On the Town With Aubrey Reuben
Where All the Stars Shine Brightly!
April 5, 2014
04-01-14 Kate Baldwin at the VIP reception for the launch of Stage
17 The Show Must Go On Online at the Walter Reade Theater. 165 West
65th St. Monday night. 03-31-14
On
Broadway, Idina
Menzel stars in a confused
musical as a woman, who arrives in
New York after twelve years in
Arizona, and splits into two
characters. We are forced to follow
her two separate, uninteresting
lives in If/Then,
music by Tom
Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian
Yorkey. She is a city planner,
and her friends and acquaintances
cover every color, ethnic group,
sexual orientation imaginable, and
we see every possible incident from
birth of a baby to a plane crash.
The dull songs all sound alike, and
are mostly sung by Menzel with a
loud, piercing voice. The lyrics
contain a great deal of vulgarity,
and feature every cliche one can
find. The choreography by Larry
Keigwin is a travesty of the
usual high level of Broadway dance.
Some fine members of the cast,
directed by Michael
Greif, are wasted in this
production. In short, it is one of
the more pathetic shows seen on
Broadway this season.
Denzel Washington is
the star of a revival of A
Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine
Hansberry, but it is the
wonderful play that outshines him.
In fact, his performance is quite
subdued, and fits perfectly within
this brilliant ensemble cast,
smoothly directed by Kenny
Leon. Everyone is a star in this
play about a poor black family,
living in a depressing apartment in
a slum in Chicago. An insurance
cheque gives the family the
opportunity to achieve upward
mobility. The cast is superb. Anika
Noni Rose as
the sister, who wants to become a
doctor, steals every scene in which
she appears. LaTanya
Richardson Jackson as
the mother, Sophie
Okonedo as
Denzel's weary wife and Sean
Patrick Thomas as
an educated Nigerian, who pursues
the sister and teaches her about her
African heritage, give outstanding
performances. But it is Denzel, who
will attract the audience to the
play, and he lives up to his
reputation. He is charismatic,
likable and a true superstar. Every
theatre fan will love this
production.
I returned for the third time to
see Beautiful:
The Carole King Musical, and
I believe it is one of the best
musicals on Broadway, and Jessie
Mueller as
Carole King deserves a Tony
nomination. You will enjoy every
minute of this wonderful show.
But we and the cast were in for
a surprise. When they took the
curtain call, Carole
King appeared
on the stage. She had seen the
show that night, and led the
audience and the cast inYou've
Got a Friend. It was a
spectacular, memorable moment to
the delight of everyone.
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Off-Broadway, Heathers,
book, music and lyrics by Kevin
Murphy and Laurence
O'Keefe, is a musical based on a film of the same title. I have never
seen the film, but I understand it is a cult movie. For those fans, I
imagine the musical will be a nostalgic reminder. For me, the music was
loud, the story is silly and the choreography minimal. Some films do not
need to be musicalized.
I Remember
Mama, by John
Van Druten, is a charming play about a
Norwegian family living in San Francisco at
the turn of the twentieth century, made even
more enjoyable by having a cast of ten
elderly actresses play all the characters.
It is a sentimental play that warms the
heart, and all the actresses are superb,
under the direction of Jack
Cummings III. Among
them, one must mention Barbara
Andres as
Mama. She gives a brilliant performance. The
opening night party took place in the Gym at
Judson with guests Mary
Testa, Ann Harada and Marni
Nixon.
I have attended
all the New
York City Center Encores! series
since its inception. They have always been a
delight, but The
Most Happy Fella, book,
music and lyrics by Frank
Loesser reached
a new height. The performance was simply
brilliant, with a magnificent cast,
marvelous singing, wonderful dancing,
directed and choerographed by Casey
Nicholaw, and gorgeous music by a superb
orchestra, conducted by Rob
Berman. WithShuler
Hensley in
the title role, supported by Laura
Benanti, Cheyenne Jackson and Heidi
Blickenstaff, it
was a memorable night.
Queen of the Night at
the Diamond Horseshoe, 235 West 46th St, is
a three hour evening of drinks, dinner
(lobster, beef, pork or mushroom paella),
performances by talented acrobatic dancers,
followed by dancing to finish a complete
night of spectacular entertainment. For an
unusual theatrical experience, it is well
worth a visit.
Drama Desk presented a very distinguished
panel Why
Shakespeare? Why Now? with Julie
Taymor, Michael Pennington, John Glover,
DanielSullivan and Scott
Shepherd at
Sardi's. It was a wonderful event.
We attended a
VIP reception and Stage 17 premiere at the
Walter Reade Theater. Many clips were shown
of the programs that will appear on Stage
17: The Show Must Go On Online. Among
the many performers and members of the
creative team were Kate
Baldwin, Beth Leavel and Michael
Urie. We wish Stage 17 great success.
03-31-14 Cast members (L-R) Lynn Cohen.
Barbara Andres at the opening night party for "I Remember Mama" at The Gym
at Judson. 243 Thompson St. Sunday night. 03-30-14
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