is lost if you're in the back.

hi CPG! Thanks for the comments on Ann and I'll Eat You Last. When I go back in August I am going with a very close friend from Texas and I was thinking of one of those two plays as our 2nd show. I am still not sure which one. I love Bette Midler but your comment about Ann is intriguing.

Your comment about Seating also prompts me to add that IMO the best seating for Kinky Is left orchestra from close up to middle. Most of the action btwn Stark Sands and Billy Porter happens on left front stage, as well as other key scenes. My son was left orch and I was right orch and I wished we had switched seats!

Hi Centralparkgirl! My trip is in August so some of the good ones will be gone by then. I'm making my list and enjoying the planning. :-)

Thanks for the seating suggestions. I did a lot of planning last night for my trip and have decided on the following -

Definites -
Ann
Kinky Boots
Once

My maybes -
Matilda
Pippin (friends saw it last week and weren't wild about it)
Spiderman (intrigued by the spectacle of it)
Wicked - will try once for the lottery

Still working on a couple more shows for 5 day weekend the 1st weekend of August. My friend will see the Nance while I do something else on Sunday afternoon. Kinky Boots (2nd time for me) on Sat. Night.

Looking at Pryor's Off-Broadway show "Fried Chicken and Latkes," but it isn't clear if it will be around in August. Looks like Vanya et al is closing in June after their extension. Guess we will wait til after the Tonys and closings/openings in June to see the lay of the land.

My husband and I saw "The Assembled Parties" on Saturday, and "Trip to Bountiful" on Tuesday. We enjoyed both very much. Cicely Tyson was nothing short of incredible in "Trip to Bountiful"--probably the single best performance I've ever seen, and I come from a theater background. My husband and I both had some issues with Cuba Gooding Jr's performance, which was often very "cutesy". Vanessa Williams was good though, and Condola Rashad was wonderful to watch.

The whole cast of "The Assembled Parties" was great, but Judith Light was a stand out. The transition of her character between Act One and Act Two was wonderful to see.

It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: I recommend both plays.

We also saw The Assembled Parties on Saturday and enjoyed it. And, we totally agree about Judith Light's performance. One other strong aspect of the show is Santo Loquasto's fantastic set. Both Light and Loquasto should receive Tonys for their efforts.

I've read that Vanya might be extended thru July.
(Saw it at Lincoln Center.... first row... and Billy Magnusson did his bit right in front of me -:)
I should have pinched him!

I hope Vanya is extended to August. ;)

I like Judith Light a lot. I'd love to see her.

I am a lot late on this one but I finally saw Book of Mormon yesterday via my first lottery try and I really enjoyed it from front row center.

http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/expl...y-name-is.html

MareW, thank you for the review of Trip to Bountiful. I found a good discount and am booking it for my August trip.

MareW, do you have any advice for seating options for Trip to Bountiful?