If I Were Picking The Tony Award Winners 2024

 If I were choosing the winner of the Tony Awards, which are awarded tomorrow evening, my choices (what I think deserves to win, not a prediction of what may win) would be:

Best New Play- Stereophonic (although I thought all five nominees were great)

Best New Musical- The Outsiders

Best Play Revival- Appropriate

Best Musical Revival- Merrily We Roll Along

Best Book of Musical- The Outsiders

Best Original Score- Here Lies Love

Best Direction of a Play- Daniel Aukin/ Stereophonic

Best Direction of a Musical- Maria Freedman/ Merrily We Roll Along

Best Lead Actor in a Play- Jeremy Strong/ Enemy of the People

Best Lead Actress in a Play- Sarah Paulson/ Appropriate

Best Lead Actor in a Musical- Jonathan Groff/ Merrily We Roll Along

Best Lead Actress in a Musical-Maleah Joi Moon/ Hell's Kitchen

Best Featured Actor in a Play- Tom Pecinka/ Stereophonic

Best Featured Actress in a Play- Sarah Pidgeon/ Stereophonic

Best Featured Actor in a Musical- Daniel Radcliff/ Merrily We Roll Along

Best Featured Actress in a Musical- Lindsay Mendez/ Merrily We Roll Along

Best Scenic Design of Play- David Zinn/ Stereophonic

Best Scenic Design of Musical- David Korins/ Here Lies Love

Best Costume Design of Play- Dede Ayite/ JaJa's African Hair Braiding

Best Costume Design of Musical- Tom Scutt/Cabaret

Best Lighting of Play- Jiyoun Chang/ Stereophonic

Best Lighting of Musical- Brian MacDevitt & Hana Kim/ The Outsiders

Best Sound Design of Play- Ryan Rumery/ Stereophonic

Best Sound Design of Musical- Gareth Owen/ Hell's Kitchen

Best Choreography- Justin Peck/ Illinoise

Best Orchestrations- Jonathn Tunick/ Merrily We Roll Along

NY SPRING THEATER REPORT #2: THIS YEAR, THE PLAYS ARE THE THING

At the end of 2023, things seemed dire for serious plays on Broadway.  Outside of the outstanding revival of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' "Appropriate," there was no other drama playing on Broadway.  Thankfully, the passing of a few months made all the difference one could hope, as the numerous spring openings revealed that the best new productions on Broadway are now unquestionably the wide array of excellent new play productions.  By contrast, outside of several fine new musical productions, the plentiful new musical productions this year are largely a yawn inducing lot.

As for the currently running plays, it is notable that"Stereophonic" has gained considerable weight and clarity in its move to the Broadway stage from Playwrights Horizons.  The larger stage allows the subtle character interactions to breathe and become more noticeable to the audience, and this perfect ensemble cast has honed the precision of their roles.  While there are many notable new plays this spring, for me "Stereophonic" stands head and shoulders above anything else currently playing on Broadway.

I was profoundly moved by Paula Vogel's engaging and finely written "Mother Play," which was rewarded with tonally rich staging and direction (by Tina Landau), and finely honed performances from Jessica Lange and Celia Keenan-Bolger.  While Vogel's biographically inspired brother-sister bond was previously explored in Vogel's 1990 play "The Baltimore Waltz," the portrayal here is not derivative or duplicative due to the wisdom and perspective Vogel (and all of us) have gained on the topics covered since the latter years of the last century.  

In what appears to be her professional theater debut, Rachel McAdams gives a searingly beautiful lead performance in Amy Herzog's lovingly rendered "Mary Jane" which also features outstanding supporting cast performances.  This play about a mother caring for her seriously ill toddler stays clear of the weepy Lifetime Channel type movie tropes, and provides an emotionally astute window into the world of empathy and acceptance from which everyone could learn.

Star casting (of "Succession's" Jeremy Strong and "The Soprano's" Michael Imperioli) may have helped obtain producing investors for Amy Herzog's terrific and resonant adaptation of Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People," but director Sam Gold and his strong cast turn this sometimes unwieldy and overlong drama into something timely and urgent.  This production keeps  the audience on the edges of their seats watching the twists and turns of the plot unfold.  Much as with McAdams' performance in "Mary Jane," here the celebrity actors acquit themselves with panache providing award worthy level performances.

While I previously reported on two new spring musicals that I found engaging and worthwhile ("Illinoise" and "The Outsiders") sadly the other new musicals this spring are largely a disappointment.  For exapmle, while I understand the commercial pressures that resulted in the audience pleasing changes to Shaina Taub's "Suffs," I nevertheless found the Broadway production to be a dumbed down version of the show's great, if overlong, off-Broadway production at the Public.  

I was ultimately mesmerized by the high concept journey to hell that is Rebecca Frecknall's revival of "Cabaret," although I could have done without the distracting and unneccesary "pre-show" with its unduly expensive food and drink urgings.  The one performance I found to be distracting was that of the usually fine Ato Blankson-Wood as Cliff, who has no chemistry with Sally or any other character for that matter.  Perhaps it is an intentional directorial choice, but it fell flat for me.

While I am pleasantly surprised by the number of excellent play offerings this spring on Broadway, I remain concerned about the dearth of supply and quality of new productions being mounted off-Broadway.  There were not many off-Broadway productions that I wanted to see this spring, and among the few I did see were a largely cliche "Lonely Few" at MCC and an interesting and well produced, if overstuffed, production of Suzan Lori-Park's "Sally & Tom" at the Public.

While this year's Tony nominations of five solid award quality new plays is encouraging, I cannot fail to note that they were all mounted by non-profit theaters, and 3 of the 5 started in off-Broadway houses.  I am concerned about the future supply of serious new plays at a time when theatrical non-profits are largely in financial straights, and tv and film offer increasingly more lucrative options for writers, actors, directors and other creative professionals.  Nevertheless, I will enjoy the play dominated riches of this season and hope for the best for the future.

DUPLICITY & DENIAL IN BRANDEN JACOBS JENKINS' "APPROPRIATE" & "PURPOSE"

At the end of 2023 I saw the current expertly cast revival of Branden Jacobs Jenkins' "Appropriate" on Broadway.  It was the only new drama playing on Broadway at the time, and thankfully it was being welcomed by sold out audiences.

Last week I saw the premiere production of Mr. Jenkins' new play "Purpose" at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, and it is a triumph both artistically speaking and with audiences in Chicago.  This play seems destined to play Broadway, assuming Broadway remains a place where serious and well written dramas can be mounted.

What struck me about seeing both Jenkins plays within a relatively concurrent time period is how they are both tackling similar themes albeit in very different plot environments.  "Appropriate" focuses on a dysfunctional southern US raised white family coming to terms with its racist past and its legacy.  By contrast, "Purpose" zeros in on a well known Chicago black family whose patriarch is a civil rights icon as the family comes to terms with the disconnect between its public image and its private dysfunction.

Both plays have several female characters that are outsiders to the nuclear family units, and in both plays these outsider characters get drawn into and entangled into the family dysfunction.  Both are wildly funny but with a dramatic bite that has become a signature of Mr. Jenkins' plays.  I see these two plays as two sides of the same coin, and to me they are Jenkins' "D&D" plays, as central to both are the duplicity and denial of the family units depicted in each.

The current Broadway revival of "Appropriate" is as good as the smashing 2013 premiere NY production at Signature Theater, and the Steppenwolf premiere of "Purpose" has a terrific cast (with special mention owed to the pitch perfect Jon Michael Hill, Tamara Tunie and Alana Arenas).  If, as I suspect, "Purpose" is mounted on Broadway I would prefer to see it directed with a bit more directorial flash and my dream cast would include the three actors mentioned above, with Denzel Washington stepping in as Solomon Jasper in order to make the run the box office smash it deserves to be.

One day, I hope to attend a marathon performance somewhere of Mr. Jenkins' "D&D" plays, and I would venture that they can be seen in any order, but ideally both be seen in the same day of beautifully written and exciting theater.

NY SPRING THEATER REPORT #1

The Spring theater openings in New York are numerous and varied this year.  While April will yield the most numerous new offerings in years, I caught of handful of shows that opened in March, finding three very strong shows amongst the six I saw.

Especially powerful was the Jamie Lloyd directed National Theatre production of Lucy Prebble's "The Effect" at The Shed in Hudson Yards.  I was hesitant to see this show because the production of this play I saw off-Broadway nearly 10 years ago, directed by the normally reliable David Cromer, was so long and unfocused that I nearly fell asleep watching it.  However, I am a huge fan of Jamie Lloyd's work and had read that the script was shortened and revised, and so I gave this play another chance.  Watching the visceral and explosive production at The Shed, it felt like an entirely different play.  The lighting, sound and boxing match-like staging kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to end, and the acting, especially by Paapa Essiedu and Taylor Russell is stunning to behold.  Sadly, the limited run ends at the end of March, but the prpoduction was filmed for NT Live and hopefully will be made available for home viewing in the US by NT at Home.

Originality and creativity abounds in the dance/theater hybrid staging of the Sufjan Stevens' album "Illinoise" at the Park Avenue Armory.  The choreography artfully blend a number of different dance styles, but the work feels cohesive and the narrative (credited to director-choreographer Justin Peck and playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury) is clear and emotionally engaging.  The show is moving in late April to the St. James Theater, just in time to qualify for the 2024 Tony Awards consideration.  I would guess that a Best Musical nomination is in the cards for this production.

I further venture to guess that a Best Musical nomination will also be earned by the new musical "The Outsiders," which I caught in a preview performance.  I was not expecting much from this show going in, as the book on which the musical is based is aimed at a demographic many years younger than mine.  But a combination of great direction and staging (by Danya Taymor), a solid book (by Adam Rapp), a talented young cast, a fine score (by Jamestown Revival and Justin Levine), and exciting choreography (by Rick & Jeff Kuperman) kept me both engaged and moved throughout.  I am not sure how the NY critics will react to this show, but whatever that is, I hope this show finds audiences as appreciative as the one with whom I attended this show.

On the less positive side, the hugely popular Cole Escola comedy "Oh Mary," proved to be way too campy for my tastes, resulting in what felt an SNL skit that greatly overstays its welcome.  Your milage may vary on this one.  As for the revival of "Tommy" on Broadway, I was left feeling cold, unengaged and searching (but not finding) for a good reason in for reviving this show.  Finally, I have literally nothing favorable I could say about the poorly conceived, lacklusterly staged and at times insulting new musical adaptation of "The Notebook."

I expect to have another batch of new shows on which to report in May.

2023'S 10 BEST THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS

2023 was a relatively meager year for theater, and the first year in memory that I had to stretch to come up with 10 worthy productions that can accuartely be called "the best."  While I have serious concerns about the future of off-Broadway, regional non-profits and works of serious drama, I am somewhat heartened to find 4 new plays and revivals of 3 serious dramas on my list.  Plus, a year that brings a stellar new work plus a solid revival from Stephen Sondheim is noteworthy.

In order of preference my 10 best shows of 2023 were:

1. STEREOPHONIC [Playwright's Horizons]- surprisingly universal & sublime

2. HERE WE ARE [The Shed]- Sondheim's last great gift to the world

3. A DOLL'S HOUSE [Broadway]- Jessica Chastain's image & performance are imprinted in me

4. MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG [Broadway]- supporting cast is hugely improved from off-Broadway

5. PRIMARY TRUST [Roundabout]- beautifully written and emotionally astute

6. APPROPRIATE [Broadway/Second Stage]- Branden Jacobs Jenkins' best where it belongs

7. THE DOCTOR [Park Ave Armory]- Juilet Stevenson was mesmerizing in this thoughtful adaptation

8. THE COMEUPPANCE [Signature Theatre]- Branden Jacobs Jenkins again at the top of his game

9. BRIGHT NEW BOISE [Signature Theatre]- breathed new life into this Samuel Hunter play

10.  BEYONCE'S RENAISSANCE CONCERT*- it broke my soul, in a good way

Honorable Mentions: SHUCKED [Broadway]; ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW [Dallas Theater Center]

*Yes, a concert is not technically "theater"; but this was no ordinary concert and it was enormously theatrical in scope and execution, so it justifies its placement on this list.

Sondheim/Ives' "Here We Are" Is The Highlight of Fall NY Theater Season

Unfortunately, there is little to be excited about with respect the new shows opening this fall in New York City.  There is not a serious drama playing on Broadway, and all of the new shows this fall are either musicals or comedies.  Off-Broadway is also offering slim pickings this fall as most off-Broadway theater companies have significantly reduced their schedules presumably due to budgetary concerns.

Notwithstanding the above, one new show I saw on a recent trip to NY proved to be a winner on many levels, namely the new Steven Sondheim/ David Ives musical "Here Were Are" at The Shed in Hudson Yards.  While developed during Sondheim's final years, there was some doubt that the show (which was at one point entitled "Square One") would be staged because it was not quite finished when Mr. Sondheim passed away.  Thankfully the creators (book writer David Ives and director Joe Mantello chief among them) contniued their work on the show and have provided theatergoers with the gift of this impeccably crafted production of "Here We Are."

The show is "inspired by" two Luis Bunel films, neither of which I had seen before viewing the show, although I had a sense of the general plots of both films.   I am glad I had not seen either film, because it enabled to admire the brilliance of the show without any preconceived notions.  I had read online chatter from the earliest previews that the two acts were disjointed and that the work feels unfinished.  Neither proved to be the case for me, as I thought the two acts were beautifully integrated, and the relative dearth of music in the second act made perfect sense to me in the context of the show.   The interplay of the two acts in "Here We Are" are much like that in Sondheim's "Into The Woods," in that the first, more humorous act is the set up to exploration of more serious and deeper themes of the second act.  

The production elements of "Here We Are" are sheer theatrical perfection.  The cast includes many of the finest theater actors of our time, all working at the top of their game.  The direction is precise and fluid.  The scenic design, costumes (both by David Zinn), choreography (appropriately more movement by Sam Pinkleton) lighting (by Natasha Katz), sound (by Tom Gibbons, and orchestrations (by longtime Sondheim collaborator Jonathan Tunik) all work to create a work so professionally executed that I was in awe at the stagecraft on display from beginning to end.

While I hesitate to separate any cast member out given that they are all great, I cannot avoid noting that David Hyde Pierce and Rachel Bay Jones are standouts as the heart and soul of the show.

I left "Here We Are" wanting to see the show again, and I hope I have the opportunity to do so.  I am not sure this thoughtful and rather quirky show would find an audience on Broadway, nor am I confident that  it will be met with overwhelming critical acclaim.  But in a world in which many like me are feeling a sense of existential dread due to world unrest and upcoming elections, "Here We Are" for me proved to a balm of comfort for its glimmer of hope for where we are as a nation and world.

While I enjoyed the comedic elements of two new Broadway plays, Jocelyn Bioh's "Jaja's African Hair Braiding" and the revival of Ossie Davis' "Purlie Victorious," both suffered from flawed elements.  In "Jaja's" the attempt by the playwright to introduce a serious thematic turn of events felt forced and unnuanced.  In "Purlie" the wildly over the top performance of Kara Young offset the balance of the otherwise fine cast, a flaw for which I fault the direction.  Nevertheless, both are worth seeing in a current Broadway play landscape with few quality new productions.

The rarely revived and now revised Rome/Weidman 1962 musical "I Can Get It For You For Wholesale" is worth seeing at Classic Stage largely for the talent of its fine cast, especially the star affirming performance by Julia Lester as Miss Marmelstein, the role that started Barbara Streisand's stage career.  The show itself, at least in its revised form, is an odd one that proves to be less than satisfying.

The full day marathon of Sean O'Casey's trilogy by Ireland's Druid theater company was a mixed bag, as I found only one play of the trilogy ("The Shadow of a Gunman") to be truly successfully staged.  Surprisingly, the other two plays ("The Plough and the Stars" and "Juno and the Paycock") suffered from pacing issues and uneven acting.

Finally, the Goodman Theatre production of Rebecca Gilman's "Swing State" at the Minetta Lane was a welcome opportunity to see a well constructed and acted serious drama, although I had some credibility issues with the way the central character was written.  The play nevertheless packs an emotional wallop and is worth seeing.

Raucous & Rollicking "Rocky Horror" Rocks the Kalita Theater

How does one make the very campy, intentionally inane 1973 minted musical "Rocky Horror Show" feel fresh and current?  Indeed, the last few "Rocky Horror" stage productions I have seen, including its last Broadway revival in 2000, left me feeling that the show was becoming a bit stale.  Who would have thought it would take the close minded, right wing, holier than thou Texas GOP state legislators to give the show a new reason for being?  Certainly not me, but in passing the clearly unconstitutional (and thankfully temporarily suspended by the Federal Courts), sexual suggestion banning SB12, those legislators have inadvertently given new life to this musical.  That is abundantly clear in Dallas Theater Center's fearless, joyfully campy, entertaining, blissful "Rocky Horror" production that is skewering the prim spirit of SB12 on a nightly basis at Dallas' Kalita Theater.

Director Blake Hackler has skillfully assembled the cast and show elements, all while embracing, as he states in his program notes, "the absurd and the outrageous."   Two performances among the hard working cast stand out as key anchors of this production.  First, David Lungo's standup fueled Narrator elicits  hysterical audience laughter, with several allusions to the political undercurrents unleashed by SB12 and its ilk being among his funniest exchanges.  He holds this otherwise unwieldy show together.  And then there is my favorite Frank N' Furter of all time- L.Walter, who is fierce, funny and frolicsome, and commands complete attention every moment he is on stage. 

Some of the production's musical numbers could have been tighter in execution, although I caught the show early in its run and I suspect it will gain some precision in the course of its month long engagement.  And to be fair, precision is not essential to making an entertaining "Rocky Horror."

Indeed, I had a great time watching this "Rocky Horror," and I appreciated its ability to make the show feel timeless.  However, I left the theater spooked in one significant way- namely, this production highlighted that if SB12 or similar laws were to go into effect one day, the harmless joy that I witnessed on stage might land its participants in jail.  That threat has not gone away, making this production of "Rocky Horror" nothing less than an urgent call to action to ensure this never happens.

Spring Theater in NY: A Mesmerizing "Doll's House," A Lackluster "Sweeney Todd," & Updating Mythology Through a Black Lens in "Black Odyssey"

Spring theater in New York is approaching full bloom, and my latest visit was a mixed bag of shows.

By far, the best show of my visit was the Jamie Lloyd directed adaptation (by Amy Herzog) of Ibsen's "A Doll's House," which features a bravura performance by Jessica Chastain as Nora.  Herzog's adaptation, Lloyd's direction and Chastain's "can't take my eyes off of her" performance are perfectly in synch, yielding a production almost entirely centered on Chastain's Nora.  My interpretation is that the show is set in Nora's mind, with her remembering the actions that take place on stage.  This interpretation is buttressed by the pre-show appearance of Nora/Chastain seated on a circular roundtable where for appoximately 15 minutes she appears to be engaged in deep thought as other cast members slowly appear and take their own seats. 

The set design is minimalistic, which allows for greater focus on the words that are crisply and clearly delivered via the outstanding sound design.  This production calls for audience focus, and thankfully the audience at my performance was blissfully silent and seemingly rapt throughout the almost 2 hour intermission-less show.  This "Doll's House" feels current, urgent and explosive in no small part due to Chastain's beautifully rendered performance.  Audience complaints about the lack of set design or stage interaction (and there are quite a few such complaints being made) seem to me to miss the point of the bold and daring vision of the show's artistic creators.

Count me in the "not horrible, but far from great" camp for the lackluster "Sweeney Todd" revival currently playing on Broadway.  Josh Groban is miscast and proves the considerable limits of his acting abilities, Annaleigh Ashford starts out great but by the end seems to be mugging too much, and Jordan Fisher is not up to the demands of singing "Johanna," one of Sondheim's most beautiful tunes.  The choreography does not fit the show, and at times made the staging look like a Disney musical, and a bad one at that.   I also cannot help but plead for the removal of the cheap mechanical bird that furiously flaps its plastic wings as Fisher begins to sing "Johanna," which is beyond absurd and distracting.  The sound design is also lacking as the orchestra sounded way too quiet from my Row K orchestra seat.  The set design is just okay, but is overly clunky in Act 2.  Going in, I did not think Thomas Kail was the right director for this show, and what I saw on stage confirmed that fact.

On the positive side,  Gaten Matarazzo and Ruthie Ann Miles provide worthy dimensions to their roles, and Jamie Jackson and John Rapson are quite good as the Judge and Beadle (which they also proved to be in prior, better productions of this show).  In the end, I see no reason to see this show if you have seen prior professional productions of "Sweeney Todd," and this production in no way justifies the outrageously high prices being charged for tickets.

Although it could use a few more revisions by an expert dramaturge, I was thoroughly engaged, entertained and ultimately moved by Classic Stage Company expertly cast Marcus Gardley play "black odyssey," which revisits the Odysseus saga as seen through a Black American lens.  Stevie Walker-Webb's direction is sharp as he guides this journey of his supremely talented cast.  Yes, the play can be a bit messy at times, but perhaps that messiness is itself a comment on the black experience in contemporary America.

I caught the Signature Theatre's revival of Samuel D. Hunter's "Bright New Boise" in its last week of performances, and was glad that I did so.  I did not care for a prior production of this play I saw years ago at small theater in Los Angeles.  But Signature's production, which featured an excellent cast smartly directed by Oliver Butler made the best case I can imagine for this play, even if the ending still did not fully land for me.  Among the fine cast was the stunning young actor Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, who gives a career making performance here that portends his likely great future as an actor.

I also enjoyed Suzan-Lori Parks' musical adaptation of the film "The Harder They Come," which has an infectious energy even if it is unable to overcome the many cliches contained in the underlying work.  The talented cast and band go a long way towards making this show sing, and it never overstays its two hour running time.

MCC Theater's presentation of Soho Rep's "Wolf Play," proved to be a worthwhile exercise in theatrical ingenuity, although for me the inventive staging somewhat masks the elemental and basic nature of the underlying script.

Finally, despite some nice staging and a few good performances, Keith Bunin's "The Coast Starlight" at Lincoln Center Theater's Mitzi Newhouse lacked credibility and nuance, which left me feeling both disappointed and sour as to why this feeble play was accorded the considerable resources this prominent venue.

"The Whale" -A Great Play Becomes A Bad Movie

In 2012, I had one of my most rewarding and emotional theater experiences at Playwrights Horizons watching an exemplary cast (led by Shuler Hensley in the lead role of Charlie) perform Samuel D. Hunter's excellent play "The Whale."  I was so moved by the ending that I recall having to sit down in my seat for several minutes after the curtain call to reorient myself before rejoining the world outside the theater on 42nd Street.  Aided by Hunter's fine writing, Hensley's fine acting and Davis McCallum's precise direction, I formed deep wells of empathy for each of the play's characters, but especially for the lead character Charlie.  The ending gutted me.

Needless to say, I was somewhat skeptical when I heard that "The Whale" was being adapted into a film, even though Hunter was signed on as the screenwriter.  Hunter's theatrical works share much more than a geographical locus (in or near Idaho); they also typically mine deep wells of empathy for their finely wrought characters.  That is easier to do in the confines of live theater, and much more difficult to pull off in the much cooler medium of film.  But I was hopeful that the film could at least come close to approximating my 2012 experience in the theater.

Unfortunately, the film adaptation of "The Whale" not only failed to engage my empathy, but I found it a downright distasteful experience that I endured for its entire 117 minute running time only because I kept hoping it would improve.  It never improved.

So how does such a fine play become such a terrible film?  It is not the writing.  After watching the film I went back and read the play script, and while there were changes in the writing, the bulk of the play's dialogue is up on the screen.  I did note that in the play Charlie is constantly apologizing with repeated instances of  "I'm sorry" that I do not recall in the film.  I surmise that someone thought the often repeated self-deprecating "sorrys" of Charlie in the play script that were intended to (and did) evoke empathy, might be annoying on film.   But that is the only aspect of the writing changes that I thought could account for my very different reactions to the on stage Charlie as compared with his screen counterpart.

I was not impressed with Brendan Fraser's performance as Charlie, but I will cut him some slack because any actor would be challenged to realistically emote under all the latex and makeup in which his body and face are covered.  I think the fault in failing to successfully adapt the play lies primarily with Director Darren Aronofsky.  Aronofsky does everything he can, from making Charlie an unhuman appearing puppet, to grotesquely focusing on Charlie's gluttonous eating binges, to distance the film viewer from feeling for Charlie.  Indeed, it is very difficult to feel empathy for the on screen Charlie when Aronfsky's directorial choices seem aimed at making Charlie an inhuman freak.  Aronofsky's goal seems to be to evoke revulsion rather than empathy, and as such are in direct conflict with the essence of Hunter's words.

Would the film have worked in the hands of a director more attuned with Hunter's writing?  We will never know, but what I do know is that I cannot recommend seeing the film "The Whale" unless you want to explicate how a great play can be made in to a bad film.

The 10 Best Theatrical Productions of 2022

For the first time since 2019 [i.e., the year before Covid hit] this past year saw theater produced all 12 months of the year.  Accordingly, I am resuming my end of year top 10 list of favorite theatrical productions, which has been on hiatus since 2019.  In order of preference my 10 best shows of 2022, comprised of 7 new works (including 4 new musicals) and 3 revivals, were:

1. KIMBERLY AKIMBO [Broadway]

2. FAT HAM [Public]

3. COST OF LIVING [Broadway]

4. INTO THE WOODS [Broadway]

5. TOPDOG/ UNDERDOG [Broadway]

6. STRANGE LOOP [Broadway]

7. CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD [Signature Theatre]

8. CYRANO DE BERGERAC [BAM]

9. SUFFS [Public]

10. SOME LIKE IT HOT [Broadway] 

Honorable Mentions: DOWNSTATE [Playwrights Horizons]; MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG [NYTW]; PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC [Manhattan Theater Club]; CONFEDERATES [Signature Theatre]; RAISIN IN THE SUN [Public]

Among the things that stood out for me this year were a series of remarkable acting duos rendering expertly synchronized performances that yielded astounding stage chemistry.  Prime examples of this were the performances of Kimberly Clark & Justin Cooley in "Kimberly Akimbo"; Corey Hawkins & Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in "Topdog/ Underdog"; Katy Sullivan & David Zayas in "Cost of Living"; Jonathan Groff & Daniel Radcliff in "Merrily We Roll Along"; and Gavin Creel & Joshua Henry as the Princes in "Into The Woods."

And a special word about my favorite show of 2022- the musical "Kimberly Akimbo."  I cannot praise this show enough, although I will be the first to confess that it hits the personal sweet spot for me in terms of a musical.  It is sweet, without being saccharine; sports a beautiful score with several songs conveying the interior thoughts of characters that reduced me to tears each of the 3 times I have seen this show, and remains hopeful and life-affirming without ignoring the darker aspects of life.  For me, this is the rare show that I venture I will never get tired of seeing, and one that I suspect will ultimately be among my favorite musicals of all time.

"Cost of Living," "Topdog Underdog," & "Kimberly Akimbo" Are Highlights of NY Fall Theater

New York theater offerings were slow to start at the outset at the outset of the fall, but the pace of new shows picked up in October, yielding three outstanding new Broadway productions that should not be missed.

The first of this trio is Martyna Majok's "COST OF LIVING" at Manhattan Theatre Club's Broadway stage which has been extended but ends its limited run on November 6.  I first saw this play in previews in 2017 at MTC's off-Broadway theater at NY City Center, and in 2017 I had a considerably different reaction to the play as compared with the current Broadway mounting.  Even though the director and two of the four actors were the same in 2017, to me the cast had not yet connected in the 2017 preview I saw, and that connection is essential to make the play's almost lyrical writing sing.  In the Broadway production each of the play's four actors beautifully mesh both with the playwright's words and each other, palpably conveying on stage the play's thematic exploration of our need for human connections.  At the conclusion of the Broadway production I was simply stunned into silence by the beauty of what I had witnessed on stage. 

This fall has seen a number of high profile Broadway revivals of past Pulitzer Prize winners, and none has been mounted as successfully as the second of my winning trio- Suzan-Lori Park's 2001 play "TOPDOG UNDERDOG."  The acting of this Kenny Leon directed two hander by Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen is like a master class in precision depiction of sibling interactions and brings out aspects of Ms. Park's deeper than first appears work that I had not contemplated in prior "Topdog" productions  I have seen.  I always considered "Topdog" to be a very good play, but after seeing the current production, I now see it as a great one.   Going in, I was concerned that the play might feel dated in 2022, but this play is more like a fine wine that has been enhanced by the passage of time such that it now feels paradoxically both very current and timeless.

I cannot say I had the same positive reaction to two other Pulitzer winners revived on Broadway this fall.  I felt the current revival of Arthur Miller's "DEATH OF A SALESMAN" portraying the Loman family as African-American fell victim to some odd stylistic and anachronistic directorial and acting choices.  The ending still lands, but not nearly as powerfully as in the seminal Robert Falls directed 1999 revival starring the late Brian Dennehy.  And as much as I loved the performances of Samuel Jackson and Michael Potts in the current revival of August Wilson's "THE PIANO LESSON",  I am sorry to say the mis-calibrated performance of John David Washington as Boy Willie, and odd directorial choices particularly in Act 2 prevented this production from landing the play's powerful ending and made me yearn for the transcendence of the Ruben Santiago-Hudson directed 2012 Signature Theater revival.

The third show of the winning fall trio of NY shows is the Broadway transfer of "KIMBERLY AKIMBO" which I missed last fall in its off-Broadway Atlantic Theater premiere.  This is a musical adaptation of a funny, quirky 2003 David Lindsay-Abaire play that has added cast members and a solid Jeanine Tesori score in its musicalized form.  Much like the work from which this musical is derived, this is a funny, quirky show that uses the story of the teenage girl with a rare disease that causes her to rapidly age to convey the beauty, wonder and fragility of life.  Once again, the cast is stellar and in particular the performances of Victoria Clark as Kimberly and Justin Cooley (making an astonishing Broadway debut) as her teenage friend Seth are a wonder to behold.  If the measure of a great musical is that I come out of the theater wanting to see it again, this new musical passes that test and then some, although truth be told I left "Kimberly Akimbo" with both a tear in my eye and a smile on my face.

I found much less to like in Tom Stoppard's new Holocaust themed play "LEOPOLDSTADT," finding the Stoppard dialogue unduly declamatory and the acting & direction largely static, unfocused and not particularly dramatic.  Similar themes were much more effectively explored in last year's Josh Harmon play "Prayers For The French Republic."  On the musical front, I was largely bored by the mediocrely scored stage musical adaptation of Cameron Crowe's film "ALMOST FAMOUS," notwithstanding a few fine central performances. 

I was thrilled by another visit to the current Broadway revival of "INTO THE WOODS," which featured some cast changes that were by and large at least as good as the initial cast I saw in the summer.  And despite a miscast lead performance from Jim Parsons, I enjoyed revisiting the Ahrens-Flaherty-McNally musical "A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE," even if this show now feels a bit dated.  Finally, I appreciated the audacious attempt to revive the musical "1776" in a contemporary and non-traditionally cast way, even if it does not always click on stage (which I believe is a deficiency in the musical as originally written).

All in all, there is a good deal of fine theater to see in New York this fall, most of it on Broadway.  Not surprisingly, the non-profit spaces of off-Broadway have not rebounded in terms of quantity and quality (if not quite in terms of box office receipts) as fast as Broadway, but I am hoping the balance of the fall and rest of the 2022-23 season make strides to address that current imbalance.

"Fat Ham"- To Watch Online Or To Watch Live, That Is The Question

In the midst of the Covid lockdown, when experiencing live theater was nothing more than a memory of the past, Philadelphia's Wilma Theater filmed and streamed on-line a digital version of James Ijames' excellent new play "FAT HAM," a riff on "Hamlet" set an outdoor African American family wedding reception/barbecue in North Carolina.  I watched the digital stream at the time, and belived that it is one of the best digital theater offerings I had seen during Covid times.  The play's wit and themes translated into the on-line format, although at the time the ending felt to me a bit unearned.  Nevertheless, I felt that this was Ijames' best play I had seen to date and I was thrilled when it was awarded the 2022 Pulitzer for Drama ostensibly based on the script and online production by the Wilma.

When the Public announced that a live production of "Fat Ham" would be part of its 2021-22 season, I was interested in seeing how the play differed in its on-stage iteration.  Fortunately, the Public lined up a great director, cast and production crew to bring this play to its inaugural live staging.  Having now seen the outstanding and hugely entertaining Public production of "Fat Ham," my estimation of Mr. Ijames' play has grown enormously, revealing to me that the considerable comedy in "Fat Ham" begs out for a live staging and audience to realize its full potential.  Furthermore, only after seeing the play on stage was I able to see the how the play's ending is entirely earned and crucial to one of the play's central themes- dispensing with the endless cycles of trauma and celebrating the triumph of doing so.  Indeed, Ijames' brilliantly flips the tragedy of Shakespeare's original work, and in doing so makes what I interpret as a commentary on contemporary theater's tendency to feature African American plays that focus on black trauma.

Seeing how a live staging was essential for me to fully experience the breadth of "Fat Ham" reminds me of how important it is preserve the medium of live theater, sadly in a time when so many legitimate theaters are facing existential threats to their existence.  While digital stagings are better than nothing, like film and published texts, they are not full substitutes for the real thing.

On my recent trip to New York I also saw Lear DeBessonet's dreamily cast Encores! production of one of my all time favorite musicals, Sondheim's "Into The Woods" which is now playing in a limited run on Broadway.  The two and a half hours watching this show can only be classified as musical theater nirvana that mined the musical of all of its considerable wit, musicality, humor and emotion.  If you think you have already seen enough "Into The Woods" for a lifetime (something to which I would never subscribe), think again and see this outstanding production if you have the opportunity to do so.

I was also drawn in by Will Arbery's fine new play "Corsicana" at Playwrights Horizons, which centered on siblings, one of whom has Downs Syndrome, who are dealing with the recent loss of their mother.  Arbery's writing is somewhat elliptical but rings deeply true, although I would venture that this play needs a skilled director and cast to properly negotiate the play's silences and shifts.  Playwrights Horizons has graced Arbery's play with both in the hands of director Sam Gold and the fine cast he has assembled here.

10 BEST SHOWS OF 2021/22 THEATER SEASON

I typically post an annual Best 10 list in December, but due to Covid and the resulting closure of most stage productions until the outset of the fall 2021 theater season, I did not post any such list in 2020 or 2021.  However, given the ramping up of stagings in the 2021/22 theater season (which runs from May 2021 to May 2022), I offer my below list of my 10 favorite productions of the 21/22 theater season.

1.  A STRANGE LOOP [Broadway]

2.  SANCTUARY CITY [NYTW]

3.  SUFFS [Public]

4.  A CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD [Signature Theatre]

5.  COMPANY [Broadway]

6.  CYRANO DE BERGERAC [BAM]

7.  CONFEDERATES [Signature Theatre]

8.  OUR TOWN [Dallas Theater Center]

9.  PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC [MTC]

10. MUSIC MAN [Broadway]

Honorable Mentions: PASS OVER [Broadway]; CAROLINE OR CHANGE [Broadway]; THE CHINESE LADY [Public]

Remarkable Returns to Productions first seen in prior years: SIX [Broadway]; HANGMEN [Broadway]

BEST ACTOR/ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL: Jaquel Spivey, A STRANGE LOOP/ SHARON D. CLARKE, CAROLINE OR CHANGE

BEST ACTOR/ACTRESS IN A PLAY: James McAvoy, CYRANO/ Francis Benhamou, PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC

BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL: Marianne Elliott, COMPANY

BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY: Rebecca Frecknall, SANCTUARY CITY

Examining Empathy in "Strange Loop," "Case For The Existence of God" & "How I Learned To Drive"

Three well written and expertly staged shows now playing in New York struck me in the varying ways they elicit empathy in their characters and/or their audiences, making them worthwhile subjects for a deeper examination of this issue and its impact on these productions.

"A Strange Loop," a musical with book, music and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson, explores the internal thoughts (depicted by an on stage six person chorus of Thoughts) of a young, black, gay character named Usher, who is struggling writing a musical about the struggle of writing a musical about himself - hence one of many loops in the show.  I first experienced this exciting new work at Playwrights Horizons in 2019 when the role of Usher was played by Larry Owens.  I loved the unapologetic audacity of the show and its themes, and found it to be both deeply thoughtful and entertaining.  Although I thought the show needed some fine tuning, I was thrilled when it won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for drama, an award that is not often bestowed on stage musicals.

I was a bit apprehensive about seeing the show again on Broadway when I heard that Larry Owens had left the production, as I would venture that the lead role is a very difficult one to cast and perform.  But seeing the show at the Lyceum Theatre last week was a treat well beyond my expectations, because not only had the show gained focus and fluidity on its way to Broadway, but the new actor playing Usher, Jaquel Spivey, gave a performance that was not only richer and deeper, but he seemed to channel the show's core themes in a way I had not experienced previously.  Without taking away any praise from Mr. Owens' fine work as Usher off-Broadway, I found Mr. Spivey's pitch perfect depiction of Usher's wounded vulnerability provided new layers of deep empathy in this work and its main character such that by the last song (the incredible summation song "A Strange Loop") I was in tears.  By tapping into and exemplifying the deep empathy that flows from the audience to the stage, the changes made to "A Strange Loop" in its Broadway incarnation, not the least of which was adding Mr. Spivey's award deserving performance, this show has risen in my estimation from a very good musical to one of my all time favorites.  I cannot wait to see it again,  as it is now a show that you don't just watch, rather you feel it in the depths of your heart and soul.

Empathy is employed somewhat differently in Samuel D. Hunter's beautifully written and staged new two-hander "A Case For The Existence Of God" now at Signature Theatre.  Here the empathy is depicted between the two on stage characters, Ryan (Will Brill) a mentally troubled, financially challenged Twin Falls, Idaho millennial and Keith (Kyle Beltran), a pent-up, gay, black, well educated mortgage broker who encounters Ryan at a day care facility for their respective daughters that leads to Ryan seeking Keith's help obtaining a mortgage.  Over the time depicted in the play, as an audience we watch the growing rapport and deep wells of empathy develop between these two characters, and the on stage connections are palpable to the audience.  Among the things I admire about Mr. Hunter's plays are their ability to tap into macro societal issues by means of micro explorations of characters, and that talent is on full display here.  I find this wonderful addition to Mr. Hunter's body of theatrical work to be further evidence that Hunter is among finest playwrights of our time.

I saw Paula Vogel's Pulitzer winning drama "How I Learned To Drive" 25 years ago at off-Broadway's Vineyard Theater.  While I appreciated Ms. Vogel's fine writing, the theme of the show (sexual abuse by a relative) was one that left me with an overwhelming sense of aversion for the wrongdoing uncle and his enabling wife.  Manhattan Theatre Club's current Broadway revival of "How I Learned To Drive" incredibly stars the same 3 principal actors as the original production- namely Mary Louise Parker, David Morse and Johanna Day.  Surprisingly, I thought all three actors were even better than I recalled.   Perhaps it is a combination of the aging of the actors (and hence their characters) and the wisdom we have gained in our #MeToo era that enabled me on a revisit to this play to not be so overwhelmed by aversion to the abuse that I was able to experience a deeper sense of sadness and/or empathy for the play's characters.  It is almost that with this play, the twenty five year time lapse between viewings enabled me to experience that time does indeed help to heal many wounds.

Among other shows I saw on my last visit to New York were a truly astounding, engrossing and of-the-moment "Cyrano de Bergerac" at Brooklyn Academy of Music featuring a tour de force performance of Cyrano by James McAvoy; a welcome return to Martin McDonagh's very funny and tightly written dark comedy "Hangmen"; an ambitious and splendidly staged revival of Thornton Wilder's "The Skin Of Our Teeth" that spins out of control in its second act; a lackluster and surprisingly obvious Tracey Letts political satire entitled "The Minutes"; a flaccid and dated revival of "Funny Girl"; and an early preview of Sarah Silverman's unfortunate "The Bedwetter," from which I could not run away fast enough.

DOMINANT SOCIETY'S GAZE EXPLORED IN "CONFEDERATES," "SUFFS" & "THE CHINESE LADY"

Three shows I saw on a recent visit to New York shared a common central theme examining the effect of dominant society's gaze on outside groups, and although each show looks at different manifestations of dominant groups' gaze, all three are among the finest new theater of the season.

The most complex examination of this theme is in Dominque Morisseau's outstanding new play "CONFEDERATES" at Signature Theatre.  In this intricately layered and expertly produced play,  Ms. Morisseau focuses attention on two African American women (Sara and Sandra) in two alternating settings- in respectively, a Civil War era Southern plantation and in the faculty of a contemporary, primarily white University.  Many parallels are drawn between the treatment of these two central characters in these very different settings, but most fascinating to me was the exploration of the dominant society's (white and male) negative impact on characters who would seem to be natural allies of Sara and Sandra, but who act in ways that undermine them.  The actors playing characters other than Sara and Sandra have counterpart characters they play in the two time periods depicted (distinctions that are beautifully rendered in on stage costume changes) and comparing and contrasting these counterpart characters helps one unlock some of the themes at work in the play.  I had to sit with "Confederates" for a few days to fully appreciate the powerful impact of the show, which is a testament to the depth and complexity of the writing.

One of the things I most admire about Ms. Morisseau's work is that in each play she tackles a new form, structure or style that makes each of her plays distinct from their predecessors.  This makes me especially eager to see what will next emerge from this supremely gifted playwright.

Dominant society's (white and male again) subjugation of woman, ostensibly for their "protection," is also explored in Shaina Taub's entertaining and expertly cast new musical "SUFFS" receiving its world premiere at the Public Theater.  Sadly, going into the show I had little knowledge beyond the basics of the U.S. woman's suffrage movement of the early 20th Century, which says a great deal about the priorities of our educational system and my own failures to supplement my formal education through independent learning.  Through a combination of expertly drawn characters, tuneful songs and intelligently crafted lyrics, I was thoroughly entertained while being educated about the inner workings, drive, limitations and failings of the suffrage movement, and the impact of dominant male society (skillfully portrayed by the talented and diverse all female cast) on the successes and failures of the movement and the schisms that developed within that movement.  I was particularly intrigued by noting many of the tensions and tactics experienced by the suffrage movement as models for the civil rights and LGBT+ movements in later eras.

New musicals are extremely difficult to successfully pull off.  For me, Ms. Taub and her collaborators have pulled this one off and then some, creating what for me is the most successful new musical since "Hamilton" emerged from the Public over 7 years ago.

Perhaps the most direct examination of dominant society's (white and male yet again) gaze was in the recently closed Public Theater production of Lloyd Suh's "THE CHINESE LADY," inspired by the true story of the first Chinese woman brought to America who was put on display for paying audiences throughout America.  Expertly staged and impeccably acted by Shannon Tyo and Daniel Isaac, the play explores the corrosive impact of dominant society's literal and metaphorical gaze on the two characters depicted- Afong Moy (Shannon Tyo), the "Chinese Lady" put on display (Shannon Tyo) and her interpreter Atung (Daniel Isaac).  The final 20 minutes of the play suffers from a narrative didacticism that is at odds with the play up to that point, but it nevertheless provides the throughline to the unfortunate instances of anti-Asian racism we continue to experience in our current day.  

The three of the above mentioned plays proved to be the highlights of my recent theatergoing in New York City.  I also enjoyed Bryna Turner's comedy "AT THE WEDDING" at LCT3, which was largely powered by the tour de force comedic performance of the lead character played by Mary Wiseman.  Fine acting by Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell similarly provide some incentive to see the Broadway revival of David Mamet's "AMERICAN BUFFALO" but sadly the play feels dated and underwhelming, although I confess to finding that to be the case for me with all of Mamet's theatrical output.  I would also recommend skipping the new Broadway musical "PARADISE SQUARE," which is unduly overwrought and provides only a few moments of excitement via its Bill T. Jones led choreography and an incandescent lead performance by Joaquina Kalukango.  Finally, the less said the better about Roundabout's Broadway production of Noah Haidle's insipid and depth-less new play "BIRTHDAY CANDLES."