5/29/24: The Notebook
What: The new musical adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel, about an aging couple looking back on their love story: Allie has Alzheimer's, and doesn't remember who Noah is, but he tells her their story in the hope of bringing her back.
And? I'm kind of annoyed that this was as good as it was, primarily because I don't like to give credence to Nicholas Sparks stuff (and I thought the movie was overrated). But this was good theater. Bekah Brunstetter's book works pretty well, Ingrid Michaelson's score is slightly more pop than musical theater, but it's tuneful, Michael Greif and Schele Williams's direction is effective, and the scenic design by David Zinn and Brett J. Banakis is mobile and unobtrusive under Ben Stanton's romantic lighting design. The use of the younger selves as memory echoes, effectively drawn with both the color palate of Paloma Young's costume design and the gesture work (choreography Katie Spelman), is the kind of theatrical storytelling I'm always up for. And it's especially heartbreaking to see that mirroring with Maryann Plunkett's aging Allie, unable to remember the selves she used to be. (Plunkett and Dorian Harewood absolutely deserve their nominations for their work here, my goodness)
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| Maryann Plunkett, Joy Woods, and Jordan Tyson as Older Allie, Middle Allie, and Younger Allie. Photo by Julieta Cervantes. |
5/30/24: Home
What: Roundabout presents a revival of Samm-Art Williams's three-hander about a Black man in the Carolinas who leaves home after his imprisonment for refusing to fight in Vietnam, but cannot find peace in the new places he tries to call home.
And? Stunning work. Poetry and rhythm and three people so in sync that you trust them fully. A relentless yet kind story of this man's life, with a sweet healing calm at the end. Tory Kittles, Brittany Inge, and Stori Ayers are forces to be reckoned with, and I'm glad to be introduced to Samm-Art Williams's work, even if it unfortunately comes so soon after he passed away.
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| Stori Ayers, Tory Kittles, and Brittany Inge as Woman Two, Cephus Miles, and Woman One. Photo by Joan Marcus. |
6/01/24: Stereophonic
What: The Broadway transfer of the Playwrights Horizons hit about a five-person band recording their second album over the course of a tumultuous year, fueled by egos, broken hearts, and a massive bag of cocaine.
And? I can see why people are talking about this, though I think that talk got the play a bit overhyped for me. It was really good but not life-changing in the way I anticipated (I know it's the most nominated play of the season, but I don't actually think it warrants a win for Best Play). The sound design is fantastic, the scenic design so visceral you can tell exactly how sticky each chair is, and the cast is alive and breathing and seven fully realized humans. I'm really glad I saw it and am quietly wondering how differently it hit at PH's more intimate space (though the Golden is fairly intimate for a Broadway house, and though I was sitting all the way on the side, I still had a great view of the show). It's an impressive piece of theater that can have some of the bigger events happen offstage, Greek theater style, and still be compelling, edge-of-your-seat to watch what happens onstage. Part of the fun, of course, is figuring out what we've missed based on body language alone.
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| Sarah Pidgeon, Juliana Canfield, and Tom Pecinka as Diana, Holly, and Peter. Photo by Julieta Cervantes. |
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