Theatre Talk: In Our Own Little Corner

[Rick Kitchen]

Not to mention Radcliffe choosing really odd movie roles, like in Swiss Army Man, where he plays a dead body.  Who farts a lot.

[Rick Kitchen]

Leona Lewis is debuting as Grizabella in a new production of Cats, opening at the Neil Simon Theater on July 31.

Does anybody know if there is a website similar to ibdb for the West End theatres?  I just noticed that Amber Riley, from Glee, is starring in a London production of Dreamgirls, in its London debut, upcoming, and I was wondering who else is in it.  I'm sure I can find a show website, but I was hoping to find a general website for future references.

[Rinaldo]

I don't know of such a website, Rick Kitchen. We have IBDB for Broadway, IOBDB for off-Broadway, and ovrtur.com for US productions of musicals in general. All are still in progress, and ovrtur in particular will never be close to comprehensive (though it's wonderful to have any kind of database for regional and stock productions). I haven't come across anything for the West End, though.

[Charlie Baker]

Garry Marshall's passing reminded me I saw the musical version of Happy Days at the Paper Mill Playhouse and met him briefly after the performance.  He was very gregarious and down to earth.

The show?  Well, I was never a huge fan of the TV show and this linked review is pretty accurate.  The proposed tour, which was supposed to end with a Broadway engagement, never happened, I don't think. ETA: I guess the Paper Mill run was the midst of a tour, but the Broadway stop obviously didn't happen.

 

\http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/07theatnj.html?_r=0

Edited July 20, 2016 by Charlie Baker
Clarification

[Rick Kitchen]

Skylar Astin and Santino Fontana will be starring in a staged reading of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's God Bless You, Mister Rosewater.  at Encores! July 27-30.

[aradia22]

Quote

Running 11/2-12/11
Tuesday - Friday 730PM , Saturday 2PM & 8PM, Sundays @ 2PM
Additional performances (Sunday) 11/6 & 11/27 @ 730PM, (Wednesday) 11/16, 11/23, 11/30 & 12/7 @ 2PM. 
NO performance on 11/24 (Thanksgiving)
Post-show Talkbacks 11/8, 11/29 & 12/7

Info about the New Group's Sweet Charity with Sutton Foster (source: BWW board). Ah! Only one month. Should I just subscribe to get a ticket? Will it transfer? Anxiety...

In other news, Jenna Ushkowitz (Glee) will be stepping in for Kimiko Glenn in Waitress. I like to try and see the original cast because I think that's the vision the creatives had when they put everything together but I might see Jenna first and go back for Kimiko. I don't think it's a big part anyway (like say, Glinda in Wicked who isn't the lead but is important and has a lot of time on stage). 

Also, according to the Show Score notification I just got, Gotta Dance has been renamed Half Time. Gregg Barnes is attached.

Come From Away has announced for February 2017. I haven't followed announcements this closely until now but it feels like a lot of things that said they would transfer actually followed through even without a great deal of buzz (e.g. A Bronx Tale, Anastasia). 

[Rinaldo]

On July 21, 2016 at 0:13 AM, Rick Kitchen said:

Skylar Astin and Santino Fontana will be starring in a staged reading of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's God Bless You, Mister Rosewater.  at Encores! July 27-30.

I acknowledge that it's hairsplitting, but I'm reluctant to call what Encores does "staged readings." They began as semi-staged concerts 25 years ago, but now they're nearly full productions (with orchestra onstage), with choreography, costumes, and at least some scenic elements; and the actors generally don't even even carry their scripts any more. Anyway, whatever the terminology, they're worth seeing, and I'm sorry I'll miss this one, as it stars two (nay, three) actors I enjoy greatly. And here's another video that offers a glimpse of rehearsal.

[aradia22]

Can you all see my posts?

[Rick Kitchen]

Just now, aradia22 said:

Can you all see my posts?

 

The most recent I see is from yesterday at 10:39.

I have a friend from Newfoundland whom I just told about Come From Away.  She wishes she could make it to New York.  :)

[aradia22]

Thanks, Rick. Of course everyone is free to respond to what they wish but the way my posts were going ignored for the past few weeks was making me paranoid that only I could see them.

By the way, is anyone curious about the NYMF productions I've been seeing? I can't review them on Show Score but I kind of want to talk about them. Though I do want to be a little more generous to shows still in progress.

Edited July 23, 2016 by aradia22

[aradia22]

I finally listened to the OBC of A Chorus Line all the way through. Now, I knew a lot of the songs from Glee and pop culture, choirs, etc. so it wasn't as much of an experience as listening to the albums of other shows. But it was still very interesting to hear it all in its entirety. On the whole, it's a very good score. It starts off strong, gets lost somewhere around Sing and the Montages (I like parts of the Montages but I can't imagine what that looks like on stage) and picks it up quickly. Priscilla Lopez's character got the best songs (two of the ones I knew) in my mind which was odd because I thought Cassie was the "lead" insofar as there is one in A Chorus Line. I still don't think it's going to go into heavy rotation for me. For one, not all the actors are at the same singing level (and also the Spotify version has audio going in different ears and that kind of thing makes me crazy) so I'd rather stick to the polished versions (Glee, Lea Salonga, the new Broadway cast album, etc.) but also... I don't know, it just sounds too... familiar to me. It's not just that I know a lot of these songs, it's that, they sound too much like other songs. There's not a strong sound the way there is with other composers. I like it. I appreciate its place in theatre history. I'm not sure why it was as popular as it was.

[Babalu]

Synchronicity! (with your post, @aradia22). Sorry if this isn't interesting to anyone else, but I just love coincidences like this.

(1) I've been reading the "Hamiltome," and, not half-an-hour before I read your post, I read the section about A Chorus Line being the original big Public Theater production before Hamilton. The night that Marvin Hamlisch (music for ACS) died, a candle was burned in the middle of the stage while the original cast recording was played. That same candlestick was used by Lin-Manuel Miranda on Hamilton's desk throughout the Public run.

(2) When I iron and don't find anything I want to watch on TV, I often turn to the Broadway (except I think it's called Show Tunes) channel. Yesterday, when I turned it on, it was Priscilla Lopez singing "What I Did for Love." ( She was also Camila Rosario, Nina's mother, in In the Heights.

[Rinaldo]

I think the success of A Chorus Line didn't have that much to do with the score -- or at least, with how it's presented on the OCR. (Unfortunately, the movie gives an even worse idea; it's easily one of the most inept translations to film ever, and that includes all those monstrosities in the 1930s that threw out the scores.) Partly, it was the way it immersed us in this fantasy of a chorus audition, including what everyone's thoughts were while presenting themselves to the director (and no-intermission was an essential part of it; we the audience felt trapped as well), and a big part of that was the way the music was pretty much nonstop, a pioneer in underscoring every moment, movie-style. Partly it was the individual thoughts and memories of the characters, some of which had very little to do with show biz specifically, and thus allowed the audience to think about when they too had felt like failures, or "different," or unnoticed. Part of it was the very innovation of having the star be the overall concept, not any individual character. Part of it was the innovative genius (not too strong a word) of Michael Bennett's staging, a giant step forward (but as always happens, his brilliant innovations have now become common practice and look less startling) in terms of number of light cues and their precision, changing beat by beat and inch by inch. It shares with the two other great show-business-as-metaphor musicals of the 1970s (the others, both with greater scores, being Follies and Chicago) a moment where they tell us "don't get sucked in by the glamour and dazzle, it's all fake," even as they knowingly spellbind us with glamour and dazzle (in ACL it happens during the curtain calls, everyone suddenly indistinguishable in gold). Its greatness, as with all theatrical revolutions, becomes harder to see in future generations because everyone else adopts the revolutionary aspects as well, because they're self-evidently good ideas.

I really regret that when the Chorus Line revival happened a few years ago (preserving pretty much all the original staging, design, and lighting), it was not preserved on video. It's still not the same as being there in person, but it would be some kind of insurance against theatergoers in the future wondering what all the fuss was about, as they inevitably will.

[aradia22]

Thanks, Rinaldo. I always appreciate your input. Perhaps it's one of those shows you just have to see, and also to have been there in that moment and have seen. Are you planning to see God Bless You Mr. Rosewater? I'll be there on Saturday night. I don't know the book though I recently completed Slaughterhouse-Five.

[Rinaldo]

No, I won't be in town for that. Both stars are favorites of mine, and it'd be interesting to see, but I'm being practical/frugal this summer, and right now it's feeling like a long drive from Delaware....

[Rinaldo]

Here's the preview montage for the Encores! Off Center production of God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater that opens its brief run tonight:

[Schweedie]

So. As a Shakespeare nerd who went to England last week to get my annual dose, I'm curious whether anyone else have seen any good Shakespeare productions recently, in England or elsewhere?

We were meant to see the current RSC production of Hamlet in Stratford-on-Avon, but unfortunately we came on the day when it was 33 degrees and the theatre's air con broke, causing them to cancel the performance. I was absolutely gutted; I've been so excited to see that production.

We did get to see Kenneth Branagh's Romeo and Juliet (the production with Lily James, Richard Madden, and Derek Jacobi as Mercutio) and Iqbal Khan's Macbeth in London, though. The former was pretty good. I don't want to see an old Mercutio become a regular thing, but it worked here, in a strange sort of way. And we didn't actually see Richard Madden since he's off injured, but his understudy was wonderful (and Madden has been getting pretty poor reviews, so maybe we were lucky there) and Lily James was fantastic. Also, the day after we went, understudy Romeo got injured and THAT show was cancelled - we could've been zero for two at that point if we'd been really unlucky.

Macbeth at the Globe, though, I thought was absolutely dreadful. My friend and spent about half an hour afterwards just sputtering in anger at it. Modern jokes and references to Donald Trump thrown in, Lady M played for comedy (at least initially; she improved when they let that go about halfway through), one actor breaking character to lead the audience in a "Can a get an amen? Can I get a hallelujah?" bit for no reason whatsoever, a Macbeth almost entirely without subtlety and who pretty much shouted the entire "Out, out, brief candle" speech. It felt 100% wrong. The witches were great and very creepy, and Tara Fitzgerald as Lady M rocked the sleepwalking scene, but those are basically the only positives I can think of. I've been to the Globe five years in a row standing in the yard as a groundling, and this was the first time I've noticed how uncomfortable I was and how much my feet and back hurt, because I couldn't get caught up in the show.

...Right, rant over.

[Rinaldo]

Ah, Schweedie, I'd be gutted too. I did have a somewhat analogous experience last time I went to Stratford (must be 6 years ago now): I had booked for the second performance at The Courtyard (still a preview) of their dramatization of Morte d'Arthur, one of their stage-versions-of-lit-classics that they like to do, and I love the Arthurian saga, so I was really up for it. And then the director walked out and told us the Arthur had taken ill, they had spent the day rehearsing his understudy in the tech-heavy production, and they could give us Act III and give everyone complete refunds. It turned out Act III was plenty -- 90 minutes by itself, and it contained the whole Guenever-Lancelot intrigue and the end of Camelot. And it was still so episodic, so "this happened, and then, oh, later that happened" that I'm now convinced the story just can't be licked for the stage. But it was fun to have seen.

It's been a while since I've seen any Shakespeare on the stage. Some of my Bard-nerd friends have seen every one of the plays (including Two Noble Kinsmen and even a try at Cardenio) in live performance, but I haven't done that well, I'm still missing a number of titles. And then there are the odd duplications, like 2.5 Measure for Measures (which is fine by me, I love the play), and 2 Troiluses. But still no Winter's Tale. 

The site Broadway HD has (with subscription, for which there are various plans) has lots of Shakespeare -- most or all of the BBC video complete series, plus more recent productions, including the Broadway Romeo and Juliet from a couple of seasons back. I did watch that one, and found it interestingly mixed. A very trimmed text, so that it ran about 2 hours (and in some moods, I think it needs it; for such a swift-moving story with no real subplot, it does take a long time to do it, especially as we near the end). And among a number of stage veterans, the outstanding performances for me were Jane Houdyshell (Nurse), Justin Guarini (Count Paris), and surprisingly Orlando Bloom as Romeo. Surprisingly (to me) because he seemed like the standard "movie star who won't be as good as the others but we need his name to sell tickets," but in fact he was more at ease and expressive with the language than most of the others.

[Schweedie]

I did see the cinema screening of that production of Romeo and Juliet - I wasn't wowed, but it was serviceable. Orlando Bloom, for me, was a tad too old, though. For me, for R&J to work the lovers must be believable as young people. I mean, they're just kids, that's the whole point. I appreciated that about the production I saw; Lily James, and Tom Hanson who understudied Romeo, were both able to portray that really well. This Romeo was an emotional teenager who was absolutely devastated when told he was banished from Verona, and ended up sobbing in the nurse's lap when she came to deliver Juliet's message after he killed Tybalt.

It's funny - slightly off topic, stage-wise, my favourite performance of R&J has probably been a production of the Prokofiev ballet with Carlos Acosta and Tamara Rojo. Even without words they were perfect.

[ebk57]

Zelda Fichandler, founder of Arena Stage here in DC, has died.  I saw several plays there during my formative/misspent high school and college days.  She was a remarkable person.  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/zelda-fichandler-arena-stage-co-founder-and-matriarch-of-regional-theater-movement-dies-at-91/2016/07/29/88566486-557b-11e6-bbf5-957ad17b4385_story.html?tid=a_inl

[Rick Kitchen]

Cabaret Sunday, with Robin De Jesus as the emcee.  I cannot wait.  It's one of my favorite musicals, and I expect him to be awesome.

[aradia22]

Happy Saturday!

[aradia22]

I've decided that I'll recap my NYMF experience after seeing all the shows so... sometime next week. Who cares if no one asked for it?

Also, someone remind me to tell you about Mr. Rosewater soon. It was a very fun time. I didn't think that much of it as a show but it was a great experience in the theater.

[Rick Kitchen]

Cabaret today.  Awesome, of course, although I was a little surprised that some of the raunch was toned down.

Robin De Jesus - emcee - https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/robin-de-jesús-412407

Kaleigh Cronin - Sally Bowles - http://kaleighcronin.com/headshotresume/

Cliff - Hunter Ryan Herdlicka - http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Hunter-Ryan-Herdlicka/

Fraulein Schneider - Mary Gordon Murray - http://www.playbill.com/person/mary-gordon-murray-vault-0000066121

Ron Wisniski - Herr Schultz - http://www.ronwisniski.com/RESUME.html

Robin De Jesus was born for the role of the emcee. He was perfect.  Equally mysterious, twinkly and frightening.

Kaleigh Cronin didn't do much for me till she sang "Cabaret" in the second act, when she absolutely killed.  Loved it.

Herdlicka was rather weak as an actor, but he has a gorgeous voice.

I remember Mary Gordon Murray from her many years on "One Life to Live", and I know she's had a Tony nomination in the past.  She was really good in the role.

But to me, the star of the night was Ron Wisniski.  Powerful, wistful voice, and when he sang "Married" (I would have preferred if they had used "Heirat", but whatever), for me, anyway, he outshone everybody in the cast.

I kept thinking of current politics during the entire play.

Next up is Nice Work if You Can Get It.

Edited August 1, 2016 by Rick Kitchen

[Charlie Baker]

I thought this article from the NY Times would be of interest here, even if it isn't strictly theater related.

Ben Brantley interviews Barbra Streisand.

[Charlie Baker]

The passing of James Houghton is a loss, but certainly his legacy of the Signature is strong and will continue.

James Houghton, A Daring Champion of the American Theater

[Rick Kitchen]

Fiddler on the Roof is scheduled to leave the Broadway Theater at the end of December, and then a new production of Miss Saigon will be going in there in March, for about a year and a half, before touring.  Starring Eva Noblezada and Jon Jon Briones, directed by Laurence Connor.

[Schweedie]

On 5 augusti 2016 at 5:06 AM, Rick Kitchen said:

Fiddler on the Roof is scheduled to leave the Broadway Theater at the end of December, and then a new production of Miss Saigon will be going in there in March, for about a year and a half, before touring.  Starring Eva Noblezada and Jon Jon Briones, directed by Laurence Connor.

Ah, so they're transferring over from the London production. From what I've heard they're pretty great!

Something came to mind for me - it's been a year and a half since I saw Assassins in London, and I'm still sad that it didn't get a West End or a Broadway transfer (there was talk of both at one point, I think, and I haven't quite given up hope yet). I've seen a lot of theatre and that production was one of the greatest things I've ever seen, incredibly intense. But even while I was/am hoping for a transfer, I'm wondering if it would work in a larger theatre since one of the things that made it work was how small and intimate the theatre was, with the actors sitting in character among the audience on the stairs when they weren't on stage, following the action and reacting to it.

A part of me just really, really wishes that production could be been seen by a wider audience, though. So good. I was actually shaking a bit when I came out.

[Rick Kitchen]

Christian Borle coming in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the spring.

[DisneyBoy]

Neat Streisand interview. Sounds like she's never quite happy, which is comforting in a way. If you can do all she's done and still feel less than serene, maybe we shouldn't assume success is all its cracked up to be....

 

Anyone seeing her tour? I can't imagine her take on Gyspy but if would be interesting to see...

[ebk57]

8 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Neat Streisand interview. Sounds like she's never quite happy, which is comforting in a way. If you can do all she's done and still feel less than serene, maybe we shouldn't assume success is all its cracked up to be....

 

Anyone seeing her tour? I can't imagine her take on Gyspy but if would be interesting to see...

I'm going a week from Thursday.  My sister is taking me for my birthday - yay!  A bucket-list item checked off :-)

 

I also enjoyed the NYT interview.  I was especially amused at all of the corrections at the end.

[Milburn Stone]

11 hours ago, ebk57 said:

I also enjoyed the NYT interview.  I was especially amused at all of the corrections at the end.

Thanks for mentioning that. The day I clicked on the link, those corrections weren't there. The "newspaper of record" being riddled with errors? I'm shocked! ;)

[Charlie Baker]

It wouldn't surprise me in the least that Ms. Streisand provided those corrections, given her reputation.

[aradia22]

Quote

The York Theatre Company has announced the line-up for its 47th anniversary season. 

The winter season will continue with the return of the Musicals in Mufti series, which presents staged concert readings of older musicals. The line-up includes Milk and Honey, with book by Don Appell ( A Girl Could Get Lucky) and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman(January 28-February 5, 2017); Dear World, with book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee ( Mame) and music and lyrics by Herman (February 25, 2017-March 5); and a third production to be announced shortly.

The second mainstage production, slated for next spring, will be Emma, a musical romance, with music, lyrics and book by Paul Gordon ( Jane Eyre), adapted from the novel by Jane Austen. Performances are set to run April 25-May 28.

Oooh. Thoughts?

[ebk57]

I was going to ask if the Dear World was the one with Tyne Daly, but I just looked it up, and it's not. 

 

My upcoming trip (starting tomorrow!!!!!): Tomorrow night - American in Paris; Sunday afternoon - Curious Incident; Monday evening - The Late Show with Stephen Colbert; Tuesday - Coney Island, ending with a Cyclones baseball game; Wednesday afternoon - Hamilton!!!; Wednesday evening - dinner at Keen's; Thursday evening - Fun Home; Friday evening - Yankees/Os; Saturday - home.

Can not wait! 

[Charlie Baker]

ebk57, I hope you have a great time and that you will share your impressions here.

[Phebemarie]

For those looking for top-notch Shakespearean productions, I encourage you to consider the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon.  They are committed to producing the canon in ten years, so there will be ample opportunity to 'brush up your Shakespeare'. This summer productions of Timon of Athens, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Richard II, and the Winter's Tale will continue through October.   Since OSF is a repertory theater, there are additional classic and cutting-edge offerings each season.   This spring, I watched a really unique production of Yeoman of the Guard done in promenade style.  Later this season, we have tickets to The Wiz on the outdoor stage.   I saw Javier Munoz several years ago in an absolutely outstanding production of Into the Woods (excuse me for name dropping).   As most of you probably know, Tony winner All the Way originated at OSF.  They made a commitment to produce cutting-edge new material and showcase diversity long ago.  OSF is also willing to take a stand on important social issues of the day.  

In case you're interested, I've added a link to OSF's website.  

https://www.osfashland.org/

[dbklmt]

Rick Kitchen

The Hunchback of Notre Dame starts tonight in Sacramento.  Please report here when you see it as I'm seeing it in La Mirada and am anxious to hear what you thought.  Looking at photos of the theatre that this is in it's looks like theatre in the round which will make for a very different production than what I saw at the La Jolla Playhouse and will see in La Mirada.  If it is theatre in the round will be interesting to see how they use the choir.  I'm also interested in how they utilize a singing voice for Quasimodo who is deaf.  If you're going lucky you for seeing the Queen, Lesli Margherita as Esmerelda who will not be in the La Mirada production.

[aradia22]

BBW article on upcoming TV shows/specials with Broadway performers. Oh my God, it's like they don't want to have a successful series.

I might give Emerald City (which I think got pushed back), Powerless, and Trial and Error from NBC a shot though I don't have high hopes. And I will try to watch Hairspray though I think it might be a bad one.

Rocky Horror from FOX doesn't look great but I like Ryan as Brad and I think parts of it will be amusing.

For ABC, Notorious looks decent but like it would do better as a CBS show. Dirty Dancing has crazy casting but I'm going to watch it anyway.

Speaking of CBS, Doubt is led by Katherine Heigl but DAMN that supporting cast is amazing.

[Charlie Baker]

I have higher hopes for Hairspray than aradia22. I do wonder how they got Harvey Fierstein into the dresses again.  An offer he couldn't refuse?

Never been all that into Rocky Horror but probably will check it out.  Ditto Dirty Dancing.

[aradia22]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0coxxbL11U

Confirmation. Heather Headley is leaving The Color Purple October 2. Jennifer Holliday will be going in October 4.

[ebk57]

Saw Hamilton.

 

I can die now

 

(I promise I'll write more about the shows later.  Promise)

[DisneyBoy]

Ooooo! Jennifer Holliday! Hope she dials back a bit and get lost in the character. She's great but the growling gets old.

I'm watching TWISTED right now and enjoying it quite a bit. Fun cast and cute execution.

 

Finally watched Fun Home, now that it'll be closing, and was really impressed and touched. Terrific cast and great songs and subject matter. Judy Kuhn was especially good in a rather difficult role. Don't we all know mothers/wives like that, who just try to survive and hold the pain in.

 

Edit: Twisted was GREAT fun :) Really enjoyable and the guy who played Aladdin was great. Perfect mix of snarmy and likable...and nuts.

Edited August 27, 2016 by DisneyBoy

[Milburn Stone]

On August 24, 2016 at 6:17 PM, ebk57 said:

Saw Hamilton.

 

I can die now

I can't die yet, because tickets can't be had for the Chicago production.

(But since I'm in no hurry to die, perhaps I should do without seeing it.)

Edited August 27, 2016 by Milburn Stone

[choclatechip45]

Just saw Fun Home it was fantastic! Thought everyone did a great job.

[aradia22]

Does anyone else think this is hilarious? I might be into Phantom if there were a ton of phantoms running around. I say for the next anniversary concert, they round up even more of them. Oh, and speaking of Nicole Scherzinger, I've fired up the X Factor UK thread for this year if you're interested in that.

[Charlie Baker]

Good piece on a certain composer/lyricist:

NYT music critic Anthony Tommasini interviews Stephen Sondheim.

[DisneyBoy]

Been watching more Starkid productions since Twisted and I really enjoy their energy. Holy Musical Batman was fun even if the book and songs could have been better. They really are a fun bunch of actors. And apparently the group is co-owned by Darren Criss?

 

aradia, I too I'm eager to hear some opinions of the new Hunchback production, especially whether Frollo's complicated new origin story from the Papermill Playhouse version is the same. At least the scenic design on this production looks pretty terrific.

[ebk57]

So, here goes (Really, I almost feel like this is homework.  I'm a terrible writer, so I procrastinate.  And then procrastinate more.  I'll try to be brief)

American in Paris:  Loved it.  Totally.  It seemed way darker than the movie and that appealed to me.  I thought both leads were gone, but was pleasantly surprised to see Leanne Cope as Lise.  Also loved that there were more deep-cut songs in the show.  And the dancing - divine!!  Hadn't been to The Palace in a while.  It's a great theatre.

Curious Incident:  Loved it.  The staging is amazing.  And the acting was spectacular.  So glad we got to see it in NY.  It's coming to DC next year, but for some inexplicable reason, they're going into the Opera House (at the Kennedy Center) instead of the Ike.  The Opera House is awful.  Simply awful.  Which is why we made it a point to see it last week.  Beautiful play.

Late Show with Stephen Colbert:  A fun time was had by all.  If you care, I posted about it in the show thread.

Coney Island and the Cyclones:  Had a fabulous day at the beach!  And the baseball was...short season A ball.  But I got a new bobblehead for my far-too-large collection.  And I found out you can go somewhere in NY on the subway that takes over an hour.  I was amazed.

Hamilton:  Did I mention I could die now?  It's truly everything it's cracked up to be. To find a couple of flaws... I wan't crazy about Lexi Lawson. I don't think she has the acting chops or the vocals for the part.  I know she's had issues lately and missed a bunch of shows.  Hopefully it's just a matter of settling in.  I also thought that Jevon McFerrin was fine, but nothing to write home about.  I did read later that it was his first time on as Lafayette/Jefferson, so maybe nerves.  That said, I can't wait to see it again in February!! (I guess I can't die until February now...) Oh, the next day, we went to the NY Historical Society, and what did they have in the gift shop - a Hamilton bobblehead!  So yes, I brought home 2 new 'heads!!

Dinner at Keen's was, as usual, flawless (and a great birthday dinner for me!)

Fun Home:  I so wanted to love this show.  Honestly.  The production is wonderful.  The acting is wonderful.  I can see that the story is very touching and real.  But I just didn't connect with it.  And I don't know why.  And it upsets me.  A friend I talked to afterwards said the same thing.  He told me when he saw it a second time, he totally got it.  Maybe when it comes to DC, I'll give it another go. 

Yankees/O's - the less said about that game, the better.

That's the trip report.  Hope it wasn't too long and boring.

Edited September 4, 2016 by ebk57
I only proofread stuff after I've posted...oy

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, ebk57 said:

American in Paris:  Loved it.  Totally.  It seemed way darker than the movie and that appealed to me.  I thought both leads were gone, but was pleasantly surprised to see Leanne Cope as Lise.  Also loved that there were more deep-cut songs in the show.  And the dancing - divine!!  Hadn't been to The Palace in a while.  It's a great theatre.

I've been teaching history of musicals for years, but sometimes get fearful that I get out of touch, so I'm always glad to learn new things. May I please ask: what is a "deep-cut song"? Thanks. (Thanks for the whole report, too. Gratefully received and read.)

Edited September 4, 2016 by Rinaldo