3/18/25: Operation Mincemeat
What: The Broadway transfer of the West End hit, a tongue-in-cheek musical adaption of the real-life British mission of deception in World War II.
And? Y'all, this show is a goddamn delight. The five actors--three of whom also cowrote the piece--have perfected the timing of their physical comedy to help make this sharp, hilarious, and without falter. Jak Malone, who won an Olivier for this production, is a particular standout in his various roles, and manages to break everyone's heart with a six-minute song sung in total stillness--that's when you know the audience is hooked. Ben Stones, responsible for the set and costume design that help facilitate the countless quick character changes and space shifts, is a magician with his designs full of trap door surprises and delights that keep us gasping and laughing. This one's a real treat.
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| Claire Marie Hall, Zoe Roberts, David Cummings, and Natasha Hodgson. Photo by Julieta Cervantes. |
3/19/25: BOOP! The Musical
What: A new splashy musical about Betty Boop who, tired of her life in the spotlight, escapes to the real world to discover they love her just as much. Sort of Enchanted/Barbie vibes, but with Betty Boop.
And? This show knows who its audience is, and is catering to it like mad: tourists in town looking for a brightly colored, dance-filled, feel-good musical. I found myself questioning if I've missed the immense popularity of a cartoon I vaguely remember from childhood. More than that, though, I was often disappointed by what I felt were missed opportunities by the designers. When we're first introduced to Betty Boop's world, of cartoonish grey-scale, it's delightful and imaginative, and a balanced use of projections and practicals. But I desperately want more contrast once we journey to the real world. In those scenes, the use of projections feels lazy, like they just didn't feel like building real things. But the whole point that keeps getting hammered in is that this is real, everything here is real, so why can't the design reflect that? Form and content, baby! That being said, the costume design is pretty great (and has a beautiful reveal at the top of the second act), and the lighting design does wonders to balance the look and feel of the characters when we're seeing both worlds at once onstage: bathing the real world in warmth while washing out the cartoon world. Even the vocals were tailored to this contrast, as we heard the more legit singing of Betty's film colleagues contrasted with the hard-belt (and no vibrato) of her real-world love interest. I also think they could shave off a half hour on this show if they cut Faith Prince's character (I love her, but she's wasted here and not plot-essential). But the performers in general are great: good voices and good stylized delivery in particular from Jasmine Amy Rogers as Betty, and Stephen DeRosa as Grampy.
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| Stephen DeRosa, Jasmine Amy Rogers, and Phillip Huber as Grampy, Betty Boop, and Pudgy. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman. |
3/20/25: Fog and Filthy Air
What: Theater for the New City presents a new play by Tom Diriwachter, inspired by real life events.
And? full review here.
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| Kate A. McGrath, Steve Gamble, and Robert Homeyer as Mother, Tim, and Father. Photo by Peter Welch. |
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