So in two trips to New York, last fall and last month, I've managed to see just about everything new on the Broadway scene. Already this looks to me to be a more exciting season in a few years, with some great new work, some solid revivals, and a truly fresh piece that offers a new direction. My thoughts....
Twyla Tharp's Bob Dylan piece, The Times They Are A-Changin', came and went faster than the blink of an eye. I'm one of the few I guess, but I liked it. It didn't come close to matching Movin' Out, but I found it entertaining nonetheless. Good singing, good dancing. You had to think a little to determine meaning, but I believe meaning was there. Unfortunately it didn't catch on and has closed.
Grey Gardens is in the spirit of the traditional musical and features a heck of a performance from Christine Ebersole. It is not perfect and in fact suffers from a lackluster and over-developed first act. But the second act is brilliant and packs a solid punch.
The revival of Sondheim's Company is directed by John Doyle. And a John Doyle production, at least lately, means actors will be playing their own instruments. I didn't like it, but didn't particularly mind it either, with Sweeney Todd. It worked best with Mack and Mabel in London last season. With Company, I found it more effective than in Sweeney Todd, but found it annoying in a couple of scenes. The best part about the instrument thing is that the lead, Bobby, is the only actor not playing an instrument, emphasizing his isolation and disconnection. And Raul Esparza's rendition of Being Alive is worth the price of admission, provided that price was obtained with a discount code or at the half-price booth.
The Little Dog Laughed either just closed or is about to. And too bad for its short run. I thought it was quite funny. Not uproariously funny, but funny. An entertaining day at a show. It probably should have opened in the spring. A fall opening really should be reserved for something you expect to be big or something you plan to be a short run. In the spring I think you get bigger audiences and a chance to make it through the summer and into the next season.
Tom Stoppard's three-part piece, The Coast of Utopia, requires sitting through three different plays. I didn't want to commit to three without knowing what I was getting into. So I saw the first part, called Voyage. I thought it was good, but not great, and certainly not good enough to warrant rushing to see the other two. If I could fit them, I would have. And maybe I still will. But typically Stoppard, it's cerebral stuff and you need a venti coffee or a caffeine pill before sitting through it.
The Apple Tree is worth seeing for one reason ... Kristen Chenoweth. She is fantastic in an otherwise bland musical. She has fast become one of those names people will talk about a generation or two later (as in, "I saw Kristen Chenoweth in...." and people will respond with ooohhs and aaaahhhs). So I think it's always worth seeing her in whatever she does.
The Vertical Hour was a timely piece on the Iraq War and the spectrum of opinion on what America's international role should be. I like Julianne Moore a lot, and she held her own here in her Broadway debut.
The revival of the World War I drama Journey's End is this year's History Boys, at least for me. This was among the most thrilling two hours (plus) I've spent in a theater. Great writing, which is more poignant given today's international climate. Solid performances, especially from Hugh Dancy and Boyd Gaines (who is the heart and soul of the show). Effective lighting and set design. A killer curtain call. A not-to-be-missed production.
And finally, Spring Awakening. The so-called Rent for the "next generation." I'm not sure it's getting the traction it needs to be that groundbreaking, but it is most definitely the "freshest" thing on a New York stage this season. I hesitate to call it great, so I'll say very good. Some excellent music and songs (and a couple lame ones). A unique and effective means of staging. It clearly speaks to a younger, and very adolescent, audience. And they were there in large numbers at the performance I attended. And they loved it. And anything that appeals to a new audience and brings in new people to theater, I think is at least good. Having said that, it's not for everyone and even PG-13 would be a generous rating. But if you would like to see something different, you're not going to do better than this.
