Broadway Banter: The Fall, 2013 edition
 

I've nothing new to report, but there was request on the old BB that it's time for a new one. I thought it was a good idea. So, here it is. Write away now!

Hubby and I are planning our first trip to NYC in Oct - hoping to get tickets for Phantom - have found some for $65 each and thrilled - I know this is a long running show but really want to see it - any reviews?? I have been on broadwaybox.com and playbill.com -

Reviews? It's The Phantom. What more can be said?

that's what I wanted to hear!!

Wicked or Kinky Boots during a visit in early 2014? I have always wanted to see Wicked but am hearing good things about KB. Both maybe?

Someone else may disagree (hello starrs :) ), but Kinky Boots is the better choice of the two - a great musical and hopefully you will get to see the original cast.

<GREEN><B>HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!

<black>See both if you can. I doubt anyone loves <green>Wicked<black> more than I but <red>Kinky Boots <black>is right up there with it.<black>

</b>(see both)

Billy Porter is posting pictures on Facebook as he traipses all over Amsterdam and Europe. I feel so sorry for folks in NYC right now :-(

That would be me, Starr's. paid $200 for KB tix last week not realizing that BP was "traipsing all over AMS". No mention from the ladies in the box office as they sold me the ticket that day. Oh well. Not sure he would have made that much difference. I didn't love it and can't imagine his performance would have made the difference for me. I didn't hate it. Just felt like a small show ready to go on the road and run forever. My choice would be Wicked, but I saw it many years ago with the original cast....Kristen, Idena, LNB, et al. Still the sets and costumes alone are OTT amazing.

<I> I'm reposting the short conversation regarding BIG FISH from the summer BB for those who might be considering it in the coming season.</I>
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TC on Sep 8, 13 at 12:30pm
Just saw a preview of "Big Fish". While it has some work to do in the next month, I think it has real potential. Wonderful sets, costumes and choreography. Hummable tunes. Strong cast, lead by Leo Norbert Butz. First half felt a little manic, but I think that will settle down over time.

I would recommend this one for a discount ticket. Mezz is the best seating to appreciate the effects.
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NeoPatrick on Sep 10, 13 at 7:16am
TC, I've been following blogs on Big Fish and your comments echo what I've been reading, but sadly most of the "problems" are about the same issues in the show in Chicago, so one wonders if they are going to fix them at all.

I do have one question though. You mentioned the mezzanine is the best place to see it from, but I read that the mermaid sequence is invisible to most of the mezzanine? Was that an issue for you? We have front row mezzanine seats for the first weekend in November, so hopefully issues will be worked out by then, and I assume our sightlines will be great -- even for the mermaid. Meanwhile, I think we should rent the film, as neither of us have ever seen it.
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TC on Sep 10, 13 at 12:30pm
Patrick, That is sad to hear...that issues from Chicago are still ongoing. I was hoping they would fix some.

My biggest "issue" (although it didn't impact my enjoyment) is that LNB seems to be running himself ragged in the first few scenes. He plays both the "older Ed Bloom" and the "younger Ed Bloom". In the movie those are two different actors (Albert Finney and Ewen McGregor) and I think that works better. There just isn't enough difference in the look and feel of the two characters as played by one actor to make it work the best and there are a lot of transitions in the first couple of scenes. It feels almost manic at times. However, its fantasy, so.....

In the last act, there were two or three transitions that were quite slow - making for some awkward timing. Then, just as an armchair director, I would have cast someone to play the wife who wasn't so tall. Since the character of Ed Bloom is supposed to be "bigger than life", IMHO, its odd that his wife is about 6" taller and wears heels throughout. LNB isn't very tall - but his talent is enormous. Its just my opinion that a shorter actress would have made his character appear more substantial.

After the show, my seatmates (second row Mezz B103) and I walked down to the orchestra to have a closer look at the "river" from which the mermaid appears. We all agreed (as did many others standing around) that this effect would not be nearly as good from orchestra seating. We even went so far as to sit in seats in the front row or two to compare. The effect lights were still on because many were curious about the river so we could easily see how it would have looked from closer. I also think there is another fantasy sequence (the forest) where the special effects would be a bit lost from the orchestra.

From my experience, you have wonderful seats. Please give us a review post-opening.
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NeoPatrick on Sep 10, 13 at 1:17pm
Ah, I'm not sure what I'm talking about here, except I read the same comment about height in a blog. The response from one person was that the character isn't really "bigger than life", but he tries to be -- in other words overcompensating for his smaller stature. Does that make sense?

And yes, it is rare that I don't find front row mezzanine seats the BEST for any musical. I suspect the comment about not seeing the mermaid referred to the much larger number of people further back in the mezzanine or balcony who couldn't see it at all.
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TC on Sep 10, 13 at 3:05pm
That comment does make sense, Patrick. What blog do you read? I would be interested in reading it as well.

I suppose if a person sitting further back isn't paying attention, they could miss the mermaid when she first pops up. It isn't overly obvious -- as in they don't shine a spotlight on her and announce it with a fanfare. But she makes several appearances, so there are plenty of opportunities to see. My only issue with the mermaid is that her "tail" doesn't quite fit properly to her body. If it hasn't been corrected, you'll know exactly what I mean when you see it. I don't want to give away too much here.

My favorite scene is the dancing elephants. Now THAT is a brilliant effect! I think the lighting designer should win a Tony. The use of lighting to enhance the set is amazing.
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NeoPatrick on Sep 10, 13 at 3:42pm
Broadwayworld.com and Broadway.com are two that I follow. It was probably on one of those, but there are a number of posts about Big Fish on both. I think the actual words were "the mermaid can not be seen by a large section of the mezzanine".
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Doug_Stallings on Sep 10, 13 at 3:54pm
Maybe we should start a new thread for Fall? Big Fish is a big fall production, and I fear these comments could be lost.

Just saw Kinky Boots and Big Fish last week. I too did not know (till seated) that I wasn't seeing Billy Porter but I don't think it harmed the performance so much that I'm sorry I got the tickets. Took my stepdaughter who loved the whole thing- it's her last show while living in NY and she likes the fun, uplifting type shows. Music was the best part as was the performances by the Angels-I had to look at all their names in the program to see if they really were all men! I'm very glad I saw it but having seen Matilda in the spring, I'm still surprised Kinky won over the darker and in my opinion, more beautiful show.

As for Big Fish-this I really loved! Leo Norbert Butz has to be the hardest working man on Broadway- the energy he pours into this character really hooked me from the start and had me crying at the end. I had VERY high up Mezz seats and barely saw the mermaid, but the lighting/costume effects were spectacular! I don't usually like "gimmicky new technology" sets and special effects but with the fantastical nature of the story it really added to the whole instead of being a distraction. Choreography was incredible. Of the two, KB was really fun and Big Fish just a fabulous experience. Now if only I could swing another trip this fall to see Betrayal...

Ahhhh! Self correcting -Norbert Leo Butz is the hardest working man...

AtlTraveler. Thanks for the correction. I see that I used his name in the wrong order throughout my post as well. Probably not the first....and we surely won't be the last to make that mistake. :(

Not Broadway -- at least not yet -- but exciting stuff for Boston-area theaterphiles: Bryan Cranston (Walter White of Breaking Bad) stars as LBJ in the American Repertory Theatre's <b>All the Way</b>, opening this month. From the ART website:

"1963. An assassin’s bullet catapults Lyndon B. Johnson into the presidency. A Shakespearean figure of towering ambition and appetite, this charismatic, conflicted Texan hurls himself into the Civil Rights Act, a tinderbox issue emblematic of a divided America. In the Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright’s vivid dramatization of LBJ’s first year in office, means versus ends plays out on the precipice of modern America. This searing, enthralling exploration of the morality of power, premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2012. The A.R.T.’s new production stars Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”) as LBJ, Brandon J. Dirden (The Piano Lesson) as Martin Luther King, Jr., Michael McKean (A Mighty Wind) as J. Edgar Hoover, and Reed Birney (“House of Cards”) as Hubert Humphrey."

I've got a subscription and will see the show in a couple of weeks. If you haven't got a ticket, the bad news is that all seats have been sold for the entire run. Good news is that standing room tickets are available for all shows. Even better news is that strong rumors suggest that the show will be headed for Broadway, where recent ART shows have had great recent success (Porgy and Bess, Pippin; also, the new production of The Glass Menagerie w/Cherry Jones is terrific).

The Glass Menagerie is far from my favorite play, having seen probably 25 productions. But the current production is nothing short of brilliant, and Cherry Jones is simply amazing.

Patrick is in good company as far as raving about the current production of The Glass Menagerie. Ben Brantley raved, and I do mean raved, about the show in yesterday's Times. (See, Patrick, sometimes you and Brantley CAN agree!) Happily, we've tickets for November.

Arguendo at the Public is amazing. 5 actors - all about a supreme court case re nude dancing. You need to see it. As the Times reporter said - these folks can make the Pittsburgh phone book interesting.

HowardR, I OFTEN agree with Brantley. Usually it's the way he says things that I take issue with more than his overall opinion of a show.

I am in mid-town Manhattan right now, just up 7th from Times Square. I just saw The trip to Bountiful with Cicely Tyson and Vanessa Williams. TKTS was only 20% off :(. It was excellent and a long standing ovation. Found out it is due to close Oct 9th, so hurry for those interested.

I saw Pippin the night before and really enjoyed it. It is like no other play I have seen. To me it was not a great storyline, but really showcased the acrobatic and contortionist talent. I found myself really getting into the main characters as their performances were amazing.

Saw Bryan Cranston in "All The Way" at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge yesterday. This is a new play that looks at the first year of Lyndon Johnson's presidency, focusing especially on his efforts to get the civil rights bill passed and to get re-elected. It's one of the toughest tickets in town -- entire run is sold out -- presumably because of Cranston's well-deserved fame as Walter White in <i>Breaking Bad</i>.

Cranston is wonderful as LBJ, a folksy, conniving, self-indulgent man who doesn't quite know where his true beliefs lie. But the play itself didn't have much to offer, especially (or maybe even) for someone (e.g., this typist) who was fully interested in politics during LBJ's reign and was familiar with the people and events portrayed. All The Way includes a zillion characters from the time -- Lady Bird, J Edgar Hoover, Hubert (and Muriel) Humphrey, MLK, Ralph Abernathy, Richard Russell, Ev Dirksen, John McCormack, Stokely Carmichael, George & Lurleen Wallace, Walter Jenkins, and more. So many, in fact, that none of them has much of a chance to see any character development, even though the play runs for a way-too-long 3 hours. They've obviously done their research and watched their tapes -- the actor playing Humphrey has his accent and voice down cold, though they should have done a much better job with Dirksen's mop of hair. But the problem for me was that the play never really went anywhere. It was ok, sometimes entertaining, but doesn't live up to the sky-high standards that many of us have become accustomed to at ART (Porgy, Menagerie, Pippin).

Saw Matilda yesterday. It usually appears at TKTS these days, yesterday's matinee was 40% off and I got a 5th row orchestra seat. Nice.

Well, it was a whole lot of fun. Craig Bierko has taken over the villain role and I had read a lot of really negative blogs. Sorry I didn't get to see Bertie Carvel do it -- but Bierko was quite good. Miss Trunchbull is supposed to be very masculine, but Bierko makes no attempt at all of using a woman's voice (as Carvel did). I would have liked to see Carvel's performance.

Overall, yea the show is a whole lot of fun with some big staging. Songs are mostly a yawn for me -- although I can't stop singing "When I Grow Up". And Miss Honey has a really beautiful song near the end. I guess the whole thing is like watching a big production of something like How the Grinch Stole Christmas -- way over exaggerated cartoon characters aimed at children. I don't mean that the whole show is simply for children -- but it is "childish" or perhaps "childlike"-- get the difference?

Oh, and if the words to the songs are important (and even some of the dialogue) I'd suggest you study up before seeing it. The over amplification and the harsh, screaming voices -- particularly of the kids -- makes hearing the words pretty impossible. The opening number is "My mommy says" or something like that, but for the life of me I still have no idea what most of the things were that mommy says!

So while there was a whole lot of creativity going on up there, the show itself didn't impress me in the way that Kinky Boots did, or Pippin. Still, it's an undeniable fun theatre experience.

> I still have no idea what most of the things were that mommy says

There'd be days like this?

Good one, Don!

Patrick, sorry you weren't that crazy about Matilda. We loved it....and thought it was a lot more than "watching a big production of something like How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Oh well, you can't please everyone. (Hey, I'm one of those in the minority who didn't like Wicked!) PS: Bertie Carvel was wonderful.

I've now seen Matilda, Pippin, and Kinky Boots. I know this will offend some and it is just MY OPINION....but I think the Tony for Kinky Boots was a gift. It was my least favorite of the three. I would rank them as (1) Pippin, (2) Matilda, (3) KB.

I really loved the lead in Pippin, the chemistry between characters and the humor. The songs were wonderful and the circus aspect just added to the fun. I found Matilda to be very polished with a lot of smart humor. KB felt small (like a road show) with stale one note jokes. I found the music forgettable.

But, TC, you do realize I hope that Pippin wasn't up for the same award. It was a revival, not a new musical. And it DID win best revival of a musical, while Kinky Boots won for best (new) musical.

Howard, but could you understand all the words to the songs -- particularly those sung by the children -- or at least half the words? I do not have a problem with accents, normally, so I really don't think it was that. I guess I was expecting a lot more "heart" to the show. I didn't shed a tear, and yet I thought I would. I loved the creativity and the special effects, but just couldn't get "moved" by it in the least.

Patrick, we could understand most of what the children said and sang. More important, we were very impressed witnh their enormous talents. We also quite impressed with the incredible sets, which won a well deserved Tony.

With the exception of understanding them, I agree with all of that.

Having just seen Kinky Boots, I too was surprised that it won over Matilda (which I say in previews). I had a good time and enjoyed the show and performers very much, but Matilda felt more "new", more creative.

So question to all the theatre nuts out there-I am in charge of a trip in January for 3 women besides myself (all 50's age if that makes a difference) who have designated me the tour director because I love NY so much. We will see one show at least, maybe two. I have no problem seeing something I've already seen so was considering Once or Matilda. I haven't seen Pippen (and haven't checked to see how long everything is running). I know a "big" musical would be appreciated by all. Is ther something else that I should consider? If you were to pick one show to have out of towners see, what would it be?

ArtTravelr, if you're in the mood for a non-musical, then definitely get tickets for the current revival of The Glass Menagerie. It's just been extended through February.
If you decide on Once, then there'll probably be discount tickets available, with offer being posted late this year. Since Pippin is selling out, it'll probably still be playing in January, though discount tickets are unlikely.

AirTraveler, Since you haven't seen Pippin, that would be my recommendation. Although it doesn't feel quite as "big" as Matilda, it is very good. It is smart, funny, with excellent performers. Have the ladies seen Wicked? That is certainly "big". I saw Big Fish in previews recently and really liked it, too. Although I felt it had some minor problems in previews, nothing that diminished my enjoyment. Hopefully the pacing will have improved by January. Playbill has a deal on tix for Pippin right now (not sure for how long)...not a discount, but a free CD with ticket purchase. I was able to get a center orchestra seat at "regular price" but it takes a little skill on the Telecharge web site to find them. Tip: you will find better seats if the ladies are willing to split up. 3-4 together are harder to come by. However January is a good time to go. We often go the day after New Years and its wonderful. All the holiday people have left the city.

Patrick, Thanks for setting me straight. I should have remembered that Pippin is a revival. Travel amnesia...or a "senior moment". My order of preference is still the same. Just feel that Cindy and Harvey got a gift from their NY peers.

TC, I agree that Pippin was the best of the three for me. And I think it's a great choice for ArtTravlr's group!. It's actually coming up on TKTS a lot now (as is Matilda), so I'm not so sure that in January it won't be on discount. But it's always tricky to wait as those usually aren't even announced until after Christmas!

By the way, have you heard the big rumor (apparently true) that Cindi Lauper actually did little of the actual writing and refining of the music for Kinky Boots. Apparently the bulk of it was done by Oremus, a well known musical ghost writer/composer/arranger who also did most of the work for 9 to 5, while Dolly Parton got the credit. It's not unusual in the world of Broadway musicals. But still Lauper did have her hand in the creativity, and her name certainly added to the buzz.

But while again I really DID ENJOY Matilda, I put Kinky Boots above it -- not because of more fantastic sets and effects, or even choreography or general creativity. But not one moment in Matilda grabbed me the same way that Billy Porter singing "Hold Me in your Heart" did -- or even Stark Sands doing "The Soul of a Man". And surprisingly neither is really "MY" kind of music.

Ooops, was I unclear above? I meant that Matilda had more fantastic sets, effects, and creativity than Kinky Boots. Somehow it seems like I was saying the opposite.

Patrick....maybe some of my disappointment with KB was the absence of Billy when I saw it. However, I really couldn't see where he could have bolstered the entire production <u>that</u> much. One person can't carry a whole show on his shoulders. It just didn't grab me and I loved the movie. Go figure!

The chemistry in Pippin the other night was wonderful. I don't know if this happens often, but they were all cracking each other up on stage. Several <i>"Harvey Corman/Tim Conway"</i> moments between all the central players that night.

Ooops, was I unclear above? I meant that Matilda had more fantastic sets, effects, and creativity than Kinky Boots. Somehow it seems like I was saying the opposite.

Wow. I leave my computer for an hour and when I sign back on my last message reposts?

TC-thanks for the tip on splitting our seats 2+2-I never would have thought about that.

And question for the Pippin crowd-is it an "easy to understand" story line? Or is there a straightforward storyline at all? I got the feeling that it was a little more avant garde or rather not a linear production. Just want to be sure everyone "gets" it, some had a little difficulty following Les Mis many years ago.

AT: I thought it was a very straight forward story... presented in a creative way. Its basically a coming of age story. King's son wants his life to have meaning. Tries several different routes to that end. Finally figures out what is important in life. The story is told with the backdrop of a circus. So all the players are circus performers. By that I mean that when the son thinks he should be a soldier, the battle is actually circus acrobats creating chaos. Its not too heavy. I don't think you need to worry overly about some great understanding. Its fun and entertaining even if you don't "get it".

Anyone else have a different view?

Thanks. I guess I couldn't figure out how the circus performers fit in. Loved the number I saw on the Tony's. Will definitely consider it!

The ART announced that All the Way with Bryan Cranston IS going to Broadway, I think opening in November.

I'm sorry I missed it here. it was a tough ticket and I waited too long to try and get one.

Has anyone seen Twelfth Night or Richard III in previews? I have tix to Richard III next week.