What: The Lucille Lortel hosts a benefit reading of a new musical adaptation of Patrick Dennis's novel, about a celebrated film director who flees creditors and the IRS for Mexico where, when he encounters bestselling author Patrick Dennis, devises a scheme to make a new movie and pay off his debts.
And? It's okay. Some of the songs are fun, but there's still a ways to go before it has the sharpness needed to be the kind of musical farce it wants to be. But it was a treat to see the incredibly talented and charismatic Douglas Sills in a leading role again: confident, clear-voiced, and as polished as if he'd been working on this role for weeks and not the 25 hours the director told us. Also making delightful comic turns were Lesli Margherita, Natascia Diaz, and Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda.
4/16/25: The Last Five Years
What: Jason Robert Brown's semi-autobiographical musical about his first marriage finally makes its Broadway debut. This is the one where she's living the story backwards, he's living it forwards, and they meet in the middle, when they get married.
And? We should start with Adrienne Warren. She is fan-flipping-tastic. A rich throaty voice, Disney princess eyes, and full conviction in her character. Even when she's just standing there listening, she's riveting and heartbreaking. Nick Jonas next to her is ... okay. He's sipping a delicate cocktail of low expectations, almost no dialogue, and being directed within an inch of his life. He moves well, and so he shines when he's got a dynamic song to perform, especially when he does high vocal riffs (his lower register remains weak). But when he's abandoned to the more staid serious songs, he crutches on leaning forward as his only tool to show he really means it.
This production breaks from the others I'm aware of, by sometimes having the other player present during their partner's song; perhaps they are borrowing from the film adaptation's success with that move (thinking specifically of the camera holding on Anna Kendrick's reaction to Jamie's "If I Didn't Believe in You"). The difference, though, is that the film was grounded in a clear reality (I am ignoring anyone who comes in yelling about musicals not being grounded in any reality, you're deliberately missing my point), and the stage show exists in a much more amorphous and flexible space. Beyond that, the show is already written with some overlap (Jamie taking phone calls during Cathy's songs, etc.), and those moments are clearly taking place in their individual character's time, not the time of the song they're interrupting. When either character remains onstage in the same costume to receive a song from a different time, that clarity becomes muddled. It also steals some of the power away from "The Next Ten Minutes," the one time the two characters are actually in sync. When Cathy was already onstage for the entirety of "The Schmuel Song" five minutes ago, her entering to duet with Jamie on their wedding doesn't feel like the momentous moment it should. It feels instead like the director was afraid of letting the show be what it is, and still exist on Broadway--a tiny two-person chamber musical in one of Broadway's biggest theaters (oops). I've seen this show done Off-Broadway (revival, not original), and in concert staging (JRB/Lauren Kennedy, and Joshua Henry/Cynthia Erivo), and honestly it doesn't need a lot of pyrotechnics to sell it. It just needs two powerful performers who have both the acting and singing chops.
I also don't understand why the side lighting was so loosely aimed that it kept illuminating the first few rows of the orchestra (including a bored-looking usher). I even saw an audience member have to hold their hand in front of their face to block the light. And I don't really know what the set design was doing, if it was doing anything.
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| Adrienne Warren and Nick Jonas as Cathy and Jamie in the aforementioned "Schmuel Song." Photo by Matthew Murphy. |
4/17/25: Canaan Unremembered
What: Theatre East presents the world premiere of Judson Jones's play about a woman who, struck with amnesia after a stroke, is struggling to understand the Evangelical religion as practiced by her father and by a husband she doesn't remember.
And? I finally made it! I was supposed to see this a few weeks ago but was stuck home with covid (a coworker of mine is in this show). And I'm really grateful I was ultimately able to see it--it's very well-written and -directed by Judson Jones, with all three actors clearly in the same world telling the same story. Come to that, all the design elements were in sync on this story, too, from the subtle lighting design of Zach Murphy to the arc crafted by Sherry Martinez's costumes. If I sound surprised it's because I'm not used to seeing an Off-Off production with this consistent level of high quality across the board. It's refreshing and exciting. On top of that, it's a deeply human story, and one I haven't seen before. I was nervous, going in as a Jewish atheist, that the Christianity of it would be too overwhelming for me to get past, but they balance it effectively: the men's faith against Jenn's skepticism (Cathryn Shelton Jones is profoundly good at tracking Jenn's arc, earning both her highs and her lows wit honesty, vulnerability, and earthy humor). And while I don't think the ending written by the playwright felt as organic, earned, or even necessary as the rest of it, I appreciated that rest of it so thoroughly that even the ending disappointment doesn't overwrite it.
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| Cathryn Shelton Jones and Joseph Dean Anderson as Jenn and Matt. Photo by Ewan Rasmussen. |
4/18/25: Floyd Collins
What: Lincoln Center revives the Landau/Guettel musical inspired by the real-life tragedy of Floyd Collins as he becomes trapped underground while caving, and the attempts to rescue him.
And? This is one of those shows I'd heard about for years, that people wanted to save. I saw a college production at one point that, with its black box staging limitations, revealed the weaknesses in the script even more fully. I can see why people want to save this show: it's an unusual story, and some of the songs really are compelling. But it's still a bit of an unfocused mess, in part because it doesn't seem to know how to reckon with the fact that its title character is immobilized for most of the show. I'd even argue that it doesn't fully realize that its title character isn't the main character. In terms of protagonist behavior and central change, Floyd's arc is basically just coming to terms with dying.
Anyway, this production doesn't solve the writing issues, but it's got good vocals, some gorgeous stage pictures with all the silhouette work, and--aside from the inexplicable lounge chair design for Floyd to sit in for most of the show--a good use of space.
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| The company of Floyd Collins. Photo by Joan Marcus. |
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