The Last 3 Months - Theatre Style
Once upon a time I created a blog because I wanted to work on recording a new phase in my life. Apparently that failed miserably.
Quick life update: In contract/raise/salary negotiations at work. Good times. Hopefully more money. Comedy world is good. We've started filming off and on and I love and adore everyone I work with in that work. So, yay. Theatre world is picking up again. I'm associate producing "Anchors" with Living Image Arts in February at Theatre Row.
Things are good.
Now, we must proceed onto the overly gratuitous, totally bragging portion of this post, where I shall recap the shows I've seen over the past...3 months...and give my quick couple sentence (at most review). I've been seeing nearly everything that's out there on Broadway right now with my job, so this is pretty absurd in length. =)
Let the games begin?
Grease (9/26) - Atrocious. Seriously. Painful. I recognize that a lot of work went into it, but it was quite the train wreck. There were a couple cool numbers (namely the opening scene) and I know it's going to be around for awhile with its connection to the tv show, but I've seen better versions of Grease at high schools...
Legally Blonde (10/10) - Adorable. High energy and fun. Great fluff musical. Definitely recommend it.
Mary Poppins (10/11) - I thought I was going to hate this and ended up quite the opposite. The scenic design is amazing. Choreography is top notch. Gavin Lee tap dancing upside down across the proscenium while singing "Step in Time" is one of the most delightful theatre moments ever.
Frankenstein (10/15) - This is the OFF-Broadway version at 37 arts (now closed). Interesting design. Great performances. The book and music really didn't work, though. Forgettable songs. Unfortunate that the show wasn't great given the amazing people involved. I really wanted to like this...and I didn't hate it, but as the world has shown, it didn't have any staying power. It reminded me a little of Jekyll & Hyde...done badly.
Jump (10/16) - Downtown. Korean Martial Arts Comedy. Hilarious. Seriously. Go. You'll laugh graciously and be amazed at the bodies on the boys and the talent of the whole cast.
Cyrano de Bergerac (10/17) - Kevin Kline is a god of the stage. So compelling. Great production all around.
The Farnsworth Invention (10/24) - Amazing. Seriously. Riveting play. Top notch design, direction, performance. This is not to be missed. Probably my second favorite play of the season.
The Crucible (at the New School for Drama) (10/26) - It was great to finally see Jen and all of her grad school classmates on state. So much talent running through that group of people...I can't wait to see the next show they do.
Things We Want (New Group @ Theatre Row) (10/30) - Interesting production. Good performances. Solid direction by Mr. Ethan Hawke. The play itself was decent. Hit or miss, though and a little uneven. At times, very enjoyable and true to life...at others, a little too far fetched to be believable.
The Seafarer (11/1) - Top notch cast and production.
August: Osage County (11/2) - Without question, this is the best play of the season. Compelling play, amazing cast, design, direction. I seriously adored this one. All of you MUST go see it. Yes, it's 3.5 hours long, but it flies by and in the end, you're left wanting even more. I think this one is a shoe-in for the Tony.
Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn (11/3) - Cute show with a strong ensemble. Your run of the mill composer revue, but it's a lot of fun. I need to look into more of Finn's music because I really enjoyed what I heard here.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular (11/6) - Everything I hoped for and much much more. I was so glad to finally see this legendary show. It truly is magical. =)
Yank (Gallery Players in Brooklyn) (11/9) - Great new musical with a lot of heart. I hope this goes somewhere. It has a lot of potential and is a really sweet (and new/untold) story. Great cast.
***Then there was the whole Broadway Strike situation, which I really don't want to get into. It sucked for the industry, shouldn't have gone on as long as it did, but thankfully it's all resolved now. 3 weeks without Broadway is immensely depressing as someone working in the industry. I only ended up missing one show (The Grinch) and am going to try to go see it after Christmas if I have a chance.****
Is He Dead? (11/29) - VERY funny show. Norbert Leo Butz is hysterical. I can't imagine anyone not loving this. You'll laugh throughout and leave the theater feeling great. Very cute and I hope it gains some momentum.
The Homecoming (12/6) - Pinter is one strange man. Somehow, I've escaped study of his work throughout my life and I really feel like I need to look into it now. Disturbing play. Creepy and inexplicable. STELLAR cast. Ian McShane and Raul Esparza (yum?) are phenomenal. If you love Pinter, you'll love this. It's a very well-done production, but I feel like it's a hard sell in the world for anyone who doesn't know what Pinter is all about.
Rent - I hadn't seen this in approximately 5 years. Ended up going to it this time because my top clients were in town and they wanted to see it. I was SO happy to see the show again and it's just as wonderful as it's always been. The current cast is stellar. I actually saw many of my favorite performers from the show over the years in it again, which was awesome. I still love this show and it's definitely still full of life (unlike some other shows that have been playing for awhile).
The Little Mermaid - To be honest, I was disappointed. I really wanted to love the show, but I didn't. The cast is absolutely PHENOMENAL, but the production has a lot of trouble, primarily in terms of its design and direction, which is unfortunate. I know most audiences will really love it. It will likely play for a long time. I definitely get why people will love it, but I just didn't. It has a lot of great moments...a few awesome scenes, but as a whole isn't what it could be. I am absolutely in LOVE with the boys playing Flotsam & Jetsam (Ursula's eels), though. They stole the show for me. (Along with the glorious Sherie-Renee Scott).
Spring Awakening - I heard that John Gallagher, Jr. was leaving the show (tomorrow is his last performance), so I really wanted to see it again with him in it. It was nice to actually see it from the house this time (the other time, I was in onstage seating) - started in the left boxes, moved to the front mezzanine. I love and adore this show with all of my being. For me, it's what musical theatre should be. I love the source material, the music is new and exciting, the performers young and inspiring. I wish that I could sell this show to more groups in my day job, but the material is a bit too racy for most of our groups, which is truly a shame. Still, if you haven't seen this, you need to.
And....scene. =) My 3 month recap on the world of Broadway (and a little off). If you haven't been invited by me to these shows (I generally have 2 tickets) and are interested in being a part of my theatre going fun, shoot me a message. I generally don't get a lot of notice for shows (it ranges from same day to weeks), but if you want to join, let me know.
Love to you all,
K
Quick life update: In contract/raise/salary negotiations at work. Good times. Hopefully more money. Comedy world is good. We've started filming off and on and I love and adore everyone I work with in that work. So, yay. Theatre world is picking up again. I'm associate producing "Anchors" with Living Image Arts in February at Theatre Row.
Things are good.
Now, we must proceed onto the overly gratuitous, totally bragging portion of this post, where I shall recap the shows I've seen over the past...3 months...and give my quick couple sentence (at most review). I've been seeing nearly everything that's out there on Broadway right now with my job, so this is pretty absurd in length. =)
Let the games begin?
Grease (9/26) - Atrocious. Seriously. Painful. I recognize that a lot of work went into it, but it was quite the train wreck. There were a couple cool numbers (namely the opening scene) and I know it's going to be around for awhile with its connection to the tv show, but I've seen better versions of Grease at high schools...
Legally Blonde (10/10) - Adorable. High energy and fun. Great fluff musical. Definitely recommend it.
Mary Poppins (10/11) - I thought I was going to hate this and ended up quite the opposite. The scenic design is amazing. Choreography is top notch. Gavin Lee tap dancing upside down across the proscenium while singing "Step in Time" is one of the most delightful theatre moments ever.
Frankenstein (10/15) - This is the OFF-Broadway version at 37 arts (now closed). Interesting design. Great performances. The book and music really didn't work, though. Forgettable songs. Unfortunate that the show wasn't great given the amazing people involved. I really wanted to like this...and I didn't hate it, but as the world has shown, it didn't have any staying power. It reminded me a little of Jekyll & Hyde...done badly.
Jump (10/16) - Downtown. Korean Martial Arts Comedy. Hilarious. Seriously. Go. You'll laugh graciously and be amazed at the bodies on the boys and the talent of the whole cast.
Cyrano de Bergerac (10/17) - Kevin Kline is a god of the stage. So compelling. Great production all around.
The Farnsworth Invention (10/24) - Amazing. Seriously. Riveting play. Top notch design, direction, performance. This is not to be missed. Probably my second favorite play of the season.
The Crucible (at the New School for Drama) (10/26) - It was great to finally see Jen and all of her grad school classmates on state. So much talent running through that group of people...I can't wait to see the next show they do.
Things We Want (New Group @ Theatre Row) (10/30) - Interesting production. Good performances. Solid direction by Mr. Ethan Hawke. The play itself was decent. Hit or miss, though and a little uneven. At times, very enjoyable and true to life...at others, a little too far fetched to be believable.
The Seafarer (11/1) - Top notch cast and production.
August: Osage County (11/2) - Without question, this is the best play of the season. Compelling play, amazing cast, design, direction. I seriously adored this one. All of you MUST go see it. Yes, it's 3.5 hours long, but it flies by and in the end, you're left wanting even more. I think this one is a shoe-in for the Tony.
Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn (11/3) - Cute show with a strong ensemble. Your run of the mill composer revue, but it's a lot of fun. I need to look into more of Finn's music because I really enjoyed what I heard here.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular (11/6) - Everything I hoped for and much much more. I was so glad to finally see this legendary show. It truly is magical. =)
Yank (Gallery Players in Brooklyn) (11/9) - Great new musical with a lot of heart. I hope this goes somewhere. It has a lot of potential and is a really sweet (and new/untold) story. Great cast.
***Then there was the whole Broadway Strike situation, which I really don't want to get into. It sucked for the industry, shouldn't have gone on as long as it did, but thankfully it's all resolved now. 3 weeks without Broadway is immensely depressing as someone working in the industry. I only ended up missing one show (The Grinch) and am going to try to go see it after Christmas if I have a chance.****
Is He Dead? (11/29) - VERY funny show. Norbert Leo Butz is hysterical. I can't imagine anyone not loving this. You'll laugh throughout and leave the theater feeling great. Very cute and I hope it gains some momentum.
The Homecoming (12/6) - Pinter is one strange man. Somehow, I've escaped study of his work throughout my life and I really feel like I need to look into it now. Disturbing play. Creepy and inexplicable. STELLAR cast. Ian McShane and Raul Esparza (yum?) are phenomenal. If you love Pinter, you'll love this. It's a very well-done production, but I feel like it's a hard sell in the world for anyone who doesn't know what Pinter is all about.
Rent - I hadn't seen this in approximately 5 years. Ended up going to it this time because my top clients were in town and they wanted to see it. I was SO happy to see the show again and it's just as wonderful as it's always been. The current cast is stellar. I actually saw many of my favorite performers from the show over the years in it again, which was awesome. I still love this show and it's definitely still full of life (unlike some other shows that have been playing for awhile).
The Little Mermaid - To be honest, I was disappointed. I really wanted to love the show, but I didn't. The cast is absolutely PHENOMENAL, but the production has a lot of trouble, primarily in terms of its design and direction, which is unfortunate. I know most audiences will really love it. It will likely play for a long time. I definitely get why people will love it, but I just didn't. It has a lot of great moments...a few awesome scenes, but as a whole isn't what it could be. I am absolutely in LOVE with the boys playing Flotsam & Jetsam (Ursula's eels), though. They stole the show for me. (Along with the glorious Sherie-Renee Scott).
Spring Awakening - I heard that John Gallagher, Jr. was leaving the show (tomorrow is his last performance), so I really wanted to see it again with him in it. It was nice to actually see it from the house this time (the other time, I was in onstage seating) - started in the left boxes, moved to the front mezzanine. I love and adore this show with all of my being. For me, it's what musical theatre should be. I love the source material, the music is new and exciting, the performers young and inspiring. I wish that I could sell this show to more groups in my day job, but the material is a bit too racy for most of our groups, which is truly a shame. Still, if you haven't seen this, you need to.
And....scene. =) My 3 month recap on the world of Broadway (and a little off). If you haven't been invited by me to these shows (I generally have 2 tickets) and are interested in being a part of my theatre going fun, shoot me a message. I generally don't get a lot of notice for shows (it ranges from same day to weeks), but if you want to join, let me know.
Love to you all,
K
posted by Kendra at 8:24 PM
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