What: A new musical adaptation of the classic 80s film about vampires.
And? Honestly? I had a great time. Is it a great show for the ages? Debatable. Did I stop listening to lyrics half the time? Maybe. Are the central couple strong actors or can they just sing really well? Very much the second option. Did the final moment annoy me deeply, only to be chased by a post-bow moment that annoyed me even more? Yeah you betcha yeah.
But really, I had a great time. Fantastic stagecraft, especially as it takes advantage of how damn tall the Palace is, both from an audience perspective and the stage itself. We were midway up the mezzanine and still had a great view, with the staging and design utilizing to great advantage three different levels of their scaffolded set. The flying looked fantastic and not even silly. David (the blond Kiefer Sutherland vampire) was properly threatening and charismatic--Ali Louis Bourzgui can do no wrong, as far as I can tell. The show leans into the campier aspects unapologetically, especially in the ridiculous Act Two opener (no spoilers). The Frog Brothers (Jennifer Duka and Miguel Gil) are delightful, younger brother Sam (Benjamin Pajak) is adorakable, Paul Alexander Nolan perfectly walks the subtle line of video store owner Max, and the always-excellent Shoshana Bean belts to the ceiling and back again. I don't remember the film well enough to speak to the musical's faithfulness to the source material, but Sax Guy is there, and they successfully translate a film's three-act structure into a musical's two-act structure.
So, a few nits to pick, mentioned above, but still fun theater.
 |
| LJ Benet as Michael and Ali Louis Bourzgui as David, with the cast of The Lost Boys. Photo by Matthew Murphy. |
4/29/26: You & Me
What: A year after college student Delilah opened fire on campus, killing eleven people before killing herself, friends of both the murderer and the deceased gather for a memorial at their local diner. Attendees include Delilah's twin sister Chloe, her ex-girlfriend Mac, and a movie star in town to research an upcoming role. Over the course of one day, Chloe continues her pursuit to uncover why her sister did what she did, and friends and enemies alike reveal damning truths along the way.
And? full review here.
 |
| Courtnie Keaton as Mac and Brianne Buishas as Chloe. Photo by Filip Rucewicz. |
4/30/26: Bat Out of Hell
What: It's back! For two nights only, the return of the show I described as a "drugged-out Peter Pan trip," partly based on the Meatloaf album of the same name.
And? It's so weird to be nostalgic for a production I often cite as one of the worst things I've seen in New York (2019 write up here). But this iteration? Worse, and not in a fun way. It's just boring. The live-feed camera and screens are even less competent, under the bewildering combination of the space being too brightly lit for us to see the screens well, and the performers being too underlit for them to be actually well-captured by the cameraman. I kept thinking, "god, I miss Jamie Lloyd" (which is interesting, because in my 2019 write up I talked about my newfound appreciation for Ivo van Hove's use of the same tools). I also kept thinking "Find your light!!!" Meanwhile, most of the non-dance staging was done at the front lip of the stage, which I, in my last row of the mezzanine, could see almost none of. And there wasn't even a giant motorcycle! What are we doing here?
 |
| The cast of Bat Out of Hell. Photo by Chris Davis Studio 1. |
Streaming Theater
- The pro-show of the recent revival of Merrily We Roll Along (those close-ups during group numbers ... oof)
No comments:
Post a Comment